188 Sri-Caitanya-caritamrta

PURPORT

Srimad-Bhagavatam is the authoritative reference book from which to understand
devotional service, but because it is very elaborate, few men can understand its
purpose. Srimad-Bhagavatam is the original commentary on Vedanta-sutra, which
is called nyaya-prasthana. \t was written to enable one to understand the Absolute
Truth through infallible logic and argument, and therefore its natural commentary,
Srimad-Bhagavatam, is extremely elaborate. Professional reciters have created the
impression that Srimad-Bhagavatam deals only with Krsna’s rasa-lild, although
Krsna’s rasa-lila is only described in the Tenth Canto (Chapters 29-35). They have
in this way presented Krsna to the Western world as a great woman hunter, and
therefore we sometimes have to deal with such misconceptions in preaching. An-
other difficulty in understanding Srimad-Bhagavatam is that the professional re-
citers. have introduced Bhagavata-saptaha, or seven-day readings of the Bhagavatam.
They want to finish Srimad-Bhagavatam in a week, although it is so sublime that
even one verse of Srimad-Bhagavatam, if properly explained, cannot be completed
in three months. Under these circumstances, it is a great aid for the common man to
read Srila Vrndavana dasa Thakura’s Caitanya-bhagavata, for thus he can actually
understand devotional service, Krsna, Lord Caitanya and Nityananda. Srila Ripa
Gosvami has said:

sruti-smrti-puranadi-pancaratra-vidhim ving
aikantikt harer bhaktir utpatayaiva kalpate

“Devotional service of the Lord that ignores the authorized Vedic literatures like
the Upanisads, Puranas, Narada-pancaratra, etc., is simply an unnecessary distur-
bance in society.” Due to misunderstanding Srimad-Bhagavatam, people are misled
regarding the science of Krsna. However, by reading Srila Vrndavana dasa Thakura’s
book one can very easily understand this science.

TEXT 37

SATS AS Sfafagicga as |
fafeatcen Bai afer sia Sera 109 0

bhagavate yata bhakti-siddhantera sara
likhiyachena inha jani’ kariya uddhara

SYNONYMS

bhagavate—in the Srimad-Bhagavatam; yata—all; bhakti-siddhantera—in under-
standing devotional service; sara—essence; likhiyachena—has written; inha—this;
jani’—\ know; kariya—making; uddhara—quotation.

TRANSLATION

In Caitanya-mangala [later known as Sri-Caitanya-bhagavata] Srila Vrndavana
dasa Thakura has given the conclusion and essence of devotional service by quoting
the authoritative statements of Srimad-Bhagavatam.
