If Knowledge Is Supposed To Prepare You For Living

By krishnasmercy on October 7, 2026 • ( 0 )

“Maharaja Parikshit knew that the curse of the brahmana’s son upon him was unjustified, as everyone else knew, but he did not want to counteract it because he knew also that the age of Kali had begun and that the first symptom of the age, namely degradation of the highly talented brahmana community, had also begun. He did not want to interfere with the current of the time, but he prepared himself to meet death very cheerfully and very properly. Being fortunate, he got at least seven days to prepare himself to meet death, and so he properly utilized the time in the association of Shukadeva Gosvami, the great saint and devotee of the Lord.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 1.12.2 Purport)

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“Would you not agree that knowledge has a specific purpose? It is no surprise to see children sitting in a classroom, at school. They do not know much of the world around them. They have to learn. Someone has to teach them. Someone has to guide them. Someone has to correct them. Knowledge is at the foundation. The teachers work off of knowledge. The teachers were once students. They had to learn from their own teachers. This is why the explanation of the passage of knowledge described in Bhagavad-gita, of the parampara system, makes sense.”

एवं परम्परा-प्राप्तम्
इमं राजर्षयो विदुः
स कालेनेह महता
योगो नष्टः परन्तप

evaṁ paramparā-prāptam
imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ
sa kāleneha mahatā
yogo naṣṭaḥ parantapa

“This supreme science was thus received through the chain of disciplic succession, and the saintly kings understood it in that way. But in course of time the succession was broken, and therefore the science as it is appears to be lost.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 4.2)

“Knowledge can change everything. I might have been doing something wrong for years. I learn of a different way. I learn through hearing. Someone else was kind enough to guide me, to suggest a different way. I believe the Sanskrit is lava matra. If I get the association of a saintly person for even a moment, it can make all the difference. My future will be saved.”

‘साधु-सङ्ग’, ‘साधु-सङ्ग’ — सर्व-शास्त्रे कय
लव-मात्र साधु-सङ्गे सर्व-सिद्धि हय

‘sādhu-saṅga’, ‘sādhu-saṅga’ — sarva-śāstre kaya
lava-mātra sādhu-saṅge sarva-siddhi haya

“The verdict of all revealed scriptures is that by even a moment’s association with a pure devotee, one can attain all success.” (Chaitanya Charitamrita, Madhya 22.54)

“I think we have sufficiently established that knowledge is preparation. Given that reality, can you explain the decision of Parikshit Maharaja, towards the end of his life? I am not disagreeing with his decision. I think it is blissful to hear Hari-katha. I am always favorably inclined towards discussions about the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who goes by Hari, among countless other names. I have never regretted sacrificing the time to hear.

“The distinction is that Parikshit only had seven days left to live. The notification came through a curse. He was a king at the time. He could have found ways around the judgment, but he decided against the circuitous route. He chose to take full advantage of the remaining time, by approaching the esteemed Shukadeva Gosvami. Their subsequent conversation turned into Bhagavata Purana, in the version of it we know today.

“Do you see the issue, though? Knowledge always prepares people for something. It is like the precursor to action. Why would I want to learn to play basketball if the field is about to be demolished? Where am I going to play if the arcade is going to close down or if the balance on my card has been depleted? If Parikshit was on his way out, what good was that knowledge going to do him? It is not like Parikshit could change his way of life. Even if he wanted to, there was no time remaining.”

To begin, there is never an end. The foundation of the spiritual science that is the basis of the implementation of sanatana-dharma is the distinction between matter and spirit. I am spirit soul; aham brahmasmi. You are also spirit soul. These bodies do not identify us; at least not completely. That is because these bodies are always changing. I had a different body prior to birth. I will have a different body after the end of life.

देहिनो ऽस्मिन् यथा देहे
कौमारं यौवनं जरा
तथा देहान्तर-प्राप्तिर्
धीरस् तत्र न मुह्यति

dehino ‘smin yathā dehe
kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā
tathā dehāntara-prāptir
dhīras tatra na muhyati

“As the embodied soul continually passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. The self-realized soul is not bewildered by such a change.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.13)

This means that if you accept knowledge towards the end of life, there is always the potential to utilize that knowledge moving forward. Of course, if I only have a few days left, knowledge of how to fix an automobile might not do much good. Not that the knowledge is faulty; it is just that I will not have much time to act upon that knowledge.

Accepting knowledge about the Supreme Lord does not have such limitations. This is transcendental knowledge, or genuine wisdom. Not only is such sound like nectar for the ears, there is a positive impact on the consciousness. It is the consciousness which carries the individual forward, in determining the circumstances of their next birth.

यं यं वापि स्मरन् भावं
त्यजत्य् अन्ते कलेवरम्
तं तम् एवैति कौन्तेय
सदा तद्-भाव-भावितः

yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ
tyajaty ante kalevaram
taṁ tam evaiti kaunteya
sadā tad-bhāva-bhāvitaḥ

“Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, that state he will attain without fail.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 8.6)

This means that hearing about Hari at the end of life helps to shape a consciousness that will be focused on Hari. This increases the chances of placement in the Vaikuntha realm, which is all about Hari. One who achieves that realm never has to leave. This is called liberation, or the end to the cycle of birth and death.

If hearing about Hari carries such potential, why would anyone wait until the end of life? Why not listen today? Why not sacrifice some time in the immediate term? The corresponding wisdom is so valuable that it has applicability whether a person is living or dying. This is the meaning to dharma. It is in the nature of the individual to be connected with the Supreme Lord.