Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 5.7.1
श्रीशुक उवाच
भरतस्तु महाभागवतो यदा भगवतावनितलपरिपालनाय सञ्चिन्तितस्तदनुशासनपर: पञ्चजनीं विश्वरूपदुहितरमुपयेमे ॥ १ ॥
śrī-śuka uvāca
[shree-shuka uvaacha]
bharatas tu mahā-bhāgavato yadā bhagavatāvani-tala-paripālanāya sañcintitas tad-anuśāsana-paraḥ pañcajanīṁ viśvarūpa-duhitaram upayeme.
[bharatas tu mahaa-bhaagavato yadaa bhagavataavani-tala-paripaalanaaya sanchintitas tad-anushaasana-parah panchajaneem vishvaroopa-duhitaram upayeme.]
Word-for-word
śrī-śukaḥ uvāca
—
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said
bharataḥ
—
Mahārāja Bharata
tu
—
but
mahā-bhāgavataḥ
—
a mahā-bhāgavata, most exalted devotee of the Lord
yadā
—
when
bhagavatā
—
by the order of his father, Lord Ṛṣabhadeva
avani-tala
—
the surface of the globe
paripālanāya
—
for ruling over
sañcintitaḥ
—
made up his mind
tat-anuśāsana-paraḥ
—
engaged in governing the globe
pañcajanīm
—
Pañcajanī
viśvarūpa-duhitaram
—
the daughter of Viśvarūpa
upayeme
—
married.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
śrī-śuka uvāca
śrī-śukaḥ uvāca
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said
bharatas tu mahā-bhāgavato yadā bhagavatāvani-tala-paripālanāya sañcintitas tad-anuśāsana-paraḥ pañcajanīṁ viśvarūpa-duhitaram upayeme.
bharataḥ
Mahārāja Bharata
tu
but
mahā-bhāgavataḥ
a mahā-bhāgavata, most exalted devotee of the Lord
yadā
when
bhagavatā
by the order of his father, Lord Ṛṣabhadeva
avani-tala
the surface of the globe
paripālanāya
for ruling over
sañcintitaḥ
made up his mind
tat-anuśāsana-paraḥ
engaged in governing the globe
pañcajanīm
Pañcajanī
viśvarūpa-duhitaram
the daughter of Viśvarūpa
upayeme
married.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued speaking to Mahārāja Parīkṣit: My dear King, Bharata Mahārāja was a topmost devotee. Following the orders of his father, who had already decided to install him on the throne, he began to rule the earth accordingly. When Bharata Mahārāja ruled the entire globe, he followed the orders of his father and married Pañcajanī, the daughter of Viśvarūpa.
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
Just as Ṛṣabha was the Lord, his son Bharata was a great devotee of the Lord. When he was entrusted by Ṛṣabha to protect the earth, he engaged in ruling, and married the daughter of Viśvarūpa named Pañcajanī.
The Seventh Chapter describes how Bharata, with strong determination, worshipped the Lord with performance of sacrifices while at home, and with flowers while in the forest. Ṛṣabhadeva was the Lord and Bharata was a great devotee of the Lord. That is indicated by the word tu (but).
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Even a topmost devotee can fulfill the order of his father — ruling a kingdom, marrying — without compromising devotion. Obedience to a worthy elder is itself devotional, not a distraction from it.
Reflection Questions
- What duty given by a worthy elder are you currently treating as an obstacle to devotion rather than as devotion itself?
- Where might fulfilling someone else's reasonable request actually deepen, not dilute, your spiritual life?
My note
Source: vedabase.io