Shloka 34
Nārada’s Past Life, the Lord’s Brief Vision, and the Power of Kīrtana
एतद्ध्यातुरचित्तानां मात्रास्पर्शेच्छया मुहु: । भवसिन्धुप्लवो दृष्टो हरिचर्यानुवर्णनम् ॥ ३४ ॥
etad dhy ātura-cittānāṁ mātrā-sparśecchayā muhuḥ bhava-sindhu-plavo dṛṣṭo hari-caryānuvarṇanam
Ich habe selbst erfahren: Selbst Menschen, deren Geist immer wieder von Sorgen bedrängt ist, weil sie den Kontakt der Sinne mit ihren Objekten begehren, können den Ozean des Saṁsāra auf dem geeignetsten Boot überqueren—dem beständigen Besingen der transzendenten Taten des Herrn Hari.
The symptom of a living being is that he cannot remain silent even for some time. He must be doing something, thinking of something or talking about something. Generally the materialistic men think and discuss about subjects which satisfy their senses. But as these things are exercised under the influence of the external, illusory energy, such sensual activities do not actually give them any satisfaction. On the contrary, they become full with cares and anxieties. This is called māyā, or what is not. That which cannot give them satisfaction is accepted as an object for satisfaction. So Nārada Muni, by his personal experience, says that satisfaction for such frustrated beings engaged in sense gratification is to chant always the activities of the Lord. The point is that the subject matter only should be changed. No one can check the thinking activities of a living being, nor the feeling, willing or working processes. But if one wants actual happiness, one must change the subject matter only. Instead of talking of the politics of a dying man, one might discuss the politics administered by the Lord Himself. Instead of relishing activities of the cinema artists, one can turn his attention to the activities of the Lord with His eternal associates like the gopīs and Lakṣmīs. The almighty Personality of Godhead, by His causeless mercy, descends to the earth and manifests activities almost on the line of the worldly men, but at the same time extraordinarily, because He is almighty. He does so for the benefit of all conditioned souls so that they can turn their attention to transcendence. By doing so, the conditioned soul will gradually be promoted to the transcendental position and easily cross the ocean of nescience, the source of all miseries. This is stated from personal experience by such an authority as Śrī Nārada Muni. And we can have the same experience also if we begin to follow in the footsteps of the great sage, the dearmost devotee of the Lord.
FAQs
This verse says that when the mind repeatedly runs toward sense-contact, the narration of Lord Hari’s activities (hari-caryā-anuvārṇanam) serves as a boat to cross material existence.
Narada was guiding Vyasa to focus his sacred composition on pure glorification of the Lord, explaining that Hari-kathā especially helps those who struggle with mental distraction and sense desires.
When attention is pulled by cravings and distractions, regularly hear, read, chant, or speak Bhagavatam narrations of Hari’s pastimes as a steady daily practice to purify the mind.