SB 9.13.3 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

निमिश्चलमिदं विद्वान् सत्रमारभतात्मवान् । ऋत्विग्भिरपरैस्तावन्नागमद् यावता गुरु: ॥ ३ ॥

Verse text

nimiś calam idaṁ 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.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Mahārāja Nimi, being intelligent, understood that this life is flickering, and instead of waiting for Vasiṣṭha, began performing the sacrifice with other priests. Knowing that this life is uncertain, since he was very intelligent (ātmavān), he performed the sacrifice with other priests.

Purport

Cāṇakya Paṇḍita says, śarīraṁ kṣaṇa-vidhvāṁsi 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.