Text 34
anyeṣāṁ puṇya-ślokānām
uddāma-yaśasāṁ satām
upaśrutya bhaven modaḥ
śrīvatsāṅkasya kiṁ punaḥ
anyeṣām — of others; puṇya-ślokānām — of pious reputation; uddāma-yaśasām — whose fame is spread everywhere; satām — of the devotees; upaśrutya — by hearing; bhavet — may arise; modaḥ — pleasure; śrīvatsa-aṅkasya — of the Lord, who bears the mark Śrīvatsa; kim punaḥ — what to speak of.
What to speak of hearing the pastimes of the Lord, whose chest is marked with Śrīvatsa, people may take transcendental pleasure even in hearing of the works and deeds of the devotees, whose fame is immortal.
Bhāgavatam literally means the pastimes of the Lord and the Lord’s devotees. For example, there are pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa and narrations of devotees like Prahlāda, Dhruva and Mahārāja Ambarīṣa. Both pastimes pertain to the Supreme Personality of Godhead because the devotees’ pastimes are in relation with Him. The Mahābhārata, for example, the history of the Pāṇḍavas and their activities, is sacred because the Pāṇḍavas had a direct relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead.