Srimad Bhagavatam — Dashama Skandha, Shloka 32
Rāsa-līlā Begins; Divine Multiplication; Moral Doubt and Its Resolution
कुशलाचरितेनैषामिह स्वार्थो न विद्यते । विपर्ययेण वानर्थो निरहङ्कारिणां प्रभो ॥ ३२ ॥
kuśalācaritenaiṣām iha svārtho na vidyate viparyayeṇa vānartho nirahaṅkāriṇāṁ prabho
My dear Prabhu, when these great persons who are free from false ego act piously in this world, they have no selfish motives to fulfill, and even when they act in apparent contradiction to the laws of piety, they are not subject to sinful reactions.
FAQs
It says that for those free from false ego, there is no selfish profit to be achieved by clever action, nor genuine loss by acting otherwise—because their motivation is not self-centered.
In the Rāsa-līlā context, the Bhagavatam clarifies that pure-hearted devotees and the Lord’s līlā are not driven by worldly self-interest; the verse underscores ego-free devotion as the lens for understanding these pastimes.
Act with service-motive rather than image or personal advantage; measure success by sincerity and alignment with dharma/bhakti, not by ego-based wins and losses.