FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.25.1

मैत्रेय उवाच इति सन्दिश्य भगवान् बार्हिषदैरभिपूजित: । पश्यतां राजपुत्राणां तत्रैवान्तर्दधे हर: ॥ १ ॥
maitreya uvāca
[maitreya uvaacha]
iti sandiśya bhagavān
[iti sandishya bhagavaan]
bārhiṣadair abhipūjitaḥ
[baarhishadair abhipoojitah]
paśyatāṁ rāja-putrāṇāṁ
[pashyataam raaja-putraanaam]
tatraivāntardadhe haraḥ
[tatraivaantardadhe harah]
maitreyaḥ uvāca — the great sage Maitreya continued to speak iti — thus sandiśya — giving instruction bhagavān — the most powerful lord bārhiṣadaiḥ — by the sons of King Barhiṣat abhipūjitaḥ — being worshiped paśyatām — while they were looking on rāja-putrāṇām — the sons of the King tatra — there eva — certainly antardadhe — became invisible haraḥ — Lord Śiva.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
maitreya uvāca
maitreyaḥ uvāca
the great sage Maitreya continued to speak
iti sandiśya bhagavān
iti
thus
sandiśya
giving instruction
bhagavān
the most powerful lord
bārhiṣadair abhipūjitaḥ
bārhiṣadaiḥ
by the sons of King Barhiṣat
abhipūjitaḥ
being worshiped
paśyatāṁ rāja-putrāṇāṁ
paśyatām
while they were looking on
rāja-putrāṇām
the sons of the King
tatraivāntardadhe haraḥ
tatra
there
eva
certainly
antardadhe
became invisible
haraḥ
Lord Śiva.
The great sage Maitreya continued speaking to Vidura: My dear Vidura, in this way Lord Śiva instructed the sons of King Barhiṣat. The sons of the King also worshiped Lord Śiva with great devotion and respect. Finally, Lord Śiva became invisible to the princes.

This chapter contains a great lesson concerning the monarchical kingdom in the days of yore. When King Barhiṣat was considering retiring from the royal duties, he sent his sons to perform austerities in order to become perfect kings for the welfare of the citizens. At the same time, King Barhiṣat was being instructed by the great sage Nārada about the material world and the living entity who wants to enjoy it. It is therefore very clear how the kings and princes were trained to take charge of a kingdom. Welfare activities for the benefit of the citizens were aimed at understanding the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The human form of life is especially meant for understanding God, our relationship with Him and our activities in His service. Because the kings took charge of the spiritual education of the citizens, both the king and the citizens were happy in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. In this regard, we should remember that the monarchical hierarchy of Prācīnabarhiṣat comes from Mahārāja Dhruva, a great devotee of the Lord and the most celebrated disciple of Nārada Muni. King Prācīnabarhiṣat was then too much engaged in fruitive activities due to performing different types of yajñas. One can actually be promoted to higher planetary systems or to the heavenly kingdoms by performing various yajñas, but there is no question of liberation or going back home, back to Godhead. When the great sage Nārada saw that a descendant of Mahārāja Dhruva was being misled by fruitive activities, Nārada took compassion upon him and personally came to instruct him about the ultimate benediction of life, bhakti-yoga. How Nārada Muni indirectly introduced the bhakti-yoga system to King Prācīnabarhiṣat is very interestingly described in this Twenty-fifth Chapter.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Maitreya said: After instructing the sons of King Barhiṣat and being worshipped by them, Śiva disappeared while they watched. Starting from the Twenty-fifth Chapter, for five chapters, Nārada awakens King Barhiṣat, who is absorbed in karma-yoga, using the story of King Purañjana. In the Twenty-fifth Chapter King Purañjana meets his wife in his city with nine gates and enjoys with her.
Śiva instructs the princes; they worship him; Śiva becomes invisible. The teacher's disappearance after teaching is its own gift; the student must now stand alone with what was given.
Reflection Questions
  • When did a teacher 'become invisible' to me, leaving me to integrate the teaching?
  • Where am I clinging to the visible teacher when the invisible teaching is what I should be working with?
📝 My note

← Read full Chapter 25