॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
Srimad Bhagavatam - Skandha XII.13 Wednesday, 6 September 2023 - The Conclusion.
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सूत उवाच
यं ब्रह्मा वरुणेन्द्ररुद्रमरुत: स्तुन्वन्ति दिव्यै: स्तवैर्वेदै: साङ्गपदक्रमोपनिषदैर्गायन्ति यं सामगा: ।
ध्यानावस्थिततद्गतेन मनसा पश्यन्ति यं योगिनो यस्यान्तं न विदु: सुरासुरगणा देवाय तस्मै नम: ॥
The Suta said:
Obeisance to that Lord, whom all the gods
Brahma, Varuna, Indra, Shiva and the Maruts
Eulogise with divine prayers.
The Sama chanters sing of his glory in choicest
Hymns replete with Vedic metre and meaning.
The Yogis cherish his vision in their hearts in deepest contemplation.
Neither gods nor demons have ever been able to find out his limits.
To that Supreme Being, I bow down with all fervour!
पृष्ठे भ्राम्यदमन्दमन्दरगिरिग्रावाग्रकण्डूयनान्निद्रालो: कमठाकृतेर्भगवत: श्वासानिला: पान्तु व: ।
यत्संस्कारकलानुवर्तनवशाद् वेलानिभेनाम्भसां यातायातमतन्द्रितं जलनिधेर्नाद्यापि विश्राम्यति ॥
Do you recall his glory when he came as the giant tortoise Kurma,
The Mount Mandara (biggest peak in creation)
Merely scratching his back as it whirled poised on his back?
He then let out a yawn that breathed life into all creation!
Indeed the ocean tides today heave and rise only stirred by his ancient breath as Kurma!
पुराणसङ्ख्यासम्भूतिमस्य वाच्यप्रयोजने । दानं दानस्य माहात्म्यं पाठादेश्च निबोधत ॥
Now please hear a summation of the verse length of each of the Puranas.
Let's then speak of Srimad Bhagavatam, the way it is to be given as a gift and a blessing.
ब्राह्मं दशसहस्राणि पाद्मं पञ्चोनषष्टि च । श्रीवैष्णवं त्रयोविंशच्चतुर्विंशति शैवकम् ॥
दशाष्टौ श्रीभागवतं नारदं पञ्चविंशति । मार्कण्डं नव वाह्नं च दशपञ्च चतु:शतम् ॥
चतुर्दश भविष्यं स्यात्तथा पञ्चशतानि च । दशाष्टौ ब्रह्मवैवर्तं लैङ्गमेकादशैव तु ॥
चतुर्विंशति वाराहमेकाशीतिसहस्रकम् । स्कान्दं शतं तथा चैकं वामनं दश कीर्तितम् ॥
कौर्मं सप्तदशाख्यातं मात्स्यं तत्तु चतुर्दश । एकोनविंशत्सौपर्णं ब्रह्माण्डं द्वादशैव तु ॥
एवं पुराणसन्दोहश्चतुर्लक्ष उदाहृत: । तत्राष्टदशसाहस्रं श्रीभागवतमिष्यते ॥
The various Puranas have different number of verses.
- Brahma Purana 10,000 verses
- Padma Purana 55,000 verses
- Vishnu Purana 23,000 verses
- Shiva Purana 24,000 verses
- Srimad Bhagavatam 18,000 verses
- Narada Purana 25,000 verses
- Markandeya Purana 9,000 verses
- Agni Purana 15,400 verses
- Bhavishya Purana 14,500 verses
- Brahma Vaivartha Purana 18,000 verses
- Linga Purana 11,000 verses
- Varaha Purana 24,000 verses
- Skanda Purana 81,000 verses
- Vamana Purana 10,000 verses
- Kurma Purana 17,000 verses
- Matsya Purana 14,000 verses
- Garuda Purana 19,000 verses
- Brahmanda Purana 12,000 verses
Thus the total number of verses in all the Puranas is four hundred thousand. Eighteen thousand of these, once again, belong to the beautiful Srimad Bhagavatam.
इदं भगवता पूर्वं ब्रह्मणे नाभिपङ्कजे । स्थिताय भवभीताय कारुण्यात् सम्प्रकाशितम् ॥
आदिमध्यावसानेषु वैराग्याख्यानसंयुतम् । हरिलीलाकथाव्रातामृतानन्दितसत्सुरम् ॥
सर्ववेदान्तसारं यद ब्रह्मात्मैकत्वलक्षणम् । वस्त्वद्वितीयं तन्निष्ठं कैवल्यैकप्रयोजनम् ॥
Bhagavan first revealed Srimad Bhagavatam to Lord Brahma, who was frightened of his nascent existence, sitting in the lotus emanating from Bhagavan's navel.
From beginning to end, the Srimad Bhagavatam extols renunciation of material life and is filled with nectarean accounts of Lord Hari’s transcendental Leela, bringing ecstasy to the saintly devotees and gods.
This Bhagavatam is the essence of all Vedanta philosophy because its subject matter is the Absolute Truth, Brahman, which, while not different from the Atma, is the ultimate reality, one without a second. The goal of this literature is to inculcate unwavering Bhakti to that Paramatman.
प्रौष्ठपद्यां पौर्णमास्यां हेमसिंहसमन्वितम् । ददाति यो भागवतं स याति परमां गतिम् ॥
If on the full moon day of the month of Bhadra anyone places Srimad Bhagavatam on a golden throne and gives it as a gift, he will attain the supreme spiritual goal.
राजन्ते तावदन्यानि पुराणानि सतां गणे । यावद्भागवतं नैव श्रूयतेऽमृतसागरम् ॥
सर्ववेदान्तसारं हि श्रीभागवतमिष्यते । तद्रसामृततृप्तस्य नान्यत्र स्याद्रति: क्वचित् ॥
All other Puranas shine forth in the assembly of saintly devotees only as long as that great ocean of nectar, Srimad Bhagavatam, is not heard... Being the essence of all Vedanta philosophy, Srimad Bhagavatam draws away the listener by its nectarine appeal from any other literature.
निम्नगानां यथा गङ्गा देवानामच्युतो यथा । वैष्णवानां यथा शम्भु: पुराणानामिदं तथा ॥
क्षेत्राणां चैव सर्वेषां यथा काशी ह्यनुत्तमा । तथा पुराणव्रातानां श्रीमद्भागवतं द्विजा: ॥
Just as the Ganga is the greatest of all rivers, Lord Achyuta Maha Vishnu the supreme among deities, and Lord Shiva the greatest of Vaishnavas, so is the Srimad Bhagavatam the greatest of all Puranas.
In the same way that the city of Kashi (Varanasi) is unexcelled among holy places, Srimad Bhagavatam is the greatest of all Puranas.
श्रीमद्भागवतं पुराणममलं यद्वैष्णवानां प्रियं यस्मिन् पारमहंस्यमेकममलं ज्ञानं परं गीयते ।
तत्र ज्ञानविरागभक्तिसहितं नैष्कर्म्यमाविष्कृतं तच्छृण्वन् सुपठन् विचारणपरो भक्त्या विमुच्येन्नर: ॥
Srimad Bhagavatam is the blemishless Purana. It is most dear to the Vaishnavas because it describes the pure and supreme knowledge of the Paramahamsas. This Bhagavatam reveals the means for becoming free from all Karma bondage, together with the processes of Jnana, Vairagya and Bhakti. Anyone who seriously tries to understand Srimad Bhagavatam, the one who diligently hears and chants it with devotion, becomes completely liberated.
कस्मै येन विभासितोऽयमतुलो ज्ञानप्रदीप: पुरा तद्रूपेण च नारदाय मुनये कृष्णाय तद्रूपिणा ।
योगीन्द्राय तदात्मनाथ भगवद्राताय कारुण्यतस्तच्छुद्धं विमलं विशोकममृतं सत्यं परं धीमहि ॥
I now meditate upon Bhagavan, that Supreme Truth, immaculate, free from birth and death, who graciously gave this Bhagavatam to Brahma first, who then taught Sage Narada, who then took it to Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasa, who then taught this to his son Sage Shuka, the greatest among sages, who then mercifully narrated it to King Parikshit!
सत्यं परं धीमहि I meditate on the Bhagavan who is the Supreme Truth.
नमस्तस्मै भगवते वासुदेवाय साक्षिणे । य इदं कृपया कस्मै व्याचचक्षे मुमुक्षवे ॥
योगीन्द्राय नमस्तस्मै शुकाय ब्रह्मरूपिणे । संसारसर्पदष्टं यो विष्णुरातममूमुचत् ॥
Prayers to Bhagavan Vasudeva, who so kindly gave this to Brahma for his liberation.
Prayers to Sage Shuka too, Brahman incarnate, who saved King Parikshit bitten proverbially by the serpent of worldly bondage!
भवे भवे यथा भक्ति: पादयोस्तव जायते । तथा कुरुष्व देवेश नाथस्त्वं नो यत: प्रभो ॥
Birth after birth, dear Bhagavan, give us Bhakti to your feet, please ensure this happens to us, oh Lord!
नामसङ्कीर्तनं यस्य सर्वपापप्रणाशनम् । प्रणामो दु:खशमनस्तं नमामि हरिं परम् ॥
The mere chanting, with fervour, of whose names erases all sin,
To that supreme Sri Hari,
We bow down, for he removes our sorrows forever!
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सत्यं परं धीमहि I meditate on the Bhagavan who is the Supreme Truth.
