Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 16
Karma, Jñāna, and Bhakti: Vedic Dharma, Piety and Sin, and the Boat of Human Life
अहोरात्रैश्छिद्यमानं बुद्ध्वायुर्भयवेपथु: । मुक्तसङ्ग: परं बुद्ध्वा निरीह उपशाम्यति ॥ १६ ॥
aho-rātraiś chidyamānaṁ buddhvāyur bhaya-vepathuḥ mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ buddhvā nirīha upaśāmyati
知晓寿命也被昼夜流逝不断削减，应当因畏惧而警醒。由此舍离执著与欲求，了悟至上主，获得圆满寂静。
An intelligent devotee knows that the passing days and nights are exhausting one’s duration of life, and he therefore gives up his futile attachment to material sense objects. Instead, he strives to achieve permanent benefit in life. Just as the detached bird immediately gives up its nest and goes to another tree, similarly, a devotee knows that there is no permanent opportunity for residence within the material world. Instead he dedicates his working energy to achieving eternal residence in the kingdom of God. Transcending the modes of material nature by attaining Kṛṣṇa’s own spiritual nature, the devotee at last obtains perfect peace.
FAQs
This verse states that day and night continuously cut down one’s lifespan; realizing this naturally brings fear—unless one becomes detached and knows the Supreme.
Krishna is teaching Uddhava the urgency of spiritual life: time is relentlessly diminishing life, so one should give up attachment, realize the Supreme, and become peacefully free from material striving.
Remember the limited nature of time, reduce obsessive attachment to possessions and outcomes, and orient daily actions toward devotion and self-realization—this brings steadiness and inner peace.