Shloka 15
Pṛthu Mahārāja Meets the Four Kumāras: Bhakti as the Boat Across Saṁsāra
तदहं कृतविश्रम्भ: सुहृदो वस्तपस्विनाम् । सम्पृच्छे भव एतस्मिन् क्षेम: केनाञ्जसा भवेत् ॥ १५ ॥
tad ahaṁ kṛta-viśrambhaḥ suhṛdo vas tapasvinām sampṛcche bhava etasmin kṣemaḥ kenāñjasā bhavet
I am fully assured that saintly persons like you are the only true friends of those who burn in the fire of material existence. Therefore I ask: in this world, by what means may we swiftly attain the supreme welfare and life’s ultimate goal?
When saintly persons go from door to door to see those who are too much materially engaged, it is to be understood that they do not go to ask anything for their personal benefit. It is a fact that saintly persons go to materialists just to give real information of the auspicious. Mahārāja Pṛthu was assured of this fact; therefore instead of wasting time by asking the Kumāras about their welfare, he preferred to inquire from them whether he could soon be relieved from the dangerous position of materialistic existence. This was not, however, a question personally for Pṛthu Mahārāja. It was raised to teach the common man that whenever one meets a great saintly person, one should immediately surrender unto him and inquire about relief from the material pains of existence. Therefore Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says, saṁsāra-viṣānale, divā-niśi hiyā jvale, juḍāite nā kainu upāya: “We are always suffering from material pangs, and our hearts are burning, but we cannot find any way out of it.” The materialistic person can also be called a tapasvī, which means someone who is always suffering from material pains. One can get rid of all these material pains only when he takes shelter of the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. This is also explained by Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura: golokera prema-dhana, hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana, rati nā janmila kene tāya. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura regretted that he did not pursue his attraction for the transcendental vibration of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. The conclusion is that all persons in this material world are suffering from material pains, and if one wants to get rid of them he must associate with saintly persons, pure devotees of the Lord, and chant the mahā-mantra: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. That is the only auspicious way for materialistic persons.
FAQs
This verse shows Pṛthu Mahārāja seeking the simplest, most direct means for real welfare in saṁsāra by approaching saintly tapasvīs—indicating that guidance from realized devotees and the path they teach (devotional life) leads to true kṣema.
As a righteous king and devotee, Pṛthu wanted the sure path to lasting good for himself and his subjects; therefore he confidentially inquired from trusted ascetics about the direct means to real security beyond worldly change.
Seek counsel from genuinely disciplined, God-centered teachers, ask sincere questions about lasting well-being (not just temporary comfort), and align daily choices with the spiritual path they recommend—especially practices of devotion and regulated living.