TEXT 10

TEXT

KviciàvTaRTae_>ad]aTKvicÀriTa TaTPauNa" )

Pa[aYaiêtaMaQaae_PaaQa| MaNYae ku-ÅrXaaEcvTa( )) 10 ))

kvacin nivartate 'bhadrät

kvacic carati tat punaù

präyaçcittam atho 'pärthaà

manye kuïjara-çaucavat

SYNONYMS

kvacit—sometimes; nivartate—ceases; abhadrät—from sinful activity; kvacit—sometimes; carati—

commits; tat—that (sinful activity); punaù—again; präyaçcittam—the process of atonement; atho—
therefore; apärtham—useless; manye—I consider; kuïjara-çaucavat—exactly like the bathing of an
elephant.

TRANSLATION

Sometimes one who is very alert so as not to commit sinful acts is victimized by sinful life again. I
therefore consider this process of repeated sinning and atoning to be useless. It is like the bathing of an
elephant, for an elephant cleanses itself by taking a full bath, but then throws dust over its head and
body as soon as it returns to the land.

PURPORT

When Parékñit Mahäräja inquired how a human being could free himself from sinful activities so as not
to be forced to go to hellish planetary systems after death, Çukadeva Gosvämé answered that the
process of counteracting sinful life is atonement. In this way Çukadeva Gosvämé tested the intelligence
of Mahäräja Parékñit, who passed the examination by refusing to accept this process as genuine. Now
Parékñit Mahäräja is expecting another answer from his spiritual master, Çukadeva Gosvämé.

SB 6.1.11

TEXT 11

TEXT

é[qbadraYai<aåvac

k-MaR<aa k-MaRiNahaRrae Na ùaTYaiNTak- wZYaTae )

AivÜdiDak-airTvaTPa[aYaiêta& ivMaXaRNaMa( )) 11 ))

çré-bädaräyaëir uväca

karmaëä karma-nirhäro

na hy ätyantika iñyate

avidvad-adhikäritvät

präyaçcittaà vimarçanam

SYNONYMS

çré-bädaräyaëiù uväca—Çukadeva Gosvämé, the son of Vyäsadeva, replied; karmaëä—by fruitive

activities; karma-nirhäraù—counteraction of fruitive activities; na—not; hi—indeed; ätyantikaù—final;
iñyate—becomes possible; avidvat-adhikäritvät—from being without knowledge; präyaçcittam—real
atonement; vimarçanam—full knowledge of Vedänta.

TRANSLATION

Çukadeva Gosvämé, the son of Vedavyäsa, answered: My dear King, since acts meant to neutralize
impious actions are also fruitive, they will not release one from the tendency to act fruitively. Persons
who subject themselves to the rules and regulations of atonement are not at all intelligent. Indeed, they
are in the mode of darkness. Unless one is freed from the mode of ignorance, trying to counteract one
action through another is useless because this will not uproot one's desires. Thus even though one may
superficially seem pious, he will undoubtedly be prone to act impiously. Therefore real atonement is
enlightenment in perfect knowledge, Vedänta, by which one understands the Supreme Absolute Truth.

PURPORT

The guru, Çukadeva Gosvämé, has examined Parékñit Mahäräja, and it appears that the King has passed
one phase of the examination by rejecting the process of atonement because it involves fruitive
activities. Now Çukadeva Gosvämé is suggesting the platform of speculative knowledge. Progressing
from karma-käëòa to jïäna-käëòa, he is proposing, präyaçcittaà vimarçanam: "Real atonement is full
knowledge." Vimarçana refers to the cultivation of speculative knowledge. In Bhagavad-gétä, karmés,
who are lacking in knowledge, are compared to asses. Kåñëa says in Bhagavad-gétä (7.15):

na mäà duñkåtino müòhäù

prapadyante narädhamäù

mäyayäpahåta-jïänä

äsuraà bhävam äçritäù

"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." Thus karmés
who engage in sinful acts and who do not know the true objective of life are called müòhas, asses.
Vimarçana, however, is also explained in Bhagavad-gétä (15.15), where Kåñëa says, vedaiç ca sarvair
aham eva vedyaù: the purpose of Vedic study is to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If
one studies Vedänta but merely advances somewhat in speculative knowledge and does not understand
the Supreme Lord, one remains the same müòha. As stated in Bhagavad-gétä (7.19), one attains real
knowledge when he understands Kåñëa and surrenders unto Him (bahünäà janmanäm ante jïänavän
mäà prapadyate). To become learned and free from material contamination, therefore, one should try
to understand Kåñëa, for thus one is immediately liberated from all pious and impious activities and
their reactions.