Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.87.6
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
-
bhārata-varṣe
—
in the holy land of Bhārata (India)
Compound: Bhārata + varṣa. The land specifically arranged by the Lord for sādhana — Gauḍīyas cite SB 5.19.21: 'after many births the demigods pray to be born here' precisely because karma and bhakti both operate at full pitch in Bhārata.
-
kṣemāya
—
for the welfare in this life
Dative of kṣema (safety, well-being). The Lord's tapas is for others — never for Himself. This is the signature of an avatāra: every action is parārtha, never svārtha.
-
svastaye
—
and for the welfare in the next life
Dative of svasti. Paired with kṣemāya: the avatāra arranges both ihā-loka and para-loka welfare. Gauḍīyas read this as a foreshadow of Mahāprabhu's twin gifts: the holy name (for this life) and Vraja-prema (for the next).
-
dharma
—
with maintenance of religious standards
From √dhṛ (to hold). Not 'religion' generically but that which holds the soul together with Bhagavān. Gauḍīyas read sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo (SB 1.2.6) — the highest dharma is bhakti to Adhokṣaja.
-
tapaḥ
—
austerities
From √tap (to heat). Tapas burns away the dross. Even the Lord performs tapas — not because He needs purification but to teach: no sādhana achieves Bhagavān without tapas in its proper, devotee-oriented form.
Narayana rsi was performing austerities from the beginning of the first day of Brahma (akalpat) for the welfare of men now and in next life (ksemaya svastaye).
This verse shows the reason why he is called a sage, and describes pastimes of compassion. He was situated in austerity, his sva-dharma, endowed with jñāna, dharma and śama in order to teach the people, for auspiciousness in this life (kṣemāya) and future life (maṅgalāya). Dharma means processes suitable for bhakti. Jñāna means knowledge of the Lord. Śama means contemplation of the Lord. He was so engaged from the beginning of Brahmā’s day.
This verses gives the reason for the Lord being a sage. It was his great mercy to the world. He performed penance in Bharata which is famous as the place of karma in all the worlds (asmin). aho amīṣāṁ kim akāri śobhanaṁ prasanna eṣāṁ svid uta svayaṁ hariḥ yair janma labdhaṁ nṛṣu bhāratājire mukunda-sevaupayikaṁ spṛhā hi naḥ The devatās sing: What pious acts did these residents perform, or was the Lord simply pleased with them, by which they attained a birth suitable for service to Mukunda in the area of Bhārata, whereas we can only desire this, but not attain it? SB 5.19.21 Or he performed penances there for you (asmin). Thus the word indicates the place’s auspiciousness. Vai means famous. He performed penance for liberation (kṣemāya) and happiness (svastaye) of humanity or for the happiness in this life and the next. The penance was endowed with dharma, jñāna and was fixed on the Lord (śama). He did this personally to teach the people. This is explained in Mokṣa-dharma. Śama is what is superior to dharma and jñāna. He started the penance on the first day of Brahmā (ākalpāt).
- What long undertaking in my life have I been treating as too long?
- Where could I lengthen rather than shorten my horizon?
From the dawn of Brahmā's day Nārāyaṇa Ṛṣi sits in tapas in Bhārata — not because He needs penance, but because human beings need a model close enough to imitate. Like a king who lives among his subjects in simple cloth, so that they can see how dharma is actually worn.
The twin sages Nara and Nārāyaṇa — partial avatāras of Kṛṣṇa — perform endless austerities at Badarī, surrounded by berry trees (badarī). Nara is the eternal disciple, Nārāyaṇa the eternal teacher; together they show the proper geometry of the guru-disciple relation.
Gauḍīyas note: when Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna appear later in the Mahābhārata, they are this same pair in their next role. The tapas at Badarī is the prequel to the Gītā at Kurukṣetra; the chapter we are now reading is the Upaniṣad of that prequel.
My note
Source: vedabase.io