Bhagavad Gita Chapter 16 Verse 24 — Daivasura Sampad Vibhaga Yoga
Sanskrit
तस्माच्छास्त्रं प्रमाणं ते कार्याकार्यव्यवस्थितौ | ज्ञात्वा शास्त्रविधानोक्तं कर्म कर्तुमिहार्हसि ||१६-२४||
Transliteration
tasmācchāstraṃ pramāṇaṃ te kāryākāryavyavasthitau . jñātvā śāstravidhānoktaṃ karma kartumihārhasi ||16-24||
Hindi Meaning
।।16.24।। इसलिए तुम्हारे लिए कर्तव्य और अकर्तव्य की व्यवस्था (निर्णय) में शास्त्र ही प्रमाण है शास्त्रोक्त विधान को जानकर तुम्हें अपने कर्म करने चाहिए।।
English Meaning
One should therefore understand what is duty and what is not duty by the regulations of the scriptures. Knowing such rules and regulations, one should act so that he may gradually be elevated.
Commentary
As stated in the Fifteenth Chapter, all the rules and regulations of the Vedas are meant for knowing Kṛṣṇa. If one understands Kṛṣṇa from the Bhagavad-gītā and becomes situated in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, engaging himself in devotional service, he has reached the highest perfection of knowledge offered by the Vedic literature. Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu made this process very easy: He asked people simply to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare and to engage in the devotional service of the Lord and eat the remnants of foodstuff offered to the Deity. One who is directly engaged in all these devotional activities is to be understood as having studied all Vedic literature. He has come to the conclusion perfectly. Of course, for the ordinary persons who are not in Kṛṣṇa consciousness or who are not engaged in devotional service, what is to be done and what is not to be done must be decided by the injunctions of the Vedas . One should act accordingly, without argument. That is called following the principles of śāstra, or scripture. Śāstra is without the four principal defects that are visible in the conditioned soul: imperfect senses, the propensity for cheating, certainty of committing mistakes, and certainty of being illusioned. These four principal defects in conditioned life disqualify one from putting forth rules and regulations. Therefore, the rules and regulations as described in the śāstra – being above these defects – are accepted without alteration by all great saints, ācāryas and great souls. In India there are many parties of spiritual understanding, generally classified as two: the impersonalist and the personalist. Both of them, however, lead their lives according to the principles of the Vedas . Without following the principles of the scriptures, one cannot elevate himself to the perfectional stage. One who actually, therefore, understands the purport of the śāstras is considered fortunate. In human society, aversion to the principles of understanding the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the cause of all falldowns. That is the greatest offense of human life. Therefore, māyā, the material energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is always giving us trouble in the shape of the threefold miseries. This material energy is constituted of the three modes of material nature. One has to raise himself at least to the mode of goodness before the path to understanding the Supreme Lord can be opened. Without raising oneself to the standard of the mode of goodness, one remains in ignorance and passion, which are the cause of demoniac life. Those in the modes of passion and ignorance deride the scriptures, deride the holy man, and deride the proper understanding of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They disobey the instructions of the spiritual master, and they do not care for the regulations of the scriptures. In spite of hearing the glories of devotional service, they are not attracted. Thus they manufacture their own way of elevation. These are some of the defects of human society which lead to the demoniac status of life. If, however, one is able to be guided by a proper and bona fide spiritual master, who can lead one to the path of elevation, to the higher stage, then one’s life becomes successful. Thus end the Bhaktivedanta s to the Sixteenth Chapter of the Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā in the matter of the Divine and Demoniac Natures.
Hinglish Commentary
Fifteenth Chapter mein bataya gaya hai ki Vedas ke saare niyam aur niyam Kṛṣṇa ko samajhne ke liye hain. Agar koi Bhagavad-gītā se Kṛṣṇa ko samajhta hai aur Kṛṣṇa consciousness mein sthit hota hai, toh wo bhakti se juda hota hai aur is tarah se Vedic literature dwara diya gaya gyaan ka sabse uchit sthal prapt karta hai. Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu ne is process ko bahut aasan bana diya; unhone bas logon se kaha ki Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare / Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare ka japa karein aur Bhagwan ki bhakti mein lagein, aur Deity ko prastut kiye gaye prasad ka bhog karein. Jo vyakti in bhakti ke kaamon mein seedha engaged hai, usse samjha jaata hai ki usne Vedic literature ka poora gyaan prapt kiya hai. Usne sab kuch sahi tarike se samjha hai. Lekin jo log Kṛṣṇa consciousness mein nahi hain ya bhakti se nahi jude hain, unke liye kya karna chahiye aur kya nahi, yeh Vedas ke niyam se tay kiya jaata hai. Humein bina kisi bahas ke un niyamon ko maanana chahiye. Isse śāstra ke niyamon ka palan kehte hain. Śāstra in chaar mukhya doshon se mukt hai jo conditioned soul mein hote hain: imperfect senses, cheating ki pravritti, galtiyan karne ki sambhavna, aur bhranti mein rehna. In chaar doshon ki wajah se vyakti niyam aur niyam nahi bana sakta. Isliye, jo niyam aur niyam śāstra mein diye gaye hain, unhe sabhi mahaan saints, ācāryas aur atma-gyani log bina kisi badlav ke maante hain. Bharat mein kai spiritual sampraday hain, jo aam taur par do prakar ke hote hain: impersonalist aur personalist. Lekin dono Vedas ke niyamon ke anusar apni zindagi guzar rahe hain. Bina scriptures ke niyamon ko maane, koi bhi apne aap ko uncha nahi utha sakta. Jo vyakti sach mein śāstras ka arth samajhta hai, wo sukhya mana jaata hai. Manav samaj mein, Supreme Personality of Godhead ke samajhne ke niyamon se door rehna sabhi girne ki wajah hai. Yeh sabse bada aparadh hai manav jeevan mein. Isliye, māyā, jo Supreme Personality of Godhead ki material energy hai, hamesha humein teen prakar ki takleefon se pareshan karti hai. Yeh material energy teen gunon se bani hai. Kisi ko kam se kam goodness ke gun tak apne aap ko uthana padega tabhi Supreme Lord ko samajhne ka raasta khulega. Agar koi goodness ke star tak nahi uthta, toh wo ignorance aur passion mein rahega, jo demoniac life ka kaaran hai. Jo log passion aur ignorance mein hain, wo scriptures ka mazak udate hain, holy man ka mazak udate hain, aur Supreme Personality of Godhead ki sahi samajh ka mazak udate hain. Wo spiritual master ke niyamon ko nahi maante, aur scriptures ke niyamon ki parwah nahi karte. Bhakti ke mahima sunne ke bawajood, wo akarshit nahi hote. Is tarah se wo apna khud ka elevation ka raasta banate hain. Ye kuch dosh hain manav samaj ke jo demoniac jeevan ki taraf le jaate hain. Lekin agar koi sahi aur bona fide spiritual master se margdarshan prapt kare, jo usse uncha uthane ka rasta dikhaye, toh uski zindagi safal ho jaati hai. Aise hi Bhaktivedanta ne Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā ke Solvay Chapter ka samapan kiya hai, jo Divine aur Demoniac Natures ke vishay mein hai.
Chinmaya Commentary
पूर्व के तीन श्लोकों में दी गई युक्तियों का यह निष्कर्ष निकलता है कि साधक को शास्त्र प्रमाण के अनुसार अपनी जीवन पद्धति अपनानी चाहिए। कर्तव्य और अकर्तव्य का निश्चय शास्त्राध्ययन के द्वारा ही हो सकता है। सत्य की प्राप्ति के मार्ग को निश्चित करने में प्रत्येक साधक अपनी ही कल्पनाओं का आश्रय नहीं ले सकता । शास्त्रों की घोषणा उन ऋषियों ने की है जिन्होंने इस मार्ग के द्वारा पूर्णत्व का साक्षात्कार किया था। अत जब उन ऋषियों ने हमें उस मार्ग का मानचित्र दिया है तो हमारे लिए यही उचित है कि विनयभाव से उसका अनुसरण कर स्वयं को कृतार्थ करें।ज्ञात्वा इसलिए आत्मदेव की तीर्थयात्रा प्रारम्भ करने के पूर्व हमें इन शास्त्रों का बुद्धिमत्तापूर्वक अध्ययन करना चाहिए। लक्ष्य मार्ग विघ्न और विघ्न के निराकरण के उपायों का जानना किसी भी यात्रा के लिए अत्यावश्यक और लाभदायक होता है।तुम्हें कर्म करना चाहिए अनेक लोग शास्त्र को जानते हैं परन्तु ऐसे अत्यन्त विरले लोग ही होते हैं जिनमें शास्त्रोपदिष्ट जीवन जीने का साहस दृढ़ संकल्प और आत्मानुभूति के लक्ष्य की प्राप्ति होने तक धैर्य बना रहता है। इसलिए भगवान् श्रीकृष्ण का यह उपदेश है कि काम क्रोध और लोभ का त्याग कर मनुष्य को शास्त्रानुसार जीवन यापन करना चाहिए। यही कर्मयोग का जीवन है। तत्सदिति श्रीमद्भगवद्गीतासूपनिषत्सु ब्रह्मविद्यायां योगशास्त्रेश्रीकृष्णार्जुनसंवादे दैवासुरसंपद्विभागयोगो नाम षोढशोऽध्याय।।