Devanagari
इति वेदविदां वाद: श्रूयते तत्र तत्र ह ।
कर्म यत्क्रियते प्रोक्तं परोक्षं न प्रकाशते ॥ ५९ ॥
Verse text
iti veda-vidāṁ vādaḥ
śrūyate tatra tatra ha
karma yat kriyate proktaṁ
parokṣaṁ na prakāśate
Synonyms
iti
—
thus
;
veda
—
vidām — of persons who know the Vedic conclusions
;
vādaḥ
—
the thesis
;
śrūyate
—
is heard
;
tatra tatra
—
here and there
;
ha
—
certainly
;
karma
—
the activity
;
yat
—
what
;
kriyate
—
is performed
;
proktam
—
as it was said
;
parokṣam
—
unknown
;
na prakāśate
—
is not directly manifested .
Translation
The expert knowers of the Vedic conclusions say that one enjoys or suffers the results of his past activities. But practically it is seen that the body that performed the work in the last birth is already lost. So how is it possible to enjoy or suffer the reactions of that work in a different body?
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
This statement is heard from the knowers of the Vedas. Also, the action prescribed in the Vedas that is performed disappears with the end of the act, and its future result also is absent.
He raises another doubt. The action mentioned in the Vedas which is performed by men immediately disappears the next moment. The fate generated from the act, though existing, is absent, since we see no evidence of it existing. How then can one enjoy the results on another planet after death?
Purport
Atheists want evidence for the resultant actions of past activities. Therefore they ask, “Where is the proof that I am suffering and enjoying the resultant actions of past
karma
?” They have no idea how the subtle body carries the results of the present body’s actions down to the next gross body. The present body may be finished grossly, but the subtle body is not finished; it carries the soul to the next body. Actually the gross body is dependent on the subtle body. Therefore the next gross body must suffer and enjoy according to the subtle body. The soul is carried by the subtle body continuously until liberated from gross material bondage.