Shloka 37
The Slaying of Hiraṇyākṣa and the Triumph of Varāha
यो वै हिरण्याक्षवधं महाद्भुतं विक्रीडितं कारणसूकरात्मन: । शृणोति गायत्यनुमोदतेऽञ्जसा विमुच्यते ब्रह्मवधादपि द्विजा: ॥ ३७ ॥
yo vai hiraṇyākṣa-vadhaṁ mahādbhutaṁ vikrīḍitaṁ kāraṇa-sūkarātmanaḥ śṛṇoti gāyaty anumodate ’ñjasā vimucyate brahma-vadhād api dvijāḥ
O brāhmaṇas, whoever hears, chants, or joyfully approves the wondrous account of the Lord—who appeared as the first Varāha to deliver the world—slaying the demon Hiraṇyākṣa, is at once freed from sinful reactions, even those of killing a brāhmaṇa.
Since the Personality of Godhead is in the absolute position, there is no difference between His pastimes and His personality. Anyone who hears about the pastimes of the Lord associates with the Lord directly, and one who associates directly with the Lord is certainly freed from all sinful activities, even to the extent of the killing of a brāhmaṇa, which is considered the most sinful activity in the material world. One should be very eager to hear about the activities of the Lord from the bona fide source, the pure devotee. If one simply gives aural reception to the narration and accepts the glories of the Lord, then he is qualified. The impersonalist philosophers cannot understand the activities of the Lord. They think that all His activities are māyā; therefore they are called Māyāvādīs. Since everything to them is māyā, these narrations are not for them. Some impersonalists are reluctant to hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, although many of them are now taking an interest in it just for monetary gain. Actually, however, they have no faith. On the contrary, they describe it in their own way. We should therefore not hear from the Māyāvādīs. We have to hear from Sūta Gosvāmī or Maitreya, who actually present the narrations as they are, and only then can we relish the pastimes of the Lord; otherwise the effects on the neophyte audience will be poisonous.
FAQs
This verse says that one who hears, chants, or even joyfully approves the Lord’s wondrous Varāha pastime of killing Hiraṇyākṣa becomes quickly freed—even from extremely grave sins.
Because the Lord’s līlā is spiritually potent; contact with it through śravaṇa (hearing) and kīrtana (chanting) awakens devotion and burns sinful reactions, so Śukadeva highlights its purifying power to Parīkṣit.
Regularly listen to or recite Bhagavatam narrations of the Lord’s incarnations with appreciation; even a sincere, positive reception of divine topics purifies the mind and strengthens bhakti.