FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.12.27

तक्षकादात्मनो मृत्युं द्विजपुत्रोपसर्जितात् । प्रपत्स्यत उपश्रुत्य मुक्तसङ्ग: पदं हरे: ॥ २७ ॥
takṣakād ātmano mṛtyuṁ
[takshakaad aatmano mrityum]
dvija-putropasarjitāt
[dvija-putropasarjitaat]
prapatsyata upaśrutya
[prapatsyata upashrutya]
mukta-saṅgaḥ padaṁ hareḥ
[mukta-sangah padam hareh]
takṣakāt — by the snakebird ātmanaḥ — of his personal self mṛtyum — death dvija-putra — the son of a brāhmaṇa upasarjitāt — being sent by prapatsyate — having taken shelter of upaśrutya — after hearing mukta-saṅgaḥ — freed from all attachment padam — position hareḥ — of the Lord.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
takṣakād ātmano mṛtyuṁ
takṣakāt
by the snakebird
ātmanaḥ
of his personal self
mṛtyum
death
dvija-putropasarjitāt
dvija-putra
the son of a brāhmaṇa
prapatsyata upaśrutya
upasarjitāt
being sent by
prapatsyate
having taken shelter of
upaśrutya
after hearing
mukta-saṅgaḥ padaṁ hareḥ
mukta-saṅgaḥ
freed from all attachment
padam
position
hareḥ
of the Lord.
After hearing about his death, which will be caused by the bite of a snakebird sent by a son of a brāhmaṇa, he will get himself freed from all material attachment and surrender unto the Personality of Godhead, taking shelter of Him.

Material attachment and taking shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord go ill together. Material attachment means ignorance of transcendental happiness under the shelter of the Lord. Devotional service to the Lord, while existing in the material world, is a way to practice one’s transcendental relation with the Lord, and when it is matured, one gets completely free from all material attachment and becomes competent to go back home, back to Godhead. Mahārāja Parīkṣit, being especially attached to the Lord from the beginning of his body in the womb of his mother, was continuously under the shelter of the Lord, and the so-called warning of his death within seven days from the date of the curse by the brāhmaṇa’s son was a boon to him to enable him to prepare himself to go back home, back to Godhead. Since he was always protected by the Lord, he could have avoided the effect of such a curse by the grace of the Lord, but he did not take such undue advantage for nothing. Rather, he made the best use of a bad bargain. For seven days continuously he heard Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from the right source, and thus he got shelter at the lotus feet of the Lord by that opportunity.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Hearing that he will be killed by Takṣaka who was dispatched by a brāhmaṇa’s son, detached from all things, he will worship the feet of the Lord.
Commentary

Upasarjitāt means “being dispatched.”

After hearing of his death — by a snakebird sent by a brāhmaṇa's son — he will get himself freed from all material attachment and surrender to Godhead. Knowing one's death gives focus. Endings clarify priorities.
Reflection Questions
  • If I knew my death's date, what would I release immediately?
  • Where am I postponing surrender because I assume more time?
📝 My note

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