BHAGAVAD-GITA 2:42-43

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BHAGAVAD-GITA 2:42-43

 

yam imam puspitam vacam

pravadanty avipascitah

veda-vada-ratah partha

nanyad astiti vadinah

 

kamatmanah svarga-para

janma-karma-phala-pradam

kriya-visesa-bahulam

bhogaisvarya-gatim prati

 

WORD FOR WORD

 

yam imam--all these; puspitam--flowery; vacam--words; pravadanti--say;

avipascitah--men with a poor fund of knowledge;

veda-vada-ratah--supposed followers of the Vedas; partha--O son of

Prtha; na--never; anyat--anything else; asti--there is; iti--thus;

vadinah--the advocates; kama-atmanah--desirous of sense gratification;

svarga-parah--aiming to achieve heavenly planets;

janma-karma-phala-pradam--resulting in good birth and other fruitive

reactions; kriya-visesa--pompous ceremonies; bahulam--various;

bhoga--in sense enjoyment; aisvarya--and opulence; gatim--progress;

prati--towards.

 

TRANSLATION

 

Men of small knowledge are very much attached to the flowery words of

the Vedas, which recommend various fruitive activities for elevation

to heavenly planets, resultant good birth, power, and so forth. Being

desirous of sense gratification and opulent life, they say that there

is nothing more than this.

 

PURPORT

 

People in general are not very intelligent, and due to their ignorance

they are most attached to the fruitive activities recommended in the

karma-kanda portions of the Vedas. They do not want anything more than

sense gratificatory proposals for enjoying life in heaven, where wine

and women are available and material opulence is very common. In the

Vedas many sacrifices are recommended for elevation to the heavenly

planets, especially the jyotistoma sacrifices. In fact, it is stated

that anyone desiring elevation to heavenly planets must perform these

sacrifices, and men with a poor fund of knowledge think that this is

the whole purpose of Vedic wisdom. It is very difficult for such

inexperienced persons to be situated in the determined action of Krsna

consciousness. As fools are attached to the flowers of poisonous trees

without knowing the results of such attractions, unenlightened men are

similarly attracted by such heavenly opulence and the sense enjoyment

thereof.

 

In the karma-kanda section of the Vedas it is said, apama somam amrta

abhuma and aksayyam ha vai caturmasya-yajinah sukrtam bhavati. In

other words, those who perform the four-month penances become eligible

to drink the soma-rasa beverages to become immortal and happy forever.

Even on this earth some are very eager to have soma-rasa to become

strong and fit to enjoy sense gratifications. Such persons have no

faith in liberation from material bondage, and they are very much

attached to the pompous ceremonies of Vedic sacrifices. They are

generally sensual, and they do not want anything other than the

heavenly pleasures of life. It is understood that there are gardens

called Nandana-kanana in which there is good opportunity for

association with angelic, beautiful women and having a profuse supply

of soma-rasa wine. Such bodily happiness is certainly sensual;

therefore there are those who are purely attached to such material,

temporary happiness, as lords of the material world.

 

Copyright 1983 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. Used with

permission.