sribhagavatam - skandah (canto) 2 - chapters 8th to 10th

Vyasadev

Praneetha

The Mad Bhagavatam

Skandah – 2 (Canto -2)

Chapter 8: Questions by King Parîkchit

2.8.1

rājovāca
brahmaṇā codito brahman
guṇākhyāne 'guṇasya ca
yasmai yasmai yathā prāha
nārado deva-darśanaḥ

(1) The king asked: 'How explained Nârada, being instructed by Lord Brahmâ oh brahmin,  the modes and their transcendence, and to whom explained he it?

2.8.2

etad veditum icchāmi
tattvaṁ tattva-vidāṁ vara
harer adbhuta-vīryasya
kathā loka-sumaṅgalāḥ

 (2) This I wish to understand oh best one: what is the reality of those who are in the Absolute of the truth of the Lord who is so full of wonderful potencies and whose narrations are so beneficial to all the worlds?

2.8.3

kathayasva mahābhāga
yathāham akhilātmani
kṛṣṇe niveśya niḥsaṅgaṁ
manas tyakṣye kalevaram

(3) Please continue speaking, oh you of great fortune, so that I, with my mind focussed upon the Supreme One of the soul, Lord S'rî Krishna, freed from material attachment may relinquish my body. 

2.8.4

śṛṇvataḥ śraddhayā nityaṁ
gṛṇataś ca sva-ceṣṭitam
kālena nātidīrgheṇa
bhagavān viśate hṛdi

(4) Those who with faith regularly take to this spiritual matter and as well seriously persist in the endeavor, will after not too long a time see the Supreme Lord appear in their hearts.

2.8.5

praviṣṭaḥ karṇa-randhreṇa
svānāṁ bhāva-saroruham
dhunoti śamalaṁ kṛṣṇaḥ
salilasya yathā śarat

 (5) When one thus through one's ears receives the sounds [of the Bhâgavatam], this lotus flower of the loving relationship with Krishna will wash away all the impurities, the way the autumnal rain cleanses the water of the pools.

2.8.6

dhautātmā puruṣaḥ kṛṣṇa-
pāda-mūlaṁ na muñcati
mukta-sarva-parikleśaḥ
pānthaḥ sva-śaraṇaṁ yathā

(6) Once being cleansed a person who took to the shelter of Krishna's feet will never want to give up on that liberation, just like a traveler who going through the miseries of life will never want to give up his home [the Soul, see also B.G. 5: 17; 8: 16; 8: 21-28; 9: 3; 15: 3-4; 15: 6].

2.8.7

yad adhātu-mato brahman
dehārambho 'sya dhātubhiḥ
yadṛcchayā hetunā vā
bhavanto jānate yathā

(7) When it thus is not a question of being material oh brahmin, can you from your self-knowledge, tell me whether the living being in this undertaking accidentally arrives at a body or because of some cause?

2.8.8

āsīd yad-udarāt padmaṁ
loka-saṁsthāna-lakṣaṇam
yāvān ayaṁ vai puruṣa
iyattāvayavaiḥ pṛthak
tāvān asāv iti proktaḥ
saṁsthāvayavavān iva

 (8) If He is in the possession of the lotus flower of this world that as it were sprouted from His abdomen, then what is the difference between the Original Person to the measure of this extent [of the Virâth Rûpa] and the situation one speaks of with the different embodiments [of the living entities]?

2.8.9

ajaḥ sṛjati bhūtāni
bhūtātmā yad-anugrahāt
dadṛśe yena tad-rūpaṁ
nābhi-padma-samudbhavaḥ

(9) How could he on the lotus flower who was not born from matter himself but from the navel, he [Brahmâ] who gave life to all the ones born with a material body, through His mercy see His Form?

2.8.10

sa cāpi yatra puruṣo
viśva-sthity-udbhavāpyayaḥ
muktvātma-māyāṁ māyeśaḥ
śete sarva-guhāśayaḥ

 (10) And also [how can it be that] He as the Original Person maintaining, creating and annihilating the material worlds, remains untouched by His own external energy while He as the Lord of all energies rests in the heart of everyone? 

2.8.11

puruṣāvayavair lokāḥ
sapālāḥ pūrva-kalpitāḥ
lokair amuṣyāvayavāḥ
sa-pālair iti śuśruma

(11) Formerly I heard you discuss [in chapter 2.5] the different [planets or] worlds with their governors as the different parts of the body of the Original Person. So what [can you tell us] about those governors who by their different places are the different parts of Him?

2.8.12

yāvān kalpo vikalpo vā
yathā kālo 'numīyate
bhūta-bhavya-bhavac-chabda
āyur-mānaṁ ca yat sataḥ

(12) And what about a day of Brahmâ [a kalpa] and the periods between them [vikalpas]? What can you say about the time measures we call the past, the future and the present? And how about the lifespan allotted to embodied beings?

2.8.13

kālasyānugatir yā tu
lakṣyate 'ṇvī bṛhaty api
yāvatyaḥ karma-gatayo
yādṛśīr dvija-sattama

 (13) Oh purest of the twice-born, what could be the beginning of time and what can you say about the way time, in the context of one's karma, is experienced as being short or long? 

2.8.14

yasmin karma-samāvāyo
yathā yenopagṛhyate
guṇānāṁ guṇināṁ caiva
pariṇāmam abhīpsatām

(14) And also to what extent is one ruled by one's accruing karma in relation to the different modes of nature and the different life forms resulting from it as a consequence of one's desire?

2.8.15

bhū-pātāla-kakub-vyoma-
graha-nakṣatra-bhūbhṛtām
sarit-samudra-dvīpānāṁ
sambhavaś caitad-okasām

(15) Please describe to us how the creation of the lower regions, the four quarters of heaven, the sky, the planets and the stars, the hills, rivers, the seas and the islands and their inhabitants took place.

2.8.16

pramāṇam aṇḍa-kośasya
bāhyābhyantara-bhedataḥ
mahatāṁ cānucaritaṁ
varṇāśrama-viniścayaḥ

(16) What is the extent and measure of [the] outer space [universe] and the inner space, and what are their divisions? And what is the character and action of the great souls and the vocations and age  groups of society?

2.8.17

yugāni yuga-mānaṁ ca
dharmo yaś ca yuge yuge
avatārānucaritaṁ
yad āścaryatamaṁ hareḥ

(17) What are the different ages, how long do they take and what is their nature? And which incarnation of the Lord performs what kind of wonderful activities in each and every age?

2.8.18

nṛṇāṁ sādhāraṇo dharmaḥ
saviśeṣaś ca yādṛśaḥ
śreṇīnāṁ rājarṣīṇāṁ ca
dharmaḥ kṛcchreṣu jīvatām

(18) What are the different religious duties of human society at large and what are the duties of the three classes [labor, trade and intellect] and their administration [the fourth class]? And what would the obligations be towards people in distress?

2.8.19

tattvānāṁ parisaṅkhyānaṁ
lakṣaṇaṁ hetu-lakṣaṇam
puruṣārādhana-vidhir
yogasyādhyātmikasya ca

 (19) How many elements are there in creation, what are their characteristics and how do they react? What are the rules and regulations of the devotional service for de Original Person in the culture of yoga and what are the different spiritual methods that lead thereto?

2.8.20

yogeśvaraiśvarya-gatir
liṅga-bhaṅgas tu yoginām
vedopaveda-dharmāṇām
itihāsa-purāṇayoḥ

(20) What are the powers the yoga master acquires, where do they lead to, how do the yogis detach from the astral body and what is the transcendental knowledge found in the Vedas, their subsidiary literatures [the Upaveda], the law books and the Vedic stories and historical accounts? 

2.8.21

samplavaḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
vikramaḥ pratisaṅkramaḥ
iṣṭā-pūrtasya kāmyānāṁ
tri-vargasya ca yo vidhiḥ

(21) How do the different ways of the living beings come about and how do they find their end? What are the procedures for performing rituals, pious works and deeds of self-interest and what are the regulations for the three goals of life [the economic, religious and sensual interests]?

2.8.22

yo vānuśāyināṁ sargaḥ
pāṣaṇḍasya ca sambhavaḥ
ātmano bandha-mokṣau ca
vyavasthānaṁ sva-rūpataḥ

(22) How do all those who either live in union with the Lord or go against Him find their existence and to what extend are those who are liberated conditioned relative to the ones who lead a life less determined?

2.8.23

yathātma-tantro bhagavān
vikrīḍaty ātma-māyayā
visṛjya vā yathā māyām
udāste sākṣivad vibhuḥ

(23) How does the independent Supreme Lord enjoy His pastimes from His own inner potency and how can He forsake them when He as the Almighty One remains a witness to the external of His capacity?

2.8.24

sarvam etac ca bhagavan
pṛcchato me 'nupūrvaśaḥ
tattvato 'rhasy udāhartuṁ
prapannāya mahā-mune

(24) About all this and more that I didn't ask you oh fortunate one, I've been wondering from the beginning. Please explain in accordance with the truth oh great sage, that what you want to tell me with us all having fallen at your feet.

2.8.25

atra pramāṇaṁ hi bhavān
parameṣṭhī yathātma-bhūḥ
apare cānutiṣṭhanti
pūrveṣāṁ pūrva-jaiḥ kṛtam

(25) Surely in these matters of factual knowing you are as good as Brahmâ who originated directly from the Lord, while others who following the customs accordingly may only speak from borrowed knowledge.

2.8.26

na me 'savaḥ parāyanti
brahmann anaśanād amī
pibato 'cyuta-pīyūṣam
tad vākyābdhi-viniḥsṛtam

(26) I never tire oh brahmin, of drinking, in the hunger of my fasting, from the nectar of the infallible which flows from the ocean of what you say.' " 

2.8.27

sūta uvāca
sa upāmantrito rājñā
kathāyām iti sat-pateḥ
brahmarāto bhṛśaṁ prīto
viṣṇurātena saṁsadi

(27) Sûta Gosvâmî said: "He [S'ukadeva] thus in that assembly being questioned by the king on topics concerning the highest truth like these, was, as the instrument of the Creator, very pleased with this servant of Vishnu.

2.8.28

prāha bhāgavataṁ nāma
purāṇaṁ brahma-sammitam
brahmaṇe bhagavat-proktaṁ
brahma-kalpa upāgate

(28) He instructed this Purâna called the Bhâgavatam the way it was transmitted by the Supreme Lord to Lord Brahmâ at the beginning of the first day [or kalpa] of creation.

2.8.29

yad yat parīkṣid ṛṣabhaḥ
pāṇḍūnām anupṛcchati
ānupūrvyeṇa tat sarvam
ākhyātum upacakrame

(29) This was the first thing he [in 2.1: 8] said in preparation of a full description from the beginning to the end of everything that the king, the best of the Pându dynasty, had asked and would ask more."

Chapter 9: Answering by Citing the Lord's Version

 

 

2.9.1

śrī-śuka uvāca
ātma-māyām ṛte rājan
parasyānubhavātmanaḥ
na ghaṭetārtha-sambandhaḥ
svapna-draṣṭur ivāñjasā

(1) S'rî S'uka said: "Between the soul of pure consciousness in the beyond and the material body there can never be any meaningful relationship without the [divine self] its [or His] illusory potency [of mâyâ] oh King, the same way a dreamer can't make any use of what he saw in his dream.

2.9.2

bahu-rūpa ivābhāti
māyayā bahu-rūpayā
ramamāṇo guṇeṣv asyā
mamāham iti manyate

 (2) Wishing to enjoy in different ways the multifarious forms offered by the external energy of mâyâ there is because of [the operation of] her qualities or modes the notion of 'I' and 'mine'.

2.9.3

yarhi vāva mahimni sve
parasmin kāla-māyayoḥ
rameta gata-sammohas
tyaktvodāste tadobhayam

 (3) The very moment he [the witness, the soul], in his glory of transcending the time of the material energy, enjoys to be free from illusion, he in that fulness will forsake the two [of that 'I' and 'mine'].

2.9.4

ātma-tattva-viśuddhy-arthaṁ
yad āha bhagavān ṛtam
brahmaṇe darśayan rūpam
avyalīka-vratādṛtaḥ

(4) When the Supreme Lord showed His form to the Creator who was veracious in his vows and diligence, He pointed out that the goal of all purification is to find the love of the knowledge of self-realization [âtma-tattva, filognosy, the soul principle]. 

2.9.5

sa ādi-devo jagatāṁ paro guruḥ
svadhiṣṇyam āsthāya sisṛkṣayaikṣata
tāṁ nādhyagacchad dṛśam atra sammatāṁ
prapañca-nirmāṇa-vidhir yayā bhavet

(5) [And so] he, the first godly person in the universe, the supreme spiritual teacher, began from his own divine position [on the lotus of creation] to reflect on the source [of that lotus]. But considering therewith how he would start his creation, he couldn't figure out what the directions and the ways were of how it all materially should be put together.

2.9.6

sa cintayan dvy-akṣaram ekadāmbhasy
upāśṛṇod dvir-gaditaṁ vaco vibhuḥ
sparśeṣu yat ṣoḍaśam ekaviṁśaṁ
niṣkiñcanānāṁ nṛpa yad dhanaṁ viduḥ

 (6) When he once was immersed in thinking this way, he heard two syllables being spoken which were the sixteenth [ta] and the twenty-first [pa] of the spars'a alphabeth. Joined together [as tapas, penance], these syllables became known as the potency of the renounced order, oh King.

2.9.7

niśamya tad-vaktṛ-didṛkṣayā diśo
vilokya tatrānyad apaśyamānaḥ
svadhiṣṇyam āsthāya vimṛśya tad-dhitaṁ
tapasy upādiṣṭa ivādadhe manaḥ

(7) When he heard that being spoken, he looked in all directions to detect the speaker, but there was none to be found. From where he in his divine position sat he then thought it best to do penance the way it was instructed.

2.9.8

divyaṁ sahasrābdam amogha-darśano
jitānilātmā vijitobhayendriyaḥ
atapyata smākhila-loka-tāpanaṁ
tapas tapīyāṁs tapatāṁ samāhitaḥ

 (8) He endowed with a spotless vision controlled his life breath, mind and senses of perception and action for a thousand godly years* and thus proceeding he in the past enlightened all the worlds by being of all who do penance the one of the severest practice.

2.9.9

tasmai sva-lokaṁ bhagavān sabhājitaḥ
sandarśayām āsa paraṁ na yat-param
vyapeta-saṅkleśa-vimoha-sādhvasaṁ
sva-dṛṣṭavadbhir puruṣair abhiṣṭutam

(9) For him, the Supreme Lord being pleased by his penance, manifested His own abode [also called Vaikunthha, the place free from indolence], beyond which no other world is found and which is worshiped as the place where the five miseries of material life [ignorance, selfhood, attachment, hatred and death-fear] have completely ceased. It is the place that is praised by persons who free from illusion and fear for a material existence are of perfect self-realization.

2.9.10

pravartate yatra rajas tamas tayoḥ
sattvaṁ ca miśraṁ na ca kāla-vikramaḥ
na yatra māyā kim utāpare harer
anuvratā yatra surāsurārcitāḥ

(10) There where the Lord is worshiped by the enlightened as well as the unenlightened devotees, the mode of goodness prevails over the other two of passion and ignorance without ever being mixed with them. Nor is there the influence of time or the external energy, not to mention [the influence of] all the other matters [like attachment, greed etc.].

2.9.11

śyāmāvadātāḥ śata-patra-locanāḥ
piśaṅga-vastrāḥ surucaḥ supeśasaḥ
sarve catur-bāhava unmiṣan-maṇi-
praveka-niṣkābharaṇāḥ suvarcasaḥ

(11) As blue as the sky and glowing with lotuslike eyes, very attractive and youthful with yellow garments, all inhabitants there are endowed with the four arms and the luster and effulgence of pearls and fine ornaments.

2.9.12

pravāla-vaidūrya-mṛṇāla-varcasaḥ
parisphurat-kuṇḍala-mauli-mālinaḥ

 (12) Some radiate like coral or diamonds, with heads with earrings and garlands blooming like a celestial lotus.

2.9.13

bhrājiṣṇubhir yaḥ parito virājate
lasad-vimānāvalibhir mahātmanām
vidyotamānaḥ pramadottamādyubhiḥ
savidyud-abhrāvalibhir yathā nabhaḥ

(13) That place which radiates with rows of brilliant high rising, excellent buildings [specially designed] for the great devotees and is populated by celestial, flashing beauties with heavenly complexions, is as attractive as a sky decorated with clouds and lightning.

2.9.14

śrīr yatra rūpiṇy urugāya-pādayoḥ
karoti mānaṁ bahudhā vibhūtibhiḥ
preṅkhaṁ śritā yā kusumākarānugair
vigīyamānā priya-karma-gāyatī

(14) The goddess [S'rî] performs there, enraptured together with her personal, singing associates, with the diverse paraphernalia devotional service at the lotus feet of the Lord, surrounded by black bees who busily humm along in the attraction of the [everlasting] spring season.

2.9.15

dadarśa tatrākhila-sātvatāṁ patiṁ
śriyaḥ patiṁ yajña-patiṁ jagat-patim
sunanda-nanda-prabalārhaṇādibhiḥ
sva-pārṣadāgraiḥ parisevitaṁ vibhum

(15) There he [Brahmâ] saw the Lord of the entire community of devotees, the Lord of the goddess, of the Universe and the sacrifice, the Almighty One who is being served in transcendental love by foremost associates like Sunanda, Nanda, Prabala and Arhana.

2.9.16

bhṛtya-prasādābhimukhaṁ dṛg-āsavaṁ
prasanna-hāsāruṇa-locanānanam
kirīṭinaṁ kuṇḍalinaṁ catur-bhujaṁ
pītāṁśukaṁ vakṣasi lakṣitaṁ śriyā

(16) The servants affectionately facing Him are intoxicated by the very pleasing sight of His smile, His reddish eyes, His face with His helmet and earrings, His four hands, His yellow dress, His marked chest and the Goddess of Fortune at His side.

2.9.17

adhyarhaṇīyāsanam āsthitaṁ paraṁ
vṛtaṁ catuḥ-ṣoḍaśa-pañca-śaktibhiḥ
yuktaṁ bhagaiḥ svair itaratra cādhruvaiḥ
sva eva dhāman ramamāṇam īśvaram

(17) Seated on His highly valuable throne He as the Supreme Lord fully enjoys His abode where He is surrounded by the opulence of His four energies [the principles of matter, original person, intellect and ego], His sixteen energies [the five elements, perceptive and working senses, and mind] His fivefold energies [the sense objects of form, taste, sound, smell and touch], His six energies [of the opulences of knowledge, intelligence, beauty, penance, fame and riches] and the other personal powers He sometimes demonstrates [the eight siddhis or mystic perfections].

2.9.18

tad-darśanāhlāda-pariplutāntaro
hṛṣyat-tanuḥ prema-bharāśru-locanaḥ
nanāma pādāmbujam asya viśva-sṛg
yat pāramahaṁsyena pathādhigamyate

(18) The Creator of the Universe, who was overwhelmed by the sight of that audience, with his heart full of ecstasy and his body full of divine love bowed down with tears in his eyes before the lotus feet of the Lord. It was an example that is followed by the great liberated souls.

2.9.19

taṁ prīyamāṇaṁ samupasthitaṁ kaviṁ
prajā-visarge nija-śāsanārhaṇam
babhāṣa īṣat-smita-śociṣā girā
priyaḥ priyaṁ prīta-manāḥ kare spṛśan

(19) Seeing him present before Him, the Lord deemed the worthy, great scholar suitable for creating - in line with His own control - the lives of all living beings. Mildly smiling He very pleased shook hands with His partner in divine love and addressed the beloved one with enlightening words.

2.9.20

śrī-bhagavān uvāca
tvayāhaṁ toṣitaḥ samyag
veda-garbha sisṛkṣayā
ciraṁ bhṛtena tapasā
dustoṣaḥ kūṭa-yoginām

(20) The Supreme Lord said: 'As opposed to the penance of the ones who are falsely unified ['kûtha yogis'], I am most pleased with prolonged penance, the penance by which the Vedic knowledge has accumulated in you, who desired to create.

2.9.21

varaṁ varaya bhadraṁ te
vareśaṁ mābhivāñchitam
brahmañ chreyaḥ-pariśrāmaḥ
puṁsāṁ mad-darśanāvadhiḥ

(21) All my blessings for you, just ask Me, the giver of all benediction, whatever favor you wish oh Brahmâ. For to reach the ultimate of realizing Me is the final success of everyone's penances.

2.9.22

manīṣitānubhāvo 'yaṁ
mama lokāvalokanam
yad upaśrutya rahasi
cakartha paramaṁ tapaḥ

(22) This enviable perception of My abode was granted to you because you submissively listened when you in seclusion were of the highest penance.

2.9.23

pratyādiṣṭaṁ mayā tatra
tvayi karma-vimohite
tapo me hṛdayaṁ sākṣād
ātmāhaṁ tapaso 'nagha

(23) It was Me who told you [to do penance] in that situation because you were perplexed in your duty. That penance is My very heart and the Soul is what I am for the one who is engaged in it, oh sinless one.

2.9.24

sṛjāmi tapasaivedaṁ
grasāmi tapasā punaḥ
bibharmi tapasā viśvaṁ
vīryaṁ me duścaraṁ tapaḥ

 (24) I create by that penance, I maintain the cosmos by that penance and I withdraw again by that penance. My power is found in severe penance.'

2.9.25

brahmovāca
bhagavan sarva-bhūtānām
adhyakṣo 'vasthito guhām
veda hy apratiruddhena
prajñānena cikīrṣitam

(25) Brahmâ said: 'Oh Supreme Lord of all living beings, You are the director seated in the heart who by Your undisputed, superior intelligence knows about all endeavors.

2.9.26

tathāpi nāthamānasya
nātha nāthaya nāthitam
parāvare yathā rūpe
jānīyāṁ te tv arūpiṇaḥ

(26) Nevertheless I ask You oh Lord, to please fulfill my desire to know how You, despite of being formless, can exist in the beyond on the one hand while You descend in Your form as we may know on the other hand.

2.9.27

yathātma-māyā-yogena
nānā-śakty-upabṛṁhitam
vilumpan visṛjan gṛhṇan
bibhrad ātmānam ātmanā

(27) And how do You, from Yourself by means of Yourself, by combination and permutation, manage to manifest Your different energies in the matter of evolving, accepting, maintaining and annihilating?

2.9.28

krīḍasy amogha-saṅkalpa
ūrṇanābhir yathorṇute
tathā tad-viṣayāṁ dhehi
manīṣāṁ mayi mādhava

(28) Oh Mâdhava [master of all energies], please inform me in intelligible terms about all those [forms] You infallibly, with determination enact the way a spider invests [its energies in its web].

2.9.29

bhagavac-chikṣitam ahaṁ
karavāṇi hy atandritaḥ
nehamānaḥ prajā-sargaṁ
badhyeyaṁ yad-anugrahāt

(29) I wish that I in learning from You as my teacher of example, by Your mercy acting as Your instrument, despite of creating the lives of the living beings, thus may never be caught in material attachments.

2.9.30

yāvat sakhā sakhyur iveśa te kṛtaḥ
prajā-visarge vibhajāmi bho janam
aviklavas te parikarmaṇi sthito
mā me samunnaddha-mado 'ja māninaḥ

(30) Oh Lord, like a friend does with a friend You [with a handshake] have accepted me for creating the different lives of the living entities. Oh Unborn One, may because of all who [throug me] in the service of You undisturbed saw the light of the world, never the imagination go to my head.'

2.9.31

śrī-bhagavān uvāca
jñānaṁ parama-guhyaṁ me
yad vijñāna-samanvitam
sarahasyaṁ tad-aṅgaṁ ca
gṛhāṇa gaditaṁ mayā

(31) The Supreme Lord said: 'The knowledge acquired about Me is very confidential and is realized in combination with devotional service and the necessary paraphernalia. Take it up the way I explain it to you.

2.9.32

yāvān ahaṁ yathā-bhāvo
yad-rūpa-guṇa-karmakaḥ
tathaiva tattva-vijñānam
astu te mad-anugrahāt

(32) May from My mercy with you there be this factual realization of My eternal form and transcendental existence, My colors, qualities and activities.

2.9.33

aham evāsam evāgre
nānyad yat sad-asat param
paścād ahaṁ yad etac ca
yo 'vaśiṣyeta so 'smy aham

 (33) It was I who existed before the creation when there was nothing else, nothing of the cause and effect of all of this that is also Me, and it is Me as well who of all that was created remains in the end; that is what I am.

2.9.34

ṛte 'rthaṁ yat pratīyeta
na pratīyeta cātmani
tad vidyād ātmano māyāṁ
yathābhāso yathā tamaḥ

(34) That which appears to be of value, is not what it seems when it does not relate to Me - know that illusory energy of Mine to be a reflection of the darkness.

2.9.35

yathā mahānti bhūtāni
bhūteṣūccāvaceṣv anu
praviṣṭāny apraviṣṭāni
tathā teṣu na teṣv aham

(35) The elements of the universe appear, before they are engaged as well as thereafter, minutely as well gigantically. The same way I am [minutely] present in them as well as [gigantically] not present in them.

2.9.36

etāvad eva jijñāsyaṁ
tattva-jijñāsunātmanaḥ
anvaya-vyatirekābhyāṁ
yat syāt sarvatra sarvadā

 (36) He who has made the soul his object of study may count on it that he, until he arrives at this notion, has to investigate the reality and principle of the Self directly [spiritually] as well as indirectly [scientifically] in the context of whatever time, place or circumstance.

2.9.37

etan mataṁ samātiṣṭha
parameṇa samādhinā
bhavān kalpa-vikalpeṣu
na vimuhyati karhicit

 (37) When your focus of mind remains fixed on this conclusion about the Supreme you don't have to fear a fall in bewilderment, not when you've temporally lost your way [with the kalpa], nor when you've reached the end of your life [at the vikalpa end of the world].' "

2.9.38

śrī-śuka uvāca
sampradiśyaivam ajano
janānāṁ parameṣṭhinam
paśyatas tasya tad rūpam
ātmano nyaruṇad dhariḥ

(38) S'rî S'uka said: "After thus fully having explained everything, the Unborn One disappeared, He, Lord Hari the way He by the leader of the living entities [Brahmâ] was seen in His transcendental form of the Supreme Self.

2.9.39

antarhitendriyārthāya
haraye vihitāñjaliḥ
sarva-bhūtamayo viśvaṁ
sasarjedaṁ sa pūrvavat

 (39) After He had disappeared from view Brahmâjî, who had folded his hands before the Lord who is the object of all the senses [of the devotees], resumed the work of creating the lives of all living beings populating the universe, exactly the way he did before.

2.9.40

prajāpatir dharma-patir
ekadā niyamān yamān
bhadraṁ prajānām anvicchann
ātiṣṭhat svārtha-kāmyayā

(40) And thus it once happened that he, the father of all living beings and religious life, with vow and respect dedicated himself to the matter of the welfare of the living beings, for that was what he desired in the interest of their own good qualities.

2.9.41

taṁ nāradaḥ priyatamo
rikthādānām anuvrataḥ
śuśrūṣamāṇaḥ śīlena
praśrayeṇa damena ca

(41) Nârada, the dearest of his heirs, is very obedient to him in his willingness to be of service with his good behavior, meekness and sense control.

2.9.42

māyāṁ vividiṣan viṣṇor
māyeśasya mahā-muniḥ
mahā-bhāgavato rājan
pitaraṁ paryatoṣayat

(42) Oh King, the great sage and first-class devotee pleased his father [Lord Brahmâ] very much with his desire to know [more] about Vishnu, the Lord of all energies.

2.9.43

tuṣṭaṁ niśāmya pitaraṁ
lokānāṁ prapitāmaham
devarṣiḥ paripapraccha
bhavān yan mānupṛcchati

(43) The same way you are questioning me, Nârada Muni questioned him when he saw that it was to the satisfaction of the great grandfather of the entire universe.

2.9.44

tasmā idaṁ bhāgavataṁ
purāṇaṁ daśa-lakṣaṇam
proktaṁ bhagavatā prāha
prītaḥ putrāya bhūta-kṛt

(44) This story of the Fortunate One, the Bhâgavata Purâna with its ten characteristics [that is summarized in the four verses 33-36, see further the next chapter], was with great satisfaction by the Supreme Lord explained to His [unborn] son, the creator of the universe.

2.9.45

nāradaḥ prāha munaye
sarasvatyās taṭe nṛpa
dhyāyate brahma paramaṁ
vyāsāyāmita-tejase

 (45) On the bank of the Sarasvatî Nârada [on his turn] instructed this Supreme Spirituality to the great sage, the meditative Vyâsadeva who is of an immeasurable potency, oh King.

2.9.46

yad utāhaṁ tvayā pṛṣṭo
vairājāt puruṣād idam
yathāsīt tad upākhyāste
praśnān anyāṁś ca kṛtsnaśaḥ

(46) All the things you've been asking me concerning the world of the Universal Form of the Original Person and other matters, I shall now explain to you in great detail."

*: One godly, divine year, a year of the gods or a celestial year equals 360 earthly years.

Chapter 10: The Bhâgavatam is the Answer to All Questions

2.10.1

śrī-śuka uvāca
atra sargo visargaś ca
sthānaṁ poṣaṇam ūtayaḥ
manvantareśānukathā
nirodho muktir āśrayaḥ

 (1) S'rî S'uka said: 'In this [book, the S'rîmad Bhâgavatam] are discussed the following [ten] subjects: primary creation [sarga], how the interactions of life and the lifeless came about [visarga], the planetary order [sthâna], the maintenance of belief [poshana], the impetus for action [ûtaya], the administrative eras [manvantaras], stories about the Lord His appearances [îs'a-anukathâ], returning to God [nirodha], liberation in devotional service [mukti] and the summum bonum [the life of Krishna, âs'raya].

2.10.2

daśamasya viśuddhy-arthaṁ
navānām iha lakṣaṇam
varṇayanti mahātmānaḥ
śrutenārthena cāñjasā

(2) The great sages reduce the purpose of [the first nine] characteristics of this [Bhâgavatam] to the clarification of the summum bonum. This they deduced from either the words themselves used in the text or from their purport.

2.10.3

bhūta-mātrendriya-dhiyāṁ
janma sarga udāhṛtaḥ
brahmaṇo guṇa-vaiṣamyād
visargaḥ pauruṣaḥ smṛtaḥ

(3) The [sixteen elements of the five] gross elements, the [five] sense objects and the senses themselves including the mind, constitute the manifestation which is called the creation of the creator [sarga] and that what resulted from their interaction with the three modes of nature [the gunas] is what is called the secondary creation [visarga].

2.10.4

sthitir vaikuṇṭha-vijayaḥ
poṣaṇaṁ tad-anugrahaḥ
manvantarāṇi sad-dharma
ūtayaḥ karma-vāsanāḥ

(4) The stability of the worlds [sthâna] is the victory of the Lord of Vaikunthha and His mercy is the maintenance of belief [poshana]. The reign of the Manus [during the manvantaras] settles the perfection of the dutifulness that constitutes the impetus for action with the karmic propensities [ûtaya].

2.10.5

avatārānucaritaṁ
hareś cāsyānuvartinām
puṁsām īśa-kathāḥ proktā
nānākhyānopabṛṁhitāḥ

(5) The different stories about the Lord [îs'a-anukathâ] describe the activities of the avatâras of the Personality of Godhead  and the persons who are His followers.

2.10.6

nirodho 'syānuśayanam
ātmanaḥ saha śaktibhiḥ
muktir hitvānyathā rūpaṁ
sva-rūpeṇa vyavasthitiḥ

(6) Returning to God [nirodha] pertains to the resigning of souls to the Original Person and His energies, while liberation [mukti] is concerned with forsaking other ways [of living] in order to get established in the Original Nature.

2.10.7

ābhāsaś ca nirodhaś ca
yato 'sty adhyavasīyate
sa āśrayaḥ paraṁ brahma
paramātmeti śabdyate

(7) He who as the source from which the cosmic manifestation takes place also stands for the return to God, is for that reason called the reservoir [the âs'raya] of the Supreme Spirit or the Supersoul.

2.10.8

yo 'dhyātmiko 'yaṁ puruṣaḥ
so 'sāv evādhidaivikaḥ
yas tatrobhaya-vicchedaḥ
puruṣo hy ādhibhautikaḥ

(8) He as the individual person in possession of his senses [adhyâtmika] is as well the controlling deity [adhidaivika] as the person who separate therefrom is perceived as another embodied living being [adhibhautika].

2.10.9

ekam ekatarābhāve
yadā nopalabhāmahe
tritayaṁ tatra yo veda
sa ātmā svāśrayāśrayaḥ

(9) He who knows that one cannot understand anyone of these three without the other two, knows that He, the Supersoul is the support for His own shelter.

2.10.10

puruṣo 'ṇḍaṁ vinirbhidya
yadāsau sa vinirgataḥ
ātmano 'yanam anvicchann
apo 'srākṣīc chuciḥ śucīḥ

(10) When that Supreme Person [of space-time] separated the universes, He in His desire to be of the purest transcendence came out of Himself to lie down in the created [causal] waters.

2.10.11

tāsv avātsīt sva-sṛṣṭāsu
sahasraṁ parivatsarān
tena nārāyaṇo nāma
yad āpaḥ puruṣodbhavāḥ

(11) Residing in these waters of His own creation for a thousand celestial years He became known by the name of Nârâyana ['the way of Nâra'] because these waters that originated from the Supreme Person [from 'Nara'] are called Nâra.

2.10.12

dravyaṁ karma ca kālaś ca
svabhāvo jīva eva ca
yad-anugrahataḥ santi
na santi yad-upekṣayā

(12) The material elements, karma, time and  the conditioned living entities all exist by His mercy and cease to exist on  [His] neglect.

2.10.13

eko nānātvam anvicchan
yoga-talpāt samutthitaḥ
vīryaṁ hiraṇmayaṁ devo
māyayā vyasṛjat tridhā

(13) Where He laid in His mystical slumber He was all alone. Thus wishing to multiply Himself He by means of His mâyâ  divided His golden seminal principle in three.

2.10.14

adhidaivam athādhyātmam
adhibhūtam iti prabhuḥ
athaikaṁ pauruṣaṁ vīryaṁ
tridhābhidyata tac chṛṇu

 (14) Let me now tell you about how the Lord, who divided His one potency in three different powers, arrived at the three parts of 1) Himself or His nature,  adhidaiva, 2) the individual soul, adhyâtma and 3) the other living beings, adhibhûta.

2.10.15

antaḥ śarīra ākāśāt
puruṣasya viceṣṭataḥ
ojaḥ saho balaṁ jajñe
tataḥ prāṇo mahān asuḥ

(15) From the ether within the body of the Original Person generated, with His wish, the power to sense, the power to mind and the power for physical action, after which next the life breath [the prâna] came about as the principle ruling over each and all.

2.10.16

anuprāṇanti yaṁ prāṇāḥ
prāṇantaṁ sarva-jantuṣu
apānantam apānanti
nara-devam ivānugāḥ

(16) Like the followers of a king, the senses follow the life force of prâna that is active in all living beings and when the life force is no longer active all the rest stops as well.

2.10.17

prāṇenākṣipatā kṣut tṛḍ
antarā jāyate vibhoḥ
pipāsato jakṣataś ca
prāṅ mukhaṁ nirabhidyata

(17) The life force that was generated [from the ether] made the Almighty One hungry and thirsty and to quench that thirst and satisfy that hunger, first of all the mouth was opened.

2.10.18

mukhatas tālu nirbhinnaṁ
jihvā tatropajāyate
tato nānā-raso jajñe
jihvayā yo 'dhigamyate

(18) From the mouth the palate was generated whereupon the tongue manifested and the various tastes to be relished by it.

2.10.19

vivakṣor mukhato bhūmno
vahnir vāg vyāhṛtaṁ tayoḥ
jale caitasya suciraṁ
nirodhaḥ samajāyata

(19) With the need to speak from the mouth of the Supreme One originated [the presiding deity of] fire as well as the organ of speech as speech itself, but because He was at rest in the waters, they for a very long time remained suspended.

2.10.20

nāsike nirabhidyetāṁ
dodhūyati nabhasvati
tatra vāyur gandha-vaho
ghrāṇo nasi jighṛkṣataḥ

(20) Desiring to smell odors the nose with its sense of smell developed together with the nostrils to rapidly inhale the air that carries the smell.

2.10.21

yadātmani nirālokam
ātmānaṁ ca didṛkṣataḥ
nirbhinne hy akṣiṇī tasya
jyotiś cakṣur guṇa-grahaḥ

(21) Being by Himself in the darkness He desired to observe Himself and the rest of creation. For the sake of His vision the sun then separated that gave the eyes the power of sight.

2.10.22

bodhyamānasya ṛṣibhir
ātmanas taj jighṛkṣataḥ
karṇau ca nirabhidyetāṁ
diśaḥ śrotraṁ guṇa-grahaḥ

 (22) When the Lord decided that the sages should understand the Supreme Being also the ears manifested themselves including the authority of the wind directions, the power to hear and that what could be heard.

2.10.23

vastuno mṛdu-kāṭhinya-
laghu-gurv-oṣṇa-śītatām
jighṛkṣatas tvaṅ nirbhinnā
tasyāṁ roma-mahī-ruhāḥ
tatra cāntar bahir vātas
tvacā labdha-guṇo vṛtaḥ

 (23) From His desire to experience the hardness, softness, lightness, weight, heat and cold of all matter, the sense of touch was distributed over the skin along with its bodily hair, the plants and trees. That sense of touch of the skin rose from the objects that were perceived within and without.

2.10.24

hastau ruruhatus tasya
nānā-karma-cikīrṣayā
tayos tu balavān indra
ādānam ubhayāśrayam

(24) From His desire for different types of work the two hands manifested, but to give strength to the manipulation that depends on them [viz. on the gods who are His hands], Indra, the king of the gods, found his existence as the manifestation of both.

2.10.25

gatiṁ jigīṣataḥ pādau
ruruhāte 'bhikāmikām
padbhyāṁ yajñaḥ svayaṁ havyaṁ
karmabhiḥ kriyate nṛbhiḥ

 (25) Desiring to control movement the legs manifested, for the purpose of which the Lord of Sacrifice [Vishnu] Himself manifested [as their presiding godhead] who motivates the different human beings according the duties of their fruitive actions [karma].

2.10.26

nirabhidyata śiśno vai
prajānandāmṛtārthinaḥ
upastha āsīt kāmānāṁ
priyaṁ tad-ubhayāśrayam

(26) Desiring to taste the nectar of sexual enjoyment the genitals of the male and female organ appeared and the lustful found its existence that is the shelter cherished by the both of them [controlled by the Prajâpati].

2.10.27

utsisṛkṣor dhātu-malaṁ
nirabhidyata vai gudam
tataḥ pāyus tato mitra
utsarga ubhayāśrayaḥ

(27) Desiring to evacuate the refuse of eatables first the opening of the anus and then its sense and substance came about after which Mitra, the controller over the excretion, appeared to offer the protection of both.

2.10.28

āsisṛpsoḥ puraḥ puryā
nābhi-dvāram apānataḥ
tatrāpānas tato mṛtyuḥ
pṛthaktvam ubhayāśrayam

(28) With His wish to move freely from one body to the next, within the body the navel manifested that is the refuge for first the last breath expired and next death.

2.10.29

āditsor anna-pānānām
āsan kukṣy-antra-nāḍayaḥ
nadyaḥ samudrāś ca tayos
tuṣṭiḥ puṣṭis tad-āśraye

 (29) In want of food and drink the abdomen with the intestines and arteries originated to which the rivers and seas are their source of sustenance and metabolism.

2.10.30

nididhyāsor ātma-māyāṁ
hṛdayaṁ nirabhidyata
tato manaś candra iti
saṅkalpaḥ kāma eva ca

(30) Desirous to know His own energy the heart [as the seat of thought] manifested after which the mind, Candra the controller [the moon] appeared as also determination and all desire.

2.10.31

tvak-carma-māṁsa-rudhira-
medo-majjāsthi-dhātavaḥ
bhūmy-ap-tejomayāḥ sapta
prāṇo vyomāmbu-vāyubhiḥ

 (31) The seven elements of the nails, skin, flesh, blood, fat, marrow and bone are predominantly of earth, water and fire whereas the life breath is a product of ether, water and air [see also kos'a].

2.10.32

guṇātmakānīndriyāṇi
bhūtādi-prabhavā guṇāḥ
manaḥ sarva-vikārātmā
buddhir vijñāna-rūpiṇī

(32) The senses of the material ego are attached to the modes of matter. Those modes influence the mind and all the feelings belonging to it because of which for the individual the intelligence and the realized knowledge assume their form.

2.10.33

etad bhagavato rūpaṁ
sthūlaṁ te vyāhṛtaṁ mayā
mahy-ādibhiś cāvaraṇair
aṣṭabhir bahir āvṛtam

(33) The Supreme Lord His gross form, as I explained to you, is among all of this that what is known by the eight elements [of earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and false ego] of the planets and everything else, that together constitute an unlimitedly expanded, external covering.

2.10.34

ataḥ paraṁ sūkṣmatamam
avyaktaṁ nirviśeṣaṇam
anādi-madhya-nidhanaṁ
nityaṁ vāṅ-manasaḥ param

(34) For that reason we have the words of the mind in accord with the transcendental that serve the Supreme which is finer than the finest, the featureless unmanifested, which is without a beginning, an intermediate stage or an end and thus is eternal.

2.10.35

amunī bhagavad-rūpe
mayā te hy anuvarṇite
ubhe api na gṛhṇanti
māyā-sṛṣṭe vipaścitaḥ

(35) None of these two [material and verbal] forms of the Supreme Lord as I described to you are, because of their externality, by the scholars of consciousness ever taken for granted.

2.10.36

sa vācya-vācakatayā
bhagavān brahma-rūpa-dhṛk
nāma-rūpa-kriyā dhatte
sakarmākarmakaḥ paraḥ

(36) He who in fact does nothing [who is of akarma] manifests in the form of the word and in that what the word denotes: the different appearances of the Absolute Truth and the Supreme Lord, while He in the pastimes of His forms and names engages in the work of transcendence [that is free from karma].

2.10.37-40

prajā-patīn manūn devān
ṛṣīn pitṛ-gaṇān pṛthak
siddha-cāraṇa-gandharvān
vidyādhrāsura-guhyakān
kinnarāpsaraso nāgān
sarpān kimpuruṣān narān
mātṝ rakṣaḥ-piśācāṁś ca
preta-bhūta-vināyakān
kūṣmāṇḍonmāda-vetālān
yātudhānān grahān api
khagān mṛgān paśūn vṛkṣān
girīn nṛpa sarīsṛpān
dvi-vidhāś catur-vidhā ye 'nye
jala-sthala-nabhaukasaḥ
kuśalākuśalā miśrāḥ
karmaṇāṁ gatayas tv imāḥ

(37-40) Oh King, know that all the happiness and distress and their mixture is there as a result of profit-minded labor [of karma]. This is the experience of all the members of the family of Brahmâ, the Manus, the godly, the wise, the inhabitants of Pitriloka [the forefathers] and Siddhaloka [the perfected]; the Câranas [the venerable], Gandharvas [the singers of heaven], Vidyâdharas [the scientists], Asuras [the unenlightened or the demons], Yakshas [treasure-keepers or evil spirits], Kinnaras [of superpowers] and angels; the snake-like, the monkey-shaped Kimpurushas, the human beings, the inhabitants of Mâtriloka [of the place of the mother], the demons and Pis'âcas [yellow flesh-eating demons]. This includes the ghosts, spirits, lunatics and evil spirits, devils taking possession of people and the birds, the forest-dwelling and domestic animals, the reptiles, the ones of the mountains, the moving and immobile living entities, the living entities born from embryos, from eggs, from heat [micro-organisms] and from seeds, and all others, whether they are of the water, of land or the sky.

2.10.41

sattvaṁ rajas tama iti
tisraḥ sura-nṛ-nārakāḥ
tatrāpy ekaikaśo rājan
bhidyante gatayas tridhā
yadaikaikataro 'nyābhyāṁ
sva-bhāva upahanyate

(41) Depending the modes of goodness, passion and slowness there are thus the three [life conditions] of the godly, the human beings and the ones who have to suffer. There are also others [other births] oh King, when one reasons from mixed forms according to the habits one develops in one mode of nature with approaches derived from the other two.

2.10.42

sa evedaṁ jagad-dhātā
bhagavān dharma-rūpa-dhṛk
puṣṇāti sthāpayan viśvaṁ
tiryaṅ-nara-surādibhiḥ

(42) Evidently the Supreme Lord, the maintainer of the universe, after having created the universes, assumes for the purpose of maintaining the dharma [and redeeming the living beings] the forms of gods, human beings and lower creatures.

2.10.43

tataḥ kālāgni-rudrātmā
yat sṛṣṭam idam ātmanaḥ
sanniyacchati tat kāle
ghanānīkam ivānilaḥ

 (43) Like the wind dispersing the clouds He in the form of Rudra [S'iva the destroyer] at the end of the era by fire will completely annihilate all.

2.10.44

ittham-bhāvena kathito
bhagavān bhagavattamaḥ
nettham-bhāvena hi paraṁ
draṣṭum arhanti sūrayaḥ

(44) The Supreme Lord is by those who are not conversant with His essence described with the notion of these characteristics [of creation and destruction], but the wise and the teachers must not deign to regard the supreme glory as only this.

2.10.45

nāsya karmaṇi janmādau
parasyānuvidhīyate
kartṛtva-pratiṣedhārthaṁ
māyayāropitaṁ hi tat

(45) Never is in the matter of creation and so on the Supreme in the beyond described as the engineering agency, for that notion [of having a Supreme position] is there to contrast with that what is manifested by the material energy.

2.10.46

ayaṁ tu brahmaṇaḥ kalpaḥ
savikalpa udāhṛtaḥ
vidhiḥ sādhāraṇo yatra
sargāḥ prākṛta-vaikṛtāḥ

(46) That what is summarized here by me concerns the generation of the entire expanse of material creation. I only dilate on this now to illustrate the regulative principles of importance for the process of creation during a day of Brahmâ [a kalpa] and of destruction during an intermediate period [a vikalpa].

Śukadeva Gosvāmī answered in the Prabhāsa-khaṇḍa of the Skanda Purāṇa. They are :

Therefore the thirty kalpas of Brahmā are: (1) Śveta-kalpa, (2) Nīlalohita, (3) Vāmadeva, (4) Gāthāntara, (5) Raurava, (6) Prāṇa, (7) Bṛhat-kalpa, (8) Kandarpa, (9) Sadyotha, (10) Īśāna, (11) Dhyāna, (12) Sārasvata, (13) Udāna, (14) Garuḍa, (15) Kaurma, (16) Nārasiṁha, (17) Samādhi, (18) Āgneya, (19) Viṣṇuja, (20) Saura, (21) Soma-kalpa, (22) Bhāvana, (23) Supuma, (24) Vaikuṇṭha, (25) Arciṣa, (26) Valī-kalpa, (27) Vairāja, (28) Gaurī-kalpa, (29) Māheśvara, (30) Paitṛ-kalpa.

2.10.47

parimāṇaṁ ca kālasya
kalpa-lakṣaṇa-vigraham
yathā purastād vyākhyāsye
pādmaṁ kalpam atho śṛṇu

(47) I will also tell you about the characteristics and measures of time of a day of Brahmâ [a kalpa], but first let me inform you about this period [also called the Pâdma Kalpa or Varâha Kalpa].' "

2.10.48

śaunaka uvāca
yad āha no bhavān sūta
kṣattā bhāgavatottamaḥ
cacāra tīrthāni bhuvas
tyaktvā bandhūn sudustyajān

(48) S'aunaka said: "Oh Sûta, you from the goodness of yourself told us about Vidura, who is one of the best devotees,  going to the places of pilgrimage on this earth and leaving behind the relatives who are so difficult to give up.

2.10.49-50

kṣattuḥ kauśāraves tasya
saṁvādo 'dhyātma-saṁśritaḥ
yad vā sa bhagavāṁs tasmai
pṛṣṭas tattvam uvāca ha
brūhi nas tad idaṁ saumya
vidurasya viceṣṭitam
bandhu-tyāga-nimittaṁ ca
yathaivāgatavān punaḥ

 (49-50) Oh gentle one, please tell us here about the conversation Vidura had with Maitreya [a famous rishi] who is so full of transcendental knowledge. What asked he His grace and what truths got he in return for an answer? And why exactly gave Vidura up his activities and associates and why turned he back home thereafter?"

2.10.51

sūta uvāca
rājñā parīkṣitā pṛṣṭo
yad avocan mahā-muniḥ
tad vo 'bhidhāsye śṛṇuta
rājñaḥ praśnānusārataḥ

(51) Sûta replied: "This is what King Parîkchit also asked. I will tell you what the great sage said about it when he answered the king's question. Please listen."

Thus the second Canto of the S'rîmad Bhâgavatam end named: The Cosmic Manifestation.

( My humble salutations to the lotus feet of Swamyjis, Scholars Knowledge Seekers and others for the collection)