At death, the only meaningful question is how to remember Krishna; chanting His names is the sole path to liberation in this age.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 2.1.1 — March 16, 1974, Vṛndāvana 740316SB-VRNDAVAN [47:38 Minutes] SB-02.01.01_740316SB-VRNDAVAN Pradyumna: [leads chanting of verse, etc.] [Prabhupāda and devotees repeat] śrī-śuka uvāca varīyān eṣa te praśnaḥ kṛto loka-hitaṁ nṛpa ātmavit-sammataḥ puṁsāṁ śrotavyādiṣu yaḥ paraḥ [SB 2.1.1] [break] [02:58] Translation: "Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: My dear King, your question is glorious because it is very beneficial to all kinds of people. To hear the answer to this question is the prime subject matter of hearing, and it is approved by all transcendentalists." Prabhupāda: varīyān eṣa te praśnaḥ kṛto loka-hitaṁ nṛpa ātmavit-sammataḥ puṁsāṁ śrotavyādiṣu yaḥ paraḥ [SB 2.1.1] Śrotavyādiṣu yaḥ paraḥ. The... Here in this material world we are busy in questioning and answering or hearing.
Question, hearing and answering. This is the whole world. Even in the material field, you go to the market, you inquire, "What is the price of this thing?" and you hear the description of the thing and the price of the thing. So the praśnaḥ, the question, was made by Śukadeva..., Mahārāja Parīkṣit just at the point of his death, "What I have to do now?" This is very intelligent.
Only intelligent man can understand what is the value of this question, "What I have to do now?" Because intelligent person knows that "I am going to leave this body." I am speaking... Parīkṣit Mahārāja is talking with Śukadeva Gosvāmī at the point of death. He was given notice that "Within seven days you'll be bitten by a snake and you'll die." This was a curse by a brāhmaṇa boy. So he was ready.
He was not afraid. Nārāyaṇa-parāḥ sarve na kutaścana bibhyati [SB 6.17.28]. He could retaliate. He was a great devotee.
He could counteract the cursing of the brāhmaṇa boy, but he did not do so. Because, because he was cursed, the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam came. He was perplexed what to do, and Śukadeva Gosvāmī appeared there, and everyone accepted the verdict of Śukadeva Gosvāmī, "Mahārāja, you are a great devotee. So I shall quote from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and you hear only.
That's all. You have nothing to do. Simply you hear." śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ sakhyam ātma-nivedanam [SB 7.5.23] These are the nine different processes of devotional service. So generally, we are expected to execute all the nine different processes, śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ... Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam about Viṣṇu, not for any other demigods.
No. Viṣṇu. The Māyāvādīs, they take it that "We can hear of any demigod, of anyone," because they are nirākāravādī. So "You can imagine anyone and hear about him." But śāstra does not say. Śāstra does not say that you can hear about anybody.