SB 4.29.57
samsayo ’tra tu me vipra
sañchinnas tat-krto mahan
rsayo ’pi hi muhyanti
yatra nendriya-vrttayah
Translation by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
My dear brahmana, there are contradictions between your instructions and those of my spiritual teachers who engaged me in fruitive activities. I now can understand the distinction between devotional service, knowledge and renunciation. I had some doubts about them, but you have now very kindly dissipated all these doubts. I can now understand how even the great sages are bewildered by the real purpose of life. Of course, there is no question of sense gratification.
Purport by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
King Barhisman was engaged in different types of sacrifice for elevation to the heavenly planets. People generally are attracted by these activities, and very rarely is a person attracted to devotional service, as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu confirms. Unless one is very, very fortunate, he does not take to devotional service. Even the so-called learned Vedic scholars are bewildered by devotional service. They are generally attracted to the rituals for sense gratification. In devotional service there is no sense gratification, but only transcendental loving service to the Lord. Consequently, the so-called priests engaged in sense gratification do not very much like devotional service. The brahmanas, the priests, have been against this Krsna consciousness movement since it began with Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. When Caitanya Mahaprabhu started this movement, the priestly class lodged complaints to the Kazi, the magistrate of the Muhammadan government. Caitanya Mahaprabhu had to lead a civil disobedience movement against the propaganda of the so-called followers of Vedic principles. These people are described as karma-jada-smartas, which indicates that they are priests engaged in ritualistic ceremonies. It is here stated that such people become bewildered (rsayo ’pi hi muhyanti). To save oneself from the hands of these karma-jada-smartas, one should strictly follow the instructions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead:
sarva-dharman parityajya
mam ekam saranam vraja
aham tvam sarva-papebhyo
moksayisyami ma sucah
“Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear.” (Bg. 18.66)