Shloka 37
The Lord’s Advent: Yoga-māyā’s Mission, Saṅkarṣaṇa’s Transfer, and the Demigods’ Prayers
शृण्वन् गृणन् संस्मरयंश्च चिन्तयन् नामानि रूपाणि च मङ्गलानि ते । क्रियासु यस्त्वच्चरणारविन्दयो- राविष्टचेता न भवाय कल्पते ॥ ३७ ॥
śṛṇvan gṛṇan saṁsmarayaṁś ca cintayan nāmāni rūpāṇi ca maṅgalāni te kriyāsu yas tvac-caraṇāravindayor āviṣṭa-cetā na bhavāya kalpate
Even while engaged in many duties, devotees whose hearts are wholly absorbed in Your lotus feet—ever hearing, chanting, remembering, and contemplating Your auspicious names and forms—are not fit for bondage to worldly becoming.
How bhakti-yoga can be practiced is explained in this verse. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī has said that anyone who has dedicated his life to the service of the Lord ( īhā yasya harer dāsye ) by his activities, his mind and his words ( karmaṇā manasā girā ) may stay in any condition of life ( nikhilāsv apy avasthāsu ) and yet is no longer actually conditioned but is liberated ( jīvan-muktaḥ sa ucyate ). Even though such a devotee is in a material body, he has nothing to do with this body, for he is transcendentally situated. Nārāyaṇa-parāḥ sarve na kutaścana bibhyati: because a devotee is engaged in transcendental activities, he is not afraid of being materially embodied. ( Bhāg. 6.17.28 ) Illustrating this liberated position, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu prayed, mama janmani janmanīśvare bhavatād bhaktir ahaitukī tvayi: “All I want is Your causeless devotional service in My life, birth after birth.” Even if a devotee, by the supreme will of the Lord, takes birth in this material world, he continues his devotional service. When King Bharata made a mistake and in his next life became a deer, his devotional service did not stop, although some slight chastisement was given to him because of his negligence. Nārada Muni says that even if one falls from the platform of devotional service, he is not lost, whereas nondevotees are lost entirely because they are not engaged in service. Bhagavad-gītā (9.14) therefore recommends that one always engage at least in chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra:
FAQs
This verse teaches that hearing, chanting, remembering, and meditating on Krishna’s auspicious names and forms—while keeping the mind fixed on His lotus feet—prevents one from returning to material existence.
Because Krishna is about to appear, the demigods emphasize the practical path to freedom from samsara: devotion expressed through śravaṇam and kīrtanam, and inner absorption in His lotus feet even while performing one’s duties.
Build a routine of hearing and chanting Krishna’s names, remember His form and qualities during the day, and consciously offer your work and responsibilities with attention anchored in devotion rather than ego or anxiety.