स पुण्यकर्मा भवने द्विजर्षभः पितामहं सानुचरं ददर्श ह॥
पितामहश्चापि समीक्ष्य तं द्विजं ननन्द सुस्वागतमित्युवाच ह॥
sa puṇya-karmā bhavane dvija-rṣabhaḥ
pitāmahaṁ sānucaraṁ dadarśa ha
pitāmahaś cāpi samīkṣya taṁ dvijaṁ
nananda susvāgatam ity uvāca ha
saḥ = Śarabhaṅga; puṇya-karmā = who [only] engaged in pious activities; bhavane = in His residence; dvija-ṛṣabhaḥ = the best of the twice-born; pitāmaham = the [supreme] grandsire Nārāyaṇa; sa-anucaram = along with His attendants; dadarśa ha = saw; pitāmahaḥ = the [supreme] grandsire; ca api = also; samīkṣya = upon seeing; tam = the; dvijam = twice-born; nananda = became delighted; susvāgatam iti = welcome; uvāca ha = [and] told [him].
The best of the twice-born Śarabhaṅga, who [only] engaged in pious activities, saw the [supreme] grandsire Nārāyaṇa in His residence along with His attendants.1 Upon seeing the twice-born, the [supreme] grandsire also became delighted [and] told [him], “Welcome!”
[1] bālo ’tha pañcadaśabhis triṁśadbhis tu kumārakaḥ. (Ratnākara)
1 Rāmāyaṇa-bhūṣaṇa: atra pitāmaha-śabdo ’pi savigraha-paramātma-paraḥ.
All this took place because Śarabhaṅga waited for the presence of Lord Rāma.
GLOSS. The sage passed through Brahmaloka on his way [to Vaikuṇṭha]. Śrī Madhvācārya has noted that Lord Rāma gave the sage [residence in] His own abode:
āsīc ca tatra śarabhaṅga iti sma jīrṇo
lokaṁ harer jigamiṣur munir ugra-tejāḥ
tenādaropahṛta-sārghya-saparyayā sa
prīto dadau nija-padaṁ paramaṁ rameśaḥ
“A sage named Śarabhaṅga lived in Daṇḍakāraṇya. He was old, filled with fierce prowess and desired to attain Lord Hari’s abode. Pleased with the arghya and worship offered by Śarabhaṅga, the husband of the goddess of fortune gave [him residence in] His supreme abode.”
dharmo yato ’sya vanagasya nitānta-śakti-
hrāse sva-dharma-karaṇasya hutāśanādau
dehātyayaḥ sa tata eva tanuṁ nijāgnau
santyajya rāma-purataḥ prayayau pareśam
“Because this vānaprastha’s capacity to carry out his svadharma had extremely reduced, his dharma was to leave his body by entering into fire and so forth. Therefore, he gave up his body in his sacrificial fire in front of Lord Rāma and attained the Supreme Lord [in His supreme abode].” (Mahābhārata-tātparya-nirṇaya 5.18-19)
NOTE. On the basis of the gloss, we can conclude that texts 43 and 44 also indicate that Śarabhaṅga reached Satyaloka and met Lord Brahmā, the grandsire.
But if the sage attained the Lord’s supreme abode, how can these two verses be understood to be stating that he went to Brahmaloka? The answer is that Śarabhaṅga first went to Brahmaloka where he was welcomed by Lord Brahmā and then went to Vaikuṇṭha where he was welcomed by the Supreme Lord.
That the Supreme Personality of Godhead can also be understood to be the supreme grandsire is clear from Lord Kṛṣṇa’s own statement in Bhagavad-gītā 9.17:
pitāham asya jagato mātā dhātā pitāmahaḥ
vedyaṁ pavitram oṁkāra ṛk sāma yajur eva ca
“I am the father of this universe, the mother, the support and the grandsire. I am the object of knowledge, the purifier and the syllable oṁ. I am also the Ṛg, the Sāma and the Yajur Vedas.”