श्रीऋषिरुवाच साधु पृष्टं महाराज हरेश्चरितमद्भुतम् । यद् भागवतमाहात्म्यं भगवद्भक्तिवर्धनम् ॥ ४ ॥ गीयते परमं पुण्यमृषिभिर्नारदादिभि: । नत्वा कृष्णाय मुनये कथयिष्ये हरे: कथाम् ॥ ५ ॥
sri-rsir uvaca sadhu prstam maharaja hares caritam adbhutam yad bhagavata-mahatmyam bhagavad-bhakti-vardhanam giyate paramam punyam rsibhir naradadibhih natva krsnaya munaye kathayisye hareh katham
- sri-rsih uvaca
- the sage Sri Sukadeva Gosvami said
- sadhu
- excellent
- prstam
- inquiry
- maha-raja
- O great King
- hareh
- of the Supreme Lord, Hari
- caritam
- activities
- adbhutam
- wonderful
- yat
- from which
- bhagavata
- of the Lord’s devotee (Prahlada)
- mahatmyam
- the glories
- bhagavat-bhakti
- devotion to the Lord
- vardhanam
- increasing
- giyate
- is sung
- paramam
- foremost
- punyam
- pious
- rsibhih
- by the sages
- narada-adibhih
- headed by Sri Narada Muni
- natva
- after offering obeisances
- krsnaya
- to Krsna Dvaipayana Vyasa
- munaye
- the great sage
- kathayisye
- I shall narrate
- hareh
- of Hari
- katham
- the topics
The great sage Sukadeva Gosvami said: My dear King, you have put before me an excellent question. Discourses concerning the activities of the Lord, in which the glories of His devotees are also found, are extremely pleasing to devotees. Such wonderful topics always counteract the miseries of the materialistic way of life. Therefore great sages like Narada always speak upon Srimad-Bhagavatam because it gives one the facility to hear and chant about the wonderful activities of the Lord. Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto Srila Vyasadeva and then begin describing topics concerning the activities of Lord Hari.