Srimad Bhagvatam
TRANSLATION:
THE SUPREME BEING, THE PERSONALITY OF GODHEAD, IS THE ESSENCE OF ALL VEDIC
KNOWLEDGE, THE ROOT OF ALL RELIGIOUS PRINCIPLES, AND THE MEMORY OF GREAT
AUTHORITIES. O KING YUDHISHTHIRA, THIS PRINCIPLE OF RELIGION IS TO BE
UNDERSTOOD AS EVIDENCE. ON THE BASIS OF THIS RELIGIOUS PRINCIPLE, EVERYTHING IS
SATISFIED, INCLUDING ONE'S MIND, SOUL AND EVEN ONE'S BODY.
PURPORT
As stated by Yamaraja, dharmam tu sakshad bhagavat-pranitam. YAMARAJA, THE
REPRESENTATIVE OF THE LORD WHO TAKES CARE OF THE LIVING BEINGS AFTER THEIR
DEATH, GIVES HIS VERDICT AS TO HOW AND WHEN THE LIVING BEING WILL CHANGE HIS
BODY. HE IS THE AUTHORITY, AND HE SAYS THAT THE RELIGIOUS PRINCIPLES CONSIST OF
THE CODES AND LAWS GIVEN BY GOD.
NO ONE CAN MANUFACTURE RELIGION, AND THEREFORE MANUFACTURED RELIGIOUS SYSTEMS
ARE REJECTED BY THE FOLLOWERS OF THE VEDIC PRINCIPLES. In Bhagavad-gita (15.15)
it is said, vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyam: VEDIC KNOWLEDGE MEANS TO
UNDERSTAND THE SUPREME PERSONALITY OF GODHEAD, KRSHNA. THEREFORE, WHETHER ONE
SPEAKS OF THE VEDAS, SCRIPTURES, RELIGION OR THE PRINCIPLES OF EVERYONE'S
OCCUPATIONAL DUTY, ALL OF THEM MUST AIM AT UNDERSTANDING KRSHNA, THE SUPREME PERSONALITY
OF GODHEAD.
Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.2.6) therefore concludes:
IN OTHER WORDS, RELIGIOUS PRINCIPLES AIM AT LEARNING HOW TO RENDER
TRANSCENDENTAL LOVING SERVICE TO THE LORD. THAT SERVICE MUST BE UNMOTIVATED AND
UNCHECKED BY MATERIAL CONDITIONS. THEN HUMAN SOCIETY WILL BE HAPPY IN ALL
RESPECTS.
The smrti, the scriptures following the principles of Vedic knowledge, are
considered the evidence of Vedic principles. There are twenty different types
of scripture for following religious principles, and among them the scriptures
of Manu and Yajnavalkya are considered to be all-pervading authorities. In the
Yajnavalkya-smrti it is said:
One should learn human behavior from sruti, the Vedas, and from smrti, the
scriptures following the Vedic principles. Srila Rüpa Gosvami in his
Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu says:
The purport is that to become a devotee one must follow the principles laid
down in sruti and smrti. One must follow the codes of the Puranas and the pancharatriki-vidhi.
One cannot be a pure devotee without following the sruti and smrti, and the
sruti and smrti without devotional service cannot lead one to the perfection of
life.
THEREFORE, FROM ALL THE EVIDENCE THE CONCLUSION IS THAT WITHOUT BHAKTI,
DEVOTIONAL SERVICE, THERE IS NO QUESTION OF RELIGIOUS PRINCIPLES. GOD IS THE
CENTRAL FIGURE IN THE PERFORMANCE OF RELIGIOUS PRINCIPLES. ALMOST EVERYTHING
GOING ON IN THIS WORLD AS RELIGION IS DEVOID OF ANY IDEA OF DEVOTIONAL SERVICE
AND IS THEREFORE CONDEMNED BY THE VERDICT OF SRIMAD-BHAGAVATAM. WITHOUT
DEVOTIONAL SERVICE, SO-CALLED RELIGIOUS PRINCIPLES ARE ONLY CHEATING.
