In the second canto of the Srimad Bhagavatam, Sukadeva Goswami reveals the supreme process of self-realization: taking shelter in the sound representation of the Lord, following the instructions of spiritual authorities. This is the process recommended for all, including those who desire material enjoyment, those who are free from all desires, and the ones who are already self-realized and self-satisfied. All other processes of self-realization are ineffective in our age. Only the process of remembering the Lord constantly through His sound representation can save one from the cycle of birth and death. This can be done by directly chanting the holy names, or by reciting and hearing the Srimad Bhagavatam, as done by Sukadeva Goswami and Pariksit Maharaja.
Pariksit had asked what is the duty of one who is about to die and here Sukadeva Goswami gives the answer, which he will expand throughout the rest of the book. We may think that we have a very long life ahead, but in reality, we are all people about to die, because we can’t be sure about how long we will live. Prabhupada makes the point that due to the curse of the Brahmana, Pariksit could be sure that he was going to live for seven days, while we don’t even have this certainty. We can die at any moment, therefore we should have the same sense of urgency as Maharaja Pariksit in hearing about Krsna.
“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.
What is the value of a prolonged life which is wasted, inexperienced by years in this world? Better a moment of full consciousness, because that gives one a start in searching after his supreme interest.” (SB 2.1.11-12)
To encourage Maharaja Pariksit, who had only seven days to live, Sukadeva Goswami explains that there is no point in a long life that doesn’t lead to self-realization. Certain species on our planet can live for thousands of years, such as certain types of trees, but what is the point of having a very long life as a tree? Similarly, most people may have longer lives than Pariksit Maharaja, but what is the point of a long human life in ignorance of our eternal nature as souls? Better to live for just a moment, but in full Krsna Consciousness. Since Pariksit Maharaja had already decided to dedicate the last days of his life to hearing the Srimad Bhagavatam and situating himself in Krsna Consciousness, there was nothing to lament.
Would just seven days be sufficient for him to attain perfection? Would not be better to have a longer life? To put things into perspective, Sukadeva Goswami mentions the story of Maharaja Khaṭvāṅga, who was able to achieve perfection in just a muhurta, which was much less time than Pariksit Maharaja had. A muhurta equals 48 minutes, but it is generally translated as “a moment” because it is not a very long time. Certainly, we can waste a muhurta very easily if we don’t have a clear idea of what to do, but that was not the case with Khaṭvāṅga.
“The saintly King Khaṭvāṅga, after being informed that the duration of his life would be only a moment more, at once freed himself from all material activities and took shelter of the supreme safety, the Personality of Godhead.” (SB 2.1.13)
The story is that Mahārāja Khaṭvāṅga was invited by the demigods to the celestial planets to help them fight the asuras. After fighting many battles, the demigods became satisfied with him and offered him a benediction. Instead of asking for some material blessing, Khaṭvāṅga inquired about his remaining duration of life. This showed how his priority was not to just enjoy materially but to prepare himself for the next life. After being informed by the demigods that he had only one muhurta left, he immediately returned to Earth and used his remaining time to practice self-realization and return home, back to Godhead.
Why did he return to Earth instead of simply practicing where he was, on the celestial planets? The point is that it’s very easy to become distracted by all the opportunities for sense gratification that exist there. Although there are many sages and devotees on the celestial planets, it’s not a very favorable place for self-realization. The lower planets are also not a good place, because people there are very disturbed due to suffering, fear, and anxiety as well as bad association. Earth is thus considered the ideal place for self-realization, because it offers a balanced environment, without such extremes of enjoyment and distress.
Theoretically, one can go back to Godhead from any position in the material world. When Lord Caitanya entered the forest of Jarikanda, all animals joined Him in chanting the holy names and were thus liberated. Lord Caitanya also liberated several trees by embracing them. Similarly, Gajentra (an elephant from the celestial planets) was able to achieve liberation by remembering, in a moment of danger, prayers he had learned in his previous life as a human being. Bali Maharaja became a pure devotee, although born in the lower planets, and similarly, there are many great devotees in the celestial planets. The point is just that practicing devotional on the celestial planets is harder due to all the possibilities for material enjoyment that are available there. Earth, especially during the time the sankirtan movement is available is the most favorable place.
Examples like Maharaja Khaṭvāṅga and Maharaja Pariksit set the gold standard of how one can achieve perfection at the time of death. Instead of being afraid, we should see death as an opportunity to regain our eternal position as servants of Krsna. During our lifetime, we may be distracted by many tasks and duties, but when we come to the last stage of life and realize that our days are numbered, we should become fully determined to cross the material ocean.