Srimad Bhagavatam — Shashtha Skandha, Shloka 7
Dadhīci’s Supreme Charity and the Opening of Indra’s War with Vṛtrāsura
श्रीऋषिरुवाच धर्मं व: श्रोतुकामेन यूयं मे प्रत्युदाहृता: । एष व: प्रियमात्मानं त्यजन्तं सन्त्यजाम्यहम् ॥ ७ ॥
śrī-ṛṣir uvāca dharmaṁ vaḥ śrotu-kāmena yūyaṁ me pratyudāhṛtāḥ eṣa vaḥ priyam ātmānaṁ tyajantaṁ santyajāmy aham
The great sage Dadhīci said: Just to hear from you about religious principles, I refused to offer my body at your request. Now, although my body is extremely dear to me, I must give it up for your better purposes since I know that it will leave me today or tomorrow.
FAQs
This verse cautions that to neglect one’s real self-interest—spiritual welfare and dharma—is to “abandon the dear self,” a serious mistake that leads a teacher to withdraw rather than support self-destructive choices.
He states that although they call him to hear dharma, their actions amount to giving up what is most dear—their own true self—so he refuses to participate in that contradiction.
Seek dharma not as information but as transformation—align daily decisions with spiritual well-being, not merely short-term gains that compromise inner integrity and the soul’s progress.