424 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 2, Ch. 8

engaged in the association of the Lord Sri Krsna means to be uncontami-
nated by the material qualities. Contamination by material qualities is the
cause of repeated birth and death, and liberation from material qualities is
transcendence. Maharaja Pariksit is now a realized soul by this secret of
liberation through the grace of Sukadeva Gosvami, for the latter informed
the King that the highest perfection of life is to be in remembrance of
Narayana at the end of life. Maharaja Pariksit was destined to give up his
body at the end of seven days, and thus he decided to continue the
remembrance of the Lord by His association with the topic of Srimad-
Bhagavatam, and thus to quit his body in full consciousness of the
presence of the Lord Sri Krsna, the Supreme Soul.

The hearing of Srimad-Bhagavatam performed by the professional men
is different from the transcendental hearing of Maharaja Pariksit. Maharaja
Pariksit was a soul realized in the Absolute Truth, Sri Krsna, the Personality
of Godhead. The fruitive materialist is not a realized soul; he wants to de-
rive some material benefit from his so-called hearing of Srimad-Bhagavatam.
Undoubtedly such an audience, hearing Srimad-Bhagavatam from the
professional men, can derive some material benefit as desired by them,
but that does not mean that sucha pretense of hearing Srimad-Bhagavatam
for a week is as good as that of Maharaja Pariksit.

It is the duty of the sane to hear Srimad-Bhagavatam from a self-realized
soul without being duped by professional men, and one should continue
such hearing till the end of one’s life so that one can actually have the
transcendental association of the Lord and thus be liberated simply by
hearing Srimad-Bhagavatam.

Maharaja Pariksit had already given up all his connections with his
kingdom and family, the most attractive features of materialism, but still
he was conscious of his material body. He wanted to be free of such
bondage also by the constant association of the Lord.

TEXT 4

PIT: AZM fad wag aateay |
HSA AA ATA fT ae Ue

Srnvatah sraddhaya nityam
grnatas ca sva-cestitam

kalena natidirghena
bhagavan visate hrdi
