Devanagari
धर्मस्य ह्यापवर्ग्यस्य नार्थोऽर्थायोपकल्पते ।
नार्थस्य धर्मैकान्तस्य कामो लाभाय हि स्मृत: ॥ ९ ॥
Verse text
dharmasya hy āpavargyasya
nārtho ’rthāyopakalpate
nārthasya dharmaikāntasya
kāmo lābhāya hi smṛtaḥ
Synonyms
dharmasya
—
occupational engagement
;
hi
—
certainly
;
āpavargyasya
—
ultimate liberation
;
na
—
not
;
arthaḥ
—
end
;
arthāya
—
for material gain
;
upakalpate
—
is meant for
;
na
—
neither
;
arthasya
—
of material gain
;
dharma
—
eka — antasya — for one who is engaged in the ultimate occupational service
;
kāmaḥ
—
sense gratification
;
lābhāya
—
attainment of
;
hi
—
exactly
;
smṛtaḥ
—
is described by the great sages .
Translation
All occupational engagements are certainly meant for ultimate liberation. They should never be performed for material gain. Furthermore, according to sages, one who is engaged in the ultimate occupational service should never use material gain to cultivate sense gratification.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Material results are not suitable as the goal for the person dedicated to higher spiritual goals. Attainment of material assets is not the desire of the person who is dedicated to the higher path.
Purport
We have already discussed that pure devotional service to the Lord is automatically followed by perfect knowledge and detachment from material existence. But there are others who consider that all kinds of different occupational engagements, including those of religion, are meant for material gain. The general tendency of any ordinary man in any part of the world is to gain some material profit in exchange for religious or any other occupational service. Even in the Vedic literatures, for all sorts of religious performances an allurement of material gain is offered, and most people are attracted by such allurements or blessings of religiosity. Why are such so-called men of religion allured by material gain? Because material gain can enable one to fulfill desires, which in turn satisfy sense gratification. This cycle of occupational engagements includes so-called religiosity followed by material gain and material gain followed by fulfillment of desires. Sense gratification is the general way for all sorts of fully occupied men. But in the statement of Sūta Gosvāmī, as per the verdict of the
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam,
this is nullified by the present
śloka.
One should not engage himself in any sort of occupational service for material gain only. Nor should material gain be utilized for sense gratification. How material gain should be utilized is described as follows.
Commentary (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
There are four types of persons in this world: karmīs, jṣānīs, yogīs and bhaktas. It is said dharmād arthaś ca kāmaś ca sa kim arthaṁ na sevyate: from performance of dharma comes artha and kāma. Can dharma not be used for any purpose? (Mahābhārata 18.5.49) Thus, the result of performance of dharma is artha, acquisition of material results. The result of material acquisition is desire, kāma. The result of kāma is pleasure of the senses. When the senses are pleased, for further gain of pleasure, one executes the sequence starting with dharma again. This is true for the karmīs, but does not apply to the jṣānīs, yogīs and devotees. That is explained in this verse.
Dharma in this verse refers to control of mind and senses (śama, dama etc.) for the jṣānī, to yama and niyama etc. for the yogīs and to hearing, chanting and other devotional processes for the devotee. Though the material results appear by executing all these processes, they are not suitable as the goal (arthāya na kalpate), for after examining the nature of material gain, one becomes detached from it. That is indicated in text by the word āpavargyasya. Apavargya means “having the goal of apavarga.” The vowel is lengthened without a change in meaning, as in such words as svarga. Thus from apavarga comes apavargya and then āpavargya. It should be understood that by these processes apavarga is the concomitant result of practice. That apavarga is liberation for the jṣānī and yogī, and prema-bhakti for the devotee.
yathā-varṇa-vidhānam apavargaś cāpi bhavati.|
yo ’sau bhagavati sarva-bhūtātmany anātmye ’nirukte ’nilayane paramātmani vāsudeve ’nanya-nimitta-bhakti-yoga-lakṣaṇo nānā-gati-nimittāvidyā-granthi-randhana-dvāreṇa yadā hi mahā-puruṣa-puruṣa-prasaṅgaḥ.
In Bhārata-varṣa the many destinations--heavenly, human and hellish--are prescribed to all people, because people take birth according to actions in sattva, rajas and tamas. All these goals are prescribed for the self according to the quality of action, as indicated in the Vedas. Liberation is then achieved. SB 5.19.19-20
sa vai mahā-bhāgavataḥ parīkṣid yenāpavargākhyam adabhra-buddhiḥ
jṣānena vaiyāsaki-śabditena bheje khagendra-dhvaja-pāda-mūlam
O Sūta Gosvāmī, please describe those topics of the Lord by which Mahārāja Parīkṣit, whose intelligence was fixed on liberation (apavarga), attained the lotus feet of the Lord, who is the shelter of Garuḍa, the king of birds. Those topics were vibrated by the son of Vyāsa [Śrīla Śukadeva]. SB 1.18.16
As well, in Skanda Purāṇa it is said:
niścalā tvayi bhaktir yā saiva muktir janārdana |
muktā eva hi bhaktās te tava viṣṇo yato hare ||
O Janārdana! O Lord! O Viṣṇu! That bhakti which is fixed on you is called liberation, because your devotees are certainly liberated.
Therefore the desire of the avid practitioner should not be for attaining material results (arthasya kamo labhāya na). This is because, for the avid practitioner of apavarga-dharma, the practice itself has its own results. In certain actions the jṣānīs use material assets which are favorable for śama and dama and the yogīs uses material assets which are favorable for yama and niyama. The devotee uses material assets for service to the Lord and his devotees. This is clear.