Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 11
Bondage and Liberation Under Māyā; Two Birds Analogy; Marks of the Saintly Devotee
एवं विरक्त: शयन आसनाटनमज्जने । दर्शनस्पर्शनघ्राणभोजनश्रवणादिषु । न तथा बध्यते विद्वान् तत्र तत्रादयन् गुणान् ॥ ११ ॥
evaṁ viraktaḥ śayana āsanāṭana-majjane darśana-sparśana-ghrāṇa- bhojana-śravaṇādiṣu na tathā badhyate vidvān tatra tatrādayan guṇān
ಹೀಗೆ ವೈರಾಗ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಸ್ಥಿರನಾದ ವಿದ್ಯಾವಂತನು ಮಲಗುವುದು, ಕುಳಿತುಕೊಳ್ಳುವುದು, ನಡೆಯುವುದು, ಸ್ನಾನ, ನೋಡುವುದು, ಸ್ಪರ್ಶ, ವಾಸನೆ, ಭೋಜನ, ಶ್ರವಣ ಇತ್ಯಾದಿಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ದೇಹವನ್ನು ತೊಡಗಿಸಿದರೂ ಬಂಧಿತನಾಗುವುದಿಲ್ಲ; ಸಾಕ್ಷಿಭಾವದಿಂದ ಇಂದ್ರಿಯಗಳನ್ನು ವಿಷಯಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಕಾರ್ಯನಿರ್ವಹಿಸಲು ಬಿಡುತ್ತಾನೆ.
In the previous chapter, Uddhava asked Lord Kṛṣṇa why an enlightened person, just like a conditioned soul, engages in external bodily functions. Here is the Lord’s answer. While engaged in bodily functions, an unintelligent person is attached to both the means and end of material life and therefore experiences intense lamentation and jubilation on the material platform. A self-realized soul, however, studies the inevitable defeat and suffering of ordinary persons and does not make the mistake of trying to enjoy the bodily functions even slightly. He instead remains a detached witness, merely engaging his senses in the normal functions of bodily maintenance. As indicated here by the word ādayan, he engages something other than his actual self in material experience.
FAQs
This verse says a wise, detached person is not bound by ordinary actions and sense experiences because he merely recognizes their qualities without becoming attached.
Kṛṣṇa instructs Uddhava on how to live in the world without bondage—engaging necessary actions yet remaining inwardly free through detachment and clear discernment.
Do daily routines and enjoy sensory inputs responsibly, but observe them without craving or aversion—treat experiences as temporary qualities, not as sources of identity or happiness.