True dharma is the soul's eternal occupation of loving devotional service to Krishna, transcending all temporary material duties.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.2.6 — August 27, 1971, London 710827SB-LONDON [48:51 Minutes] SB-01.02.06_710827SB-LONDON Prabhupāda: [leads singing of Brahma-saṁhitā 5.29–33] cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣalakṣāvṛteṣu surabhīr abhipālayantam lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyamānaṁ govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi [Bs. 5.29] [I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, the first progenitor who is tending the cows, yielding all desire, in abodes built with spiritual gems, surrounded by millions of purpose trees, always served with great reverence and affection by hundreds of thousands of lakṣmīs or gopīs.] veṇuṁ kvaṇantam aravinda-dalāyatākṣambarhāvataṁsam asitāmbuda-sundarāṅgam kandarpa-koṭi-kamanīya-viśeṣa-śobhaṁ govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi [Bs. 5.30] [I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is adept in playing on His flute, with blooming eyes like lotus petals with head decked with peacock's feather, with the figure of beauty tinged with the hue of blue clouds, and His unique loveliness charming millions of Cupids.] ālola-candraka-lasad-vanamālya-vaṁśī- ratnāṅgadaṁ praṇaya-keli-kalā-vilāsam śyāmaṁ tri-bhaṅga-lalitaṁ niyata-prakāśaṁ govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi [Bs. 5.31] [I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, round whose neck is swinging a garland of flowers beautified with the moon-locket, whose two hands are adorned with the flute and jeweled ornaments, who always revels in pastimes of love, whose graceful threefold-bending form of Śyāmasundara is eternally manifest.] aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛtti-manti paśyanti pānti kalayanti ciraṁ jaganti ānanda-cinmaya-sad-ujjvala-vigrahasya govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi [Bs. 5.32] [I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, whose transcendental form is full of bliss, truth, substantiality and is thus full of the most dazzling splendor. Each of the limbs of that transcendental figure possesses in Himself, the full-fledged functions of all the organs, and eternally sees, maintains and manifests the infinite universes, both spiritual and mundane.] cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣalakṣāvṛteṣu surabhīr abhipālayantam lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyamānaṁ govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi [Bs. 5.29] [I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, the first progenitor who is tending the cows, yielding all desire, in abodes built with spiritual gems, surrounded by millions of purpose trees, always served with great reverence and affection by hundreds of thousands of lakṣmīs or gopīs.] advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam ādyaṁ purāṇa-puruṣaṁ nava-yauvanaṁ ca vedeṣu durlabham adurlabham ātma-bhaktau govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi [Bs. 5.33] [I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is inaccessible to the Vedas, but obtainable by pure unalloyed devotion of the soul, who is without a second, who is not subject to decay, is without a beginning, whose form is endless, who is the beginning, and the eternal puruṣa; yet He is a person possessing the beauty of blooming youth.] [prema-dhvani] [devotees offer obeisances] [07:49] [aside:] Stop. Stop. Hmm.
Yes. Thank you. Pradyumna: Get the book? Prabhupāda: Hmm? What is that? Pradyumna: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya.
Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. [Prabhupāda and devotees repeat] [leads chanting of verse, etc.] sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje ahaituky apratihatā yayātmā suprasīdati [SB 1.2.6] Prabhupāda: That's all right. [devotees continue chanting] Hmm. Word meaning. Pradyumna: saḥ—that; vai—certainly; puṁsām—for mankind; paraḥ—sublime; dharmaḥ—occupation; yataḥ—by which; bhaktiḥ—devotional service; adhokṣaje—unto the Transcendence; ahaitukī—causeless; apratihatā—unbroken; yayā—by which; ātmā—the self; suprasīdati—completely satisfied. Translation: "The supreme occupation, or dharma, for all humanity is that by which men can attain to loving devotional service unto the transcendent Lord.
Such devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted in order to completely satisfy the self." Prabhupāda: So here the translation, dharma, I have purposefully given, "occupation." Actually dharma is generally translated by the English word "religion." But religion is misunderstood. It is taken as a faith. Faith I may believe, faith, or may not believe. But actually, dharma does not mean.
That means occupation, which you cannot change. Just like a carpenter: he earns his livelihood by his occupation as a carpenter. A lawyer, he lives by his occupation, profession, as lawyer. So, so many things. Occupation you cannot give up.
You have learned engineering; you cannot give up engineering. That is your livelihood. You cannot say, "No. Today I am engineer.
Tomorrow I shall be sweeper." Of course, in the material world sometimes it is done so, but spiritual meaning means that the living entity has got a permanent occupation. The other occupational duties, they are temporary, bodily, in relation to body. When we feel "I am this body," then I manufacture some occupation according to the circumstances. But spiritual occupation, that is eternal. Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmaḥ.