Srila Gurudeva: Pariksit Maharaja went somewhat forward and welcomed Sukadeva Gosvami and gave him a very high asana, like this one. This is called a vyasasana. But it was not like this. It was in some high place, maybe earth or some wooden thing. Also Sukadeva was quite naked, so it was not like this. Now this is called a vyasasana, but actually I think that this is not a vyasasana. What is a vyasasana? The seat on which a man like Vyasadeva will be. All the qualities of Vyasa will be in that person. This is a vyasasana. He can explain the truth regarding Krsna, jiva-tattva, maya-tattva, and he can donate Krsna to others. This is a vyasasana. This is not a vyasasana. A very characterless person who is attached to money and the three W’s; wine, woman, and wealth, who is quite ignorant of all tattvas, this is not vyasasana. He may have very big, big tilaka, big, big kunti mala, such brilliant saffron cloth, a big danda, and he may sit on a golden throne, but this is not vyasasana.
Vyasasana is the quality of that person. This is the quality of Vaisnavas, realized souls like Vyasa to express Krsna everywhere in the heart of all souls. This is vyasasana. We are now making some offense to vyasasana. We should not do like this. I told them not make a vyasasana like this. I don’t want this. I want that I should have the quality of Vyasa. What is that quality? Bhakti, pure bhakti. Realization of all the tattva, krsna-tattva, jiva-tattva, maya-tattva, bhakti-tattva, all tattva. Knowing all Vedanta, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Caitanya-caritamrta, this is actually vyasasana. He cannot fall down. But we see that those who use all these big vyasasanas and everything, after two days they fall down. Their head comes down and their feet go up. There is no one to save them. Vyasasana is such a thing that if anyone sits on the vyasasana, he will never fall down. He will always serve Radha and Krsna conjugal.
So Pariksit Maharaja gave a high place to Sukadeva Gosvami and then with so much honor and very humbly he asked him two questions. He asked so many questions, seven or eight, but these are all inclusive in two basic questions: “If a man is dying just now, like me, if he is on his death bed, what should he do? I have seven days to live, but a man who is going die just now, if he has only one minute or not even one minute to live, what should he do? Should he hear Srimad-Bhagavatam or what should he do?”
If he has no time, then he should only chant krsna-nama, “Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare.” If he has no time to hear even “Hare Krsna Hare Krsna,” then he should chant “O Krsna!” Only ‘Krsna’ will do. But Krsna’s name is somewhat crooked, ‘Krs-na.’ If he cannot chant this, then he should chant ‘Rama’ or ‘Radhe.’ This will do. But ‘Radhe’ is more superior. By chanting this, the Yamadutas will not come.
[Spoken by Srila Gurudeva on December 3rd, 1998, Malaysia, published as part of the Bhakta Bandhav Anthology, Volume 25]