SB 10.32.17 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

श्रीभगवानुवाच मिथो भजन्ति ये सख्य: स्वार्थैकान्तोद्यमा हि ते । न तत्र सौहृदं धर्म: स्वार्थार्थं तद्धि नान्यथा ॥ १७ ॥

Verse text

śrī-bhagavān uvāca mitho bhajanti ye sakhyaḥ svārthaikāntodyamā hi te na tatra sauhṛdaṁ dharmaḥ svārthārthaṁ tad dhi nānyathā

Synonyms

śrī — bhagavān uvāca — the Supreme Personality of Godhead said ; mithaḥ — mutually ; bhajanti — reciprocate ; ye — who ; sakhyaḥ — friends ; sva — artha — for their own sake ; eka — anta — exclusively ; udyamāḥ — whose endeavor ; hi — indeed ; te — they ; na — not ; tatra — therein ; sauhṛdam — true friendship ; dharmaḥ — true religiosity ; sva — artha — of their own benefit ; artham — for the sake ; tat — that ; hi — indeed ; na — not ; anyathā — otherwise .

Translation

The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: So-called friends who show affection for each other only to benefit themselves are actually selfish. They have no true friendship, nor are they following the true principles of religion. Indeed, if they did not expect benefit for themselves, they would not reciprocate.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: So-called friends who show affection for each other only to benefit themselves are actually selfish. They have no true friendship, nor are they following the true principles of religion. Indeed, if they did not expect benefit for themselves, they would not reciprocate. KB 10.32.17 In answer, Kṛṣṇa said, “My dear friends, persons who simply reciprocate the loving dealings of the other party are just like merchants. They give in loving affairs as much as they get from the other party. Practically there is no question of love. It is simply self-interested or self-centered business dealing. Even those without a tinge of loving affairs are better than these merchants.

Purport

The Lord here reminds the gopīs that in pure loving friendship there is no sense of selfish interest but rather only love for one’s friend.

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Understanding the intention of the gopis, Krsna answered. "Those who respect each other in expectation of results, are enthusiastic for attaining results for themselves in the present and future. These people actually only respect themselves, and not others. They respect each other (tat) because there is no other way to get results for themselves (svatmanam). They are selfish persons, with conditional love. Among these people, there is no prema (sauhrdam). There is also no permanent dharma."

Purport (Jiva Goswami)

These people act on for themselves, in terms of results in this life and the next. bhajanti ye yathā devān devā api tathaiva tān: those who worship the devatās receive reciprocation from the devatās in a way corresponding to the offering. (SB 11.2.6) Devatās give Svarga when they are satisfied with sacrifices. Cows and buffalos give milk when they are satisfied. These people are intent only on their own gains. Though dharma and friendship are famous, I will refute them. Though dharma is independently one of the goals of human life, it is transformed into artha and kāma only, since it is used for selfish interests. Friendship becomes cheating because of selfish interest. This is certain (hi). They will not reciprocate by any other means except with self-interest (na anyathā). Or, there is no true friendship here. The cause is given in his saying “O friends!” We are speaking as real friends. Or, to remove their doubts that he will respond properly to the gopīs, he calls out in friendship. Śrīdhara Svāmī says that without friendship there is no happiness. Though one sees happiness without friendship (from money for instance), elevated persons do not see increase in happiness in such gross things without friendship as well. He also has his own version svātmānam instead of svārthārtham, but this version is not seen later in his explanation. Svārthārtham is accepted by Citsukha and most others. In this verse, though the respect given to others may appear otherwise, it is actually for the self.

Purport (Sanatana Goswami)

They strive with full absorption (eka) for visible results for themselves. This excludes service to guru by devotees and service in prema. It is rejected as dharma since its goal is for the self only, though by material vision it appears to be helping others. Real service depends on a proper response. If the response is only for the purpose of removing fault, it also is not dharma. There should be absence of difference in true worship or sharing. Without equality in the assistance and repayment, sharing cannot be accomplished. According to the act there should be equal response. That is the answer to the question. And where there is no expectation of a response, that act is dharma. Hi indicates certainty. Any other method is not proper worship. Or with friendship one may compassionately act for others as one does for oneself. To show the opposite situation in the verse, he says O friend (sakhya)! One version has svātmānam instead of svārthārtham. One works for one’s own happiness (su). Tad means ca, or atha. Though there is apparently mutual benefit in this example, since the act is generated by self-interest, and depends on receiving proper response, it lacks dharma and truthfulness, and consequently is without happiness. Or this could be a typographical error. Svārthārtham is accepted by Citsukha and others. Though the worship may appear to be for other purposes it is actually for one’s own purposes. Or persons who strive for their own ends (svārthaikāntodyamā) mutually interact, like a king paying a servant. This is well known (hi). Since all people are interested in visible results, they are not described in detail.