Srimad Bhagavatam — Shashtha Skandha, Shloka 55
Parīkṣit’s Inquiry into Vṛtrāsura’s Bhakti and the Beginning of Citraketu’s Trial
न हि क्रमश्चेदिह मृत्युजन्मनो: शरीरिणामस्तु तदात्मकर्मभि: । य: स्नेहपाशो निजसर्गवृद्धये स्वयं कृतस्ते तमिमं विवृश्चसि ॥ ५५ ॥
na hi kramaś ced iha mṛtyu-janmanoḥ śarīriṇām astu tad ātma-karmabhiḥ yaḥ sneha-pāśo nija-sarga-vṛddhaye svayaṁ kṛtas te tam imaṁ vivṛścasi
My Lord, if You say there is no fixed rule that a father must die while his son lives, or that a son must be born while his father lives—since embodied beings meet birth and death according to the fruits of their own karma—then what need is there for a supreme Controller, for God? And if You say a Controller is needed because material nature cannot act by itself, still You have cut, on the pretext of karma, the very bond of affection You created for the increase of progeny; then who would raise children with love? Thus You appear inexperienced and lacking in discernment.
As stated in the Brahma-saṁhitā, karmāṇi nirdahati kintu ca bhakti-bhājām: one who has taken to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, devotional service, is not affected by the results of karma. In this verse, karma has been stressed on the basis of karma-mīmāṁsā philosophy, which says that one must act according to his karma and that a supreme controller must give the results of karma. The subtle laws of karma, which are controlled by the Supreme, cannot be understood by ordinary conditioned souls. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says that one who can understand Him and how He is acting, controlling everything by subtle laws, immediately becomes freed by His grace. That is the statement of Brahma-saṁhitā ( karmāṇi nirdahati kintu ca bhakti-bhājām ). One should take to devotional service without reservations and surrender everything to the supreme will of the Lord. That will make one happy in this life and the next.
FAQs
This verse calls attachment a self-made “noose” that increases material bondage; the remedy is to cut it through spiritual understanding and devotion, recognizing karma and the inevitability of birth and death.
The verse states that the apparent order of birth and death for embodied beings is governed by one’s own karmic actions; it is not random, but structured by cause-and-effect.
Grieve without being consumed: remember life’s changes are governed by karma and time, and consciously reduce possessiveness—turning the mind toward prayer, service, and lasting spiritual identity rather than temporary relationships.