Shloka 23
The Appearance and Coronation of King Pṛthu (Pṛthu-avatāra) and His Humble Refusal of Premature Praise
तस्मात्परोक्षेऽस्मदुपश्रुतान्यलं करिष्यथ स्तोत्रमपीच्यवाच: । सत्युत्तमश्लोकगुणानुवादे जुगुप्सितं न स्तवयन्ति सभ्या: ॥ २३ ॥
tasmāt parokṣe ’smad-upaśrutāny alaṁ kariṣyatha stotram apīcya-vācaḥ saty uttamaśloka-guṇānuvāde jugupsitaṁ na stavayanti sabhyāḥ
Therefore, O gentle reciters, offer your hymns at the proper time—when the qualities you have spoken of truly manifest in me. The refined, who glorify the Supreme Lord Uttamaśloka, do not ascribe such virtues to a man in whom they are not actually present.
Gentle devotees of the Supreme Personality of Godhead know perfectly well who is God and who is not. Nondevotee impersonalists, however, who have no idea what God is and who never offer prayers to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, are always interested in accepting a human being as God and offering such prayers to him. This is the difference between a devotee and a demon. Demons manufacture their own gods, or a demon himself claims to be God, following in the footsteps of Rāvaṇa and Hiraṇyakaśipu. Although Pṛthu Mahārāja was factually an incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he rejected those praises because the qualities of the Supreme Person were not yet manifest in him. He wanted to stress that one who does not actually possess these qualities should not try to engage his followers and devotees in offering him glory for them, even though these qualities might be manifest in the future. If a man who does not factually possess the attributes of a great personality engages his followers in praising him with the expectation that such attributes will develop in the future, that sort of praise is actually an insult.
FAQs
This verse teaches that cultured people avoid contemptible flattery and instead engage in truthful glorification of Uttamaśloka (the Supreme Lord), keeping praise sincere and dharmic.
Pṛthu Mahārāja emphasizes humility: since they only knew him indirectly, he asks them not to offer elaborate eulogies, and redirects attention toward genuine glorification of the Lord rather than personal adulation.
Avoid exaggeration and personality-worship; keep appreciation honest, and prioritize kīrtana, śravaṇa, and speaking the Lord’s qualities truthfully in your community.