Text 10] The First Step in God Realization 1%
bhrtyarti-ham pranata-pala bhavabdhi-potam
vande mahdpurusa te carandravindam.
(Bhag. 11.5.33)
tyaktvd su-dus-tyaja-surepsita-rajya-laksmim
dharmistha arya-vacasa yad agad-aranyam
maya-mrgam dayitayepsitam anvadhavad
vande mahdpurusa te caranaravindam.
(Bhag. 11.5.34)

In other words, purusa means the enjoyer, and mahdpurusa means the
supreme enjoyer, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krsna. One
who deserves to approach the Supreme Lord Sri Krsna is called the
mahdpaurusika. Anyone who hears Srimad-Bhdgavatam attentively from
its bona fide reciter is sure to become a sincere devotee of the Lord, who
is able to award liberation. There was none so attentive as Maharaja
Pariksit in the matter of hearing Srimad-Bhagavatam, and there was none
so qualified as Sukadeva Gosvami to recite the text of Srimad-Bhagavatam.
Therefore, anyone who follows the footsteps of either the ideal reciter or
the ideal hearer, Sukadeva Gosvami and Maharaja Pariksit respectively,
will undoubtedly attain salvation like them. Maharaja Pariksit attained
salvation by hearing only, and Sukadeva Gosvami attained salvation by
reciting only. Recitation and hearing are two processes out of nine devo-
tional activities, and by strenuously following the principles, either in all
or by parts, one can attain the absolute plane. So the complete text of
Srimad-Bhagavatam, beginning with the “janmddyasya” verse up to the
last one in the twelfth canto, was spoken by Sukadeva Gosvami for the
attainment of salvation by Maharaja Pariksit. In the Padma Purana, it
is mentioned that Gautama Muni advised Maharaja Ambarisa to hear
regularly Srimad-Bhdgavatam as it was recited by Sukadeva Gosvami, and
herein it is confirmed that Maharaja Ambarisa heard Srimad-Bhagavatam
from the very beginning to the end, as it was spoken by Sukadeva
Gosvami. One who is, therefore, actually interested in the Bhagavatam
must not play with it by reading or hearing a portion from here and a
portion from there, but one must follow the footsteps of great kings like
Maharaja Ambarisa or Maharaja Partksit and hear it from a bona fide
representative of Sukadeva Gosvami.
