SB 1.4.2
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
TEXT 2
- śaunaka uvāca
- sūta sūta mahā-bhāga
- vada no vadatāṁ vara
- kathāṁ bhāgavatīṁ puṇyāṁ
- yad āha bhagavāñ chukaḥ
SYNONYMS
śaunakaḥ — Śaunaka; uvāca — said; sūta sūta — O Sūta Gosvāmī; mahā-bhāga — the most fortunate; vada — please speak; naḥ — unto us; vadatām — of those who can speak; vara — respected; kathām — message; bhāgavatīm — of the Bhāgavatam; puṇyām — pious; yat — which; āha — said; bhagavān — greatly powerful; śukaḥ — Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī.
TRANSLATION
Śaunaka said: O Sūta Gosvāmī, you are the most fortunate and respected of all those who can speak and recite. Please relate the pious message of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, which was spoken by the great and powerful sage Śukadeva Gosvāmī.
PURPORT
Sūta Gosvāmī is twice addressed herein by Śaunaka Gosvāmī out of great joy because he and the members of the assembly were eager to hear the text of Bhāgavatam uttered by Śukadeva Gosvāmī. They were not interested in hearing it from a bogus person who would interpret in his own way to suit his own purpose. Generally the so-called Bhāgavatam reciters are either professional readers or so-called learned impersonalists who cannot enter into the transcendental personal activities of the Supreme Person. Such impersonalists twist some meanings out of Bhāgavatam to suit and support impersonalist views, and the professional readers at once go to the Tenth Canto to misexplain the most confidential part of the Lord's pastimes. Neither of these reciters are bona fide persons to recite Bhāgavatam. Only one who is prepared to present Bhāgavatam in the light of Śukadeva Gosvāmī and only those who are prepared to hear Śukadeva Gosvāmī and his representative are bona fide participants in the transcendental discussion of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.