वीरासनानुगमनस्तवनप्रणामान् ।
स्निग्धेषु पाण्डुषु जगत्प्रणतिं च विष्णोर्
भक्तिं करोति नृपतिश्चरणारविन्दे ॥१६॥
sÄrathya-pÄraá¹£ada-sevana-sakhya-dautya-
vÄ«rÄsanÄnugamana-stavana-praṇÄmÄn
snigdheá¹£u pÄṇá¸uá¹£u jagat-praṇatiá¹ ca viṣṇor
bhaktiá¹ karoti ná¹›-patiÅ› caraṇÄravinde
1 times this text was mentioned in purports to other texts: LSB(1)
sÄrathya - acceptance of the post of a chariot driver; pÄraá¹£ada - acceptance of the presidency in the assembly of the RÄjasÅ«ya sacrifice; sevana - engaging the mind constantly in the service of the Lord; sakhya - to think of the Lord as a friend; dautya - acceptance of the post of a messenger; vÄ«ra-Äsana - acceptance of the post of a watchman with a drawn sword at night; anugamana - following in the footsteps; stavana - offering of prayers; praṇÄmÄn - offering obeisances; snigdheá¹£u - unto them who are malleable to the will of the Lord; pÄṇá¸uá¹£u - unto the sons of PÄṇá¸u; jagat - the universal; praṇatim - one who is obeyed; ca - and; viṣṇoḥ - of Viṣṇu; bhaktim - devotion; karoti - does; ná¹›-patiḥ - the King; caraṇa-aravinde - unto His lotus feet.
MahÄrÄja ParÄ«ká¹£it heard that out of His causeless mercy Lord Kṛṣṇa [Viṣṇu], who is universally obeyed, rendered all kinds of service to the malleable sons of PÄṇá¸u by accepting posts ranging from chariot driver to president to messenger, friend, night watchman, etc., according to the will of the PÄṇá¸avas, obeying them like a servant and offering obeisances like one younger in years. When he heard this, MahÄrÄja ParÄ«ká¹£it became overwhelmed with devotion to the lotus feet of the Lord.
Lord Kṛṣṇa is everything to the unalloyed devotees like the PÄṇá¸avas. The Lord was for them the Supreme Lord, the spiritual master, the worshipable Deity, the guide, the chariot driver, the friend, the servant, the messenger and everything they could conceive of. And thus the Lord also reciprocated the feelings of the PÄṇá¸avas. MahÄrÄja ParÄ«ká¹£it, as a pure devotee of the Lord, could appreciate the Lord’s transcendental reciprocation of the feelings of His devotees, and thus he himself also was overwhelmed with the dealings of the Lord. Simply by appreciating the dealings of the Lord with His pure devotees, one can attain salvation. The Lord’s dealings with His devotees appear to be ordinary human dealings, but one who knows them in truth becomes at once eligible to go back home, back to Godhead. The PÄṇá¸avas were so malleable to the will of the Lord that they could sacrifice any amount of energy for the service of the Lord, and by such unalloyed determination they could secure the Lord’s mercy in any shape they desired.
