Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 21
Bhakti as the Easy and Supreme Yoga: Seeing Kṛṣṇa in All and Uddhava’s Departure to Badarikāśrama
यो यो मयि परे धर्म: कल्प्यते निष्फलाय चेत् । तदायासो निरर्थ: स्याद् भयादेरिव सत्तम ॥ २१ ॥
yo yo mayi pare dharmaḥ kalpyate niṣphalāya cet tad-āyāso nirarthaḥ syād bhayāder iva sattama
Ô Uddhava, le plus saint : si l’on conçoit un ‘dharma’ envers Moi pour un but stérile, l’effort est vain, tel la peur et les lamentations qui ne changent pas le péril. Mais l’acte offert à Moi sans intérêt personnel, fût-il extérieurement inutile, constitue la véritable voie de la religion.
Even the most insignificant activity, when offered to the Supreme Lord without personal desire, can elevate one to the perfection of spiritual life. Actually, Lord Kṛṣṇa always protects and maintains His devotee. But if a devotee cries to the Lord for protection or maintenance, desiring to continue his devotional service unimpeded, Lord Kṛṣṇa accepts such apparently unnecessary appeals to be the highest religious process.
FAQs
This verse says that any practice labeled as ‘dharma’ connected to the Supreme Lord, if it fails to produce its real spiritual fruit, is ultimately meaningless labor.
In the Uddhava Gītā, Kṛṣṇa instructs Uddhava on the essence of spiritual life—showing that devotion and true realization are the goal, not mere religious exertion that yields no transformation.
Evaluate spiritual routines by their outcome: increased devotion, purity, and steadiness. Keep practices that deepen remembrance of Kṛṣṇa and reduce anxiety, pride, and distraction; drop what becomes mechanical and fruitless.