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	<title>SC 8 Religion - Revision history</title>
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	<updated>2026-07-24T20:41:15Z</updated>
	<subtitle>Revision history for this page on the wiki</subtitle>
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		<id>https://vanisource.org/w/index.php?title=SC_8_Religion&amp;diff=711324&amp;oldid=prev</id>
		<title>LilamadhuriGopi at 11:22, 11 February 2022</title>
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		<updated>2022-02-11T11:22:12Z</updated>

		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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				&lt;td colspan=&quot;2&quot; style=&quot;background-color: #fff; color: #202122; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;← Older revision&lt;/td&gt;
				&lt;td colspan=&quot;2&quot; style=&quot;background-color: #fff; color: #202122; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Revision as of 11:22, 11 February 2022&lt;/td&gt;
				&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td colspan=&quot;2&quot; class=&quot;diff-lineno&quot; id=&quot;mw-diff-left-l1&quot;&gt;Line 1:&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td colspan=&quot;2&quot; class=&quot;diff-lineno&quot;&gt;Line 1:&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td colspan=&quot;2&quot; class=&quot;diff-side-deleted&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot; data-marker=&quot;+&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #a3d3ff; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;[[Category:A Second Chance - The Story of a Near-Death Experience|S08]]&lt;/ins&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;float:left&amp;quot;&amp;gt;[[File:Go-previous.png|link=A Second Chance - The Story of a Near-Death Experience]] &amp;#039;&amp;#039;&amp;#039;[[A Second Chance - The Story of a Near-Death Experience|A Second Chance]]&amp;#039;&amp;#039;&amp;#039;&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;float:left&amp;quot;&amp;gt;[[File:Go-previous.png|link=A Second Chance - The Story of a Near-Death Experience]] &amp;#039;&amp;#039;&amp;#039;[[A Second Chance - The Story of a Near-Death Experience|A Second Chance]]&amp;#039;&amp;#039;&amp;#039;&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;float:right&amp;quot;&amp;gt;[[File:Go-previous.png|link=SC 7 Authorized Discrimination]] &amp;#039;&amp;#039;&amp;#039;[[SC 7 Authorized Discrimination|7. Authorized Discrimination]] - [[SC 9 Punishment|9. Punishment]]&amp;#039;&amp;#039;&amp;#039; [[File:Go-next.png|link=SC 9 Punishment]]&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt;&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;float:right&amp;quot;&amp;gt;[[File:Go-previous.png|link=SC 7 Authorized Discrimination]] &amp;#039;&amp;#039;&amp;#039;[[SC 7 Authorized Discrimination|7. Authorized Discrimination]] - [[SC 9 Punishment|9. Punishment]]&amp;#039;&amp;#039;&amp;#039; [[File:Go-next.png|link=SC 9 Punishment]]&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td colspan=&quot;2&quot; class=&quot;diff-lineno&quot; id=&quot;mw-diff-left-l4&quot;&gt;Line 4:&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td colspan=&quot;2&quot; class=&quot;diff-lineno&quot;&gt;Line 5:&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot; data-marker=&quot;−&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #ffe49c; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;del style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&lt;/del&gt;The Yamadūtas replied, &quot;That which is prescribed in the Vedas constitutes dharma, 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.&quot;([[SB 6.1.40|Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.1.40]])&lt;del style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;/del&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot; data-marker=&quot;+&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #a3d3ff; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt;The Yamadūtas replied, &quot;That which is prescribed in the Vedas constitutes dharma, 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.&quot;([[SB 6.1.40|Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.1.40]])&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td colspan=&quot;2&quot; class=&quot;diff-side-deleted&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot; data-marker=&quot;+&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #a3d3ff; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt;=====Hearing from Authority=====&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt;=====Hearing from Authority=====&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot; data-marker=&quot;−&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #ffe49c; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;del style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&lt;/del&gt;Vedic principles are accepted as authoritative because they originate with Kṛṣṇa. Thus the Vedas carry the authority of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the same way that lawbooks carry the authority of the government.&lt;del style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;/del&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot; data-marker=&quot;+&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #a3d3ff; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt;Vedic principles are accepted as authoritative because they originate with Kṛṣṇa. Thus the &lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039;&lt;/ins&gt;Vedas&lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039; &lt;/ins&gt;carry the authority of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the same way that lawbooks carry the authority of the government.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot; data-marker=&quot;−&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #ffe49c; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;del style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&lt;/del&gt;When it comes to determining what is religion and what is irreligion, there is no such thing as &quot;This is my opinion&quot; or &quot;I think it means this.&quot; Opinion is nonsense. We have to understand God by the process of śuśruma, hearing from the authorized representative of God. In the Bhagavad-gītā ([[BG 4.1|4.1]]) Kṛṣṇa says,&lt;del style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;/del&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot; data-marker=&quot;+&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #a3d3ff; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot; data-marker=&quot;−&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #ffe49c; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt;:imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot; data-marker=&quot;+&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #a3d3ff; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt;When it comes to determining what is religion and what is irreligion, there is no such thing as &quot;This is my opinion&quot; or &quot;I think it means this.&quot; Opinion is nonsense. We have to understand God by the process of &lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039;&lt;/ins&gt;śuśruma&lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039;&lt;/ins&gt;, hearing from the authorized representative of God. In the &lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;[[Bhagavad-gita As It Is (1972)|&#039;&#039;&lt;/ins&gt;Bhagavad-gītā&lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039;]] &lt;/ins&gt;([[BG 4.1|4.1]]) Kṛṣṇa says,&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot; data-marker=&quot;−&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #ffe49c; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt;:proktavān aham avyayam&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot; data-marker=&quot;+&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #a3d3ff; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot; data-marker=&quot;−&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #ffe49c; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt;:vivasvān manave prāha&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot; data-marker=&quot;+&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #a3d3ff; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt;:&lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039;&lt;/ins&gt;imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ&lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039;&lt;/ins&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot; data-marker=&quot;−&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #ffe49c; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt;:manur ikṣvākave bravīt&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot; data-marker=&quot;+&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #a3d3ff; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt;:&lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039;&lt;/ins&gt;proktavān aham avyayam&lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039;&lt;/ins&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot; data-marker=&quot;−&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #ffe49c; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;del style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&lt;/del&gt;&quot;I instructed this imperishable science of yoga to the sun-god, Vivasvān, and Vivasvān instructed it to Manu, the father of mankind, and Manu in turn instructed it to Ikṣvāku.&quot; This is the way to understand the Vedas: by hearing from the proper authority, the spiritual master.&lt;del style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;/del&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot; data-marker=&quot;+&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #a3d3ff; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt;:&lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039;&lt;/ins&gt;vivasvān manave prāha&lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039;&lt;/ins&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot; data-marker=&quot;−&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #ffe49c; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;del style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&lt;/del&gt;So the Yamadūtas were claiming that the Viṣṇudūtas should not hinder them in the performance of their duty since they were acting under the order of a bona fide authority, Yamarāja. Yamarāja is one of the twelve mahājanas, great personalities who are authorities in both spiritual and material affairs. He is a Vaiṣṇava, but his thankless task is to punish all the souls who perform sinful activities. Just as the superintendent of police is a responsible, faithful servant of the government, so Yamarāja is a faithful servant of Lord Nārāyaṇa, or Kṛṣṇa. His task is to chastise sinful persons. If a high-court judge is required in ordinary government, why not in God&#039;s government?&lt;del style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;/del&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot; data-marker=&quot;+&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #a3d3ff; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt;:&lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039;&lt;/ins&gt;manur ikṣvākave bravīt&lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039;&lt;/ins&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot; data-marker=&quot;−&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #ffe49c; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;del style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&lt;/del&gt;There are twelve mahājanas mentioned in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: Lord Brahmā; Nārada Muni; Lord Śiva; the four Kumāras; Lord Kapila, the son of Devahūti; Svāyambhuva Manu; Prahlāda Mahārāja; Bhīṣmadeva; Janaka Mahārāja; Śukadeva Gosvāmī; Bali Mahārāja; and Yamarāja. These authorities know exactly who God is, and they can direct us to Him. Therefore the śāstras advise us to follow them.&lt;del style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;/del&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot; data-marker=&quot;+&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #a3d3ff; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt;&quot;I instructed this imperishable science of &lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039;&lt;/ins&gt;yoga&lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039; &lt;/ins&gt;to the sun-god, Vivasvān, and Vivasvān instructed it to Manu, the father of mankind, and Manu in turn instructed it to Ikṣvāku.&quot; This is the way to understand the &lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039;&lt;/ins&gt;Vedas&lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039;&lt;/ins&gt;: by hearing from the proper authority, the spiritual master.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot; data-marker=&quot;−&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #ffe49c; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;del style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&lt;/del&gt;Without following the mahājanas, it is impossible to know God, because we cannot understand the path of religion by our mental speculation. Religious principles are enunciated by the Supreme Personality of Godhead (dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam ([[SB 6.3.19|SB 6.3.19]])). Therefore real religion means to abide by the words of the Supreme Lord and His representatives. In the Bhagavad-&lt;del style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;gītā &lt;/del&gt;([[BG 18.66|18.66]]) Kṛṣṇa says, mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja: &quot;Simply surrender unto Me.&quot; That is true religion. Anything else is irreligion. Manmade religion is not religion; it is cheating. Nowadays it has become fashionable for everyone to manufacture his own religion without reference to the authorities. One should know that dharma, or religion, means the laws given to man by God. The path of dharma is strictly followed by the mahājanas, and so we have to follow them. Otherwise there is no possibility of understanding what religion is or who God is.&lt;del style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;/del&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot; data-marker=&quot;+&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #a3d3ff; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot; data-marker=&quot;−&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #ffe49c; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;del style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&lt;/del&gt;Everyone in the material world is puzzled about what religion is. Therefore, the Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad (1.2.12) says, one should approach a guru: tad vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). &quot;If someone wants to learn the transcendental science, he has to approach a guru.&quot; There are no exceptions. One cannot say, &quot;I shall learn the transcendental science without going to a spiritual master.&quot; No. That is not possible. The Vaiṣṇava principles enjoin, ādau gurv-āśrayam: the first step in understanding spiritual knowledge is to take shelter of a bona fide guru. And there are three principles to observe in taking shelter of a guru: tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā ([[BG 4.34|BG 4.34]]). We must surrender to the spiritual master, we must inquire from him, and we must render service to him. Then we will be able to understand real spiritual knowledge.&lt;del style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;/del&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot; data-marker=&quot;+&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #a3d3ff; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt;So the Yamadūtas were claiming that the Viṣṇudūtas should not hinder them in the performance of their duty since they were acting under the order of a bona fide authority, Yamarāja. Yamarāja is one of the twelve &lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039;&lt;/ins&gt;mahājanas&lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039;&lt;/ins&gt;, great personalities who are authorities in both spiritual and material affairs. He is a Vaiṣṇava, but his thankless task is to punish all the souls who perform sinful activities. Just as the superintendent of police is a responsible, faithful servant of the government, so Yamarāja is a faithful servant of Lord Nārāyaṇa, or Kṛṣṇa. His task is to chastise sinful persons. If a high-court judge is required in ordinary government, why not in God&#039;s government?&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot; data-marker=&quot;−&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #ffe49c; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;del style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&lt;/del&gt;When Sanātana Gosvāmī approached Lord Caitanya to become His disciple, Sanātana surrendered himself and said, &quot;My dear Lord, when I was a minister, people used to address me as a learned man, and so I accepted that I was learned and intelligent. But actually I am neither learned nor intelligent, because I do not know what I am. This is the result of my learning: I know everything except what I am and how to get out of this miserable material condition of life.&quot;&lt;del style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;/del&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot; data-marker=&quot;+&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #a3d3ff; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot; data-marker=&quot;−&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #ffe49c; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;del style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&lt;/del&gt;We see that modern education fails here also. The professor talks about so many things, but if we ask him what he is, he has no answer. Universities award degrees to the graduates, who think, &quot;I am a Ph.D., a very learned man,&quot; but if we ask that Ph.D. to explain what he is and what the purpose of life is, he will refer only to his bodily designations: &quot;I am American, I am male, etc.&quot; He can only state his identification with the body, which he is not, and therefore he is fool number one.&lt;del style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;/del&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot; data-marker=&quot;+&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #a3d3ff; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt;There are twelve &lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039;&lt;/ins&gt;mahājanas&lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039; &lt;/ins&gt;mentioned in the &lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;[[Srimad-Bhagavatam|&#039;&#039;&lt;/ins&gt;Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam&lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039;]]&lt;/ins&gt;: Lord Brahmā; Nārada Muni; Lord Śiva; the four Kumāras; Lord Kapila, the son of Devahūti; Svāyambhuva Manu; Prahlāda Mahārāja; Bhīṣmadeva; Janaka Mahārāja; Śukadeva Gosvāmī; Bali Mahārāja; and Yamarāja. These authorities know exactly who God is, and they can direct us to Him. Therefore the &lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039;&lt;/ins&gt;śāstras&lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039; &lt;/ins&gt;advise us to follow them.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot; data-marker=&quot;−&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #ffe49c; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;del style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&lt;/del&gt;At first Arjuna was also thinking in terms of bodily connections: &quot;Kṛṣṇa, how can I fight? On the other side there are my cousins, my brothers, my uncles, my nephews, and my brothers-in-law. If I kill them, their wives will become widows and be polluted, and there will be unwanted children.&quot; Arjuna was a very learned man, but he was perplexed. He said, &quot;My dear Kṛṣṇa, now I am puzzled. I am a kṣatriya, and it is my duty to fight, but I am deviating from this duty because I am bewildered and cannot reason clearly. I know You can explain to me what I should do; therefore I surrender unto You as Your disciple. Please instruct me.&quot; ([[BG 2.7|Bhagavad-gītā 2.7]])&lt;del style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;/del&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot; data-marker=&quot;+&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #a3d3ff; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot; data-marker=&quot;−&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #ffe49c; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;del style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&lt;/del&gt;The Vedic literature advises us first of all that the guru is not a plaything. One should not think, &quot;I must have a guru because it is fashionable, but there is no need to obey his order.&quot; That kind of guru is useless, and that kind of disciple is useless also. Accepting a guru is very serious. You must seriously find out who is a bona fide spiritual master, one who can solve the problems of your life. Only when one is serious about getting out of the blazing fire of material existence should one approach a spiritual master.&lt;del style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;/del&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot; data-marker=&quot;+&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #a3d3ff; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt;Without following the &lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039;&lt;/ins&gt;mahājanas&lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039;&lt;/ins&gt;, it is impossible to know God, because we cannot understand the path of religion by our mental speculation. Religious principles are enunciated by the Supreme Personality of Godhead (&lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039;&lt;/ins&gt;dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam&lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039; &lt;/ins&gt;([[SB 6.3.19|SB 6.3.19]])). Therefore real religion means to abide by the words of the Supreme Lord and His representatives. In the &lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;[[&lt;/ins&gt;Bhagavad-&lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;gita As It Is (1972)|&#039;&#039;Bhagavad-gītā&#039;&#039;]] &lt;/ins&gt;([[BG 18.66|18.66]]) Kṛṣṇa says, &lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039;&lt;/ins&gt;mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja&lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039;&lt;/ins&gt;: &quot;Simply surrender unto Me.&quot; That is true religion. Anything else is irreligion. Manmade religion is not religion; it is cheating. Nowadays it has become fashionable for everyone to manufacture his own religion without reference to the authorities. One should know that &lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039;&lt;/ins&gt;dharma&lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039;&lt;/ins&gt;, or religion, means the laws given to man by God. The path of &lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039;&lt;/ins&gt;dharma&lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039; &lt;/ins&gt;is strictly followed by the &lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039;&lt;/ins&gt;mahājanas&lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039;&lt;/ins&gt;, and so we have to follow them. Otherwise there is no possibility of understanding what religion is or who God is.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot; data-marker=&quot;−&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #ffe49c; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;del style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&lt;/del&gt;The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam ([[SB 11.3.21|11.3.21]]) says,&lt;del style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;/del&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot; data-marker=&quot;+&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #a3d3ff; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot; data-marker=&quot;−&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #ffe49c; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt;:tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot; data-marker=&quot;+&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #a3d3ff; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt;Everyone in the material world is puzzled about what religion is. Therefore, the &lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039;&lt;/ins&gt;Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad&lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039; &lt;/ins&gt;(1.2.12) says, one should approach a &lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039;&lt;/ins&gt;guru&lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039;&lt;/ins&gt;: &lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039;&lt;/ins&gt;tad vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet&lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039; &lt;/ins&gt;(MU 1.2.12). &quot;If someone wants to learn the transcendental science, he has to approach a &lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039;&lt;/ins&gt;guru&lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039;&lt;/ins&gt;.&quot; There are no exceptions. One cannot say, &quot;I shall learn the transcendental science without going to a spiritual master.&quot; No. That is not possible. The Vaiṣṇava principles enjoin, &lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039;&lt;/ins&gt;ādau gurv-āśrayam&lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039;&lt;/ins&gt;: the first step in understanding spiritual knowledge is to take shelter of a bona fide &lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039;&lt;/ins&gt;guru&lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039;&lt;/ins&gt;. And there are three principles to observe in taking shelter of a &lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039;&lt;/ins&gt;guru&lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039;&lt;/ins&gt;: &lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039;&lt;/ins&gt;tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā&lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039; &lt;/ins&gt;([[BG 4.34|BG 4.34]]). We must surrender to the spiritual master, we must inquire from him, and we must render service to him. Then we will be able to understand real spiritual knowledge.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot; data-marker=&quot;−&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #ffe49c; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt;:jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot; data-marker=&quot;+&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #a3d3ff; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot; data-marker=&quot;−&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #ffe49c; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt;:śabde pare ca niṣṇātaṁ&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot; data-marker=&quot;+&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #a3d3ff; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt;When Sanātana Gosvāmī approached Lord Caitanya to become His disciple, Sanātana surrendered himself and said, &quot;My dear Lord, when I was a minister, people used to address me as a learned man, and so I accepted that I was learned and intelligent. But actually I am neither learned nor intelligent, because I do not know what I am. This is the result of my learning: I know everything except what I am and how to get out of this miserable material condition of life.&quot;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot; data-marker=&quot;−&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #ffe49c; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt;:brahmaṇy upaśamāśrayam&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot; data-marker=&quot;+&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #a3d3ff; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot; data-marker=&quot;−&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #ffe49c; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;del style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&lt;/del&gt;One who wants the ultimate benefit in his life must surrender to a guru. The guru must be well versed in the Vedic literature and know its conclusions. And not only must he be well versed in the scripture, but in his life he must have adopted the path of Vedic principles, without deviating in any way. He must be finished with all hankerings for wealth, women, and prestige, and he must be fully situated in spiritual life, completely surrendered to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. One should try to find such a personality and accept him as one&#039;s spiritual master.&lt;del style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;/del&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot; data-marker=&quot;+&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #a3d3ff; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt;We see that modern education fails here also. The professor talks about so many things, but if we ask him what he is, he has no answer. Universities award degrees to the graduates, who think, &quot;I am a Ph.D., a very learned man,&quot; but if we ask that Ph.D. to explain what he is and what the purpose of life is, he will refer only to his bodily designations: &quot;I am American, I am male, etc.&quot; He can only state his identification with the body, which he is not, and therefore he is fool number one.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot; data-marker=&quot;−&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #ffe49c; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;del style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&lt;/del&gt;So the servants of Yamarāja replied quite properly. They did not manufacture principles of religion or irreligion. Instead, they explained what they had heard from their spiritual master, Yamarāja. Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ: ([[CC Madhya 17.186|CC Madhya 17.186]]) one should follow the mahājana, the authorized person. Yamarāja is one of twelve authorities. Therefore the servants of Yamarāja, the Yamadūtas, replied with perfect justification when they said śuśruma: &quot;We have heard from our master, Yamarāja.&quot;&lt;del style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;/del&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot; data-marker=&quot;+&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #a3d3ff; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td colspan=&quot;2&quot; class=&quot;diff-side-deleted&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot; data-marker=&quot;+&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #a3d3ff; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt;At first Arjuna was also thinking in terms of bodily connections: &quot;Kṛṣṇa, how can I fight? On the other side there are my cousins, my brothers, my uncles, my nephews, and my brothers-in-law. If I kill them, their wives will become widows and be polluted, and there will be unwanted children.&quot; Arjuna was a very learned man, but he was perplexed. He said, &quot;My dear Kṛṣṇa, now I am puzzled. I am a &lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039;&lt;/ins&gt;kṣatriya&lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039;&lt;/ins&gt;, and it is my duty to fight, but I am deviating from this duty because I am bewildered and cannot reason clearly. I know You can explain to me what I should do; therefore I surrender unto You as Your disciple. Please instruct me.&quot; ([[BG 2.7|Bhagavad-gītā 2.7]])&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td colspan=&quot;2&quot; class=&quot;diff-side-deleted&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot; data-marker=&quot;+&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #a3d3ff; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td colspan=&quot;2&quot; class=&quot;diff-side-deleted&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot; data-marker=&quot;+&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #a3d3ff; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt;The Vedic literature advises us first of all that the &lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039;&lt;/ins&gt;guru&lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039; &lt;/ins&gt;is not a plaything. One should not think, &quot;I must have a guru because it is fashionable, but there is no need to obey his order.&quot; That kind of guru is useless, and that kind of disciple is useless also. Accepting a &lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039;&lt;/ins&gt;guru&lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039; &lt;/ins&gt;is very serious. You must seriously find out who is a bona fide spiritual master, one who can solve the problems of your life. Only when one is serious about getting out of the blazing fire of material existence should one approach a spiritual master.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td colspan=&quot;2&quot; class=&quot;diff-side-deleted&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot; data-marker=&quot;+&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #a3d3ff; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td colspan=&quot;2&quot; class=&quot;diff-side-deleted&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot; data-marker=&quot;+&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #a3d3ff; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt;The &lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;[[Srimad-Bhagavatam|&#039;&#039;&lt;/ins&gt;Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam&lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039;]] &lt;/ins&gt;([[SB 11.3.21|11.3.21]]) says,&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td colspan=&quot;2&quot; class=&quot;diff-side-deleted&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot; data-marker=&quot;+&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #a3d3ff; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td colspan=&quot;2&quot; class=&quot;diff-side-deleted&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot; data-marker=&quot;+&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #a3d3ff; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt;:&lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039;&lt;/ins&gt;tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta&lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039;&lt;/ins&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td colspan=&quot;2&quot; class=&quot;diff-side-deleted&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot; data-marker=&quot;+&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #a3d3ff; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt;:&lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039;&lt;/ins&gt;jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam&lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039;&lt;/ins&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td colspan=&quot;2&quot; class=&quot;diff-side-deleted&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot; data-marker=&quot;+&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #a3d3ff; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt;:&lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039;&lt;/ins&gt;śabde pare ca niṣṇātaṁ&lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039;&lt;/ins&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td colspan=&quot;2&quot; class=&quot;diff-side-deleted&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot; data-marker=&quot;+&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #a3d3ff; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt;:&lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039;&lt;/ins&gt;brahmaṇy upaśamāśrayam&lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039;&lt;/ins&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td colspan=&quot;2&quot; class=&quot;diff-side-deleted&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot; data-marker=&quot;+&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #a3d3ff; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt;One who wants the ultimate benefit in his life must surrender to a &lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039;&lt;/ins&gt;guru&lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039;&lt;/ins&gt;. The &lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039;&lt;/ins&gt;guru&lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039; &lt;/ins&gt;must be well versed in the Vedic literature and know its conclusions. And not only must he be well versed in the scripture, but in his life he must have adopted the path of Vedic principles, without deviating in any way. He must be finished with all hankerings for wealth, women, and prestige, and he must be fully situated in spiritual life, completely surrendered to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. One should try to find such a personality and accept him as one&#039;s spiritual master.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td colspan=&quot;2&quot; class=&quot;diff-side-deleted&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot; data-marker=&quot;+&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #a3d3ff; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td colspan=&quot;2&quot; class=&quot;diff-side-deleted&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot; data-marker=&quot;+&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #a3d3ff; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt;So the servants of Yamarāja replied quite properly. They did not manufacture principles of religion or irreligion. Instead, they explained what they had heard from their spiritual master, Yamarāja. &lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039;&lt;/ins&gt;Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ&lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039;&lt;/ins&gt;: ([[CC Madhya 17.186|CC &lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039;&lt;/ins&gt;Madhya&lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039; &lt;/ins&gt;17.186]]) one should follow the &lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039;&lt;/ins&gt;mahājana&lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039;&lt;/ins&gt;, the authorized person. Yamarāja is one of twelve authorities. Therefore the servants of Yamarāja, the Yamadūtas, replied with perfect justification when they said &lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039;&lt;/ins&gt;śuśruma&lt;ins style=&quot;font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;&quot;&gt;&#039;&#039;&lt;/ins&gt;: &quot;We have heard from our master, Yamarāja.&quot;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td colspan=&quot;2&quot; class=&quot;diff-side-deleted&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot; data-marker=&quot;+&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #a3d3ff; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;div&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;diff-marker&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 88%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 4px; border-radius: 0.33em; border-color: #eaecf0; vertical-align: top; white-space: pre-wrap;&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;/table&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>LilamadhuriGopi</name></author>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<id>https://vanisource.org/w/index.php?title=SC_8_Religion&amp;diff=291426&amp;oldid=prev</id>
		<title>Sahadeva: Created page with &quot;&lt;div style=&quot;float:left&quot;&gt;link=A Second Chance - The Story of a Near-Death Experience &#039;&#039;&#039;[[A Second Chance - The Story of a Near-Death Experience|A Seco...&quot;</title>
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		<updated>2014-06-10T08:34:23Z</updated>

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&amp;lt;div style=&amp;quot;float:right&amp;quot;&amp;gt;[[File:Go-previous.png|link=SC 7 Authorized Discrimination]] &amp;#039;&amp;#039;&amp;#039;[[SC 7 Authorized Discrimination|7. Authorized Discrimination]] - [[SC 9 Punishment|9. Punishment]]&amp;#039;&amp;#039;&amp;#039; [[File:Go-next.png|link=SC 9 Punishment]]&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The Yamadūtas replied, &amp;quot;That which is prescribed in the Vedas constitutes dharma, 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.&amp;quot;([[SB 6.1.40|Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.1.40]])&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
=====Hearing from Authority=====&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Vedic principles are accepted as authoritative because they originate with Kṛṣṇa. Thus the Vedas carry the authority of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the same way that lawbooks carry the authority of the government.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;When it comes to determining what is religion and what is irreligion, there is no such thing as &amp;quot;This is my opinion&amp;quot; or &amp;quot;I think it means this.&amp;quot; Opinion is nonsense. We have to understand God by the process of śuśruma, hearing from the authorized representative of God. In the Bhagavad-gītā ([[BG 4.1|4.1]]) Kṛṣṇa says,&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
:imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ&lt;br /&gt;
:proktavān aham avyayam&lt;br /&gt;
:vivasvān manave prāha&lt;br /&gt;
:manur ikṣvākave bravīt&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;quot;I instructed this imperishable science of yoga to the sun-god, Vivasvān, and Vivasvān instructed it to Manu, the father of mankind, and Manu in turn instructed it to Ikṣvāku.&amp;quot; This is the way to understand the Vedas: by hearing from the proper authority, the spiritual master.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;So the Yamadūtas were claiming that the Viṣṇudūtas should not hinder them in the performance of their duty since they were acting under the order of a bona fide authority, Yamarāja. Yamarāja is one of the twelve mahājanas, great personalities who are authorities in both spiritual and material affairs. He is a Vaiṣṇava, but his thankless task is to punish all the souls who perform sinful activities. Just as the superintendent of police is a responsible, faithful servant of the government, so Yamarāja is a faithful servant of Lord Nārāyaṇa, or Kṛṣṇa. His task is to chastise sinful persons. If a high-court judge is required in ordinary government, why not in God&amp;#039;s government?&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;There are twelve mahājanas mentioned in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: Lord Brahmā; Nārada Muni; Lord Śiva; the four Kumāras; Lord Kapila, the son of Devahūti; Svāyambhuva Manu; Prahlāda Mahārāja; Bhīṣmadeva; Janaka Mahārāja; Śukadeva Gosvāmī; Bali Mahārāja; and Yamarāja. These authorities know exactly who God is, and they can direct us to Him. Therefore the śāstras advise us to follow them.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Without following the mahājanas, it is impossible to know God, because we cannot understand the path of religion by our mental speculation. Religious principles are enunciated by the Supreme Personality of Godhead (dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam ([[SB 6.3.19|SB 6.3.19]])). Therefore real religion means to abide by the words of the Supreme Lord and His representatives. In the Bhagavad-gītā ([[BG 18.66|18.66]]) Kṛṣṇa says, mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja: &amp;quot;Simply surrender unto Me.&amp;quot; That is true religion. Anything else is irreligion. Manmade religion is not religion; it is cheating. Nowadays it has become fashionable for everyone to manufacture his own religion without reference to the authorities. One should know that dharma, or religion, means the laws given to man by God. The path of dharma is strictly followed by the mahājanas, and so we have to follow them. Otherwise there is no possibility of understanding what religion is or who God is.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Everyone in the material world is puzzled about what religion is. Therefore, the Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad (1.2.12) says, one should approach a guru: tad vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). &amp;quot;If someone wants to learn the transcendental science, he has to approach a guru.&amp;quot; There are no exceptions. One cannot say, &amp;quot;I shall learn the transcendental science without going to a spiritual master.&amp;quot; No. That is not possible. The Vaiṣṇava principles enjoin, ādau gurv-āśrayam: the first step in understanding spiritual knowledge is to take shelter of a bona fide guru. And there are three principles to observe in taking shelter of a guru: tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā ([[BG 4.34|BG 4.34]]). We must surrender to the spiritual master, we must inquire from him, and we must render service to him. Then we will be able to understand real spiritual knowledge.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;When Sanātana Gosvāmī approached Lord Caitanya to become His disciple, Sanātana surrendered himself and said, &amp;quot;My dear Lord, when I was a minister, people used to address me as a learned man, and so I accepted that I was learned and intelligent. But actually I am neither learned nor intelligent, because I do not know what I am. This is the result of my learning: I know everything except what I am and how to get out of this miserable material condition of life.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;We see that modern education fails here also. The professor talks about so many things, but if we ask him what he is, he has no answer. Universities award degrees to the graduates, who think, &amp;quot;I am a Ph.D., a very learned man,&amp;quot; but if we ask that Ph.D. to explain what he is and what the purpose of life is, he will refer only to his bodily designations: &amp;quot;I am American, I am male, etc.&amp;quot; He can only state his identification with the body, which he is not, and therefore he is fool number one.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;At first Arjuna was also thinking in terms of bodily connections: &amp;quot;Kṛṣṇa, how can I fight? On the other side there are my cousins, my brothers, my uncles, my nephews, and my brothers-in-law. If I kill them, their wives will become widows and be polluted, and there will be unwanted children.&amp;quot; Arjuna was a very learned man, but he was perplexed. He said, &amp;quot;My dear Kṛṣṇa, now I am puzzled. I am a kṣatriya, and it is my duty to fight, but I am deviating from this duty because I am bewildered and cannot reason clearly. I know You can explain to me what I should do; therefore I surrender unto You as Your disciple. Please instruct me.&amp;quot; ([[BG 2.7|Bhagavad-gītā 2.7]])&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The Vedic literature advises us first of all that the guru is not a plaything. One should not think, &amp;quot;I must have a guru because it is fashionable, but there is no need to obey his order.&amp;quot; That kind of guru is useless, and that kind of disciple is useless also. Accepting a guru is very serious. You must seriously find out who is a bona fide spiritual master, one who can solve the problems of your life. Only when one is serious about getting out of the blazing fire of material existence should one approach a spiritual master.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam ([[SB 11.3.21|11.3.21]]) says,&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
:tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta&lt;br /&gt;
:jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam&lt;br /&gt;
:śabde pare ca niṣṇātaṁ&lt;br /&gt;
:brahmaṇy upaśamāśrayam&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;One who wants the ultimate benefit in his life must surrender to a guru. The guru must be well versed in the Vedic literature and know its conclusions. And not only must he be well versed in the scripture, but in his life he must have adopted the path of Vedic principles, without deviating in any way. He must be finished with all hankerings for wealth, women, and prestige, and he must be fully situated in spiritual life, completely surrendered to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. One should try to find such a personality and accept him as one&amp;#039;s spiritual master.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;So the servants of Yamarāja replied quite properly. They did not manufacture principles of religion or irreligion. Instead, they explained what they had heard from their spiritual master, Yamarāja. Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ: ([[CC Madhya 17.186|CC Madhya 17.186]]) one should follow the mahājana, the authorized person. Yamarāja is one of twelve authorities. Therefore the servants of Yamarāja, the Yamadūtas, replied with perfect justification when they said śuśruma: &amp;quot;We have heard from our master, Yamarāja.&amp;quot;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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		<author><name>Sahadeva</name></author>
	</entry>
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