असारे संसारे विषयविषसङ्गाकुलधियः
क्षणार्धं क्षेमार्थं पिबत शुकगाथातुलसुधाम् ।
किमर्थं व्यर्थं भो व्रजत कुपथे कुत्सितकथे
परीक्षित्साक्षी यच्छ्रवणगतमुक्त्युक्तिकथने ॥
asāre saṁsāre viṣaya-viṣa-saṅgākula-dhiyaḥ
kṣaṇārdhaṁ kṣemārthaṁ pibata śuka-gāthātula-sudhām |
kim arthaṁ vyarthaṁ bho vrajata kupathe kutsita-kathe
parīkṣit-sākṣī yac-chravaṇa-gata-mukty-ukti-kathane ||
(Padma Purāṇa: Bhāgavata-māhātmya, 6.100)
“O all of you whose minds are bewildered by attachment to the poison of sensory experience in the insubstantial world of saṁsāra! For your own good, drink [even] for half a moment the incomparable nectar of Śuka’s narration. Bho! Why walk down the rough [alt., misdirected] road of odious blather in vain? Parīkṣit is the witness that hearing narration of this speech [i.e., of Śuka’s message] results in mukti.”