Text 7]
How Parīkṣit Received the Age of Kali
843
We have so far heard and talked about the activities of the Pāṇḍavas, and we are dealing with the topics of Mahārāja Parīkṣit, but because all these topics are related with the Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, they are all transcendental, and pure devotees have great interest in hearing them. We have already discussed this matter in connection with the prayers of Bhīṣmadeva.
Our duration of life is not very long, and there is no certainty when we shall be ordered to leave everything for the next stage. Thus it is our duty to see that not a moment of our life is wasted in topics which are not related with Lord Kṛṣṇa. Any topic, however pleasant, is not worth hearing if it is devoid of its relation of Kṛṣṇa.
The spiritual planet, Goloka Vṛndāvana, eternal abode of Lord Kṛṣṇa, is shaped like the whorl of a lotus flower. Even when the Lord descends on any one of the mundane planets, He does so by manifesting His own abode as it is. Thus His feet remain always on the same big whorl of lotus flower. His feet are also as beautiful as the lotus flower. Therefore it is said that Lord Kṛṣṇa has lotus feet.
A living being is eternal by constitution. He is, so to speak, in the whirlpool of birth and death due to his contact with material energy. Freed from such material energy, a living entity is liberated and is eligible to return back home, back to Godhead. Those who want to live forever without changing their material body should not waste valuable time with topics other than those relating to Lord Kṛṣṇa and His devotees.
TEXT 7
शुद्रायुषां नृणामङ्ग पत्यानामृतमिच्छताम् । इहोपहृतो भगवान् मृत्युः शामित्रकर्मणि ॥ ७ ॥
kṣudrāyuṣām nṛṇām aṅga martyānām ṛtam icchatām ihopahūto bhagavān mṛtyuḥ śāmitra-karmaṇi
kṣudra—very small; āyuṣām—of the duration of life; nṛṇām—of the human being; aṅga—O Sūta Gosvāmī; martyānām—of those who are sure to meet death; ṛtam—eternal life; icchatām—of those who desire it; iha—herein; upahūtaḥ—called for being present; bhagavān—representing the Lord; mṛtyuḥ—the controller of death, Yamarāja; śāmitra—suppressing; karmaṇi—performances.