Shloka 13
Nārada Instructs Dakṣa’s Sons; Allegory of the World; Dakṣa Curses Nārada
पुमान्नैवैति यद्गत्वा बिलस्वर्गं गतो यथा । प्रत्यग्धामाविद इह किमसत्कर्मभिर्भवेत् ॥ १३ ॥
pumān naivaiti yad gatvā bila-svargaṁ gato yathā pratyag-dhāmāvida iha kim asat-karmabhir bhavet
De même que celui qui entre dans le « bila » nommé Pātāla est rarement vu revenir, ainsi celui qui atteint Vaikuṇṭha-dhāma (pratyag-dhāma) ne retourne pas au monde matériel. S’il existe un tel lieu d’où l’on ne revient pas à cette misère, mais qu’on ne le cherche pas et qu’on s’agite comme un singe dans l’éphémère, quel profit y a-t-il à des actes vains ?
As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (15.6) , yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama: there is a region from which, having gone, one does not return to the material world. This region has been repeatedly described. Elsewhere in Bhagavad-gītā (4.9) , Kṛṣṇa says:
FAQs
This verse says that once one realizes the inner self (pratyag-dhāma), fruitive, temporary actions lose their purpose, because they cannot give lasting fulfillment or liberation.
Nārada instructed Dakṣa’s sons to turn away from worldly productivity and ritualistic ambitions and instead seek self-realization and devotion, showing them the futility of temporary goals.
Prioritize practices that awaken inner spiritual awareness—bhakti, sādhana, and self-inquiry—while treating career and achievements as secondary, not as the source of ultimate meaning.