Srimad Bhagavatam — Dashama Skandha, Shloka 37
Kṛṣṇa Teases Rukmiṇī; Her Devotional Reply and the Lord’s Assurance
निष्किञ्चनो ननु भवान् न यतोऽस्ति किञ्चिद् यस्मै बलिं बलिभुजोऽपि हरन्त्यजाद्या: । न त्वा विदन्त्यसुतृपोऽन्तकमाढ्यतान्धा: प्रेष्ठो भवान् बलिभुजामपि तेऽपि तुभ्यम् ॥ ३७ ॥
niṣkiñcano nanu bhavān na yato ’sti kiñcid yasmai baliṁ bali-bhujo ’pi haranty ajādyāḥ na tvā vidanty asu-tṛpo ’ntakam āḍhyatāndhāḥ preṣṭho bhavān bali-bhujām api te ’pi tubhyam
You possess nothing because there is nothing beyond You. Even the great enjoyers of tribute — Brahmā and other demigods — pay tribute to You. Those who are blinded by their wealth and absorbed in gratifying their senses do not recognize You in the form of death. But to the gods, the enjoyers of tribute, You are the most dear, as they are to You.
Here Śrīmatī Rukmiṇī-devī replies to Lord Kṛṣṇa’s statement in text 14:
FAQs
It means Kṛṣṇa is completely unattached and beyond material ownership—He needs nothing, yet everything ultimately belongs to Him and is offered to Him.
She affirms Kṛṣṇa’s supreme position: even the devas, who receive sacrifices from humans, themselves offer tribute to the source of all power and worship.
It warns that opulence can blind one to spiritual truth; cultivating humility, gratitude, and devotion helps one recognize the Divine beyond status and possessions.