Srimad Bhagavatam — Saptama Skandha, Shloka 26
Prahlāda Instructs the Sons of Demons: Begin Bhakti from Childhood; Household Attachment as Bondage; Nārāyaṇa as the All-Pervading Supersoul
धर्मार्थकाम इति योऽभिहितस्त्रिवर्ग ईक्षा त्रयी नयदमौ विविधा च वार्ता । मन्ये तदेतदखिलं निगमस्य सत्यं स्वात्मार्पणं स्वसुहृद: परमस्य पुंस: ॥ २६ ॥
dharmārtha-kāma iti yo ’bhihitas tri-varga īkṣā trayī naya-damau vividhā ca vārtā manye tad etad akhilaṁ nigamasya satyaṁ svātmārpaṇaṁ sva-suhṛdaḥ paramasya puṁsaḥ
Dharma, artha und kāma werden in den Veden als tri-varga bezeichnet; dazu gehören auch Bildung, vedische Rituale, Logik, die Wissenschaft von Ordnung und Strafe sowie verschiedene Erwerbsweisen. All dies halte ich für äußere Themen der Veden und daher materiell. Doch die Selbsthingabe an die Lotosfüße Viṣṇus, des höchsten Puruṣa, ist die transzendente Essenz.
These instructions of Prahlāda Mahārāja stress the transcendental position of devotional service. As confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (14.26) :
FAQs
This verse states that the essential truth of all scripture culminates in offering oneself fully to the Supreme Person, the true well-wisher of all beings.
Prahlāda teaches that worldly goals and even formal Vedic pursuits are incomplete unless they lead to bhakti—complete self-surrender to the Supreme Lord.
By aligning daily choices with devotion—remembering God, offering one’s work and results, cultivating self-control, and acting with the intention to please the Supreme rather than the ego.