धर्मबाधो विधर्मः स्यात् परधर्मोऽन्यचोदितः ।
उपधर्मस्तु पाखण्डो दम्भो वा शब्दभिच्छलः ॥१३॥

dharma-bÄdho vidharmaḥ syÄt
para-dharmo 'nya-coditaḥ
upadharmas tu pÄkhaṇá¸o
dambho vÄ Å›abda-bhic chalaḥ

 dharma-bÄdhaḥ - obstructs the execution of one's own religious principles; vidharmaḥ - against the principles of religion; syÄt - should be; para-dharmaḥ - imitating religious systems for which one is unfit; anya-coditaḥ - which is introduced by someone else; upadharmaḥ - concocted religious principles; tu - indeed; pÄkhaṇá¸aḥ - by one who is against the principles of Vedas, standard scriptures; dambhaḥ - who is falsely proud;  - or; Å›abda-bhit - by word jugglery; chalaḥ - a cheating religious system.


Text

Religious principles that obstruct one from following his own religion are called vidharma. Religious principles introduced by others are called para-dharma. A new type of religion created by one who is falsely proud and who opposes the principles of the Vedas is called upadharma. And interpretation by one’s jugglery of words is called chala-dharma.

Purport

To create a new type of dharma has become fashionable in this age. So-called svÄmÄ«s and yogÄ«s support that one may follow any type of religious system, according to one’s own choice, because all systems are ultimately the same. In ÅšrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam, however, such fashionable ideas are called vidharma because they go against one’s own religious system. The real religious system is described by the Supreme Personality of Godhead: sarva-dharmÄn parityajya mÄm ekaá¹ Å›araṇaá¹ vraja. The real religious system is that of surrender to the lotus feet of the Lord. In the Sixth Canto of ÅšrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam, in connection with AjÄmila’s deliverance, YamarÄja says, dharmaá¹ tu sÄká¹£Äd bhagavat-praṇītam: real religion is that which is given by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, just as real law is that which is given by the government. No one can manufacture actual law at home, nor can one manufacture actual religion. Elsewhere it is said, sa vai puá¹sÄá¹ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhoká¹£aje: the real religious system is that which leads one to become a devotee of the Supreme Lord. Therefore, anything opposed to this religious system of progressive Kṛṣṇa consciousness is called vidharma, para-dharma, upadharma or chala-dharma. Misinterpretation of Bhagavad-gÄ«tÄ is chala-dharma. When Kṛṣṇa directly says something and some rascal interprets it to mean something different, this is chala-dharma — a religious system of cheating — or Å›abda-bhit, a jugglery of words. One should be extremely careful to avoid these various types of cheating systems of religion.