Consciousness alone defines all existence; cultivate it through proper Vedic principles and spiritual service.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Lecture — July 12, 1969, Los Angeles 690712SB-LOS ANGELES [54:48 Minutes] SB-Lecture_690712SB-LOS ANGELES Prabhupāda: Here is a verse in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam spoken by Śaunaka Ṛṣi—a great sage of the name Śaunaka. There was great meeting in Naimiṣāraṇya, a place, a very sacred place in India. If you sometimes go to India, you'll try to find out this place. It is in northern India, and there is a big city, very well known city, Lucknow, and it is about forty or fifty miles from Lucknow. But the place is so nice, so attractive, that any man who goes there will find immediately spiritually impelled, it is so nice place, Naimiṣāraṇya.
So it is very old place. Formerly, when sages used to hold their meeting, they generally held their meeting in that place, Naimiṣāraṇya. So this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam was also discussed first in that Naimiṣā... Not first; for the second time. First it was explained by Śukadeva Gosvāmī to Mahārāja Parīkṣit.
Mahārāja Parīkṣit was cursed by a brāhmaṇa boy to die within a week. Formerly, even a small child... This boy, this brāhmaṇa boy, was playing with his playmates. That means he was a child, not more than ten to twelve years old.
And he was informed that "Mahārāja Parīkṣit has insulted your father by garlanding him with a dead snake." The fact was that Mahārāja Parīkṣit was in hunting. One after another, so many things comes, but let me explain to you. This hunting business was allowed only for the kings, kṣatriyas, not for ordinary man, killing in sports. Because the king had to administer so strongly that sometimes he had to kill an evil person immediately with sword.
The kingdom was very strong. Not many days before, say, about hundred years ago in Kashmir, if a thief was caught, burglar was caught, and he was proved that he has committed theft, the king would personally cut off, chop off his hand. The punishment was so severe. And the result was that even you miss something on your way, nobody will touch it.
Everyone was afraid: "Let the things remain there. One who has lost his thing, he will come and take away. We don't require to take it." So the kings were very severe to punish unwanted social elements. So the kings were therefore allowed sometimes to hunt in the jungle to practice killing, just like doctors are allowed to practice surgical operation on dead body; otherwise, how they'll practice, how they'll become surgeon, if they do not practice?
Similarly, only the kings were allowed to kill some animal in the jungle sometimes. So this Parīkṣit Mahārāja was hunting, and when he became tired and thirsty he entered in the hermitage home of a sage. Because in those days in the jungles there were many hermitages. Those who wanted to live secluded life in the jungle, in the forest, they would have their home, very small cottage, and their means of living was milk and fruit. They would get fruits from the trees, and the kings would sometimes contribute some cows.