SRIMAD BHAGAVATAM CANTO 1 CHAPTER 2 | TEXT 4-7 Devotional Service-The Supreme Occupation for humanity

TEXT 4 nārāyaṇaṁ namaskṛtya naraṁ caiva narottamam devīṁ sarasvatīṁ vyāsaṁ tato jayam udīrayet Before reciting this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, which is the very means of conquest, one should offer respectful obeisances unto the Personality of Godhead, Nārāyaṇa, unto Nara-nārāyaṇa Ṛṣi, the supermost human being, unto mother Sarasvatī, the goddess of learning, and unto Śrīla Vyāsadeva, the author.

Taking shelter of Vedic Literatures All the Vedic literatures and the Purāṇas are meant for conquering the darkest region of material existence. the Purāṇas are supplementary explanations of the Vedas intended for different types of men. Śrīla Sūta Gosvāmī shows the way of chanting the Purāṇas which may be followed by the aspiring preachers. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the spotless Purāṇa, and it is especially meant for those who desire to get out of the material entanglement permanently.

TEXT 5 munayaḥ sādhu pṛṣṭo 'haṁ bhavadbhir loka-maṅgalam yat kṛtaḥ kṛṣṇa-sampraśno yenātmā suprasīdati O sages, I have been justly questioned by you. Your questions are worthy because they relate to Lord Kṛṣṇa and so are of relevance to the world's welfare. Only questions of this sort are capable of completely satisfying the self.

Sum & substance of all things The questions that pertain to Kṛṣṇa are the sum and substance of all the Vedic inquiries. Satisfaction of the soul can only be obtained by questions and answers on the subject of Kṛṣṇa. Because the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam deals with questions and answers that are related to Kṛṣṇa, we can derive the highest satisfaction only by reading and hearing this transcendental literature. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Kṛṣṇa are the sum total of all things.

TEXT 6 sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje ahaituky apratihatā yayātmā suprasīdati The supreme occupation [dharma] for all humanity is that by which men can attain to loving devotional service unto the transcendent Lord. Such devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted to completely satisfy the self.

How to perform Devotional Service? Śrī Sūta Gosvāmī answers the first question of the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya. Vedas prescribe two types of occupation for the human being: 1. pravṛtti-mārga, or the path of sense enjoyment, 2. nivṛtti-mārga, or the path of renunciation. Devotional service to the Lord must be pure in quality, i.e., without the least desire for material enjoyment. Dharma is "that which sustains one's existence.“ This relation of servant and the served is the most congenial form of intimacy.

TEXT 7 vāsudeve bhagavati bhakti-yogaḥ prayojitaḥ janayaty āśu vairāgyaṁ jñānaṁ ca yad ahaitukam By rendering devotional service unto the Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, one immediately acquires causeless knowledge and detachment from the world.

Devotion to Krsna isn’t an emotional affair. The bhakti cult is the topmost of all transcendental activities, and therefore it is simultaneously sublime (for pure devotees) and easy (for neophytes). To achieve the contact of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Śrī Kṛṣṇa is a great science, and it is open for all living beings. The other high-grade activities designated as sacrifice, charity, austerity, etc., are all corollary factors following the pure and scientific bhakti cult.

Devotion to Krsna isn’t an emotional affair. The principles of knowledge and detachment are two important factors on the path of transcendental realization. Naiṣkarma means not undertaking activities that will produce good or bad effects. The bhakti cult is meant for realization of the positive form. When the positive form is realized, the negative forms are automatically eliminated. Bhakti is the supermost occupation of the human being.