Shloka 16
Parīkṣit’s Vow on the Gaṅgā and the Advent of Śukadeva Gosvāmī
पुनश्च भूयाद्भगवत्यनन्ते रति: प्रसङ्गश्च तदाश्रयेषु । महत्सु यां यामुपयामि सृष्टिं मैत्र्यस्तु सर्वत्र नमो द्विजेभ्य: ॥ १६ ॥
punaś ca bhūyād bhagavaty anante ratiḥ prasaṅgaś ca tad-āśrayeṣu mahatsu yāṁ yām upayāmi sṛṣṭiṁ maitry astu sarvatra namo dvijebhyaḥ
Sekali lagi, dengan bersujud kepada semua brāhmaṇa, aku berdoa: bila aku harus lahir kembali di dunia materi, semoga cintaku teguh kepada Tuhan Kṛṣṇa Yang Tak Terbatas, semoga aku bergaul dengan para bhakta-Nya, dan semoga persahabatan bagi semua makhluk ada di mana-mana.
That a devotee of the Lord is the only perfect living being is explained herein by Mahārāja Parīkṣit. A devotee of the Lord is no one’s enemy, although there may be many enemies of a devotee. A devotee of the Lord does not like to associate with nondevotees, although he has no enmity with them. He desires association with the devotees of the Lord. This is perfectly natural because birds of the same feather mix together. And the most important function of a devotee is to have complete attachment for Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the father of all living beings. As a good son of the father behaves in a friendly way with all his other brothers, so also the devotee of the Lord, being a good son of the supreme father, Lord Kṛṣṇa, sees all other living beings in relation with the supreme father. He tries to bring back the upstart sons of the father to a saner stage and to get them to accept the supreme fatherhood of God. Mahārāja Parīkṣit was certainly going back to Godhead, but even if he were not to go back, he prayed for a pattern of life which is the most perfect way in the material world. A pure devotee does not desire the company of a personality as great as Brahmā, but he prefers the association of a petty living being, provided he is a devotee of the Lord.
FAQs
This verse shows Parīkṣit praying not only for devotion to the Lord but also for prasaṅga—close association—with those who have taken shelter of Him, indicating that bhakti is nourished by devotee association.
As he prepares for his final days and to hear transcendental knowledge, Parīkṣit honors the dvijas who preserve and transmit Vedic wisdom, acknowledging their role in guiding society and spiritual life.
Keep devotion at the center, seek uplifting company, and cultivate goodwill toward all beings through non-hatred, respectful speech, and compassionate actions—seeing everyone as part of the Lord’s creation.