Text 5] Questions by the Sages 61

TEXT 5

TCH I EAT WagagaTAT: |
aad aaa TROREATATA Ul & I

ta ekadd tu munayah
pratar huta-hutagnayah

satkrtam sutam dsinam
papracchur idam adarat

te—the sages; ekada—one day; tu—but; munayah—sages; pratah— morning;
huta—burning; huta-agnayah—the sacrificial fire; sat-krtam—due respects;
sitam—Sni Sita Gosvami; dsinam—seated on; papracchuh—made inquiries;
idam—on this (as follows); @darat—with due regards.

TRANSLATION

One day, after finishing their morning duties by burning a sacrificial
fire and respectfully offering a seat to Srila Sita Gosvami, the great sages
made earnest inquiries about the following matters.

PURPORT

Morning is the best time to hold spiritual services. The great sages
offered the speaker of the Bhdgavatam an elevated seat of respect called
the Vydsdsana, or the seat of Sri Vyasadeva. Sri Vyasadeva is the original
spiritual preceptor for all men. And all other preceptors are considered to
be his representatives. A representative is one who can exactly present the
viewpoint of Sri Vyasadeva. Sri Vyasadeva impregnated the message of
Bhagavatam unto Srila Sukadeva Gosvami, and Sri Sita Gosvami heard
it from him (Sri Sukadeva Gosvami). All bona fide representatives of Sri
Vyasadeva in the chain of disciplic succession are to be understood to be
Gosvamis. These Gosvamis restrain all their senses, and they stick to the
path made by the previous dcaryas. The Gosvamis do not deliver lectures
on the Bhagavatam capriciously. Rather, they execute their serviceg most
carefully, following their predecessors who delivered the spiritual message
unbroken to them.

Those who listen to the Bhagavatam may put questions to the speaker
in order to elicit the clear meaning, but this should not be done in a
