Srimad Bhagavatam — Shashtha Skandha, Shloka 42
Nārada Instructs Dakṣa’s Sons; Allegory of the World; Dakṣa Curses Nārada
यन्नस्त्वं कर्मसन्धानां साधूनां गृहमेधिनाम् । कृतवानसि दुर्मर्षं विप्रियं तव मर्षितम् ॥ ४२ ॥
yan nas tvaṁ karma-sandhānāṁ sādhūnāṁ gṛhamedhinām kṛtavān asi durmarṣaṁ vipriyaṁ tava marṣitam
汝は、ヴェーダの規定に従い行為と祭祀を営む我ら善き家住者に対し、耐え難い不快の業をなした；それは忍ぼう。妻子と共に家にありながらも、我は誓戒とヤジュニャを守る。だが汝は理由なく我が子らを出離の道へ惑わせた—これは一度だけ許される。
Prajāpati Dakṣa wanted to prove that he had been most tolerant in not having said anything when Nārada Muni, for no reason, induced his ten thousand innocent sons to adopt the path of renunciation. Sometimes householders are accused of being gṛhamedhīs, for gṛhamedhīs are satisfied with family life without spiritual advancement. Gṛhasthas, however, are different because although gṛhasthas live in householder life with their wives and children, they are eager for spiritual advancement. Wanting to prove that he had been magnanimous to Nārada Muni, Prajāpati Dakṣa stressed that when Nārada had misled his first sons, Dakṣa had taken no action; he had been kind and tolerant. He was aggrieved, however, because Nārada Muni had misled his sons for a second time. Therefore he wanted to prove that Nārada Muni, although dressed like a sādhu, was not actually a sādhu; he himself, although a householder, was a greater sādhu than Nārada Muni.
FAQs
This verse shows householders devoted to ritualistic duties (karma-sandhāna) feeling disturbed when their material plans are redirected—hinting that mere ritual attachment can be challenged by higher spiritual guidance.
Because Nārada’s instruction turned them away from the path of producing progeny and continuing fruitive duties, which they considered their proper household-oriented obligation, so they felt he had harmed their plans.
When genuine spiritual counsel disrupts comfort or social expectations, recognize the deeper purpose: moving from mere duty-and-reward thinking toward lasting self-realization and devotion.