SB 1.11.20

SB 1.11.20

Devanagari

नटनर्तकगन्धर्वा: सूतमागधवन्दिन: । गायन्ति चोत्तमश्लोकचरितान्यद्भुतानि च ॥ २० ॥

Verse text

naṭa-nartaka-gandharvāḥ sūta-māgadha-vandinaḥ gāyanti cottamaśloka- caritāny adbhutāni ca

Synonyms

naṭa dramatists ; nartaka dancers ; gandharvāḥ celestial singers ; sūta professional historians ; māgadha professional genealogists ; vandinaḥ professional learned speakers ; gāyanti chant ; ca respectively ; uttamaśloka the Supreme Lord ; caritāni activities ; adbhutāni all superhuman ; ca and .

Translation

Expert dramatists, artists, dancers, singers, historians, genealogists and learned speakers all gave their respective contributions, being inspired by the superhuman pastimes of the Lord. Thus they proceeded on and on.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Hearing that their dear Lord was coming, liberal Vasudeva, Akrūra, Ugrasena, Balarāma of astonishing prowess, Pradyumna, Cārudeṣna, Sāmba, the son of Jāmbavatī, overlooking eating, sitting, and sleeping out of great bliss, overjoyed and enthusiastic, excited from love, putting the best elephants in front, went out with brāhmaṇas decorated auspiciously, accompanied by chanting of mantras and the sounds of conches and tūryas. Hundreds of beautiful dancing girls, eager to see the Lord, with glittering earrings lighting up their cheeks, also came on vehicles,

Purport

It appears that five thousand years ago the society also needed the services of the dramatists, artists, dancers, singers, historians, genealogists, public speakers, etc. Dancers, singers and dramatic artists mostly hailed from the śūdra community, whereas the learned historians, genealogists and public speakers hailed from the brāhmaṇa community. All of them belonged to a particular caste, and they became so trained in their respective families. Such dramatists, dancers, singers, historians, genealogists and public speakers would dwell on the subject of the Lord’s superhuman activities in different ages and millenniums, and not on ordinary events. Nor were they in chronological order. All the Purāṇas are historical facts described only in relation with the Supreme Lord in different ages and times as well as on different planets also. Therefore, we do not find any chronological order. The modern historians, therefore, cannot catch up the link, and thus they unauthoritatively remark that the Purāṇas are all imaginary stories only. Even one hundred years ago in India, all dramatic performances were centered around the superhuman activities of the Supreme Lord. The common people would be verily entertained by the performances of dramas, and yātrā parties played wonderfully on the superhuman activities of the Lord, and thus even the illiterate agriculturist would be a participant in the knowledge of Vedic literature, despite a considerable lack of academic qualifications. Therefore, expert players in drama, dancers, singers, speakers, etc., are required for the spiritual enlightenment of the common man. The genealogists would give account completely of the descendants of a particular family. Even at the present moment the guides in the pilgrimage sites of India submit a complete account of genealogical tables before a newcomer. This wonderful act sometimes attracts more customers to receive such important information.

Commentary (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Four verses are one sentence. The word preṣṭham can be taken either with conventional meaning of “husband” (for the queens) or with its etymological meaning “dear.” Out of joy they overlooked (ucchaśita) eating etc. The verb śaś means to jump up. Sādhvasam means zeal.