यमस्य प्रेतबन्धूनां संवादं तं निबोधत ॥२७॥
atrÄpy udÄharantÄ«mam
itihÄsaá¹ purÄtanam
yamasya preta-bandhÅ«nÄá¹
saá¹vÄdaá¹ taá¹ nibodhata
atra - in this connection; api - indeed; udÄharanti - they cite; imam - this; itihÄsam - history; purÄtanam - very old; yamasya - of YamarÄja, the superintendent of death, who gives judgment after death; preta-bandhÅ«nÄm - of the friends of a dead man; saá¹vÄdam - discussion; tam - that; nibodhata - try to understand.
In this regard, an example is given from an old history. This involves a discourse between YamarÄja and the friends of a dead person. Please hear it attentively.
The words itihÄsaá¹ purÄtanam mean “an old history.†The PurÄṇas are not chronologically recorded, but the incidents mentioned in the PurÄṇas are actual histories of bygone ages. ÅšrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam is the MahÄ-purÄṇa, the essence of all the PurÄṇas. The MÄyÄvÄdÄ« scholars do not accept the PurÄṇas, but ÅšrÄ«la MadhvÄcÄrya and all other authorities accept them as the authoritative histories of the world.
