TEXT 18
rajan patir gurur alam bhavatam yadunam
daivam priyah kula-patih kva ca kinkaro vah
astv evam anga bhagavan bhajatam mukundo
muktim dadati karhicit sma na bhakti-yogam
SYNONYMS
rajanO my dear King; patihmaintainer; guruhspiritual master; alamcertainly; bhavatamof you; yadunamthe Yadu dynasty; daivamthe worshipable Deity; priyahvery dear friend; kula-patihthe master of the dynasty; kva casometimes even; kinkarahservant; vahof you (the Pandavas); astuto be sure; evamthus; angaO King; bhagavanthe Supreme Personality of Godhead; bhajatamof those devotees engaged in service; mukundahthe Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead; muktimliberation; dadatidelivers; karhicitat any time; smaindeed; nanot; bhakti-yogamloving devotional service.
TRANSLATION
Sukadeva Gosvami continued: My dear King, the Supreme Person, Mukunda, is actually the maintainer of all the members of the Pandava and Yadu dynasties. He is your spiritual master, worshipable Deity, friend, and the director of your activities. To say nothing of this, He sometimes serves your family as a messenger or servant. This means He worked just as ordinary servants do. Those engaged in getting the Lords favor attain liberation from the Lord very easily, but He does not very easily give the opportunity to render direct service unto Him.
PURPORT
While instructing Maharaja Pariksit, Sukadeva Gosvami thought it wise to encourage the King because the King might be thinking of the glorious position of various royal dynasties. Especially glorious is the dynasty of Priyavrata, in which the Supreme Lord Rsabhadeva incarnated. Similarly, the family of Uttanapada Maharaja, the father of Maharaja Dhruva, is also glorious due to King Prthus taking birth in it. The dynasty of Maharaja Raghu is glorified because Lord Ramacandra appeared in that family. As far as the Yadu and Kuru dynasties are concerned, they existed simultaneously, but of the two, the Yadu dynasty was more glorious due to the appearance of Lord Krsna. Maharaja Pariksit might have been thinking that the Kuru dynasty was not as fortunate as the others because the Supreme Lord did not appear in that family, neither as Krsna, Lord Ramacandra, Lord Rsabhadeva or Maharaja Prthu. Therefore Pariksit Maharaja was encouraged by Sukadeva Gosvami in this particular verse.
The Kuru dynasty may be considered more glorious due to the presence of devotees like the five Pandavas, who rendered unalloyed devotional service. Although Lord Krsna did not appear in the Kuru dynasty. He was so obligated to the Pandavas devotional service that He acted as a maintainer of the family and spiritual master of the Pandavas. Although He took birth in the Yadu dynasty, Lord Krsna was more affectionate to the Pandavas. By His actions, Lord Krsna proved that He was more inclined to the Kuru dynasty than the Yadu dynasty. Indeed, Lord Krsna, indebted to the Pandavas devotional service, sometimes acted as their messenger, and He guided them through many dangerous situations. Therefore Maharaja Pariksit should not have been saddened because Lord Krsna did not appear in his family. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is always inclined toward His pure devotees, and by His action it is clear that liberation is not very important for the devotees. Lord Krsna easily gives one liberation, but He does not so easily give one the facility to become a devotee. Muktim dadati karhicit sma na bhakti-yogam. Directly or indirectly, it is proved that bhakti-yoga is the basis for the supreme relationship with the Supreme Lord. It is far superior to liberation. For a pure devotee of the Lord, mukti is automatically attained.

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