SB 5.8.31 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

Verse text

tasminn api kālaṁ pratīkṣamāṇaḥ saṅgāc ca bhṛśam udvigna ātma-sahacaraḥ śuṣka-parṇa-tṛṇa-vīrudhā vartamāno mṛgatva-nimittāvasānam eva gaṇayan mṛga-śarīraṁ tīrthodaka-klinnam ut-sasarja.

Synonyms

tasmin api — in that āśrama (Pulaha-āśrama) ; kālam — the end of the duration of life in the deer body ; pratīkṣamāṇaḥ — always waiting for ; saṅgāt — from association ; ca — and ; bhṛśam — constantly ; udvignaḥ — full of anxiety ; ātma — sahacaraḥ — having the Supersoul as the only constant companion (no one should think of being alone) ; śuṣka — parṇa — tṛṇa — vīrudhā — by eating only the dry leaves and herbs ; vartamānaḥ — existing ; mṛgatva — nimitta — of the cause of a deer’s body ; avasānam — the end ; eva — only ; gaṇayan — considering ; mṛga — śarīram — the body of a deer ; tīrtha — udaka — klinnam — bathing in the water of that holy place ; utsasarja — gave up .

Translation

Remaining in that āśrama, the great King Bharata Mahārāja was now very careful not to fall victim to bad association. Without disclosing his past to anyone, he remained in that āśrama and ate dry leaves only. He was not exactly alone, for he had the association of the Supersoul. In this way he waited for death in the body of a deer. Bathing in that holy place, he finally gave up that body.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

In that place, waiting for his death, greatly disturbed by bad association, taking Paramātmā as his companion, subsisting on dry leaves, grass and bushes, bathing in the holy water, and calculating how to end the cause of taking a deer body, he finally gave up that deer body. Thus ends the commentary on the Eighth Chapter of the Fifth Canto of the Bhāgavatam for the pleasure of the devotees, in accordance with the previous ācāryas. Chapter Nine Jaḍa Bharata Is Protected by Kālī

Purport

Holy places like Vṛndāvana, Hardwar, Prayāga and Jagannātha Purī are especially meant for the execution of devotional service. Vṛndāvana specifically is the most exalted and preferred holy place for Vaiṣṇava devotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa who are aspiring to return back to Godhead, the Vaikuṇṭha planets. There are many devotees in Vṛndāvana who regularly bathe in the Yamunā, and this cleanses all the contamination of the material world. By constantly chanting and hearing the holy names and pastimes of the Supreme Lord, one certainly becomes purified and becomes a fit candidate for liberation. However, if one purposefully falls victim to sense gratification, he has to be punished, at least for one lifetime, like Bharata Mahārāja. Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Fifth Canto, Eighth Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled “A Description of the Character of Bharata Mahārāja.”