tyaktodam api bādhate
pibantaṁ tvan-mukhāmbhoja-
cyutaṁ hari-kathāmṛtam
mitho 'bhipadyeta gṛha-vratānām
adānta-gobhir viśatāṁ tamisraṁ
punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām
SYNONYMS
na—not; eṣā—all this; ati-duḥsahā—extremely difficult to bear; kṣut—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-amṛtam—the nectar of topics concerning Kṛṣṇa.
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 Kṛṣṇa, 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 Parīkṣit 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 Kṛṣṇa; but despite his fast, Mahārāja Parīkṣit 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 brāhmaṇa 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 kṛṣṇa-kathā. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is therefore a boon to philosophers, religionists and people in general. There is certainly a charming attraction in Kṛṣṇa and kṛṣṇa-kathā. Therefore the Absolute Truth is called Kṛṣṇa, the most attractive.
The word amṛta 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 kṛṣṇa-kathā from the mouth of Śukadeva Gosvāmī. As it is said:
mitho 'bhipadyeta gṛha-vratānām
adānta-gobhir viśatāṁ tamisraṁ
punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām