SRIMAD BHAGAVATAM: CANTO 1

Completely satisfied with the correct questions of the sages there, the son of Romaharshana [Sûta] tried to reply after thanking them for their words.

Ugras'ravâ [Sûta Gosvâmî], the son of Romaharshana, being fully satisfied by the perfect questions of the brâhmanas, thanked them and thus attempted to reply. (Vedabase)

Text 2

Sûta said: "He [S'ukadeva] who went away to live with the renounced order without the prescribed ceremony of reform of the sacred thread, made Vyâsadeva, being afraid of the separation exclaim: 'O my son!', and all the trees and all living beings responded sympathizing in the heart of the sage.

S'rîla Sûta Gosvâmî said: Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto that great sage [S'ukadeva Gosvâmî] who can enter the hearts of all. When he went away to take up the renounced order of life [sannyâsa], leaving home without undergoing reformation by the sacred thread or the ceremonies observed by the higher castes, his father, Vyâsadeva, fearing separation from him, cried out, "O my son!" Indeed, only the trees, which were absorbed in the same feelings of separation, echoed in response to the begrieved father. (Vedabase)

Text 3:

Let me offer my obeisances to him, who from his experience of life, as the only transcendental torchlight in desiring to overcome the darkness of material existence of materialistic men, assimilated the cream of the Vedas and out of his causeless mercy conveyed the very confidential holy story as the master of the great sages.

Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto him [S'uka], the spiritual master of all sages, the son of Vyâsadeva, who, out of his great compassion for those gross materialists who struggle to cross over the darkest regions of material existence, spoke this most confidential supplement to the cream of Vedic knowledge, after having personally assimilated it by experience. (Vedabase)

Text 4

After offering first one's obeisances to Nara-Nârâyana, the [Lord as the] supermost human being, the goddess of learning and Vyâsadeva, let then all be announced that is needed for the conquering.

Before reciting this S'rîmad-Bhâgavatam, which is the very means of conquest, one should offer respectful obeisances unto the Personality of Godhead, Nârâyana, unto Nara-nârâyana Rishi, the supermost human being, unto mother Sarasvatî, the goddess of learning, and unto S'rîla Vyâsadeva, the author. (Vedabase)

Text 5

O sages, your questions about Lord Krishna are of relevance for the welfare of the world because they satisfy the true self.

O sages, I have been justly questioned by you. Your questions are worthy because they relate to Lord Krishna and so are of relevance to the world's welfare. Only questions of this sort are capable of completely satisfying the self. (Vedabase)

Text 6

That duty no doubt is for mankind the highest, of which there is the causeless, uninterrupted devotional service unto Krishna as the One in the Beyond [Vishnu] that leads to the full satisfaction of the soul.

The supreme occupation [dharma] for all humanity is that by which men can attain to loving devotional service unto the transcendent Lord. Such devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted to completely satisfy the self. (Vedabase)

Text 7

The practice of connecting oneself in devotion unto Vâsudeva, the Personality of Godhead, very soon leads to the detachment and spiritual knowledge that relies on its own power.

By rendering devotional service unto the Personality of Godhead, S'rî Krishna, one immediately acquires causeless knowledge and detachment from the world. (Vedabase)

Text 8:

What mankind does in its duties according to each his own position, is useless labor leading nowhere, if it does not lead to the message of Vishvaksena [Krishna as the Supreme Commander].

The occupational activities a man performs according to his own position are only so much useless labor if they do not provoke attraction for the message of the Personality of Godhead. (Vedabase)

Text 9:

One's occupational activities are certainly meant for ultimate liberation and not for the end of material gain, neither is, according to the sages, the material progress of the dutiful ones in devotional service meant for the attainment of sense-gratification.

All occupational engagements are certainly meant for ultimate liberation. They should never be performed for material gain. Furthermore, according to sages, one who is engaged in the ultimate occupational service should never use material gain to cultivate sense gratification. (Vedabase)

Text 10

One's longing is not so much there for sense-gratification, profit and self-preservation, one's work is instead there for no other purpose than inquiring after the Absolute Truth.

Life's desires should never be directed toward sense gratification. One should desire only a healthy life, or self-preservation, since a human being is meant for inquiry about the Absolute Truth. Nothing else should be the goal of one's works. (Vedabase)

Text 11

The learned souls say that the reality of nondual knowledge is known as Brahman, Paramâtmâ, and Bhagavân [the impersonal, localized and personal aspect].

Learned transcendentalists who know the Absolute Truth call this nondual substance Brahman, Paramâtmâ or Bhagavân. (Vedabase)

Text 12:

The sages who with the good of knowledge and detachment are of serious inquisition, will see within themselves and the Supersoul in devotional service, exactly that, what they have heard from in the Vedas.

The seriously inquisitive student or sage, well equipped with knowledge and detachment, realizes that Absolute Truth by rendering devotional service in terms of what he has heard from the Vedânta-s'ruti. (Vedabase)

Text 13:

So by the human being, o best of the twice born, the highest perfection of occupational duties according to the divisions of status and vocation is achieved in the pleasing of the Lord.

O best among the twice-born, it is therefore concluded that the highest perfection one can achieve by discharging the duties prescribed for one's own occupation according to caste divisions and orders of life is to please the Personality of Godhead. (Vedabase)

Text 14:

Therefore should one with a one-pointed mind constantly hear about, glorify, remember and worship the Supreme Lord, the protector of the devotees.

Therefore, with one-pointed attention, one should constantly hear about, glorify, remember and worship the Personality of Godhead, who is the protector of the devotees. (Vedabase)

Text 15:

Who would not attend to this message of intelligently remembering the Lord which gives one the sword for cutting through the bonds of materially motivated labor [karma]?

With sword in hand, intelligent men cut through the binding knots of reactionary work [karma] by remembering the Personality of Godhead. Therefore, who will not pay attention to His message? (Vedabase)

Text 16:

One who listens with care and attention in respect of Vâsudeva, will find affinity with the message through the devotional service rendered to pure devotees, o learned ones, and be purified from all vice.

O twice-born sages, by serving those devotees who are completely freed from all vice, great service is done. By such service, one gains affinity for hearing the messages of Vâsudeva. (Vedabase)

Text 17:

Those who developed this hearing of Krishna His own words will find virtue listening and singing and will certainly in their hearts see their desire to enjoy purified by the benefactor of the truthful.

S'rî Krishna, the Personality of Godhead, who is the Paramâtmâ [Supersoul] in everyone's heart and the benefactor of the truthful devotee, cleanses desire for material enjoyment from the heart of the devotee who has developed the urge to hear His messages, which are in themselves virtuous when properly heard and chanted. (Vedabase)

Text 18

By regular attention to that fortune [of the book and the devotee] will as good as all the inauspicious lose its hold, and will thus serving the Supreme Lord with transcendental prayers irrevocably loving service come into being.

By regular attendance in classes on the Bhâgavatam and by rendering of service to the pure devotee, all that is troublesome to the heart is almost completely destroyed, and loving service unto the Personality of Godhead, who is praised with transcendental songs, is established as an irrevocable fact. (Vedabase)

Text 19

At that time will the consciousness not being spoiled by the effects of passion and ignorance such as lust, greed and whatever else, be fixed in goodness and find happiness.

As soon as irrevocable loving service is established in the heart, the effects of nature's modes of passion and ignorance, such as lust, desire and hankering, disappear from the heart. Then the devotee is established in goodness, and he becomes completely happy. (Vedabase)

Text 20

The mind, in contact with the devotional service of the Lord thus cleared, becomes, of the association liberated, then effective in the knowledge of wisdom regarding the Fortunate One.

Thus established in the mode of unalloyed goodness, the man whose mind has been enlivened by contact with devotional service to the Lord gains positive scientific knowledge of the Personality of Godhead in the stage of liberation from all material association. (Vedabase)

Text 21

Seeing the [true] self that way as being the master for sure will cut the knots in the heart to pieces, put an end to all doubts and terminate the chain of materially motivated actions [karma].

Thus the knot in the heart is pierced, and all misgivings are cut to pieces. The chain of fruitive actions is terminated when one sees the self as master. (Vedabase)

Text 22

Therefore all transcendentalists have for certain always delighted in the service to Lord Krishna - it enlivens the soul.

Certainly, therefore, since time immemorial, all transcendentalists have been rendering devotional service to Lord Krishna, the Personality of Godhead, with great delight, because such devotional service is enlivening to the self. (Vedabase)

Text 23

The ultimate benefit of the Transcendental Personality, that is associated with as well the material qualities of nature of goodness, passion and ignorance as with the maintainer Vishnu, the creator Brahmâ and the destroyer S'iva, is of course for the human being found in the form of the quality of goodness [Vishnu].

The transcendental Personality of Godhead is indirectly associated with the three modes of material nature, namely passion, goodness and ignorance, and just for the material world's creation, maintenance and destruction He accepts the three qualitative forms of Brahmâ, Vishnu and S'iva. Of these three, all human beings can derive ultimate benefit from Vishnu, the form of the quality of goodness. (Vedabase)

Text 24

As we have the firewood from sacrifices stemming from the earth producing smoke, so we also have passion stemming from ignorance leading to the goodness from which the essential nature is realized.

Firewood is a transformation of earth, but smoke is better than the raw wood. And fire is still better, for by fire we can derive the benefits of superior knowledge [through Vedic sacrifices]. Similarly, passion [rajas] is better than ignorance [tamas], but goodness [sattva] is best because by goodness one can come to realize the Absolute Truth. (Vedabase)

Text 25

Whoever follows these sages who before thus rendered service to the transcendental Lord above these three modes of nature, deserves the same benefit.

Previously all the great sages rendered service unto the Personality of Godhead due to His existence above the three modes of material nature. They worshiped Him to become free from material conditions and thus derive the ultimate benefit. Whoever follows such great authorities is also eligible for liberation from the material world. (Vedabase)

Text 26

For that reason do they who desire liberation reject the less attractive forms of the demigods, and are they sure to worship, without any envy, the many forms of the all-blissfull Lord Vishnu [Nârâyana].

Those who are serious about liberation are certainly nonenvious, and they respect all. Yet they reject the horrible and ghastly forms of the demigods and worship only the all-blissful forms of Lord Vishnu and His plenary portions. (Vedabase)

Text 27

Those who are ignorant and of passion, desire wealth, power and progeny, clinging to forefathers and other beings of cosmic control with a likewise character.

Those who are in the modes of passion and ignorance worship the forefathers, other living beings and the demigods who are in charge of cosmic activities, for they are urged by a desire to be materially benefited with women, wealth, power and progeny. (Vedabase)

Text 28-29:

But Vâsudeva is the object of knowledge, the purpose of the sacrifices and the yoga, the controller of all material activity, and the supreme knowledge, austerity, quality, religion and goal of life.

In the revealed scriptures, the ultimate object of knowledge is S'rî Krishna, the Personality of Godhead. The purpose of performing sacrifice is to please Him. Yoga is for realizing Him. All fruitive activities are ultimately rewarded by Him only. He is supreme knowledge, and all severe austerities are performed to know Him. Religion [dharma] is rendering loving service unto Him. He is the supreme goal of life. (Vedabase)

Text 30

From the beginning of the manifestation He, by this internal potency, has been the cause and effect of all forms and the transcendental Absolute of the modes of nature.

In the beginning of the material creation, that Absolute Personality of Godhead [Vâsudeva], in His transcendental position, created the energies of cause and effect by His own internal energy. (Vedabase)

Text 31

Although He, manifesting by the modes, having entered into them, appears to be affected by the modes, is He the full manifestation of all wisdom.

After creating the material substance, the Lord [Vâsudeva] expands Himself and enters into it. And although He is within the material modes of nature and appears to be; one of the created beings, He is always fully enlightened in His transcendental position. (Vedabase)

Text 32

He, as the Supersoul, pervades all living beings as the source of the creation like fire does in wood and shines forth as different living entities, at the same time being the Absolute Person.

The Lord, as Supersoul, pervades all things, just as fire permeates wood, and so He appears to be of many varieties, though He is the absolute one without a second. (Vedabase)

Text 33

That Supersoul, created the subtle senses influenced by the modes of nature by entering the living beings in His own creation, causing them to enjoy those modes.

The Supersoul enters into the bodies of the created beings who are influenced by the modes of material nature and causes them to enjoy the effects of these modes by the subtle mind. (Vedabase)

Text 34

Thus He maintains all in the mode of goodness, being incarnated Himself in the performance of His pastimes mastering all worlds of divine, human and animalistic beings."

Thus the Lord of the universes maintains all planets inhabited by demigods, men and lower animals. Assuming the roles of incarnations, He performs pastimes to reclaim those in the mode of pure goodness. (Vedabase)