70
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 1, Ch. 1]
TEXT 13
तमः शुश्रूषमणानायह्र्यङ्गानुवर्णितुम् । यस्यावतारो भूतानां क्षेमाय च भवाय च ॥१३॥
tan naḥ śuśrūṣamāṇānām arhasy aṅgānuvarṇitum yasyāvatāro bhūtānām kṣemāya ca bhavāya ca
tat —those;  naḥ —unto us;  śuśrūṣamāṇānām —those who are endeavoring for;  arhasi —ought to do it;  aṅga —O Sūta Gosvāmī;  anuvarṇitum —to explain by following in the footsteps of previous  ācāryas ;  yasya —whose;  avatāraḥ —incarnation;  bhūtānām —of the living beings;  kṣemāya —for good;  ca —and;  bhavāya —upliftment;  ca —and.
TRANSLATION
Enlighten us, O Sūta, about the Personality of Godhead and His incarnations. We are eager to learn those teachings imparted by previous masters [ ācāryas ], for one is uplifted by hearing them.
PURPORT
The conditions for hearing the transcendental message of the Absolute Truth are set forth herein. The first condition is that the audience must be very sincere and eager to hear. And the speaker must be in the line of discipline succession from the recognized  ācārya . The transcendental message of the Absolute is not understandable by those who are materially absorbed. Under the direction of a bona fide spiritual master, one becomes gradually purified. Therefore, one must be in the chain of discipline succession and learn the spiritual art by submissive hearing. In the case of Sūta Gosvāmī and the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya, all these conditions are fulfilled because Śrīla Sūta Gosvāmī is in the line of Śrīla Vyāsadeva, and the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya are all sincere souls who are anxious to learn the truth. Thus the transcendental topics of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa's superhuman activities, His incarnation, His birth, appearance or disappearance, His forms, His names and so on are all easily understandable because all requirements are fulfilled. Such discourses help all men on the path of spiritual realization.