Suka Goswami said, King Pariksit, among all the subjects that should be heard, this one is of the greatest benefit for all people. The answer to your question is esteemed by those who have knowledge of the soul and they consider it the most important topic for discussion.
There are thousands of topics that are heard and discussed by those who are attached to material life and do not know the truth of the soul. During the day their life is stolen in time spent making money and maintaining their family. At night they spend their time sleeping or indulging in sexual enjoyment.
People who are attached to their body, their family, and related things do not see that all these things are destined for destruction, even though they know that death is inevitable.
My dear King Pariksit, anyone who wishes to be free from the bondage and fear of birth and death must hear about, glorify and meditate on the Supreme Lord, who is the soul of all. The supreme achievement of human life is to remember him at the time of death. This can be achieved either by analytical knowledge or by performance of one’s religious duties.
Generally, it is the sages who withdraw themselves from religious rules and prohibitions and take delight in describing the qualities of the Lord. O saintly King Pariksit, I studied this Bhagavatam from my father Vyasadeva.
I was firmly established in the spiritual reality, but even so I was still attracted by the excellent verses describing the Lord’s activities. Because you are sincerely devoted to the Lord, I will now recite that Bhagavatam to you. By hearing this Bhagavatam, the faithful listener achieves devotion to the Supreme Lord who bestows liberation.
The best method of achieving liberation from suffering is chanting the name of the Lord. People who have no material desires, or those who desire all material enjoyments, or those who are completely satisfied by their spiritual knowledge; they can all achieve success by the constant chanting of the Lord’s name.
What is the use of a long life if that time is carelessly wasted in material pursuits? It is far better to have even a moment spent in searching for life’s ultimate goal. King Pariksit, you have only seven more days left to live, so during this time you have the opportunity to perform all those activities which are needed to achieve your welfare in the next world.
At the end of your life, you should overcome your fear of death by removing all attachment to the body and everything connected to it. You should leave home and bathe in the waters of a sacred place. Purified and seated in a secluded place, you should meditate on the three transcendental letters [a-u-m]. By controlling the breath, you can keep the spiritual seed (om) within the mind.
Using your intelligence as your guide, you should withdraw the mind from sensual activities. If the mind is too distracted you should fix it on contemplation of the supreme person. Then with an undivided mind you should meditate on the limbs of Vishnu and thereby free your mind from passion and ignorance. Only Vishnu should be the object of your thoughts. On achieving Vishnu’s supreme abode, the mind is pacified.
By focusing their attention with persistence, the wise can overcome the distractions of the mind which are caused by passion and ignorance. By purifying yourself of the contamination created by these modes you will become peaceful. By practising this meditation and focusing on the Supreme Lord you will soon achieve the shelter of the Lord.
King Pariksit said, Would you please explain the method of meditation in more detail. What type of practices will quickly purify the mind of all contamination?
Suka Goswami said, You should master the sitting posture and control the breath. In this way you can control the mind and the senses. Then with determination, use your intelligence to concentrate your mind on the physical conception of the Supreme Lord.
The vast material universe is the personal body of the Supreme Lord. The past, present and future are manifest in this physical conception of the Supreme Lord.
The planets known as Patala are the soles of his feet and the Rasatala planets are his heels. The Mahatala planets are his ankles, and his lower legs are the Talatala planets. Sutala is his knees and his two thighs are Vitala and Atala. His hips are the surface of the earth, and outer space is the hollow of his navel.
The host of stars forms the chest of the universal Lord and his neck is the Mahar planets. The Janas planets are his mouth, and the Tapas planets are his forehead. Satyaloka is the tip of his thousand heads. The celestial gods are his arms, the compass points are his ears and sound is his sense of hearing. The two Asvini-kumaras are his nostrils, fragrance is his sense of smell and burning fire is his mouth.
The sun is his eyeball and the power of seeing. Day and night are his eyelids. Water is his palate and taste is his tongue. Feelings of affection are his teeth, and his laugh is his power of illusion. His jaws are Yamaraja, the god of death. The unending creation of the world is merely his sidelong glance over us.
Humility is his upper lip and his lower lip is greed. Piety is his chest and impiety is his back. Brahma, the god of creation, is his genitals. The ocean is his belly, and the mountains are the bones of his gigantic body. The rivers are his veins, the trees are his bodily hair, and the air is his breath. His movement is the passage of time and his deeds are the reactions of material nature.
His hair is the clouds, the moon is his mind and the twilight is his garment. The cause of creation is his intelligence and the primordial nature is his heart. The horses, donkeys and elephants are his nails, and the deer and other beasts are his hips.
The various kinds of birds display his skill in artistic expression. Manu, the progenitor, is the power of his intellect and humanity is his dwelling place. The celestial species of human beings indicate his musical voice, and the demoniac warriors are his strength. The brahmins are his mouth, the monarchs are his arms, the merchants are his thighs and the workers are his feet.
Now I have described the extent of the body of the Supreme Lord. Those who desire liberation should meditate on this form of the Lord, because there is nothing beyond this. You should worship the Supreme Lord who is the one true reservoir of bliss. Attachment to anything else leads to the corruption of the soul.
Suka Goswami said, even the wise can be misled by the words of the Veda and succumb to the insignificant pleasures of the celestial realm. Like a person who sees empty dreams they wander aimlessly without gaining any true happiness.
Therefore, a wise and thoughtful person should only accept what is essential to sustain life while residing in this world. You should strive only for things that achieve the goal, understanding the wasted effort for attaining unnecessary things.
When the earth is there to lie on, are beds needed? A pillow is not necessary when one can use his own arms. When you can use your hands for eating, do you need utensils? Are there no old clothes lying on the road?
Have the rivers stopped supplying water to those who are thirsty? Is there no shelter in the caves of the mountains? Does the Supreme Lord no longer protect the fully surrendered souls? So why would the wise person serve those who are blinded by their own wealth?
In this way, you should remove your worldly attachments and then search out the Lord in your own heart. You should always worship that eternal and infinite supreme person and in so doing you will be liberated from the suffering of this material existence.
You should concentrate on the Supreme Lord who resides within your heart. He has four hands which are holding a lotus, a wheel, a conch-shell and a club. He has a captivating smile and large lotus eyes. His clothes are yellow like the filament of kadamba flower and are decorated with precious jewels. He is adorned with sparkling ornaments made of gold.
The great sages place his feet over their hearts. He wears the Kaustubha jewel around his neck and his chest is decorated with garlands of fresh flowers. His dark, glossy hair curls around his smiling face.
His blessings are bestowed by his glances and the movement of his eyebrows. You should therefore concentrate your mind on this form of the Lord, and step by step progress from his feet to his smile. As the mind concentrates on the different parts of the Lord, the intelligence is progressively purified.
Until you develop an attitude of devotion toward the Supreme Lord, you should meditate on the gross universal form of the Lord. However if you still have a desire for material enjoyment, then you will have to keep the material mind and senses. Only those who are completely purified of all material contamination reach the Supreme Lord. Anyone who can achieve this is never attached to this material world again.
King Pariksit, these paths are described in the Vedic literature and are eternal truths. For anyone entangled in worldly existence, the practice of devotion to the Supreme Lord is the most favourable method of achieving liberation. The god Brahma, after scrutinising all the Vedic literature, concluded the method of devotion to Lord Krishna is how liberation is achieved.
In all times and places, every human being should hear about, worship and remember the Supreme Lord. Anyone who hears the wonderful description of Lord Krishna, who is loved by the virtuous souls, will purify themselves of all material contamination and achieve his lotus-like feet.
Suka Goswami said, King Pariksit, all of this is what you have asked me to explain about the duty of the intelligent person, and especially someone who is approaching death. Whoever desires to be absorbed in the spiritual radiance should worship Lord Brahma, anyone who desires the vigour of the senses should worship Indra, and anyone who desires offspring should worship the Prajapatis.
Anyone who desires prosperity should worship the goddess Durga, those who desire power should worship the god of fire and those who desire wealth should worship the Vasus. Rudra should be worshipped for those who desire valour. Anyone who wants plentiful food should worship Aditi and those who desire to reach the celestial realm should worship Aditi’s sons.
Whoever desires a kingdom should worship Vishvadeva, and those who want to control people should worship the Sadhyas. Anyone who desires a long life should worship the Asvini-kumaras, and a person desiring physical strength should worship the earth.
Anyone who desires beauty should worship the Gandharvas, and whoever desires beautiful women should worship the heavenly damsel Urvasi. One who desires reputation should worship Yajna, and one who desires treasure should worship Varuna. Those seeking learning should worship Shiva, and if one desires a harmonious marriage they should worship the goddess Uma.
Anyone who desires dominion should worship the Manus. Those who want to destroy their enemies should worship Nirriti, and those who desire all types of pleasure should worship Soma.
But those who desire freedom from attachment and desire should worship the Supreme Lord with devotion. Whether one is full of worldly desire, without any desires, or aspiring after liberation, they should in all ways possible worship the supreme person.
Spiritual knowledge in relation to the Supreme Lord satisfies the soul. Is there anyone who would not be attached to this? The rising and the setting of the sun steals away the lives of all people with the exception of the time they use to converse about the Supreme Lord.
Anyone who has never listened to the stories of the glorious acts of the Supreme Lord has ears like empty holes. If a person has never sung about his deeds, their tongue is like that of a frog. Even if a head is adorned with a crown, if it never bows down before the Supreme Lord it is only a heavy burden. Hands that are decorated with golden bracelets are like the hands of a corpse if they do not worship the Supreme Lord.
Eyes that never look at the images of the Supreme Lord are like the eyes on the peacock’s tail, and feet that never walk to the sacred places of pilgrimage are nothing more than the trunks of trees. Anyone who has never had the dust of the great sages upon their head is a dead body that still breathes. The heart that does not melt when one is absorbed in singing the holy name of the Lord is certainly made of the hardest stone.
