Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyana Vyāsadeva

ŚRĪMAD BHĀGAVATAM
(Bhāgavata Purāṇa)

The Story of the Fortunate One

Canto 2
Translated by Anand Aadhar
Third revised edition 10-06-2017
2 Śrīmad Bhāgavatam - The Story of the Fortunate One

CANTO 2: The Cosmic Manifestation

 
Introduction ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------   3
1 The First Step in God Realization -------------------------------------------------------- 4
2 The Lord in the Heart ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 7
3 Pure Devotional Service - The Change in Heart ---------------------------------------- 9
4 The Process of Creation ------------------------------------------------------------------- 11
5 The Cause of all Causes ------------------------------------------------------------------- 13
6 The Hymn of the Original Person Confirmed ------------------------------------------- 15
7 Brief Description of the Past and Coming Avatāras ------------------------------------ 18
8 Questions by King Parīkṣit ---------------------------------------------------------------- 24
9 Answering by Citing the Lord’s Version ------------------------------------------------- 25
10 Bhāgavatam is the Answer to all Questions -------------------------------------------- 28

 
 Canto 2 3

wami. M.A., Sāstrī (from the Gītā Press, Go-

rakhpur), the paramparā [disciplic succession]
version of Śrīla Viṣvanātha Cakravarti Ṭhākura
and the later version of this book by Śrīla A.C.
Introduction
Bhaktivedānta Swami Prabhupāda. The latter
translators as ācāryas [guru teaching by example]
This book tells the story of the Lord and His in- of the age-old Indian Vaishnava tradition are rep-
carnations since the earliest records of Vedic his- resentatives of a culture of reformation of the de-
tory, the history of the original culture of knowl- votion for God or bhakti, the way it has been prac-
edge of India. It is verily the Kṛṣṇa 'bible' [in San- ticed in India since the 16th century. This reforma-
skrit called a samhitā] of the Hindu universe. The tion asserts that the false authority of the caste sys-
Bhagavad Gītā relates to this book like the sermon tem and single dry book knowledge is to be re-
on the mountain by Lord Jesus relates to the full jected. Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, also called Caitanya
Bible. It has about 18.000 verses contained in 335 Mahāprabhu (1486-1534), the avatāra [an incar-
chapters and consists of 12 subdivisons of books nation of the Lord] who heralded this reform, re-
that are called Cantos. These books together tell stored the original purpose of developing devotion
the complete history of the Vedic culture and unto the person of God and endeavored in particu-
cover the essence of the classical collections of lar for dissemination of the two main sacred scrip-
stories called the Purāṇas. This specific collection tures expounding on that devotion in relation to
of Vedic stories is considered the most important Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
one of all the great eighteen classical Purāṇas of These scriptures are the Bhagavad Gītā and this
India. It includes the cream of the Vedic knowl- Bhāgavata Purāṇa, that is also called the Śrīmad
edge compiled from all the Vedic literatures as Bhāgavatam, from which all the Vaishnava
also the story of the life of Lord Kṛṣṇa in full ācāryas derived their wisdom for the purpose of
(Canto 10). Lord Kṛṣṇa constitutes a watershed in instruction and the shaping of their devotion. The
the history between the old Vedic culture and the word for word translations as also the full text and
'modern' political culture in which the rule of state commentaries of this book were studied within
no longer automatically is led by the spiritual or- and without the Hare Kṛṣṇa temples where the
der. The book tells the story of His birth, His teaching of this culture takes place. The purpose of
youth, all His wonderful proofs of His divine na- the translation is first of all to make this glorious
ture and His superhuman feats of defeating all text available to a wider audience over the Inter-
kinds of demons up to the great Mahābhārat war at net. Since the Bible, the Koran and numerous
Kurukṣetra. In this war the Vedic culture fell down other holy texts are readily available, the translator
to be replaced by the fragmented relighiosity we meant that this book could not stay behind on the
these days call Hinduism. This leading Purāṇa also shelf of his own bookcase as a token of material
called the 'perfect Purāṇa', is a brilliant story that possessiveness. When we started with this en-
has been brought to the West by Śrīla A.C. Bhak- deavor in the year 2000 there was no proper web
tivedānta Swami Prabhupāda, a Caitanya presentation of this book. Knowledge not shared is
Vaishnava, a bhakti (devotional) monk of Lord knowledge lost, and certainly this type of knowl-
Viṣṇu [the name for the transcendental form of edge, which stresses the yoga of non-
Lord Kṛṣṇa]. He undertook the daring task of en- possessiveness and devotion as one of its main
lightening the materialist westerners, the advanced values could not be left out. The version of Swami
philosophers and theologians, in order to help Prabhupāda is very extensive covering some 2400
them to overcome the perils and loneliness of im- pages of plain fine printed text including his com-
personalism and the philosophy of emptiness. mentaries. And that were only the first ten Cantos.
The remaining two Cantos were posthumously
published by his pupils in the full of his spirit. I
For the translation the author of this internet ver- thus was faced with two daring challenges: one
sion has consulted the translations of C.L Gos- was to concatenate the text or make a readable

\
4 Śrīmad Bhāgavatam - The Story of the Fortunate One

running narrative of the book that had been dis- drawing from a more experienced approach. On
sected and commented to the single word and the the internetsite bhagavata.org of this book, my
second challenge was to put it into a language that version refers to the version of Prabhupāda that is
would befit the 21st century with all its modern linked up at each verse together with my own pre-
and postmodern experience and digital progress of vious version so that it is possible to retrace at any
the present cultural order of the world, without moment what I have done with the text. This is in
losing anything of its original verses. Thus another accordance with the scientific tradition of the
verse to verse as-it-is translation came about in Vaishnava community.
which Viṣvanātha's, Prabhupāda's and Sāstrī's
words were pruned, retranslated and set to the un- For the copyright on this translation the so-called
derstanding and realization of today. This realiza- Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial-
tion in my case originated directly from the disci- Share Alike 3.0 Unported License has been cho-
plic line of succession of the Vaishnava line of sen. This means that one is free to copy, distribute
ācāryas as also from a realization of the total field and alter the text on the condition of attribution
of indian philosophy of enlightenment and yoga (refer to the name of Anand Aadhar and to my
discipline as was brought to the West by also non- website address bhagavata.org), that the resulting
Vaishnava gurus and maintained by their pupils. work can only be distributed under the same or
Therefore the author has to express his gratitude to similar license to this one and that one cannot use
all these great heroes who dared to face the ada- the text for commercial purposes. For all other
mantine of western philosophy with all its doubts, usage one will have to contact the translator.
concreticism and skepticism. Especially the pupils
of Prabhupāda, members of the renounced order With love and devotion,
(sannyāsīs) who instructed the author in the inde- Anand Aadhar Prabhu,
pendence and maturity of the philosophy of the Enschede, The Netherlands, April 17, 2012.
bhakti-yogis of Lord Caitanya need to be men-  
tioned. I was already initiated in India by a non-  
Vaishnava guru and have been given the name of
Swami Anand Aadhar ('teacher of the foundation
of happiness'). That name the Kṛṣṇa community
converted into Anand Aadhar Prabhu ('master of
the foundation of happiness') without further
ceremonies of Vaishnava initiation (apart from a
basic training). With the name Anand Aadhar I am
a withdrawn devotee, a so-called vānapraṣta, who
does his devotional service independently in the
silence and modesty of his local adaptations of the
philosophy.

In most cases the word for word translations and

grammatical directions of Śrīla A.C. Bhak-
tivedānta Swami Prabhupāda/ISKCON,
Viṣvanātha Cakravarti Ṭhākura and C.L. Gos-
wami. M.A., Sāstrī have been followed as they
were used in their translations and I have checked
them with the help of the Monier-Williams San-
skrit Dictionary [see the file of the terms used]. In
footnotes and between square brackets [ ] some-
times a little comment and extra info is given to
accommodate the reader when the original text is

\
 Canto 2 5

cere devotee. They who respectfully dedicate their

full attention to it very soon will realize an un-
flinching faith in Mukunda [Kṛṣṇa as the Lord
granting liberation]. (11) For both those who crave
free from piously exercising respect and for yoga
Chapter 1 practitioners who are free from fear and doubts, oh
The First Step in God Realization King, the, according to the tradition, repeating of
the name of the Lord constitutes the approved
(-) My obeisances unto the Supreme Lord method. (12) What is the use of spending one's
Vāsudeva. (1) Śrī Śuka said: 'This inquiry of yours years as an ignoramus in this world without having
for the good of all people is the best thing you can [this] experience? The hour one deliberately spends
do, because this subject of study, oh King, carries in service of the higher cause is the better one.
the approval of the transcendentalists and consti- (13) The saintly king known as Khaṭvānga cast
tutes the supreme of all that is worth the attention. aside everything when he knew that he had but a
(2) Oh Emperor, there are countless subject mat- moment to live longer in this world and thus expe-
ters to hear about in human society that are of in- rienced the full security of the Lord. (14) Oh
terest to those who, attached to their household member of the Kuru family, therefore also your
life, are materially engrossed and are blind to the life's duration that is limited to seven days,
reality of the soul. (3) They spend their lives, oh should inspire you to perform everything that
King, with sleeping and making love during the traditionally belongs to the rituals for a next life.
night and with making money and taking care of (15) Facing the end of one's life one should be free
their family during the day. (4) Overly attached to from the fear of death by cutting, with the help of
the fallible allies of the body, the children, the the weapon of non-attachment, with one's desires
wife and everything thereto, they, despite their and everything material associated with them.
experience, do not see the finality of these matters. (16) In pious self control leaving one's home
(5) For that reason, oh descendant of Bharata, He behind, one should head for a sacred place and
must be discussed, glorified and remembered who properly cleansed in solitude sit down in a position
as the Supersoul, the Supreme Personality, the in accordance with the regulations. (17) The mind
controller and vanquishing Lord, frees those who should then be turned to the three sacred transcen-
are of desire from their anxieties. (6) All this ana- dental letters [A-U-M]. Regulating one's breath
lyzing in the knowledge of yoga of one's particular one thus should get the mind under control so that
nature and how a person after being born should the primary cause of the absolute Spirit [Brahman]
attain the full awareness of the Supreme, in the is not forgotten. (18) With the intelligence as the
end only concerns the remembrance of Nārāyaṇa driver, the [horses of the] senses with the help of
[Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality]. (7) In gen- the mind should be led away from their objects.
eral it are the sages who, free from the material The mind that is motivated for results should for
modes having mastered the prescriptions and re- that purpose consciously be fixed on the auspi-
strictions, oh King, take pleasure in especially de- cious cause [of the Lord]. (19) Not allowing to be
scribing the glories of the Lord. distracted by the outside world, one thereafter
consecutively focusses one's mind on the different
(8) This story called the Bhāgavatam contains the parts of His body. One should thereto not think of
essence of the Vedas and was by me, at the end of this anything else but the refuge [constituted by the
Dvāpara-yuga [the age of honoring monarchs], feet] of the Supreme Lord Viṣṇu who thus pacifies
studied under the guidance of my father Dvaipāyana the mind. (20) Because of the passion and inertia
Vyāsa. (9) Despite being fully accomplished in tran- of nature the mind is always agitated and bewil-
scendence the enlightened verses about the dered, but one will get that under control in the
[Lord's] pastimes drew my attention, oh saintly concentration of the ones pacified, in the focus
King, and thus I studied them. (10) I will recite it that puts and end to all impurity. (21) They who
to you, because you, oh goodness, are a most sin- fixed in the habit of such a systematic remem-

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6 Śrīmad Bhāgavatam - The Story of the Fortunate One

brance seek unification and hold on to this devo- Original Person] who is the Supreme Lord. (26)
tion will soon be of success under the shelter of The lower worlds are by the ones who studied it
the yoga that approves this.' recognized as the soles of His feet [called Pātāla]
of which His heels and toes are called Rasātala,
(22) The king, attentive to what was said, asked: His ankles Mahātala while the shanks of the gi-
'Oh brahmin, what is in summary the idea of the gantic person are called the Talātala worlds. (27)
way by which a person may directly put an end to The two knees of the Universal Form are called
the impurities of his  mind?' Sutala, the thighs Vitala and Atala and the hips are
named Mahītala, oh King. Outer space is accepted
(23) Śrī Śuka said: 'When one sits down in con- as the depression of His navel. (28) The higher,
trol, has subdued one's breath and has conquered illumined worlds are His chest, with above it the
one's attachment as also one's senses, one should neck called Mahar. His mouth is called Jana while
focus one's attention on the gross matter of the Tapas is the name of the worlds of the forehead
outer appearance of the Supreme Lord [the virāṭ- with Satyaloka [the world of Truth] as the upper-
rūpa]. (24) His personal body is this gross mate- most of the [middle] worlds of the Original Per-
rial world in which we experience all that belongs sonality who has a thousand heads. (29) The gods
to the past, the present and the future of this uni- headed by Indra are His arms, the four directions
verse in existence. (25) This outer shell of the uni- are His ears and sound is His sense of hearing.
verse that we know as a body consisting of seven The nostrils of the Supreme One are the Aśvinī-
coverings [see kośas], constitutes the notion of the Kumāras [a type of demigods] while fragrance is
object of the Universal Form of the Puruṣa [the His sense of smell and His mouth the blazing fire.

\
 Canto 2 7

(30) The sphere of outer space constitutes the pits

of His eyes, while the eyeball of the sun makes up (38) I explained all these locations in the Form
His seeing. The eyelids of Viṣṇu are the day and of the Supreme Lord to you so that anyone
night, the movements of His eyebrows are the su- who concentrates his mind on this virāṭ-rūpa
preme entity [Brahmā and the other demigods], Universal Form can attain his goal by intelli-
His palate is the director of water [Varuna] and gence. Beyond Him after all, there is nothing
His tongue is the nectarine juice. (31) They say
else to be found in the gross of matter. (39) He
that the Vedic hymns are the thought process of
who as the Supersoul in so many ways can be seen
the Unlimited One, that His jaws make up Ya-
present in all kinds of forms, just like a dreamer
marāja [the Lord of death], His teeth are His affec-
can see himself [in different situations], is the one
tion and that His smile is the most alluring, unsur-
and only Supreme Truth and ocean of bliss. One
passable material energy [māyā]. Material creation
must direct oneself to Him alone and nothing else
is only the casting of His glance.  (32) Modesty is
if one does not want to see oneself degraded by
His upper lip, His chin stands for the hankering,
attachments.'  
religion is His breast and the path of irreligion is His
back. Brahmā is His genitals, His testicles are the
Mitrā-varunas [the friends], His waist the oceans
and the stack of His bones are the mountains. (33) Chapter 2
His veins are the rivers and the plants and trees are The Lord in the Heart
the hairs on the body of the Universal Form, oh
King. The air is His omnipotent breathing, the
passing of the ages, Time, is His movement and (1) Śrî S'uka said: 'By contemplating the Supreme
the constant operation of the modes of material Self [of the Universal Form] from which one gen-
nature is His activity. (34) Let me tell you that the erated [like Lord Brahmâ did] one, by thus finding
hairs on the head of the Supreme One are the satisfaction [with the Original Person], regains the
clouds, oh best of the Kurus, and that the intelli-
gence of the Almighty One is the prime cause of
the material creation, so one says. His mind, the
reservoir of all changes, is known as the moon.
(35) The great principle constitutes His conscious-
ness, so one says, while Lord Śiva is the cause
within [His ego, His self]. The horse, mule, camel
and elephant are His nails, and all other game and
quadrupeds are represented in the region of His
belt. (36) The singing of the birds is His artistic
sense and Manu, the father of man, forms the
contents of His thought with humanity as His
residence. The angelic and celestial beings [the
Gandharvas, Vidyādharas and Caranas] constitute
His musical rhythm while the remembrance of
terrorizing soldiers represents His prowess. (37)
With the intellectuals [brahmins] for the face and
the rulers [kṣatriyas] for the arms of the Universal
Form, the traders [vaiśyas] are the thighs and the
laborers [śūdras, the dark or 'kṛṣṇa'-class] occupy
His feet. Through the various names of the demi-
gods He gains in stature with the provision of fea-
sible goods [that appease Him] by means of the
performance of sacrifices.

\
8 Śrīmad Bhāgavatam - The Story of the Fortunate One

remembrance that was lost. With one's vision thus Kadamba flower, bedecked with jewels and with
cleared the intelligence then operates as before so golden ornaments studded with precious stones,
that one can get one's life in order. (2) One's [spiri- He wears a glowing headdress with earrings. (10)
tual] adherence to the sounds of the [impersonal] His feet are positioned on the whorl of the lotus
Absolute Truth makes the intelligence, because of hearts of the great mystics. On His chest He wears
the many terms [associated with it], ponder over the beautifully engraved Kaustubha jewel and
incoherent ideas because of which one, without around His neck He has a fresh flower garland
ever finding joy, wanders around in illusory reali- spreading its beauty. (11) With a decorative wrap
ties - and the different desires belonging to them -, around His waist, valuable finger rings, ringing
as if one is dreaming. (3) With the practical insight leglets, bangles, oiled spotless bluish, curly hair
that he otherwise would be engaged in [useless] and His beautiful, smiling face He looks very
troublesome work, an intelligent attentive person pleasing. (12) His magnanimous pastimes and the
fixed in his attention to achieve perfection [in glowing glances of His expression are indicative
meditation], must therefore only minimally, not of the extensive benedictions of this particular
more than necessary, abide by imaginary [non- transcendental form of the Lord one should focus
spiritual] purposes. (4) What is the need for en- upon as long as the mind can be fixed on it for the
deavoring for a bed when you can lie on the purpose of one's meditation. (13) One should
ground; why would you strive for a pillow when meditate upon the limbs one by one, starting from
you have your arms; why should you endeavor for the feet up, until one sees His smiling face, and
utensils if you can eat with your hands and why thus gradually taking control over the mind one
would you worry about clothing when the trees are departs in one's meditation for higher and higher
there [with their bark]? (5) Are there no rags lying spheres and purifies that way the intelligence. (14)
in the street, is there no giving in charity; do the As long as the materialist has not developed devo-
trees not offer their alms maintaining others; have tional service to this form of the Lord who is the
the rivers dried up; are the caves closed; has the seer of the mundane and transcendental worlds, he
Almighty Lord given up on protecting the surren- must, when he is finished with his prescribed
dered soul? Why would a learned man then have duties, with proper attention remember the Uni-
to speak to the liking of those who are led by versal Form of the Original Person.
wealth? (6) When one thus with the matter of
Him, the most cherished, eternal, One Supersoul (15) Whenever one desires to give up one's body,
fully present in one's heart, is detached from the oh King, one should as a sage, without being dis-
world, one must be of worship for Him, the Fortu- turbed, comfortably seated and with one's thinking
nate One, the permanent gain by which for certain unperturbed by matters of time and place, in con-
the cause of one's material bondage is put to an trol of the life air restrain the senses with the help
end. (7) Who else but the materialists would, with of the mind. (16) Regulating the mind by the
neglecting the transcendental thoughts, take to the power of one's pure intelligence in relation to the
non-permanent of material denominations because original witness within [the 'knower of the field'],
of which they, who constitute the general mass of one should merge with this self. That self should
the people that is controlled by the misery of the be confined to the fully satisfied Supersoul and
reactions of its fruitive labor, see themselves as thus putting an end to all activities, one will attain
fallen into the river of suffering? full bliss. (17) Therein one will not find the su-
premacy of time that for sure controls the godly
(8) Others see in the meditation upon Him within who direct the worldly creatures with their demi-
their own body the Personality of Godhead residing gods, nor will one find there mundane goodness,
in the region of the heart measuring eight inches, passion or ignorance of any material change or
having four arms, carrying the lotus, the wheel of causality of nature at large. (18) Knowing what
the chariot, the conch shell and the club. (9) With and what not relates to the divine of the transcen-
His mouth expressing happiness, His eyes wide dental position, they who wish to avoid what is
spread like a lotus, His clothes yellowish like a godless, completely give up the perplexities [of

\
 Canto 2 9

arguing to time and place], and place thereto in pivot, the center of spin of the Maintainer [Viṣṇu],
purely at Him directed good-will every moment only the individual living being who got purified
His worshipable lotus feet in their heart. (19) The by the realization of his smallness [the yogi],
sage familiar with the science of properly regulat- reaches the place worshiped by those who know
ing the force [of the senses] in service of the pur- the Absolute Spirit. The self-realized souls enjoy
pose of life, should retire in the following way: he their stay there for the time of a kalpa [a day of
must block his arse ['air-hole'] with his heel and Brahmā]. (26) Thereupon he who from the bed of
direct the life air upward through the six primary Viṣṇu [Ananta] sees how the universe is burning
places [navel, plexus, heart, throat, eyebrows and to ashes because of the fire from His mouth, will
top of the skull] and thus overcome the state of leave that place for the supreme abode that lasts
material inertia. (20) The meditator should, with for two parārdhas [the two halves of the life of
the strength of his vision of wisdom,  gradually Brahmā] and is the home of the purified souls of
direct the life breath from the navel to the plexus elevation. (27) There one will never find bereave-
[the 'heart'] and from there to the chest from where ment or old age, death, pain or anxieties, save that
he should bring it slowly into his throat and thus one sometimes has feelings of compassion when
extinguish his material desires. (21) The seer who one sees the ignorant who are subjected to the
is of detachment should, in order to attain the Su- hard to overcome misery of the repetition of birth
preme, by blocking the seven outlets [the ears, the and death.
eyes, the nostrils and the mouth], from between
the eyebrows enter the domain of the head to re- (28) After surpassing the forms of water and fire
main there for a while ('half an hour') for the sake and thus having reached that pure self free from
of the ever fresh eternality. fear, one thus having attained the effulgent atmos-
phere, in due course of time by the self its air
(22) If one, however, fosters a desire, oh King, to reaches the ethereal self, the true greatness of
lord over what one calls the realm of enjoyment of one's soul. (29) By scents having the smell, by the
the gods in the sky, or wishes to rule the world of palate having the taste, by the eye having visions,
the gunas [the modes of nature] using the eight by physical contact being in touch and finally by
mystic powers [the eight siddhis or perfections], sound vibrations experiencing the quality of the
one inevitably has to count with the mind and the ether, the yogi by dint of  the activity of the senses
senses associated therewith. (23) One says about also attains [the more subtle sphere]. (30) After he
the course of the great transcendentalists that they, thus at the mental level in relation to the gross and
departing from the realm of the subtle body, freely subtle has reached a neutral point of I-awareness,
move within and without the three worlds, while he in the mode of goodness surpasses that realiza-
those who do their work based upon a material tion of himself that is subject to change [the ego]
motive never attain to the progress that is achieved and progresses, by stopping the operation of the
by those who in the austerity of their devotional natural modes, towards the reality of perfect wis-
service are absorbed in yoga. dom. (31) By that purification towards the self of
  the Supersoul the person attains the peace, satis-
(24) In the control of the divinity of fire faction and natural delight of being freed from all
[Vaiśvānāra, or with regular sacrifice and medita- impurities. He who attains this destination of de-
tion] one attains by following the path of [the suṣ votion certainly will never again get attracted to
umṇā, the channel of balancing] the breath, the this material world, my dearest [Parīkṣit].
illuminating pure Spirit of the Absolute, where-
upon being freed from impurities going upwards (32) The [two direct and indirect] paths that I de-
one [in respect of the cyclic order of the luminar- scribed to you, oh protector of man, are as your
ies] reaches the [galactic cakra order of the] Lord, Majesty requested in proper accord with the Ve-
oh King, called  Śiśumāra [meaning: dolphin, to das. They are also in full agreement with the eter-
the form of the Milky Way, galactic time]. (25) nal truth as formerly explained by Lord Vāsudeva
Passing beyond that navel of the universe, the to Lord Brahmā who had satisfied Him in worship.

\
10 Śrīmad Bhāgavatam - The Story of the Fortunate One

dear to the devotees and drink from that

nectar, will find their, by material pleas-
ure contaminated, state of mind purified
and return to the presence of His lotus
feet.' 

Chapter 3
Pure Devotional Service - the
Change in Heart

(1) Śrī Śukadeva said: 'For the intelligent

among men, I have given you all the an-
swers in response to the inquiring of
your good self about the human being on
the threshold of death. (2-7) They who
desire the luster of the Absolute worship
the master of the Vedas [Brihaspati], In-
dra, the king of heaven is there for the
ones desiring the strength of the senses
[sex] and the Prajāpatis [the strong pro-
genitors] are there for those who desire
offspring. The goddess [Durgā] is there
for those who desire the beauty of the
material world, the fire god is there for
the ones desiring power, for wealth there
are the Vasus [a type of demigod] and
the incarnations of Rudra [Lord Śiva] are
there for those who wish strength and
(33) For those who in this life wander around in heroism. For a good harvest the mother of the
the material universe, there is for sure no way of demigods Aditi is worshiped, desiring heaven one
attaining more auspicious than the [direct] path by worships her sons, for those desiring royal riches
which one arrives at the devotional service there are the Viśvadeva demigods and to be of
[bhakti-yoga] of the Supreme Personality Lord commercial success there are the Sādhya gods.
Vāsudeva. (34) The great personality [Vyâsadeva] The Aśvinīs [two brother demigods] are there for
studied the Vedas three times in total and scruti- the ones desiring longevity, for a strong body
nously, with scholarly attention examining them mother earth is worshiped and those who want to
he ascertained that someone is optimally focussed maintain their position and be renown respect the
when he is attracted to the soul. (35) The Supreme goddesses of the earth and the heavens. Aspiring
Personality can be perceived in all living beings as beauty there are the heavenly Gandharvas, those
the actual nature of that soul, as the Lord who by who want a good wife seek the girls of the heav-
the intelligence of the seer is recognized by infer- enly society [the Apsaras and Urvaśīs] and any-
ence from different signs and effects. (36) There- one who wants to dominate others is bound to the
fore every human soul must, oh King, wherever he worship of Brahmā, the head of the universe.
is and whenever he exists, hear about, glorify and Yajña, the Lord of Sacrifice is worshiped for
remember the Lord as the Supreme Personality of tangible fame and for a good bank balance Va-
the human being. (37) They who fill their ears runa, the treasurer, is sought. But those who
with the narrations about the Supreme Lord most desire to learn, worship Śiva himself while for

\
 Canto 2 11

a good marriage his chaste wife Umā is hon- the rising and setting sun only decreases the lives
ored. of the people. (18) Are the trees not growing also,
are the blacksmith's bellows not also producing air
(8) For spiritual progress the supreme truth [Lord and are the beasts all around us not also eating and
Viṣṇu and His devotees] is worshiped, for off- procreating? [Must we then not also answer to our
spring and their care one seeks the ancestral [the true nature?] (19) A person whose ear never
residents of Pitriloka], pious persons are sought by reached the holy name of the One who delivers
those who seek protection, while the demigods in us from all evil is not better than a dog, a hog, an
general are there for standing strong in life. (9) ass or a camel. (20) The ears of a man who never
The godly Manus [the fathers of mankind] are heard of Viṣṇu, the One of the great step forward,
there for those desiring a kingdom, but the demons are like those of snakes and also the tongues of
are sought for defeating enemies. The ones desir- those who never sang the songs of worth aloud
ing sense gratification are bound to the moon are as useless as those of frogs. (21) Even carry-
[Candra], while those who are free from desire ing a heavy silk turban, the upper part of the
worship the Supreme Personality in the beyond. body is just a burden, when that body never bows
(10) Whether one is free from desire, is full of it or down to Mukunda [Kṛṣṇa granting liberation];
else desires liberation, someone of a serious con- just like hands that, not engaged in the worship
sideration with all his heart in devotional service of the Lord, are like those of a dead body, how-
[bhakti-yoga] will honor the Original Supreme ever decorated they are with glittering golden
Personality. (11) All these types of worshipers for bangles. (22) Like the eyes on the plumes of a
sure develop, in their worship of the highest bene- peacock are the eyes of those men who do not see
diction in this life, unflinching, spontaneous attrac- the forms of Viṣṇu and like the roots of trees are
tion to the Supreme Lord through association with their feet when they never visit the holy places of
His pure devotees. (12) The knowledge leading to the Lord. (23) Those mortals who never person-
the limit of the complete withdrawal from the ally received the dust of the feet of pure devotees
whirlpool of the material modes, results in the sat- are dead while being alive and a descendant of
isfaction of the soul. In the transcendence of being Manu [a man] is like a dead corpse breathing
detached from these modes, that satisfaction car- when he has never experienced the wealth of the
ries the blessings of the path of bhakti yoga. Being aroma of the tulsī leaves of Lord Viṣṇu's lotus
absorbed in the narrations about the Lord, who feet. (24) Certainly that heart is steel-framed that,
would then not act upon this attraction?" despite being absorbed in chanting the name of
the Lord, is not moved therewith by emotions of
(13) Śaunaka said: "What is it that the king, the having tears in one's eyes and hairs standing on
ruler of Bharata, after hearing all of this, wanted end. (25) Oh Sūta Gosvāmī, you express yourself
to know more from the son of Vyāsadeva, the so faithfully. Therefore, please, tell us about the
learned sage? (14) Oh learned Sūta, explain those transcendental knowledge that the leading great
topics to us who are eager to hear about it, for in devotee Śukadeva Gosvāmī so expertly spoke
an assembly of devotees those talks are welcome about in response to the excellent questions of the
that lead to the narrations about the Lord. (15) King."
He, the king, that grandson of the Pāṇḍavas, was
no doubt a great devotee, a great fighter who
playing with his toys as a child enacted the ac-
tivities of Lord Kṛṣṇa. (16) And that must have
also been true for the son of Vyāsadeva who, in Chapter 4
the presence of all those devotees there, in his at- The Process of Creation
tachment to the Supreme Lord Vāsudeva glorified
by so many, proved to have all the great qualities. (1) Sūta said: "After having realized what Śu-
(17) Except for the one who spends his time on kadeva Gosvāmī thus said about the verification
the topics about the One hailed in the scriptures, of the reality of the soul, the chaste son of Uttarā

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12 Śrīmad Bhāgavatam - The Story of the Fortunate One

[Parīkṣit] concentrated on Kṛṣṇa. (2)

He [thus meditating for a moment
innerly] gave up his deep-rooted and
constant selfhood in relation to his
body, his wife, his son, his treasury
and all his relatives and friends in his
undisputed kingdom. (3-4) The great
soul from his full conviction inquired
after this exactly the way you are ask-
ing it me, oh great sages. Being in-
formed about his death he renounced
his material intentions concerning the
three principles [of civil virtue: the
regulation of religious acts, economic
development and sense gratification]
and everything thereto and thus be-
came firmly fixed in his love for the
Supreme Lord Vāsudeva. (5) The
king said: 'What you said is perfectly
right, oh learned one; free from con-
taminations you have all the knowl-
edge and make the darkness of igno-
rance disappear telling stories about 
the Lord. (6) I would like to hear
again from you about the Supreme
Lord. How does He by His personal
energies create this phenomenal
world of the universe that is so incon-
ceivable to even the great masters of
meditation. (7)   And please tell me
also about the way the powerful one
arrives at His energies, maintains
them and winds them up again. How does the all- (11) Sūta said: "Upon thus being requested by the
powerful Supreme Personality engage His expan- king to describe the transcendental attributes of
sions, how does He involve Himself with them, Lord Hṛṣīkeśa [Kṛṣṇa as the master of the senses]
what are His actions then and what causes He to Śuka, thought for a while and then began to reply.
be done [see also canto 1, chapter 3]? (8) Even the
scholars, in spite of endeavoring for His sake, fall (12) Śrī Śuka said: 'My obeisances to the Supreme
short in explaining the wonderful, inconceivable Personality, who for the maintenance and also the
acts of the Supreme Lord, dear brahmin. (9) How winding up of the complete whole of the material
can He, being one but maintaining many forms, at creation, by His pastimes assumed the power of
the same time manifest His different natural quali- the three modes while residing within all bodies as
ties  in material nature and perform activities in the One whose ways are inconceivable. (13) Again
different consecutive personal appearances? (10) my obeisances to Him who frees the truthful ones
Please clear up these questions of mine. You after from the distressing controversies of those who
all, being both of the oral tradition with the Vedic follow untruth, my respect for Him who is the
literatures and of full realization in transcendence, form of pure goodness, granting all that is sought
are as good as the Supreme Lord Himself.' " by those who occupy the status of the highest
stage of spiritual perfection [the paramahamsas].

\
 Canto 2 13

(14) Let me offer my obeisances unto the greatest (22) At the beginning of creation Sarasvatī, the
of all devotees who, keeping far from mundane goddess of learning who appeared to be created
wrangling, vanquishes the non-devotees. I bow from Brahmā's mouth, was inspired by Him to
down to Him who is as great in enjoying the opu- strengthen him, the first created being, in the heart
lences as He is in enjoying His abode in the spiri- with the purpose of the proper remembrance of
tual sky. (15) Again and again I offer Him my re- Himself. May He, that Teacher of Teachers, be
spects who is all-auspicious, for the glorification, pleased with me. (23) He, the Almighty One, who
remembrance, audience, prayers, hearing about at the foundation of material creation empowers
and worship of His person forthwith wipes away the material creation and her living beings made of
the consequences of the sins of all people. (16) the material elements, subjects, as the Puruṣa [the
The bright ones of surrender at His lotus feet for- original person], all to the modes of nature with
sake all attachment to a present and planned [ma- her sixteen divisions [of  consciousness, the ele-
terial] existence, and realize without difficulty the ments of earth, water, fire, air and ether, the five
progress of their heart and soul towards a spiritual organs of action and the senses]. May that Su-
existence. Unto that renown, all-auspicious per- preme Lord  lend charm to my statements. (24)
sonality I offer my obeisances again and again. My obeisances unto him, the great expansion of
(17) Great sages, performers of charity, distin- Vāsudeva  [Vyāsadeva] who is the compiler of the
guished persons, thinkers, mantra chanters Vedic literatures from whose lotus mouth his ad-
[reciters/singers] and strict followers can never herents drank the nectar of this knowledge. (25)
attain tangible results when they are not dedicated The first created being [Brahmā], my dear king,
to Him. I offer my obeisances again and again to imparted, on the request of Nārada, from the inside
Him, whom to hear about is so very auspicious. the Vedic knowledge exactly as it was spoken by
(18) The people of old Bharata, Europe, southern the Lord in the heart.' "
India, Greece, Pulkaśa [a province], Ābhīra [part
of old Sind], Śumbha [another province], Turkey,
Mongolia and many more entangled in sin, imme- Chapter 5
diately find purification when they take to the shel-
ter of His devotees. Him, the powerful Lord The Cause of all Causes
Viṣṇu, I offer my respectful obeisances. (19) He
is the Supersoul and Lord of all self-realized souls, (1) Nārada said [to the Creator]: 'My obeisances to
the personification of the Vedas, the religious lit- you, oh god of the demigods, for you are the one
eratures and austerity. May the Supreme Lord, He firstborn from whom all living beings generated.
who is held in awe by those who in their transcen- Please explain which knowledge specifically leads
dence are free from all pretension - the Unborn to the truth of the soul. (2) What is the form, the
One [Lord Brahmā], Lord Śiva and others - al- basis and the source of this created world? Oh
ways be graceful with me. (20) May He, the Su- master, how is it conserved, by what is it con-
preme Lord and master of all the devotees who is trolled and please, what is it factually? (3) All this
the owner of all opulence, the director of all sacri- is known by your good self, since you know all
fices, the leader of all living entities, the master of that has become, will become and is becoming.
the intelligent ones, the ruler of all worlds, the su- Master, you hold this universe in the grip of
preme head of the planet earth and the destination your scientific knowledge, like one holds a wal-
and first among the [Yadu] kings of the Sātvatas, nut. (4) What is the source of your wisdom, who
the Andhakas and the Vṛṣṇis, be merciful with me. protects you and who is above you? In what ca-
(21) It is said that faithful to the authorities always pacity do you, with the help of the potency of the
thinking of His lotus feet, one in that trance will soul, on your own create the lives of all beings
find purification and arrive at knowledge of the with the elements of matter? (5) Like a spider cre-
ultimate reality of the soul. Oh Mukunda, my Su- ating its web, you without any help manifest from
preme Lord who is described by the scholars to your own soul power all these lives by whom you
their liking, may Your grace always be with me. are never controlled. (6) Oh almighty one, in this

\
14 Śrīmad Bhāgavatam - The Story of the Fortunate One

not mistaken in what you just said in

your description of me, because
without knowing the Supreme be-
yond me, it will certainly be so that it
[seems to be that that greatness] all
belongs to me. (11) All of the world
that I created was created from the
effulgence [the brahmajyoti] of His
existence, just like it is with as fire,
the sun, the moon, the planets and
the stars [that radiate from His efful-
gence]. (12) I bring Him my obei-
sances, the Supreme Lord Vāsudeva
upon whom I meditate, by dint of
whose invincible potencies one calls
me the teacher [guru] of the world.
(13) People unashamed about keep-
ing a prominent position with the
bewildering material energy, in their
deluded state make a wrong use of
words in speaking of 'I' and 'mine'.
By that use of words I am poorly
understood. (14) The basic ingredi-
ents of matter in their interaction
with Eternal Time and the natural
disposition of the living being, are
certainly part of Vāsudeva, oh brah-
min, but the truth is that each of
these agents separately has no value.
(15) The cause and purpose of the
Vedas is Nārāyaṇa [Kṛṣṇa as the
world I do not know a single entity having a name, four-armed original Personality of God and pri-
a form and qualities, that is superior, inferior or mordial Lord of man], the demigods are the help-
equal, of a temporary nature or lasting forever, ing hands of Nārāyaṇa, the worlds exist for the
which owes its existence to any other source [than sake of Nārāyaṇa and all sacrifices are there to
you]. (7) We are weary of the fact that you with please Nārāyaṇa. (16) Concentration of mind is
your perfect discipline underwent severe pen- just there to know Nārāyaṇa, austerity is only
ances. We thus had the chance to doubt whether there to achieve Nārāyaṇa, the culture of tran-
your good self would be the ultimate truth [and scendence is just there to become aware of
thus thought of an entity higher than you]. (8) Oh Nārāyaṇa and progress on the path of salvation is
all-knowing ruler over all, please explain to me all there only to enter the kingdom of Nārāyaṇa. (17)
that I have asked you, so that I will be of an un- Inspired by His vision and what was created by
derstanding in accordance with your instructions.' Him, the seer, the controller, the stability and Su-
persoul of all who also created me, I create as
(9) The Creator replied: 'Oh gentle one so dear to well.
me, you, so very kind, are perfectly right in ex-
pressing your doubts, for [by that submission in (18) Of the goodness, passion and ignorance [the
penance] I was led to consider the heroism and gunas], that were assumed by the external energy,
power of the Supreme Lord. (10) My son, you are there are the three qualities of transcendence of the

\
 Canto 2 15

Almighty [Lord of Time]: maintenance, creation elements]. Fire transformed [or condensed from
and destruction [see also 2.4: 23]. (19) The eternal, oxygen and hydrogen] into water. Thus the ele-
transcendental person, under the influence of the ment of taste came about which consequently was
basic qualities of material nature, is subjected to accompanied by touch, sound and form. But be-
conditions of cause and effect. This results in the cause of the variegatedness of that transformation
manifestation of the symptoms of knowledge of water next the smell of the juice followed that
[from goodness], activities [from passion] and assumed form [as the earth element] together with
goods [from ignorance]. (20) He, the witness of the qualities of touch and sound. (30) From the
the individual soul who is ruled by the symptoms mode of goodness the [cosmic] mind and the ten
of  the three modes, the Supreme Lord in the Be- gods generated who act in goodness: the controller
yond, the controller of everyone as also of myself, of the directions, the air [Vāyu], the sun [Sūrya],
cannot be properly recognized in His progress, oh the waters [Varuna], longevity [the Aśvinī-
brahmin. (21) The Lord of Control by the potency Kumāras], fire [Agni], of heaven [Indra], the tran-
of His material energy thus, from the independent scendence [Viṣṇu in the form of Upendra], the
will of His divine self, arrived at many appear- friendship [Mitra] and the guardian of creation
ances, taking upon Himself their karma, [being [Brahmā]. (31) From the transformation of the
subjected to] time and their particular natures. (22) passion of ego the tenfold of the senses of action
Because of the superintendence of the Original and  perception generated - the mouth, the hands,
Person the creation of the mahat-tattva [the the feet, the genitals, and the anus, plus sight,
'greater reality'] took place, from eternal time there hearing, touch, taste and smell - as also the intelli-
was the transformation of the modes and from the gence and the life force. (32) As long as all these
modification of the original nature the different categories of the elements, the senses, the mind
activities found their existence. (23) Because of and the modes of nature remained separate, the
the transformation of the greater reality though, [in body [of man and mankind] could not be formed,
the beginning] passion and goodness dominated, oh best one of knowledge [Nārada]. (33) When
but then [countering in reaction] matter, material they [these elements] were assembled by the
knowledge and material activities found their vital [compelling] force of the Supreme Lord and found
existence. (24) That modification of the material their application, this [personal and universal exis-
part of the self, the ego, manifested itself as said, tence] with both its true and illusory, its spiritual
according to the three characteristics of goodness, and material realities [sat/asat] came into being.
passion and ignorance. Thus, prabhu, there was
the division of the powers of a guiding intelli- (34) The universe after countless millennia having
gence, knowledge of creation and material evolu- been submerged in the [causal] waters, was by
tion. the personal soul [the Lord] who animates the
(25) Of the material elements [first] the [proto- inanimate awakened to its own time of living. (35)
material invisible] ether evolved from the darkness He Himself as the original person [the Puruṣa]
that underwent transformation. With the quality of appeared from within the universal egg to divide
sound as its subtle form it is like the seer relative Himself in thousands of divisions of legs, arms,
to the seen [of all other matter]. (26-29) By trans- eyes, mouths and heads. (36) The great philoso-
formation of the ether the air found its existence phers conceive of all the worlds of the universe as
which is characterized by the quality of touch. the limbs of a body [the virāṭ-rūpa] which has
Along with it sound also appeared as a characteris- seven systems below the waist and seven systems
tic that was remembered from the ether. Air thus in the upper portion. (37) The brahmins repre-
acquired also a life of diversity with energy and sent the mouth of the Original Person, the ruling
force. Air on its turn again transformed under the class constitutes His arms, the traders form the
influence of time and generated from its nature the thighs of the Supreme Lord and the laborer class
element of fire in response to what preceded. With manifested from His feet. (38) The earthly [lower]
its form there was likewise touch and sound [as worlds [Bhūrlokas] belong to His legs so one says,
the hereditary burden or the karma of the previous the ethereal worlds [Bhuvarlokas] belong to His

\
16 Śrīmad Bhāgavatam - The Story of the Fortunate One

belly, the heavenly worlds from the heart [Svarlo- the holy places resounding in the ether. (4) His
kas] are situated in His chest while the highest outer appearance [the surface of the Universal
worlds of the saints and sages [Maharlokas] are of Form] constitutes the foundation of all things and
the Great Soul. (39) Above the chest up to the favorable opportunities and is also the field where
neck one finds the world of the godly ones [the one harvests, while His skin of moving airs forms
sons of Brahmā, Janaloka] and higher up in the the touch being the place for all kinds of sacrifices.
neck one finds the world of renunciation [Ta- (5) His bodily hair is the vegetation of the king-
poloka, of the ascetics]. The world of truth [Satya- doms with the help of which in particular the sac-
loka of the self-realized, the enlightened ones] is rifices are performed. The clouds with their elec-
found in the head. [These worlds are all temporal] tricity, the stones and the iron ore make thereto for
but the spiritual world [Brahmaloka, the world of the hair on His head [as I have said], His facial
the one Soul, the Supreme Lord] is eternal. (40- hair and His nails. (6) His arms, the governing
41) With on His waist the first of the lower men of God, are predominantly engaged in provid-
worlds, further down the second on the hips, the ing what is needed and the protection of the gen-
third down to the knees, the fourth on the shanks, eral mass. (7) In the Lord's lotus feet that offer
the fifth on His ankles, the sixth on His feet and shelter the progress is recognized of the lower,
the seventh on the soles of His feet [compare 2-1: middle and heavenly worlds, because they, in
26-39], the body of the Lord [the virāṭ-rūpa or providing all that is needed, liberate from fear
universal form] is filled with all the [fourteen and contain all the benedictions. (8) Water, se-
types of] worlds. (42) One imagines the worlds men and the generative capacity of rain refer to
alternatively [simply divided in three] with the the genitals of the Creator, the Lord, or to the
earthly, lower worlds situated on the legs, the ethe- spot where happiness originates that is brought
real, middle worlds in the region of the navel and about by the [need of] begetting offspring [or
the heavenly, higher worlds found from the chest cultural products]. (9) Oh Nārada, the rectum of
upwards.' the Universal Form is the source of Yama, the con-
trolling deity of everything running to its end, and
of Mitra. It is remembered as the place of envy,
Chapter 6 misfortune, death and hell. (10) Frustration, im-
morality and ignorance are found at His backside,
The Hymn of the Original Person while the rivers and streams [as said] make for His
Confirmed veins and the mountains for the stack of His bones.
(11) The unseen mover [Time] of the seas and
(1) The Creator said: ‘The mouth [of the Original oceans of the living beings that evolve but also
Person] as constituted by fire is the origin of the find [physical] destruction in His belly [during
voice. The seven ingredients [of His body: skin, Brahmā's night], is by the intelligent ones known
flesh, sinew, marrow, bone, blood and fat] are the as the [beating] heart that is located in the subtle
field where the Vedic hymns are generated and the body.
tongue [of the Lord] is the place that offers all
foodstuffs and delicacies sacrificed for the forefa- (12) The defender of dharma, me, you, my sons
thers and the gods. (2) From the transcendental [the Kumāras] and Lord Śiva, all depend on the
path of His nose there is the life breath and the air life and soul of the Supreme Being [who consti-
with the Aśvinī demigods [who grant a long life] tutes the safe harbor] of truth and wisdom. (13-16)
in combination with all the medicinal herbs. His Me, you, Lord Śiva, and the great sages before you,
power of smell offers the pleasure of fragrant sub- the godly ones, the demoniac ones, the human be-
stances. (3) The eyes [of the gigantic body] offer ings and the excellent ones [the Nāgas], the birds,
the perception of all kinds of forms that are illu- the beasts, the reptiles and all the heavenly beings
mined and glitter before the eyeball of the sun, and also the plants and many other living entities
and the ears offer the hearing of both the sounds found on land, in water and in the sky, together with
from all directions and the [spiritual] sounds of all the asteroids, stars, comets, planets and moons and

\
 Canto 2 17

lightening and thunder; all that was, that is and will tutes the place where they reside who will never
be created, this entire universe together is [per- be reborn.  (21) But the Omnipresent Lord is the
vaded] and covered by the Original Person in a destination for both the paths of material action
form [one's heart] measuring not more than nine and devotion, He is the shelter and Original Per-
inches [see also 2.2: 8]. (17) The same way the son for the two ways of ignorance and knowledge.
sun spreads its rays over everything existing out- (22) He, from whom all the planets and the gigan-
side and illumines and gives strength [inside with tic Universal Form originated complete with the
prāna], the expansion of the Universal Form, the elements, the senses and the material qualities of
Supreme Person also vitalizes from both the inside the universe, elevated above all these worlds, [in-
and the outside. (18) He is the controller of im- deed] compares to the sun that oversees every-
mortality and fearlessness, transcendental to death thing it heats with its rays.
and the material pleasure of anyone and therefore,
oh brahmin, the glories of the Original Personality (23) When I took birth from the lotus flower
are considered immeasurable. sprouting from the navel of the Great Person, I
had next to the personal limbs of the Original
(19) You should know that the material realm of Person nothing to perform sacrifices with. (24)
all the living entities is but a portion of the ener- What is needed for the performance of sacrifices,
gies of the Person of happiness beyond the mate- are matters such as flowers and leaves, burning
rial coverings where there is no death or fear. (20) material [such as straw], an altar and also a
While those who are attached to family life and framework of time [a calendar e.g.] for following
who do not strictly follow the vow of celibacy the qualities of nature [like spring]. (25) One
have their place within the three material worlds, needs utensils, grains, fuel [clarified butter],
the threefold of that portion in the beyond consti- sweetener ['honey'], capital ['gold'] a fire place

\
18 Śrīmad Bhāgavatam - The Story of the Fortunate One

['earth'], water, the scriptures ['Ṛg, Yajur and nated from. (36) I am [therefore] devoted to the
Sāma Veda'] and [at least] four [officiating] per- all-auspicious feet of the Lord of the surrendered
sons, oh pious one. (26) It also involves the invo- souls, that stop the repetition of births and deaths
cation of holy names and mantras, rewards, vows and grant the vision of happiness. Just as the sky
and a particular scripture for the purpose and cannot see its own limit, not even He can estimate
process of the godhead in question. (27) By my the potency of His own personal energies. There-
use of the limbs of the Supreme Person I managed fore, how can others know? (37) Since neither I,
to arrange these ingredients   and gradually with nor you, oh sons, nor the Destroyer know His real
compensations and presentations attain my goal in position, one cannot expect that the other God-
worship of the demigods. (28) Well-equipped en- conscious souls would do any better. With one's
gaging with all the ingredients I thus, with the intelligence bewildered by the illusory energy of
limbs of the Original Person and enjoyer of all this creation our ability to see is limited.
sacrifices, the Supreme Personality, was of wor-
ship for the Supreme Lord [Viṣṇu]. (29) Accord- (38) He whose incarnations and activities we glo-
ing to that example your [God-]brothers, the rify, He who by persons like us cannot be fully
nine masters of the living creatures [schools; known, is the Supreme Lord whom we offer our
demigods next to Brahmā; compare 5: 30], with respectful obeisances. (39) He, the Primordial
proper ritual performed the sacrifice for the satis- Original Personality millennium after millennium
faction of both the manifest and non-manifest per- creates within Himself, by Himself, His Self [the
sonalities. (30) In following those [schools or universe]  maintains Himself [for some time] and
demigods] also the Manus, the fathers of man- absorbs [Himself again]. (40-41) Without a mate-
kind, in due course of time were of worship to rial tinge, pure and perfect in knowledge and all-
please Him, and so did the other great sages, pervading in His fullness, He is situated in truth as
forefathers, scholars, opponents [Daityas] and the absolute without a beginning and an end, free
mankind at large. from the qualities of nature, eternal and without an
equal. Oh wise one, the great thinkers can only
(31) With the entire cosmos situated in Him, understand this with a pacified self and their
Nârâyaṇa, the Personality of Godhead, He who is senses at rest, otherwise it will certainly be beyond
self-sufficient in His transcendence, for the sake of their scope and be distorted by time-bound argu-
creation, maintenance and destruction has ac- ments. (42) The first avatāra of the Lord is the
cepted the material illusion in the form of different Original Person: [Mahāviṣṇu or Kāranodakaśāyī
most powerful manifestations. (32) According to Viṣṇu. He is the foundation of] space time [kāla
His will, I create, under His order Śiva destroys svabhavah, the original nature of time], cause, ef-
and He in the form of the Original Person main- fect, the elements, the modes, as also the ego, the
tains the entire universe as the controller of the senses and the mind. These together constitute the
three energies. diversity of the gigantic universal independent
body [also called Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu] of all that
(33) As for all of this I thus explained to you on moves and does not move of the Almighty Su-
your request, my dear, remember that nothing you preme.
may think of as a matter of a temporary or eternal
nature, exists outside of the Supreme Lord. (34) (43-45) I myself [Brahmā], the Destroyer and the
Because I with great zeal caught hold of the Lord, Maintainer; all the fathers of the living beings like
oh Nārada, my words were never in vain, nor was Dakṣa [and Manu], you yourself and the other
my mind aimless or fruitless, nor did my senses sons [the Kumāras]; the leaders of the higher
ever wander off in temporality. (35)  I am an ex- worlds, the space travelers, the earth and the lower
pert in Vedic lore, successful in austerity, a wor- worlds; the leaders of the denizens of heaven [of
shipable master among the forefathers, of attain- the Ghandarva, Vidyādhara and Cārana worlds] as
ment in my yoga and perfect in self-realization, also the leaders of the demons [the Yakṣas,
yet I could not fully understand the One I origi- Rākṣasas and Uragas] and the underworld; the first

\
 Canto 2 19

among the sages, the forefathers, the atheists, the ['the analytic one'] He spoke to His mother about
specially gifted ones, the uncivilized ones and the spiritual realization because of which she in that
dead; the evil spirits, the Jinn and the Kūṣmānḍas life was freed from the material modes that cover
[other evil spirits], including all the great aquatics, the soul and achieved liberation.
beasts and birds - in other words each and every-
one in the world who is of power to a special de- (4) Satisfied about the surrender of the sage Atri
gree or of a specific mental or perceptual dexterity who prayed for offspring, the  Supreme Lord said
or exceptional strength, forgiveness, beauty, mod- to him: 'I will give Myself to you!' and for that
esty, opulence, intelligence or breeding, exists as reason He received the name of Datta [Dattātreya,
if he himself would offer the [ultimate] form of 'the given one']. The dust of His lotus feet purified
[representing] His transcendental reality, but in the body of mysticism and brought the wealth of
fact they are only a part of it. (46) Oh Nārada, now the spiritual and material worlds of Yadu [the
relish the devotion for the pastimes of the most founder of the dynasty], Haihaya [a descendant]
important incarnations of the Original Supreme and others.
Personality. That devotion will evaporate the foul
matter that accumulated in your ears. I will relate (5) Because I formerly lived austere in penance for
these stories, that are all a pleasure to hear, one the sake of the creation of the different worlds, the
after the other the way they are present in my Lord appeared as the four Sanas ['of old', the four
heart.' celibate sons of Brahmā called Sanat-kumāra,
Sanaka, Sanandana and Sanātana]. In the epoch
 
before, the spiritual truth was devastated in the
Chapter 7 inundation of the world, but with them a clear vi-
sion of the soul became available to all sages.
Brief Description of the Past and
Coming Avatāras (6) From Mūrti ['the idol'], the wife of Dharma
(1) The Creator said: 'When the Lord as the Un- ['righteousness'] and the daughter of Dakṣa ['the
limited One within the universe for His pastimes able one', a Prajāpati], He took birth in the form of
assumed the form of the sum total of all sacrifices  Nara-Nārāyaṇa ['man, the progress of man']. The
[as the boar avatāra Varāha], He was determined Supreme Lord thus [descending] never allowed, by
to lift the earth out of the great [Garbhodaka] the strength of [the beauties originating from]
ocean. In the ocean the first demon [called His personal penances, that His vows would break
Hiraṇyākṣa, the 'demon of the gold'] appeared because of the celestial beauties that came to Him
who by Him was defeated with His tusk, like a from Cupid [the god of love]. (7) Lust can be de-
thunderbolt piercing a pack of clouds. feated by great stalwarts [like Lord Śiva] with a 
strict look of resentment, but they cannot over-
come their own tolerance. With [the two of] Him
(2) From Ākūti ['good intention'] the wife of the
present within, lust is too afraid to enter though.
Prajāpati Ruci, Suyajña ['appropriate sacrifice']
How can with Him in one's mind lust ever demand
was born who with his wife Dakṣiṇā ['the reward']
attention?
gave birth to the godly headed by Suyama ['proper
regulation']. With them He greatly diminished the
(8) Incited by the sharp words of a co-wife who
distress in the three worlds and for that reason the
uttered them even in the presence of the king
father of mankind Svāyambhuva Manu renamed
[Uttānapāda, 'the polar star'], his son Dhruva ['the
Him Hari [the Lord].
immovable'], only a boy at the time, took to severe
penances in a great forest. The Lord [in this con-
(3) Next He took birth in the house of the twice- text called Priśnigarbha, the 'variegated being']
born Kardama ['the shadow of the Creator'] from pleased with his prayers confirmed the goal of his
the womb of Devahūti ['the invocation of the realization [Dhruva-loka, the pivot of the stars] for
Gods'] together with nine sisters. As Lord Kapila which the great sages and denizens of heaven have

\
20 Śrīmad Bhāgavatam - The Story of the Fortunate One

prayed ever since, in being directed up and down- earth offered shelter to all living beings [in the
ward. form of a boat during the deluge]. The Vedas that
because of the great fear for the waters came forth
(9) When the twice-born ones cursed King Vena from my mouth then were taken up by Him who
['the anxious one'] who strayed from the path of sported there.
religion, it burned him like a thunderbolt with him
going to hell with all his great deeds and opulence. (13) When in the ocean of milk [or knowledge]
The Lord being prayed for delivered him coming the leaders of the immortals and their opponents
to earth as his son [named Pṛthu, 'the great one, where churning the mountain [called Mandara, the
worldwide'] and achieved that way also that the 'big one'] for gaining the nectar, the primeval Lord
earth could be exploited to yield all kinds of crops. half asleep as a tortoise [called Kurma] supported
him, so that it scratched and itched on His back.
(10) As the son of King Nābhi ['the pivot'] He was (14) As Nṛsimha ['the lion'] He appeared as the
born as Ṛṣabha ['the best one'] from Sudevī. Equi- one who took away the fear of the God-conscious
poised in the matter of yoga, He, though appearing ones with the movements of His eyebrows and the
foolish, performed at the highest level of achieve- terrifying teeth of His mouth, while He on His lap
ment of the sages. At that level one in acceptance without delay with His nails pierced the fallen
of the spiritual essence - of one's true independ- king of the demons [Hiranyakaśipu] who had chal-
ence - has subdued the activities of the senses and lenged Him with a club in his hands.
is perfectly liberated from material influences.
(15) The leader of the elephants [Gajendra] who
(11) The Supreme Lord, the soul of all the gods, within the river was seized by his leg by an excep-
the Personality of Sacrifice who is worshiped in all tionally strong crocodile, holding a lotus in great
sacrifices, appeared in a sacrifice of mine with a distress addressed [Him] as follows: 'You are the
horselike head and a golden hue [and is thus called Original Personality and Lord of the Universe.
Hayagrīva]. From His breathing through His nos- From You being as famous as a place of pilgrim-
trils the sounds of the Vedic hymns can be heard. age all good ensues by just hearing Your name, the
name so worthy to be sung.' (16) The Lord who
(12) He who became the Manu [called Satyavrata, heard him in his distress, as the Unlimited Power-
'the truth-abiding one'] at the end of the epoch saw ful One seated on the king of the birds [Garuda],
Lord Matsya ['the fish'] who as the stay of the cut the beak of the crocodile in two with His cakra

\
 Canto 2 21

weapon and in His causeless mercy freed him by three systems [see loka] incarnating in the differ-
pulling him up by his trunk. ent ages of Manu [manvantaras] as a Manu or
founding father, a descendant of the Manu dy-
(17) Despite His transcendence, He [as Lord nasty. Thus ruling over the miscreants and their
Vāmana] surpassed the qualities of the sons of kings, He establishes His fame up to the highest
Aditi by covering all the worlds in this universe. world of truth [Satyaloka].
For that reason He was called the Lord of Sacri-
fice. Begging He had pretended that He needed (21) As fame personified the Supreme Lord carry-
only three steps of land but seized that way all the ing the name of Dhanvantari descended in this
lands [of Bali Mahārāja] without ever offending universe in order to direct the knowledge that is
the authorities under whose wings one may never necessary to obtain a long life. This He accom-
lose one's property. (18) Oh Nārada, by virtue of plished by obtaining a share of the nectar of the
the strength of the water that washed from the feet [Kurma churning] sacrifice that swiftly cures the
of the Lord, he [Bali Mahārāja], who kept it on his diseases of all living beings. 
head and who had the supremacy over the king-
dom of the godly souls, never, not even when it (22) For the purpose of diminishing the increasing
went at the cost of himself, tried for anything else dominance of the ruling class the great soul [Lord
but to keep his promise because he had decided to Paraśurāma], the Ultimate Spiritual Truth in per-
be dedicated to the Lord. son, removed all the thorns from the world
who strayed from the path and opted for a hellish
(19) The Supreme Lord satisfied about the good- life. He awfully powerful for that purpose wielded
ness you developed through your transcendental His transcendental hatchet twenty-one times.
love, oh Nārada, very nicely [in the form of the
transcendental swan, the Hamsāvatāra] explained (23) Because of His causeless all-embracing
to you in all detail the light of the knowledge of mercy unto us, the Lord of All Potencies de-
yoga and the science of relating to the soul that all, scended [as Lord Rāma] in the dynasty of Ikṣvāku
who have surrendered to Vāsudeva, so perfectly [the dynasty of the solar order]. Together with His
know to appreciate. wife [Sītā] and brother [Lakṣmaṇa] He upon the
command of His father [Daśaratha] took to the
(20) Undeterred in all circumstances ruling the ten forest under the opposition of the ten-headed one
directions by the strength of His cakra order [His [the demoniac ruler Rāvana] who caused great
disc weapon, or order of time], He   subdues the distress. (24) The moment He in His anger about

\
22 Śrīmad Bhāgavatam - The Story of the Fortunate One

His aggrieved intimate friend [the kidnapped Sītā], something that convinced her another way. (31)
from a distance meditated the city of the enemy Nanda Mahārāja His [foster] father whom He also
[on the island of Lankā] with red-hot eyes like saved - from the fear for Varuna [the demigod of
Hara did in his desire to burn down [the heavenly the waters] - and the cowherd men who were held
kingdom with his fiery looks], the Indian ocean, captive in the caves by the son of Maya [a demon]
seeing her aquatics [sharks, sea snakes and such as also the ones [living in Vṛndāvana] who be-
thus] burnt, out of fear then quickly gave way. cause of their hard labor worked during the day
(25) When the trunk of the elephant carrying Indra and slept during the night, He all awarded the
broke on the chest of Rāvana, light radiated in all highest world of the spiritual sky [Brahmaloka or
directions. Rāvana overtaken by joy paraded Vaikuṇṭha]. (32) When the cowherd men were
proudly between the armies, but in no time the stopped [by Kṛṣṇa] in their sacrifices for the king
laughter and life breath of the one who had kid- of heaven, Indra caused a heavy downpour of rain.
napped Sītā was put to an end by the twanging He [Kṛṣṇa], only seven years of age, wishing to
bow [of Rāma]. protect the animals, in His causeless mercy play-
fully with only one hand for seven days in a row
(26) When the entire world was miserable because then held up Govardhana hill like [an umbrella],
of the burden of soldiers of the disbelievers, He without getting tired. (33) When He in His nightly
[Kṛṣṇa] together with His plenary expansion pastimes in the forest desired to dance in the silver
[Balarāma], His beauty and His black hair, He light of the moon with sweet songs and melodious
whose glorious path of activities is so hard to music He awakened the amorous desires of the
recognize for the people in general, appeared for wives of Vrajabhūmi [the region of Vṛndāvana]
the sake of the decimation of the atheists. (27) Who and decapitated also their kidnapper [Śank-
else but Him could, as a child, kill a living being hacūḍa] who was after the riches of Kuvera [the
that assumed the form of a giant demoness heavenly treasurer]. (34-35) All [demons] like Pra-
[Pūtanā] or being only three months old with His lamba, Dhenuka, Baka, Keśī, Ariṣṭa, Cānūra and
leg turn over a cart as also uproot two high rising Muṣṭika [wrestling for Kamsa], Kuvalayāpīda [the
Arjuna trees? (28) At Vṛndāvana [where Kṛṣṇa elephant], Kamsa [the demoniac uncle]; many
grew up] He with His merciful glance brought foreign kings [like those of Persia], the ape
back to life the cowherd boys and their animals Dvivida, Pauṇḍraka and others, as well as kings
who drank from the poisoned water [of the Ya- like Śālva, Narakāsura, Balvala, Dantavakra,
munā]. In order to purify [the water] from the ex- Saptokṣa, Śambara, Vidūratha and Rukmī and
cess of the highly potent poison He in the river all powerful and well equipped warriors like
took pleasure in severely punishing the snake that Kāmboja, Matsya, Kuru [the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra],
was lurking there with its venomous tongue. (29) Sṛñjaya, and Kekaya, would thanks to Him disap-
He with His superhuman deeds that very night pear from the scene and attain His heavenly abode
together with Balarāma saved all the inhabitants or else would disappear because of the actions of
of Vraja [the cowherd village] who free from wor- one of the other names belonging to Him, like
ries were asleep, from being burned by the fire Baladeva [Kṛṣṇa's brother], Arjuna or Bhīma.
ablaze in the dry forest. He thus proved to them
who were sure to see the last of their days, His (36) Born from Satyavatī He [as Vyāsadeva] will
unfathomable prowess by simply having them in due course of time understand the difficulties of
close their eyes [and thus delivered them the same the less intelligent and short-lived people with the
way He later on would free the gopas from an- all too complex and specialized Vedic literatures.
other forest fire]. (30) Whatever rope His [foster] According to the circumstances of the age He then
mother [Yaśodā] tried to bind her son with, time will divide the entire collection of the desire tree
and again proved to be too short. And that what of the Vedas into different branches. 
she saw when He opened His mouth to the doubt-
ing cowherd woman [who looked for dirt He (37) For those who became well informed on the
would have eaten] were all the worlds, which was path of education but envious with the divine,

\
 Canto 2 23

roam the worlds and the ether with inventions of wife of Manu and Svāyambhuva Manu himself
Maya [or with modern technology], He will dress with his children, Prācīnabarhi, Ṛbhu, Anga [the
up most attractively and [as the Buddha and His father of Vena], as also Dhruva, Ikṣvāku, Aila,
representatives] by extensive discourses bewilder Mucukunda, Janaka, Gādhi, Raghu, Ambarīṣa,
their minds with the use of many terms deviating Sagara, Gaya, Nāhuṣa, and others like
from the tradition. Māndhātā, Alarka, Śatadhanu, Anu, Rantideva,
Bhīṣma, Bali, Amūrttaraya, Dilīpa, Saubhari,
(38) When even among the civilized gentlemen Utanka, Śibi, Devala, Pippalāda, Sārasvata,
there is no mention of the Lord and when the Uddhava, Parāśara, Bhūriṣeṇa and champions
twice-born souls [the higher classes] and the gov- like Vibhīṣaṇa, Hanumān, Śukadeva Gosvāmī,
ernment consist of hypocritical, wicked men who Arjuna, Ārṣṭiṣeṇa, Vidura and Śrutadeva. (46)
themselves never under any circumstance take to Provided they follow the instructions of the admi-
His hymns, paraphernalia, altars and words, then, rable devotees, also those persons who belong to
at the end of the Age of Dissent the Supreme Lord the women, the laborers, the barbarians and the
[Kalki], the highest ruler, will appear. outcasts, can surpass the illusion of the divine en-
ergy and arrive at knowledge, despite living sinful
(39) In the beginning there is penance with me lives. When even they who are ruled by animal
and the nine founding fathers, the sages of crea- habits can be of success that way, how much more
tion. In the middle there is the religious sacrificing would that not be true for those who heard about
[the maintenance with Viṣṇu], the Manus, the Him and keep Him in mind? (47) The Absolute of
demigods and the kings in their worlds. And in the the Spirit [Brahman] is known as unlimited happi-
end there is the godlessness and the angry atheists ness free from grief. It is the ultimate position of
and such with Śiva. They are all powerful [guna] the Supreme Personality, the Fortunate One, in
representatives of the deluding energy of the One front of whom illusion flees away in shame. That
of Supreme Power. (40) Who can fully describe pure uncontaminated state free from distinctions is
the prowess of Lord Viṣṇu? Not even the scien- beyond the words belonging to the material mo-
tist who counts the atoms. In one great movement tive of fruitive actions, it constitutes the original
He [as Trivikrama] managed to move all greatly principle of the Supersoul, is the cause of all cause
by effortlessly covering the universe with His leg and effect and [the foundation for] the, ever free
up to the topmost world beyond the operating from fear, peaceful awakening to the Complete
modes. (41) Neither I, nor all the sages who prior Whole [see also B.G. 2: 52]. (48) In that state of
to you were born are capable of determining the full independence there is no need for the control
reach of the Almighty Supreme Person. What then and striving for perfection in restraint as practiced
would one expect from others who were born after by the mystics, just as Indra [the provider of rain]
us? Not even Ananta Śeṣa [the 'snake bed' of does not have to dig a well. (49)   The Supreme
Viṣṇu], the first incarnation of  the primordial di- Lord is the one master of all fortune because He
vinity who with thousands of faces to the present brings the success of [spiritual realization to] all
day is singing His qualities, can achieve His limit. the good work that the living entity performed
(42) The Lord extends His grace only to those according to its natural disposition and material
souls who surrendered themselves in every re- position. After the body is given up [at the end of
spect. Only they who did that without duplicity one's life] it dissolves in its constituent elements,
can cross the insurmountable ocean of His delud- but, like the ether that is never vanquished, the
ing material energy, only they who consciously unborn spirit soul of the person is never lost either
say no to the 'I' and 'mine' of that [their bodies] [see also B.G. 2: 24].
what is meant to serve as food for dogs and jack-
als. (43-45) Oh Nārada, know that we both belong (50) My dear, I thus explained in brief to you the
to the bewildering game of illusion of the Supreme Supreme Lord who created the universe. Whatever
One, as do also the great Lord Śiva, Prahlāda that may exist in the phenomenal [material] or
Mahārāja from the atheist family, Śatarūpā, the noumenal [spiritual] realm, cannot have any other

\
24 Śrīmad Bhāgavatam - The Story of the Fortunate One

cause than Hari, the Lord. (51) This story about whether the living being itself not being material,
the Fortunate One called the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, oh brahmin, takes up a material body accidentally
was handed down to me by Him, the Supreme or whether it does so because of some reason? (8)
Lord. It constitutes the summary of His diverse How can the Original Person whose position in
potencies. And now please, from your good self, this world is defined by this lotus flower [this gi-
expound yourself on this. (52) Describe thus with gantic universe] that grew from his abdomen,
determination, for the cause of enlightening man- likewise be known in the situation of the [much
kind, this science of devotion [bhakti] for the Su- smaller] measurement of His different embodi-
preme Personality, the supporter of everything and ments? (9) He from the lotus flower, [Brahmā]
every soul. (53) With the description of the Lord's who was not born from matter but from His navel,
external affairs the living being, who is of regu- he who gave life to all the ones born with a mate-
lar attention and devoted appreciation for it, will rial body, how could he see His Form by His
never be deluded by the illusory energy of the ma- mercy? (10) How can the Original Person, He who
terial world.' maintains, creates and annihilates the material
worlds, remain untouched by His own external
energy while He as the Lord of all energies rests
in the heart of everyone? (11) Formerly I heard
Chapter 8 you discuss [in chapter 2.5] the different [planets
or] worlds with their governors as the different
Questions by King Parīkṣit parts of the body of the Original Person. So what
[can you tell us] about those governors who by
(1) The king asked: 'How did Nārada, the seer of their different places are the different parts of
the divine being instructed by Lord Brahmā, oh Him?
brahmin, explain the modes and their transcen-
dence and to whom did he explain it? (2) This I (12) And what about a day of Brahmā [a kalpa]
wish to understand, oh best one: what is the reality and the periods between them [vikalpas]? What
of those who know the truth of the Lord who is so can you say about the time we refer to with the
full of wonderful potencies and whose narrations words past, future and present? And how about the
are so beneficial for all the worlds? (3) Please con- lifespan allotted to embodied beings? (13) Oh pur-
tinue speaking, oh you of great fortune, so that I, est of the twice-born souls, when did time begin
with my mind focussed on the Soul of the Com- and what can you say about the indication of time
plete, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, freed from material attach- as being short or long as like passing with a cer-
ment may relinquish my conditioned body. (4) tain activity? (14) And what is the effect of the
Those who with faith regularly listen to this spiri- karma that the living beings as a consequence of
tual matter and also seriously persist in the en- their desires accumulate because of [identifying
deavor, will after not too long a time see the Su- with] the basic qualities of nature? (15) Please
preme Lord appear in their hearts. (5) When one describe to us how the earth, the lower regions,
thus through one's ears receives the sounds [of the the four quarters of heaven, the sky, the planets
Bhāgavatam], the lotus flower of one's loving rela- and the stars, the hills, the rivers, the seas and
tionship with Kṛṣṇa will wash away all impurities, the islands and their inhabitants have appeared.
the same way the autumnal rain cleanses the water (16) What is the extent and measure of [the]
of the pools. (6) A person whose heart was outer space [universe] and the inner space, and
cleansed will, being liberated from all miseries in what are their divisions? And what is the char-
life, never give up the shelter of Kṛṣṇa's feet, just acter and action of the great souls and, please,
like a traveler never will give up his home [see describe the vocations and age groups of society.
also B.G. 5: 17; 8: 16; 8: 21-28; 9: 3; 15: 3-4; 15: (17) What are the different ages, how long do
6]. they take and what is their nature? And which
incarnation of the Lord performs what kind of
(7) Can you from your self-knowledge, tell me wonderful activities in each and every age?

\
 Canto 2 25

[svarūpa]? (23) How does the Supreme Lord as an

(18) What is the dharma of human society at large independent soul enjoy His pastimes by His own
and what are the specific duties of the different potency and how can He forsake these actions
trades and the saintly ruling class? And what are when He as the Almighty One remains a witness
the obligations towards people in distress? (19) to His external energy?
How many elements are there in creation, what are
their characteristics and how do they react? What (24) About all of this and more that I did not ask
are the rules and regulations for the devotional you, oh fortunate one, I have been wondering from
service to the Original Person and for relating to the beginning. Please explain in accordance with
the inner self in the culture of yoga? (20) What are the truth, oh great sage, that what you want to tell
the special abilities the yoga master acquires and me, having fallen at your feet. (25) Where others
where do they lead to? How do the yogis detach only follow the custom of a previously formulated
from the astral body and what is the nature of the philosophy, you are an authority in this matter like
spiritual knowledge found in the Vedas, their sub- the self-born Brahmā. (26) I never tire, oh brah-
sidiary literatures [the Upaveda], the law books min, of drinking, in the hunger of my fasting, from
and the Vedic stories and historical accounts? (21) the flow of the nectar ocean of your words about
How do the living beings find their existence, how the infallible Lord.' "  
do they find stability and how do they find their
end? What are the procedures for performing ritu- (27) Sūta Gosvāmī said: "He [Śukadeva] thus in
als, pious works and deeds of self-interest and that assembly with questions like these being
what are the regulations for the three goals of life asked by the king about topics concerning the
[the economic, religious and sensual interests]? highest truth, was, as the instrument of the Crea-
(22) How can all souls as a consequence of their tor, very pleased with this servant of Viṣṇu. (28)
actions be created again [after they died], how do He told him that this Purāṇa called the Bhāgava-
heretics come about, what does it mean for souls tam was transmitted by the Supreme Lord to Lord
to be bound or liberated and what does it mean to Brahmā at the beginning of the first day [or kalpa]
realize one's original position of service of creation. (29) He promised to try to give a full

\
26 Śrīmad Bhāgavatam - The Story of the Fortunate One

description, from the beginning to the end, of eve- thus proceeding in the past enlightened all the worlds
rything that the king, the best of the Pāṇḍu dy- by being of all who do penance the one of the se-
nasty, had asked and would ask more." verest practice.

  (9) The Supreme Lord being pleased about his

penance, then manifested His abode for him. That
Chapter 9
realm is praised by all self-realized souls free from
Answering by Citing the Lord's illusion and fear because it is free from the five
Version miseries of a material life [ignorance, selfhood,
attachment, hatred and death-fear]. A higher place
(1) Śrī Śuka said: "The material self of the illu- one cannot attain. (10) There  the Lord is worshi-
sory energy without, oh King, the transcendental ped by both the enlightened and the unenlightened
self of pure consciousness, cannot carry any mean- devotees and there the mode of goodness prevails
ing, just like a dream has no meaning without its over the other two of passion and ignorance, with-
dreamer. (2) Wishing to enjoy in different ways out ever being mixed with them. Nor is there the
the many forms offered by the external energy influence of time or the external energy, not to
of māyā there is because of [the operation of] her speak of [the influence of] all the other matters
qualities or modes the notion of 'I' and 'mine'. (3) [like attachment, greed etc.]. (11) As blue as the
The very moment he [the witness, the soul], in sky and glowing with lotus like eyes, very attrac-
his glory of transcending the time of the material tive and youthful with yellow garments, all in-
energy, enjoys it to be free from illusion, he in habitants there are endowed with the four arms [of
that fulness will forsake these two [of 'I' and Viṣṇu] and the luster and effulgence of pearls and
'mine']. (4) When the Supreme Lord showed His fine ornaments. (12) Some radiate like coral or
form to the Creator who was veracious in his diamonds, with heads with earrings and garlands
faithfulness to the vows, He pointed out that the blooming like a celestial lotus. (13) That place,
goal of all purification is to develop love for the which radiates with rows of brilliant high rising,
knowledge of self-realization [ātma-tattva, filog- excellent buildings [specially designed] for the
nosy, the soul principle]. (5) [And so] he, the first great devotees and is populated by celestial,
godly person in the universe, the supreme spiri- flashing beauties with heavenly complexions, is
tual teacher, began from his own divine position as attractive as a sky decorated with clouds and
[on the lotus of creation] to reflect on the source lightning. (14) The goddess [Śrī] performs there,
[of that lotus]. But considering therewith how he enraptured together with her personal, singing
would start his creation, he could not figure out associates, with the diverse paraphernalia devo-
what the directions and the ways were of how it tional service at the lotus feet of the Lord, sur-
all materially should be put together. rounded by black bees who busily hum along in
the attraction of the [everlasting] spring season.
(6) When he [the Creator] once was immersed in (15) There he [Brahmā] saw the Lord of the en-
thinking this way, he heard two syllables being tire community of devotees, the Lord of the god-
spoken that were the sixteenth [ta] and the twenty- dess, of the Universe and the sacrifice, the Al-
first [pa] of the sparśa alphabet. Joined together mighty One who is being served in transcenden-
[as tapas, penance], these syllables became known tal love by foremost associates like Sunanda,
as the value of the renounced order, oh King. (7) Nanda, Prabala and Arhana. (16) The servants
When he heard that being spoken, he looked in all affectionately facing Him are intoxicated by the
directions to detect the speaker, but there was none very pleasing sight of His smile, His reddish
to be found. From the position where he sat he eyes, His face with His helmet and earrings, His
then thought it best to do penance as was in- four hands, His yellow dress, His marked chest
structed. (8) Endowed with a spotless vision he and the Goddess of Fortune at His side. (17)
controlled his life breath, mind and senses of per- Seated on His highly valuable throne He as the
ception and action for a thousand godly years* and Supreme Lord fully enjoys His abode where He

\
 Canto 2 27

is surrounded by the opulence of His four ener- penance of the ones who are falsely unified [the
gies [the principles of matter, original person, 'kūṭa yogis'], I am most pleased with the pro-
intellect and ego], His sixteen energies [the five longed penance, the penance by which the Vedic
elements, perceptive and working senses, and knowledge has accumulated in you, who desired
mind] His fivefold energies [the sense objects of to create. (21) Ask Me, the giver of all benedic-
form, taste, sound, smell and touch], His six tion, whatever favor you wish, oh Brahmā, for the
energies [of the opulences of knowledge, in- ultimate success of everyone's penances is to see
telligence, beauty, penance, fame and riches] and Me finally. (22) You obtained this enviable per-
the other personal powers He sometimes demon- ception of My abode because you submissively
strates [the eight siddhis or mystic perfections]. listened when you in seclusion were of the highest
penance. (23) It was Me who told you [to do pen-
(18) The Creator of the Universe, who was over- ance] when you were perplexed in your duty. That
whelmed by the sight of that audience, with his penance is My very heart and Soul; that is what I
heart full of ecstasy and his body full of divine am for the one who is engaged in it, oh sinless
love bowed down with tears in his eyes before one. (24) I create by that penance, I maintain the
the lotus feet of the Lord that constitute the path cosmos by that penance and withdraw it again by
followed by the great liberated souls. (19) Seeing that penance. My power is found in severe pen-
him present before Him, the Lord deemed the ance.'
worthy, great scholar suitable for creating - in
line with His own control - the lives of all living (25) Brahmā said: 'Oh Supreme Lord of all living
beings. Mildly smiling He very pleased shook beings, You are the director seated in the heart
hands with His partner in divine love and ad- who by Your superior intelligence, not to stop by
dressed the beloved one with enlightening words. anyone, knows about all endeavors. (26) Never-
(20) The Supreme Lord said: 'As opposed to the theless I ask You, oh Lord, to please fulfill my

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28 Śrīmad Bhāgavatam - The Story of the Fortunate One

desire to know how You, despite being formless, will never under any circumstance be bewildered,
can exist in the beyond on the one hand while You not during your life [your kalpa], nor when you
descend in Your form as we may know it on the have reached your end [your vikalpa].' "
other hand. (27) And how do You - from Yourself
and by means of Yourself - by uniting Your own (38) Śrī Śuka said: "After thus fully having ex-
material energy, manage to exact Your different plained everything, the Unborn One disappeared,
potencies in the matter of evolving, maintaining He, Lord Hari the way He by the leader of the liv-
and annihilating? (28) Oh Mādhava [master of all ing entities [Brahmā] was seen in His transcenden-
energies], please make me understand how You, tal form of the Supreme Self. (39) After He had
just like a spider [weaving its web], with determi- disappeared from view Brahmājī, who had folded
nation infallibly play Your game of investing Your his hands before the Lord who is the object of all
energies in all of that. (29) I pray that, in learning the senses [of the devotees], resumed the work of
from You as my teacher of example, by Your creating this universe populated with all the living
mercy acting as Your instrument, I, despite creat- beings, exactly as he did before. (40) The father of
ing the lives of the living beings, that way never all living beings and religious life, desired, to the
may be caught in material attachments. (30) Oh interest of his virtue, to dedicate himself with vow
Lord, like a friend behaves with a friend, You and respect to the matter of the welfare of the liv-
[with Your handshake] have accepted me for creat- ing beings. (41) Nārada, the dearest of his heirs,
ing the different lives of the living entities. Oh was always very obedient to him in his willingness
Unborn One, I hope that I, because of all who in to be of service with his good behavior, meekness
serving You [through me] undisturbed saw the and sense control. (42) Oh King, the great sage
light of the world, will never be caught in pride and first-class devotee pleased his father [Lord
and arrogance.' Brahmā] very much with his desire to know
[more] about Viṣṇu, the Lord of all energies. (43)
(31) The Supreme Lord said: 'The knowledge ac- The same way you are questioning me now,
quired about Me is very confidential and is real- Nārada Muni questioned him when he saw that it
ized in combination with devotional service and was to the satisfaction of the great grandfather of
the necessary paraphernalia the way I tell you. the entire universe. (44) This story of the Fortu-
(32) May there be from My mercy with you this nate One, the Bhāgavata Purāṇa, that with its ten
factual realization of My eternal form in a tran- characteristics [as summarized in the four previous
scendental sense and of My form and activities verses 33-36, see further the next chapter] was
with the basic qualities of nature. (33 It was I who explained by the Supreme Lord, was thereupon
existed before the creation when there was nothing explained by the creator of the universe to his son
else, when there was nothing of the cause and ef- [Nârada]. (45) On the bank of the Sarasvatī
fect of the Supreme. And it is also Me who of all Nārada [in his turn] instructed this Supreme Spiri-
that was created remains in the end, that is what I tuality to the great sage, the meditative Vyāsadeva
am. (34) That what appears to be valuable, is not who is of an unlimited potency, oh King. (46) All
so if it does not relate to Me - know that illusory the things you asked me concerning the Universal
energy of Mine to be a mere reflection of dark- Form of the Original Person and other matters, I
ness. (35) Just like the elements of the universe are shall now explain to you in great detail."
there in a very minute size as also in a gigantically
big format, it is also with Me [most small] being *: One godly, divine year, a year of the gods or a
present in them and [gigantically] existing apart celestial year equals 360 earthly years.
from them. (36)  The student of the Real Self must
investigate the true nature of things, both directly
[by association] and indirectly [by comparison],
irrespective of what it is, when it is or of its
circumstance.   (37) When you keep your mind
fixed on this conclusion about the Supreme, you

\
 Canto 2 29

nature in the form of controlling deities

Chapter 10 [adhidaivika], 2) individual souls as the ones who
are controlled [adhyātmika] and 3) their material
The Bhāgavatam is the Answer to All
bodies [adhibhautika]. (9) Since one of these three
Questions cannot be conceived without the other two, it must
be concluded that the one knowing all of them
(1) Śrī Śuka said: 'In this [book, the Śrīmad must be Him, the Original Soul who constitutes
Bhāgavatam] the following [ten] subjects are dis- the support of His own union. (10) When that Su-
cussed: primary creation [sarga], how the interac- preme Person [expanding in space-time] separated
tions of life and the lifeless came about [visarga], the universes, He, having appeared from Himself,
the planetary order [sthāna], the maintenance of looking for a place to rest, [thereby] created the
belief [poṣana], the impetus for action [ūtaya], the causal waters of the purest transcendence. (11)
administrative eras [manvantaras], stories about Residing in these waters of His own creation for a
the Lord's appearances [īśa-anukathā], renounc- thousand celestial years He became known by the
ing a material life [nirodha], liberation in devo- name of Nārāyana ['to follow the path of Nāra']
tional service [mukti] and the shelter [the refuge of because these waters [nārā] emanated from the
Kṛṣṇa, āśraya]. (2) Great souls, sages, reasoning Supreme Person [from Nara]. (12) The material
from Vedic texts and their purport, state that the elements, karma, time and the conditioned living
purpose of the first nine characteristics of this entities all exist by His mercy and cease to exist
book is to offer a clear notion of the tenth subject. on [His] neglect. (13) Where the Godhead lay in
(3) The [sixteen elements of the five] gross ele- His mystical slumber He was all alone. Thus wish-
ments, the [five] sense objects and the senses ing to multiply Himself He by means of His māyā 
themselves including the mind, constitute the divided His golden seminal principle in three. (14)
manifestation that is called the creation of the Let me now dilate on the threefold in which the
creator [sarga] and that what resulted from their Lord divided His potency in that of His nature, 
interaction with the three modes of nature [the adhidaiva, the individual soul, adhyātma and the
gunas] is what is called the secondary creation conditioned living beings, adhibhūta.
[visarga]. (4) The stability of the worlds [sthāna]
is the victory of the Lord of Vaikuṇṭha and His (15) From the ether within the body of the Origi-
mercy is the maintenance of belief [poṣana]. The nal Person moving His limbs, the vital power, the
reign of the Manus [during the manvantaras] set- structural power and the physical power gener-
tles the perfection of the dutifulness that consti- ated, after which the life breath [the prāna] found
tutes the impetus for action with the karmic pro- its existence as the principle ruling each and all.
pensities [ūtaya]. (5) The different stories about (16) Like the followers of a king, all active entities
the Lord [īśa-anukathā] describe the activities of follow the life force of prāna and when the life
the avatāras of the Personality of Godhead and the force is no longer active all the activity of the enti-
persons who are His followers. (6) Returning to ties ceases. (17) The life force that was generated
God [nirodha] pertains to the resigning of souls to [from the ether] made the Almighty One hungry
the Original Person and His energies, while libera- and thirsty and to quench that thirst and satisfy
tion [mukti] is concerned with forsaking other that hunger, first of all the mouth was opened.
ways [of living] with finding stability in one's (18) From the mouth the palate was generated
original nature of service. (7) He who is both the whereupon the tongue manifested and the various
source from which the creation manifests and the tastes to be relished by it. (19) With the need to
one to whom everything returns, is for that reason speak with the mouth from the Supreme One the
called the refuge, the resting place [the āśraya] of capacity to vibrate sounds originated, but in the
the Supreme Spirit, of God or the Supersoul. water that for a very long time remained sus-
pended. (20) Desiring to smell odors the nose
(8) Hear from me now about the way the one Lord with its sense of smell developed together with
divided His personal potency in three aspects: 1) the nostrils to rapidly inhale the air that carries

\
30 Śrīmad Bhāgavatam - The Story of the Fortunate One

the smell. (21) Being by Himself in the darkness man beings according to the duties of their labor
He desired to observe Himself and the rest of perspective [karma]. (26) Desiring to taste the nec-
creation. For the sake of His vision the sun then tar of sexual enjoyment the genitals of the male
separated that gave the eyes the power of sight. and female organ appeared and the lustfulness
(22) Also the ears manifested when the Supreme found its existence that is the shelter cherished by
being desired to hear the sound vibrations from all the both of them [controlled by the Prajāpati]. (27)
directions and from that desire to understand the Desiring to evacuate used substances the opening
seers found their existence. (23) From His desire of the anus evolved with the excrements, including
to experience the hardness, softness, lightness, the control over the two called Mitra, the control-
weight, heat and cold of all matter, the sense of ler of the excretion. (28) With the wish to move
touch was distributed over the skin along with its from one body to another body, the navel mani-
bodily hair, the plants and trees. That sense of fested itself, the place of staying closely united
touch of the skin rose from the objects that were both after arresting one's breath and after death
perceived within and without. [with a new body in the womb]. (29) In want of
food and drink the abdomen with the intestines
(24) From His desire for different types of work and arteries originated as also [in the greater body
the two hands manifested, but to give strength to of mother earth] the rivers and seas that are their
the manipulation that depends on them [viz. on the source of sustenance and metabolism. (30) With
gods who are His hands], Indra, the king of the the repeated contemplation on His own energy the
gods, found his existence as the manifestation of heart [as the seat of thought] manifested after
both. (25) Desiring movement the legs manifested, which the mind, Candra the controller [the moon]
that are ruled by the Lord of Sacrifice [Viṣṇu] as also determination and desire found their exis-
Himself. It is He who motivates the different hu- tence. (31) The seven elements of the nails, skin,

\
 Canto 2 31

flesh, blood, fat, marrow and bone are predomi- ties, the living entities born from embryos, from
nantly of earth, water and fire whereas the life eggs, from heat [micro-organisms] and from
breath is a product of ether, water and air [see also seeds, and all others, whether they are of the wa-
kośa]. ter, of land or the sky.

(32) The senses of the material ego are attached to (41) Depending the modes of goodness, passion
the modes of matter. The modes influence the and slowness there are as such the three [life con-
mind and all the feelings belonging to it because ditions] of the godly ones, the human beings and
of which for the individual the intelligence and the the ones who have to suffer. There are also posi-
realized knowledge assume their form. (33) The tions, oh King, that result from a mix of each of
Supreme Lord's gross form, as I explained to you, these three with the rest of them. Depending the
is among all of this that what is known by the relationship of one such quality with the other two
eight elements [of earth, water, fire, air, ether, a certain particular nature develops. (42) After
mind, intelligence and false ego] of the planets having created the universes, evidently the Su-
and everything else, that together constitute an preme Lord, the maintainer of the universe, for the
unlimitedly expanded, external covering. (34) The purpose of maintaining the dharma [and redeem-
Supreme that is finer than the finest, that is the ing the living beings] assumes the forms of gods,
featureless unmanifested reality, thus is without a human beings and lower creatures [in line with
beginning, an intermediate stage or an end, is His three potencies]. (43) In the form of Rudra
eternal and is transcendental to the mind with its [Śiva, the destroyer] He, just like the wind dispers-
words. (35) No scholar aware of these two [mate- ing the clouds in the sky, will completely annihi-
rial and transcendental] forms of the Supreme late anything He created in the fire of the end of
Lord as I described to you, will therefore ever take time. (44) The Supreme Lord is by the great tran-
the external manifestation for granted. (36) He scendentalists described with these features, but
who transcendentally in fact does nothing [who is enlightened souls deserve not just these qualities
of akarma], manifests Himself [also] with names, and witness His glory in the beyond [nirguna].
words and what is denoted by those words  as  the (45) Never is in the matter of creation and so on
Supreme Lord in visible forms of the Absolute the Supreme in the beyond described as the engi-
Truth by which He engages in His pastimes. (37- neering agency, for that notion [of having a Su-
40) Oh King, know that all the happiness and dis- preme position] is there to counterbalance that
tress and their mixture is there as a result of ac- what is manifested by the material energy. (46)
tions in the past [of karma]. This is the experience This [primary engineering process or evolution] of
of all the members of the family of Brahmā, the Brahmā, was discussed to illustrate the rule of one
Manus, the godly ones, the wise, the inhabitants day of the creator [a kalpa consisting of 1000
of Pitṛloka [the forefathers] and Siddhaloka [the mahāyugas of 4,32 million human years each, in a
perfected ones]; the Cāranas [the venerable 100 year life of Brahmā called a mahākalpa] while
ones], Gandharvas [the singers of heaven], Vi- its varieties, its  transformations [the vikalpas or
dyādharas [the scientists], Asuras [the unenlight- periods of change] concern the secondary creation
ened ones or the demons], Yakṣas [treasure- of organic life forms. (47) I will tell you more
keepers or evil spirits], Kinnaras [of superpow- about the characteristics and measures of time that
ers] and angels; the snake-like, the monkey- constitute a day of Brahmā later, but let me first
shaped Kimpuruṣas, the human beings, the in- inform you about this period [also called the
habitants of Mātṛloka [of the place of the Pādma Kalpa or Varāha Kalpa].' "
mother], the demons and Piśācas [yellow flesh-
eating demons]. This includes the ghosts, spirits, (48) Śaunaka said: "Oh Sūta, you in your good-
lunatics and evil spirits, devils taking possession ness spoke about Vidura, who as one of the best
of people and the birds, the forest-dwelling and devotees, went to the places of pilgrimage on this
domestic animals, the reptiles, the ones of the earth and left behind the relatives who are so diffi-
mountains, the moving and immobile living enti- cult to give up. (49-50) Oh gentle one, please tell

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32 Śrīmad Bhāgavatam - The Story of the Fortunate One

us here about the conversation Vidura had with

Maitreya [a famous ṛṣi] who is so full of transcen- Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution-
dental knowledge. What did he ask his grace and Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License
what truths did he get in return for an answer? And © 2010 Anand Aadhar: one must attribute to the
why exactly gave Vidura up his activities and as- name Anand Aadhar and provide a link to the
sociates and why did he return home thereafter?" website http://bhagavata.org; adaptation, upload-
ing and printing is allowed for non-commercial
(51) Sūta replied: "This is what King Parīkṣit also use and distributing the resulting work can only be
asked. I shall tell you what the great sage said under the same or similar license to this one.
about it when he answered the king's question.
Please listen." For the different copyrights of the pictures
see the chapter reference at the bottom of each
Thus the second Canto of the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam page at http://bhagavata.org. The Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa
image on the front title page is by Indra Sharma.
ends named: The Cosmic Manifestation.
Email from http://bhagavata.org/email.html

Translation: Anand Aadhar Prabhu, Reference: For this original translation next to the
http://bhagavata.org/c/8/AnandAadhar.html Monier Williams Sanskrit dictionary and the
ISKCON site vedabase.net, the Sāstrī C.L. Gos-
Production: the Filognostic Association of The wami version of the Gita Press has been used. The
Order of Time, with special thanks to Sakhya Devī source texts, audio read files and music to this
Dāsī for proofreading and correcting the manu- translation one can find following the links from:
script. http://bhagavata.org/
http://theorderoftime.com/info/guests-friends.html

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 Canto 2 33

For relevant links see the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam

Treasury: http://bhagavata.org/treasury/links.html

\