Srimad Bhagavatam — Chaturtha Skandha, Shloka 13
Pṛthu Mahārāja’s Renunciation, Austerities, Departure, and the Glory of Hearing His History
एवं स वीरप्रवर: संयोज्यात्मानमात्मनि । ब्रह्मभूतो दृढं काले तत्याज स्वं कलेवरम् ॥ १३ ॥
evaṁ sa vīra-pravaraḥ saṁyojyātmānam ātmani brahma-bhūto dṛḍhaṁ kāle tatyāja svaṁ kalevaram
ដូច្នេះ ព្រះបាទ ព្រឹថុ អ្នកក្លាហានប្រសើរ បានភ្ជាប់អាត្មានៅក្នុងអាត្មា ហើយដាក់ចិត្តឲ្យមាំមួនលើផ្កាឈូកព្រះបាទរបស់ព្រះស្រីក្រឹស្ណៈ។ បន្ទាប់មក ទ្រង់ស្ថិតនៅលើស្ថានភាព ប្រាហ្ម-ភូត (brahma-bhūta) ដោយពេញលេញ ហើយនៅពេលដល់កាល ទ្រង់បានបោះបង់រាងកាយវត្ថុរបស់ទ្រង់។
According to a Bengali proverb, whatever spiritual progress one makes in life will be tested at the time of death. In Bhagavad-gītā (8.6) it is also confirmed: yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ tyajaty ante kalevaram/ taṁ tam evaiti kaunteya sadā tad-bhāva-bhāvitaḥ. Those who are practicing Kṛṣṇa consciousness know that their examination will be held at the time of death. If one can remember Kṛṣṇa at death, he is immediately transferred to Goloka Vṛndāvana, or Kṛṣṇaloka, and thus his life becomes successful. Pṛthu Mahārāja, by the grace of Kṛṣṇa, could understand that the end of his life was near, and thus he became very jubilant and proceeded to completely give up his body on the brahma-bhūta stage by practicing the yogic process. It is thoroughly described in the following verses how one can voluntarily give up this body and return home, back to Godhead. The yogic process practiced by Pṛthu Mahārāja at the time of death accelerates the giving up of this body while one is in sound health physically and mentally. Every devotee desires to give up the body while it is sound physically and mentally. This desire was also expressed by King Kulaśekhara in his Mukunda-mālā-stotra:
FAQs
This verse explains that by uniting one’s consciousness with the Supreme Self (Paramātmā) and becoming firmly established in spiritual realization (brahma-bhūta), a perfected devotee can leave the material body at the destined time.
To show the culmination of Pṛthu’s righteous rule and renunciation: after completing his duties, he perfected meditation on the Supreme within and departed without attachment, demonstrating the Bhagavatam’s ideal of duty followed by devotion and liberation.
Cultivate steady spiritual identity beyond the body through disciplined practice—hearing sacred texts, sincere devotion, and meditation on the Lord within—so that life’s changes (including death) are faced with clarity, detachment, and remembrance of God.