Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 33
Dharma, Purity, and the Inner Purpose of the Vedas
Karma-kāṇḍa Reoriented to Bhakti
इष्ट्वेह देवता यज्ञैर्गत्वा रंस्यामहे दिवि । तस्यान्त इह भूयास्म महाशाला महाकुला: ॥ ३३ ॥ एवं पुष्पितया वाचा व्याक्षिप्तमनसां नृणाम् । मानिनां चातिलुब्धानां मद्वार्तापि न रोचते ॥ ३४ ॥
iṣṭveha devatā yajñair gatvā raṁsyāmahe divi tasyānta iha bhūyāsma mahā-śālā mahā-kulāḥ
The worshipers of demigods think, “We shall worship the demigods in this life, and by our sacrifices we shall go to heaven and enjoy there. When that enjoyment is finished we shall return to this world and take birth as great householders in aristocratic families.” Being excessively proud and greedy, such persons are bewildered by the flowery words of the Vedas. They are not attracted to topics about Me, the Supreme Lord.
Real pleasure is found in the transcendental form of the Lord, who is the supreme Cupid, engaging in pastimes of love in the spiritual world. Neglecting the eternal bliss of the Lord’s pastimes, the foolish worshipers of the demigods dream of becoming like the Lord, but they achieve exactly the opposite result. In other words, they continue perpetually in the cycle of birth and death.
FAQs
This verse summarizes the karmic view: one performs sacrifices to worship demigods, attains heaven to enjoy, and then returns to earth when the earned merit is exhausted.
Kṛṣṇa is showing Uddhava the limitation of fruitive religion—its goals end in temporary enjoyment and repeated birth—so that Uddhava may choose the higher path of liberation and bhakti.
Use it to cultivate detachment from status, wealth, and “reward-based” spirituality, and to prioritize devotion and inner transformation over temporary results.