1000
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 1, Ch. 19]
process, and Mahārāja Parīkṣit, although honored by all the r̥ṣis and kings, welcomed all the big men in that humble etiquette in order to be excused from any offenses. Generally at the last stage of one's life this humble method is adopted by every sensible man in order to be excused before departure. In this way Mahārāja Parīkṣit implored everyone's good will for going back home, back to Godhead.
TEXT 12
सुखोपविष्टेष्वथ तेषु भूयः 
  कृतप्रणामः स्वचिकीर्षितं यत् । 
  विज्ञापयामास विविक्तचेता 
  उपस्थितोऽग्रेऽभिगृहीतपाणिः ॥१२॥
sukhopaviṣṭeṣu atha teṣu bhūyaḥ 
  kṛta-praṇāmaḥ sva-cikīrṣitam yat 
  vijñāpayāmāsa viviktacetā 
  upasthito 'gre 'bhigrhīta-pāṇiḥ
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;  
 vijñāpayāmāsa—submitted; vivikta-cetāḥ—one whose mind is detached from  
 worldly affairs; upasthitaḥ—being present; agre—before them; abhigrhīta-  
 pāṇiḥ—humbly with folded hands.
TRANSLATION
After all the r̥ṣis and others had seated themselves comfortably, the King, humbly standing before them with folded hands, told them of his decision to fast until death.
PURPORT
Although the King had already decided to fast until death on the bank of the Ganges, still he humbly expressed his decision to elicit the opinions of the great authorities present there. Any decision, however important, 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 deci-