Shloka 18
Nārada Instructs the Pracetās: Bhakti as the Goal of All Paths
तेनैकमात्मानमशेषदेहिनां कालं प्रधानं पुरुषं परेशम् । स्वतेजसा ध्वस्तगुणप्रवाह- मात्मैकभावेन भजध्वमद्धा ॥ १८ ॥
tenaikam ātmānam aśeṣa-dehināṁ kālaṁ pradhānaṁ puruṣaṁ pareśam sva-tejasā dhvasta-guṇa-pravāham ātmaika-bhāvena bhajadhvam addhā
Because the Supreme Lord is the cause of all causes, He alone is the Supersoul of all embodied beings—time, pradhāna (material nature), puruṣa, and the supreme controller. By His own effulgence He destroys the flow of the modes and remains untouched by their interactions, as the Lord of material nature. Therefore worship Him directly in devotional service, knowing yourself to be one with Him in spiritual quality.
According to Vedic calculations, there are three causes of creation: time, the ingredient and the creator. Combined, these are called tritayātmaka, the three causes. Everything in this material world is created by these three causes. All of these causes are found in the Personality of Godhead. As confirmed in Brahma-saṁhitā, sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam. Nārada Muni therefore advises the Pracetās to worship the direct cause, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As stated before, when the root of a tree is watered, all the parts are energized. According to the advice of Nārada Muni, one should directly engage in devotional service. This will include all pious activity. Caitanya-caritāmṛta states, kṛṣṇe bhakti kaile sarva-karma kṛta haya: when one worships the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa, in devotional service, one automatically performs all other pious activity. In this verse the words sva-tejasā dhvasta-guṇa-pravāham are very significant. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is never affected by the material qualities, although they all emanate from His spiritual energy. Those who are really conversant with this knowledge can utilize everything for the service of the Lord because nothing in this material world is unconnected with the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
FAQs
This verse identifies the Supreme Lord as Kāla (Time) and urges direct worship of Him as the one Self of all beings, beyond the changing flow of material qualities.
Because the Pracetās were seeking the highest perfection; Nārada teaches that single-minded devotion to the Supreme Person—seen as the inner Self—cuts through the influence of the guṇas and leads to direct realization.
By steady devotional practice (bhajana)—hearing, chanting, and remembering the Lord—you rely on His purifying power, which weakens the pull of passion and ignorance and stabilizes clarity and devotion.