Shloka 4

भरतचरितम्—मृगासक्ति-हेतुकः समाधिभङ्गः, जातिस्मरत्वं, रहूगण-जाḍभरत-संवादः

Devanagari script

भरतः स महीपालः सालग्रामे ऽवसत् किल योगयुक्तः समाधाय वासुदेवे मनः सदा

Transliteration

bharataḥ sa mahīpālaḥ sālagrāme 'vasat kila yogayuktaḥ samādhāya vāsudeve manaḥ sadā

Translation

That king Bharata, it is said, dwelt at Śālagrāma. Established in Yoga, he entered samādhi and kept his mind ever fixed upon Vāsudeva.

Word by Word

• bharataḥ: Bharata
• bharataḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bharata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Case 1), एकवचन

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• mahīpālaḥ: king, protector of the earth
• mahīpālaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahī (प्रातिपदिक) + pāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समास (महीपालः = पृथिव्याः पालकः)

• sālagrāme: in Śālagrāma
• sālagrāme: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sālagrāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Case 7), एकवचन

• avasat: dwelt, lived
• avasat: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vas (वस् धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• kila: indeed, it is said
• kila: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kila (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात-अव्यय (reportative: it is said/indeed)

• yoga-yuktaḥ: engaged in yoga; disciplined
• yoga-yuktaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yoga (प्रातिपदिक) + yukta (yuj धातु + क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषण (endowed with yoga)

• samādhāya: having fixed, having concentrated
• samādhāya: Purvakala-Kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sam-ā-dhā (धा धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund): having fixed/placed

• vāsudeve: in/ on Vāsudeva
• vāsudeve: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāsudeva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Case 7), एकवचन

• manaḥ: mind
• manaḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: manas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Case 2), एकवचन

• sadā: always
• sadā: Sambandha (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Bharata’s yogic residence at Śālagrāma and his steady samādhi on Vāsudeva.

Teaching: Devotional

Quality: compassionate

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: A ruler can attain yogic steadiness by gathering the mind into samādhi and keeping it constantly fixed on Vāsudeva.

Vedantic Theme: Moksha

Application: Create daily periods of undistracted meditation and remembrance of God; reduce sensory scatter, and anchor the mind in a chosen divine name/form to cultivate steadiness amid duties.

Vishishtadvaita: Exemplifies personal devotion to Vāsudeva as the means of yogic absorption, aligning mokṣa with loving, continuous God-centered consciousness rather than impersonal abstraction.

Dynasty & Genealogy

Dharma Exemplar: Ekāgratā (one-pointed devotion)

Key Kings: Bharata

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Vasudeva

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Vyuha Form: Vasudeva

Lakshmi Presence: Sri

Characters & Entities

• Bharata
• Vāsudeva
• Śālagrāma

FAQs

What is the significance of Śālagrāma in the Vishnu Purana?

In this verse, Śālagrāma is presented as Bharata’s chosen sacred dwelling where his life turns from kingship to concentrated devotion, marking it as a Vishnu-centered tīrtha conducive to yoga and worship.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the practice of yoga here?

Parāśara depicts yoga as disciplined mental integration—‘samādhāya manaḥ’—where the mind is gathered and placed steadily in Vāsudeva, showing spiritual culmination rather than mere technique.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu (Vāsudeva) in this context?

Vāsudeva is the constant object of Bharata’s contemplation, implying Vishnu as the supreme ground of liberation—one in whom the mind rests permanently through samādhi and devotion.