SB 1.17.25 (1965)
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
TEXT No. 25
Idanim dharma padas te satyam nirvartayet yatah Tam jighrikshati adharma ayam anritena edhitah kalih.
ENGLISH SYNONYMS
Idanim—at the present moment, Dharma—oh the personality of religiosity, Padas—legs, Te—of you, Satyam—truthfelness, Nirvartayet—may pull on some how or other, Yatah—whereby, Tam—that, Jigrikshati—trying to withdraw, Adharma—the personality of irreligiosity, Ayam—this, Anritena—by false representation, Edhitah—flourishing, Kalih—the quarrel personified.
TRANSLATION
You are just standing on one leg or by one part of your existing truthfulness and you are some how or other pulling on with this but this quarrel-personified, being flourished by false representations, is trying to withdraw that also.
PURPORT
The principles of religiosity do not stand on some dogmas or man-made fomulas but they stand on four primary regulative observances namely austerity, cleanliness, mercy and truthfulness. The mass of people must be educated for practising these principles from very childhood. Austerity means to accept voluntarily things which may not be very comfortable for the body but they are conducive for spiritual realisation. For example fasting. Fasting twice or four times in a month is a sort of austerity which may be voluntarily accepted for spiritual realisation only and not for any other purposes political or otherwise. Fastings, which are not meant for self-realisation, but for some other ultra-purposes are condemned in the Bhagwat Geeta (B.G. 17/5-6) Similarly cleanliness is necessary both for the mind and the body. Simple bodily cleanliness may help to some extent but cleanliness of the mind is necessary and it is effected by glorifying the Supreme Lord. Nobody can cleanse the accumulated mental dust without glorifying the Supreme Lord. Godless civilization cannot cleanse the mind because such civilization has no idea of God and for this simple reason people under such godless civilization cannot have definitely good qualification however materially one may be well equipped. We have to see things by their resultant action. The resultant action of human civilization in the age of of Kali is dissatisfaction of the mind and everyone is anxious to get peace of the mind. This peace of mind was complete in the age of Satya on account of the existence of the above mentioned attributes of human being. Gradually they have diminished in the Treta Yuga to three fourth, in the Dwapara to half and in this age of Kali it is diminished to one fourth which is also gradually diminishing on account of prevailing untruthfulness. By pride either artificial or real the resultant action of austerity is spoiled; by too much affection for womanly association, cleanliness is spoiled; by too much addiction to intoxicating habit mercfiulness is spoiled and by too much lying propaganda truthfulness is spoiled. Revival of Bhagwatam Dharma all round one can save the human civilization from falling a prey to the evils of society of all description.