¿Quienes Son Los Profetas?

Libros sobre Consciencia y Vida Espiritual:

Biblia, Corán, Bhagavat…

Libros diferentes toman enfoques distintos del entendimiento espiritual. Puede proporcionar cuentas diversas de la experiencia de lo divino. Muchos libros de auto-ayuda, por ejemplo se publican libros que describen cómo recuperarse del abuso sexual, el trauma la adicción la enfermedad, o incluso de las experiencias cercanas a la muerte. Muchos libros pretenden curar nuestra alma.

Y sin embargo muchos de estos libros carecen de fundamento para un verdadero entendimiento de la consciencia. Esto es entendible, ya que los textos originales en los que se ha basado la cultura Judeocristiana están primeramente interesados en los preceptos morales y éticos, no en los verdaderamente espirituales.

El Antiguo Testamento de la Biblia mayormente es un conjunto de textos escritos por variedad de Profetas preocupados por seguir la Ley de Dios. Mi diccionario Miriam-Webster dice, “un miembro de alguna religión (tal sea Cristiana, Judía, e Islam) que entrega un mensaje que cree que viene de Dios.”

La mayoría de los profetas del Antiguo Testamento eran habitantes del desierto.

Vivian entre las tribus nómadas lejanas de Arabia hace unos dos o tres mil años.

Llamados por Dios y llenos del Espíritu de Dios, los profetas bíblicos hablaban lo que consideraban “la palabra de Dios” a la gente que de un modo u otro se había distanciado de Dios. Un profeta era un predicador, incluso un fanático al sentir que una tribu entera o nación se había alejado de Dios, como se define por la negación de la ley de Dios.

La antigua Babilonia desafió la voluntad de Dios al construir una torre hacia los cielos. Más tarde el profeta Moisés rescató a los hebreos de la esclavitud en Egipto y los condujo hacia la tierra prometida.

Pero después de todo, la “tierra prometida” nunca fue considerada un sitio divino en el mundo trascendental, sino un paisaje político real en el mundo antiguo.

El Dios del Antiguo Testamento estaba interesado en recuperar las tierras de “Su” pueblo.

Moisés era representante de Dios: no únicamente ayudó a recuperar la tierra para los “elegidos”, también entregó los Diez Mandamientos, las bases de la ética judeocristiana. Pero los diez mandamientos carecían de una meditación profunda acerca de la verdad espiritual. 

Muchos de esos profetas del libro de historia del Antiguo Testamento (Josué, Jueces, 1 y 2 de Samuel, 1 y 2 de Reyes, 1 y 2 de Crónicas, Esdras, Nehemías), donde los profetas como Débora, Samuel, Natán, Elías, Hulda y otros se presentaban para hablar la palabra de Dios y establecer sus leyes. Los libros que escribieron fueron reflejos de esas ideas.

Pero al final, parece que muchos de esos profetas y maestros están preocupados con los preceptos éticos y morales, como por ejemplo “No Matarás”.

Cuando es necesario enseñar “No Matarás” los ciudadanos ha de ser unos bárbaros sin duda.

La religión tradicional de los Judíos era honrar a los sacerdotes, quienes estaban involucrados en matanza, mutilación y tostado de animales de sacrificio llevados por fieles. Por supuesto, “No matarás” no se extendía a la vida animal de la antigua Judea. 

El sacrificio se veía como un aspecto importante de la adoración, pero la idea de sacrificio empezó con el significado del sacrificio de los animales. El sacrificio animal tenía que pagarse, y el sacerdote también cobraba dinero a los diferentes peregrinos y muchas veces tenía que cambiar el dinero de monedas diversas a la moneda local.

Las tareas de un sacerdote iban más allá del pesado trabajo físico de lidiar con miles de animales de sacrificio. 

Un sacerdote sería también necesario para dar guía moral y ética a la gente común. “No matarás”, “No robarás”, y “No cometerás adulterio” serían la piedra angular de la ley de Dios, tal como fue enseñado por los antiguos profetas bíblicos. Y los sacerdotes eran los responsables de enseñar la ley de Dios a la gente (Levítico 10:11, Deuteronomio 17: 8-10. 33:10; Ezra 7:10)

Y sin embargo estos preceptos se ven especialmente débiles para un entendimiento serio de la naturaleza divina del ser.

Debido a que estas leyes de Dios, “No matar, no robar, no cometer adulterio”, eran especialmente difícil para la gente común de seguir, los propios sacerdotes se corrompían y se alejaban de Dios rompiendo esas leyes.

Profetas posteriores llegaron a predicar la ley, especialmente cuando los sacerdotes fallaron en enseñar la ley de Dios al pueblo. Entonces, en el transcurso de la historia, el Dios hebreo llamó y habló a través de generaciones de profetas como maestros y predicadores conforme se descomponía la sociedad. Y conforme leyes nuevas y nuevas se registraban, se hicieron más difíciles de seguir. Aquí un conjunto de leyes de Levítico: http://leviticusbans.tumblr.com/post/23730370413/76-things-banned-in-leviticus

En el Nuevo Testamento, el mayor de todos los maestros bíblicos es celebrado como el Hijo de Dios, Jesús, el Cristo.

Jesucristo revela su profecía a inicios del Nuevo Milenio, diciendo que en donde los profetas predicaban “Ojo por ojo, y diente por diente” él había llegado a predicar la nueva ley. Cuando le preguntaron a Cristo, “Maestro, ¿cuál es el mandamiento más grande de la Ley?” Jesús contestó “Amar al Señor tu Dios con todo tu corazón y con toda tu alma y con toda tu mente” Este es el primero y más grande de todos los mandamientos. Y el segundo es parecido ‘Ama a tus enemigo como a ti mismo” Toda la Ley y los profetas dependen de estos dos mandamientos-2, “Amar al Señor tu Dios como tu propia vida y alma, y amar a tu prójimo como a ti mismo”.

Su nueva doctrina de amaor llegó a rremplazar la vieja ley de los profetas. Y sin embargo muchas preguntas quedaron sin respuesta en sus enseñanzas. Por ejempl: Si el poder y la presencia de Dos son reales y efectivos, ¿qué significa para la experiencia humana? ¿Qué le ofrece Dios a los hombres y mujeres, y qué pide a cambio? ¿Cómo reconocerlo? ¿Cómo conocerlo? ¿Qué es el ser? Y ¿Qué relación tiene el ser con Dios? Si Dios existe, ¿Por qué ha sufrimiento en el mundo? ¿Qué es el alma y de dónde viene? ¿Cómo ha de practicarse el amor?

Babilonia Antigua

Ninguna de estas cuestiones se tocaron verdaderamente o respondieron en la Biblia. Se dejó a San Agustín, a Santo Tomás Aquino el escribir muy posteriormente para formular la teología católica que podría abordar este tipo de preguntas.

Pero muchas de estas preguntas sólo se respondieron con parábolas. Después de todo. Cristo conversaba con pescadores, carpinteros y prostitutas. Mientras que nosotros valoramos sus sermones, especialmente los de los Evangelios, ¿será posible profundizar?

El Corán afirma que se dio una última conversación entre Mahoma y el arcángel Gabriel. Y sin embargo, esta conversación es también profundamente insatisfactoria. La insistencia del Corán en la ley conduce a los creyentes hacia un sistema ético-moral con mucho énfasis en una especie de dharma islámico llamdo Sharia. Y practicar la ley del Sharia tiene poco que ver con la contemplación del ser. Para una tradición mística en el interior del Islam uno ha de investigar el Sufismo. Puesto que mientras que el Corán menciona los sufrimientos del infierno y recomienda la salvación a través de la obediencia a las leyes de Dios, no se le da una atención significativa a la naturaleza de la consciencia y el alma en ese antiguo texto.

Los textos yóguicos como los Upaniṣads, por el otro lado nos ofrecen respuestas a esas cuestiones que nunca son abordadas por los profetas de la Biblia y el Corán. Es cierto que “todo el sistema de yoga se basa en la premisa de concentrar la propia mente en el Ser Supremo y dejar de lado la fascinación por los objetos de los sentidos”. Nosotros tal vez preferimos los textos que profundizan en la naturaleza de la realidad sobre los que se leen como libro de recetas de leyes a obedecer.

Christo en el Templo por Giotto

La imitación de Cristo, uno de los escritos más populares cristianos de todos los tiempos, atesorado por creyentes a lo largo de seis siglos y surcando dominios. Tiene más de 2 mil ediciones impresas, En su trabajo “la Imitación de Cristo, Thomas Kempis hace hincapié en el yoga de Cristo poniendo al frente la idea de que uno puede llegar a ser como Cristo al seguir Su ejemplo.

¿Y si hubiera un grupo de hombres parecidos a Cristo? ¿Y qué si ese grupo se encuentra con buscadores de la verdad similares? ¿Qué si los grandes profetas, yoguis, pensadores y hombres como Cristo se reunieran y tuvieran una conversación?

¿Qué clase de conversación tendrían? ¿Qué clase de libro escribirían? ¿Y qué si pudiéramos leer ese libro?

Imagínese a sí mismo en el bosque ideal para meditar.

Es verde y lleno de árboles frutales. Uno nunca puede llegar a sentir hambre aquí puesto que el bosque está lleno de árboles de mango. Hay bosquecillos de cocos, Esto no es un duro desierto con animales de presa. Vacas pastan tranquila y felizmente dan leche a las personas santas quienes viven tranquilas en sus chozas de pasto junto al río.

Los sabios y los santos han llegado aquí en una peregrinación y llevan a cabo su meditación tranquilamente. Los brāmaṇas mantienen el fuego sagrado y dan la bienvendia a quien necesita alivio, consejo, o el calor de un hogar.

El río cercano es sagrado y provee agua pura y cristalina. El agua no está demasiado fría; es perfecta para tomar un baño. Los peregrinos atraviesan y ofrecen nueces, bayas, frutos, arroz y pasteles a los hombres santos que habitan aquí en busca de la verdad.

Has llegado a Naimisharanya. Coloca tu máquina del tiempo unos cuantos milenios atrás. La cualidad del silencio es prístino. Se puede oír cómo cae una hoja en el bosquecillo de mangos. El bosque es antiguo. Estas cerca de las orillas del río Gomti en algún lugar entre el Reino Panchala que algún día gobernara Drupada y el Reino Kosala regido por Raghava rama, hace mucho tiempo.

La guerra del Mahābhārata fue un conflicto grande y sangriento, resuelto no hace tanto tiempo por los hijos de Paṇḍu. Parikṣit reina pacíficamente, pero sucumbe ante la mordedura de la serpiente Takshaka, a causa de la maldición de un brahmán.

Y ahora los más grandes de entre todos los santos se han reunido a discutir el significado de la vida. Un cónclave de sabios encabezados por el sabio Śaunaka, han llegado al sacrificio para la causa de la paz del mundo. Grandes yoguis, expertos y eruditos brahmanes, y Rishis, visionarios de la verdad están ahí. Ellos se sientan en círculo sobre alfombras de hierba kusha y escuchan al orador.

El discípulo grande y erudito del mismísimo Vyāsa, Ugrasrava Sauti ha narrado todo el Mahābharata, la historia de los grandes reyes de la dinastía Bharata ante los sabios encabezados por Śaunaka. Han escuchado la elaborada historia de los Kurus y los Pāṇḍavas y su batalla de Kurukṣetra conocida como la Guerra de Kurukṣetra.

Sauti o Sūta Goswāmī tal como se le conoce entre la compañía de los yoguis y los santos ha desenvuelto una historia de 100 mil versos de poesía sánscrita.

Sus enseñanzas del Mahābhārata comprenden no sólo la historia de India, sino la historia del universo y la obra del karma. Dentro del Mahābhārata están las enseñanzas de Kṛṣṇa en el Bhagavad-Gita, y los sabios escuchan de Dios, el cosmos, el tiempo, el alma, y el karma, junto con muchas otras verdades profundas.

Y sin embargo, mientras Parikṣit, el nieto de Arjuna ha gobernado en paz, la historia de la gran batalla entre los Kurus y los Pāṇḍavas a dejado a los sabios insatisfechos. Ellos saben que la nueva era está amaneciendo: la era de Kalī, la era de la guerra de hierro.

Y así, han iniciado un gran sacrificio por la paz,, uno que durará años. Los ancianos se han acercado a Brahma el creador mientras se preocupan del despertar de la era de hierro. Saben que la civilización humana está por entrar a un tiempo de conflicto y de dudas, de guerra y de oscuridad espiritual. Le han pedido al creador de cuatro cabezas, el Señor Brahma que les muestre un sitio sagrado intocable por los efectos de Kali.

En ese momento Brahma crea un disco de su propio corazón y lo hace rodar por toda la tierra diciendo. “Donde este chakra se detenga será un lugar auspicioso para su sacrificio. Los sabios siguen el chakra. Después de rodar en las cuatro direcciones llega al bosque (aranya) en un sitio llamado Naimisha, un antiguo sitio de peregrinación y de estudio del Sánscrito que ha atraído a sabios, académicos y a laicos por igual desde tiempo inmemorial.

Entonces, cuando el chakra se detuvo en los bosques de la selva Naimisharanya, los sabios establecieron ahí el sitio de su sacrificio por la paz y la auto-realización.

Ahora el sacrificio se ha realizado por algún tiempo. Los sabios han escuchado las historias del Mahābhārata, pero siguen sin estar completamente satisfechos. Grandes almas se reúnen ahí: Kashyapa, Atri, Vashista, Vishvamitra, Gautama Maharishi, Jamadagni y Bharadvaja, los siete grandes Rishis. Todos ellos han escuchado cuidadosamente las pláticas de Sūta. El propio Nārada se dice que los ha visitado durante las conferencias. Aun así, algo acerca del Mahābhārata ha quedad inconcluso. La discusión de Sūta Goswāmī los ha dejado en espera de algo más, algo más profundo.

Por supuesto, Nārada sabía que Vyāsa había compuesto una literatura más significativa, una que no deja sitio a las ideas “religiosas” externas. Sabía que el propio Vyāsa estaba insatisfecho con su obra. Después de todos, Vyāsa había llegado a él en busca de consejo espiritual después de componer el Mahābhārata y Nārada, el guru de los dioses, le había instruido para que diera las verdades más profundas del Bhāgavat Purana. Pero él había llegado a escuchar la versión de Sūta, para ver cómo podía representar las ideas de su maestro, Vyāsa.

Por su parte los yoguis y sabios reunidos ahí,  habían elegido a Śaunaka , quien era el mayor y más sabio para representarlos. Tenían algunas preguntas específicas para Suta.

Estaban especialmente curiosos por saber, “¿Qué es el bien absoluto?” y “¿Cuál es la esencia del conocimiento de las escrituras?” Algunos sabios querían entender acerca del porqué de las apariciones de Dios, en qué forma y con qué propósito. Estaban particularmente interesados en entender más acerca de Kṛṣṇa y cómo se manifiesta el Dios Supremo Personal, no sólo en diferentes encarnaciones y avatāras, sino “¿Por qué Kṛṣṇa parece Él mismo?” y “¿Cuáles son los pasatiempos de Kṛṣṇa?”  “¿Cuál es el propósito  de sus encarnaciones?” También querían saber el verdadero significado de dharma especialmente en la era de hierro.

Śukadeva's Answer

Śukadeva begins his instructions to the dying King

Śukadeva Replies

Śukadeva said, “You have asked me about what one who is on the verge of death should hear and discuss. Most people have no time for a discussion of the truth about the soul or consciousness. But your question is worthy of the great truth-seekers. Everywhere men have conversations. And all consider their talks to have meaning. But most of these discussions are meaningless because they have nothing to do with the eternal nature of reality. 

Such men and women chatter endlessly, engrossed in material life. Their lives are filled with struggles over money, sex, and family. They have endless arguments about thousands of topics, but avoid talk about the meaning of life, or what to do at the time of death. They are unconcerned with ātma-tattva, the nature of soul and Supersoul. But even while they do not inquire into self-realization, death is inevitable for all.

Śukadeva said, “In the end, the best subject matter for discussion is the Godhead, the Supreme Person. Remembrance of Narayana, the Personal Godhead is the perfection of human life. Whether one practices yoga, mysticism, meditation, dharma, whatever one’s religious principle, jñāna, yoga, or karma, one must try to achieve this perfection which culminates in divine love.

“Advanced souls who have no need of commandments and religiosity delight in describing the Godhead. One such advanced soul was Vyāsa. Fully realized in the Vedas, he himself compiled the Vedic scriptures and even the Mahābhārata. 

He was my teacher. When the Dvāpara age came to a close, he taught me this great treatise, this glorification of the Godhead, this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, which I shall now reveal to you. This Bhāgavata is no less than the Vedas, and in fact may be considered the ripened fruit of the Vedic desire tree.”

“I myself, O King, was merged in transcendence. I felt myself fixed in spiritual enightenment at the highest level. And yet, upon hearing this divine message I myself was attracted to hear all about the different manifestations, avataras, and divine lila or pastimes of the Lord, Bhagavan Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Reality the Beautiful.

“What I heard from Vyāsa, I shall now recite before you, O King because I consider you a most sincere devotee of Krishna. Whoever listens carefully to this message, whoever gives a faithful, respectful hearing to this recital will attain Mukunda, who gives a gift that makes liberation pale by comparison.

एतन् निर्विद्यमानानाम् इच्छताम् अकुतो-भयम्

योगिनां नृप निर्णीतं हरेर् नामानुकीर्तनम्

etan nirvidyamānānām

icchatām akuto-bhayam

yogināṁ nṛpa nirṇītaṁ

harer nāmānukīrtanam

“O King, constant chanting of the holy name of the Lord after the ways of the great authorities is the doubtless and fearless way of success for all, including those who are free from all material desires, those who are desirous of all material enjoyment, and also those who are self-satisfied by dint of transcendental knowledge.”

~Srimad Bhagavatam 2.1.11 translated by A.C. Bhaktivedānta Swāmī Prabhupāda

“What value is there in living a long life wasted by getting and spending? Far better to have one moment of pure consciousness, one second of divine love, than a hundred years of life in ignorance. The saintly King Khaṭvāṅga, when he heard that he would only live for seconds, at once left aside his material life and took shelter of the Godhead. You yourself, O King have less than seven days to live, having been cursed to die of snake-bite. You have all the time you need to take shelter of Kṛṣṇa. Listen carefully.

“Remember that in the end, you must be brave. You must not fear death. Leave aside your attachment to the body, the mind, and all the desires you hold so dear. You know what must be done. You must leave home. You must practice self-control.

 Find a sacred place where you can bathe in holy waters. Sit there in a quiet place. There you can remember the sacred syllable Oṁ. 

ॐ

Oṁkara

“Remember Oṁ: the affirmation of the infinite. Yes. He does exist. It is the seed of transcendental sound that animates all the Vedic mantras. Control the breathing. Enter the divine trance.

Yogic trance

Śukadeva continued, “As one’s mind becomes merged in transcendence, it may be withdrawn from sensual experience. Sensation is controlled by intelligence. In this way the uncontrolled mind comes under the influence of the divine and becomes engaged in the service of the Godhead and full transcendental consciousness. 

This is the general procedure for entering into samādhi through pranayama, breath control. Breath control and samādhi will relieve the mind from sensual domination, but only through fixing one’s mind in the service of the Godhead will one achieve divine love.

“These are preliminary instructions. Your time is short; I am giving a summary beginning with advice for neophytes. Proper cleansing of the mind is through transcendental loving service to the Lord beginning with hearing. If practice is performed correctly, progress is assured.”

“Ultimately, at the time of death, one may meditate on the form of the Godhead, beginning with the lotus feet. One may begin with the vibration of Oṁkara, and proceed to concentrate on the name and glories of the Godhead, while meditating on the lotus feet of the Lord. In this way, at the time of death, the mind will become free from all sensual contact and become fixed in Him alone. 

A neophyte may begin with Oṁkara; more advanced meditation involves the divine name and form of the Lord. By this system of remembrance, by understanding the Personal conception of Godhead and by fixing oneself in meditation, O King a yogi can very soon achieve success in bhakti and enter into the world of service.

Śrī Kṛṣṇa: Reality the Beautiful

The King asked, “Can you please explain more about the mind, O saintly one. How can I apply my mind so that I can always see God? And what can I do to avoid negative thinking?”

Invocation: A Love Supreme

Śukadeva said: “ॐ.”

“Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya”

“Oṁ. Yes. A big yes. My dear Mahārāja Parīkṣita, what you are searching for...it is. Yes. it is.”

Namaḥ--No me.

“Before Him, there is no ‘me.’ I surrender myself.”

“To whom?”

“To Him, to Bhāgavan Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the son of Vāsudeva.”

In his moment of deepest spiritual hunger, Mahārāja Parīkṣita begged Śukadeva to reveal the truth to him and he does so in four words. These four words encapsule the meaning of the entire Śrīmad Bhāgavatam and so they are invoked at the very beginning of Śukadeva’s version.

Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय

The Royal Question

Śukadeva takes the Vyāsasana

Now, one might wonder what Vyāsa was doing in the audience. His guru Nārada was there as well. But both Vyāsa and Nārada sat quietly and listened with interest to the boy.

Vyāsa was certainly qualified to recite the Bhāgavata. After all, it was his composition. Why, then, was he content to sit and listen to his disciple? Wasn’t he a qualified spiritual master, well-versed in the Vedas? After all, he had written the Vedas.

And yet, the Vedas contain apparently contradictory instructions. Vyāsa himself was unsatisfied with the karmic sections of the Vedas. This was his motive for writing the Bhāgavata. And he was so much associated with the old teachings of the Vedas, he could hardly be the perfect speaker of the Bhāgavata.

Vyāsa composing the Mahābharata

The Vedas are considered to be like a desire tree. A desire tree can fulfill all wishes. So the religious texts of the Vedas has something for everyone who has risen above a basic animal level of consciousness. For one who has developed a moral conscience there is sacrifice and rituals to please the gods and strictures against murder, stealing, adultery, and so on, just as in the Christian Bible. 

Those who are more advanced can find freedom from birth and death by practicing the kinds of meditations advocated in the Upanishads. The Mahābharata gives vivid examples of the Vedic system in action with all the actions and reactions that karma might produce. And a hint of the greatest transcendence is given in the Bhagavad-gita. 

The branches of knowledge found in the Vedic desire tree include a number of sciences from medicine in the Ayur-Veda, to astrology, alchemy, ritual sorcery, ethics in the Artha-Śāstra, and even the practice of the most intense sensual pleasures in the famous Kama-sutra. The philosophical knowledge of Vedic traditions include metaphysics, ontology, cosmology, epistemology, and ethics. And yet, with all these important branches of knowledge, The Bhāgavata is considered to the ripened fruit of the Vedic desire tree because it yields the highest gift: Divine Love.

But Vyāsa had compiled a veritable encyclopedia of mundane and religious information. If he were to represent his own work, it would be more difficult to see in context. The Bhāgavata would be seen as merely another of Vyāsa’s great treatises. its 18,000 verses dwarfed by the far vaster work of the Mahābhārata.

It is said that when a ripened mango has been touched by the beak of a parrot the fruit is much sweeter. The taste is enhanced by the parrot’s beak. Perhaps this is because the parrot, being such a discriminating bird, always chooses the best fruit. 

The parrot is careful to taste only the sweetest fruit. So when one finds a piece of fruit that has been touched by the parrot’s beak, one knows that this fruit must be the best on the tree. Other’s feel that the parrot’s beak itself is endowed with certain properties such that the taste of the fruit is definitely enhanced by its touch.

In any case, Śuka is compared to a parrot: not merely because he could recite each verse exactly as written by Vyāsa himself, but because his natural speech enhances the sweetness of the original Sanskrit. Even though Śukadeva was already enlightened in all respects, he was naturally attracted by the sweetness of this divine work, just as the parrot cannot resist a fully ripened mango.

As he ascended the seat of honor before the condemned king, he paused and looked at those who had gathered there to witness the last days of the great king. All wondered at the sight of this boy. The son of Vyāsa was gentle and mild, only sixteen years old.

His father looked on, glowing in admiration. His son was the perfect representative of the divine message. He saw that Śukadeva was delicately formed. His limbs were well-turned. His eyes were wide as lotus petals. His nose was fine and his ears were raised. All in all, he was handsome. He was naked as the day he was born, and his complexion was that of a raincloud, like unto Kṛṣṇa Himself.

Nārada and the sages, yogis and saints present there could understand from his bearing that he was a saintly person. All rose. As he lowered his eyes at this honor, the women, seated at a distance, found his natural grace and easy smile pleasing to behold.

At that time the great king who had taken a stern vow to fast unto death, Mahārāja Parīkṣit, son of Abhimanyu, grandson of Arjuna, bowed his head in humility. As they stood in respect, Śukadeva Gosvāmī sat in the place of honor surrounded by gods and saints, Rishis and yogis, his father Vyāsa and Nārada the spiritual preceptor of Vyāsa himself. With so many illuminated personalities, Śukadeva looked like the moon surrounded by stars and planets.

And seated on the place of honor, that boy looked serene and wise.

The King came near. He offered his respects with folded hands and, after asking permission, took his seat before the son of Vyāsa.

After offering some sweet words to the boy who glowed with enlightenment, that king said: “As I am desperate and on the verge of death and you are the spiritual master of great saints and devotees, I am therefore begging you to show the way of perfection for all persons, and especially for one who is about to die. You are free from all material attachments. In fact is said that you are so detached that you have no fixed residence: you hardly stay in a houses of men long enough that a cow might be milked. 

The king said, "I accept you as my guru and surrender myself unto thee. Please instruct me. Let me know what one should do when he is on the point of death. What should such a man hear, chant, remember and worship? And also please tell me what he should not do. Please explain all this to me. What is favorable and what is unfavorable?”

“Such was the question of Mahārāja Parikṣita,” said Suta, who was telling the story before the thousands gathered in the forest of Naimisharanya. He paused his narrative. Once again he looked high and saw a beam of light falling through the branches of the banyan tree. On a high branch, there was a Śuka bird, playing in the leaves. This tree bore no sweet fruit, but the bird was pleased to hear the sweet discourse of Suta as he reported what he had heard of the dying king and the young sage who spoke to comfort him in his last days.

And the crowd of 80,000 sages who had gathered to hear Suta’s version were eager to hear more. Now they understood that there was a deeper literature than the Mahābharata. They had heard the Mahābharata from Suta, but had asked for something more.

And as they listened to Suta describe that supernatural conversation that had taken place in the presence of both Vyāsa and Nārada, they knew that deeper secrets were about to be revealed.

And so it was that upon hearing the question asked by King Parikṣita, the crowd that had gathered in the forest leaned closer. They wanted to hear how Śukadeva would answer the king’s questions about birth and death and what is favorable and unfavorable for attaining the highest goal.

Śrī Sūta Gosvāmī cleared his throat. He drank Ganges water from a cup made of lotus leaves. Looking over the crowd of 80,000, he said: “The King thus spoke and questioned the sage, using sweet language. At that time, the son of Vyāsadeva, Bhagavan Śrī Śukadeva, expert in the highest principles of dharma, began his reply.”

What do do when death calls?

The King's Anger, A Brahmanas Curse,

 and the Appearance of Shukadeva

Suta explained, “Again the king asked him for water, but the sage sat there, inert. How was it possible that the sage ignored the King of Hastinapura, the grandson of Arjuna, the heir of Yudhisthira, Mahārāja Parīkṣit himself? No seat, no water, no words of welcome came from the forest sage who sat in meditation. This was an insult to the king’s pride! Overcome by thirst, and exhaustion, the king became enraged.

Suta said, “Mahārāja Parīkṣit found a dead snake near the tree, and picking it up with his bow, he placed it on the sage’s shoulder of the sage. Then he returned to his palace.”

Anger is not the true companion of an enlightened soul. Even great souls become indignant with injustice. Even a saint may express outrage at lies, cheating, and sin.

Jesus Christ was famously outraged at the money-lenders in the temple of Jerusalem. And yet, anger is not the normal course for a saint. With wisdom comes compassion, and compassion overcomes anger. In the Bhagavad-gita, when asked about the cause of sin, the Lord reminds Arjuna that sin is a product of attachment and desire: “It is lust only, Arjuna, which is born of contact with the material modes of passion and later transformed into wrath, and which is the all-devouring, sinful enemy of this world. (kāma eṣa krodha eṣa rajo-guṇa-samudbhavaḥ....BG 3.37) Anger is the enemy of enlightenment. Krishna also says, “Being freed from attachment, fear and anger, being fully absorbed in Me and taking refuge in Me, many, many persons in the past became purified by knowledge of Me-and thus they all attained transcendental love for Me. (BG 4.10 vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhā man-mayā mām upāśritāḥ)” Unfulfilled desires and attachment lead to lust and anger. To free oneself from anger, one should learn how to forgive. Mahārāja Parikṣita was certainly an advanced soul, but he was temporarily overcome with anger, when he was hungry, thirsty and insulted. For such a great king to become angry and envious, especially at a sage and brāhmaṇa, was highly unusual, since he knew that it was wrong to punish brāhmaṇas and sages. As a king, it was within his power to punish a subject for coldly receiving him or neglecting him, but because the culprit was a sage and a brāhmaṇa, his behavior was unprecedented. It may be considered that he was acting under the influence of the age of Kali, but from another point of view, his behavior was ordained by a higher power. The only justification for Mahārāja Parīkṣit's behavior is that it was ordained by the Lord in order that the Bhagavat would be revealed in his conversation with Śukadev. Not a blade of grass moves without the will of the Lord.

Even so, Mahārāja Parkīkṣita soon recovered his composure.

On his way home, he repented his foolish actions, done in pride. He realized that he had acted improperly and prayed to the Lord for forgiveness. But he knew that the reaction would come. Even a king should not offend an innocent brahmana, a sage meditating in the forest. His insult of the sage would bode no good.

Suta continued: “Now that forest sage had a son, Shringi, a teenage boy. By dint of his yoga practice, he had developed great mystic powers. When he returned to his father’s ashram, he found his father decorated with a dead snake, still deep in his trance of meditation.

“Brahmans are the leaders of society,” thought Śringi, “where kings are like our dogs. Having no intelligence of their own, they can only follow our orders. This King Parīkṣit is a dog and should be punished for what he has done. I must protect my father with my mystic power.” Knowledge is power. But a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, especially in the hands of an inexperienced boy.

Suta said, “And so it was that that immature son of a ṛṣi, his eyes red with anger, touched the water of the River Kauśika and cursed that noble King, saying ‘On the seventh day from today a snake-bird will bite that most wretched king Parīkṣit for this insult.’”

“Hearing this, the ṛṣi, awoke from his trance of meditation and saw the dead snake on his shoulder. Throwing the dead snake aside he saw his son and asked what was the matter, whereupon the boy explained how he had cursed the King.

“The ṛṣi shook his head. He began to repent, saying: ‘Oh no, my boy! You have misused your powers. You have given a terrible punishment for a petty offense. Your education is incomplete. You are young and green. You have no idea what you’ve done.’

“When this king dies, justice will be abolished. We shall enter into kali-yuga, the age of quarrel. After the death of this good king the whole world will be filled with thieves and murderers. There will be great social disruptions. War will become commonplace. There will be no respect for women. Animal slaughter will become commonplace. This is on your head. The golden age is finished. Society will fall from the path of a progressive civilization and varnashram dharma. Barbarism will be driven by money and sensual pleasure. In the end a bestial society on the level of dogs and monkeys will reproduce like animals.

“My son. You fool. Parīkṣit is a pious king, a saint amongst royalty, and he has performed many horse sacrifices. When such a king is tired and fatigued, being stricken with hunger and thirst, he does not at all deserve to be cursed. The ṛṣi prayed to the Godhead to pardon his boy, since great souls are so forbearing that even though they are defamed, cheated, cursed, disturbed, neglected or even killed, they are never inclined to avenge themselves.”

Suta said, “In this way, the sage lamented the offense made by his son. But it was too late. The king knew the power of a brahmana’s curse. And his death by snake-bite had already been foretold. He knew the curse had been an act of God, and took it as the Lord’s mercy.

Suta continued, “And so it was that the great Mahārāja Parīkṣita, son of Abhimanyu, decided to prepare himself for death, having been cursed by a brahman.”

Suta said, “In this way, Mahārāja Parīkṣit sat down firmly on the banks of the Ganges to concentrate his mind in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, rejecting all other practices of self-realization. The Ganges is mixed with the dust of the lotus feet of Lord Krishna and tulasī leaves, blessing the three worlds.

“The king sat on the banks of the Ganges to fast until death, knowing that he would die from a snake-bite within the week. He accepted the vows of a sage, having given charge of his kingdom over to his son. In this way, renouncing his kingdom and all his wealth, he focused his mind on the Supreme in meditation.

“The news traveled. It was proclaimed far and wide through traveling brahmanas and celebrated in song that the king in his final hours was prepared for death. All great seers of truth, gurus, rishis, yogis and their followers, all saints and sages, all who bless the holy places by their presence, began to arrive.

“From different parts of the world great sages came to see the king and counsel and bless him before his death. There was Atri the Rishi. Cyavana Muni was there as was Śaradvān. The sages Ariṣṭanemi, and Bhṛgu. Even the great Vasiṣṭha, Parāśara, and Viśvāmitra were there along with Aṅgirā. The great and fearful Paraśurāma himself had come.”

Suta continued, “Among the saints and sages that had assembled were Utathya, Indrapramada, Idhmavāhu, Medhātithi, Devala, Ārṣṭiṣeṇa, Bhāradvāja, Gautama, Pippalāda, Maitreya, Aurva, Kavaṣa, Kumbhayoni.”

“The greatest of these was Krishna Dvaipāyana, Vyāsadeva himself and his spiritual preceptor Nārada, who had inspired him. 

They were both in attendance at what would be the first recital of Vyāsa’s new work. But Vyāsa himself would not read the work. The task would be left to his son, Śukadeva, who was not long in arriving.

“Besides these great souls were also many other divine and powerful beings, great kings and princes.

“When all these important persons gathered to meet the king, he received them with respect and bowed before them as they seated themselves.

“At that time the King, joining his hands in respectful prayer, told those great souls of his determination to fast until the end.

He said: We are blessed by all the great souls who have come here. I will soon meet my fate in the form of a brāhmaṇa’s curse. This is the Lord’s mercy so that I shall give up my attachments to this material world.

The king said, “O brāhmaṇas, please accept me as a completely surrendered soul, and let mother Ganges, the representative of the Lord, also accept me in that way, for I have already taken the lotus feet of the Lord into my heart. Let the snake-bird — or whatever magical thing the brāhmaṇa created — bite me at once. I only desire that you all continue singing the deeds of Lord Viṣṇu.”

The king said, “Again, offering obeisances unto all you brāhmaṇas, I pray that if I should again take my birth in the material world I will have complete attachment to the unlimited Lord Kṛṣṇa, association with His devotees and friendly relations with all living beings.”

Suta said, “At that time Mahārāja Parīkṣit, seated on a straw mat sat facing the north on the southern side of the Ganges. All the gods praised the King’s actions, beat the heavenly drums and showered flowers over the earth.

The sages there also praised the king, saying,

“O best of kings, It is not surprising that you renounce your throne,decorated with the helmets of kings, to achieve eternal association with the Godhead, Bhagavan Śṛī Kṛṣṇa. We shall all wait here until the foremost devotee of the Lord, Mahārāja Parīkṣit, returns to the supreme abode of Kṛṣṇa, which is completely free from all mundane contamination and lamentation.”

In this way, the sages spoke the truth in sweet words, full of meaning. And after this, the king wanted to hear of the activities of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Sweet Absolute, the Personality of Godhead.

He directed himself to the great spiritual teachers present there and said, “O trustworthy brāhmaṇas, I now ask you about my immediate duty. Please, after proper deliberation, tell me of the unalloyed duty of everyone in all circumstances, and specifically of those who are just about to die.”

At that moment there appeared the powerful son of Vyāsadeva, who traveled over the earth disinterested and satisfied with himself. He did not manifest any symptoms of belonging to any social order or status of life. He was surrounded with women and children, and he dressed as if others had neglected him.

The curse

The Death of a King

Śaunaka said, “Tell us, O Suta, of Śukadeva? Who was he? How was he empowered to speak the Bhāgavata? Under what conditions did he recite that great work? And who were those who were blessed to listen?”

The sage Śaunaka said: We have heard that Śukadeva spoke the Bhagavat to the great king Parikṣita, afer he had been cursed. Tell us the story of that king. How was he born and how did he rule? The womb of Uttarā, mother of Mahārāja Parīkṣit, was spoiled by the dreadful and invincible brahmāstra weapon released by Aśvatthāmā. But Mahārāja Parīkṣit was saved by the Supreme Lord. How was the great emperor Parīkṣit, who was a highly intelligent and great devotee, born in that womb? How was he cursed to die?

How did his death take place, and what did he achieve after his death?

Śaunaka said, “We all respectfully want to hear about Mahārāja Parīkṣit who learned the transcendental knowledge of the Bhagavat from Śukadeva Gosvāmī.”

The sages gathered there nodded their heads and listened, intent on capturing on every word spoken by Suta Goswāmi.

Sūta said: After Yudhiṣṭhira won the war at Kurukshetra, he assumed leadership over the kingdom. From his throne in Hastinapura, he ruled like his father Pandu before him, with generosity and fairness. He had no personal ambition or lust for power. He was a great devotee of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. The heavenly planets rang with the glories of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira’s sacrifice. His queen Draupadi, his brothers Bhima and Arjuna as well as the twins became famous for their great deeds. His opulence was treasured even in the heavens. But he sacrificed everything in the service of Śrī Kṛṣa.

O Śaunaka, Arjuna was the brother of that great king and his son was Abhimanyu. Abhimanyu was married to Uttarā and together they begat Parīkṣit, who would hear the Bhāgavat from Śukadev.

Now, when Parīkṣit, was in the womb of his mother, Uttarā, he was opressed from the curse of the envious son of Drona, Aśvatthāma. The envious Aśvatthāma cast his powerful weapon against Uttarā, hoping to burn to death the heir of Yudhisthira’s kingdom.

But the Lord appeared to Parīkṣit in the womb, saving him from certain death. All rejoiced, and when all stars were right, that great prince took birth.

King Yudhiṣṭhira, for his part was satisfied and ordered the ritual ceremonies of birth performed. Great brāhmaṇas, like Dhaumya and Kṛpa, recited the Vedas at his birth. The king gave charity should in gold, land, villages, elephants, horses and good food grains to the learned and wise. The brahmans in turn recognized the boy as a specially gifted child. And yet they prophesied his death by snake-bite.

The boy grew and learned the art of war and peace from his grandfathers. In time he would become as capable a ruler as Yudhisthira himself.

And yet his rule would coincide with the beginning of the age of Kali, the iron age of strife and quarrel. And after Yudhisthira and his brothers left this mortal plane, Parīkṣit’s rule began. He was a fair and wise king and all loved him.

Now it came to pass that one day when Mahārāja Parīkṣit, was hunting stages in the royal forest he became extremely tired, hungry and thirsty. Exhausted he began to search for water. At length he found the ashram of a sage called Śamīka Ṛṣi. There was the king, exhausted and there was the sage beneath a tree. As the king implored him for water, the sage sat in meditation, his eyes closed.

Again the king asked him for water, but the sage sat there, inert. How was it possible that the sage ignored the King of Hastinapura, the grandson of Arjuna, the heir of Yudhisthira, Mahārāja Parīkṣit himself? No seat, no water, no words of welcome came from the forest sage who sat in meditation. This was an insult to the king’s pride. Overcome by thirst, and exhaustion, the king became enraged.

He found a dead snake near the tree, and picking it up with his bow, he placed it around the sage’s neck. Then he returned to his palace.