194
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 1, Ch. 4]
TRANSLATION
In what period and at what place was this first begun, and why was this taken up? From where did Kṛṣṇa-dvaipāyana Vyāsa, the great sage, get the inspiration to compile this literature?
PURPORT
Because Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the special contribution of Śrīla Vyāsa-deva, there are so many inquiries by the learned Śaunaka Muni. It was known to them that Śrīla Vyāsadeva had already explained the text of the  Vedas  in various ways up to the  Mahābhārata  for the understanding of less intelligent women,  śūdras  and fallen members of the family of twice-born men. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is transcendental to all of them because it has nothing to do with anything mundane. So the inquiries are very intelligent and relevant.
TEXT 4
तस्य पुत्रो महायोगी समदङ् निर्विकल्पकः । एकान्तमतिरुन्निद्रो गूढो मूढ इवेयते ॥ ४ ॥
tasya putro mahā-yogī   samadṛṅ nirvikalpakaḥ   ekānta-matir unnidro   gūḍho mūḍha iveyate
tasya —his;  putraḥ —son;  mahā-yogī —a great devotee;  sama-dṛk —equi-balanced;  nirvikalpakaḥ —absolute monist;  ekānta-matiḥ —fixed in monism or oneness of mind;  unnidraḥ —surpassed nescience;  gūḍhaḥ —not exposed;  mūḍhaḥ —stunted;  iva —like;  iyate —appears like.
TRANSLATION
His [Vyāsadeva's] son was a great devotee, an equibalanced monist, whose mind was always concentrated in monism. He was not ignorant, but was transcendental to mundane activities.
PURPORT
Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī was a liberated soul, and thus he remained always alert not to be trapped by the illusory energy. In the  Bhagavad-gītā