Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 33
Nimi Questions the Yogendras: Māyā, Cosmic Dissolution, Guru-Śaraṇāgati, Bhakti, and Deity Worship
इति भागवतान् धर्मान् शिक्षन् भक्त्या तदुत्थया । नारायणपरो मायामञ्जस्तरति दुस्तराम् ॥ ३३ ॥
iti bhāgavatān dharmān śikṣan bhaktyā tad-utthayā nārāyaṇa-paro māyām añjas tarati dustarām
เมื่อศึกษาธรรมะแห่งภาควตะและปฏิบัติด้วยภักติ ผู้ภักดีบรรลุถึงความรักอันบริสุทธิ์ต่อพระผู้เป็นเจ้า และด้วยความภักดีอย่างสมบูรณ์ต่อพระนารายณะ เขาย่อมข้ามพ้นมายาอันยากยิ่งได้โดยง่าย
Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī has pointed out that mukti, or liberation, which is described in this verse by the words māyām añjas tarati dustarām, is actually a by-product or secondary result of pure love of Godhead. In the second verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is pointed out, dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo ’tra paramo nirmatsarāṇāṁ satāṁ/ vedyaṁ vāstavam atra vastu śivadaṁ tāpa-trayonmūlanam. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam teaches the science of devotional service, in which the ultimate goal is pure love of Godhead. According to the Vaiṣṇava ācāryas, mukti, or liberation, is a by-product of love of Godhead. Śivadaṁ tāpa-trayonmūlanam. One should not approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead for liberation, since one is automatically liberated by obeying the order of the Lord. Kṛṣṇa’s order is given at the end of Bhagavad-gītā: sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja. Every living being should give up his mundane conceptions of life and take full shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. If one carries out this order the Lord automatically provides liberation ( mukti ). Actual happiness comes from loving God without any tinge of mental speculation or fruitive desire.
FAQs
This verse says that māyā, though very difficult to cross, is overcome easily when one becomes exclusively devoted to Nārāyaṇa through the practice of bhāgavata-dharma, which itself awakens bhakti.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī narrates these teachings to Mahārāja Parīkṣit, describing how devotion arises from learning and practicing the devotional principles centered on Bhagavān.
Make devotion to the Lord your primary aim—regular śravaṇa (hearing), kīrtana (chanting), sādhana, and serving devotees—so that bhakti matures and worldly illusion loses its grip.