Verse 16.24

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 16.24:

तस्माच् छास्त्रं प्रमाणं ते कार्याकार्य-व्यवस्थितौ ।
ज्ञात्वा शास्त्र-विधानोक्तं कर्म कर्तुम् इहार्हसि ॥ २४ ॥

tasmāc chāstraṃ pramāṇaṃ te kāryākārya-vyavasthitau |
jñātvā śāstra-vidhānoktaṃ karma kartum ihārhasi || 24 ||

tasmāt–therefore; śāstram–scripture; pramāṇam–authority; te–your; kārya–what should be done; akārya–what should not be done; vyavasthitau–in ascertaining; jñātvā–by knowing; śāstra–of the Vedic scriptures;vidhāna–in the precepts; uktam–what is spoken; karma–your work; kartum–perform; iha–in this world; arhasi–you should.

Therefore, scripture is the authority regarding proper and improper activity. Being aware of the instructions of the scripture concerning the performance of your prescribed duties, simply be an instrument.

Commentary: Sārārtha-Varṣiṇī Prakāśikā-vṛtti

(By Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja; the explanation that illuminates the commentary named Sārārtha-varṣiṇī)

Having become conversant with the injunctions of śāstra, it is proper for those who desire eternal auspiciousness to cultivate bhakti to Śrī Hari under the guidance of the disciplic succession of spiritual masters (guru-varga), according to their respective qualification. It is not the duty of an intelligent person to act against the codes of śāstra by considering the imaginary ideas of so-called teachers, who are glorified by non-devotees, to be authoritative. The Śrutis are the only authority for verifying what is duty and what is not, because they are apauruṣeyā, not composed by any human being, and they are free from the four defects of illusion, negligence, imperfect senses and the desire to cheat others. The instructions of a person who has these four defects are not authoritative.

Special Instruction: The root offence of the living entity is his voluntary aversion to the service of Śrī Bhagavān. As a result, māyā, who is a maidservant of Bhagavān, places the jīva in bondage. Bound by māyā, he gives up that sāttvika nature which enables him to understand Bhagavān. Thus, by accepting the qualities of ignorance, the jīva becomes demoniac. At that time, many offences manifest, such as criticizing sādhus, maintaining the conception that there are many gods or that there is no God, disobeying the guru, disregarding the scripture, thinking that the glory of bhakti as described in scripture is imaginary, proposing that karma and jñāna are actually bhakti, not having faith in bhakti, and instructing unqualified people in bhakti.

The teaching of this chapter is that after giving up this demonic nature, it is obligatory to engage in the practice of the nine types of bhakti with faith, following the principles described in scripture.

Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura quotes Kṛṣṇa as saying, “Therefore, only scripture is authoritative in determining what is correct and what is not correct, and the conclusion of scripture is that one should perform bhakti. Knowing this, you should become qualified to act. Theists attain the supreme destination by their faith in Bhagavān, and the faithless atheists go to hell. This is the meaning of this chapter.”

Thus ends the Sārārtha-varṣiṇī Prakāśikā-vṛtti
by Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja,
on the Sixteenth Chapter of Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā.