SB 11.17.4 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

पुरा किल महाबाहो धर्मं परमकं प्रभो । यत्तेन हंसरूपेण ब्रह्मणेऽभ्यात्थ माधव ॥ ३ ॥ स इदानीं सुमहता कालेनामित्रकर्शन । न प्रायो भविता मर्त्यलोके प्रागनुशासित: ॥ ४ ॥

Verse text

purā kila mahā-bāho dharmaṁ paramakaṁ prabho yat tena haṁsa-rūpeṇa brahmaṇe ’bhyāttha mādhava sa idānīṁ su-mahatā kālenāmitra-karśana na prāyo bhavitā martya- loke prāg anuśāsitaḥ

Synonyms

purā — previously ; kila — indeed ; mahā — bāho — O mighty-armed one ; dharmam — religious principles ; paramakam — bringing the greatest happiness ; prabho — my Lord ; yat — which ; tena — by that ; haṁsa — rūpeṇa — in the form of Lord Haṁsa ; brahmaṇe — unto Lord Brahmā ; abhyāttha — You spoke ; mādhava — my dear Mādhava ; saḥ — that (knowledge of religious principles) ; idānīm — presently ; su — mahatā — after very long ; kālena — time ; amitra — karśana — O subduer of the enemy ; na — not ; prāyaḥ — generally ; bhavitā — will exist ; martya — loke — in human society ; prāk — previously ; anuśāsitaḥ — instructed .

Translation

My dear Lord, O mighty-armed one, previously in Your form of Lord Haṁsa You spoke to Lord Brahmā those religious principles that bring supreme happiness to the practitioner. My dear Mādhava, now much time has passed, and that which You previously instructed will soon practically cease to exist, O subduer of the enemy.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

O Lord! O mighty-armed one! Previously in your form of Haṁsa you spoke to Brahmā about dharma that brings supreme happiness to the practitioner. O Mādhava! O subduer of the enemy! Now much time has passed and that which you previously instructed will soon practically cease to exist. “Have I not explained dharma to you previously?” Paramakam dharmam means the supreme dharma having the happiness of liberation (kam). As Haṁsa, you spoke not only about yoga, but also about sva-dharma (varṇāśrama, karma-yoga) to Brahmā: mayaitad uktaṁ vo viprā guhyaṁ yat sāṅkhya-yogayoḥ jānīta māgataṁ yajṣaṁ yuṣmad-dharma-vivakṣayā O brāhmaṇas! Know that it is I, Viṣṇu, who has come with a desire to teach you dharma. I have spoken the confidential knowledge of Sāṅkhya, and aṣṭāṅga-yoga. SB 11.13.38 Though you taught this previously, it will not be present in the future.