Srimad Bhagavatam — Dvitiya Skandha, Shloka 1
Parīkṣit’s Full Surrender and Śukadeva’s Maṅgalācaraṇa to Kṛṣṇa
Inquiry into Creation, Maintenance, and Dissolution
सूत उवाच वैयासकेरिति वचस्तत्त्वनिश्चयमात्मन: । उपधार्य मतिं कृष्णे औत्तरेय: सतीं व्यधात् ॥ १ ॥
sūta uvāca vaiyāsaker iti vacas tattva-niścayam ātmanaḥ upadhārya matiṁ kṛṣṇe auttareyaḥ satīṁ vyadhāt
Sūta Gosvāmī dit : Mahārāja Parīkṣit, fils d’Uttarā, après avoir entendu les paroles de Śukadeva, fils de Vyāsa, qui établissaient la vérité du soi, fixa avec foi sa concentration sur le Seigneur Kṛṣṇa.
The word satīm is very significant. This means “existing” and “chaste.” And both imports are perfectly applicable in the case of Mahārāja Parīkṣit. The whole Vedic adventure is to draw one’s attention entirely unto the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa without any diversion, as instructed in the Bhagavad-gītā (15.15) . Fortunately Mahārāja Parīkṣit had already been attracted to the Lord from the very beginning of his body, in the womb of his mother. In the womb of his mother he was struck by the brahmāstra atomic bomb released by Aśvatthāmā, but by the grace of the Lord he was saved from being burnt by the fiery weapon, and since then the King continuously concentrated his mind upon Lord Kṛṣṇa, which made him perfectly chaste in devotional service. So by natural sequence he was a chaste devotee of the Lord, and when he further heard from Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī that one should worship the Lord only and no one else, even though full of all desires or desireless, his natural affection for Kṛṣṇa was strengthened. We have already discussed these topics.
FAQs
This verse shows that by deeply hearing and accepting realized teachings (tattva-niścaya) from a genuine speaker like Śukadeva, one’s mind naturally becomes fixed on Kṛṣṇa.
The Bhagavatam identifies him by his mother, Uttarā, emphasizing his Kuru lineage and the famous context of his life—saved by Kṛṣṇa and later becoming the ideal hearer of Bhagavatam.
Regularly hear authentic Bhagavatam teachings, reflect on them, and then deliberately place your attention on Kṛṣṇa—this turns spiritual knowledge into steady, pure determination.