SB 06.01.40 veda-pranihito dharmo... cited

Expressions researched:
"That which is prescribed in the Vedas constitutes dharma" |"hy adharmas tad-viparyayah" |"svayambhur iti susruma" |"veda-pranihito dharmo" |"vedo narayanah saksat"

Notes from the compiler: VedaBase query: "6.1.40" or "That which is prescribed in the Vedas constitutes dharma" or "hy adharmas tad-viparyayah" or "svayambhur iti susruma" or "veda-pranihito dharmo" or "vedo narayanah saksat"

SB Canto 6

SB 6.1.40, Translation:

The Yamadūtas replied: That which is prescribed in the Vedas constitutes dharma, the religious principles, and the opposite of that is irreligion. The Vedas are directly the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nārāyaṇa, and are self-born. This we have heard from Yamarāja.

SB 6.4.46, Purport:

Anything done under the direction of the Vedic injunctions is called dharma, as described by the order carriers of Yamarāja (SB 6.1.40):

veda-praṇihito dharmo

hy adharmas tad-viparyayaḥ

vedo nārāyaṇaḥ sākṣāt

svayambhūr iti śuśruma

"That which is prescribed in the Vedas constitutes dharma, the religious principles, and the opposite of that is irreligion. The Vedas are directly the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nārāyaṇa, and are self-born. This we have heard from Yamarāja."

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 6.1.39 -- San Francisco, July 20, 1975:

So the Yamadūta, they are also servant of very exalted personality, one of the authority. So they are not lacking in knowledge by the grace of their master. So the first thing they said, veda-praṇihito dharmo hy adharmas tad-viparyayaḥ. Dharma and adharma, religious principle and not religious principle, nonreligious principle—how to discern. The book is there, Veda. We have to consult the Vedas. There are so many Vedic literatures: four Vedas, then Upaniṣad, 108 Upaniṣad, then philosophy, Vedānta-sūtra, all summarized.

Lecture on SB 6.1.39 -- Los Angeles, June 5, 1976:

There are thousands and millions of people, everyone will imagine something and say something. Then where is the correct thing? This is not good. Veda-pramāṇam. That will be described in the next verse. Veda-praṇihito dharmo. Veda-praṇihito. What is explained in the Veda, that is dharma. You cannot manufacture dharma. If it is mentioned in the Vedas, what is dharma, what is adharma, then it is acceptable. I have several times explained that you cannot make law in your comfortable home.

Lecture on SB 6.1.39-40 -- Surat, December 21, 1970:

The state, the government, whatever the government orders, that is law. The word of the government is law. Similarly, dharma means the injunctions given in the Vedas. It is clearly said, veda-praṇihito dharma hy adharmas tad viparyayaḥ: (SB 6.1.40) "And nonreligions or irreligion, irreligion, or nonreligion, is just the opposite." For example, if you abide by the laws of the Vedas, then you should know that you are following the path of dharma, or religion. But if you do not abide by the laws of Vedas, then you are irreligious. This is the sum and substance.

Lecture on SB 6.1.39-40 -- Surat, December 21, 1970:

So we have to follow the Vedic principles. That is dharma. And why Vedic principles are to be accepted as supreme? That is also explained here. Veda-praṇihito dharmo hy adharmas tad viparyayaḥ vedo nārāyaṇaḥ sākṣāt (SB 6.1.40). Veda means Nārāyaṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead directly. Just like lawbook is directly government, similarly, veda nārāyaṇaḥ sākṣāt svayambhūr iti śuśruma. Again he says, susruma, "I have heard it. I have heard it." When I say, "I have heard it," that means I have heard it from a superior authority. Śuśruma. No follower of Vedic principle will say, "It is my opinion." Your opinion is nonsense.

Lecture on SB 6.1.39-40 -- Surat, December 21, 1970:

So veda-praṇihitaḥ, this very word, is implicated with so many ideas of Vedic knowledge, but they have summarized that "Dharma means the injunctions of the Vedas." Dharmo... Veda-praṇihito dharmo hy adharmas tad viparyayaḥ, vedo nārāyaṇaḥ sākṣāt. Why Vedas should be taken so seriously? People question that "Vedas are written by some man." That's wrong. Vedas are not written by any man. Otherwise, why Vedas should be taken so seriously? Not... Not present moment. It is coming. All the ācāryas.

Lecture on SB 6.1.39-40 -- Surat, December 21, 1970:

So dharma-praṇihitaḥ. Veda-praṇihito dharmo hy adharmas tad viparyayaḥ, vedo nārāyaṇaḥ sākṣāt. Vedo nārāyaṇaḥ sākṣāt. This is the injunction. You have to accept the Vedic words as the words of Nārāyaṇa. Now, if you accept Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then whatever He has said in the Bhagavad-gītā, that is Veda. Is it not? If vedo nārāyaṇaḥ sākṣāt, if Vedas are to be considered as Nārāyaṇa directly, then Kṛṣṇa... He is accepted by the ācāryas as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is a conclusion of the Vedas also.

Lecture on SB 6.1.39-40 -- Surat, December 21, 1970:

Conditioned souls, they are subjected to so many deficiencies; therefore they cannot create any dharma. That will not be accepted as dharma. Here, as the assistants of Yamarāja says, that veda-praṇihito dharmo... Dharma means what is stated in the Vedas. And Vedas means the Supreme Personality of Godhead, sākṣād, directly. Just like when you speak, when you speak or hear Bhagavad-gītā, immediately we should know—at least this vision we take—that Kṛṣṇa is directly speaking.

Lecture on SB 6.1.40 -- Surat, December 22, 1970:

Prabhupāda: So those who attend lecture will kindly sit down. Speaking in English for the majority.

Haṁsadūta: Following lecture is recorded on the morning of the twenty second, December nineteen seventy one, nineteen seventy, Surat, India.

Prabhupāda:

veda-praṇihito dharmo

hy adharmas tad-viparyayaḥ

vedo nārāyaṇaḥ sākṣāt

svayambhūr iti śuśruma

(SB 6.1.40)

So we were speaking this verse yesterday morning. So vedo nārāyaṇaḥ sākṣāt. That is to be understood—why Vedas are given so much importance. Here it is explained that Veda means directly Nārāyaṇa. Why? Because Nārāyaṇa is absolute, God is absolute; therefore the words of God are also God. You cannot make any differentiation.

Lecture on SB 6.1.40 -- Surat, December 22, 1970:

This is also a bone of an animal. You say it is pure." So there cannot be any argument. Veda says, "This is this; this is that." We have to accept it. That is the following of religion. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19). And vedaḥ sākṣāt... Vedo nārāyaṇaḥ sākṣāt svayambhūḥ. Svayambhūr iti śuśruma. Svayambhū. Svayambhū means which is not created by any man. Just like Brahmā is sometimes called Svayambhū. His another name is Svayambhū. Svayambhū means he was not created by father and mother. The father-mother... Ordinarily, a living entity take birth by the combination of father and mother. But Brahmā is called Svayambhū because he is not created by father and mother.

Lecture on SB 6.1.40 -- San Francisco, July 21, 1975:

Nitāi: "...replied: What is established by the Vedas as duty, that is called religious principles, and irreligion is the opposite of that. The Vedas are directly the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nārāyaṇa, and are self-born. Thus we have heard from Yamarāja."

Prabhupāda:

yamadūtā ūcuḥ

veda-praṇihito dharmo

hy adharmas tad-viparyayaḥ

vedo nārāyaṇaḥ sākṣāt

svayambhūr iti śuśruma

(SB 6.1.40)

This word śuśruma is very important. "We have heard it." They never say that "We have manufactured it." Śuśruma means "We have heard it." Śuśruma, śuśruma: "We have heard it with service." That is the way of Vedic instruction.

Lecture on SB 6.1.40 -- San Francisco, July 21, 1975:

So that duty is called dharma. It is not a kind of faith. It is the constitutional position. You must have to serve. If you don't serve Kṛṣṇa, then you will have to serve māyā. There are two things: God or Satan. So similarly, God is Kṛṣṇa, and Satan is māyā. So if you refuse to serve God, then you have to serve Satan. That's all. You cannot become master. This is called dharma. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19). And, as it is said here, vedo nārāyaṇaḥ sākṣāt. Vedo nārāyaṇaḥ sākṣāt. Veda, the knowledge, the law or the order, that order is from God. Therefore there is no difference between the Vedas and Nārāyaṇa. Because Nārāyaṇa or God is absolute, He personally and His word, it is the same thing. And in the material experience also we see that the government and the government law is the same thing.

Lecture on SB 6.1.40 -- San Francisco, July 21, 1975:

You cannot say that the government law is different from government. This is material example. And spiritual is still more perfect. Vedo nārāyaṇaḥ sākṣāt. In other words, that you cannot make any law. The government can make law. Similarly, you cannot manufacture any religion. Nārāyaṇa sākṣāt. Nārāyaṇa, God, He can make.

Lecture on SB 6.1.40 -- San Francisco, July 21, 1975:

So Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and Kṛṣṇa means Nārāyaṇa. Therefore it is said, vedo nārāyaṇaḥ sākṣāt. Therefore knowledge or religion means what is ordained, what is described by the words of Kṛṣṇa, Nārāyaṇa.

Lecture on SB 6.1.40 -- San Francisco, July 21, 1975:

Here the authority says, "Kṛṣṇa is God." So you have to accept that. You cannot deny it. So Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and Kṛṣṇa means Nārāyaṇa. Therefore it is said, vedo nārāyaṇaḥ sākṣāt. Therefore knowledge or religion means what is ordained, what is described by the words of Kṛṣṇa, Nārāyaṇa.

Lecture on SB 6.1.40 -- San Francisco, July 21, 1975:

He has no guru. Svayambhū. Therefore it is called svayambhū. Svayambhū. Svayambhūr iti śuśruma. Kṛṣṇa has no cause. Sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam (Bs. 5.1). Anādir ādir govindaḥ. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ. Īśvara (Bs. 5.1), the Supreme Lord, is Kṛṣṇa, sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha, anādi. He has no source of knowledge. That is called svayambhū.

Lecture on SB 6.1.40 -- Los Angeles, June 6, 1976:

Devotee: (leads chanting, etc.) Translation: "The Yamadūtas replied: That which is prescribed in the Vedas constitutes dharma, the religious principles, and the opposite of that is irreligion. The Vedas are directly the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nārāyaṇa, and are self-born. This we have heard from Yamarāja."

Prabhupāda:

yamadūtā ūcuḥ

veda-praṇihito dharmo

hy adharmas tad-viparayaḥ

vedo nārāyaṇaḥ sākṣāt

svayambhūr iti śuśruma

(SB 6.1.40)

So here is explanation by the Yamadūtas. The Yamadūtas were not very advanced so far their position was there. They were very odd-looking and not to be supposed very civilized—uneducated—but how they are explaining about dharma? Because the challenge was that "If you are the servants of Dharmarāja, then explain what is dharma."

Lecture on SB 6.1.40 -- Los Angeles, June 6, 1976:

So Veda, here it is said that vedo nārāyaṇaḥ sākṣāt. But Nārāyaṇa is nothing of this material world. Similarly, Veda is nothing of this material world. Vedo nārāyaṇaḥ sākṣāt. So you cannot... Therefore Vedic authority is so evidential... Because it is not manufactured by any material person. It is... Nārāyaṇa, or God God created this world.

Lecture on SB 6.1.42 -- Los Angeles, June 8, 1976:

Yesterday we ... The Yamadūtas said that iti śuśruma. Never said, "I have seen it." Vedo nārāyaṇaḥ sākṣāt svayaṁbhūr iti śuśruma: "We have heard it." Vedo nārāyaṇaḥ sākṣā... He never says, "I have seen it." No. Iti ṣuṣruma. So this is experience, real experience, real knowledge. Vedo nārāyaṇaḥ sākṣāt. Veda is directly Nārāyaṇa. So Nārāyaṇa... You can see Nārāyaṇa. You can hear about Nārāyaṇa. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ (SB 7.5.23). Viṣṇu is Nārāyaṇa.

General Lectures

Lecture -- London, August 23, 1973:

If you take chili, it is very hot. If you take a chili and if it is sweet, you immediately say, "Eh, this is not good chili," because there is no dharma. So dharma means characteristic. Here in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is said that,

veda-praṇihito dharmo

hy adharmas tad-viparyayaḥ

vedo nārāyaṇaḥ sākṣāt

svayambhūr iti śuśruma

Therefore we have to understand dharma from scriptures. Veda, veda means the book of knowledge. Veda means knowledge. Vetti veda vido jñānam. Jñāna. So we have to take knowledge from authorized scriptures, authorized lawbook.

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Darsana and Room Conversation Ramkrishna Bajaj and friends -- January 9, 1977, Bombay:

Pradyumna:

yamadūtā ūcuḥ

veda-praṇihito dharmo

hy adharmas tad-viparyayaḥ

vedo nārāyaṇaḥ sākṣāt

svayambhūr iti śuśruma

Prabhupāda: What is the translation?

Pradyumna: "The Yamadūtas replied: That which is prescribed in the Vedas constitutes dharma, the religious principles, and the opposite of that is irreligion."

Prabhupāda: Yes.