Shloka 18
Dharma, Purity, and the Inner Purpose of the Vedas
Karma-kāṇḍa Reoriented to Bhakti
यतो यतो निवर्तेत विमुच्येत ततस्तत: । एष धर्मो नृणां क्षेम: शोकमोहभयापह: ॥ १८ ॥
yato yato nivarteta vimucyeta tatas tataḥ eṣa dharmo nṛṇāṁ kṣemaḥ śoka-moha-bhayāpahaḥ
ज्या-ज्या पापमय किंवा भोगमय कृतीपासून मनुष्य निवृत्त होतो, त्या-त्या बंधनातून तो मुक्त होतो। हाच धर्म मनुष्यांसाठी कल्याणकारक असून शोक, मोह व भय दूर करतो।
In Caitanya-caritāmṛta ( Antya 6.220) it is stated:
FAQs
This verse teaches that as one withdraws from any binding attachment, one becomes freed from that very bondage—detachment itself becomes the doorway to liberation.
Kṛṣṇa was instructing Uddhava on the essence of true dharma and renunciation—how to become inwardly free and steady, beyond grief, illusion, and fear, especially as the Lord was preparing to depart from the world.
Identify the specific attachment fueling anxiety (control, outcomes, possessions, approval) and consciously step back from it; as dependence loosens, fear diminishes and inner clarity grows.