198
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 1, Ch. 4]
katham —how it is;  vā —also;  pāṇḍaveyasya —of the descendant of Pāṇḍu (Parīkṣit);  rājarṣeḥ —of the king who was a sage;  muninā —with the  muni ;  saha —with;  saṁvādaḥ —discussion;  samabhūt —took place;  tāta —O darling;  yatra —whereupon;  eṣā —like this;  sātvatī —transcendental;  śrutiḥ —essence of the  Vedas .
TRANSLATION
How did it so happen that King Parīkṣit met this great sage, making it possible for this great transcendental essence of the  Vedas  [Bhāgavatam] to be sung to him?
PURPORT
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam  is stated here as the essence of the  Vedas . It is not an imaginary story as it is sometimes considered by unauthorized men. It is also called  Śuka-saṁhitā , or the  Vedic hymn  spoken by Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī, the great liberated sage.
TEXT 8
स गोदोहनमात्रं हि गृहेषु गृहमेधिनाम् । अवेक्षते महाभागस्तीर्थोक्तुर्वस्तदाश्रमम् ॥ ८ ॥
sa go-dohana-mātraṁ hi gṛheṣu gṛha-medhinām avekṣate mahā-bhāgas tīrthī-kurvaṁs tad āśramam
saḥ —he (Śukadeva Gosvāmī);  go-dohana-mātraṁ —only for the time of milking the cow;  hi —certainly;  gṛheṣu —in the house;  gṛha-medhinām —of the householders;  avekṣate —waits;  mahā-bhāgaḥ —the most fortunate;  tīrthī —pilgrimage;  kurvaṁ —transforming;  tat āśramam —the residence.
TRANSLATION
He [Śukadeva Gosvāmī] was accustomed to stay at the door of a householder only long enough for a cow to be milked. And he did this just to sanctify the residence.