vyāsa uvāca bhikṣubhir vipravasite vijñānādeṣṭṛbhis tava vartamāno vayasy ādye tataḥ kim akarod bhavān
Synonyms
śrī vyāsaḥ uvāca—Sri Vyasdeva said; bhikṣubhiḥ—by the great mendicants; vipravasite—having departed from there for other places; vijñāna—scientific knowledge in transcendence; ādeṣṭṛbhiḥ—those who had instructed; tava—of your; vartamānaḥ—present; vayasi—of the duration of life; ādye—before the beginning of; tataḥ—after that; kim—what; akarot—did do; bhavān—your goodself.
Translation
Sri Vyasdeva asked Sri Naradaji, what did he do after the departure of the great sages who had instructed him about scientific transcendental knowledge before the beginning of the present birth.
Purport
Vyasdeva himself was the disciple of Naradaji and therefore it is natural to be anxious to hear from him what did he do after initiation from the spiritual masters. He wanted to follow Narad's foot prints inorder to attain to the same perfect stage of life. This inquisitiveless of the disciple to enquire from the spiritual master is an essential factor to march progressively on the spiritual path. This process is technically known as 'Satdharma Prichha.