कृष्णे निवेश्य निःसङ्गं मनस्त्यक्ष्ये कलेवरम् ॥३॥
kathayasva mahÄbhÄga
yathÄham akhilÄtmani
kṛṣṇe niveÅ›ya niḥsaá¹…gaá¹
manas tyaká¹£ye kalevaram
kathayasva - please continue speaking; mahÄbhÄga - O greatly fortunate one; yathÄ - as much as; aham - I; akhila-Ätmani - unto the Supreme Soul; kṛṣṇe - unto Lord ÅšrÄ« Kṛṣṇa; niveÅ›ya - having placed; niḥsaá¹…gam - being freed from material qualities; manaḥ - mind; tyaká¹£ye - may relinquish; kalevaram - body.
O greatly fortunate Åšukadeva GosvÄmÄ«, please continue narrating ÅšrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam so that I can place my mind upon the Supreme Soul, Lord Kṛṣṇa, and, being completely freed from material qualities, thus relinquish this body.
To be fully engaged in hearing the transcendental narration described in the text of ÅšrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam means to constantly associate with the Supreme Soul, ÅšrÄ« Kṛṣṇa. And to constantly associate with the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa means to be liberated from the qualities of matter. Lord Kṛṣṇa is like the sun, and material contamination is like darkness. As the presence of the sun dissipates darkness, constant engagement in the association of the Lord ÅšrÄ« Kṛṣṇa frees one from the contamination of the material qualities. Contamination by the material qualities is the cause of repeated birth and death, and liberation from material qualities is transcendence. MahÄrÄja ParÄ«ká¹£it was now a realized soul by this secret of liberation, through the grace of Åšukadeva GosvÄmÄ«, for the latter had informed the King that the highest perfection of life is to be in remembrance of NÄrÄyaṇa at the end of life. MahÄrÄja ParÄ«ká¹£it was destined to give up his body at the end of seven days, and thus he decided to continue remembering the Lord by His association with the topics of ÅšrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam, and thus to quit his body in full consciousness of the presence of the Lord ÅšrÄ« Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Soul.
The hearing of ÅšrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam performed by professional men is different from the transcendental hearing of MahÄrÄja ParÄ«ká¹£it. MahÄrÄja ParÄ«ká¹£it was a soul realized in the Absolute Truth, ÅšrÄ« Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead. The fruitive materialist is not a realized soul; he wants to derive some material benefit from his so-called hearing of ÅšrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam. Undoubtedly such an audience, hearing ÅšrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam from the professional men, can derive some material benefit as they desire, but that does not mean that such a pretense of hearing ÅšrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam for a week is as good as the hearing of MahÄrÄja ParÄ«ká¹£it.
It is the duty of the sane to hear ÅšrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam from a self-realized soul and not be duped by professional men. 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 ÅšrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam.
MahÄrÄja ParÄ«ká¹£it 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.
