Srimad Bhagavatam — Shashtha Skandha, Shloka 13
Nārada Instructs Dakṣa’s Sons; Allegory of the World; Dakṣa Curses Nārada
पुमान्नैवैति यद्गत्वा बिलस्वर्गं गतो यथा । प्रत्यग्धामाविद इह किमसत्कर्मभिर्भवेत् ॥ १३ ॥
pumān naivaiti yad gatvā bila-svargaṁ gato yathā pratyag-dhāmāvida iha kim asat-karmabhir bhavet
[Nārada Muni had described that there is a bila, or hole, from which, having entered, one does not return. The Haryaśvas understood the meaning of this allegory.] Hardly once has a person who has entered the lower planetary system called Pātāla been seen to return. Similarly, if one enters the Vaikuṇṭha-dhāma [pratyag-dhāma], he does not return to this material world. If there is such a place, from which, having gone, one does not return to the miserable material condition of life, what is the use of jumping like monkeys in the temporary material world and not seeing or understanding that place? What will be the profit?
As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (15.6) , yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama: there is a region from which, having gone, one does not return to the material world. This region has been repeatedly described. Elsewhere in Bhagavad-gītā (4.9) , Kṛṣṇa says:
FAQs
This verse says that once one realizes the inner self (pratyag-dhāma), fruitive, temporary actions lose their purpose, because they cannot give lasting fulfillment or liberation.
Nārada instructed Dakṣa’s sons to turn away from worldly productivity and ritualistic ambitions and instead seek self-realization and devotion, showing them the futility of temporary goals.
Prioritize practices that awaken inner spiritual awareness—bhakti, sādhana, and self-inquiry—while treating career and achievements as secondary, not as the source of ultimate meaning.