SB 7.15.9
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
TEXT 9
eke karmamayān yajñān
jñānino yajña-vittamāḥ
ātma-saṁyamane 'nīhā
juhvati jñāna-dīpite
SYNONYMS
eke—some; karma-mayān—resulting in a reaction (such as the killing of animals); yajñān—sacrifices; jñāninaḥ—persons advanced in knowledge; yajña-vit-tamāḥ—who know perfectly well the purpose of sacrifice; ātma-saṁyamane—by self-control; anīhāḥ—who are without material desires; juhvati—execute sacrifice; jñāna-dīpite—enlightened in perfect knowledge.
TRANSLATION
Because of an awakening of spiritual knowledge, those who are intelligent in regard to sacrifice, who are actually aware of religious principles and who are free from material desires, control the self in the fire of spiritual knowledge, or knowledge of the Absolute Truth. They may give up the process of ritualistic ceremonies.
PURPORT
People are generally very much interested in karma-kāṇḍa ritualistic ceremonies for elevation to the higher planetary systems, but when one awakens his spiritual knowledge, he becomes uninterested in such elevation and engages himself fully in jñāna-yajña to find the objective of life. The objective of life is to stop completely the miseries of birth and death and to return home, back to Godhead. When one cultivates knowledge for this purpose, he is considered to be on a higher platform than one who is engaged in karma-yajña, or fruitive activities.