994 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 1, Ch. 19

ing from the lotus feet of Lord Vignu); dadhau—gave himself up; mukunda-
anghrim—unto the lotus feet of Lord Krsna; ananya—without deviation;
bhavah—spirit; muni-vratah—with the vows of a sage; mukta—liberated
from; samasta—all kinds of; saigah—association.

TRANSLATION

Thus the King, the worthy descendant of the Pandavas, decided once
and for all and sat on the Ganges’ banks to fast until death and give
himself up to the lotus feet of Lord Krsna, who alone is able to award
liberation. So, freeing himself from all kinds of associations and attach-
ments, he accepted the vows of a sage.

PURPORT

The water of the Ganges sanctifies all the three worlds, including the
gods and the demigods, because it emanates from the lotus feet of the
Personality of Godhead Visnu. Lord Krsna is the fountainhead of the
principle of Visnu-tattva, and therefore shelter of His lotus feet can deliver
one from all sins, including an offense which was committed by the King
unto a brahmana. Maharaja Pariksit, therefore, decided to meditate upon
the lotus feet of Lord Sri Krsna, who is Mukunda, or the giver of libera-
tions of all description. The banks of the Ganges or the Yamuna give one
a chance to remember the Lord continuously. Maharaja Pariksit freed
himself from all sorts of material association and meditated upon the
lotus feet of Lord Krsna, and that is the way of liberation. To be free
from all material association means to cease completely from committing
any further sins. To meditate upon the lotus feet of the Lord means to
become free from the effects of all previous sins. The conditions of the
material world are so made that one has to commit sins willingly or
unwillingly, and the best example is Maharaja Panksit himself, who was a
recognized sinless pious king. But he also became a victim of an offense,
even though he was ever unwilling to commit such a mistake. And he was
cursed also, but because he was a great devotee of the Lord, even such
reverses of life became favorable. The principle is that one should not
willingly commit any sin in his life and should constantly remember the
lotus feet of the Lord without deviation. In such a mood only the Lord
will help the devotee to make regular progress towards the path of libera-
tion and thus attain the lotus feet of the Lord. Even if there are accidental
