Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.1.14

sūta uvāca

evam niśamya bhrigu-nandana sādhu-vādam

vaiyāsakih sa bhagavān atha vishnu-rātam

pratyarcya krishna-caritam kali-kalmasha-ghnam

vyāhartum ārabhata bhāgavata-pradhānah

SYNONYMS

sūtah uvāca — Sūta Gosvāmī said; evam — thus; niśamya — hearing; bhrigu-nandana — O son of the Bhrigu dynasty, Śaunaka; sādhu-vādam — pious questions; vaiyāsakih — Śukadeva Gosvāmī, the son of Vyāsadeva; sah — he; bhagavān — the most powerful; atha — thus; vishnu-rātam — unto Parīkshit Mahārāja, who was always protected by Vishnu; pratyarcya — offering him respectful obeisances; krishna-caritam — topics of Lord Krishna; kali-kalmasha-ghnam — which diminish the troubles of this age of Kali; vyāhartum — to describe; ārabhata — began; bhāgavata-pradhānah — Śukadeva Gosvāmī, the chief among the pure devotees.

TRANSLATION

Sūta Gosvāmī said: O son of Bhrigu [Śaunaka Rishi], after Śukadeva Gosvāmī, the most respectable devotee, the son of Vyāsadeva, heard the pious questions of Mahārāja Parīkshit, he thanked the King with great respect. Then he began to discourse on topics concerning Krishna, which are the remedy for all sufferings in this age of Kali.

PURPORT

In this verse the words krishna-caritam kali-kalmasha-ghnam indicate that the activities of Lord Krishna 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 krishna-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-kalmasha-ghnam). The Krishna 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-pradhānah, whereas Mahārāja Parīkshit is described as vishnu-rātam. Both words bear the same meaning; that is, Mahārāja Parīkshit was a great devotee of Krishna, and Śukadeva Gosvāmī was also a great saintly person and a great devotee of Krishna. Combined together to present krishna-kathā, they give great relief to suffering humanity.

anarthopaśamam sākshād

bhakti-yogam adhokshaje

lokasyājānato vidvāmś

cakre sātvata-samhitām

"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-kalmasha-ghnam).

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