FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.18.5

ताननाद‍ृत्य योऽविद्वानर्थानारभते स्वयम् । तस्य व्यभिचरन्त्यर्था आरब्धाश्च पुन: पुन: ॥ ५ ॥
tān anādṛtya yo ’vidvān
[taan anaadritya yo ’vidvaan]
arthān ārabhate svayam
[arthaan aarabhate svayam]
tasya vyabhicaranty arthā
[tasya vyabhicharanty arthaa]
ārabdhāś ca punaḥ punaḥ
[aarabdhaash cha punah punah]
tān — those anādṛtya — neglecting yaḥ — anyone who avidvān — rascal arthān — schemes ārabhate — begins svayam — personally tasya — his vyabhicaranti — do not become successful arthāḥ — purposes ārabdhāḥ — attempted ca — and punaḥ punaḥ — again and again.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
tān anādṛtya yo ’vidvān
tān
those
anādṛtya
neglecting
arthān ārabhate svayam
yaḥ
anyone who
tasya vyabhicaranty arthā
avidvān
rascal
arthān
schemes
ārabhate
begins
svayam
personally
tasya
his
vyabhicaranti
do not become successful
ārabdhāś ca punaḥ punaḥ
arthāḥ
purposes
ārabdhāḥ
attempted
ca
and
punaḥ punaḥ
again and again.
A foolish person who manufactures his own ways and means through mental speculation and does not recognize the authority of the sages who lay down unimpeachable directions is simply unsuccessful again and again in his attempts.

At the present moment it has become fashionable to disobey the unimpeachable directions given by the ācāryas and liberated souls of the past. Presently people are so fallen that they cannot distinguish between a liberated soul and a conditioned soul. A conditioned soul is hampered by four defects: he is sure to commit mistakes, he is sure to become illusioned, he has a tendency to cheat others, and his senses are imperfect. Consequently we have to take direction from liberated persons. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement directly receives instructions from the Supreme Personality of Godhead via persons who are strictly following His instructions. Although a follower may not be a liberated person, if he follows the supreme, liberated Personality of Godhead, his actions are naturally liberated from the contamination of the material nature. Lord Caitanya therefore says, “By My order you may become a spiritual master.” One can immediately become a spiritual master by having full faith in the transcendental words of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and by following His instructions. Materialistic men are not interested in taking directions from a liberated person, but they are very much interested in their own concocted ideas, which make them repeatedly fail in their attempts. Because the entire world is now following the imperfect directions of conditioned souls, humanity is completely bewildered.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
The goals of a fool who, ignoring the authorized methods, acts independently, and attempts repeatedly, are not fulfilled.
The fool who manufactures his own method through speculation, ignoring the sages, repeatedly fails. Independent invention from scratch is a recipe for repeated failure when reliable maps exist.
Reflection Questions
  • Which area of my life is in 'repeated failure' precisely because I refused to consult the maps?
  • Whose authority am I afraid to acknowledge, and at what cost?
📝 My note

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