Parīkṣit Mahārāja, he was not a fool. He was a learned king. So all the great sages and saintly persons assembled there, he asked them, "My dear sirs, you are so kind that you have come here at the time of my death. So kindly let me know what is my duty at the present moment." So there were different kinds of authorities. Different kinds of authorities means some were in favor of fruitive activities, karma-kāṇḍa, pious activities; some were in favor of yoga principle; some were in favor of philosophical speculation; and some were in favor of devotional service, or bhakti.
So fortunately, Śukadeva Gosvāmī, a boy of sixteen years old, but he was highly elevated in spiritual knowledge, the son of Vyāsadeva, he was wandering all over the world, naked, and without any care for his body or social convention. Of course, he did not come into the cities, but he heard that Parīkṣit Mahārāja was going to die, "He is in need of some spiritual instruction."
So he also came there in that meeting. And when he was coming, because he was a naked boy, sixteen-years-old boy, the street boys were throwing stone upon him. Somebody was fighting just like a madman. But when he entered the assembly, everyone stood up. Then the rascal creatures who were annoying him, they fled away, "Oh, he is important man, that so many sages and saintly person has stood up."
Anyway, when he reached there, Parīkṣit Mahārāja received him that, "It is my good fortune that at this time you have come, because it is very rarely you go to anyone's house, but Kṛṣṇa has sent you. Now what is my duty?" Parīkṣit Mahārāja was, from the very beginning . . . because the whole family, Pāṇḍava family, they were devotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa, so naturally he was devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa. And when he was child, he was playing with the doll of Kṛṣṇa. These are described here. So he asked, "What is my duty? Shall I continue my talks on Kṛṣṇa, because naturally I am inclined to Kṛṣṇa? So what is your advice?"
So in answer to that, Śukadeva Gosvāmī . . . now, one thing we should note in this connection that Parīkṣit Mahārāja, he was a powerful king. He was equipped with all . . . everything, but he did not counteract the curse. He could counteract that curse—he was so powerful—but he accepted, "All right. I am cursed. I shall give up my life within seven days." That means he took it as an opportunity that, "I am going to death within seven days. That is certain. And I must prepare myself fully so that my next life I can approach Kṛṣṇa."
So this is a good opportunity that, "I have got seven days' time." We haven't got seven seconds time. We do not know. Nobody has served me notice. We find by practical experience that we are walking on the street—all of a sudden there is some accident, and we die. There is possibility. So the important point is that Mahārāja Parīkṣit was fortunate enough to get seven days' time before his death. But we do not know how much time is there for our death. So how much serious we shall be.
Cāṇakya Paṇḍita says that, "If you want to make spiritual advancement, then you should always think that, "Death is next moment. Death is next moment." Because there is no guarantee when death is coming. If I think that death is next moment, that is not any utopian. The next moment may be my death. And Cāṇakya Paṇḍita says: "But if you want to be materially happy, you should always think that, 'I shall never die,' " although it is false idea. Everyone will die.
So Parīkṣit Mahārāja, he was preparing. How he was preparing? He did not take seven days even a drop of water. He sat down tight on the bank of the Ganges, and the Śukadeva Gosvāmī narrated this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and he heard, and at the end of seven days, at the particular time, he was bitten by a snake and he left this world.
Now, the beginning of the Second Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the answer, śrī-śuka uvāca: "Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī is saying." Because in the previous chapter the questions were put by Mahārāja Parīkṣit, that "What is my duty? What is my duty?" So he says . . . because he wanted to know about Kṛṣṇa, so Śukadeva Gosvāmī is approving his very nice praśna, question:
- varīyān eṣa te praśnaḥ
- kṛto loka-hitaṁ nṛpa
- ātmavit sammataḥ puṁsāṁ
- śrotavyādiṣu yaḥ paraḥ
- (SB 2.1.1)
"My dear King Parīkṣit, you have put very nice question. And to hear about Kṛṣṇa is the topmost subject of hearing." Śrotavyādiṣu yaḥ paraḥ. Paraḥ means topmost, the highest. "So your question, whether to hear about Kṛṣṇa, is welcome." Varīyan eṣa te praśnah kṛto loka-hitaṁ nṛpa (SB 2.1.1): "This praśna, this question, is very much beneficial to the people in general," loka-hitaṁ. Because Parīkṣit Mahārāja was questioning, and Śukadeva Gosvāmī was answering, but there were many other persons. Although the questions and answers were only for Parīkṣit Mahārāja, not for others, but everyone expected that because Śukadeva Gosvāmī was speaking to the king, that speaking must be very important to everyone.
So all the great sages . . . even the father of Śukadeva Gosvāmī, Vyāsadeva, who is the compiler of so many Vedic literature, he also came there to hear his sixteen-years-old boy. He was so elevated. It does not matter whether a man is old or young, it is the question of knowledge. So Śukadeva Gosvāmī was so elevated that so many persons assembled there. And the Sūta Gosvāmī, who spoke the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam for the second time amongst the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya, he was also present in that meeting, and he heard from Śukadeva Gosvāmī, and he repeated to the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya.
So, śrī-kṛṣṇa-śravaṇādhi-prāyeṇa parama-praśna kṛta eṣa tu varīyan (SB 2.1.1). Śukadeva Gosvāmī is congratulating Mahārāja Parīkṣit that, "You have raised the question of Kṛṣṇa, understanding Kṛṣṇa. It is very welcome." Yaḥ praśno 'pi śrotavyAdiṣu paraṁ: "Such kind of question is the topmost question. Topmost question. There is no more better question than this." In other words, when you become inquisitive to understand the Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then that very questions will elevate you to the highest perfectional stage.