Srimad Bhagavatam — Navama Skandha, Shloka 26
Purukutsa’s Rasātala Victory; Triśaṅku and Hariścandra; Rohita and Śunaḥśepha
मन: पृथिव्यां तामद्भिस्तेजसापोऽनिलेन तत् । खे वायुं धारयंस्तच्च भूतादौ तं महात्मनि । तस्मिञ्ज्ञानकलां ध्यात्वा तयाज्ञानं विनिर्दहन् ॥ २५ ॥ हित्वा तां स्वेन भावेन निर्वाणसुखसंविदा । अनिर्देश्याप्रतर्क्येण तस्थौ विध्वस्तबन्धन: ॥ २६ ॥
manaḥ pṛthivyāṁ tām adbhis tejasāpo ’nilena tat khe vāyuṁ dhārayaṁs tac ca bhūtādau taṁ mahātmani
Mahārāja Hariścandra first purified his mind, which was full of material enjoyment, by amalgamating it with the earth. Then he amalgamated the earth with water, the water with fire, the fire with the air, and the air with the sky. Thereafter, he amalgamated the sky with the total material energy, and the total material energy with spiritual knowledge. This spiritual knowledge is realization of one’s self as part of the Supreme Lord. When the self-realized spiritual soul is engaged in service to the Lord, he is eternally imperceptible and inconceivable. Thus established in spiritual knowledge, he is completely freed from material bondage.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Ninth Canto, Seventh Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled “The Descendants of King Māndhātā.”
FAQs
This verse explains that by meditating on the Supreme Soul and awakening true knowledge (jñāna), one can burn away ignorance (ajñāna) and become free from bondage, remaining situated in the inconceivable Absolute.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī speaks this in Canto 9, describing a yogic-liberative state where material identification is given up and the soul becomes situated beyond the elements, in the Supreme reality.
Practice steady meditation on the Supreme, cultivate scriptural knowledge that removes ignorance, and reduce bodily identification—so consciousness becomes calmer, freer, and more God-centered in daily life.