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TEXT 146
veda-nistha-madhye ardheka veda 'mukhe' mane
veda-nisiddha papa kare, dharma nahi gane
SYNONYMS
veda-nistha-madhyeamong persons who are followers of the Vedas; ardhekaalmost half; vedaVedic scriptures; mukhein the mouth; maneaccept; veda-nisiddhaforbidden in the Vedas; papasins; kareperform; dharmareligious principles; nahinot; ganecount.
TRANSLATION
"Among human beings, those who are followers of the Vedic principles are considered civilized. Among these, almost half simply give lip service while committing all kinds of sinful activities against these principles. Such people do not care for the regulative principles.
PURPORT
The word veda means "knowledge." Supreme knowledge consists of understanding the Supreme Personality of Godhead and our relationship with Him and acting according to that relationship. Action in accordance with the Vedic principles is called religion. Religion means following the orders of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Vedic principles are the injunctions given by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Aryans are civilized human beings who have been following the Vedic principles since time immemorial. No one can trace out the history of the Vedic principles set forth so that man might understand the Supreme Being. Literature or knowledge that seeks the Supreme Being can be accepted as a bona fide religious system, but there are many different types of religious systems according to the place, the disciples and the people's capacity to understand.
The highest type of religious system is described in Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.2.6) thus: sa vai pumsam paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhoksaje. The highest form of religion is that by which one becomes fully conscious of the existence of God, His form, name, qualities, pastimes, abode and all-pervasive features. When everything is completely known, that is the perfection of Vedic knowledge. The fulfillment of Vedic knowledge is systematic knowledge of the characteristics of God. This is confirmed in Bhagavad-gita (15.15): vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyah. The aim of Vedic knowledge is to understand God. Those who are actually following Vedic knowledge and searching after God cannot commit sinful activities against the Supreme Lord's order. However, in this Age of Kali, although men profess to belong to so many different kinds of religion, most of them commit sinful activities against the orders of the Vedic scriptures. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu therefore says herein: veda-nisiddha papa kare, dharma nahi gane. In this age, men may profess a religion, but they actually do not follow the principles. Instead, they commit all kinds of sin.
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