Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 41
Nimi Questions the Yogendras: Varṇāśrama’s Purpose, Ritualism’s Fall, and Yuga-Avatāras with Kali-yuga Saṅkīrtana
देवर्षिभूताप्तनृणां पितृणां न किङ्करो नायमृणी च राजन् । सर्वात्मना य: शरणं शरण्यं गतो मुकुन्दं परिहृत्य कर्तम् ॥ ४१ ॥
devarṣi-bhūtāpta-nṛṇāṁ pitṝṇāṁ na kiṅkaro nāyam ṛṇī ca rājan sarvātmanā yaḥ śaraṇaṁ śaraṇyaṁ gato mukundaṁ parihṛtya kartam
O König, wer alle materiellen Pflichten aufgegeben und mit seinem ganzen Wesen Zuflucht bei den Lotosfüßen Mukundas genommen hat, der allen Schutz gewährt, ist weder Diener noch Schuldner der Halbgötter, der großen Weisen, der gewöhnlichen Lebewesen, der Verwandten und Freunde, der Menschheit oder selbst der Ahnen. Da all diese Gruppen Teile des Höchsten Herrn sind, braucht der dem Dienst des Herrn Ergebene ihnen nicht gesondert zu dienen.
One who has not fully surrendered to the devotional service of the Lord undoubtedly has many material duties to perform. Every ordinary conditioned soul is the recipient of innumerable benefits given by the demigods, who provide sun and moonshine, rain, wind, food and, ultimately, one’s own material body. In Bhagavad-gītā it is stated, stena eva saḥ: one who does not reciprocate with the demigods by offering them sacrifice is stena, or a thief. Similarly, other living entities such as cows are providing us with innumerable delicious and nutritious foodstuffs. When we wake up in the morning our mind is refreshed by the sweet singing of birds, and on a hot day we enjoy the cool shade and breeze of the forest trees. We are accepting service from innumerable living entities, and we are obligated to repay them. Āpta means one’s own family members, to whom one is certainly obligated according to normal morality, and nṛṇām means human society. Until one becomes a devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one is certainly a product of his society. We receive mundane education, culture, tradition and protection from the society in which we live, and thus we owe a great debt to society. Of course, our debt to society is not simply to the present order but to all of our forefathers and ancestors who carefully preserved moral and social customs so that we, their descendants, could live peacefully. Therefore the word pitṝṇām, or “forefathers,” indicates our debt to previous generations.
FAQs
Yes. This verse (11.5.41) states that one who fully takes shelter of Mukunda is no longer a servant or debtor to devas, ṛṣis, living beings, relatives, human society, or the forefathers, because exclusive surrender to Kṛṣṇa fulfills the root obligation.
In the dialogue about the highest dharma, Nārada teaches Nimi that pure bhakti—complete surrender to Mukunda—stands above subsidiary duties, because devotion to the Supreme satisfies all beings connected to Him.
Make Kṛṣṇa-bhakti the center—daily hearing/chanting and offering your work to Him—while performing necessary duties as service, not as independent obligations competing with devotion.