Srimad Bhagavatam — Saptama Skandha, Shloka 36

Nārada’s Protection of Kayādhu and Prahlāda’s Womb-Instructions: Ātma-tattva and the Path of Bhakti

Devanagari script

तदा पुमान्मुक्तसमस्तबन्धन- स्तद्भ‍ावभावानुकृताशयाकृति: । निर्दग्धबीजानुशयो महीयसा भक्तिप्रयोगेण समेत्यधोक्षजम् ॥ ३६ ॥

Transliteration

tadā pumān mukta-samasta-bandhanas tad-bhāva-bhāvānukṛtāśayākṛtiḥ nirdagdha-bījānuśayo mahīyasā bhakti-prayogeṇa samety adhokṣajam

Translation

Then the devotee is freed from all bondage: in harmony with the Lord’s bhāva and pastimes, his mind and even his bodily nature become spiritual. By mighty practice of bhakti he draws near to Adhokṣaja, and ignorance, material consciousness, and every desire are burned to ashes, seed and all. Thus he attains shelter at the Lord’s lotus feet.

Synonyms

• tadā: then
• tadā: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (काल-अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (then)

• pumān: the man/person
• pumān: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pumān (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• mukta-samasta-bandhanaḥ: freed from all bondage
• mukta-samasta-bandhanaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mukta (√muc धातु, क्त) + samasta (प्रातिपदिक) + bandhana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: ‘समस्तबन्धनात् मुक्तः’ (freed from all bonds)

• tad-bhāva-bhāva-anukṛta-āśaya-ākṛtiḥ: whose inner disposition and form imitate His mood
• tad-bhāva-bhāva-anukṛta-āśaya-ākṛtiḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + bhāva (प्रातिपदिक) + bhāva (प्रातिपदिक) + anukṛta (anu-√kṛ धातु, क्त) + āśaya (प्रातिपदिक) + ākṛti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि: ‘तद्भावस्य भावेन अनुकृते (अनुरूपे) आशये आकृतिः यस्य सः’ (whose inner disposition and form are conformed to His mood)

• nirdagdha-bīja-anuśayaḥ: whose latent tendencies have their seed burnt
• nirdagdha-bīja-anuśayaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nirdagdha (nir-√dah धातु, क्त) + bīja (प्रातिपदिक) + anuśaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: ‘निर्दग्धं बीजं यस्य अनुशयस्य’ → ‘whose latent impressions have their seed burnt’

• mahīyasā: by the great (power)
• mahīyasā: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahīyas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन; तुलनात्मक (comparative) ‘greater/mightier’

• bhakti-prayogeṇa: by the practice/application of devotion
• bhakti-prayogeṇa: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhakti (प्रातिपदिक) + prayoga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘भक्तेः प्रयोगेण’

• sametya: having attained
• sametya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sam-√i (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (Gerund): ‘having approached/attained’

• adhokṣajam: Adhokṣaja (the Transcendent Lord)
• adhokṣajam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adhokṣaja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Purport

When a devotee is completely purified, he becomes anyābhilāṣitā-śūnya. In other words, all of his material desires become zero, being burnt to ashes, and he exists either as the Lord’s servant, friend, father, mother or conjugal lover. Because one thinks constantly in this way, one’s present material body and mind are fully spiritualized, and the needs of one’s material body completely vanish from one’s existence. An iron rod put into a fire becomes warmer and warmer, and when it is red hot it is no longer an iron rod but fire. Similarly, when a devotee constantly engages in devotional service and thinks of the Lord in his original Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he no longer has any material activities, for his body is spiritualized. Advancement in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is very powerful, and therefore even during this life such a devotee has achieved the shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord. This transcendental ecstatic existence of a devotee was completely exhibited by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. In this regard, Śrīla Madhvācārya writes as follows:

Characters & Entities

• Adhokṣaja (Supreme Lord)

FAQs

What does Srimad Bhagavatam say about bhakti burning karmic seeds?

This verse states that by powerful practice of bhakti, the latent “seed-like” impressions that generate future bondage are burned up, freeing one from all bonds and leading to attainment of the Lord (Adhokṣaja).

Why did Prahlada Maharaja teach this to his schoolmates?

Prahlada instructs the sons of demons that real freedom and perfection do not come from material power, but from devotion to the Lord, which purifies the heart and grants liberation.

How can I apply “burning the seeds of karma” in daily life?

Practice steady bhakti—hearing and chanting about the Lord, remembering Him, and serving with sincerity—so the heart’s habits and desires gradually transform and bondage-producing tendencies lose their force.