FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.24.34

आ स्माभिपृच्छेऽद्य पतिं प्रजानां त्वयावतीर्णर्ण उताप्तकाम: । परिव्रजत्पदवीमास्थितोऽहं चरिष्ये त्वां हृदि युञ्जन् विशोक: ॥ ३४ ॥
ā smābhipṛcche ’dya patiṁ prajānāṁ
[aa smaabhiprichche ’dya patim prajaanaam]
tvayāvatīrṇarṇa utāpta-kāmaḥ
[tvayaavateernarna utaapta-kaamah]
parivrajat-padavīm āsthito ’haṁ
[parivrajat-padaveem aasthito ’ham]
cariṣye tvāṁ hṛdi yuñjan viśokaḥ
[charishye tvaam hridi yunjan vishokah]
ā sma abhipṛcche — I am inquiring adya — now patim — the Lord prajānām — of all created beings tvayā — by You avatīrṇa-ṛṇaḥ — free from debts uta — and āpta — fulfilled kāmaḥ — desires parivrajat — of an itinerant mendicant padavīm — the path āsthitaḥ — accepting aham — I cariṣye — I shall wander tvām — You hṛdi — in my heart yuñjan — keeping viśokaḥ — free from lamentation.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
ā smābhipṛcche ’dya patiṁ prajānāṁ
ā sma abhipṛcche
I am inquiring
tvayāvatīrṇarṇa utāpta-kāmaḥ
parivrajat-padavīm āsthito ’haṁ
adya
now
patim
the Lord
prajānām
of all created beings
cariṣye tvāṁ hṛdi yuñjan viśokaḥ
tvayā
by You
avatīrṇa-ṛṇaḥ
free from debts
uta
and
āpta
fulfilled
kāmaḥ
desires
parivrajat
of an itinerant mendicant
padavīm
the path
āsthitaḥ
accepting
aham
I
cariṣye
I shall wander
tvām
You
hṛdi
in my heart
yuñjan
keeping
viśokaḥ
free from lamentation.
Today I have something to ask from You, who are the Lord of all living entities. Since I have now been liberated by You from my debts to my father, and since all my desires are fulfilled, I wish to accept the order of an itinerant mendicant. Renouncing this family life, I wish to wander about, free from lamentation, thinking always of You in my heart.

Actually, sannyāsa, or renunciation of material household life, necessitates complete absorption in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and immersion in the self. One does not take sannyāsa, freedom from family responsibility in the renounced order of life, to make another family or to create an embarrassing transcendental fraud in the name of sannyāsa. The sannyāsī’s business is not to become proprietor of so many things and amass money from the innocent public. A sannyāsī is proud that he is always thinking of Kṛṣṇa within himself. Of course, there are two kinds of devotees of the Lord. One is called goṣṭhyānandī, which means those who are preachers and have many followers for preaching the glories of the Lord and who live among those many, many followers just to organize missionary activities. Other devotees are ātmānandī, or self-satisfied, and do not take the risk of preaching work. They therefore remain alone with God. In this classification was Kardama Muni. He wanted to be free from all anxieties and remain alone within his heart with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Parivrāja means “an itinerant mendicant.” A mendicant sannyāsī should not live anywhere for more than three days. He must be always moving because his duty is to move from door to door and enlighten people about Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Now I ask something from you, the master of the progeny. I have become free of debt because of you, and fulfilled all my desires. Taking the renounced order, I will wander about without lamentation, remembering you in my heart. Now I ask for the order to renounce. Sma is without sandhi for metrical reasons. The debt, the order of my father to produce offspring, has been liquidated by your appearance. My desire is fulfilled. Accepting the path of renunciation, remembering you in my heart, I will wander about here and there. Kardama contemplated in his mind: I have been fixed in my Lord Nārāyaṇa since birth as a servant. Now, with the birth of a son, it will be hard to avoid having fatherly affection for the Lord. But the simultaneous mixture of dāsya and vāsalya is not suitable. However, the independent Lord, sinking me in the ocean of lamentation, will quickly have me renounce. Why should I not immediately renounce? I will not commit an offence to the Lord in giving him up when he appeared in my house, because the worshipable lord is dependent on worship, according to the Vaiṣṇavas. Thus one should have more eagerness for worshipping the Lord than for the Lord himself. I wish to worship him without interruption in a solitary forest, twenty-four hours a day.
Detachment in this verse is not cold rejection but clear seeing. Real renunciation is loosening the grip of 'mine' on things and people we never truly owned anyway. Its centre of gravity is Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Reflection Questions
  • Which attachment, if you were honest, has been quietly running your decisions?
  • What single 'mine' could you release this week as a small experiment?
📝 My note

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