Texts 13-15
tatra tatropaśṛṇvānaḥ
sva-pūrveṣāṁ mahātmanām
pragīyamāṇaṁ ca yaśaḥ
kṛṣṇa-māhātmya-sūcakam
ātmānaṁ ca paritrātam
aśvatthāmno ’stra-tejasaḥ
snehaṁ ca vṛṣṇi-pārthānāṁ
teṣāṁ bhaktiṁ ca keśave
tebhyaḥ parama-santuṣṭaḥ
prīty-ujjṛmbhita-locanaḥ
mahā-dhanāni vāsāṁsi
dadau hārān mahā-manāḥ
tatra tatra — everywhere the King visited; upaśṛṇvānaḥ — continuously he heard; sva-pūrveṣām — about his own forefathers; mahā-ātmanām — who were all great devotees of the Lord; pragīyamāṇam — unto those who were thus addressing; ca — also; yaśaḥ — glories; kṛṣṇa — Lord Kṛṣṇa; māhātmya — glorious acts; sūcakam — indicating; ātmānam — his personal self; ca — also; paritrātam — delivered; aśvatthāmnaḥ — of Aśvatthāmā; astra — weapon; tejasaḥ — powerful rays; sneham — affection; ca — also; vṛṣṇi-pārthānām — between descendants of Vṛṣṇi and those of Pṛthā; teṣām — of all of them; bhaktim — devotion; ca — also; keśave — unto Lord Kṛṣṇa; tebhyaḥ — unto them; parama — extremely; santuṣṭaḥ — pleased; prīti — attraction; ujjṛmbhita — pleasingly open; locanaḥ — one who has such eyes; mahā-dhanāni — valuable riches; vāsāṁsi — clothing; dadau — gave in charity; hārān — necklace; mahā-manāḥ — one who has a broader outlook.
王が訪れるとどこでも、彼はいつも彼の偉大な先祖たちの栄光を耳にした。彼の先祖たちは皆主の献身者であった。そして、同じように主クリシュナの活動の栄光も耳にした。彼はまたどんなふうにして彼自身が主によって強力な熱の兵器・アシュワッターマから守られて来たかを耳にした。人びとはまた、ヴリシュニの子孫とプリターとの間のすばらしい愛情について話し合っていた。それは主ケーシャヴァへの後者の偉大な献身のために生まれたものである。王はそのような栄光を賛美する歌手を非常に喜んだ。それで王は大きな満足で目を開けた。寛大さから彼は喜んで彼らにとても価値のあるネックレスと衣服を与えた。
Kings and great personalities of the state are presented with welcome addresses. This is a system from time immemorial, and Mahārāja Parīkṣit, since he was one of the well-known emperors of the world, was also presented with addresses of welcome in all parts of the world as he visited those places. The subject matter of those welcome addresses was Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa means Kṛṣṇa and His eternal devotees, as the king means the king and his confidential associates.
Kṛṣṇa and His unalloyed devotees cannot be separated, and therefore glorifying the devotee means glorifying the Lord and vice versa. Mahārāja Parīkṣit would not have been glad to hear about the glories of his forefathers like Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira and Arjuna had they not been connected with the acts of Lord Kṛṣṇa. The Lord descends specifically to deliver His devotees (paritrāṇāya sādhūnām). The devotees are glorified by the presence of the Lord because they cannot live for a moment without the presence of the Lord and His different energies. The Lord is present for the devotee by His acts and glories, and therefore Mahārāja Parīkṣit felt the presence of the Lord when He was glorified by His acts, especially when he was saved by the Lord in the womb of his mother. The devotees of the Lord are never in danger, but in the material world which is full of dangers at every step, the devotees are apparently placed into dangerous positions, and when they are saved by the Lord, the Lord is glorified. Lord Kṛṣṇa would not have been glorified as the speaker of the Bhagavad-gītā had His devotees like the Pāṇḍavas not been entangled in the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra. All such acts of the Lord were mentioned in the addresses of welcome, and Mahārāja Parīkṣit, in full satisfaction, rewarded those who presented such addresses. The difference between the presentation of welcome addresses today and in those days is that formerly the welcome addresses were presented to a person like Mahārāja Parīkṣit. The welcome addresses were full of facts and figures, and those who presented such addresses were sufficiently rewarded, whereas in the present days the welcome addresses are presented not always with factual statements but to please the post holder, and often they are full of flattering lies. And rarely are those who present such welcome addresses rewarded by the poor receiver.