Srimad Bhagavatam — Dashama Skandha, Shloka 4
Govardhana-pūjā: Kṛṣṇa Redirects Indra-yajña to Worship of Govardhana, Cows, and Brāhmaṇas
एतद् ब्रूहि महान् कामो मह्यं शुश्रूषवे पित: । न हि गोप्यं हि साधूनां कृत्यं सर्वात्मनामिह । अस्त्यस्वपरदृष्टीनाममित्रोदास्तविद्विषाम् ॥ ४ ॥
etad brūhi mahān kāmo mahyaṁ śuśrūṣave pitaḥ na hi gopyaṁ hi sadhūnāṁ kṛtyaṁ sarvātmanām iha asty asva-para-dṛṣṭīnām amitrodāsta-vidviṣām
父亲，请告诉我；我渴望知晓，并愿以虔信聆听。圣贤之人视众生如己，无“我与他人”之执，也不分别朋友、敌人或中立者；他们的作为在此不应隐秘。
Lord Kṛṣṇa’s father might have thought that his son was a mere child and thus could not properly question the validity of a Vedic sacrifice. But the Lord’s clever statement here would certainly have convinced Nanda that Śrī Kṛṣṇa was making a serious, not a whimsical, inquiry and that a serious answer should thus be given.
FAQs
This verse describes sādhus as sarvātmanām—well-wishers of all—who see others without the duality of ‘mine’ and ‘yours,’ and who are free from enmity and hatred.
Krishna wanted Nanda to explain the annual sacrifice and its purpose, setting the stage for redirecting the community’s worship toward Govardhana and dharma-based devotion rather than fear-based ritualism.
Practice reducing “us vs. them” thinking—serve and listen with humility, act for the welfare of others, and avoid hatred or rivalry while pursuing truth through respectful inquiry.