Shloka 41

Nimi Questions the Yogendras: Māyā, Cosmic Dissolution, Guru-Śaraṇāgati, Bhakti, and Deity Worship

Devanagari script

श्रीराजोवाच कर्मयोगं वदत न: पुरुषो येन संस्कृत: । विधूयेहाशु कर्माणि नैष्कर्म्यं विन्दते परम् ॥ ४१ ॥

Transliteration

śrī-rājovāca karma-yogaṁ vadata naḥ puruṣo yena saṁskṛtaḥ vidhūyehāśu karmāṇi naiṣkarmyaṁ vindate param

Translation

Der König sprach: „O große Weise, sprecht zu uns über den Weg des Karma-yoga, durch den der Mensch geläutert wird. Durch diesen Yoga kann er schon in diesem Leben rasch alle materiellen Tätigkeiten abstreifen und das höchste naiṣkarmya erlangen, ein reines Leben auf der transzendentalen Ebene.“

Synonyms

• śrī-rājā: the revered king
• śrī-rājā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī (प्रातिपदिक) + rājā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1), Singular; honorific ‘the glorious king’

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), Parasmaipada, 3rd person, Singular; ‘said’

• karma-yogam: karma-yoga (path of action)
• karma-yogam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: karma (प्रातिपदिक) + yoga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2), Singular; object of request/speech

• vadata: tell (us)
• vadata: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vad (धातु)
• Form: Imperative (लोट्), Parasmaipada, 2nd person, Plural; ‘tell (you all)’

• naḥ: to us
• naḥ: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान/चतुर्थी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Dative/Genitive enclitic; here Dative (4/चतुर्थी), Plural: ‘to us’

• puruṣaḥ: a person
• puruṣaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puruṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1), Singular; subject of vindate

• yena: by which
• yena: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter/Masculine, Instrumental (3), Singular; relative pronoun ‘by which’

• saṁskṛtaḥ: purified
• saṁskṛtaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: saṁ-√kṛ (धातु) → saṁskṛta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1), Singular; past passive participle: ‘purified/refined’ (agreeing with puruṣaḥ)

• vidhūya: having shaken off
• vidhūya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi-√dhū (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वा/ल्यप्), ‘having shaken off’

• iha: here
• iha: Deśa/Prasaṅga (देश/प्रसङ्ग)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iha (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (देश/प्रसङ्गवाचक) ‘here/in this life’

• āśu: quickly
• āśu: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: āśu (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (शीघ्रार्थक) ‘quickly’

• karmāṇi: actions (karmas)
• karmāṇi: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: karman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2), Plural; object of vidhūya

• naiṣkarmyam: actionlessness / freedom from karma
• naiṣkarmyam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: naiṣkarmya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2), Singular; object of vindate

• vindate: attains
• vindate: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vid (धातु)
• Form: Present tense (लट्), Ātmanepada, 3rd person, Singular; ‘finds/attains’

• param: supreme
• param: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2), Singular; adjective qualifying naiṣkarmyam

Purport

As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (3.5) :

Characters & Entities

• King Nimi

FAQs

What does the Srimad Bhagavatam say about karma-yoga leading to freedom from karma?

In this verse, King Nimi asks for karma-yoga that purifies a person and quickly removes karmic reactions, culminating in the supreme naiṣkarmya—freedom from bondage to action.

Why did King Nimi ask about karma-yoga in Canto 11 Chapter 3?

Within the dialogue with exalted sages, the King seeks a practical spiritual method for purification in worldly life—how to act in a way that removes karmic bondage and leads to liberation.

How can karma-yoga be applied in modern life according to this shloka?

Perform duties responsibly while aiming for inner purification—offering work in a spirit aligned with dharma and devotion—so actions no longer bind and the mind moves toward liberation.