Shloka 6
Nimi Questions the Yogendras: Māyā, Cosmic Dissolution, Guru-Śaraṇāgati, Bhakti, and Deity Worship
कर्माणि कर्मभि: कुर्वन्सनिमित्तानि देहभृत् । तत्तत्कर्मफलं गृह्णन्भ्रमतीह सुखेतरम् ॥ ६ ॥
karmāṇi karmabhiḥ kurvan sa-nimittāni deha-bhṛt tat tat karma-phalaṁ gṛhṇan bhramatīha sukhetaram
దేహధారి జీవుడు లోతైన వాసనల ప్రేరణతో ఇంద్రియాలను కర్మలలో నిమగ్నం చేస్తాడు; ఆ కర్మఫలాలను అనుభవిస్తూ ఈ లోకంలో అనుకున్న సుఖం-దుఃఖాల మధ్య తిరుగుతూనే ఉంటాడు।
The argument may be given that if a living entity were subject to the results of his previous activities there would be no scope for free will; once having committed a sinful action, the living entity would be bound in an endless chain of suffering, being perpetually subject to previous reactions. According to this speculation there cannot be a just and omniscient God, since the living entity is forced to commit sinful activities by the reactions of his previous activities, which were reactions to still previous activities. Since even an ordinary gentleman will not unfairly punish an innocent person, how could there be a God witnessing the helpless suffering of the conditioned souls within this world?
FAQs
This verse explains that an embodied soul performs motivated actions and then must accept their results; therefore one alternates between pleasure and pain while wandering in material life.
In the Canto 11 teachings surrounding the Lord’s instructions (Uddhava-gītā context), the Bhagavatam highlights how karmic action binds the jīva to repeated experiences, setting the stage for the need to rise beyond karma toward spiritual freedom.
Act responsibly knowing actions bring consequences, reduce selfish motives that create binding reactions, and orient work toward devotion and inner detachment to lessen the cycle of anxiety, elation, and disappointment.