SB 11.20.25 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

यदि कुर्यात् प्रमादेन योगी कर्म विगर्हितम् । योगेनैव दहेदंहो नान्यत्तत्र कदाचन ॥ २५ ॥

Verse text

yadi kuryāt pramādena yogī karma vigarhitam yogenaiva dahed aṁho nānyat tatra kadācana

Synonyms

yadi — if ; kuryāt — should perform ; pramādena — due to negligence ; yogī — the yogī ; karma — an activity ; vigarhitam — abominable ; yogena — by the yoga process ; eva — only ; dahet — he should burn up ; aṁhaḥ — that sin ; na — no ; anyat — other means ; tatra — in this matter ; kadācana — at any time (should be employed) .

Translation

If, because of momentary inattention, a yogī accidentally commits an abominable activity, then by the very practice of yoga he should burn to ashes the sinful reaction, without at any time employing any other procedure.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

If, because of inattention, a jṣānī accidentally commits an abominable activity, then by the very practice of jṣāna, he should burn to ashes the sinful reaction, without employing any other procedure. “If the person disgusted with karma is not qualified for karma-yoga, if he commits sin by fate how will he destroy that sin without resorting to the atonement through karma-yoga?” If this jṣānī commits a sin, he destroys the sin by practice of jṣāna (yogena) alone. According to Śrīdhara Svāmī, this also indicates chanting the name of the Lord for the devotee. It is said: kecit kevalayā bhaktyā vāsudeva-parāyaṇāḥ aghaṁ dhunvanti kārtsnyena nīhāram iva bhāskaraḥ Some persons, who surrender to Kṛṣṇa, completely destroy sins by pure bhakti, just as the sun destroys fog. SB 6.1.15 sva-pāda-mūlam bhajataḥ priyasya tyaktānya-bhāvasya hariḥ pareśaḥ vikarma yac cotpatitaṁ kathaṣcid dhunoti sarvaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭaḥ One who has thus given up all other engagements and has taken full shelter at the lotus feet of Supreme Lord is very dear to the Lord. If such a surrendered soul accidentally commits some sinful activity, the Supreme Lord, having great powers, seated within everyone’s heart, immediately takes away the reaction to such sin. SB 11.5.42 Others explain that the word yogī here indicates either the jṣāna-yogī or bhakti-yogī. Thus yogena will indicate either jṣāna or bhakti.

Purport

The word yogena here indicates jṣānena yogena and bhaktyā yogena, since these two transcendental systems have the power to burn sinful reactions to ashes. It should be clearly understood that the word aṁhas, or “sin,” here refers to an accidental falldown against one’s desire. Premeditated exploitation of the mercy of the Lord can never be excused. Significantly, the Lord forbids any extraneous purificatory rites, since the transcendental yoga systems are themselves the most purifying processes, especially bhakti-yoga. If one gives up one’s regular prescribed duties to perform a special ritual or penance, trying to purify a sinful reaction, then one will be guilty of the additional fault of giving up one’s prescribed duties. One should pick oneself up from an accidental falldown and go on vigorously with one’s prescribed duties in life without being unnecessarily discouraged. One should certainly lament and feel ashamed, or there will be no purification. However, if one becomes overly depressed at an accidental falldown one will not have the enthusiasm to go on to perfection. Lord Kṛṣṇa also states in the Bhagavad-gītā (9.30) : api cet su-durācāro bhajate mām ananya-bhāk sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ samyag vyavasito hi saḥ “Even if one commits the most abominable actions, if he is engaged in devotional service, he is to be considered saintly because he is properly situated.” The most important point is that one should be properly engaged in the devotional service of the Lord, for then the Lord will excuse and purify an accidental falldown. One should, however, be most cautious to avoid such an unhappy event.