Srimad Bhagavatam — Dvitiya Skandha, Shloka 46
Puruṣa-sūkta Logic of the Virāṭ: Cosmic Anatomy, Sacrifice, and the Lord’s Transcendence
प्राधान्यतो यानृष आमनन्ति लीलावतारान् पुरुषस्य भूम्न: । आपीयतां कर्णकषायशोषा- ननुक्रमिष्ये त इमान् सुपेशान् ॥ ४६ ॥
prādhānyato yān ṛṣa āmananti līlāvatārān puruṣasya bhūmnaḥ āpīyatāṁ karṇa-kaṣāya-śoṣān anukramiṣye ta imān supeśān
Ô Nārada, je vais maintenant énoncer, l’un après l’autre, les līlā-avatāras du Purusha suprême, tels que les ṛṣis les ont proclamés comme principaux. Entendre leurs actes dessèche les souillures accumulées dans l’oreille; ces jeux divins sont doux à écouter et dignes d’être savourés, c’est pourquoi ils demeurent dans mon cœur.
As it was said in the beginning of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.5.8) , one cannot be fully satisfied by hearing unless and until one is given a chance to hear of the transcendental activities of the Lord. So Brahmājī is also trying, in this verse, to stress the importance of narrating the transcendental pastimes of the Lord as He comes and manifests Himself here on the surface of the material planets. Every living entity has a tendency to hear pleasing messages, and as such, almost every one of us is inclined to hear news and talks broadcast by the radio stations. But the difficulty is that no one is satisfied at heart by hearing all those messages. The cause of such dissatisfaction is the incompatibility of the message with the innermost stratum of the living soul. This transcendental literature is especially prepared by Śrīla Vyāsadeva to give the utmost satisfaction to the people in general by narration of the activities of the Lord, as instructed by Śrī Nārada Muni to Śrīla Vyāsadeva. Such activities of the Lord are principally of two varieties: one concerns the mundane manifestation of the material creative force, and the other deals with His pastimes in the form of different incarnations in terms of the time and place. There are innumerable incarnations of the Lord, like the waves of the river flowing constantly in and out. Less intelligent persons take more interest in the creative forces of the Lord in the material world, and, being disconnected from their relationship with the Lord, they put forward many theories of the creation in the name of scientific research. The devotees of the Lord, however, know well how the creative forces work concurrently by the action and reaction of the material energy of the Lord. Therefore they take more interest in the transcendental activities of the Lord as He incarnates Himself on the surface of the material world. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the history of such activities of the Lord, and people who take interest in hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam clear their hearts of accumulated mundane filth. There are a thousand and one rash literatures on the market, but one who has taken interest in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam loses all interest in such filthy literatures. Śrī Brahmājī is thus attempting to narrate the principal incarnations of the Lord so that they may be drunk by Nārada as transcendental nectar.
FAQs
This verse says that drinking the Lord’s līlā-avatāra narrations through the ears dries up the inner taint of worldly desire, showing śravaṇa as a direct purifier of consciousness.
Parīkṣit is preparing for death through devotion; Śukadeva therefore turns to the most purifying subject—ordered narration of the Lord’s incarnations—because it awakens bhakti and cleanses material attachment.
Make daily time to hear or read Bhagavatam avatāra-kathā with attention; consistent śravaṇa reduces craving-driven habits and strengthens devotion-focused living.