SB 1.5.16 (1962)
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
TEXT No. 16
Vichakshana asya arhati veditum bibhor
Anantaparasya nivirttitah sukham
Pravartamanasya gunair anatmanas
Tato bhavan darshaya chestiam bibho.
ENGLISH SYNONYMS
Vichakshana—very expert, Asya—of him, Arhati—deserves, Veditum—to understand, Bibhor—of the Lord, Anantaparasya—of the unlimited, Nivirttitah—retired from, Sukham—material happiness, Pravartamansya—those who are attached with, Gunair—by the material qualities, Anatmanas—devoid of knowledge in spiritual value, Tato—therefore, Bhavan—your goodness, Darshaya—show the ways, Chestitam—activities, Bibho—of the Lord.
TRANSLATION
The Supreme Lord is unlimited. Only a very expert personality deserves to understand this knowledge in spiritual values and that also being retired from the activities of material happiness. Therefore those, who are not so well placed on account of being attached with material qualities, may be shown the ways of transcendental realisation by your goodness by describing the transcendental activities of the Supreme Lord.
PURPORT
Theological science is a difficult subject and specially when it is dealt with the transcendental nature of God. It is not a subject matter to be understood by persons who are too much attached with material activities. Only the very expert personalities, who have almost retired from materialistic activities, and by culture of knowledge in spiritual values, can be admitted in the study of this great science. In the Bhagwat Geeta it is clearly stated that out of many hundreds and thousands of men only a person deserves to be entered in the matter of transcendental realisation. And out of many thousands of such transcendentally realised persons, only a few can understand the theological science specifically dealing in God as a Person. Sri Vyasdeva is therefore advised by Narada to describe the science of God by His transcendental activities directly. Vyasadeva is himself a personality expert in this science and He is unattached with material enjoyment of life. Therefore He is the right person to describe it and Sukhdeva Goswami the son of Vyasadeva is the right person to receive it. Shrimad Bhagwatam is the topmost Theological science and therefore it can react on the laymen also as medicinal doses for the right recipient. As it contains the transcendental activities of the Lord there is no difference between the Lord and the literature. The whole literature is factual incarnation of the Lord by literary values. So the laymen can hear the narration of the activities of the Lord whereby they are able to associate with the Lord and thus gradually become purified of the material diseases. The expert devotees also can discover novel ways and means to convert the foolish non-devotees in terms of particular time and circumstances. Devotional service is dynamic activity and for its acceptance the expert devotees can find out competent means to inject into the dull brain of the materialistic population. Such transcendental activities of the devotees for the service of the Lord can bring in a new order of life to the foolish society of materialistic men. Lord Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and His subsequent followers exhibited expert dexterity in this connection and following the same method the materialistic men of this age of quarrel can be brought into order for peaceful life and transcendental realisation simultaneously.