Shloka 55
Parīkṣit’s Inquiry into Vṛtrāsura’s Bhakti and the Beginning of Citraketu’s Trial
न हि क्रमश्चेदिह मृत्युजन्मनो: शरीरिणामस्तु तदात्मकर्मभि: । य: स्नेहपाशो निजसर्गवृद्धये स्वयं कृतस्ते तमिमं विवृश्चसि ॥ ५५ ॥
na hi kramaś ced iha mṛtyu-janmanoḥ śarīriṇām astu tad ātma-karmabhiḥ yaḥ sneha-pāśo nija-sarga-vṛddhaye svayaṁ kṛtas te tam imaṁ vivṛścasi
Ô Seigneur, si Tu dis qu’il n’existe aucune loi obligeant le père à mourir du vivant du fils, ni le fils à naître du vivant du père, puisque chacun naît et meurt selon le fruit de son propre karma, alors à quoi bon un Maître, Dieu? Et si Tu dis qu’un Maître est requis parce que l’énergie matérielle ne peut agir d’elle-même, pourtant Tu as tranché, sous prétexte du karma, le lien d’affection que Tu avais créé pour l’accroissement de la lignée; alors qui élèvera les enfants avec amour? Ainsi Tu parais sans expérience et sans discernement.
As stated in the Brahma-saṁhitā, karmāṇi nirdahati kintu ca bhakti-bhājām: one who has taken to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, devotional service, is not affected by the results of karma. In this verse, karma has been stressed on the basis of karma-mīmāṁsā philosophy, which says that one must act according to his karma and that a supreme controller must give the results of karma. The subtle laws of karma, which are controlled by the Supreme, cannot be understood by ordinary conditioned souls. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says that one who can understand Him and how He is acting, controlling everything by subtle laws, immediately becomes freed by His grace. That is the statement of Brahma-saṁhitā ( karmāṇi nirdahati kintu ca bhakti-bhājām ). One should take to devotional service without reservations and surrender everything to the supreme will of the Lord. That will make one happy in this life and the next.
FAQs
This verse calls attachment a self-made “noose” that increases material bondage; the remedy is to cut it through spiritual understanding and devotion, recognizing karma and the inevitability of birth and death.
The verse states that the apparent order of birth and death for embodied beings is governed by one’s own karmic actions; it is not random, but structured by cause-and-effect.
Grieve without being consumed: remember life’s changes are governed by karma and time, and consciously reduce possessiveness—turning the mind toward prayer, service, and lasting spiritual identity rather than temporary relationships.