Text-01-02
SB 10.7.1-2
sri-rajovaca
yena yenavatarena
bhagavan harir isvarah
karoti karna-ramyani
mano-jñani ca nah prabho
yac-chrnvato ’paity aratir vitrsna
sattvam ca suddhyaty acirena pumsah
bhaktir harau tat-puruse ca sakhyam
tad eva haram vada manyase cet
Translation by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
King Pariksit said: My lord, Sukadeva Gosvami, all the various activities exhibited by the incarnations of the Supreme Personality of Godhead are certainly pleasing to the ear and to the mind. Simply by one’s hearing of these activities, the dirty things in one’s mind immediately vanish. Generally we are reluctant to hear about the activities of the Lord, but Krsna’s childhood activities are so attractive that they are automatically pleasing to the mind and ear. Thus one’s attachment for hearing about material things, which is the root cause of material existence, vanishes, and one gradually develops devotional service to the Supreme Lord, attachment for Him, and friendship with devotees who give us the contribution of Krsna consciousness. If you think it fit, kindly speak about those activities of the Lord.
Purport by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada:
As stated in the Prema-vivarta:
krsna-bahirmukha haiya bhoga-vañcha kare
nikata-stha maya tare japatiya dhare
Our material existence is maya, or illusion, in which we desire different varieties of material enjoyment and therefore change to different varieties of bodies (bhramayan sarva-bhutani yantrarudhani mayaya). Asann api klesada asa dehah: as long as we have these temporary bodies, they give us many varieties of tribulation adhyatmika, adhibhautika and adhidaivika. This is the root cause of all suffering, but this root cause of suffering can be removed by revival of our Krsna consciousness. All the Vedic literatures presented by Vyasadeva and other great sages are therefore intended to revive our Krsna consciousness, which begins to revive with sravana-kirtanam: srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah (Bhag. 1.2.17). Srimad-Bhagavatam and other Vedic literatures exist simply to give us a chance to hear about Krsna. Krsna has different avataras, or incarnations, all of which are wonderful and which arouse one’s inquisitiveness, but generally such avataras as Matsya, Kurma and Varaha are not as attractive as Krsna. First of all, however, we have no attraction for hearing about Krsna, and this is the root cause of our suffering.
But Pariksit Maharaja specifically mentions that the wonderful activities of baby Krsna, which amazed mother Yasoda and the other inhabitants of Vraja, are especially attractive. From the very beginning of His childhood, Krsna killed Putana, Trnavarta and Sakatasura and showed the entire universe within His mouth. Thus the pastimes of Krsna, one after another, kept mother Yasoda and all the inhabitants of Vraja in great astonishment. The process to revive one’s Krsna consciousness is adau sraddha tatah sadhu-sangah (Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 1.4.15). The pastimes of Krsna can be properly received from devotees. If one has developed a little bit of Krsna consciousness by hearing from Vaisnavas about the activities of Krsna, one becomes attached to Vaisnavas who are interested only in Krsna consciousness. Therefore Pariksit Maharaja recommends that one hear about Krsna’s childhood activities, which are more attractive than the activities of other incarnations, such as Matsya, Kurma and Varaha. Wanting to hear more and more from Sukadeva Gosvami, Maharaja Pariksit requested him to continue describing Krsna’s childhood activities, which are especially easy to hear and which create more and more inquisitiveness.