etan mahÄ-puṇyam alaá¹ pavitraá¹
dhanyaá¹ yaÅ›asyaá¹ padam Äyur-ÄÅ›iá¹£Äm
prÄṇendriyÄṇÄá¹ yudhi Å›aurya-vardhanaá¹
nÄrÄyaṇo 'nte gatir aá¹…ga śṛṇvatÄm
etat - this narrative; mahÄ-puṇyam - conferring great merit; alam - very; pavitram - sacred; dhanyam - conferring wealth; yaÅ›asyam - bearing fame; padam - the receptacle; Äyuḥ - of longevity; ÄÅ›iá¹£Äm - of the objects of one's desire; prÄṇa - of the vital organs; indriyÄṇÄm - of the organs of action; yudhi - on the field of battle; Å›aurya - the strength; vardhanam - increasing; nÄrÄyaṇaḥ - Lord NÄrÄyaṇa; ante - at the end of life; gatiḥ - shelter; aá¹…ga - O dear Åšaunaka; śṛṇvatÄm - of those who listen.
Devotees are generally attracted by the narratives of the pastimes of the Lord, and even though they do not prosecute austerities or meditation, this very process of hearing attentively about the pastimes of the Lord will endow them with innumerable benefits, such as wealth, fame, longevity and other desirable aims of life. If one continues to hear ÅšrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam, which is full of narratives of the pastimes of the Lord, at the end of this life, one is sure to be transferred to the eternal, transcendental abode of the Lord. Thus hearers are benefited both ultimately and for as long as they are in the material world. That is the supreme, sublime result of engaging in devotional service. The beginning of devotional service is to spare some time and listen to ÅšrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam from the right source. Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu also recommended five items of devotional service, namely to serve the devotees of the Lord, to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, to hear ÅšrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam, to worship the Deity of the Lord and to live in a place of pilgrimage. Just performing these five activities can deliver one from the miserable condition of material life.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Third Canto, Nineteenth Chapter, of the ÅšrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam, entitled “The Killing of the Demon HiraṇyÄká¹£a.â€