Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 6: “Prescribed Duties for Mankind”
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Chapter Four

SB6.4.18

TEXT 18

yatha sasarja bhutani

dakso duhitr-vatsalah

retasa manasa caiva

tan mamavahitah srnu

SYNONYMS

yatha—as; sasarja—created; bhutani—the living entities; daksah—Daksa; duhitr-vatsalah—who is very affectionate to his daughters; retasa—by semen; manasa—by the mind; ca—also; eva—indeed; tat—that; mama—from me; avahitah—being attentive; srnu—please hear.

TRANSLATION

Sukadeva Gosvami continued: Please hear from me with great attention how Prajapati Daksa, who was very affectionate to his daughters, created different types of living entities through his semen and through his mind.

PURPORT

The word duhitr-vatsalah indicates that all the prajas were born from Daksa’s daughters. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura says that apparently Daksa had no son.

SB6.4.19

TEXT 19

manasaivasrjat purvam

prajapatir imah prajah

devasura-manusyadin

nabhah-sthala-jalaukasah

SYNONYMS

manasa—by the mind; eva—indeed; asrjat—created; purvam—in the beginning; prajapatih—the prajapati (Daksa); imah—these; prajah—living entities; deva—the demigods; asura—the demons; manusya-adin—and other living entities, headed by the human beings; nabhah—in the skies; sthala—on the land; jala—or within the water; okasah—who have their abodes.

TRANSLATION

With his mind, Prajapati Daksa first created all kinds of demigods, demons, human beings, birds, beasts, aquatics and so on.

SB6.4.20

TEXT 20

tam abrmhitam alokya

praja-sargam prajapatih

vindhya-padan upavrajya

so ’carad duskaram tapah

SYNONYMS

tam—that; abrmhitam—not increasing; alokya—seeing; praja-sargam—the creation of the living entities; prajapatih—Daksa, the generator of living entities; vindhya-padan—the mountains near the Vindhya mountain range; upavrajya—going to; sah—he; acarat—executed; duskaram—very difficult; tapah—austerities.

TRANSLATION

But when Prajapati Daksa saw that he was not properly generating all kinds of living entities, he approached a mountain near the Vindhya mountain range, and there he executed very difficult austerities.

SB6.4.21

TEXT 21

tatraghamarsanam nama

tirtham papa-haram param

upasprsyanusavanam

tapasatosayad dharim

SYNONYMS

tatra—there; aghamarsanam—Aghamarsana; nama—named; tirtham—the holy place; papa-haram—suitable for destroying all sinful reactions; param—best; upasprsya—performing acamana and bathing; anusavanam—regularly; tapasa—by austerity; atosayat—caused pleasure; harim—to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

TRANSLATION

Near that mountain was a very holy place named Aghamarsana. There Prajapati Daksa executed ritualistic ceremonies and satisfied the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, by engaging in great austerities to please Him.

SB6.4.22

TEXT 22

astausid dhamsa-guhyena

bhagavantam adhoksajam

tubhyam tad abhidhasyami

kasyatusyad yatha harih

SYNONYMS

astausit—satisfied; hamsa-guhyena—by the celebrated prayers known as Hamsa-guhya; bhagavantam—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; adhoksajam—who is beyond the reach of the senses; tubhyam—unto you; tat—that; abhidhasyami—I shall explain; kasya—with Daksa, the prajapati; atusyat—was satisfied; yatha—how; harih—the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

TRANSLATION

My dear King, I shall fully explain to you the Hamsa-guhya prayers, which were offered to the Supreme Personality of Godhead by Daksa, and I shall explain how the Lord was pleased with him for those prayers.

PURPORT

It is to be understood that the Hamsa-guhya prayers were not composed by Daksa, but were existing in the Vedic literature.

SB6.4.23

TEXT 23

sri-prajapatir uvaca

namah parayavitathanubhutaye

guna-trayabhasa-nimitta-bandhave

adrsta-dhamne guna-tattva-buddhibhir

nivrtta-manaya dadhe svayambhuve

SYNONYMS

sri-prajapatih uvaca—the prajapati Daksa said; namah—all respectful obeisances; paraya—unto the Transcendence; avitatha—correct; anubhutaye—unto Him whose spiritual potency brings about realization of Him; guna-traya—of the three material modes of nature; abhasa—of the living entities who have the appearance; nimitta—and of the material energy; bandhave—unto the controller; adrsta-dhamne—who is not perceived in His abode; guna-tattva-buddhibhih—by the conditioned souls whose poor intelligence dictates that real truth is found in the manifestations of the three modes of material nature; nivrtta-manaya—who has surpassed all material measurements and calculations; dadhe—I offer; svayambhuve—unto the Supreme Lord, who is manifest with no cause.

TRANSLATION

Prajapati Daksa said: The Supreme Personality of Godhead is transcendental to the illusory energy and the physical categories it produces. He possesses the potency for unfailing knowledge and supreme willpower, and He is the controller of the living entities and the illusory energy. The conditioned souls who have accepted this material manifestation as everything cannot see Him, for He is above the evidence of experimental knowledge. Self-evident and self-sufficient, He is not caused by any superior cause. Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto Him.

PURPORT

The transcendental position of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is explained herewith. He is not perceivable by the conditioned souls, who are accustomed to material vision and cannot understand that the Supreme Personality of Godhead exists in His abode, which is beyond that vision. Even if a materialistic person could count all the atoms in the universe, he would still be unable to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As confirmed in Brahma-samhita (5.34):

panthas tu koti-sata-vatsara-sampragamyo
vayor athapi manaso muni-pungavanam
so ’py asti yat-prapada-simny avicintya-tattve
govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami

The conditioned souls may try to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead for many billions of years through their mental speculative processes, traveling at the speed of the mind or the wind, but still the Absolute Truth will remain inconceivable to them because a materialistic person cannot measure the length and breadth of the Supreme Personality of Godhead’s unlimited existence. If the Absolute Truth is beyond measurement, one may ask, how can one realize Him? The answer is given here by the word svayambhuve: one may understand Him or not, but nevertheless He is existing in His own spiritual potency.

SB6.4.24

TEXT 24

na yasya sakhyam puruso ’vaiti sakhyuh

sakha vasan samvasatah pure ’smin

guno yatha gunino vyakta-drstes

tasmai mahesaya namaskaromi

SYNONYMS

na—not; yasya—whose; sakhyam—fraternity; purusah—the living entity; avaiti—knows; sakhyuh—of the supreme friend; sakha—the friend; vasan—living; samvasatah—of the one living with; pure—in the body; asmin—this; gunah—the object of sense perception; yatha—just like; guninah—of its respective sense organ; vyakta-drsteh—who oversees the material manifestation; tasmai—unto Him; maha-isaya—unto the supreme controller; namaskaromi—I offer my obeisances.

TRANSLATION

As the sense objects [form, taste, touch, smell and sound] cannot understand how the senses perceive them, so the conditioned soul, although residing in his body along with the Supersoul, cannot understand how the supreme spiritual person, the master of the material creation, directs his senses. Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto that Supreme Person, who is the supreme controller.

PURPORT

The individual soul and the Supreme Soul live together within the body. This is confirmed in the Upanisads by the analogy that two friendly birds live in one tree—one bird eating the fruit of the tree and the other simply witnessing and directing. Although the individual living being, who is compared to the bird that is eating, is sitting with his friend the Supreme Soul, the individual living being cannot see Him. Actually the Supersoul is directing the workings of his senses in the enjoyment of sense objects, but as these sense objects cannot see the senses, the conditioned soul cannot see the directing soul. The conditioned soul has desires, and the Supreme Soul fulfills them, but the conditioned soul is unable to see the Supreme Soul. Thus Prajapati Daksa offers his obeisances to the Supreme Soul, the Supersoul, even though unable to see Him. Another example given is that although ordinary citizens work under the direction of the government, they cannot understand how they are being governed or what the government is. In this regard, Madhvacarya quotes the following verse from the Skanda Purana:

yatha rajnah priyatvam tu
bhrtya vedena catmanah
tatha jivo na yat-sakhyam
vetti tasmai namo ’stu te

“As the various servants in the different departments of big establishments cannot see the supreme managing director under whom they are working, the conditioned souls cannot see the supreme friend sitting within their bodies. Let us therefore offer our respectful obeisances unto the Supreme, who is invisible to our material eyes.”

SB6.4.25

TEXT 25

deho ’savo ’ksa manavo bhuta-matram

atmanam anyam ca viduh param yat

sarvam puman veda gunams ca taj-jno

na veda sarva-jnam anantam ide

SYNONYMS

dehah—this body; asavah—the life airs; aksah—the different senses; manavah—the mind, understanding, intellect and ego; bhuta-matram—the five gross material elements and the sense objects (form, taste, sound and so on); atmanam—themselves; anyam—any other; ca—and; viduh—know; param—beyond; yat—that which; sarvam—everything; puman—the living being; veda—knows; gunan—the qualities of the material nature; ca—and; tat-jnah—knowing those things; na—not; veda—knows; sarva-jnam—unto the omniscient; anantam—the unlimited; ide—I offer my respectful obeisances.

TRANSLATION

Because they are only matter, the body, the life airs, the external and internal senses, the five gross elements and the subtle sense objects [form, taste, smell, sound and touch] cannot know their own nature, the nature of the other senses or the nature of their controllers. But the living being, because of his spiritual nature, can know his body, the life airs, the senses, the elements and the sense objects, and he can also know the three qualities that form their roots. Nevertheless, although the living being is completely aware of them, he is unable to see the Supreme Being, who is omniscient and unlimited. I therefore offer my respectful obeisances unto Him.

PURPORT

Material scientists can make an analytical study of the physical elements, the body, the senses, the sense objects and even the air that controls the vital force, but still they cannot understand that above all these is the real spirit soul. In other words, the living entity, because of his being a spirit soul, can understand all the material objects, or, when self-realized, he can understand the Paramatma, upon whom yogis meditate. Nevertheless, the living being, even if advanced, cannot understand the Supreme Being, the Personality of Godhead, for He is ananta, unlimited, in all six opulences.

SB6.4.26

TEXT 26

yadoparamo manaso nama-rupa-

rupasya drsta-smrti-sampramosat

ya iyate kevalaya sva-samsthaya

hamsaya tasmai suci-sadmane namah

SYNONYMS

yada—when in trance; uparamah—complete cessation; manasah—of the mind; nama-rupa—material names and forms; rupasya—of that by which they appear; drsta—of material vision; smrti—and of remembrance; sampramosat—due to the destruction; yah—who (the Supreme Personality of Godhead); iyate—is perceived; kevalaya—with spiritual; sva-samsthaya—His own original form; hamsaya—unto the supreme pure; tasmai—unto Him; suci-sadmane—who is realized only in the pure state of spiritual existence; namah—I offer my respectful obeisances.

TRANSLATION

When one’s consciousness is completely purified of the contamination of material existence, gross and subtle, without being agitated as in the working and dreaming states, and when the mind is not dissolved as in susupti, deep sleep, one comes to the platform of trance. Then one’s material vision and the memories of the mind, which manifests names and forms, are vanquished. Only in such a trance is the Supreme Personality of Godhead revealed. Thus let us offer our respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is seen in that uncontaminated, transcendental state.

PURPORT

There are two stages of God realization. One is called sujneyam, or very easily understood (generally by mental speculation), and the other is called durjneyam, understood only with difficulty. Paramatma realization and Brahman realization are considered sujneyam, but realization of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is durjneyam. As described here, one attains the ultimate realization of the Personality of Godhead when one gives up the activities of the mind—thinking, feeling and willing—or, in other words, when mental speculation stops. This transcendental realization is above susupti, deep sleep. In our gross conditional stage we perceive things through material experience and remembrance, and in the subtle stage we perceive the world in dreams. The process of vision also involves remembrance and also exists in a subtle form. Above gross experience and dreams is susupti, deep sleep, and when one comes to the completely spiritual platform, transcending deep sleep, he attains trance, visuddha-sattva, or vasudeva-sattva, in which the Personality of Godhead is revealed.

Atah sri-krsna-namadi na bhaved grahyam indriyaih: [BRS. 1.2.234] as long as one is situated in duality, on the sensual platform, gross or subtle, realization of the original Personality of Godhead is impossible. Sevonmukhe hi jihvadau svayam eva sphuraty adah: but when one engages his senses in the service of the Lord—specifically, when one engages the tongue in chanting the Hare Krsna mantra and tasting only Krsna prasada with a spirit of service—the Supreme Personality of Godhead is revealed. This is indicated in this verse by the word suci-sadmane. Suci means purified. By the spirit of rendering service with one’s senses, one’s entire existence becomes suci-sadma, the platform of uncontaminated purity. Daksa therefore offers his respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is revealed on the platform of suci-sadma. In this regard Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura quotes the following prayer by Lord Brahma from the Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.14.6): tathapi bhuman mahimagunasya te viboddhum arhaty amalantar-atmabhih. “One whose heart has become completely purified, my Lord, can understand the transcendental qualities of Your Lordship and can understand the greatness of Your activities.”

SB6.4.27-28

TEXTS 27–28

manisino ’ntar-hrdi sannivesitam

sva-saktibhir navabhis ca trivrdbhih

vahnim yatha daruni pancadasyam

manisaya niskarsanti gudham

sa vai mamasesa-visesa-maya-

nisedha-nirvana-sukhanubhutih

sa sarva-nama sa ca visva-rupah

prasidatam aniruktatma-saktih

SYNONYMS

manisinah—great learned brahmanas performing ritualistic ceremonies and sacrifices; antah-hrdi—within the core of the heart; sannivesitam—being situated; sva-saktibhih—with His own spiritual potencies; navabhih—also with the nine different material potencies (the material nature, the total material energy, the ego, the mind and the five objects of the senses); ca—and (the five gross material elements and the ten acting and knowledge-gathering senses); trivrdbhih—by the three material modes of nature; vahnim—fire; yatha—just like; daruni—within wood; pancadasyam—produced by chanting the fifteen hymns known as Samidheni mantras; manisaya—by purified intelligence; niskarsanti—extract; gudham—although not manifesting; sah—that Supreme Personality of Godhead; vai—indeed; mama—toward me; asesa—all; visesa—varieties; maya—of the illusory energy; nisedha—by the process of negation; nirvana—of liberation; sukha-anubhutih—who is realized by transcendental bliss; sah—that Supreme Personality of Godhead; sarva-nama—who is the source of all names; sah—that Supreme Personality of Godhead; ca—also; visva-rupah—the gigantic form of the universe; prasidatam—may He be merciful; anirukta—inconceivable; atma-saktih—the reservoir of all spiritual potencies.

TRANSLATION

Just as great learned brahmanas who are expert in performing ritualistic ceremonies and sacrifices can extract the fire dormant within wooden fuel by chanting the fifteen Samidheni mantras, thus proving the efficacy of the Vedic mantras, so those who are actually advanced in consciousness—in other words, those who are Krsna conscious—can find the Supersoul, who by His own spiritual potency is situated within the heart. The heart is covered by the three modes of material nature and the nine material elements [material nature, the total material energy, the ego, the mind and the five objects of sense gratification], and also by the five material elements and the ten senses. These twenty-seven elements constitute the external energy of the Lord. Great yogis meditate upon the Lord, who is situated as the Supersoul, Paramatma, within the core of the heart. May that Supersoul be pleased with me. The Supersoul is realized when one is eager for liberation from the unlimited varieties of material life. One actually attains such liberation when he engages in the transcendental loving service of the Lord and realizes the Lord because of his attitude of service. The Lord may be addressed by various spiritual names, which are inconceivable to the material senses. When will that Supreme Personality of Godhead be pleased with me?

PURPORT

In his commentary to this verse, Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura uses the word durvijneyam, which means “very difficult to realize.” The pure stage of existence is described in Bhagavad-gita (7.28), wherein Krsna says:

yesam tv anta-gatam papam
jananam punya-karmanam
te dvandva-moha-nirmukta
bhajante mam drdha-vratah

“Persons who have acted piously in previous lives and in this life, whose sinful actions are completely eradicated and who are freed from the duality of delusion, engage themselves in My service with determination.”

Elsewhere in Bhagavad-gita (9.14) the Lord says:

satatam kirtayanto mam
yatantas ca drdha-vratah
namasyantas ca mam bhaktya
nitya-yukta upasate

“Always chanting My glories, endeavoring with great determination, bowing down before Me, these great souls perpetually worship Me with devotion.”

One can understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead after transcending all material impediments. Therefore Lord Krsna also says in the Gita (7.3):

manusyanam sahasresu
kascid yatati siddhaye
yatatam api siddhanam
kascin mam vetti tattvatah

“Out of many thousands among men, one may endeavor for perfection, and of those who have achieved perfection, hardly one knows Me in truth.”

To understand Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one must undergo severe penances and austerities, but since the path of devotional service is perfect, by following this process one can very easily come to the spiritual platform and understand the Lord. This, too, is confirmed in Bhagavad-gita (18.55), wherein Krsna says:

bhaktya mam abhijanati
yavan yas casmi tattvatah
tato mam tattvato jnatva
visate tad-anantaram

“One can understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead as He is only by devotional service. And when one is in full consciousness of the Supreme Lord by such devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God.”

Thus although the subject matter is durvijneyam, extremely difficult to understand, it becomes easy if one follows the prescribed method. Coming in touch with the Supreme Personality of Godhead is possible through pure devotional service, which begins with sravanam kirtanam visnoh [SB 7.5.23]. In this regard, Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura quotes a verse from Srimad-Bhagavatam (2.8.5): pravistah karna-randhrena svanam bhava-saroruham. The process of hearing and chanting enters the core of the heart, and in this way one becomes a pure devotee. By continuing this process, one comes to the stage of transcendental love, and then he appreciates the transcendental name, form, qualities and pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In other words, a pure devotee, by devotional service, is able to see the Supreme Personality of Godhead despite many material impediments, which are all various energies of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Easily making his way through these impediments, a devotee comes directly in contact with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. After all, the material impediments described in these verses are but various energies of the Lord. When a devotee is eager to see the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he prays to the Lord:

ayi nanda-tanuja kinkaram
patitam mam visame bhavambudhau
krpaya tava pada-pankaja-
sthita-dhuli-sadrsam vicintaya

“O son of Maharaja Nanda [Krsna], I am Your eternal servitor, yet somehow or other I have fallen into the ocean of birth and death. Please pick me up from this ocean of death and place me as one of the atoms at Your lotus feet.” Being pleased with the devotee, the Lord turns all his material impediments into spiritual service. In this connection Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura quotes a verse from the Visnu Purana:

hladini sandhini samvit
tvayy eka sarva-samsthitau
hlada-tapa-kari misra
tvayi no guna-varjite

In the material world, the spiritual energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is manifested as tapa-kari, which means “causing miseries.” Everyone hankers for happiness, but although happiness originally comes from the pleasure potency of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, in the material world, because of material activities, the pleasure potency of the Lord becomes a source of miseries (hlada-tapa-kari). False happiness in the material world is the source of distress, but when one’s endeavors for happiness are redirected toward the satisfaction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, this tapa-kari element of misery is vanquished. An example given in this connection is that extracting fire from wood is certainly difficult, but when the fire comes out it burns the wood to ashes. In other words, experiencing the Supreme Personality of Godhead is extremely difficult for those devoid of devotional service, but everything becomes easier for a devotee, and thus he can very easily meet the Supreme Lord.

Here the prayers say that the form of the Lord is beyond the jurisdiction of material form and is therefore inconceivable. A devotee prays, however, “My dear Lord, be pleased with me so that I may very easily see Your transcendental form and potency.” Nondevotees try to understand the Supreme Brahman by discussions of neti neti. Nisedha-nirvana-sukhanubhutih: a devotee, however, simply by chanting the holy name of the Lord, avoids such laborious speculations and realizes the existence of the Lord very easily.

SB6.4.29

TEXT 29

yad yan niruktam vacasa nirupitam

dhiyaksabhir va manasota yasya

ma bhut svarupam guna-rupam hi tat tat

sa vai gunapaya-visarga-laksanah

SYNONYMS

yat yat—whatever; niruktam—expressed; vacasa—by words; nirupitam—ascertained; dhiya—by so-called meditation or intelligence; aksabhih—by the senses; va—or; manasa—by the mind; uta—certainly; yasya—of whom; ma bhut—may not be; sva-rupam—the actual form of the Lord; guna-rupam—consisting of the three qualities; hi—indeed; tat tat—that; sah—that Supreme Personality of Godhead; vai—indeed; guna-apaya—the cause of the annihilation of everything made of the material modes of nature; visarga—and the creation; laksanah—appearing as.

TRANSLATION

Anything expressed by material vibrations, anything ascertained by material intelligence and anything experienced by the material senses or concocted within the material mind is but an effect of the modes of material nature and therefore has nothing to do with the real nature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Supreme Lord is beyond the creation of this material world, for He is the source of the material qualities and creation. As the cause of all causes, He exists before the creation and after the creation. I wish to offer my respectful obeisances unto Him.

PURPORT

One who manufactures names, forms, qualities or paraphernalia pertaining to the Supreme Personality of Godhead cannot understand Him, since He is beyond creation. The Supreme Lord is the creator of everything, and this means that He existed when there was no creation. In other words, His name, form and qualities are not materially created entities; they are transcendental always. Therefore by our material concoctions, vibrations and thoughts we cannot ascertain the Supreme Lord. This is explained in the verse atah sri-krsna-namadi na bhaved grahyam indriyaih [BRS. 1.2.234].

Pracetasa, Daksa, herein offers prayers unto the Transcendence, not to anyone within the material creation. Only fools and rascals think God a material creation. This is confirmed by the Lord Himself in Bhagavad-gita (9.11):

avajananti mam mudha
manusim tanum asritam
param bhavam ajananto
mama bhuta-mahesvaram

“Fools deride Me when I descend in the human form. They do not know My transcendental nature and My supreme dominion over all that be.” Therefore, one must receive knowledge from a person to whom the Lord has revealed Himself; there is no value in creating an imaginary name or form for the Lord. Sripada Sankaracarya was an impersonalist, but nevertheless he said, narayanah paro ’vyaktat: Narayana, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is not a person of the material world. We cannot assign Narayana a material designation, as the foolish attempt to do when they speak of daridra-narayana (poor Narayana). Narayana is always transcendental, beyond this material creation. How can He become daridra-narayana? Poverty is found within this material world, but in the spiritual world, there is no such thing as poverty. Therefore the idea of daridra-narayana is merely a concoction.

Daksa very carefully points out that material designations cannot be names of the worshipable Lord: yad yan niruktam vacasa nirupitam. Nirukta refers to the Vedic dictionary. One cannot properly understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead merely by picking up expressions from a dictionary. In praying to the Lord, Daksa does not wish material names and forms to be the objects of his worship; rather, he wants to worship the Lord, who existed before the creation of material dictionaries and names. As confirmed in the Vedas, yato vaco nivartante/ aprapya manasa saha: the name, form, attributes and paraphernalia of the Lord cannot be ascertained through a material dictionary. However, if one reaches the transcendental platform of understanding the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he becomes well acquainted with everything, material and spiritual. This is confirmed in another Vedic mantra: tam eva viditvati mrtyum eti. If one can somehow or other, by the grace of the Lord, understand the transcendental position of the Lord, one becomes eternal. This is further confirmed by the Lord Himself in Bhagavad-gita (4.9):

janma karma ca me divyam
evam yo vetti tattvatah
tyaktva deham punar janma
naiti mam eti so ’rjuna

“One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.” Simply by understanding the Supreme Lord, one goes beyond birth, death, old age and disease. Srila Sukadeva Gosvami therefore advised Maharaja Pariksit in Srimad-Bhagavatam (2.1.5):

tasmad bharata sarvatma
bhagavan isvaro harih
srotavyah kirtitavyas ca
smartavyas cecchatabhayam

“O descendant of King Bharata, one who desires to be free from all miseries must hear, glorify and also remember the Personality of Godhead. who is the Supersoul, the controller and the savior from all miseries.”

Next verse (SB6.4.30)