Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.1.13

naishātiduhsahā kshun mām

tyaktodam api bādhate

pibantam tvan-mukhāmbhoja-

cyutam hari-kathāmritam

SYNONYMS

na — not; eshā — all this; ati-duhsahā — extremely difficult to bear; kshut — hunger; mām — unto me; tyakta-udam — even after giving up drinking water; api — also; bādhate — does not hinder; pibantam — while drinking; tvat-mukha-ambhoja-cyutam — emanating from your lotus mouth; hari-kathā-amritam — the nectar of topics concerning Krishna.

TRANSLATION

Because of my vow on the verge of death, I have given up even drinking water, yet because I am drinking the nectar of topics about Krishna, which is flowing from the lotus mouth of Your Lordship, my hunger and thirst, which are extremely difficult to bear, cannot hinder me.

PURPORT

To prepare to meet death in seven days, Mahārāja Parīkshit gave up all food and drink. As a human being, he was certainly both hungry and thirsty, and therefore Śukadeva Gosvāmī might have wanted to stop narrating the transcendental topics of Krishna; but despite his fast, Mahārāja Parīkshit was not at all fatigued. "The hunger and thirst from my fast do not disturb me," he said. "Once when I felt very thirsty, I went to the āśrama of Śamīka Muni to drink water, but the muni did not supply it. I therefore wrapped a dead snake over his shoulder, and that is why I was cursed by the brāhmana boy. Now, however, I am quite fit. I am not at all disturbed by my hunger and thirst." This indicates that although on the material platform there are disturbances from hunger and thirst, on the spiritual platform there is no such thing as fatigue.

The entire world is suffering because of spiritual thirst. Every living being is Brahman, or spirit soul, and needs spiritual food to satisfy his hunger and thirst. Unfortunately, however, the world is completely unaware of the nectar of krishna-kathā. The Krishna consciousness movement is therefore a boon to philosophers, religionists and people in general. There is certainly a charming attraction in Krishna and krishna-kathā. Therefore the Absolute Truth is called Krishna, the most attractive.

The word amrita is also an important reference to the moon, and the word ambuja means "lotus." The pleasing moonshine and pleasing fragrance of the lotus combined to bring pleasure to everyone hearing krishna-kathā from the mouth of Śukadeva Gosvāmī. As it is said:

matir na krishne paratah svato vā

mitho 'bhipadyeta griha-vratānām

adānta-gobhir viśatām tamisram

punah punaś carvita-carvanānām

"Because of their uncontrolled senses, persons too addicted to materialistic life make progress toward hellish conditions and repeatedly chew that which has already been chewed. Their inclinations toward Krishna are never aroused, either by the instructions of others, by their own efforts, or by a combination of both." (Bhāg. 7.5.30) At the present moment, all of human society is engaged in the business of chewing the chewed (punah punaś carvita-carvanānām [SB 7.5.30]). People are prepared to undergo mrityu-samsāra-vartmani, taking birth in one form, dying, accepting another form and dying again. To stop this repetition of birth and death, krishna-kathā, or Krishna consciousness, is absolutely necessary. But unless one hears krishna-kathā from a realized soul like Śukadeva Gosvāmī, one cannot relish the nectar of krishna-kathā, which puts an end to all material fatigue, and enjoy the blissful life of transcendental existence. In relation to the Krishna consciousness movement, we actually see that those who have tasted the nectar of krishna-kathā lose all material desires, whereas those who cannot understand Krishna or krishna-kathā regard the Krishna conscious life as "brainwashing" and "mind control." While the devotees enjoy spiritual bliss, the nondevotees are surprised that the devotees have forgotten material hankerings.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
His Holiness Hrdayananda dasa Goswami
Gopiparanadhana dasa Adhikari
Dravida dasa Brahmacari