True religion means understanding and obeying God's divine laws, not merely performing rituals without knowing their purpose.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.1.2 — August 17, 1971, London 710817SB-LONDON [39:39 Minutes] SB-01.01.02_710817SB-LONDON Pradyumna: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. [Prabhupāda and devotees repeat] [leads chanting of verse, etc.] dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo 'tra paramo nirmatsarāṇāṁ satāṁ vedyaṁ vāstavam atra śivadaṁ tāpa-trayonmūlanam śrīmad-bhāgavate mahā-muni-kṛte kiṁ vā parair īśvaraḥ sadyo hṛdy avarudhyate 'tra kṛtibhiḥ śuśrūṣubhis tat-kṣaṇāt [SB 1.1.2] Prabhupāda: [Indistinct] Pradyumna: dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo 'tra paramo nirmatsarāṇāṁ satāṁ vedyaṁ vāstavam atra śivadaṁ tāpa-trayonmūlanam śrīmad-bhāgavate mahā-muni-kṛte kiṁ vā parair īśvaraḥ sadyo hṛdy avarudhyate 'tra kṛtibhiḥ śuśrūṣubhis tat-kṣaṇāt [SB 1.1.2] Prabhupāda: Anyone else? [corrects pronunciation] Very good. Pradyumna: ...lation: "Completely rejecting all religious activities which are materially motivated, this Bhāgavata Purāṇa propounds the highest truth, which is understandable by those devotees who are pure in heart. The highest truth is reality distinguished from illusion for the welfare of all.
Such truth uproots the threefold miseries. This beautiful Bhāgavatam, compiled by the great sage Śrī Vyāsadeva, is sufficient in itself for God realization. As soon as one attentively and submissively hears the message of Bhāgavatam, he becomes attached to the Supreme Lord." Prabhupāda: So, dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo 'tra [SB 1.1.2]. Dharma, religiosity; kaitava, pretension or cheating.
Dharma artha kāma mokṣa [SB 4.8.41, Cc. Ādi 1.90]. These four things are supposed to be meant for spiritually or advanced people, advanced in civilization. Not spiritually, but advanced in civilization. So the first thing is dharma. Dharma is the basic principle of civilization.
Dharmeṇa hīnāḥ paśubhiḥ samānāḥ [Hitopadeśa]. If there is no dharma, then it is the society of the animals. That is the distinction between human society and animal society. There are eight million different species of life below the human society, but there is no question of God consciousness. In the human society, either they execute religious principles rightly or not, at least there is a symbol, in the civilized society.
There are Hindus, there are Muslims, there are Christians, there are Buddhists and so many others also. Because it is in human society, there must be some idea or some principle of understanding God. That is called religion. But in the name of religion, there are..., so many things are going on. That is called kaitava, cheating.
We don't want to discuss, but more or less, at the present moment in whichever category of religion one may belong to, nobody is following strictly the religious principles. That's a fact. That is called kaitava. Another kaitava is that one who does not know the purpose of religion. Religion means, as we have several times explained, religion means the rules or the laws given by God.
That is religion. Not the formulas. Formulas must be there, but the real basic principle of religion means the laws given by God. Just like we are living in a state, either in England or in Germany or in America or in India, there are state rules and regulations.