Srimad Bhagavatam — Panchama Skandha, Shloka 3
Viṣṇupadī Gaṅgā: Descent, Cosmic Pathways, and Śiva’s Praise of Saṅkarṣaṇa
तत: सप्त ऋषयस्तत्प्रभावाभिज्ञा यां ननु तपसआत्यन्तिकी सिद्धिरेतावती भगवति सर्वात्मनि वासुदेवेऽनुपरतभक्तियोगलाभेनैवोपेक्षितान्यार्थात्मगतयो मुक्तिमिवागतां मुमुक्षव इव सबहुमानमद्यापि जटाजूटैरुद्वहन्ति ॥ ३ ॥
tataḥ sapta ṛṣayas tat prabhāvābhijñā yāṁ nanu tapasa ātyantikī siddhir etāvatī bhagavati sarvātmani vāsudeve ’nuparata-bhakti-yoga-lābhenaivopekṣitānyārthātma-gatayo muktim ivāgatāṁ mumukṣava iva sabahu-mānam adyāpi jaṭā-jūṭair udvahanti.
Daraufhin bewahren die sieben großen ṛṣis, die die Wirkung dieses Wassers kennen, bis heute Ganga-Wasser ehrfürchtig in ihren jata, den Haarbüscheln auf dem Haupt. Sie sind zu dem Schluss gelangt, dass der höchste Reichtum und die letzte Vollendung aller Askese darin besteht, ununterbrochenen Bhakti-yoga zu Vāsudeva, der Seele aller, zu erlangen. Da sie diese fortwährende Hingabe gewonnen haben, vernachlässigen sie andere Wege—dharma, artha, kāma—und sogar mukti als Verschmelzung; wie die jñānīs die Verschmelzung für das Höchste halten, so nehmen diese Erhabenen Bhakti als Vollkommenheit des Lebens an.
Transcendentalists are divided into two primary groups: the nirviśeṣa-vādīs, or impersonalists, and the bhaktas, or devotees. The impersonalists do not accept spiritual varieties of life. They want to merge into the existence of the Supreme Lord in His Brahman feature (the brahmajyoti ). The devotees, however, desire to take part in the transcendental activities of the Supreme Lord. In the upper planetary system, the topmost planet is Dhruvaloka, and beneath Dhruvaloka are the seven planets occupied by the great sages, beginning with Marīci, Vasiṣṭha and Atri. All these sages regard devotional service as the highest perfection of life. Therefore they all carry the holy water of the Ganges on their heads. This verse proves that for one who has achieved the platform of pure devotional service, nothing else is important, even so-called liberation ( kaivalya ). Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī states that only by achieving pure devotional service of the Lord can one give up all other engagements as insignificant. Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī confirms his statement as follows:
FAQs
This verse states that the ultimate fruit of austerity is gaining uninterrupted bhakti-yoga to Bhagavān Vāsudeva, the Supersoul of all.
Śukadeva explains that the Saptaṛṣis, knowing the place’s spiritual potency, honor it as supremely sacred—bearing it with reverence, like liberation-seekers who cherish what grants the highest goal.
Prioritize steady devotional practice (hearing, chanting, remembering Vāsudeva) as the main “success,” and let lesser goals become secondary rather than the center of identity.