FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 9.11.22

स यै: स्पृष्टोऽभिद‍ृष्टो वा संविष्टोऽनुगतोऽपि वा । कोसलास्ते ययु: स्थानं यत्र गच्छन्ति योगिन: ॥ २२ ॥
sa yaiḥ spṛṣṭo ’bhidṛṣṭo vā
[sa yaih sprishto ’bhidrishto vaa]
saṁviṣṭo ’nugato ’pi vā
[samvishto ’nugato ’pi vaa]
kosalās te yayuḥ sthānaṁ
[kosalaas te yayuh sthaanam]
yatra gacchanti yoginaḥ
[yatra gachchanti yoginah]
saḥ — He, Lord Rāmacandra yaiḥ — by which persons spṛṣṭaḥ — touched abhidṛṣṭaḥ — seen vā — either saṁviṣṭaḥ — eating together, lying together anugataḥ — followed as servants api vā — even kosalāḥ — all those inhabitants of Kosala te — they yayuḥ — departed sthānam — to the place yatra — wherein gacchanti — they go yoginaḥ — all the bhakti-yogīs..
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
sa yaiḥ spṛṣṭo ’bhidṛṣṭo vā
saḥ
He, Lord Rāmacandra
yaiḥ
by which persons
spṛṣṭaḥ
touched
abhidṛṣṭaḥ
seen
vā
either
saṁviṣṭo ’nugato ’pi vā
saṁviṣṭaḥ
eating together, lying together
kosalās te yayuḥ sthānaṁ
anugataḥ
followed as servants
api vā
even
kosalāḥ
all those inhabitants of Kosala
te
they
yatra gacchanti yoginaḥ
yayuḥ
departed
sthānam
to the place
yatra
wherein
gacchanti
they go
yoginaḥ
all the bhakti-yogīs..
Lord Rāmacandra returned to His abode, to which bhakti-yogīs are promoted. This is the place to which all the inhabitants of Ayodhyā went after they served the Lord in His manifest pastimes by offering Him obeisances, touching His lotus feet, fully observing Him as a fatherlike King, sitting or lying down with Him like equals, or even just accompanying Him.

The Lord says in Bhagavad-gītā (4.9) :

janma karma ca me divyam evaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti so ’rjuna

“One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.” Here this is confirmed. All the inhabitants of Ayodhyā who saw Lord Rāmacandra as citizens, served Him as servants, sat and talked with Him as friends or were somehow or other present during His reign went back home, back to Godhead. After giving up the body, the devotee who becomes perfect in devotional service enters that particular universe where Lord Rāmacandra or Lord Kṛṣṇa is engaged in His pastimes. Then, after being trained to serve the Lord in various capacities in that prakaṭa-līlā, the devotee is finally promoted to sanātana-dhāma, the supreme abode in the spiritual world. This sanātana-dhāma is also mentioned in Bhagavad-gītā ( paras tasmāt tu bhāvo ’nyo ’vyakto ’vyaktāt sanātanaḥ ). One who enters the transcendental pastimes of the Lord is called nitya-līlā-praviṣṭa. To understand clearly why Lord Rāmacandra returned, it is mentioned herewith that the Lord went to that particular place where the bhakti-yogīs go. The impersonalists misunderstand the statements of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam to mean that the Lord entered His own effulgence and therefore become impersonal. But the Lord is a person, and His devotees are persons. Indeed, the living entities, like the Lord, were persons in the past, they are persons in the present, and they will continue to be persons even after giving up the body. This is also confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
The inhabitants of Kosala, who touched, saw, sat together with Rāma in friendship and followed Rāma, went to Vaikuṇṭha where the devotees go. Saṁviṣṭaḥ means “sitting or lying together out of friendship.” The inhabitants of Kosala attained Vaikuṇṭha, where the bhakti-yogīs go.
All who served Rāma in any manner — by obeisance, touching His feet, observing Him as king, even just accompanying Him — go with Him to His abode. Different intensities of relationship, when offered to the Lord, all carry one home.
Reflection Questions
  • Which mode of service am I most suited to right now — obeisance, study, simple companionship?
  • Am I underestimating the power of even 'small' offerings to the Lord?
📝 My note

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