Srimad Bhagavatam — Dvitiya Skandha, Shloka 13
The First Step in God Realization: The Glory of Hearing and the Virāṭ-Rūpa Meditation
खट्वाङ्गो नाम राजर्षिर्ज्ञात्वेयत्तामिहायुष: । मुहूर्तात्सर्वमुत्सृज्य गतवानभयं हरिम् ॥ १३ ॥
khaṭvāṅgo nāma rājarṣir jñātveyattām ihāyuṣaḥ muhūrtāt sarvam utsṛjya gatavān abhayaṁ harim
Raja suci Khaṭvāṅga, ketika mengetahui bahwa sisa hidupnya hanya sekejap, segera meninggalkan segala kegiatan duniawi dan berlindung pada Tuhan Hari, Sang Pemberi tanpa takut.
A fully responsible man should always be conscious of the prime duty of the present human form of life. The activities to meet the immediate necessities of material life are not everything. One should always be alert in his duty for attainment of the best situation in the next life. Human life is meant for preparing ourselves for that prime duty. Mahārāja Khaṭvāṅga is mentioned herein as a saintly king because even within the responsibility of the state management, he was not at all forgetful of the prime duty of life. Such was the case with other rājarṣis (saintly kings), like Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira and Mahārāja Parīkṣit. They were all exemplary personalities on account of their being alert in discharging their prime duty. Mahārāja Khaṭvāṅga was invited by the demigods in the higher planets to fight demons, and as a king he fought the battles to the full satisfaction of the demigods. The demigods, being fully satisfied with him, wanted to give him some benediction for material enjoyment, but Mahārāja Khaṭvāṅga, being very much alert to his prime duty, inquired from the demigods about his remaining duration of life. This means that he was not as anxious to accumulate some material benediction from the demigods as he was to prepare himself for the next life. He was informed by the demigods, however, that his life would last only a moment longer. The king at once left the heavenly kingdom, which is always full of material enjoyment of the highest standard, and coming down to this earth, took ultimate shelter of the all-safe Personality of Godhead. He was successful in his great attempt and achieved liberation. This attempt, even for a moment, by the saintly king, was successful because he was always alert to his prime duty. Mahārāja Parīkṣit was thus encouraged by the great Śukadeva Gosvāmī, even though he had only seven days left in his life to execute the prime duty of hearing the glories of the Lord in the form of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. By the will of the Lord, Mahārāja Parīkṣit instantly met the great Śukadeva Gosvāmī, and the great treasure of spiritual success left by him is nicely mentioned in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
FAQs
This verse teaches that even a brief remaining lifespan is sufficient if one immediately renounces worldly attachments and takes full shelter of Hari, the giver of fearlessness.
He is remembered for his decisive surrender: on realizing his life would end soon, he abandoned everything at once and approached Hari, showing the urgency and power of wholehearted bhakti.
Live with spiritual urgency: reduce distractions, prioritize daily remembrance of the Lord (nāma, śravaṇa, kīrtana), and practice letting go of attachments before crisis forces it.