Sūta Gosvāmī said: Thereafter the Pāṇḍa vas, desiring to deliver water to the dead rela tives who had desired it, went to the Ganges with Draupadī. The ladies walked in front (1).Having lamented over them and sufficiently offered Ganges water, they bathed in the Gan ges, whose water is sanctified due to being mixed with the dust of the lotus feet of the Lord (2).

There sat the King of the Kurus, Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, along with his younger brothers and Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Gāndhārī, Kuntī and Draupadī, all overwhelmed with grief. Lord Kṛṣṇa was also there.Citing the stringent laws of the Almighty and their reactions upon living beings, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa and the munis began to pacify those who were shocked and affected (3 4). The clever Duryodhana and his party cun ningly usurped the kingdom of Yudhiṣṭhira, who had no enemy. By the grace of the Lord, the recovery was executed, and the unscrupu lous kings who joined with Duryodhana were killed by Him. Others also died, their duration of life having decreased for their rough han dling of the hair of Queen Draupadī (5).

Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa caused three wellperformed aśva medhayajñas [horse sacrifices] to be conducted by Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira and thus caused his virtuous fame to be glorified in all directions, like that of Indra, who had performed one hun dred such sacrifices (6).Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa then prepared for His departure. He invited the sons of Pāṇḍu, after having been worshiped by the brāhmaṇas, headed by Śrīla Vyāsadeva. The Lord also reciprocated greetings.As soon as He seated Himself on the chariot to start for Dvārakā, He saw Uttarā hurrying toward Him in fear (7-8). Uttarā said: O Lord of lords, Lord of the universe! You are the greatest of mystics. Please protect me, protect me, for there is no one else who can save me from the clutches of death in this world of duality (9).

O my Lord, You are allpowerful. A fiery iron arrow is com ing towards me fast. My Lord, let it burn me personally, if You so desire, but please do not let it burn and abort my embryo. Please do me this favor, my Lord (10). Sūta Gosvāmī said: Having patiently heard her words, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is always very affectionate to His devotees, could at once un derstand that Aśvatthāmā, the son of Droṇācārya, had thrown the brahmāstra to fin ish the last life in the Pāṇḍava family (11).O foremost among the great thinkers [munis] [Śaunaka], seeing the glaring brahmāstra pro ceeding towards them, the Pāṇḍavas took up their five respective weapons (12).The al mighty Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, hav ing observed that a great danger was befalling His unalloyed devotees, who were fully surren dered souls, at once took up His Sudarśana disc to protect them (13).The Lord of supreme mys ticism, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, resides within everyone’s heart as the Paramātmā. As such, just to protect the progeny of the Kuru dynasty, He covered the embryo of Uttarā by His personal energy (14).

O Śaunaka, glory of Bhṛgu’s family, alt hough the supreme brahmāstra weapon re leased by Aśvatthāmā was irresistible and with out check or counteraction, it was neutralized and foiled when confronted by the strength of Viṣṇu [Lord Kṛṣṇa] (15).O brāhmaṇas, do not think this to be especially wonderful in the ac tivities of the mysterious and infallible Person ality of Godhead. By His own transcendental energy He creates, maintains and annihilates all material things, although He Himself is unborn (16).Thus saved from the radiation of the brahmāstra, Kuntī, the chaste devotee of the Lord, and her five sons and Draupadī addressed Lord Kṛṣṇa as He started for home (17).

 Śrīmatī Kuntī said: O Kṛṣṇa, I offer my obeisances unto You because You are the orig inal personality and are unaffected by the qual ities of the material world. You are existing both within and without everything, yet You are invisible to all (18).Being beyond the range of limited sense perception, You are the eter nally irreproachable factor covered by the cur tain of deluding energy. You are invisible to the foolish observer, exactly as an actor dressed as a player is not recognized (19).You Yourself descend to propagate the transcendental sci ence of devotional service unto the hearts of the advanced transcendentalists and mental specu lators, who are purified by being able to dis criminate between matter and spirit. How then can we women know You perfectly? (20)

Let me therefore offer my respectful obeisances unto the Lord, who has become the son of Vasudeva, the pleasure of Devakī, the boy of Nanda and the other cowherd men of Vṛndāvana, and the enlivener of the cows and the senses (21).My respectful obeisances are unto You, O Lord, whose abdomen is marked with a depression like a lotus flower, who are always decorated with garlands of lotus flow ers, whose glance is as cool as the lotus and whose feet are engraved with lotuses (22).O Hṛṣīkeśa, master of the senses and Lord of lords, You have released Your mother, Devakī, who was long imprisoned and distressed by the envious King Kaṁsa, and me and my children from a series of constant dangers (23).My dear Kṛṣṇa, Your Lordship has protected us from a poisoned cake, from a great fire, from canni bals, from the vicious assembly, from suffer ings during our exile in the forest and from the battle where great generals fought. And now You have saved us from the weapon of Aśvat thāmā (24).I wish that all those calamities would happen again and again so that we could see You again and again, for seeing You means that we will no longer see repeated births and deaths (25).

My Lord, Your Lordship can easily be approached, but only by those who are ma terially exhausted. One who is on the path of [material] progress, trying to improve himself with respectable parentage, great opulence, high education and bodily beauty, cannot ap proach You with sincere feeling (26).My obei sances are unto You, who are the property of the materially impoverished. You have nothing to do with the actions and reactions of the ma terial modes of nature. You are selfsatisfied, and therefore You are the most gentle and are master of the monists (27). My Lord, I consider Your Lordship to be eternal time, the supreme controller, without beginning and end, the allpervasive one. In dis tributing Your mercy, You are equal to every one. The dissensions between living beings are due to social intercourse (28).O Lord, no one can understand Your transcendental pastimes, which appear to be human and so are mislead ing. You have no specific object of favor, nor do You have any object of envy. People only imagine that You are partial (29).

Of course it is bewildering, O soul of the universe, that You work, though You are inactive, and that You take birth, though You are the vital force and the unborn. You Yourself descend amongst an imals, men, sages and aquatics. Verily, this is bewildering (30).My dear Kṛṣṇa, Yaśodā took up a rope to bind You when You committed an offense, and Your perturbed eyes overflooded with tears, which washed the mascara from Your eyes. And You were afraid, though fear personified is afraid of You. This sight is be wildering to me (31).Some say that the Unborn is born for the glorification of pious kings, and others say that He is born to please King Yadu, one of Your dearest devotees. You appear in his family as sandalwood appears in the Malaya hills (32).

Others say that since both Vasudeva and Devakī prayed for You, You have taken Your birth as their son. Undoubtedly You are unborn, yet You take Your birth for their wel fare and to kill those who are envious of the demigods (33).Others say that the world, being overburdened like a boat at sea, is much ag grieved, and that Brahmā, who is Your son, prayed for You, and so You have appeared to diminish the trouble (34).And yet others say that You appeared for the sake of rejuvenating the devotional service of hearing, remember ing, worshiping and so on in order that the con ditioned souls suffering from material pangs might take advantage and gain liberation (35).

O Kṛṣṇa, those who continuously hear, chant and repeat Your transcendental activities, or take pleasure in others’ doing so, certainly see Your lotus feet, which alone can stop the repetition of birth and death(36). O my Lord, You have executed all duties Yourself. Are you leaving us today, though we are completely dependent on Your mercy and have no one else to protect us, now when all kings are at enmity with us?(37)As the name and fame of a particular body is finished with the disappearance of the living spirit, similarly if You do not look upon us, all our fame and activities, along with the Pāṇḍavas and Yadus, will end at once (38).O Gadādhara [Kṛṣṇa], our kingdom is now being marked by the impres sions of Your feet, and therefore it appears beautiful. But when You leave, it will no longer be so (39).All these cities and villages are flour ishing in all respects because the herbs and grains are in abundance, the trees are full of fruits, the rivers are flowing, the hills are full of minerals and the oceans full of wealth. And this is all due to Your glancing over them (40).

O Lord of the universe, soul of the universe, O personality of the form of the universe, please, therefore, sever my tie of affection for my kins men, the Pāṇḍavas and the Vṛṣṇis (41).O Lord of Madhu, as the Ganges forever flows to the sea without hindrance, let my attraction be con stantly drawn unto You without being diverted to anyone else (42).O Kṛṣṇa, O friend of Ar juna, O chief amongst the descendants of Vṛṣṇi, You are the destroyer of those political parties which are disturbing elements on this earth. Your prowess never deteriorates. You are the proprietor of the transcendental abode, and You descend to relieve the distresses of the cows, the brāhmaṇas and the devotees. You possess all mystic powers, and You are the preceptor of the entire universe. You are the almighty God, and I offer You my respectful obeisances (43).

 Sūta Gosvāmī said: The Lord, thus hearing the prayers of Kuntīdevī, composed in choice words for His glorification, mildly smiled. That smile was as enchanting as His mystic power (44).Thus accepting the prayers of Śrīmatī Kuntīdevī, the Lord subsequently informed other ladies of His departure by entering the palace of Hastināpura. But upon preparing to leave, He was stopped by King Yudhiṣṭhira, who implored Him lovingly (45).King Yudhiṣṭhira, who was much aggrieved, could not be convinced, despite instructions by great sages headed by Vyāsa and the Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself, the performer of superhuman feats, and despite all historical evidence (46).

King Yudhiṣṭhira, son of Dharma, overwhelmed by the death of his friends, was aggrieved just like a common, materialistic man. O sages, thus de luded by affection, he began to speak.King Yudhiṣṭhira said: O my lot! I am the most sinful man! Just see my heart, which is full of igno rance! This body, which is ultimately meant for others, has killed many, many phalanxes of men (47-48).

I have killed many boys, brāhmaṇas, wellwishers, friends, parents, pre ceptors and brothers. Though I live millions of years, I will not be relieved from the hell that awaits me for all these sins (49).There is no sin for a king who kills for the right cause, who is engaged in maintaining his citizens. But this in junction is not applicable to me (50).I have killed many friends of women, and I have thus caused enmity to such an extent that it is not possible to undo it by material welfare work (51).As it is not possible to filter muddy water through mud, or purify a winestained pot with wine, it is not possible to counteract the killing of men by sacrificing animals (52).

Ṛṣi Śaunaka asked: O Sūta, the great and transcendentally powerful Vyāsadeva heard everything from Śrī Nārada Muni. So after Nārada’s departure, what did Vyāsadeva do? (1)

Śrī Sūta said: On the western bank of the river Sarasvatī, which is intimately related with the Vedas, there is a cottage for meditation at Śamyāprāsa which enlivens the transcendental activities of the sages (2). In that place, Śrīla Vyāsadeva, in his own āśrama, which was sur rounded by berry trees, sat down to meditate af ter touching water for purification (3). Thus he fixed his mind, perfectly engaging it by linking it in devotional service [bhaktiyoga] without any tinge of materialism, and thus he saw the Absolute Personality of Godhead along with His external energy, which was under full con trol (4).

 Due to this external energy, the living entity, although transcendental to the three modes of material nature, thinks of himself as a material product and thus undergoes the reac tions of material miseries (5). The material miseries of the living entity, which are super fluous to him, can be directly mitigated by the linking process of devotional service. But the mass of people do not know this, and therefore the learned Vyāsadeva compiled this Vedic lit erature, which is in relation to the Supreme Truth (6). Simply by giving aural reception to this Vedic literature, the feeling for loving de votional service to Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, sprouts up at once to extinguish the fire of lamentation, illusion and fearfulness (7). The great sage Vyāsadeva, after compiling the ŚrīmadBhāgavatam and revising it, taught it to his own son, ŚrīŚukadeva Gosvāmī, who was already engaged in selfreal ization (8).

ŚrīŚaunaka asked Sūta Gosvāmī: ŚrīŚukadeva Gosvāmī was already on the path of selfrealization, and thus he was pleased with his own self. So why did he take the trouble to undergo the study of such a vast literature? (9)

 Sūta Gosvāmī said: All different varieties of ātmārāmas [those who take pleasure in the ātmā, or spirit self], especially those estab lished on the path of selfrealization, though freed from all kinds of material bondage, desire to render unalloyed devotional service unto the Personality of Godhead. This means that the Lord possesses transcendental qualities and therefore can attract everyone, including liber ated souls (10). Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī, son of Śrīla Vyāsadeva, was not only transcenden tally powerful. He was also very dear to the devotees of the Lord. Thus he underwent the study of this [ŚrīmadBhāgavatam] (11).

 great narration Sūta Gosvāmī thus addressed the ṛṣis headed by Śaunaka: Now I shall begin the tran scendental narration of the Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa and topics of the birth, activities and deliverance of King Parīkṣit, the sage amongst kings, as well as topics of the renunciation of the worldly or der by the sons of Pāṇḍu (12). When the respec tive warriors of both camps, namely the Kaura vas and the Pāṇḍavas, were killed on the Bat tlefield of Kurukṣetra and the dead warriors ob tained their deserved destinations, and when the son of Dhṛtarāṣṭra fell down lamenting, his spine broken, being beaten by the club of Bhīmasena, the son of Droṇācārya [Aśvat thāmā] beheaded the five sleeping sons of Draupadī and delivered the heads as a prize to his master, foolishly thinking that he would be pleased. Duryodhana, however, disapproved of the heinous act, and he was not pleased in the least (13-14).

 Draupadī, the mother of the five children of the Pāṇḍavas, after hearing of the massacre of her sons, began to cry in distress with eyes full of tears. Trying to pacify her in her great loss, Arjuna spoke to her thus (15).

 O gentle lady, when I present you with the head of that brāhmaṇa, after beheading him with ar rows from my Gāṇḍīva bow, I shall then wipe the tears from your eyes and pacify you. Then, after burning your sons’ bodies, you can take your bath standing on his head (16). Arjuna, who is guided by the infallible Lord as friend and driver, thus satisfied the dear lady by such statements. Then he dressed in armor and armed himself with furious weapons, and get ting into his chariot, he set out to follow Aśvat thāmā, the son of his martial teacher (17). Aśvatthāmā, the murderer of the princes, seeing from a great distance Arjuna coming at him with great speed, fled in his chariot, panic stricken, just to save his life, as Brahmā fled in fear from Śiva (18).

 When the son of the brāhmaṇa [Aśvatthāmā] saw that his horses were tired, he considered that there was no al ternative for protection outside of his using the ultimate weapon, the brahmāstra [nuclear weapon] (19). Since his life was in danger, he touched water in sanctity and concentrated upon the chanting of the hymns for throwing nuclear weapons, although he did not know how to withdraw such weapons (20). There upon a glaring light spread in all directions. It was so fierce that Arjuna thought his own life in danger, and so he began to address Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa (21).

 Arjuna said: O my Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, You are the almighty Personality of Godhead. There is no limit to Your different energies. Therefore only You are competent to instill fearlessness in the hearts of Your devotees. Everyone in the flames of material miseries can find the path of liberation in You only (22). You are the origi nal Personality of Godhead who expands Him self all over the creations and is transcendental to material energy. You have cast away the ef fects of the material energy by dint of Your spiritual potency. You are always situated in eternal bliss and transcendental knowledge (23). And yet, though You are beyond the pur view of the material energy, You execute the four principles of liberation characterized by religion and so on for the ultimate good of the conditioned souls (24). Thus You descend as an incarnation to remove the burden of the world and to benefit Your friends, especially those who are Your exclusive devotees and are constantly rapt in meditation upon You (25). O Lord of lords, how is it that this dangerous ef fulgence is spreading all around? Where does it come from? I do not understand it (26).

 The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: Know from Me that this is the act of the son of Droṇa. He has thrown the hymns of nu clear energy [brahmāstra], and he does not know how to retract the glare. He has helplessly done this, being afraid of imminent death (27). O Arjuna, only another brahmāstra can coun teract this weapon. Since you are expert in the military science, subdue this weapon’s glare with the power of your own weapon (28).

Śrī Sūta Gosvāmī said: Hearing this from the Personality of Godhead, Arjuna touched water for purification, and after circumambu lating Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, he cast his brahmāstra weapon to counteract the other one (29). When the rays of the two brahmāstras combined, a great circle of fire, like the disc of the sun, cov ered all outer space and the whole firmament of planets (30). All the population of the three worlds was scorched by the combined heat of the weapons. Everyone was reminded of the sāṁvartaka fire which takes place at the time of annihilation (31).

Thus seeing the disturbance of the general populace and the imminent de struction of the planets, Arjuna at once re tracted both brahmāstra weapons, as Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa desired (32). Arjuna, his eyes blazing in anger like two red balls of copper, dexterously arrested the son of Gautamī and bound him with ropes like an animal (33). After binding Aśvatthāmā, Arjuna wanted to take him to the military camp. The Personality of Godhead Śrī Kṛṣṇa, looking on with His lotus eyes, spoke to Arjuna in an angry mood (34). Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa said: O Arjuna, you should not show mercy by releasing this relative of a brāhmaṇa [brah mabandhu], for he has killed innocent boys in their sleep(35).

 A person who knows the prin ciples of religion does not kill an enemy who is careless, intoxicated, insane, asleep, afraid or devoid of his chariot. Nor does he kill a boy, a woman, a foolish creature or a surrendered soul (36). A cruel and wretched person who main tains his existence at the cost of others’ lives deserves to be killed for his own wellbeing, otherwise he will go down by his own actions (37).Furthermore, I have personally heard you promise Draupadī that you would bring forth the head of the killer of her sons (38). This man is an assassin and murderer of your own family members. Not only that, but he has also dissat isfied his master. He is but the burnt remnants of his family. Kill him immediately (39).

Sūta Gosvāmī said: Although Kṛṣṇa, who was ex amining Arjuna in religion, encouraged Arjuna to kill the son of Droṇācārya, Arjuna, a great soul, did not like the idea of killing him, alt hough Aśvatthāmā was a heinous murderer of Arjuna’s family members (40). After reaching his own camp, Arjuna, along with his dear friend and charioteer [Śrī Kṛṣṇa], entrusted the murderer unto his dear wife, who was lamenting for her murdered sons (41). Śrī Sūta Gosvāmī said: Draupadī then saw Aśvat thāmā, who was bound with ropes like an ani mal and silent for having enacted the most in glorious murder. Due to her female nature, and due to her being naturally good and wellbe haved, she showed him due respects as a brāhmaṇa (42). She could not tolerate Aśvat thāmā’s being bound by ropes, and being a de voted lady, she said: Release him, release him, for he is a brāhmaṇa, our spiritual master (43).

 It was by Droṇācārya’s mercy that you learned the military art of throwing arrows and the con fidential art of controlling weapons (44). He [Droṇācārya] is certainly still existing, being represented by his son. His wife Kṛpī did not undergo a satī with him because she had a son (45).O most fortunate one who know the prin ciples of religion, it is not good for you to cause grief to glorious family members who are al ways respectable and worshipful (46). My lord, do not make the wife of Droṇācārya cry like me. I am aggrieved for the death of my sons. She need not cry constantly like me (47). If the kingly administrative order, being unre stricted in sense control, offends the brāhmaṇa order and enrages them, then the fire of that rage burns up the whole body of the royal fam ily and brings grief upon them all (48).

 Sūta Gosvāmī said: O brāhmaṇas, King Yudhiṣṭhira fully supported the statements of the Queen, which were in accordance with the principles of religion and were justified, glori ous, full of mercy and equity, and without du plicity (49). Nakula and Sahadeva [the younger brothers of the King] and also Sātyaki, Arjuna, the Personality of Godhead Lord Sri Kṛṣṇa, son of Devakī, and the ladies and others all unani mously agreed with the King (50). Bhīma, however, angrily disagreed with them and rec ommended killing this culprit, who had mur dered sleeping children for no purpose and for neither his nor his master’s interest (51). Ca turbhuja [the fourarmed one], or the Personality of Godhead, after hearing the words of Bhīma, Draupadī and others, saw the face of His dear friend Arjuna, and He began to speak as if smil ing (52).

 The Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa said: A friend of a brāhmaṇa is not to be killed, but if he is an aggressor he must be killed (54). All these rulings are in the scriptures, and you should act accordingly. You have to fulfill your promise to your wife, and you must also act to the satisfaction of Bhīmasena and Me (54). Sūta Gosvāmī said: Just then Arjuna could understand the motive of the Lord by His equivocal orders, and thus with his sword he severed both hair and jewel from the head of Aśvatthāmā (55). He [Aśvatthāmā] had al ready lost his bodily luster due to infanticide, and now, moreover, having lost the jewel from his head, he lost even more strength. Thus he was unbound and driven out of the camp (56). Cutting the hair from his head, depriving him of his wealth and driving him from his resi dence are the prescribed punishments for the relative of a brāhmaṇa. There is no injunction for killing the body (57). Thereafter, the sons of Pāṇḍu, and Draupadī, overwhelmed with grief, performed the proper rituals for the dead bodies of their relatives (58).

Sūta said: O brāhmaṇas, thus hearing all about Śrī Nārada’s birth and activities, Vyāsadeva, the incarnation of God and son of Satyavatī, inquired as follows (1).

 Śrī Vyāsadeva said: What did you [Nārada] do after the departure of the great sages who had instructed you in scientific transcendental knowledge before the beginning of your pre sent birth? (2) O son of Brahmā, how did you pass your life after initiation, and how did you attain this body, having quit your old one in due course? (3) O great sage, time annihilates eve rything in due course, so how is it that this sub ject matter, which happened prior to this day of Brahmā, is still fresh in your memory, undis turbed by time?(4)

 Śrī Nārada said: The great sages, who had imparted scientific knowledge of transcend ence to me, departed for other places, and I had to pass my life in this way (5). I was the only son of my mother, who was not only a simple woman but a maidservant as well. Since I was her only offspring, she had no other alternative for protection: she bound me with the tie of af fection(6). She wanted to look after my mainte nance properly, but because she was not inde pendent, she was not able to do anything for me. The world is under the full control of the Supreme Lord; therefore everyone is like a wooden doll in the hands of a puppet master (7).

 When I was a mere child of five years, I lived in a brāhmaṇa school. I was dependent on my mother’s affection and had no experience of different lands (8). Once upon a time, my poor mother, when going out one night to milk a cow, was bitten on the leg by a serpent, influ enced by supreme time (9). I took this as the special mercy of the Lord, who always desires benediction for His devotees, and so thinking, I started for the north (10).

 After my departure, I passed through many flourishing metropolises, towns, villages, ani mal farms, mines, agricultural lands, valleys, flower gardens, nursery gardens and natural forests. I passed through hills and mountains full of reservoirs of various minerals like gold, silver and copper, and through tracts of land with reservoirs of water filled with beautiful lo tus flowers, fit for the denizens of heaven, dec orated with bewildered bees and singing birds.I then passed alone through many forests of rushes, bamboo, reeds, sharp grass, weeds and caves, which were very difficult to go through alone. I visited deep, dark and dangerously fearful forests, which were the play yards of snakes, owls and jackals (11-14).

Thus travel ing, I felt tired, both bodily and mentally, and I was both thirsty and hungry. So I took a bath in a river lake and also drank water. By contacting water, I got relief from my exhaustion (15). Af ter that, under the shadow of a banyan tree in an uninhabited forest I began to meditate upon the Supersoul situated within, using my intelli gence, as I had learned from liberated souls (16). As soon as I began to meditate upon the lotus feet of the Personality of Godhead with my mind transformed in transcendental love, tears rolled down my eyes, and without delay the Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, ap peared on the lotus of my heart (17).

 O Vyāsadeva, at that time, being exceedingly overpowered by feelings of happiness, every part of my body became separately enlivened. Being absorbed in an ocean of ecstasy, I could not see both myself and the Lord (18). The tran scendental form of the Lord, as it is, satisfies the mind’s desire and at once erases all mental incongruities. Upon losing that form, I sud denly got up, being perturbed, as is usual when one loses that which is desirable (19).

 I desired to see again that transcendental form of the Lord, but despite my attempts to concentrate upon the heart with eagerness to view the form again, I could not see Him any more, and thus dissatisfied, I was very much aggrieved (20). Seeing my attempts in that lonely place, the Personality of Godhead, who is transcendental to all mundane description, spoke to me with gravity and pleasing words, just to mitigate my grief (21). O Nārada [the Lord spoke], I regret that during this lifetime you will not be able to see Me anymore. Those who are incomplete in service and who are not completely free from all material taints can hardly see Me (22).O virtuous one, you have only once seen My person, and this is just to increase your desire for Me, because the more you hanker for Me, the more you will be freed from all material desires (23).

By service of the Absolute Truth, even for a few days, a devotee attains firm and fixed intelligence in Me. Con sequently he goes on to become My associate in the transcendental world after giving up the present deplorable material worlds (24). Intel ligence engaged in My devotion cannot be thwarted at any time. Even at the time of crea tion, as well as at the time of annihilation, your remembrance will continue by My mercy (25). Then that supreme authority, personified by sound and unseen by eyes, but most wonderful, stopped speaking. Feeling a sense of gratitude, I offered my obeisances unto Him, bowing my head (26). Thus I began chanting the holy name and fame of the Lord by repeated recita tion, ignoring all the formalities of the material world. Such chanting and remembering of the transcendental pastimes of the Lord are bene dictory. So doing, I traveled all over the earth, fully satisfied, humble and unenvious (27).

 And so, O Brāhmaṇa Vyāsadeva, in due course of time I, who was fully absorbed in thinking of Kṛṣṇa and who therefore had no at tachments, being completely freed from all ma terial taints, met with death, as lightning and il lumination occur simultaneously (28). Having been awarded a transcendental body befitting an associate of the Personality of Godhead, I quit the body made of five material elements, and thus all acquired fruitive results of work [karma] stopped (29).At the end of the millen nium, when the Personality of Godhead, Lord Nārāyaṇa, lay down within the water of devas tation, Brahmā began to enter into Him along with all creative elements, and I also entered through His breathing (30).

 After 4,300,000,000 solar years, when Brahmā awoke to create again by the will of the Lord, all the ṛṣis like Marīci, Aṅgirā, Atri and so on were created from the transcendental body of the Lord, and I also appeared along with them (31). Since then, by the grace of the almighty Viṣṇu, I travel everywhere without restriction both in the transcendental world and in the three divisions of the material world. This is be cause I am fixed in unbroken devotional service of the Lord(32). And thus I travel, constantly singing the transcendental message of the glo ries of the Lord, vibrating this instrument called a vīṇā, which is charged with transcendental sound and which was given to me by Lord Kṛṣṇa (33). The Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, whose glories and activities are pleasing to hear, at once appears on the seat of my heart, as if called for, as soon as I begin to chant His holy activities (34).

 It is personally experienced by me that those who are always full of cares and anxieties due to desiring contact of the senses with their objects can cross the ocean of nesci ence on a most suitable boat the constant chanting of the transcendental activities of the Personality of Godhead (35). It is true that by practicing restraint of the senses by the yoga system one can get relief from the disturbances of desire and lust, but this is not sufficient to give satisfaction to the soul, for this [satisfac tion] is derived from devotional service to the Personality of Godhead (36).

O Vyāsadeva, you are freed from all sins. Thus I have ex plained my birth and activities for self realiza tion, as you asked. All this will be conducive for your personal satisfaction also (37). Sūta Gosvāmī said: Thus addressing Vyāsadeva, Śrīla Nārada Muni took leave of him, and vibrating on his vīṇā instrument, he left to wander at his free will (38). All glory and success to Śrīla Nārada Muni because he glorifies the activities of the Personality of Godhead, and so doing he himself takes pleas ure and also enlivens all the distressed souls of the universe (39).

Sūta Gosvāmī said: Thus the sage amongst the gods [Nārada], comfortably seated and ap parently smiling, addressed the ṛṣi amongst the brāhmaṇas [Vedavyāsa] (1).

 Addressing Vyāsadeva, the son of Parāśara, Nārada inquired: Are you satisfied by identifying with the body or the mind as ob jects of selfrealization? (2) Your inquiries were full and your studies were also well fulfilled, and there is no doubt that you have prepared a great and wonderful work, the Mahābhārata, which is full of all kinds of Vedic sequences elaborately explained (3).You have fully delin eated the subject of impersonal Brahman as well as the knowledge derived therefrom. Why should you be despondent in spite of all this, thinking that you are undone, my dear prabhu? (4)

 Śrī Vyāsadeva said: All you have said about me is perfectly correct. Despite all this, I am not pacified. I therefore question you about the root cause of my dissatisfaction, for you are a man of unlimited knowledge due to your be ing the offspring of one [Brahmā] who is self born [without mundane father and mother] (5).My lord! Everything that is mysterious is known to you because you worship the creator and destroyer of the material world and the maintainer of the spiritual world, the original Personality of Godhead, who is transcendental to the three modes of material nature (6). Like the sun, Your Goodness can travel everywhere in the three worlds, and like the air you can pen etrate the internal region of everyone. As such, you are as good as the all pervasive Supersoul. Please, therefore, find out the deficiency in me, despite my being absorbed in transcendence under disciplinary regulations and vows (7).

 Śrī Nārada said: You have not actually broadcast the sublime and spotless glories of the Personality of Godhead. That philosophy which does not satisfy the transcendental senses of the Lord is considered worthless (8). Although, great sage, you have very broadly described the four principles beginning with re ligious performances, you have not described the glories of the Supreme Personality, Vāsudeva (9).Those words which do not de scribe the glories of the Lord, who alone can sanctify the atmosphere of the whole universe, are considered by saintly persons to be like unto a place of pilgrimage for crows. Since the all perfect persons are inhabitants of the transcen dental abode, they do not derive any pleasure there (10). On the other hand, that literature which is full of descriptions of the transcenden tal glories of the name, fame, forms, pastimes, etc, of the unlimited Supreme Lord is a differ ent creation, full of transcendental words di rected toward bringing about a revolution in the impious lives of this world’s misdirected civi lization. Such transcendental literatures, even though imperfectly composed, are heard, sung and accepted by purified men who are thor oughly honest (11).

 Knowledge of self realiza tion, even though free from all material affinity, does not look well if devoid of a conception of the Infallible [God]. What, then, is the use of fruitive activities, which are naturally painful from the very beginning and transient by na ture, if they are not utilized for the devotional service of the Lord? (12) O Vyāsadeva, your vision is completely perfect. Your good fame is spotless. You are firm in vow and situated in truthfulness. And thus you can think of the pas times of the Lord in trance for the liberation of the people in general from all material bondage (13). Whatever you desire to describe that is separate in vision from the Lord simply reacts, with different forms, names and results, to agi tate the mind, as the wind agitates a boat which has no resting place (14).

The people in general are naturally inclined to enjoy, and you have encouraged them in that way in the name of re ligion. This is verily condemned and is quite unreasonable. Because they are guided under your instructions, they will accept such activi ties in the name of religion and will hardly care for prohibitions (15). The Supreme Lord is un limited. Only a very expert personality, retired from the activities of material happiness, de serves to understand this knowledge of spiritual values. Therefore those who are not so well sit uated, due to material attachment, should be shown the ways of transcendental realization, by Your Goodness, through descriptions of the transcendental activities of the Supreme Lord (16). One who has forsaken his material occu pations to engage in the devotional service of the Lord may sometimes fall down while in an immature stage, yet there is no danger of his being unsuccessful. On the other hand, a non devotee, though fully engaged in occupational duties, does not gain anything (17).

Persons who are actually intelligent and philosophically inclined should endeavor only for that purpose ful end which is not obtainable even by wan dering from the topmost planet [Brahmaloka] down to the lowest planet [Pātāla]. As far as happiness derived from sense enjoyment is concerned, it can be obtained automatically in course of time, just as in course of time we ob tain miseries even though we do not desire them (18).My dear Vyāsa, even though a devo tee of Lord Kṛṣṇa sometimes falls down some how or other, he certainly does not undergo ma terial existence like others [fruitive workers, etc.] because a person who has once relished the taste of the lotus feet of the Lord can do nothing but remember that ecstasy again and again (19). The Supreme Lord Personality of Godhead is Himself this cosmos, and still He is aloof from it. From Him only has this cosmic manifestation emanated, in Him it rests, and unto Him it enters after annihilation. Your good self knows all about this. I have given only a synopsis(20).

Your Goodness has perfect vi sion. You yourself can know the Supersoul Per sonality of Godhead because you are present as the plenary portion of the Lord. Although you are birthless, you have appeared on this earth for the wellbeing of all people. Please, there fore, describe the transcendental pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa more vividly (21). Learned circles have posi tively concluded that the infallible purpose of the advancement of knowledge, namely auster ities, study of the Vedas, sacrifice, chanting of hymns and charity, culminates in the transcen dental descriptions of the Lord, who is defined in choice poetry (22).

 O Muni, in the last millennium I was born as the son of a certain maidservant engaged in the service of brāhmaṇas who were following the principles of Vedānta. When they were living together during the four months of the rainy season, I was engaged in their personal service (23). Although they were impartial by nature, those followers of the Vedānta blessed me with their causeless mercy. As far as I was con cerned, I was self controlled and had no attach ment for sports, even though I was a boy. In ad dition, I was not naughty, and I did not speak more than required (24). Once only, by their permission, I took the remnants of their food, and by so doing all my sins were at once eradi cated. Thus being engaged, I became purified in heart, and at that time the very nature of the transcendentalist became attractive to me (25).

O Vyāsadeva, in that association and by the mercy of those great Vedāntists, I could hear them describe the attractive activities of Lord Kṛṣṇa. And thus listening attentively, my taste for hearing of the Personality of Godhead in creased at every step (26). O great sage, as soon as I got a taste of the Personality of Godhead, my attention to hear of the Lord was unflinch ing. And as my taste developed, I could realize that it was only in my ignorance that I had ac cepted gross and subtle coverings, for both the Lord and I are transcendental (27).

 Thus during two seasons the rainy season and autumn I had the opportunity to hear these greatsouled sages constantly chant the unadulterated glories of the Lord Hari. As the flow of my devotional service began, the coverings of the modes of passion and ignorance vanished (28). I was very much attached to those sages. I was gentle in behavior, and all my sins were eradicated in their service. In my heart I had strong faith in them. I had subjugated the senses, and I was strictly following them with body and mind (29). As they were leaving, those bhak tivedāntas, who are very kind to poorhearted souls, instructed me in that most confidential subject which is instructed by the Personality of Godhead Himself (30). By that confidential knowledge, I could understand clearly the in fluence of the energy of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the cre ator, maintainer and annihilator of everything. By knowing that, one can return to Him and personally meet Him (31).

O Brāhmaṇa Vyāsadeva, it is decided by the learned that the best remedial measure for re moving all troubles and miseries is to dedicate one’s activities to the service of the Supreme Lord Personality of Godhead [Śrī Kṛṣṇa] (32).O good soul, does not a thing, applied therapeu tically, cure a disease which was caused by that very same thing? (33) Thus when all a man’s activities are dedicated to the service of the Lord, those very activities which caused his perpetual bondage become the destroyer of the tree of work (34). Whatever work is done here in this life for the satisfaction of the mission of the Lord is called bhaktiyoga, or transcendental loving service to the Lord, and what is called knowledge becomes a concomitant factor (35).While performing duties according to the order of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one constantly remembers Him, His names and His qualities (36). Let us all chant the glories of Vāsudeva along with His plenary expansions Pradyumna, Aniruddha and Saṅkarṣaṇa (37).

 Thus he is the actual seer who worships, in the form of transcendental sound representation, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu, who has no material form (38). O brāhmaṇa, thus by the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa I was endowed first with the transcen dental knowledge of the Lord as inculcated in the confidential parts of the Vedas, then with the spiritual opulences, and then with His inti mate loving service (39). Please, therefore, de scribe the almighty Lord’s activities which you have learned by your vast knowledge of the Ve das, for that will satisfy the hankerings of great learned men and at the same time mitigate the miseries of the masses of common people who are always suffering from material pangs. In deed, there is no other way to get out of such miseries (40).

Vyāsadeva said: On hearing Sūta Gosvāmī speak thus, Śaunaka Muni, who was the el derly, learned leader of all the ṛṣis engaged in that prolonged sacrificial ceremony, congratu lated Sūta Gosvāmī by addressing him as fol lows (1).

 Śaunaka said: O Sūta Gosvāmī, you are the most fortunate and respected of all those who can speak and recite. Please relate the pious message of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, which was spoken by the great and powerful sage Śukadeva Gosvāmī (2). In what period and at what place was this first begun, and why was this taken up? From where did Kṛṣṇa dvaipāyana Vyāsa, the great sage, get the inspi ration to compile this literature? (3)His [Vyāsadeva’s] son was a great devotee, an equibalanced monist, whose mind was always concentrated in monism. He was transcenden tal to mundane activities, but being unexposed, he appeared like an ignorant person (4). While Śrī Vyāsadeva was following his son, beautiful young damsels who were bathing naked cov ered their bodies with cloth, although Śrī Vyāsadeva himself was not naked. But they had not done so when his son had passed. The sage inquired about this, and the young ladies re plied that his son was purified and when look ing at them made no distinction between male and female. But the sage made such distinctions (5).

 How was he [Śrīla Śukadeva, the son of Vyāsa] recognized by the citizens when he en tered the city of Hastināpura [now Delhi], after wandering in the provinces of Kuru and Jāṅgala, appearing like a madman, dumb and retarded? (6)How did it so happen that King Parīkṣit met this great sage, making it possible for this great transcendental essence of the Ve das [Bhāgavatam] to be sung to him? (7)He [Śukadeva Gosvāmī] was accustomed to stay at the door of a householder only long enough for a cow to be milked. And he did this just to sanc tify the residence (8). It is said that Mahārāja Parīkṣit is a great first class devotee of the Lord and that his birth and activities are all wonder ful. Please tell us about him (9). He was a great emperor and possessed all the opulences of his acquired kingdom. He was so exalted that he was increasing the prestige of the Pāṇḍu dyn asty. Why did he give up everything to sit down on the bank of the Ganges and fast until death? (10)He was such a great emperor that all his en emies would come and bow down at his feet and surrender all their wealth for their own ben efit. He was full of youth and strength, and he possessed kingly opulences that were difficult to give up. Why did he want to give up every thing, including his life?(11)

Those who are de voted to the cause of the Personality of God head live only for the welfare, development and happiness of others. They do not live for any selfish interest. So even though the Emperor [Parīkṣit] was free from all attachment to worldly possessions, how could he give up his mortal body, which was the shelter for others? (12) We know that you are expert in the mean ing of all subjects, except some portions of the Vedas, and thus you can clearly explain the an swers to all the questions we have just put to you (13).

 Sūta Gosvāmī said: When the second mil lennium overlapped the third, the great sage [Vyāsadeva] was born to Parāśara in the womb of Satyavatī, the daughter of Vasu (14). Once upon a time he [Vyāsadeva], as the sun rose, took his morning ablution in the waters of the Sarasvatī and sat alone to concentrate (15).

 The great sage Vyāsadeva saw anomalies in the du ties of the millennium. This happens on the earth in different ages, due to the unseen force of time (16). The great sage, who was fully equipped in knowledge, could see through his transcendental vision the deterioration of eve rything material due to the influence of the age. He could also see that the faithless people in general would be reduced in duration of life and would be impatient due to lack of goodness. Thus he contemplated for the welfare of men in all statuses and orders of life (17-18).

 He saw that the sacrifices mentioned in the Vedas were means by which the people’s occupations could be purified. And to simplify the process he di vided the one Veda into four, in order to expand them among men (19). The four divisions of the original sources of knowledge [the Vedas] were made separately. But the historical facts and au thentic stories mentioned in the Purāṇas are called the fifth Veda (20). After the Vedas were divided into four divisions, Paila Ṛṣi became the professor of the Ṛg Veda, Jaimini the pro fessor of the Sāma Veda, and Vaiśampāyana alone became glorified by the Yajur Veda (21). The Sumantu Muni Aṅgirā, who was very de votedly engaged, was entrusted with the Atharva Veda. And my father, Romaharṣaṇa, was entrusted with the Purāṇas and historical records (22). All these learned scholars, in their turn, rendered their entrusted Vedas unto their many disciples, grand disciples and great granddisciples, and thus the respective branches of the followers of the Vedas came into being (23). Thus the great sage Vyāsadeva, who is very kind to the ignorant masses, edited the Vedas so they might be assimilated by less intellectual men (24).

 Out of compassion, the great sage thought it wise that this would enable men to achieve the ultimate goal of life. Thus he compiled the great historical narration called the Mahābhārata for women, laborers and friends of the twiceborn (25). O twiceborn brāhmaṇas, still his mind was not satisfied, although he en gaged himself in working for the total welfare of all people (26). Thus the sage, being dissat isfied at heart, at once began to reflect, because he knew the essence of religion, and he said within himself (27)

 I have, under strict disciplinary vows, unpre tentiously worshiped the Vedas, the spiritual masters and the altar of sacrifice. I have also abided by the rulings and have shown the im port of disciplic succession through the expla nation of the Mahābhārata, by which even women, śūdras and others [friends of the twice born] can see the path of religion (28-29). I am feeling incomplete, though I myself am fully equipped with everything required by the Ve das (30).

This may be because I did not specif ically point out the devotional service of the Lord, which is dear both to perfect beings and to the infallible Lord (31). As mentioned be fore, Nārada reached the cottage of Kṛṣṇa dvaipāyana Vyāsa on the banks of the Sarasvatī just as Vyāsadeva was regretting his defects (32). At the auspicious arrival of Śrī Nārada, Śrī Vyāsadeva got up respectfully and worshiped him, giving him veneration equal to that given to Brahmājī, the creator (33)

O my Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, son of Vasudeva, O all pervading Personality of Godhead, I offer my respectful obeisances unto You. I meditate upon Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa because He is the Abso lute Truth and the primeval cause of all causes of the creation, sustenance and destruction of the manifested universes. He is directly and in directly conscious of all manifestations, and He is independent because there is no other cause beyond Him. It is He only who first imparted the Vedic knowledge unto the heart of Brahmājī, the original living being. By Him even the great sages and demigods are placed into illusion, as one is bewildered by the illu sory representations of water seen in fire, or land seen on water. Only because of Him do the material universes, temporarily manifested by the reactions of the three modes of nature, ap pear factual, although they are unreal. I there fore meditate upon Him, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is eternally existent in the transcendental abode, which is forever free from the illusory representations of the material world. I medi tate upon Him, for He is the Absolute Truth. (1) Completely rejecting all religious activities which are materially motivated, this Bhāgavata Purāṇa propounds the highest truth, which is understandable by those devotees who are fully pure in heart. The highest truth is reality distin guished from illusion for the welfare of all. Such truth uproots the threefold miseries. This beautiful Bhāgavatam, compiled by the great sage Vyāsadeva [in his maturity], is sufficient in itself for God realization. What is the need of any other scripture? As soon as one attentively and submissively hears the message of Bhāgavatam, by this culture of knowledge the Supreme Lord is established within his heart.(2)

 O expert and thoughtful men, relish Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, the mature fruit of the desire tree of Vedic literatures. It emanated from the lips of Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī. Therefore this fruit has become even more tasteful, although its nectarean juice was already relishable for all, including liberated souls.(3)

Once, in a holy place in the forest of Naimiṣāraṇya, great sages headed by the sage Śaunaka assembled to perform a great thousand year sacrifice for the satisfaction of the Lord and His devotees.(4) One day, after finishing their morning duties by burning a sacrificial fire and offering a seat of esteem to Śrīla Sūta Gosvāmī, the great sages made inquiries, with great respect, about the following matters.(5)

The sages said: Respected Sūta Gosvāmī, you are completely free from all vice. You are well versed in all the scriptures famous for re ligious life, and in the Purāṇas and the histories as well, for you have gone through them under proper guidance and have also explained them.(6)Being the eldest learned Vedāntist, O Sūta Gosvāmī, you are acquainted with the knowledge of Vyāsadeva, who is the incarna tion of Godhead, and you also know other sages who are fully versed in all kinds of physical and metaphysical knowledge.(7)And because you are submissive, your spiritual masters have en dowed you with all the favors bestowed upon a gentle disciple. Therefore you can tell us all that you have scientifically learned from them.(8)Please, therefore, being blessed with many years, explain to us, in an easily under standable way, what you have ascertained to be the absolute and ultimate good for the people in general.(9)O learned one, in this iron age of Kali men have but short lives. They are quar relsome, lazy, misguided, unlucky and, above all, always disturbed.(10)There are many vari eties of scriptures, and in all of them there are many prescribed duties, which can be learned only after many years of study in their various divisions. Therefore, O sage, please select the essence of all these scriptures and explain it for the good of all living beings, that by such in struction their hearts may be fully satisfied.(11) All blessings upon you, O Sūta Gosvāmī. You know for what purpose the Personality of God head appeared in the womb of Devakī as the son of Vasudeva.(12)

O Sūta Gosvāmī, we are eager to learn about the Personality of Godhead and His incarna tions. Please explain to us those teachings im parted by previous masters [ācāryas], for one is uplifted both by speaking them and by hearing them. (13) Living beings who are entangled in the complicated meshes of birth and death can be freed immediately by even unconsciously chanting the holy name of Kṛṣṇa, which is feared by fear personified. (14) O Sūta, those great sages who have completely taken shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord can at once sanctify those who come in touch with them, whereas the waters of the Ganges can sanctify only after prolonged use. (15) Who is there, desiring de liverance from the vices of the age of quarrel, who is not willing to hear the virtuous glories of the Lord? (16) His transcendental acts are magnificent and gracious, and great learned sages like Nārada sing of them. Please, there fore, speak to us, who are eager to hear about the adventures He performs in His various in carnations. (17) O wise Sūta, please narrate to us the tran scendental pastimes of the Supreme Godhead’s multiincarnations. Such auspicious adventures and pastimes of the Lord, the supreme control ler, are performed by His internal powers. (18) We never tire of hearing the transcendental pas times of the Personality of Godhead, who is glorified by hymns and prayers. Those who have developed a taste for transcendental rela tionships with Him relish hearing of His pas times at every moment. (19) Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead, along with Balarāma, played like a human being, and so masked He performed many superhuman acts. (20) Know ing well that the age of Kali has already begun, we are assembled here in this holy place to hear at great length the transcendental message of Godhead and in this way perform sacrifice. (21) We think that we have met Your Goodness by the will of providence, just so that we may ac cept you as captain of the ship for those who desire to cross the difficult ocean of Kali, which deteriorates all the good qualities of a human being. (22) Since Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Absolute Truth, the master of all mystic powers, has departed for His own abode, please tell us to whom the religious principles have now gone for shel ter(23)