Text 27]
King Citraketu Meets the Lord
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place.” As long as one is very much attached to material enjoyment, one cannot concentrate his mind on the subject matter of devotional service.
The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is progressing successfully in the Western countries at the present moment because the youth in the West have reached the stage of  vairāgya , or renunciation. They are practically disgusted with material pleasure from material sources, and this has resulted in a population of hippies throughout the Western countries. Now if these young people are instructed about  bhakti-yoga , Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the instructions will certainly be effective.
As soon as Citraketu understood the philosophy of  vairāgya-vidyā , the knowledge of renunciation, he could understand the process of  bhakti-yoga . In this regard Śrīla Śārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya has said,  vairāgya-vidyā-nija-bhakti-yoga .  Vairāgya-vidyā  and  bhakti-yoga  are parallel lines. One is essential for understanding the other. It is also said,  bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir anyatra ca  ( Bhāg.  11.2.42). Advancement in devotional service, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, is characterized by increasing renunciation of material enjoyment. Nārada Muni is the father of devotional service, and therefore, just to bestow causeless mercy upon King Citraketu, Angirā brought Nārada Muni to instruct the King. These instructions were extremely effective. Anyone who follows in the footsteps of Nārada Muni is certainly a pure devotee.
TEXT 27
चित्रकेतुस्तु तां विद्यां यथा नारदभाषिताम् ।
धारयामास सप्ताहमब्भक्षः सुसमाहितः ॥२७॥
citraketus tu tām vidyām yathā nārada-bhāṣitām dhārayām āsa saptāham ab-bhakṣaḥ susamāhitaḥ
citraketuḥ —King Citraketu;  tu —indeed;  tām —that;  vidyām —transcendental knowledge;  yathā —just as;  nārada-bhāṣitām —instructed by the great sage Nārada;  dhārayām āsa —chanted;  sapta-aham —continuously for one week;  ap-bhakṣaḥ —only drinking water;  susamāhitaḥ —with great attention and care.