|
TEXT 61
pralaya-payasi dhatuh supta-sakter mukhebhyah
sruti-ganam apanitam pratyupadatta hatva
ditijam akathayad yo brahma satyavratanam
tam aham akhila-hetum jihma-minam nato smi
SYNONYMS
pralaya-payasiin the water of inundation; dhatuhfrom Lord Brahma; supta-saktehwho was inert because of sleeping; mukhebhyahfrom the mouths; sruti-ganamVedic records; apanitamstolen; pratyupadattagave back to him; hatvaby killing; ditijamthe great demon; akathayatexplained; yahone who; brahmaVedic knowledge; satyavratanamfor the enlightenment of Satyavrata and the great saintly persons; tamunto Him; ahamI; akhila-hetumunto the cause of all causes; jihma-minamappearing as and pretending to be a great fish; natah asmiI offer my respectful obeisances.
TRANSLATION
I offer my respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who pretended to be a gigantic fish, who restored the Vedic literature to Lord Brahma when Lord Brahma awakened from sleep, and who explained the essence of Vedic literature to King Satyavrata and the great saintly persons.
PURPORT
Here is a summary of Satyavratas meeting with the fish incarnation of Lord Visnu. Lord Visnus purpose was to take back all the Vedic literatures from the demon Hayagriva and restore them to Lord Brahma. Incidentally, by His causeless mercy, the Lord spoke with Satyavrata. The word satyavratanam is significant because it indicates that those on the level of Satyavrata can take knowledge from the Vedas delivered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Whatever is spoken by the Supreme Lord is accepted as Veda. As stated in Bhagavad-gita, vedanta-krd veda-vit: the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the compiler of all Vedic knowledge, and He knows the purport of the Vedas. Therefore, anyone who takes knowledge from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, or from Bhagavad-gita as it is, knows the purpose of the Vedas (vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyah [Bg. 15.15]). One cannot understand Vedic knowledge from the veda-vada-ratas, who read the Vedas and misconstrue their subject matter. One has to know the Vedas from the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Eighth Canto, Twenty-fourth Chapter, of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, entitled Matsya, the Lords Fish Incarnation.
This commentation has been finished in our New Delhi center today, the first of September, 1976, the day of Radhastami, by the grace of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the acaryas. Srila Narottama dasa Thakura says, tandera carana sevi bhakta-sane vasa janame janame haya, ei abhilasa. I am attempting to present Srimad-Bhagavatam in the English language by the order of my spiritual master, Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, and by his grace the work of translation is gradually progressing, and the European and American devotees who have joined the Krsna consciousness movement are helping me considerably. Thus we have expectations of finishing the great task before my passing away. All glories to Sri Guru and Gauranga.
END OF THE EIGHTH CANTO
Link to this page: https://prabhupadabooks.com/sb/8/24/61 Previous: SB 8.24.60 Next: SB 9.1 Summary
|