Everyone knows "This is not good," but he is punished; again he does that. So Parīkṣit Mahārāja said, "What is the use of this atonement?" He further explains in this verse that kvacit nivartate abhadrāt. Abhadra means unclean, wrong things. Bhadra means right thing. Bhadra and abhadra. In India bhadra means gentleman and abhadra means uncivilized man. So sometimes he does like gentleman and sometimes like foolish rascal. Kvacin nivartate 'bhadrāt kvacic carati tat punaḥ. After coming from the prison house, jail, he decides, "No more I shall commit. I shall now become gentleman." But as soon as his friends, criminals, again mix with them, he again commits the same sinful activity.
So in this condition, atonement, if he cannot change his character, so what is the use of this atonement? Prāyaścittam atho 'pārtham. Apārtham means useless. If he cannot change his character, change his mind, then the punishment, or prāyaścittam, is apārtha, useless. How useless? Manye, "I think it is as useless as kuñjara-śaucavat." Kuñjara means elephant. Elephants taking bath, perhaps you have not seen. In India we had some opportunity. They wash the body very nicely, repeatedly throwing water with the trunk, and as soon as come on the shore of the tank, again take some dust and throws over the body. We have to study from nature that how is that. This rascal washed so nicely his body, and immediately, coming out of the tank, he throws dust. Śaucye manye kuñjara-śaucavat. Very appropriate. It is that hasti-snāna. In Sanskrit it is called hasti-snāna. Snāna means "bathing" and hasti means "elephant."
So if we are not changing our character, then what is the use of advancement of knowledge, education? That I told you yesterday, that in spite of so-called advancement of education, culture, science, philosophy, the result is when you go to the airport you are proved you are a dishonest man. Everyone is checked means everyone is dishonest, it is to be supposed. Maybe some honest men, but the majority are dishonest. Even there is somebody honest, he also . . . Gardulika pravāha(?) Majority. Nowadays it is democratic days, majority. So as this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is also taken as one of the sentimental movements . . . It is the most scientific movement, but because there are so many gurus, rascals, they imagine something and cheat people. People want to be cheated. They take advantage. So we are also one of them, because majority is this. "It is folly to be wise where ignorance is bliss." When everyone is rascal, to become intelligent is rascaldom. Otherwise you say, "I am also a rascal." Then it is all right. If you say, "No, you are rascal," then there is fight.
So this is going on. Actually, it will be explained in the next verse. Parīkṣit Mahārāja puts a very intelligent question, that "What is the use of this kind of prāyaścitta, atonement? It has no use." So as the student is intelligent, the spiritual master is also gradually giving him more intelligence. First of all, for ordinary man the atonement, punishment, he proposed. But when the student, intelligent student, Mahārāja Parīkṣit, says, "It is useless," then next proposal is,
- karmaṇā karma-nirhāro
- na hy ātyantika iśyate
- avidvad-adhikāritvāt
- prāyaścittaṁ vimarśanam
- (SB 6.1.11)
Avidyā. If somebody is kept into darkness, then there is no use of this punishment, or prāyaścitta.