The Departure of Lord Kṛṣṇa from Hastināpura
सत्सङ्गान्मुक्तदु:सङ्गो हातुं नोत्सहते बुध: । कीर्त्यमानं यशो यस्य सकृदाकर्ण्य रोचनम् ॥ ११ ॥ तस्मिन्न्यस्तधिय: पार्था: सहेरन् विरहं कथम् । दर्शनस्पर्शसंलापशयनासनभोजनै: ॥ १२ ॥
sat-saṅgān mukta-duḥsaṅgo hātuṁ notsahate budhaḥ kīrtyamānaṁ yaśo yasya sakṛd ākarṇya rocanam
جو دانا شخص ست سنگت سے بدسنگتی سے آزاد ہو گیا ہو، وہ اُس ہستی کی کیرتی ہوئی شہرت کو—جو دلکش ہے—ایک بار سن کر بھی چھوڑنے کی ہمت نہیں کرتا۔ پھر جن پاندوؤں نے اپنی عقل و دل اُسی میں لگا دیے تھے، وہ اُس کے فراق کو کیسے سہتے، جب کہ وہ روبرو دیدار، لمس، گفتگو، ساتھ سونا، ساتھ بیٹھنا اور ساتھ کھانا جیسی قربت میں رہے تھے؟
The living being’s constitutional position is one of serving a superior. He is obliged to serve by force the dictates of illusory material energy in different phases of sense gratification. And in serving the senses he is never tired. Even though he may be tired, the illusory energy perpetually forces him to do so without being satisfied. There is no end to such sense gratificatory business, and the conditioned soul becomes entangled in such servitude without hope of release. The release is only effected by association with pure devotees. By such association one is gradually promoted to his transcendental consciousness. Thus he can know that his eternal position is to render service unto the Lord and not to the perverted senses in the capacity of lust, anger, desire to lord it over, etc. Material society, friendship and love are all different phases of lust. Home, country, family, society, wealth and all sorts of corollaries are all causes of bondage in the material world, where the threefold miseries of life are concomitant factors. By associating with pure devotees and by hearing them submissively, attachment for material enjoyment becomes slackened, and attraction for hearing about the transcendental activities of the Lord becomes prominent. Once they are, they will go on progressively without stoppage, like fire in gunpowder. It is said that Hari, the Personality of Godhead, is so transcendentally attractive that even those who are self-satisfied by self-realization and are factually liberated from all material bondage also become devotees of the Lord. Under the circumstances it is easily understood what must have been the position of the Pāṇḍavas, who were constant companions of the Lord. They could not even think of separation from Śrī Kṛṣṇa, since the attraction was more intense for them because of continuous personal contact. His remembrance by His form, quality, name, fame, pastimes, etc., is also attractive for the pure devotee, so much so that he forgets all forms, quality, name, fame and activities of the mundane world, and due to his mature association with pure devotees he is not out of contact with the Lord for a moment.
This verse says that saintly association frees one from bad company and awakens lasting attachment to the Lord, making it difficult to abandon Him.
It teaches that even hearing the Lord’s fame once—when sung in kirtana—can become deeply pleasing and spiritually attractive.
Choose regular satsanga—time with sincere devotees, sacred study, and kirtana—so the mind naturally loses taste for harmful influences.