Shloka 34
Dakṣa’s Sacrifice Restored: Śiva’s Mercy and Nārāyaṇa’s Appearance
ऋषय ऊचु: अनन्वितं ते भगवन् विचेष्टितं यदात्मना चरसि हि कर्म नाज्यसे । विभूतये यत उपसेदुरीश्वरीं न मन्यते स्वयमनुवर्ततीं भवान् ॥ ३४ ॥
ṛṣaya ūcuḥ ananvitaṁ te bhagavan viceṣṭitaṁ yad ātmanā carasi hi karma nājyase vibhūtaye yata upasedur īśvarīṁ na manyate svayam anuvartatīṁ bhavān
The sages prayed: O Bhagavān, Your deeds are wondrous indeed. Though You accomplish everything through Your various potencies, You are never attached to action. Even Śrī Lakṣmī, whom great devas like Brahmā worship to gain her favor, follows You in service—yet You are not attached even to her.
In Bhagavad-gītā it is said that the Lord has no desire to achieve any result from His wonderful activities, nor has He any need to perform them. But still, in order to give an example to people in general, He sometimes acts, and those activities are very wonderful. He is not attached to anything. Na māṁ karmāṇi limpanti: although He acts very wonderfully, He is not at all attached to anything ( Bg. 4.14 ). He is self-sufficient. The example is given here that the goddess of fortune, Lakṣmī, is always engaged in the service of the Lord, but still He is not attached to her. Even great demigods like Brahmā worship the goddess of fortune in order to win her favor, but although the Lord is worshiped by many hundreds and thousands of goddesses of fortune, He is not at all attached to any one of them. This distinction concerning the exalted transcendental position of the Lord is specifically mentioned by the great sages: He is not like the ordinary living entity, who is attached to the results of pious activities.
FAQs
This verse states that the Lord acts by His own independence yet is never bound or tainted by karma; His actions are transcendental and do not create bondage as material actions do.
In the turmoil around Dakṣa’s sacrifice, the sages emphasize that the Supreme Lord remains untouched by material reactions and displays His opulence only to guide and uplift beings, not out of need or compulsion.
Practice acting with devotion and duty without selfish attachment to results—offering work to the Lord—so actions become purifying rather than binding.