Bhāgavatam Is the Answer to All Questions

Verse 1 (bhagavata.2.10.1)

श्रीशुक उवाच अत्र सर्गो विसर्गश्च स्थानं पोषणमूतयः । मन्वन्तरेशानुकथा निरोधो मुक्तिराश्रयः ॥ 10.1 ॥

śrī-śuka uvāca atra sargo visargaś ca sthānaṁ poṣaṇam ūtayaḥ manvantareśānukathā nirodho muktir āśrayaḥ

Śrī Śuka said: In this Bhāgavatam there are ten subjects: primary creation, secondary creation, the arrangement of the planetary systems, their sustenance, the impulses that drive activity, the successive ages of the Manus and their accounts, dissolution, liberation, and the ultimate shelter of all.

Verse 2 (bhagavata.2.10.2)

दशमस्य विशुद्ध्यर्थं नवानामिह लक्षणम् । वर्णयन्ति महात्मानः श्रुतेनार्थेन चाञ्जसा ॥ 10.2 ॥

daśamasya viśuddhy-arthaṁ navānām iha lakṣaṇam varṇayanti mahātmānaḥ śrutenārthena cāñjasā

In order to fully clarify the tenth of these — the Supreme Shelter itself — the great souls describe the characteristics of the other nine, sometimes by scriptural citation, sometimes by direct explanation of meaning, and sometimes in the plainest and most straightforward terms.

Verse 3 (bhagavata.2.10.3)

भूतमात्रेन्द्रियधियां जन्म सर्ग उदाहृतः । ब्रह्मणो गुणवैषम्याद्विसर्गः पौरुषः स्मृतः ॥ 10.3 ॥

bhūta-mātrendriya-dhiyāṁ janma sarga udāhṛtaḥ brahmaṇo guṇa-vaiṣamyād visargaḥ pauruṣaḥ smṛtaḥ

The birth of the subtle elements, the sense-objects, the senses and the intellect is what is called primary creation; the further creation, arising from the imbalance of the qualities within material nature under the influence of the Puruṣa, is what tradition calls secondary creation.

Verse 4 (bhagavata.2.10.4)

स्थितिर्वैकुण्ठविजयः पोषणं तदनुग्रहः । मन्वन्तराणि सद्धर्म ऊतयः कर्मवासनाः ॥ 10.4 ॥

sthitir vaikuṇṭha-vijayaḥ poṣaṇaṁ tad-anugrahaḥ manvantarāṇi sad-dharma ūtayaḥ karma-vāsanāḥ

'Sustenance' is the Lord's own triumph, His victorious presence maintaining creation; 'nourishment' is His grace bestowed upon it; the 'Manvantaras' are marked by the true dharma established within each; and the 'creative impulses' are the latent tendencies born of accumulated karma.

Verse 5 (bhagavata.2.10.5)

अवतारानुचरितं हरेश्चास्यानुवर्तिनाम् । पुंसामीशकथाः प्रोक्ता नानाख्यानोपबृंहिताः ॥ 10.5 ॥

avatārānucaritaṁ hareś cāsyānuvartinām puṁsām īśa-kathāḥ proktā nānākhyānopabṛṁhitāḥ

The 'accounts of the Lord' are said to be the deeds of Hari's incarnations, together with the deeds of the devoted souls who follow Him, all of it enriched with various narratives.

Verse 6 (bhagavata.2.10.6)

निरोधोऽस्यानुशयनमात्मनः सह शक्तिभिः । मुक्तिर्हित्वान्यथारूपं स्वरूपेण व्यवस्थितिः ॥ 10.6 ॥

nirodho ’syānuśayanam ātmanaḥ saha śaktibhiḥ muktir hitvānyathā rūpaṁ sva-rūpeṇa vyavasthitiḥ

'Dissolution' is the Lord's mystic lying down, in which He, together with His potencies, withdraws all creation back into Himself; 'liberation' is the abandonment of every false, borrowed form and the soul's establishment in its own true nature.

Verse 7 (bhagavata.2.10.7)

आभासश्च निरोधश्च यतोऽस्त्यध्यवसीयते । स आश्रयः परं ब्रह्म परमात्मेति शब्द्यते ॥ 10.7 ॥

ābhāsaś ca nirodhaś ca yato ’sty adhyavasīyate sa āśrayaḥ paraṁ brahma paramātmeti śabdyate

That source from which the world's very appearance, and its dissolution as well, are known to arise — that is the 'Shelter,' spoken of as the Supreme Brahman, the Supreme Soul.

Verse 8 (bhagavata.2.10.8)

योऽध्यात्मिकोऽयं पुरुषः सोऽसावेवाधिदैविकः । यस्तत्रोभयविच्छेदः पुरुषो ह्याधिभौतिकः ॥ 10.8 ॥

yo ’dhyātmiko ’yaṁ puruṣaḥ so ’sāv evādhidaivikaḥ yas tatrobhaya-vicchedaḥ puruṣo hy ādhibhautikaḥ

That which, viewed as the individual sense faculty, is called adhyātmika is, viewed differently, the very same as the presiding deity, called adhidaivika; and that which stands as the point of distinction between the two — the perceived object itself — is what is called the adhibhautika person.

Verse 9 (bhagavata.2.10.9)

एकमेकतराभावे यदा नोपलभामहे । त्रितयं तत्र यो वेद स आत्मा स्वाश्रयाश्रयः ॥ 10.9 ॥

ekam ekatarābhāve yadā nopalabhāmahe tritayaṁ tatra yo veda sa ātmā svāśrayāśrayaḥ

When, in the absence of either of these two, the other cannot be perceived — then He who knows all three of them together is the true Self, the very shelter of His own shelter.

Verse 10 (bhagavata.2.10.10)

पुरुषोऽण्डं विनिर्भिद्य यदासौ स विनिर्गतः । आत्मनोऽयनमन्विच्छन्नपोऽस्राक्षीच्छुचिः शुचीः ॥ 10.10 ॥

puruṣo ’ṇḍaṁ vinirbhidya yadāsau sa vinirgataḥ ātmano ’yanam anvicchann apo ’srākṣīc chuciḥ śucīḥ

When that Puruṣa, having pierced through the cosmic egg, emerged from it, He, being pure, and desiring a resting place for Himself, brought forth the pure waters.

Verse 11 (bhagavata.2.10.11)

तास्ववात्सीत् स्वसृष्टासु सहस्रंपरिवत्सरान् । तेन नारायणो नाम यदापः पुरुषोद्भवाः ॥ 10.11 ॥

tāsv avātsīt sva-sṛṣṭāsu sahasraṁ parivatsarān tena nārāyaṇo nāma yad āpaḥ puruṣodbhavāḥ

In those very waters which He Himself had created, He dwelt for a thousand years; and because those waters (nāra) had their origin in the Puruṣa, He came, for that reason, to be called Nārāyaṇa.

Verse 12 (bhagavata.2.10.12)

द्रव्यं कर्म च कालश्च स्वभावो जीव एव च । यदनुग्रहतः सन्ति न सन्ति यदुपेक्षया ॥ 10.12 ॥

dravyaṁ karma ca kālaś ca svabhāvo jīva eva ca yad-anugrahataḥ santi na santi yad-upekṣayā

Matter, action, time, material nature, and the individual soul itself — by His grace they all exist, and by His mere disregard they cease to exist.

Verse 13 (bhagavata.2.10.13)

एको नानात्वमन्विच्छन् योगतल्पात् समुत्थितः । वीर्यं हिरण्मयं देवो मायया व्यसृजत् त्रिधा ॥ 10.13 ॥

eko nānātvam anvicchan yoga-talpāt samutthitaḥ vīryaṁ hiraṇmayaṁ devo māyayā vyasṛjat tridhā

Being one, yet desiring multiplicity, the Lord rose from His yogic couch and, through His māyā, projected forth a golden seed, which then unfolded in three ways.

Verse 14 (bhagavata.2.10.14)

अधिदैवमथाध्यात्ममधिभूतमिति प्रभुः । अथैकं पौरुषं वीर्यं त्रिधाभिद्यत तच्छृणु ॥ 10.14 ॥

adhidaivam athādhyātmam adhibhūtam iti prabhuḥ athaikaṁ pauruṣaṁ vīryaṁ tridhābhidyata tac chṛṇu

As adhidaiva, then as adhyātma, then as adhibhūta — hear now how that single potency of the Lord, the Puruṣa, divided itself into these three.

Verse 15 (bhagavata.2.10.15)

अन्तःशरीर आकाशात् पुरुषस्य विचेष्टतः । ओजः सहो बलं जज्ञे ततः प्राणो महानसुः ॥ 10.15 ॥

antaḥ śarīra ākāśāt puruṣasya viceṣṭataḥ ojaḥ saho balaṁ jajñe tataḥ prāṇo mahān asuḥ

As the Puruṣa stirred within His own body, from the very sky contained inside Him there arose vigor, endurance and strength; and from these, in turn, arose the great life-force, the vital breath.

Verse 16 (bhagavata.2.10.16)

अनुप्राणन्ति यं प्राणाः प्राणन्तं सर्वजन्तुषु । अपानन्तमपानन्ति नरदेवमिवानुगाः ॥ 10.16 ॥

anuprāṇanti yaṁ prāṇāḥ prāṇantaṁ sarva-jantuṣu apānantam apānanti nara-devam ivānugāḥ

The vital airs of all creatures follow after Him, breathing when He breathes; and when His breath moves downward, theirs move likewise — just as attendants follow after a king.

Verse 17 (bhagavata.2.10.17)

प्राणेनाक्षिपता क्षुत् तृडन्तरा जायते विभोः । पिपासतो जक्षतश्च प्राङ्मुखं निरभिद्यत ॥ 10.17 ॥

prāṇenākṣipatā kṣut tṛḍ antarā jāyate vibhoḥ pipāsato jakṣataś ca prāṅ mukhaṁ nirabhidyata

Through the agitation of that vital force, hunger and thirst arose within the all-pervading Lord; and as He desired to eat and to drink, the mouth was the first thing to open.

Verse 18 (bhagavata.2.10.18)

मुखतस्तालु निर्भिन्नं जिह्वा तत्रोपजायते । ततो नानारसो जज्ञे जिह्वया योऽधिगम्यते ॥ 10.18 ॥

mukhatas tālu nirbhinnaṁ jihvā tatropajāyate tato nānā-raso jajñe jihvayā yo ’dhigamyate

From the mouth, the palate opened, and the tongue then took form there; from this arose the many different tastes, perceptible by that tongue.

Verse 19 (bhagavata.2.10.19)

विवक्षोर्मुखतो भूम्नो वह्निर्वाग् व्याहृतं तयोः । जले चैतस्य सुचिरं निरोधः समजायत ॥ 10.19 ॥

vivakṣor mukhato bhūmno vahnir vāg vyāhṛtaṁ tayoḥ jale caitasya suciraṁ nirodhaḥ samajāyata

From the mouth of the all-pervading Lord, as He desired to speak, both Fire and the faculty of Speech came forth together; but for a long time, as He lay within the water, this very function remained held in abeyance.

Verse 20 (bhagavata.2.10.20)

नासिके निरभिद्येतां दोधूयति नभस्वति । तत्र वायुर्गन्धवहो घ्राणो नसि जिघृक्षतः ॥ 10.20 ॥

nāsike nirabhidyetāṁ dodhūyati nabhasvati tatra vāyur gandha-vaho ghrāṇo nasi jighṛkṣataḥ

As the wind stirred and blew, the two nostrils opened; and there, in the nose of Him who desired to grasp scents, the fragrance-bearing air and the very faculty of smell arose.

Verse 21 (bhagavata.2.10.21)

यदात्मनि निरालोकमात्मानं च दिदृक्षतः । निर्भिन्ने ह्यक्षिणी तस्य ज्योतिश्चक्षुर्गुणग्रहः ॥ 10.21 ॥

yadātmani nirālokam ātmānaṁ ca didṛkṣataḥ nirbhinne hy akṣiṇī tasya jyotiś cakṣur guṇa-grahaḥ

When, finding Himself without light, He desired to see Himself, then His two eyes opened; and light, together with the faculty of sight and its perceived object, all arose.

Verse 22 (bhagavata.2.10.22)

बोध्यमानस्य ऋषिभिरात्मनस्तज्जिघृक्षतः । कर्णौ च निरभिद्येतां दिशः श्रोत्रं गुणग्रहः ॥ 10.22 ॥

bodhyamānasya ṛṣibhir ātmanas taj jighṛkṣataḥ karṇau ca nirabhidyetāṁ diśaḥ śrotraṁ guṇa-grahaḥ

As the great sages sought to know Him, and He in turn desired to receive their words, His two ears opened; and thus the directions of space, the faculty of hearing, and sound, its object, all came into being.

Verse 23 (bhagavata.2.10.23)

वस्तुनो मृदुकाठिन्यलघुगुर्वोष्णशीतताम् । जिघृक्षतस्त्वङ् निर्भिन्ना तस्यां रोममहीरुहाः । तत्र चान्तर्बहिर्वातस्त्वचा लब्धगुणो वृतः ॥ 10.23 ॥

vastuno mṛdu-kāṭhinya- laghu-gurv-oṣṇa-śītatām jighṛkṣatas tvaṅ nirbhinnā tasyāṁ roma-mahī-ruhāḥ tatra cāntar bahir vātas tvacā labdha-guṇo vṛtaḥ

Desiring to perceive the softness or hardness, the lightness or heaviness, the heat or cold of things, the skin took form; upon it appeared the body's hairs, together with the trees, their presiding deities; and there, both within and without, the wind — which through the skin obtains the very quality of touch — came to pervade all.

Verse 24 (bhagavata.2.10.24)

हस्तौ रुरुहतुस्तस्य नानाकर्मचिकीर्षया । तयोस्तु बलवानिन्द्र आदानमुभयाश्रयम् ॥ 10.24 ॥

hastau ruruhatus tasya nānā-karma-cikīrṣayā tayos tu balavān indra ādānam ubhayāśrayam

Two hands sprouted forth for Him, out of His desire to perform manifold actions; and, resting upon them both, came mighty Indra, their presiding deity, together with the act of grasping.

Verse 25 (bhagavata.2.10.25)

गतिं जिगीषतः पादौ रुरुहातेऽभिकामिकाम् । पद्भ्यां यज्ञः स्वयं हव्यं कर्मभिः क्रियते नृभिः ॥ 10.25 ॥

gatiṁ jigīṣataḥ pādau ruruhāte ’bhikāmikām padbhyāṁ yajñaḥ svayaṁ havyaṁ karmabhiḥ kriyate nṛbhiḥ

Desiring to move as He wished, His two feet sprouted forth; and by those feet Lord Viṣṇu Himself, together with the very offering of sacrifice, arose — that same sacrifice which human beings carry out through their own actions.

Verse 26 (bhagavata.2.10.26)

निरभिद्यत शिश्नो वै प्रजानन्दामृतार्थिनः । उपस्थ आसीत् कामानां प्रियं तदुभयाश्रयम् ॥ 10.26 ॥

nirabhidyata śiśno vai prajānandāmṛtārthinaḥ upastha āsīt kāmānāṁ priyaṁ tad-ubhayāśrayam

Desiring the joy of progeny and the nectar of pleasure, His organ of generation appeared; and that organ became the beloved seat both of desire itself and of its presiding deity, Prajāpati.

Verse 27 (bhagavata.2.10.27)

उत्सिसृक्षोर्धातुमलं निरभिद्यत वै गुदम् । ततः पायुस्ततो मित्र उत्सर्ग उभयाश्रयः ॥ 10.27 ॥

utsisṛkṣor dhātu-malaṁ nirabhidyata vai gudam tataḥ pāyus tato mitra utsarga ubhayāśrayaḥ

Desiring to expel the waste matter of the bodily elements, the anus appeared; from it the organ of evacuation, and then Mitra, its presiding deity; and the act of expulsion rests upon both together.

Verse 28 (bhagavata.2.10.28)

आसिसृप्सोः पुरः पुर्या नाभिद्वारमपानतः । तत्रापानस्ततो मृत्युः पृथक्त्वमुभयाश्रयम् ॥ 10.28 ॥

āsisṛpsoḥ puraḥ puryā nābhi-dvāram apānataḥ tatrāpānas tato mṛtyuḥ pṛthaktvam ubhayāśrayam

Desiring to pass from one body to another, the navel, the gateway of the downward breath, appeared; from it came the apāna breath, and then death itself; and separation from the body rests upon both together.

Verse 29 (bhagavata.2.10.29)

आदित्सोरन्नपानानामासन् कुक्ष्यन्त्रनाडयः । नद्यः समुद्राश्च तयोस्तुष्टिः पुष्टिस्तदाश्रये ॥ 10.29 ॥

āditsor anna-pānānām āsan kukṣy-antra-nāḍayaḥ nadyaḥ samudrāś ca tayos tuṣṭiḥ puṣṭis tad-āśraye

Desiring to take in food and drink, the abdomen, the intestines and the channels of the body appeared; and the rivers and the oceans became their support — satisfaction and nourishment resting upon that very shelter.

Verse 30 (bhagavata.2.10.30)

निदिध्यासोरात्ममायां हृदयं निरभिद्यत । ततो मनश्चन्द्र इति सङ्कल्पः काम एव च ॥ 10.30 ॥

nididhyāsor ātma-māyāṁ hṛdayaṁ nirabhidyata tato manaś candra iti saṅkalpaḥ kāma eva ca

Desiring to contemplate His own māyā, the heart appeared; from it came the mind, and the moon, its presiding deity; and from these arose determination, and desire itself.

Verse 31 (bhagavata.2.10.31)

त्वक्चर्ममांसरुधिरमेदोमज्जास्थिधातवः । भूम्यप्तेजोमयाः सप्त प्राणो व्योमाम्बुवायुभिः ॥ 10.31 ॥

tvak-carma-māṁsa-rudhira- medo-majjāsthi-dhātavaḥ bhūmy-ap-tejomayāḥ sapta prāṇo vyomāmbu-vāyubhiḥ

The seven bodily elements — the outer skin, the inner hide, flesh, blood, fat, marrow and bone — are made of earth, water and fire; the vital breath is made of ether, water and air.

Verse 32 (bhagavata.2.10.32)

गुणात्मकानीन्द्रियाणि भूतादिप्रभवा गुणाः । मनः सर्वविकारात्मा बुद्धिर्विज्ञानरूपिणी ॥ 10.32 ॥

guṇātmakānīndriyāṇi bhūtādi-prabhavā guṇāḥ manaḥ sarva-vikārātmā buddhir vijñāna-rūpiṇī

The senses are constituted by the material modes; those modes themselves have their origin in the false ego; the mind is characterized by all its many transformations, and the intellect has the very nature of discernment.

Verse 33 (bhagavata.2.10.33)

एतद्भगवतो रूपं स्थूलं ते व्याहृतं मया । मह्यादिभिश्चावरणैरष्टभिर्बहिरावृतम् ॥ 10.33 ॥

etad bhagavato rūpaṁ sthūlaṁ te vyāhṛtaṁ mayā mahy-ādibhiś cāvaraṇair aṣṭabhir bahir āvṛtam

This, then, is the gross form of the Lord, as I have explained it to you — a form covered on the outside by the eight coverings, beginning with mahat, the total material energy.

Verse 34 (bhagavata.2.10.34)

अतः परं सूक्ष्मतममव्यक्तं निर्विशेषणम् । अनादिमध्यनिधनं नित्यं वाङ्मनसः परम् ॥ 10.34 ॥

ataḥ paraṁ sūkṣmatamam avyaktaṁ nirviśeṣaṇam anādi-madhya-nidhanaṁ nityaṁ vāṅ-manasaḥ param

Beyond this gross form lies that which is the subtlest of the subtle, unmanifest and free of all material attributes — without beginning, middle or end, eternal, and beyond the reach of speech and mind alike.

Verse 35 (bhagavata.2.10.35)

अमुनी भगवद्रूपे मया ते ह्यनुवर्णिते । उभे अपि न गृह्णन्ति मायासृष्टे विपश्चितः ॥ 10.35 ॥

amunī bhagavad-rūpe mayā te hy anuvarṇite ubhe api na gṛhṇanti māyā-sṛṣṭe vipaścitaḥ

As for these two forms of the Lord which I have just described to you — the truly wise accept neither of them as final, knowing both to be fashioned by His māyā.

Verse 36 (bhagavata.2.10.36)

स वाच्यवाचकतया भगवान् ब्रह्मरूपधृक् । नामरूपक्रिया धत्ते सकर्माकर्मकः परः ॥ 10.36 ॥

sa vācya-vācakatayā bhagavān brahma-rūpa-dhṛk nāma-rūpa-kriyā dhatte sakarmākarmakaḥ paraḥ

The Lord, through the relationship of the word and its meaning, assumes the form of sacred sound and thereby bears name, form and activity — though He, being transcendent, remains beyond all action even while appearing to act.

Verse 37 (bhagavata.2.10.37)

प्रजापतीन्मनून् देवानृषीन् पितृगणान् पृथक् । सिद्धचारणगन्धर्वान् विद्याध्रासुरगुह्यकान् ॥ 10.37 ॥

prajā-patīn manūn devān ṛṣīn pitṛ-gaṇān pṛthak siddha-cāraṇa-gandharvān vidyādhrāsura-guhyakān

He brought forth, each in their own kind, the Prajāpatis, the Manus, the demigods, the sages, the various classes of ancestors, the Siddhas, the Cāraṇas, the Gandharvas, the Vidyādharas, the Asuras, the Guhyakas —

Verse 38 (bhagavata.2.10.38)

किन्नराप्सरसो नागान् सर्पान् किम्पुरुषान्नरान् । मातृ रक्षःपिशाचांश्च प्रेतभूतविनायकान् ॥ 10.38 ॥

kinnarāpsaraso nāgān sarpān kimpuruṣān narān mātṝ rakṣaḥ-piśācāṁś ca preta-bhūta-vināyakān

the Kinnaras, the Apsarās, the Nāgas, the serpents, the Kimpuruṣas, human beings, the Mātṛs, the Rākṣasas, the Piśācas, the departed ghosts, the restless spirits, and the mischievous Vināyakas —

Verse 39 (bhagavata.2.10.39)

कूष्माण्डोन्मादवेतालान् यातुधानान् ग्रहानपि । खगान्मृगान् पशून् वृक्षान् गिरीन्नृप सरीसृपान् ॥ 10.39 ॥

kūṣmāṇḍonmāda-vetālān yātudhānān grahān api khagān mṛgān paśūn vṛkṣān girīn nṛpa sarīsṛpān

the Kūṣmāṇḍas, the maddening spirits, the Vetālas, the sorcerer-demons, the malevolent planetary spirits, O King, the birds, the wild beasts, the domestic animals, the trees, the mountains, and the reptiles —

Verse 40 (bhagavata.2.10.40)

द्विविधाश्चतुर्विधा येऽन्ये जलस्थलनभौकसः । कुशलाकुशला मिश्राः कर्मणां गतयस्त्विमाः ॥ 10.40 ॥

dvi-vidhāś catur-vidhā ye ’nye jala-sthala-nabhaukasaḥ kuśalākuśalā miśrāḥ karmaṇāṁ gatayas tv imāḥ

— and all the other creatures, two-footed and four-footed, that dwell in the water, on land and in the sky. All these various forms of life are simply the destinies that follow from good deeds, bad deeds, and deeds that are mixed.

Verse 41 (bhagavata.2.10.41)

सत्त्वं रजस्तम इति तिस्रः सुरनृनारकाः । तत्राप्येकैकशो राजन् भिद्यन्ते गतयस्त्रिधा । यदैकैकतरोऽन्याभ्यां स्वभाव उपहन्यते ॥ 10.41 ॥

sattvaṁ rajas tama iti tisraḥ sura-nṛ-nārakāḥ tatrāpy ekaikaśo rājan bhidyante gatayas tridhā yadaikaikataro ’nyābhyāṁ sva-bhāva upahanyate

Sattva, rajas and tamas give rise to the three destinies — that of the gods, that of human beings, and that of the denizens of hell. And within each of these, O King, the destinies again divide threefold, since the nature belonging to each is always touched, to some degree, by the other two modes.

Verse 42 (bhagavata.2.10.42)

स एवेदं जगद्धाता भगवान् धर्मरूपधृक् । पुष्णाति स्थापयन् विश्वं तिर्यङ्नरसुरादिभिः ॥ 10.42 ॥

sa evedaṁ jagad-dhātā bhagavān dharma-rūpa-dhṛk puṣṇāti sthāpayan viśvaṁ tiryaṅ-nara-surādibhiḥ

That same Lord, the sustainer of this universe, taking on a form embodying dharma, maintains and nourishes the universe through the beasts, human beings, gods, and all the rest.

Verse 43 (bhagavata.2.10.43)

ततः कालाग्निरुद्रात्मा यत्सृष्टमिदमात्मनः । संनियच्छति तत् काले घनानीकमिवानिलः ॥ 10.43 ॥

tataḥ kālāgni-rudrātmā yat sṛṣṭam idam ātmanaḥ sanniyacchati tat kāle ghanānīkam ivānilaḥ

Thereafter, taking the form of Kālāgni-Rudra, the fire of time, He withdraws, when the time comes, this very universe created from His own self — just as the wind disperses a great bank of clouds.

Verse 44 (bhagavata.2.10.44)

इत्थंभावेन कथितो भगवान् भगवत्तमः । नेत्थंभावेन हि परं द्रष्टुमर्हन्ति सूरयः ॥ 10.44 ॥

ittham-bhāvena kathito bhagavān bhagavattamaḥ nettham-bhāvena hi paraṁ draṣṭum arhanti sūrayaḥ

In this way has the Supreme Lord, greatest of all glorious beings, been described to you; yet the truly wise do not rest content with seeing the Supreme confined only to what can be described in this fashion.

Verse 45 (bhagavata.2.10.45)

नास्य कर्मणि जन्मादौ परस्यानुविधीयते । कर्तृत्वप्रतिषेधार्थं माययारोपितं हि तत् ॥ 10.45 ॥

nāsya karmaṇi janmādau parasyānuvidhīyate kartṛtva-pratiṣedhārthaṁ māyayāropitaṁ hi tat

For that Supreme Being there is no true involvement in acts such as creation; whatever activity is attributed to Him is merely something imposed by māyā, meant only to counter the false notion that some other power is the true agent.

Verse 46 (bhagavata.2.10.46)

अयं तु ब्रह्मणः कल्पः सविकल्प उदाहृतः । विधिः साधारणो यत्र सर्गाः प्राकृतवैकृताः ॥ 10.46 ॥

ayaṁ tu brahmaṇaḥ kalpaḥ savikalpa udāhṛtaḥ vidhiḥ sādhāraṇo yatra sargāḥ prākṛta-vaikṛtāḥ

This, then, is what is described as a kalpa of Brahmā, together with its subdivisions — the general rule here being that it contains both the primary, elemental creation and the secondary, differentiated creation.

Verse 47 (bhagavata.2.10.47)

परिमाणं च कालस्य कल्पलक्षणविग्रहम् । यथा पुरस्ताद्व्याख्यास्ये पाद्मं कल्पमथो शृणु ॥ 10.47 ॥

parimāṇaṁ ca kālasya kalpa-lakṣaṇa-vigraham yathā purastād vyākhyāsye pādmaṁ kalpam atho śṛṇu

I shall explain, further on, the true measure of time and the defining features of a kalpa; but for now, hear first of the Pādma-kalpa, the present age of creation.

Verse 48 (bhagavata.2.10.48)

शौनक उवाच यदाह नो भवान् सूत क्षत्ता भागवतोत्तमः । चचार तीर्थानि भुवस्त्यक्त्वा बन्धून् सुदुस्त्यजान् ॥ 10.48 ॥

śaunaka uvāca yad āha no bhavān sūta kṣattā bhāgavatottamaḥ cacāra tīrthāni bhuvas tyaktvā bandhūn sudustyajān

Śaunaka said: O Sūta, you told us that Kṣattā, that greatest of devotees, wandered the sacred pilgrimage places of the earth, having renounced his kinsmen, whom it is so very hard to leave behind.

Verse 49 (bhagavata.2.10.49)

क्षत्तुः कौशारवेस्तस्य संवादोऽध्यात्मसंश्रितः । यद्वा स भगवांस्तस्मै पृष्टस्तत्त्वमुवाच ह ॥ 10.49 ॥

kṣattuḥ kauśāraves tasya saṁvādo ’dhyātma-saṁśritaḥ yad vā sa bhagavāṁs tasmai pṛṣṭas tattvam uvāca ha

The conversation between Kṣattā and Maitreya, the son of Kuṣāru, grounded as it was in spiritual truths — as well as the truth that revered sage related to him upon being questioned —

Verse 50 (bhagavata.2.10.50)

ब्रूहि नस्तदिदं सौम्य विदुरस्य विचेष्टितम् । बन्धुत्यागनिमित्तं च यथैवागतवान् पुनः ॥ 10.50 ॥

brūhi nas tad idaṁ saumya vidurasya viceṣṭitam bandhu-tyāga-nimittaṁ ca yathaivāgatavān punaḥ

please relate all of this to us, O gentle Sūta — the entire course of Vidura's conduct, the reason he abandoned his kinsmen, and how it was that he returned home once more.

Verse 51 (bhagavata.2.10.51)

सूत उवाच राज्ञा परीक्षिता पृष्टो यदवोचन्महामुनिः । तद्वोऽभिधास्ये शृणुत राज्ञः प्रश्नानुसारतः ॥ 10.51 ॥

sūta uvāca rājñā parīkṣitā pṛṣṭo yad avocan mahā-muniḥ tad vo ’bhidhāsye śṛṇuta rājñaḥ praśnānusārataḥ

Sūta said: I shall now relate to you exactly what the great sage spoke when questioned by King Parīkṣit — listen well, following the very order of the king's own questions.