SB 1.19.12

SB 1.19.12

Devanagari

सुखोपविष्टेष्वथ तेषु भूय: कृतप्रणाम: स्वचिकीर्षितं यत् । विज्ञापयामास विविक्तचेता उपस्थितोऽग्रेऽभिगृहीतपाणि: ॥ १२ ॥

Verse text

sukhopaviṣṭeṣv atha teṣu bhūyaḥ kṛta-praṇāmaḥ sva-cikīrṣitaṁ yat vijṣāpayām āsa vivikta-cetā upasthito ’gre ’bhigṛhīta-pāṇiḥ

Synonyms

sukha happily ; upaviṣṭeṣu all sitting down ; atha thereupon ; teṣu unto them (the visitors) ; bhūyaḥ again ; kṛta praṇāmaḥ — having offered obeisances ; sva his own ; cikīrṣitam decision of fasting ; yat who ; vijṣāpayām āsa submitted ; vivikta cetāḥ — one whose mind is detached from worldly affairs ; upasthitaḥ being present ; agre before them ; abhigṛhīta pāṇiḥ — humbly with folded hands .

Translation

After all the ṛṣis and others had seated themselves comfortably, the King, humbly standing before them with folded hands, told them of his decision to fast until death.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

When they were all comfortably seated, standing in front of them, with pure heart and folded hands, he again offered respects and inquired from them concerning what he wanted to do.

Purport

Although the King had already decided to fast until death on the bank of the Ganges, he humbly expressed his decision to elicit the opinions of the great authorities present there. Any important decision, however firmly fixed, should be confirmed by some authority. That makes the matter perfect. This means that the monarchs who ruled the earth in those days were not irresponsible dictators. They scrupulously followed the authoritative decisions of the saints and sages in terms of Vedic injunction. Mahārāja Parīkṣit, as a perfect king, followed the principles by consulting the authorities, even up to the last days of his life.

Commentary (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Abhigṛhīta-pāṇiḥ means “with folded hands.”