Srimad Bhagavatam — Navama Skandha, Shloka 20
Nābhāga’s Inheritance, Śiva’s Verdict, and the Rise of Ambarīṣa—Prelude to Durvāsā’s Offense
स वै मन: कृष्णपदारविन्दयो- र्वचांसि वैकुण्ठगुणानुवर्णने । करौ हरेर्मन्दिरमार्जनादिषु श्रुतिं चकाराच्युतसत्कथोदये ॥ १८ ॥ मुकुन्दलिङ्गालयदर्शने दृशौ तद्भृत्यगात्रस्पर्शेऽङ्गसङ्गमम् । घ्राणं च तत्पादसरोजसौरभे श्रीमत्तुलस्या रसनां तदर्पिते ॥ १९ ॥ पादौ हरे: क्षेत्रपदानुसर्पणे शिरो हृषीकेशपदाभिवन्दने । कामं च दास्ये न तु कामकाम्यया यथोत्तमश्लोकजनाश्रया रति: ॥ २० ॥
sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayor vacāṁsi vaikuṇṭha-guṇānuvarṇane karau harer mandira-mārjanādiṣu śrutiṁ cakārācyuta-sat-kathodaye
Mahārāja Ambarīṣa always engaged his mind in meditating upon the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, his words in describing the glories of the Lord, his hands in cleansing the Lord’s temple, and his ears in hearing the words spoken by Kṛṣṇa or about Kṛṣṇa. He engaged his eyes in seeing the Deity of Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa’s temples and Kṛṣṇa’s places like Mathurā and Vṛndāvana, he engaged his sense of touch in touching the bodies of the Lord’s devotees, he engaged his sense of smell in smelling the fragrance of tulasī offered to the Lord, and he engaged his tongue in tasting the Lord’s prasāda. He engaged his legs in walking to the holy places and temples of the Lord, his head in bowing down before the Lord, and all his desires in serving the Lord, twenty-four hours a day. Indeed, Mahārāja Ambarīṣa never desired anything for his own sense gratification. He engaged all his senses in devotional service, in various engagements related to the Lord. This is the way to increase attachment for the Lord and be completely free from all material desires.
In Bhagavad-gītā (7.1) the Lord recommends, mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ. This indicates that one must execute devotional service under the guidance of a devotee or directly under the guidance of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is not possible, however, to train oneself without guidance from the spiritual master. Therefore, according to the instructions of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, the first business of a devotee is to accept a bona fide spiritual master who can train him to engage his various senses in rendering transcendental service to the Lord. The Lord also says in Bhagavad-gītā (7.1) , asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ māṁ yathā jñāsyasi tac chṛṇu. In other words, if one wants to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead in completeness, one must follow the prescriptions given by Kṛṣṇa by following in the footsteps of Mahārāja Ambarīṣa. It is said, hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate: bhakti means to engage the senses in the service of the master of the senses, Kṛṣṇa, who is called Hṛṣīkeśa or Acyuta. These words are used in these verses. Acyuta-sat-kathodaye, hṛṣīkeśa-padābhivandane. The words Acyuta and Hṛṣīkeśa are also used in Bhagavad-gītā. Bhagavad-gītā is kṛṣṇa-kathā spoken directly by Kṛṣṇa, and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is also kṛṣṇa-kathā because everything described in the Bhāgavatam is in relationship with Kṛṣṇa.
FAQs
This verse shows Ambarīṣa engaging mind, speech, hands, and ears—fixing the mind on Kṛṣṇa’s feet, speaking His qualities, serving His temple, and hearing His kathā—illustrating complete sense engagement in bhakti.
To establish Ambarīṣa as an ideal devotee whose fully absorbed devotional life becomes the spiritual backdrop to the Durvāsā episode in this chapter.
Dedicate daily time to hearing (kathā), chanting/speaking about Kṛṣṇa, and doing practical service; even simple acts like cleaning a sacred space and mindful remembrance align life toward bhakti.