Essence of Bhagavatam-(Parikshit-Suka Deva Dialogue)

Parikshit was such a great and noble king, that the news spread like wild fire; many great Rishis, Gurus and spiritual Masters from different directions assembled to be with him.

He prostrated before all of them and requested them to go on singing the glories of God so that he could withdraw his attention from the impending death of the body and absorb his mind in God alone. At that moment the greatest spiritual Master of those times, Suka Deva, a young boy of sixteen, the son of the great Rishi Veda Vyasa, the composer of these Puranas, walked in. His spiritual eminence was such that even elders used to get up when he arrived in a place. His mind was totally absorbed in Paramatma, in the supreme Truth. He was not even conscious of his body; there was no trace of attachment in him.

At his arrival, Raja Parikshit was overjoyed, to see his curse turn into a blessing.

After worshipping him, Parikshit asked him, "0 Guru, my Teacher, please tell me, what should a man do in his life? What is worth doing in life, especially by a man who is faced with death? What should he remember?" It is very interesting to note that we must know what we should do while living and what we should do while dying also. At present our problem is that we neither know how to live nor how to die. Man lives in (his world as though he is never going to die, and dies as though he never lived! Whenever we hear about anybody's death, we immediately ask, "How did he die? How old was he? etc. Our Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda said, "Do not ask how the man died; ask how he lived". All of us should know how to 'live' and also how to 'leave'. For us, life is nothing but a series of complaints.

Hearing Raja Parikshit's question, Suka Deva was very pleased and started giving the answers. For seven days and seven nights Suka Deva answered all the questions asked by Parikshit and that extraordinary divine dialogue is called Srimad Bhagvatam.

Think a little; Each of us has to die on the seventh day, one of the seven days of the week. Raja Parikshit was bitten by a snake called Daksha; we are also bitten by a snake called Time.

Suka Deva's advice to Parikshit (Parikshit, Suka Deva dialogue) applies to us also. He said that the greatest duty of a person is to keep his mind fixed in the Truth, even while living in this world. In the language of devotion, it is said that the mind should remain centred in God even while all your worldly activities go on. Centred in God, your life must be lived. And "Ante Narayana Smritihi" - as you are departing, your mind must remain in the Lord alone. Then your life is fulfilled, your life has found its meaning and completeness.

The last thought is very important. In the annual balance sheet, everyone is most interested in the last line. The bottom line - is it red or black, in profit or deficit? The final figure is very important. There may have been many ups and downs through the year, but what is the final tally? Ultimately man has to think, "I have lived my life, what have I gained?" "Ante Narayana Smritihi - this is the theme of Srimad .Bhagavatam.

Srimad Bhagavatam

Bhagavatam is one of the great Puranas in Hindu literature with stories about Krishna. Embedded in the stories is the supreme or the absolute truth.

About the author

Swami Tyagananda
Swami Tyagananda in this write up which is an excerpt from His “Essence of Bhagavatam" discusses the crux of the dialogue of Parikshit and Suka Deva.