Shloka 1

Bharata Mahārāja’s Attachment to a Deer and His Fall from Yoga

Devanagari script

श्रीशुक उवाच एकदा तु महानद्यां कृताभिषेकनैयमिकावश्यको ब्रह्माक्षरमभिगृणानो मुहूर्तत्रयमुदकान्त उपविवेश ॥ १ ॥

Transliteration

śrī-śuka uvāca ekadā tu mahā-nadyāṁ kṛtābhiṣeka-naiyamikāvaśyako brahmākṣaram abhigṛṇāno muhūrta-trayam udakānta upaviveśa.

Translation

Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: O King, one day, after completing his morning duties—evacuating, urinating, and bathing—Mahārāja Bharata sat for a short while on the bank of the great river Gaṇḍakī and began chanting his mantra, beginning with the praṇava “oṁ”, the sacred brahmākṣara.

Synonyms

• śrī-śukaḥ: Śrī Śuka
• śrī-śukaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī (प्रातिपदिक) + śuka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः—‘श्रीमान् शुकः’ = Śrī Śuka

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद; ‘said’

• ekadā: once
• ekadā: Kāla (काल/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ekadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; time-adverb

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; contrastive particle

• mahā-nadyām: in a great river
• mahā-nadyām: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + nadī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः—‘महती नदी’ = in the great river

• kṛta-abhiṣeka-naiyamika-āvaśyakaḥ: having performed the obligatory bath
• kṛta-abhiṣeka-naiyamika-āvaśyakaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛ (धातु)→kṛta (कृदन्त) + abhiṣeka (प्रातिपदिक) + naiyamika (प्रातिपदिक) + āvaśyaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः—‘यस्य नैयमिक-आवश्यकः (नित्य-नैमित्तिक कर्तव्यः) अभिषेकः कृतः’ = who had completed the obligatory ritual bath

• brahma-akṣaram: the sacred syllable (Oṁ)
• brahma-akṣaram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक) + akṣara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘the sacred syllable (brahma-akṣara = oṁ)’

• abhigṛṇānaḥ: reciting
• abhigṛṇānaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: abhi√gṝ (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले कर्तरि शानच् कृदन्तः, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘chanting/reciting’

• muhūrta-trayam: for three muhūrtas
• muhūrta-trayam: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muhūrta (प्रातिपदिक) + traya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; द्विगु—‘त्रयो मुहूर्ताः’ (a period of three muhūrtas)

• udaka-antaḥ: on the riverbank
• udaka-antaḥ: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: udaka (प्रातिपदिक) + anta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘at the water’s edge/bank’

• upaviveśa: sat down
• upaviveśa: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: upa√viś (धातु)
• Form: लिट्/लुङ्-सम्भाव्य (कथानक-परिप्रेक्ष्ये सामान्यतः लिट्-रूपम्), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद; ‘sat down’

Characters & Entities

• Śukadeva Gosvāmī

FAQs

What does the Srimad Bhagavatam say about chanting Om (praṇava)?

This verse portrays praṇava (oṁ) as “brahmākṣara,” the sacred syllable of the Absolute, to be recited as part of regulated spiritual practice after purification and daily duties.

Why is bathing in a river mentioned before spiritual recitation in the Bhagavatam?

The verse links external purification (ablution in a great river) with internal practice (recitation of the sacred syllable), reflecting the Bhagavatam’s emphasis on disciplined sādhana.

How can I apply this Bhagavatam teaching in modern life?

Set a fixed daily routine: begin with cleanliness, complete essential responsibilities, then reserve a dedicated, uninterrupted time for mantra recitation and remembrance of the Supreme.