Shloka 17
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 says Sudāmā felt as if he had attained brahmānanda simply by entering one of Kṛṣṇa’s splendid palaces, indicating that contact with the Lord’s presence can surpass impersonal spiritual happiness.
Because he was directly experiencing the Lord’s divine opulence and sanctity—Kṛṣṇa’s home, even among the queens’ palaces, is spiritually potent and evokes transcendental joy in a devotee.
Seek closeness to God through sincere devotion—regular association with sacred practices (name, worship, scripture) can bring inner fulfillment that is not dependent on external wealth.