Text 14] —_ Pure Devotional Service: The Change in Heart 143

explain it; kathah—topics; hari-katha-udarkah—result in the topics of the
Lord; satam—of the devotees; syuh—may be; sadasi—in the assembly of;
dhruvam—certainly.

TRANSLATION

O learned Suta Gosvami! Please continue to explain such topics to us
because we are all eager to hear. Besides that, topics which result in the
discussion of the Lord Hari should certainly be discussed in the assembly
of devotees.

PURPORT

As we have already quoted above from the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu of
Ripa Gosvami, even mundane things, if dovetailed in the service of the
Lord Sri Krsna, are accepted as transcendental. For example, the epics or
the histories of Ramayana and Mahabharata, which are specifically recom-
mended for the less intelligent classes of men (women, sidras and unworthy
sons of the higher castes), are also accepted as Vedic literature because
they are compiled in connection with the activities of the Lord. Maha-
bharata is accepted as the fifth division of the Vedas after its first four
divisions, namely Sama, Yajus, Rk and Atharva. The less intelligent class
of men do not accept Mahabharata as part of the Vedas, but great sages
and authorities accept it as the fifth division of the Vedas. Bhagavad-gita
is also part of the Mahabharata, and it is full of the Lord’s instruction for
the less intelligent class of men. Some less intelligent men say that
Bhagavad-gita is not meant for the householders, but such foolish men
forget that Bhagavad-gita was explained to a grhastha like Arjuna and
spoken by the Lord in His role as a grhastha (family man). So Bhagavad-
gita, although containing the high philosophy of the Vedic wisdom, is for
the beginners in the transcendental science, and Srimad-Bhagavatam is for
graduates and postgraduates in the transcendental science. Therefore
literatures like MahdbhGrata, the Purdnas, and similar other literatures
which are full of the pastimes of the Lord, are all transcendental litera-
tures, and they should be discussed with full confidence in the society of
great devotees.

The difficulty is that such literatures, when discussed by professional
men, appear to be mundane literature like histories or epics because there
are so many historical facts and figures. It is said here, therefore, that such
literatures should be discussed in the assembly of the devotees. Unless they
