bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya paṇá¸ita biÅ›a triÅ›a lañÄ
bhÄgavata vicÄra karena sabhÄte vasiyÄ

 bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄrya paṇá¸ita - learned scholars known as bhaá¹­á¹­ÄcÄryas; biÅ›a triÅ›a - twenty or thirty; laÃ±Ä - taking with him; bhÄgavata vicÄra - discussion of ÅšrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam; karena - does; sabhÄte vasiyÄ - sitting in an assembly.


Text

ÅšrÄ« SanÄtana GosvÄmÄ« used to discuss ÅšrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam in an assembly of twenty or thirty learned brÄhmaṇa scholars.

Purport

ÅšrÄ«la BhaktisiddhÄnta SarasvatÄ« ṬhÄkura gives the following commentary on the words bhÄgavata vicÄra. As confirmed in the Muṇá¸aka Upaniá¹£ad (1.1.4-5), there are two kinds of educational systems:

dve vidye veditavya iti, ha sma yad brahma-vido vadanti — parÄ caivÄparÄ ca. tatrÄparÄ á¹›g-vedo yajur-vedaḥ sÄma-vedo ’tharva-vedaḥ Å›iká¹£Ä kalpo vyÄkaraṇaá¹ niruktaá¹ chando jyotiá¹£am iti. atha parÄ yayÄ tad aká¹£aram adhigamyate.

“There are two kinds of educational systems. One deals with transcendental knowledge [parÄ vidyÄ] and the other with material knowledge [aparÄ vidyÄ]. All the Vedas — the Ṛg Veda, Yajur Veda, SÄma Veda and Atharva Veda, along with their corollaries, known as Å›iká¹£Ä, kalpa, vyÄkaraṇa, nirukta, chanda and jyotiá¹£a — belong to the inferior system of material knowledge [aparÄ vidyÄ]. By parÄ vidyÄ one can understand the aká¹£ara — Brahman or the Absolute Truth.†As far as the Vedic literature is concerned, the VedÄnta-sÅ«tra is accepted as the parÄ vidyÄ. ÅšrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam is an explanation of that parÄ vidyÄ. Those who aspire for liberation (mukti or moká¹£a) and introduce themselves as vaidÄntika are also equal to those groups aspiring to improve religion (dharma), economic development (artha) and sense gratification (kÄma). Dharma, artha, kÄma and moká¹£a are called catur-varga. They are all within the system of inferior, material knowledge. Any literature giving information about the spiritual world, spiritual life, spiritual identity and the spirit soul is called parÄ vidyÄ. ÅšrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam does not have anything to do with the materialistic way of life; it gives transcendental information to educate people in the superior system of parÄ vidyÄ. SanÄtana GosvÄmÄ« was engaged in discussing the bhÄgavata-vidyÄ, which means he discussed transcendental superior knowledge. Those who are karmÄ«s, jñÄnÄ«s or yogÄ«s are not actually fit to discuss ÅšrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam. Only Vaiṣṇavas, or pure devotees, are fit to discuss that literature. As stated in ÅšrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam itself (12.13.18):

Å›rÄ«mad-bhÄgavataá¹ purÄṇam amalaá¹ yad vaiṣṇavÄnÄá¹ priyaá¹
 yasmin pÄramahaá¹syam ekam amalaá¹ jñÄnaá¹ paraá¹ gÄ«yate
yatra jñÄna-virÄga-bhakti-sahitaá¹ naiá¹£karmyam Äviá¹£ká¹›taá¹
 tac chṛṇvan supaá¹­han vicÄraṇa-paro bhaktyÄ vimucyen naraḥ

Although ÅšrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam is counted among the PurÄṇas, it is called the spotless PurÄṇa. Because it does not discuss anything material, it is liked by transcendental Vaiṣṇava devotees. The subject matter found in ÅšrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam is meant for paramahaá¹sas. As it is said, paramo nirmatsarÄṇÄá¹ satÄá¹ vedyam. A paramahaá¹sa is one who does not live in the material world and who does not envy others. In ÅšrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam, devotional service is discussed to arouse the living entity to the transcendental position of jñÄna (knowledge) and vairÄgya (renunciation). As stated in ÅšrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam (1.2.12):

tac chraddadhÄnÄḥ munayo jñÄna-vairÄgya-yuktayÄ
paÅ›yanty Ätmani cÄtmÄnaá¹ bhaktyÄ Å›ruta-gá¹›hÄ«tayÄ

“The seriously inquisitive student or sage, well equipped with knowledge and detachment, realizes that Absolute Truth by rendering devotional service in terms of what he has heard from the VedÄnta-Å›ruti.â€

This is not sentiment. Knowledge and renunciation can be obtained through devotional service (bhaktyÄ Å›ruta-gá¹›hÄ«tayÄ), that is, by arousing one’s dormant devotional consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. When Kṛṣṇa consciousness is aroused, it relieves one from fruitive activity, activity for economic improvement and material enjoyment. This relief is technically called naiá¹£karmya, and when one is relieved, he is no longer interested in working hard for sense gratification. ÅšrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam is ÅšrÄ«la VyÄsadeva’s last, mature contribution, and one should read and hear it in an assembly of realized souls while engaging in devotional service. At such a time one can be liberated from all material bondage. This was the course taken by SanÄtana GosvÄmÄ«, who retired from government service to study ÅšrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam with learned scholars.