Knowledge must be practiced, not merely theorized; liberation is where devotional life to Krishna truly begins.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.2.3 — August 24, 1971, London 710824SB-LONDON [42:08 Minutes] SB-01.02.03_710824SB-LONDON Prabhupāda: [jaya rādhā-mādhava] [breaks] [prema dhvani] [devotees offer obeisances] [02:50] Pradyumna: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. [Prabhupāda and devotees repeat] [leads chanting of verse, etc.] yaḥ svānubhāvam akhila-śruti-sāram ekam adhyātma-dīpam atititīrṣatāṁ tamo 'ndham saṁsāriṇāṁ karuṇayāha purāṇa-guhyaṁ taṁ vyāsa-sūnum upayāmi guruṁ munīnām [SB 1.2.3] Prabhupāda: yaḥ svānubhāvam akhila-śruti-sāram ekam adhyātma-dīpam atititīrṣatāṁ tamo 'ndham saṁsāriṇāṁ karuṇayāha purāṇa-guhyaṁ taṁ vyāsa-sūnum upayāmi guruṁ munīnām [SB 1.2.3] So, yaḥ svānubhāvam akhila-śruti-sāram ekam.
Akhila means entire. [aside:] Hmm. Read the word meaning. Pradyumna: yaḥ—he who; sva-anubhāvam—self-assimilated (experienced); akhila—all around; śruti—Vedas; sāram—cream; ekam—the only one; adhyātma—transcendental; dīpam—torchlight; atititīrṣatām—desiring to overcome; tamaḥ andham—deeply dark material existence; saṁsāriṇām—of the materialistic men; karuṇayā—out of causeless mercy; āha—said; purāṇa—supplementary to the Vedas; guhyam—very confidential; tam—unto him; vyāsa-sūnum—the son of Vyāsadeva; upayāmi—let me offer my obeisances; gurum—spiritual master; munīnām—of the great sages. Translation: "Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto him [Śuka], the spiritual master of all sages, the son of Vyāsadeva, who, out of his great compassion for those gross materialists who struggle to cross over the darkest regions of material existence, spoke this Purāṇa, supplement to the Vedas, the cream of Vedic knowledge, after having personally assimilated it by experience." Prabhupāda: So these are the qualification of spiritual master. What is that?
Svānubhāvam, "must assimilate personally." Svānubhāvam akhila-śruti-sāram. Śruti. The Vedas are called śruti, absolute knowledge. It has to be learned by hearing, not by speculation. Śruti. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet śrotriyam [MU 1.2.12(1)].
From śruti, the śrotriya comes. So he's offering respect to Śukadeva Gosvāmī because he has assimilated the whole Vedic knowledge. Śruti-sāra. What is that sāra? Sāra means essence. What is the ultimate goal of knowledge, essence of knowledge?
This is also explained in Bhagavad-gītā: vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ [Bg. 15.15]. The real purpose of Vedic knowledge is to search out where is Kṛṣṇa. So Śukadeva Gosvāmī assimilated the Vedic knowledge, and he was after Kṛṣṇa. Although he was liberated soul, still, he was after Kṛṣṇa. To become liberated is not the final stage.
To... Liberated means one who understands that he is not this material body. He is liberated. But that much knowledge is not sufficient.
One must act according to that. Just like one is cured of the feverish condition. One was suffering some fever; now there is no fever. That's nice. But that is called convalescent stage.