SRI BRAHMA-SAMHITA

Verse 53

dharmo ’tha papanichayah srutayas tapamsi
brahmadi-kita-patagavadhayas cha jivah
yad datta-matra-vibhava-prakata-prabhava
govindam adi purusam tam aham bhajami [53]

Translation: I worship the Primeval Lord Govinda, by whose conferred power is manifest the potency in—religion, irreligion or all types of sins, the srutis, the penances and all beings from Brahma to the worm and insect.

Purport: Dharma, ‘religion’ or ‘duty,’ refers to varna-dharma and asrama-dharma, or the socio-religious codes as given by the twenty books of law (smrti) whose origin is traced in the Vedas. Varna-dharma is the fourfold division according to men’s natures of brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya and sudra. Asrama-dharma refers to the fourfold formal religious gradations of brahmachari, grhastha, vanaprastha and sannyasi for persons of the appropriate qualifications. All the codes of conduct for the human being have been delineated within these twofold dharmas of varna and asrama.

‘All kinds of sins’ means the roots of sin—ignorance and gainful desire; and grave sins, less grave sins and general sins or mahapataka, anupataka, pataka, etc., that is, all types of illicit conduct. The srutis refers to the Rig, Sama, Yajur and Atharva Vedas along with the Upanisads which form the crest-jewels of the Vedas. ‘The penances’ refers to whatever practices are to be learned for the furtherance of righteousness or religion. In many instances very painful austerities called pancha-tapa, etc., are indicated (in pursuance of eightfold yoga, or Brahman liberation).

All the above forms are within the purview of the cycle of mundane work, or karma, of the conditioned souls who wander throughout 8,400,000 species of life, including gods, demons, humans, Nagas, Kinnaras and Gandharvas, etc. They range unlimitedly from Brahma down to the insignificant insect. Each possess a certain potency giving them proficiency in certain functions, but those potencies are not axiomatic—they are only the manifestation of whatever might is sanctioned for them by Sri Govinda.

• For Reader's Appreciation
• Feelings of Appreciation
• Prologue
• Translator's Note
• Illumination
• Verse 1
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• Verse 6
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• Verse 33
• Verse 34
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• Verse 40
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• Verse 50
• Verse 51
• Verse 52
• Verse 53
• Verse 54
• Verse 55
• Verse 56
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• Verse 58
• Verse 59

• Verse 60
• Verse 61
• Verse 62

• Verse Contents

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