FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.5.37

ऋणैस्त्रिभिरमुक्तानाममीमांसितकर्मणाम् । विघात: श्रेयस: पाप लोकयोरुभयो: कृत: ॥ ३७ ॥
ṛṇais tribhir amuktānām
[rinais tribhir amuktaanaam]
amīmāṁsita-karmaṇām
[ameemaamsita-karmanaam]
vighātaḥ śreyasaḥ pāpa
[vighaatah shreyasah paapa]
lokayor ubhayoḥ kṛtaḥ
[lokayor ubhayoh kritah]
ṛṇaiḥ — from the debts tribhiḥ — three amuktānām — of persons not freed amīmāṁsita — not considering karmaṇām — the path of duty vighātaḥ — ruin śreyasaḥ — of the path of good fortune pāpa — O most sinful (Nārada Muni) lokayoḥ — of the worlds ubhayoḥ — both kṛtaḥ — done.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
ṛṇais tribhir amuktānām
ṛṇaiḥ
from the debts
tribhiḥ
three
amuktānām
of persons not freed
amīmāṁsita-karmaṇām
amīmāṁsita
not considering
karmaṇām
the path of duty
vighātaḥ śreyasaḥ pāpa
vighātaḥ
ruin
śreyasaḥ
of the path of good fortune
pāpa
O most sinful (Nārada Muni)
lokayor ubhayoḥ kṛtaḥ
lokayoḥ
of the worlds
ubhayoḥ
both
kṛtaḥ
done.
Prajāpati Dakṣa said: My sons were not at all freed from their three debts. Indeed, they did not properly consider their obligations. O Nārada Muni, O personality of sinful action, you have obstructed their progress toward good fortune in this world and the next because they are still indebted to the saintly persons, the demigods and their father.

As soon as a brāhmaṇa takes birth, he assumes three kinds of debts — debts to great saints, debts to the demigods and debts to his father. The son of a brāhmaṇa must undergo celibacy ( brahmacarya ) to clear his debts to the saintly persons, he must perform ritualistic ceremonies to clear his debts to the demigods, and he must beget children to become free from his debts to his father. Prajāpati Dakṣa argued that although the renounced order is recommended for liberation, one cannot attain liberation unless one fulfills his obligations to the demigods, the saints and his father. Since Dakṣa’s sons had not liberated themselves from these three debts, how could Nārada Muni have led them to the renounced order of life? Apparently, Prajāpati Dakṣa did not know the final decision of the śāstras. As stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.5.41) :

devarṣi-bhūtāpta-nṛṇāṁ pitṝṇāṁ na kiṅkaro nāyam ṛṇī ca rājan sarvātmanā yaḥ śaraṇaṁ śaraṇyaṁ gato mukundaṁ parihṛtya kartam

Everyone is indebted to the demigods, to living entities in general, to his family, to the pitās and so on, but if one fully surrenders to Kṛṣṇa, Mukunda, who can give one liberation, even if one performs no yajñas, one is freed from all debts. Even if one does not repay his debts, he is freed from all debts if he renounces the material world for the sake of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whose lotus feet are the shelter of everyone. This is the verdict of the śāstra. Therefore Nārada Muni was completely right in instructing the sons of Prajāpati Dakṣa to renounce this material world immediately and take shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Unfortunately, Prajāpati Dakṣa, the father of the Haryaśvas and Savalāśvas, did not understand the great service rendered by Nārada Muni. Dakṣa therefore addressed him as pāpa (the personality of sinful activities) and asādhu (a nonsaintly person). Since Nārada Muni was a great saint and Vaiṣṇava, he tolerated all such accusations from Prajāpati Dakṣa. He merely performed his duty as a Vaiṣṇava by delivering all the sons of Prajāpati Dakṣa, enabling them to return home, back to Godhead.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
My sons were not at all freed from their three debts. They did not properly consider their obligations. O sinful Nārada! You have obstructed their progress toward good fortune in this world and the next. “By taking to renunciation, it is possible to cross over saṁsāra. But renunciation is not suitable for persons in household life to follow.” Śruti says: jāyamāno ha vai brāhmaṇas tribhir ṛṇavān jāyate brahmacaryeṇa ṛṣibhyo, yajñena devebhyaḥ prajayā pitṛbhyaḥ, eṣa vā anṛṇo yaḥ putrī yajñakṛt brahmacārī vāpi The brāhmaṇa has three debts by birth. By brahmacārya one repays the sages, by sacrifice one repays the devatās and by producing offspring one repays the Pitṛs. He who has sons, performs sacrifice and observes brahmacārī life has no debts. Vāsiṣṭha-dharma-śāstra My sons did not repay their debts and did not consider their karmas. They are not free from debts to the sages yet. They are not free from debts to the devatās and Pitṛs since they will not produce children or perform sacrifice. O sinner! Killer of trust! Because of renouncing material enjoyment (without paying their debts), their fortune in this life has been ruined. Fortune in next life is also ruined, because they have taken to renunciation without being qualified. Manu says: ṛṇāni trīṇy apākṛtya mano mokṣe niveśayet anapākṛtya mokṣan tu sevamāno vrajaty adhaḥ Having paid one’s three debts, the mind should enter into liberation. Not paying those debts and practicing for liberation, a person goes to hell. Manu Smṛti 6.35
Dakṣa says his sons hadn't paid their three debts to sages, demigods and ancestors — Nārada obstructed their good fortune. Pious frameworks can be used to argue against genuine bhakti.
Reflection Questions
  • Which 'three debts' framework am I using to delay deeper surrender?
  • Where am I confusing duty with destination?
📝 My note

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