Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 40
Chapter 19
भगो म ऐश्वर्यो भावो लाभो मद्-भक्तिर उत्तमः ।
विद्यात्मनि भिदा-बाधो जुगुप्सा ह्रीर अकर्मसु ॥
bhago ma aiśvaro bhāvo lābho mad-bhaktir uttamaḥ / vidyātmani bhidā-bādho jugupsā hrīr akarmasu //
Ma véritable opulence est la souveraineté divine ; le vrai gain est la bhakti suprême envers Moi. La vraie connaissance est l’extinction du sentiment de différence au sein du Soi, et la vraie pudeur est le dégoût et la honte devant les actes qu’il ne faut pas accomplir.
Here Lord Kṛṣṇa continues defining ultimate values by shifting attention from external measures to inner realization. “Bhaga” (opulence, fortune) is commonly understood as wealth, fame, and power; the Lord clarifies that His aiśvarya—His sovereign divinity—is the real standard of opulence, and for the jīva the greatest “profit” (lābha) is not acquisition but mad-bhakti, pure devotion to Him. This is a radical spiritual economics: devotion is the highest asset because it alone accompanies the soul beyond death and grants direct relationship with the Supreme. The verse then points to the heart of knowledge: vidyā is not mere information but the dissolution of bhidā—misconceived division within the self (such as identifying the self with the body and mind, and experiencing fragmentation through ego). When this inner split is healed through realization, one becomes steady, equal-minded, and fit for bhakti. Finally, Kṛṣṇa defines hrī (modesty/shame) not as social embarrassment but as moral-spiritual conscience: jugupsā—disgust for akarma, forbidden or degrading acts. In a world where wrongdoing can be normalized, the Bhagavatam teaches that a refined heart naturally recoils from sin and feels ashamed to act against one’s spiritual identity. Thus, devotion, realized knowledge, and ethical restraint are presented as interlinked pillars of liberated life.
FAQs
This verse says the supreme gain is pure devotion (mad-bhakti) to Lord Krishna.
True knowledge is the removal of inner division—overcoming false identification and the sense of separation within the self.
It means developing a conscience that feels revulsion and shame toward forbidden or degrading actions, strengthening ethical and devotional life.