Devanagari
तावत् कर्माणि कुर्वीत न निर्विद्येत यावता ।
मत्कथाश्रवणादौ वा श्रद्धा यावन्न जायते ॥ ९ ॥
Verse text
tāvat karmāṇi kurvīta
na nirvidyeta yāvatā
mat-kathā-śravaṇādau vā
śraddhā yāvan na jāyate
Synonyms
tāvat
—
up to that time
;
karmāṇi
—
fruitive activities
;
kurvīta
—
one should execute
;
na nirvidyeta
—
is not satiated
;
yāvatā
—
as long as
;
mat
—
kathā — of discourses about Me
;
śravaṇa
—
ādau — in the matter of śravaṇam, kīrtanam and so on
;
vā
—
or
;
śraddhā
—
faith
;
yāvat
—
as long as
;
na
—
not
;
jāyate
—
is awakened .
Translation
As long as one is not satiated by fruitive activity and has not awakened his taste for devotional service by śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ, one has to act according to the regulative principles of the Vedic injunctions.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
As long as one does not become detached from daily and periodic duties or has not awakened his faith in hearing topics about me, one must perform one’s prescribed duties of varṇāśrama.
It is natural that the overly attached jīva is qualified for karma. When will he become qualified for jṣāna and bhakti? He should perform his daily and periodic duties (karmāṇi) as long as he has not purified his heart by karmas and has not become detached. Thus, (when he comes detached) he becomes qualified for jṣāna. This was stated in verse 7. Or he should continue his karmas until faith in topics of the Lord arises by sudden mercy of devotees. Before that faith, he was qualified only for karma. When faith appears, as explained in the previous verse, he becomes qualified only for bhakti¸ and is no longer qualified for karma. This faith should be exclusive. The person has firm faith that he will reach perfection by hearing about the Lord, not by karma or jṣāna. This arises only by association with pure devotees.
It is said:
śruti-smṛtī mamaivājṣe yas te ullaṅghya vartate
ājṣā-cchedī mama dveṣī mad-bhakto ’pi na vaiṣṇavaḥ
The śruti and smṛti literatures are to be understood as my injunctions, and one who violates such codes is to be understood as violating my will and thus opposing me. Although such a person may claim to be my devotee, he is not actually a Vaiṣṇava.
Thus, the devotee does not disobey the Lord’s order. Rather when he develops faith, he will never disobey the orders of the Lord.
Some persons say that even if he does not obtain the mercy of great devotees and consequently does not develop that faith, on seeing the excellence of other devotees (not great devotees), he gives up karma and takes up worship of the Lord, following his orders.
Others say that since śruti and smṛti recommend bhakti, not varṇāsṛama, a person, understanding this, takes to bhakti, (even if he does not meet the greatest devotees), for the Lord says:
ājṣāyaivaṁ guṇān doṣān mayādiṣṭān api svakān
dharmān santyajya yaḥ sarvān māṁ bhajeta sa tu sattamaḥ
A person who, understanding good and bad aspects of dharma as taught by me, gives up all his duties and simply worships me is the best of all. SB 11.11.32
Devotees may think that, since they are devotees following purely, it is not necessary to follow injunctions and prohibitions in śruti and smṛti, such as vows like Ekādaśī and forbidden acts like putting coconut water in a bell metal vessel, or putting yogurt or milk in a copper vessel, or eating the Lord’s offerings before offering to the Lord. However, understanding that the śruti and smṛti are the Lord’s order, they should follow those instructions.
Some pure devotees in the Eastern provinces, because of the pressure from karmīs with which they have close contact, may perform karmas. But this is not actually performance of karma, because it is done without faith in those acts. The Lord says:
aśraddhayā hutaṁ dattaṁ tapas taptaṁ kṛtaṁ ca yat
asad ity ucyate pārtha na ca tat pretya no iha ||
O son of Pṛthā, whatever is offered in the fire, whatever is given in charity, whatever is undertaken as austerity, but which is done without faith, is called asat since it bears no result now or in the next life. BG 17.28
Purport
Unless one has developed firm faith in Lord Kṛṣṇa by association with pure devotees and is thus engaged full time in the devotional service of the Lord, one should not neglect ordinary Vedic principles and duties. As stated by the Lord Himself,
śruti-smṛtī mamaivājṣe
yas te ullaṅghya vartate
ājṣā-cchedī mama dveṣī
mad-bhakto ’pi na vaiṣṇavaḥ
“The
śruti
and
smṛti
literatures are to be understood as My injunctions, and one who violates such codes is to be understood as violating My will and thus opposing Me. Although such a person may claim to be My devotee, he is not actually a Vaiṣṇava.” The Lord here states that if one has not developed firm faith in the process of chanting and hearing, one must comply with the ordinary injunctions of Vedic literatures. There are many symptoms by which one can recognize an advanced devotee of the Lord. In the First Canto of
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
(1.2.7)
it is stated:
vāsudeve bhagavati
bhakti-yogaḥ prayojitaḥ
janayaty āśu vairāgyaṁ
jṣānaṁ ca yad ahaitukam
One who is actually engaged in advanced devotional service immediately develops both clear knowledge of Kṛṣṇa consciousness and detachment from nondevotional activities. One who is not situated on this platform must comply with the ordinary injunctions of Vedic literature or risk becoming inimical to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. On the other hand, one who has developed great faith in the devotional service of Lord Kṛṣṇa does not hesitate to do anything that will further the mission of the Lord. As stated in the Eleventh Canto of
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
(11.5.41)
:
devarṣi-bhūtāpta-nṛṇāṁ pitṝṇāṁ
na kiṅkaro nāyam ṛṇī ca rājan
sarvātmanā yaḥ śaraṇaṁ śaraṇyaṁ
gato mukundaṁ parihṛtya kartam
“Anyone who has taken shelter of the lotus feet of Mukunda, the giver of liberation, giving up all kinds of obligation, and has taken to the path in all seriousness, owes neither duties nor obligations to the demigods, sages, general living entities, family members, humankind or forefathers.”
Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī points out in this regard that when a person fully surrenders to Lord Kṛṣṇa, he takes shelter of the Lord’s promise to liquidate all other responsibilities and debts of the surrendered soul. The devotee thus becomes fearless by meditating on the Lord’s promise of protection. Those, however, who are materially attached are frightened by the prospect of full surrender to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, thereby revealing their inimical mentality toward the Lord.