karmaṇy akovidÄḥ stabdhÄ
mÅ«rkhÄḥ paṇá¸ita-mÄninaḥ
vadanti cÄá¹­ukÄn mÅ«á¸hÄ
yayÄ mÄdhvyÄ girotsukÄḥ

 karmaṇi - about the facts of fruitive work; akovidÄḥ - ignorant; stabdhÄḥ - puffed up by false pride; mÅ«rkhÄḥ - fools; paṇá¸ita-mÄninaḥ - thinking themselves great scholars; vadanti - they speak; cÄá¹­ukÄn - flattering entreaties; mÅ«á¸hÄḥ - bewildered; yayÄ - by which; mÄdhvyÄ - sweet; girÄ - words; utsukÄḥ - very eager.


Text

Ignorant of the art of work, such arrogantly proud fools, enchanted and enlivened by the sweet words of the Vedas, pose as learned authorities and offer flattering entreaties to the demigods.

Purport

The words karmaṇy akovidÄḥ refer to those who are ignorant of the art of performing work in such a way that there will be no future bondage. This art is described in Bhagavad-gÄ«tÄ: yajñÄrthÄt karmaṇo ’nyatra loko ’yaá¹ karma-bandhanaḥ. Work must be performed for the satisfaction of Viṣṇu, otherwise work is the cause of future bondage in the cycle of repeated birth and death. The word stabdhÄḥ, “puffed up by false pride,†indicates that although ignorant persons do not know the art of working properly, they do not inquire from learned devotees, nor do they accept the advice of the Lord’s own men. Being infatuated by the fruitive results offered in the Vedas, such mÅ«rkhas, or fools, think, “We are learned Vedic scholars; we have understood everything perfectly.†Thus they are attracted to such Vedic statements as apÄma somam amá¹›tÄ abhÅ«ma (“We have drunk the soma juice and now we are immortalâ€), aká¹£ayyaá¹ ha vai cÄturmÄsya-yÄjinaḥ suká¹›taá¹ bhavati (“For one who executes the cÄturmÄsya sacrifice there is inexhaustible pious reactionâ€), and yatra noṣṇaá¹ na śītaá¹ syÄn na glÄnir nÄpy arÄtayaḥ (“Let us go to that material planet where there is no heat, no cold, no diminution and no enemiesâ€). Such foolish persons are unaware that even Lord BrahmÄ, the creator of the universe, will die at the end of universal time, what to speak of materialistic followers of the Vedas who jump like frogs to the different celestial planets, seeking the highest standard of sense gratification. Such bewildered Vedic scholars dream of frolicking with the ApsarÄs, the gorgeous society girls of the heavenly planets who are expert in singing, dancing and in general stimulating uncontrollable lusty desires. Thus, those who are carried away by the heavenly phantasmagoria offered in the karma-kÄṇá¸a section of the Vedas gradually develop an atheistic mentality. Actually, the entire universe is meant to be offered to Lord Viṣṇu as sacrifice. The conditioned soul can thereby gradually elevate himself to the eternal kingdom beyond the hallucination of material sense gratification. However, being puffed up by false pride, the materialistic followers of the Vedas remain perpetually ignorant of the supremacy and beauty of Lord Viṣṇu.