SECTION TWENTY-NINE

             Süta Gosvämé defines the import of Çrémad Bhägavatam in brief, by revealing the ideal fixed in the heart of Çré Çuka, his guru, while paying obeisances to him " (SB. 12.12.69).:

            I offer my obeisances unto the son of Vyäsa, the destroyer of all sins, whose mind was filled with the bliss of impersonal realization, and thus was free from all worldly thoughts. Yet his heart was enchanted by the beautiful pastimes of Lord Ajita. Out of compassion, he narrated this Puräëa related to the Lord, which illuminates reality.

Çrédhara Swämé explains in his commentary:

            He (Süta Gosvämé) pays obeisances to his spiritual master (Çré Çuka), whose mind was filled only with bliss of the self, thus he had kicked away all other thoughts; but even at that elevated stage, his mind was drawn to the enchanting pastimes of Lord Kåñëa, causing him to give up all attachment to the bliss of impersonal realization. I offer my obeisances unto him, who narrated the Çrémad Bhägavatam, which delineates the ultimate goal of life.

             Similarly, the three verses (2.1.7,8,9), beginning with präyeëa munayo räjan, Çré Çuka spoke in the Second Canto, should be examined. Here the phrase akhila-våjinam, "all sins", should be understood to mean averse and indifferent to devotion.

             Therefore, Çrémän Ajita, distinguished by His enchanting pastimes, is the Sambandhi-tattva, or subject, and He is superior even to the bliss of Brahman. It will be made clear later on in the trance of Çréla Vyäsa that Ajita in His fullest manifestation is chiefly known as Çré Kåñëa. The prayojana tattva, or the ultimate goal of life is the bliss of love towards Him, which leads to attachment to Him, as happened to Çré Çuka. The abhidheya, or means, is service to Him, characterized by hearing His divine pastimes and so on, which manifest love towards Him, as in the case of Çré Çuka. This is the natural conclusion.

            As described in the Brahma Vaivarta Puräëa, the words Vyäsa sünum, "son of Çré Vyäsa", indicates that Çukadeva was untouched by Mäyä since his very birth, because of the blessings of Çré Kåñëa.

 

ÇRÉ JÉVA TOÑAËÉ COMMENTARY

             In the preceeding anucchedas, by process of analysis and elimination Çréla Jéva Goswämé has taken an objective look at the Vedas, Vedänta, Itihäsas, and Puräëas and shown that Çrémad Bhägavatam is the topmost pramäëa for all time. Now, in beginning his analysis of the Bhägavatam itself, he again performs maìgaläcaraëa, to further invoke auspiciousness for his sacred undertaking of writing the Ñaö Sandarbhas. Once again he uses a Bhägavatam verse as his invocation. By quoting from Süta Gosvämé's prayers to Çukadeva, Çréla Jéva gosvämé shows reverence to Çukadeva Goswämé to invoke his blessings, so that the import of the Çrémad Bhägavatam may be understood without any deviation. Simultaneously, Çréla Jéva Gosvämé indicates the tattva of sambandha, abhidheya, and prayojana from the quoted verse.

            His approach is to first analyze the mind of the writer and speakers of Çrémad Bhägavatam. Unlike those commentators whose approach is to twist the Bhägavatam statements to support their ideas, Çréla Jéva Gosvämé has no interest to present his private opinion. He wants to explain Çrémad Bhägavatam as it is. For this he uses an invulnerable technique, one that leaves no room for doubts as to the correct conclusion. His method is to first analyze the heart of the original writer, Çréla Vyäsadeva, and the speakers, Çukadeva Gosvämé and Süta Gosvämé. Thereafter he can analyze the whole text of Bhägavatam in light of that analysis with no room for doubt about the conclusion of the topmost pramäëa. Therefore he writes, "I will respect the statements of the previous Vaiñëava äcäryas as long as they conform to the same conclusion."

            In the verse quoted from Çrémad Bhägavatam (12.12.68), describing Çuka's enchantment by the pastimes of Ajita, Süta Gosvämé reveals something about the life of Çukadeva Goswämé. The purpose is to show his audience Çukadeva's conviction at the time he narrated Çrémad Bhägavatam to Parékñita Mahäräja. Çukadeva Goswämé was self-realized even while in the womb. He was so absorbed in the bliss of Brahman he had no desire to leave his mother's womb lest he be attacked by Mäyä. He took birth, however, upon assurance from Lord Kåñëa that Mäyä would not capture him. Çréla Jéva Gosvämé  states that this story is narrated in the Brahma-vaivarta Puräëa.[i] After his birth he left his father's hermitage for the forest. Later on, when he heard a few of Vyäsadeva's disciples reciting Bhägavatam verses his mind was enthralled. So much so, he abandoned absorption in Brahman and studied the Bhägavatam under his great father. This is evident from the First Canto, Chapter Seven of the Bhägavatam and the verses quoted below. Some scholars insist, however, that because Çréla Çukadeva Gosvämé was attached to impersonal Brahman realization even prior to his birth, he remained fixed in this ideal and they conclude that the Çrémad Bhägavatam promotes impersonalism. The prayers of Süta Gosvämé refutes this speculation.

            In addition, by quoting this verse Çréla Jéva Gosvämé reveals the import of the Çrémad Bhägavatam, which is that happiness in Kåñëa consciousnes surpasses all other grades of happiness, including that achieved by merging into God's impersonal effulgence. This is confirmed by Çukadeva himself in the Second Canto (2.1.7-9):

"O King Parékñit, generally even the Brahman realized souls, who are above the regulative principles and restrictions, take pleasure in describing the glories of the Lord. At the end of the Dväpara-yuga, I studied this great essence of the Vedas, the Çrémad Bhägavata Puräëa, from my father, Çréla Dvaipäyana Vyäsadeva. O saintly King, I was certainly situated in Brahman realization, beyond the three modes of material nature, yet I was still attracted by the telling of the pastimes of the Lord, who is described by enlightened verses. This is the reason why I studied this Puräëa."

            This is significant. In spite of all his impersonal qualifications Çukadeva Goswämé was still attracted to the narration of the pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This incident hints at the wonderful potency of Çrémad Bhägavatam--that it was able to capture the heart of a Brahman realized person.

            In the next section, Çréla Jéva Goswämé begins analyzing the  heart of Çréla Vyäsadeva.

[i]This story is not in the current editions of the Brahma-vaivarta Puräëa