Srimad Bhagavatam — Shashtha Skandha, Shloka 42
Nārada Instructs Dakṣa’s Sons; Allegory of the World; Dakṣa Curses Nārada
यन्नस्त्वं कर्मसन्धानां साधूनां गृहमेधिनाम् । कृतवानसि दुर्मर्षं विप्रियं तव मर्षितम् ॥ ४२ ॥
yan nas tvaṁ karma-sandhānāṁ sādhūnāṁ gṛhamedhinām kṛtavān asi durmarṣaṁ vipriyaṁ tava marṣitam
你对我们这些依吠陀而行诸业、守持家道的善良居士，做了极难容忍的逆事；我姑且忍受。虽与妻儿同住为家主，我仍奉行誓戒并修诸祭祀；而你竟无故迷惑我的儿子走向出离之路——此事只可容忍一次。
Prajāpati Dakṣa wanted to prove that he had been most tolerant in not having said anything when Nārada Muni, for no reason, induced his ten thousand innocent sons to adopt the path of renunciation. Sometimes householders are accused of being gṛhamedhīs, for gṛhamedhīs are satisfied with family life without spiritual advancement. Gṛhasthas, however, are different because although gṛhasthas live in householder life with their wives and children, they are eager for spiritual advancement. Wanting to prove that he had been magnanimous to Nārada Muni, Prajāpati Dakṣa stressed that when Nārada had misled his first sons, Dakṣa had taken no action; he had been kind and tolerant. He was aggrieved, however, because Nārada Muni had misled his sons for a second time. Therefore he wanted to prove that Nārada Muni, although dressed like a sādhu, was not actually a sādhu; he himself, although a householder, was a greater sādhu than Nārada Muni.
FAQs
This verse shows householders devoted to ritualistic duties (karma-sandhāna) feeling disturbed when their material plans are redirected—hinting that mere ritual attachment can be challenged by higher spiritual guidance.
Because Nārada’s instruction turned them away from the path of producing progeny and continuing fruitive duties, which they considered their proper household-oriented obligation, so they felt he had harmed their plans.
When genuine spiritual counsel disrupts comfort or social expectations, recognize the deeper purpose: moving from mere duty-and-reward thinking toward lasting self-realization and devotion.