Shloka 1
Utthāna Ceremony, Śakaṭa-bhañga, Tṛṇāvarta-vadha, and the Vision of the Universe in Kṛṣṇa’s Mouth
श्रीराजोवाच येन येनावतारेण भगवान् हरिरीश्वर: । करोति कर्णरम्याणि मनोज्ञानि च न: प्रभो ॥ १ ॥ यच्छृण्वतोऽपैत्यरतिर्वितृष्णा सत्त्वं च शुद्ध्यत्यचिरेण पुंस: । भक्तिर्हरौ तत्पुरुषे च सख्यं तदेव हारं वद मन्यसे चेत् ॥ २ ॥
śrī-rājovāca yena yenāvatāreṇa bhagavān harir īśvaraḥ karoti karṇa-ramyāṇi mano-jñāni ca naḥ prabho
Raja Parīkṣit berkata: Wahai tuanku, segala laku-cerita yang ditampakkan Bhagavān Hari, Sang Īśvara, dalam berbagai avatāra sungguh merdu bagi telinga dan memikat hati. Dengan mendengarnya, kejenuhan dan dahaga pada kenikmatan duniawi lenyap, dan batin segera disucikan. Lalu tumbuh bhakti kepada Hari, persahabatan dengan para bhakta-Nya, dan keterikatan kepada Purusha Tertinggi. Jika engkau berkenan, mohon kisahkan lila-lila itu.
As stated in the Prema-vivarta:
FAQs
Because the Lord’s avatāra-līlās are spiritually potent—delightful to hear and able to absorb the mind—so hearing them nourishes devotion.
Parīkṣit, facing imminent death, seeks the essence of spiritual practice; he requests Śukadeva to narrate the Lord’s incarnations and deeds as the sure path of God-centered remembrance.
Set a daily routine of listening/reading Bhagavatam with attention; replace distracting media with sacred narration so the mind naturally turns toward devotion.