Parīkṣit Mahārāja, he was learned, very highly elevated king, very pious king, so he called for all the sages to assemble and give him advice, "Now what is my duty? I am now at the point of death."
So somebody recommended something, somebody recommended something else. There are many opinions in this world. Similarly, amongst the philosophers, amongst the religionists, amongst the transcendentalists there are many opinions. But by chance Śukadeva Gosvāmī was present, so everyone agreed that, "Whatever Śukadeva Gosvāmī will recommend, my dear King, you accept, because he is liberated person."
So Parīkṣit Mahārāja enquired from Śukadeva Gosvāmī because Parīkṣit Mahārāja belonged to the families of the Pāṇḍavas. He is the grandson of Arjuna; therefore they are Kṛṣṇa conscious, naturally, they are Kṛṣṇa conscious family. So he enquired from Śukadeva Gosvāmī that, "Is it not my duty to hear about Kṛṣṇa only at the present moment?" He enquired. He was confident that, "My duty is now to concentrate my mind fully on Kṛṣṇa. At least I have got this chance of seven days' living. So long I was engaged in state management, kingdom management, family affairs, society, so many things, but at this point of death I think I should fully concentrate my mind in Kṛṣṇa."
So when he said like that, Śukadeva Gosvāmī was very glad, because he is also Vaiṣṇava, he knows the science of Kṛṣṇa. So he thanked him and he eulogized him, and therefore he says this verse: varīyān eṣa te praśnaḥ kṛto loka-hitam nṛpa (SB 2.1.1), "My dear King, your question is very nice," varīyān. Varīyān means excellent, superexcellent. Varīyān eṣa te praśnaḥ. "Your question . . ." praśnaḥ means question, "superexcellent, and you have done it for the benefit of the whole human society, because you have made this question and I shall answer, so in future the human society will hear and they will be benefited."
So similarly, this answer which will be given by Śukadeva Gosvāmī, that is not meant for only Parīkṣit Mahārāja, who was on the verge of death; it is meant for everyone, because every one of us is on the verge of death. That you should know. We do not know when the death overcoming us, so everyone, even a child. Don't think that "Oh, I am young man. I am only twenty years old. I have nothing to do about Kṛṣṇa." No. You are also needed . . . you must always know that death is just like waiting upon your head; at any moment you can be finished.
That is the instruction of Cāṇakya Paṇḍita. Cāṇakya Paṇḍita says that if you want to be a karmī, then you should always think that, "I shall live forever." But if you want to be a transcendentalist, a seeker of perfection of knowledge in spiritual understanding, then you should always think that, "I am going to death next moment." "I am going to die next moment." If a karmī thinks like that, that "I shall die," then he will be discouraged. "Then why am I working so hard?" Eh? Just like Arjuna said. Arjuna took the position of a karmī when he was advised by Kṛṣṇa to fight. He saw that, "I have to fight with my brothers and my grandfather and my nephews. Then after killing them, if I get the victory and get the kingdom, then what do I profit?"
This is karmī's view. They want some profit to enjoy personally; therefore if they think that, "I am going to die next moment," then their karmī activities will be stopped. Therefore Cāṇakya Paṇḍita says that, "You think that you shall live forever," although it is false, just to give him impetus. But those who are transcendentalist, those who are after going back to home, back to Godhead, they should be serious, and they should know that, "I am going to die at any moment."
So, varīyān eṣa te praśnaḥ, Parīkṣit Mahārāja is the . . . (indistinct) . . . by Śukadeva Gosvāmī, that "My dear King, you have put a nice question," and loka-hitam, loka hitam, "it is very beneficial to the human society." Ātmavit-sammataḥ. Why it is beneficial to the human society? Because this kind of praśnaḥ, or question, is approved by the ātmavit. Ātmavit, the self-realized person.
There are many questions and many answers, but the question and answer put by the self-realized person, that is first class. Therefore he says that, "Your question is ātmavit-sammataḥ, approved by the self-realized persons," and puṁsāṁśrotavyādiṣu yaḥ paraḥ, "and it is the sublime subject matter for hearing." Sublime, the highest, the topmost, the supermost subject matter, because there are . . .
We are always hearing. You have come here to hear something. Or if you go to some other political organization, there also you will hear. If you go to some scientific organization, there also you will hear. If you go to your school, your college, you will hear, because hearing is our process to acquire knowledge. Ah. So he says, śrotavyādiṣu yaḥ paraḥ: there are many subject matters for hearing, but this kind of hearing is the supermost, and it is approved by the self-realized person, and it is beneficial to the human society.