Shloka 9
Dhruva-vaṁśa Continuation: Utkala’s Renunciation, Aṅga’s Sacrifice, and the Birth of Vena
Prelude to Pṛthu
आत्मानं ब्रह्म निर्वाणं प्रत्यस्तमितविग्रहम् । अवबोधरसैकात्म्यमानन्दमनुसन्ततम् ॥ ८ ॥ अव्यवच्छिन्नयोगाग्निदग्धकर्ममलाशय: । स्वरूपमवरुन्धानो नात्मनोऽन्यं तदैक्षत ॥ ९ ॥
ātmānaṁ brahma-nirvāṇaṁ pratyastamita-vigraham avabodha-rasaikātmyam ānandam anusantatam
By expansion of his knowledge of the Supreme Brahman, he had already attained liberation from the bondage of the body. This liberation is known as nirvāṇa. He was situated in transcendental bliss, and he continued always in that blissful existence, which expanded more and more. This was possible for him by continual practice of bhakti-yoga, which is compared to fire because it burns away all dirty, material things. He was always situated in his constitutional position of self-realization, and he could not see anything else but the Supreme Lord and himself engaged in discharging devotional service.
These two verses explain the verse in the Bhagavad-gītā (18.54) :
FAQs
This verse describes liberation as the cessation of material identification and the awakening of the self as Brahman, experienced as uninterrupted bliss rooted in pure spiritual awareness.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī is narrating these realizations within the Bhagavatam’s account of the royal lineage and their spiritual attainments.
Regular sādhana—hearing sacred texts, meditation on the self beyond roles, and disciplined living—helps reduce identification with temporary labels and cultivates steadier inner clarity and peace.