Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 9.13.3

nimiś calam idaḿ vidvān

satram ārabhatātmavān

ṛtvigbhir aparais tāvan

nāgamad yāvatā guruḥ

SYNONYMS

nimiḥ — Mahārāja Nimi; calam — flickering, subject to end at any moment; idam — this (life); vidvān — being completely aware of this fact; satram — the sacrifice; ārabhata — inaugurated; ātmavān — self-realized person; ṛtvigbhiḥ — by priests; aparaiḥ — other than Vasiṣṭha; tāvat — for the time being; na — not; āgamat — returned; yāvatā — so long; guruḥ — his spiritual master (Vasiṣṭha).

TRANSLATION

Mahārāja Nimi, being a self-realized soul, considered that this life is flickering. Therefore, instead of waiting long for Vasiṣṭha, he began performing the sacrifice with other priests.

PURPORT

Cāṇakya Paṇḍita says, śarīraḿ kṣaṇa-vidhvāḿsi kalpānta-sthāyino guṇāḥ: "The duration of one's life in the material world may end at any moment, but if within this life one does something worthy, that qualification is depicted in history eternally." Here is a great personality, Mahārāja Nimi, who knew this fact. In the human form of life one should perform activities in such a way that at the end he goes back home, back to Godhead. This is self-realization.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness