FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 5.6.10

येन ह वाव कलौ मनुजापसदा देवमायामोहिता: स्वविधिनियोगशौचचारित्रविहीना देवहेलनान्यपव्रतानि निजनिजेच्छया गृह्णाना अस्‍नानानाचमनाशौचकेशोल्लुञ्चनादीनि कलिनाधर्मबहुलेनोपहतधियो ब्रह्मब्राह्मणयज्ञपुरुषलोकविदूषका: प्रायेण भविष्यन्ति ॥ १० ॥
yena ha vāva kalau manujāpasadā deva-māyā-mohitāḥ sva-vidhi-niyoga-śauca-cāritra-vihīnā deva-helanāny apavratāni nija-nijecchayā gṛhṇānā asnānānācamanāśauca-keśolluñcanādīni kalinādharma-bahulenopahata-dhiyo brahma-brāhmaṇa-yajña-puruṣa-loka-vidūṣakāḥ prāyeṇa bhaviṣyanti.
[yena ha vaava kalau manujaapasadaa deva-maayaa-mohitaah sva-vidhi-niyoga-shaucha-chaaritra-viheenaa deva-helanaany apavrataani nija-nijechchayaa grihnaanaa asnaanaanaachamanaashaucha-keshollunchanaadeeni kalinaadharma-bahulenopahata-dhiyo brahma-braahmana-yajna-purusha-loka-vidooshakaah praayena bhavishyanti.]
yena — by which pseudo religious system ha vāva — certainly kalau — in this Age of Kali manuja-apasadāḥ — the most condemned men deva-māyā-mohitāḥ — bewildered by the external energy, or illusory energy, of the Supreme Personality of Godhead sva-vidhi-niyoga-śauca-cāritra-vihīnāḥ — without character, cleanliness, and the rules and regulations given according to one’s own duty in life deva-helanāni — negligent of the Supreme Personality of Godhead apavratāni — impious vows nija-nija-icchayā — by their own desires gṛhṇānāḥ — accepting asnāna-anācamana-aśauca-keśa-ulluñcana-ādīni — concocted religious principles such as no bathing, no washing of the mouth, being unclean and plucking out the hair kalinā — by the Age of Kali adharma-bahulena — with an abundance of irreligion upahata-dhiyaḥ — whose pure consciousness is destroyed brahma-brāhmaṇa-yajña-puruṣa-loka-vidūṣakāḥ — blasphemous toward the Vedas, the strict brāhmaṇas, ritualistic ceremonies such as sacrifice, and toward the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the devotees prāyeṇa — almost entirely bhaviṣyanti — will become.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
yena ha vāva kalau manujāpasadā deva-māyā-mohitāḥ sva-vidhi-niyoga-śauca-cāritra-vihīnā deva-helanāny apavratāni nija-nijecchayā gṛhṇānā asnānānācamanāśauca-keśolluñcanādīni kalinādharma-bahulenopahata-dhiyo brahma-brāhmaṇa-yajña-puruṣa-loka-vidūṣakāḥ prāyeṇa bhaviṣyanti.
yena
by which pseudo religious system
ha vāva
certainly
kalau
in this Age of Kali
manuja-apasadāḥ
the most condemned men
deva-māyā-mohitāḥ
bewildered by the external energy, or illusory energy, of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
sva-vidhi-niyoga-śauca-cāritra-vihīnāḥ
without character, cleanliness, and the rules and regulations given according to one’s own duty in life
deva-helanāni
negligent of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
apavratāni
impious vows
nija-nija-icchayā
by their own desires
gṛhṇānāḥ
accepting
asnāna-anācamana-aśauca-keśa-ulluñcana-ādīni
concocted religious principles such as no bathing, no washing of the mouth, being unclean and plucking out the hair
kalinā
by the Age of Kali
adharma-bahulena
with an abundance of irreligion
upahata-dhiyaḥ
whose pure consciousness is destroyed
brahma-brāhmaṇa-yajña-puruṣa-loka-vidūṣakāḥ
blasphemous toward the Vedas, the strict brāhmaṇas, ritualistic ceremonies such as sacrifice, and toward the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the devotees
prāyeṇa
almost entirely
bhaviṣyanti
will become.
People who are lowest among men and bewildered by the illusory energy of the Supreme Lord will give up the original varṇāśrama-dharma and its rules and regulations. They will abandon bathing three times daily and worshiping the Lord. Abandoning cleanliness and neglecting the Supreme Lord, they will accept nonsensical principles. Not regularly bathing or washing their mouths regularly, they will always remain unclean, and they will pluck out their hair. Following a concocted religion, they will flourish. During this Age of Kali, people are more inclined to irreligious systems. Consequently these people will naturally deride Vedic authority, the followers of Vedic authority, the brāhmaṇas, the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the devotees.

Presently the hippies in the Western countries fit this description. They are irresponsible and unregulated. They do not bathe, and they deride standard Vedic knowledge. They concoct new lifestyles and religions. There are many hippie groups at the present moment, but they all originated from King Arhat, who imitated the activities of Lord Ṛṣabhadeva, who was situated on the paramahaṁsa stage. King Arhat did not care for the fact that although Lord Ṛṣabhadeva acted like a madman His stool and urine were nonetheless aromatic, so much so that they nicely scented the countryside for miles around. The followers of King Arhat went under the name Jains, and they were later followed by many others, particularly by the hippies, who are more or less offshoots of Māyāvāda philosophy because they think themselves the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Such people do not respect the real followers of Vedic principles, the ideal brāhmaṇas. Nor do they have respect for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Supreme Brahman. Due to the influence of this Age of Kali, they are apt to concoct false religious systems.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
By that system, bewildered by the Lord’s māyā, the lowest of mankind, making their own rules which are devoid of clean conduct, will practice vows against scripture without bathing, acamāna, śauca and while plucking out their body hairs, and at the same time ignoring the Lord. Their minds overcome by the proliferation of adharma in Kali-yuga, they will criticize the Vedas, brāhmaṇas, sacrifice, the Lord and the devotees. Making up their own rules, they will be devoid of rules of cleanliness and proper conduct.
Concocted religions that abandon cleanliness, worship and varṇāśrama drag whole populations into lower modes. Real freedom is not the freedom to discard discipline; it is the freedom that discipline buys.
Reflection Questions
  • What discipline have you discarded under the banner of freedom that you might honestly need to reinstate?
  • Where do you see modern movements romanticizing the abandonment of practices the wise once protected?
📝 My note

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