Text 13]
The First Step in God Realization
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TEXT 13
खट्वाङ्गो नाम राजर्षिर्जन्वेयत्तामिहायुषः । मुहूर्तात्सवमुत्सृज्य गतवानभयं हरिम् ॥१३॥
khaṭvāṅgo nāma rājarṣir jñātveyattām ihāyuṣaḥ muhūrtāt sarvam utsrjya gatavān abhayaṁ harim
khaṭvāṅgaḥ—King Khaṭvāṅga; nāma—name; rājarṣiḥ—saintly king; jñātvā—by knowing; iyattām—duration; iha—in this world; āyuṣaḥ—of one's life; muhūrtāt—within only a moment; sarvam—everything; utsrjya—leaving aside; gatavān—had undergone; abhayam—fully safe; harim—the Personality of Godhead.
TRANSLATION
The saintly King, Mahārāja Khaṭvāṅga, after being informed that the duration of his life would be only a moment more, at once got himself freed from all material activities and took shelter of the supreme safety, the Personality of Godhead.
PURPORT
A fully responsible man should always be conscious of the prime duty of the present human form of life. The activities of life to meet the immediate necessities of material life are not everything. One should always be alert in his duty for attainment of the best situation in the next life. Human life is meant for preparing ourselves for that prime duty. Mahārāja Khaṭvāṅga is mentioned herein as the saintly King because even within the responsibility of the state management, he was not at all forgetful of the prime duty of life. Such was the case with other  rājarṣis  (saintly kings), like Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira and Mahārāja Parīkṣit. They were all exemplary personalities on account of their being alert in discharging their prime duty. Mahārāja Khaṭvāṅga was invited by the demigods in the higher planets to fight demons, and as a king, he fought the battles to the full satisfaction of the demigods. The demigods, being fully satisfied with him, wanted to give him some benediction for material enjoyment, but Mahārāja
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