25.57
tarko ’pratisthah srutayo vibhinna
nasav rsir yasya matam na bhinnam
dharmasya tattvam nihitam guhayam
mahajano yena gatah sa panthah
SYNONYMS
tarkah—dry argument; apratisthah—not fixed; srutayah—Vedas; vibhinnah—possessing different departments; na—not; asau—that; rsih—great sage; yasya—whose; matam—opinion; na—not; bhinnam—separate; dharmasya—of religious principles; tattvam—truth; nihitam—placed; guhayam—in the heart of a realized person; maha-janah—self-realized predecessors; yena—by which way; gatah—acted; sah—that; panthah—the pure, unadulterated path " ’Dry arguments are inconclusive.
A great personality whose opinion does not differ from others is not considered a great sage.
Simply by studying the Vedas, which are variegated, one cannot come to the right path by which religious principles are understood.
The solid truth of religious principles is hidden in the heart of an unadulterated self-realized person.
Consequently, as the sastras confirm, one should accept whatever progressive path the mahajanas advocate.’
PURPORT
This is a verse spoken by Yudhisthira Maharaja in the Mahabharata, Vana-parva (313.117).