Questions by King Parīkṣit

Verse 1 (bhagavata.2.8.1)

राजोवाच ब्रह्मणा चोदितो ब्रह्मन् गुणाख्यानेऽगुणस्य च । यस्मै यस्मै यथा प्राह नारदो देवदर्शनः ॥ 8.1 ॥

rājovāca brahmaṇā codito brahman guṇākhyāne ’guṇasya ca yasmai yasmai yathā prāha nārado deva-darśanaḥ

The King said: O brāhmaṇa, being urged by Brahmā to speak of the qualities of Him who is beyond material qualities, Nārada, who has beheld the gods themselves, told this to various listeners, in various ways. To whom did he speak, and how?

Verse 2 (bhagavata.2.8.2)

एतद् वेदितुमिच्छामि तत्त्वं तत्त्वविदां वर । हरेरद्भुतवीर्यस्य कथा लोकसुमङ्गलाः ॥ 8.2 ॥

etad veditum icchāmi tattvaṁ tattva-vidāṁ vara harer adbhuta-vīryasya kathā loka-sumaṅgalāḥ

O best among the knowers of truth, I wish to know this in full — for the accounts of Hari, whose power is wondrous, are supremely auspicious for all the worlds.

Verse 3 (bhagavata.2.8.3)

कथयस्व महाभाग यथाहमखिलात्मनि । कृष्णे निवेश्य निःसङ्गं मनस्त्यक्ष्ये कलेवरम् ॥ 8.3 ॥

kathayasva mahābhāga yathāham akhilātmani kṛṣṇe niveśya niḥsaṅgaṁ manas tyakṣye kalevaram

O most fortunate one, please narrate it to me, so that fixing my mind upon Kṛṣṇa, the Self of all, free from all attachment, I may give up this body.

Verse 4 (bhagavata.2.8.4)

शृण्वतः श्रद्धया नित्यं गृणतश्च स्वचेष्टितम् । कालेन नातिदीर्घेण भगवान् विशते हृदि ॥ 8.4 ॥

śṛṇvataḥ śraddhayā nityaṁ gṛṇataś ca sva-ceṣṭitam kālena nātidīrgheṇa bhagavān viśate hṛdi

For one who constantly hears with faith and also recounts His deeds, the Lord comes to dwell within the heart before very long.

Verse 5 (bhagavata.2.8.5)

प्रविष्टः कर्णरन्ध्रेण स्वानां भावसरोरुहम् । धुनोति शमलं कृष्णः सलिलस्य यथा शरत् ॥ 8.5 ॥

praviṣṭaḥ karṇa-randhreṇa svānāṁ bhāva-saroruham dhunoti śamalaṁ kṛṣṇaḥ salilasya yathā śarat

Entering through the aperture of the ear into the lotus of one's own inner devotion, Kṛṣṇa shakes off all impurity, just as the coming of autumn clears the water of a pool.

Verse 6 (bhagavata.2.8.6)

धौतात्मा पुरुषः कृष्णपादमूलं न मुञ्चति । मुक्त सर्वपरिक्लेशः पान्थः स्वशरणं यथा ॥ 8.6 ॥

dhautātmā puruṣaḥ kṛṣṇa- pāda-mūlaṁ na muñcati mukta-sarva-parikleśaḥ pānthaḥ sva-śaraṇaṁ yathā

A person whose being has thus been cleansed never lets go of the shelter of Kṛṣṇa's feet, freed from all afflictions — just as a weary traveler does not leave the shelter of his own home.

Verse 7 (bhagavata.2.8.7)

यदधातुमतो ब्रह्मन् देहारम्भोऽस्य धातुभिः । यदृच्छया हेतुना वा भवन्तो जानते यथा ॥ 8.7 ॥

yad adhātu-mato brahman dehārambho ’sya dhātubhiḥ yadṛcchayā hetunā vā bhavanto jānate yathā

O learned brāhmaṇa, since the soul is without material elements, how does its embodiment by these very elements come about — by mere chance, or through some cause? Please explain this, as one who truly knows.

Verse 8 (bhagavata.2.8.8)

आसीद्यदुदरात्पद्मं लोकसंस्थानलक्षणम् । यावानयं वै पुरुष इयत्तावयवैः पृथक् । तावानसाविति प्रोक्तः संस्थावयववानिव ॥ 8.8 ॥

āsīd yad-udarāt padmaṁ loka-saṁsthāna-lakṣaṇam yāvān ayaṁ vai puruṣa iyattāvayavaiḥ pṛthak tāvān asāv iti proktaḥ saṁsthāvayavavān iva

From whose belly the lotus arose, bearing the very pattern of the arrangement of the worlds — whatever the measure of this Puruṣa is said to be, He is described as possessing that same measure, distinctly, in each of His limbs; thus He is spoken of as having a form whose limbs correspond, part for part, to His own vastness.

Verse 9 (bhagavata.2.8.9)

अजः सृजति भूतानि भूतात्मा यदनुग्रहात् । ददृशे येन तद्रूपं नाभिपद्मसमुद्भवः ॥ 8.9 ॥

ajaḥ sṛjati bhūtāni bhūtātmā yad-anugrahāt dadṛśe yena tad-rūpaṁ nābhi-padma-samudbhavaḥ

The unborn Brahmā, the self within all created beings, creates them only by the Lord's grace — that same grace by which he, born from the lotus of His navel, was granted a vision of that form.

Verse 10 (bhagavata.2.8.10)

स चापि यत्र पुरुषो विश्वस्थित्युद्भवाप्ययः । मुक्त्वात्ममायां मायेशः शेते सर्वगुहाशयः ॥ 8.10 ॥

sa cāpi yatra puruṣo viśva-sthity-udbhavāpyayaḥ muktvātma-māyāṁ māyeśaḥ śete sarva-guhāśayaḥ

And He too, the Puruṣa in whom the origin, maintenance and dissolution of the universe take place — He, the Lord of māyā, setting aside His own creative energy, lies within the hearts of all as the Self hidden in every being.

Verse 11 (bhagavata.2.8.11)

पुरुषावयवैर्लोकाः सपालाः पूर्वकल्पिताः । लोकैरमुष्यावयवाः सपालैरिति शुश्रुम ॥ 8.11 ॥

puruṣāvayavair lokāḥ sapālāḥ pūrva-kalpitāḥ lokair amuṣyāvayavāḥ sa-pālair iti śuśruma

It was earlier explained that the worlds, together with their guardian deities, are constituted from the limbs of the Puruṣa — and I have also heard it said, the other way round, that His limbs are constituted by these very worlds and their guardians.

Verse 12 (bhagavata.2.8.12)

यावान् कल्पोविकल्पो वा यथा कालोऽनुमीयते । भूतभव्यभवच्छब्द आयुर्मानं च यत् सतः ॥ 8.12 ॥

yāvān kalpo vikalpo vā yathā kālo ’numīyate bhūta-bhavya-bhavac-chabda āyur-mānaṁ ca yat sataḥ

What is the full extent of a kalpa, and of its subdivisions, and how is time itself reckoned — through the words 'was,' 'will be' and 'is'? And what is the measure of the lifespan of created beings?

Verse 13 (bhagavata.2.8.13)

कालस्यानुगतिर्या तु लक्ष्यतेऽण्वी बृहत्यपि । यावत्यः कर्मगतयो यादृशीर्द्विजसत्तम ॥ 8.13 ॥

kālasyānugatir yā tu lakṣyate ’ṇvī bṛhaty api yāvatyaḥ karma-gatayo yādṛśīr dvija-sattama

O best of the twice-born, please explain also the succession of time, observed as both minute and vast, and the many kinds of destinies to which our actions lead.

Verse 14 (bhagavata.2.8.14)

यस्मिन् कर्मसमावायो यथा येनोपगृह्यते । गुणानां गुणिनां चैव परिणाममभीप्सताम् ॥ 8.14 ॥

yasmin karma-samāvāyo yathā yenopagṛhyate guṇānāṁ guṇināṁ caiva pariṇāmam abhīpsatām

— explain in what state karma accumulates, how and by what it is taken hold of, and the transformation, for those who desire it, both of the material qualities and of those beings who possess them.

Verse 15 (bhagavata.2.8.15)

भूपातालककुब्व्योमग्रहनक्षत्रभूभृताम् । सरित्समुद्रद्वीपानां सम्भवश्चैतदोकसाम् ॥ 8.15 ॥

bhū-pātāla-kakub-vyoma- graha-nakṣatra-bhūbhṛtām sarit-samudra-dvīpānāṁ sambhavaś caitad-okasām

— and please explain the origin of the earth, the nether regions, the directions, the sky, the planets, the stars, the mountains, the rivers, the seas, the islands, and of all their inhabitants.

Verse 16 (bhagavata.2.8.16)

प्रमाणमण्डकोशस्य बाह्याभ्यन्तरभेदतः । महतां चानुचरितं वर्णाश्रमविनिश्चयः ॥ 8.16 ॥

pramāṇam aṇḍa-kośasya bāhyābhyantara-bhedataḥ mahatāṁ cānucaritaṁ varṇāśrama-viniścayaḥ

— please explain the measure of the cosmic egg, both its outer and inner divisions, the life-stories of the great souls, and the true nature of the social and spiritual orders — the varṇas and āśramas.

Verse 17 (bhagavata.2.8.17)

युगानि युगमानं च धर्मो यश्च युगे युगे । अवतारानुचरितं यदाश्चर्यतमं हरेः ॥ 8.17 ॥

yugāni yuga-mānaṁ ca dharmo yaś ca yuge yuge avatārānucaritaṁ yad āścaryatamaṁ hareḥ

— explain the ages, the duration of each age, the dharma proper to each age, and the most wondrous deeds of the incarnations of Hari.

Verse 18 (bhagavata.2.8.18)

नृणां साधारणो धर्मः सविशेषश्च यादृशः । श्रेणीनां राजर्षीणां च धर्मः कृच्छ्रेषु जीवताम् ॥ 8.18 ॥

nṛṇāṁ sādhāraṇo dharmaḥ saviśeṣaś ca yādṛśaḥ śreṇīnāṁ rājarṣīṇāṁ ca dharmaḥ kṛcchreṣu jīvatām

— the dharma common to all human beings, as well as their specific occupational duties, the dharma of the various classes and of the royal sages, and the dharma proper to those living under dire hardship.

Verse 19 (bhagavata.2.8.19)

तत्त्वानां परिसंख्यानं लक्षणं हेतुलक्षणम् । पुरुषाराधनविधिर्योगस्याध्यात्मिकस्य च ॥ 8.19 ॥

tattvānāṁ parisaṅkhyānaṁ lakṣaṇaṁ hetu-lakṣaṇam puruṣārādhana-vidhir yogasyādhyātmikasya ca

— the enumeration of the cosmic principles, their defining marks and their causes, the proper procedure for worshiping the Supreme Person, and the practice of spiritual yoga.

Verse 20 (bhagavata.2.8.20)

योगेश्वरैश्वर्यगतिर्लिङ्गभङ्गस्तु योगिनाम् । वेदोपवेदधर्माणामितिहासपुराणयोः ॥ 8.20 ॥

yogeśvaraiśvarya-gatir liṅga-bhaṅgas tu yoginām vedopaveda-dharmāṇām itihāsa-purāṇayoḥ

— the attainment of mystic opulence by the masters of yoga, the manner in which the perfected yogī gives up his subtle body, and the teachings of the Vedas and their auxiliary branches, together with the histories and the Purāṇas.

Verse 21 (bhagavata.2.8.21)

सम्प्लवः सर्वभूतानां विक्रमः प्रतिसंक्रमः । इष्टापूर्तस्य काम्यानां त्रिवर्गस्य च यो विधिः ॥ 8.21 ॥

samplavaḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ vikramaḥ pratisaṅkramaḥ iṣṭā-pūrtasya kāmyānāṁ tri-vargasya ca yo vidhiḥ

— the coming into being of all created beings, their course through life, and their eventual passing away; and the ordinances governing sacrificial and charitable acts, the fulfillment of desires, and the threefold pursuit of dharma, artha and kāma.

Verse 22 (bhagavata.2.8.22)

यो वानुशायिनां सर्गः पाषण्डस्य च सम्भवः । आत्मनो बन्धमोक्षौ च व्यवस्थानं स्वरूपतः ॥ 8.22 ॥

yo vānuśāyināṁ sargaḥ pāṣaṇḍasya ca sambhavaḥ ātmano bandha-mokṣau ca vyavasthānaṁ sva-rūpataḥ

— or the secondary creation of those beings that lie dormant through the dissolution, the origin of heresy and false doctrine, and the bondage and liberation of the self, together with its true, essential nature.

Verse 23 (bhagavata.2.8.23)

यथात्मतन्त्रो भगवान् विक्रीडत्यात्ममायया । विसृज्य वा यथा मायामुदास्ते साक्षिवद् विभुः ॥ 8.23 ॥

yathātma-tantro bhagavān vikrīḍaty ātma-māyayā visṛjya vā yathā māyām udāste sākṣivad vibhuḥ

— explain also how the wholly independent Lord sports by means of His own māyā, and how, having set that māyā aside, the all-pervading Lord remains apart, like a mere witness.

Verse 24 (bhagavata.2.8.24)

सर्वमेतच्च भगवन् पृच्छतो मेऽनुपूर्वशः । तत्त्वतोऽर्हस्युदाहर्तुं प्रपन्नाय महामुने ॥ 8.24 ॥

sarvam etac ca bhagavan pṛcchato me ’nupūrvaśaḥ tattvato ’rhasy udāhartuṁ prapannāya mahā-mune

O venerable one, O great sage, all this that I have asked of you, one thing after another — please explain it to me truly, for I have taken shelter at your feet.

Verse 25 (bhagavata.2.8.25)

अत्र प्रमाणं हि भवान् परमेष्ठी यथात्मभूः । अपरे चानुतिष्ठन्ति पूर्वेषां पूर्वजैः कृतम् ॥ 8.25 ॥

atra pramāṇaṁ hi bhavān parameṣṭhī yathātma-bhūḥ apare cānutiṣṭhanti pūrveṣāṁ pūrva-jaiḥ kṛtam

In this matter you are yourself an authority, just as Brahmā, the self-born, is; others merely follow what was handed down to them by the generations before them.

Verse 26 (bhagavata.2.8.26)

न मेऽसवः परायन्ति ब्रह्मन्ननशनादमी । पिबतोऽच्युतपीयूषम् तद्वाक्याब्धिविनिःसृतम् ॥ 8.26 ॥

na me ’savaḥ parāyanti brahmann anaśanād amī pibato ’cyuta-pīyūṣam tad vākya-abdhi-viniḥsṛtam

O brāhmaṇa, this fast of mine causes my life-breath no distress at all, for I am drinking the nectar of the Infallible One, flowing forth from the very ocean of your words.

Verse 27 (bhagavata.2.8.27)

सूत उवाच स उपामन्त्रितो राज्ञा कथायामिति सत्पतेः । ब्रह्मरातो भृशं प्रीतो विष्णुरातेन संसदि ॥ 8.27 ॥

sūta uvāca sa upāmantrito rājñā kathāyām iti sat-pateḥ brahmarāto bhṛśaṁ prīto viṣṇurātena saṁsadi

Sūta said: Thus invited by the king, that lord among the saintly, to continue his discourse, Śukadeva, born of Brahmā, became greatly pleased in that assembly with Parīkṣit, who was known as Viṣṇurāta, 'protected by Viṣṇu.'

Verse 28 (bhagavata.2.8.28)

प्राह भागवतं नाम पुराणं ब्रह्मसम्मितम् । ब्रह्मणे भगवत्प्रोक्तं ब्रह्मकल्प उपागते ॥ 8.28 ॥

prāha bhāgavataṁ nāma purāṇaṁ brahma-sammitam brahmaṇe bhagavat-proktaṁ brahma-kalpa upāgate

He then began to speak of that Purāṇa called the Bhāgavata, equal in authority to the Veda itself, which the Lord had spoken to Brahmā at the very dawn of this Brahmā-kalpa.

Verse 29 (bhagavata.2.8.29)

यद् यत् परीक्षिदृषभः पाण्डूनामनुपृच्छति । आनुपूर्व्येण तत्सर्वमाख्यातुमुपचक्रमे ॥ 8.29 ॥

yad yat parīkṣid ṛṣabhaḥ pāṇḍūnām anupṛcchati ānupūrvyeṇa tat sarvam ākyātum upacakrame

And whatever Parīkṣit, foremost of the Pāṇḍu dynasty, had asked of him, all of that he now began to relate, point by point, in due order.