Shloka 6
Parīkṣit’s Vow on the Gaṅgā and the Advent of Śukadeva Gosvāmī
या वै लसच्छ्रीतुलसीविमिश्र- कृष्णाङ्घ्रिरेण्वभ्यधिकाम्बुनेत्री । पुनाति लोकानुभयत्र सेशान् कस्तां न सेवेत मरिष्यमाण: ॥ ६ ॥
yā vai lasac-chrī-tulasī-vimiśra- kṛṣṇāṅghri-reṇv-abhyadhikāmbu-netrī punāti lokān ubhayatra seśān kas tāṁ na seveta mariṣyamāṇaḥ
ഗംഗാ നദിയിലെ ജലം അതീവ പവിത്രമാണ്, കാരണം അത് ഭഗവാൻ ശ്രീകൃഷ്ണന്റെ പാദാരവിന്ദങ്ങളിലെ പൊടിയും തുളസിയിലകളും കലർന്നതാണ്. ഈ ജലം മൂന്നു ലോകങ്ങളെയും, പരമശിവനെയും മറ്റ് ദേവന്മാരെയും അകത്തും പുറത്തും ശുദ്ധീകരിക്കുന്നു. അതിനാൽ മരിക്കാൻ പോകുന്ന ഏതൊരാളും ഈ നദിയെ ആശ്രയിക്കേണ്ടതാണ്.
Mahārāja Parīkṣit, just after receiving the news of his death within seven days, at once retired from family life and shifted himself to the sacred bank of the Yamunā River. Generally it is said that the King took shelter on the bank of the Ganges, but according to Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī, the King took shelter on the bank of the Yamunā. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī’s statement appears to be more accurate because of the geographical situation. Mahārāja Parīkṣit resided in his capital Hastināpura, situated near present Delhi, and the river Yamunā flows down past the city. Naturally the King would take shelter of the river Yamunā because she was flowing past his palace door. And as far as sanctity is concerned, the river Yamunā is more directly connected with Lord Kṛṣṇa than the Ganges. The Lord sanctified the river Yamunā from the beginning of His transcendental pastimes in the world. While His father Vasudeva was crossing the Yamunā with the baby Lord Kṛṣṇa for a safe place at Gokula on the other bank of the river from Mathurā, the Lord fell down in the river, and by the dust of His lotus feet the river at once became sanctified. It is especially mentioned herein that Mahārāja Parīkṣit took shelter of that particular river which is beautifully flowing, carrying the dust of the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa, mixed with tulasī leaves. Lord Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet are always besmeared with the tulasī leaves, and thus as soon as His lotus feet contact the water of the Ganges and the Yamunā, the rivers become at once sanctified. The Lord, however, contacted the river Yamunā more than the Ganges. According to the Varāha Purāṇa, as quoted by Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī, there is no difference between the water of the Ganges and the Yamunā, but when the water of the Ganges is sanctified one hundred times, it is called the Yamunā. Similarly, it is said in the scriptures that one thousand names of Viṣṇu are equal to one name of Rāma, and three names of Lord Rāma are equal to one name of Kṛṣṇa.
FAQs
This verse says water sanctified by tulasī and the dust of Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet becomes supremely purifying and can cleanse beings across worlds—here and in the next.
Because Parīkṣit was facing imminent death, Śukadeva emphasized the most effective shelter at life’s end—devotional refuge in Kṛṣṇa, symbolized by caraṇāmṛta associated with tulasī and His lotus feet.
Cultivate daily bhakti—honor tulasī, remember Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet, and keep devotional practices central—so that at critical moments (including death) the mind naturally takes refuge in the Lord.