Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 50
Nārada’s Arrival, the Nine Yogendras, and the Foundations of Bhāgavata-dharma
न कामकर्मबीजानां यस्य चेतसि सम्भव: । वासुदेवैकनिलय: स वै भागवतोत्तम: ॥ ५० ॥
na kāma-karma-bījānāṁ yasya cetasi sambhavaḥ vāsudevaika-nilayaḥ sa vai bhāgavatottamaḥ
One who has taken exclusive shelter of the Supreme Lord, Vāsudeva, becomes free from fruitive activities, which are based on material lust. In fact, one who has taken shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord is freed from even the desire to enjoy material sense gratification. Plans for enjoying sex life, social prestige and money cannot develop within his mind. Thus he is considered bhāgavatottama, a pure devotee of the Lord on the highest platform.
According to Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī, this verse describes the behavior of a devotee of the Lord. The activities of a pure devotee are devoid of material envy, false elation, delusion and lust. According to the Vaiṣṇava commentators, the word bījānām in this verse refers to vāsanāḥ, or deeply rooted desires, which gradually fructify in the form of activities, for which the living entity becomes subject to reactions. Thus the compound word kāma-karma-bījānām indicates the deep-rooted desire to lord it over the material world through the enjoyment of sexual pleasure and the expansions of sexual pleasure mentioned in the Bhāgavatam (5.5.8) as gṛha-kṣetra-sutāpta-vittaiḥ, that is, a beautiful residential building and ample land for producing sumptuous food to fill the belly, as well as children, friends, social contacts and a large bank balance. All of these material items are essential for completely forgetting that one is an eternal servant of the Supreme Lord. Therefore as stated in the Bhāgavatam, janasya moho ’yam ahaṁ mameti: intoxicated by these objects of material illusion, the conditioned soul becomes madly convinced that he is the center of the universe and that everything in existence has been created only for his personal sense gratification. Whoever obstructs such illusory enjoyment becomes immediately his enemy and subject to be killed.
FAQs
A topmost devotee is one in whose heart the seeds of lust (kāma) and fruitive action (karma) do not arise, because his only shelter and inner residence is Vāsudeva.
They teach King Nimi that pure devotion is not mixed with selfish desire or reward-seeking action; when the Lord alone becomes one’s shelter, lower impulses no longer take root.
Offer your goals and daily work to Kṛṣṇa, reduce desire-driven habits, and cultivate steady remembrance (hearing, chanting, prayer), so that actions become devotion rather than karma-seeking.