The Srimad Bhagavatam deals with ten subjects:

1- Sarga, or the primary creation, done by Lord Maha-Vishnu.
2- Visarga, the secondary creation, done by Lord Brahma.
3- Vrtti, maintenance of the universe.
4- Raksa, the sustenance of all living beings.
5- Antarani, the reigns of the Manus, who take care of the Universal affairs.
6- Vamsah, the dynasties of great kings
7- Vamsa-anucaritam, the narrations of their activities.
8- Samstha (annihilation),
9- Hetuh, the motivation for the living entities’ involvement in material activities.
10- Apasrayah, the Supreme Shelter.

Although each canto explains certain topics with more detail than others, all the 12 cantos contain explanations about all the 10 topics. Because each canto brings knowledge that is suitable for the level of understanding of the reader, we may notice that often the same topic is repeatedly explained in several cantos, but with different details, combined with other topics that help us to deepen our understanding of the first. This may sound confusing for contemporaneous readers, who would expect a book to speak about everything connected with one topic before passing to the next, but this is a scientific system for conveying transcendental knowledge.

This first chapter in the second canto is called “The First Step in God Realization” because it includes an explanation of meditation in the universal form, which is recommended for neophytes, as well as transcendentalists coming from impersonalism, who have difficulties in meditating on the personal form of the Lord. The meditation on the universal form offers a way to adjust their consciousness to the idea that the Lord has a form.

At the end of the first canto, Pariksit Maharaja asked about the way of perfection for all persons, especially for one who is about to die. What should a person hear, chant, remember, and worship? What should he not do?

The answer to this question is the process of pure devotional service to the Lord, which was already hinted at in the first canto. Sukadeva Goswami starts his answer by revealing that the answer to this question is the prime subject matter for hearing, and it is approved by all.

“Those persons who are materially engrossed, being blind to the knowledge of ultimate truth, have many subject matters for hearing in human society, O Emperor.
The lifetime of such an envious householder is passed at night either in sleeping or in sex indulgence, and in the daytime either in making money or maintaining family members.
Persons devoid of ātma-tattva do not inquire into the problems of life, being too attached to the fallible soldiers like the body, children, and wife. Although sufficiently experienced, they still do not see their inevitable destruction.
O descendant of King Bharata, one who desires to be free from all miseries must hear about, glorify and also remember the Personality of Godhead, who is the Supersoul, the controller and the savior from all miseries.” (SB 2.1.2-5)

Verse 2.1.2 mentions the word gṛha-medhinām. “Gṛha” means house. Every married couple is supposed to have a house where they can raise their family, but there are two types of householders. A grhasta is attentive to his spiritual practice and duties and thus conducts his married life in a way that is not contradictory to his spiritual development. That’s what is called “grhasta asrama”, a position where one can practice spirtual life living together with his family.

The verse however refers to another type of householder, the gṛhamedhī, an ordinary materialist who just tries to improve his material position, make money, and enjoy life without any clear spiritual vision. As Prabhupada mentions on 3.22.11: “The difference between gṛhamedhī and gṛhastha is that gṛhastha is also an āśrama, or spiritual order, but if one simply satisfies his senses as a householder, then he is a gṛhamedhī. For a gṛhamedhī, to accept a wife means to satisfy the senses, but for a gṛhastha a qualified wife is an assistant in every respect for advancement in spiritual activities.”

Gṛhamedhīs are just concerned about the needs of the body and mind. They live just to try to satisfy their material ambitions and thus have no time or interest in hearing about self-realization. The problem is that death does not wait for anyone. We have a finite time to live in this world, and this time is properly utilized when we utilize it for attaining eternal life, through the process of spiritual practice, including chanting, hearing about Krsna, worshiping, serving, and so on. A devotee practices during his life and is thus able to pass the ultimate test at the moment of death.

As Prabhupada mentions: “Factually, the human life is meant for making an ultimate solution to birth, death, old age and disease, but the gṛhamedhīs, being illusioned by the material nature, forget everything about self-realization. The ultimate solution to the problems of life is to go back home, back to Godhead, and thus, as stated in the Bhagavad-gītā (8.16), the miseries of material existence — birth, death, old age and disease — are removed.”

Materialists, on the other hand, try to prolong their existence in this material world by surrounding themselves with many fallible soldiers, like body strength, money, relatives, doctors, and so on. In this way, a materialist tries to find a situation where he feels safe and comfortable in this world and many arrangements are made in this direction, but unfortunately, this can’t save a person at the time of death. A materialist thus eventually dies and takes with him to his next body only the reactions to his pious and sinful activities.

It’s important to note that most passages of the scriptures that criticize family life specifically condemn this type of materialistic family life and not family life in Krsna Consciousness. The grhasta asrama is recommended in the scriptures as a viable path of self-realization, and Bhaktivinoda Thakura even recommended it as the safest path in the age we live. One can be a transcendentalist as both a renounced person or as a married man or woman, the main point is to remain stronger in our spiritual practice and not lose track of the goal of life.

Amongst transcendentalists, some cultivate knowledge, some practice mystic yoga, while others strive to practice their duties inside the varnasrama system. However, the perfection for all of these paths is to remember the Lord at the time of death. Our whole lives are actually just a preparation for this test.

“The highest perfection of human life, achieved either by complete knowledge of matter and spirit, by practice of mystic powers, or by perfect discharge of occupational duty, is to remember the Personality of Godhead at the end of life.” (SB 2.1.6)

The ultimate perfection is the stage of nārāyaṇa-smṛti when we can constantly remember the Lord. This stage can be achieved only by association with devotees. There are many instances of great personalities who became devotees and achieved this spiritual perfection after graduating on the path of Karma, Jnana, or Yoga, like the Four Kumaras and the Nive Yogendras, but there are no instances of a pure devotee going back to one of these processes. Sukadeva Goswami himself was perfectly situated in the impersonal platform and nonetheless became attracted to the process of devotional service when he heard the Srimad Bhagavatam.

This proves that the platform of devotional service is the highest stage, as confirmed in the next verses:

“O King Parīkṣit, mainly the topmost transcendentalists, who are above the regulative principles and restrictions, take pleasure in describing the glories of the Lord.”
At the end of the Dvāpara-yuga, I studied this great supplement of Vedic literature named Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, which is equal to all the Vedas, from my father, Śrīla Dvaipāyana Vyāsadeva.
O saintly King, I was certainly situated perfectly in transcendence, yet I was still attracted by the delineation of the pastimes of the Lord, who is described by enlightened verses.
That very Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam I shall recite before you because you are the most sincere devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa. One who gives full attention and respect to hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam achieves unflinching faith in the Supreme Lord, the giver of salvation.” (SB 2.1.10)

Sukadeva Goswami heard the Srimad Bhagavatam from his father before the battle of Kuruksetra, which was the chronological start of Kali-yuga. After that, he wandered as an avaduta until he finally met with Maharaja Pariksit to fulfill his mission of revealing the Srimad Bhagavatam. In terms of years, he was older than Maharaja Pariksit, but he looked like a 16-year-old boy, with extremely beautiful bodily features.

In his purports, Srila Prabhupada emphasizes that the Srimad Bhagavatam should be studied sequentially. One should start from the first cantos and gradually study the whole scripture, instead of reading a piece from here and another from there. The Srimad Bhagavatam is a scripture carefully composed to gradually elevate our consciousness, so we may be able to understand Krsna’s pastimes in the 10th canto and become fixed in meditation on Him.