Dharma is the Vedic injunction itself; the Vedas are Narayana directly, requiring surrender to a qualified guru.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.1.39–40 — December 21, 1970, Surat 701221SB-SURAT [43:20 Minutes] SB-06.01.39–40_701221SB-SURAT Prabhupāda: Begin. Begin from there. Where is Bhagyobhai? [pause] Hare Kṛṣṇa. [break] Viṣṇudūta, representative of Lord Viṣṇu, challenged the Yamadūta that "If you are representative of Yamarāja, who is supposed to be one of the authorities of religion, then you must explain what is religion, dharma, and what is nonreligion, or adharma, because, according to this principle, one is punished or rewarded.
If you become religious, then you are rewarded, and if you are irreligious, then you are punished." That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā also: ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthā madhye tiṣṭhanti rājasāḥ jaghanya-guṇa-vṛtti-sthā adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ [Bg. 14.18] How a man is going to heaven or hell, one can understand from the direction of the scriptures, just like you can understand how a man is going to be punished or rewarded within this material world. If you see somebody is working very hard, doing nicely, you can conjecture that "This man will be happy." Say, for example, if a boy is studying very nicely, you can conjecture that "This boy will rise very highly in his future life." And similarly, if a boy is whiling away his time by playing, you can understand, "This boy is being spoiled." Similarly, by the direction of the scripture, you can understand what is the destination of a certain person. Therefore they say śāstra-cakṣuṣaḥ. Whether I am progressing or regressing, that will be understood through the eyes of śāstra, not in ordinary eyes. So he says, kathaṁ svid dhriyate daṇḍaḥ kiṁ vāsya sthānam īpsitam [SB 6.1.39]: "According to punishment and reward, a man, a living entity..." Living entity means this daṇḍaḥ, this punishment and reward is meant for the human being, not the animals.
Animals are not supposed to be under the stringent laws of material nature. Just like in ordinary way, all the state laws are applicable to the human being, not to the animals. Because if an animal goes to the wrong path or if an animal takes away something from your possession, he is not punished, neither anybody goes to complain in the police court. Similarly, human being... That is also civilized human being, advanced, civilized. That is stated here that daṇḍyāḥ kiṁ kāriṇaḥ sarve āho svit katicin nṛṇām.
Human being... That is also very few human being, because those who are supposed to be advanced, the Āryans... The Āryans are called the advanced human being. The civilization means Āryan civilization.
So katicin nṛṇām. This very word is used here. Not all human beings. Those who are..., they are also punished. But a civilized human being is very much responsible life.
The chance is given to get out of this cycle of birth and death. Therefore, for civilized human being, these Vedas, these scriptures, are made for them, not for the rascals and fools, those who are in the lower stage of life; only for the civilized. So the yamadūta ūcuḥ. Then the reply is given by the Yamadūtas, the representatives, the constables of Yamarāja. They are working under Yamarāja, who is an authority.
They must know. They must know what is right and wrong. So how nicely they are replying. So the first challenge was given: "What is dharma?