Shloka 9
तस्मिन्महाभागवतो द्वैपायनसुहृत्सखा । लोकाननुचरन् सिद्ध आससाद यदृच्छया ॥ ९ ॥
tasmin mahā-bhāgavato dvaipāyana-suhṛt-sakhā lokān anucaran siddha āsasāda yadṛcchayā
At that time, Maitreya—the perfected sage, a great devotee of the Lord, and the friend and well-wisher of the mighty seer Kṛṣṇa-dvaipāyana Vyāsa—after wandering through many regions, arrived at that spot of his own accord.
Maitreya was one of the disciples of Maharṣi Parāśara, the father of Vyāsadeva. Thus Vyāsadeva and Maitreya were friends and mutual well-wishers. By some fortunate accident, Maitreya reached the place where Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa was resting. To meet the Lord is not an ordinary incident. Maitreya was a great sage and a learned scholar-philosopher but not a pure devotee of the Lord, and therefore his meeting with the Lord at that time may have been due to ajñāta-sukṛti, or some unknown devotional service. Pure devotees always engage in pure devotional activities, and therefore their meeting with the Lord is natural. But when those who are not up to that standard meet the Lord, it is due to the unforeseen fortune of accidental devotional service.
FAQs
Maitreya is described here as a mahā-bhāgavata (great devotee) and a siddha (perfected sage), and also as a close friend and well-wisher of Vyāsadeva.
This verse highlights that the meeting with a perfected devotee often happens yadṛcchayā—by providence—indicating divine arrangement behind genuine spiritual association.
It encourages seekers to value and act upon sincere opportunities for guidance—when authentic teachers, teachings, or devotional communities appear, one should receive them as a grace and engage seriously.