SB 1.7.9

शौनक उवाच
स वै निवृत्तिनिरतः सर्वत्रोपेक्षको मुनिः ।
कस्य वा बृहतीमेतामात्मारामः समभ्यसत् ॥९॥

śaunaka uvāca
sa vai nivṛtti-nirataḥ
sarvatropekṣako muniḥ
kasya vā bṛhatīm etām
ātmārāmaḥ samabhyasat

śaunakaḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigśaunakaḥ

of the name Śaunaka; Śaunaka; Śrī Śaunaka. uvācaplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_biguvāca

answered; described; explained; he recited; he said; inquired; prayed; replied; said; she said; she spoke; spoke; talked with them.—Śrī Śaunaka asked; saḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigsaḥ

mahat-tattva; a person (Kaṁsa); a son; Aghāsura; all; anyone; Bharata Mahārāja; Brahmā; child Parīkṣit; Dakṣa; Dhruva; Dhruva Mahārāja; Dhṛtarāṣṭra; Durvāsā Muni; he (Agastya); he (Aghāsura); he (Ajāmila); he (Ambarīṣa Mahārāja); he (Aṅgirā Ṛṣi); He (Baladeva); he (Bali Mahārāja); he (Brahmā); he (Brahmājī); he (Budha); he (Citraketu); he (Dakṣa); he (Devāpi); he (Dhruva Mahārāja); he (Dhruva); he (Droṇa); he (Durvāsā); he (Emperor Manu); he (Gajendra); he (Garuḍa); he (Hiraṇyakaśipu); he (Hiraṇyakaśipu, the King of the Daityas); he (Indra); he (Jamadagni); he (Janamejaya); he (Jaḍa Bharata); he (Kardama); he (Kaṁsa); he (King Citraketu); he (King Hūhū); he (King Indra); he (King Kaṁsa); he (King Nīpa); he (King Pṛthu); he (King Rantideva); he (King Āgnīdhra); he (Kārtavīryārjuna); He (Kṛṣṇa); He (Lakṣmaṇa, the brother of Lord Rāmacandra); he (Lord Brahmā); He (Lord Kṛṣṇa); He (Lord Rāmacandra); He (Lord Viṣṇu); he (Lord Śiva); he (Mahārāja Ambarīṣa); he (Mahārāja Bharata); he (Mahārāja Priyavrata); he (Mahārāja Rahūgaṇa); he (Maitreya Muni); he (Manu); he (my father); he (Nahuṣa); he (Nābhāga); he (one who is not self-controlled); he (Prahlāda Mahārāja); he (Purūravā); he (Rantideva); he (Sarvatejā); He (Satyasena); he (Soma, the moon-god); he (Svāyambhuva Manu); he (that hunter); he (that uncivilized Kaṁsa); he (the muni); he (the conditioned soul); he (the devotee); he (the great man); he (the individual soul); he (the King); he (the leader of the elephants); He (the Lord); He (the Personality of Godhead); he (the serpent); he (the sun-god); He (the Supreme Lord); He (the Supreme Person); He (the Supreme Personality of Godhead); he (Vasudeva); he (Vasudeva, also known as Ānakadundubhi); he (Venus); he (Vidura); he (Viśvarūpa); He (Vāmanadeva); he (Vāsudeva); he (Vīrabhadra); he (Vṛtra); he (Vṛtrāsura); he (Śukadeva Gosvāmī); he (Śukrācārya); he (Śūra); he (Ṛcīka); he (Ṛṣyaśṛṅga); he; He alone; he is; he, Durvāsā Muni; he, Hariścandra; he, Jamadagni; he, King Purūravā; he, Kārtavīryārjuna; he, Lord Paraśurāma; He, Lord Rāmacandra; he, Mahārāja Ambarīṣa; he, Mahārāja Sagara; he, Prahlāda Mahārāja; he, Purañjaya; he, Purūravā; he, Rohita; he, Rāvaṇa; he, Saubhari Muni; he, Saubhari Ṛṣi; he, so celebrated; he, Soma; he, the brāhmaṇa; he, the King; He, the Lord; he, Varuṇa; he, Vasiṣṭha; he, Vidura; He, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; Hiraṇyakaśipu; Hiraṇyākṣa; His Lordship; His Lordship the Supreme Personality of Godhead; his son Utkala; I am the same powerful person; is he; it; Jambhāsura; Kardama Muni; Kaśyapa; Kaśyapa Muni; King Dakṣa; King Indra; King Malayadhvaja; King Purañjana; King Pṛthu; King Vena; King Yayāti; Kṛṣṇa; Kṛṣṇa Himself; Lord Brahmā; Lord Kṛṣṇa; Lord Śiva; Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; Mahārāja Bharata; Mahārāja Ikṣvāku; Mahārāja Yayāti; Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira; myself; one such as your good self; one who does so; Prahlāda Mahārāja; Prajāpati Dakṣa; Revata; so myself; someone; such; such a devotee; such a person; such a person as I am; such a personality; Sudyumna; Svāyambhuva Manu; that (great demon Maya Dānava); that (having the above symptoms); that (Supreme Personality of Godhead); that (Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa); that brāhmaṇa; that yoga system; that; that Ajāmila; that arrow; that banyan tree; that boy of the name Vena; whether that person; which; You; Your Lordship; yourself.—he; vaiplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigvai

actually; also; always; as a matter of course; as a matter of fact; as either; as I remember; as they are; but; by providence; certainly; duly; easily; either; even; even though; exactly; from whom everything is coming; generally; however; in fact; in particular; in that way; indeed; is certainly; of course; or; positively; undoubtedly; what else is there to say; without fail.—of course; nivṛttiplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bignivṛtti

and cessation of activity; detachment; of detachment; on the path of self-realization; path of self realization; renunciation; stop.—on the path of self-realization; nirataḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigniratah

always engaged; engaged; engaged in.—always engaged; sarvatraplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigsarvatra

all around; all over; always and everywhere within this universe; everywhere (all-pervading); everywhere (in any form of life); everywhere; everywhere in this material world; everywhere, or in the heart of every living being; in all space and time; in every respect.—in every respect; upekṣakaḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigupekṣakaḥ

indifferent.—indifferent; muniḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigmuniḥ

a great personality; a great sage; a great saintly person; a saintly person; a saintly, thoughtful man; a thoughtful person; Agastya Muni; as a great saintly person; great sage; Kapila Muni; like the great sages; Muni; Nārada Muni; sage; Saubhari Muni; such a thoughtful person; the muni; the great sage; the great sage Jamadagni; the great sage Maitreya; the great sage Nārada; the great sage Nārada Muni; the great sage Vālmīki; the King, who was silent due to full mental satisfaction; the learned; the meditative devotee; the philosopher; the philosopher or speculator; the sage; the sage Kardama; the thoughtful; the transcendentalist; thinker; thoughtful; very thoughtful; Viśvāmitra Muni; Vyāsadeva.—sage; kasyaplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigkasya

belonging to whom; by whom; for what; for what reason; for whom; in what respect; of Brahmā; of Dakṣa; of Kaśyapa; of the living (Dakṣa); of what; of whom; to whom; what; whose; whose servants; with Dakṣa, the prajāpati.—for what reason; vāplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigva

also; alternately; and; anything else; as also; as well as; certainly; either; either, or; even though; in all probability; indeed; is either; like this; more; nor; or (in the next life); or (used sarcastically); or; otherwise; rather; the need; then.—or; bṛhatīmplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigbṛhatīm

huge; vast; very large.—vast; etāmplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigetam

as it is; this; this type of behavior.—this; ātmaplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigatma

and of the soul; and of the Supersoul (Paramātmā); and the mind; body; by a manifestation of Yourself; by the body and mind; by the Supreme Personality of Godhead; by themselves; by Yourself; heart; Himself; his; in Himself; in the body; in the living entities; into the self; living being; mind; of all living entities; of Himself; of one's self; of spiritual knowledge; of the mind; of the mind and senses; of the soul; of the Supreme; one's own; own; personal; self; self-realized; soul; spirit; Supersoul; the body and mind; the devotees are the Lord's heart and soul; the mind; the mind and body; the self; the spirit; the Supersoul; the Supreme Personality of Godhead; the Supreme Self; the tree of work; to the body; upon the Supersoul; within; Yourself; ātmā.-ārāmaḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigaramah

relaxation; the gardens; the satisfaction.—one who is pleased in himself; samabhyasatplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigsamabhyasat

undergo the studies.—undergo the studies. ¶

Śrī Śaunaka asked Sūta Gosvāmī: Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī was already on the path of self-realization, and thus he was pleased with his own self. So why did he take the trouble to undergo the study of such a vast literature? ¶

For the people in general the highest perfection of life is to cease from material activities and be fixed on the path of self-realization. Those who take pleasure in sense enjoyment, or those who are fixed in material bodily welfare work, are called karmīs. Out of thousands and millions of such karmīs, one may become an ātmārāma by self-realization. Ātmā means self, and ārāma means to take pleasure. Everyone is searching after the highest pleasure, but the standard of pleasure of one may be different from the standard of another. Therefore, the standard of pleasure enjoyed by the karmīs is different from that of the ātmārāmas. The ātmārāmas are completely indifferent to material enjoyment in every respect. Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī had already attained that stage, and still he was attracted to undergo the trouble of studying the great Bhāgavatam literature. This means that Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is a postgraduate study even for the ātmārāmas, who have surpassed all the studies of Vedic knowledge. ¶