FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.52.20

బ్రహ్మన్ కృష్ణకథా: పుణ్యా మాధ్వీర్లోకమలాపహా: । కో ను తృప్యేత శ‍ృణ్వాన: శ్రుతజ్ఞో నిత్యనూతనా: ॥ ౨౦ ॥
brahman kṛṣṇa-kathāḥ puṇyā
[brahman krishna-kathaah punyaa]
mādhvīr loka-malāpahāḥ
[maadhveer loka-malaapahaah]
ko nu tṛpyeta śṛṇvānaḥ
[ko nu tripyeta shrinvaanah]
śruta-jño nitya-nūtanāḥ
[shruta-jno nitya-nootanaah]
brahman — O brāhmaṇa kṛṣṇa - kathāḥ — topics of Kṛṣṇa puṇyāḥ — pious mādhvīḥ — sweet loka — of the world mala — the contamination apahāḥ — which remove kaḥ — who nu — at all tṛpyeta — would become satiated śṛṇvānaḥ — hearing śruta — what is heard jñaḥ — who can understand nitya — always nūtanāḥ — novel .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
brahman kṛṣṇa-kathāḥ puṇyā
brahman
O brāhmaṇa
kṛṣṇa - kathāḥ
topics of Kṛṣṇa
puṇyāḥ
pious
mādhvīr loka-malāpahāḥ
mādhvīḥ
sweet
loka
of the world
mala
the contamination
apahāḥ
which remove
kaḥ
who
ko nu tṛpyeta śṛṇvānaḥ
nu
at all
tṛpyeta
would become satiated
śṛṇvānaḥ
hearing
śruta-jño nitya-nūtanāḥ
śruta
what is heard
jñaḥ
who can understand
nitya
always
nūtanāḥ
novel .
  • kṛṣṇa-kathāḥ — topics of Kṛṣṇa
    Compound: kṛṣṇa (the Lord) + kathā (narrative). The technical term for the entire genre Gauḍīyas regard as the highest medicine for the Kali-age jīva. Hearing kṛṣṇa-kathā is the first of the nine limbs of bhakti (śravaṇa).
  • mādhvīḥ — sweet (like honey-wine)
    Feminine plural of mādhvī (a honey-wine, sweet drink). The Bhāgavatam likens Kṛṣṇa-kathā to mādhvī — intoxicating, but with the inverse effect of liquor: it sobers the heart while exhilarating it.
  • mala-apahāḥ — removing (the world's) contamination
    Compound: mala (impurity) + apa-√han (to strike away). Hearing has a directly cleansing function in Gauḍīya theology — anartha-nivṛtti happens through śravaṇa, not through additional effort.
  • nitya-nūtanāḥ — always novel
    Compound: nitya (eternal) + nūtana (new). The signature property of Kṛṣṇa-kathā and of Kṛṣṇa Himself. Gauḍīyas identify this with the apūrva-tā of līlā — the same pastimes are inexhaustibly fresh on each hearing, because Kṛṣṇa Himself is nitya-nūtana.
What experienced listener, O brāhmaṇa, could ever grow satiated while listening to the pious, charming and ever-fresh topics of Lord Kṛṣṇa, which cleanse away the world’s contamination?
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
What experienced listener, O brāhmaṇa, could ever grow satiated while listening to the pious, charming and ever-fresh topics of Lord Kṛṣṇa, which cleanse away the world's contamination?
Commentary

Who could be satiated hearing (srnavana) the sweet (madhvi) topics of Krsna?

Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

Because of the nature of the topic, it gives joy, but it is also the root of all dharma. What person desiring dharma would ever be completely satisfied in hearing this topic? Because it is the form of the highest sweet rasa, what person desiring enjoyment would be completely satisfied in hearing it? Since it removes all contaminations of all people—from sin to ignorance—what person who desires liberation would be completely satisfied hearing the topic? Since it bestows bliss of full prema (nitya-nūtanaḥ), what person desiring bhakti would be completely satisfied in hearing it. satām ayaṁ sāra-bhṛtāṁ nisargo yad-artha-vāṇī-śruti-cetasām api prati-kṣaṇaṁ navya-vad acyutasya yat striyā viṭānām iva sādhu vārtā Rightly topics of the infallible Lord are new at every moment, just as women are ever- fresh for lusty men. This is natural for devotees, who accept the essence of sweetness, whose minds, ears and words are dedicated to the Lord. SB 10.13.2 And just by hearing they all attain benefit. If the person knows the meaning of this topic (śruta-jṣaḥ) he gets benefit. Śruta-jṣaḥ also means a person who is not deaf.

Śrīdhara Svāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

Topics of Kṛṣṇa are attractive to the heart. They are described by four descriptive phrases. They generate piety or are attractive (puṇyāḥ). The meaning is according to Viśva. They destroy completely the sins along with vāsanas of all jīvas. Who could be completely satisfied with hearing them? No one. Nu indicates conjecture. Even hearing continuing will not completely satisfy a person. The topics are continually fresh. Is the listener like an animal without discrimination? He knows the meaning of scriptures (śruta-jṣaḥ). vayaṁ tu na vitṛpyāma uttama?śloka?vikrame | yac?chṛṇvatāṁ rasa?jṣānāṁ svādu svādu pade pade || We are not fully satisfied with the exploits of the Lord whose fame is the highest, because at every moment those exploits become more relishable for the hearers who have knowledge of rasa. SB 1.1.19 O bṛahmaṇa, you know the inclinations of my heart.

Related values
Anahankarah (Freedom from False Ego)Kshama (Forgiveness / Patience)
Related verses
Concepts
PunyaDharma

Kṛṣṇa-kathā is mādhvī — like new wine, sweet and ever-fresh — and the world's contamination (mala) is scrubbed off the listener by the very listening. The seasoned hearer never says 'I have heard this' the way a man tired of food says it; the topic itself renews on each tasting.

Caitanya's tear at every Bhāgavata-class

Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya 25, Antya 5) repeatedly describes Mahāprabhu weeping during readings of the Bhāgavatam — verses He had heard hundreds of times produced fresh tears on every recitation. The principle of nitya-nūtana — ever-fresh — is the experiential signature of śuddha-kṛṣṇa-kathā.

Parīkṣit asking Śuka to retell what he has already 'heard' is the original instance of this same phenomenon. The hearer who has tasted even once knows that satiation is impossible — there is always more rasa where this came from.

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