Shloka 4
नोत्तमश्लोकवार्तानां जुषतां तत्कथामृतम् । स्यात्सम्भ्रमोऽन्तकालेऽपि स्मरतां तत्पदाम्बुजम् ॥ ४ ॥
nottamaśloka-vārtānāṁ juṣatāṁ tat-kathāmṛtam syāt sambhramo ’nta-kāle ’pi smaratāṁ tat-padāmbujam
For those who relish the messages of Uttamaśloka and drink the nectar of His narrations, ever remembering the Lord’s lotus feet, do not fall into confusion even at the final hour.
The highest perfection of life is attained by remembering the transcendental nature of the Lord at the last moment of one’s life. This perfection of life is made possible by one who has learned the actual transcendental nature of the Lord from the Vedic hymns sung by a liberated soul like Śukadeva Gosvāmī or someone in that line of disciplic succession. There is no gain in hearing the Vedic hymns from some mental speculator. When the same is heard from an actual self-realized soul and is properly understood by service and submission, everything becomes transparently clear. Thus a submissive disciple is able to live transcendentally and continue to the end of life. By scientific adaptation, one is able to remember the Lord even at the end of life, when the power of remembrance is slackened due to derangement of bodily membranes. For a common man, it is very difficult to remember things as they are at the time of death, but by the grace of the Lord and His bona fide devotees, the spiritual masters, one can get this opportunity without difficulty. And it was done in the case of Mahārāja Parīkṣit.
FAQs
This verse says that those who regularly relish the Lord’s narrations naturally remember His lotus feet, and thus do not become bewildered even at life’s end.
In the setting of Parīkṣit’s approaching death, Śukadeva highlights that immersion in the Lord’s topics is the sure means to steady the mind and fix remembrance on the Lord’s lotus feet.
Make daily time for hearing or reading Śrīmad Bhāgavatam and other Krishna-kathā so that remembrance of the Lord becomes natural during stress, crisis, and ultimately at death.