Shloka 25
The Forest of Material Existence: Jaḍa Bharata Instructs King Rahūgaṇa
सौवीरपतिरपि सुजनसमवगतपरमात्मसतत्त्व आत्मन्यविद्याध्यारोपितां च देहात्ममतिं विससर्ज । एवं हि नृप भगवदाश्रिताश्रितानुभाव: ॥ २५ ॥
sauvīra-patir api sujana-samavagata-paramātma-satattva ātmany avidyādhyāropitāṁ ca dehātma-matiṁ visasarja; evaṁ hi nṛpa bhagavad-āśritāśritānubhāvaḥ.
After hearing Jaḍa Bharata’s instruction, King Rahūgaṇa of Sauvīra fully realized the supreme truth of the soul and completely abandoned the bodily conception superimposed by ignorance. O King, such is the glory of taking shelter of devotees who have taken shelter of Bhagavān: one who approaches the “servant of the Lord’s servant” can easily give up body-identification and become honored.
As stated in Caitanya-caritāmṛta ( Madhya 22.54) :
FAQs
This verse says bodily identification is an ignorance-based superimposition on the self, and it can be abandoned through realizing Paramātmā-tattva—especially by the influence of saintly association and devotion.
Śukadeva is instructing the King by highlighting a concrete transformation—how a ruler gave up dehātma-buddhi—showing Parīkṣit the practical potency of taking shelter of Bhagavān and His devotees.
Seek regular sādhusanga (association of sincere devotees), study Bhagavatam with humility, and practice bhakti (hearing, chanting, remembering) to weaken ego-based identity and cultivate self-understanding beyond the body.