Shloka 3
Parīkṣit’s Questions and the Prelude to Kṛṣṇa’s Advent
Earth’s Burden, Viṣṇu’s Order, and Kaṁsa’s Fear
अवतीर्य यदोर्वंशे भगवान् भूतभावन: । कृतवान् यानि विश्वात्मा तानि नो वद विस्तरात् ॥ ३ ॥
avatīrya yador vaṁśe bhagavān bhūta-bhāvanaḥ kṛtavān yāni viśvātmā tāni no vada vistarāt
Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Jiwa Semesta dan penyuci segala makhluk, telah turun dalam keturunan Yadu; mohon ceritakan kepadaku dengan terperinci segala lila dan sifat mulia-Nya dari awal hingga akhir.
In this verse the words kṛtavān yāni indicate that all the different activities Kṛṣṇa performed while present on earth are beneficial to human society. If religionists, philosophers and people in general simply hear the activities of Kṛṣṇa, they will be liberated. We have described several times that there are two kinds of kṛṣṇa-kathā, represented by Bhagavad-gītā, spoken personally by Kṛṣṇa about Himself, and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, spoken by Śukadeva Gosvāmī about the glories of Kṛṣṇa. Anyone who becomes even slightly interested in kṛṣṇa-kathā is liberated. Kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet ( Bhāg. 12.3.51 ). Simply by chanting or repeating kṛṣṇa-kathā, one is liberated from the contamination of Kali-yuga. Caitanya Mahāprabhu therefore advised, yāre dekha, tāre kaha ‘kṛṣṇa’-upadeśa (Cc. Madhya 7.128). This is the mission of Kṛṣṇa consciousness: to hear about Kṛṣṇa and thus be liberated from material bondage.
FAQs
This verse states that the Supreme Lord descended into the Yadu dynasty and performed many divine deeds, which the sages request to hear in detail.
Because Krishna’s acts as the universal Soul and benefactor of all beings are spiritually uplifting, the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya desired a full narration for devotional hearing.
Make time for attentive hearing/reading of Krishna-kathā in detail—regularly studying sacred narratives to nourish devotion and inner clarity.