Devanagari
स संहितां भागवतीं कृत्वानुक्रम्य चात्मजम् ।
शुकमध्यापयामास निवृत्तिनिरतं मुनि: ॥ ८ ॥
Verse text
sa saṁhitāṁ bhāgavatīṁ
kṛtvānukramya cātma-jam
śukam adhyāpayām āsa
nivṛtti-nirataṁ muniḥ
Synonyms
saḥ
—
that
;
saṁhitām
—
Vedic literature
;
bhāgavatīm
—
in relation with the Personality of Godhead
;
kṛtvā
—
having done
;
anukramya
—
by correction and repetition
;
ca
—
and
;
ātma
—
jam — his own son
;
śukam
—
Śukadeva Gosvāmī
;
adhyāpayām āsa
—
taught
;
nivṛtti
—
path of self-realization
;
niratam
—
engaged
;
muniḥ
—
the sage .
Translation
The great sage Vyāsadeva, after compiling the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and revising it, taught it to his own son, Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī, who was already engaged in self-realization.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Having already made the Bhāgavatam, the sage Vyāsa revised it and taught it to his son Śukadeva who had realized brahman.
Purport
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
is the natural commentation on the
Brahma-sūtras
compiled by the same author. This
Brahma-sūtra,
or
Vedānta-sūtra,
is meant for those who are already engaged in self-realization.
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
is so made that one becomes at once engaged in the path of self-realization simply by hearing the topics. Although it is especially meant for the
paramahaṁsas,
or those who are totally engaged in self-realization, it works into the depths of the hearts of those who may be worldly men. Worldly men are all engaged in sense gratification. But even such men will find in this Vedic literature a remedial measure for their material diseases. Śukadeva Gosvāmī was a liberated soul from the very beginning of his birth, and his father taught him
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
Amongst mundane scholars, there is some diversity of opinion as to the date of compilation of
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
It is, however, certain from the text of the
Bhāgavatam
that it was compiled before the disappearance of King Parīkṣit and after the departure of Lord Kṛṣṇa. When Mahārāja Parīkṣit was ruling the world as the King of Bhārata-varṣa, he chastised the personality of Kali. According to revealed scriptures and astrological calculation, the Age of Kali is in its five thousandth year. Therefore,
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
was compiled not less than five thousand years ago.
Mahābhārata
was compiled before
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam,
and the
Purāṇas
were compiled before
Mahābhārata.
That is an estimation of the date of compilation of the different Vedic literatures. The synopsis of
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
was given before the detailed description under instruction of Nārada.
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
is the science for following the path of
nivṛtti-mārga.
The path of
pravṛtti-mārga
was condemned by Nārada. That path is the natural inclination for all conditioned souls. The theme of
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
is the cure of the materialistic disease of the human being, or stopping completely the pangs of material existence.
Commentary (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Because he had realized the superiority of prema, his goal, over realization of the bliss of brahman, he taught Bhāgavatam to Śuka so that he also could see the superiority of the bliss of prema. In this world, if the father has experienced something blissful, he will attempt to have his son experience this also. That is explained in this verse.
First Vyāsa had made an abbreviated scripture about bhakti, but on the advice of Nārada, he rearranged it (anukramya), purified it, giving most prominence to bhakti to Kṛṣṇa.
Nārada gave his instructions after the disappearance of Kṛṣṇa and before Parīkṣit punished Kali, because at that time itself there was a tendency towards irreligion even among the followers of religion and adherents of scripture since the power of Kali manifested even at the beginning of his control. Because of this, Vyāsa was dissatisfied in his heart. This is shown in the following verse:
jugupsitaṁ dharma-kṛte ’nuśāsataḥ svabhāva-raktasya mahān vyatikramaḥ
yad-vākyato dharma itītaraḥ sthito na manyate tasya nivāraṇaṁ janaḥ
You have created a great disturbance by teaching what is condemned to people attached to material enjoyment in order make them accept dharma. Thinking that what you have taught is real dharma, they do not consider giving it up. SB 1.5.15
It is understood that before the beginning of Kali-yuga he would not have been dissatisfied in heart. Now at this time, he revised the Bhāgavatam which was previously written. When it is said kṛsṇe svadhāmopagate, ... purāṇo ’rkto ’dhunotditaḥ (SB 1.3.43), this refers to the revised Bhāgavatam, the present one. EWhen it is said that the present Bhāgavatam is another Bhāgavatam and that the Bhāgavatam is among the eighteen Purāṇas, it refers to the same Bhāgavatam, the present one... Nivṛtti-niratam means that Śukadeva had realized brahman.