FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 2.4.11

सूत उवाच इत्युपामन्त्रितो राज्ञा गुणानुकथने हरे: । हृषीकेशमनुस्मृत्य प्रतिवक्तुं प्रचक्रमे ॥ ११ ॥
sūta uvāca
[soota uvaacha]
ity upāmantrito rājñā
[ity upaamantrito raajnaa]
guṇānukathane hareḥ
[gunaanukathane hareh]
hṛṣīkeśam anusmṛtya
[hrisheekesham anusmritya]
prativaktuṁ pracakrame
[prativaktum prachakrame]
sūtaḥ uvāca — Sūta Gosvāmī said iti — thus upāmantritaḥ — being requested rājñā — by the King guṇa-anukathane — in describing the transcendental attributes of the Lord hareḥ — of the Personality of Godhead hṛṣīkeśam — the master of the senses anusmṛtya — properly remembering prativaktum — just to reply pracakrame — executed the preliminaries.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
sūta uvāca
sūtaḥ uvāca
Sūta Gosvāmī said
ity upāmantrito rājñā
iti
thus
upāmantritaḥ
being requested
rājñā
by the King
guṇānukathane hareḥ
guṇa-anukathane
in describing the transcendental attributes of the Lord
hareḥ
of the Personality of Godhead
hṛṣīkeśam anusmṛtya
hṛṣīkeśam
the master of the senses
anusmṛtya
properly remembering
prativaktuṁ pracakrame
prativaktum
just to reply
pracakrame
executed the preliminaries.
Sūta Gosvāmī said: When Śukadeva Gosvāmī was thus requested by the King to describe the creative energy of the Personality of Godhead, he then systematically remembered the master of the senses [Śrī Kṛṣṇa], and to reply properly he spoke thus.

The devotees of the Lord, while delivering speeches and describing the transcendental attributes of the Lord, do not think that they can do anything independently. They think that they can speak only what they are induced to speak by the Supreme Lord, the master of the senses. The senses of the individual being are not his own; the devotee knows that such senses belong to the Supreme Lord and that they can be properly used when they are employed for the service of the Lord. The senses are instruments, and elements are ingredients, all endowed by the Lord; therefore whatever an individual can do, speak, see, etc., is under the direction of the Lord only. The Bhagavad-gītā (15.15) confirms this: sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca. No one is free to act freely and independently, and as such one should always seek the permission of the Lord to act or eat or speak, and by the blessing of the Lord everything done by a devotee is beyond the principles of the four defects typical of the conditioned soul.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Sūta said: Being thus requested by the King to speak about the qualities of the Lord, Śukadeva, remembering the Lord of the senses, prepared to answer.
Commentary

Hṛṣīkeśa is the person who inspires all the senses. May the Lord become situated in my words and answer you! While offering respects to the Lord and guru, he begins to answer.

Before answering, Śukadeva systematically remembers Kṛṣṇa, the master of the senses. Speaking about the Lord requires first being inwardly attached to Him — the words then carry that attachment to the hearer.
Reflection Questions
  • When I speak about spiritual things, do I first re-attach to the Lord, or just talk from habit?
  • What practice could turn my speech into a vehicle of remembrance rather than performance?
📝 My note

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