FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.19.21

सर्वे वयं तावदिहास्महेऽथ कलेवरं यावदसौ विहाय । लोकं परं विरजस्कं विशोकं यास्यत्ययं भागवतप्रधान: ॥ २१ ॥
sarve vayaṁ tāvad ihāsmahe ’tha
[sarve vayam taavad ihaasmahe ’tha]
kalevaraṁ yāvad asau vihāya
[kalevaram yaavad asau vihaaya]
lokaṁ paraṁ virajaskaṁ viśokaṁ
[lokam param virajaskam vishokam]
yāsyaty ayaṁ bhāgavata-pradhānaḥ
[yaasyaty ayam bhaagavata-pradhaanah]
sarve — all vayam — of us tāvat — as long as iha — at this place āsmahe — shall stay atha — hereafter kalevaram — the body yāvat — so long asau — the King vihāya — giving up lokam — the planet param — the supreme virajaskam — completely free from mundane contamination viśokam — completely freed from all kinds of lamentation yāsyati — returns ayam — this bhāgavata — devotee pradhānaḥ — the foremost.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
sarve vayaṁ tāvad ihāsmahe ’tha
sarve
all
vayam
of us
tāvat
as long as
iha
at this place
āsmahe
shall stay
kalevaraṁ yāvad asau vihāya
lokaṁ paraṁ virajaskaṁ viśokaṁ
yāsyaty ayaṁ bhāgavata-pradhānaḥ
atha
hereafter
kalevaram
the body
yāvat
so long
asau
the King
vihāya
giving up
lokam
the planet
param
the supreme
virajaskam
completely free from mundane contamination
viśokam
completely freed from all kinds of lamentation
yāsyati
returns
ayam
this
bhāgavata
devotee
pradhānaḥ
the foremost.
We shall all wait here until the foremost devotee of the Lord, Mahārāja Parīkṣit, returns to the supreme planet, which is completely free from all mundane contamination and all kinds of lamentation.

Beyond the limitation of the material creation, which is compared to the cloud in the sky, there is the paravyoma, or the spiritual sky, full of planets called Vaikuṇṭhas. Such Vaikuṇṭha planets are also differently known as the Puruṣottamaloka, Acyutaloka, Trivikramaloka, Hṛṣīkeśaloka, Keśavaloka, Aniruddhaloka, Mādhavaloka, Pradyumnaloka, Saṅkarṣaṇaloka, Śrīdharaloka, Vāsudevaloka, Ayodhyāloka, Dvārakāloka and many other millions of spiritual lokas wherein the Personality of Godhead predominates; all the living entities there are liberated souls with spiritual bodies as good as that of the Lord. There is no material contamination; everything there is spiritual, and therefore there is nothing objectively lamentable. They are full of transcendental bliss, and are without birth, death, old age and disease. And amongst all the above-mentioned Vaikuṇṭhalokas, there is one supreme loka called Goloka Vṛndāvana, which is the abode of the Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa and His specific associates. Mahārāja Parīkṣit was destined to achieve this particular loka, and the great ṛṣis assembled there could foresee this. All of them consulted among themselves about the great departure of the great King, and they wanted to see him up to the last moment because they would no more be able to see such a great devotee of the Lord. When a great devotee of the Lord passes away, there is nothing to be lamented because the devotee is destined to enter into the kingdom of God. But the sorry plight is that such great devotees leave our sight, and therefore there is every reason to be sorry. As the Lord is rarely to be seen by our present eyes, so also are the great devotees. The great ṛṣis, therefore, correctly decided to remain on the spot till the last moment.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
We will all remain here until the King, the best of the devotees, gives up his body and attains the supreme planet which is without grief and passion.
Commentary

Hearing the resolve of the king, they express their resolve to the king. They consulted each other and spoke this verse.

We shall all wait here until the foremost devotee returns to the supreme planet, completely free from mundane contamination and lamentation. The witnesses commit to the entire vigil. Some endings deserve a full audience.
Reflection Questions
  • Whose vigil am I committed to seeing through?
  • Where am I leaving before the end?
📝 My note

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