Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 12
Bondage and Liberation Under Māyā; Two Birds Analogy; Marks of the Saintly Devotee
प्रकृतिस्थोऽप्यसंसक्तो यथा खं सवितानिल: । वैशारद्येक्षयासङ्गशितया छिन्नसंशय: ॥ १२ ॥ प्रतिबुद्ध इव स्वप्नान्नानात्वाद् विनिवर्तते ॥ १३ ॥
prakṛti-stho ’py asaṁsakto yathā khaṁ savitānilaḥ vaiśāradyekṣayāsaṅga- śitayā chinna-saṁśayaḥ pratibuddha iva svapnān nānātvād vinivartate
Though space supports all things, it never mixes with them nor becomes entangled; the sun reflected in countless waters is not attached to water; and the mighty wind that blows everywhere is untouched by innumerable aromas. In the same way, the self-realized soul remains completely detached from the body and the world. With vision sharpened by detachment, he cuts all doubts by knowledge of the Self and, like one awakened from a dream, withdraws consciousness from the spread of material variety.
According to Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, a self-realized soul cuts all doubts to pieces by direct experience of his true spiritual identity. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is Lord Kṛṣṇa, and there is no possibility of any existence separate from Lord Kṛṣṇa. Such expert knowledge cuts all doubts to pieces. As stated here, prakṛti-stho ’py asaṁsaktaḥ: like the sky, the sun or the wind, one who is self-realized is not entangled, though situated within the material creation of the Lord. Nānātva, or “material variety,” refers to one’s material body, the bodies of others and the unlimited paraphernalia for bodily sense gratification, both physical and mental. By awakening to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, one completely retires from illusory sense gratification and becomes absorbed in the progressive realization of the soul situated within the body. As revealed in the example of the two birds in a tree, both the individual soul and the Personality of Godhead are completely separate from the gross and subtle material bodies. If one turns one’s face to the Lord, recognizing one’s eternal dependence on Him, there will be no further suffering or anxiety, even though one is still situated within the material world. The unlimited experiences of material objects only increase one’s anxiety, whereas perception of the Absolute Truth, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, immediately brings one to the platform of peace. Thus one who is intelligent retires from the world of matter and becomes a fully self-realized Kṛṣṇa conscious person.
FAQs
This verse says a realized person can remain within material nature yet stay unattached—like the sky, sun, and wind—moving through the world without being bound by it.
Krishna is instructing Uddhava on the signs of true spiritual realization—how a liberated devotee lives in the world while cutting doubts through clear insight and detachment.
Do your duties steadily, but avoid possessiveness and identity based on outcomes; cultivate discernment so doubts and anxieties are cut by steady spiritual understanding.