साधु पृष्टं महाराज हरेश्चरितमद्भुतम् ।
यद् भागवतमाहात्म्यं भगवद्भक्तिवर्धनम् ॥४॥
गीयते परमं पुण्यमृषिभिर्नारदादिभिः ।
नत्वा कृष्णाय मुनये कथयिष्ये हरेः कथाम् ॥५॥
Å›rÄ«-ṛṣir uvÄca
sÄdhu pṛṣá¹aá¹ mahÄrÄja
hareÅ› caritam adbhutam
yad bhÄgavata-mÄhÄtmyaá¹
bhagavad-bhakti-vardhanam
gīyate paramaṠpuṇyam
ṛṣibhir nÄradÄdibhiḥ
natvÄ kṛṣṇÄya munaye
kathayiá¹£ye hareḥ kathÄm
Å›rÄ«-ṛṣiḥ uvÄca - the sage ÅšrÄ« Åšukadeva GosvÄmÄ« said; sÄdhu - excellent; pṛṣá¹am - inquiry; mahÄ-rÄja - O great King; hareḥ - of the Supreme Lord, Hari; caritam - activities; adbhutam - wonderful; yat - from which; bhÄgavata - of the Lord's devotee (PrahlÄda); mÄhÄtmyam - the glories; bhagavat-bhakti - devotion to the Lord; vardhanam - increasing; gÄ«yate - is sung; paramam - foremost; puṇyam - pious; ṛṣibhiḥ - by the sages; nÄrada-Ädibhiḥ - headed by ÅšrÄ« NÄrada Muni; natvÄ - after offering obeisances; kṛṣṇÄya - to Kṛṣṇa DvaipÄyana VyÄsa; munaye - the great sage; kathayiá¹£ye - I shall narrate; hareḥ - of Hari; kathÄm - the topics.
The great sage Åšukadeva GosvÄmÄ« said: My dear King, you have put before me an excellent question. Discourses concerning the activities of the Lord, in which the glories of His devotees are also found, are extremely pleasing to devotees. Such wonderful topics always counteract the miseries of the materialistic way of life. Therefore great sages like NÄrada always speak upon ÅšrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam because it gives one the facility to hear and chant about the wonderful activities of the Lord. Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto ÅšrÄ«la VyÄsadeva and then begin describing topics concerning the activities of Lord Hari.
In this verse Åšukadeva GosvÄmÄ« offers his respectful obeisances kṛṣṇÄya munaye, which means to Kṛṣṇa DvaipÄyana VyÄsa. One must first offer one’s respectful obeisances to one’s spiritual master. Åšukadeva GosvÄmī’s spiritual master is his father, VyÄsadeva, and therefore he first offers his respectful obeisances to Kṛṣṇa DvaipÄyana VyÄsa and then begins describing topics of Lord Hari.
Whenever there is an opportunity to hear about the transcendental activities of the Lord, we must take it. ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu recommends, kÄ«rtanÄ«yaḥ sadÄ hariḥ: one should always engage in kṛṣṇa-kathÄ by chanting and talking about Kṛṣṇa and hearing about Him. That is the only occupation of a Kṛṣṇa conscious person.
