Vasudeva and Devakī Glorify Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma; The Recovery of Devakī’s Six Sons from Sutala
असावहं ममैवैते देहे चास्यान्वयादिषु । स्नेहपाशैर्निबध्नाति भवान् सर्वमिदं जगत् ॥ १७ ॥
asāv aham mamaivaite dehe cāsyānvayādiṣu sneha-pāśair nibadhnāti bhavān sarvam idaṁ jagat
Du hältst diese ganze Welt durch die Seile der Zuneigung gebunden; darum sehen die Menschen den Körper an und denken: „Das bin ich“, und sehen Nachkommen und Beziehungen an und denken: „Das gehört mir“.
This verse explains that the sense of “I” and “mine,” rooted in bodily identification and extended to family and lineage, becomes a powerful bond that keeps one entangled in worldly life.
Because affection, when centered on the body and possessiveness, functions like a binding rope—creating attachment to relatives, identity, and social continuity, which sustains material entanglement.
Notice where identity and possessiveness (“my status,” “my people,” “my body”) drive decisions; practice offering relationships and duties to Krishna, cultivating loving service without possessive attachment.