TEXTS 12
sri-rajovaca
yena yenavatarena
bhagavan harir isvarah
karoti karna-ramyani
mano-jnani ca nah prabho
yac-chrnvato paity aratir vitrsna
sattvam ca suddhyaty acirena pumsah
bhaktir harau tat-puruse ca sakhyam
tad eva haram vada manyase cet
SYNONYMS
sri-raja uvacathe King inquired (from Sukadeva Gosvami); yena yena avatarenathe pastimes exhibited by different varieties of incarnations; bhagavanthe Supreme Personality of Godhead; harihthe Lord; isvarahthe controller; karotipresents; karna-ramyaniwere all very pleasing to the ear; manah-jnanivery attractive to the mind; caalso; nahof us; prabhomy lord, Sukadeva Gosvami; yat-srnvatahof anyone who simply hears these narrations; apaitivanishes; aratihunattractiveness; vitrsnadirty things within the mind that make us uninterested in Krsna consciousness; sattvam cathe existential position in the core of the heart; suddhyatibecomes purified; acirenavery soon; pumsahof any person; bhaktih haraudevotional attachment and service to the Lord; tat-purusewith Vaisnavas; caalso; sakhyamattraction to association; tat evathat only; haramthe activities of the Lord, which should be heard and kept on the neck as a garland; vadakindly speak; manyaseyou think it fit; cetif.
TRANSLATION
King Pariksit said: My lord, Sukadeva Gosvami, all the various activities exhibited by the incarnations of the Supreme Personality of Godhead are certainly pleasing to the ear and to the mind. Simply by ones hearing of these activities, the dirty things in ones mind immediately vanish. Generally we are reluctant to hear about the activities of the Lord, but Krsnas childhood activities are so attractive that they are automatically pleasing to the mind and ear. Thus ones attachment for hearing about material things, which is the root cause of material existence, vanishes, and one gradually develops devotional service to the Supreme Lord, attachment for Him, and friendship with devotees who give us the contribution of Krsna consciousness. If you think it fit, kindly speak about those activities of the Lord.
PURPORT
As stated in the Prema-vivarta:
Our material existence is maya, or illusion, in which we desire different varieties of material enjoyment and therefore change to different varieties of bodies (bhramayan sarva-bhutani yantrarudhani mayaya [Bg. 18.61]). Asann api klesada asa dehah: [SB 5.5.4] as long as we have these temporary bodies, they give us many varieties of tribulationadhyatmika, adhibhautika and adhidaivika. This is the root cause of all suffering, but this root cause of suffering can be removed by revival of our Krsna consciousness. All the Vedic literatures presented by Vyasadeva and other great sages are therefore intended to revive our Krsna consciousness, which begins to revive with sravana-kirtanam. Srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah (Bhag. 1.2.17). Srimad-Bhagavatam and other Vedic literatures exist simply to give us a chance to hear about Krsna. Krsna has different avataras, or incarnations, all of which are wonderful and which arouse ones inquisitiveness, but generally such avataras as Matsya, Kurma and Varaha are not as attractive as Krsna. First of all, however, we have no attraction for hearing about Krsna, and this is the root cause of our suffering.
But Pariksit Maharaja specifically mentions that the wonderful activities of baby Krsna, which amazed mother Yasoda and the other inhabitants of Vraja, are especially attractive. From the very beginning of His childhood, Krsna killed Putana, Trnavarta and Sakatasura and showed the entire universe within His mouth. Thus the pastimes of Krsna, one after another, kept mother Yasoda and all the inhabitants of Vraja in great astonishment. The process to revive ones Krsna consciousness is adau sraddha tatah sadhu-sangah (Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 1.4.15). The pastimes of Krsna can be properly received from devotees. If one has developed a little bit of Krsna consciousness by hearing from Vaisnavas about the activities of Krsna, one becomes attached to Vaisnavas who are interested only in Krsna consciousness. Therefore Pariksit Maharaja recommends that one hear about Krsnas childhood activities, which are more attractive than the activities of other incarnations, such as Matsya, Kurma and Varaha. Wanting to hear more and more from Sukadeva Gosvami, Maharaja Pariksit requested him to continue describing Krsnas childhood activities, which are especially easy to hear and which create more and more inquisitiveness.

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