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Śrī-Caitanya-caritāmṛta
PURPORT
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam  is the authoritative reference book from which to understand devotional service, but because it is very elaborate, few men can understand its purpose.  Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam  is the original commentary on  Vedānta-sūtra , which is called  nyāya-prasthāna . It was written to enable one to understand the Absolute Truth through infallible logic and argument, and therefore its natural commentary,  Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam , is extremely elaborate. Professional reciters have created the impression that  Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam  deals only with Kṛṣṇa's  rāsa-līlā , although Kṛṣṇa's  rāsa-līlā  is only described in the Tenth Canto (Chapters 29-35). They have in this way presented Kṛṣṇa to the Western world as a great woman hunter, and therefore we sometimes have to deal with such misconceptions in preaching. Another difficulty in understanding  Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam  is that the professional reciters have introduced  Bhāgavata-saptāha , or seven-day readings of the  Bhāgavatam . They want to finish  Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam  in a week, although it is so sublime that even one verse of  Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam , if properly explained, cannot be completed in three months. Under these circumstances, it is a great aid for the common man to read Śrīla Vṛndāvana dāsa Thākura's  Caitanya-bhāgavata , for thus he can actually understand devotional service, Kṛṣṇa, Lord Caitanya and Nityānanda. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī has said:
śruti-smṛti-purāṇādi-pañcarātra-vidhiṁ vinā aikāntikī harer bhaktir utpātāyaiva kalpate
“Devotional service of the Lord that ignores the authorized Vedic literatures like the  Upaniṣads ,  Purāṇas ,  Nārada-pañcarātra , etc., is simply an unnecessary disturbance in society.” Due to misunderstanding  Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam , people are misled regarding the science of Kṛṣṇa. However, by reading Śrīla Vṛndāvana dāsa Thākura's book one can very easily understand this science.
TEXT 37
ভাগবতে যত ভক্তিসিদ্ধান্তের সার।
লিখিয়াছেন ইঁহা জানি’ করিয়া উদ্ধার ॥ ৩৭ ॥
bhāgavate yata bhakti-siddhāntera sāra likhiyāchena iṅhā jāni’ kariyā uddhāra
SYNONYMS
bhāgavate —in the  Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam ;  yata —all;  bhakti-siddhāntera —in understanding devotional service;  sāra —essence;  likhiyāchena —has written;  iṅhā —this;  jāni’ —I know;  kariyā —making;  uddhāra —quotation.
TRANSLATION
In Caitanya-maṅgala [later known as Śrī-Caitanya-bhāgavata] Śrīla Vṛndāvana dāsa Thākura has given the conclusion and essence of devotional service by quoting the authoritative statements of  Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam .