Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.4.28-29

dhṛta-vratena hi mayā

chandāḿsi guravo 'gnayaḥ

mānitā nirvyalīkena

gṛhītaḿ cānuśāsanam

bhārata-vyapadeśena

hy āmnāyārthaś ca pradarśitaḥ

dṛśyate yatra dharmādi

strī-śūdrādibhir apy uta

SYNONYMS

dhṛta-vratena — under a strict disciplinary vow; hi — certainly; mayā — by me; chandāḿsi — the Vedic hymns; guravaḥ — the spiritual masters; agnayaḥ — the sacrificial fire; mānitāḥ — properly worshiped; nirvyalīkena — without pretense; gṛhītam ca — also accepted; anuśāsanam — traditional discipline; bhārata — the Mahābhārata; vyapadeśena — by compilation of; hi — certainly; āmnāya-arthaḥ — import of disciplic succession; ca — and; pradarśitaḥ — properly explained; dṛśyate — by what is necessary; yatra — where; dharma-ādiḥ — the path of religion; strī-śūdra-ādibhiḥ api — even by women, śūdras, etc.; uta — spoken.

TRANSLATION

I have, under strict disciplinary vows, unpretentiously worshiped the Vedas, the spiritual master and the altar of sacrifice. I have also abided by the rulings and have shown the import of disciplic succession through the explanation of the Mahābhārata, by which even women, śūdras and others [friends of the twice-born] can see the path of religion.

PURPORT

No one can understand the import of the Vedas without having undergone a strict disciplinary vow and disciplic succession. The Vedas, spiritual masters and sacrificial fire must be worshiped by the desiring candidate. All these intricacies of Vedic knowledge are systematically presented in the Mahābhārata for the understanding of the woman class, the laborer class and the unqualified members of brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya or vaiśya families. In this age, the Mahābhārata is more essential than the original Vedas.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness