Shloka 8
The Pracetās Meet Lord Viṣṇu—Benedictions, Pure Prayer, and the Birth of Dakṣa
श्रीभगवानुवाच वरं वृणीध्वं भद्रं वो यूयं मे नृपनन्दना: । सौहार्देनापृथग्धर्मास्तुष्टोऽहं सौहृदेन व: ॥ ८ ॥
śrī-bhagavān uvāca varaṁ vṛṇīdhvaṁ bhadraṁ vo yūyaṁ me nṛpa-nandanāḥ sauhārdenāpṛthag-dharmās tuṣṭo ’haṁ sauhṛdena vaḥ
The Supreme Lord said: O sons of the king, may auspiciousness be yours. I am greatly pleased by the friendship among you, for you are all engaged in one dharma—devotional service. Delighted by your mutual affection, you may now ask a benediction from Me.
Since the sons of King Prācīnabarhiṣat were all united in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the Lord was very pleased with them. Each and every one of the sons of King Prācīnabarhiṣat was an individual soul, but they were united in offering transcendental service to the Lord. The unity of the individual souls attempting to satisfy the Supreme Lord or rendering service to the Lord is real unity. In the material world such unity is not possible. Even though people may officially unite, they all have different interests. In the United Nations, for instance, all the nations have their particular national ambitions, and consequently they cannot be united. Disunity between individual souls is so strong within this material world that even in a society of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, members sometimes appear disunited due to their having different opinions and leaning toward material things. Actually, in Kṛṣṇa consciousness there cannot be two opinions. There is only one goal: to serve Kṛṣṇa to one’s best ability. If there is some disagreement over service, such disagreement is to be taken as spiritual. Those who are actually engaged in the service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead cannot be disunited in any circumstance. This makes the Supreme Personality of Godhead very happy and willing to award all kinds of benediction to His devotees, as indicated in this verse. We can see that the Lord is immediately prepared to award all benedictions to the sons of King Prācīnabarhiṣat.
FAQs
In this verse, the Lord states He is pleased when devotees are united in purpose (apṛthak-dharma) and maintain mutual goodwill (sauhṛda).
Because the Pracetās performed devoted practice together and remained harmoniously united; the Lord, satisfied with their mutual friendship, invited them to ask a boon.
Cultivate cooperative relationships, avoid sectarian rivalry, and work with shared spiritual aims—such harmony is described here as something that pleases the Lord.