Srimad Bhagavatam — Dvitiya Skandha, Shloka 10
Karmic Aspirations, Demigod Worship, and the Supreme Duty of Bhakti
Hari-kathā as Life’s True Gain
अकाम: सर्वकामो वा मोक्षकाम उदारधी: । तीव्रेण भक्तियोगेन यजेत पुरुषं परम् ॥ १० ॥
akāmaḥ sarva-kāmo vā mokṣa-kāma udāra-dhīḥ tīvreṇa bhakti-yogena yajeta puruṣaṁ param
நிஷ்காமனாக இருந்தாலும், எல்லாக் காமங்களும் நிறைந்தவனாக இருந்தாலும், அல்லது மோக்ஷம் விரும்புவனாக இருந்தாலும்—உதார புத்தியுள்ளவன் தீவிர பக்தியோகத்தால் பரம புருஷ பகவானையே வழிபட வேண்டும்।
The Supreme Personality of Godhead Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is described in the Bhagavad-gītā as puruṣottama, or the Supreme Personality. It is He only who can award liberation to the impersonalists by absorbing such aspirants in the brahmajyoti, the bodily rays of the Lord. The brahmajyoti is not separate from the Lord, as the glowing sun ray is not independent of the sun disc. Therefore one who desires to merge into the supreme impersonal brahmajyoti must also worship the Lord by bhakti-yoga, as recommended here in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Bhakti-yoga is especially stressed here as the means of all perfection. In the previous chapters it has been stated that bhakti-yoga is the ultimate goal of both karma-yoga and jñāna-yoga, and in the same way in this chapter it is emphatically declared that bhakti-yoga is the ultimate goal of the different varieties of worship of the different demigods. Bhakti-yoga, thus being the supreme means of self-realization, is recommended here. Everyone must therefore seriously take up the methods of bhakti-yoga, even though one aspires for material enjoyment or liberation from material bondage.
FAQs
It teaches that regardless of one’s motivation—no desires, many desires, or desire for liberation—one should worship the Supreme Person through intense bhakti-yoga.
Parikshit sought the best spiritual path before death; Shukadeva emphasizes that devotion to the Supreme Person is the universal and highest method, suitable for all kinds of seekers.
Choose a steady devotional practice—hearing and chanting divine names, prayer, and service—and do it with focus and sincerity, offering your goals and anxieties to the Supreme Person.