PLATE FOUR

Since a human being is a rational animal, he is born to make inquiries. But the most rele-
vant inquiries—those made by the truly intelligent men—deal with what happens at the
time of death. This scene from the great Vedic history Srimad-Bhagavatam shows King
Pariksit placing such inquiries before his spiritual master, Sukadeva Goswami. A young
brahmana boy had cursed King Pariksit, who ruled the entire world five thousand years
ago, to meet death from a serpent’s bite within seven days. Upon learning of the curse, the
king at once left his palatial home and went to the bank of the Ganges to fast until death.
All the great sages assembled there, and at last Sukadeva Goswami, one of the most ex-
alted spiritualists of the time, arrived. King Pariksit offered Sukadeva Goswami the prin-
cipal seat of esteem and then spoke to him as follows: ‘‘My dear sir, you are the greatest of
the great transcendentalists, and therefore | submissively beg to ask you about my duties
at this critical hour. | am just on the verge of death. Please tell me, my lord—what should |
hear, what should I worship, and whom should I remember now?” (pp. 39-46)

