Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 7
Karma-vāda Critiqued, Varṇāśrama Reframed, and the Soul’s Distinction from the Body
जायापत्यगृहक्षेत्रस्वजनद्रविणादिषु । उदासीन: समं पश्यन् सर्वेष्वर्थमिवात्मन: ॥ ७ ॥
jāyāpatya-gṛha-kṣetra- svajana-draviṇādiṣu udāsīnaḥ samaṁ paśyan sarveṣv artham ivātmanaḥ
À l’égard de l’épouse, des enfants, du foyer, des terres, des proches, des amis et des richesses, qu’on voie d’un même regard l’intérêt réel de l’âme et qu’on demeure détaché.
A devotee of the Lord recognizes that his wife, children, home, land, friends and money are meant to be engaged in the loving service of the Supreme Lord. Therefore, he does not frantically make arrangements for the sense gratification of his family and friends. He is not eager to enjoy the false prestige of being the master of his wife and the lord of his children, nor is he anxious to gain prestige from his friends and society. Thus he does not envy anyone and is not lazy in the matter of self-realization. He is free from the false sense of proprietorship and is always eager to develop his understanding of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is free from false egotism and automatically turns away from useless materialistic conversation. Thus he is steady and not whimsical, and he is always firmly situated in loving friendship at the lotus feet of the spiritual master.
FAQs
This verse teaches that one should remain inwardly detached from wife, children, home, land, relatives, and wealth—viewing them with equal vision as external possessions rather than as the self.
Krishna instructs Uddhava on the mindset of liberation: to transcend possessiveness and false identification, so devotion can remain steady and free from material entanglement.
Care for family and duties responsibly, but reduce possessiveness—remembering that people and property are temporary and entrusted by God, not extensions of one’s ego.