Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 21
Bhakti as the Easy and Supreme Yoga: Seeing Kṛṣṇa in All and Uddhava’s Departure to Badarikāśrama
यो यो मयि परे धर्म: कल्प्यते निष्फलाय चेत् । तदायासो निरर्थ: स्याद् भयादेरिव सत्तम ॥ २१ ॥
yo yo mayi pare dharmaḥ kalpyate niṣphalāya cet tad-āyāso nirarthaḥ syād bhayāder iva sattama
اے اُدھو، اے نیکوں میں برتر! اگر میرے نام پر کوئی دھرم بےحاصل غرض سے گھڑا جائے تو اس کی مشقت ڈر اور آہ و زاری جیسے فضول جذبات کی طرح بےمعنی ہے۔ مگر بےغرض ہو کر جو عمل مجھے نذر کیا جائے، چاہے ظاہراً بےثمر ہو، وہی حقیقی دین کا طریقہ ہے۔
Even the most insignificant activity, when offered to the Supreme Lord without personal desire, can elevate one to the perfection of spiritual life. Actually, Lord Kṛṣṇa always protects and maintains His devotee. But if a devotee cries to the Lord for protection or maintenance, desiring to continue his devotional service unimpeded, Lord Kṛṣṇa accepts such apparently unnecessary appeals to be the highest religious process.
FAQs
This verse says that any practice labeled as ‘dharma’ connected to the Supreme Lord, if it fails to produce its real spiritual fruit, is ultimately meaningless labor.
In the Uddhava Gītā, Kṛṣṇa instructs Uddhava on the essence of spiritual life—showing that devotion and true realization are the goal, not mere religious exertion that yields no transformation.
Evaluate spiritual routines by their outcome: increased devotion, purity, and steadiness. Keep practices that deepen remembrance of Kṛṣṇa and reduce anxiety, pride, and distraction; drop what becomes mechanical and fruitless.