FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.21.22

ऋषिरुवाच इत्यव्यलीकं प्रणुतोऽब्जनाभ- स्तमाबभाषे वचसामृतेन । सुपर्णपक्षोपरि रोचमान: प्रेमस्मितोद्वीक्षणविभ्रमद्भ्रू: ॥ २२ ॥
ṛṣir uvāca
[rishir uvaacha]
ity avyalīkaṁ praṇuto ’bja-nābhas
[ity avyaleekam pranuto ’bja-naabhas]
tam ābabhāṣe vacasāmṛtena
[tam aababhaashe vachasaamritena]
suparṇa-pakṣopari rocamānaḥ
[suparna-pakshopari rochamaanah]
prema-smitodvīkṣaṇa-vibhramad-bhrūḥ
[prema-smitodveekshana-vibhramad-bhrooh]
ṛṣiḥ uvāca — the great sage Maitreya said iti — thus avyalīkam — sincerely praṇutaḥ — having been praised abja-nābhaḥ — Lord Viṣṇu tam — to Kardama Muni ābabhāṣe — replied vacasā — with words amṛtena — as sweet as nectar suparṇa — of Garuḍa pakṣa — the shoulders upari — upon rocamānaḥ — shining prema — of affection smita — with a smile udvīkṣaṇa — looking vibhramat — gracefully moving bhrūḥ — eyebrows.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
ṛṣir uvāca
ṛṣiḥ uvāca
the great sage Maitreya said
ity avyalīkaṁ praṇuto ’bja-nābhas
iti
thus
avyalīkam
sincerely
praṇutaḥ
having been praised
abja-nābhaḥ
Lord Viṣṇu
tam ābabhāṣe vacasāmṛtena
tam
to Kardama Muni
ābabhāṣe
replied
vacasā
with words
amṛtena
as sweet as nectar
suparṇa-pakṣopari rocamānaḥ
suparṇa
of Garuḍa
pakṣa
the shoulders
upari
upon
rocamānaḥ
shining
prema-smitodvīkṣaṇa-vibhramad-bhrūḥ
prema
of affection
smita
with a smile
udvīkṣaṇa
looking
vibhramat
gracefully moving
bhrūḥ
eyebrows.
Maitreya resumed: Sincerely extolled in these words, Lord Viṣṇu, shining very beautifully on the shoulders of Garuḍa, replied with words as sweet as nectar. His eyebrows moved gracefully as He looked at the sage with a smile full of affection.

The word vacasāmṛtena is significant. Whenever the Lord speaks, He speaks from the transcendental world. He does not speak from the material world. Since He is transcendental, His speech is also transcendental, as is His activity; everything in relation to Him is transcendental. The word amṛta refers to one who does not meet with death. The words and activities of the Lord are deathless; therefore they are not manufactured of this material world. The sound of this material world and that of the spiritual world are completely different. The sound of the spiritual world is nectarean and eternal, whereas the sound of the material world is hackneyed and subject to end. The sound of the holy name — Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare — everlastingly increases the enthusiasm of the chanter. If one repeats monotonous material words, he will feel exhausted, but if he chants Hare Kṛṣṇa twenty-four hours a day, he will never feel exhausted; rather, he will feel encouraged to continue chanting more and more. When the Lord replied to the sage Kardama, the word vacasāmṛtena is specifically mentioned, since He spoke from the transcendental world. He replied in transcendental words, and when He spoke His eyebrows moved with great affection. When a devotee praises the glories of the Lord, the Lord is very satisfied, and He bestows His transcendental benediction upon the devotee without reservation because He is always causelessly merciful toward His devotee.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Maitreya said: Praised sincerely in this way, the Supreme Lord with lotus navel, seated splendidly on the shoulders of Garuḍa, moving his brow as he glanced with a smile of love, spoke to Kardama with sweet words. Niṣkapatam means sincere.
The verse places hearing kṛṣṇa-kathā at the centre of spiritual practice. It is not preparation for some later realization — it is itself the work that does the rewiring.
Reflection Questions
  • What podcast or playlist would you have to give up to make room for daily kṛṣṇa-kathā?
  • What input have you been allowing in that quietly undoes your hearing of the Lord?
📝 My note

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