BhAgavata-saptAha

[Anand Hudli]

The bhAgavata saptAha, which starts today, is the week long
reading of the bhAgavata by devotees who wish to put out the
fires arising from attachments to asat.

MadhusUdana sarasvatI introduces his paramahaMsa-priyA commentary
on the first shloka of the bhAgvata thus:

anudinamAyuH sarvadAsatprasaN^gair-
 bahuvidhaparitApaiH xIyate vyarthameva |
haricharitasudhAbhiH sichyamAnaM tadeta-
 txaNamapi saphalaM syAdityayaM me shramo .atra ||

Day by day the duration of life is expended solely in vain, being
burnt by the torment of constant attachments to the unreal (asat).
(This being the case), even a moment soaked in the nectar of
(listening to/reading) shrI-hari's deeds may be fruitful. Thus
this effort of mine (in commenting on the first verse of the bhAgavata).

Hari-kathA indeed has the power to quench our attachments even to
the seemingly basic necessities such as food and drink. Many who
fast on the ekAdashI and spend the day immersed in shravaNaM kIrtanaM
and other forms of Hari-bhakti describe how they are not even aware
of the fact that they have not eaten or drunk anything!

Indeed as King Parixita, who was destined to die in a week by
snake bite and was listening to shuka's continuous (non-stop)
narration of the bhAgavata without even taking the time off
to eat or drink something, says :

 naiShAtiduHsahA xunmAM tyaktodamapi bAdhate |
 pibantaM tvanmukhAMbhojachyutaM harikathAmR^itam.h ||

 (O shuka!) Neither this (otherwise) intolerable hunger
 nor even the fact that I have not even drunk any water
 troubles me as I am drinking the nectar of Hari-kathA
 dropping from the lotus of your lips!

 shrI-kR^iShNa-para-brahmaNe namaH ||


 Anand

--
bhava shankara deshikame sharaNam

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