Dharma means fact. Dharma is not imagination, or religion does not mean something imagined: "I imagine something; you imagine something." Now there are so many rascals, they say you can manufacture your own dharma, or religious system. No. That is rascaldom. You cannot do it. Dharma, I have several times explained, dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19). This bhagavān, bhāgavata-dharma . . . dharma means—religious faith means—the course, the orders given by God. This is the shortest description. As in the state, in the government, the king or the legislative assembly, they . . . it can give laws. You cannot manufacture laws at your home. If you say that, "I have manufactured my own law," that will not be accepted. Similarly, you cannot manufacture a kind of dharma, or faith. No. Dharma means—that is the description of the Vedic literature—dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19). Dharma, or the system of religion, can be given by the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Unfortunately, we do not know who is the Personality of Godhead and what is His order and what is His law. We do not know. Every one of us in the darkness. That kind of knowledge is not being described. Perfect knowledge: uttamam. Uttamam means "beyond darkness." Tama means "darkness" and ut means "transcendental," uttamam. Pratyakṣāvagamaṁ. And if you execute, you try to follow this system of religion, then you will directly understand: Yes, you are making progress. Directly. Just like these boys and girls, and you also join, dancing. This is directly connecting God. Otherwise they are not dogs, that they are . . . I have given some bribe, and they are dancing. No. They are feeling God consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness; therefore they are dancing. It is not that I have come from a foreign country and I am giving bribe, and they are dancing like a dog. No. This is pratyakṣāvagamaṁ dharmyaṁ, directly perceiving the presence of God.
Therefore, it is called . . . this system, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness system . . . because in this age we are so fallen. We cannot undergo severe penances, austerities, go to the Himalaya, go to the forest, and press your nose for so many years. It is not possible. This is not possible. But this dharma, this system of God realization, is so nice, you have seen on the stage—a small child is also dancing. Because he is not artificially trained up, but he is dancing because it is directly connecting with God consciousness. Therefore it is called pratyakṣāvagamaṁ, and su-sukhaṁ.