FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 8.23.10

नित्यं द्रष्टासि मां तत्र गदापाणिमवस्थितम् । मद्दर्शनमहाह्लादध्वस्तकर्मनिबन्धन: ॥ १० ॥
nityaṁ draṣṭāsi māṁ tatra
[nityam drashtaasi maam tatra]
gadā-pāṇim avasthitam
[gadaa-paanim avasthitam]
mad-darśana-mahāhlāda-
[mad-darshana-mahaahlaada-]
dhvasta-karma-nibandhanaḥ
[dhvasta-karma-nibandhanah]
nityam — constantly draṣṭā — the seer asi — you shall be mām — unto Me tatra — there (in Sutalaloka) gadā-pāṇim — with a club in My hand avasthitam — situated there mat-darśana — by seeing Me in that form mahā-āhlāda — by the great transcendental bliss dhvasta — having been vanquished karma-nibandhanaḥ — the bondage of fruitive activities.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
nityaṁ draṣṭāsi māṁ tatra
nityam
constantly
draṣṭā
the seer
asi
you shall be
mām
unto Me
tatra
there (in Sutalaloka)
gadā-pāṇim avasthitam
gadā-pāṇim
with a club in My hand
avasthitam
situated there
mad-darśana-mahāhlāda-
mat-darśana
by seeing Me in that form
mahā-āhlāda
by the great transcendental bliss
dhvasta-karma-nibandhanaḥ
dhvasta
having been vanquished
karma-nibandhanaḥ
the bondage of fruitive activities.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead assured Prahlāda Mahārāja: You shall be able to see Me there in My usual feature with conchshell, disc, club and lotus in My hand. Because of your transcendental bliss due to always personally seeing Me, you will have no further bondage to fruitive activities.

Karma-bandha, the bondage of fruitive activities, entails the repetition of birth and death. One performs fruitive activities in such a way that he creates another body for his next life. As long as one is attached to fruitive activities, he must accept another material body. This repeated acceptance of material bodies is called saṁsāra-bandhana. To stop this, a devotee is advised to see the Supreme Lord constantly. The kaniṣṭha-adhikārī, or neophyte devotee, is therefore advised to visit the temple every day and see the form of the Lord regularly. Thus the neophyte devotee can be freed from the bondage of fruitive activities.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
All bondage of karma has already been destroyed by the great bliss of seeing me. Now you will constantly see me there with a club in my hand. All saṁsāra caused by bondage of karma was already destroyed the first time you experienced bliss when you first saw me.
You shall see Me there with conch, disc, club, lotus; by always personally seeing Me, you will have no further bondage to karma. Constant darśana severs karma-bandha. The cure for the cycle is His visibility.
Reflection Questions
  • Have I made constant darśana realistic in my life — at least in temple, image, or memory?
  • Where am I trying to escape karma by effort when scripture says vision is the cut?
📝 My note

← Read full Chapter 23