144
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 7, Ch. 14]
śṛṇvan bhagavato 'bhīkṣṇam avatāra-kathāmṛtam śraddadhāno yathā-kālam upaśānta-janāvṛtaḥ
sat-saṅgāc chanakaiḥ saṅgam ātma-jāyātmajādiṣu vimuñcen mucyamāneṣu svayaṁ svapnavad utthitaḥ
śṛṇvan—hearing; bhagavataḥ—of the Lord; abhīkṣṇam—always; avatāra—of the incarnations; kathā—narrations; amṛtam—the nectar; śraddadhānaḥ—being very faithful in hearing about the Supreme Personality of Godhead; yathā-kālam—according to time (generally a gṛhastha can find time in the evening or in the afternoon); upaśānta—completely relieved of material activities; jana—by persons; āvṛtaḥ—being surrounded; sat-saṅgāt—from such good association; śanakaiḥ—gradually; saṅgam—association; ātma—in the body; jāyā—wife; ātma-ja-ādiṣu—as well as in children; vimuñcet—one should get free from the attachment for such association; mucyamāneṣu—being severed (from him); svayam—personally; svapna-vat—like a dream; utthitaḥ—awakened.
TRANSLATION
A gṛhastha must associate again and again with saintly persons, and with great respect he must hear the nectar of the activities of the Supreme Lord and His incarnations as these activities are described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and other Purāṇas. Thus one should gradually become detached from affection for his wife and children, exactly like a man awakening from a dream.
PURPORT
The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement has been established to give gṛhasthas all over the world an opportunity to hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Bhagavad-gītā specifically. The process, as described in many ways, is one of hearing and chanting (śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ). Everyone, especially the gṛhasthas, who are mūḍhadhī, ignorant about the goal of life, should be given opportunities to hear