Text 8
yasya vācā prajāḥ sarvā
gāvas tantyeva yantritāḥ
haranti balim āyattās
tasmai mukhyāya te namaḥ
yasya — of whom; vācā — by the Vedic directions; prajāḥ — living entities; sarvāḥ — all; gāvaḥ — bulls; tantyā — by a rope; iva — as; yantritāḥ — are directed; haranti — offer, take away; balim — presentation, ingredients for worship; āyattāḥ — under control; tasmai — unto him; mukhyāya — unto the chief person; te — unto you; namaḥ — respectful obeisances.
All the living entities within the universe are conducted by the Vedic directions, as a bull is directed by the rope attached to its nose. No one can violate the rules laid down in the Vedic literatures. To the chief person, who has contributed the Vedas, we offer our respect!
The Vedic literatures are the laws of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One cannot violate the injunctions given in the Vedic literatures any more than one can violate the state laws. Any living creature who wants real benefit in life must act according to the direction of the Vedic literature. The conditioned souls who have come to this material world for material sense gratification are regulated by the injunctions of the Vedic literature. Sense gratification is just like salt. One cannot take too much or too little, but one must take some salt in order to make one’s foodstuff palatable. Those conditioned souls who have come to this material world should utilize their senses according to the direction of the Vedic literature; otherwise they will be put into a more miserable condition of life. No human being or demigod can enact laws like those of the Vedic literature because the Vedic regulations are prescribed by the Supreme Lord.