Srimad Bhagavatam - Canto 1 Chapter 18 Text 24

ekada dhanur udyamya
vicaran mrgayam vane
mrgan anugatah srantah
ksudhitas trsito bhrsam

jalasayam acaksanah
pravivesa tam asramam
dadarsa munim asinam
santam milita-locanam

ekada--once upon a time; dhanuh--arrows and bow; udyamya--taking firmly; vicaran--following; mrgayam--hunting excursion; vane--in the forest; mrgan--stags; anugatah--while following; srantah--fatigued; ksudhitah--hungry; trsitah--being thirsty; bhrsam--extremely; jala-asayam--reservoir of water; acaksanah--while searching for; pravivesa--entered into; tam--that famous; asramam--hermitage of Samika Rsi; dadarsa--saw; munim--the sage; asinam--seated; santam--all silent; milita--closed; locanam--eyes.




TRANSLATION

Once upon a time Maharaja Pariksit, while engaged in hunting in the forest with bow and arrows, became extremely fatigued, hungry and thirsty while following the stags. While searching for a reservoir of water, he entered the hermitage of the well-known Samika Rsi and saw the sage sitting silently with closed eyes.

PURPORT

The Supreme Lord is so kind to His pure devotees that in proper time He calls such devotees up to Him and thus creates an auspicious circumstance for the devotee. Maharaja Pariksit was a pure devotee of the Lord, and there was no reason for him to become extremely fatigued, hungry and thirsty because a devotee of the Lord never becomes perturbed by such bodily demands. But by the desire of the Lord, even such a devotee can become apparently fatigued and thirsty just to create a situation favorable for his renunciation of worldly activities. One has to give up all attachment for worldly relations before one is able to go back to Godhead, and thus when a devotee is too much absorbed in worldly affairs, the Lord creates a situation to cause indifference. The Supreme Lord never forgets His pure devotee, even though he may be engaged in so-called worldly affairs. Sometimes He creates an awkward situation, and the devotee becomes obliged to renounce all worldly affairs. The devotee can understand by the signal of the Lord, but others take it to be unfavorable and frustrating. Maharaja Pariksit was to become the medium for the revelation of Srimad-Bhagavatam by Lord Sri Krsna, as his grandfather Arjuna was the medium for the Bhagavad-gita. Had Arjuna not been taken up with an illusion of family affection by the will of the Lord, the Bhagavad-gita would not have been spoken by the Lord Himself for the good of all concerned. Similarly, had Maharaja Pariksit not been fatigued, hungry and thirsty at this time, Srimad-Bhagavatam would not have been spoken by Srila Sukadeva Gosvami, the prime authority of Srimad-Bhagavatam. So this is a prelude to the circumstances under which Srimad-Bhagavatam was spoken for the benefit of all concerned. The prelude, therefore, begins with the words "once upon a time."

Srimad Bhagavatam - Canto 1 Chapter 18 Text 14

ko nama trpyed rasavit kathayam
mahattamaikanta-parayanasya
nantam gunanam agunasya jagmur
yogesvara ye bhava-padma-mukhyah

kah--who is he; nama--specifically; trpyet--get full satisfaction; rasa-vit--expert in relishing mellow nectar; kathayam--in the topics of; mahat-tama--the greatest amongst the living beings; ekanta--exclusively; parayanasya--of one who is the shelter of; na--never; antam--end; gunanam--of attributes; agunasya--of the Transcendence; jagmuh--could ascertain; yoga-isvarah--the lords of mystic power; ye--all they; bhava--Lord Siva; padma--Lord Brahma; mukhyah--heads.




TRANSLATION

The Personality of Godhead, Lord Krsna [Govinda], is the exclusive shelter for all great living beings, and His transcendental attributes cannot even be measured by such masters of mystic powers as Lord Siva and Lord Brahma. Can anyone who is expert in relishing nectar [rasa] ever be fully satiated by hearing topics about Him?

PURPORT

Lord Siva and Lord Brahma are two chiefs of the demigods. They are full of mystic powers. For example, Lord Siva drank an ocean of poison of which one drop was sufficient to kill an ordinary living being. Similarly, Brahma could create many powerful demigods, including Lord Siva. So they are isvaras, or lords of the universe. But they are not the supreme powerful. The supreme powerful is Govinda, Lord Krsna. He is the Transcendence, and His transcendental attributes cannot be measured even by such powerful isvaras as Siva and Brahma. Therefore Lord Krsna is the exclusive shelter of the greatest of all living beings. Brahma is counted amongst the living beings, but he is the greatest of all of us. And why is the greatest of all the living beings so much attached to the transcendental topics of Lord Krsna? Because He is the reservoir of all enjoyment. Everyone wants to relish some kind of taste in everything, but one who is engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord can derive unlimited pleasure from such engagement. The Lord is unlimited, and His name, attributes, pastimes, entourage, variegatedness, etc. are unlimited, and those who relish them can do so unlimitedly and still not feel satiated. This fact is confirmed in the Padma Purana:

ramante yogino 'nante satyananda-cid-atmani
iti rama-padenasau param brahmabhidhiyate

"The mystics derive unlimited transcendental pleasures from the Absolute Truth, and therefore the Supreme Absolute Truth, the Personality of Godhead, is also known as Rama."
There is no end to such transcendental discourses. In mundane affairs there is the law of satiation, but in transcendence there is no such satiation. Suta Gosvami desired to continue the topics of Lord Krsna before the sages of Naimisaranya, and the sages also expressed their readiness to hear from him continuously. Since the Lord is transcendence and His attributes are transcendental, such discourses increase the receptive mood of the purified audience.