FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 2.4.1

सूत उवाच वैयासकेरिति वचस्तत्त्वनिश्चयमात्मन: । उपधार्य मतिं कृष्णे औत्तरेय: सतीं व्यधात् ॥ १ ॥
sūta uvāca
[soota uvaacha]
vaiyāsaker iti vacas
[vaiyaasaker iti vachas]
tattva-niścayam ātmanaḥ
[tattva-nishchayam aatmanah]
upadhārya matiṁ kṛṣṇe
[upadhaarya matim krishne]
auttareyaḥ satīṁ vyadhāt
[auttareyah sateem vyadhaat]
sūtaḥ uvāca — Sūta Gosvāmī said vaiyāsakeḥ — of Śukadeva Gosvāmī iti — thus vacaḥ — speeches tattva-niścayam — that which verifies the truth ātmanaḥ — in the self upadhārya — just having realized matim — concentration of the mind kṛṣṇe — unto Lord Kṛṣṇa auttareyaḥ — the son of Uttarā satīm — chaste vyadhāt — applied.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
sūta uvāca
sūtaḥ uvāca
Sūta Gosvāmī said
vaiyāsakeḥ
of Śukadeva Gosvāmī
vaiyāsaker iti vacas
iti
thus
vacaḥ
speeches
tattva-niścayam ātmanaḥ
tattva-niścayam
that which verifies the truth
ātmanaḥ
in the self
upadhārya matiṁ kṛṣṇe
upadhārya
just having realized
matim
concentration of the mind
kṛṣṇe
unto Lord Kṛṣṇa
auttareyaḥ satīṁ vyadhāt
auttareyaḥ
the son of Uttarā
satīm
chaste
vyadhāt
applied.
Sūta Gosvāmī said: Mahārāja Parīkṣit, the son of Uttarā, after hearing the speeches of Śukadeva Gosvāmī, which were all about the truth of the self, applied his concentration faithfully upon Lord 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.

To become a pure devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa, two things are very much essential, namely having a chance to be born in the family of a devotee and having the blessings of a bona fide spiritual master. By the grace of Lord Kṛṣṇa, Parīkṣit Mahārāja had both opportunities. He was born in a family of such devotees as the Pāṇḍavas, and just to continue the dynasty of the Pāṇḍavas and show them special favor, the Lord specifically saved Mahārāja Parīkṣit, who later on, by the arrangement of the Lord, was cursed by the boy of a brāhmaṇa and was able to get the association of such a spiritual master as Śukadeva Gosvāmī. In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta it is said that a fortunate person, by the mercy of the spiritual master and Lord Kṛṣṇa, achieves the path of devotional service. This was perfectly applicable in the case of Mahārāja Parīkṣit. By way of being born in a family of devotees, he automatically came in touch with Kṛṣṇa, and after being so contacted he constantly remembered Him. Consequently Lord Kṛṣṇa gave the King a further chance for development in devotional service by introducing him to Śukadeva Gosvāmī, a stalwart devotee of the Lord with perfect knowledge in self-realization. And by hearing from a bona fide spiritual master, he was perfectly able to concentrate his chaste mind further upon Lord Kṛṣṇa, as a matter of course.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Sūta said: Hearing the words of Śukadeva by which he could discern the truth about the soul, Parīkṣit concentrated his mind which was always thinking of Kṛṣṇa.
Commentary

In the Fourth Chapter, Śukadeva, being asked by Parīkṣit, describes the creation through the conversation of Brahmā and Nārada, after offering respects to his guru Kṛṣṇa.

Hearing words from which he could discern the truth about the soul, he particularly (vi) concentrated his mind which was always thinking of Kṛṣṇa, because he was the son of Uttarā (auttareyaḥ). From the time that Kṛṣṇa entered her womb to save him, he remembered Kṛṣṇa. Or satīm matim can mean “undeviating mind.”

Parīkṣit hears about the soul and applies his attention to Kṛṣṇa. The whole point of hearing is application — instructions only become real when concentrated focus follows the words into actual practice.
Reflection Questions
  • What teachings have I heard recently that I have not yet applied my concentration to?
  • Where in my day could I deliberately rest my mind on Kṛṣṇa rather than on my usual default?
📝 My note

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