Shloka 23
Lord Viṣṇu Instructs Pṛthu: Forgiveness, Ātmā-Deha Viveka, and the Bhakti Ideal of Kingship
पृथुरुवाच वरान्विभो त्वद्वरदेश्वराद् बुध: कथं वृणीते गुणविक्रियात्मनाम् । ये नारकाणामपि सन्ति देहिनां तानीश कैवल्यपते वृणे न च ॥ २३ ॥
pṛthur uvāca varān vibho tvad varadeśvarād budhaḥ kathaṁ vṛṇīte guṇa-vikriyātmanām ye nārakāṇām api santi dehināṁ tān īśa kaivalya-pate vṛṇe na ca
Pṛthu said: “O Lord, among all bestowers of boons You are the supreme. Why should a wise man ask You for gifts meant for beings bewildered by nature’s modes? Such boons come even to those who suffer in hell. O Master of liberation, I do not desire even sāyujya—merging into Your existence.”
There are different kinds of benedictions according to a person’s demands. For karmīs the best benediction is promotion to the higher planetary systems, where the duration of life is very long and the standard of living and happiness is very high. There are others, namely jñānīs and yogīs, who want the benediction of merging into the existence of the Lord. This is called kaivalya. The Lord is therefore addressed as kaivalya-pati, the master or Lord of the benediction known as kaivalya. But devotees receive a different type of benediction from the Lord. Devotees are anxious neither for the heavenly planets nor for merging into the existence of the Lord. According to devotees, kaivalya, or merging into the existence of the Lord, is considered as good as hell. The word naraka means “hell.” Similarly, everyone who exists in this material world is called nāraka because this material existence itself is known as a hellish condition of life. Pṛthu Mahārāja, however, expressed that he was interested neither in the benediction desired by the karmīs nor that desired by the jñānīs and yogīs. Śrīla Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī Prabhu, a great devotee of Lord Caitanya, described that kaivalya is no better than a hellish condition of life, and as for the delights of the heavenly planets, they are factually will-o’-the-wisps, or phantasmagoria. They are not wanted by devotees. Devotees do not even care for the positions held by Lord Brahmā or Lord Śiva, nor does a devotee desire to become equal with Lord Viṣṇu. As a pure devotee of the Lord, Pṛthu Mahārāja made his position very clear.
FAQs
He considers material boons to be products of the modes of nature and says they are attainable even by those who fall into hell; therefore he seeks the Lord as the giver of liberation, not temporary rewards.
“Kaivalya-pati” means “the master of liberation”—the Supreme Lord as the ultimate source of moksha, beyond all material benedictions.
It encourages prioritizing spiritual growth and devotion over short-term gains—choosing inner freedom and God-centered life rather than chasing rewards driven by material conditioning.