Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 5.15.1
Ūti· What drives us to actUnderstand the Vedas Through Authentic Guidance
“Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: The son of Mahārāja Bharata known as Sumati followed the path of Ṛṣabhadeva, but in the Age of Kali some unscrupulous people will imagine him to be Lord Buddha himself. These people, who will actually be atheistic and of bad character, will interpret the Vedic principles in an imaginary, infamous way to support their activities. Thus these sinful people will accept Sumati as Lord Buddhadeva and propagate the theory that everyone should follow the principles of Sumati. In this way they will be carried away by mental concoction.”
What the purport teaches
- Sumati followed the path of Ṛṣabhadeva. The verse warns that people in Kali will misrepresent him and interpret Vedic principles through their own imagination.
- The purport emphasizes understanding the Vedas through the paramparā system, rather than rejecting bona fide ācāryas and relying on mental speculation.
- The real purpose of the Vedas is to understand Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Lord Buddha is His incarnation, who used a particular means to teach bhāgavata-dharma among atheists.
Try this today
Reread the statement about the purpose of the Vedas, and write it in your own words without adding an interpretation.
Ask yourself
Am I seeking to understand Kṛṣṇa through authentic guidance, or fitting the teachings to my own ideas?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points, practice and question are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport. Read the full purport to go deeper.