Shloka 3
Dharma, Purity, and the Inner Purpose of the Vedas
Karma-kāṇḍa Reoriented to Bhakti
शुद्ध्यशुद्धी विधीयेते समानेष्वपि वस्तुषु । द्रव्यस्य विचिकित्सार्थं गुणदोषौ शुभाशुभौ । धर्मार्थं व्यवहारार्थं यात्रार्थमिति चानघ ॥ ३ ॥
śuddhy-aśuddhī vidhīyete samāneṣv api vastuṣu dravyasya vicikitsārthaṁ guṇa-doṣau śubhāśubhau dharmārthaṁ vyavahārārthaṁ yātrārtham iti cānagha
হে নিষ্পাপ উদ্ধব, একই শ্রেণির বস্তু হলেও যথাযথ বিচার করতে গুণ-দোষ ও শুভ-অশুভ দেখে শুদ্ধি-অশুদ্ধির বিধান করা হয়—ধর্মের জন্য, দৈনন্দিন ব্যবহারের জন্য এবং জীবনযাত্রা রক্ষার জন্য।
In religious activities, ordinary dealings and personal survival one cannot avoid value judgements. Morality and religion are perennial necessities in civilized society; therefore distinctions between purity and impurity, piety and impiety, morality and immorality must somehow be ascertained. Similarly, in our ordinary, worldly activities we distinguish between palatable and tasteless food, good and bad business, high-class and low-class residences, good and bad friends, and so forth. And to insure our physical health and survival, we must constantly distinguish between what is safe and unsafe, healthy and unhealthy, profitable and unprofitable. Even a learned person must constantly distinguish between good and bad within the material world, but at the same time he must understand the transcendental position of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Despite one’s careful calculation of that which is materially healthy and unhealthy, the physical body will collapse and die. Despite careful scrutiny of the socially favorable and unfavorable, one’s entire social milieu will vanish with the passing of time. In the same way, great religions arise and disappear in the course of history. Thus mere religiosity, social and financial expertise or physical fitness cannot award the actual perfection of life. There is a transcendental good beyond the relative good of the material world. Any sane person accepts the practical and immediate necessity of material discrimination; yet one must come ultimately to the transcendental stage of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, where life is eternal, full of bliss and knowledge. Lord Kṛṣṇa, in His elaborate teachings to Śrī Uddhava, is gradually clarifying the transcendental position of Kṛṣṇa consciousness beyond the endless variety of material good and evil.
FAQs
This verse says that the Vedas prescribe purity and impurity—even among similar things—to remove doubt about handling material substances and to guide dharma, social dealings, and one’s progress in life.
In the Uddhava Gītā, Kṛṣṇa teaches Uddhava how scriptural rules help a seeker navigate the world without confusion, using dharmic standards like auspicious/inauspicious and qualities/faults.
Use clear ethical and spiritual standards (scripture, sādhus, and conscience) to reduce indecision in daily choices—what to accept, avoid, or regulate—so actions support dharma and spiritual progress.