Srimad Bhagavatam — Chaturtha Skandha, Shloka 34

Dakṣa’s Sacrifice Restored: Śiva’s Mercy and Nārāyaṇa’s Appearance

Devanagari script

ऋषय ऊचु: अनन्वितं ते भगवन् विचेष्टितं यदात्मना चरसि हि कर्म नाज्यसे । विभूतये यत उपसेदुरीश्वरीं न मन्यते स्वयमनुवर्ततीं भवान् ॥ ३४ ॥

Transliteration

ṛṣaya ūcuḥ ananvitaṁ te bhagavan viceṣṭitaṁ yad ātmanā carasi hi karma nājyase vibhūtaye yata upasedur īśvarīṁ na manyate svayam anuvartatīṁ bhavān

Translation

Các hiền triết cầu nguyện: Lạy Bhagavān, các hoạt động của Ngài thật kỳ diệu. Dù Ngài làm mọi việc bằng những năng lực khác nhau, Ngài vẫn không hề vướng mắc vào hành động. Ngay cả Śrī Lakṣmī, người được các thiên thần lớn như Phạm Thiên tôn thờ để cầu ân, cũng thuận theo Ngài; thế mà Ngài vẫn không dính mắc cả với nàng.

Synonyms

• ṛṣayaḥ: the sages
• ṛṣayaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṛṣi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Plural (बहुवचन)

• ūcuḥ: said
• ūcuḥ: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Plural (बहुवचन), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)

• ananvitam: unconnected, non-attached
• ananvitam: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: an-anvita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन); qualifying viceṣṭitam

• te: your
• te: Shashthi-sambandha (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Genitive (षष्ठी/6), Singular (एकवचन)

• bhagavan: O Lord
• bhagavan: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhagavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Vocative (सम्बोधन), Singular (एकवचन)

• viceṣṭitam: activity, conduct
• viceṣṭitam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vi+ceṣṭita (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त from √ceṣṭ)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन); 'activity/behavior'

• yat: which
• yat: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन); relative pronoun referring to viceṣṭitam

• ātmanā: by yourself
• ātmanā: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Instrumental (तृतीया/3), Singular (एकवचन)

• carasi: you act/move
• carasi: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: car (धातु)
• Form: Present (लट्), 2nd person (मध्यमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निपात), emphatic/causal

• karma: action
• karma: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: karman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Negation particle (निषेध)

• ajyase: you are not tainted/affected
• ajyase: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: añj/aj (धातु; passive of √aj/añj in sense 'to be smeared/tainted')
• Form: Present (लट्), Passive voice (कर्मणि प्रयोग), 2nd person (मध्यमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन), Ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद)

• vibhūtaye: for manifestation/glory
• vibhūtaye: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vibhūti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Dative (चतुर्थी/4), Singular (एकवचन); purpose

• yataḥ: from which/whereby
• yataḥ: Apādāna (अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Ablative adverb (यतः = 'from which/wherefrom')

• upaseduḥ: approached
• upaseduḥ: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: upa+sad (धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Plural (बहुवचन), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)

• īśvarīm: the sovereign power (Śakti)
• īśvarīm: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśvarī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Negation particle (निषेध)

• manyate: considers
• manyate: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: man (धातु)
• Form: Present (लट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन), Ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद)

• svayam: by oneself
• svayam: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: svayam (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (स्वयम्)

• anuvartatīm: following (you)
• anuvartatīm: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anu+√vṛt (धातु)
• Form: Present active participle (शतृ), Feminine Accusative Singular (द्वितीया एकवचन); qualifying īśvarīm

• bhavān: you (honored one)
• bhavān: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)

Purport

In Bhagavad-gītā it is said that the Lord has no desire to achieve any result from His wonderful activities, nor has He any need to perform them. But still, in order to give an example to people in general, He sometimes acts, and those activities are very wonderful. He is not attached to anything. Na māṁ karmāṇi limpanti: although He acts very wonderfully, He is not at all attached to anything ( Bg. 4.14 ). He is self-sufficient. The example is given here that the goddess of fortune, Lakṣmī, is always engaged in the service of the Lord, but still He is not attached to her. Even great demigods like Brahmā worship the goddess of fortune in order to win her favor, but although the Lord is worshiped by many hundreds and thousands of goddesses of fortune, He is not at all attached to any one of them. This distinction concerning the exalted transcendental position of the Lord is specifically mentioned by the great sages: He is not like the ordinary living entity, who is attached to the results of pious activities.

Characters & Entities

• Bhagavān (Supreme Lord)
• Īśvarī (Śrī/Lakṣmī, the goddess of fortune)

FAQs

What does the Srimad Bhagavatam say about God being beyond karma?

This verse states that the Lord acts by His own independence yet is never bound or tainted by karma; His actions are transcendental and do not create bondage as material actions do.

Why do the sages praise the Lord’s detachment in Canto 4 Chapter 7?

In the turmoil around Dakṣa’s sacrifice, the sages emphasize that the Supreme Lord remains untouched by material reactions and displays His opulence only to guide and uplift beings, not out of need or compulsion.

How can this teaching be applied in modern life?

Practice acting with devotion and duty without selfish attachment to results—offering work to the Lord—so actions become purifying rather than binding.