Text 16
sa vai tebhyo namaskṛtya
niḥsaṅgo vigata-spṛhaḥ
vāsudeve bhagavati
bhaktyā cakre manaḥ param
saḥ — he (King Rantideva); vai — indeed; tebhyaḥ — unto Lord Brahmā, Lord Śiva and the other demigods; namaḥ-kṛtya — offering obeisances; niḥsaṅgaḥ — with no ambition to take any benefit from them; vigata-spṛhaḥ — completely free from desires for material possessions; vāsudeve — unto Lord Vāsudeva; bhagavati — the Supreme Lord; bhaktyā — by devotional service; cakre — fixed; manaḥ — the mind; param — as the ultimate goal of life.
King Rantideva had no ambition to enjoy material benefits from the demigods. He offered them obeisances, but because he was factually attached to Lord Viṣṇu, Vāsudeva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he fixed his mind at Lord Viṣṇu’s lotus feet.
Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura has sung:
anya devāśraya nāi, tomāre kahinu bhāi,
ei bhakti parama karaṇa
If one wants to become a pure devotee of the Supreme Lord, one should not hanker to take benedictions from the demigods. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (7.20), kāmais tais tair hṛta-jñānāḥ prapadyante ’nya-devatāḥ: those befooled by the illusion of the material energy worship gods other than the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore, although Rantideva was personally able to see Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva, he did not hanker to take material benefits from them. Rather, he fixed his mind upon Lord Vāsudeva and rendered devotional service unto Him. This is the sign of a pure devotee, whose heart is not adulterated by material desires.
anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ
jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam
ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānu-
śīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā
“One should render transcendental loving service to the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa favorably and without desire for material profit or gain through fruitive activities or philosophical speculation. That is called pure devotional service.”