Shloka 25
The Deliverance of King Nṛga and the Warning Against Taking Brāhmaṇa Property
ब्रह्मण्यस्य वदान्यस्य तव दासस्य केशव । स्मृतिर्नाद्यापि विध्वस्ता भवत्सन्दर्शनार्थिन: ॥ २५ ॥
brahmaṇyasya vadānyasya tava dāsasya keśava smṛtir nādyāpi vidhvastā bhavat-sandarśanārthinaḥ
O Keśava, as Your servant I was devoted to the brāhmaṇas and generous to them, and I always longed for Your darśana. Therefore, even now my memory of my past life has not been destroyed.
Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī comments on this verse as follows: “Since King Nṛga openly declared that he had two outstanding qualities — namely devotion to the brāhmaṇas, and generosity — it is clear that he possessed these qualities only partially, since someone who is truly pure would not boast about them. It is also clear that King Nṛga considered such piety to be a separate goal, desirable for its own sake. Thus he did not fully appreciate pure devotional service to Lord Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa had not been the only goal of Nṛga’s life, as He was for Ambarīṣa Mahārāja, even in the stage of regulative practice. Nor do we find that King Nṛga overcame obstacles like those Ambarīṣa did when Durvāsā Muni became angry at him. Still, we can conclude that since Nṛga was able to see the Lord for some reason or another, he must have had the good quality of sincerely desiring the Lord’s association.”
FAQs
This verse shows that a devotee’s remembrance of Kṛṣṇa remains alive through sincere longing to see Him (bhavat-sandarśanārthinaḥ), making desire for His presence itself a form of devotion.
Sudāmā, Kṛṣṇa’s poor brāhmaṇa friend, expresses humble devotion and recalls Kṛṣṇa’s brahmaṇya (favor to brāhmaṇas) and generosity, explaining that his memory and yearning to meet Kṛṣṇa never faded.
Keep remembrance steady through daily practices that nurture “darśana-bhāva”—hearing about Kṛṣṇa, chanting His names, and approaching Him with humility, like Sudāmā’s servant-hearted mood.