Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 37
Bhakti as the Easy and Supreme Yoga: Seeing Kṛṣṇa in All and Uddhava’s Departure to Badarikāśrama
श्रीउद्धव उवाच विद्रावितो मोहमहान्धकारो य आश्रितो मे तव सन्निधानात् । विभावसो: किं नु समीपगस्य शीतं तमो भी: प्रभवन्त्यजाद्य ॥ ३७ ॥
śrī-uddhava uvāca vidrāvito moha-mahāndhakāro ya āśrito me tava sannidhānāt vibhāvasoḥ kiṁ nu samīpa-gasya śītaṁ tamo bhīḥ prabhavanty ajādya
ศรีอุทธวะกล่าวว่า โอ้พระผู้ไม่บังเกิด ผู้เป็นปฐมกาล ความมืดใหญ่แห่งมายาที่ครอบงำข้าพเจ้าได้สลายไปด้วยการอยู่ใกล้พระองค์ แล้วความหนาว ความมืด และความหวาดกลัวจะมีอำนาจได้อย่างไรต่อผู้ที่เข้าใกล้ดวงอาทิตย์อันเจิดจ้า?
Although Śrī Uddhava feared separation from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Kṛṣṇa, he now understands that in a fundamental sense the Lord is everything. Kṛṣṇa consciousness can never be threatened or diminished for one who has taken full shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord.
FAQs
This verse teaches that ignorance is dispelled simply by the Lord’s presence—like darkness vanishing near the sun—indicating bhakti and closeness to Krishna as the direct cure for delusion.
Uddhava is expressing gratitude and realization: after receiving Krishna’s teachings and being near Him, his inner confusion and fear have dissolved, so he glorifies the transforming power of the Lord’s association.
Seek “nearness” to Krishna through sincere chanting, scripture study, and saintly association; as devotion deepens, anxiety and confusion naturally reduce, just as darkness cannot remain before sunlight.