Text 20]
Satī Quits Her Body
131
Lord Śiva is mistaken. A common man must observe all the rules and regulations of the  Vedas  which a person who is in the transcendental position does not need to observe. Dakṣa found fault with Lord Śiva for not observing all the strict rules and regulations of the  Vedas , but Satī asserted that he had no need to observe such rules. It is said that for one who is powerful like the sun or the fire, there is no consideration of purity or impurity. The sunshine can sterilize an impure place, whereas if someone else were to pass such a place he would be affected. One should not try to imitate Lord Śiva; rather, one should strictly follow his prescribed occupational duties. One should never vilify a great personality like Lord Śiva.
TEXT 20
कर्म प्रवृत्तं च निवृत्तमप्यृतं 
  वेदे विविन्योधयत्क्षिपाश्चितप् । 
  विरोधि तद्योगपदैककर्तरि 
  द्वयं तथा ब्रह्मणि कर्म नल्लेति ॥२०॥
karma pravṛttam ca nivṛttam apy ṛtam  
 vede vivicyobhaya-liṅgam āśritam  
 virodhi tad yaugapadaikakartari  
 dvayam tathā brahmaṇi karma narcchati
karma —activities;  pravṛttam —attached to material enjoyment;  ca —and;  nivṛttam —materially detached;  api —certainly;  ṛtam —true;  vede —in the  Vedas ;  vivicya —distinguished;  ubhaya-liṅgam —symptoms of both;  āśritam —directed;  virodhi —contradictory;  tat —that;  yauga-pada-ekakartari —both activities in one person;  dvayam —two;  tathā —so;  brahmaṇi —in one who is transcendentally situated;  karma —activities;  na ṛcchati —are neglected.
TRANSLATION
In the  Vedas  there are directions for two kinds of activities—activities for those who are attached to material enjoyment and activities for those who are materially detached. In consideration of these two kinds of activities, there are two kinds of people, who have different symptoms. If one wants to see two kinds of activities in one person, that is contradictory. But both kinds of activities may be neglected by a person who is transcendentally situated.