Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 11 Chapter 21 Verse 26

Canto 11: General History | Chapter 21: Lord Kṛṣṇa's Explanation of the Vedic Path

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 11.21.26

evaḿ vyavasitaḿ kecid

avijñāya kubuddhayaḥ

phala-śrutiḿ kusumitāḿ

na veda-jñā vadanti hi

SYNONYMS

evam — in this way; vyavasitam — the actual conclusion; kecit — some people; avijñāya — not understanding; ku-buddhayaḥ — having perverted intelligence; phala-śrutim — the scriptural statements promising material rewards; kusumitām — flowery; na — do not; veda-jñāḥ — those in full knowledge of the Vedas; vadanti — speak; hi — indeed.

TRANSLATION

Persons with perverted intelligence do not understand this actual purpose of Vedic knowledge and instead propagate as the highest Vedic truth the flowery statements of the Vedas that promise material rewards. Those in actual knowledge of the Vedas never speak in that way.

PURPORT

The followers of the karma-mīmāḿsā philosophy declare that there is no eternal kingdom of God beyond this universe and that one should therefore become a professional performer of Vedic rituals in order to keep oneself in a material heavenly planet. As explained by the Lord to Śrī Uddhava in a previous chapter, there is no actual happiness in the material world, since one will inevitably rotate throughout the various planetary environments stretching from heaven to hell and thus always be disturbed within the material atmosphere. Although the doctor may give a child candy-covered medicine, one who urges the child to eat the candy and throw away the medicine is certainly a great fool. In the same way, the flowery statements of the Vedas describing heavenly enjoyment do not award the real fruit of Vedic knowledge but merely supply decorative blossoms of sense gratification. As stated in the Vedas (Ṛg Veda 1.22.20), tad viṣṇoḥ paramaḿ padaḿ sadā paśyanti sūrayaḥ. Even the demigods, who are permanent residents of heaven, are always looking to the eternal abode of the Supreme Lord. Foolish people who admire the standard of living in material heaven should therefore note that the demigods themselves are devotees of the Supreme Lord. One should not become a bogus propagator of so-called Vedic knowledge but should take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and make a genuine solution to the problem of progressing in life.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
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