Bhagavatam: 1st Skandha
First Canto — Introduction and Context of the Dialogue between Parikshit and Shuka Brahmam
(Note: This article will be regularly updated as more verses with translation and comments are added.)
Srimad Bhagavatam has 12 cantos (skandha) and is a comprehensive treatise on spiritual wisdom rooted in loving devotion. It is the most elaborate commentary on the Bhagavad Gita, the supreme teaching of Krishna.
The first canto sets up the dialogue of Bhagavatam between Parikshit and Shuka Brahmam by narrating the story of both how Shuka Brahmam came to narrate Bhagavatam having learned from him father Vyasa (and what prompted Vyasa to compose Bhagavatam) as well as how Parikshit came to listen to Bhagavatam on the banks of Ganga.
Here are the salient verses of the first canto, chapter by chapter, with their translation and comments to add more context on how it applies to our lives.
Chapter 1: Dialogue in Naimishāranya
Summary of this chapter: https://youtu.be/IQS0OjAYMkE and
https://youtu.be/zFwOHeM-Ls8
जन्माद्यस्य यतोऽन्वयादितरतश्चार्थेष्वभिज्ञ: स्वराट्
तेने ब्रह्म हृदा य आदिकवये मुह्यन्ति यत्सूरय: ।
तेजोवारिमृदां यथा विनिमयो यत्र त्रिसर्गोऽमृषा
धाम्ना स्वेन सदा निरस्तकुहकं सत्यं परं धीमहि ॥ Bh 1.1.1
janmādyasya yato’nvayāditarataścārtheṣvabhijñaḥ svarāṭ
tene brahma hṛdā ya ādikavaye muhyanti yatsūrayaḥ
tejovārimṛdāṁ yathā vinimayo yatra trisargo’mṛṣā
dhāmnā svena sadā nirastakuhakaṁ satyaṁ paraṁ dhīmahi
Translation: We meditate upon the Transcendent Absolute Truth from whom springs forth the creation, sustenance and dissolution of the universe. He is present in all that exists and yet distinct from everything. He is fully conscious and totally independent. He revealed to the heart of the first seer the import of Vedic wisdom which can delude even the sages. The material creation made of threefold gunas appears in Him as though real, just as the fiery rays of the sun cause water to appear in a mirage. Being eternally self-effulgent, He is ever free of the illusion (māyā) of the material world. We meditate upon Him, the Supreme Being.
Comments:
Srimad Bhāgavatam begins with the most perfect invocation by right away going to the heart of all inquiries by philosophers and scientists alike as to the source of this universe. And it affirms the source to be the Supreme Truth (satyaṁ paraṁ) that is Consciousness (abhijñaḥ). It is also totally independent (svarāṭ), being the cause of all causes. Thereby it also transcends the idea of God as only the Creator to the Supreme Being who is responsible for creation, sustenance and dissolution of the universe. In other words, everything comes from, remains in and goes back to the Supreme Being.
And by way of going past the debate of whether the Supreme Truth is only an impersonal consciousness or a personal God, this verse describes the Supreme Being as beyond all limitations including the debate of impersonal or personal. He is described both as the impersonal Presence that pervades all of existence and the personal Being who taught the essence of the Vedas to Brahma, the first created entity. The personal aspect of the Supreme Being is later described with sublime sweetness as Krishna, the all attractive, along with His glorious pastimes through various Avatars.
Also the transient and illusory nature of the universe is explained through the simile of water appearing in a mirage. All of creation is seen to be made of the three gunas or modes (namely sattva, rajas, tamas — purity, passion and ignorance) and it is later explained comprehensively that by ascending to the mode of purity, one gains the purity that helps transcend all three gunas to the realization of the Supreme Being. In fact, the very structure of Bhāgavatam is ideally organized for this process of ascension to purity through the first nine cantos before entering the transcendental pastimes of Krishna in the tenth canto.
Finally, the entire verse is given in the form of the Gayatri mantra which is the greatest mantra of all the Vedas with the invocation, dhimahi. Regular and systematic reading of Srimad Bhāgavatam with an attitude of humility that is free of criticism of anyone or anything is the blessed way to transcend all desires including that of liberation. It transports us to the platform of love toward the Supreme Being and thereby all beings of the universe.
धर्म: प्रोज्झितकैतवोऽत्र परमो निर्मत्सराणां सतां
वेद्यं वास्तवमत्र वस्तु शिवदं तापत्रयोन्मूलनम् ।
श्रीमद्भागवते महामुनिकृते किं वा परैरीश्वर:
सद्यो हृद्यवरुध्यतेऽत्र कृतिभि: शुश्रूषुभिस्तत्क्षणात् ॥ Bh1.1.2
dharmaḥ projjhitakaitavo’tra paramo nirmatsarāṇāṁ satāṁ
vedyaṁ vāstavamatra vastu śivadaṁ tāpatrayonmūlanam
śrīmadbhāgavate mahāmunikṛte kiṁ vā parairīśvaraḥ
sadyo hṛdyavarudhyate’tra kṛtibhiḥ śuśrūṣubhistatkṣaṇāt
Translation: Free of any deception in religiosity born of ulterior motives and desires, Srimad Bhāgavatam compiled by the great sage Vyāsa expounds the highest truth for the pure at heart. It bestows auspiciousness and uproots the threefold miseries (caused by one’s own body/mind, other living entities and acts of nature respectively). Thus, Bhāgavatam alone is sufficient for God realization. Simply by hearing its message with sincerity, that very instant one can establish in their heart the truth of the Supreme Being, who is unknowable by all other means.
Comments:
Deception in religiosity is rooted in being attached to desires and outcomes. In general, all activities (religious or secular) are found to be motivated by desires of various kinds. They can be broadly classified as desires for financial security (artha), sense gratification (kāma), virtuous living (dharma) and finally liberation or freedom from the egoic self (moksha).
As long as we are stuck in the first two desires of security and pleasure, it is no different from animal life. While we may engage in sophisticated instruments of security and variegated avenues of pleasure, it still remains only rooted in the bodily conception that all animals also have. The role of religion in the realm of these two desires is to only guide people from not going about fulfilling them in an unregulated manner, that leads to over indulgence, disease and depression. And through such guidance and regulations, it helps us transcend to the realm of dharma where human life truly begins.
Dharma is the recognition that we are part of an interconnected universe with all our fellow beings. Therefore it encourages activities toward sharing, giving, being truthful, non-violent, non-coveting etc. Many injunctions and commandments of various religions are toward molding one’s life in the platform of dharma. While this is a beginning to one’s religious life, it too is found to be beset with attachment to various fragmentary causes — political, social, national, religious, environmental etc. Underlying all of it is the identification as an egoic self and therefore still caught in comparison, judgment, envy, pride etc. Thus all acts of religiosity motivated by a desire for virtuous living is still limiting.
The recognition then that the root of suffering is the egoic identification and hence the desire to be free of it is the last category of desire called liberation (moksha). This helps transcend all fragmentary causes and identities and only strive toward removing the root of egoic identity. And yet, the very desire to be free of the ego is ultimately the ego coming through the back door. It is the thief posing as a cop to catch the thief and hence will never be caught. Therefore, even acts of religiosity motivated by the desire for liberation, however sublime they may be, are still found upon keen insight to be ultimately binding.
Thus all activities motivated by desire for the mundane or the transcendent are karmic, being rooted in egoic identification. And these karmic activities bring about their effects to be experienced by the doer and they in turn impel further desires and thus the seemingly endless cycle of karma goes on.
All the four desires are ultimately rooted in comparison and desirous of an outcome in time which only leads to frustration and falling prey to false teachings and teachers. Thus the highest message of the Vedas which is called Vedanta (lit. the end of all knowledge) is to transcend all desires, including the desire for liberation.
This is the platform of true love or devotion (bhakti) that Srimad Bhāgavatam presents in the most comprehensive manner.
The supremacy of Srimad Bhāgavatam is further established by the fact that it was compiled by the great sage Vyāsa as the highest expression of his vast spiritual treasure. It is told in subsequent chapters that Vyāsa was not fully satisfied even after compiling the four Vedas, the great epic Mahābhārata and also the commentary of all Upanishads known as the Brahma Sutras. Then Nārada came to bestow his grace by pointing out the lacuna in his work thus far which is the need to glorify loving devotion toward the Supreme Being as the pinnacle of all philosophical inquiry. Thus Vyāsa took up the work of Srimad Bhāgavatam to explore the most sublime philosophy which is the platform of motiveless love.
The last important point of this verse is the need to hear the message keenly, with humility and sincerity. An earnest attitude toward listening to this work is the only pre-requisite necessary to reap the supreme benefit of Srimad Bhāgavatam which is a direct realization in the heart of the truth of the Supreme Being and the flowering of love toward Him and thereby all fellow beings.
निगमकल्पतरोर्गलितं फलं शुकमुखादमृतद्रवसंयुतम् ।
पिबत भागवतं रसमालयं मुहुरहो रसिका भुवि भावुका: ॥ Bh 1.1.3
nigama kalpa taror galitaṁ phalaṁ śhuka mukhād amṛta drava saṁyutam
pibata bhāgavataṁ rasamālayam muhuraho rasikā bhuvi bhāvukāḥ
Translation: Oh devotees who relish a taste for divine love! Bhāgavatam is the fully ripened fruit of the wish-yielding tree of Vedic wisdom flowing from the lips of the great sage Shuka. It is full of the immortal nectar of supreme bliss and perfect in every way. Go on drinking this nectar of unalloyed sweetness again and again.
Comments:
This is the last introductory verse before the dialogues and the stories through which Srimad Bhāgavatam unfolds. After presenting the supreme position of Bhāgavatam as the cream of the highest philosophy of the Vedas, here the mood of the entire work is made clear. It is not some dry exposition of abstractions that only touch the intellect. Instead it is filled with sweet exchanges of divine love that goes straight to the heart.
By addressing the listeners as those with taste for divine love, it makes clear that it is not a sophisticated intellect but a tender heart that is necessary to approach this work. Vedas are compared to a wish yielding tree for they present a regulated way of living to fulfill desires of all kinds as seen in the last verse. And Bhāgavatam represents the ripened fruit of this tree because it provides the nectar of loving devotion that transcends all desires. And what’s more it comes from the mouth of the sage Shuka, an enlightened being who ever relishes the nectar of devotion. Just as a fruit pecked by a parrot is known to be extra sweet, similarly this ripened fruit of devotion is all the more sweet being pecked by the sage Shuka whose name literally means parrot.
An important word in this verse is rasa which also represents the various moods of devotion. The five most prominent moods or rasa are later described in detail in Srimad Bhāgavatam as increasing levels of sweetness with well known examples illustrated through stories for each rasa as follows:
1. shānta (peaceful reverence) exemplified by Prahlada
2. dāsya (loving service) exemplified by Hanuman
3. sakhya (close friendship) exemplified by Arjuna and Uddhava
4. vātsalya (parental affection) exemplified by Yashoda and Nanda
5. mādhurya (sweet intimacy) exemplified by Radha and Rukmini
The common factor of all the five rasas is devotional love or bhakti and the object of each rasa is the Source or the fountainhead of truth, wisdom and love that is Krishna.
So the entire essence of Srimad Bhāgavatam can be summed up as realizing the one true Source, through a mood of loving devotion that cleanses the mind, and thus abide in our innate nature of peace, harmony and love.
वेत्थ त्वं सौम्य तत्सर्वं तत्त्वतस्तदनुग्रहात् ।
ब्रूयु: स्निग्धस्य शिष्यस्य गुरवो गुह्यमप्युत ॥ Bh 1.1.8
vettha tvaṁ saumya tat sarvaṁ tattvatas tad anugrahāt
brūyuḥ snigdhasya śiṣhyasya guravo guhyam apyuta
Translation: Oh Sūta, being very pure in heart, you have earned the Grace of the sages and learned Bhagavatam. Because teachers confide the most profound secrets only to their beloved students.
Comments: After the first three introductory verses on the essence, glory and mood of this great work, Bhagavatam begins with a conversation in a sacred forest known as Naimisharanya (near present day Lucknow) among a congregation of sages. The congregation is headed by a sage called Shaunaka and they are performing a long yajna (fire sacrifice) there. Sūta Maharshi who is an expert in Puranas, has come there and the sages offer their respects to him. When Shuka Brahmam narrated Bhagavatam to Parikshit on the banks of Ganga, there was a distinguished assembly of listeners and one among them was Sūta who learned it by heart. So Shaunaka and the sages ask Sūta to in turn narrate to them so that they can spend the evenings after completing the yajna in the nectar of Bhagavatam. In this verse, an important quality of how Sūta learned Bhagavatam and in turn, how we have to approach such a work is given. It is mentioned that he learned by being pure at heart, thereby making clear that it is not a logical intellect but a pure heart that is the most essential prerequisite. As Krishna says in the Gita ‘tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśhnena sevayā’ — ‘You can learn the Truth by inquiring with an attitude of humility and devotion’ (BG 4.34). It is a great art to listen in this manner, neither with blind faith nor an attitude of challenge, but with genuine curiosity and reverence while inquiring and posing questions. The most confidential and profound wisdom of Self realization is revealed to us only when we love and revere the teacher or the teaching. Because Sūta is pure in heart and a beloved student, he learned Bhagavatam. Therein lies the guidance for us to approach Bhagavatam or Gita or any such work of the highest wisdom with purity, love and humility while also inquiring, questioning and verifying inwardly.
भूरीणि भूरिकर्माणि श्रोतव्यानि विभागश: ।
अत: साधोऽत्र यत्सारं समुद्धृत्य मनीषया ।
ब्रूहि भद्रायभूतानां येनात्मा सुप्रसीदति ॥ Bh 1.1.11
bhūrīṇi bhūri karmāṇi śhrotavyāni vibhāgaśhaḥ
ataḥ sādho’tra yat sāraṁ samuddhṛtya manīṣhayā
brūhi bhadrāya bhūtānām yenātmā suprasīdati
Translation: The scriptures are numerous with various prescriptions of rituals and practices and voluminous with many parts requiring a very long time to study. Therefore, being most benevolent, draw out with your keen insight and teach the quintessence (that is Bhagavatam) by which the heart will be satisfied.
Comments: The Vedas are a vast body of literature with various divisions such as Samhitas (hymns and prayers), Brahmanas (rituals and sacrifices), Aranyakas (inner meaning of rituals), Upanishads (wisdom of the sages) along with six Vedangas (grammar, prosody etc.), four Upavedas (ayurveda etc.), Sutras or aphorisms (brahma sutra, dharma sutra etc.), Smritis or codes of living (manu smrti etc.), two Itihasas or grand epics (Ramayana and Mahabharata) and eighteen Puranas. Thus they are extremely voluminous, diverse and prescribe various levels of teachings based on the stage of life, proclivities, interests, time and place. However, because of that vast diversity, they are also extremely bewildering. Therefore the sages in Naimisharanya ask Sūta to relate only the quintessence of all the Vedas which is Bhagavatam as it gives us only the timeless wisdom that is applicable to everyone and by which the highest purpose of peace and love is realized in the heart.
यत्पादसंश्रया: सूत मुनय: प्रशमायना: ।
सद्य: पुनन्त्युपस्पृष्टा: स्वर्धुन्यापोऽनुसेवया ॥ Bh 1.1.15
yat pāda saṁśhrayāḥ sūta munayaḥ praśhamāyanāḥ
sadyaḥ punantyupaspṛṣhṭāḥ svardhunyāpo ’nusevayā
Translation: Sages who have taken shelter in the Supreme Being and therefore ever abide in perfect equanimity purify anyone who comes in contact with them even once. Whereas even the celestial waters of Ganga cleanse the heart only by long and sustained contact.
Comments: The greatness of association with sages and Satsang is glorified in this verse by Shaunaka. Because a sage is completely free of the sense of ‘I’ and ‘mine’, he is a visible manifestation of the Divine. While everyone is a manifestation of the Divine in the actual sense, it is not visible because of the covering of the ego. The world can be visualized as a room full of mirrors covered by dust with an occasional mirror here and there that is completely clean. All mirrors are equally capable of reflecting light and yet only the ones that are free of dust can actually do so. Similarly all beings are manifestation of the same Divine. Yet only the sage who is free of the dust of the ego shines as that Light. And we see in him our own reflection as as well as the pure manifestation of the Divine. Therefore having contact with sages and being in Satsang enables us instantly to at least have a glimpse into who we really are. Whereas even going to sacred places and bathing in Ganga only gradually cleanses the heart. So the easiest boat to cross the ocean of suffering is through Satsang. We can have Satsang not just through physical contact but also through virtual contact with sages such as by reading Bhagavatam, listening to the discourse of a true sage etc. Therefore we have to always prioritize Satsang as the highest form of association over all other frivolous associations that tend to drag us down further into egoic identification. The unique power of Satsang will be glorified repeatedly in Bhagavatam as the single most important portal into Truth.
अथाख्याहिहरेर्धीमन्नवतारकथा: शुभा: ।
लीला विदधत: स्वैरमीश्वरस्यात्ममायया ॥ Bh 1.1.18
athākhyāhi harer dhīmann avatāra kathāḥ śhubhāḥ
līlā vidadhataḥ svairam īśhvarasya atmamāyayā
Translation: O wise Suta, please narrate the blessed stories of the descents of the Supreme Being who enacts various pastimes by his own Yogamaya (divine potency).
Comments: After glorifying the virtues of Satsang, especially with a great being like Suta well versed in Bhagavatam, Shaunaka asks him to recount the glorious pastimes of the Supreme Being through all His Avatars. The Supreme Being is the ground of pure Consciousness and also the Source of the entire Universe through His own Maya. Furthermore, He takes Avatars (descents) into the Universe in various forms to establish dharma and bestow loving devotion through His transcendental names, forms and pastimes. Therefore Shaunaka says that there is no easier way to purify one’s heart than to hear the glorious exploits of the Lord through all His playful pastimes. So he requests Suta to narrate all such pastimes and specifically of His most complete descent (purna avatāra) as Krishna along with Balaram, which are most delightful to hear at every step for listeners with a taste for sweetness. He concludes by stating that in this age of Kali (conflict), there is no easier way to cross over the turbulent ocean of suffering than to listen to the glories of Krishna and to Bhagavatam as a whole and thus reverently requests Suta to narrate Bhagavatam. Accordingly, Suta will begin his blessed narration from the next chapter.
Chapter 2: Sūta begins narration
Summary of this chapter: https://youtu.be/N1esSRF5P0E
यं प्रव्रजन्तमनुपेतमपेतकृत्यंद्वैपायनो विरहकातर आजुहाव ।
पुत्रेति तन्मयतया तरवोऽभिनेदुस्तं सर्वभूतहृदयं मुनिमानतोऽस्मि ॥ Bh 1.2.2
yaṁ pravrajantam anupetam apetakṛtyaṁ dvaipāyano virahakātara ājuhāva
putreti tanmayatayā taravo’bhinedustaṁ sarvabhūtahṛdayaṁ munim ānato’smi
Translation: The sage Vyasa saw his son Shuka walk away all alone with the intent of leading the life of a recluse, though he had not yet been initiated with the sacred thread and had not performed any religious rituals. So Vyasa called out, ‘Hey, my son’ with an agitated heart due to the feeling of separation from his beloved son. The son kept walking, though all the trees on the road turned around, filled as they were with the presence of Shuka. I bow to that great sage Shuka who is one with the Universe and thus present in the hearts of all.
Comments: Suta starts his response to the queries of the sages headed by Shaunka. He first begins by offering his obeisances to the great sage Shuka Brahmam, through whose narration to Parikshit, Suta also listened and learned Bhagavatam. This is a very famous verse to glorify Shuka Brahmam and his supreme state of renunciation and wisdom. When he was just a young lad of barely sixteen, it is said that Shuka Brahmam was already completely free of the false idea of ‘I’ and ‘mine’ and therefore felt one with the entire Universe. So he did not have any inclination toward religious rituals, sacred thread ceremony etc. that are normally done at his age. He instead walked away from his house as a recluse with total renunciation. His father, the great sage Vyasa, who is himself of the greatest stature among the Rishis and who has composed the great epics and Puranas, was having a trace of attachment to his son and therefore called out to his son as he walked away. But the young Shuka was completely liberated and free of any such attachment. On the other hand, because he was one with the Universe by completely abiding in the Supreme Being who is Pure Consciousness that animates all of creation, even all the trees felt one with Shuka and responded to the call of Vyasa by turning around, as Shuka kept walking. Suta thus brings out in a poetically dramatic manner the supreme inner state of the great sage Shuka who is the speaker of Bhagavatam. Thereby he both offers his gratitude to Shuka Brahmam for narrating Bhagavatam as well as bringing out the greatness of the work by revealing the sublime state of the speaker of Bhagavatam. It is rightly observed that one can judge a tree by its fruits. Here it is the other way around where one can judge the fruit (Bhagavatam) by the quality of the tree (Shuka) who produced it.
य: स्वानुभावमखिलश्रुतिसारमेकमध्यात्मदीपमतितितीर्षतां तमोऽन्धम् ।
संसारिणां करुणयाह पुराणगुह्यं तं व्याससूनुमुपयामि गुरुं मुनीनाम् ॥ Bh 1.2.3
yaḥ svānubhāvam akhilaśhrutisāram ekam adhyātmadīpam atititīrṣhatāṁ tamo’ndham
saṁsāriṇāṁ karuṇayāha purāṇaguhyaṁ taṁ vyāsasūnum upayāmi guruṁ munīnām
Translation: My obeisances unto the teacher of all sages, the son of Vyasa, who has given out of his compassion this most glorious and confidential Bhagavatam which is the essence of all Vedas. It is a unique light illuminating spiritual wisdom for all those caught in material bondage and seeking to transcend this darkness of ignorance.
Comments: Suta offers another beautiful prayer to the main speaker of Bhagavatam, Shuka Brahmarshi, as well as glorifying the greatness of Bhagavatam itself. Śhuka Brahmam being completely free of any attachment and one with the Divine had no desire to accomplish whatsoever and yet spoke this voluminous work of Bhagavatam with 18,000 verses only out of compassion for all being caught in the false attachment to ‘I’ and ‘mine’ which is the material bondage and the darkness of ignorance. Transcending this darkness requires the light of wisdom that does not simply appeal to the intellect and goes directly to the heart. And that is the unique nature of Bhagavatam. The highest philosophy of Self realization is soaked in the nectar of loving devotion through stories that, unlike dialectical discourses, bypass the mind and go to the heart. To hear the narration of the Avatars and pastimes of Bhagavan and the life accounts of the great Bhagavatas brings the Truth as a lived reality that is at once profound and heart melting. What is considered as very confidential wisdom of the Upanishads and the Vedas is made easily accessible for anyone without any prerequisites to simply listen and thereby be transformed. That is the greatness of Bhagavatam itself and of Shuka Brahmarshi who narrated it in the most perfect manner.
नारायणं नमस्कृत्य नरं चैव नरोत्तमम् ।
देवीं सरस्वतीं व्यासं ततो जयमुदीरयेत् ॥ Bh 1.2.4
nārāyaṇaṁ namaskṛtya naraṁ chaiva narottamam
devīṁ sarasvatīṁ vyāsaṁ tato jayam udīrayet
Translation: After offering obeisances to the divine sages Narayana and Nara, the Supreme Person Krishna, Mother Saraswati and the sage Vyasa, one should recite Srimad Bhagavatam that bestows victory in all endeavors.
Comments: After glorifying Shuka Brahmarshi who has narrated the uniquely sublime Bhagavatam, Suta Maharshi offers the way to read Bhagavatam and the purpose of doing so. The way to read, recite or listen to Bhagavatam is by offering obeisances to the Supreme Being who pervades the entire universe, who manifests as the divine sages Naryana and Nara, who descends as the Supreme Person Krishna, who manifests as Mother Saraswati, the very power of learning itself, and the great sage Vyasa who authored Bhagavatam. The purpose for reading Bhagavatam is mentioned as victory (jayam). The victory of all victories is to be free of the false sense of ‘me’ that is associated with the body/mind and thereby be free of the fear of death which can only affect the body. To recognize the unitary Absolute Power that alone functions through each and every one of us is to attain true victory over the ignorance of the false ego. That is the ultimate purpose that Bhagavatam bestows to one who reads it with humility and love in a prayerful mood as described in this verse.
स वै पुंसां परो धर्मो यतो भक्तिरधोक्षजे ।
अहैतुक्यप्रतिहता ययात्मा सुप्रसीदति ॥
वासुदेवे भगवति भक्तियोग: प्रयोजित: ।
जनयत्याशु वैराग्यं ज्ञानं च यदहैतुकम् ॥ Bh 1.2.6–7
sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktiradhokṣhaje
ahaitukyapratihatā yayātmā suprasīdati
vāsudeve bhagavati bhaktiyogaḥ prayojitaḥ
janayatyāśhu vairāgyaṁ jñānaṁ cha yad ahaitukam
Translation: That alone is the supreme duty of men, from which follows unconditional and unobstructed loving devotion to the Transcendent Being and the true Self is pleased. Loving connection with the Source who is Vasudeva speedily awakens dispassion and wisdom.
Comments: The highest duty and purpose of the human life is to recognize the Source of our existence from which all energy flows and being in tune with the Source lets the energy of our being flow smoothly. The Source is called as adhokashaja or One who is transcendent to all the senses. The Supreme Being as Pure Consciousness is the Source of all existence and His energy as the Divine Will is the all-pervading Controller of all activities. Since all sensory activities, including thought, are only enabled by Him, it is not possible to perceive Him through the sensory activities. Therefore He is called as the Transcendent Being. To have unconditional and unobstructed loving devotion is to be in surrender to the Divine Will every moment as the Only doer and therefore be in total acceptance of the Divine Will, while doing our part with complete attention. Such a state of total and unconditional love to the Source naturally awakens dispassion and true wisdom. The Source is referred to as Vāsudeva because He resides everywhere. Hence Krishna says in the Gita: “The mark of a great soul and a realized being is to surrender unto Me, seeing everything as Vāsudeva” (bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ — BG 7.19).
वदन्ति तत्तत्त्वविदस्तत्त्वं यज्ज्ञानमद्वयम् ।
ब्रह्मेति परमात्मेति भगवानिति शब्द्यते ॥
तच्छ्रद्दधाना मुनयो ज्ञानवैराग्ययुक्तया ।
पश्यन्त्यात्मनि चात्मानं भक्त्या श्रुतगृहीतया ॥ Bh 1.2.11–12
vadanti tattattvavidastattvaṁ yajjñānamadvayam
brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śhabdyate
tachchhraddadhānā munayo jñānavairāgyayuktayā
paśhyantyātmani chātmānaṁ bhaktyā śhrutagṛhītayā
Translation: The knowers of Truth declare only that wisdom which is free of duality as Truth. It is called as Brahman, Paramatma and Bhagavan. Sages full of dedication perceive that Truth as their own Self in their own heart through devotion coupled with wisdom and dispassion, acquired through listening.
Comments: In this famous verse, Suta describes the very essence of Truth as that wisdom which is free of duality. All knowledge normally has the duality of the knower and the known or the subject and the object. But the wisdom that reveals that both the subject and the object are essentially only expressions of the unitary Divine Will rooted in the Supreme Being is the highest wisdom. And this unitary Source is known as the all-pervading infinite Brahman, the indwelling Spirit or Paramatma and the physical manifestation as Bhagavan in the form of Avatars and great enlightened beings. Further, this Truth is realized by the one who listens with full of shraddha (dedication along with confidence in oneself and the teachings) to the pointers in such works as Bhagavatam and thereby gets blessed with not just intellectual knowledge but the knowledge that opens the heart through loving devotion. Such knowledge alone awakens true wisdom and dispassion through the simple Truth that there is nothing other than the Supreme Being and everything, everywhere, every moment is only an expression of the Divine Will that comes forth from the Supreme Being.
तस्मादेकेन मनसा भगवान् सात्वतां पति: ।
श्रोतव्य: कीर्तितव्यश्च ध्येय: पूज्यश्च नित्यदा ॥
यदनुध्यासिना युक्ता: कर्मग्रन्थिनिबन्धनम् ।
छिन्दन्ति कोविदास्तस्य को न कुर्यात्कथारतिम् ॥ Bh 1.2.14–15
tasmādekena manasā bhagavān sātvatāṁ patiḥ
śhrotavyaḥ kīrtitavyaśhcha dhyeyaḥ pūjyaśhcha nityadā
yadanudhyāsinā yuktāḥ karmagranthinibandhanam
chindanti kovidāstasya ko na kuryātkathāratim
Translation: Therefore, with a single pointed mind, one ought to hear, glorify, meditate upon and worship the Lord, who is the protector of the devotees. The wise ones who are armed with the sword of constant meditation on Him cut asunder the hard knot of karma. Who would then not take delight in listening about Him?
Comments: Having described the essential nature of the Supreme Truth as both the all pervading Infinite Being as well as the indwelling Spirit, Suta Maharshi states that therefore one ought to listen to this teaching with single pointed attention. It is by listening that the fog of confusion clears away and Truth shines forth. Therefore listening with total attention is the most important first step which is also the last step. Because the very listening when done with total attention involves all other processes mentioned such as glorification, meditation and worship. To give full attention to the teachings about the Supreme Being is to glorify, meditate upon and worship the Supreme Being. This can be done every moment through the constant inquiry into the Source of all activities, whatever one might be engaged in. If we recognize that all the physical and mental activities any given moment happens only through the Intelligence that pervades every cell of our body, then we are free of the false sense of doership. The only doer of all actions is that Intelligence itself that is operating in infinite ways in our own bodies and in every aspect of the universe. This frees us of the hard knot of karma which is only sustained through the fiction of an individual egoic doer. Therefore anyone interested in being free of suffering which rises due to the false ego in the form of anxiety, comparison, envy, worry etc. would do well to listen to this teaching that removes the very root of the false ego.
शुश्रूषो: श्रद्दधानस्य वासुदेवकथारुचि: ।
स्यान्महत्सेवया विप्रा: पुण्यतीर्थनिषेवणात् ॥
शृण्वतां स्वकथा: कृष्ण: पुण्यश्रवणकीर्तन: ।
हृद्यन्त:स्थो ह्यभद्राणि विधुनोति सुहृत्सताम् ॥ Bh 1.2.16–17
śhuśhrūṣhoḥ śhraddadhānasya vāsudevakathāruciḥ
syānmahatsevayā viprāḥ puṇyatīrthaniṣhevaṇāt
śhṛṇvatāṁ svakathāḥ kṛṣhṇaḥ puṇyaśhravaṇakīrtanaḥ
hṛdyantaḥstho hyabhadrāṇi vidhunoti suhṛtsatām
Translation: By resorting to holy places of pilgrimage, one obtains the blessing of serving exalted beings and thereby develops a relish for listening to the pastimes and teachings of Krishna who is a friend of the virtuous, abiding in the Heart and removing the inauspicious tendencies of those who listen about Him.
Comments: Bhagavatam is said to be the sound incarnation of Krishna. Therefore listening to Bhagavatam which contains the pastimes and teachings of Krishna removes all the inauspicious tendencies which are rooted in the false ego. Such evil tendencies are innumerable as seen in the world and yet they all have only one root — the false ego that causes comparison, greed, envy, covetousness and all other such tendencies. So the intelligent way is to not try and fix each one of these tendencies but to go to the very root and handle all of them. That is the essence of Bhagavatam. Further, Suta Maharshi says that one can develop the taste for listening to Bhagavatam and such teachings only by association with exalted beings. This is the purpose of visiting holy places — to get an opportunity to meet with those who are saintly and not caught in egoic attachment. Also in this verse, it is hinted that while outer pilgrimage to holy places are sacred indeed, the holiest site of pilgrimage is our own Heart where the Supreme Being ever shines as Pure Consciousness. Therefore one can make this pilgrimage wherever one is and thereby be cleansed of egoic attachment.
नष्टप्रायेष्वभद्रेषु नित्यं भागवतसेवया ।
भगवत्युत्तमश्लोके भक्तिर्भवति नैष्ठिकी ॥
तदा रजस्तमोभावा: कामलोभादयश्च ये ।
चेत एतैरनाविद्धं स्थितं सत्त्वे प्रसीदति ॥ Bh 1.2.18–19
nashṭa prāyeshu abhadreshu nityam bhāgavata sevayā
bhagavati uttamashloke bhaktir bhavati naishṭhikī
tadā rajastamobhāvāḥ kāmalobhādayaśhcha ye
cheta etairanāviddhaṁ sthitaṁ sattve prasīdati
Translation: All inauspiciousness is removed by constantly offering service to Bhagavatam and thereby wells up abiding and unflinching loving devotion toward Bhagavan, the Supreme Being, of the most supreme glory. Then the mind is freed of the inner enemies such as lust and greed born out of the modes of passion and ignorance and is situated in purity and goodness that gives true happiness.
Comments: Serving Bhagavatam eternally removes all negativities effortlessly and bestows unconditional love for all beings. What does it mean to serve Bhagavatam? It has many layers of meaning — reading or listening to the text of Bhagavatam daily, serving the great Bhagavatas (devotees) and surrendering to the Supreme Source or Bhagavan. By doing so, the modes of passion (rajas) and ignorance (tamas) lose their effect and thereby one is freed of the six inner enemies (arishadvarga) of lust, anger, greed, arrogance, delusion and envy. This situates us in the mode of goodness (sattva) which bestows true happiness which is equanimity and peace.
एवं प्रसन्नमनसो भगवद्भक्तियोगत: ।
भगवत्तत्त्वविज्ञानं मुक्तसङ्गस्य जायते ॥
भिद्यते हृदयग्रन्थिश्छिद्यन्ते सर्वसंशया: ।
क्षीयन्ते चास्य कर्माणि दृष्ट एवात्मनीश्वरे ॥ Bh 1.2.20–21
evaṁ prasannamanaso bhagavadbhaktiyogataḥ
bhagavattattvavijñānaṁ muktasaṅgasya jāyate
bhidyate hṛdayagranthiśhchhidyante sarvasaṁśhayāḥ
kṣhīyante chāsya karmāṇi dṛṣhṭa evātmanīśhvare
Translation: When one is free of attachment and has loving devotion to the Lord, the mind is filled with peace and one realizes the essential truth of God. The moment one sees God as one’s own true Self, the knot of ignorance in the heart is removed, all doubts are dispersed and the entire stock of his karmas gets destroyed.
Comments: The mind affected by the modes of passion and ignorance is disturbed and not in peace. By listening to Bhagavatam and by surrendering to Bhagavan as the Supreme Controller, the mind is freed of passion and ignorance, and situated in purity which leads to a pleasing disposition and freedom from attachment. That awakens true loving devotion toward the Supreme Being as the essence of the entire universe. And thereby flowers in the heart true realization of God, not as a conceptual idea or an intellectual abstraction but as a living Presence. This is to see God as our true Self that removes the knot of ignorance in the heart which is the false ego identification with the body and its activities as ‘me’. When this false ego goes, all doubts are dispersed as well because all doubts are rooted in the doubter which is the false ego itself. So when the doubter is seen as false, all doubts vanish. And similarly, the entire stock of karma also goes when the false idea of doership goes. All actions are then seen only as an expression of the Divine Will, with no individual doer thereof. This results in freedom from any bondage of karmas while activities go on perfectly with total attention.
पार्थिवाद्दारुणो धूमस्तस्मादग्निस्त्रयीमय: ।
तमसस्तु रजस्तस्मात्सत्त्वं यद्ब्रह्मदर्शनम् ॥
भेजिरे मुनयोऽथाग्रे भगवन्तमधोक्षजम् ।
सत्त्वं विशुद्धं क्षेमाय कल्पन्ते येऽनु तानिह ॥ Bh 1.2.24–25
pārthivāddāruṇo dhūmastasmādagnistrayīmayaḥ
tamasastu rajastasmātsattvaṁ yadbrahmadarśhanam
bhejire munayo’thāgre bhagavantamadhokṣhajam
sattvaṁ viśhuddhaṁ kṣhemāya kalpante ye’nu tāniha
Translation: Just as smoke is more active and thus higher than inert wood and higher than smoke is fire that is essential for Vedic sacrifices, even so rajas is superior to tamas and higher still is sattva that helps one realize Brahman. Of yore, sages adored the Supreme Transcendent Being who is pure sattva for the highest benefit and even now those who follow them attain blessedness.
Comments: First, a clear gradation of the three modes of material nature is described. Even though wood contains smoke and fire in a latent form, only when heat is applied, first smoke comes out and after a while, fire manifests out of the inert wood. Similarly when the heat of penance is applied, the inert mode of dullness or laziness (tamas) is overcome with the mode of activity and passion (rajas). And when the mode of passion is refined by engaging toward dharmic activities, then it is overcome with the mode of purity and goodness (sattva) which enables realization of the Supreme Truth as Brahman, the all-pervading Infinite Being who is described as transcendent to all the senses. All activities and objects of the senses take place only due to the illumination of Pure Consciousness which is the essence of Brahman and therefore transcendent to all the senses. The great sages of the ancient have fully dedicated themselves to realizing Him by ascending to the mode of purity and perceiving only the Supreme Being as the essence of all. And this way shown by the sages is open to everyone at all times and all places as it only requires inner purification and thereby clear perception of the Truth which is independent of time and space and therefore ever available here and now.
वासुदेवपरा वेदा वासुदेवपरा मखा: ।
वासुदेवपरा योगा वासुदेवपरा: क्रिया: ॥
वासुदेवपरं ज्ञानं वासुदेवपरं तप: ।
वासुदेवपरो धर्मो वासुदेवपरा गति: ॥ Bh 1.2.28–29
vāsudeva parā vedā vāsudeva parā makhāḥ
vāsudeva parā yogā vāsudeva parāḥ kriyāḥ
vāsudeva paraṁ jñānaṁ vāsudeva paraṁ tapaḥ
vāsudeva paro dharmo vāsudeva parā gatiḥ
Translation: The all-pervading Supreme Being Vāsudeva is the subject of all Vedas, the goal of all sacrifices, the object of all Yoga, the essence of all activities, the supreme wisdom, the highest austerity, the greatest virtue and the supreme destination.
Comments: Suta Maharshi, after responding to the questions of the Rishis, by giving a summary of the entire wisdom of Bhagavatam, the glory of listening to it that results in purification of the mind and leading to the realization of the Supreme Being, now culminates his response with these two powerful verses. Vāsudeva means the One who is the son of Vasudeva in His personal aspect and also He who is everything in His impersonal aspect. As Krishna mentions in the Gita, to realize that Vāsudeva pervades everywhere is the highest and rarest wisdom (bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate / vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ — BG 7.19). Therefore Suta Maharshi invokes Vāsudeva as the only purpose of all seemingly diverse aspects of spiritual life — to realize the Supreme Being as the only Truth, all pervading Consciousness (Brahman) abiding within as the true Self (Paramatma) and descending out of His Grace in various forms (Bhagavan). The study of all scriptures is only to realize Vāsudeva, the Absolute. All sacrifices are only to deny the false ego and behold Vāsudeva within and without. The purpose of all Yoga is to only remove the illusory separateness, seeing the union of everything in Vāsudeva. All austerities are only to purify the mind of the dust of ignorance about Vāsudeva. Therefore true transcendental wisdom, the highest virtue and the greatest austerity is all to realize Vāsudeva. Thus the supreme destination of all — not separated by time and space, but here and now — is Vāsudeva.
तया विलसितेष्वेषु गुणेषु गुणवानिव ।
अन्त:प्रविष्ट आभाति विज्ञानेन विजृम्भित: ॥
यथा ह्यवहितो वह्निर्दारुष्वेक: स्वयोनिषु ।
नानेव भाति विश्वात्मा भूतेषु च तथा पुमान् ॥ Bh 1.2.31–32
tayā vilasiteṣhveṣhu guṇeṣhu guṇavāniva
antaḥpraviṣhṭa ābhāti vijñānena vijṛmbhitaḥ
yathā hyavahito vahnirdāruṣhvekaḥ svayonihṣhu
nāneva bhāti viśhvātmā bhūteṣhu cha tathā pumān
Translation: Having entered into the three gunas, that have been evolved by Maya, He appears as possessed of the gunas, while being essentially Pure Consciousness. Just as fire appears as many abiding in different logs of wood, so does the Self of the Universe appear as many, manifested in different beings.
Comments: Having concluded that the Supreme Being Vāsudeva is the essence of all spiritual practices, Suta Maharshi ends this discourse to the Rishis by stating that although He is transcendent to the material energy with its three gunas, it is from Him alone that this material energy comes forth to evolve this creation. Therefore the material energy which is also known as Maya is both real and unreal at the same time. It is real because of its essence being one with the Supreme Being. And it is also unreal because the forms it takes are constantly changing and impermanent. Therefore He remains both within and beyond this material universe. Every form that appears within this universe is only a modification of the same material energy and therefore the true Self of the universe is the Supreme Being alone as Pure Consciousness. Just as fire appears in various shapes and intensities when different logs of wood are burned and yet all fire is essentially the same, He appears in various forms as various beings and yet their essence is the same. It is the unitary material energy alone that animates all the senses, mind, sense objects and all the bodies. Therefore it is He alone who creates this universe, descends into the universe in various forms of life, protects all beings and dissolves them as Time.
Chapter 3: Avatars of the Supreme Being
Summary of this chapter: https://youtu.be/pfKkwOSvor8
जगृहे पौरुषं रूपं भगवान्महदादिभि: ।
सम्भूतं षोडशकलमादौ लोकसिसृक्षया ॥
एतन्नानावताराणां निधानं बीजमव्ययम् ।
यस्यांशांशेन सृज्यन्ते देवतिर्यङ्नरादय: ॥ Bh 1.3.1,5
jagṛhe pauruṣhaṁ rūpaṁ bhagavānmahadādibhiḥ
sambhūtaṁ ṣhoḍaśhakalamādau lokasisṛkṣhayā
etannānāvatārāṇāṁ nidhānaṁ bījamavyayam
yasyāṁśhāṁśhena sṛjyante devatiryaṅnarādayaḥ
Translation: In the beginning, with the intent of evolving the universe, the Lord assumed the form of the Primal Being consisting of sixteen principles along with Cosmic Intelligence. This form of the Lord is the imperishable seed of the various Avatars as well s the source of all humans and other life forms.
Comments: The Primal Being called Purusha is the Cosmic form made of sixteen principles which are the five elements of space, air, fire, water and soil, the five senses of cognition, the five senses of action and the mind. All of these come forth from the Cosmic Intelligence called mahat which is the order of the universe reflected through the perfect laws of physics observable in matter. The creative energy known as Brahma comes forth from the Primal Being. The whole universe is thus seen as the body of the Supreme Being with infinite heads, eyes, ears and limbs. From the Supreme Being who has evolved the whole Universe as His body, also comes forth various Avatars who are either partial or full manifestations of the Lord. Also all other beings from humans to various life forms come forth from the same Source. Having described the Source of all Avatars, now Suta Maharshi will give an account of all the key Avatars.
अवतारा ह्यसङ्ख्येया हरे: सत्त्वनिधेर्द्विजा: ।
यथाविदासिन: कुल्या: सरस: स्यु: सहस्रश: ॥ Bh 1.3.26
avatārā hyasaṅkhyeyā hareḥ sattvanidherdvijāḥ
yathāvidāsinaḥ kulyāḥ sarasaḥ syuḥ sahasraśhaḥ
Translation: Avatars of the Lord who is the storehouse of purity are countless indeed like rivulets flowing from an inexhaustible lake.
Comments: Suta Maharshi gives an account of the various Avatars of the Lord in a series of verses in this order:
1. The four young Kumaras (Sanaka, Sanātana, Sanandana, Sanatkumāra)
2. The Divine Boar, Varāha
3. The celestial sage Nārada
4. The sages Nara and Nārāyana
5. Kapila who taught Sānkhya
6. Dattātreya
7. Yajna as the embodiment of sacrifice
8. Rshabha who is the model of renunciation
9. King Prthu after whom earth is called Prthvi
10. The Divine Fish, Matsya, who guided the ark of Manu
11. The Divine Tortoise, Kurma
12. Dhanwantari, the source of all medicine and healing
13. Mohini, the most attractive feminine form to bewilder the demons
14. Narasimha who protected dear Prahlada
15. Vāmana who became Trivikrama to bestow Grace on Bali
16. Parashurāma to destroy all evil kings
17. Vyāsa to organize the Vedas
18. Sri Rāma who did unimaginable feats
19,20. Balarāma and Krishna to relieve the burden of earth
21. Buddha to correct those blindly attached to rituals
22. Kalki to re-establish order at the end of Kali Yuga
As seen above, the order is much larger than the standard ten Avatars and is still not exhaustive and hence Suta concludes by stating that the number of Avatars are in fact countless like rivulets flowing from an inexhaustible lake.
एतद्रूपं भगवतो ह्यरूपस्य चिदात्मन: ।
मायागुणैर्विरचितं महदादिभिरात्मनि ॥ Bh 1.3.30
etad rūpaṁ bhagavato hyarūpasya chidātmanaḥ
māyāguṇairvirachitaṁ mahadādibhirātmani
Translation: The manifest Cosmic form of the Supreme Being, who is beyond all forms and of the essence of Pure Consciousness, is evolved out of His Maya through the principle of Cosmic Intelligence and superimposed on Him.
Comments: Just as clouds appear in the sky and dust particles are found in air, it is said that the Universe appears on the substrate of Pure Consciousness. The clouds that appear and disappear do not affect the sky or the dust particles that are carried by the air do not affect the air itself. Similarly, the various forms of the universe which is projected by the material energy made of Cosmic Intelligence (mahat) does not affect the substrate of Pure Consciousness which is the essence of the Supreme Being. When one identifies with one’s material form and the various other forms as separate beings due to ignorance, then it results in egoic attachment and resultant suffering. When one sees clearly that all the forms are simply an expression of the unitary material energy of the Supreme Being, then one is not deluded by the multitude of forms. This is the true dawning of intelligence or wisdom.
इदं भागवतं नाम पुराणं ब्रह्मसम्मितम् ।
उत्तमश्लोकचरितं चकार भगवानृषि: ॥
नि:श्रेयसाय लोकस्य धन्यं स्वस्त्ययनं महत् ।
तदिदं ग्राहयामास सुतमात्मवतां वरम् ॥ Bh 1.3.40–41
idaṁ bhāgavataṁ nāma purāṇaṁ brahmasammitam
uttamaśhlokacharitaṁ chakāra bhagavān ṛṣiḥ
niḥśhreyasāya lokasya dhanyaṁ svastyayanaṁ mahat
tadidaṁ grāhayāmāsa sutamātmavatāṁ varam
Translation: The divine sage Vyasa composed this great Bhagavatam which is the essence of all Vedas and details the activities of the Supreme Being of excellent glory. He taught this blessed and great scripture to his son Shuka Brahmam, the foremost among the Self-realized, for the highest good of humanity.
Comments: Suta Maharshi concludes this chapter by glorifying the greatness of Bhagavatam which is considered as an Avatar of Krishna Himself in the sound form. It is the cream extracted from all the Vedas and taught by Vyasa to his son, the great Shuka Brahmam. Suta Maharshi further adds that when Shuka Brahmam taught this great Purana to Parikshit on the banks of Ganga, there was a congregation of sages present and he was also one among them and learned it by-heart through the grace of Shuka Brahmam. This Bhagavatam details the essence of Self-knowledge by revealing that the conscious spark found in each being as the jiva is none other than the Universal Consciousness that is the essence of the Supreme Being. And this Self-knowledge cannot be gained by dialectical skills but only through an attitude of humility and loving devotion. He concludes by stating that anyone who is able to listen to Bhagavatam is very lucky indeed as it naturally creates unconditional love for the Supreme Being and thereby all beings of the Universe.
Chapter 4: Frustration of Veda Vyasa
Summary of this chapter: https://youtu.be/aanlAtXAdZY
दृष्ट्वानुयान्तमृषिमात्मजमप्यनग्नं देव्यो ह्रिया परिदधुर्न सुतस्य चित्रम् ।
तद्वीक्ष्य पृच्छति मुनौ जगदुस्तवास्ति स्त्रीपुम्भिदा न तु सुतस्य विविक्तदृष्टे: ॥ Bh 1.4.5
dṛṣhṭvānuyāntam ṛṣhim ātmajam apyanagnaṁ devyo hriyā paridadhurna sutasya chitram
tadvīkṣhya pṛchchhati munau jagadustavāsti strīpumbhidā na tu sutasya viviktadṛṣhṭeḥ
Translation: Vyasa followed his son Shuka Brahmam who walked away and went past a group of ladies bathing in a lake. They covered themselves out of modesty when Vyasa walked by, though they didn’t bother when Shuka Brahmam walked by earlier. Noticing the strange behavior, the sage asked them the reason and the ladies said Vyasa was still alive to the difference of sex while the son Shuka Brahmam had no difference in his vision.
Comments: The Rishis headed by Shaunaka after listening to the summary of Bhagavatam given by Suta Maharshi in the last two chapters are now asking questions about how Shuka Brahmam came to learn Bhagavatam from Vyasa and then narrate it as well as how Parikshit came to listen to it. In the process, they glorify Shuka Brahmam as the great Yogi who views all alike with no diversity in his eyes and mind exclusively seeing only God everywhere. He left home as a recluse while very young that his father Vyasa, himself great sage, went behind him with the slightest of attachment toward his son which had completely ceased to exist in Shuka Brahmam. Therefore the ladies who were bathing could perceive the total child-like purity of Shuka Brahmam and hence acted in the manner described. Further it is also said that Shuka Brahmam would not stay at any one place for too long but just keep moving and happy and content with whatever came his way. Parikshit meanwhile was a great king with very pious qualities and an undisputed emperor with no enemy at all. Therefore the sages headed by Shaunaka are curious as to how this great dialogue came to be between these two eminent personalities.
शिवाय लोकस्य भवाय भूतये य उत्तमश्लोकपरायणा जना: ।
जीवन्ति नात्मार्थमसौ पराश्रयं मुमोच निर्विद्य कुत: कलेवरम् ॥ Bh 1.4.12
śhivāya lokasya bhavāya bhūtaye ya uttamaśhlokaparāyaṇā janāḥ
jīvanti nātmārthamasau parāśhrayaṁ mumocha nirvidya kutaḥ kalevaram
Translation: Those who are surrendered to the Supreme Being of excellent fame live only for the welfare, auspiciousness and prosperity of the world and not for their own sake. Parikshit being such a devotee and thus a support for others, why did he cast off his body?
Comments: The one who is devoid of the sense of ‘me’ and ‘mine’ is free of narrow self-interest and thus his actions naturally promote auspiciousness and welfare for all. Parikshit was such a person and therefore his very presence was conducive to the welfare of the world. Even more so, he was the undisputed emperor and thus setting the perfect example of how one can discharge the greatest responsibilities in the world while being a householder and also be fully devoted to the Supreme Being. Therefore the Rishis express their doubt as to why he would cast off his body by sitting in a fast unto death by the river Ganga and thereby listen to Bhagavatam from Shuka Brahmarshi. The previous question on how Shuka Brahmam came to narrate Bhagavatam and this question on how Parikshit came to listen to Bhagavatam will now be answered in detail by Suta Maharshi for the rest of the first skandha, thus providing the context for the main dialogue of Bhagavatam that begins with the second skandha.
किं वा भागवता धर्मा न प्रायेण निरूपिता: ।
प्रिया: परमहंसानां त एव ह्यच्युतप्रिया: ॥ Bh 1.4.31
kiṁ vā bhāgavatā dharmā na prāyeṇa nirūpitāḥ
priyāḥ paramahaṁsānāṁ ta eva hyacyutapriyāḥ
Translation: Perhaps I am not satisfied because I have not fully expounded on the virtues of loving devotion and surrender to the Supreme Being which is dear to the great sages and the Infallible Lord.
Comments: Suta Maharshi narrates the story of how Vyasa came about to compose Bhagavatam. One day, after taking an early morning bath in the sacred river Saraswati upon sunrise, Vyasa sat nearby contemplating within. He had already organized the Vedas into four portions and taught it to four different sages for preservation through their lineages, written the great Mahabharata, composed many Puranas and also wrote the Brahma Sutra, which is a collection of aphorisms on the highest essence of Vedanta. Still he felt a lacuna in him and he was inquiring into the reason for it. And he came upon the sense that none of the works he had composed was dedicated to the sweetest and most direct way of loving surrender to the all pervading Supreme Being. This alone is dear to the sages endowed with the highest degree of wisdom known as paramahamsa or the divine swans as well as to Krishna Himself who is known as Achyuta or the Infallible.
Chapter 5: Narada on the glory of devotion and his past life
Summary of this chapter: https://youtu.be/2r5a_ea567A
भवतानुदितप्रायं यशो भगवतोऽमलम् ।
येनैवासौ न तुष्येत मन्ये तद्दर्शनं खिलम् ॥
यथा धर्मादयश्चार्था मुनिवर्यानुकीर्तिता: ।
न तथा वासुदेवस्य महिमा ह्यनुवर्णित: ॥ Bh 1.5.8–9
bhavatānuditaprāyaṁ yaśho bhagavato’malam
yenaivāsau na tuṣhyeta manye taddarśhanaṁ khilam
yathā dharmādayaśhchārthā munivaryānukīrtitāḥ
na tathā vāsudevasya mahimā hyanuvarṇitaḥ
Translation: You have failed to adequately sing the stainless glory of the Lord. That wisdom which does not speak of the Supreme Being is deficient. You have not fully described the glory of the all-pervading Lord as you have done with other subjects such as dharma.
Comments: As Vyasa was contemplating his dissatisfaction, the great Narada had come and therefore Vyasa received him with honor. Then Narada inquired about how Vyasa was doing and he revealed his sense of something missing in his humongous body of work. Then Narada promptly responded by stating that it is none other than the glorification of the all-pervading Supreme Being Vasudeva. Vyasa has written extensively about dharma or righteous living and also about moksha or liberation. But the one who is free of the false sense of ego is beyond both righteousness and liberation, only perceiving the Supreme Being as the essence of the whole universe and glorifying Him alone through thought, word and action. Thus Narada exhorts Vyasa to write about such a state of loving devotion which is the essence of Bhagavatam.
तद्वाग्विसर्गो जनताघविप्लवो यस्मिन् प्रतिश्लोकमबद्धवत्यपि ।
नामान्यनन्तस्य यशोऽङ्कितानि यत् शृण्वन्ति गायन्ति गृणन्ति साधव: ॥ Bh 1.5.11
tadvāgvisargo janatāghaviplavo yasmin pratiśhlokam abaddhavatyapi
nāmānyanantasya yaśho’ṅkitāni yat śhṛṇvanti gāyanti gṛṇanti sādhavaḥ
Translation: Speech, though faulty in diction, if it glorifies the Infinite Lord, it wipes out the impurities. Thus the saintly beings love to hear, sing and repeat such compositions.
Comments: Narada now narrates to Vyasa the importance of content over style, expression etc. He says that if one can speak with great figurative expressions in a very refined and stylistic language and yet it is on mundane topics unrelated to the Absolute Truth, then such speech is found entertaining only by men of low intelligence just like crows that wallow on dirty leavings. Whereas, speech that is focused on the highest wisdom and coming straight from the heart and not as a mere intellectual discourse is what gives true delight to the sages and the devotees, just as swans living in the pure Manasarovar lake consume only the purest food. Thus Narada impresses upon the importance of the purity of the content in speech rather than the ability to impress an audience with rhetorical flourishes.
नैष्कर्म्यमप्यच्युतभाववर्जितं न शोभते ज्ञानमलं निरञ्जनम् ।
कुत: पुन: शश्वदभद्रमीश्वरे न चार्पितं कर्म यदप्यकारणम् ॥ Bh 1.5.12
naiṣhkarmyamapyacyutabhāvavarjitaṁ na śhobhate jñānamalaṁ nirañjanam
kutaḥ punaḥ śhaśhvadabhadramīśhvare na chārpitaṁ karma yadapyakāraṇam
Translation: Wisdom that may be free of any blemish or action without any attachment does not adorn one with Truth if it is devoid of heartfelt loving devotion, what to speak then of action with desire that only causes sorrow.
Comments: Normally it is said that there are two ways of realizing the Truth — through wisdom (jnana yoga) or action without any attachment (karma yoga). In the third chapter of Gita, Krishna also mentions these two ways as suited for those drawn to contemplation and those drawn to action respectively. However Narada here adds that both those ways have to be based on the foundation of heartfelt loving devotion. True wisdom flowers only when one sees that everything is an expression of the divine energy including one’s own body and mind and thus being free of the false sense of ego. True karma yoga flowers only when one realizes that every action gets the results ordained by the divine energy and therefore not under the control of the apparent doer. Thus both of them require a recognition of the all-pervading divine energy, that comes not through intellectual understanding but by heartfelt surrender. So Narada teaches that the essential prerequisite for both jnana and karma yoga is bhakti or unconditional love alone.
ततोऽन्यथा किञ्चन यद्विवक्षत: पृथग्दृशस्तत्कृतरूपनामभि: ।
न कर्हिचित्क्वापि च दु:स्थिता मतिर्लभेत वाताहतनौरिवास्पदम् ॥ Bh 1.5.14
tato’nyathā kiñchana yadvivakṣhataḥ pṛthagdṛśhastatkṛtarūpanāmabhiḥ
na karhichitkvāpi cha duḥsthitā matirlabheta vātāhatanaurivāspadam
Translation: The one who talks about mundane topics falls into the trap of seeing separation through names and forms and thus his mind finds no rest just as a boat caught in a strong wind.
Comments: Narada exhorts Vyasa, who is already endowed with sacred renown and wisdom and a steadfast resolve, to focus only on writing about the teachings and pastimes of the Supreme Being that can bring about liberation for anyone who listens to it sincerely. He says here that instead, if one focuses on mundane topics about people and events, then one gets caught in the illusion of diversity and sees manifold names and forms as separate entities rather than seeing everyone and everything as an expression of the one divine energy. Nārada gently points to Vyasa that even reading the great epic Mahabharata authored by Vyasa and focused primarily on dharma could result in men being drawn to the sense of separate ego that adheres to the prescriptions and injunctions. Therefore the highest wisdom needs to be pointed by Vyasa now which is the essence of Bhagavatam that everyone is nothing other than a spark of the divine energy of the Supreme Being.
इदं हि विश्वं भगवानिवेतरो यतो जगत्स्थाननिरोधसम्भवा: ।
तद्धि स्वयं वेद भवांस्तथापि ते प्रादेशमात्रं भवत: प्रदर्शितम् ॥ Bh 1.5.20
idaṁ hi viśhvaṁ bhagavānivetaro yato jagatsthānanirodhasambhavāḥ
taddhi svayaṁ veda bhavāṁstathāpi te prādeśhamātraṁ bhavataḥ pradarśhitam
Translation: This universe is none other than the Supreme Being, who is responsible for its creation, sustenance and dissolution. O Vyasa, I am only pointing to you what you know by yourself.
Comments: After stating out that one’s speech and compositions ought to focus on the highest Truth which is alone conducive to sweetness and not any mundane topics, Narada now starts instructing on the essence of Bhagavatam. Vyasa being a self-realized sage only needs a brief pointer to bring out what is already within him, so Narada provides it here by simply stating that the entire universe is none other than the Supreme Being. As long as we seek God as an entity separate from the Universe either in time and space (such as heaven or paradise) or in a particular state (such as enlightenment), we are creating a duality which blinds us to the truth that God is omnipresent here and now as the essence of the entire universe. As Krishna teaches in the Gita, the one who sees everything as God (vāsudeva sarvaṁiti — BG 7.19) is the one truly situated in wisdom. That’s exactly what Narada points to Vyasa here in this beautiful verse by tersely stating that ‘this very universe is Bhagavan’ (idaṁ hi viśhvaṁ bhagavān). Internalizing these four words puts an end to all seeking and leaves one is simple state of total acceptance and love of what is.
इदं हि पुंसस्तपस: श्रुतस्य वा स्विष्टस्य सूक्तस्य च बुद्धिदत्तयो: ।
अविच्युतोऽर्थ: कविभिर्निरूपितो यदुत्तमश्लोकगुणानुवर्णनम् ॥ Bh 1.5.22
idaṁ hi puṁsastapasaḥ śhrutasya vā sviṣhṭasya sūktasya cha buddhidattayoḥ
avichyuto’rthaḥ kavibhirnirūpito yaduttamaśhlokaguṇānuvarṇanam
Translation: The wise have declared the abiding purpose of all austerities, scriptural knowledge, sacrifices, chanting, clarity of intellect and charitable activities to be the realization of the Supreme Being.
Comments: Narada reminds Vyasa that he is already a ray of the Supreme Being as is every single atom of the universe. Furthermore, Vyasa’s very appearance is to share the highest wisdom of the all pervading Absolute. Narada then points out to Vyasa that he has thus far described all the various spiritual practices in the greatest detail. By organizing and teaching the Vedas, by writing the aphorisms of Brahma Sutras, by authoring Mahabharat etc., Vyasa has detailed all the various austerities, limits of scriptural knowledge, all kinds of Vedic sacrifices, mantras that can be chanted and the correct intonation to chant them with, discerning wisdom that gives clarity to the intellect and various kinds of charitable activities. So Narada now tells Vyasa that he has one last work remaining which is to make it clear that the purpose of all such spiritual practices detailed by him is only having one end — the realization of the Supreme Being as the only Truth there is. And that is the ultimate purpose that Narada asks Vyasa to actualize by authoring Bhagavatam as the crown jewel of all his works.
तस्मिंस्तदा लब्धरुचेर्महामते प्रियश्रवस्यस्खलिता मतिर्मम ।
ययाहमेतत्सदसत्स्वमायया पश्ये मयि ब्रह्मणि कल्पितं परे ॥ Bh 1.5.27
tasmiṁstadā labdharuchermahāmate priyaśhravasyaskhalitā matirmama
yayāhametatsadasatsvamāyayā paśhye mayi brahmaṇi kalpitaṁ pare
Translation: When I developed an affinity for the Supreme Being, my mind got firmly established in Him, thus perceiving clearly that the whole world of gross and subtle forms are only appearing in the Absolute by Maya.
Comments: Now Narada recounts his back story of how he became realized through association with great sages. He was living as a child of a maid servant in a village where a group of sages stopped for the rainy season. Somehow Narada even as a young boy was not interested in frivolous activities but was instead drawn to the sages, and took to serving them daily with their chores. Pleased with the boy’s service, the sages blessed him with the Grace of the highest wisdom through discourses on the teachings and pastimes of Krishna. By listening to them with rapt attention, Narada says that he developed an affinity and thereby perceived the truth that the entire universe is only a projection of the divine energy. Thus Narada brings out the greatness of Satsang, through which alone and not through any other practices, he was able to gain the highest realization.
ज्ञानं गुह्यतमं यत्तत्साक्षाद्भगवतोदितम् ।
अन्ववोचन् गमिष्यन्त: कृपया दीनवत्सला: ॥ Bh 1.5.30
jñānaṁ guhyatamaṁ yattatsākṣhādbhagavatoditam
anvavochan gamiṣhyantaḥ kṛpayā dīnavatsalāḥ
Translation: The sages, who are most compassionate to the afflicted, graciously imparted the most esoteric wisdom that has been directly revealed by the Supreme Being.
Comments: Narada was blessed with the association of the great sages whom he served as a young child when they stayed in his village for the rainy season. The sages are full of compassion for everyone and especially those who are sincere, humble and afflicted in any way. Nārada being a poor child of a maid servant and full of faith in the sages was therefore fully able to partake of the grace of the sages. They imparted to him the most esoteric wisdom that has been revealed by and awakens the Presence of the Supreme Being in one’s heart. This most esoteric wisdom is the direct teaching that the individual self that identifies with the body as ‘me’ is false ego and in truth, everything is an expression of the one undivided energy. All the animate being and inanimate objects, all capacities and abilities, all perceptions and activities are only an expression of the same energy of the Supreme Being that operates from the subatomic to the supergalactic. Nārada was imparted this most supreme wisdom that naturally engenders unconditional love and surrender to the Supreme Being and thereby he realized the glory of Vāsudeva (the all-pervading Lord).
नमो भगवते तुभ्यं वासुदेवाय धीमहि ।
प्रद्युम्नायानिरुद्धाय नम: सङ्कर्षणाय च ॥ Bh 1.5.37
namo bhagavate tubhyaṁ vāsudevāya dhīmahi
pradyumnāyāniruddhāya namaḥ saṅkarṣhaṇāya cha
Translation: Obeisance to You, O Vasudeva, we meditate upon You. Obeisance also to Pradyumna, Aniruddha and Sankarshana.
Comments: This is a simple and beautiful prayer invoking what is known as the four aspects (chatur vyuha) of the Supreme Being and comes many times in Bhagavatam. Vāsudeva is the primary all-pervading Being who also descends as the complete Avatar of Krishna, the son of Vasudeva. Sankarshana is the plenary expansion of the Absolute representing the principle of Grace (guru tattva), who descends as Balaram, the brother of Krishna. Pradyumna and Aniruddha are the partial expansions representing the mind and the ego respectively, who descend as Krishna’s son and grandson respectively. The same four descend as the divine brothers Ram, Lakshman, Bharat and Shatrughna respectively also. The four aspects also indicate that nothing is apart from the Supreme, including even the ego that creates the attachment of ‘me’ and ‘mine’. Therefore one cannot overcome the ego by any effort or struggle but by simply recognizing it also as an expression of the divine energy and such recognition can naturally lead to the falling away of the grip of the ego on its own.
Chapter 6: Narada concludes his past life story and teachings to Vyasa
Summary of this chapter: https://youtu.be/ocakedsaVvQ
तदा तदहमीशस्य भक्तानां शमभीप्सत: ।
अनुग्रहं मन्यमान: प्रातिष्ठं दिशमुत्तराम् ॥ Bh 1.6.10
tadā tadahamīśhasya bhaktānāṁ śhamabhīpsataḥ
anugrahaṁ manyamānaḥ prātiṣhṭhaṁ diśhamuttarām
Translation: I took the calamity as the Grace of the Lord who always wishes the best for His devotees, and set out in a northerly direction.
Comments: Narada continues his story in this chapter upon being asked by Vyasa as to what happened after the sages departed. Nārada stayed on to live in the village with his mother, who was working as a servant-maid and struggling to make ends meet. One night as she left the house to milk a cow, she got bit by a snake and died suddenly. Nārada, being already situated in the wisdom received from the sages that everything happens as ordained by the Supreme Will like puppets in the hands of puppeteer, accepted this calamity of losing his only caretaker as Grace. This is the true mark of wisdom that is not simply intellectual abstractions but acting with clarity when challenges arise. Far from being grief struck or feeling helpless, Narada simply took it as a benediction to leave the village, being now free of any worldly responsibilities.
नामान्यनन्तस्य हतत्रप: पठन् गुह्यानि भद्राणि कृतानि च स्मरन् ।
गां पर्यटंस्तुष्टमना गतस्पृह: कालं प्रतीक्षन् विमदो विमत्सर: ॥ Bh 1.6.27
nāmānyanantasya hatatrapaḥ paṭhan guhyāni bhadrāṇi kṛtāni cha smaran
gāṁ paryaṭaṁstuṣhṭamanā gataspṛhaḥ kālaṁ pratīkṣhan vimado vimatsaraḥ
Translation: Shaking off all self-conscious shyness, I started chanting the most auspicious names and singing the most mysterious pastimes of the Infinite Being. Rid of all cravings, free from vanity and jealousy and contented at heart, I roam about on the globe.
Comments: After Narada left his village, he walked through many villages, towns and forests, lakes and mountains, thus seeing the beauty of nature as an expression of the divine energy. Then he found a solitary place to meditate and thereby fully settled in God realization. After that, he simply moved around singing the glories of the Infinite Lord, free of all symptoms of the egoic separative identity. The symptoms of the separate ‘me’ are rooted in being self-conscious which is the separative identification with the body and the mind as a fixed entity and thereby also imagining others to be fixed entities. In this false sense of separation between me and others rises shyness, vanity, jealousy and all the other sources of strife and suffering. Nārada, being free of this separative structure of the ‘me’, was naturally free of all these egoic symptoms, thus roaming the globe freely and spreading auspiciousness wherever he goes.
यमादिभिर्योगपथै: कामलोभहतो मुहु: ।
मुकुन्दसेवया यद्वत्तथात्माद्धा न शाम्यति ॥ Bh 1.6.36
yamādibhiryogapathaiḥ kāmalobhahato muhuḥ
mukundasevayā yadvat tathātmāddhā na śhāmyati
Translation: A heart smitten with lust and greed does not attain peace so surely by recourse to practices of Yoga, controlling the mind etc. as through total surrender to Mukunda, the Supreme bestower of liberation.
Comments: All negative qualities such as lust and greed are fundamentally rooted in the sense of false separation between me and others, as already noted. Therefore all spiritual practices that concede this false assumption of a separative egoic structure and then prescribe various methods and techniques to control the mind, the senses etc. are not removing the root problem. They only make the separative structure a more pleasant experience at best but the seed of suffering remains untouched. Therefore Narada says it is only through total surrender to the all-pervading Being as the only reality that one gets freed of this separative structure. The direct realization that everyone and everything including the seeker of liberation are only an expression of the Divine removes the desire to even attain liberation as a future goal, as all that is present here and now is only the Divine. There is nobody other than the Infinite Being to even have the desire for liberation. This recognition is true liberation (mukti) that is realized by the Grace of the Infinite Lord, hence called Mukunda (the one who bestows mukti).
Chapter 7: Ashwatthama punished by Arjuna
Summary of this chapter: https://youtu.be/ReVJ330FNpY
यया सम्मोहितो जीव आत्मानं त्रिगुणात्मकम् ।
परोऽपि मनुतेऽनर्थं तत्कृतं चाभिपद्यते ॥
अनर्थोपशमं साक्षाद्भक्तियोगमधोक्षजे ।
लोकस्याजानतो विद्वांश्चक्रे सात्वतसंहिताम् ॥ Bh 1.7.5–6
yayā sammohito jīva ātmānaṁ triguṇātmakam
paro’pi manute’narthaṁ tatkṛtaṁ chābhipadyate
anarthopaśhamaṁ sākṣhādbhaktiyogamadhokṣhaje
lokasyājānato vidvāṁśhchakre sātvatasaṁhitām
Translation: Deluded by Maya, the apparent individual identifies with the three Gunas that make up the body/mind and suffers due to this identification. Knowing that total surrender unto the Supreme Being who is beyond all sense perceptions is the direct means to remove this suffering, the sage Vyasa composed Bhagavatam for the benefit of everyone.
Comments: After Narada instructed Vyasa to compose Bhagavatam by teaching the essence of complete surrender, he took leave and went his way singing the glories of the Lord as he always does. Then Vyasa sat down in his Ashram by the western bank of the Saraswati river and collecting his mind, started composing the great epic of Bhagavatam. The entire purpose of Bhagavatam is laid out in these two verses by a description of the core problem of all conditioned beings that branches into so many sufferings but all having the same root which is the false sense of self or ‘me’ as well as the direct way out of it through total surrender. This surrender is the recognition that all that exists is only the Absolute who takes infinite forms. It is the ending of the false ‘me’ that never began in reality. It is surrender with no one surrendering. This is the entire essence of Bhagavatam.
आत्मारामाश्च मुनयो निर्ग्रन्था अप्युरुक्रमे ।
कुर्वन्त्यहैतुकीं भक्तिमित्थम्भूतगुणो हरि: ॥ Bh 1.7.10
ātmārāmāśhcha munayo nirgranthā apyurukrame
kurvantyahaitukīṁ bhaktimitthambhūtaguṇo hariḥ
Translation: Even sages whose knot of ignorance has been cut asunder and who delight only in Pure Being are always in causeless loving devotion to the Supreme.
Comments: After Vyasa composed the entire Bhagavatam, he taught this voluminous work to his son Shuka, the totally realized boy sage, who then narrated it to Parikshit. When this was related by Suta Maharshi to Shaunaka, there was a doubt expressed by Shaunaka as to why a great sage like Shuka who is free of any attachment whatsoever would bother mastering a voluminous work such as Bhagavatam. In response, Suta says that even great sages whose knot of ignorance which is the false separation as a fixed ‘me’ has been removed are always in causeless loving devotion to the Supreme. Normally devotion has a motive (hetu) due to the gunas that the apparent individual identifies with. Ignorance (tamas) leads to dark motives, passion (rajas) leads to wealth or pleasure motives and goodness (sattva) leads to motives of knowledge or liberation. But the one who is not identified with the body/mind as ‘me’ such as Shuka is not associated with any gunas and therefore no motives. Yet such a sage has unconditional, motiveless love (ahaituki bhakti) of the Supreme as simply the essence of all that is. The Supreme is referred to in this verse as Hari, a most lovely name that means ‘One who takes away the ego’.
Chapter 8: Kunti’s heartfelt prayers after Parikshit is protected
The entire summary of this chapter can be found in this talk: https://youtu.be/CaLaHV_5PnY
Chapter 9: Bhishma’s prayers and divine departure
The entire summary of this chapter can be found in this talk: https://youtu.be/FxpaXusO1yY
Chapter 10: Krishna leaves for Dwaraka
The entire summary of this chapter can be found in this talk: https://youtu.be/_JylWS8H76M
Chapter 11: Right royal reception of Krishna at Dwaraka
The entire summary of this chapter can be found in this talk: https://youtu.be/KpHrJKrMOZ8
Chapter 12: Birth of Parikshit
The entire summary of this chapter can be found in this talk: https://youtu.be/n1Dl8hpyQ9g
Chapter 13: Vidura’s Grace to Dhrtarashtra and Narada’s teachings
The entire summary of this chapter can be found in this talk: https://youtu.be/fdRvXVzFLwg
Chapter 14: Pandavas’ grief upon Krishna leaving the earthly abode
The entire summary of this chapter can be found in this talk: https://youtu.be/YfEwJ_1-YDw
Chapter 15: Blessed ascent of Pandavas to the eternal abode
The entire summary of this chapter can be found in this talk: https://youtu.be/cDRdrGz7ypQ
Chapter 16: Dialogue between Dharma and Mother Earth
The entire summary of this chapter can be found in this talk: https://youtu.be/CZyl8S9OmLA
Chapter 17: Parikshit banishes Kali to reside in five vices
The entire summary of this chapter can be found in this talk: https://youtu.be/YtHjVOPnV_E
Chapter 18: Parikshit cursed by the son of the sage Shamika
The entire summary of this chapter can be found in this talk: https://youtu.be/IGMD3G2rmro
Chapter 19: The blessed arrival of Shuka Brahmam to narrate Bhagavatam
The entire summary of this chapter can be found in this talk: https://youtu.be/3e54zyTADX0