SB 11.20.3
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Please note: The synonyms, translation and purport of this verse were composed by disciples of Śrīla Prabhupāda
TEXT 3
- guṇa-doṣa-bhidā-dṛṣṭim
- antareṇa vacas tava
- niḥśreyasaṁ kathaṁ nṟṇāṁ
- niṣedha-vidhi-lakṣaṇam
SYNONYMS
guṇa — piety; doṣa — sin; bhidā — the difference between; dṛṣṭim — seeing; antareṇa — without; vacaḥ — words; tava — Your; niḥśreyasam — perfection of life, liberation; katham — how is it possible; nṟṇām — for human beings; niṣedha — prohibitions; vidhi — positive injunctions; lakṣaṇam — characterized by.
Translation and purport composed by disciples of Śrīla Prabhupāda
TRANSLATION
Without seeing the difference between piety and sin, how can one understand Your own instructions in the form of Vedic literatures, which order one to act piously and forbid one to act sinfully? Furthermore, without such authorized Vedic literatures, which ultimately award liberation, how can human beings achieve the perfection of life?
PURPORT
If one does not accept the necessity of performing pious activities and avoiding sinful activities, it becomes very difficult to understand authorized religious scriptures; and without such scriptures, how can human beings attain salvation? This is the essence of Śrī Uddhava's question.