आख्याह्यनन्ताचरितोपपन्नं पारीक्षितं भागवताभिरामम् ॥१७॥
tan naḥ paraá¹ puṇyam asaá¹vá¹›tÄrtham
ÄkhyÄnam atyadbhuta-yoga-niá¹£á¹ham
ÄkhyÄhy anantÄcaritopapannaá¹
pÄrÄ«ká¹£itaá¹ bhÄgavatÄbhirÄmam
tat - therefore; naḥ - unto us; param - supreme; puṇyam - purifying; asaá¹vá¹›ta-artham - as it is; ÄkhyÄnam - narration; ati - very; adbhuta - wonderful; yoga-niá¹£á¹ham - compact in bhakti-yoga; ÄkhyÄhi - describe; ananta - the Unlimited; Äcarita - activities; upapannam - full of; pÄrÄ«ká¹£itam - spoken to MahÄrÄja ParÄ«ká¹£it; bhÄgavata - of the pure devotees; abhirÄmam - particularly very dear.
Thus please narrate to us the narrations of the Unlimited, for they are purifying and supreme. They were spoken to MahÄrÄja ParÄ«ká¹£it, and they are very dear to the pure devotees, being full of bhakti-yoga.
What was spoken to MahÄrÄja ParÄ«ká¹£it and what is very dear to the pure devotees is ÅšrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam. ÅšrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam is mainly full of the narrations of the activities of the Supreme Unlimited, and therefore it is the science of bhakti-yoga, or the devotional service of the Lord. Thus it is para, or supreme, because although it is enriched with all knowledge and religion, it is specifically enriched with the devotional service of the Lord.
