Devanagari
सूत उवाच
एवं निशम्य भृगुनन्दन साधुवादंवैयासकि: स भगवानथ विष्णुरातम् । प्रत्यर्च्य कृष्णचरितं कलिकल्मषघ्नंव्याहर्तुमारभत भागवतप्रधान: ॥ १४ ॥
Verse text
sūta uvāca
evaṁ niśamya bhṛgu-nandana sādhu-vādaṁ
vaiyāsakiḥ sa bhagavān atha viṣṇu-rātam
pratyarcya kṛṣṇa-caritaṁ kali-kalmaṣa-ghnaṁ
vyāhartum ārabhata bhāgavata-pradhānaḥ
Synonyms
sūtaḥ uvāca
—
Sūta Gosvāmī said
;
evam
—
thus
;
niśamya
—
hearing
;
bhṛgu
—
nandana — O son of the Bhṛgu dynasty, Śaunaka
;
sādhu
—
vādam — pious questions
;
vaiyāsakiḥ
—
Śukadeva Gosvāmī, the son of Vyāsadeva
;
saḥ
—
he
;
bhagavān
—
the most powerful
;
atha
—
thus
;
viṣṇu
—
rātam — unto Parīkṣit Mahārāja, who was always protected by Viṣṇu
;
pratyarcya
—
offering him respectful obeisances
;
kṛṣṇa
—
caritam — topics of Lord Kṛṣṇa
;
kali
—
kalmaṣa — ghnam — which diminish the troubles of this Age of Kali
;
vyāhartum
—
to describe
;
ārabhata
—
began
;
bhāgavata
—
pradhānaḥ — Śukadeva Gosvāmī, the chief among the pure devotees .
Translation
Sūta Gosvāmī said: O son of Bhṛgu, after Śukadeva Gosvāmī, the most respectable devotee, the son of Vyāsadeva, heard the pious questions of Mahārāja Parīkṣit, he thanked the King with great respect. Then he began to discourse on topics concerning Kṛṣṇa, which are the remedy for all sufferings in this Age of Kali.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Sūta Gosvāmī said: O son of Bhṛgu [Śaunaka Ṛṣi], after Śukadeva Gosvāmī, the most respectable devotee, the son of Vyāsadeva, heard the pious questions of Mahārāja Parīkṣit, he thanked the King with great respect. Then he began to discourse on topics concerning Kṛṣṇa, which are the remedy for all sufferings in this age of Kali.
Purport
In this verse the words
kṛṣṇa-caritaṁ kali-kalmaṣa-ghnam
indicate that the activities of Lord Kṛṣṇa are certainly the greatest panacea for all miseries, especially in this Age of Kali. It is said that in Kali-yuga people have only short lives, and they have no culture of spiritual consciousness. If anyone is at all interested in spiritual culture, he is misled by many bogus
svāmīs
and
yogīs
who do not refer to
kṛṣṇa-kathā.
Therefore most people are unfortunate and disturbed by many calamities. Śrīla Vyāsadeva prepared
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
at the request of Nārada Muni in order to give relief to the suffering people of this age (
kali-kalmaṣa-ghnam
). The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is seriously engaged in enlightening people through the pleasing topics of
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
All over the world, the message of
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
and
Bhagavad-gītā
is being accepted in all spheres of life, especially in advanced, educated circles.
Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī is described in this verse as
bhāgavata-pradhānaḥ,
whereas Mahārāja Parīkṣit is described as
viṣṇu-rātam.
Both words bear the same meaning; that is, Mahārāja Parīkṣit was a great devotee of Kṛṣṇa, and Śukadeva Gosvāmī was also a great saintly person and a great devotee of Kṛṣṇa. Combined together to present
kṛṣṇa-kathā,
they give great relief to suffering humanity.
anarthopaśamaṁ sākṣād
bhakti-yogam adhokṣaje
lokasyājānato vidvāṁś
cakre sātvata-saṁhitām
“The material miseries of the living entity, which are superfluous to him, can be directly mitigated by the linking process of devotional service. But the mass of people do not know this, and therefore the learned Vyāsadeva compiled this Vedic literature,
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam,
which is in relation to the Supreme Truth.” (
Bhāg.
1.7.6
) People in general are unaware that the message of
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
can give all of human society relief from the pangs of Kali-yuga (
kali-kalmaṣa-ghnam
).
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Suta Goswami speaks. " O son of Bhrgu, Saunaka. Sukadeva began describing the pastimes of Krsna which destroy the sorrows of the jivas of kali yuga (kali kalmasa ghnam), or which destroy the worst of sins." Another meaning can be "Sukadeva began describint the pastimes of Krsna to Pariksit (visnu ratam), the destroyer of the sins of Kali.) Sukadeva is described as bhagavata pradhanah, the chief among the devotees, or one who has as his object of respect the book bhagavata or devotee bhagavata.
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
Pleased by his words, Śukadeva begins to speak. Out of joy, Sūta addresses Śaunaka as “giver of joy to Bhṛgu.” After hearing such words (evam), after the questions of Parīkṣit (atha), the great soul known as the son of Vyāsa, who compiled the Vedas and knew their meaning, the son with strong vows (not to be bewildered by māyā), spoke. He is known as bhagavān since bhagavān is defined as follows:
utpattiṁ pralayaṁ caiva bhūtānām āgatiṁ gatim
vetti vidyām avidyām c sa vācyo bhagavān iti
Bhagavāṇ refers to a person who knows about the creation and destruction of the universe, the appearance and disappearance of the living entities, knowledge and ignorance. Viṣṇu Purāṇa
Or, the word bhagavān is used since the Lord and his devotees are considered non-different, being given equal respect. Sādhavo hṛdayam mahyaṁ sādhūnāṁ hrḍayas tv aham: the pure devotee is my very heart: what pains him pains me; I am the heart of the pure devotee: what pleases him pleases me. (SB 9.4.68) Viṣṇu-rātam means Parīkṣit, protected from the brahmāstra by the Lord who entered into the womb his mother and then given (rātam) to Yudhiṣṭhira. Or viṣṇu-rātam means “he who was accepted by Viṣṇu.” This indicates his high position as a devotee.
Śukadeva then respected Parīkṣit with great praise and began speaking about the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa, Bhagavān, who attracts the hearts of all people. Those topics destroy the grave sins of the people of Kaliyuga, since they destroy Kali himself, the cause of all sins. Or those topics destroy the sin of quarreling about the nature of truth, the goal and the sādhana, arising from inability to determine the greatness of the Lord. All quarrels cease on understanding the greatness of the Lord by hearing about his activities. Or the topics destroy the root of all suffering (Kali) and all sin (kalmaṣam). They destroy the suffering in the material world. Or, Parīkṣit was the destroyer of all sins in the form of Kali.
How could the secret topics be revealed in an assembly of persons of various mentalities? Śukadeva was the best among the devotees or the person who possessed the highest scripture, Bhāgavatam.
harer guṇākṣipta-matir bhagavān bādarāyaṇiḥ
adhyagān mahad ākhyānaṁ nityaṁ viṣṇu-jana-priyaḥ
Śukadeva, the son of Vyāsa, whose mind became distracted from trance by the qualities of Kṛṣṇa, and who became attracted to the Vaiṣṇavas, studied this great Bhāgavatam. SB 1.7.11
He was completely absorbed in Kṛṣṇa. Because he was so elevated he was able to induce all listeners to become similar. It is said concerning Prahlāda:
sa uttama-śloka-padāravindayor
niṣevayākiñcana-saṅga-labdhayā
tanvan parāṁ nirvṛtim ātmano muhur
duḥsaṅga-dīnasya manaḥ śamaṁ vyadhāt
His bad associates become absorbed in the Lord and experienced the highest bliss by their association with a devotee who had nothing to do with anything material and by engaging in the service of the Lord's lotus feet. SB 7.4.42
The masculine case in pradhānaḥ is poetic license (usually it is neuter).