SRIMAD BHAGAVATAM CANTO 1 CHAPTER 7 TEXT 1-4 Srila Vysadeva’s meditation after Narada Muni’s departure

TEXT 1 śaunaka uvāca nirgate nārade sūta bhagavān bādarāyaṇaḥ śrutavāṁs tad-abhipretaṁ tataḥ kim akarod vibhuḥ Ṛṣi Śaunaka asked: O Sūta, the great and transcendentally powerful Vyāsadeva heard everything from Śrī Nārada Muni. So after Nārada’s departure, what did Vyāsadeva do?

In this chapter the clue for describing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is picked up as Mahārāja Parīkṣit is miraculously saved in the womb of his mother. This was caused by Drauṇi (Aśvatthāmā), Ācārya Droṇa’s son, who killed the five sons of Draupadī while they were asleep, for which he was punished by Arjuna. Before commencing the great epicŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Śrī Vyāsadeva realized the whole truth by trance in devotion.

TEXT 2 sūta uvāca brahma-nadyāṁ sarasvatyām āśramaḥ paścime taṭe śamyāprāsa iti prokta ṛṣīṇāṁ satra-vardhanaḥ Śrī Sūta said: On the western bank of the river Sarasvatī, which is intimately related with the Vedas, there is a cottage for meditation at Śamyāprāsa which enlivens the transcendental activities of the sages.

Vysadeva’s meditation For spiritual advancement of knowledge a suitable place and atmosphere are definitely required.  Śrīla Vyāsadeva was a householder, yet his residential place (at Śamyāprāsa) is called an āśrama.   An āśrama is a place where spiritual culture is always foremost. It does not matter whether the place belongs to a householder or a mendicant. The brahmacārīs, the gṛhasthas, the vānaprasthas and the sannyāsīs all belong to the same mission of life, namely, realization of the Supreme.  Therefore none of them are less important as far as spiritual culture is concerned. The difference is a matter of formality on the strength of renunciation. The sannyāsīs are held in high estimation on the strength of practical renunciation.

concentrated his mind in that transcendental place of meditation. TEXT 3 tasmin sva āśrame vyāso badarī-ṣaṇḍa-maṇḍite āsīno ’pa upaspṛśya praṇidadhyau manaḥ svayam In that place, Śrīla Vyāsadeva, in his own āśrama, which was surrounded by berry trees, sat down to meditate after touching water for purification. Under instructions of his spiritual master Śrīla Nārada Muni, Vyāsadeva concentrated his mind in that transcendental place of meditation.

TEXT 4 bhakti-yogena manasi samyak praṇihite ’male apaśyat puruṣaṁ pūrṇaṁ māyāṁ ca tad-apāśrayām Thus he fixed his mind, perfectly engaging it by linking it in devotional service [bhakti-yoga] without any tinge of materialism, and thus he saw the Absolute Personality of Godhead along with His external energy, which was under full control.

His clear conception Perfect vision of the Absolute Truth is possible only by the linking process of devotional service. Imperfect realization of the Absolute by the partial approach of the impersonal Brahman or localized Paramātmā does not permit anyone to enter into the kingdom of God.  Śrīla Vyāsadeva did not take notice of the effulgence of Brahman because that is not absolute vision.   The Absolute Personality of Godhead is the perfect person (purusha), and is confirmed in all the vedic literatue and in Bhagavad Gita. The Supreme Person has manifold energies, out of which the internal, external and marginal energies are specifically important.

His clear conception The internal energy is there along with the Absolute Person as the moonlight is there with the moon. The external energy is compared to darkness because it keeps the living entities in the darkness of ignorance. Devotional service, or bhakti-yoga, is the function of the internal energy; thus there is no place for the inferior energy, or material energy, just as there is no place for darkness in the effulgence of spiritual light. It is stated in theBhagavad-gītā that the impersonal Brahman effulgence is also an emanation from the Absolute Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. The parama-puruṣa cannot be anyone except Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself, as will be explained in the later ślokas.