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Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.1.4-5

శ్రీఋషిరువాచ సాధు పృష్టం మహారాజ హరేశ్చరితమద్భ‍ుతమ్ । యద్ భాగవతమాహాత్మ్యం భగవద్భ‍క్తివర్ధనమ్ ॥ ౪ ॥ గీయతే పరమం పుణ్యమృషిభిర్నారదాదిభి: । నత్వా కృష్ణాయ మునయే కథయిష్యే హరే: కథామ్ ॥ ౫ ॥
śrī-ṛṣir uvāca
[shree-rishir uvaacha]
sādhu pṛṣṭaṁ mahārāja
[saadhu prishtam mahaaraaja]
hareś caritam adbhutam
[haresh charitam adbhutam]
yad bhāgavata-māhātmyaṁ
[yad bhaagavata-maahaatmyam]
bhagavad-bhakti-vardhanam
[bhagavad-bhakti-vardhanam]
gīyate paramaṁ puṇyam
[geeyate paramam punyam]
ṛṣibhir nāradādibhiḥ
[rishibhir naaradaadibhih]
natvā kṛṣṇāya munaye
[natvaa krishnaaya munaye]
kathayiṣye hareḥ kathām
[kathayishye hareh kathaam]
Word-for-word
śrī-ṛṣiḥ uvāca — the sage Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said sādhu — excellent pṛṣṭam — inquiry mahā-rāja — O great King hareḥ — of the Supreme Lord, Hari caritam — activities adbhutam — wonderful yat — from which bhāgavata — of the Lord’s devotee (Prahlāda) māhātmyam — the glories bhagavat-bhakti — devotion to the Lord vardhanam — increasing gīyate — is sung paramam — foremost puṇyam — pious ṛṣibhiḥ — by the sages nārada-ādibhiḥ — headed by Śrī Nārada Muni natvā — after offering obeisances kṛṣṇāya — to Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyana Vyāsa munaye — the great sage kathayiṣye — I shall narrate hareḥ — of Hari kathām — the topics.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
śrī-ṛṣir uvāca
śrī-ṛṣiḥ uvāca
the sage Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said
sādhu pṛṣṭaṁ mahārāja
sādhu
excellent
pṛṣṭam
inquiry
mahā-rāja
O great King
hareś caritam adbhutam
hareḥ
of the Supreme Lord, Hari
caritam
activities
adbhutam
wonderful
yad bhāgavata-māhātmyaṁ
yat
from which
bhāgavata
of the Lord’s devotee (Prahlāda)
māhātmyam
the glories
bhagavad-bhakti-vardhanam
bhagavat-bhakti
devotion to the Lord
vardhanam
increasing
gīyate paramaṁ puṇyam
gīyate
is sung
paramam
foremost
puṇyam
pious
ṛṣibhir nāradādibhiḥ
ṛṣibhiḥ
by the sages
nārada-ādibhiḥ
headed by Śrī Nārada Muni
natvā kṛṣṇāya munaye
natvā
after offering obeisances
kṛṣṇāya
to Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyana Vyāsa
munaye
the great sage
kathayiṣye hareḥ kathām
kathayiṣye
I shall narrate
hareḥ
of Hari
kathām
the topics.
The great sage Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: My dear King, you have put before me an excellent question. Discourses concerning the activities of the Lord, in which the glories of His devotees are also found, are extremely pleasing to devotees. Such wonderful topics always counteract the miseries of the materialistic way of life. Therefore great sages like Nārada always speak upon Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam because it gives one the facility to hear and chant about the wonderful activities of the Lord. Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto Śrīla Vyāsadeva and then begin describing topics concerning the activities of Lord Hari.
Purport

In this verse Śukadeva Gosvāmī offers his respectful obeisances kṛṣṇāya munaye, which means to Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyana Vyāsa. One must first offer one’s respectful obeisances to one’s spiritual master. Śukadeva Gosvāmī’s spiritual master is his father, Vyāsadeva, and therefore he first offers his respectful obeisances to Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyana Vyāsa and then begins describing topics of Lord Hari.

Whenever there is an opportunity to hear about the transcendental activities of the Lord, we must take it. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu recommends, kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ: one should always engage in kṛṣṇa-kathā by chanting and talking about Kṛṣṇa and hearing about Him. That is the only occupation of a Kṛṣṇa conscious person.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Śukadeva said: O great King! You have asked the correct question, because in answer to that question the astonishing activities of the Lord, which increase bhakti and glorify devotees, are sung by sages like Nārada. Offering respects to Vyāsadeva, I will speak about the Lord. This is the correct questions because (yat) by that question the activities of the Lord must necessarily be described to answer you. Kṛṣṇāya means “to Vyāsa.”
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Source: vedabase.io

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