Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 15
Sādhu-saṅga, the Gopīs’ Prema, and the Veda’s Culmination in Exclusive Surrender
तस्मात्त्वमुद्धवोत्सृज्य चोदनां प्रतिचोदनाम् । प्रवृत्तिं च निवृत्तिं च श्रोतव्यं श्रुतमेव च ॥ १४ ॥ मामेकमेव शरणमात्मानं सर्वदेहिनाम् । याहि सर्वात्मभावेन मया स्या ह्यकुतोभय: ॥ १५ ॥
tasmāt tvam uddhavotsṛjya codanāṁ praticodanām pravṛttiṁ ca nivṛttiṁ ca śrotavyaṁ śrutam eva ca
โอ้อุทธวะ! จงละข้อบัญญัติและข้อห้าม ทางแห่งการกระทำและการเว้นการกระทำ รวมทั้งสิ่งที่ได้ยินแล้วและสิ่งที่ยังจะได้ยิน แล้วเข้าพึ่งเราเพียงผู้เดียว ผู้สถิตในดวงใจของสรรพสัตว์ทั้งปวง ด้วยใจทั้งสิ้น; ด้วยพระกรุณาของเรา เจ้าจักไร้ความหวาดกลัวในทุกสถานการณ์
Śrī Uddhava inquired from Lord Kṛṣṇa about the symptoms of saintly persons and liberated souls, and the Lord has replied in terms of different levels of spiritual advancement, distinguishing between those who are able to understand Lord Kṛṣṇa to be the principal goal of life and those loving devotees who accept Lord Kṛṣṇa and devotional service to Him as the only goal of life. Lord Kṛṣṇa also mentioned that He is captured by His loving devotees and even by those who sincerely associate with His loving devotees. Among all the devotees, the gopīs of Vṛndāvana were described by the Lord as having achieved such a rare state of pure devotional service that Lord Kṛṣṇa personally feels constantly indebted to them. According to Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, Lord Kṛṣṇa previously kept the gopīs’ love for Him concealed in His heart because of its confidential nature and the Lord’s own gravity. Finally, however, even Lord Kṛṣṇa could not remain silent about the intense love of the gopīs, and thus in these verses the Lord reveals to Uddhava how the gopīs loved Him in Vṛndāvana and brought Him fully under their control. The Lord would relax in secret places with the loving gopīs, and by conjugal spontaneous affection the greatest love was exchanged between them.
FAQs
In this verse, Kṛṣṇa tells Uddhava to relinquish fixation on injunctions and prohibitions and move toward the higher path of exclusive spiritual shelter beyond mere rule-based religiosity.
Kṛṣṇa is instructing Uddhava in the Uddhava Gītā, guiding him from mixed paths of karma, jñāna, and external discipline toward the essence—exclusive dependence on the Lord.
Stop defining spirituality only as “doing more” or “quitting everything”; instead, simplify motives and center daily life on sincere devotion and remembrance of God.