Shloka 8
Nārada’s Arrival, the Nine Yogendras, and the Foundations of Bhāgavata-dharma
अहं किल पुरानन्तं प्रजार्थो भुवि मुक्तिदम् । अपूजयं न मोक्षाय मोहितो देवमायया ॥ ८ ॥
ahaṁ kila purānantaṁ prajārtho bhuvi mukti-dam apūjayaṁ na mokṣāya mohito deva-māyayā
Dans une vie antérieure sur cette terre, j’ai adoré le Seigneur suprême Ananta, dispensateur de la délivrance, mais, désirant un enfant, je ne L’ai pas adoré pour le moksha; ainsi je fus égaré par la māyā du Seigneur.
According to Śrīdhara Svāmī the word kila (meaning “indeed, it is true,” “it is said” or “as is well known”) indicates that Vasudeva was remembering the words the Lord had spoken to him when the Lord had appeared as four-armed Viṣṇu in the prison of Kaṁsa. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī states that from the anxiety of Vasudeva, which is expressed in this verse by the words apūjayaṁ na mokṣāya mohito deva-māyayā, it is to be discerned that Vasudeva had heard of the curse of the brāhmaṇas at Piṇḍāraka against the Yadu dynasty and that he could understand from this curse that the Lord’s disappearance from the earth was imminent. Vasudeva understood that the Lord’s manifest pastimes within this universe were coming to an end, and he now lamented that he had not directly taken advantage of the opportunity to worship Kṛṣṇa to go back home, back to Godhead.
FAQs
This verse shows that one may worship the Lord even sincerely for worldly duty (such as protecting citizens), yet liberation is attained when worship is directed toward mokṣa and pure devotion rather than material objectives.
Nimi admits that even while worshiping the Unlimited Lord, he was influenced by the Lord’s own māyā, which can divert a person toward duty and results, causing them not to seek liberation as the primary aim.
Perform your duties as service to the Lord, but consciously set your inner intention toward spiritual freedom—regular hearing, chanting, and prayerfully offering results—so devotion is not limited to material outcomes.