यामिमां पुष्पितां वाचं प्रवदन्त्यविपश्चित: | वेदवादरता: पार्थ नान्यदस्तीति वादिन: || 42 || कामात्मान: स्वर्गपरा जन्मकर्मफलप्रदाम् | क्रियाविशेषबहुलां भोगैश्वर्यगतिं प्रति || 43 || |
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“O Arjuna, those with limited understanding are attracted to the flowery words of the unwise. Ascribing no other higher purpose to the Vedas, they perform only the ostentatious rituals for sense gratifications and celestial abodes, that result in rebirth.”
Commentary
The holy Vedas are given to bless and guide everyone – active God-seekers, passive believers and atheists. Certain sections of the Vedas are filled with rituals and instructions to attain health, wealth and heavenly abodes. After achieving a certain level of comfort, the devotee must understand the nature of Desire – it remains in an unfulfilled state forever. For a billionaire, even ten billion dollars is not enough! A new desire arises as soon as the present desire is fulfilled which means man is permanently in a cycle of misery. As soon as one understands the nature of desire, the journey to seek permanent happiness begins and the right attitude to perform earthly duties develops gradually. Until this one lesson is learnt, the journey of taking births in the wombs of future mothers, the slow pace of growth from infant to an adult, gains and losses, success and failures and all other dualities in the school of earthly life will sadly continue.