SB 11.17.1 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

श्रीउद्धव उवाच यस्त्वयाभिहित: पूर्वं धर्मस्त्वद्भ‍‍क्तिलक्षण: । वर्णाश्रमाचारवतां सर्वेषां द्विपदामपि ॥ १ ॥ यथानुष्ठीयमानेन त्वयि भक्तिर्नृणां भवेत् । स्वधर्मेणारविन्दाक्ष तन् ममाख्यातुमर्हसि ॥ २ ॥

Verse text

śrī-uddhava uvāca yas tvayābhihitaḥ pūrvaṁ dharmas tvad-bhakti-lakṣaṇaḥ varṇāśramācāravatāṁ sarveṣāṁ dvi-padām api yathānuṣṭhīyamānena tvayi bhaktir nṛṇāṁ bhavet sva-dharmeṇāravindākṣa tan mamākhyātum arhasi

Synonyms

śrī — uddhavaḥ uvāca — Śrī Uddhava said ; yaḥ — which ; tvayā — by You ; abhihitaḥ — described ; pūrvam — previously ; dharmaḥ — religious principles ; tvat — bhakti — lakṣaṇaḥ — characterized by devotional service to Your Lordship ; varṇa — āśrama — of the varṇāśrama system ; ācāravatām — of the faithful followers ; sarveṣām — of all ; dvi — padām — of ordinary human beings (who do not follow the varṇāśrama system) ; api — even ; yathā — according to ; anuṣṭhīyamānena — the process being executed ; tvayi — in You ; bhaktiḥ — loving service ; nṛṇām — of human beings ; bhavet — may be ; sva — dharmeṇa — by one’s own occupational duty ; aravinda — akṣa — O lotus-eyed one ; tat — that ; mama — to me ; ākhyātum — to explain ; arhasi — You ought .

Translation

Śrī Uddhava said: My dear Lord, previously You described the principles of devotional service that are to be practiced by followers of the varṇāśrama system and even ordinary, unregulated human beings. My dear lotus-eyed Lord, now please explain to me how all human beings can achieve loving service unto You by the execution of their prescribed duties.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Uddhava said: O lotus-eyed Lord! Previously you described dharma of bhakti arising in followers of varṇāśrama and even ordinary human beings. Now you should explain to me how all human beings can achieve mixed or secondary bhakti for you by the execution of their prescribed duties. In the Seventeenth Chapter, Kṛṣṇa, requested by Uddhava, explains to him about karma mixed with bhakti as described by Haṁsa, and the duties of brahmacārīs and householders. Having heard jṣāna, bhakti and aṣṭāṅga-yoga from Kṛṣṇa, Uddhava will ask about karma-yoga while reviewing what was previously explained, in seven verses. Previously, at the beginning of the kalpa, you said: kālena naṣṭā pralaye vāṇīyaṁ veda-saṁjṣitā mayādau brahmaṇe proktā dharmo yasyāṁ mad-ātmakaḥ By the influence of time, the Vedic knowledge was lost at the time of annihilation. Therefore, when the subsequent creation took place, I spoke to Brahmā the Vedic knowledge in which bhakti is the essence. SB 11.14.3 That dharma of bhakti has three types: pure bhakti, mixed bhakti and secondary bhakti. Pure bhakti arises in humans without or without varṇāśrama by association with pure devotees, by good fortune. It does not arise from varṇāśrama or other processes. You have said: yaṁ na yogena sāṅkhyena dāna-vrata-tapo-’dhvaraiḥ vyākhyā-svādhyāya-sannyāsaiḥ prāpnuyād yatnavān api I cannot be attained by intense efforts of yoga, Sāṅkhya, charity, vows, austerity, sacrifices, explaining the Vedas, study of the Vedas, or sannyāsa. SB 11.12.9 When persons practicing varṇāśrama contact pure bhakti by devotional association, they give up varṇāśrama and perform the dharma of bhakti. ājṣāyaivaṁ guṇān doṣān mayādiṣṭān api svakān dharmān santyajya yaḥ sarvān māṁ bhajeta sa tu sattamaḥ A person who, understanding good and bad aspects of dharma as taught by me, gives up all his duties and simply worships me is the best of all. SB 11.1.1132 Mixed bhakti and secondary bhakti arise from one’s dharma and from association with persons with mixed bhakti or secondary bhakti. How mixed and secondary bhakti arise, you alone know. Bhaktiḥ in verse 2 refers to mixed and secondary bhakti.

Purport

Lord Kṛṣṇa has already elaborately explained the process of jṣāna-yoga, bhakti-yoga and aṣṭāṅga-yoga. Now Uddhava inquires how those inclined toward karma-yoga can achieve the perfection of life, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. In Bhagavad-gītā (4.13) Lord Kṛṣṇa describes that He is personally the creator of the varṇāśrama system. Cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ. Therefore the ultimate goal of the varṇāśrama system is to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In other words, one should become a devotee of the Lord and learn the process of pure devotional service. The easiest method of achieving pure devotional service is by the association of pure devotees of the Lord. If one submissively and faithfully associates with pure devotees, one can immediately achieve the perfection of life. A Kṛṣṇa conscious person is not required to execute all the formalities of the varṇāśrama system, because a Kṛṣṇa conscious person, absorbed in love of Godhead, automatically gives up all sense gratification and mental speculation. Those human beings who do not follow the varṇāśrama system are here referred to as dvi-padām, or two-legged. In other words, one who does not follow the religious path of life is known to be human only by the possession of two legs. Even ordinary animals and insects are eagerly engaged in eating, sleeping, mating and defending; the human being, however, is distinguished from such lower forms of life by his capacity to become religious and, ultimately, to love God in pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness.