Srimad Bhagavatam — Shashtha Skandha, Shloka 60
Citraketu’s Detachment, Nārada’s Mantra, and the Darśana of Anantadeva
सुखाय दु:खमोक्षाय कुर्वाते दम्पती क्रिया: । ततोऽनिवृत्तिरप्राप्तिर्दु:खस्य च सुखस्य च ॥ ६० ॥
sukhāya duḥkha-mokṣāya kurvāte dampatī kriyāḥ tato ’nivṛttir aprāptir duḥkhasya ca sukhasya ca
As husband and wife, a man and woman plan together to attain happiness and decrease unhappiness, working jointly in many ways, but because their activities are full of desires, these activities are never a source of happiness, and they never diminish distress. On the contrary, they are a cause of great unhappiness.
FAQs
This verse says that even though spouses work for happiness and freedom from distress through various activities, such efforts do not guarantee lasting happiness nor fully end suffering.
Because material action aims at temporary results; it may rearrange pleasure and pain but cannot uproot the cycle of sukha and duḥkha, which is ended by spiritual realization and bhakti.
Do your responsibilities, but don’t expect them to deliver permanent fulfillment; prioritize bhakti (hearing, chanting, devotion) as the real path to inner freedom.