62
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 1, Ch. 1]
challenging spirit. One must submit questions with a great regard for the speaker and the subject matter. This is also the way recommended in  Bhagavad-gītā . One must learn the transcendental subject by submissive aural reception from the right sources. Therefore these sages addressed the speaker Sūta Gosvāmī with great respect.
TEXT 6
ऋषय ऊचुः
त्वया खलु पुराणानि सेतिहासानि चानध । आख्यातान्यप्यधीतानि धर्मशास्त्राणि यान्युता ॥ ६ ॥
ṛṣaya ūcuḥ tvayā khalu purāṇāni setihāsāni cānagha ākhyātāny apy adhītāni dharma-śāśtrāṇi yāny uta
ṛṣayaḥ —the sages;  ūcuḥ —said;  tvayā —by you;  khalu —undoubtedly;  purāṇāni —the supplements to the  Vedas  with illustrative narrations;  sa-itihāsāni —along with the histories;  ca —and;  anagha —freed from all vices;  ākhyātāni —explained;  api —although;  adhītāni —well read;  dharma-śāśtrāṇi —scriptures giving right directions to progressive life;  yāni —all these;  uta —said.
TRANSLATION
The sages said: Respected Sūta Gosvāmī, you are completely free from all vice. You are well versed in all religious scriptures, the Purāṇas and histories, for you have gone through them under proper guidance and have also explained them.
PURPORT
A Gosvāmī, or the bona fide representative of Śrī Vyāsadeva, must be free from all kinds of vices. The four major vices of Kali-yuga are 1.) illicit connection with women, 2.) animal slaughter, 3.) intoxication, 4.) speculative gambling of all sorts. A Gosvāmī must be free from all these vices before he can dare sit on the  Vyāsāsana . No one should be allowed to sit on the  Vyāsāsana  who is not spotless in character and who is not freed