Answers by Citing the Lord’s Version

Verse 1 (bhagavata.2.9.1)

श्रीशुक उवाच आत्ममायामृते राजन् परस्यानुभवात्मनः । न घटेतार्थसम्बन्धः स्वप्नद्रष्टुरिवाञ्जसा ॥ 9.1 ॥

śrī-śuka uvāca ātma-māyām ṛte rājan parasyānubhavātmanaḥ na ghaṭetārtha-sambandhaḥ svapna-draṣṭur ivāñjasā

Śrī Śuka said: O King, apart from His own māyā, there can be no real relationship between the Supreme, whose very nature is pure experience, and any material object — exactly as, for a man watching his own dream, the objects within it have no true connection to him.

Verse 2 (bhagavata.2.9.2)

बहुरूप इवाभाति मायया बहुरूपया । रममाणो गुणेष्वस्या ममाहमिति मन्यते ॥ 9.2 ॥

bahu-rūpa ivābhāti māyayā bahu-rūpayā ramamāṇo guṇeṣv asyā mamāham iti manyate

Through māyā, manifold in her forms, the soul appears, as it were, in many forms; engaged in her modes, he comes to think 'this is mine' and 'this is I.'

Verse 3 (bhagavata.2.9.3)

यर्हि वाव महिम्नि स्वे परस्मिन् कालमाययोः । रमेत गतसम्मोहस्त्यक्त्वोदास्ते तदोभयम् ॥ 9.3 ॥

yarhi vāva mahimni sve parasmin kāla-māyayoḥ rameta gata-sammohas tyaktvodāste tadobhayam

But when, freed from delusion, he comes to rest in his own true glory, beyond the reach of time and māyā, then, having abandoned both these misconceptions, he remains serenely detached.

Verse 4 (bhagavata.2.9.4)

आत्मतत्त्वविशुद्ध्यर्थं यदाह भगवानृतम् । ब्रह्मणे दर्शयन् रूपमव्यलीकव्रतादृतः ॥ 9.4 ॥

ātma-tattva-viśuddhy-arthaṁ yad āha bhagavān ṛtam brahmaṇe darśayan rūpam avyalīka-vratādṛtaḥ

For the purification of the truth of the self, the Lord, honoring Brahmā's sincere, undeceitful vow, spoke words of truth to him, while showing him His own form.

Verse 5 (bhagavata.2.9.5)

स आदिदेवो जगतां परो गुरुः स्वधिष्ण्यमास्थाय सिसृक्षयैक्षत । तां नाध्यगच्छद् दृशमत्र सम्मतां प्रपञ्चनिर्माणविधिर्यया भवेत् ॥ 9.5 ॥

sa ādi-devo jagatāṁ paro guruḥ svadhiṣṇyam āsthāya sisṛkṣayaikṣata tāṁ nādhyagacchad dṛśam atra sammatāṁ prapañca-nirmāṇa-vidhir yayā bhavet

That primeval god, the supreme teacher of the worlds, seated upon his lotus seat, looked about, desiring to create — yet he could not find the proper insight by which the method for fashioning the manifest universe might be discovered.

Verse 6 (bhagavata.2.9.6)

स चिन्तयन् द्वयक्षरमेकदाम्भ- स्युपाशृणोद् द्विर्गदितं वचो विभुः । स्पर्शेषु यत्षोडशमेकविंशं निष्किञ्चनानां नृप यद् धनं विदुः ॥ 9.6 ॥

sa cintayan dvy-akṣaram ekadāmbhasy upāśṛṇod dvir-gaditaṁ vaco vibhuḥ sparśeṣu yat ṣoḍaśam ekaviṁśaṁ niṣkiñcanānāṁ nṛpa yad dhanaṁ viduḥ

While he pondered, that mighty one once heard, arising from the waters, a word of two syllables spoken twice over — a syllable made of the sixteenth and the twenty-first of the consonant letters — the very word known, O King, as the wealth of those who own nothing at all.

Verse 7 (bhagavata.2.9.7)

निशम्य तद्वक्तृदिदृक्षया दिशो विलोक्य तत्रान्यदपश्यमानः । स्वधिष्ण्यमास्थाय विमृश्य तद्धितं तपस्युपादिष्ट इवादधे मनः ॥ 9.7 ॥

niśamya tad-vaktṛ-didṛkṣayā diśo vilokya tatrānyad apaśyamānaḥ svadhiṣṇyam āsthāya vimṛśya tad-dhitaṁ tapasy upādiṣṭa ivādadhe manaḥ

Hearing this, and wishing to see who had spoken, he looked all around in every direction; but finding no one else there, he settled back upon his own seat and, reflecting on what would truly benefit him, fixed his mind on austerity, as though he had indeed received an instruction.

Verse 8 (bhagavata.2.9.8)

दिव्यं सहस्राब्दममोघदर्शनो जितानिलात्मा विजितोभयेन्द्रियः । अतप्यत स्माखिललोकतापनं तपस्तपीयांस्तपतां समाहितः ॥ 9.8 ॥

divyaṁ sahasrābdam amogha-darśano jitānilātmā vijitobhayendriyaḥ atapyata smākhila-loka-tāpanaṁ tapas tapīyāṁs tapatāṁ samāhitaḥ

For a thousand celestial years, his vision unerring, his breath and mind mastered, both his outer and inner senses fully subdued, he — the greatest of all ascetics, deeply absorbed — performed austerity of a kind so intense it could scorch every world.

Verse 9 (bhagavata.2.9.9)

तस्मै स्वलोकं भगवान् सभाजितः सन्दर्शयामास परं न यत्परम् । व्यपेतसंक्लेशविमोहसाध्वसं स्वदृष्टवद्भिर्पुरुषैरभिष्टुतम् ॥ 9.9 ॥

tasmai sva-lokaṁ bhagavān sabhājitaḥ sandarśayām āsa paraṁ na yat-param vyapeta-saṅkleśa-vimoha-sādhvasaṁ sva-dṛṣṭavadbhir puruṣair abhiṣṭutam

To him, the Lord, thus honored by his austerity, revealed His own supreme abode, beyond which there is nothing higher — a realm free of all affliction, delusion and fear, praised by those very souls who have themselves attained the direct vision of the Lord.

Verse 10 (bhagavata.2.9.10)

प्रवर्तते यत्र रजस्तमस्तयोः सत्त्वं च मिश्रं न च कालविक्रमः । न यत्र माया किमुतापरे हरे- रनुव्रता यत्र सुरासुरार्चिताः ॥ 9.10 ॥

pravartate yatra rajas tamas tayoḥ sattvaṁ ca miśraṁ na ca kāla-vikramaḥ na yatra māyā kim utāpare harer anuvratā yatra surāsurārcitāḥ

There, neither rajas nor tamas hold sway, nor even sattva mixed with them; the power of time has no reach there, and if māyā herself cannot enter, what then of anything lesser? — that realm where His devoted followers are worshiped alike by gods and demons.

Verse 11 (bhagavata.2.9.11)

श्यामावदाताः शतपत्रलोचनाः पिशङ्गवस्त्राः सुरुचः सुपेशसः । सर्वे चतुर्बाहव उन्मिषन्मणि- प्रवेकनिष्काभरणाः सुवर्चसः ॥ 9.11 ॥

śyāmāvadātāḥ śata-patra-locanāḥ piśaṅga-vastrāḥ surucaḥ supeśasaḥ sarve catur-bāhava unmiṣan-maṇi- praveka-niṣkābharaṇāḥ suvarcasaḥ

Dark yet radiant of hue, lotus-eyed, clad in garments of yellow, glowing with a pleasing luster and beautiful of form — all of them were four-armed, adorned with gleaming ornaments set with the finest jewels, and shining with their own effulgence.

Verse 12 (bhagavata.2.9.12)

प्रवालवैदूर्यमृणालवर्चसः । परिस्फुरत्कुण्डलमौलिमालिनः ॥ 9.12 ॥

pravāla-vaidūrya-mṛṇāla-varcasaḥ parisphurat-kuṇḍala-mauli-mālinaḥ

Some had the hue of coral, some of beryl, some of the pale lotus stem; and all wore glittering earrings, crowns and garlands.

Verse 13 (bhagavata.2.9.13)

भ्राजिष्णुभिर्यः परितो विराजते लसद्विमानावलिभिर्महात्मनाम् । विद्योतमानः प्रमदोत्तमाद्युभिः सविद्युदभ्रावलिभिर्यथा नभः ॥ 9.13 ॥

bhrājiṣṇubhir yaḥ parito virājate lasad-vimānāvalibhir mahātmanām vidyotamānaḥ pramadottamādyubhiḥ savidyud-abhrāvalibhir yathā nabhaḥ

That abode shines all around with row upon row of gleaming celestial vessels belonging to the great souls, radiant with the loveliest of women among their company — just as the sky shines when banks of clouds are lit with flashes of lightning.

Verse 14 (bhagavata.2.9.14)

श्रीर्यत्र रूपिण्युरुगायपादयोः करोति मानं बहुधा विभूतिभिः । प्रेङ्खं श्रिता या कुसुमाकरानुगै- र्विगीयमाना प्रियकर्म गायती ॥ 9.14 ॥

śrīr yatra rūpiṇy urugāya-pādayoḥ karoti mānaṁ bahudhā vibhūtibhiḥ preṅkhaṁ śritā yā kusumākarānugair vigīyamānā priya-karma-gāyatī

There the goddess Śrī herself, in her personified form, renders homage in countless ways with her own opulences at the feet of the widely glorified Lord; seated upon a swing, attended by the bees that follow the season of spring, she is praised by them even as she herself sings of His beloved deeds.

Verse 15 (bhagavata.2.9.15)

ददर्श तत्राखिलसात्वतां पतिं श्रियः पतिं यज्ञपतिं जगत्पतिम् । सुनन्दनन्दप्रबलार्हणादिभिः स्वपार्षदाग्रैः परिसेवितं विभुम् ॥ 9.15 ॥

dadarśa tatrākhila-sātvatāṁ patiṁ śriyaḥ patiṁ yajña-patiṁ jagat-patim sunanda-nanda-prabalārhaṇādibhiḥ sva-pārṣadāgraiḥ parisevitaṁ vibhum

There he beheld the Lord of all the devotees, the Lord of Śrī, the Lord of sacrifice, the Lord of the universe — the all-pervading One, attended by His foremost personal associates: Sunanda, Nanda, Prabala, Arhaṇa and others.

Verse 16 (bhagavata.2.9.16)

भृत्यप्रसादाभिमुखं दृगासवं प्रसन्नहासारुणलोचनाननम् । किरीटिनं कुण्डलिनं चतुर्भुजं पीतांशुकं वक्षसि लक्षितं श्रिया ॥ 9.16 ॥

bhṛtya-prasādābhimukhaṁ dṛg-āsavaṁ prasanna-hāsāruṇa-locanānanam kirīṭinaṁ kuṇḍalinaṁ catur-bhujaṁ pītāṁśukaṁ vakṣasi lakṣitaṁ śriyā

Inclined ever favorably toward His servants, His glance itself intoxicating, His face and reddish eyes bright with a joyful smile; crowned, wearing earrings, four-armed, clad in yellow silk, His chest marked with the sign of Śrī.

Verse 17 (bhagavata.2.9.17)

अध्यर्हणीयासनमास्थितं परं वृतं चतुःषोडशपञ्चशक्तिभिः । युक्तं भगैः स्वैरितरत्र चाध्रुवैः स्व एव धामन् रममाणमीश्वरम् ॥ 9.17 ॥

adhyarhaṇīyāsanam āsthitaṁ paraṁ vṛtaṁ catuḥ-ṣoḍaśa-pañca-śaktibhiḥ yuktaṁ bhagaiḥ svair itaratra cādhruvaiḥ sva eva dhāman ramamāṇam īśvaram

Seated upon a most worshipable throne, the Supreme Lord, surrounded by His four, His sixteen, and His five potencies, endowed with His own eternal opulences — and, in other realms, with their impermanent worldly counterparts as well — was there sporting freely in His own abode.

Verse 18 (bhagavata.2.9.18)

तद्दर्शनाह्लादपरिप्लुतान्तरो हृष्यत्तनुः प्रेमभराश्रुलोचनः । ननाम पादाम्बुजमस्य विश्वसृग् यत् पारमहंस्येन पथाधिगम्यते ॥ 9.18 ॥

tad-darśanāhlāda-pariplutāntaro hṛṣyat-tanuḥ prema-bharāśru-locanaḥ nanāma pādāmbujam asya viśva-sṛg yat pāramahaṁsyena pathādhigamyate

His inner being flooded with the joy of that vision, his body thrilling with rapture, his eyes brimming with tears of overwhelming love, the creator of the universe bowed down before those lotus feet — attainable only by the path of the paramahaṁsas.

Verse 19 (bhagavata.2.9.19)

तं प्रीयमाणं समुपस्थितं कविं प्रजाविसर्गे निजशासनार्हणम् । बभाष ईषत्स्मितशोचिषा गिरा प्रियः प्रियं प्रीतमनाः करे स्पृशन् ॥ 9.19 ॥

taṁ prīyamāṇaṁ samupasthitaṁ kaviṁ prajā-visarge nija-śāsanārhaṇam babhāṣa īṣat-smita-śociṣā girā priyaḥ priyaṁ prīta-manāḥ kare spṛśan

Seeing him — the wise Brahmā, joyful, standing before Him, worthy to receive His own charge to bring forth living beings — the Lord, beloved and full of affection, touched his hand and spoke to him with words accompanied by a gentle, radiant smile.

Verse 20 (bhagavata.2.9.20)

श्रीभगवानुवाच त्वयाहं तोषितः सम्यग् वेदगर्भ सिसृक्षया । चिरं भृतेन तपसा दुस्तोषः कूटयोगिनाम् ॥ 9.20 ॥

śrī-bhagavān uvāca tvayāhaṁ toṣitaḥ samyag veda-garbha sisṛkṣayā ciraṁ bhṛtena tapasā dustoṣaḥ kūṭa-yoginām

The Lord said: O Vedagarbha, I am fully satisfied with you, by the long-sustained austerity you undertook out of your longing to create — I, who am so difficult for mere pretenders at yoga to satisfy.

Verse 21 (bhagavata.2.9.21)

वरं वरय भद्रं ते वरेशं माभिवाञ्छितम् । ब्रह्मञ्छ्रेयःपरिश्रामः पुंसां मद्दर्शनावधिः ॥ 9.21 ॥

varaṁ varaya bhadraṁ te vareśaṁ mābhivāñchitam brahmañ chreyaḥ-pariśrāmaḥ puṁsāṁ mad-darśanāvadhiḥ

Ask now for a boon; may good fortune attend you — ask of Me, the granter of every boon, whatever you desire. O Brahmā, the very culmination of every beneficial striving for human beings is the vision of Me.

Verse 22 (bhagavata.2.9.22)

मनीषितानुभावोऽयं मम लोकावलोकनम् । यदुपश्रुत्य रहसि चकर्थ परमं तपः ॥ 9.22 ॥

manīṣitānubhāvo ’yaṁ mama lokāvalokanam yad upaśrutya rahasi cakartha paramaṁ tapaḥ

This very vision of My abode is the fruit of what you had wished for — since, having heard that word in solitude, you undertook the highest austerity.

Verse 23 (bhagavata.2.9.23)

प्रत्यादिष्टं मया तत्र त्वयि कर्मविमोहिते । तपो मे हृदयं साक्षादात्माहं तपसोऽनघ ॥ 9.23 ॥

pratyādiṣṭaṁ mayā tatra tvayi karma-vimohite tapo me hṛdayaṁ sākṣād ātmāhaṁ tapaso ’nagha

It was I who gave you that instruction, when you were bewildered as to your task; for austerity is truly My own heart, O sinless one — I Myself am the very self of austerity.

Verse 24 (bhagavata.2.9.24)

सृजामि तपसैवेदं ग्रसामि तपसा पुनः । बिभर्मि तपसा विश्वं वीर्यं मे दुश्चरं तपः ॥ 9.24 ॥

sṛjāmi tapasaivedaṁ grasāmi tapasā punaḥ bibharmi tapasā viśvaṁ vīryaṁ me duścaraṁ tapaḥ

By austerity alone I create this universe; by austerity, again, I dissolve it; by austerity I sustain the universe — My very potency is that austerity, so difficult for others even to attempt.

Verse 25 (bhagavata.2.9.25)

ब्रह्मोवाच भगवन् सर्वभूतानामध्यक्षोऽवस्थितो गुहाम् । वेद ह्यप्रतिरुद्धेन प्रज्ञानेन चिकीर्षितम् ॥ 9.25 ॥

brahmovāca bhagavan sarva-bhūtānām adhyakṣo ’vasthito guhām veda hy apratiruddhena prajñānena cikīrṣitam

Brahmā said: O Lord, dwelling as the inner witness within the hearts of all beings, You know, through Your unobstructed knowledge, whatever each of them intends to do.

Verse 26 (bhagavata.2.9.26)

तथापि नाथमानस्य नाथ नाथय नाथितम् । परावरे यथा रूपे जानीयां ते त्वरूपिणः ॥ 9.26 ॥

tathāpi nāthamānasya nātha nāthaya nāthitam parāvare yathā rūpe jānīyāṁ te tv arūpiṇaḥ

Even so, O Master, please grant what this suppliant now begs of You — that I may come to understand how You, though essentially formless, appear in forms both higher and lower.

Verse 27 (bhagavata.2.9.27)

यथात्ममायायोगेन नानाशक्त्युपबृंहितम् । विलुम्पन् विसृजन् गृह्णन् बिभ्रदात्मानमात्मना ॥ 9.27 ॥

yathātma-māyā-yogena nānā-śakty-upabṛṁhitam vilumpan visṛjan gṛhṇan bibhrad ātmānam ātmanā

Please tell me how, through the working of Your own māyā and its manifold potencies, You destroy, create, withdraw and sustain Yourself, all by Yourself alone.

Verse 28 (bhagavata.2.9.28)

क्रीडस्यमोघसङ्कल्प ऊर्णनाभिर्यथोर्णुते । तथा तद्विषयां धेहि मनीषां मयि माधव ॥ 9.28 ॥

krīḍasy amogha-saṅkalpa ūrṇanābhir yathorṇute tathā tad-viṣayāṁ dhehi manīṣāṁ mayi mādhava

O Mādhava, whose resolve never fails, You sport in this creation just as a spider spins its web from itself. Grant me, upon this matter, true understanding.

Verse 29 (bhagavata.2.9.29)

भगवच्छिक्षितमहं करवाणि ह्यतन्द्रितः । नेहमानः प्रजासर्गं बध्येयं यदनुग्रहात् ॥ 9.29 ॥

bhagavac-chikṣitam ahaṁ karavāṇi hy atandritaḥ nehamānaḥ prajā-sargaṁ badhyeyaṁ yad-anugrahāt

Instructed by You, O Lord, may I act without ever growing weary, so that, by that very grace, I might not become bound even while striving to create living beings.

Verse 30 (bhagavata.2.9.30)

यावत् सखा सख्युरिवेश ते कृतः प्रजाविसर्गे विभजामि भो जनम् । अविक्लवस्ते परिकर्मणि स्थितो मा मे समुन्नद्धमदोऽजमानिनः ॥ 9.30 ॥

yāvat sakhā sakhyur iveśa te kṛtaḥ prajā-visarge vibhajāmi bho janam aviklavas te parikarmaṇi sthito mā me samunnaddha-mado ’ja māninaḥ

O Lord, since You have taken me as Your friend, as one friend takes another — may I, engaged in bringing forth and apportioning living beings, remain steady and untroubled in Your service, and may there never arise in me the swollen pride of imagining myself the unborn, Supreme One.

Verse 31 (bhagavata.2.9.31)

श्रीभगवानुवाच ज्ञानं परमगुह्यं मे यद् विज्ञानसमन्वितम् । सरहस्यं तदङ्गं च गृहाण गदितं मया ॥ 9.31 ॥

śrī-bhagavān uvāca jñānaṁ parama-guhyaṁ me yad vijñāna-samanvitam sarahasyaṁ tad-aṅgaṁ ca gṛhāṇa gaditaṁ mayā

The Lord said: Receive from Me now that knowledge about Myself, most confidential, joined with direct realization, together with its inner secret and its supporting parts, as I speak it to you.

Verse 32 (bhagavata.2.9.32)

यावानहं यथाभावो यद्रूपगुणकर्मकः । तथैव तत्त्वविज्ञानमस्तु ते मदनुग्रहात् ॥ 9.32 ॥

yāvān ahaṁ yathā-bhāvo yad-rūpa-guṇa-karmakaḥ tathaiva tattva-vijñānam astu te mad-anugrahāt

Whatever I am in My true nature — with My own form, qualities and activities — may that exact knowledge of the truth arise within you, through My grace.

Verse 33 (bhagavata.2.9.33)

अहमेवासमेवाग्रे नान्यद् यत् सदसत् परम् । पश्चादहं यदेतच्च योऽवशिष्येत सोऽस्म्यहम् ॥ 9.33 ॥

aham evāsam evāgre nānyad yat sad-asat param paścād ahaṁ yad etac ca yo ’vaśiṣyeta so ’smy aham

I alone existed before creation; there was nothing else, whether cause or effect, apart from Me. Afterward, I am this manifest world as well; and whatever remains when it is gone — that too am I.

Verse 34 (bhagavata.2.9.34)

ऋतेऽर्थं यत् प्रतीयेत न प्रतीयेत चात्मनि । तद्विद्यादात्मनो मायां यथाभासो यथा तमः ॥ 9.34 ॥

ṛte ’rthaṁ yat pratīyeta na pratīyeta cātmani tad vidyād ātmano māyāṁ yathābhāso yathā tamaḥ

Whatever seems to have reality apart from Me, the true Self, yet upon examination is not found present within the Self — know that to be the Self's own māyā, like a false appearance, like mere darkness.

Verse 35 (bhagavata.2.9.35)

यथा महान्ति भूतानि भूतेषूच्चावचेष्वनु । प्रविष्टान्यप्रविष्टानि तथा तेषु न तेष्वहम् ॥ 9.35 ॥

yathā mahānti bhūtāni bhūteṣūccāvaceṣv anu praviṣṭāny apraviṣṭāni tathā teṣu na teṣv aham

Just as the five great elements are present within all beings, both high and low, and yet remain distinct from them, so too am I present within all things, and yet not confined within them.

Verse 36 (bhagavata.2.9.36)

एतावदेव जिज्ञास्यं तत्त्वजिज्ञासुनात्मनः । अन्वयव्यतिरेकाभ्यां यत् स्यात् सर्वत्र सर्वदा ॥ 9.36 ॥

etāvad eva jijñāsyaṁ tattva-jijñāsunātmanaḥ anvaya-vyatirekābhyāṁ yat syāt sarvatra sarvadā

This alone is what the seeker of the truth of the Self must inquire into — that which, through the twin tests of presence and absence, is found to exist everywhere and at all times.

Verse 37 (bhagavata.2.9.37)

एतन्मतं समातिष्ठ परमेण समाधिना । भवान् कल्पविकल्पेषु न विमुह्यति कर्हिचित् ॥ 9.37 ॥

etan mataṁ samātiṣṭha parameṇa samādhinā bhavān kalpa-vikalpeṣu na vimuhyati karhicit

Establish yourself firmly in this understanding through the deepest concentration; then, amid the recurring cycles of creation and dissolution, you will never at any time fall into confusion.

Verse 38 (bhagavata.2.9.38)

श्रीशुक उवाच सम्प्रदिश्यैवमजनो जनानां परमेष्ठिनम् । पश्यतस्तस्य तद् रूपमात्मनो न्यरुणद्धरिः ॥ 9.38 ॥

śrī-śuka uvāca sampradiśyaivam ajano janānāṁ parameṣṭhinam paśyatas tasya tad rūpam ātmano nyaruṇad dhariḥ

Śrī Śuka said: Having thus instructed Parameṣṭhī, the lord of created beings, the unborn Hari, even as Brahmā watched, withdrew that very form of His.

Verse 39 (bhagavata.2.9.39)

अन्तर्हितेन्द्रियार्थाय हरये विहिताञ्जलिः । सर्वभूतमयो विश्वं ससर्जेदं स पूर्ववत् ॥ 9.39 ॥

antarhitendriyārthāya haraye vihitāñjaliḥ sarva-bhūtamayo viśvaṁ sasarjedaṁ sa pūrvavat

Having offered folded hands to Hari, who had now vanished from the range of the senses, Brahmā, whose own self is composed of all created beings, brought forth this universe once more, just as before.

Verse 40 (bhagavata.2.9.40)

प्रजापतिर्धर्मपतिरेकदा नियमान् यमान् । भद्रं प्रजानामन्विच्छन्नातिष्ठत् स्वार्थकाम्यया ॥ 9.40 ॥

prajāpatir dharma-patir ekadā niyamān yamān bhadraṁ prajānām anvicchann ātiṣṭhat svārtha-kāmyayā

Once, Prajāpati, the lord of dharma, desiring the welfare of all created beings and holding that as his own true purpose, engaged himself in observing the disciplines of yama and niyama.

Verse 41 (bhagavata.2.9.41)

तं नारदः प्रियतमो रिक्थादानामनुव्रतः । शुश्रूषमाणः शीलेन प्रश्रयेण दमेन च ॥ 9.41 ॥

taṁ nāradaḥ priyatamo rikthādānām anuvrataḥ śuśrūṣamāṇaḥ śīlena praśrayeṇa damena ca

Nārada, his most beloved son among all his heirs, remained devoted to him, serving him with good conduct, humility and self-restraint.

Verse 42 (bhagavata.2.9.42)

मायां विविदिषन् विष्णोर्मायेशस्य महामुनिः । महाभागवतो राजन् पितरं पर्यतोषयत् ॥ 9.42 ॥

māyāṁ vividiṣan viṣṇor māyeśasya mahā-muniḥ mahā-bhāgavato rājan pitaraṁ paryatoṣayat

Desiring to understand the māyā of Viṣṇu, the lord of māyā, that great sage, the greatest of devotees, O King, thoroughly pleased his father through his service.

Verse 43 (bhagavata.2.9.43)

तुष्टं निशाम्य पितरं लोकानां प्रपितामहम् । देवर्षिः परिपप्रच्छ भवान् यन्मानुपृच्छति ॥ 9.43 ॥

tuṣṭaṁ niśāmya pitaraṁ lokānāṁ prapitāmaham devarṣiḥ paripapraccha bhavān yan mānupṛcchati

Seeing his father — the great-grandfather of all the worlds — thus well pleased, the celestial sage Nārada then questioned him about that very matter which you, O King, are now asking of me.

Verse 44 (bhagavata.2.9.44)

तस्मा इदं भागवतं पुराणं दशलक्षणम् । प्रोक्तं भगवता प्राह प्रीतः पुत्राय भूतकृत् ॥ 9.44 ॥

tasmā idaṁ bhāgavataṁ purāṇaṁ daśa-lakṣaṇam proktaṁ bhagavatā prāha prītaḥ putrāya bhūta-kṛt

To him, the creator of all beings, well pleased, related that same Purāṇa called the Bhāgavata — marked by ten defining characteristics — exactly as it had been spoken by the Lord.

Verse 45 (bhagavata.2.9.45)

नारदः प्राह मुनये सरस्वत्यास्तटे नृप । ध्यायते ब्रह्म परमं व्यासायामिततेजसे ॥ 9.45 ॥

nāradaḥ prāha munaye sarasvatyās taṭe nṛpa dhyāyate brahma paramaṁ vyāsāyāmita-tejase

O King, Nārada, in turn, spoke it to the sage of immeasurable power, Vyāsa, who sat meditating upon the Supreme Brahman on the bank of the river Sarasvatī.

Verse 46 (bhagavata.2.9.46)

यदुताहं त्वया पृष्टो वैराजात् पुरुषादिदम् । यथासीत्तदुपाख्यास्ते प्रश्नानन्यांश्च कृत्स्नशः ॥ 9.46 ॥

yad utāhaṁ tvayā pṛṣṭo vairājāt puruṣād idam yathāsīt tad upākhyāste praśnān anyāṁś ca kṛtsnaśaḥ

Now, as for what you asked me — how this universe came into being from the cosmic Puruṣa — I have explained all of that to you fully, along with your other questions as well.