In2-MeC

Kiev, the Ukraine
6 September 2004

Sri Krsna Janmastami ki jaya!

Notes from Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura's rendition of Srimad-Bhagavatam 1. 2. 17, translated by Punya-palaka Prabhu of ISKCON Prague.

The verse as it appears in the BBT edition of Srimad-Bhagavatam, translated by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada:

srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah
punya-sravana-kirtanah
hrdy antah-stho hy abhadrani
vidhunoti suhrt satam

Sri Krsna, the Personality of Godhead, who is the Paramatma [Supersoul] in everyone's heart and the benefactor of the truthful devotee, cleanses desire for material enjoyment from the heart of the devotee who has developed the urge to hear His messages, which are in themselves virtuous when properly heard and chanted.

Srila Sarasvati Thakura's translation (rendered into English from the Thakura's Bengali):

Bhagavan Sri Krsna, the hearing and chanting of whose name is the supreme source of liberation and who is the benefactor of sadhus, in the form of Antaryami Caitya-guru of all human beings uproots the heaps of sinful desires in the heart of one who engages in hearing His transcendental katha or names and qualities.

From Srila Sarasvati Thakura's explanation:

The only friend of great sadhus is Krsna. When, after entering one's ears in the form of sabda-brahma, He is glorified in the form of nama-brahma, then there is no way for all kinds of inauspicious illusory enjoyments to stay in such a person's heart. The sword of remembering Hari, mentioned earlier, cuts the other thoughts, thus completely destroying plans for enjoying maya. This sense gratificatory business, performed under the external energy of the Lord, is endangering by many anarthas. If Antaryami Krsna is being served by hearing and chanting, the living entity's thirst for getting the fruits of external enjoyment cannot stay.

Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura writes about this verse:

tatas ca srnvatam iti kramena sravana-kirtane ukte. tatas ca hrdi yany abhadrani papani antah-sthah san vidhunotiti smaranam.

The Bengali translation of Srila Cakravartipada's Sanskrit that Srila Sarasvati Thakura gives in his commentary:

tarpor (orthat sri-guru-pada-padmer
asroe labhe sri-vasudev kothate ruci labher por) srnvatam orthat sri-krsner
kotha srovon-kari manov-goner. Ekhane krame sravan o kirtaner (orthat
prothome sravan o pore kirtaner) kotha bola hoiyache. tarpor sadhaker hrdoye
ye somosto amangal (orthat aparadha-janito) pap-basona-samuho vidyaman,
seiguli sri-krsna (antaryami-rupe ba caitya-guru-rupe) ontoh-stho hoiya
vidhauto koren, ihar dvara smaran onger nirdes kora hoilo.

This means:

Thereafter (in other words, after obtaining taste for Sri Vasudeva-katha, having taken shelter at the lotus feet of the spiritual master)--srnvatam means "of humans who engage in hearing Krsna-katha"--here the talk is about gradual development of hearing and chanting (i. e. first hearing and then chanting). Thereafter, whatever inauspicious (originating from offenses) sinful desires are there in the sadhaka's heart, Sri Krsna (in the form of Antaryami or of Caitya-guru) residing within destroys them all; through this, remembering has been established.

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