SRIMAD BHAGAVATAM: CANTO 1

The elderly and learned S'aunaka, the head of the long-standing ceremony the sages were gathered for, congratulated Sûta Gosvâmî thanking him thus:

On hearing Sûta Gosvâmî speak thus, S'aunaka Muni, who was the elderly, learned leader of all the rishis engaged in that prolonged sacrificial ceremony, congratulated Sûta Gosvâmî by addressing him as follows. (Vedabase)

Text 2

O most fortunate of the ones respected to speak, tell us of the message of the Bhâgavatam, as spoken by S'ukadeva Gosvâmî.

S'aunaka said: O Sûta Gosvâmî, you are the most fortunate and respected of all those who can speak and recite. Please relate the pious message of S'rîmad-Bhâgavatam, which was spoken by the great and powerful sage S'ukadeva Gosvâmî. (Vedabase)

Text 3

When, where, on what ground and wherefrom inspired could from Krishna this literature be compiled?

In what period and at what place was this first begun, and why was this taken up? From where did Krishna-dvaipâyana Vyâsa, the great sage, get the inspiration to compile this literature? (Vedabase)

Text 4

His son, who equipoised and unwavering with his mind was always fixed on the One, was a great devotee and an awakened soul, but unexposed he appeared ignorant.

His [Vyâsadeva's] son was a great devotee, an equibalanced monist, whose mind was always concentrated in monism. He was transcendental to mundane activities, but being unexposed, he appeared like an ignorant person. (Vedabase)

Text 5

Seeing the sage Vyâsadeva following his son, naked bathing beauties covered their bodies out of shyness, whereas astonishingly asked of his son they replied him that they did not do so for him as he regarded them purified without sexual discrimination.

While S'rî Vyâsadeva was following his son, beautiful young damsels who were bathing naked covered their bodies with cloth, although S'rî Vyâsadeva himself was not naked. But they had not done so when his son had passed. The sage inquired about this, and the young ladies replied that his son was purified and when looking at them made no distinction between male and female. But the sage made such distinctions. (Vedabase)

Text 6

How was he [S'uka], appearing like a retarded dumb madman wandering the Kuru-jângala provinces, recognized by the inhabitants when he reached Hastinâpura [now: Delhi]?

How was he [S'rîla S'ukadeva, the son of Vyâsa] recognized by the citizens when he entered the city of Hastinâpura [now Delhi], after wandering in the provinces of Kuru and Jângala, appearing like a madman, dumb and retarded? (Vedabase)

Text 7

How could, o dear soul, between the saint and the descendant of Pându, the wise king, the discussion take place in which this vedic truth about Krishna came to pass?

How did it so happen that King Parîkshit met this great sage, making it possible for this great transcendental essence of the Vedas [Bhâgavatam] to be sung to him? (Vedabase)

Text 8

He, pilgrimaging, only for the time of milking a cow stayed at the door of the householders sanctifying the residence.

He [S'ukadeva Gosvâmî] 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 sanctify the residence. (Vedabase)

Text 9

Please tell us about Parîkchit, the son of Abhimanyu, who is said to be a first class devotee whose birth and activities are all wonderful.

It is said that Mahârâja Parîkshit is a great first-class devotee of the Lord and that his birth and activities are all wonderful. Please tell us about him. (Vedabase)

Text 10

For what reason did the emperor who enriched the name of Pându, neglect the opulences of his kingdom, sitting down for penance at the Ganges until his death?

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 Pându dynasty. Why did he give up everything to sit down on the bank of the Ganges and fast until death? (Vedabase)

Text 11

Why did he, at whose feet all enemies surrendered their wealth for their own sake, in the full of his youth exclaim to give up his so difficult to relinquish life of royal riches?

He was such a great emperor that all his enemies would come and bow down at his feet and surrender all their wealth for their own benefit. He was full of youth and strength, and he possessed insuperable kingly opulences. Why did he want to give up everything, including his life? (Vedabase)

Text 12

Men of devotion for the One Hailed in the Verses, live for the welfare, the affluence and prosperity of all living beings and not for any selfish purpose; for what reason gave he, freed from all attachment, up his mortal body that was the shelter for others?

Those who are devoted to the cause of the Personality of Godhead live only for the welfare, development and happiness of others. They do not live for any selfish interest. So even though the Emperor [Parîkshit] was free from all attachment to worldly possessions, how could he give up his mortal body, which was shelter for others? (Vedabase)

Text 13

Clearly explain to us all we by this have asked you, for we consider you fully acquainted with all the meanings of the words in the scriptures, except for those of the vedic hymns.

We know that you are expert in the meaning of all subjects, except some portions of the Vedas, and thus you can clearly explain the answers to all the questions we have just put to you. (Vedabase)

Text 14

Sûta Gosvâmî said: "When the second age that ran into the third, ended, was the sage [Vyâsa] born to Parâs'ara from the womb of the daughter of Vasu as a full aspect of the Lord.

Sûta Gosvâmî said: When the second millennium overlapped the third, the great sage [Vyâsadeva] was born to Parâs'ara in the womb of Satyavatî, the daughter of Vasu. (Vedabase)

Text 15

One morning at the rise of the sun globe, after being cleansed by the water of his morning duties, he sat down at the bank of the river Sarasvatî to concentrate.

Once upon a time he [Vyâsadeva], as the sun rose, took his morning ablution in the waters of the Sarasvatî and sat alone to concentrate. (Vedabase)

Text 16

Knowing past and future, he saw, as it happens from unseen forces in the different ages, that in the religion of his time gradually anomalies were accruing.

The great sage Vyâsadeva saw anomalies in the duties of the millennium. This happens on the earth in different ages, due to unseen forces in the course of time. (Vedabase)

Text 17-18:

Seeing in his transcendence how with the dull and impatient of the faithless lacking in goodness, there was a decline in the natural power in all types of men as well as in other creatures, and that the common man being unlucky was short-lived, devoted the sage his transcendental vision to the welfare of all the vocations and stages in life.

The great sage, who was fully equipped in knowledge, could see, through his transcendental vision, the deterioration of everything 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. (Vedabase)

Text 19:

With the insight that there were four sacrificial fires for purifying the work of the people, divided he the one Veda accordingly into four to ensure the continuance of sacrifice.

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 divided the one Veda into four, in order to expand them among men. (Vedabase)

Text 20

Rig, Yajuh, Sâma and Atharva were the names of these four Vedas while the Itihâsas. (the single histories) and the Purânas. (the collections of histories) were called the fifth Veda.

The four divisions of the original sources of knowledge [the Vedas] were made separately. But the historical facts and authentic stories mentioned in the Purânas are called the fifth Veda. (Vedabase)

Text 21

After that the Rig Veda was propagated by the rishi Paila, the Sâma Veda by the learned Jaimini, while Vais'ampâyana was the only one versed enough to qualify for the defense of the Yajur Veda.

After the Vedas were divided into four divisions, Paila Rishi became the professor of the Rig Veda, Jaimini the professor of the Sâma Veda, and Vais'ampâyana alone became glorified by the Yajur Veda. (Vedabase)

Text 22

The serious respect for the Atharva Veda was with Angirâ, also called Sumantu Muni, while the Itihâsas and the Purânas, were defended by my father Romaharshana.

The Sumantu Muni Angirâ, who was very devotedly engaged, was entrusted with the Atharva Veda. And my father, Romaharshana, was entrusted with the Purânas and historical record. (Vedabase)

Text 23

All these scholars on their turn distributed the knowledge entrusted to them to their disciples who did the same with their following who did so with their pupils, and thus the different branches of followers of the Vedas came about.

All these learned scholars, in their turn, rendered their entrusted Vedas unto their many disciples, grand-disciples and great grand-disciples, and thus the respective branches of the followers of the Vedas came into being. (Vedabase)

Text 24

In order to have the Veda assimilated as much by the less intellectual ones, the great sage of lordship Vyâsa took care to edit it for the ignorant.

Thus the great sage Vyâsadeva, who is very kind to the ignorant masses, edited the Vedas so they might be assimilated by less intellectual men. (Vedabase)

Text 25

Thinking this way, for the welfare of the more foolish working class, the women [see 6.9: 6 & 9], and the friends of the twice-born who themselves do not work for understanding, was the sage as merciful to take to their benefit down the story of the Mahâbhârata."

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 Mahâbhârata for women, laborers and friends of the twice-born. (Vedabase)

Text 26

"O dear twice-born, by no means could he, who was always working for the welfare of all living beings, find satisfaction at that time.

O twice-born brâhmanas, still his mind was not satisfied, although he engaged himself in working for the total welfare of all people. (Vedabase)

Text 27

Knowing what religion is, said he, purified in seclusion at the bank of the Sarasvatî, thus from the dissatisfaction of his heart to himself:

Thus the sage, being dissatisfied at heart, at once began to reflect, because he knew the essence of religion, and he said within himself. (Vedabase):

Text 28-29:

"With strict discipline I sincerely did proper worship to the tradition of the vedic hymns, respecting the masters and doing the sacrifices. Even for women, the working class and others did I, by compiling the Mahâbhârata, properly explain, of the disciplic succession, what should be said of the path of religion.

I have, under strict disciplinary vows, unpretentiously worshiped the Vedas, the spiritual master and the altar of sacrifice. I have also abided by the rulings and have shown the import of disciplic succession through the explanation of the Mahâbhârata, by which even women, s'ûdras and others [friends of the twice-born] can see the path of religion. (Vedabase)

Text 30

Despite of answering, so it appears, sufficiently to the demands of the vedantists in my realizing the might of the Supreme Soul as situated in the body and even the might of my own self, I feel something is missing.

I am feeling incomplete, though I myself am fully equipped with everything required by the Vedas. (Vedabase)

Text 31

I might not have given sufficient directions about the devotional service so dear to as well the perfect as to the Infallible One."

This may be because I did not specifically point out the devotional service of the Lord, which is dear both to perfect beings and to the infallible Lord. (Vedabase)

Text 32

While Krishna-dvaipâyana Vyâsa was thus regretfully thinking of his shortcomings, Nârada, as said before, reached his cottage.

As mentioned before, Nârada reached the cottage of Krishna-dvaipâyana Vyâsa on the banks of the Sarasvatî just as Vyâsadeva was regretting his defects. (Vedabase)

Text 33

Seeing the fortune of that he quickly got up to honor him with the respect equal to the respect the godly pay to Brahmâjî, the creator.

At the auspicious arrival of S'rî Nârada, S'rî Vyâsadeva got up respectfully and worshiped him, giving him veneration equal to that given to Brahmâjî, the creator. (Vedabase)