The Four Kinds of Cosmic Annihilation

Verse 1 (bhagavata.12.4.1)

श्रीशुक उवाच कालस्ते परमाण्वादिर्द्विपरार्धावधिर्नृप । कथितो युगमानं च शृणु कल्पलयावपि ॥ १ ॥

śrī-śuka uvāca kālas te paramāṇv-ādir dvi-parārdhāvadhir nṛpa kathito yuga-mānaṁ ca śṛṇu kalpa-layāv api

Shri Shuka said: O King, I have already told you of Time, from its smallest unit, the atom, up to its farthest limit, the two parardhas of Brahma's lifetime, and of the measure of the yugas as well. Now hear also of the kalpa and of dissolution.

Verse 2 (bhagavata.12.4.2)

चतुर्युगसहस्रं तु ब्रह्मणो दिनमुच्यते । स कल्पो यत्र मनवश्चतुर्दश विशाम्पते ॥ २ ॥

catur-yuga-sahasraṁ tu brahmaṇo dinam ucyate sa kalpo yatra manavaś caturdaśa viśām-pate

A thousand cycles of the four ages together make a single day of Brahma; that span, O lord of men, is a kalpa, within which fourteen Manus arise and pass away.

Verse 3 (bhagavata.12.4.3)

तदन्ते प्रलयस्तावान् ब्राह्मी रात्रिरुदाहृता । त्रयो लोका इमे तत्र कल्पन्ते प्रलयाय हि ॥ ३ ॥

tad-ante pralayas tāvān brāhmī rātrir udāhṛtā trayo lokā ime tatra kalpante pralayāya hi

At the end of that day comes a dissolution of equal length, called Brahma's night; during it, these three worlds are given over to destruction.

Verse 4 (bhagavata.12.4.4)

एष नैमित्तिकः प्रोक्तः प्रलयो यत्र विश्वसृक् । शेतेऽनन्तासनो विश्वमात्मसात्कृत्य चात्मभूः ॥ ४ ॥

eṣa naimittikaḥ proktaḥ pralayo yatra viśva-sṛk śete ’nantāsano viśvam ātmasāt-kṛtya cātma-bhūḥ

This is called the naimittika, or occasional, dissolution, in which the creator of the universe, resting upon Ananta as His couch, draws the whole universe into Himself, while Brahma himself sleeps.

Verse 5 (bhagavata.12.4.5)

द्विपरार्धे त्वतिक्रान्ते ब्रह्मणः परमेष्ठिनः । तदा प्रकृतयः सप्त कल्पन्ते प्रलयाय वै ॥ ५ ॥

dvi-parārdhe tv atikrānte brahmaṇaḥ parameṣṭhinaḥ tadā prakṛtayaḥ sapta kalpante pralayāya vai

When the two parardhas, the full lifetime of Brahma, the most exalted of created beings, have passed, then even the seven basic elements of creation are given over to dissolution.

Verse 6 (bhagavata.12.4.6)

एष प्राकृतिको राजन् प्रलयो यत्र लीयते । अण्डकोषस्तु सङ्घातो विघाट उपसादिते ॥ ६ ॥

eṣa prākṛtiko rājan pralayo yatra līyate aṇḍa-koṣas tu saṅghāto vighāta upasādite

O King, this is called the prakritika, or elemental, dissolution, in which the very shell of the cosmic egg, formed by the aggregation of the elements, comes apart.

Verse 7 (bhagavata.12.4.7)

पर्जन्यः शतवर्षाणि भूमौ राजन् न वर्षति । तदा निरन्ने ह्यन्योन्यं भक्ष्यमाणाः क्षुधार्दिताः । क्षयं यास्यन्ति शनकैः कालेनोपद्रुताः प्रजाः ॥ ७ ॥

parjanyaḥ śata-varṣāṇi bhūmau rājan na varṣati tadā niranne hy anyonyaṁ bhakṣyamāṇāḥ kṣudhārditāḥ kṣayaṁ yāsyanti śanakaiḥ kālenopadrutāḥ prajāḥ

O King, at that time the clouds will withhold rain from the earth for a hundred years. Then, the land bare of grain, creatures tormented by hunger will begin devouring one another, and, harried by the force of Time, all beings will slowly perish.

Verse 8 (bhagavata.12.4.8)

सामुद्रं दैहिकं भौमं रसं सांवर्तको रविः । रश्मिभिः पिबते घोरैः सर्वं नैव विमुञ्चति ॥ ८ ॥

sāmudraṁ daihikaṁ bhaumaṁ rasaṁ sāṁvartako raviḥ raśmibhiḥ pibate ghoraiḥ sarvaṁ naiva vimuñcati

Then the sun, in its all-consuming form, will drink up with its terrible rays every trace of moisture — from the ocean, from living bodies, and from the earth itself — and give nothing back in return.

Verse 9 (bhagavata.12.4.9)

ततः संवर्तको वह्निः सङ्कर्षणमुखोत्थितः । दहत्यनिलवेगोत्थः शून्यान् भूविवरानथ ॥ ९ ॥

tataḥ saṁvartako vahniḥ saṅkarṣaṇa-mukhotthitaḥ dahaty anila-vegotthaḥ śūnyān bhū-vivarān atha

Then the great fire of destruction, rising from the mouth of Lord Sankarshana and driven onward by the force of the wind, will burn through the now-empty hollows of the earth.

Verse 10 (bhagavata.12.4.10)

उपर्यधः समन्ताच्च शिखाभिर्वह्निसूर्ययोः । दह्यमानं विभात्यण्डं दग्धगोमयपिण्डवत् ॥ १० ॥

upary adhaḥ samantāc ca śikhābhir vahni-sūryayoḥ dahyamānaṁ vibhāty aṇḍaṁ dagdha-gomaya-piṇḍa-vat

Burning from above, from below, and on every side by the flames of that fire and of the sun, the cosmic egg will come to glow like a lump of scorched dung.

Verse 11 (bhagavata.12.4.11)

ततः प्रचण्डपवनो वर्षाणामधिकं शतम् । परः सांवर्तको वाति धूम्रं खं रजसावृतम् ॥ ११ ॥

tataḥ pracaṇḍa-pavano varṣāṇām adhikaṁ śatam paraḥ sāṁvartako vāti dhūmraṁ khaṁ rajasāvṛtam

After that, for more than a hundred years, a fierce and mighty wind of destruction will blow, and the sky, thick with dust, will turn the color of smoke.

Verse 12 (bhagavata.12.4.12)

ततो मेघकुलान्यङ्ग चित्र वर्णान्यनेकशः । शतं वर्षाणि वर्षन्ति नदन्ति रभसस्वनैः ॥ १२ ॥

tato megha-kulāny aṅga citra varṇāny anekaśaḥ śataṁ varṣāṇi varṣanti nadanti rabhasa-svanaiḥ

After that, dear one, banks of many-hued clouds will gather in their multitudes, thundering fiercely, and will pour down rain without cease for a hundred years.

Verse 13 (bhagavata.12.4.13)

तत एकोदकं विश्वं ब्रह्माण्डविवरान्तरम् ॥ १३ ॥

tata ekodakaṁ viśvaṁ brahmāṇḍa-vivarāntaram

Then the entire hollow of the cosmic shell will become a single expanse of water.

Verse 14 (bhagavata.12.4.14)

तदा भूमेर्गन्धगुणं ग्रसन्त्याप उदप्लवे । ग्रस्तगन्धा तु पृथिवी प्रलयत्वाय कल्पते ॥ १४ ॥

tadā bhūmer gandha-guṇaṁ grasanty āpa uda-plave grasta-gandhā tu pṛthivī pralayatvāya kalpate

At that time, in that great flood, the waters will seize from the earth its own quality, fragrance; and the earth, stripped of its fragrance, will become fit for dissolution.

Verse 15 (bhagavata.12.4.15)

अपां रसमथो तेजस्ता लीयन्तेऽथ नीरसाः । ग्रसते तेजसो रूपं वायुस्तद्रहितं तदा ॥ १५ ॥

apāṁ rasam atho tejas tā līyante ’tha nīrasāḥ grasate tejaso rūpaṁ vāyus tad-rahitaṁ tadā

Then fire will seize from water its quality, taste, and water, its taste gone, will merge into fire. Then air will seize from fire its quality, form, and fire, its form gone, will merge into air.

Verse 16 (bhagavata.12.4.16)

लीयते चानिले तेजो वायोः खं ग्रसते गुणम् । स वै विशति खं राजंस्ततश्च नभसो गुणम् ॥ १६ ॥

līyate cānile tejo vāyoḥ khaṁ grasate guṇam sa vai viśati khaṁ rājaṁs tataś ca nabhaso guṇam

Thus fire will merge into air. Then ether will seize from air its quality, touch, and air, O King, will thereupon enter into ether, surrendering its quality.

Verse 17 (bhagavata.12.4.17)

शब्दं ग्रसति भूतादिर्नभस्तमनुलीयते । तैजसश्चेन्द्रियाण्यङ्ग देवान् वैकारिको गुणैः ॥ १७ ॥

śabdaṁ grasati bhūtādir nabhas tam anu līyate taijasaś cendriyāṇy aṅga devān vaikāriko guṇaiḥ

Then false ego in ignorance will seize from ether its quality, sound, and ether will merge into it. False ego in passion will draw the senses back into itself, and false ego in goodness, together with the modes, will draw the presiding deities back into itself.

Verse 18 (bhagavata.12.4.18)

महान् ग्रसत्यहङ्कारं गुणाः सत्त्वादयश्च तम् । ग्रसतेऽव्याकृतं राजन् गुणान् कालेन चोदितम् ॥ १८ ॥

mahān grasaty ahaṅkāraṁ guṇāḥ sattvādayaś ca tam grasate ’vyākṛtaṁ rājan guṇān kālena coditam

Then the total material intelligence, Mahat, will draw false ego back into itself, and the three modes, goodness and the rest, will draw Mahat back into themselves. Driven onward by Time, O King, the unmanifest primal nature will draw even the modes back into itself.

Verse 19 (bhagavata.12.4.19)

न तस्य कालावयवैः परिणामादयो गुणाः । अनाद्यनन्तमव्यक्तं नित्यं कारणमव्ययम् ॥ १९ ॥

na tasya kālāvayavaiḥ pariṇāmādayo guṇāḥ anādy anantam avyaktaṁ nityaṁ kāraṇam avyayam

That unmanifest nature is not subject to change through the divisions of time; it is without beginning or end, unmanifest, eternal, the imperishable cause of all.

Verse 20 (bhagavata.12.4.20)

न यत्र वाचो न मनो न सत्त्वं तमो रजो वा महदादयोऽमी । न प्राणबुद्धीन्द्रियदेवता वा न सन्निवेशः खलु लोककल्पः ॥ २० ॥

na yatra vāco na mano na sattvaṁ tamo rajo vā mahad-ādayo ’mī na prāṇa-buddhīndriya-devatā vā na sanniveśaḥ khalu loka-kalpaḥ

There, in that unmanifest state, there is no speech, no mind, none of these — neither goodness, ignorance nor passion, nor the Mahat and the rest; no life-breath, intellect, senses, or presiding deities; nor is there any ordered arrangement resembling the worlds,

Verse 21 (bhagavata.12.4.21)

न स्वप्नजाग्रन्न च तत् सुषुप्तं न खं जलं भूरनिलोऽग्निरर्कः । संसुप्तवच्छून्यवदप्रतर्क्यं तन्मूलभूतं पदमामनन्ति ॥ २१ ॥

na svapna-jāgran na ca tat suṣuptaṁ na khaṁ jalaṁ bhūr anilo ’gnir arkaḥ saṁsupta-vac chūnya-vad apratarkyaṁ tan mūla-bhūtaṁ padam āmananti

there is neither waking, dreaming, nor deep sleep; no ether, water, earth, air, fire, or sun. Like one deep asleep, like utter emptiness, beyond all reasoning — that is the root state which the wise declare to be the ultimate ground of all.

Verse 22 (bhagavata.12.4.22)

लयः प्राकृतिको ह्येष पुरुषाव्यक्तयोर्यदा । शक्तयः सम्प्रलीयन्ते विवशाः कालविद्रुताः ॥ २२ ॥

layaḥ prākṛtiko hy eṣa puruṣāvyaktayor yadā śaktayaḥ sampralīyante vivaśāḥ kāla-vidrutāḥ

This is the prakritika dissolution, in which the very powers belonging to the Supreme Person and to unmanifest nature, swept helplessly along by Time, merge completely away.

Verse 23 (bhagavata.12.4.23)

बुद्धीन्द्रियार्थरूपेण ज्ञानं भाति तदाश्रयम् । दृश्यत्वाव्यतिरेकाभ्यामाद्यन्तवदवस्तु यत् ॥ २३ ॥

buddhīndriyārtha-rūpeṇa jñānaṁ bhāti tad-āśrayam dṛśyatvāvyatirekābhyām ādy-antavad avastu yat

Pure consciousness alone shines forth in the forms of intelligence, the senses, and the objects of sense, and remains their sole support; whatever has a beginning and an end is unreal, by virtue of being perceived and of being non-different from its own cause.

Verse 24 (bhagavata.12.4.24)

दीपश्चक्षुश्च रूपं च ज्योतिषो न पृथग् भवेत् । एवं धीः खानि मात्राश्च न स्युरन्यतमादृतात् ॥ २४ ॥

dīpaś cakṣuś ca rūpaṁ ca jyotiṣo na pṛthag bhavet evaṁ dhīḥ khāni mātrāś ca na syur anyatamād ṛtāt

A lamp, the eye that sees by it, and the form that is seen are none of them separate from the element of light. In the same way, intelligence, the senses, and the objects they perceive have no existence apart from that one reality on which they all depend.

Verse 25 (bhagavata.12.4.25)

बुद्धेर्जागरणं स्वप्नः सुषुप्तिरिति चोच्यते । मायामात्रमिदं राजन् नानात्वं प्रत्यगात्मनि ॥ २५ ॥

buddher jāgaraṇaṁ svapnaḥ suṣuptir iti cocyate māyā-mātram idaṁ rājan nānātvaṁ pratyag-ātmani

Waking, dreaming and deep sleep are said to be merely states of the intellect. O King, this appearance of multiplicity within the one indwelling Self is nothing but illusion.

Verse 26 (bhagavata.12.4.26)

यथा जलधरा व्योम्नि भवन्ति न भवन्ति च । ब्रह्मणीदं तथा विश्वमवयव्युदयाप्ययात् ॥ २६ ॥

yathā jala-dharā vyomni bhavanti na bhavanti ca brahmaṇīdaṁ tathā viśvam avayavy udayāpyayāt

Just as clouds appear and disappear in the sky, so too this universe, through the arising and passing away of its component parts, appears and disappears within Brahman, the one undivided whole.

Verse 27 (bhagavata.12.4.27)

सत्यं ह्यवयवः प्रोक्तः सर्वावयविनामिह । विनार्थेन प्रतीयेरन् पटस्येवाङ्ग तन्तवः ॥ २७ ॥

satyaṁ hy avayavaḥ proktaḥ sarvāvayavinām iha vinārthena pratīyeran paṭasyevāṅga tantavaḥ

It is said that, in this world, the parts of any composite thing are held to be just as real as the whole itself — just as, dear one, the threads of a cloth can indeed be perceived apart from the cloth they compose.

Verse 28 (bhagavata.12.4.28)

यत् सामान्यविशेषाभ्यामुपलभ्येत स भ्रमः । अन्योन्यापाश्रयात् सर्वमाद्यन्तवदवस्तु यत् ॥ २८ ॥

yat sāmānya-viśeṣābhyām upalabhyeta sa bhramaḥ anyonyāpāśrayāt sarvam ādy-antavad avastu yat

But whatever is perceived only in terms of a general cause and its particular effect is, in truth, a mere delusion, since the two depend on one another for their very existence; and whatever has a beginning and an end is, in that sense, unreal.

Verse 29 (bhagavata.12.4.29)

विकारः ख्यायमानोऽपि प्रत्यगात्मानमन्तरा । न निरूप्योऽस्त्यणुरपि स्याच्चेच्चित्सम आत्मवत् ॥ २९ ॥

vikāraḥ khyāyamāno ’pi pratyag-ātmānam antarā na nirūpyo ’sty aṇur api syāc cec cit-sama ātma-vat

Even a perceived transformation cannot be truly defined apart from the witnessing Self; not even a single atom can be shown to exist, unless it partakes of consciousness after the manner of the Self itself.

Verse 30 (bhagavata.12.4.30)

न हि सत्यस्य नानात्वमविद्वान् यदि मन्यते । नानात्वं छिद्रयोर्यद्वज्ज्योतिषोर्वातयोरिव ॥ ३० ॥

na hi satyasya nānātvam avidvān yadi manyate nānātvaṁ chidrayor yadvaj jyotiṣor vātayor iva

There is truly no multiplicity in the one Reality, even though the ignorant may believe there is — just as the space seen through two openings, or two lights, or two currents of air seem different from one another, though the underlying space, light and air are each but one.

Verse 31 (bhagavata.12.4.31)

यथा हिरण्यं बहुधा समीयते नृभिः क्रियाभिर्व्यवहारवर्त्मसु । एवं वचोभिर्भगवानधोक्षजो व्याख्यायते लौकिकवैदिकैर्जनैः ॥ ३१ ॥

yathā hiraṇyaṁ bahudhā samīyate nṛbhiḥ kriyābhir vyavahāra-vartmasu evaṁ vacobhir bhagavān adhokṣajo vyākhyāyate laukika-vaidikair janaiḥ

Just as men, according to their various dealings and purposes, fashion a single gold into many forms and call each by a different name, so too Bhagavan Adhokshaja, who lies beyond the reach of the material senses, is described in different terms, both worldly and Vedic, by different people.

Verse 32 (bhagavata.12.4.32)

यथा घनोऽर्कप्रभवोऽर्कदर्शितो ह्यर्कांशभूतस्य च चक्षुषस्तमः । एवं त्वहं ब्रह्मगुणस्तदीक्षितो ब्रह्मांशकस्यात्मन आत्मबन्धनः ॥ ३२ ॥

yathā ghano ’rka-prabhavo ’rka-darśito hy arkāṁśa-bhūtasya ca cakṣuṣas tamaḥ evaṁ tv ahaṁ brahma-guṇas tad-īkṣito brahmāṁśakasyātmana ātma-bandhanaḥ

Just as a cloud, itself born of the sun and made visible only by the sun's own light, nonetheless becomes darkness to the eye — itself but a portion of the sun's own power — so too this false ego, a quality of Brahman revealed only by Brahman's own light, becomes the very bondage of the soul, which is itself but a portion of Brahman.

Verse 33 (bhagavata.12.4.33)

घनो यदार्कप्रभवो विदीर्यते चक्षुः स्वरूपं रविमीक्षते तदा । यदा ह्यहङ्कार उपाधिरात्मनो जिज्ञासया नश्यति तर्ह्यनुस्मरेत् ॥ ३३ ॥

ghano yadārka-prabhavo vidīryate cakṣuḥ svarūpaṁ ravim īkṣate tadā yadā hy ahaṅkāra upādhir ātmano jijñāsayā naśyati tarhy anusmaret

When the cloud born of the sun is torn apart, the eye then beholds the sun in its true form; likewise, when the covering of false ego is destroyed through inquiry into the truth, the soul then recollects its own true nature.

Verse 34 (bhagavata.12.4.34)

यदैवमेतेन विवेकहेतिना मायामयाहङ्करणात्मबन्धनम् । छित्त्वाच्युतात्मानुभवोऽवतिष्ठते तमाहुरात्यन्तिकमङ्ग सम्प्लवम् ॥ ३४ ॥

yadaivam etena viveka-hetinā māyā-mayāhaṅkaraṇātma-bandhanam chittvācyutātmānubhavo ’vatiṣṭhate tam āhur ātyantikam aṅga samplavam

When, by this very sword of discernment, one has thus severed the self's bondage born of illusory false ego, and stands established in the direct realization of Achyuta, the imperishable Self — that, dear one, is called the atyantika, the ultimate dissolution.

Verse 35 (bhagavata.12.4.35)

नित्यदा सर्वभूतानां ब्रह्मादीनां परन्तप । उत्पत्तिप्रलयावेके सूक्ष्मज्ञाः सम्प्रचक्षते ॥ ३५ ॥

nityadā sarva-bhūtānāṁ brahmādīnāṁ parantapa utpatti-pralayāv eke sūkṣma-jñāḥ sampracakṣate

O scorcher of foes, those who know the subtle truths declare that creation and dissolution occur continuously, at every moment, for all beings, beginning with Brahma himself.

Verse 36 (bhagavata.12.4.36)

कालस्रोतोजवेनाशु ह्रियमाणस्य नित्यदा । परिणामिनामवस्थास्ता जन्मप्रलयहेतवः ॥ ३६ ॥

kāla-sroto-javenāśu hriyamāṇasya nityadā pariṇāminām avasthās tā janma-pralaya-hetavaḥ

All things subject to change are swept along without pause by the current of Time, and it is precisely these successive states through which they pass that are the causes of their birth and dissolution.

Verse 37 (bhagavata.12.4.37)

अनाद्यन्तवतानेन कालेनेश्वरमूर्तिना । अवस्था नैव दृश्यन्ते वियति ज्योतिषामिव ॥ ३७ ॥

anādy-antavatānena kāleneśvara-mūrtinā avasthā naiva dṛśyante viyati jyotiṣām iva

These successive states, brought about by this beginningless and endless Time, the very form of the Lord, are not directly seen — just as the movement of the stars and planets across the sky cannot itself be directly seen.

Verse 38 (bhagavata.12.4.38)

नित्यो नैमित्तिकश्चैव तथा प्राकृतिको लयः । आत्यन्तिकश्च कथितः कालस्य गतिरीदृशी ॥ ३८ ॥

nityo naimittikaś caiva tathā prākṛtiko layaḥ ātyantikaś ca kathitaḥ kālasya gatir īdṛśī

Thus have I described the fourfold dissolution — continuous, occasional, elemental, and ultimate. Such is the movement of Time.

Verse 39 (bhagavata.12.4.39)

एताः कुरुश्रेष्ठ जगद्विधातु- र्नारायणस्याखिलसत्त्वधाम्नः । लीलाकथास्ते कथिताः समासतः कार्त्स्न्येन नाजोऽप्यभिधातुमीशः ॥ ३९ ॥

etāḥ kuru-śreṣṭha jagad-vidhātur nārāyaṇasyākhila-sattva-dhāmnaḥ līlā-kathās te kathitāḥ samāsataḥ kārtsnyena nājo ’py abhidhātum īśaḥ

O best of the Kurus, these narrations of the pastimes of Lord Narayana, the maker of this universe and the abode of all existence, I have related to you only in brief summary. Even Brahma, the unborn one himself, is not able to recount them in their entirety.

Verse 40 (bhagavata.12.4.40)

संसारसिन्धुमतिदुस्तरमुत्तितीर्षो- र्नान्यः प्लवो भगवतः पुरुषोत्तमस्य । लीलाकथारसनिषेवणमन्तरेण पुंसो भवेद् विविधदुःखदवार्दितस्य ॥ ४० ॥

saṁsāra-sindhum ati-dustaram uttitīrṣor nānyaḥ plavo bhagavataḥ puruṣottamasya līlā-kathā-rasa-niṣevaṇam antareṇa puṁso bhaved vividha-duḥkha-davārditasya

For a person scorched by the manifold fires of suffering and longing to cross the well-nigh impassable ocean of worldly existence, there is no other boat than the cultivated relish for the narrations of the pastimes of Bhagavan Purushottama.

Verse 41 (bhagavata.12.4.41)

पुराणसंहितामेतामृषिर्नारायणोऽव्ययः । नारदाय पुरा प्राह कृष्णद्वैपायनाय सः ॥ ४१ ॥

purāṇa-saṁhitām etām ṛṣir nārāyaṇo ’vyayaḥ nāradāya purā prāha kṛṣṇa-dvaipāyanāya saḥ

This compendium of the Puranas was spoken long ago by the imperishable sage Nara-Narayana to Narada, and by him, in turn, to Krishna Dvaipayana.

Verse 42 (bhagavata.12.4.42)

स वै मह्यं महाराज भगवान् बादरायणः । इमां भागवतीं प्रीतः संहितां वेदसम्मिताम् ॥ ४२ ॥

sa vai mahyaṁ mahā-rāja bhagavān bādarāyaṇaḥ imāṁ bhāgavatīṁ prītaḥ saṁhitāṁ veda-sammitām

That very Bhagavan Badarayana, O great king, taught this same compendium, the Bhagavata, equal in stature to the Vedas, to me out of love.

Verse 43 (bhagavata.12.4.43)

इमां वक्ष्यत्यसौ सूत ऋषिभ्यो नैमिषालये । दीर्घसत्रे कुरुश्रेष्ठ सम्पृष्टः शौनकादिभिः ॥ ४३ ॥

imāṁ vakṣyaty asau sūta ṛṣibhyo naimiṣālaye dīrgha-satre kuru-śreṣṭha sampṛṣṭaḥ śaunakādibhiḥ

O best of the Kurus, this same Suta will speak it to the sages assembled at Naimisharanya during their long sacrificial session, when he is questioned by Shaunaka and the others.