Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 47

Bhakti as the Easy and Supreme Yoga: Seeing Kṛṣṇa in All and Uddhava’s Departure to Badarikāśrama

Devanagari script

ततस्तमन्तर्हृदि सन्निवेश्य गतो महाभागवतो विशालाम् । यथोपदिष्टां जगदेकबन्धुना तप: समास्थाय हरेरगाद् गतिम् ॥ ४७ ॥

Transliteration

tatas tam antar hṛdi sanniveśya gato mahā-bhāgavato viśālām yathopadiṣṭāṁ jagad-eka-bandhunā tapaḥ samāsthāya harer agād gatim

Translation

Thereupon the great devotee Uddhava placed the Lord deep within his heart and went to Badarikāśrama. There, practicing austerity as instructed by Kṛṣṇa, the only friend of the universe, he attained the supreme destination—the personal abode of Hari.

Synonyms

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रिया-विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (kāla/krama)

• tam: him
• tam: Karma (कर्म) — object of sanniveśya
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana

• antaḥ: within
• antaḥ: Deśa-viśeṣaṇa (देश-विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: antaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb/preposition-like indeclinable ‘within’

• hṛdi: in (his) heart
• hṛdi: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण) — location
• Type: Noun
• Root: hṛd (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsakaliṅga, Saptamī, Ekavacana

• sanniveśya: having installed (him)
• sanniveśya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √viś (धातु; विश् प्रवेशने) with sam-ni-
• Form: Absolutive (ktvā/ल्यप्), ‘having placed/installed’

• gataḥ: went
• gataḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया) — main predicate (with implied ‘abhavat’)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gata (कृदन्त; √gam गत्यर्थे)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; Kta-participle used as finite sense ‘went’

• mahā-bhāgavataḥ: the great devotee
• mahā-bhāgavataḥ: Karta (कर्ता) — subject (Uddhava)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + bhāgavata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; karmadhāraya ‘great devotee’

• viśālām: to the vast (state/region)
• viśālām: Karma (कर्म) — qualifier of destination
• Type: Adjective
• Root: viśālā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; agrees with (implied) ‘diśam/āśām’ or ‘gatim’ understood as feminine in some readings; here taken as object-qualifier ‘vast (path/state)’

• yathā-upadiṣṭām: as instructed
• yathā-upadiṣṭām: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa / Karma-viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yathā (अव्यय) + upadiṣṭā (कृदन्त; √diś निर्देशे with upa-)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; Kta-participle; with yathā = ‘as instructed’

• jagad-eka-bandhunā: by the sole friend of the world
• jagad-eka-bandhunā: Karaṇa (करण) / Agent-instrument — ‘by (him)’
• Type: Noun
• Root: jagat (प्रातिपदिक) + eka (प्रातिपदिक) + bandhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Tṛtīyā, Ekavacana; tatpuruṣa ‘by the sole friend of the world’

• tapaḥ: austerity/discipline
• tapaḥ: Karma (कर्म) — object of samāsthāya
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsakaliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana

• samāsthāya: having undertaken
• samāsthāya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √sthā (धातु; स्था स्थितौ) with sam-ā-
• Form: Absolutive (ktvā/ल्यप्), ‘having undertaken/entered upon’

• hareḥ: of Hari
• hareḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध) — genitive with gatim (‘the path/state of Hari’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hari (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī, Ekavacana

• agāt: attained/went to
• agāt: Kriyā (क्रिया) — main verb
• Type: Verb
• Root: √gam (धातु; गम् गतौ)
• Form: Luṅ-lakāra (aorist), Prathama-puruṣa, Ekavacana; parasmaipada

• gatim: the destination/state
• gatim: Karma (कर्म) — object of agāt
• Type: Noun
• Root: gati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana

Purport

Śrī Uddhava returned to Dvārakā in the spiritual sky, according to Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura.

Characters & Entities

• Uddhava
• Hari
• Śrī Kṛṣṇa

FAQs

What does Srimad Bhagavatam 11.29.47 say about attaining the supreme destination of Hari?

It states that by fixing the Lord within the heart and faithfully following His instructions—supported by austerity and steady devotion—a great devotee attains Hari’s supreme destination.

Why did Uddhava go to the forest after receiving Krishna’s instructions in Canto 11?

After internalizing the Lord in his heart, Uddhava withdrew from worldly association to live as instructed, practicing tapas and single-minded bhakti, culminating in attaining Hari’s supreme goal.

How can ‘fixing the Lord in the heart’ be practiced in modern life?

By daily remembrance through japa and prayer, studying Bhagavatam, aligning choices with Krishna’s teachings, and simplifying life so the mind repeatedly returns to the Lord within.