The ancient region of 'Shrutakal' resides upon the banks of the river Ganges located halfway between Delhi and Haridwar, its history is glorious as this is the place where the great king Pariksit fasted until death and this is the place where a great spiritual personality narrated the Bhagavatam.

'Srimad Bhagavatam' means the beautiful ( srimad ) pastimes of the lord ( bhagavan ) it describes some of the lilas which have taken place throughout this and many other universes and as the sages gathered to hear these pastimes they eagerly anticipated the coming of the great narrator of the Bhagavatam.

Village people were unable to appreciate his presence as they followed him and saw only a naked madman, but as he approached his destination their astonishment rose as one by one the most powerful kings on planet earth and the greatest ascetics all bowed down in reverence.

'Sukadeva Gosvami' took his rightful place, the Vyasasana which was placed under the soothing shade of the holy Aksha Vrksha tree, and now it was time to speak the Bhagavatam, the reason for his birth as Sukadeva Gosvami.

The previous life of Sukadeva was 'Suka Lila' the pet parrot of Srimati Radharani who would pet him lovingly and feed him pomegranate seeds and as she caressed him she would tell him 'bolo Krsna, Krsna' and give him messages to deliver to Krsna.

As the pastimes of RadhaKrsna came to a close and they prepared to leave, Suka Lila was told he would have to remain behind as it was his duty to propagate the glories of the Bhagavatam and as Suka descended into a great depression he travelled the world in search of RadhaKrsna Lila.

Once while perched upon a branch he listened to Lord Siva as he narrated the pastimes of Krsna to Parvatti. Siva soon perceived the presence of one who had not been invited and angrily chased after the parrot who fled to the ashram of Vedavyasa and hid within the body of his wife, Vitika.

Its an observable reality how someone we love becomes so dear to us the mere mention of their name immediately holds our attention, or if we lose someone we love, anything which reminds us of them immediately sends us into a state of lamentation, and the spiritual reality is unlimitedly more potent.

And so years later when 'Suka' the parrot appeared from the womb of Vitika, as 'Sukadeva Gosvami' and began to preach the glories of the Bhagavatam, he was unable to say her name, so devoted was he to Radharani that the mere mention of her name would put him into trance for many months, and so throughout the Bhagavatam he never mentions her name.

The glories of Srimati Radharani are actually there on every page of the Bhagavatam but like the beauty of a chaste wife they are hidden from unqualified eyes, and if Srimati Radharani was not present in the pages of the Bhagavatam Lord Chaitanya would never have held it close to his heart.

Srimati Radharani is however clearly mentioned in verse 10.20.38 with the words 'anayaradhito nuna, bhagavan harir isvara, yan no vihaya govinda, prito yam anayad rahah' her presence revealed in the word 'anayaradhito' the translation of the verse being;

'Certainly this particular Gopi has perfectly worshiped the all-powerful personality of godhead 'Govinda' since He was so pleased with Her that He abandoned the rest of us and brought Her to a secluded place.' S.B.10.20.38.

As a parrot has the ability to ripen a mango making it all the more relishable, so Sukadeva Gosvami having tasted the nectar of the Bhagavatam has made it ever more relishable for those desiring to cross over this ocean of samsara.

Sukadeva Gosvami was an eternally liberated soul, one of the great spiritual personalities whose previous existence was the pet parrot of Srimati Radharani and his lila was to propogate the great 'Srimad Bhagavatam' the beautiful ( srimad ) story of the lord ( bhagavatam ) and Srila Visvanath Cakravati Thakura comments;

'The sage 'Shukadeva Gosvam' has tried with all endeavor to keep Her name hidden, but now it automatically shines forth from the moon of his mouth. That he has spoken Her name is indeed Her mercy, and thus the word 'aradhitah' is like the rumbling of a kettledrum sounded to announce Her great good fortune.”