Srimad Bhagavatam — Panchama Skandha, Shloka 12

Bharata Mahārāja’s Ideal Kingship and His Transition from Yajña to Exclusive Bhakti at Pulahāśrama

Devanagari script

तयेत्थमविरतपुरुषपरिचर्यया भगवति प्रवर्धमानानुरागभरद्रुतहृदयशैथिल्य: प्रहर्षवेगेनात्मन्युद्भ‍िद्यमानरोमपुलककुलक औत्कण्ठ्यप्रवृत्तप्रणयबाष्पनिरुद्धावलोकनयन एवं निजरमणारुणचरणारविन्दानुध्यानपरिचितभक्तियोगेन परिप्लुतपरमाह्लादगम्भीरहृदयह्रदावगाढधिषणस्तामपि क्रियमाणां भगवत्सपर्यां न सस्मार ॥ १२ ॥

Transliteration

tayettham avirata-puruṣa-paricaryayā bhagavati pravardhamānā-nurāga-bhara-druta-hṛdaya-śaithilyaḥ praharṣa-vegenātmany udbhidyamāna-roma-pulaka-kulaka autkaṇṭhya-pravṛtta-praṇaya-bāṣpa-niruddhāvaloka-nayana evaṁ nija-ramaṇāruṇa-caraṇāravindānudhyāna-paricita-bhakti-yogena paripluta-paramāhlāda-gambhīra-hṛdaya-hradāvagāḍha-dhiṣaṇas tām api kriyamāṇāṁ bhagavat-saparyāṁ na sasmāra.

Translation

Thus the most exalted devotee, Mahārāja Bharata, remained constantly engaged in the Lord’s devotional service. His love for Vāsudeva, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, increased more and more and melted his heart; therefore his attachment to regulative duties gradually fell away. The hairs of his body stood on end, ecstatic symptoms appeared, and tears of love streamed from his eyes so that he could see nothing. He continually meditated on the Lord’s reddish lotus feet; his heart, like a lake, became filled with the waters of transcendental bliss, and as his mind sank into that lake, he even forgot the regulated worship he was performing.

Synonyms

• tayā: by that
• tayā: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), एकवचन; demonstrative pronoun ‘by/with that (service)’

• ittham: thus
• ittham: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ittham (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; manner-adverb

• avirata-puruṣa-paricaryayā: by unceasing service
• avirata-puruṣa-paricaryayā: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: a-virata (प्रातिपदिक) + puruṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + paricaryā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; समासः (तत्पुरुष): ‘अविरता पुरुषपरिचर्या’ = unceasing service to the Lord/person

• bhagavati: in the Lord
• bhagavati: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhagavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण), एकवचन; ‘in/unto the Lord’

• pravardhamāna-anurāga-bhara-druta-hṛdaya-śaithilyaḥ: whose heart softened by swelling love
• pravardhamāna-anurāga-bhara-druta-hṛdaya-śaithilyaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra√vṛdh (धातु)→pravardhamāna (कृदन्त) + anurāga (प्रातिपदिक) + bhara (प्रातिपदिक) + druta (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक) + hṛdaya (प्रातिपदिक) + śaithilya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः—‘यस्य हृदय-शैथिल्यं (शिथिलता) अनुराग-भर-प्रवर्धमानेन द्रुतम्’ = whose heart’s slackening melted by the increasing weight of love

• praharṣa-vegena: by the surge of delight
• praharṣa-vegena: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: praharṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + vega (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; ‘by the rush of joy’

• ātmani: in himself
• ātmani: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; ‘in himself’

• udbhidyamāna-roma-pulaka-kulakaḥ: with goosebumps erupting
• udbhidyamāna-roma-pulaka-kulakaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ud√bhid (धातु)→udbhidyamāna (कृदन्त) + roma (प्रातिपदिक) + pulaka (प्रातिपदिक) + kulaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः—‘यस्य रोमपुलककुलकं (रोमाञ्च-समूहः) उद्भिद्यमानम्’ = whose clusters of goosebumps were arising

• autkaṇṭhya-pravṛtta-praṇaya-bāṣpa-niruddha-avaloka-nayanaḥ: eyes blocked by tears of longing
• autkaṇṭhya-pravṛtta-praṇaya-bāṣpa-niruddha-avaloka-nayanaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: autkaṇṭhya (प्रातिपदिक) + pra√vṛt (धातु)→pravṛtta (कृदन्त) + praṇaya (प्रातिपदिक) + bāṣpa (प्रातिपदिक) + ni√rudh (धातु)→niruddha (कृदन्त) + avaloka (प्रातिपदिक) + nayana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः—‘यस्य नयनम् अवलोकने (दर्शने) प्रणय-बाष्पैः (प्रेमाश्रुभिः) निरुद्धम्, औत्कण्ठ्येन प्रवृत्तम्’ = whose eyes were obstructed in seeing by love-tears arising from longing

• evam: thus
• evam: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; manner-adverb

• nija-ramaṇa-aruṇa-caraṇa-aravinda-anudhyāna-paricita-bhakti-yogena: by devotion refined by meditation on the Lord’s lotus-feet
• nija-ramaṇa-aruṇa-caraṇa-aravinda-anudhyāna-paricita-bhakti-yogena: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nija (प्रातिपदिक) + ramaṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + aruṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + caraṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + aravinda (प्रातिपदिक) + anu√dhyai (धातु)→anudhyāna (प्रातिपदिक) + pari√ci (धातु)→paricita (कृदन्त) + bhakti (प्रातिपदिक) + yoga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समाससमूहः—‘भक्तियोगेन’ विशेषितः: ‘निज-रमणस्य अरुण-चरणारविन्द-अनुध्यान-परिचितः’ = by bhakti-yoga familiar through meditation on his beloved Lord’s reddish lotus-feet

• paripluta-parama-āhlāda-gambhīra-hṛdaya-hrada-avagāḍha-dhiṣaṇaḥ: mind plunged in deep supreme bliss
• paripluta-parama-āhlāda-gambhīra-hṛdaya-hrada-avagāḍha-dhiṣaṇaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pari√plu (धातु)→paripluta (कृदन्त) + parama (प्रातिपदिक) + āhlāda (प्रातिपदिक) + gambhīra (प्रातिपदिक) + hṛdaya (प्रातिपदिक) + hrada (प्रातिपदिक) + ava√gāh (धातु)→avagāḍha (कृदन्त) + dhiṣaṇā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः—‘यस्य धिषणा (बुद्धिः/चित्तवृत्तिः) परम-आह्लाद-गम्भीर-हृदय-ह्रदे अवगाढा, तेन परिप्लुतः’ = whose mind was immersed in the deep lake of supreme bliss

• tām: that
• tām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन; ‘that (service)’

• api: even
• api: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; particle (emphasis/also/even)

• kriyamāṇām: being performed
• kriyamāṇām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛ (धातु)→kriyamāṇa (कृदन्त, कर्मणि वर्तमान)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; वर्तमानकाले कर्मणि कृदन्तः—‘being done/performed’ (qualifies saparyām)

• bhagavat-saparyām: service to the Lord
• bhagavat-saparyām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhagavat (प्रातिपदिक) + saparyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘service/worship of the Lord’

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; negation particle

• sasmāra: remembered
• sasmāra: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: smṛ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद; ‘remembered’

Purport

When one is actually advanced in ecstatic love for Kṛṣṇa, eight transcendental, blissful symptoms are manifest in the body. Those are the symptoms of perfection arising from loving service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Since Mahārāja Bharata was constantly engaged in devotional service, all the symptoms of ecstatic love were manifest in his body.

Characters & Entities

• Bharata Mahārāja
• Bhagavān (the Supreme Lord)

FAQs

What does the Srimad Bhagavatam say about the symptoms of advanced bhakti?

This verse describes classic signs of mature devotion—heart melting, goosebumps, tears of love, obstructed vision, and complete absorption in meditation on the Lord’s lotus feet.

Why did Bharata Mahārāja forget the worship he was performing?

Because his bhakti-yoga matured into deep, blissful absorption in the Lord’s lotus feet; his consciousness became so immersed in divine love that the external act of worship faded from awareness.

Practical application of this teaching in modern life?

Practice steady, uninterrupted devotion—regular japa, hearing, and service—so remembrance of the Lord becomes natural and deep, gradually softening the heart and reducing distraction.