Mantra Seventeen 93

all the mantras of the Vedic hymns is summarized in the
Vedanta-sittras; and then again they are properly explained in
the Srimad-Bhagavatam. Srimad-Bhagavatam is the mature fruit
of the Vedic tree of wisdom. In the Srimad-Bhagavatam this
particular mantra is explained in the questions and answers of
Maharaj Parikgit and Gosvami Sukadeva at the very beginning
of their meeting. As hearing and chanting of the science of God
is the basic principle of devotional life, so the complete
Bhagavatam is heard by Maharaj Pariksit and chanted by
Gosvami Sukadeva. Maharaj Pariksit enquired from Sukadeva
because Sukadeva was a greater spiritual master than any great
yogi or transcendentalist of his time.

Maharaj Pariksit’s question was, ““What is the duty of every
man, specifically at the time of death?”

The answer by Gosvami Sukadeva was that everyone who is
desirous of being free from all anxieties should always hear about
and glorify the Personality of Godhead, Who is the Supreme
Director of everything, the Extinguisher of all difficulties, and
the Supersoul of all living entities.

So-called human society is generally engaged at night in the
matter of sleeping or sex indulgence. And during the daytime
men are engaged in earning money as much as possible, or else
in shopping for the family maintenance. People have very
little time to talk about the Personality of Godhead or to make
any enquiries about Him. They have dismissed the case of God’s
existence in so many ways, especially by declaring Him to be
impersonal—that is, without any sense perception. But in the
Vedic literature, whether the Upanisads or the Vedanta-siitras or
the Bhagavad-gita or the Srimad-Bhagavatam, in every scripture
it is declared that the Lord is the sentient Being, supreme over
all other living entities. And His glorious activities are identical
with Himself. One should therefore not indulge in hearing and
speaking of the rubbish activities of worldly politicians and the
so-called big men of society, but should so mold his life that not
a second is wasted without engagement in godly activities.
