kaccid dvija-vara-śreṣṭha
dharmas te vṛddha-sammataḥ
vartate nāti-kṛcchreṇa
santuṣṭa-manasaḥ sadā
kaccit - whether; dvija - of the brāhmaṇas; vara - first-class; śreṣṭha - O best; dharmaḥ - religious principles; te - your; vṛddha - by senior authorities; sammataḥ - sanctioned; vartate - are proceeding; na - not; ati - too much; kṛcchreṇa - with difficulty; santuṣṭa - fully satisfied; manasaḥ - whose mind; sadā - always.
Here we have translated the word dharma as “religious practice,” although this does not fully convey the Sanskrit sense of the word. Kṛṣṇa did not appear within a secular society. The people in Vedic times could hardly imagine a society that did not understand the need to obey God’s law. Thus to them the word dharma conveyed a sense of duty in general, higher principles, prescribed duty and so on. It was automatically understood that such duties were within a religious context. But religion in those days was not a specific aspect or department of life, but rather a guiding light for all activities. Irreligious life was considered demoniac, and God’s hand was seen in everything.