Text 131] Ramananda Raya Instructs Pradyumna Misra 185

SYNONYMS

tara—his; duhkha dekhi—observing the unhappiness; svartipa—Svaripa
Damodara Gosvami; sadaya-hrdaya—very kindhearted; upadesa kaila—gave in-
struction; tare—unto him; yaiche—so that; hita—benefit; haya—there can be.

TRANSLATION

Seeing the poet’s unhappiness, Svaripa Damodara Gosvami, who was
naturally very kindhearted, advised him so that he could derive some benefit.

TEXT 131

“ayE, SUIS AG CAAA BCA |
ABS OST FA CHSI-AT 1 90S |

“yaha, bhagavata pada vaisnavera sthane
ekanta asraya kara caitanya-carane

SYNONYMS

yaha—just go; bhagavata pada—read Srimad-Bhagavatam; vaisnavera sthane—
from a self-realized Vaisnava; ekanta asraya kara—fully surrender; caitanya-
carane—at the lotus feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

TRANSLATION

“If you want to understand Srimad-Bhagavatam,” he said, “you must ap-
proach a self-realized Vaisnava and hear from him. You can do this when you
have completely taken shelter of the lotus feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.”

PURPORT

Herein Svaripa Damodara Gosvami instructs the poet from Bengal to hear
Srimad- -Bhagavatam from a pure Vaisnava and learn from him. In India especially,
there is now a class of professional Bhagavatam readers whose means of liveli-
hood is to go from village to village, town to town, reading Bhagavatam and col-
lecting daksina, or rewards, in the form of money or goods, like umbrellas, cloth
and fruit. Thus there is now a system of Bhagavata business, with recitations called
Bhagavata-saptaha that continue for one week, although this is not mentioned in
Srimad-Bhagavatam. Nowhere does Srimad-Bhagavatam say that the Bhagavatam
should be heard for one week from professionals. Rather, Srimad-Bhagavatam
(1.2.17) says: srpvatam sva-kathah krsnah punya-sravana-kirtanah. One should
regularly hear Srimad-Bhagavatam from a self-realized Vaisnava. By such hearing,
one becomes pious. Hrdy antahstho hy abhadrani vidhunoti suhrt-satam. As one
