Shloka 19
Kapila’s Conclusion: Limits of Karma and Yoga; Supremacy of Bhakti and Qualification to Receive the Teaching
नूनं दैवेन विहता ये चाच्युतकथासुधाम् । हित्वा शृण्वन्त्यसद्गाथा: पुरीषमिव विड्भुज: ॥ १९ ॥
nūnaṁ daivena vihatā ye cācyuta-kathā-sudhām hitvā śṛṇvanty asad-gāthāḥ purīṣam iva viḍ-bhujaḥ
Surely, by divine ordinance, those who abandon the nectar of Acyuta’s sacred narrations and listen to vile tales are condemned; they are likened to hogs that feed on stool.
Everyone is addicted to hearing of the activities of another person, whether a politician or a rich man or an imaginary character whose activities are created in a novel. There are so many nonsensical literatures, stories and books of speculative philosophy. Materialistic persons are very interested in reading such literature, but when they are presented with genuine books of knowledge like Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Bhagavad-gītā, Viṣṇu Purāṇa or other scriptures of the world, such as the Bible and Koran, they are not interested. These persons are condemned by the supreme order as much as a hog is condemned. The hog is interested in eating stool. If the hog is offered some nice preparation made of condensed milk or ghee, he won’t like it; he would prefer obnoxious, bad-smelling stool, which he finds very relishable. Materialistic persons are considered condemned because they are interested in hellish activities and not in transcendental activities. The message of the Lord’s activities is nectar, and besides that message, any information in which we may be interested is actually hellish.
FAQs
This verse says that abandoning the nectar of Acyuta’s narrations to hear asat-kathā is a sign of being overcome by providence/illusion; it strongly urges choosing Hari-kathā over degrading talk.
Kapiladeva uses a sharp analogy to show the spiritual low taste of non-devotional talk: just as stool-eaters relish filth, materially conditioned people develop taste for degrading narratives when they neglect Acyuta-kathā.
Reduce exposure to sensational or cynical content, set a daily practice of hearing/reading Bhagavatam, and seek sādhus and authentic discourses—consistent śravaṇa gradually replaces lower tastes with devotion.