Shloka 4
The Pracetās Meet Lord Viṣṇu—Benedictions, Pure Prayer, and the Birth of Dakṣa
दशवर्षसहस्रान्ते पुरुषस्तु सनातन: । तेषामाविरभूत्कृच्छ्रं शान्तेन शमयन् रुचा ॥ ४ ॥
daśa-varṣa-sahasrānte puruṣas tu sanātanaḥ teṣām āvirabhūt kṛcchraṁ śāntena śamayan rucā
When ten thousand years of severe austerity were completed, the eternal Puruṣa—the Supreme Lord—appeared before them in a most pleasing form, and by His शांत, radiant splendor He soothed the toil of their penance.
Performing ten thousand years of severe austerities does not seem a happy endeavor. Yet the devotees, the serious students of spiritual life, undergo such austerities to attain the favor of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. At that time, when the duration of life was very long, people could undergo severe austerities for thousands of years. It is said that Vālmīki, the author of Rāmāyaṇa, underwent meditational austerities for sixty thousand years. The Supreme Personality of Godhead appreciated the austerities undergone by the Pracetās, and He finally appeared before them in a pleasing form. Thus they all became satisfied and forgot the austerities they underwent. In the material world, if one is successful after hard labor, he is very pleased. Similarly, the devotee forgets all his labors and austerities as soon as he contacts the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Although Dhruva Mahārāja was only a five-year-old boy, he underwent severe austerities by eating simply dry foliage, drinking only water and taking no food. In this way, after six months he was able to see the Supreme Personality of Godhead face to face. When he saw the Lord, he forgot all his austerities and said, svāmin kṛtārtho ’smi: “My dear Lord, I am very pleased.”
FAQs
This verse states that after ten thousand years of the Pracetās’ austerities, the eternal Supreme Person manifested before them and relieved their hardship through His peaceful, radiant presence.
In the narrative, the Pracetās performed prolonged, intense tapasya with devotion; the Lord, pleased with their spiritual endeavor, granted them darśana and pacified the strain of their austerities.
Steady spiritual practice done with devotion may feel difficult, but this verse emphasizes that divine grace brings inner peace—encouraging perseverance, humility, and faith during long efforts.