Srimad Bhagavatam, Volume 3

"You are the spiritual master of great saints and devotees. I am therefore
begging to enquire from you thc way of perfection for all persons and
specially for one who is just going to die.
Unless one is not perfectly anxious to enquire about the way of perfection,
there is no necessity of approaching a spiritual master. A spiritual master is
not a kind of decoration for the householders. Generally the fashionable
materialist engages a so-called spiritual master without any profit. The
psuedo-spiritual master flatters the so-called disciple and thereby both the
master and ward go to hell without any doubt. Maharaj Parikshit is the right
type of disciple because he puts forward questions vital to the interest of all
men generally and particularly for the dying men. The question put forward
by Maharaj Parikshit is the basic principle of the complete thesis of 'Srimad
Bhagwatam' and let us see how inteolligently the great master replies them
one after another.
Yat srotavyam atho japyan yat kartavyam nribhih prabho
Smartavyam bhajaniyam va bruhi yadva viparyayam.
Yat—whatever, Srotavyam—worth hearing, Atho—there of, Japyam—
chanted, Yat—what also, Kartavyam—executed, Nribhih—by the people in
general, Prabho—oh the master, Smartavyam—that which is remembered,
Bhajaniyam—worshipable Va—either, Bruhi—please explain, Yadva—what
it may be, Viparyayam—against the principle.
"Please also let me know what the human being should hear, should
chant should remember, and should worship as also what they should not
do, all these may be explained to me."
Nunam bhagawato brahman grihesu grihamedhinam
Na lakshyate hi avasthanam api godahanam kachit.
Nunan—because, Bhagawato—of you the powerful, Brahman—oh the
brahmin, Grihesu—in the houses, Grihamedhinam—of the householders,
Na—not, Laksate—is seen, Hi—exactly, Asasthanan—staying in, Api—even,
Godahanam—milking the cow, Kachit—rarely.
"Oh the powerful Brahmin, because you hardly stay up to the time of
milking the cow in the houses of the householders."
Saints and sages in the renounced order of life, do go to the houses of the
householders at the time of milking the cow early in the morning expecting
some quantity of milk for subsistence. A pound of milk fresh from the milk
bag of a cow is sufficient to feed an adult with all vitamin values derived from
food and therefore saints and sages would live only on drinking milk. Even
END OF THE FIRST CANTO
(In three Volumes February 1965 on the Vyas Pujah Day)
75
Nineteenth Chapter - Appearance of Sukadeva Goswami
the poorest of the householders would keep at least ten cows, each delivering
five to ten killo meters of milk and therefore no body would hesitate to spare a
few pounds of milk for the mendicants. It is duty of the householders to
mintain the saints and sages like the childern at home. So a saint like Sukdeva
Goswami would hardly stay at the house of the householders for more than
five minutes in the morning. In other words such saints are very rarely seen in
the house of householders and Maharaj Parikshi therefore prayed for
instructing him about his questions as soon as possible. The house holders
also should be intilligent enough to get some informations from the visiting
sages in the matter of transcendental subject. The householder may not
foolishly ask a saint to deliver which is available in the market. That is the
reciprocal relation between the saints and the householders.
Sri Suta Uvacha:
Ebam abhasitah pristah sa rajna slakshnaya gira
Pratyabhasata dharmajna bhagawan vadarayanih.
Sri Sura Uvacha—Sri Suta Goswami said, Ebam—thus, Abhasitah—being
spoken, Pristah—and asked for, Sa—he, Rajna—by the king, Slakshnaya—by
sweet, Gira—language, Pratyabhasata—began to reply, Dharmajna—one who
knows the principles of religiosity, Bhagwan—the powerful Personality,
Vadarayani—son of Vyasdeva.
Sri Suta Goswami said, When the king thus spoke and enquired from the
sage in very pleasing language, then the great powerful Personality son of
Vyasdeva, who knew the Principles of religiosity, began to reply as
follows.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta Purports of the First Canto Nineteenth Chapter of
'Srimad Bhagwatam' in the matter of Appearance of Sri Sukdeva Goswami.