Shloka 36
Brahmā’s Prayers to Lord Kṛṣṇa (Brahmā-stuti) and the Restoration of Vraja’s Lunch Pastime
तावद् रागादय: स्तेनास्तावत् कारागृहं गृहम् । तावन्मोहोऽङ्घ्रिनिगडो यावत् कृष्ण न ते जना: ॥ ३६ ॥
tāvad rāgādayaḥ stenās tāvat kārā-gṛhaṁ gṛham tāvan moho ’ṅghri-nigaḍo yāvat kṛṣṇa na te janāḥ
Wahai Kṛṣṇa, selagi manusia belum menjadi milik-Mu—yakni bhakta-Mu—keterikatan dan keinginan tetap seperti pencuri; rumah tetap seperti penjara; dan kasih sayang yang melekat pada keluarga menjadi belenggu di kaki.
Apparently, the residents of Vṛndāvana, the abode of Lord Kṛṣṇa, are simple householders engaged in ordinary affairs such as herding cows, cooking, rearing children and performing religious ceremonies. However, all these activities are intensely engaged in the loving service of Lord Kṛṣṇa. The residents of Vṛndāvana perform all activities in pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness and thus exist on the most exalted platform of liberated life. Otherwise, the same activities performed without Kṛṣṇa consciousness constitute ordinary bondage to the material world.
FAQs
This verse says that until one becomes a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, rāga (attachment) and similar impulses act like thieves; devotion is implied as the turning point that removes their power.
In his prayers to Kṛṣṇa, Brahmā explains that without devotion, worldly life binds the soul—so the very place meant for comfort (gṛha) functions like confinement (kārāgṛha) due to bondage to desire and delusion.
Treat devotion as the remedy: keep regular Kṛṣṇa-centered practices (hearing, chanting, remembrance), and watch how attachment-driven habits lose their grip—moha is described here as “foot-shackles” that loosen through bhakti.