Parīkṣit Mahārāja heard for one week Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from Śukadeva Gosvāmī. So they are imitating this one week. But where is Parīkṣit and where is Śukadeva? Both of them have got some ulterior purpose to hear Bhāgavata. Therefore it is not affecting. They are hearing Bhāgavata for thousands of years, but still, they are where they were formerly.
But actually, if Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is heard, just like Parīkṣit Mahārāja is hearing, śrī-viṣṇoḥ smaraṇe . . . śrī-viṣṇu, abhavad vaiyāsakiḥ kīrtane. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam (SB 7.5.23). Śrī-viṣṇoḥ śravaṇe parīkṣit (Brs. 1.2.265). Parīkṣit Mahārāja got salvation simply by hearing about Viṣṇu. Śrī-viṣṇoḥ smaraṇe . . . śravaṇe. Parīkṣit Mahārāja, he was king, he was politician, so he had no much knowledge about Vedic instruction. But when he was cursed that he would die within seven days, he became very serious, and all the sages and saintly persons agreed that "Mahārāja Parīkṣit, for the last remaining days of his life, seven days, he should hear attentively Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam."
So śrī-viṣṇoḥ śravaṇe parīkṣit. He got salvation simply by hearing about the glories of the Lord, or activities of the Lord, which is described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Śrī-viṣṇoḥ śravaṇe parīkṣid abhavad vaiyāsakiḥ kīrtane. And Vaiyāsaki—Vaiyāsaki's name is mentioned here: vaiyāsakir ātma-vidyā; Vaiyāsaki means Śukadeva Gosvāmī—he simply went on narrating. In the middle, there were some questions, intelligent questions, by Parīkṣit Mahārāja. Question is also required. If you simply hear, do not understand, just like dumb stone, that's not good. You should hear attentively, and as soon as there is some difficulty, you should question.
Tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā (BG 4.34). In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that you should understand. First of all surrender, praṇipāta. Tad viddhi praṇipātena. Praṇipātena means you must find out an able teacher, where you can surrender. So nobody wants to surrender, but if he sees that there is a greater personality than him, he surrenders. That is nature. So this praṇipāta word means that you should not go for understanding Bhagavad-gītā and Bhāgavata to a store-keeper. You should go to a person where you can surrender. Tad viddhi praṇipātena (BG 4.34). And paripraśnena, and inquiry.
And sevayā. You should not take . . . you should not inquire gratis; you must give service. Just like if you purchase something, you must pay for it. Therefore it is called sevayā. You cannot pay by returning the value which is taught by the spiritual master. That is not possible. Therefore it is called seva. Dedicate your life for his service. You cannot pay. What you have got to pay to a spiritual master?
Just like our King Pṛthu Mahārāja. When the Kumāras preached to him about transcendental knowledge, he very humbly submitted, "My dear spiritual master, you have taught me so nice. I require to give you some dakṣiṇā." Dakṣiṇā, that is required. After initiation, one should pay dakṣiṇā. That is a system. "I should pay dakṣiṇā, but what shall I pay? I haven't got anything as my personal possession. It is already by the mercy of the brāhmins that I am enjoying this kingdom. So it is already belonging to you. My kingdom, it is already belonging to you."
That was the system. If any saintly person, brāhmin, will ask from a kṣatriya king, he cannot deny. Karṇa, he gave his son to be sacrificed. A brāhmin asked that, "I want your son to be sacrificed by you." He was incarnation of God. He tested Karṇa's charity. He was very charitable, so he asked him that, "I want your son, and you shall sacrifice, you both, husband and wife." He agreed, Karṇa, "Yes, I'll do that." So there was some test like that.
So actually, formerly, the kings, they possessed their kingdom just to manage, not thinking, "It is my property. I am the king." As soon as the kings thought like that, the monarchy finished. The king never thought like that. He thought himself as appointed agent of God, king. So he never thought. So Par . . . Śuka . . . Pṛthu Mahārāja said that, "Nothing belongs to me, and even if I can pay from my treasury, so I cannot actually pay for the benefit I have derived from you. Therefore, the only way I can pay—that I surrender unto you. You can utilize me in any way."
So, tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā (BG 4.34). Therefore the disciple's duty is to be ready always to serve the spiritual master, at any cost. That is the disciple's duty. Sevayā. Upadekṣyanti tad jñānaṁ jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ. So real knowledge can be achieved in this process, praṇipāta. Not that I can challenge, "Oh, I can know. I have got so much education and degrees. I can understand what is God," or "There is no need of God. I am God. We are the controller."
So these are all rascaldom. Real thing is tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena, as Parīkṣit Mahārāja, the emperor of the world, he's hearing from Śukadeva Gosvāmī. You have seen that picture in our Bhāgavata, newly published, how Parīkṣit Mahārāja humbly asking and sitting before Śukadeva Gosvāmī. So bhāgavata-pradhānaḥ. Bhāgavata-pradhānaḥ. So Śukadeva Gosvāmī is the chief bhāgavata. Bhāgavata, there are two kinds of bhāgavata: grantha bhāgavatam and this person bhāgavatam. So Śukadeva Gosvāmī was person bhāgavatam, bhāgavata, chief. Bhāgavata-pradhānaḥ.
Bhāgavata-pradhānaḥ means realized souls. We should not hear Bhāgavatam from a professional man, who are observing the Bhāgavata-saptāha. I know, in Bombay there is a big speaker of Bhāgavatam. He preaches that, "You remain in your family life very peacefully. This is the instruction of Bhāgavata." He never teaches that you have to give up this nonsense family life and you have to go back to home, back to Godhead. He never preaches that. There are so many examples. He comes to the conclusion that, "You live peacefully," as if to live peacefully in this material world is the highest achievement of life. They will never disclose the actual fact that nobody can live in this world peacefully. It is not possible at all.