The Sages’ Questions – SB 1.1.4 – 1.1.23 | Bhagavatam Study | Bhakti Vaibhav

Transcript

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Hare Krishna.
Welcome to our discussion on the first canto, systematic verse-by-verse study. We discussed the first three verses in three talks. The first verse talks about how the Bhagavatam focusses on absolute truth and it describes the absolute truth which we meditate on dheemadhi.
The second text describes how this Bhagavatam offers us the topmost dharma which frees us from all misery, which connects us with the highest truth, who manifests soon when we meditate on the absolute truth in our heart. And the third text states that this Bhagavatam is the ripened fruit which we can relish. So, the absolute truth is defined in the first verse, the Bhagavatam’s message, the Bhagavatam’s distinctive message, unique message is defined in the second verse, and the Bhagavatam’s special flavour in terms of its relishability is stated in the third verse.
Now, from the fourth verse onwards, the narrative of the Srimad Bhagavatam starts. So, text four is naimishe animishe kshetre rishayah shavnakadayah chatram svargaya lokayah sahasrasamam ahasatah So, naimishe animishe kshetre at the place of naimisharanya animishe kshetre So, Lord Vishnu is called as one who never blinks his eyes. animishe kshetre So, naimisharanya is the place of Lord Vishnu.
So, what happened over there? rishayah shavnakadayah There are the sages headed by Shavnaka. chatram svargaya lokayah So, chatram, for a hundred, there is chatra is sacrifice. svargaya lokayah So, they performed a sacrifice for the Supreme Lord.
and for the godly devotees sahasrasamam ahasatah For thousand years they performed. So, the setting of the Srimad Bhagavatam’s outermost framing narrative is described over here. In the Bhagavatam, we will see multiple nested narratives being told at different points.
This is the outermost narrative being told. And this narrative focusses on how the Srimad Bhagavatam is being, is a conversation between the sages at naimisharanya headed by Shavnakadi rishis, Shavnak and other sages and Suta Goswami who will be addressing them. So, first, the occasion is being described that these sages had assembled to perform a sacrifice for a thousand years.
So, sacrifice was an event which was very important, very important part of the sacred Vedic culture wherein the devtas were propitiated and thereby, devtas and the Supreme Lord were propitiated and thereby the well-being of everyone was sought. So, the sacrifice would go on from morning to evening and like that they had planned that they would go on, they would continue the sacrifice for a long long time. It was described, thousand years they would continue it on.
So, now we go to 1.1.5 1.1.5 There once, at one time, one day, the sages, in the morning, they lit the sacrificial fire and they offered proper respects to Suta Goswami, who was seated on they offered him a respectful seat and they enquired from him, they questioned him. So, this and as this thousand year sacrifice was going on, at one particular time, the sages, they decided that to complement the sacrifice, they also wanted to have a sacrifice of hearing and chanting and so they asked the sage, Suta Goswami, they offered him a respectful seat and then they enquired from him. So, let us see what they enquired.
1.1.6 1.1.6 So, the sages spoke. What did they speak? 1.1.6 By you, certainly, the Puranas and 1.1.6 Itihasas also, the Puranas and Itihasas are by you 1.1.6 Anagha is one who is a sinless person 1.1.6 1.1.6 Explained and Aditani studied or read 1.1.6 1.1.6 and 1.1.6 also all these it is said 1.1.6 1.1.6 So, Uvacha is used as a form of address when he said just as the word said when it is used with a plural it changes to say, they say so like that Uvacha is used with a singular noun or pronoun and when there is a plural noun or pronoun then it becomes Uchuhu so in the 10th cant also it will be in the Gopi Gita it is sung as Shri Gopya Uchuhu So, like that, here it is, Vishaya Uchu. So the many sages, they are addressing here, they are asking a question.
So now, of course, these questions are being asked by one particular sage and later that sage will be revealed to be Shanak Rishi, but he is speaking on behalf of the sages and he will be officially, it will be shown that he is their official representative later on in the Bhagavatam. So they start by enumerating, deleting, specifying the qualifications of Suta Goswami. Now I say that, they mention three categories of scriptures here, Puranas, the Puranas are extensive books which are anthologies, which describe various activities centred ultimately on the pastimes of the Lord and His devotees.
Itihas are more specific pastimes, they are not anthologies, but their history is centred on one particular dynasty. So they are Ramayana and Mahabharata. There are 18 Puranas and Chanagha, Anagha, you are a sinless person, therefore, you can know the, you know these Puranas very well.
So these Puranas have been spoken and you have heard them being spoken, you have studied them, you have understood them and along with that, there are Dharmashastras. Dharmashastras are more specific scriptures which give directions about how Dharma is to be followed and all these are known well to you, O Suta Goswami. So Dharusha’s Rishis begin by telling about the qualifications of Suta Goswami.
1.1.7 यानिवेदविदाम् स्रेष्ठो भगवान् बादरायणः अन्येच मुणः सूतः परावरविदोऽविदुहुम् यानिवेदविदाम् स्रेष्ठो श्रेष्ठ You sing your most? वेदविदाम् Those who are the knowers of the Vedas. भगवान् बादरायणः बादरायणः बादरायणः वत्त तंस्वं य तच्रवं तत्वस्थदनु घ्रहाद ब्रुयूस्निक्धस्ति शिष्यस्य गुर गुहdling मंप्योतं वत्थ तंस्व्म् य तच्रवं वत्थ, वत्थ means you know तंस्वँँय , you are gentle, pure, simple तच्रवं , oh you who are simple-hearted person you know it all. So you not only, so you know it by their mercy.
Because you were a respectful, submissive, affectionate to them. Spiritual masters, they have imparted the secret unto you. So here the relationship between Sita Goswami and his spiritual mentors has been continued and it’s said that actually they have all taught you and taught you well.
Because you were affectionate, you were submissive and snigdhasya. You are submissive, you are affectionate, you are respectful, you are reverential and that’s why they were pleased with you. Atadanugrahat, by their mercy, they gave you the knowledge.
Which is the knowledge? That was guhiyam, guhiyam, confidential knowledge. So it’s said later in the Bhagavatam that dharmasitattvam nihitam guhiyam mahajano yena tatha sapantha. Tattva of dharma is confidential and it can be known by studying under the mahajanas.
So you have studied under the mahajanas and that’s how you know this knowledge of Sita Goswami. So he has studied, it’s not only that you have studied, sometimes there may be a classroom where there are thousand students and yes, the professor is famous, the student, not thousand students, maybe hundred students or whatever number, large number of students, the professor may not even know each student. But if a student is outstanding and the professor has shown special attention to that student, then that’s special.
So that’s noteworthy. Not only as having a famous teacher but also famed as a special student of the famous teacher. So that’s the fame of Sita Goswami.
So it’s illustrious qualifications being mentioned over here and further it goes on, 1.1.9, tatratantranjasayushman bhavatayadvinishchitam pumsamekantahsreyas tannashamsitum arhasi tatratatra, so all that you have studied, anjasayushman, anjasa, easily, they will see what that easily refers to, ayushman. So ayushman, ayush is life, ayu is life, we have ayurveda, so like that ayushman, one who are blessed with a long life, bhavatayadvinishchitam, so that you, bhavata is a respectful second person address, bhavan, bhavata, vinishchitam, so please certainly you tell us, pumsamekantahsreyas, for people in general, ekantahsreyas, what is the greatest good, tannashamsitum arhasi, that explained and we deserve to know it. So what he is asking now is, so after describing the qualifications of Sita Goswami in three texts, the second, third and fourth, the fourth, fifth and sixth, he studied himself the important books, he studied under the great teachers and he has received special mercy from them.
And now it is said, therefore, please tell, what is the most important part of the scriptures and speak it in a way that it will benefit people, it behoves you, for one who is given, for one who is given a lot, a lot is expected. So you have this knowledge, so it behoves you to share this knowledge and share it in what way? Anjasa, in a way that is easily understandable for people. Ayushman, ayushman means that you have a long life, so sometimes to explain some things in a way that is easily understandable for people may take a longer time.
He says, yes, you have a long lifespan and please do good to us by using your long lifespan to speak about the confidential import of scriptures. Ekantahsreyas, that which is the ultimate benefit, please speak about that to us easily. So, 1.10 now.
Prāyena alpāyuṣeha sabhya kalāvasmin yuge janaha mandaha sumanna matayo mandabhāgyāya upadrutaha So, this is a famous verse, often quoted by Śrīla Prabhupāda and the brilliant Sācchāryas. Now, till now there has been no specific mention about Kali Yuga in the conversation between the sages and Sūta Goswāmī, but here it is mentioned, prāyena. Most of the people, alpāyuṣeha, so this alpāyuṣeha is contrasted with ayushman.
In Sūta Goswāmī, you have a long life, as is mentioned in the previous verse. People in general are alpāyuṣeha, they have a very short life. Prāyena alpāyuṣeha sabhyaha, all learned person, all gentle person.
Kalāvasmin, so this is the reference to Kali Yuga comes along, yuge janaha, in this age, yuge janaha. And what happens in this age of Kali Yuga? mandaha sumanna matayo. People are mandaha.
So, now mandaha sumanna is a poetic metaphor. We see that this sort of poetic repetitions of words have come several times. Nimeshe and Nimishakshetra, it had come earlier.
So, similarly, it’s here, mandaha sumanna matayo. The word manda is coming twice and the sound ma is coming thrice. Mandaha, sumanda and matayo.
So, ma, ma, ma is coming thrice over here. So, these are some small examples, which we with our preliminary sense of poetry can also appreciate the poetic nature of the Bhāgavatam here. So, mandaha sumanda matayo.
So, mandaha means lazy. Sumanna matayo means that the consciousness is also lazy. The consciousness is not very sharp.
It is dull. So, physically lethargic and intellectually also lethargic. mandaha sumanna matayo, mandabhāgyāya upadratah and mandabhāgya, unfortunate, upadratah.
Upadratah means disturbed, misled. So, what this verse is referring to, essentially, is the characteristics of people in Kali Yuga and is described over here that these people, people in Kali Yuga, most of them, first, alpāyusya. So, it’s described in the sages where shatram, satam, they were performing a sacrifice for a hundred years, for a thousand years.
So, now, for a long, long time they are performing sacrifice, but they realise that people in Kali Yuga won’t have such long life spans. Further, not only would people not have such long life spans, but also, alpāyusya, and even if you have less time, suppose somebody knows that I am going to have this car only for three days and then I have to go a thousand miles, then practically, that person will say, or I have to go ten thousand miles, then that means I’ll have to drive three thousand miles every day and person will drive at top speed. So, to make sure that one reaches the destination.
So, like that, the soul has a very short life span and in the short life span, in the human body, in Kali Yuga, that human life has a very short life span, but the soul, instead of driving rapidly towards Krishna, soul is extremely lazy and soul doesn’t move only. So, in Kalavasmin Yuga, in this Yuga, what is it? Mandaha-sumanna-matayo, people are physically lethargic. Now, they may be very active for sense gratification, going here, going there, but when it comes to spiritual endeavour, people are very lazy.
Now, temple may be just right next door, but people think we’ll go in future to the temple. Similarly, practising spiritual life, mandaha, and then sumanna-matayo, the consciousness is also misdirected, sumanna-matayo, and then further they decide, manda-bhagyaya-upadritaha. So, they are physically lethargic, even though they are not physically lethargic, they are intellectually lethargic.
They don’t understand it. I should consider what is there beyond death, how can I attain that destination? And even if somebody enquires about whether there is anything beyond death, then also there are many people who get misled, manda-bhagyaya, because there are so many false teachers who give misleading teachings. And even among those who are fortunate enough to get the right path, the mind doesn’t allow them to focus.
Upadritaha. So, in this way, this is the age of disqualification. And therefore, there is some special provision that will be required.
And that provision will be mentioned later, it will be mentioned again and again in the Bhagavatam, it will be reiterated how the glorification of the Supreme Lord, centred on the chanting of His holy names, is the way to overcome the problems of this age. So, if we consider this disqualification that I mentioned, they are progressively making the chance of getting through lesser and lesser. So, if we have this big opening, okay, the lifespan is short, but still everybody has 60, 70, 80 years, but within that lifespan, people are physically lethargic, they hardly ever want to go to the temple or go to a place where they will get some spiritual association, they will learn something over there.
And even among them, when they get it, in the spiritual association, they are intellectually not very sharp, they don’t understand what is being taught. So, that means that the passage will become narrower and narrower. And even when they come to some spiritual association, often there are pseudo-spiritualists who mislead, Vandabhagya.
And even if they come somehow to the right spiritualists, they are too disturbed. What about this? What about that? What about that? And in that way, they just don’t get the opportunity to focus and grow in spiritual life. So, this is the plight.
Just like when we go to a doctor, at that time we tell the doctor what is the problem. And then the doctor will tell what is the diagnosis. We tell what are the symptoms, what are the problems we are facing.
Then the doctor will give a prescription. So, here the patient is not going, but just like a concerned patient’s relatives, that patient’s concerned relatives may tell that patient’s symptoms to a doctor and ask for a prescription. So, like that the sages are concerned about all of us in Kali Yuga and they are asking what are, these are the symptoms of the people.
So, what remedy would you suggest for them? What prescription would you give for them? That will come in the next verses, but that’s implied over here. So, 1.11 1.11 1.11 1.11 So, there are Bhoorini, there are many scriptures and there are many duties mentioned in those scriptures. 1.11 There is so much to be learned with all their divisions among themselves.
1.11 Therefore, O Sage, from all this Yathsaram, the essence of this all, 1.11 Samudhritya, Manishaya, Samudhritya. Select, with the best of your knowledge, Manishaya. Manisha is one who has conquered the mind.
That means one who is truly learned. Bhruhi Bhadraya Bhutanam. Speak that which will be Bhadraya Bhutanam, auspicious for living beings.
Yena Atma Suprasidati, by which the soul will become satisfied. Yena Atma Suprasidati. So here, the stages, in the previous text they had not asked any question.
But now they are asking a specific question. They are stating that there are so many scriptures, so many duties and so many levels. So, Bhruhi Bhurini Bhurikarmani Vibhagasho Tavyan Vibhagasha.
There are so many scriptures, so many duties and so many divisions of thought. So many systems of thought. So much has been heard.
So, the essence of that, the most important for that, please speak that, by which, for the people in general, Yena Atma Suprasidati, the soul will become satisfied. And this will be answered in 1.2.6, where it will be stated that, actually, Yena Atma Suprasidati, that path, that dharma by which one understands pure devotion to Supreme Lord, that is the supreme dharma. सवई पुम् साम्परो धर्मो ये तो भक्तिर धोक्ष जे, अहै तुकिय प्रतिहताय ये आत्मा सुप्रसीदति.
So, that’s how the Bhagavatam will speak about, will answer the questions one by one. So, here the question is, what is it, among all the varieties of scriptures, with their varieties of duties mentioned, what is it that will do the true good, to speak that, by which people will become truly satisfied. Let’s go to 1.12. सूत जाना सिभध्रम्ते भगवान सात्वताम्पति देवक्यां वासुदेवस्य जातो यस्यचिकीर्शया.
सूत जाना सिभध्रम्ते सूत जाना सिभध्रम्ते Oh, Suta, may there be blessings upon you, may there be auspiciousness upon you. भध्रम् means auspiciousness. जाना सि, you unto Him, all auspiciousness is there, you know, भगवान सात्वताम्पति Bhagawan, the Supreme Lord, who is the Lord, the master of सात्वता, of the devotees.
देवक्यां वासुदेवस्य In the family of देवक्यां वासुदेवस्य, जातो यस्यचिकीर्शया, जातो यस्य He was born there for यस्यचिकीर्शया, for executing what purpose? So now this is another question that the sages are asking. Oh, Suta, on whom all blessings are there? You know, for what purpose the Supreme Lord, who is सात्वताम्पति, who is the Lord of the devotees, was born in the family of His devotees, वासुदेव and देवकी, what purpose was He going to execute? So now if you see the Bhagavatam is spoken in a mood of separation, imminent separation. The Lord has disappeared.
You will see the setting, how it is going to be described. So actually, this happens some significant time after the Suta and Shukadev and Parishad’s conversation. And Shukadev and Parishad’s conversation happens a substantial time after the Pandavas have disappeared.
Who disappeared after Krishna has disappeared? So the Bhagavatam, the sages are still in a mood of separation because from the point of view of cosmic time scales, the Lord has disappeared only recently. And just like if some momentous event has happened, say for 30-40 years after the independence of India, people are also still remembering, oh, India just got independent recently. And the freedom struggle and all that people went through, people keep talking about that.
And same with, say in America, it’s American independence. People talk about for decades and sometimes centuries also, some momentous event that is there. So, not just the disappearance of the Lord, but the appearance of the Lord and the Lord’s descent on the earth in the form of Krishna is very much a prominent event in the historical memory of the sages because it was a recent event and they are asking, for what purpose did he appear? Please tell us that.
You know it and you please tell it to us. So, 1.13 So, those among us who are who are striving to hear, endeavouring to, we are eager to hear, na, na means we, as na is a plural self-reference, like I and we. Arhasya Anga Anuvarnitam Arhasya deserves you.
Anga, Anga is an auspicious name of reference. So, here it refers to Suta Goswami. Anuvarnitam, please describe.
Yasyavataro Bhutanam By whose descent into this world, Bhutanam, Kshemayache Bhavayache So, by whom all living beings, Kshema. Kshema means their good, their protection and Bhavayache for their upliftment. So, both happens.
So, they are continuing the question which they had asked in the previous text and they ask over here that we want to hear, we are all of us, we are eager to hear and therefore it befits you to describe the activities of that Lord whose descent is for Kshemayache Bhavayache for the well-being of all living beings. So, well-being is twofold. While they are living in this world, also they need to be protected.
Ultimately, the best protection is that they are liberated from this material world and they return back to you. So, both these, Kshemayache Bhavayache, both these are what you know about and you want to hear about that Lord who has come for doing such good into this world. So, please speak about it.
You know it and we are eager to hear. So, it befits you to speak it to us. So, 1.1.14 now.
आपन्नः सम्स्मितिं घोराम् यन्नां विवशो ग्रणन् ततः सद्यो विमुचेत यद्विभेति स्वयं भयं So, here it goes. It’s a famous verse. आपन्नः सम्स्मितिं घोराम् सम्स्मिति सम्स्मिति is material existence.
घोराम् is a terrible material existence. So, यन्नां विवशो ग्रणन् यन्नां whose name we chant विवशो even if in helplessness means it’s not that that person is having great devotion and is chanting but that person feels helpless nothing else works so let me try to chant the name. So, this verse can be explained in different ways by different Acharyas.
We will look at one way that is easiest to understand. So that even if people chant not because of devotion but because of helplessness. So, सद्यो विमुच्चेत but soon just by chanting once people can get liberated from ततः सद्यो विमुच्चेत यत विभेति स्वयं भयं So, people get easily liberated from material existence by chanting the name of this Lord even once.
यत विभेति स्वयं भयं that even fear personified is afraid of the Supreme Lord. That means normally when we say fear is afraid of Him normally everyone is afraid of fear or rather when fear comes we all become afraid. So, now if a thief comes a thief is coming we will become fearful but if a police person comes over there then the thief will run away from there and fear of that police person so like that similarly it is said that fear terrifies us, terrorises us but fear is terrorised by the appearance of Supreme Lord and not even just the appearance of Supreme Lord in person just in appearance as His name even once.
So, the two glories of the Holy Name are described over here one is that this glorious name is of that person who is so powerful that he sets he creates fear in the heart of fear personified and that Holy Name even if chanted once can free one from the material existence in which all of us are trapped. So, the flow is that if just hearing His name once chanting His name once is so auspicious then hearing His pastimes in detail how much more auspicious will that be that’s the flow of thought going on over here so 15th text now they are further glorifying the Supreme Lord and they are stating over here His lotus feet having taken shelter of if He takes shelter of His foot the sages who become absorbed in His service absorbed in devotion to Him quickly even once or immediately they become purified simply by by touching them by coming in contact with them once Swardhunya refers to Ganga Ganga’s water purifies after serving for a prolonged period so here now the potency of the Lord is being conveyed in another way the previous words conveyed the purificatory potency of the Lord through description of the glory of His Holy Name that is one manifestation of His now the purificatory potency of the Lord is described through another manifestation of His that is those who are devoted to Him those who have offered their life to Him those who have placed Him in their hearts so those who have devoted themselves to Him if people just associate with them once people just take their darshan just hear from them just take the dust of their feet then they can become purified completely in contrast the Ganga whose glory is so much stressed in the Puranic literature and it is stated there Ganga also Anusevaya one has to serve Ganga consistently repeatedly in order to for it to purify but on the other hand it is said over here that Krishna purifies those who Krishna purifies immediately through the hearts of those who have given their heart to Him so by contacting the pure devotees you can become purified quickly that’s what this verse is teaching now 16th text so after describing so this is the rhetorical question over here after describing the glory of the Supreme Lord now the question is who will not hear ko va bhagvatas tasya so that Supreme Lord punya shlokedya karmanaha so whose activities are are punya, auspicious, purifying virtue shlokedya they are worshipped by choice poetry karmanaha whose activities shuddhi kamo and they purify us from all desires from all desires for self gratification Vishnu yaar who will not hear yashat kallimal aap ham those glories which are kallimal aap ham they destroy the contamination of kalli so the there is a cyclic flow going on over here 1.16 is asking a rhetorical question whose roots lie there is another famous kind of famous people someone may write a a love-lorn person a person who is completely caught in the grips of a beloved of a man caught in the grips of a woman may write poetry glorifying her beauty or some big politician some big sports star somebody may write a tribute to that sports star a fan may write a tribute but none of these people although there may be poetry written for them none of them is fully okay dear none of that sort of poetry is going to purify it is not going to illuminate it is not going to it is not going to be auspicious that poetry about the lord is only supremely auspicious therefore who will not want to hear about it so the point is that we certainly want to hear about it and they are also gently exhorting their readers you should also want to hear about it you want your well-being, isn’t it? if you want it then please hear about it so 17th text so so his magnanimous activities glorious activities they are sung by the great souls suras refer to the devtas or in general to the great souls please speak unto us who are who are faithful who are eager to hear who want to hear with respect so they ask not only that we want to hear about his past times when he descended kalaha in his incarnations so now here it is stated that so the lord’s activities are so auspicious in the previous text they asked who will not want to hear now they say actually so the suras, the wise people the saintly people the godly people, suras the word sura is generally used to refer to devtas and in the devaloka it is the devarushi like naradas like narad muni who speak these past times so prabhupada specifies narad muni’s translation over here and he states that those who are learned like the devtas they preside these past times and therefore we also want to hear about them and not just the past times of this lord leelaya, kalaha so we want to hear about his past times and the past times of his various incarnations also so they specified about krishna but now they have expanded the scope of their question to include other manifestations of the lord also 18th text now 1.18 therefore speak unto us hare dhiman so of the lord hare dhiman dhimatam those who are very learned dhiman is one who is a sagacious one avatar katha shubha so the katha, the past times of the lord which are very auspicious leela viddhat svairam leela viddhat the auspicious past times performed by him svairam those past times which the lord performed by his own internal manifestations, by his internal potency they are continuing the same request therefore the lord when he descended he performed past times with his internal potency past times which are very auspicious, which are very purifying and therefore please speak and we want to hear those past times so earlier they have said we want to hear about Krishna now although there is a same request repeated request to hear but here the point is we want to hear about not just the supreme lord Krishna but about his various incarnations also in this way they are expanding the scope 19th verse vayam tunavitruhyam uttama shloka vikrame yashvanamataam rasa jnanam svadhu svadhu pada pada now here the sages are bringing rasa over here vayam tunavitruhyam we are certainly not vitruhyam, we are not going to be satiated now here the question may come up you want me to describe not just about Krishna there are so many past times of Krishna and there are so many incarnations and so many past times it will take a long long time the question may come up so the sages say no no we are not worried we will never get satiated by this svadhu pada pada at every moment we will release this rasa jnanam this knowledge it is not shushka jnan without dry knowledge it is rasa jnanam it is the knowledge which will awaken taste within us which will stimulate devotion within us it is the knowledge which will bring ecstasy to our hearts and that’s why we want you to speak this more and more rasa jnanam and svadhu svadhe pada pada it’s going to be relishable relishable at every moment pada pada so that lord performs extraordinary past times and those extraordinary past times when we hear it we get a great taste for them this point of the taste coming by hearing the lord’s past times will be reiterated many times in the bhagavatam by different hearers and it is often used as an exhortation to speak in detail Arjuna also says to Krishna that please speak in detail I want to hear this more and more and vistare naatmano speak in detail because I never satiate so the similar sentiment is expressed here by the sages and they say please keep speaking in detail because we will not get satiate we will hear it more and more and more and every moment will relish it so pada pada is at every step now actually these are all sittings so they are not going to take any physical steps but here they are referring to steps in terms of hearing each word that is heard each past time that is heard at like one step forward in our devotional journey towards the supreme lord and they are saying each step is relishable so please speak and we will hear in 20th text krutavan kilakarmani saharamenakeshavaha atimartyani bhagavan gudhakapatamanushaha so krutavan krutavan by kruti kruta is to do so krutavan one who has done kilakarmani so what all activities were performed by the supreme lord saharamenakeshavaha by the lord along with keshava by ramenakeshava means by keshava and balram, rama is balram by balram and krishna atimartyani bhagavan so super human past times are performed by this transcendental personality of god gudhakapatamanushaha gudha means very difficult to understand kapatamanushaha while appearing in a deceptive way as human being sages by their questions are also revealing that they are not ignorant they also know quite a bit about the supreme lord and they understand that when the lord disappears his past times seem beginning a human like and so therefore it is said gudhakapatamanushaha saharamenakeshava the past times are performed by raman and keshava and those past times appear to be just very human like past times but what are these past times that they perform although they seem human like in the sense that the lord has human like relationships but whenever required whenever he desires he performs past times in a very extraordinary way which shows his atimartyani bhagavan his transcendental position far beyond all other human beings and his position as supreme lord so we want to hear about those past times what are the past times that he performed so please tell us about it first text kalim agatam agnyaya kshetreyasmin vaishnavevaham asinadirghasatrena kathayam sakshanahare so kalim agatam knowing that kaliyuga has come now agnyaya gya means to know agnyaya here refers to that of knowing that kaliyuga has arrived now kshetreyasmin vaishnavevaham so kshetreyasmin in this area we are all vaishnavas we are all devotees of supreme lord and we sit asinadirghasatrena we are sat here for doing a long sacrifice kathayam sakshanahare and sakshanaha sakshanaha that means all our time we want to now spend in hearing about the lord so the point now of this verse is swami may ask oh but you have sat here for doing a sacrifice fire sacrifice how can i speak about the lord he says yes the fire sacrifice is going on and we are determined to sit here for doing fire sacrifice for a long time but we want to use the time of the fire sacrifice by hearing about hare kshanahare so all the time that we have we want to invest it properly for speaking about you akshanahare now further that we have understood that you we have got as a sandarshito we have met you dhatra refers to the divine will of providence so by the will of providence we have met you that which is very difficult to cross over those who desire to cross over this kali which destroys which deteriorates existence which deteriorates satvaguna of people steals it away like the captain for a boat so the previous verse they stated that now we know that kali yuga has come so we decided to perform some sacrifices and now in this text they continue on state that actually knowing that now that knowing that kali yuga is like a dark ranger’s ocean which is very difficult to cross but we desire to cross it over and therefore we feel that it is by the will of providence that you have come over here so by the dhatra by the will of providence you have come here and we have the opportunity to hear from you so actually when the soul is very fortunate when the spiritual master the spiritual master’s representative enters into the life of such a soul and that’s what Bhagat Singh was saying has happened in our life and thus we are confident that you will be able to take us across this is a competent captain can take a ship across even through a stormy through the stormy oceans like that you can take us across through the stormy ocean of kali yuga that is the confidence that the sages are expressing in him in Suta Goswami 23rd text, the last text of this chapter Dharmavarmani is the protector of Dharma Swam Kashtham Adhunopete Swam Kashtham Adhunopete So now that he has gone to his own abode Adhunopete, now a days where is dharma? Where has dharma taken shelter of? So in this last text in this chapter what are they asking? Now that Krishna has departed, so earlier they said that what pastimes Krishna has performed we want to hear but now that Krishna has departed we want to know where is Dharma taken shelter? Normally, Dharma is sheltered by the Supreme Lord. But when the Lord disappears, then where will Dharma take shelter? That is our question.
And that question is the last question which the sages ask over here. And thus, they sign off. Thus they complete their questions over here.
And Suta Goswami will begin answering the questions from the next text onwards, which will begin the first chapter of the speech of Suta Goswami. And that will be the second chapter of the first canto of Shrimad Bhagavatam, which we