Text 18] Birth of Emperor Pariksit 629
be in any of these categories is automatically qualified by all good qualities,
and thus a mahabhagavata devotee like Maharaja Pariksit is certainly per-
fect in all respects. And because Maharaja Pariksit took his birth in the fami-
ly of Maharaja Yudhisthira, he is addressed herein as the mahabhagavata,
or the greatest of the fortunates. The family in which a mahabhagavata
takes his birth is fortunate because due to the birth of a first-grade devotee,
the members of the family, past, present and future up to one hundred
generations, become liberated by the grace of the Lord, out of respect for
His beloved devotee. Therefore, the highest benefit is done to one’s family
simply by becoming an unalloyed devotee of the Lord.
TEXT 18
ahagt sara
HAT FATT TANT LAITY ATA: |
waateat Rarer argareat AAAI: UII
yudhisthira uvaca
apy esa vamsyan rajarsin
punya-slokan mahatmanah
anuvartita svid yasasa
sadhu-vadena sattamah
$n raja—the all-good king (Maharaja Yudhisthira); uvdca—said; api—
whether; esah—this; varnsyan—family; rajarsin—of saintly kings; punya-
slokan—pious by the very name; maha-atmanah—all great souls; anuvartita
—follower; svit—it will be; yasasa—by achievements; sadhu-vadena—by
glorification; sattamah— great souls.
TRANSLATION
The good King [ Yudhisthira] inquired: O great souls, will he become
as saintly a king, as pious in his very name and as famous and glorified in
his achievements, as others who appeared in this great royal family?
PURPORT
The forefathers of King Yudhisthira were all great saintly kings, pious
and glorified by their great achievements. They were all saints on the
royal throne. And, therefore, all the members of the state were happy,
pious, well behaved, prosperous and spiritually enlightened. Under strict
