श्रीबादरायणिरुवाच कर्मणा कर्मनिर्हारो न ह्यात्यन्तिक इष्यते । अविद्वदधिकारित्वात्प्रायश्चित्तं विमर्शनम् ॥ ११ ॥
sri-badarayanir uvaca karmana karma-nirharo na hy atyantika isyate avidvad-adhikaritvat prayascittam vimarsanam
- sri-badarayanih uvaca
- Sukadeva Gosvami, the son of Vyasadeva, replied
- karmana
- by fruitive activities
- karma-nirharah
- counteraction of fruitive activities
- na
- not
- hi
- indeed
- atyantikah
- final
- isyate
- becomes possible
- avidvat-adhikaritvat
- from being without knowledge
- prayascittam
- real atonement
- vimarsanam
- full knowledge of Vedanta.
Sukadeva Gosvami, the son of Vedavyasa, answered: My dear King, since acts meant to neutralize impious actions are also fruitive, they will not release one from the tendency to act fruitively. Persons who subject themselves to the rules and regulations of atonement are not at all intelligent. Indeed, they are in the mode of darkness. Unless one is freed from the mode of ignorance, trying to counteract one action through another is useless because this will not uproot one’s desires. Thus even though one may superficially seem pious, he will undoubtedly be prone to act impiously. Therefore real atonement is enlightenment in perfect knowledge, Vedanta, by which one understands the Supreme Absolute Truth.