Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 3
Bhakti as the Easy and Supreme Yoga: Seeing Kṛṣṇa in All and Uddhava’s Departure to Badarikāśrama
अथात आनन्ददुघं पदाम्बुजं हंसा: श्रयेरन्नरविन्दलोचन । सुखं नु विश्वेश्वर योगकर्मभि- स्त्वन्माययामी विहता न मानिन: ॥ ३ ॥
athāta ānanda-dughaṁ padāmbujaṁ haṁsāḥ śrayerann aravinda-locana sukhaṁ nu viśveśvara yoga-karmabhis tvan-māyayāmī vihatā na māninaḥ
Ainsi, ô Seigneur de l’univers aux yeux de lotus, les hommes-cygnes, les paramahaṁsas, prennent avec joie refuge en Tes pieds de lotus, source de toute extase transcendante. Mais ceux qui s’enorgueillissent de leurs accomplissements en yoga et en karma ne se réfugient pas en Toi et sont vaincus par Ta māyā.
Śrī Uddhava emphasizes here that one can achieve spiritual perfection simply by taking shelter of the Personality of Godhead. Those who do so are called haṁsāḥ, the most discriminating human beings, since they are able to locate the actual source of spiritual happiness, the Lord’s lotus feet. The word yoga-karmabhiḥ indicates that those who are attracted to or proud of achievements in the field of mystic yoga or ordinary material endeavor cannot appreciate the great advantage of obediently surrendering to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Generally the yogīs and fruitive workers are proud of their so-called achievements and are more attracted to their own endeavor than to the Lord Himself. By humbly taking shelter of Lord Kṛṣṇa, one can advance easily and quickly on the path of Kṛṣṇa consciousness and go back home, back to Godhead.
FAQs
This verse says the Lord’s lotus feet are an inexhaustible source of bliss, and the saintly (haṁsas) should take refuge there rather than seek fulfillment elsewhere.
Uddhava is not rejecting genuine yoga, but warning that prideful reliance on yogic power or fruitive work—without surrender to the Lord—gets thwarted by the Lord’s māyā and cannot yield lasting happiness.
Replace ego-driven “self-perfection” with humble devotion: make spiritual practice (prayer, japa, service) the center, and treat achievements as offerings rather than identity.