FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.5.13

अथो महाभाग भवानमोघद‍ृक् शुचिश्रवा: सत्यरतो धृतव्रत: । उरुक्रमस्याखिलबन्धमुक्तये समाधिनानुस्मर तद्विचेष्टितम् ॥ १३ ॥
atho mahā-bhāga bhavān amogha-dṛk
[atho mahaa-bhaaga bhavaan amogha-drik]
śuci-śravāḥ satya-rato dhṛta-vrataḥ
[shuchi-shravaah satya-rato dhrita-vratah]
urukramasyākhila-bandha-muktaye
[urukramasyaakhila-bandha-muktaye]
samādhinānusmara tad-viceṣṭitam
[samaadhinaanusmara tad-vicheshtitam]
atho — therefore mahā-bhāga — highly fortunate bhavān — yourself amogha-dṛk — the perfect seer śuci — spotless śravāḥ — famous satya-rataḥ — having taken the vow of truthfulness dhṛta-vrataḥ — fixed in spiritual qualities urukramasya — of the one who performs supernatural activities (God) akhila — universal bandha — bondage muktaye — for liberation from samādhinā — by trance anusmara — think repeatedly and then describe them tat-viceṣṭitam — various pastimes of the Lord.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
atho mahā-bhāga bhavān amogha-dṛk
atho
therefore
mahā-bhāga
highly fortunate
bhavān
yourself
amogha-dṛk
the perfect seer
śuci-śravāḥ satya-rato dhṛta-vrataḥ
śuci
spotless
śravāḥ
famous
satya-rataḥ
having taken the vow of truthfulness
dhṛta-vrataḥ
fixed in spiritual qualities
urukramasyākhila-bandha-muktaye
urukramasya
of the one who performs supernatural activities (God)
akhila
universal
bandha
bondage
muktaye
for liberation from
samādhinānusmara tad-viceṣṭitam
samādhinā
by trance
anusmara
think repeatedly and then describe them
tat-viceṣṭitam
various pastimes of the Lord.
O Vyāsadeva, your vision is completely perfect. Your good fame is spotless. You are firm in vow and situated in truthfulness. And thus you can think of the pastimes of the Lord in trance for the liberation of the people in general from all material bondage.

People in general have a taste for literatures by instinct. They want to hear and read from the authorities something about the unknown, but their taste is exploited by unfortunate literatures which are full of subject matter for satisfaction of the material senses. Such literatures contain different kinds of mundane poems and philosophical speculations, more or less under the influence of māyā, ending in sense gratification. These literatures, although worthless in the true sense of the term, are variously decorated to attract the attention of the less intelligent men. Thus the attracted living entities are more and more entangled in material bondage without hope of liberation for thousands and thousands of generations. Śrī Nārada Ṛṣi, being the best amongst the Vaiṣṇavas, is compassionate toward such unfortunate victims of worthless literatures, and thus he advises Śrī Vyāsadeva to compose transcendental literature which is not only attractive but can also actually bring liberation from all kinds of bondage. Śrīla Vyāsadeva or his representatives are qualified because they are rightly trained to see things in true perspective. Śrīla Vyāsadeva and his representatives are pure in thought due to their spiritual enlightenment, fixed in their vows due to their devotional service, and determined to deliver the fallen souls rotting in material activities. The fallen souls are very eager to receive novel informations every day, and the transcendentalists like Vyāsadeva or Nārada can supply such eager people in general with unlimited news from the spiritual world. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that the material world is only a part of the whole creation and that this earth is only a fragment of the whole material world.

There are thousands and thousands of literary men all over the world, and they have created many, many thousands of literary works for the information of the people in general for thousands and thousands of years. Unfortunately none of them have brought peace and tranquillity on the earth. This is due to a spiritual vacuum in those literatures; therefore the Vedic literatures, especially the Bhagavad-gītā and the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, are specifically recommended to suffering humanity to bring about the desired effect of liberation from the pangs of material civilization, which is eating the vital part of human energy. The Bhagavad-gītā is the spoken message of the Lord Himself recorded by Vyāsadeva, and the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the transcendental narration of the activities of the same Lord Kṛṣṇa, which alone can satisfy the hankering desires of the living being for eternal peace and liberation from miseries. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, therefore, is meant for all the living beings all over the universe for total liberation from all kinds of material bondage. Such transcendental narrations of the pastimes of the Lord can be described only by liberated souls like Vyāsadeva and his bona fide representatives who are completely merged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. Only to such devotees do the pastimes of the Lord and their transcendental nature become automatically manifest by dint of devotional service. No one else can either know or describe the acts of the Lord, even if they speculate on the subject for many, many years. The descriptions of the Bhāgavatam are so precise and accurate that whatever has been predicted in this great literature about five thousand years ago is now exactly happening. Therefore, the vision of the author comprehends past, present and future. Such liberated persons as Vyāsadeva are perfect not only by the power of vision and wisdom, but also in aural reception, in thinking, feeling and all other sense activities. A liberated person possesses perfect senses, and with perfect senses only can one serve the sense proprietor, Hṛṣīkeśa, Śrī Kṛṣṇa the Personality of Godhead. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, therefore, is the perfect description of the all-perfect Personality of Godhead by the all-perfect personality Śrīla Vyāsadeva, the compiler of the Vedas.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Fortunate one! Therefore, since you have useful knowledge, spotless character, dedication to truth and determined vows, remember with attention the pastimes of the Lord which bring about liberation from all bondage.
Commentary

Love for Acyuta is most cherished by you since it is topmost. That is attained by chanting and hearing his name, pastimes, etc. The names of Rāma and Kṛṣṇa are famous. How are his pastimes attractive to you? Please teach the world about those pastimes. Your knowledge is useful (amogha-dṛk). Your character is pure (śuci-sravāḥ). You are devoted to truth (satya-rataḥ) and determined in your vows (dhṛta-vrataḥ). Remember with fixed attention (samādhinā) the various pastimes of the Lord which give liberation for all people or give liberation from all bondage. The word “remember” is used because the pastimes appear spontaneously in the pure mind filled with devotion, since they are all self-revealing, infinite, most confidential, and impossible to speak or receive by any other means. After recollecting the pastimes, please recite them to us. One must also have productive knowledge and pure character. It cannot be otherwise. Because you are a person with pure eyes (amogha-dṛk) and with pure ears (śuci-sravāḥ), you have seen some pastimes with your eyes and heard some with your ears. And by attached mind (satya-rataḥ) and determined intelligence (dhṛta-vrataḥ), you should remember with concentrated attention at this moment some very confidential pastimes which cannot be seen or heard but which you have observed. After remembering them, please tell them to us. Anusmara is in the second person instead of saying “one should remember” because of the distinctiveness of the statement.

Nārada praises Vyāsa's vision, vow, and truth, and tells him: from this seat, you can meditate on the Lord's pastimes for the world's liberation. Where we already stand can be reused for far higher service.
Reflection Questions
  • What position I already hold could be repurposed for higher service without needing change?
  • Which 'meditation in trance' would my role actually allow me, if I took it seriously?
📝 My note

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