Discourse of Rishi Shuka to King Parikshit about what a man should do to attain beatitude (especially a man who is about to die): Links for Srimad Bhagavatam verses in Skandha (Canto) 2, Adhyaya (chapters) 1 to 3

Srimad Bhagavatam (Bhagavat Purana) Skandha (Canto) 2, Adhyaya (chapters) 1 to 3 relate the response of Rishi Shuka to King Parikshit about what a man should do to attain beatitude (especially a man who is about to die)

The links for above chapters and verses are:

1) Bhagavata Purana Motilal Banarasidass (only English), 

https://archive.org/details/BhagavataPuranaMotilalEnglish/page/n156/mode/1up (viewer page 157, book page 152) [starting verse]

A few extracts from above link:

Chapter 1 verses 4 to 6:

4. Being attached to his body, children, wife and other attendants, dependents etc., even though they are unreal, he does not discern their destruction, though he actually sees them die.

5. Oh descendant of Bharata ! Therefore, the glorious Hari (reliever of bondage, of samsara) the Supreme Lord, the all-pervading soul, should be heard about, eulogised and remembered by a person desiring a state, completely free from fear (i.e* the Final Beatitude or moksa).

6. Narayana is remembered at the end of life (time of death), is the highest achievement of human life. This (maybe) due to Sankhya Yoga, and through knowledge and performance of one’s duties.

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Chapter 1 verse 11:

Oh King ! This chanting of the name of Hari (and meditating upon him etc. ) has been prescribed as the sure means of attaining liberation for those deserving emancipation , and wishing freedom from the fear (of the cycle of rebirths) , and for yogins.

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Chapter 1 verses 15 to 21

15. At the end of life, a man, becoming devoid of the fear of death, should sever, with the weapon of disassociation, his attachment for pleasure, for his body, and for whatever (e.g. wife and children) is connected with it.

16. Having renounced (his) home, (such) a person of firm resolve, bathed in holy waters at a sacred place, (should) sit on a seat, prepared as per Sastric rules, in a pure secluded place.

17. He should repeat, in his mind, the great, sacred — syllable consisting of the three letters — a, u, m — symbolizing the Brahman : without forgetting the ‘seed* of the Brahman (viz. the syllable OM), he should control his breath and subdue his mind.

18. He, whose intelligence has been his guide (lit. charioteer), should restrain his sense-organ from (being attracted to) objects of enjoyment. If his mind is distracted with actions, he should fix it on the auspicious object (viz. the Lord Krsna ).

19. With undivided mind, he should meditate upon only one limb ( such as feet or face of the Lord Hari) . Having restrained the mind, free from external objects, he should not think of anything else. That is the highest abode of Visnu (reaching which) the mind becomes pacified.

20. By fixation of attention, the wise (and courageous) man should bring under control his mind, which is distracted by rajas and confused by tamas , and destroy the sin (impurity) created by them. 

21. While it ( dharana ) is being practised, contemplating on (lit. visualizing) the auspicious refuge (of the world i.e. Lord Visnu) , Yoga characterised by devotion ( bhakti ) is quickly developed in such a yogin.

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Chapter 2 verse 6

In this way, having fully realized the truth, and become full of bliss, one should meditate on the Soul ( atman ) who is automatically existent in the heart, and who (being one’s own) is lovable and real and who is the eternal (deathless) glorious Lord. Herein lies the end of nescience which is the cause of the transmigration of the Soul ( samara ) and (leads to blissful liberation.)

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Chapter 2 verses 18 to 21

18. They, who, realizing that whatever is different from it (Supreme Soul), is not really existent, are desirous of abandoning it, and who, avoiding the misconcept of the identification of the Soul with the body etc., hug closely every moment to the feet of venerable Lord, by their heart, and their affection to nobody else but to him, regard that the abode of Visnu is the ultimate one ( to be achieved) .

19. The meditative sage who is convinced (of his complete identity with Brahman) and who has burnt up all his attachments, by the power of the insight derived from the knowledge of Sastras passes away thus. He should press his anus and lift up his vital air from that to the six places ( cakras ) described in Yoga-Sastra , and rise above fatigue.

20. He should carry up the vital air residing in the navel (the manipura cakra indicated thereby) and take it to the heart (i.e. the anahata cakra). Then by the course of udana ( the vital air which rises up the throat and enters into the head), he should take it to the visuddha cakra (located a little below the throat). The mind controlling yogin, with great concentration and restraint, should slowly take it (vital air ) to the root of his palate.

21. From that place (cakra), he should lift up the vital air to the ajna cakra located between the two eyebrows, and with the seven outlets of the breath (viz. 2 ears, 2 eyes, 2 nostrils and mouth) closed down, and being free from all desires, he should stay for half of a muhurta (about 24 minutes) or so. With a fixed gaze, he should penetrate through the crown of the head (called brahma-randhra) and give up the body and merge with Brahman.

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Chapter 3 verses 10 to 12

10. He who wishes to have no desire at all, or aspiring after all kinds of enjoyments or longing to have Liberation due to the exaltedncss of his intelligence, should intensely propitiate, by the path of devotion, the Perfect Man beyond limitations.

11. The attainment of the highest good is this much, in the case of the worshippers (of Indra etc.) in this world, but it is in the association of the devotees of the Supreme Lord that unswerving devotion unto the Lord is generated (that leads to Final Beatitude).

12. Is there anybody who, having got the blissful satisfaction (of listening to the stories of Hari which is unavailable elsewhere), would not love those episodes, from which arises the knowledge, which completely subsides all whirling waves of passions ( like love, hatred etc.) , and creates tranquillity of mind and non-attachment to the objects of senses, leading ultimately to the path of devotion which is regarded as the state of liberation itself here and hereafter.

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2) ISKCON (A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda) version (only English):

https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/2/1/ (Canto 2, 1st chapter with links for next chapters).

3) Sanskrit only (Entire Canto/Book/Skandha 2): https://sanskritdocuments.org/doc_purana/bhagpur-02.html

[I thank archive.org and have presumed that they will not have any objections to me sharing the above extract(s) from their website (for which the copyright seems to have expired), on this post which is freely viewable by all, and does not have any financial profit motive whatsoever.]