Srimadbhaagavatam - mangala shloka 2

[elmec]

Hari Om
Om Namo Bhagavate Vaasudevaaya

The second shloka of the invocation is :

Dharma.h  projjitakaitavOtra paramO nirmatsaraanaam sataam
vedyam vaastavamatra vastu shivadam taapatrayOnmUlanam
SrimadbhaagavatE mahaa munikritE kim vaa parairiishwara.h
sadyO hridyavarudhyatE atra kritibhi.h shushruushubhistatkshanaath .

( not many words require splitting here.  parai.h + iishwara.h , hridi +
avarudhyatE,
shushrUshubhi.h + tatkshanaath )

The gist :
In this glorious Bhaagavata, which was composed by the great sage
Vyaasa, the subject is the supreme dharma followed by noble minded
people whose hearts are free from  passions, on learning which the Truth
is perceived and prosperity is conferred and the three fold suffering of
man is destroyed. When such a text is available what use are of other
shaastraas ? Lord Ishwara soon becomes a prisoner in the hearts of those
who listen to this story.

Meaning of words :
MahaamunikritE SrimadbhaagavatE = In the glorious Bhaagavata composed by
the great sage
projjita.h = (one who has) abandoned
kaitava.h = deceit, craftiness, fraud
nirmatsaraanaam sataam = the noble ones whose heart is devoid of passion

vaastava vastu vEdyam = the true object (Truth) perceived
shivadam = auspicious, prosperity
taapatrayOnmUlanam = destroys the threefold sufferings
kim vaa parai.h = what (use) from others
sadyO = immediately
Ishwara.h = the Lord
hridi = inside the heart
avarudhyatE = gets caught, becomes a prisoner
atra = here
shushrUshubhi.h = by listening
kritibhi.h = by doing ( by shravanaadi saadhana)
tatkshanaat = instantaneously

Explanation :
Usually a composition is considered great if there are the " Anubhanda
chatushtayaa " or the four factors, namely, the "adhikaari"- one who is
eligible (for the fruit), "vishaya" - the subject matter, "sambhanda" or
the context or relationship and "prayOjana" - the usefulness.

In the above shloka the vishaya, adhikaari and prayojana are stated and
the context is mentioned as the story unfolds.
The subject is the supreme dharma of Bhakthi towards the Lord which is
imbibed through listening to the Leelas of the Lord Krishna.
The adhikaari in the story is King Parikshit who abandoned every earthly
possession ( abandoned from his heart the six passions of antahkarana
namely kaama, krodha, lobha, moha, madaa and maatsarya ) in a moment's
decision.
The context was when his death became imminent due to the curse of
Shringi, the son of sage shamiika.
The prayOjana or the benefit was the knowledge of the brahman imparted
by shuka muni which destroyed the fear of death for Parikshit.
Thus the Bhaagavatam which contain the anubhanda chatushtaya is capable
of bestowing the same supreme benefit to the listeners (readers) as  it
was capable of bestowing on King Parikshit.
The prosperity gained is the shivam or 'shreyas', the ultimate benefit,
and also 'preyas', the worldly benefits.
When Srimadbhaagavatam itself is so effective and pleasing to the ears
what use is it of studying other texts ? As the person listens to the
fetes of the Lord, his devotion increases, his longing for Him makes the
Lord become a slave inside his heart. The thirst to hear His leelaas
reaches such a height that the hearer, the hearing and the heard merge
in to one.

Hari Om
Om Namo Bhagavate Vaasudevaaya

Regards,
latha Vidyaranya

--
bhava shankara deshikame sharaNam

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