184
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 1, Ch. 3]
histories of the  Purāṇas  as imaginary. The great  ṛṣis  like  Vyāsa  had no business putting some imaginary stories in their literatures.
In the  Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam  historical facts selected from the histories of different planets have been depicted. It is therefore accepted by all the spiritual authorities as the  Mahāpurāṇa . The special significance of these histories is that they are all connected with activities of the Lord in a different time and atmosphere. Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī is the topmost personality of all the self-realized souls, and he accepted this as the subject of studies from his father  Vyāsadeva . Śrīla  Vyāsadeva  is the great authority, and the subject matter of  Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam  being so important, he delivered the message first to his great son Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī. It is compared to the cream of the milk. Vedic literature is like the milk ocean of knowledge. Cream or butter is the most palatable essence of milk, and so also is  Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam , for it contains all palatable, instructive and authentic versions of different activities of the Lord and His devotees. There is no gain, however, in accepting the message of  Bhāgavatam  from the unbelievers, atheists and professional reciters who make a trade of  Bhāgavatam  for the laymen. It was delivered to Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī, and he had nothing to do with the  Bhāgavata  business. He did not have to maintain family expenses by such trade.  Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam  should therefore be received from the representative of Śukadeva, who must be in the renounced order of life without family encumbrance. Milk is undoubtedly very good and nourishing, but when it is touched by the mouth of a snake it is no longer nourishing; rather, it becomes a source of death. Similarly, those who are not strictly in the  Vaiṣṇava  discipline should not make a business of this  Bhāgavata  and become a cause of spiritual death for so many hearers. In the  Bhagavad-gītā  the Lord says that the purpose of all the  Vedas  is to know Him (Lord Kṛṣṇa), and  Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam  is Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself in the form of recorded knowledge. Therefore, it is the cream of all the  Vedas , and it contains all historical facts of all times in relation with Śrī Kṛṣṇa. It is factually the essence of all histories.
TEXT 42
स तु संश्रावयामास महाराजं परीक्षितम् । प्रायोपविष्टं गङ्गायां परीतं परमर्षिभिः ॥४२॥
sa tu saṁśrāvayāmāsa mahārājaṁ parīkṣitam prāyopaviṣṭaṁ gaṅgāyāṁ parītaṁ paramarṣibhiḥ