Sûta
said: "The Godhead who by Brahmâ, Indra, Rudra and the
children of heaven [the Maruts]
is praised with transcendental prayers and about whom the
Sâma Veda chanters with arrangements of mantras from the
Vedas, their limbs [the angas]
and the Upanishads
are singing; the Godhead upon whom the yogis, seeing Him in
their minds, concentrate in the meditative position; He whose
end is not known to anyone among the enlightened or
unenlightened - unto Him I offer my obeisances.
Sûta
said: "The Godhead whom Brahmâ, Indra, Rudra and the
children of heaven [Maruts] praise with
transcendental prayers; whom the Sâma-veda chanters
with arrangements of mantras with the Vedas, their limbs
[the angas], and the upanishads sing about; whom
seeing in their mind the yogis in the meditative position
fix upon; and whose end is not known to any of the
enlightened or unenlightened; unto Him I offer my
obeisances. (Vedabase)
Text
2
By the
scratching edges of the stones of Mandara
mountain that most heavily rotated upon His back the Supreme
Personality of Godhead in the form of a tortoise
[Kûrma]
became sleepy. May all of you be protected by the winds that
are the traces left behind by the flow of His breathing and the
ceaseless tides of the eb and flow of the water which up to the
present day follows that example of breathing in and
out.
By
the scratching edges of the stones of Mandara untain, most
heavily rotating upon His back, the Supreme Personality of
Godhead in the form of a tortoise [Kûrma]
became sleepy; may all of you be protected by the winds and
the tides of the eb and flow of the water that are the
traces remaining to the flow of His breathing.
(Vedabase)
Text
3
Please listen
to a summation of the number [of verses] of this
[Purâna], the purpose of its subject matter, how
the book should be given away as a gift, what the glory is of
that gift-giving and what the blessing is of the reading,
reciting and so on of this text.
Please
listen to a summation of the counting [of the
verses] of this [purâna], the purpose of
its subject matter, the gifting and the glory of that
gift-giving, and its reading and reciting and so on.
(Vedabase)
Text
4-9
The
Brahmâ Purâna has ten thousand verses, the Padma
Purâna fifty-five thousand, the S'rî Vishnu
Purâna twenty-three thousand and the S'iva Purâna
twenty-four thousand. The S'rîmad Bhâgavatam counts
eighteen thousand, the Nârada Purâna twenty-five
thousand, the Mârkandeya Purâna nine thousand and
the Agni Purâna fifteen thousand four hundred verses. The
Bhavishya Purâna has fourteen thousand five hundred
verses, the Brahma-vaivarta Purâna eighteen thousand and
the Linga Purâna eleven thousand. The Varâha
Purâna offers twenty-four thousand of them, the Skanda
Purâna eighty-one thousand one hundred and the
Vâmana Purâna is described in ten thousand verses.
The Kûrma Purâna is said to have seventeen thousand
verses, the Matsya Purâna has fourteen thousand of them,
the Garuda Purâna next has nineteen thousand and the
Brahmânda Purâna counts twelve thousand. In sum in
the Purânas are this way described some four hundred
thousand of them [*].
Eighteen thousand, as said, is the number of verses in the
Bhâgavatam
[see further under Purâna].
The
Brahmâ Purâna has ten thousand verses, the Padma
Purâna fifty-five thousand, the S'rî Vishnu
Purâna twenty-three thousand and the S'iva
Purâna twenty-four thousand. The S'rîmad
Bhâgavatam eighteen thousand, the Nârada
Purâna twenty-five thousand, the Mârkandeya
Purâna nine thousand and the Agni Purâna fifteen
thousand four hundred verses. The Bhavishya Purâna has
fourteen thousand five hundred, the Brahma-vaivarta
Purâna eighteen thousand and the Linga Purâna
eleven thousand. The Varâha Purâna offers
twenty-four thousand of them, the Skanda Purâna
eighty-one thousand one hundred and the Vâmana
Purâna is described in ten thousand verses. The
Kûrma Purâna is said to have seventeen thousand
verses, the Matsya Purâna has fourteen thousand of
them, the Garuda Purâna next has nineteen thousand and
the Brahmânda Purâna counts twelve thousand. In
sum are in the Purânas this way described some four
hundred thousand of them [*]. Eighteen thousand, as
said, is the number of verses in the Bhâgavatam
[see further under purâna].
(Vedabase)
Text
10
This [tale
of wisdom] was by the Supreme Personality of God
[Narâyâna,
see 3.8-10]
out of mercy first in full revealed to Brahmâ who fearful
of a material existence sat upon the lotus that grew from His
navel [see also 1.1:
1].
This
[wisdom] was by the Supreme Personality of God
[Narâyâna, see 3.8-10] out of mercy
first in full revealed to Brahmâ who fearful of a
material existence sat upon the lotus growing from His navel
[see also 1.1: 1]. (Vedabase)
Text
11-12
From the
beginning to the end filled with accounts on detachment it is
delighting the saintly and godly with the nectar of its many
narrations about the Lord His pastimes. In accord with the
essence of all vedânta philosophy it has the One
Reality Without a Second, that is characterized as the Absolute
Truth [brahma, the impersonal] that is
non-different from the One Soul [âtma, the
personal], as its prime subject and the beatitude [of
emancipation in devotional service or kaivalya] as
the one ultimate goal [**].
From
the beginning to the end full with accounts on detachment is
it, with the nectar of its many narrations of the Lord's
pastimes, delighting the saintly and godly. In accord with
the essence of all vedânta philosophy has itthe One
Reality Without a Second, that is characterized as the
Absolute Truth [brahma, the impersonal]
non-different from the One Soul [âtma, the
personal], as its prime subject and the beatitude
[of emancipation in devotional service or kaivalya]
as the one ultimate goal [**].
(Vedabase)
Text
13
He who gives
the Bhâgavatam as a gift in his full glory ['on a
golden throne'] on the day of the full moon in the month
Bhâdra [August/September] reaches the supreme
destination.
He
who as a gift gives the Bhâgavatam in full glory
['in the full of the golden throne'] on the day of
the full moon in the month Bhâdra
[August/September] reaches the supreme destination.
(Vedabase)
Text
14
Other classical
collections of stories [other bibles, other Purânas
or holy scriptures] are prominent in the assembly of the
saintly only for as long as one does not listen to the great
ocean of nectar which is the Bhâgavatam.
Other
classical collections of stories [other bibles, other
purânas or holy scriptures] shine forth in the
assembly of the saintly only for as long as the great ocean
of nectar of the Bhâgavatam isn't heard.
(Vedabase)
Text
15
The
S'rîmad Bhâgavatam indeed is said to be the essence
of all Vedânta philosophy; someone satisfied by its
nectarean taste is never attracted to any other
influence.
The
S'rîmad Bhâgavatam indeed is said to be the
essence of all vedântic philosophy; for the one
satisfied by its nectarean taste is there never an
attraction elsewhere. (Vedabase)
Text
16
Of all
Purânas this one is just like what the Ganges is in
relation to all rivers flowing towards the sea, what Acyuta is
in relation to all deities and what S'ambhu
[S'iva] is in relation to all devotees.
To
all Purânas is this one just like the Ganges is in
relation to all rivers flowing to the sea, Acyuta is to all
deities and S'ambhu [S'iva] is to all devotees.
(Vedabase)
Text
17
Just like
Kâs'î [Benares] is unsurpassed among all
holy places, S'rîmad Bhâgavatam is matchless among
all the Purânas, o twice-born ones.
The
same way that Kâs'î [Benares] indeed is
unexcelled among all holy place is the S'rîmad
Bhâgavatam so among the many purânas, o
twice-born ones. (Vedabase)
Text
18
S'rîmad
Bhâgavatam is the spotless Purâna most dear to the
Vaishnavas in which the perfectly pure and supreme spiritual
knowledge is celebrated of no one less but the best of
devotees; in it is revealed, together with the knowledge, the
detachment and the devotion, the freedom from all fruitive
labor which will deliver that person who serious in his
conviction with devotion listens, studies and does the mantras
as should.
The
S'rîmad Bhâgavatam is the spotless purâna
in which, most dear to the Vaishnavas, by the topmost
devotees only, the spiritual knowledge perfectly pure and
supreme is celebrated; in there is, together with the
knowledge, the detachment and the devotion, the freedom from
all fruitive labor revealed which will deliver a person who,
with devotion hearing and properly reading and reciting, is
of serious consideration. (Vedabase)
Text
19
I meditate upon
the incomparable torch light of the Immortal Truth that is Free
from Sorrow and long ago was revealed to the deity ['Ka' or
Brahmâ], by whom this transcendental knowledge pure
and uncontaminated was spoken to Nârada the great sage
who delivered it by means of his personal form to Krishna
Dvaipâyana Vyâsa who next expounded it to the king
of the yogis [S'ukadeva] who out of his mercy on his
turn revealed it to [Parîkchit] the grace of the
Fortunate One.
I
meditate upon the incomparable torch light of the Immortal
Truth Free from Sorrow, long ago revealed to the deity
['Ka' or Brahmâ], by which this transcendental
knowledge pure and uncontaminated was spoken to Nârada
the great sage who delivered it by his personal form to
Krishna Dvaipâyana Vyâsa who then clarified it
to the king of the yogis [S'ukadeva] who out of
mercy then enlightened [Parîkchit] the grace
of the Fortunate One with it. (Vedabase)
Text
20
Obeisances to
Him, the Supreme Personality of Godhead Lord Vâsudeva,
the Supreme Witness who mercifully explained this to the deity
who desired liberation.
Obeisances
to Him, the Supreme Personality of Godhead Lord
Vâsudeva, the Supreme Witness who mercifully explained
this to the deity in want of liberation.
(Vedabase)
Text
21
Obeisances to
him, the king of the yogis, S'ukadeva Gosvâmî, the
personal manifestation of the Absolute Truth who freed
[Parîkchit] the grace of Vishnu who was bitten by
the snake of material existence.
Obeisances
to him, the king of the yogîs, S'ukadeva
Gosvâmî, the personal manifestation of the
Absolute Truth who freed [Parîkchit] the grace
of Vishnu who was bitten by the snake of material existence.
(Vedabase)
Text
22
O Lord, You are
our Master, the Lord of the Divinity, therefore please make it
so that we life after life at Your feet may find
bhakti.
O
Lord, because You are our Master, the Lord of the Divinity,
please make it so that life after life the bhakti at Your
feet will arise. (Vedabase)
Text
23
I offer my
obeisances to Him, the Supreme Lord, whose congregational
chanting of the holy name destroys all sins and to whom bowing
down the misery is extinguished."
I
offer my obeisances to Him the Supreme Lord whose
congregational chanting of the holy name destroys all sins
and to whom bowing down the misery is extinguished."
(Vedabase)
*
Next, so
affirms the Matsya Purâna, are there to the Purâna
also a hundred thousand verses found in the Itihâsa (the
single history) of Vyâsa's Mahâbhârata and a
25.000 in the Itihâsa of Vâlmîki's
Ramâyana. Thus the complete number of verses for the
complete collection of classical stories amounts to 525.000
[the smaller Upa-purânas
not counted].
**
This reminds of the theme of Krishna as the Time, Kâla,
and Krishna as the person, the Supreme Soul, the Original
Person. The world seems to be divided in impersonalist science,
philosophy and governance at the one hand and personalist
religion of detachment and personal sentiment in civil
attachment at the other. But with respecting the Time as it
should finding the person and with respecting the person as it
should finding the Time is the problem solved knowing the
oneness of the personal and impersonal to be our equal friend
and guiding father in the beyond Lord Krishna who as the last
word to it states: (in B.G. 18:
6)
'But with all these activities must without doubt, performing
them out of duty, the association with their results be given
up; that, o son of Prithâ, is My last and best word on
it.' Thus are we, free from ulterior motives - the way this
book was written in gratitude for a social security check -, of
emancipation in devotional
service.