Materialistic life is compared to a dark well, since once failing there, there is little possibility of escaping. If one somehow comes in contact with devotees who can pull him out, one should grab this opportunity with all his will, just as Prācīnabarhi did.
As Prabhupada mentions in his purport to 4.25.6: "The King was very fortunate to be able to associate with Nārada, who enlightened him in spiritual knowledge. It is the duty of all saintly persons to follow in the footsteps of Nārada Muni and travel all over the world to every country and village just to instruct illusioned persons about the goal of life and to save them from the entanglement of karma-bandha, fruitive activity."
The allegory of King Purañjana, which is nothing more than the story of the king himself, is crafted to make him understand his helpless condition and bring him to a platform of renunciation. Ultimately, this is the story of every conditioned soul, and if we study it attentively, it can have the same effect on us that it had on the king. After hearing it, Prācīnabarhi becomes self-realized.
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