SB 7.2.27 · Srimad Bhagavatam

Devanagari

अत्राप्युदाहरन्तीममितिहासं पुरातनम् । यमस्य प्रेतबन्धूनां संवादं तं निबोधत ॥ २७ ॥

Verse text

atrāpy udāharantīmam itihāsaṁ purātanam yamasya preta-bandhūnāṁ saṁvādaṁ taṁ nibodhata

Synonyms

atra — in this connection ; api — indeed ; udāharanti — they cite ; imam — this ; itihāsam — history ; purātanam — very old ; yamasya — of Yamarāja, the superintendent of death, who gives judgment after death ; preta-bandhūnām — of the friends of a dead man ; saṁvādam — discussion ; tam — that ; nibodhata — try to understand.

Translation

In this regard, an example is given from an old history. This involves a discourse between Yamarāja and the friends of a dead person. Please hear it attentively.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

In this regard, an example is given from an old history. Please hear the discussion between Yamarāja and the friends of a dead person. This is a story of lamenting for something that does not deserve lamentation. It is a discussion of Yamarāja with the friends of a deceased person (preta).

Purport

The words itihāsaṁ purātanam mean “an old history.” The Purāṇas are not chronologically recorded, but the incidents mentioned in the Purāṇas are actual histories of bygone ages. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the Mahā-purāṇa, the essence of all the Purāṇas. The Māyāvādī scholars do not accept the Purāṇas, but Śrīla Madhvācārya and all other authorities accept them as the authoritative histories of the world.