A moment of anticipation filled the hallowed assembly of sages on the banks of River Ganga. Young Shukadev walked in—clad in his renunciation, untouched by worldly norms—and ascended the vyasasan, the exalted seat of divine wisdom. Before him sat King Parikshit, a monarch with only seven days to live, seeking nothing but the Absolute Truth.

Dispensing with all formalities, Parikshit’s voice stirred the silence: “O Gurudev, what is the most powerful means to attain the supreme destination when death stands at the door? What should one chant, remember, or do in such a moment? Which vows or austerities truly matter then?” It was the cry of a soul on the brink; earnest, humble, and filled with longing. Moved by his sincerity, Shukadev Maharaj dove straight into his discourse, unveiling perennial truths that continue to illumine hearts across the ages.

The Ultimate Preparation

Shukadev began, “O Parikshit, you speak of having seven days until death. You have been granted the rare advantage of knowing the time of your departure. This knowledge gives you the opportunity to prepare yourself fully for the ultimate journey.”

To convey it more emphatically, Shukadev spoke of a noble ancestor from Parikshit’s own illustrious Suryavansh lineage—Maharaj Khatwang. The valiant king had once aided the celestial gods in their battle against the demons. When the gods emerged victorious, they offered him a boon. In response, Maharaj Khatwang asked, ‘How much time do I have left to live?’ The celestial beings replied, ‘Only one and a half hours.’ Upon hearing this, Maharaj Khatwang did not waste a single moment. With unwavering resolve, he gathered the strands of his mind, brought his thoughts to complete focus, and surrendered to the Supreme. In that brief span, he attained ultimate perfection. “You, O Parikshit, are far more fortunate. You have been given seven full days to prepare for the same supreme goal.”

Shukadev continued, “To begin this journey, you must first rise above the fear of death.” He elaborated that fear arises from attachment. As long as the mind clings to the transient, it trembles at the thought of loss. An ancient Sanskrit verse wisely observes:

भोगे रोगभयं कुले च्युतिभयं वित्ते नृपालाद्भयं।

सर्वं वस्तु भयान्वितं भुवि नृणां वैराग्यमेवाभयम्॥ ~ Shubhashit Ratnakar

If one is attached to wealth, one fears poverty. If attached to sensual pleasure, one fears disease. If attached to status or position, one fears disgrace. Everything in this world carries within it the seed of fear. The only state free from fear is vairagya (detachment).

When we cultivate detachment, fear withers away. The heart rests in surrender, accepting, ‘Whatever God wills is for my good. My duty is to serve and submit to Him, not to cling to fleeting desires.’ As the saying goes, जाही विधि राखे राम, ताही विधि रहीए: Howsoever the Lord keeps us, let us remain content in His will. Freed from the chains of material attachment, one becomes free from fear. Thus, Shukadev had advised, “O Parikshit, rise above fear by rising above attachment.”

Next, Shukadev expounded upon freedom from raag-dwesh, or hankering and aversion towards the world. A mind is pulled by desires or repelled by dislikes, remains distracted and bound to the world of duality. Such a restless mind cannot contemplate on God. The wise therefore strive for equanimity—responding to pleasure and pain, praise and blame, gain and loss, with the same composure.

To attain such steadiness, Shukadev led Parikshit to the path of meditation, revealing two kinds of practices. The first involves contemplation on the cosmic Form of God, wherein one envisions the entire universe as the embodiment of the Divine: the sun and moon as His eyes, the rivers as His arteries, and the stars as the jewels adorning His vast cosmic body. Everything in creation is a manifestation of His infinite energies. When this vision dawns, one realizes that God pervades all existence; He resides equally within every being. With that understanding, all attachment and aversion naturally fade away, for there remains no ‘other’ apart from Him.

Yet, alongside this, Shukdev instructed meditation on the personal Form of the Lord. The cosmic Form expands our awareness; the personal Form deepens our love. By meditating on the enchanting, all-attractive Form of the Supreme—His divine face, His compassionate eyes, His gentle smile—the heart becomes absorbed in sweet devotion and filled with pure love for God.

Devotion: Simple Yet Profound

Shukadev urged that spirituality need not be complicated and highlighted three simple yet transformative devotional practices.

तस्माद्भारत सर्वात्मा भगवानीश्वरो हरि: ।

श्रोतव्य: कीर्तितव्यश्च स्मर्तव्यश्चेच्छताभयम् ॥ ५ ॥

The Supreme Lord Hari—who is the Soul of all—should be heard about, glorified, and remembered by those who desire freedom from miseries. This, Shukadev explained, is Tridha Bhakti or the threefold path of devotion:

●        Shravan—Hear the glories of God

●        Kirtan—Sing and chant His Names with love

●        Smaran—Remember Him with your mind

Underscoring its importance, Shukadev reiterated:

तस्मात् सर्वात्मना राजन् हरि: सर्वत्र सर्वदा ।

श्रोतव्य: कीर्तितव्यश्च स्मर्तव्यो भगवान्नृणाम् ॥ ३६ ॥

It is essential that every human being hears about, glorifies and remembers the Supreme Lord, always and everywhere.

The entire Bhagavatam resounds with this message that devotion is not scattered across myriad disciplines but distilled into these three sacred practices: hearing, chanting, and above all, remembering God. Yet for these to bear fruit, they must be lived with sincerity and depth.

The faculties of our body are the instruments through which devotion finds expression. Eyes that do not behold the Lord’s deity in the temple are like the ornamental eyes on a peacock’s plume—beautiful, yet devoid of vision and purpose. Ears that do not listen to the glories of God resemble the hollow burrow of a snake—empty, silent, and untouched by the nectar of divine sound. A tongue that does not chant the holy names of the Lord is like the croaking tongue of a frog—idle and wasted. And a heart that does not melt into tears upon remembering the Lord is as hard as a thunderbolt—unyielding, untouched by grace, impervious to love.

This sentiment is echoed by Goswami Tulsidas Ji, who too emphasizes the folly of misusing our faculties when they are not consecrated to the Divine.

जिन्ह हरि कथा सुनी नहिं काना।

श्रवनरन्ध्र अहि भवन समाना।।

जो नहिं करहि राम गुन गाना ।

जीह सो दादुर जीह समाना ।। ~ Ramcharitmanas

Upon receiving these teachings, the sages, led by Shaunak Rishi, expressed their gratitude to Suta ji, their hearts brimming with divine exhilaration. Here, it is important to understand the chain of transmission: Shukadev spoke these teachings to Parikshit. And Suta ji, who was present during the discourse, later related them to Shaunak and the other sages. Thus, when we hear the Bhagavatam today, we are listening to Shukadev’s original words as conveyed through Suta ji. Thus, it is a narration within a narration.

Origins of Creation

Shaunakadik then humbly inquired of Suta ji, “Gurudev, we wish to understand the mystery of creation. How did this universe come into existence? Kindly enlighten us.” Suta ji replied, “O Shaunak and sages, I am truly pleased by your inquiry. This profound question was once posed by King Parikshit to Shukadev, who too addressed it with great joy.”

The very same question had been asked by Sage Narad to Brahma ji.

Sage Narad, the manas putra (mind-born son) of Brahma, once asked him: “O Father, we know you as the creator of this world. But are you the supreme power yourself, or do you create the universe by utilizing the energy coming from somewhere else? What is the ultimate source of your energy?”

Brahma ji answered:

सृजामि तन्नियुक्तोऽहं हरो हरति तद्वश: ।

विश्वं पुरुषरूपेण परिपाति त्रिशक्तिधृक् ॥ ३२ ॥

I, Brahma, appointed by Him, create only by His direction. Shankar ji carries out the dissolution by His power. It is the Supreme Lord whose energy enables all creation, maintenance, and destruction. He holds innumerable universes within just a quarter of His being.

Narad ji then inquired, “O Maharaj, who exactly is the Supreme Lord?”  To this, Brahma ji replied with deep reverence and wisdom:

नाहं न यूयं यद‍ृतां गतिं विदु-र्न वामदेव: किमुतापरे सुरा: ।

तन्मायया मोहितबुद्धयस्त्विदं विनिर्मितं चात्मसमं विचक्ष्महे ॥ ३७ ॥

I cannot fully know Him, and neither can you. Not even the celestial gods, let alone the ordinary souls, can comprehend Him. He is divine, transcending all material understanding, remains inconceivable. Human intellect is limited and bound by material nature; therefore, it can never truly fathom the Supreme Lord.

Brahma ji further recounted his own experience. He said, “When this universe was first created, I found myself born upon a lotus flower. All around me was raw energy. I did not know who I was, what my purpose might be, or why I existed. In an attempt to understand, I tried to enter the stem of the lotus, exploring it for a thousand years—but I could not find its source. Exhausted, I retracted and sat upon the lotus, observing the energy around me, a vast, primordial ocean. The waves of this cosmic ocean seemed to speak to me: Tapa… Tapa… Tapa… I understood the hint: I should engage in austerities. I sat down and performed penance, and as a result, the Lord manifested before me, speaking four sacred verses directly into my heart.”

Alt text: Lord Brahma sits on a lotus emerging from the primordial waters, meditating in austerity as he seeks the source of creation.

Lord’s Revelation to Brahma

The Lord revealed the Chatushloki Bhagavat—four verses that capture the essence of the 18,000-verse Bhagavatam. He imparted them to Brahma, the first-born, conveying eternal divine knowledge:

अहमेवासमेवाग्रे नान्यद् यत् सदसत् परम् ।

पश्चादहं यदेतच्च योऽवशिष्येत सोऽस्म्यहम् ॥ ३३ ॥

I am everything that exists. Whatever is manifest in the world, in all of creation, is my energy—my veritable form—and is non-different from me. Where this world ends or stops existing, beyond that is me. When the universe did not exist during the mahapralaya, I alone existed. And when the world will cease to exist, I alone will remain. Nothing exists apart from me.

ऋतेऽर्थं यत् प्रतीयेत न प्रतीयेत चात्मनि ।

तद्विद्यादात्मनो मायां यथाभासो यथा तम: ॥ ३४ ॥

This material energy is called Maya. It cannot be perceived without Me, yet it is only perceived without Me.

In other words, Maya is the divine shakti, the very energy of the Lord. It is not merely an illusion but a real power through which the universe functions. Without the presence of the Supreme, Maya cannot exist or manifest. Yet when one turns away from God and loses divine consciousness, Maya is experienced as an overpowering force. Thus, although Maya is the Lord’s energy, it is perceived only in the absence of awareness of the Divine.

Drawing upon the knowledge contained in the Chatushloki Bhagavat, Brahma ji then undertook the task of creation, bringing the universe into existence. 

Conclusion

Within his discourse to Parikshit, Shukadev emphasized that the knowledge he imparted was neither born of mere intellect nor woven from imagination—it was the essence of Vedic wisdom. He highlighted that for spiritual knowledge to truly transform the heart; the listener must trust its source. The ultimate authority, he explained, lies in the eternal scriptures, whose truth has stood the test of time. To affirm this, Shukadev invoked the testimony of Brahma ji, the creator himself:

भगवान् ब्रह्म कार्त्स्‍न्येन त्रिरन्वीक्ष्य मनीषया ।

तदध्यवस्यत् कूटस्थो रतिरात्मन् यतो भवेत् ॥ ३४ ॥

Brahma ji, having churned the vast ocean of scriptural wisdom three times with utmost concentration, extracted the essence of all knowledge. That essence is bhakti—love for God. Shukadev explained that this was precisely the principle he was imparting to Parikshit. He concluded, “If you can remember and live by this one truth, you have grasped all that the scriptures seek to teach.”

Resources

●        Srimad Bhagavatam [Bhagwat Katha] Part 10 - Swami Mukundananda - Means of welfare for a dying man

●        The Fastest Way to God-Realization Explained - Srimad Bhagavatam Part 5 by Swami Mukundananda