Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 5.7.8
Mukti· LiberationResponsibly Relinquishing Inherited Wealth
“Destiny fixed the time for Mahārāja Bharata’s enjoyment of material opulence at one thousand times ten thousand years. When that period was finished, he retired from family life and divided the wealth he had received from his forefathers among his sons. He left his paternal home, the reservoir of all opulence, and started for Pulahāśrama, which is situated in Hardwar. The śālagrāma-śilās are obtainable there.”
What the purport teaches
- Mahārāja Bharata’s allotted period of enjoying royal opulence was one thousand times ten thousand years.
- According to the law of dāya-bhāk, inherited property must be handed to the next generation. At retirement, Bharata properly divided his ancestral wealth among his sons.
- He then left his opulent paternal home and went to Pulaha-āśrama.
Try this today
Write down one possession entrusted to you and how you could pass it on responsibly when the time comes.
Ask yourself
What does Bharata’s orderly departure teach me about responsibility and attachment to possessions?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points, practice and question are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport. Read the full purport to go deeper.