Srimad Bhagavatam — Chaturtha Skandha, Shloka 22
Dakṣa Offends Lord Śiva: Cursing and Countercursing in the Sacrificial Assembly
गृहेषु कूटधर्मेषु सक्तो ग्राम्यसुखेच्छया । कर्मतन्त्रं वितनुते वेदवादविपन्नधी: ॥ २२ ॥
gṛheṣu kūṭa-dharmeṣu sakto grāmya-sukhecchayā karma-tantraṁ vitanute veda-vāda-vipanna-dhīḥ
Orang yang terikat pada “agama” pura-pura dalam kehidupan berumah tangga, kerana menginginkan kebahagiaan duniawi dan terpikat pada tafsiran dangkal Veda, akalnya rosak; dia mengembangkan jalan ritual-berbuah (karma-kāṇḍa) sebagai segalanya.
Persons who identify with bodily existence are attached to the fruitive activities described in the Vedic literature. For example, in the Vedas it is said that one who observes the cāturmāsya vow will attain eternal happiness in the heavenly kingdom. In Bhagavad-gītā, it is said that this flowery language of the Vedas mostly attracts persons who identify with the body. To them such happiness as that of the heavenly kingdom is everything; they do not know that beyond that is the spiritual kingdom, or kingdom of God, and they have no knowledge that one can go there. Thus they are bereft of transcendental knowledge. Such persons are very careful in observing the rules and regulations of household life in order to be promoted in the next life to the moon or other heavenly planets. It is stated here that such persons are attached to grāmya-sukha, which means “material happiness,” without knowledge of eternal, blissful, spiritual life.
FAQs
This verse warns that craving for worldly enjoyment makes one expand the web of fruitive rituals, keeping the soul bound instead of reaching the Vedas’ true aim—purification and devotion.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī explains that when dharma is practiced for selfish ends and sense pleasure, one becomes trapped in karma and loses the real understanding of the Vedic purpose.
Avoid turning spirituality into a tool for status or material gain; practice dharma to purify the heart—prioritizing sincerity, self-control, and devotion over mere ritual and debate.