The king thus started his fast facing north in the southern bank of Ganga on a bed of Kusa grass. The Devas showered flowers on him and the gathered Rishis were mightily pleased by his words. The king then asked the renowned holy sages on what a man should do when death is imminent.
As the sages were discussing this question of King Parikshit, by chance there arrived Suka, the sixteen year old son of Vyasa who was always merged in the bliss of Atman and wandered aimlessly. The king was very happy that on the threshold of death he got an opportunity to meet a spiritually illumined person like Sage Suka only due to Lord Krishna’s grace.
The king asked the following questions to Sage Suka after paying his respects.
- What is the most important duty of a man with imminent death?
- What should he hear, repeat and worship?
- What should he not do?
Sage Suka whose reputation was not to stay in a home more than the time taken to milk a cow was thus questioned respectfully by Parikshit in sweet words.
What is the most important duty of a man with imminent death?
All worldly men forget the perishable nature of wealth, managing household affairs and sexual pleasures and spend half of their whole lifespan in such mundane things. Hari, the all pervading Lord is to be heard, praised about and remembered always by those who want to attain the state of fearlessness. The ultimate object is the attainment of a birth entirely devoted to the Lord. During the end of the Dwapara Yuga, the sage learnt Bhagavata from his father Veda Vyasa which he was going to explain to the king.
A man who knows that death is imminent should with a fearless mind abandon everything and take bath in the several holy rivers. He should then sit in a solitary spot and contemplate on the sound Om and control his mind and senses. The mind should then be made objectless and merged with the Consciousness-Bliss that is the Lord. Repeated practice of concentration will strengthen the mind and remove weakness.
The king asked: How is concentration practiced? Where should one concentrate? How does it remove the weakness and impurities in the mind?
The sage replied that man should focus on the gross form of the lord with the help of understanding, Viratpurusha the cosmic divinity. The Viratpurusha’s body parts are described below.
| Patala | Underside of feet |
| Rasatala | Heels and upper part of feet |
| Mahatala | Ankle |
| Talatala | Foreleg |
| Two knees | Sutala |
| Two thighs | Vitala and Atala |
| Hips | Earth sphere |
| Deep Navel | Sky, Bhuvarloka |
| Chest | Swarga |
| Neck | Maharloka |
| Face | Janaloka |
| Forehead | Tapoloka |
| Head | Satyaloka |
| Arms | Indra and Devas |
| Ears | Quarters |
| Ears | Hearing |
| Nose | Aswins and smelling |
| Mouth | Burning fire |
| Eye-balls | Sky |
| Eyes | Sun and Moon |
| Eyelids | Day and night |
| Brow | Brahma Loka |
| Four sides | Water |
| Tongue | Taste |
| Brahma-Randhra at his crown | Vedas |
| Molars | Yama |
| Teeth | Expression of love |
| Smile | Infactuating Maya |
| Glance | Limitless creation |
| Upper lip | Modesty |
| Lower lip | Greed |
| Breast | Dharma |
| Back | Adharma |
| Generative organ | Prajapati |
| Testicles | Mitra and Varuna |
| Abdomen | Oceans |
| Bones | Mountains |
| Blood vessels | Rivers |
| Hair | Trees |
| Breath | Powerful wind |
| Movement | Evolution of Prakrithi with three gunas |
| Locks of hair | Clouds |
| Wearing cloth | Dusk |
| Heart | Unmanifested Prakrithi |
| Mind | Moon, source of all soft emotions. |
| Chitta | Mahatathwa (Cosmic intelligence) |
| Ego-sense | Rudra |
| Nails | Animals like elephant, camel, horse and mule |
| Waist | Animals like cow , deer. Bhurloka |
| Craftmanship | Birds |
| Intelligence | The first Manu |
| His Abode | Man |
| His musical tunes | Celestial artists like Gandharvas |
| Prowess | Asuras |
| Face | Brahmanas |
| Arm | Kshatriya |
| Thigh | Vaishya |
| Feet | Sudra |
A spiritual seeker should concentrate exclusively on this gross cosmic body of the Lord.
Mahabore's Mumblings 