Text 3]
Birth of Emperor Parīkṣit
609
Mahārāja Parīkṣit. The king is the protector of the helpless citizens, and their welfare, peace and prosperity depend on him. Unfortunately, by the instigation of the fallen age of Kali, an unfortunate  brāhmaṇa 's son was employed to condemn the innocent Mahārāja Parīkṣit, and so the King had to prepare himself for death within seven days. Mahārāja Parīkṣit is especially famous as one who is protected by Viṣṇu, and when he was unduly cursed by a  brāhmaṇa 's son, he could have invoked the mercy of the Lord to save him, but he did not want to because he was a pure devotee. A pure devotee never asks the Lord for any undue favor. Mahārāja Parīkṣit knew that the curse of the  brāhmaṇa 's son upon him was unjustified, as everyone else knew, but he did not want to counteract it because he knew also that the age of Kali had begun and that the first symptom of the age, namely degradation of the highly talented  brāhmaṇa  community, had also begun. He did not want to interfere with the current of the time, but he prepared himself to meet death very cheerfully and very properly. Being fortunate, he got at least seven days to prepare himself to meet death, and so he properly utilized the time in the association of Śukadeva Gosvāmī, the great saint and devotee of the Lord.
TEXT 3
तदिदं श्रोतुमिच्छामो गदितुं यदि मन्यसे । ब्रूहि नः श्रद्धानानां यस्य ज्ञानमदाच्छुकः ॥ ३ ॥
tad idam śrotum icchāmo gaditum yadi manyase brūhi naḥ śraddadhānānām yasya jñānam adāc chukaḥ
tat—all; idam—this; śrotum—to hear; icchāmaḥ—all willing; gaditum—to narrate; yadi—if; manyase—you think; brūhi—please speak, naḥ—we; śraddadhānānām—who are very much respectful; yasya—whose; jñānam—transcendental knowledge; adāt—delivered; śukaḥ—Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī.
TRANSLATION
We all respectfully want to hear about him [Mahārāja Parīkṣit] to whom Śukadeva Gosvāmī imparted transcendental knowledge. Please speak on this matter.