Sage Sringi then came to Parikshith and let know of the curse. 7th day from today you will be bitten by a snake called "Tatshakan" and as a result you will die. King Parikshith tells the news to the court and they advise the king that there is a homa called "Mrithasanjeevani", there is a japam called "Mruthyunjayan" or we can destroy all the snakes in the world and so on. When these ideas are proposed, Parikshith says "alam", alam meaning enough. What you are all saying is enough now. Can I ask you a question? If these homams, japams or prayaschittams having being done, is it guaranteed that I will live eternally. Will I be rid of death totally? Cant say. Instead of dying in 7 days, may be this can be postphoned to 1 year or 2 years but the death itself cannot be avoided.
When we were born in this world, death was also confirmed for us as well. There is no point thinking and worrying about death. If we think a little, we can see that if death were not there in this world, the world itself would have been hell. Living in the world for about 60 to 70 years itself is becoming such a burden, this life will become a boredom and filled with sorrows, this worldy life will itself become a hell. Knowing that one day we will leave this world, we are at peace today. King Parikshith being a viveki says "alam". All this is enough for me. Please answer my question. The prayaschittams you mentioned will it make me a chiranjeevi. In one way if I think, I am gifted because for others it is not know when death will strike but I know for sure as the rishi's curse has to take effect. So instead of trying to find ways of postphoning this death, I need to find out what I can do within these 7 days itself. He handed over his kingdom to his son JanamEjayan and as the mahans will be living on the banks of river ganga, he ran towards ganga.
When we were born in this world, death was also confirmed for us as well. There is no point thinking and worrying about death. If we think a little, we can see that if death were not there in this world, the world itself would have been hell. Living in the world for about 60 to 70 years itself is becoming such a burden, this life will become a boredom and filled with sorrows, this worldy life will itself become a hell. Knowing that one day we will leave this world, we are at peace today. King Parikshith being a viveki says "alam". All this is enough for me. Please answer my question. The prayaschittams you mentioned will it make me a chiranjeevi. In one way if I think, I am gifted because for others it is not know when death will strike but I know for sure as the rishi's curse has to take effect. So instead of trying to find ways of postphoning this death, I need to find out what I can do within these 7 days itself. He handed over his kingdom to his son JanamEjayan and as the mahans will be living on the banks of river ganga, he ran towards ganga.
Even today on the way to Haridwar, there is a place called Sukhatal and that is the place where Parikshith went. Meeting the mahans there he describes his oncoming death in 7 days and asks what he needs to do in these 7 days. They are all amazed at this king who has come like this. His age is less, he has so much to enjoy yet, has a kingdom, wealth and youth. In that some rishis also say that dhruva, when he was a small child, because his father did not place him on his lap ran and came to the forest for tapas, isn't that amazing. Dhruva being such a small child, hasn't even seen the bhagavan and one who hasn't seen has come running, whereas, Parikshith who has seen the bhagavan in the womb itself come running to see the bhagavan is not surprising. Like this they are taking both sides. Parikshith asks them all what he should do in 7 days. Each one says a different thing. But this did not satisfy Parikshith. He then walks on thinking about all this and there Suka brahmam comes and when he sees Suka brahmam, Parikshith runs and offers his pranams. They say, mahans have lived in some old time, Ramanujar, ManavAlamamunigazh, Desikan and when these mahans lived were there any photos or videos?. During their time, nammAzhwar or Thirumangaizahwar who were contemporaries described them and drew pictures or made an archAvataram, keeping that we think that they would have lived like this or that. We try to meditate upon them and see. Whichever mahans picture or archAvataram, if we keep it either in the temple or house and perform pooja, dhyAnam or thiruvAradhanam, we become pure. Their anugraham flows into us and in our chittam there comes a lot of changes. If we perform such a uthsavam or thiruvAradhanam to the achArya purushars, whomsoever joins in association with us also become pavithram or pure. In some old time, the mahans have lived and their lifestyle has been drawn in pictures, and if we, with that archAvataram perform pooja then due to the sannidhya vishesham those who all do, associate themselves, offer seva, the place all become pure. But if during our own time, contemporary we say, when we see such an acharya, talk to him, see in person, move with them, touch them, perform pada pooja, give them a seat and make them sit, having done all this, even a thought of them will give us such a bhagyam. If a jeevan sees, talks or even touches, does pradakshinam, offers a seat to such an acharya then there is no question that this jeevan will become pure.
Parikshith worships Suka brahmam, saying "such a bhagyam for me that you have come like this". Parikshith asks Suka brahmam what he needs to do, what dhyAnam, bhajan he needs to do. He asked 6 questions, Suka brahmam took all that into his mind and also one question what he should not do. If what we need to do has to be realised, there will be something that should not be done as well. When we take a medicine prescribed by the doctor, the doctor will say when consuming this medicine - eat food with less salt. If there is a heart problem, don't add too much salt. If there is a problem with kidney do not drink too much water. If we get jaundice, then we should not add oil. So when there is something we should do, there is another thing which we should not do as well. In Ayurvedic medicines, this is very common and is called patthiyam. If one goes to an Ayurvedic doctor, just the patthiyam alone will not suffice, its including the patthiyam, the medicine also should be consumed. Similarly for bhagavath bhakthi, along with the patthiyam, the rules as ordained by the sastras if followed, the bhakthi will work as a medicine for us. So what should not be done is also asked by Parikshith as a question and this also needs to be taken into account. When this question is asked, just how happy the mahans become at this. "vAriyan esha te prasnah. krito loka-hitam nripa atmavit-sammatah pumsam srOtavyadishu yah parah" - Parikshit, you asked a beautiful question!
With this question, the whole world is going to be benefited by this. Do not think this is going to bear fruit only for you. That day, Arjuna was blessed with the bhagavad gita, but today the whole world is being benefited from this isn't it. Therefore, "atmavit-sammatah", this is not just for you, Parikshith, the jNanis (atmavit-sammatah) will all say, what a wonderful question has been posed by Parikshith. A question he asked that will be beneficial to several crores of people who will come into this world. "pumsam srOtavyadishu yah parah" - all the jNanis will praise you. "te prasnah. krito loka-hitam" - because of your question the whole world will be benefited and mahans will praise you. "srOtavyadini rAjendra nrInam santi sahasrasah apasyatAm atma-tattvam grihEshu griha-mEdhinam" - you asked, "srOtavyadini rAjendra nrInam santi sahasrasah" - there is so much in this world to be asked. When we are speaking with someone, usually it will start with a small question being asked in the beginning. Starts like this - Whether have you had food, what did you eat, what tiffin, whether at home or hotel, which hotel, if this keeps going on and on there are questions coming continuously isn't it. Therefore - "sahasrasah" there are 1000s of questions for people usually.
A carnatic music expert who might have seen the depths of carnatic music, but he will not know anything about Ayurveda. An Ayurvedic expert wont know anything about Jyothisham. An expert in Jyotisha wont know anything about tharkam. An expert in tharkam will not know much about vyakaranam. An expert in vyakaranam will not know much about vedanta. Likewise we can say that one may not know about bhagavath vishayam, another about puranam, vedam, all this being bhakthi related but apart from this in the world there are 1000s of such things to know. There is so much technology, science, physics, chemistry, maths, geography, geology, biochemistry like this we can go on and on. So in this world if we desire to know anything there are 1000s of questions that will arise. "apashyatam atma tattvam griheshu griha medhinam", like azhwar said "pAdhiyum urangipOgum", it is said likewise beautifully in the bhagavatham also, "nidraya hriyate naktam"
vyavayena ca va vayah divacarthehaya rajan kutumba bharanena va" - In a human life, half of it goes away in sleep. Then "vayah divacarthehaya" - as soon as one gets up in the morning he rushes quickly as he is delayed to go to office, whether there is food in the home or not, eat something or other, go here and there and comes back home to get things - artham. As without artham it is not possible to live in this world and how much ever one gets it is not enough at all. Bhagavan is like that, he keeps on performing his kripa and there is no limit for that, but we still keep on crying as we are not satisfied even with such an amount of kripa showered upon us.
We are in so much need and our wants are like that. Night goes in sleep, day goes in "artham", one has to pay rent, maintenance, school fees, social bindings and therefore "rajan kutumba bharanena va" - we need to take care of the children, wife, management of the family and thus one's life goes on - "tasmad bharata sarvatma bhagavan ishvaro harih shrotavyah kirtitavyash ca smartavyashcecchatabhayam".So Sukar says to parikshith that "tasmad bharata sarvatma" - Hey, Parikshith born in the bharata race, "sarvatma bhagavan ishvaro harih" - being in all the atmas that bhagavan narayana greatness has to be asked, he removes sorrows. "shrotavyaha - wherever there is a discourse, go and listen to the hari guna, "kirtitavyash ca " - sing his praises, "smartavyasha" - think about HIM, why? "ecchatabhayam" - you have this fear, fear that you will die in 7 days. When death strikes, one does not know what will happen. Because of that you have got fear, "ecchatabhayam" - if you need protection, then listen to the gunam of the bhagavan. Sing the keerthanams of the bhagavan. Keep on thinking of the bhagavan if you have desire on the abhayam. Man faces sorrows in this samsara, sorrow upon sorrow in many ways, if he needs deliverance from all this, all the tApams that arise in his mind out of the tApatrayam, he needs to pray and think of the bhagavan..
"THE WAY THIS TAPAM WILL GO IS BY A VERY SIMPLE METHOD, LISTEN TO THE KATHAS OF THE BHAGAVAN" always.
Bhagavan is there, he will not let me down, bhagavan will protect, bhagavan is kripalu, again and again keep listening to what the mahans are saying. Because this "arivu", if we don't beat it with a stick again and again, it will not accept this wisdom easily. Again and again, bhagavan is a kripalu, dayalu, one who seeks his help will never be left alone, even if you have done a small thing he will never forget, even if you have put a tulasi upon his charanam he will never forget it, like this keep on hitting the buddhi with a stick again and again. Only by doing this the tApam inside your mind will go, only if tApam goes there will be shanthi, therefore parikshith for a man there are 1000s of things to listen, know and ask in this world but yet the time is gone in sleep during the night and time is gone earning money during the day, time is gone then in the maintenance of the family with this money. So if you need abhayam or mukthi or moksha,listen to the kathas of the bhagavan, perform harinamakeerthanam, keep thinking of the bhagavan always and he will bless you.
Subham!
Radhe Radhe
Read more translations of the other episodes at: http://aranganinarumai.blogspot.com/
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