Shloka 6
Ṛṣabhadeva’s Enthronement, Exemplary Household Life, and the Birth of Bharata and the Nine Yogendras
यस्य ह पाण्डवेय श्लोकावुदाहरन्ति— को नु तत्कर्म राजर्षेर्नाभेरन्वाचरेत्पुमान् । अपत्यतामगाद्यस्य हरि: शुद्धेन कर्मणा ॥ ६ ॥
yasya ha pāṇḍaveya ślokāv udāharanti — ko nu tat karma rājarṣer nābher anv ācaret pumān apatyatām agād yasya hariḥ śuddhena karmaṇā
O descendant of the Pāṇḍavas, to glorify Mahārāja Nābhi the ancient sages spoke two verses. One declares: “Who can follow the deeds of the royal sage Nābhi? By his pure acts and devotion, Hari consented to become his son.”
The words śuddhena karmaṇā are significant in this verse. If work is not carried out in devotional service, it is contaminated by the modes of material nature. That is explained in Bhagavad-gītā: yajñārthāt karmaṇo ’nyatra loko ’yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ. Activities performed only for the satisfaction of the Supreme Lord are pure and are not contaminated by the modes of material nature. All other activities are contaminated by the modes of ignorance and passion, as well as goodness. All material activities meant for satisfying the senses are contaminated, and Mahārāja Nābhi did not perform anything contaminated. He simply executed his transcendental activities even when performing yajña. Consequently he obtained the Supreme Lord as his son.
FAQs
This verse says King Nābhi’s deeds were so pure that Lord Hari Himself accepted becoming his son, and therefore wise people praise Nābhi and urge others to follow his example.
Śukadeva is speaking to King Parīkṣit, a descendant of the Pāṇḍavas, and uses the address to personalize the teaching and connect it to Parīkṣit’s own royal duty (rāja-dharma).
By performing one’s responsibilities with purity—integrity, selflessness, and devotion—so that actions become offerings to God, cultivating a life that naturally invites divine grace.