Srimad Bhagavatam — Shashtha Skandha, Shloka 7
Dadhīci’s Supreme Charity and the Opening of Indra’s War with Vṛtrāsura
श्रीऋषिरुवाच धर्मं व: श्रोतुकामेन यूयं मे प्रत्युदाहृता: । एष व: प्रियमात्मानं त्यजन्तं सन्त्यजाम्यहम् ॥ ७ ॥
śrī-ṛṣir uvāca dharmaṁ vaḥ śrotu-kāmena yūyaṁ me pratyudāhṛtāḥ eṣa vaḥ priyam ātmānaṁ tyajantaṁ santyajāmy aham
Sinabi ng dakilang rishi na si Dadhīci: Upang marinig mula sa inyo ang mga alituntunin ng dharma, kaya ko noon tinanggihan ang inyong hiling na ibigay ang aking katawan. Ngayon, bagama’t mahal na mahal ko ang katawang ito, isusuko ko ito para sa inyong mabuting layon, sapagkat iiwan din ako nito ngayong araw o bukas.
FAQs
This verse cautions that to neglect one’s real self-interest—spiritual welfare and dharma—is to “abandon the dear self,” a serious mistake that leads a teacher to withdraw rather than support self-destructive choices.
He states that although they call him to hear dharma, their actions amount to giving up what is most dear—their own true self—so he refuses to participate in that contradiction.
Seek dharma not as information but as transformation—align daily decisions with spiritual well-being, not merely short-term gains that compromise inner integrity and the soul’s progress.