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. ¶
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. ¶