SB 01.07.03 tasmin sva asrame vyaso... cited

Expressions researched:
"asino pa upasprsya" |"badari-sanda-mandite" |"pranidadhyau manah svayam" |"tasmin sva asrame vyaso"

SB Canto 1

SB 1.7.3, Translation and Purport:

In that place, Śrīla Vyāsadeva, in his own āśrama, which was surrounded by berry trees, sat down to meditate after touching water for purification.

Under instructions of his spiritual master Śrīla Nārada Muni, Vyāsadeva concentrated his mind in that transcendental place of meditation.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.7.2-4 -- Durban, October 14, 1975:

There is a place, Śamyāprāsa, above Haridvāra, there Vyāsadeva's āśrama was situated on the river Brahmanadī, Sarasvatī, on the western side, paścime taṭe. Ṛṣīṇāṁ satra-vardhanaḥ, there all the great sages and saintly persons used to perform sacrifice. Tasmin āśrame, tasmin sva āśrame vyāso badarī-ṣaṇḍa-maṇḍite (SB 1.7.3), the āśrama was surrounded by berry trees, badarī-ṣaṇḍa. Ṣaṇḍa means trees. Āsīno 'pa upaspṛśya praṇidadhyau manaḥ svayam. So in that āśrama... Formerly, big, big saintly persons, they used to live in forest āśrama. Now they have to come far away from āśrama to South Africa because people have forgotten. Formerly, big, big persons, they used to visit the āśrama, but nowadays people are not interested. Anartha. They are captivated by the material, external energy. It is said that... Not only now, formerly also, but formerly the number of people who were not interested were very, very small. At the present moment, the number of interested people are very, very small. That is the difference. Kali-yuga. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He inaugurated this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, that people in this age are no more interested in their value of life. They are in darkness. Therefore Vaiṣṇava, under the instruction of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, should go door to door, country to country, town to town, and preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness for their benefit.

Lecture on SB 1.7.2-4 -- Durban, October 14, 1975:

Para-upakāra means to do well to others. This is India's mission. India's mission is to elevate outside Indians. Because outside India, people are interested only how to make money and live materially comfortably. They do not know anything more than that. This is anartha. This is anartha. People have become interested only in bodily comforts. They do not know that we are not this body, we are spirit soul, and we have got different interest of the spirit soul than the bodily interest. The bodily interest is there, even in cats and dogs. They also take care of the body, as much as possible by them. Similarly, if we simply take care of the body and do not take care of my self—what I am, what is my necessity—then it is suicidal. That is going on all over the world. People are interested only in bodily comforts. They do not know that within this body there is spirit soul, and he has got a different type of business or mission. That we have forgotten.

Therefore Vyāsadeva has given us this literature. The history of this literature is being described,

tasmin sva āśrame vyāso

badarī-ṣaṇḍa-maṇḍite

āsīno 'pa upaspṛśya

praṇidadhyau manaḥ svayam

(SB 1.7.3)

Now Nārada Muni instructed him... Nārada Muni is Vyāsadeva's guru. So Vyāsadeva presented before Nārada Muni that "I have written so many books, Mahābhārata, Purāṇas, Vedānta-sūtra, and Upaniṣads, and so many things, but I am not feeling very much happy." So Nārada Muni instructed him that "You have done so many things—that is all right—but you have not described very elaborately about the activities of the Supreme Lord. Therefore you are unhappy. So I advise you that you take up this business in writing. Then you will feel happy." So under his instruction he sat for meditation.