SB 7.15.12 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

विधर्म: परधर्मश्च आभास उपमा छल: । अधर्मशाखा: पञ्चेमा धर्मज्ञोऽधर्मवत्त्यजेत् ॥ १२ ॥

Verse text

vidharmaḥ para-dharmaś ca ābhāsa upamā chalaḥ adharma-śākhāḥ paṣcemā dharma-jṣo ’dharmavat tyajet

Synonyms

vidharmaḥ — irreligion ; para — dharmaḥ — religious principles practiced by others ; ca — and ; ābhāsaḥ — pretentious religious principles ; upamā — principles that appear religious but are not ; chalaḥ — a cheating religion ; adharma — śākhāḥ — which are different branches of irreligion ; paṣca — five ; imāḥ — these ; dharma — jṣaḥ — one who is aware of religious principles ; adharma — vat — accepting them as irreligious ; tyajet — should give up .

Translation

There are five branches of irreligion, appropriately known as irreligion [vidharma], religious principles for which one is unfit [para-dharma], pretentious religion [ābhāsa], analogical religion [upadharma] and cheating religion [chala-dharma]. One who is aware of real religious life must abandon these five as irreligious.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

The knower of dharma should avoid five forbidden types of adharma known as vidharma, para-dharma, ābhāsa-dharma, upamā-dharma and chala-dharma. Adharmavat means forbidden.

Purport

Any religious principles opposed to the principle of surrendering to the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, are to be considered religious principles of irregularity or cheating, and one who is actually interested in religion must give them up. One should simply follow the instructions of Kṛṣṇa and surrender unto Him. To do this, of course, one needs very good intelligence, which may be awakened after many, many births through good association with devotees and the practice of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Everything but the principle of religion recommended by Kṛṣṇa — sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja — should be given up as irreligion.