Chapter One
Questions by the Sages
TEXT 12
sūta jānāsi bhadraṁ te
bhagavān sātvatāṁ patiḥ
devakyāṁ vasudevasya
jāto yasya cikīrṣayā
SYNONYMS
sūta—O Sūta Gosvāmī; jānāsi—you know; bhadram te—all blessings upon you; bhagavān—the Personality of Godhead; sātvatām—of the pure devotees; patiḥ—the protector; devakyām—in the womb of Devakī; vasudevasya—by Vasudeva; jātaḥ—born of; yasya—for the purpose of; cikīrṣayā—executing.
TRANSLATION
All blessings upon you, O Sūta Gosvāmī. You know for what purpose the Personality of Godhead appeared in the womb of Devakī as the son of Vasudeva.
PURPORT
Bhagavān means the Almighty God who is the controller of all opulences, power, fame, beauty, knowledge and renunciation. He is the protector of His pure devotees. Although God is equally disposed to everyone, He is especially inclined to His Devotees. Sat means the Absolute Truth. And persons who are servitors of the Absolute Truth are called sātvatas. And the Personality of Godhead who protects such pure devotees is known as the protector of the sātvatas. Bhadraṁ te, or "blessings upon you," indicates the sages' anxiety to know the Absolute Truth from the speaker. Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, appeared to Devakī, the wife of Vasudeva. Vasudeva is the symbol of the transcendental position wherein the appearance of the Supreme Lord takes place.
TEXT 13
tan naḥ śuśrūṣamāṇānām
arhasy aṅgānuvarṇitum
yasyāvatāro bhūtānāṁ
kṣemāya ca bhavāya ca
SYNONYMS
tat—those; naḥ—unto us; śuśrūṣamāṇānām—those who are endeavoring for; arhasi—ought to do it; aṅga—O Sūta Gosvāmī; anuvarṇitum—to explain by following in the footsteps of previous ācāryas; yasya—whose; avatāraḥ—incarnation; bhūtānām—of the living beings; kṣemāya—for good; ca—and; bhavāya—upliftment; ca—and.
TRANSLATION
O Sūta Gosvāmī, we are eager to learn about the Personality of Godhead and His incarnations. Please explain to us those teachings imparted by previous masters [ācāryas], for one is uplifted both by speaking them and by hearing them.
PURPORT
The conditions for hearing the transcendental message of the Absolute Truth are set forth herein. The first condition is that the audience must be very sincere and eager to hear. And the speaker must be in the line of disciplic succession from the recognized ācārya. The transcendental message of the Absolute is not understandable by those who are materially absorbed. Under the direction of a bona fide spiritual master, one becomes gradually purified. Therefore, one must be in the chain of disciplic succession and learn the spiritual art of submissive hearing. In the case of Sūta Gosvāmī and the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya, all these conditions are fulfilled because Śrīla Sūta Gosvāmī is in the line of Śrīla Vyāsadeva, and the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya are all sincere souls who are anxious to learn the truth. Thus the transcendental topics of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa's superhuman activities, His incarnation, His birth, appearance or disappearance, His forms, His names and so on are all easily understandable because all requirements are fulfilled. Such discourses help all men on the path of spiritual realization.
TEXT 14
āpannaḥ saṁsṛtiṁ ghorāṁ
yan-nāma vivaśo gṛṇan
tataḥ sadyo vimucyeta
yad bibheti svayaṁ bhayam
SYNONYMS
āpannaḥ—being entangled; saṁsṛtim—in the hurdle of birth and death; ghorām—too complicated; yat—what; nāma—the absolute name; vivaśaḥ—unconsciously; gṛṇan—chanting; tataḥ—from that; sadyaḥ—at once; vimucyeta—gets freedom; yat—that which; bibheti—fears; svayam—personally; bhayam—fear itself.
TRANSLATION
Living beings who are entangled in the complicated meshes of birth and death can be freed immediately by even unconsciously chanting the holy name of Kṛṣṇa, which is feared by fear personified.
PURPORT
Vāsudeva, or Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Absolute Personality of Godhead, is the supreme controller of everything. There is no one in creation who is not afraid of the rage of the Almighty. Great asuras like Rāvaṇa, Hiraṇyakaśipu, Kaṁsa, and others who were very powerful living entities were all killed by the Personality of Godhead. And the almighty Vāsudeva has empowered His name with the powers of His personal Self. Everything is related to Him, and everything has its identity in Him. It is stated herein that the name of Kṛṣṇa is feared even by fear personified. This indicates that the name of Kṛṣṇa is nondifferent from Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, the name of Kṛṣṇa is as powerful as Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself. There is no difference at all. Anyone, therefore, can take advantage of the holy names of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa even in the midst of greatest dangers. The transcendental name of Kṛṣṇa, even though uttered unconsciously or by force of circumstances, can help one obtain freedom from the hurdle of birth and death.
Comments