Devanagari
शौनक उवाच
सूत सूत महाभाग वद नो वदतां वर ।
कथां भागवतीं पुण्यां यदाह भगवाञ्छुक: ॥ २ ॥
Verse text
śaunaka uvāca
sūta sūta mahā-bhāga
vada no vadatāṁ vara
kathāṁ bhāgavatīṁ puṇyāṁ
yad āha bhagavāṣ 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.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Śaunaka said: O Sūta! O Sūta! Fortunate soul! Best of speakers! Please tell us the pure stories related to the Lord which the glorious Śuka spoke at the assembly of Parīkṣit.
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.
Commentary (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
He addresses Sūta twice out of joy. Yat stands for yam.