Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 37
Vānaprastha-vidhi and Sannyāsa-dharma: Austerity, Detachment, and the Paramahaṁsa Ideal
न हि तस्य विकल्पाख्या या च मद्वीक्षया हता । आदेहान्तात् क्वचित् ख्यातिस्तत: सम्पद्यते मया ॥ ३७ ॥
na hi tasya vikalpākhyā yā ca mad-vīkṣayā hatā ā-dehāntāt kvacit khyātis tataḥ sampadyate mayā
Bagi jiwa yang telah merealisasi-Ku, persepsi khayal tentang keterpisahan telah dihancurkan oleh penglihatan rohaninya; ia tidak melihat apa pun terpisah dari-Ku. Karena tubuh dan pikiran dulu terbiasa demikian, kesan itu kadang tampak muncul kembali; namun saat ajal, ia meraih kemuliaan yang setara dengan-Ku.
Lord Kṛṣṇa explained in verse 32 of this chapter that all material and spiritual objects are expansions of His potency. By realized knowledge of the Lord one gives up the illusion that anything, anywhere, at any time, can be separate from Lord Kṛṣṇa. Lord Kṛṣṇa has also explained, however, that one must keep the material body and mind fit for executing devotional service; therefore even a self-realized soul may sometimes appear to accept or reject certain conditions or objects within this world. Such brief apparent duality of concentration upon something other than Kṛṣṇa does not change the liberated status of a self-realized soul, who achieves at the time of death the same opulences as Lord Kṛṣṇa in the spiritual world. The function of illusion is to separate one from Lord Kṛṣṇa, but the brief and occasional appearance of duality in the behavior or mentality of a pure devotee never separates him from the Lord. It does not constitute actual illusion, for it lacks the essential function of illusion, namely, the separation of one from Lord Kṛṣṇa.
FAQs
This verse says that vikalpa—misconceiving reality through duality and mental constructions—is destroyed by the Lord’s direct grace, enabling steady realization of Him.
In the Uddhava-gītā section, Kṛṣṇa instructs Uddhava on renunciation and liberation, emphasizing that true freedom comes when illusion is cut at the root by divine realization and mercy.
Practice devotion and clear self-inquiry so that reactive mental labeling and anxiety-driven “either/or” thinking weakens; cultivate remembrance of God as the stable center beyond changing bodily conditions.