FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.87.11

तुल्यश्रुततप:शीलास्तुल्यस्वीयारिमध्यमा: । अपि चक्रु: प्रवचनमेकं शुश्रूषवोऽपरे ॥ ११ ॥
tulya-śruta-tapaḥ-śīlās
[tulya-shruta-tapah-sheelaas]
tulya-svīyāri-madhyamāḥ
[tulya-sveeyaari-madhyamaah]
api cakruḥ pravacanam
[api chakruh pravachanam]
ekaṁ śuśrūṣavo ’pare
[ekam shushrooshavo ’pare]
tulya — equal śruta — in hearing from the Vedas tapaḥ — and performance of penances śīlāḥ — whose character tulya — equal svīya — to friends ari — enemies madhyamāḥ — and neutral parties api — although cakruḥ — they made pravacanam — the speaker ekam — one of them śuśrūṣavaḥ — eager listeners apare — the others .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
tulya-śruta-tapaḥ-śīlās
tulya
equal
śruta
in hearing from the Vedas
tapaḥ
and performance of penances
śīlāḥ
whose character
tulya-svīyāri-madhyamāḥ
tulya
equal
svīya
to friends
ari
enemies
madhyamāḥ
and neutral parties
api cakruḥ pravacanam
api
although
cakruḥ
they made
pravacanam
the speaker
ekaṁ śuśrūṣavo ’pare
ekam
one of them
śuśrūṣavaḥ
eager listeners
apare
the others .
  • śuśrūṣavaḥ — eager listeners
    From √śru, desiderative form: 'desiring to hear.' Gauḍīyas treat śuśrūṣā as a technical limb of guru-sevā — not merely listening but listening with the wish to serve. The disciple-half of paramparā.
  • pravacanam — the speaker
    From pra + √vac (to speak forth). The one designated to expound. Even among peers, paramparā requires hierarchical roles to function. Gauḍīyas insist: no two-way 'sharing' — one teaches, others receive.
  • tulya-śruta-tapaḥ-śīlāḥ — whose hearing of the Vedas, austerities, and character were equal
    Compound. The three qualifications: śruta (learning), tapas (penance), śīla (character). Gauḍīyas read these as preliminary, with the fourth — bhakti — as the ripening that the chapter itself will bestow on the listeners.
  • svīya-ari-madhyamāḥ — friends, enemies, and neutral parties
    Compound: sva (own) + ari (enemy) + madhyama (neutral). The threefold typology of relationships. These sages have transcended it — sama-darśana (BG 5.18, 6.29) — making them fit hearers of the highest stuti.
Although these sages were all equally qualified in terms of Vedic study and austerity, and although they all saw friends, enemies and neutral parties equally, they chose one of their number to be the speaker, and the rest became eager listeners.
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Although these sages were all equally qualified in terms of Vedic study and austerity, and although they all saw friends, enemies and neutral parties equally, they chose one of their number to be the speaker, and the rest became eager listeners.
Commentary

"Since they were all filled with knowledge, who was the speak and who were the questioners?" Since there was no difference in their learning, austerity and character there were no groups of for, against and neutral. Although all were qualified to be the speaker, for pleasure, they made one of themselves the speaker.

Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

Tapas means the ability to concentrate the mind. Pravacanam means “speaker” rather than “speaking.”

Śrīdhara Svāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

They were equal in study of the Vedas (śruta), in concentration of heart (tapas), in qualities like peacefulness (śila). Pravacanam means “speaker” rather than “speaking.” Sanandana was the one speaker and the listeners were Sanaka and others.

Related values
Vairagya (Detachment / Dispassion)Discriminative WisdomShanti (Peace / Tranquility)Abhaya (Fearlessness)Seva (Service / Selfless Action)Aparigraha (Non-possessiveness)Ahimsa (Non-violence / Compassion)
Related verses
Though equal in learning and austerity and seeing the same scriptures, the sages still asked one another for clarity. Equal companions need each other; wisdom is best refined in friendly debate.
Reflection Questions
  • With whom of equal practice do I sharpen my understanding by honest questioning?
  • Where do I avoid being challenged by peers and so stay duller than I could be?

Though equally qualified, the sages chose one speaker and the rest became eager listeners — the simplest model of paramparā. Truth must be spoken by one mouth at a time and received by many ears; no committee discovers brahma-vidyā.

📝 My note

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