Shloka 41
प्रह्लादस्य अव्यभिचारिणी भक्ति, मायाविनाशः, तथा विष्णोः विश्वरूप-स्तुतिः
तत् कर्म यन् न बन्धाय सा विद्या या विमुक्तये आयासायापरं कर्म विद्यान्या शिल्पनैपुणम्
tat karma yan na bandhāya sā vidyā yā vimuktaye āyāsāyāparaṃ karma vidyānyā śilpanaipuṇam
That alone is action which does not become bondage; that alone is knowledge which leads to liberation. All other action is merely toil, and all other ‘learning’ is nothing more than skill in crafts.
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)
Concept: True action is that which does not bind, and true knowledge is that which liberates; everything else is mere exertion and technical skill.
Vedantic Theme: Moksha
Application: Prioritize disciplines that reduce karmic entanglement—selfless duty, devotion, and inquiry—over status-driven productivity and mere credentialism.
Vishishtadvaita: Liberating knowledge culminates in realizing one’s śeṣatva (dependence) and directing karma as service to the Lord, not as egoic doership.
Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman
Bhakti Type: Shanta
FAQs
This verse sets a liberation-centered standard: actions are valuable when they reduce bondage, and knowledge is authentic when it leads to moksha—implicitly directing the seeker toward Vishnu-realization rather than worldly gain.
Parāśara distinguishes vidyā that produces vimukti from “other learning,” which he calls only śilpa-naipuṇya—technical or artistic competence without spiritual emancipation.
In Vaishnava reading, the knowledge that liberates culminates in understanding and devotion to Vishnu as the Supreme Lord; karma becomes non-binding when aligned with dharma and offered without egoic attachment.