Shloka 27
Kṛṣṇa’s Impending Departure; Uddhava’s Surrender; King Yadu and the Avadhūta’s Twenty-Four Gurus
Beginnings
प्रायो धर्मार्थकामेषु विवित्सायां च मानवा: । हेतुनैव समीहन्त आयुषो यशस: श्रिय: ॥ २७ ॥
prāyo dharmārtha-kāmeṣu vivitsāyāṁ ca mānavāḥ hetunaiva samīhanta āyuṣo yaśasaḥ śriyaḥ
Im Allgemeinen mühen sich die Menschen um Dharma, Artha, Kāma und auch um Selbsterkenntnis; und ihr gewöhnliches Motiv ist, das Leben zu verlängern, Ruhm zu erlangen und materiellen Reichtum zu genießen.
An intelligent person should understand that if there is an eternal soul different from the body, then real happiness must lie in our eternal situation, beyond the bondage of material nature. However, ordinary persons, even when discussing spiritual subject matters, generally desire to become famous or to increase their wealth and duration of life by such spiritual practices. Most common people think, for example, that the yoga system is meant for improving one’s health, that one may pray to God for money, and that one’s spiritual knowledge is meant for increasing one’s prestige in society. Mahārāja Yadu wants to clarify that the young brāhmaṇa avadhūta is not like ordinary persons and that he is actually on a spiritual platform, as will be explained in the following verses.
FAQs
This verse states that people often approach dharma, wealth, pleasure, and even learning with ulterior motives—aiming for long life, fame, and prosperity—rather than pure spiritual realization.
In the Uddhava Gītā, Kṛṣṇa trains Uddhava in discernment and renunciation, exposing how worldly motives contaminate even “religious” or “spiritual” pursuits, so that Uddhava may embrace pure devotion and truth-seeking.
Examine your intentions behind worship, charity, study, and career—then consciously shift the goal from recognition and gain to sincerity, service, and inner transformation (bhakti and self-knowledge).