520 Srimad Bhagavatam [Canto 2, Ch. 9
of devotional service, as it is very difficult to know the potency of touch-
stone. As touchstone is rarely found, a pure devolee of the Lord is also
rarely to be seen, even amongst the millions of liberated souls (katsv api
mahamune). Out of all kinds of perfections attained by the process of
knowledge, yoga perfection in devotional service is the highest of all and
the most mysterious also, even more mysterious than the eight kinds of
mystic perfection attained by the process of yogic performances. In the
Bhagavad-gita the Lord therefore advised Arjuna about this bhakti-yoga:

sarva-guh yatamam bhiiyah

§rnu me paramam vacah
“Just hear from Me again about the most confidential part of instructions
in the Bhagavad-gita.” (Bg. 18.64) The same was confirmed by Brahmaji
to Narada in the following words: “idari bhagavatarn nama yan me bhaga-
vatoditam/ sangraho ’yam vibhiitinarh tvam etad vipulikuru. Yatha harau
bhagavati nmam bhaktir bhavisyati.”’ Bralhhmaji said to Narada. ‘“‘Whatever
I have spoken to you about the Bhagavatam was explained to me by
the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and | am advising you to expand
these topics nicely so that people may easily understand the mysterious
bhakti-yoga by transcendental loving service to the Lord.” It is to be noted
here that the mystery of bhakti-voga was disclosed to Brahmaji by the Lord
Himself, and the same was explained by Brahmaji to Narada, and Narada
explained the same to Vy4sa and from Vyasa to Sukadeva Gosvami, and
that same knowledge is coming down, in the unalloyed chain of disciplic
succession. If one is fortunate enough to have received the knowledge in
the transcendental disciplic succession, surely he may have the chance of
understanding the mystery of the Lord and that of the Srimad-Bhagavatam,
the sound incarnation ofthe Lord.
TEXT 36
waned fared TAVTMAAUSSHA: |
HATTA AIST Aq AG AIA AAT URE
etdvad eva jijidsyam
tattva-jijnidsundtmanah
anvaya-vyatirekabhyam
yat syat sarvatra sarvada
