Devanagari
श्रीशुक उवाच
सम्यग्व्यवसिता बुद्धिस्तव राजर्षिसत्तम । वासुदेवकथायां ते यज्जाता नैष्ठिकी रति: ॥ १५ ॥
Verse text
śrī-śuka uvāca
samyag vyavasitā buddhis
tava rājarṣi-sattama
vāsudeva-kathāyāṁ te
yaj jātā naiṣṭhikī ratiḥ
Synonyms
śrī
—
śukaḥ uvāca — Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said
;
samyak
—
completely
;
vyavasitā
—
fixed
;
buddhiḥ
—
intelligence
;
tava
—
of Your Majesty
;
rāja
—
ṛṣi — sattama — O best of rājarṣis, saintly kings
;
vāsudeva
—
kathāyām — in hearing about the topics of Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa
;
te
—
your
;
yat
—
because
;
jātā
—
developed
;
naiṣṭhikī
—
without cessation
;
ratiḥ
—
attraction or ecstatic devotional service .
Translation
Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: O Your Majesty, best of all saintly kings, because you are greatly attracted to topics of Vāsudeva, it is certain that your intelligence is firmly fixed in spiritual understanding, which is the only true goal for humanity. Because that attraction is unceasing, it is certainly sublime.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: O Your Majesty, best of all saintly kings, because you are greatly attracted to topics of Vāsudeva, it is certain that your intelligence is firmly fixed in spiritual understanding, which is the only true goal for humanity. Because that attraction is unceasing, it is certainly sublime.
Purport
Kṛṣṇa-kathā
is compulsory for the
rājarṣi,
or executive head of government. This is also mentioned in
Bhagavad-gītā
(
imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ
). Unfortunately, however, in this age the governmental power is gradually being captured by third-class and fourth-class men who have no spiritual understanding, and society is therefore very quickly becoming degraded.
Kṛṣṇa-kathā
must be understood by the executive heads of government, for otherwise how will people be happy and gain relief from the pangs of materialistic life? One who has fixed his mind in Kṛṣṇa consciousness should be understood to have very sharp intelligence in regard to the value of life. Mahārāja Parīkṣit was
rājarṣi-sattama,
the best of all saintly kings, and Śukadeva Gosvāmī was
muni-sattama,
the best of
munis.
Both of them were elevated because of their common interest in
kṛṣṇa-kathā.
The exalted position of the speaker and the audience will be explained very nicely in the next verse.
Kṛṣṇa-kathā
is so enlivening that Mahārāja Parīkṣit forgot everything material, even his personal comfort in relation to food and drink. This is an example of how the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement should spread all over the world to bring both the speaker and the audience to the transcendental platform and back home, back to Godhead.
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Because (yat) your intelligence is fixed (samyag vyavasita) you have developed fixed attachment to the Lord. "Previously you have addressed me as muni sattama, best among the munis and devotees, so this is my response, rajarsi satttama, o king among the best of rajarsis and devotees. You are called the king of the best of rsis and the devotees, because of your superior devotion to the Lord, through whose mercy you were able to withstand the power of brahma teja (astra) at the time of birth and death."
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
The last verse mentioned that Śukadeva began speaking. Now this is repeated to make it clearly understood by all listeners. Most were enthusiastic to hear, but a few were inattentive. This should be understood in other verses as well. He is addressed as Śrī-śuka because of his sweet voice caused by his profound prema. This should be understood in other texts as well. Rasa appears in the conversation by mutual affection between the speaker and listener. Śuka was overjoyed at the King’s questions. This is expressed in two verses. Your intelligence is completely fixed in topics of Vāsudeva, the Lord who appeared from Vasudeva to show all his powers. That intelligence has reached the highest level of affection (naiṣṭhikī ratiḥ). He thus addresses him as the best among all the saintly kings. Though sometimes he addresses the King to get his attention since Parīkṣit is overcome with prema on hearing the topics, sometimes he addresses him in a special manner according to the situation and topic as in this verse.