Srimad Bhagavatam — Panchama Skandha, Shloka 2
Jaḍa Bharata Instructs King Rahūgaṇa: The Mind as Bondage and the Two Kṣetrajñas
तथैव राजन्नुरुगार्हमेध-वितानविद्योरुविजृम्भितेषु । न वेदवादेषु हि तत्त्ववाद:प्रायेण शुद्धो नु चकास्ति साधु: ॥ २ ॥
tathaiva rājann uru-gārhamedha- vitāna-vidyoru-vijṛmbhiteṣu na veda-vādeṣu hi tattva-vādaḥ prāyeṇa śuddho nu cakāsti sādhuḥ
Wahai Raja, pembicaraan tentang hubungan tuan–hamba, raja–rakyat, dan sejenisnya pada dasarnya hanyalah urusan kegiatan material. Mereka yang terpikat pada karma-kanda Weda menaruh iman pada yajña dan perbuatan lahiriah; bagi mereka, penyingkapan kebenaran rohani hampir tidak tampak.
In this verse, two words are significant — veda-vāda and tattva-vāda. According to Bhagavad-gītā, those who are simply attached to the Vedas and who do not understand the purpose of the Vedas or the Vedānta-sūtra are called veda-vāda-ratāḥ.
FAQs
This verse says that in elaborate household ritualism and in mere Vedic disputation, pure discussion of tattva (ultimate reality) is generally not revealed; realization of truth requires more than argument and ritual expansion.
Rahugana approached Bharata with pride and worldly assumptions; Bharata corrects him by showing that external learning, ritual sophistication, and scriptural debate often fail to uncover pure spiritual truth without genuine realization.
Don’t mistake information, debate, or religious formality for transformation—seek realized guidance, cultivate humility, and focus on inner purification and devotion that reveals truth beyond mere argument.