Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 1.3.41
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesReceive the Cream of Vedic Knowledge
“Śrī Vyāsadeva delivered it to his son, who is the most respected among the self-realized, after extracting the cream of all Vedic literatures and histories of the universe.”
What the purport teaches
- Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the cream of Vedic literature, containing instructive and authentic accounts of the Lord and His devotees. The purpose of all the Vedas is to know Lord Kṛṣṇa.
- Its histories concern the Lord’s activities in different times and on different planets. The purport cautions us not to reject them as imaginary simply because they differ from our experience.
- Vyāsadeva delivered this knowledge to his self-realized son, Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī. It should be received from a renounced representative of Śukadeva who strictly follows Vaiṣṇava discipline, not from someone making a business of it.
Try this today
Reread one passage you find unfamiliar, noting what it teaches about the Lord rather than dismissing it.
Ask yourself
Am I willing to hear with humility when an account of the Lord exceeds my experience?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points, practice and question are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport. Read the full purport to go deeper.