56 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 6, Ch. 1

dharmah—religious principles; Ai—indeed; adharmah—irreligious
principles; tat-viparyayah—the opposite of that (that which is not sup-
ported by Vedic injunctions); vedah—the Vedas, books of knowledge;
nardyanah saksat—directly the Supreme Personality of Godhead (being
the words of Narayana); svayam-bhih—self-born, self-sufficient (ap-
pearing only from the breath of Narayana and not being learned from
anyone else); iti—thus; Sugsruma—we have heard.

TRANSLATION

The Yamaditas 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, Narayana, and are self-born. This we have heard from
Yamaraja.

PURPORT

The servants of Yamaraja replied quite properly. They did not
manufacture principles of religion or irreligion. Instead, they explained
what they had heard from the authority Yamaraja. Mahdjano yena gatah
sa panthah: one should follow the mahdjana, the authorized person.
Yamaraja is one of twelve authorities. Therefore the servants of
Yamaraja, the Yamadiitas, replied with perfect clarity when they said
Susruma (‘‘we have heard”). The members of modern civilization
manufacture defective religious principles through speculative concoc-
tion. This is not dharma. They do not know what is dharma and what is
adharma. Therefore, as stated in the beginning of Srimad-Bhagavatam,
dharmah projhita-kaitavo ‘tra: dharma not supported by the Vedas is
rejected from srimad-bhagavata-dharma. Bhagavata-dharma comprises
only that which is given by the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Bhagavata-dharma is sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranamh
vraja: one must accept the authority of the Supreme Personality of God-
head and surrender to Him and whatever He says. That is dharma. Ar-
juna, for example, thinking that violence was adharma, was declining to
fight, but Krsna urged him to fight. Arjuna abided by the orders of
Krsna, and therefore he is actually a dharmi because the order of Krsna
is dharma. Krsna says in Bhagavad-gité (15.15), vedai§ ca sarvair
aham eva vedyah: “The real purpose of veda, knowledge, is to know
