Shloka 24
The Birth of Mahārāja Parīkṣit and Prophecies of His Greatness
सर्वसद्गुणमाहात्म्ये एष कृष्णमनुव्रत: । रन्तिदेव इवोदारो ययातिरिव धार्मिक: ॥ २४ ॥
sarva-sad-guṇa-māhātmye eṣa kṛṣṇam anuvrataḥ rantideva ivodāro yayātir iva dhārmikaḥ
This child will follow in the footsteps of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa in the glory of all saintly virtues. In magnanimity he will be like King Rantideva, and in dharma he will be like Mahārāja Yayāti.
The last instruction of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad-gītā is that one should give up everything and should follow in the footsteps of the Lord alone. Less intelligent persons do not agree to this great instruction of the Lord, as ill luck would have it, but one who is actually intelligent catches up this sublime instruction and is immensely benefited. Foolish people do not know that association is the cause of acquiring qualities. Association with fire makes an object hot, even in the material sense. Therefore, association with the Supreme Personality of Godhead makes one qualified like the Lord. As we have discussed previously, one can achieve seventy-eight percent of the godly qualities by the Lord’s intimate association. To follow the instructions of the Lord is to associate with the Lord. The Lord is not a material object whose presence one has to feel for such association. The Lord is present everywhere and at all times. It is quite possible to have His association simply by following His instruction because the Lord and His instruction and the Lord and His name, fame, attributes and paraphernalia are all identical with Him, being absolute knowledge. Mahārāja Parīkṣit associated with the Lord even from the womb of his mother up to the last day of his valuable life, and thus he acquired all the essential good qualities of the Lord in all perfection.
FAQs
This verse highlights devotion to Kṛṣṇa (kṛṣṇam-anuvrataḥ) along with saintly virtues—especially generosity (like Rantideva) and righteousness rooted in dharma (like Yayāti).
While describing the newborn Parīkṣit’s future greatness, Śukadeva uses famous royal exemplars to indicate that Parīkṣit will embody both compassionate charity and strict adherence to dharma—anchored in devotion to Kṛṣṇa.
Live as a consistent follower of Kṛṣṇa by aligning daily choices with bhakti—keeping integrity (dharma), practicing generosity, and maintaining steady devotion through remembrance, prayer, and service.