Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: Canto 6: “Prescribed Duties for Mankind”
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Chapter One
SB6.1.25
TEXT 25
sa baddha-hṛdayas tasminn
arbhake kala-bhāṣiṇi
nirīkṣamāṇas tal-līlāṁ
mumude jaraṭho bhṛśam
SYNONYMS
saḥ—he; baddha-hṛdayaḥ—being very attached; tasmin—to that; arbhake—small child; kala-bhāṣiṇi—who could not talk clearly but talked in broken language; nirīkṣamāṇaḥ—seeing; tat—his; līlām—pastimes (such as walking and talking to his father); mumude—enjoyed; jaraṭhaḥ—the old man; bhṛśam—very much.
TRANSLATION
Because of the child’s broken language and awkward movements, old Ajāmila was very much attached to him. He always took care of the child and enjoyed the child’s activities.
PURPORT
Here it is clearly mentioned that the child Nārāyaṇa was so young that he could not even speak or walk properly. Since the old man was very attached to the child, he enjoyed the child’s activities, and because the child’s name was Nārāyaṇa, the old man always chanted the holy name of Nārāyaṇa. Although he was referring to the small child and not to the original Nārāyaṇa, the name of Nārāyaṇa is so powerful that even by chanting his son’s name he was becoming purified (harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam [Adi 17.21]). Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī has therefore declared that if one’s mind is somehow or other attracted by the holy name of Kṛṣṇa (tasmāt kenāpy upāyena manaḥ kṛṣṇe niveśayet), one is on the path of liberation. It is customary in Hindu society for parents to give their children names like Kṛṣṇadāsa, Govinda dāsa, Nārāyaṇa dāsa and Vṛndāvana dāsa. Thus they chant the names Kṛṣṇa, Govinda, Nārāyaṇa and Vṛndāvana and get the chance to be purified.
SB6.1.26 TEXT 26 bhuñjānaḥ prapiban khādan bālakaṁ sneha-yantritaḥ bhojayan pāyayan mūḍho na vedāgatam antakam SYNONYMS bhuñjānaḥ—while eating; prapiban—while drinking; khādan—while chewing; bālakam—unto the child; sneha-yantritaḥ—being attached by affection; bhojayan—feeding; pāyayan—giving something to drink; mūḍhaḥ—the foolish man; na—not; veda—understood; āgatam—had arrived; antakam—death.
TRANSLATION When Ajāmila chewed food and ate it, he called the child to chew and eat, and when he drank he called the child to drink also. Always engaged in taking care of the child and calling his name, Nārāyaṇa, Ajāmila could not understand that his own time was now exhausted and that death was upon him. PURPORT The Supreme Personality of Godhead is kind to the conditioned soul. Although this man completely forgot Nārāyaṇa, he was calling his child, saying, “Nārāyaṇa, please come eat this food. Nārāyaṇa, please come drink this milk.” Somehow or other, therefore, he was attached to the name Nārāyaṇa. This is called ajñāta-sukṛti. Although calling for his son, he was unknowingly chanting the name of Nārāyaṇa, and the holy name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is so transcendentally powerful that his chanting was being counted and recorded.
SB6.1.27 TEXT 27 sa evaṁ vartamāno ’jño mṛtyu-kāla upasthite matiṁ cakāra tanaye bāle nārāyaṇāhvaye SYNONYMS saḥ—that Ajāmila; evam—thus; vartamānaḥ—living; ajñaḥ—foolish; mṛtyu-kāle—when the time of death; upasthite—arrived; matim cakāra—concentrated his mind; tanaye—on his son; bāle—the child; nārāyaṇa-āhvaye—whose name was Nārāyaṇa.
TRANSLATION When the time of death arrived for the foolish Ajāmila, he began thinking exclusively of his son Nārāyaṇa. PURPORT In the Second Canto of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (2.1.6) Śukadeva Gosvāmī says:
etāvān sāṅkhya-yogābhyāṁ “The highest perfection of human life, achieved either by complete knowledge of matter and spirit, by acquirement of mystic powers, or by perfect discharge of one’s occupational duty, is to remember the Personality of Godhead at the end of life.” Somehow or other, Ajāmila consciously or unconsciously chanted the name of Nārāyaṇa at the time of death (ante nārāyaṇa-smṛtiḥ), and therefore he became all-perfect simply by concentrating his mind on the name of Nārāyaṇa.
It may also be concluded that Ajāmila, who was the son of a brāhmaṇa, was accustomed to worshiping Nārāyaṇa in his youth because in every brāhmaṇa’s house there is worship of the nārāyaṇa-śilā. This system is still present in India; in a rigid brāhmaṇa’s house, there is nārāyaṇa-sevā, worship of Nārāyaṇa. Therefore, although the contaminated Ajāmila was calling for his son, by concentrating his mind on the holy name of Nārāyaṇa he remembered the Nārāyaṇa he had very faithfully worshiped in his youth.
In this regard Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī expressed his verdict as follows: etac ca tad-upalālanādi-śrī-nārāyaṇa-namoccāraṇa-māhātmyena tad-bhaktir evābhūd iti siddhāntopayogitvenāpi draṣṭavyam. “According to the bhakti-siddhānta, it is to be analyzed that because Ajāmila constantly chanted his son’s name, Nārāyaṇa, he was elevated to the platform of bhakti, although he did not know it.” Similarly, Śrīla Vīrarāghava Ācārya gives this opinion: evaṁ vartamānaḥ sa dvijaḥ mṛtyu-kāle upasthite satyajño nārāyaṇākhye putra eva matiṁ cakāra matim āsaktām akarod ity arthaḥ. “Although at the time of death he was chanting the name of his son, he nevertheless concentrated his mind upon the holy name of Nārāyaṇa.” Śrīla Vijayadhvaja Tīrtha gives a similar opinion:
mṛtyu-kāle deha-viyoga-lakṣaṇa-kāle mṛtyoḥ sarva-doṣa-pāpa-harasya harer anugrahāt kāle datta-jñāna-lakṣaṇe upasthite hṛdi prakāśite tanaye pūrṇa-jñāne bāle pañca-varṣa-kalpe prādeśa-mātre nārāyaṇāhvaye mūrti-viśeṣe matiṁ smaraṇa-samarthaṁ cittaṁ cakāra bhaktyāsmarad ity arthaḥ. Directly or indirectly, Ajāmila factually remembered Nārāyaṇa at the time of death (ante nārāyaṇa-smṛtiḥ).
SB6.1.28-29 TEXTS 28–29 sa pāśa-hastāṁs trīn dṛṣṭvā puruṣān ati-dāruṇān vakra-tuṇḍān ūrdhva-romṇa ātmānaṁ netum āgatān dūre krīḍanakāsaktaṁ putraṁ nārāyaṇāhvayam plāvitena svareṇoccair ājuhāvākulendriyaḥ SYNONYMS saḥ—that person (Ajāmila); pāśa-hastān—having ropes in their hands; trīn—three; dṛṣṭvā—seeing; puruṣān—persons; ati-dāruṇān—very fearful in their features; vakra-tuṇḍān—with twisted faces; ūrdhva-romṇaḥ—with hair standing on the body; ātmānam—the self; netum—to take away; āgatān—arrived; dūre—a short distance away; krīḍanaka-āsaktam—engaged in his play; putram—his child; nārāyaṇa-āhvayam—named Nārāyaṇa; plāvitena—with tearful eyes; svareṇa—with his voice; uccaiḥ—very loudly; ājuhāva—called; ākula-indriyaḥ—being full of anxiety.
TRANSLATION Ajāmila then saw three awkward persons with deformed bodily features, fierce, twisted faces, and hair standing erect on their bodies. With ropes in their hands, they had come to take him away to the abode of Yamarāja. When he saw them he was extremely bewildered, and because of attachment to his child, who was playing a short distance away, Ajāmila began to call him loudly by his name. Thus with tears in his eyes he somehow or other chanted the holy name of Nārāyaṇa. PURPORT A person who performs sinful activities performs them with his body, mind and words. Therefore three order carriers from Yamarāja came to take Ajāmila to Yamarāja’s abode. Fortunately, even though he was referring to his son, Ajāmila chanted the four syllables of the hari-nāma Nārāyaṇa, and therefore the order carriers of Nārāyaṇa, the Viṣṇudūtas, also immediately arrived there. Because Ajāmila was extremely afraid of the ropes of Yamarāja, he chanted the Lord’s name with tearful eyes. Actually, however, he never meant to chant the holy name of Nārāyaṇa; he meant to call his son.
SB6.1.30 TEXT 30 niśamya mriyamāṇasya mukhato hari-kīrtanam bhartur nāma mahārāja pārṣadāḥ sahasāpatan SYNONYMS niśamya—hearing; mriyamāṇasya—of the dying man; mukhataḥ—from the mouth; hari-kīrtanam—chanting of the holy name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; bhartuḥ nāma—the holy name of their master; mahā-rāja—O King; pārṣadāḥ—the order carriers of Viṣṇu; sahasā—immediately; āpatan—arrived.
TRANSLATION My dear King, the order carriers of Viṣṇu, the Viṣṇudūtas, immediately arrived when they heard the holy name of their master from the mouth of the dying Ajāmila, who had certainly chanted without offense because he had chanted in complete anxiety. PURPORT Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura remarks, hari-kīrtanaṁ niśamyāpatan, katham-bhūtasya bhartur nāma bruvataḥ: the order carriers of Lord Viṣṇu came because Ajāmila had chanted the holy name of Nārāyaṇa. They did not consider why he was chanting. While chanting the name of Nārāyaṇa, Ajāmila was actually thinking of his son, but simply because they heard Ajāmila chanting the Lord’s name, the order carriers of Lord Viṣṇu, the Viṣṇudūtas, immediately came for Ajāmila’s protection. Hari-kīrtana is actually meant to glorify the holy name, form, pastimes and qualities of the Lord. Ajāmila, however, did not glorify the form, qualities or paraphernalia of the Lord; he simply chanted the holy name. Nevertheless, that chanting was sufficient to cleanse him of all sinful activities. As soon as the Viṣṇudūtas heard their master’s name being chanted, they immediately came. In this regard Śrīla Vijayadhvaja Tīrtha remarks: anena putra-sneham antareṇa prācīnādṛṣṭa-balād udbhūtayā bhaktyā bhagavan-nāma-saṅkīrtanaṁ kṛtam iti jñāyate. “Ajāmila chanted the name of Nārāyaṇa because of his excessive attachment to his son. Nevertheless, because of his past good fortune in having rendered devotional service to Nārāyaṇa, he apparently chanted the holy name in full devotional service and without offenses.”
SB6.1.31 TEXT 31 vikarṣato ’ntar hṛdayād dāsī-patim ajāmilam yama-preṣyān viṣṇudūtā vārayām āsur ojasā SYNONYMS vikarṣataḥ—snatching; antaḥ hṛdayāt—from within the heart; dāsī-patim—the husband of the prostitute; ajāmilam—Ajāmila; yama-preṣyān—the messengers of Yamarāja; viṣṇu-dūtāḥ—the order carriers of Lord Viṣṇu; vārayām āsuḥ—forbade; ojasā—with resounding voices.
TRANSLATION The order carriers of Yamarāja were snatching the soul from the core of the heart of Ajāmila, the husband of the prostitute, but with resounding voices the messengers of Lord Viṣṇu, the Viṣṇudūtas, forbade them to do so. PURPORT A Vaiṣṇava, one who has surrendered to the lotus feet of Lord Viṣṇu, is always protected by Lord Viṣṇu’s order carriers. Because Ajāmila had chanted the holy name of Nārāyaṇa, the Viṣṇudūtas not only immediately arrived on the spot but also at once ordered the Yamadūtas not to touch him. By speaking with resounding voices, the Viṣṇudūtas threatened to punish the Yamadūtas if they continued trying to snatch Ajāmila’s soul from his heart. The order carriers of Yamarāja have jurisdiction over all sinful living entities, but the messengers of Lord Viṣṇu, the Viṣṇudūtas, are capable of punishing anyone, including Yamarāja, if he wrongs a Vaiṣṇava.
Materialistic scientists do not know where to find the soul within the body with their material instruments, but this verse clearly explains that the soul is within the core of the heart (hṛdaya); it is from the heart that the Yamadūtas were extracting the soul of Ajāmila. Similarly, we learn that the Supersoul, Lord Viṣṇu, is also situated within the heart (īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe ’rjuna tiṣṭhati [Bg. 18.61]). In the Upaniṣads it is said that the Supersoul and the individual soul are living in the same tree of the body as two friendly birds. The Supersoul is said to be friendly because the Supreme Personality of Godhead is so kind to the original soul that when the original soul transmigrates from one body to another, the Lord goes with him. Furthermore, according to the desire and karma of the individual soul, the Lord, through the agency of māyā, creates another body for him.
The heart of the body is a mechanical arrangement. As the Lord says in Bhagavad-gītā (18.61):
īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ “The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone’s heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine, made of the material energy.” Yantra means a machine, such as an automobile. The driver of the machine of the body is the individual soul, who is also its director or proprietor, but the supreme proprietor is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One’s body is created through the agency of māyā (karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa), and according to one’s activities in this life, another vehicle is created, again under the supervision of daivī māyā (daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī mama māyā duratyayā). At the appropriate time, one’s next body is immediately chosen, and both the individual soul and the Supersoul transfer to that particular bodily machine. This is the process of transmigration. During transmigration from one body to the next, the soul is taken away by the order carriers of Yamarāja and put into a particular type of hellish life (naraka) in order to become accustomed to the condition in which he will live in his next body.
SB6.1.32 TEXT 32 ūcur niṣedhitās tāṁs te vaivasvata-puraḥsarāḥ ke yūyaṁ pratiṣeddhāro dharma-rājasya śāsanam SYNONYMS ūcuḥ—replied; niṣedhitāḥ—being forbidden; tān—to the order carriers of Lord Viṣṇu; te—they; vaivasvata—of Yamarāja; puraḥ-sarāḥ—the assistants or messengers; ke—who; yūyam—all of you; pratiṣed-dhāraḥ—who are opposing; dharma-rājasya—of the king of religious principles, Yamarāja; śāsanam—the ruling jurisdiction.
TRANSLATION When the order carriers of Yamarāja, the son of the sun-god, were thus forbidden, they replied: Who are you, sirs, that have the audacity to challenge the jurisdiction of Yamarāja? PURPORT According to the sinful activities of Ajāmila, he was within the jurisdiction of Yamarāja, the supreme judge appointed to consider the sins of the living entities. When forbidden to touch Ajāmila, the order carriers of Yamarāja were surprised because they had never been hindered in the execution of their duty by anyone within the three worlds.
SB6.1.33 TEXT 33 kasya vā kuta āyātāḥ kasmād asya niṣedhatha kiṁ devā upadevā yā yūyaṁ kiṁ siddha-sattamāḥ SYNONYMS kasya—whose servants; vā—or; kutaḥ—from where; āyātāḥ—have you come; kasmāt—what is the reason; asya—(the taking away) of this Ajāmila; niṣedhatha—are you forbidding; kim—whether; devāḥ—demigods; upadevāḥ—sub-demigods; yāḥ—who; yūyam—all of you; kim—whether; siddha-sat-tamāḥ—the best of the perfect beings, the pure devotees.
TRANSLATION Dear sirs, whose servants are you, where have you come from, and why are you forbidding us to touch the body of Ajāmila? Are you demigods from the heavenly planets, are you sub-demigods, or are you the best of devotees? PURPORT The most significant word used in this verse is siddha-sattamāḥ, which means “the best of the perfect.” In Bhagavad-gītā (7.3) it is said, manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye: out of millions of persons, one may try to become siddha, perfect—or, in other words, self-realized. A self-realized person knows that he is not the body but a spiritual soul (ahaṁ brahmāsmi). At the present moment practically everyone is unaware of this fact, but one who understands this has attained perfection and is therefore called siddha. When one understands that the soul is part and parcel of the supreme soul and one thus engages in the devotional service of the supreme soul, one becomes siddha-sat-tama. One is then eligible to live in the Vaikuṇṭha planets or Kṛṣṇaloka. The word siddha-sattama, therefore, refers to a liberated, pure devotee.
Since the Yamadūtas are servants of Yamarāja, who is also one of the siddha-sattamas, they knew that a siddha-sattama is above the demigods and sub-demigods and, indeed, above all the living entities within this material world. The Yamadūtas therefore inquired why the Viṣṇudūtas were present where a sinful man was going to die.
It should also be noted that Ajāmila was not yet dead, for the Yamadūtas were trying to snatch the soul from his heart. They could not take the soul, however, and therefore Ajāmila was not yet dead. This will be revealed in later verses. Ajāmila was simply in an unconscious state when the argument was in progress between the Yamadūtas and the Viṣṇudūtas. The conclusion of the argument was to be a decision regarding who would claim the soul of Ajāmila.
SB6.1.34-36 TEXTS 34–36 sarve padma-palāśākṣāḥ pīta-kauśeya-vāsasaḥ kirīṭinaḥ kuṇḍalino lasat-puṣkara-mālinaḥ sarve ca nūtna-vayasaḥ sarve cāru-caturbhujāḥ dhanur-niṣaṅgāsi-gadā- śaṅkha-cakrāmbuja-śriyaḥ diśo vitimirālokāḥ kurvantaḥ svena tejasā kim arthaṁ dharma-pālasya kiṅkarān no niṣedhatha SYNONYMS sarve—all of you; padma-palāśa-akṣāḥ—with eyes like the petals of a lotus flower; pīta—yellow; kauśeya—silk; vāsasaḥ—wearing garments; kirīṭinaḥ—with helmets; kuṇḍalinaḥ—with earrings; lasat—glittering; puṣkara-mālinaḥ—with a garland of lotus flowers; sarve—all of you; ca—also; nūtna-vayasaḥ—very youthful; sarve—all of you; cāru—very beautiful; catuḥ-bhujāḥ—with four arms; dhanuḥ—bow; niṣaṅga—quiver of arrows; asi—sword; gadā—club; śaṅkha—conchshell; cakra—disc; ambuja—lotus flower; śriyaḥ—decorated with; diśaḥ—all directions; vitimira—without darkness; ālokāḥ—extraordinary illumination; kurvantaḥ—exhibiting; svena—by your own; tejasā—effulgence; kim artham—what is the purpose; dharma-pālasya—of Yamarāja, the maintainer of religious principles; kiṅkarān—servants; naḥ—us; niṣedhatha—you are forbidding.
TRANSLATION The order carriers of Yamarāja said: Your eyes are just like the petals of lotus flowers. Dressed in yellow silken garments, decorated with garlands of lotuses, and wearing very attractive helmets on your heads and earrings on your ears, you all appear fresh and youthful. Your four long arms are decorated with bows and quivers of arrows and with swords, clubs, conchshells, discs and lotus flowers. Your effulgence has dissipated the darkness of this place with extraordinary illumination. Now, sirs, why are you obstructing us? PURPORT Before even being introduced to a foreigner, one becomes acquainted with him through his dress, bodily features and behavior and can thus understand his position. Therefore when the Yamadūtas saw the Viṣṇudūtas for the first time, they were surprised. They said, “By your bodily features you appear to be very exalted gentlemen, and you have such celestial power that you have dissipated the darkness of this material world with your own effulgences. Why then should you endeavor to stop us from executing our duty?” It will be explained that the Yamadūtas, the order carriers of Yamarāja, mistakenly considered Ajāmila sinful. They did not know that although he was sinful throughout his entire life, he was purified by constantly chanting the holy name of Nārāyaṇa. In other words, unless one is a Vaiṣṇava, one cannot understand the activities of a Vaiṣṇava.
The dress and bodily features of the residents of Vaikuṇṭhaloka are properly described in these verses. The residents of Vaikuṇṭha, who are decorated with garlands and yellow silken garments, have four arms holding various weapons. Thus they conspicuously resemble Lord Viṣṇu. They have the same bodily features as Nārāyaṇa because they have attained the liberation of sārūpya, but they nevertheless act as servants. All the residents of Vaikuṇṭhaloka know perfectly well that their master is Nārāyaṇa, or Kṛṣṇa, and that they are all His servants. They are all self-realized souls who are nitya-mukta, everlastingly liberated. Although they could conceivably declare themselves Nārāyaṇa or Viṣṇu, they never do so; they always remain Kṛṣṇa conscious and serve the Lord faithfully. Such is the atmosphere of Vaikuṇṭhaloka. Similarly, one who learns the faithful service of Lord Kṛṣṇa through the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement will always remain in Vaikuṇṭhaloka and have nothing to do with the material world.
SB6.1.37 TEXT 37 śrī-śuka uvāca ity ukte yamadūtais te vāsudevokta-kāriṇaḥ tān pratyūcuḥ prahasyedaṁ megha-nirhrādayā girā SYNONYMS śrī-śukaḥ uvāca—Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said; iti—thus; ukte—being addressed; yamadūtaiḥ—by the messengers of Yamarāja; te—they; vāsudeva-ukta-kāriṇaḥ—who are always ready to execute the orders of Lord Vāsudeva (being personal associates of Lord Viṣṇu who have obtained the liberation of sālokya); tān—unto them; pratyūcuḥ—replied; prahasya—smiling; idam—this; megha-nirhrādayā—resounding like a rumbling cloud; girā—with voices.
TRANSLATION Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: Being thus addressed by the messengers of Yamarāja, the servants of Vāsudeva smiled and spoke the following words in voices as deep as the sound of rumbling clouds. PURPORT The Yamadūtas were surprised to see that the Viṣṇudūtas, although polite, were hindering the rule of Yamarāja. Similarly, the Viṣṇudūtas were also surprised that the Yamadūtas, although claiming to be servants of Yamarāja, the supreme judge of religious principles, were unaware of the principles of religious action. Thus the Viṣṇudūtas smiled, thinking, “What is this nonsense they are speaking? If they are actually servants of Yamarāja they should know that Ajāmila is not a suitable candidate for them to carry off.”
SB6.1.38 TEXT 38 śrī-viṣṇudūtā ūcuḥ yūyaṁ vai dharma-rājasya yadi nirdeśa-kāriṇaḥ brūta dharmasya nas tattvaṁ yac cādharmasya lakṣaṇam SYNONYMS śrī-viṣṇudūtāḥ ūcuḥ—the blessed messengers of Lord Viṣṇu spoke; yūyam—all of you; vai—indeed; dharma-rājasya—of King Yamarāja, who knows the religious principles; yadi—if; nirdeśa-kāriṇaḥ—order carriers; brūta—just speak; dharmasya—of religious principles; naḥ—unto us; tattvam—the truth; yat—that which; ca—also; adharmasya—of impious activities; lakṣaṇam—symptoms.
TRANSLATION The blessed messengers of Lord Viṣṇu, the Viṣṇudūtas, said: If you are actually servants of Yamarāja, you must explain to us the meaning of religious principles and the symptoms of irreligion. PURPORT This inquiry by the Viṣṇudūtas to the Yamadūtas is most important. A servant must know the instructions of his master. The servants of Yamarāja claimed to be carrying out his orders, and therefore the Viṣṇudūtas very intelligently asked them to explain the symptoms of religious and irreligious principles. A Vaiṣṇava knows these principles perfectly well because he is well acquainted with the instructions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Supreme Lord says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja: [Bg. 18.66] “Give up all other varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me.” Therefore surrender unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the actual principle of religion. Those who have surrendered to the principles of material nature instead of to Kṛṣṇa are all impious, regardless of their material position. Unaware of the principles of religion, they do not surrender to Kṛṣṇa, and therefore they are considered sinful rascals, the lowest of men, and fools bereft of all knowledge. As Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad-gītā (7.15):
na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ “Those miscreants who are grossly foolish, lowest among mankind, whose knowledge is stolen by illusion, and who partake of the atheistic nature of demons, do not surrender unto Me.” One who has not surrendered to Kṛṣṇa does not know the true principle of religion; otherwise he would have surrendered.
The question posed by the Viṣṇudūtas was very suitable. One who represents someone else must fully know that person’s mission. The devotees in the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement must therefore be fully aware of the mission of Kṛṣṇa and Lord Caitanya; otherwise they will be considered foolish. All devotees, especially preachers, must know the philosophy of Kṛṣṇa consciousness so as not to be embarrassed and insulted when they preach.
SB6.1.39 TEXT 39 kathaṁ svid dhriyate daṇḍaḥ kiṁ vāsya sthānam īpsitam daṇḍyāḥ kiṁ kāriṇaḥ sarve āho svit katicin nṛṇām SYNONYMS katham svit—by which means; dhriyate—is imposed; daṇḍaḥ—punishment; kim—what; vā—or; asya—of this; sthānam—the place; īpsitam—desirable; daṇḍyāḥ—punishable; kim—whether; kāriṇaḥ—fruitive actors; sarve—all; āho svit—or whether; katicit—some; nṛṇām—of the human beings.
TRANSLATION What is the process of punishing others? Who are the actual candidates for punishment? Are all karmīs engaged in fruitive activities punishable, or only some of them? PURPORT One who has the power to punish others should not punish everyone. There are innumerable living entities, the majority of whom are in the spiritual world and are nitya-mukta, everlastingly liberated. There is no question of judging these liberated living beings. Only a small fraction of the living entities, perhaps one fourth, are in the material world. And the major portion of the living entities in the material world—8,000,000 of the 8,400,000 forms of life—are lower than human beings. They are not punishable, for under the laws of material nature they are automatically evolving. Human beings, who are advanced in consciousness, are responsible, but not all of them are punishable. Those engaged in advanced pious activities are beyond punishment. Only those who engage in sinful activities are punishable. Therefore the Viṣṇudūtas particularly inquired about who is punishable and why Yamarāja has been designated to discriminate between who is punishable and who is not. How is one to be judged? What is the basic principle of authority? These are the questions raised by the Viṣṇudūtas.
SB6.1.40 TEXT 40 yamadūtā ūcuḥ veda-praṇihito dharmo hy adharmas tad-viparyayaḥ vedo nārāyaṇaḥ sākṣāt svayambhūr iti śuśruma SYNONYMS yamadūtāḥ ūcuḥ—the order carriers of Yamarāja said; veda—by the four Vedas (Sāma, Yajur, Ṛg and Atharva); praṇihitaḥ—prescribed; dharmaḥ—religious principles; hi—indeed; adharmaḥ—irreligious principles; tat-viparyayaḥ—the opposite of that (that which is not supported by Vedic injunctions); vedaḥ—the Vedas, books of knowledge; nārāyaṇaḥ sākṣāt—directly the Supreme Personality of Godhead (being the words of Nārāyaṇa); svayam-bhūḥ—self-born, self-sufficient (appearing only from the breath of Nārāyaṇa and not being learned from anyone else); iti—thus; śuśruma—we have heard.
TRANSLATION The Yamadūtas replied: That which is prescribed in the Vedas constitutes dharma, the religious principles, and the opposite of that is irreligion. The Vedas are directly the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nārāyaṇa, and are self-born. This we have heard from Yamarāja. PURPORT The servants of Yamarāja replied quite properly. They did not manufacture principles of religion or irreligion. Instead, they explained what they had heard from the authority Yamarāja. Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ: one should follow the mahājana, the authorized person. Yamarāja is one of twelve authorities. Therefore the servants of Yamarāja, the Yamadūtas, replied with perfect clarity when they said śuśruma (“we have heard”). The members of modern civilization manufacture defective religious principles through speculative concoction. This is not dharma. They do not know what is dharma and what is adharma. Therefore, as stated in the beginning of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo ’tra: [SB 1.1.2] dharma not supported by the Vedas is rejected from śrīmad-bhāgavata-dharma. Bhāgavata-dharma comprises only that which is given by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Bhāgavata-dharma is sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja: [Bg. 18.66] one must accept the authority of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and surrender to Him and whatever He says. That is dharma. Arjuna, for example, thinking that violence was adharma, was declining to fight, but Kṛṣṇa urged him to fight. Arjuna abided by the orders of Kṛṣṇa, and therefore he is actually a dharmī because the order of Kṛṣṇa is dharma. Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad-gītā (15.15), vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ: “The real purpose of veda, knowledge, is to know Me.” One who knows Kṛṣṇa perfectly is liberated. As Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad-gītā (4.9):
janma karma ca me divyam “One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.” One who understands Kṛṣṇa and abides by His order is a candidate for returning home, back to Godhead. It may be concluded that dharma, religion, refers to that which is ordered in the Vedas, and adharma, irreligion, refers to that which is not supported in the Vedas.
Dharma is not actually manufactured by Nārāyaṇa. As stated in the Vedas, asya mahato bhūtasya niśvasitam etad yad ṛg-vedaḥ iti: the injunctions of dharma emanate from the breathing of Nārāyaṇa, the supreme living entity. Nārāyaṇa exists eternally and breathes eternally, and therefore dharma, the injunctions of Nārāyaṇa, also exist eternally. Śrīla Madhvācārya, the original ācārya for those who belong to the Mādhva-Gauḍīya-sampradāya, says:
vedānāṁ prathamo vaktā The transcendental words of the Vedas emanated from the mouth of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore the Vedic principles should be understood to be Vaiṣṇava principles because Viṣṇu is the origin of the Vedas. The Vedas contain nothing besides the instructions of Viṣṇu, and one who follows the Vedic principles is a Vaiṣṇava. The Vaiṣṇava is not a member of a manufactured community of this material world. A Vaiṣṇava is a real knower of the Vedas, as confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ [Bg. 15.15]).
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svadharma-pariniṣṭhayā
janma-lābhaḥ paraḥ puṁsām
ante nārāyaṇa-smṛtiḥ
hṛd-deśe ’rjuna tiṣṭhati
bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni
yantrārūḍhāni māyayā
prapadyante narādhamāḥ
māyayāpahṛta-jñānā
āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ
evaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ
tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma
naiti mām eti so ’rjuna
harir eva yato vibhuḥ
ato viṣṇv-ātmakā vedā
ity āhur veda-vādinaḥ