FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.16.25

एष स्वसद्मोपवने समेत्यसनत्कुमारं भगवन्तमेकम् आराध्य भक्त्यालभतामलं तज्ज्ञानं यतो ब्रह्म परं विदन्ति ॥ २५ ॥
eṣa sva-sadmopavane sametya
[esha sva-sadmopavane sametya]
sanat-kumāraṁ bhagavantam ekam
[sanat-kumaaram bhagavantam ekam]
ārādhya bhaktyālabhatāmalaṁ taj
[aaraadhya bhaktyaalabhataamalam taj]
jñānaṁ yato brahma paraṁ vidanti
[jnaanam yato brahma param vidanti]
eṣaḥ — this King sva-sadma — of his palace upavane — in the garden sametya — meeting sanat-kumāram — Sanat-kumāra bhagavantam — the worshipable ekam — alone ārādhya — worshiping bhaktyā — with devotion alabhata — he will achieve amalam — without contamination tat — that jñānam — transcendental knowledge yataḥ — by which brahma — spirit param — supreme, transcendental vidanti — they enjoy, they know.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
eṣa sva-sadmopavane sametya
eṣaḥ
this King
sva-sadma
of his palace
upavane
in the garden
sametya
meeting
sanat-kumāram
Sanat-kumāra
sanat-kumāraṁ bhagavantam ekam
bhagavantam
the worshipable
ekam
alone
ārādhya bhaktyālabhatāmalaṁ taj
ārādhya
worshiping
bhaktyā
with devotion
alabhata
he will achieve
amalam
without contamination
tat
that
jñānaṁ yato brahma paraṁ vidanti
jñānam
transcendental knowledge
yataḥ
by which
brahma
spirit
param
supreme, transcendental
vidanti
they enjoy, they know.
This King Pṛthu will meet Sanat-kumāra, one of the four Kumāras, in the garden of his palace compound. The King will worship him with devotion and will be fortunate to receive instructions by which one can enjoy transcendental bliss.

The word vidanti refers to one who knows something or enjoys something. When a person is properly instructed by a spiritual master and understands transcendental bliss, he enjoys life. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (18.54) , brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati: when one attains to the Brahman platform, he neither hankers nor laments, and he actually partakes of transcendental, blissful enjoyment. Although King Pṛthu was an incarnation of Viṣṇu, he nonetheless taught the people in his kingdom to take instructions from a spiritual master who represents the disciplic succession. Thus one can become fortunate and enjoy a blissful life even within this material world. In this verse the verb vidanti is sometimes taken to mean “understanding.” Thus when a person understands Brahman, or the supreme source of everything, he enjoys a blissful life.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Meeting the great Sanat-kumāra alone in his palace garden and worshipping him with devotion, Pṛthu attained spotless knowledge by which the yogīs know the supreme Brahman.
He'll meet Sanat-kumāra in the palace garden, worship him, and receive instructions on transcendental bliss. The greatest king still receives the deeper instruction from a sage; office does not substitute for guru.
Reflection Questions
  • Whose 'Sanat-kumāra' is mine, and have I sat at their feet recently?
  • Where do I rely on my position when only a teacher's instruction would actually deliver bliss?
📝 My note

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