Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 9
Karma, Jñāna, and Bhakti: Vedic Dharma, Piety and Sin, and the Boat of Human Life
तावत् कर्माणि कुर्वीत न निर्विद्येत यावता । मत्कथाश्रवणादौ वा श्रद्धा यावन्न जायते ॥ ९ ॥
tāvat karmāṇi kurvīta na nirvidyeta yāvatā mat-kathā-śravaṇādau vā śraddhā yāvan na jāyate
Hangga’t ang tao ay hindi pa nagsasawa sa mga gawaing naghahangad ng bunga at hindi pa nagigising ang lasa sa bhakti sa pamamagitan ng śravaṇa at kīrtana tungkol kay Viṣṇu, kailangan niyang kumilos ayon sa mga tuntunin ng mga utos ng Veda.
Unless one has developed firm faith in Lord Kṛṣṇa by association with pure devotees and is thus engaged full time in the devotional service of the Lord, one should not neglect ordinary Vedic principles and duties. As stated by the Lord Himself,
FAQs
This verse says one should keep performing prescribed duties until real detachment appears and until faith awakens in devotional practices beginning with hearing the Lord’s narrations (mat-kathā-śravaṇa).
Kṛṣṇa is guiding the proper progression for a seeker: karma done responsibly purifies the heart, and when detachment and faith in bhakti (especially hearing about Kṛṣṇa) arise, one naturally leans into devotional life rather than merely ritual duty.
No—continue your rightful duties sincerely, while adding steady hearing/reading of Kṛṣṇa-kathā; as faith and detachment mature, your work becomes more devotional and less driven by attachment.