SB 1.3.44 (1962)
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
TEXT No. 44
Tatra kirttayto vipra viprarshe bhuri tejasah Aham cha adhyagamam tatra nivista tadanugrahat So 'ham bah sharvayashyami yathadhitam yathamatih
ENGLISH SYNONYMS
Tatra—there, Krittayato—while reciting, Vipra—oh the Brahmins, Viprarshe—from the great Brahmin rishi, Bhuri—greatly, Tejashah—power, Aham—I, Cha—also, Adhyagamam—could understand, Tatra—in that meeting, Nivista—being perfectly attentive, Tadanugrahat—by His mercy, So—that the very thing, Bah—unto you, Sharvayashyami—shall make you hearing, Yathadhitam Yathumati—as far as my realisation.
TRANSLATION
Oh learned Brahmins, while Sukdeva Goswami was reciting Bhagwatam there (in the presence of Emperor Pariskhit), I was also hearing Him with rapt attention and as such by His mercy I also learnt it from the great powerful sage. I shall just try to make you hear the very same thing as I learnt it from Him and as I have realised it.
PURPORT
One can certainly see directly the presence of Lord Sri Krishna in the pages of Bhagwatam if one has heard it from a self realised great soul like Sukdeva Goswami. One cannot however learn Bhagwatam from a bogus hired recitor whose aim of life is to earn some money out of such recitation and employ the earning in the matter of sex indulgence. No body can learn Srimad Bhagwatam who is associated with a person engaged in the business of sex life. That is the secret of learning Bhagwat. Neither one can learn Bhagwatam from one who interprets the text by his mundane scholarship. One has to learn Bhagwatam from the representative of Sukdeva Goswami and no body else if at all one has to see Lord Sri Krishna in the pages of the Bhagwat reading. That is the process and there is no alternative. Suta Goswami is a bonafide representative of Sukdeva Goswami because he wants to present the very thing which he had received from the great learned Brahmin. Sukdeva Goswami also presented Bhagwatam as He heard it form His great father and so also Suta Goswami is presenting Bhagwatam as he had heard it from Sukdeva Goswami. Simple hearing is not all; one must realise the text with proper attention. The word nivistha means that Suta Goswami drank the juice of Bhagwatam through his ears. That is the real process of receiving Bhagwatam. One should hear Bhagwatam with rapt attention from the real person and then only he can at once realise the presence of Lord Krishna in every page of the Bhagwatam. The secret of knowing Bhagwat is mentioned here. No body can give rapt attention who is not pure in mind. No body can be pure in mind who is not pure in action. No body can be pure in action who is not pure in eating, sleeping, fearing and mating. But somehow or other if somebody hears with rapt attention Srimad Bhagwatam from the right person and at the very beginning of it one can assuredly see Lord Sri Krishna in person in the pages of Bhagwatam.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta Purports of the First Canto Third Chapter in the matter of Description of Incarnations of Godhead.