Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.19.31

praśāntam āsīnam akuntha-medhasam

munim nripo bhāgavato 'bhyupetya

pranamya mūrdhnāvahitah kritāñjalir

natvā girā sūnritayānvapricchat

SYNONYMS

praśāntam — perfectly pacified; āsīnam — sitting; akuntha — without hesitation; medhasam — one who has sufficient intelligence; munim — unto the great sage; nripah — the King (Mahārāja Parīkshit); bhāgavatah — the great devotee; abhyupetya — approaching him; pranamya — bowing down; mūrdhnā — his head; avahitah — properly; krita-añjalih — with folded hands; natvā — politely; girā — by words; sūnritayā — in sweet voices; anvapricchat — inquired.

TRANSLATION

The sage Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī sat perfectly pacified, intelligent and ready to answer any question without hesitation. The great devotee, Mahārāja Parīkshit, approached him, offered his respects by bowing before him, and politely inquired with sweet words and folded hands.

PURPORT

The gesture now adopted by Mahārāja Parīkshit 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. Mahārāja Parīkshit 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 Śukadeva Gosvāmī. Both the spiritual master and the disciple, namely Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī and Mahārāja Parīkshit, attained perfection through the medium of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Śukadeva Gosvāmī learned Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from his father, Vyāsadeva, but he had no chance to recite it. Before Mahārāja Parīkshit he recited Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and answered the questions of Mahārāja Parīkshit unhesitatingly, and thus both the master and the disciple got salvation.

<<< >>>

Copyright ©r The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc.
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness