28 verses
Vyāsa said: Among the sages gathered for the long sacrifice, Śaunaka, eldest by age, of high parentage and superior in Vedic knowledge, praising Sūta who had just spoken, began speaking.
Śaunaka said: O Sūta! O Sūta! Fortunate soul! Best of speakers! Please tell us the pure stories related to the Lord which the glorious Śuka spoke at the assembly of Parīkṣit.
He addresses Sūta twice out of joy. Yat stands for yam.
In which yuga, in what place, and for what reason did the sage Vyāsa write this work? Who inspired him to write this work?
Kutaḥ here is a sārva-vibhakti (applicable to all cases of nouns). The suffix taḥ indicates from. It means by whom. Kṛṣṇa refers to Vyāsa.
His son, a great yogī, seeing all things equally, fully realized in brahman, with mind concentrated on one goal, having dispelled ignorance, hid himself from the public and appeared to be a fool.
Śukadeva was realized in impersonal knowledge (nirvikalpakaḥ) and his attention ended in one point (ekānta-matiḥ). He had dispelled all ignorance (unnidraḥ). Nidrā is equated with ignorance as in yā niśā sarva-bhūtānāṁ tasyāṁ jāgarti saṁyamī: the man of knowledge is awake in what is night for all beings (BG 2.69). He appeared to be (iyate) a fool.
The young women playing in the water, on seeing the clothed Vyāsa, pursuing his naked son who had left home, became bashful and put on their clothing. Vyāsa was astonished that they were not embarrassed when his naked son passed by. When Vyāsa asked them the reason, they replied, You make distinctions of male and female and he does not. He has pure eyes.
This verse shows Śukadevas absorption in brahman (nirvikalpakaḥ). Seeing Vyāsa with clothing on, who was following his son as he left home, the women, who were playing in the water, became bashful, and put their clothing on. They did not do so on seeing Śukadeva, his son. That is astonishing. Aah! The women were not bashful on seeing my naked, young son looking everywhere. On the other hand, seeing me, an old man wearing clothes, who did not even look at them, since I understood that women were playing in the water, they became bashful. I will ask them the reason. When he asked, they said, You make distinctions, thinking this is a man, or this is a woman. Your son does not do this. How did this situation arise? Your son has pure eyes (vivkta-dṛṣṭeḥ). We young women, skilful in the arts, have the power to know the inner truth of men and women just by looking at their eyes.
After coming to the province of Kuru-jāḍgala, Śukadeva wandered in Hastināpura (the capital), like a madman, a mute or a fool. How did the people of the city recognize him?
Kuru-jāḍgala is the name of a province. Gaja-sāhvaye means in the place named after the elephant Hastināpura.
How did the conversation of Parīkṣit with Śukadeva arise, through which this Vaiṣṇava scripture appeared?
Pāṇòaveyasya refers to Parīkṣit. Muninā refers to Śukadeva. Śrutiḥ refers to the scripture.
The great devotee would wait in the houses of married couples only as long as it took to milk a cow, purifying the inhabitants by giving spiritual benefit.
Śukadeva must have remained a long time with Parīkṣit in order to explain this work. It could not be otherwise. On the pretext of begging alms, he would wait in a house for only the time it took to milk a cow. However, he actually purified their houses. He went there to give all the jīvas the spiritual goal of life.
O Sūta! Parīkṣit is called the greatest of devotees. Please tell us about his astonishing birth and activities.
Gṛṇīhi means please tell.
Why did this king, the glory of the Pāṇòavas, neglect the wealth of kings and fast to death on the bank of the Gaḍgā?
Adhirāṭ means ruling as the chief. It refers to Yudhiṣṭhira and his brothers. Parīkṣit inherited their wealth, but became disinterested in it.
Why did this brave young man, to whose feet enemies brought wealth and clearly bowed down for their own benefit, desire to give up such wealth, which is difficult to give up, along with his life airs?
Pāda-niketam means foot-stool. Ha means clearly. Parīkṣit was young, not old but desired (aiṣata) to give up all the wealth, along with even his life airs (asubhiḥ).
Persons who are surrendered to the Lord live for the auspiciousness of the world: extinguishing repeated birth and death and supplying material needs, and not for themselves. Why did Parīkṣit, becoming renounced, give up his body, which was meant as a shelter for others?
Those surrendered to the Lord live for the auspiciousness of the world (lokasya sivāya) in two ways: for extinguishing material life (bhavāya) and for giving material wealth (bhūtaye). Bhavāya literally means for material life but here it means the devotees live for helping people give up their material life in the manner that smoke is used to smother mosquitoes. Or the dative case bhavāya may express a missing infinite: bhavāya saṁhartum (they live to extinguish material life.)1
Parāśṛayam means helping others. One should not give up something upon which others depend for life, even though one may be personally detached from it.
Please explain to us whatever I have asked you on this subject. I think that you are most capable of explaining all subjects, except some portions of the Veda.
Snatam vācām means having full ability to say. Anyatra chāndasāt means other than the statements of the Vedas, since you are not qualified for that. One should not worry that Bhāgavatam is therefore inferior to the Vedas, because of Sūtas particular qualification. All persons are qualified for the final fruit of the tree of all the Vedas, the Bhāgavatam, and Bhāgavatam, being the fruit of the tree of the Vedas, is the essence of all śrutis.
Sūta said: Vyāsa was born in the womb of Satyavatī as a portion of the Lord when the third part of Dvāpara-yuga arrived in the passing of yugas.
In answer to the questions mentioned in verse 3 in which yuga, at what place a short account of Vyāsas birth and activities is now presented. According to Amara-koṣa, paryaya means a lapse. With a lapse of many yuga cycles (yuga-paryaye), in Dvāpara-yuga, when Kṛṣṇa appeared, Vyāsa was born. It will be explained that Kṛṣṇa appeared in Dvāpara-yuga of the twenty-eighth cycle of yugas in Vaivasvata-manvantara. All yugas are divided into three parts: the beginning portion (saṇdhyā-rūpa), the middle portion (yuga-rūpa) and the end portion (sandhyāṁśa-rūpa). Tṛtīye refers to the third part of Dvāpara-yuga.2 Vyāsa was born from Satyavatī who was the daughter of Uparicara Vasu. Thus vāsavyām means in the womb of Satyavatī.
At one time, Vyāsa, performing ācamana with water from the Sarasvatī River, being purified, sat alone in an isolated spot while the sun rose.
Upaspṛśya means having sipped water (ācamana). The verse is part of a sentence which ends in verse 18.
Vyāsa, who could see the past and the future, having pure vision, observed by his spiritual eye that the dharmas for the yugas had been destroyed on the earth, yuga after yuga, by the invisible force of time; that the bodies had decreased in ability; and that the people were devoid of faith, dominated by rajas and tamas, dull-witted, short-lived, and filled with misfortunes. He began to contemplate on what would be beneficial for all the varṇas and āśramas.
He knows the past and the future (parāvara-jñaḥ). He saw that there was destruction of the dharmas of the yugas with time (yuga-dharma-vyatikaram). There was decrease in strength of the body conditions (bhautikānām bhāvānām), caused by time (tat-kṛtam). The people were filled with rajas and tamas (niḥsattvān).
Seeing the purifying power of Vedic rites performed by the four priests for the people at large who were not inclined for jñāna, yoga or bhakti, he divided the one Veda into four for continuation of sacrifice.
Vyāsa considered that Vedic rites were purifying (śuddham) for all people who were not qualified for jñāna, yoga or bhakti. These sacrifices were accomplished by four priests, the hotā (reciter of Ṛg-veda, offerer of oblations), udgātā (reciter of Sāma-veda, corrector of irregularity), adhvaryu (reciter of Yajur-veda, preparer of items for sacrifice), and the brahmā (reciter of Atharva-Veda, knower of all Vedas, supervisor). Santatyai means for continuation.
He divided the Veda into the Ṛg, Yajus, Sāma and Atharvā. Histories and Purāṇas are called the fifth Veda.
For the Vedas, Paila became responsible for the Ṛg-veda, wise Jaimini chanted the Sama-veda, Vaiśampāyana became learned in the Yajur-veda, the sage Sumantu, inclined to incantations, became learned in the Atharva-veda and my father Romaharṣaṇa became learned in the histories and Purāṇas.
Dāruṇaḥ means inclined to incantations and magic.
Each of these sages divided up his Veda into many divisions and these Vedas then developed branches as they were passed on to disciples, grand-disciples and great-grand-disciples.
Vyasyan means divided.
The Supreme Lord Vyāsa, merciful to the most fallen, thus divided the Vedas so that they could be understood by the foolish.
The women, śudras and dvija-bandhus were not qualified to hear the Vedas. Thinking what would be the best for the foolish in terms of the best sādhana, Vyāsa by his mercy wrote the Mahābhārata.
The dvīja-bandhus do not belong to the three upper classes. Karma-śreyasi means in the best sādhana.
O brāhmaṇas! Though he had engaged himself in this way for the welfare of all beings, his heart was not satisfied with all of that. Being not completely satisfied in heart, sitting in a solitary spot on the bank of the Sarasvatī River, the knower of dharma began to contemplate. He then spoke as follows.
Sarvātmakena means the same as sarvātmanā (by the whole). Na ati prasīdad hròayaḥ means he whose heart was not completely pleased. Because of dissatisfaction in his heart he began to conjecture (vitarkayan). He spoke to himself internally.
I have respected the Vedas, the gurus and fire with sincerity and strict vows, and observed the rules.
Through the Mahābhārata, in which dharma, artha, kāma and mokṣa for the women, śūdras, what to speak of the higher castes, is seen, I have clearly shown the meaning of the Vedas. But still, my soul situated in the body, though powerful with austerity and knowledge by nature, appears incomplete and inferior, even though endowed with power arising from studying the Vedas.
My soul situated in the body (daiyaḥ), though complete with austerity and knowledge (vibhuḥ) by nature (ātmanā), feels incomplete (asampanna); and not only incomplete, but also inferior (asattama) even though endowed with power arising from the excellent results derived by hearing and studying the Vedas. Another version of the text has uśattama (most pleased with). In either case, as part of a compound, the suffix vī can be added with the meaning possessing.
Perhaps the path of bhakti pleasing to the most elevated devotees has not been sufficiently described. And the elevated devotees alone are dear to the Lord.
Vyāsā begins to intuit the reason for his dissatisfaction. Prāyana means abundantly. The word te refers to the paramahaṁsas. It is not possible to explain the word bhāgavatā dharmā as jñāna. It is bhakti only for it is later said:
tad-vāg-visargo janatāgha-viplavo yasmin prati-ślokam abaddhavaty api
nāmāny anantasya yaśo ḍkitāni yat śṛṇvanti gāyanti gṛṇanti sādhavaḥ
The use of words in which, though not perfectly composed, there are the names of the Lord and descriptions of his glories which devotes hear, sing, and again receive, destroys the sins of all people. SB 1.5.11
And thus the word paramahaṁsānām refers only to the devotees, not to the jñānīs. Bhāgavatam should always be connected with the devotees who are called paramahaṁsas. It should never be taken as the property of the jñānīs.
bhavatānudita-prāyaṁ yaśo bhagavato malam
yenaivāsau na tuṣyeta manye tad darśanaṁ khilam
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. SB 1.5.8
As Vyāsa was lamenting, considering himself most vile, Nārada approached the hermitage, which was previously described.
Khilam means vile. Vyāsas hermitage was on the bank of the Sarasvatī as previously described (prāg udāhṛtam). Lacking complete knowledge and being dissatisfied are impossible for Vyāsa, since he is an avatāra of the Lord. Therefore it should be understood that these conditions were strongly produced by Kṛṣṇa himself in order to manifest the Bhāgavatam, the crest jewel of all the scriptures, which is non-different from him. Similarly, even Balarāmas knowledge became covered by Kṛṣṇa for the beauty of the pastimes in bewildering Brahmā. The Bhāgavatam became manifest by the instructions of Nārada; however it should be understood that the even the chief goal of human endeavor, liberation, is achieved only by bhakti, and not by any other method.
yat karmabhir yat tapasā jñāna-vairāgyataś ca yat
yogena dāna-dharmeṇa śreyobhir itarair apisarvaṁ
mad-bhakti-yogena mad-bhakto labhate ñjasā
svargāpavargaṁ mad-dhāma kathañcid yadi vāñchati
Everything that can be achieved by karma, penance, jñāna, vairāgya, mystic yoga, charity, dharma and all other auspicious means of perfecting life is easily achieved by my devotee through bhakti. If somehow or other my devotee desires Svarga, liberation, or residence in my abode, he easily achieves such benedictions. SB 11.20.32-33
kiṁ vā yogena sāḍkhyena nyāsa-svādhyāyayor api
kiṁ vā śreyobhir anyaiś ca na yatrātma-prado hariḥ
What is the use of yoga, sāḍkhya, sannyāsa, study of the Vedas, other auspicious acts, in which the Lord does not give realization of himself?
SB 4.31.12
Thus the unique meaning of all the scriptures becomes visible to all people by bhakti.
Understanding that Nārada, worshipped by the devatās, had suddenly arrived, Vyāsa worshipped him as if he were Brahmā.
Vidhivat means like Brahmā. Vat can mean like according to the dictionary. Vat is compounded with vidhi.
In the Fourth chapter the excellence of the speaker and the hearer of the Bhāgavatam are declared. Also, the mercy that Vyāsa received and its previous absence are described.
Because he was the eldest by age (vròdhaḥ), superior by family lineage (kula-pati) and superior by knowledge acquired through studying the Veda (bahvrcaḥ), Śaunaka was chosen by the sages to ask the questions.