1002
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 1, Ch. 19]
order, is worse than suicide for one who desires to go back to Godhead. In other words, the transcendentalists do not generally associate with men who are too enamored by the external beauty of God's creation. By advanced knowledge in spiritual realization, the transcendentalist knows that this beautiful material world is nothing but a shadowy reflection of the reality, the kingdom of God. They are not, therefore, very much captivated by royal opulence or anything like that. But in the case of Mahārāja Parīkṣit, the situation was different. Apparently the King was condemned to death by an inexperienced  brāhmaṇa  boy, but factually he was called by the Lord to return to Him. Other transcendentalists, the great sages and mystics who assembled together because of Mahārāja Parīkṣit's fasting unto death, were quite anxious to see him, for he was going back to Godhead. Mahārāja Parīkṣit also could understand that the great sages who assembled there were all kind to his forefathers, the Pāṇḍavas, because of their devotional service of the Lord. He felt, therefore, grateful to the sages for being present there at the last stage of his life, and he felt that it was all due to the greatness of his late forefathers or grandfathers. He felt proud, therefore, that he happened to be the descendant of such great devotees. Such pride for the devotees of the Lord is certainly not equal to the puffed up sense of vanity for material prosperity. The first is reality, whereas the other is false and vain.
TEXT 14
तस्यैव मेऽधस्य परात्ररेशो 
    न्यासक्तचित्तस्य गृहेष्वभीष्णम् । 
    निर्वेदमूलो द्विजशापरूपो 
    यत्र प्रसक्तो मयमाशु धत्ते ॥१४॥
tasyaiva me'ghasya parāvareśo 
    vyāsakta-cittasya gṛheṣv abhīkṣṇam 
    nirveda-mūlo dvija-śāpa-rūpo 
    yatra prasakto bhayam āśu dhatte
tasya—his; eva—certainly; me—mine; aghasya—of the sinful; parā—transcendental; avara—mundane; īśaḥ—controller, the Supreme Lord; vyāsakta—overly attached; cittasya—of the mind; gṛheṣu—to family affairs; abhīkṣṇam—always; nirveda-mūlaḥ—the source of detachment; dvija-śāpa—cursing by the brāhmaṇa; rūpaḥ— form of; yatra—whereupon; prasaktaḥ—