192 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 1, Ch. 4
learned also. Sri Saunaka Rsi had all these qualifications, and thus he stood
up to congratulate Sri Sita Gosvami when he expressed his desire to
present Srimad-Bhdagavatam exactly as he heard it from Sukadeva Gosvami
and also realized it personally. Personal realization does not mean that one
should, out of vanity, attempt to show one’s own learning by trying to
surpass the previous dcarya. He must have full confidence in the previous
acarya, and at the same time he must realize the subject matter so nicely
that he can present the matter for the particular circumstances in a suitable
manner. The original purpose of the text must be maintained. No obscure
meaning should be screwed out of it, yet it should be presented in an
interesting manner for the understanding of the audience. This is called
realization. The leader of the assembly, Saunaka, could estimate the value
of the speaker, Sri Sita Gosvami, simply by his uttering yathadhitam and
yathamati, and therefore he was very glad to congratulate him in ecstasy.
No learned man should be willing to hear a person who does not represent
the original dcdrya. So the speaker as well as the audience were bona fide
in this meeting where Bhagavatam was being recited for the second time.
That should be the standard of recitation of Bhagavatam, so that the real
purpose can be served without difficulty. Unless this situation is created,
Bhagavatam recitation for extraneous purposes is useless labor both for the
speaker and the audience.
TEXT 2
BAF TATA
A 2
a Bt AAT At Al ACA AT |
SM Aad PA Aare ATAATs I 2 II
Saunaka uvaca
siita siita maha-bhaga
vada no vadatarn vara
katham bhagavatim punyam
yad aha bhagavan chukah
§aunakah—Saunaka; uvdca—said; siita sita—O Sita Gosvami; maha-
bhaga—the most fortunate; vada—please speak; nah—unto us; vadatam—of
those who can speak; vara—respectful; katham—message; bhagavatim—of
the Bhagavatam; punyam—pious; yat—which; aha—said; bhagavan—greatly
powerful; sukah—Sni Sukadeva Gosvami.
