1. A matter of great regret in India

    Here we have got, in India especially, so nice literature, Vedic literature. Essence of Vedic literature — Nigama-kalpa-taror galitam phalam [SB 1.1.3]. It is recommended that nigama means Vedas. Nigama is compared with a tree. Nigama-kalpa-taru. Kalpa-taru means desire tree. From the Vedas you can take all kinds of education, knowledge. Therefore it is called kalpa-taru. So as of the tree there are fruits and ripened fruit… Just like mango tree. There are fruits, green mango and ripened mango. The ripened mango is very interesting. So Srimad-Bhagavatam is the ripened mango of the desire tree of Vedic knowledge. Nigama-kalpa-taror galitam phalam suka-mukhat. And everyone knows that the…, if the ripe fruit in the tree is tasted by the parrot, it becomes twice tasteful. So Sukadeva Gosvami, suka-paksi. Suka means parrot. He’s speaking. Suka-mukhad amrta-drava-samyutam, pibata bhuvi bhavukah rasam alayam [SB 1.1.3]. These are the recommendation. So people are not interested. It is a great regret, matter of regret, that in India, where these literatures are available, where the sages and saintly persons left for us such nice literature, vidya-bhagavatavadhi, the limit of all education, they are not interested. They are interested in some other, Marx literatures, Karl Marx literature, not Bhagavatam. This is the India’s misfortune.

    Srila Prabhupada, Talk on Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.25.12 – November 12, 1974, Bombay