Srimad Bhagavatam — Shashtha Skandha, Shloka 20
Nārada Instructs Dakṣa’s Sons; Allegory of the World; Dakṣa Curses Nārada
शास्त्रस्य पितुरादेशं यो न वेद निवर्तकम् । कथं तदनुरूपाय गुणविस्रम्भ्युपक्रमेत् ॥ २० ॥
śāstrasya pitur ādeśaṁ yo na veda nivartakam kathaṁ tad-anurūpāya guṇa-visrambhy upakramet
[Nārada Muni had asked how one could ignorantly defy one’s own father. The Haryaśvas understood the meaning of this question.] One must accept the original instructions of the śāstra. According to Vedic civilization, one is offered a sacred thread as a sign of second birth. One takes his second birth by dint of having received instructions in the śāstra from a bona fide spiritual master. Therefore, śāstra, scripture, is the real father. All the śāstras instruct that one should end his material way of life. If one does not know the purpose of the father’s orders, the śāstras, he is ignorant. The words of a material father who endeavors to engage his son in material activities are not the real instructions of the father.
Bhagavad-gītā (16.7) says, pravṛttiṁ ca nivṛttiṁ ca janā na vidur āsurāḥ: demons, who are less than human beings but are not called animals, do not know the meaning of pravṛtti and nivṛtti, work to be done and work not to be done. In the material world, every living entity has a desire to lord it over the material world as much as possible. This is called pravṛtti-mārga. All the śāstras, however, advise nivṛtti-mārga, or release from the materialistic way of life. Apart from the śāstras of the Vedic civilization, which is the oldest of the world, other śāstras agree on this point. For example, in the Buddhist śāstras Lord Buddha advises that one achieve nirvāṇa by giving up the materialistic way of life. In the Bible, which is also śāstra, one will find the same advice: one should cease materialistic life and return to the kingdom of God. In any śāstra one may examine, especially the Vedic śāstra, the same advice is given: one should give up his materialistic life and return to his original, spiritual life. Śaṅkarācārya also propounds the same conclusion. Brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā: this material world or materialistic life is simply illusion, and therefore one should stop his illusory activities and come to the platform of Brahman.
FAQs
This verse stresses that scriptural and paternal instructions are meant to restrain one from worldly distraction; without understanding that purpose, one cannot properly act in alignment with dharma and spiritual progress.
Nārada was guiding Dakṣa’s sons toward renunciation and true spiritual duty, emphasizing that the intent of authoritative instruction is to turn the mind away from material pursuits and toward liberation.
Before major life decisions, clarify the purpose behind guidance from authentic sources (śāstra, guru, elders): if it is meant to reduce attachment and increase virtue, act accordingly rather than following confidence rooted in material impulses.