Shloka 22
Kṛṣṇa Visits Trivakrā; Akrūra’s Praise and the Hastināpura Mission
देहाद्युपाधेरनिरूपितत्वाद् भवो न साक्षान्न भिदात्मन: स्यात् । अतो न बन्धस्तव नैव मोक्ष: स्यातां निकामस्त्वयि नोऽविवेक: ॥ २२ ॥
dehādy-upādher anirūpitatvād bhavo na sākṣān na bhidātmanaḥ syāt ato na bandhas tava naiva mokṣaḥ syātām nikāmas tvayi no ’vivekaḥ
Since it has never been shown that You are covered by material designations such as a body, it follows that for You there is no literal birth and no duality within the Self. Therefore You undergo neither bondage nor liberation; and if it seems so, it is only by Your lila-will, or else by our lack of discernment.
Here Akrūra states two reasons why the Lord appears to be covered by a material form, or to take birth like a human being. First, when Lord Kṛṣṇa executes His pastimes, His loving devotees think of Him as their beloved child, friend, lover and so on. In the ecstasy of this loving reciprocation, they do not think of Kṛṣṇa as God. For example, because of her extraordinary love for Him, mother Yaśodā worries that Kṛṣṇa will be injured in the forest. That she feels this way is the desire of the Lord, which is here indicated by the word nikāmaḥ. The second reason the Lord may appear material is indicated by the word avivekaḥ: Simply because of ignorance, a lack of discrimination, one may misunderstand the position of the Personality of Godhead. In the Eleventh Canto of the Bhāgavatam, in Lord Kṛṣṇa’s discussion with Śrī Uddhava, the Lord elaborately discusses His transcendental position beyond bondage and liberation. As stated in Vedic literature, deha-dehi-vibhago yaṁ neśvare vidyate kvacit: “There is never a distinction of body and soul in the Supreme Lord.” In other words, Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s body is eternal, spiritual, omniscient and the reservoir of all pleasure.
FAQs
This verse states that for Kṛṣṇa (the Supreme Self), bondage and liberation do not apply—these concepts arise only from misidentification with material upādhis like the body.
Because Kṛṣṇa is never conditioned by bodily designations; since the Self is not truly divided by material adjuncts, the categories of bondage and liberation pertain to conditioned perception, not to Bhagavān.
Practice seeing yourself as the conscious self rather than roles and labels, and redirect motivation toward desireless service to God—this reduces anxiety, ego-conflict, and attachment-driven suffering.