Srimad Bhagavatam — Shashtha Skandha, Shloka 1
Prāyaścitta, the ‘Elephant Bath’ Problem, and the Opening of Ajāmila-Upākhyāna
श्रीपरीक्षिदुवाच निवृत्तिमार्ग: कथित आदौ भगवता यथा । क्रमयोगोपलब्धेन ब्रह्मणा यदसंसृति: ॥ १ ॥
śrī-parīkṣid uvāca nivṛtti-mārgaḥ kathita ādau bhagavatā yathā krama-yogopalabdhena brahmaṇā yad asaṁsṛtiḥ
श्रीपरीक्षिदुवाच—हे भगवन् शुकदेव गोस्वामिन्, भवता पूर्वमेव निवृत्तिमार्गः कथितः। तेन क्रमयोगेन ब्रह्मलोकं प्राप्य ब्रह्मणा सह परं धाम गच्छति, ततोऽस्य संसृतिः निवर्तते॥
Since Mahārāja Parīkṣit was a Vaiṣṇava, when he heard the description, at the end of the Fifth Canto, of the different hellish conditions of life, he was very much concerned with how to liberate the conditioned souls from the clutches of māyā and take them back home, back to Godhead. Therefore he reminded his spiritual master, Śukadeva Gosvāmī, about the nivṛtti-mārga, or path of liberation, which he had described in the Second Canto. Mahārāja Parīkṣit, who at the time of death was fortunate to have met Śukadeva Gosvāmī, inquired from Śukadeva Gosvāmī about the path of liberation at that crucial time. Śukadeva Gosvāmī very much appreciated his question and congratulated him by saying:
FAQs
This verse states that nivṛtti-mārga, taught by the Supreme Lord, is a route to liberation—culminating in realized spiritual truth (Brahman) and freedom from saṁsāra.
Parīkṣit is setting the philosophical frame for the coming narrative (Ajāmila): he recalls the Lord’s teaching that true freedom from bondage comes through genuine spiritual realization, not merely external acts.
Adopt steady spiritual discipline—regular hearing/reading, ethical living, and devotion—so that realization matures gradually and detachment from harmful habits naturally grows.