Shloka 9
Karmic Aspirations, Demigod Worship, and the Supreme Duty of Bhakti
Hari-kathā as Life’s True Gain
राज्यकामो मनून् देवान् निऋर्तिं त्वभिचरन् यजेत् । कामकामो यजेत् सोममकाम: पुरुषं परम् ॥ ९ ॥
rājya-kāmo manūn devān nirṛtiṁ tv abhicaran yajet kāma-kāmo yajet somam akāmaḥ puruṣaṁ param
రాజ్యాధికారం కోరువాడు మనువులను ఆరాధించాలి; శత్రువిజయం కోసం అభిచారం చేయువాడు నిరృతి దేవతను ఆరాధించాలి. భోగకాంక్ష గలవాడు సోముని పూజించాలి; కానీ నిష్కాముడు పరమపురుష భగవంతుని ఆరాధించాలి।
For a liberated person, all the enjoyments listed above are considered to be absolutely useless. Only those who are conditioned by the material modes of external energy are captivated by different types of material enjoyment. In other words, the transcendentalist has no material desires to be fulfilled, whereas the materialist has all types of desires to be fulfilled. The Lord has proclaimed that the materialists, who desire material enjoyment and thus seek the favor of different demigods, as above mentioned, are not in control of their senses and so give themselves to nonsense. One should therefore not desire any sort of material enjoyment, being sensible enough to worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The leaders of nonsensical persons are still more nonsensical because they preach openly and foolishly that one can worship any form of demigod and get the same result. This sort of preaching is not only against the teachings of the Bhagavad-gītā, or those of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, but is also foolish, just as it is foolish to claim that with the purchase of any travel ticket one may reach the same destination. No one can reach Bombay from Delhi by purchasing a ticket for Baroda. It is clearly defined herein that persons impregnated with different desires have different modes of worship, but one who has no desire for material enjoyment should worship the Supreme Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead. And this worshiping process is called devotional service. Pure devotional service means service to the Lord without any tinge of material desires, including desire for fruitive activity and empiric speculation. For fulfillment of material desires one may worship the Supreme Lord, but the result of such worship is different, as will be explained in the next verse. Generally the Lord does not fulfill anyone’s material desires for sense enjoyment, but He awards such benedictions to worshipers of the Lord, for they ultimately come to the point of not desiring material enjoyment. The conclusion is that one must minimize the desires for material enjoyment, and for this one should worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is described here as param, or beyond anything material. Śrīpāda Śaṅkarācārya has also stated, nārāyaṇaḥ paro ’vyaktāt: the Supreme Lord is beyond the material encirclement.
FAQs
This verse explains that people approach different deities according to their desires (kingdom, pleasure, etc.), but the Bhagavatam recommends that one who is desireless worship the Supreme Person alone.
He is teaching Parikshit how human goals shape religious practice, and he highlights the highest path—freedom from material desire and exclusive worship of Bhagavān.
Reduce desire-driven motivations in spiritual practice and focus your worship on the Supreme Lord with sincerity—seeking purification and devotion rather than temporary gains.