Without Krishna consciousness, all material arrangements—however sophisticated—remain spiritually dead; life itself is Krishna consciousness.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 2.3.14–15 — May 31, 1972, Los Angeles 720531SB-LOS ANGELES [40:32 Minutes] SB-02.03.14–15_720531SB-LOS ANGELES Pradyumna: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Page 142, text number 14.
[leads chanting of verse] We already chanted yesterday, so I will just chant all the lines. [Prabhupāda and devotees repeat] etac chuśrūṣatāṁ vidvan sūta no 'rhasi bhāṣitum kathā hari-kathodarkāḥ satāṁ syuḥ sadasi dhruvam [SB 2.3.14] Prabhupāda: Any? Next, anyone? [devotees chant] Girls.
[ladies chant]. That's all. etac chuśrūṣatāṁ vidvan sūta no 'rhasi bhāṣitum kathā hari-kathodarkāḥ satāṁ syuḥ sadasi dhruvam [SB 2.3.14] Now word meaning? Pradyumna: [leads chanting of synonyms] etat—this; śuśrūṣatām—of those eager to hear; vidvan—O learned; sūta—Sūta Gosvāmī; naḥ—unto us; arhasi—may you do it; bhāṣitum—just to explain it; kathāḥ—topics; hari-kathā-udarkāḥ—result in the topics of the Lord; satām—of the devotees; syuḥ—may be; sadasi—in the assembly of; dhruvam—certainly. [06:34] "O learned Sūta Gosvāmī! Please continue to explain such topics to us, because we are all eager to hear.
Besides that, the topics which result in the discussion of the Lord Hari should certainly be discussed in the assembly of devotees." Prabhupāda: [aside to devotee:] What is this? You stop all this. Hear attentively. Don't divert your attention in that way.
Hmm. Then? Pradyumna: "As we have already quoted above from the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu of Rūpa Gosvāmī, even mundane things, if dovetailed in the service of the Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, are accepted as transcendental. For example, the epics or the histories of Rāmāyaṇa and Mahābhārata, which are specifically recommended for the less intelligent classes of men—women, śūdras and unworthy sons of the higher castes—are also accepted as Vedic literature because they are compiled in connection with the activities of the Lord. "Mahābhārata is accepted as the fifth division of the Vedas after its first four divisions, namely Sāma, Yajur, Ṛg and Atharva. The less intelligent class of men do not accept Mahābhārata as part of the Vedas, but great sages and authorities accept it as the fifth division of the Vedas.
Bhagavad-gītā is also part of the Mahābhārata, and it is full of the Lord's instruction for the less intelligent class of men. "Some less intelligent men say that Bhagavad-gītā is not meant for householders, but such foolish men forget that Bhagavad-gītā was explained to a gṛhastha like Arjuna, and spoken by the Lord in His role as a gṛhastha [family man]. So Bhagavad-gītā, although containing the high philosophy of the Vedic wisdom, is for the beginners in the transcendental science, and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is for the graduates and postgraduates in the transcendental science. Therefore literatures like Mahābhārata, the Purāṇas and similar other literatures which are full of the pastimes of the Lord are all transcendental literatures, and they should be discussed with full confidence in the society of great devotees. "The difficulty is that such literatures, when discussed by professional men, appear to be mundane literature like histories or epics, because there are so many historical facts and figures. It is said here, therefore, that such literatures should be discussed in the assembly of the devotees.
Unless they are discussed by devotees, such literatures cannot be relished by the higher class of men. So the conclusion is that the Lord is not impersonal in the ultimate issue. He is the Supreme Person, and He has His different activities. He is the leader of all living entities, and He descends at His will and by His personal energy to reclaim the fallen souls, playing exactly like the social, political or religious leaders. "Because such roles ultimately culminate in the discussion of topics of the Lord, all such preliminary topics are also transcendental.