Prabhupada: Hare Krṣṇa. So we have got new book, The First Step in God-Realization. Yes. Hare Krṣṇa.

Devotees: Hare Krṣṇa.

Prabhupada: First, Invocation. (devotees repeating each word) Oṁ namo bhagavate vasudevaya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vasudevaya. Oṁ namo vasudeva. Text one. (devotees repeating)

sri-suka uvaca
variyan eṣa te prasnaḥ;
krto loka-hitaṁ nrpa
atmavit-sammataḥ; puṁsaṁ
srotavyadiṣu yaḥ; paraḥ;
[SB 2.1.1]

Now you recite independently. Oṁ namo bhagavate.

Devotees: (recite oṁ namo bhagavate vasudevaya and the verse.)

Prabhupada: Very good. All right. Again.

(devotees repeat)

Prabhupada: This last line, it is srotavyadiṣu yaḥ; paraḥ;.

Devotees: Srotavyadiṣu...

Prabhupada: Diṣu, short. Srotavyadiṣu yaḥ; paraḥ;.

Devotees: Srotavyadiṣu yaḥ; paraḥ;.

Prabhupada: So these Bhagavata verses, if it is chanted with little tune, then it is very nice. The tune should be like this: (repeats verse with tune) Like that.

Devotees: Jaya. (laughing)

Prabhupada: Yes. Try to hear and... (chanting with tune:) variyan eṣa te prasnaḥ; [SB 2.1.1].

Devotees: Variyan eṣa te prasnaḥ;.

Prabhupada: Krto loka-hitaṁ nrpa.

Devotees: Krto loka-hitaṁ nrpa.

Prabhupada: Atmavit-sammataḥ; puṁsam.

Devotees: Atmavit-sammataḥ; puṁsam.

Prabhupada: Srotavyadiṣu yaḥ; paraḥ;.

Devotees: Srotavyadiṣu yaḥ; paraḥ;.

(verse is repeated three more times)

Prabhupada: Now chant independently.

Devotees: (recite oṁ namo bhagavate vasudevaya and the verse.)

Prabhupada: Again. (devotees repeat) Very good. So read the translation. Yes.

Gargamuni: First with the Invocation?

Prabhupada: Yes.

Gargamuni: Translation: "O my Lord, the all-pervading Personality of Godhead, I offer my respectful obeisances unto You."

Prabhupada: Purport. Go on.

Gargamuni: Purport. "Vasudevaya means to Krṣṇa, the son of Vasudeva. As by chanting the name of Krṣṇa, Vasudeva, one can achieve all the good results of charity, austerity, and penances, so by the chanting of this mantra, oṁ namo bhagavate vasudevaya, it is to be understood that the author or the speaker or any one of the readers of Srimad-Bhagavatam offer respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Lord Krṣṇa, the reservoir of all pleasure. In the First Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam, the principles of creation are described, and as such the First Canto can be called 'Creation.' "

Prabhupada: So this om means addressing the Lord. In the all the Vedic mantras they are addressing. Our this Hare Krṣṇa mantra, maha-mantra, that is also addressing. Hare, Hare, addressing the energy of the Lord, Hara. The energy is Hara, Radha, Sita. So when a female is addressed, it is like that: Hare, Late, Site, Radhe. So Hare means addressing first, first of all the energy. The impersonalists, they do not know this, this addressing first of all Krṣṇa's energy. We Gauḍiya Vaiṣṇavas, we don't worship Krṣṇa alone, ekala-vasudeva. No. We must worship Krṣṇa along with His energy. Just like Krṣṇarjuna, Krṣṇa and Arjuna. Arjuna is also energy, living entity, and Krṣṇa, Radha-Krṣṇa, His internal energy, and marginal energy. So Krṣṇa means with His energy. Oṁ namo bhagavate vasudevaya. This bhagavate means full of energies. I have several times explained bhagavan. Bhaga means opulence, and van means one who possesses. Bhagavan. That is the meaning of word bhagavan. So when this bhagavan word is addressed, it is addressed as bhagavate. The word is bhagavat, bhagavat-sabda. Of course, these are grammatical arrangement. Vat, this affix, is there when it is meant... Sanskrit, every word, every syllable, has got meaning. That is Sanskrit language. It is not like that "beauty but, (?) beauty put." No. If you say "beauty but," then you must say "peauty put." But in English, "beauty but, peauty put." So in Sanskrit language, you cannot do like that. If you have to follow the rules, then the same rule will go on. So bhagavate address, oṁ namo bhagavate vasudevaya. Vasudevaya. This is the form of, fourth form of, sabda, sound vibration, fourth form. Just like krṣṇaya. When I offer something, krṣṇaya, viṣṇave. Similarly, bhagavate, vasudevaya.

So the beginning is Srimad-Bhagavatam means Krṣṇa. It cannot be otherwise. This is krṣṇa-katha. The Bhagavad-gita is also krṣṇa-katha. Katha means words. So Krṣṇa words spoken by Krṣṇa, that is Bhagavad-gita. And words spoken about Krṣṇa, that is Srimad-Bhagavatam. Or about Krṣṇa's devotees, that is bhagavata. So bhagavata, there are two kinds of bhagavata. One, this book Bhagavata and another, the person bhagavata, the devotee. He is also bhagavata. Caitanya Mahaprabhu recommends that bhagavata para giya bhagavata sthane(?): "You should go and read Srimad-Bhagavatam from the bhagavata, person bhagavata." Otherwise you will misunderstand. Bhagavata para giya bhagavata sthane. One big poet, he composed some songs when Caitanya Mahaprabhu was at Puri. And many people used to come and see Him. Because in those days there were many scholars and Caitanya Mahaprabhu was also a very great scholar, so they used to compose and come to see Him, and they would get some applause. But before seeing Him, the rule was that it must be passed through his secretary, Svarupa Damodara. Svarupa Damodara was Lord Caitanya's personal secretary, so unless something is passed through Svarupa Damodara, nobody can directly approach Caitanya Mahaprabhu. So one learned scholar, he composed some poetries and he wanted the poetries to be heard by Caitanya Mahaprabhu. But Svarupa Damodara, he knew that "This man is mundane. What he will write?" So he was avoiding him: "All right, we shall see later on." But when he insisted... And one of his uncle, he was amongst the associates of Lord Caitanya, so he also requested Svarupa Damodara that "This boy has come so long. If you kindly hear..." So because he requested, a Vaiṣṇava, so Svarupa Damodara agreed to hear, but he pointed out his all faults, and he chastised him that "You don't write poetry in this way. You first of all read Bhagavata from the bhagavata. Then try to write." So that you will find in the Caitanya-caritamrta. He advised that "Go and read Bhagavatam from bhagavatam. Then try to write."

Recently one gentleman from India... He is a man of very good position, ICS, the old ICS, British ICS, Indian Civil Service. They are the topmost service. So he sent me one translation of Srimad-Bhagavatam. So perhaps you know. Gargamuni knows. So I rejected it, that "No, this cannot be published. There are so many anomalies." And so his daughter is here in Los Angeles. So she came with her husband and took back. So we do not publish anything which is not approved by the acaryas. We are not like ordinary press, that anything and anything will come and we shall publish. No. That is not our business. It must be approved, as we are presenting Bhagavad-gita as it is, no mental concoction. We don't allow any mental concoction. It must be approved by the acarya, disciplic succession. Then it is nice.

So the next verse... All right. This much today. We shall discuss tomorrow. Again. Thank you. Hare Krṣṇa. Chant. (end)

731104SB.DEL