Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 10
Nondual Vision Beyond Praise and Blame
Dvandva-nivṛtti and Ātma-viveka
श्रीउद्धव उवाच नैवात्मनो न देहस्य संसृतिर्द्रष्टृदृश्ययो: । अनात्मस्वदृशोरीश कस्य स्यादुपलभ्यते ॥ १० ॥
śrī-uddhava uvāca naivātmano na dehasya saṁsṛtir draṣṭṛ-dṛśyayoḥ anātma-sva-dṛśor īśa kasya syād upalabhyate
Śrī Uddhava said: My Lord, material existence cannot be the experience of the soul, the seer, nor of the body, the seen. The soul is innately full of knowledge, and the body is unconscious; to whom, then, does the experience of saṁsāra belong?
Since the living entity is pure spirit soul, innately full of perfect knowledge and bliss, and since the material body is a biochemical machine without knowledge or personal consciousness, who or what is actually experiencing the ignorance and anxiety of this material existence? The conscious experience of material life cannot be denied, and thus Uddhava asks Lord Kṛṣṇa this question to elicit a more precise understanding of the process by which illusion occurs.
FAQs
This verse frames Uddhava’s insight that transmigration does not truly belong to the ātmā (self) or even ultimately to the body; bondage is rooted in misidentification—taking the non-self to be the self.
In the Uddhava-gītā teachings, Uddhava seeks clarity on how bondage can be ‘experienced’ if the self is distinct from the body and objects; he therefore asks the Lord to explain where samsara actually rests—pointing to ignorance and false identification.
Practice separating the witness (conscious awareness) from changing experiences—body, roles, emotions, and possessions—so you stop equating temporary states with your true self, weakening fear and attachment.