FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 9.5.27

इत्येतत् पुण्यमाख्यानमम्बरीषस्य भूपते । सङ्कीर्तयन्ननुध्यायन् भक्तो भगवतो भवेत् ॥ २७ ॥
ity etat puṇyam ākhyānam
[ity etat punyam aakhyaanam]
ambarīṣasya bhūpate
[ambareeshasya bhoopate]
saṅkīrtayann anudhyāyan
[sankeertayann anudhyaayan]
bhakto bhagavato bhavet
[bhakto bhagavato bhavet]
iti — thus etat — this puṇyam ākhyānam — most pious activity in history ambarīṣasya — of Mahārāja Ambarīṣa bhūpate — O King (Mahārāja Parīkṣit) saṅkīrtayan — by chanting, repeating anudhyāyan — or by meditating upon bhaktaḥ — a devotee bhagavataḥ — of the Supreme Personality of Godhead bhavet — one can become.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
ity etat puṇyam ākhyānam
iti
thus
etat
this
puṇyam ākhyānam
most pious activity in history
ambarīṣasya
of Mahārāja Ambarīṣa
ambarīṣasya bhūpate
bhūpate
O King (Mahārāja Parīkṣit)
saṅkīrtayann anudhyāyan
saṅkīrtayan
by chanting, repeating
anudhyāyan
or by meditating upon
bhakto bhagavato bhavet
bhaktaḥ
a devotee
bhagavataḥ
of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
bhavet
one can become.
Anyone who chants this narration or even thinks of this narration about the activities of Mahārāja Ambarīṣa certainly becomes a pure devotee of the Lord.

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura herein gives a very good example. When one is very eager for more and more money, he is not satisfied even when he is a millionaire or a multimillionaire, but wants to earn more and more money by any means. The same mentality is present in a devotee. The devotee is never satisfied, thinking, “This is the limit of my devotional service.” The more he engages in the service of the Lord, the more service he wants to give. This is the position of a devotee. Mahārāja Ambarīṣa, in his family life, was certainly a pure devotee, complete in every respect, because his mind and all his senses were engaged in devotional service ( sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayor vacāṁsi vaikuṇṭha-guṇānuvarṇane ). Mahārāja Ambarīṣa was self-satisfied because all of his senses were engaged in devotional service ( sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam/ hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate ). Nonetheless, although Mahārāja Ambarīṣa had engaged all his senses in devotional service, he left his home and went to the forest to concentrate his mind fully at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, exactly as a mercantile man, even though complete in wealth, tries to earn more and more. This mentality of getting more and more engaged in devotional service puts one in the most exalted position. Whereas on the karma platform the mercantile man who wants more and more money becomes increasingly bound and entangled, the devotee becomes increasingly liberated.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
O King! The person who chants this narration or even thinks of this narration about the activities of Mahārāja Ambarīṣa certainly becomes a devotee of the Lord. Even a householder can concentrate his mind perfectly on the Lord as illustrated in SB 9.4.18. Devotees attracted to bhakti have the nature of a merchant greedy for a great treasure. Just as the most wealthy merchant, thinking himself to be poor, crossed the ocean to earn money, the devotee makes all efforts to gain bhakti.
Devotees are never satisfied with how much devotion they already have. The same restless hunger the world spends on money, a sincere bhakta spends on more remembrance of the Lord.
Reflection Questions
  • Where is my hunger for 'more' currently directed — money, recognition, comfort, or Kṛṣṇa?
  • What would it look like for me to be as discontent with my current bhakti as I am with my current bank balance?
📝 My note

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