TEXT 22
त्वं नःसंदशि॔तो धात्रा दुस्तरं निस्तितोष॔ताम्।
कलिं सत्त्वहरं पुंसां कण॔धार इवाण॔वम्॥२२॥
TRANSLATION
"We think that we have met Your Grace by the will of providence, and thus we accept you as captain of the ship for those who desire to cross the dangerous ocean of Kali, which destroys all the good qualities of a human being."
PURPORT
The age of Kali is very dangerous for the human being. Human life is simply meant for self-realization, but due to this dangerous age, men have completely forgotten the aim of life. In this age, the life span will gradually decrease. People will gradually lose their memory, finer sentiments, strength, and better qualities. A list of the anomalies for this age is given in the Twelfth Canto of this work. And so this age is very difficult for those who want to utilize this life for self-realization.
The people are so busy with sense gratification that they completely forget about self-realization. Out of madness they frankly say that there is no need for self-realization because they do not realize that this brief life is but a moment on our great journey towards self-realization.
The whole system of education is geared to sense gratification, and if a learned man thinks it over, he sees that the children of this age are being intentionally sent to the slaughterhouses of so-called education.
Learned men, therefore, must be cautious of this dangerous age, and if they at all want to cross over the dangerous ocean of Kali, they must follow the footsteps of the sages of Naimisaranya and accept Sri Suta Gosvami or his bonafide representative as the captain of the ship. The ship is the message of Lord Sri Krsna in the shape of Bhagavad-gita or the Srimad-Bhagavatam.
TEXT 23
ब्रूहि योगेश्र्वरे कृष्णे ब्रह्मण्ये धम॔वम॔णि।
स्वां काष्ठामधुनोपेते धम॔ः कं शरणं गतः॥२३॥
TRANSLATION
"Now that Sri Krsna, the Absolute Truth, the master of all mystic powers, has departed for His own abode, please tell us by whom religious principles are presently protected."
PURPORT
Essentially religion is the prescribed codes enunciated by the Personality of Godhead Himself. Whenever there is gross misuse or neglect of the principle of religion, the Supreme Lord appears Himself to restore religious principles. This is stated in Bhagavad-gita. Here the sages of Naimisaranya are inquiring about these principles.
The reply to this questions is given later. The Srimad-Bhagavatam is the transcendental sound representation of the Personality of Godhead, and thus it is the full representation of transcendental knowledge and religious principles.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the First Canto, First Chapter of Srimad-Bhagavatma, entitled "Questions by the Sages."