Shloka 42
स तु संश्रावयामास महाराजं परीक्षितम् । प्रायोपविष्टं गङ्गायां परीतं परमर्षिभि: ॥ ४२ ॥
sa tu saṁśrāvayām āsa mahārājaṁ parīkṣitam prāyopaviṣṭaṁ gaṅgāyāṁ parītaṁ paramarṣibhiḥ
Daraufhin trug Śukadeva Gosvāmī das Bhāgavata dem großen Kaiser Parīkṣit vor, der am Ufer der Gaṅgā im Gelübde des prāyopaveśa saß, umgeben von erhabenen Weisen.
All transcendental messages are received properly in the chain of disciplic succession. This disciplic succession is called paramparā. Unless therefore Bhāgavatam or any other Vedic literatures are received through the paramparā system, the reception of knowledge is not bona fide. Vyāsadeva delivered the message to Śukadeva Gosvāmī, and from Śukadeva Gosvāmī, Sūta Gosvāmī received the message. One should therefore receive the message of Bhāgavatam from Sūta Gosvāmī or from his representative and not from any irrelevant interpreter.
FAQs
This verse highlights Bhagavatam as something to be heard—recited to a sincere listener like Mahārāja Parīkṣit—showing that attentive hearing of sacred narration is central to bhakti.
Parīkṣit had accepted prāyopaveśa (fasting until death) and took shelter of the holy Gaṅgā; the foremost sages gathered to witness and support this spiritually pivotal moment and to hear transcendental discourse.
Even without extreme vows, one can follow Parīkṣit’s mood by prioritizing daily hearing of Bhagavatam, seeking saintly association, and using limited time to focus on God-centered wisdom.