Shloka 16
Sudāmā Brāhmaṇa: Divine Friendship, Guru-bhakti, and the Lord’s Grace
त्रीणि गुल्मान्यतीयाय तिस्र: कक्षाश्च सद्विज: । विप्रोऽगम्यान्धकवृष्णीनां गृहेष्वच्युतधर्मिणाम् ॥ १६ ॥ गृहं द्वयष्टसहस्राणां महिषीणां हरेर्द्विज: । विवेशैकतमं श्रीमद् ब्रह्मानन्दं गतो यथा ॥ १७ ॥
trīṇi gulmāny atīyāya tisraḥ kakṣāś ca sa-dvijaḥ vipro ’gamyāndhaka-vṛṣṇīnāṁ gṛheṣv acyuta-dharmiṇām
学識あるその婆羅門は（土地の婆羅門たちに伴われて）三つの衛所を越え、三重の門をくぐり、アチュタの法に堅く立つアンダカ族とヴリシュニ族の信徒たちの家々の間を進んだ――そこは本来、誰も容易に通れぬ所である。ついに彼は、主ハリの一万六千の王妃たちの壮麗な宮殿の一つに入ったが、その瞬間、解脱のブラフマン歓喜を得たかのように感じた。
When the saintly brāhmaṇa entered the precincts of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s palaces and then actually entered one of the palaces, he completely forgot everything else, and thus his state of mind is compared to that of one who has just achieved the bliss of spiritual liberation. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī quotes from the Padma Purāṇa, Uttara-khaṇḍa, wherein we learn that the brāhmaṇa actually entered the palace of Rukmiṇī: sa tu rukmiṇy-antaḥ-pura-dvāri kṣaṇaṁ tūṣṇīṁ sthitaḥ. “He stood for a moment in silence at the doorway of Queen Rukmiṇī’s palace.”
FAQs
This verse shows that even within guarded royal quarters, a saintly devotee like Sudāmā is able to enter—highlighting that devotion, not external status, grants true access to Kṛṣṇa.
Because their household and social life were centered on Acyuta (Kṛṣṇa); their defining ‘dharma’ was service and allegiance to Him.
Sincere devotion and purity of heart open doors that prestige and power cannot—seek Kṛṣṇa through humility, faith, and bhakti rather than external credentials.