TEXT 179
ara ye ye-kichu kahe, sakala-i kalpana
svatah-pramana veda-vakye kalpena laksana
SYNONYMS
araexcept this; ye yewhatever; kichusomething; kahesays; sakala-iall; kalpanaimagination; svatah-pramanaself-evident; veda-vakyein the Vedic version; kalpenahe imagines; laksanaan interpretation.
TRANSLATION
"If one tries to explain the Vedic literature in a different way, he is indulging in imagination. Any interpretation of the self-evident Vedic version is simply imaginary.
PURPORT
When a conditioned soul is purified, he is called a devotee. A devotee has his relationship only with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and his only occupational duty is to execute devotional service to satisfy the Lord. This service is rendered through the Lord's representative, the spiritual master: yasya deve para bhaktir yatha deve tatha gurau. When the devotee executes devotional service properly, he attains the highest perfection of life-love of Godhead: sa vai pumsam paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhoksaje. The ultimate goal of understanding the Vedas is to be elevated to the platform of rendering loving service to the Lord. The Mayavadi philosophers, however, consider the central point of relationship to be the impersonal Brahman, the function of the living entity to be the acquisition of knowledge of Brahman, resulting in detachment from material activity, and the ultimate goal of life to be liberation, or merging into the existence of the Supreme. All of this, however, is simply due to the imagination of the conditioned soul. It simply opposes him to material activities. One should always remember that all Vedic scriptures are self-evident. No one is allowed to interpret the Vedic verses. If one does so, he indulges in imagination, and that has no value.

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