Srimad Bhagavatam — Dashama Skandha, Shloka 52
Kṛṣṇa Teases Rukmiṇī; Her Devotional Reply and the Lord’s Assurance
ये मां भजन्ति दाम्पत्ये तपसा व्रतचर्यया । कामात्मानोऽपवर्गेशं मोहिता मम मायया ॥ ५२ ॥
ye māṁ bhajanti dāmpatye tapasā vrata-caryayā kāmātmāno ’pavargeśaṁ mohitā mama māyayā
尽管我有赐予解脱之力，欲心炽盛的人仍以苦行与誓戒来礼拜我，只为求得世俗婚姻家业之福；他们被我的幻力（摩耶）所迷惑。
The word dāmpatye indicates the relationship between husband and wife. Lusty and bewildered persons worship the Supreme Lord to enhance this relationship, though they know He can free them from their useless attachment to temporary things.
FAQs
This verse says that worship performed for marital or worldly gain—even with austerity and vows—remains desire-driven, and such worshipers are deluded by Kṛṣṇa’s māyā while approaching the Lord of liberation with material motives.
Kṛṣṇa explains that māyā can cover one’s understanding so that a person approaches Him (the giver of liberation) but still remains centered on kāma, mistaking devotional practices as a means for sense enjoyment rather than surrender.
Use spiritual practices to purify motives: keep devotion primary (service and surrender), and treat vows, discipline, and prayer as tools for inner transformation—not merely techniques to secure relationships, status, or pleasures.