Shloka 28
अध्याय ३३७ — ज्ञानमार्ग-वैविध्यप्रश्नः तथा व्यासस्य नारायणोद्भवकथा
Systems of Knowledge and Vyāsa’s Nārāyaṇa-Origin
एकान्तभावोपगतास्ते भक्ता: पुरुषोत्तमम्
ekāntabhāvopagatās te bhaktāḥ puruṣottamam | te sthūlendriyair rahitā nirāhārā niḥśveṣṭā bhavanti | teṣāṃ śarīrāt manoharā sugandhiḥ nirgacchati | te bhagavataḥ ananyabhaktāḥ sahasrakiraṇavantaṃ sanātanadevaṃ bhagavantaṃ puruṣottamaṃ praviśanti ||
एकान्तभावोपगतास्ते भक्ताः पुरुषोत्तमम् । स्थूलेन्द्रियविनिर्मुक्ता निराहारा अनिष्पन्दाः । देहात् सुगन्धिरुद्गच्छेत् सततं तेषु शोभना । अनन्यभक्त्या तेऽन्ते तं प्रविशन्ति सहस्रार्चिषम् ॥
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Single-pointed, exclusive devotion (ekānta-bhāva, ananya-bhakti) transforms the practitioner: sensory restlessness falls away, bodily dependence diminishes, and the devotee ultimately attains union/abidance in the eternal Supreme Lord (Puruṣottama).
In Bhishma’s instruction in the Shanti Parva, he describes the marks and destiny of perfected devotees: they become still and sense-transcendent, exhibit a sanctified purity symbolized by a pleasant fragrance, and finally enter the radiant, eternal Lord Puruṣottama.