Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Srimad Bhagavatam 1.19.31

prasantam asinam akuntha-medhasam

munim nrpo bhagavato 'bhyupetya

pranamya murdhnavahitah krtanjalir

natva gira sunrtayanvaprcchat

SYNONYMS

prasantam -- perfectly pacified; asinam -- sitting; akuntha -- without hesitation; medhasam -- one who has sufficient intelligence; munim -- unto the great sage; nrpah -- the King (Maharaja Pariksit); bhagavatah -- the great devotee; abhyupetya -- approaching him; pranamya -- bowing down; murdhna -- his head; avahitah -- properly; krta-anjalih -- with folded hands; natva -- politely; gira -- by words; sunrtaya -- in sweet voices; anvaprcchat -- inquired.

TRANSLATION

The sage Sri Sukadeva Gosvami sat perfectly pacified, intelligent and ready to answer any question without hesitation. The great devotee, Maharaja Pariksit, approached him, offered his respects by bowing before him, and politely inquired with sweet words and folded hands.

PURPORT

The gesture now adopted by Maharaja Pariksit of questioning a master is quite befitting in terms of scriptural injunctions. The scriptural injunction is that one should humbly approach a spiritual master to understand the transcendental science. Maharaja Pariksit was now prepared for meeting his death, and within the very short time of seven days he was to know the process of entering the kingdom of God. In such important cases, one is required to approach a spiritual master. There is no necessity of approaching a spiritual master unless one is in need of solving the problems of life. One who does not know how to put questions before the spiritual master has no business seeing him. And the qualification of the spiritual master is perfectly manifested in the person of Sukadeva Gosvami. Both the spiritual master and the disciple, namely Sri Sukadeva Gosvami and Maharaja Pariksit, attained perfection through the medium of Srimad-Bhagavatam. Sukadeva Gosvami learned Srimad-Bhagavatam from his father, Vyasadeva, but he had no chance to recite it. Before Maharaja Pariksit he recited Srimad-Bhagavatam and answered the questions of Maharaja Pariksit unhesitatingly, and thus both the master and the disciple got salvation.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness