The Deliverance of Nalakūvara and Maṇigrīva
Yamala-Arjuna Līlā Prelude and Culmination
देह: किमन्नदातु: स्वं निषेक्तुर्मातुरेव च । मातु: पितुर्वा बलिन: क्रेतुरग्ने: शुनोऽपि वा ॥ ११ ॥
dehaḥ kim anna-dātuḥ svaṁ niṣektur mātur eva ca mātuḥ pitur vā balinaḥ kretur agneḥ śuno ’pi vā
此身究竟属谁——属供养者,属自己,属父亲、母亲或外祖父?属强夺者,属买下的主人,或属将其投入火中焚化的儿子们?若不焚化,便属啖食其尸的犬类么?诸多主张之中,谁才是真正的所有者?不明此理而以罪业维持此身,实非善事。
This verse questions bodily ownership from multiple angles—maintainer, parents, master, buyer, fire, or animals—teaching that the body is temporary and not truly “mine,” encouraging detachment and spiritual identity.
While narrating Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes, Śukadeva highlights deeper philosophy: even amid intimate household līlā, the Bhagavatam instructs renunciation of false bodily possessiveness and remembrance of the soul’s real shelter in Bhagavān.
Treat the body as a responsibility rather than a possession—care for it without ego, reduce possessiveness, and invest more attention in bhakti (hearing, chanting, service) as one’s lasting identity.