Sri Bhagavatam - Ten subjects of Srimad Bhagavatam

Ten Subjects of Srimad-Bhagavatam

Originally from the newsletter "Tattva Prakasha
- Illuminations of Truth", issue 1.6

The Bhagavata Purana, commonly referred to as the Srimad-Bhagavatam, is considered the ripened fruit of all Vedic knowledge. Sri Vyasa Muni, the compiler of the Vedic texts, advises us as follows:

nigama-kalpa-taror galitam phalam
shuka-mukhad amrita-drava-samyutam
nigama bhagavatam rasam alayam
muhur aho rasika bhuvi bhavukah

"O expert and thoughtful men, relish Srimad-Bhagavatam, the mature fruit of the desire tree of Vedic literatures. It emanated from the lips of Sri Shuka Muni. Therefore this fruit has become even more tasteful, although its nectarean juice was already relishable for all, including liberated souls."

Srimad-Bhagavatam is the galitam phalam, or ripened fruit, of all Vedic knowledge. It is exactly like amrita, for by hearing its recitation we can cross beyond birth and death.

The Srimad-Bhagavatam describes the various incarnations of Lord Hari, and in the process of these descriptions ten important subject matters are explained, namely sarga (the elemental creation), visarga (the secondary creation), sthanam (the planetary systems), poshanam (protection by the Lord), utayah (the creative impetus), manvantara (the periods of Manu), isha-anukatha (the science of God), nirodha (dissolution), mukti (liberation), and ashraya (the supreme shelter).

The reciters of Srimad-Bhagavatam have utilized three methods to explain these ten subjects, namely by Vedic reference (shrutena), by direct explanation (arthena), and by summary explanations given by the great sages (anjasa).

The following is a brief explanation of each of these ten subjects.

1) Sarga - the elemental creation

Sarga is defined as follows:

bhuta-matrendriya-dhiyam
janma sarga udahritah

"The elemental creation of sixteen principles of matter - namely the five gross elements (pancha-bhutas), the five objects of sense perception (tan-matras), the five knowledge acquiring senses (jnanendriyas) and the mind - is known as sarga."

The five gross elements (pancha-bhutas) are earth, water, fire, air and ether; the five objects of sensual perception (tan-matras) are sound, form, taste, smell, and touch; and the five knowledge acquiring senses (jnanendriyas) are the eyes, ears, nose, tongue and skin. Together with the mind, these sixteen principles are created by the first purusha incarnation, Maha-Vishnu. Within these sixteen principles eight other principles exist subtly, making there a total of twenty-four principles of material existence.

2) Visarga - the secondary creation

Visarga is defined as follows:

brahmano guna-vaishamyad
visargah paurushah smritah

"The secondary creation by Brahma carried out through the interaction of the three modes of nature is known as visarga."

By manipulating the sixteen original principles of material existence and by the interaction of the three modes of material nature (sattva, rajas and tamas), Lord Brahma carries out a subsequent creation, more properly described as an assembling of universal ingredients.

3) Sthanam - the planetary systems

Sthanam is defined as follows:

sthitir vaikuntha-vijayah

"The true situation (sthanam) is the realm of Vaikuntha."

The entire creation by the Lord is to enable the conditioned souls to satisfy their material desire to lord over the material energy. As such, according to their desires, the Lord creates a suitable situation (sthanam) for them to dwell in. Within the universe, these situations can be divided into fourteen main categories, known technically as bhuvanas, or planetary systems, and 8,400,000 sub-categories, commonly known as species of life. From the topmost sthanam of Brahma-loka (the abode of Lord Brahma) down to the lowest sthanam of Patala-loka, all situations are destructible. In every situation the conditioned living entity is conquered by birth and death. Only by attaining to our eternal constitutional situation in the spiritual realm of Vaikuntha can we conquer the birth and death of this material world. Thus the true sthanam of the living entity is the realm of Vaikuntha. All other temporary situations within this material world cause one to become a victim of material suffering, simply shifting from one situation to the next.

4) Poshanam - protection by the Lord

Poshanam is defined as follows:

poshanam tad anugrahah

"Protection (poshanam) is the causeless mercy of the Lord."

Poshanam can be defined in two ways according to the mentality of the living entity. For the conditioned souls, poshanam refers to material maintenance. It is the Lord who fulfills the desires of all living entities:

nityo nityanam chetanash chetananam
eko bahunam yo vidadhati kaman

"The supreme eternal among all eternals, the supremely conscious among all the conscious living entities - it is that supreme one among the many who fulfills the desires of all."

For the devotees of the Lord, poshanam refers to the Lord's causeless mercy and protection. Protection from hunger is the lowest form of protection, which the Lord offers to the conditioned living entities. For the devotees, the Lord's protection is protection from the illusion of maya. The Lord gives the devotee the strength to always remember Him and engage in His devotional service.

5) Utayah - the creative impetus

Utayah is defined as follows:

utayah karma-vasanah

"The impetus for activity (utayah) is the desire for fruitive work."

The conditioned soul forgets that the Lord is his eternal protector and maintainer, and thus an impetus for fruitive activity is manifested for one's self maintenance. This desire for fruitive activity is the driving force behind all work within this material world. The karma-vasanas are the accumulated residue of one's previous activities. Every material activity we perform creates a residual impression within our consciousness, which is carried with us life after life. The sum total of these impressions form our creative impetus to work.

The true impetus of the living entity should be to go back to Godhead, to the supreme abode of Vaikuntha, and activities performed in that direction form the right path of work.

6) Manvantara - the change of Manus

Manvantara is defined as follows:

manvantarani sad-dharma

"The reign of the Manus (manvantaras) are for establishing the eternal religious principles."

Manu is the father of mankind, the progenitor, empowered to guide the human race towards self-realization. Manu provides revealed scriptures to mankind which regulate their activities in a manner that will be for their eternal welfare. When the living entities accept such a regulated path, the Lord provides them with all protection by which they may attain their constitutional situation in Vaikuntha. Thus the desire to go back to Godhead and regulated activities performed to achieve that goal form the proper path of action.

7) Isha-anukatha - the science of God

Isha-anukatha is defined as follows:

avataranucharitam
haresh chasyanuvartinam
pumsam isha-kathah prokta
nanakhyanopabrimhitah

"The science of God (isha-anukatha) describes the incarnations of the Personality of Godhead and His different activities together with the activities of His great devotees."

The entire material creation is for the ultimate purpose of the living entities' salvation. When the conditioned living entities utilize the creation for secondary purposes, such as material fruitive activity, the Lord incarnates to reclaim these forgetful souls. The Lord directly delivers living entities by His divine appearance as well as by its recorded history. The Supreme Lord is so potent that simply by hearing about His transcendental activities in His various incarnations one becomes free from material bondage. Thus the topics of the Lord and His devotees, which constitute the science of God, should be given respectful aural reception.

8) Nirodha - the dissolution

Nirodha is defined as follows:

nirodho 'syanushayanam
atmanah saha shaktibhih

"The merging of the living entity, along with his conditioned living tendency, with the mystic lying down of the Maha-Vishnu is called the winding up of the cosmic manifestation, or nirodha."

As we have briefly mentioned before, the entire material creation offers two facilities to the conditioned living entities. The living entities may either utilize it to fulfill their desire to lord it over material nature, or they may utilize it to go back to Godhead, the spiritual abode of Vaikuntha. For the living entities who take advantage of the science of God as propagated by the Manus, and who develop a desire to act in such a regulated manner, the Lord provides them full protection from the material energy and resituates them in their proper situation in Vaikuntha. For the other living entities, who choose to disregard the science of God, the Lord gives them an interim period of relief at the time of dissolution. This temporary period of relief is technically called nirodha, or the winding up of the cosmic manifestation. All the living entities along with their conditional tendencies (vasanas) merge into the body of Maha-Vishnu to await another creation and another opportunity to take up the science of God. Though the physical bodies are given up at this time, the subtle bodies (sukshma-sariras) remain with the living entities along with their latent desires. This is indicated by the words atmanah saha shaktibhih.

9) Mukti - liberation

Mukti is defined as follows:

muktir hitvanyatha rupam
sva-rupena vyavasthitih

"Liberation (mukti) is the permanent situation of the form of the living entity after he gives up the changeable gross and subtle material bodies."

Those living entities who develop a desire to act for their ultimate welfare regulate their life according to the instructions of the Manus. Such living entities receive the mercy and protection of the Lord in the form of His divine activities and incarnations, either personally or in its literary form as the science of God. By hearing the narrations of the Lord's activities these living entities are able to give up all external identification with the principles of material existence and its interaction. Such purified living entities develop their original spiritual bodies and are resituated in their constitutional position in Vaikuntha, the spiritual abode of the Lord. This is technically known as mukti or liberation. The words hitvanyatha rupam indicate that these living entities have become completely free from all material coverings including the sukshma-sarira and related vasanas. The word vyavasthitih indicates the real and eternal sthanam of the living entity - sthitir vaikuntha vijayah.

10) Ashraya - the supreme shelter

Ashraya is defined in the following three verses:

abhasash ca nirodhash ca
yato 'sty adhyavasiyate
sa ashrayah param brahma
paramatmeti shabdyate

"The supreme one who is celebrated as the Supreme Being or the Supreme Soul is the supreme source of the cosmic manifestation as well as its reservoir and winding up. Thus He is the supreme shelter, the Absolute Truth."

yo 'dhyatmiko 'yam purushah
so 'sav evadhidaivikah
yas tatrobhaya-vicchedah
purusho hy adhibhautikah
ekam ekatarabhave
yada nopalabhamahe
tritayam tatra yo veda
sa atma svashrayashrayah

"The individual person possessing different instruments of senses is called the adhyatmic person, and the individual controlling deity of the senses is called adhidaivic. The embodiment seen on the eyeballs is called the adhibhautic person. All three of the above mentioned stages of different living entities are interdependent. In the absence of one, another is not understood. But the Supreme Being who sees every one of them as the shelter of the shelter is independent of all, and therefore He is the supreme shelter."

The Srimad Bhagavata Purana begins with the Vedanta statement "janmady asya yatah" to bring to our attention the supreme source and shelter of all existence - the ashraya-tattva. In order to explain the transcendence of the ashraya the other nine subjects have been explained.

In all of existence there are factually only two divisions, namely the dependent (para-tantra) and the independent (sva-tantra). The independent (svarat) refers only to that Supreme Lord invoked in the beginning of Srimad-Bhagavatam by the words "om namo bhagavate vasudevaya". Sri Vyasa Muni begins by first offering his obeisances to Bhagavan Sri Krishna (Vasudeva) and then identifies Him as the absolute and independent shelter of everything - janmadyasya yatah svarat satyam param dhimahi. The transcendental Sri Krishna is that tenth subject of Srimad-Bhagavatam, and in order to properly describe Him, Sri Vyasa Muni has explained the other nine subject matters.

Studied together, these ten subject matters fully establish the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Bhagavan Sri Krishna, as the transcendental Absolute Truth. The Vedanta Sutras begin by instructing us to inquire into the nature of the Absolute Truth - athato brahma jijnasa. This Srimad-Bhagavatam is the perfect companion to that inquiry, as it is the natural commentary to the Vedanta Sutras.

Both the Vedanta Sutras and the Srimad-Bhagavatam begin from the point of understanding the ultimate source of everything. Sri Vyasa Muni, the author of these two texts, begins both with the same verse: janmady asya yatah, "From whom everything emanates." But in the Srimad Bhagavatam he expands and elaborates on this very important philosophical subject in great detail:

janmady asya yatah anvayad itaratas carthesv abhijnah svarat
tene brahma hrda ya adi-kavaye muhyanti yat surayah
tejo-vari-mrdam yatha vinimayo yatra tri-sargo 'mrsa
dhamna svena sada nirasta-kuhakam satyam param dhimahi

"I meditate upon Lord Sri Krishna because He is the Absolute Truth and the primeval cause of all causes of creation, sustenance and destruction on the manifested universes. He is directly and indirectly conscious of all manifestations and He is independent because there is no other cause beyond Him. It is He only who first imparted the Vedic knowledge unto the heart of Brahmaji, the original living being. By Him even the great sages and demigods are placed into illusion, as one is bewildered by the illusory representations of water seen in fire, or land seen on water. Only because of Him do the material universes, temporarily manifested by the reactions of the three modes of nature, appear factual, although they are unreal. I therefore meditate upon Him, Lord Sri Krishna, who is eternally existent in the transcendental abode, which is forever free from the illusory representations of the material world. I meditate upon Him, for He is the Absolute Truth."

Thus Srimad-Bhagavatam is the key to unlock the secrets of the Vedanta Sutras. There is no literature in the world as great as this Srimad Bhagavata Purana. The transcendental narrations within it give us light in this dark age of Kali yuga:

krishne sva-dhamopagate
dharma-jnanadibhih saha
kalau nashta-drisham esha
puranarko 'dhunoditah

"This Bhagavata Purana is as brilliant as the sun, and it has arisen just after the departure of Lord Krishna to His own abode, accompanied by religion, knowledge, etc. Persons who have lost their vision due to the dense darkness of ignorance in the age of Kali shall get light from this Purana."

Sri Bhagavatam - The Glories of Srimad Bhagavatam

Srimad Bhagavatam

vidyAvatAM bhAgavate parIkShA - The test of a scholar is how well he understands the Bhagavata Purana.


Glories of Srimad Bhagavatam in various Puranas
History of Srimad Bhagavatam is described in the beginning and at the end (SB 12.13.19).
After compiling the Vedic literature, Puranas, etc., Vyasadeva was still feeling unsatisfied. While thinking in this way Narada Muni reached the cottage of Vyasadeva and was asked about the cause of dissatisfaction. Narada Muni explained that because he (Vyasadeva) did not directly describe Krsna's pastimes, and instead gave a license to enjoy sense gratification under religious principles, he was remaining unsatisfied. Narada then instructed Vyasadeva in the catur sloka, or catuhsloki (SB 2.9.33-36) the essence of the Veda. Vyasadeva took these four verses and expanded them to compile the Srimad Bhagavatam, which is known as the ripened fruit of Vedic literature because it directly describes Krsna's transcendental pastimes. Vyasadeva has written SB in his spiritual maturity (SB 1.5.13: samadhi nanusmara tad-vicestitam - "In the trance you are thinking about Lord's pastimes and describing them").

krsne sva-dhamopagate
dharma-jnanadibhih saha
kalau nasta-drsam esa
puranarko 'dhunoditah

This Bhagavata Purana is as brilliant as the sun, and it has arisen just after the departure of Lord Krsna to His own abode, accompanied by religion, knowledge, etc. Persons who have lost their vision due to the dense darkness of ignorance in the age of Kali shall get light from this Purana. (SB 1.3.43)
As stated in the Matsya Purana (53.65,68,69):
A Purana has five characteristics as opposed to an Akhyana. (The scriptures are divided into three classes - sattvika, rajasika, and tamasika.) The glory of Lord Hari is greater in the sattvika Puranas; the glory of Lord Brahma is more in the rajasika Puranas; the glory of Lord Siva and Agni is more in the tamasika Puranas. In the mixed scriptures the glory of Sarasvati and the Pitrs is explained."
The verse cited from the Matsya Purana refers to the five characteristics of a Purana. These characteristics are given in another verse of the Matsya Purana, 53.65 and Garuda Purana 1.223.14:

sargasca pratisargasca vamso manvantarani ca
vamsyanucaritaccaiva puranam pancalaksanam

"Creation, dissolution, genealogy, manvantaras and descriptions of the activities of famous kings, these are the five characteristics of a Purana."
Padma Purana, Uttara Khanda (236.18-21), which explicitly state that the eighteen Puranas are divided according to the three modes of nature.:

vaisnavam naradiyanca tathabhagavatam subham garudanca tathapadmam varaham subhadarsane sattvikanipuranani vijneyani subhani vai brahmandam brahmavaivartam markandeyam tathaiva ca bhavisyam vamanam brahmam rajasani nibodhame matsyam kaurmam tathalaingam saivam skandam tathaiva ca agneyam ca sadetani tamasani nibodhame

"Lord Siva said: O beautiful lady, know that the Visnu, Narada, Bhagavata, Garuda, Padma and Varaha Puranas are sattvika; the Brahmanda, Brahma-vaivarta, Markandeya, Bhavisya, Vamana and Brahma Puranas are rajasika; and the Matsya, Kurma, Linga, Siva, Skanda and Agni Puranas are tamasika."
The characteristics of Srimad Bhagavatam are given in the Matsya Purana (53.20-22),

yatraadhikR^itya gaayatrii.m varNyate dharmavistaraH |
vR^itraasuravadhopeta.m tad bhaagavatam iShyate ||
likhitvaa tach cha yo dadyaad dhemasi.mhasamanvitam |
prauShThapadyaa.m paurNamaasyaa.m sa yaati paramaa.m gatim ||
aShTaadashasahasraaNi puraaNa.m tat prakiirtitam ||

"That which explains the topmost principles of religion, basing it on Gayatri, and which has the incident of the killing of Vrtrasura is to be known as the Srimad Bhagavatam. This Purana has eighteen thousand verses. Whoever makes a copy of the Srimad Bhagavatam and, placing it on a golden lion throne, donates it on the full moon day in the month of Bhadra (August-September), will attain the supreme goal."
Skanda Purana, Prabhasa Khanda (7.1.2.39-42) also describes Srimad Bhagavatam:

yatraadhikR^itya gaayatriim...
saarasvatasya kalpasya madhye ye syur naraamaraaH |
tadvR^ittaantodbhava.m loke tach cha bhaagavata.m smR^itam ||
likhitvaa tach cha.... aShTaadasha sahasraaNi puraaNa.m tat prakiirtitam |

"That which gives accounts of the humans and demigods in the Sarasvata Kalpa, explains the supreme religion, basing itself on Gayatri, and narrates the slaying of Vrtrasura is to be known as the Srimad Bhagavatam. It has eighteen thousand verses. Whoever makes a copy of the Bhagavatam and donates it, on a golden lion throne, on the full moon day in the month of Bhadra, will attain the supreme destination."
These verses are also found in the Agni Purana (272.6,7).
Padma Purana, "Gautama said: O Lord of the Earth, do you recite the Bhagavata Purana in front of the Deity of Lord Hari, especially the narration of the king of the demons, Prahlada Maharaja?" (Padma Purana, Uttara Khanda 22.115)
Again, in the Padma Purana, in the section glorifying the vow of Vyanjuli Mahadvadasi, Gautama instructs King Ambarisa, "One should stay awake (on the night of Vyanjuli Mahadvadasi) and hear the scriptures that narrate the stories of Lord Visnu and His devotees, especially the Bhagavad-gita, the thousand names of Lord Visnu, and the Purana narrated by Suka (Srimad Bhagavatam). These should be recited with care since they are pleasing to Lord Hari."
And in the same section of the Padma Purana he says: "O Ambarisa, if you desire an end to your material existence, then everyday hear Srimad Bhagavatam narrated by Suka, and also recite it yourself." (nityam bhagavatam srnu suka proktam ambarisa)
In the Prahlada Samhita of the Skanda Purana, in the section describing the glory of Dvaraka is this statement, "A person who stays up (on the night of Ekadasi) and recites the Srimad Bhagavatam with devotion in front of the Deity of Lord Hari goes to the abode of Lord Hari with all his family members."
The Padma Purana, Uttara khanda (190.3), states:

puranesu tu sarvesu srimad bhagavatam param
yatra pratipadam krsnam giyate bahudarsibhih

"Among all the Puranas, the Srimad Bhagavatam, in which Lord Krsna is glorified at every step by various great sages, is supreme."
The Skanda Purana (2.6.4.3) states:

srimadbhagavatasyatha srimadbhagavatah sada
svarupam ekamevasti saccidanandalaksanam

"The nature of the Srimad Bhagavatam and the Personality of Godhead is always the same - full knowledge, bliss, and eternal existence." And the Padma Purana, Uttara Khanda (198.30) says: srimadbhagavatakhyo'yam pratyaksah krsna eva hi, "Without any doubt, Srimad Bhagavatam is directly Lord Krsna."
The Skanda Purana states, "In Kali-yuga, of what value are collections of hundreds of thousands of other scriptures, if one does not keep the Srimad Bhagavatam in his house? In Kali-yuga, how can a person be considered a Vaisnava if the Srimad Bhagavatam does not find a place in his house? Even if he is a brahmana, he is to be considered lower than a dog-eater. O Vipra, Narada, wherever is the Srimad Bhagavatam in Kali-yuga, the Lord goes there along with the demigods. O muni, a person who faithfully recites a verse of Srimad Bhagavatam every day attains the fruit of reading the eighteen Puranas". (Skanda Purana, 2.5.16.40-42,44,33)
Quote from Garuda Purana in Hari-bhakti-vilasa 10.394-395:

artho'yam brahma sutranam bharatartha-vinirnayah gayatri bhasya rupo'sau vedartha paribrmhitah purananam sama rupah saksad bhagavatoditah dvadasa skandha yukto'yam sata viccheda samyutah grantho'stadasa sahasrah srimad bhagavatabhidam

"The Srimad Bhagavatam is the explanation of the Vedanta Sutra. It is the complete settlement of the Mahabharata. It is the complete commentary on the Gayatri mantra. It strengthens the explanation of the Vedas and is the topmost Purana, written by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It has twelve cantos, one hundred sections and eighteen thousand slokas."

padau yadiyau prathama dvitiyau tritiyaturyau kathitau yaduru nabhistatha pancama eva sasto bhujantaram doryugalam yathanyau mukharavindam dasamam praphullam ekadasau yasya lalatha pathakam siro pi yad dvadasa eva bati tamadidevam karuna nidhanam tamala varnam suhitavataram aparasamsara samudra setum bhajamehe bhagavata svarupam

"I worship Him, the Original Lord, the reservoir of mercy, who is of the color of a tamala tree, who has descended to benefit all (suhitavataram). He is the Personality of the Bhagavatam, a bridge to cross over the ocean of the endless material existence. The First and Second Cantos are His two feet (padau); the Third and Fourth are said to be His thighs (uru); the Fifth Canto is His navel (nabhih); the Sixth Canto is His chest (bhujantaram); the other two [Seventh and Eighth] Cantos are His two arms (dor-yugalam); O King, the Ninth Canto is His neck (kanthah); the Tenth C anto is His blossomed lotus face (mukharavindam praphullam); the Eleventh Canto is His forehead (lalata-pattakam); and the Twelfth Canto shines as His crown (sirah)." (Padma Purana)
Supremacy of SB is established in SB itself (1.1.2-3, 12.13.15-16). Analogy about supremacy of SB: Vedas teach as a king (by orders), Puranas as a friend (by promises and blessings), Vedic poetry sweetly as a lover but SB contains all three aspects: all Vedic laws and principles, gives blessings and is poetic.
Srila Prabhupada instructs in SB 2.2.12 p. that those who still have sexual desires should hold lectures only from 1. and 2. Canto. This refers to criticism of professional reciters who hold so-called Bhagavata saptahas (seven-day recitation) for material profit, focusing only on Krsna's rasa-lila pastimes in Tenth Canto to indulge the paying audience.

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Enumeration of the subjects in the Srimad Bhagavatam
(SB 2.10.1)

By Sri Sukadeva Gosvami 1. Sarga (primary creation) 2. Visarga (secondary creation) 3. Sthanam (maintenance) 4. Posana (nourishment) 5. Uti (material desires) 6. Manvantara (reign of a Manu) 7. Isanukatha (activities of Lord and His devotees) 8. Nirodha (annihilation) 9. Mukti (liberation) 10. Asraya (supreme shelter)

By Sri Suta Gosvami Sarga Visarga Vrtti Raksa Hetu Antara Vamsa, Vamsanucarita Samstha Samstha Apasraya

These ten characteristics are found in a Maha Purana but a Purana has only five characteristics (Amarakosa dictionary):

sargas ca pratisarga ca
vamsa manvantarani ca
vamsanu caritam capi
puranam panca laksanam

Sarga, or creation; pratisarga, or dissolution; vamsa, or the genealogies of kings or sages; manvantaras, a duration of a reign of a Manu; vamsanucarita, the description of various sages, kings, and incarnations.
These five include the ten characteristics of a Maha Purana, but in a Purana more stress is laid on these five topics and this gives the distinction between a Purana and a Maha Purana. How the ten characteristics of a Maha Purana is included in the five found in a lesser Purana is as follows:

1. Sarga 2. Pratisarga 3. Vamsa 4. Manvantara 5. Vamsanucaritam

Sarga, Visarga, Asraya Nirodha, Mukti Isanukatha Manvantara, Sthanam Isanukatha, Posana, Uti, Asraya

The Srimad Bhagavatam is in twelve cantos, but the list of the characteristics of a Maha-Purana are in the Second Canto. Some scholars conclude therefore that these ten topics are explained successively in each canto from the Third Canto onwards. Srila Jiva Gosvami has complete disregard for such an explanation. If a Maha Purana has ten characteristics and if the first two cantos of Bhagavatam had none of these, then the Bhagavatam proper would have ten cantos. Analysis shows, however, that the First and Second Cantos discuss sarga, visarga, and raksa.
In Sarvasamvadini Srila Jiva Gosvami gives the following breakdown of the topics covered in each canto:

Topic Discussed 1. Sarga 2. Visarga 3. Vrtti 4. Raksa 5. Manvantara 6. Vamsa 7. Vamsanucarita 8. Samstha 9. Hetu 10. Apasraya

Cantos primarily Second and Third Second, Third, Fourth Third, Seventh, Eleventh Throughout Eighth Fourth, Ninth Fourth, Ninth Eleventh, Twelfth Third, Eleventh Tenth

The ultimate purpose of the Srimad Bhagavatam is to explain the tenth item, Asraya, who is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Digests: Shri Rupa and Shri Sanatana Gosvamis wrote Laghu and Brihad Bhagavatamrta, nectar of Srimad Bhagavatam. A short digest of these two works is Shri Bhagavatamrita Kanika by Shri Vishvanatha Chakravarti Thakura.
Related:
More on ten subjects of SB

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Dating Srimad Bhagavatam
Horacio Francisco Arganis Juarez. Graduate in Linguistics and Literature at U A de C and M.A. in Gaudiya Vaisnava philosophy and Theology in IBCH. Reseacher Professor in Saltillo, Coahuila, Northeast of Mexico.
"The exact date of the Bhagavata Purana has not been established yet... neither would I insist on of text having originated in the South." (J.A.B. van Buitenen, ''On the Archaism of the Bhagavata Purana'', (1966) in ''Krishna, Myths, Rites and Attitudes'', ed. Milton Singer. Honolulu East-West Center, p. 225-226)
13th century CE as a date for Srimad Bhagavatam was accepted by scholars until the half of 20th century. Nevertheless, the work Tahqiq-i-Hind by Alberuni, a Muslim who made a study of the India in the 10th century CE, mentions Bhagavata Purana.
Nowadays the date 9th century CE predominates. The critics claim that the Bhagavatam mentions Hunas and thus it had to be written after their invasion to India in 5th century CE. Nevertheless, the Hunas are mentioned also in older texts such as Lalitavistara, a Buddhist work dated to 3rd century CE, and Mahabharata, a recognized archaic work. These evidences indicate that this race was known before the invasion and its mention in the Bhagavatam doesn't suggest any occupation.
Others argue that Bhagavatam was influenced by the philosopher Sankara (commonly accepted: 8th century CE) because of similarity of ideas and of the language. But Gaudapada, teacher of Govinda who was teacher of Sankara, mentions the Bhagavatam in his Uttaragita-bhasya and in his commentary on Sankhya-karika makes reference to other two verses.
There was an attempt to discredit those references under the supposition that it could be another, later author of the same name or that Bhagavatam took the verses from the work of Gaudapada. But one would have to show some historical reference that endorses that another author existed with such a name and he wrote these works. Nevertheless, the studies of experts like M. T. Sahasrabuddha tend to verify that those texts are of Gaudapada and that Sankya-karika-vritti and Uttara-gita don't only mention verses but the latter mentions directly the Bhagavata Purana.
This was corroborated in another, independent work known as Nandi-sutra, a core text of the Jaina school, which gives a list of writings prohibited by their academy. It mentions directly Mahabharata, Ramayana, Purana-Bhagavatam, Mathara-vritti, Sankhya-karika, etc. This treaty was dated to 4th century CE under the notion that Vallabhi, its compiler, lived 980 years after Jain Mahavira (commonly accepted: 5th century BCE).
The source of inspiration of the Vritti of Gaudapada was Mathara-vritti which contains the same two verses of the Bhagavatam. Sushila S. Desai disagrees, leaning on Belvekar who appeals to an argument of textual criticism which presupposes a contamination and alteration of the manuscripts. She even insists that in the Mathara-vritti translated into Chinese by Buddhist monk Paramartha in 5th century CE the texts of the Bhagavata contained in the commentary of Gaudapada don't appear. But it requires a series of specimens of the manuscripts, which the philologists like Alberto Blecua call the Collatio Codicum, to show that there are no such verses. It only indicates that in the manuscript that Paramartha used they could have been missing, or, as he belongs to a school opposing the Bhagavata school, he could have removed them since one of these texts (1.6.35) indicates fundamental points of the Bhagavata doctrine.
Bhagavatam rejects the monist theory of the unity of souls and God, as well as the conception that God is ultimately impersonal and amorphous - this is the core of Sankara's philosophy but Sankara quoted Bhagavatam 12.13.1 in his poem "Meditations on the Gita" (text 9) and makes reference to the Bhagavata school in his Sariraka-bhasya. A. N. Chatterji confirms: "Even Sankara crediting [the doctrine of] 'Advaita Vedanta'... has taken into account the influence of the Bhagavata Purana."
Like other scriptures SB is either manifested or unmanifested (as the Lord is sometimes seemingly born and sometimes He appears independently - Nrsimhadeva etc., similarly, the scriptures seem to be written by somebody because it is the common way of their origin. Actually, they appear in the author's heart and then they are written. They don't contain (and they are not limited by) history of certain yuga or Brahma's day. They are inaccessible to fools and rascals just as Krsna Himself.
Discoveries by Prasada Gokhale suggest that Sankara lived in the 6th century BCE and Mahavira least in the 1000 BCE. See Buddha
Related:
Antiquity of Bhagavatam (MA thesis by Horacio Francisco Arganis Juarez - summary)
When was Bhagavatam written by Vyasadeva?

---

Srimad Bhagavatam verses pertaining to Vedanta-sutras
V.s.  /  S.B.
Chapter 1
Pada I
1.1.1.  /  1.2.7-11, 1.1.1
1.1.2.  /  1.1.1
1.1.3.  /  10.16.44
1.1.4.  /  1.1.1
1.1.5.  /  1.1.1
1.1.6.  /  1.2.11
1.1.7.  /  10.88.5
1.1.8.  /  1.2.23, 1.2.25, 1.1.16
1.1.9.  /  1.2.30-34
1.1.10.  /  1.2.28-29
1.1.11.  /  10.87.1-2
1.1.12.  /  10.87.17
1.1.13.  /  10.14.23
1.1.14.  /  10.14.37
1.1.15.  /  10.28.15
1.1.16.  /  1.1.1, 9.4.66
1.1.17.  /  11.11.5, 11.11.6, 2.1.39
1.1.18.  /  1.2.30-31
1.1.19.  /  10.87.35
1.1.20.  /  5.7.13, 5.7.14
1.1.21.  /  5.7.14
1.1.22.  /  10.4.1-2
1.1.23.  /  8.5.37
1.1.24.  /  8.5.36
1.1.25.  /  1.1.1
1.1.26.  /  3.12.44, 3.12.45
1.1.27.  /  2.6.19-20
1.1.28.  /  4.9.6-7, 12.13.19
1.1.29.  /  5.19.26-27
1.1.30.  /  4.7.43, 10.30.22
1.1.31.  /  11.12.20
Pada II
1.2.1.  /  1.9.35, 1.2.11, 1.7.4-5, 2.10.15-16, 11.12.17
1.2.2.  /  5.19.4
1.2.3.  /  6.16.46
1.2.4.  /  6.16.48, 6.16.63
1.2.5.  /  3.8.12, 8.5.27
1.2.6.  /  7.5.14
1.2.7.  /  8.6.8, 8.6.10
1.2.8.  /  8.5.29
1.2.9.  /  12.11.24
1.2.10.  /  8.6.8, 6.9.34
1.2.11.  /  8.5.26,27
1.2.12.  /  8.5.29
1.2.13.  /  8.5.36
1.2.14.-1.2.15  /  2.10.8, 6.9.39, 11.3.4
1.2.16.  /  2.10.8
1.2.17.  /  11.16.36
1.2.18.  /  11.22.30-32
1.2.19.  /  8.1.9, 8.1.11
1.2.20.  /  8.1.16
1.2.21.  /  8.3.3, 8.3.9, 8.3.10
1.2.22.  /  8.3.26, 8.3.27
1.2.23.  /  1.3.3, 1.3.4
1.2.24.  /  11.11.3
1.2.25.  /  2.2.24, 2.3.35
1.2.26.  /  5.19.25, 11.16.38
1.2.27.  /  11.16.36, 2.6.13-16
1.2.28.  /  2.1.39
1.2.29.  /  2.5.6
1.2.30.  /  3.8.11
1.2.31  /  2.2.8
1.2.32  /  3.9.3
1.2.33  /  3.33.8
Pada III
1.3.1.  /  6.16.35-36
1.3.2.  /  6.16.40
1.3.3.  /  6.16.51
1.3.4.  /  6.16.52
1.3.5.  /  6.16.57, 1.1.58
1.3.6.  /  6.16.22
1.3.7.  /  11.11.6
1.3.8.  /  10.87.28
1.3.9.  /  12.13.19
1.3.10.  /  8.3.21, 7.12.30-31
1.3.11.  /  10.87.28
1.3.12.  /  10.87.28
1.3.13.  /  10.63.34
1.3.14.  /  10.87.18
1.3.15.  /  10.87.20
1.3.16.  /  9.19.29
1.3.17.  /  5.18.13
1.3.18.  /  10.87.38
1.3.19.  /  2.4.14, 2.5.15
1.3.20.  /  2.5.21
1.3.21.  /  2.5.16
1.3.22.  /  11.12.12
1.3.23.  /  11.29.44
1.3.24.  /  1.12.8
1.3.25.  /  4.9.2, 4.9.42
1.3.26.  /  4.8.20, 4.8.22
1.3.27.  /  7.8.42, 10.14.33
1.3.28.  /  2.10.36, 2.5.16, 2.10.37
1.3.29.  /  8.7.25-26, 8.7.29
1.3.30.  /  2.9.38, 2.6.39
1.3.31.  /  11.6.33
1.3.32.  /  10.14.23, 10.63.34
1.3.33.  /  10.63.43,44
1.3.34.  /  1.4.25
1.3.35.  /  4.16.16-18
1.3.36.  /  7.11.14-15, 7.11.21-24
1.3.37.  /  1.4.25
1.3.38.  /  3.6.29-33
1.3.39.  /  6.10.13, 6.12.3, 6.8.32, 6.12.10, 6.12.8
1.3.40.  /  6.11.20, 10.3.24
1.3.41.  /  6.16.21,23
1.3.42.  /  11.3.39,40
1.3.43.  /  7.3.29,31
Pada IV
1.4.1.  /  7.15.41,42,45
1.4.2.  /  1.3.32
1.4.3.  /  1.10.22
1.4.4.  /  3.26.10
1.4.5.  /  5.11.13,14
1.4.6.  /  7.6.20,21,24-26
1.4.7.  /  11.3.37
1.4.8.  /  3.26.3-5
1.4.9.  /  3.26.3,4; 3.26.19
1.4.10.  /  3.26.20
1.4.11  /  11.22.2-3,4; 3.26.12, 3.16.16, 3.26.14-15
1.4.12.  /  8.1.11
1.4.13.  /  8.5.3,5
1.4.14.  /  4.24.60
1.4.15.  /  4.24.63,64
1.4.16.  /  4.24.60
1.4.17.  /  1.4.28, 10.87.50
1.4.18.  /  7.3.31
1.4.19.  /  7.3.33,34
1.4.20.  /  10.87.37
1.4.21.  /  11.25.35,36
1.4.22.  /  10.87.31
1.4.23.  /  10.2.28
1.4.24.  /  7.3.26
1.4.25.  /  7.3.34
1.4.26.  /  7.3.33
1.4.27.  /  10.2.26
1.4.28.  /  6.4.28
Chapter 2
Pada I
2.1.1.  /  2.6.42
2.1.2.  /  10.87.25
2.1.3.  /  10.87.25, 1.6.36
2.1.4.  /  6.1.40, 6.1.31
2.1.5.  /  3.28.47
2.1.6.  /  10.87.26
2.1.7.  /  10.2.26
2.1.8.  /  4.7.42
2.1.9.  /  4.7.26
2.1.10.  /  10.87.25
2.1.11.  /  2.6.41, 2.6.42
2.1.12.  /  5.12.9-11
2.1.13.  /  6.16.9-11
2.1.14.  /  6.16.22, 7.3.26
2.1.15.  /  3.21.19, 10.87.15
2.1.16.  /  10.87.26
2.1.17.  /  10.87.29
2.1.18.  /  10.87.37
2.1.19.  /  6.3.12, 10.15.35
2.1.20.  /  10.87.29, 10.46.43
2.1.21.  /  11.4.2-4
2.1.22.  /  11.6.15,17; 11.11.39
2.1.23.  /  10.87.30
2.1.24.  /  10.16.42
2.1.25.  /  10.2.28
2.1.26.  /  6.16.8,9; 6.16.25
2.1.27.  /  3.12.47, 2.5.15, 2.10.36, 6.16.51
2.1.28.  /  4.9.16
2.1.29.  /  6.4.30
2.1.30.  /  3.33.3, 3.2.21, 2.4.10
2.1.31.  /  10.87.28
2.1.32.  /  6.17.22
2.1.33.  /  3.7.2-3, 10.14.21
2.1.34.  /  10.24.13,17
2.1.35.  /  2.5.17,18,20,21
2.1.36.  /  8.4.13, 10.46.32, 11.11.48, 11.14.18
2.1.37.  /  8.17.9, 10.16.33
Pada II
2.2.1.  /  7.3.26, 7.3.27
2.2.2.  /  10.2.28
2.2.3.  /  7.9.30
2.2.4.  /  7.1.6
2.2.5.  /  7.3.27
2.2.6.  /  7.3.29
2.2.7.  /  11.6.16, 7.5.14
2.2.8.  /  11.6.17
2.2.9.  /  1.1.1
2.2.10.  /  7.9.49, 11.11.1
2.2.11.  /  3.11.1,2,41,42; 5.12.9
2.2.12.  /  6.16.26
2.2.13.  /  5.12.9
2.2.14.  /  5.12.10
2.2.15.  /  5.12.8
2.2.16.  /  5.12.9
2.2.17.  /  3.10.12,13
2.2.18.  /  5.12.9, 11.7.47
2.2.19.  /  11.16.36-37
2.2.20.  /  11.16.1
2.2.21.  /  10.87.28
2.2.22.  /  2.5.20,21
2.2.23.  /  10.14.8
2.2.24.  /  7.15.59, 3.26.32, 11.16.36-38
2.2.25.  /  4.9.7
2.2.26.  /  1.1.2
2.2.27.  /  8.12.8
2.2.28.  /  8.12.9
2.2.29.  /  11.13.24
2.2.30.  /  3.27.4
2.2.31.  /  4.29.7,9
2.2.32.  /  1.2.11
2.2.33.  /  6.4.32
2.2.34.  /  5.11.12
2.2.35.  /  11.3.38
2.2.36.  /  6.16.6,9
2.2.37.  /  1.2.28-29
2.2.38.  /  1.2.30
2.2.39.  /  2.6.31
2.2.40.  /  2.6.32
2.2.41.  /  2.6.33
2.2.42.  /  2.6.39
2.2.43.  /  10.87.28
2.2.44.  /  2.6.42
2.2.45.  /  10.87.50
Pada III
2.3.1.  /  11.3.3
2.3.2.  /  2.5.25
2.3.3.  /  11.3.3
2.3.4.  /  11.3.14
2.3.5.  /  1.2.30,31
2.3.6.  /  6.4.30
2.3.7.  /  3.26.35
2.3.8.  /  6.4.47
2.3.9.  /  4.25.63
2.3.10.  /  3.26.41, 4.25.63
2.3.11.  /  3.26.44, 4.25.62
2.3.12.  /  3.26.3, 3.26.4
2.3.13.  /  10.48.18,19
2.3.14.  /  10.70.38
2.3.15.  /  10.86.56, 10.6.8, 10.16.43
2.3.16.  /  6.16.9
2.3.17.  /  6.16.10
2.3.18.  /  6.16.9,6,8
2.3.19.  /  11.22.37
2.3.20.  /  6.16.9
2.3.21.  /  11.16.11
2.3.22.  /  10.87.30
2.3.23.  /  11.11.6, 10.87.28, 1.8.42
2.3.24.  /  12.5.8
2.3.25.  /  10.85.7
2.3.26.  /  6.16.57
2.3.27.  /  11.11.6, 11.23.54
2.3.28.  /  11.11.4
2.3.29.  /  11.22.31
2.3.30.  /  6.11.19
2.3.31.  /  6.16.10
2.3.32.  /  6.16.11
2.3.33.  /  11.13.32
2.3.34.  /  5.5.5, 6.16.24
2.3.35.  /  10.87.31
2.3.36.  /  11.13.27
2.3.37.  /  11.13.33
2.3.38.  /  3.26.8
2.3.39.  /  3.26.5,6,7
2.3.40.  /  11.12.22,23
2.3.41.  /  11.11.4
2.3.42.  /  2.6.19
2.3.43.  /  12.4.32, 11.11.4
2.3.44.  /  1.7.4,5
2.3.45.  /  1.3.28
2.3.46.  /  6.16.57,58
2.3.47.  /  1.7.4-6
2.3.48.  /  6.16.46, 10.70.5
2.3.49.  /  10.6.30
2.3.50.  /  10.24.13
2.3.51.  /  10.23.9
Pada IV
2.4.1.  /  2.10.15
2.4.2.  /  2.10.36
2.4.3.  /  2.10.43,44
2.4.4.  /  1.2.33
2.4.5.  /  3.6.7,8
2.4.6.  /  3.26.12,13
2.4.7.  /  3.26.31,31; 3.28.5,3,8
2.4.8.  /  2.1.2, 2.10.15
2.4.9.  /  2.10.15-17
2.4.10.  /  11.3.39
2.4.11.  /  3.26.31
2.4.12.  /  3.6.7,8
2.4.13.  /  11.28.12,17
2.4.14.  /  4.8.6,7
2.4.15.  /  6.4.25
2.4.16.  /  4.8.6
2.4.17.  /  2.10.16
2.4.18.  /  2.4.18
2.4.19.  /  2.4.19
2.4.20.  /  3.26.19,20
2.4.21.  /  3.26.12
2.4.22.  /  3.26.44, 3.26.48
Chapter 3
Pada I
3.1.1.  /  3.31.44,43
3.1.2.  /  3.26.41, 5.20.23
3.1.3.  /  11.15.24
3.1.4.  /  4.23.13,15
3.1.5.  /  1.15.39
3.1.6.  /  3.32.2,3
3.1.7.  /  4.29.48,31
3.1.8.  /  4.29.27,28
3.1.9.  /  10.11.26
3.1.10.  /  4.29.74,75,78
3.1.11.  /  3.31.32,33
3.1.12.  /  3.31.42,43
3.1.13.  /  3.32.2,3
3.1.14.  /  3.30.33, 3.32.19, 3.32.21
3.1.15.  /  3.30.23
3.1.16.  /  5.26.7
3.1.17.  /  5.26.6
3.1.18.  /  7.15.50-51,54-56
3.1.19.  /  3.30.30,33,34
3.1.20.  /  9.22.3
3.1.21.  /  2.6.15, 2.10.39
3.1.22.  /  3.7.27
3.1.23.  /  3.26.34
3.1.24.  /  11.10.26
3.1.25.  /  3.30.34
3.1.26.  /  11.5.13
3.1.27.  /  3.31.1
3.1.28.  /  3.31.2
Pada II
3.2.1.  /  6.16.55
3.2.2.  /  11.13.32
3.2.3.  /  11.13.33
3.2.4.  /  10.42.30
3.2.5.  /  3.7.12
3.2.6.  /  11.13.32
3.2.7.  /  6.16.55,56
3.2.8.  /  12.4.21
3.2.9.  /  11.13.27,28, 11.3.39
3.2.10  /  6.16.61,62, 3.30.23, 3.31.6
3.2.11.  /  10.33.19,16; 3.32.33
3.2.12.  /  10.69.2
3.2.13.  /  9.18.12
3.2.14.  /  10.27.11
3.2.15.  /  10.3.13, 10.3.25
3.2.16.  /  10.13.54,55; 1.1.1.
3.2.17.  /  10.14.1,2
3.2.18.  /  11.11.6, 6.16.46
3.2.19.  /  11.11.4
3.2.20.  /  3.7.11
3.2.21.  /  3.7.16
3.2.22.  /  8.5.26-27, 10.2.26
3.2.23.  /  8.5.28
3.2.24.  /  3.9.11
3.2.25.  /  3.9.3
3.2.26.  /  3.9.4
3.2.27.  /  3.9.5
3.2.28.  /  4.11.30, 3.2.12
3.2.29.  /  10.3.24
3.2.30.  /  10.3.13
3.2.31.  /  10.27.4,11
3.2.32.  /  10.14.23
3.2.33.  /  10.87.35, 10.47.18
3.2.34.  /  2.6.19
3.2.35.  /  3.24.31, 10.48.20
3.2.36.  /  10.14.2
3.2.37.  /  10.87.15, 2.9.32
3.2.38.  /  10.14.55,56
3.2.39.  /  2.3.10, 2.4.17
3.2.40.  /  8.23.15,29
3.2.41.  /  10.24.14-15
3.2.42.  /  2.6.14, 3.10.12, 10.47.26
Pada III
3.3.1.  /  1.2.28, 11.21.42,43
3.3.2.  /  10.13.54
3.3.3.  /  1.2.28,29
3.3.4.  /  10.78.31
3.3.5.  /  10.87.15
3.3.6.  /  1.2.11, 1.7.7, 10.40.9,10
3.3.7.  /  5.11.13,14
3.3.8.  /  11.3.47,48
3.3.9.  /  1.18.15, 8.23.29
3.3.10.  /  10.14.1, 10.8.13,14
3.3.11.  /  10.69.2
3.3.12.  /  2.1.39, 10.13.54
3.3.13.  /  10.87.17
3.3.14.  /  10.28.15, 5.17.33
3.3.15.  /  3.24.31, 10.40.13
3.3.16.  /  10.14.55
3.3.17.  /  10.40.3, 10.40.12
3.3.18.  /  10.84.23,24
3.3.19.  /  3.6.38, 11.12.8
3.3.20.  /  10.13.54
3.3.21.  /  10.10.34
3.3.22.  /  10.87.28
3.3.23.  /  2.5.1,2,8
3.3.24.  /  7.8.20,8
3.3.25.  /  8.12.4,5
3.3.26.  /  11.10.4, 11.11.32,39
3.3.27.  /  3.9.31,22,41
3.3.28.  /  1.7.4, 11.20.31
3.3.29.  /  1.5.28, 11.12.31, 11.2.46
3.3.30.  /  7.1.29,30
3.3.31.  /  10.9.21
3.3.32.  /  12.3.51, 7.5.23,24
3.3.33.  /  5.17.23, 11.29.6
3.3.34.  /  8.3.24,26,30
3.3.35.  /  3.29.16, 3.28.22
3.3.36.  /  11.9.21, 11.3.37, 10.70.43, 10.13.54
3.3.37.  /  10.14.22, 10.13.54
3.3.38.  /  10.13.53,54
3.3.39.  /  1.1.1, 3.33.3, 1.16.17, 1.16.30-31, 2.2.26
3.3.40.  /  10.53.37, 10.33.16, 10.33.6, 10.32.14
3.3.41.  /  10.89.37
3.3.42.  /  10.29.13, 10.33.2,19,7
3.3.43.  /  10.2.40, 10.8.13, 10.40.16
3.3.44.  /  11.10.5, 11.12.24, 11.17.27, 11.17.29, 10.87.33
3.3.45.  /  11.3.21,22
3.3.46.  /  7.4.37,38, 10.30.2,14
3.3.47.  /  9.5.63,64; 9.4.68
3.3.48.  /  11.13.34, 11.11.3,4
3.3.49.  /  1.2.21
3.3.50.  /  11.11.4, 10.14.4
3.3.51.  /  5.12.12, 11.12.1,2
3.3.52.  /  3.32.26,32,22
3.3.53.  /  10.2.32
3.3.54.  /  10.2.33, 10.87.39
3.3.55.  /  1.3.10, 10.87.18, 11.11.42
3.3.56.  /  1.2.11, 3.9.11
3.3.37.  /  10.40.5,7,9; 10.22.25
3.3.58.  /  8.3.22, 10.2.36,37
3.3.59.  /  2.10.36, 2.1.39
3.3.60.  /  11.5.20
3.3.61.  /  10.40.7,8
3.3.62.  /  2.3.10
3.3.63.  /  3.28.31
3.3.64.  /  3.28.33
3.3.65.  /  3.28.17,18
3.3.66.  /  10.8.30, 3.28.21
3.3.67.  /  3.28.22
3.3.68.  /  3.28.32
Pada IV
3.4.1.  /  11.20.32,33; 9.4.66
3.4.2.  /  11.18.44, 11.18.45
3.4.3.  /  5.1.23
3.4.4.  /  7.11.7, 11.3.46
3.4.5.  /  11.4.43,44,45
3.4.6.  /  11.3.48, 6.7.32
3.4.7.  /  11.4.45, 11.20.9
3.4.8.  /  1.5.17, 11.20.6-8
3.4.9.  /  2.4.18
3.4.10.  /  11.20.7,8,9
3.4.11.  /  11.20.37, 11.21.1,2
3.4.12.  /  1.2.12, 6.3.32
3.4.13.  /  1.5.33,35
3.4.14.  /  8.1.9,10,14,15
3.4.15.  /  11.21.2, 11.14.19
3.4.16.  /  1.2.19, 11.14.19
3.4.17.  /  11.19.28
3.4.18.  /  11.2.35
3.4.19.  /  11.5.41
3.4.20.  /  11.18.28,36
3.4.21.  /  11.18.29,31
3.4.22.  /  11.18.28,35
3.4.23.  /  1.3.40-41
3.4.24.  /  11.21.43
3.4.25.  /  7.7.51,52
3.4.26.  /  11.19.8
3.4.27.  /  1.5.24, 11.18.17
3.4.28.  /  11.6.46, 11.18.35
3.4.29.  /  11.18.18,19
3.4.30.  /  11.18.34
3.4.31.  /  7.13.38
3.4.32.  /  11.3.44,45
3.4.33.  /  11.18.46,47
3.4.34.  /  11.12.14,15
3.4.35.  /  1.8.36
3.4.36.  /  11.12.1-2
3.4.37.  /  2.2.37, 10.83.3, 5.12.12
3.4.38.  /  1.6.23,24,25
3.4.39.  /  7.13.1, 11.2.40
3.4.40.  /  11.20.34,36,37; 7.15.35
3.4.41.  /  11.14.14,27
3.4.42.  /  3.24.34,37
3.4.43.  /  11.2.55, 11.14.16
3.4.44.  /  3.25.38-40
3.4.45.  /  5.24.21
3.4.46.  /  11.14.16, 55
3.4.47.  /  11.13.40, 11.10.5
3.4.48.  /  5.1.17,18; 7.15.67
3.4.49.  /  1.13.26,27
3.4.50.  /  3.32.39,40; 11.29.30, 1.5.24,30; 1.11.24
3.4.51.  /  10.14.8
3.4.52.  /  11.13.24
Chapter 4
Pada I
4.1.1.  /  1.1.3
4.1.2.  /  1.2.22, 1.8.36
4.1.3.  /  10.14.55
4.1.4.  /  11.2.41
4.1.5.  /  1.5.14,11
4.1.6.  /  8.5.34-36
4.1.7.  /  11.14.32, 7.15.31
4.1.8.  /  4.8.45,46
4.1.9.  /  11.14.46
4.1.10.  /  3.28.8
4.1.11.  /  11.13.2,6
4.1.12.  /  1.1.3, 1.7.10, 1.2.22
4.1.13.  /  1.2.21
4.1.14.  /  11.14.19
4.1.15.  /  10.87.40
4.1.16.  /  7.15.38,39; 11.18.8,9
4.1.17.  /  11.14.19, 3.25.33
4.1.18.  /  3.25.27,37
4.1.19.  /  3.25.33,35
Pada II
4.2.1.  /  11.16.42,44
4.2.2.  /  1.15.41
4.2.3.  /  1.15.41
4.2.4.  /  1.15.42
4.2.5.  /  2.9.38, 10.1.39,40
4.2.6.  /  10.2.27
4.2.7.  /  10.87.18
4.2.8.  /  10.14.58, 1.2.15
4.2.9.  /  3.31.43,44
4.2.10.  /  2.8.4,5,6
4.2.11.  /  3.31.44, 3.30.18,20
4.2.12.  /  3.31.44, 3.32.6,7
4.2.13.  /  11.15.23,24
4.2.14.  /  10.87.18
4.2.15.  /  1.15.41,42
4.2.16.  /  12.5.88,11
4.2.17.  /  2.2.24
4.2.18.  /  3.25.9, 8.5.36
4.2.19.  /  11.25.30,32
4.2.20.  /  1.9.29
4.2.21.  /  2.2.15
Pada III
4.3.1.  /  3.32.6,7; 7.15.54
4.3.2.  /  7.15.55
4.3.3.  /  7.15.55
4.3.4.  /  6.1.30, 4.12.19,20
4.3.5.  /  4.12.23,24
4.3.6.  /  6.1.30
4.3.7.  /  8.21.2,3
4.3.8.  /  8.5.18
4.3.9.  /  4.29.29
4.3.10.  /  3.32.8,9
4.3.11.  /  3.32.10
4.3.12.  /  3.32.11, 3.32.29,31
4.3.13.  /  10.87.18
4.3.14.  /  3.33.3
4.3.15.  /  3.33.7,8
4.3.16.  /  8.3.31, 8.4.6
Pada IV
4.4.1.  /  1.3.34,33; 10.87.38
4.4.2.  /  1.3.39
4.4.3.  /  7.13.44, 6.16.9
4.4.4.  /  10.87.31
4.4.5.  /  4.12.23, 4.7.31, 4.3.11
4.4.6.  /  7.2.22,24,46,47
4.4.7.  /  5.12.1
4.4.8.  /  2.2.22, 3.25.37, 3.23.42,46
4.4.9.  /  11.5.41,42
4.4.10.  /  7.1.34
4.4.11.  /  3.15.14,15
4.4.12.  /  3.15.12-16
4.4.13.  /  3.25.34
4.4.14.  /  3.25.25,36
4.4.15.  /  3.25.37, 1.1.1, 10.87.24
4.4.16.  /  2.2.30, 11.28.31
4.4.17.  /  1.1.1
4.4.18.  /  10.87.28
4.4.19.  /  2.5.11,12,13
4.4.20.  /  1.1.3, 10.2.32
4.4.21.  /  8.12.10,11; 3.25.37
4.4.22.  /  9.4.68,65

Sri Bhagavatam Canto 12 (Skandha 12 ) Chapter 13

VedaVyasa

Praneetha

The Mad Bhagavatam

 

Canto 12
Chapter 13  
The Glories of S'rîmad Bhâgavatam



In this final chapter Śrī Sūta Gosvāmī describes the length of each of the Purāṇas, along with the subject matter of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, its purpose, how to give it as a gift, the glories of such gift-giving and the glories of chanting and hearing it.
The total corpus of the Purāṇas includes four hundred thousand verses, eighteen thousand of which constitute Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nārāyaṇa, instructed Brahmā in this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, whose narrations produce detachment from matter and which contains the essence of all the Vedānta. One who gives the Śrīmad-Bhāgavata Purāṇa as a gift will attain the highest destination. Among all the Purāṇas, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the best, and it is the most dear thing to the Vaiṣṇavas. It reveals that spotless, supreme knowledge accessible to the paramahaḿsas, and it also reveals the process by which one can become free from the reactions of material work — a process enriched with knowledge, renunciation and devotion.
Having thus glorified the Bhāgavatam, Sūta Gosvāmī meditates upon Lord Śrī Nārāyaṇa as the original Absolute Truth, who is perfectly pure, free from all contamination, devoid of sorrow and immortal. Then he offers obeisances to the greatest yogī, Śrī Śukadeva, who is nondifferent from the Absolute Truth. Finally, praying with true devotion, Sūta Gosvāmī offers respects to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Śrī Hari, who takes away all misery.

12.13.1

sūta uvāca

yaḿ brahmā varuṇendra-rudra-marutaḥ stunvanti divyaiḥ stavair

vedaiḥ sāńga-pada-kramopaniṣadair gāyanti yaḿ sāma-gāḥ

dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā paśyanti yaḿ yogino

yasyāntaḿ na viduḥ surāsura-gaṇā devāya tasmai namaḥ

(1) Sûta said: "The Godhead who by Brahmâ, Indra, Rudra and the children of heaven [the Maruts] is praised with transcendental prayers and about whom the Sâma Veda chanters with arrangements of mantras from the Vedas, their limbs [the angas] and the Upanishads are singing; the Godhead upon whom the yogis, seeing Him in their minds, concentrate in the meditative position; He whose end is not known to anyone among the enlightened or unenlightened - unto Him I offer my obeisances.

12.13.2

pṛṣṭhe bhrāmyad amanda-mandara-giri-grāvāgra-kaṇḍūyanān

nidrāloḥ kamaṭhākṛter bhagavataḥ śvāsānilāḥ pāntu vaḥ

yat-saḿskāra-kalānuvartana-vaśād velā-nibhenāmbhasāḿ

yātāyātam atandritaḿ jala-nidher nādyāpi viśrāmyati

 (2) By the scratching edges of the stones of Mandara mountain that most heavily rotated upon His back the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the form of a tortoise [Kûrma] became sleepy. May all of you be protected by the winds that are the traces left behind by the flow of His breathing and the ceaseless tides of the eb and flow of the water which up to the present day follows that example of breathing in and out.
At times we alleviate an itching sensation by blowing upon it. Similarly, , the breathing of the Supreme Personality of Godhead can alleviate the itching sensation within the minds of mental speculators, as well as the itching of the material senses of conditioned souls engaged in sense gratification. Thus by meditating on the windy breath of Lord Kūrma — the tortoise incarnation — all categories of conditioned souls can be relieved of the deficiencies of material existence and come to the liberated, spiritual platform. One must simply allow the pastimes of Lord Kūrma to blow within one's heart like a favorable breeze; then one will surely find spiritual peace.

12.13.3

purāṇa-sańkhyā-sambhūtim

asya vācya-prayojane

dānaḿ dānasya māhātmyaḿ

pāṭhādeś ca nibodhata

(3) Please listen to a summation of the number [of verses] of this [Purâna], the purpose of its subject matter, how the book should be given away as a gift, what the glory is of that gift-giving and what the blessing is of the reading, reciting and so on of this text.
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the best of all Purāṇas. that the other Purāṇas will now be mentioned just as the assistants of a king are mentioned in connection with his glorification.

12.13.4-9

brāhmaḿ daśa sahasrāṇi

pādmaḿ pañcona-ṣaṣṭi ca

śrī-vaiṣṇavaḿ trayo-viḿśac

catur-viḿśati śaivakam

daśāṣṭau śrī-bhāgavataḿ

nāradaḿ pañca-viḿśati

mārkaṇḍaḿ nava vāhnaḿ ca

daśa-pañca catuḥ-śatam

catur-daśa bhaviṣyaḿ syāt

tathā pañca-śatāni ca

daśāṣṭau brahma-vaivartaḿ

laińgam ekādaśaiva tu

catur-viḿśati vārāham

ekāśīti-sahasrakam

skāndaḿ śataḿ tathā caikaḿ

vāmanaḿ daśa kīrtitam

kaurmaḿ sapta-daśākhyātaḿ

mātsyaḿ tat tu catur-daśa

ekona-viḿśat sauparṇaḿ

brahmāṇḍaḿ dvādaśaiva tu

evaḿ purāṇa-sandohaś

catur-lakṣa udāhṛtaḥ

tatrāṣṭadaśa-sāhasraḿ

śrī-bhāgavataḿ iṣyate

(4-9) The Brahmâ Purâna has ten thousand verses, the Padma Purâna fifty-five thousand, the S'rî Vishnu Purâna twenty-three thousand and the S'iva Purâna twenty-four thousand. The S'rîmad Bhâgavatam counts eighteen thousand, the Nârada Purâna twenty-five thousand, the Mârkandeya Purâna nine thousand and the Agni Purâna fifteen thousand four hundred verses. The Bhavishya Purâna has fourteen thousand five hundred verses, the Brahma-vaivarta Purâna eighteen thousand and the Linga Purâna eleven thousand. The Varâha Purâna offers twenty-four thousand of them, the Skanda Purâna eighty-one thousand one hundred and the Vâmana Purâna is described in ten thousand verses. The Kûrma Purâna is said to have seventeen thousand verses, the Matsya Purâna has fourteen thousand of them, the Garuda Purâna next has nineteen thousand and the Brahmânda Purâna counts twelve thousand. In sum in the Purânas are this way described some four hundred thousand of them [*]. Eighteen thousand, as said, is the number of verses in the Bhâgavatam [see further under Purâna].

from the Matsya Purāṇa as follows:
aṣṭādaśa purāṇāni

kṛtvā satyavatī-sutaḥ

bhāratākhyānam akhilaḿ

cakre tad-upabṛḿhitam

lakṣaṇaikena tat proktaḿ

vedārtha-paribṛḿhitam

vālmīkināpi yat proktaḿ

rāmopakhyānam uttamam

brahmaṇābhihitaḿ tac ca

śata-koṭi-pravistarāt

āhṛtya nāradenaiva

vālmīkāya punaḥ punaḥ

vālmīkinā ca lokeṣu

dharma-kāmārtha-sādhanam

evaḿ sa-pādāḥ pañcaite

lakṣās teṣu prakīṛtitāḥ

"After compiling the eighteen Purāṇas, Vyāsadeva, the son of Satyavatī, composed the entire Mahābhārata, which contains the essence of all the Purāṇas. It consists of over one hundred thousand verses and is filled with all the ideas of the Vedas. There is also the account of the pastimes of Lord Rāmacandra, spoken by Vālmīki — an account originally related by Lord Brahmā in one billion verses. That Rāmāyaṇa was later summarized by Nārada and related to Vālmīki, who further presented it to mankind so that human beings could attain the goals of religiosity, sense gratification and economic development. The total number of verses in all the Purāṇas and itihāsas (histories) is thus known in human society to amount to 525,000."

that in the First Canto, Third Chapter, of this work, after Sūta Gosvāmī lists the incarnations of Godhead, he adds the special phrase kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam: "But Kṛṣṇa is the original Personality of Godhead." Similarly, after mentioning all of the Purāṇas, Śrī Suta Gosvāmī again mentions the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam to emphasize that it is the chief of all Purāṇic literatures.

12.13.10

idaḿ bhagavatā pūrvaḿ

brahmaṇe nābhi-pańkaje

sthitāya bhava-bhītāya

kāruṇyāt samprakāśitam

(10) This [tale of wisdom] was by the Supreme Personality of God [Narâyâna, see 3.8-10] out of mercy first in full revealed to Brahmâ who fearful of a material existence sat upon the lotus that grew from His navel [see also 1.1: 1].
Lord Kṛṣṇa enlightened Brahmā with the knowledge of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam before the creation of this universe, as indicated here by the word pūrvam. Also, the first verse of the Bhāgavatam states, tene brahma hṛdā ya ādi-kavaye: "Lord Kṛṣṇa expanded perfect knowledge into the heart of Lord Brahmā." Because conditioned souls can experience only temporary objects, which are created, maintained and destroyed, they cannot readily understand that Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is an eternal, transcendental literature nondifferent from the Absolute Truth.
As stated in the Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad (1.1.1):
brahmā devānāḿ prathamaḥ sambabhūva

viśvasya kartā bhuvanasya goptā

sa brahma-vidyāḿ sarva-vidyā-pratiṣṭhām

atharvāya jyeṣṭha-putrāya prāha

"Among all the demigods, Brahmā was the first to take birth. He is the creator of this universe and also its protector. To his eldest son, Atharvā, He instructed the spiritual science of the self, which is the basis of all other branches of knowledge." Despite his exalted position, however, Brahmā still fears the influence of the Lord's illusory potency. Thus this energy seems virtually insurmountable. But Lord Caitanya is so kind that during His missionary activities in eastern and southern India, He freely distributed Kṛṣṇa consciousness to everyone, urging them to become teachers of Bhagavad-gītā. Lord Caitanya, who is Kṛṣṇa Himself, encouraged the people by saying, "By My order just become a teacher of Lord Kṛṣṇa's message and save this country. I assure you that the waves of māyā will never stop your progress." (Cc. Madhya 7.128)

12.13.11-12

ādi-madhyāvasāneṣu

vairāgyākhyāna-saḿyutam

hari-līlā-kathā-vrātā-

mṛtānandita-sat-suram

sarva-vedānta-sāraḿ yad

brahmātmaikatva-lakṣaṇam

vastv advitīyaḿ tan-niṣṭhaḿ

kaivalyaika-prayojanam

 (11-12) From the beginning to the end filled with accounts on detachment it is delighting the saintly and godly with the nectar of its many narrations about the Lord His pastimes. In accord with the essence of all vedânta philosophy it has the One Reality Without a Second, that is characterized as the Absolute Truth [brahma, the impersonal] that is non-different from the One Soul [âtma, the personal], as its prime subject and the beatitude [of emancipation in devotional service or kaivalya] as the one ultimate goal [**].
From beginning to end, the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is full of narrations that encourage renunciation of material life, as well as nectarean accounts of Lord Hari's transcendental pastimes, which give ecstasy to the saintly devotees and demigods. This Bhāgavatam is the essence of all Vedānta philosophy because its subject matter is the Absolute Truth, which, while nondifferent from the spirit soul, is the ultimate reality, one without a second. The goal of this literature is exclusive devotional service unto that Supreme Truth.
Vairāgya, renunciation, means giving up everything that has no relation with the Absolute Truth. Saintly devotees and demigods are enthused by the nectar of the Lord's spiritual pastimes, which are the essence of all Vedic knowledge. Vedic knowledge elaborately negates the ultimate reality of material things by emphasizing their temporary, fleeting existence. The ultimate goal is vastu, the factual substance, which is advitīyam, one without a second. That unique Absolute Truth is a transcendental person far beyond the mundane categories and characteristics of personality found in our pale material world. Thus the ultimate goal of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is to train the sincere reader in love of Godhead. Lord Kṛṣṇa is supremely lovable because of His eternal, transcendental qualities. The beauty of this world is a dim reflection of the unlimited beauty of the Lord. Without compromise, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam persistently declares the glories of the Absolute Truth and is therefore the supreme spiritual literature, awarding a full taste of the nectar of love of Kṛṣṇa in full Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

12.13.13

prauṣṭhapadyāḿ paurṇamāsyāḿ

hema-siḿha-samanvitam

dadāti yo bhāgavataḿ

sa yāti paramāḿ gatim

(13) He who gives the Bhâgavatam as a gift in his full glory ['on a golden throne'] on the day of the full moon in the month Bhâdra [August/September] reaches the supreme destination.
One should place Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam on a golden throne because it is the king of all literature. On the full-moon day of the month of Bhādra, the sun, which is compared to this king of literatures, is present in the constellation Leo and looks as if raised up on a royal throne. (According to astrology, the sun is said to be exalted in the sign of Leo). Thus one may unreservedly worship Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the supreme divine scripture.

12.13.14

rājante tāvad anyāni

purāṇāni satāḿ gaṇe

yāvad bhāgavataḿ naiva

śrūyate 'mṛta-sāgaram

(14) Other classical collections of stories [other bibles, other Purânas or holy scriptures] are prominent in the assembly of the saintly only for as long as one does not listen to the great ocean of nectar which is the Bhâgavatam.
Other Vedic literatures and other scriptures of the world remain prominent until the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is duly heard and understood. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the ocean of nectar and the supreme literature. By faithful hearing, recitation and distribution of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the world will be sanctified and other, inferior literatures will fade to minor status.

12.13.15

sarva-vedānta-sāraḿ hi

śrī-bhāgavatam iṣyate

tad-rasāmṛta-tṛptasya

nānyatra syād ratiḥ kvacit

(15) The S'rîmad Bhâgavatam indeed is said to be the essence of all Vedânta philosophy; someone satisfied by its nectarean taste is never attracted to any other influence.

12.13.16

nimna-gānāḿ yathā gańgā

devānām acyuto yathā

vaiṣṇavānāḿ yathā śambhuḥ

purāṇānām idam tathā

(16) Of all Purânas this one is just like what the Ganges is in relation to all rivers flowing towards the sea, what Acyuta is in relation to all deities and what S'ambhu [S'iva] is in relation to all devotees.

12.13.17

kṣetrāṇāḿ caiva sarveṣāḿ

yathā kāśī hy anuttamā

tathā purāṇa-vrātānāḿ

śrīmad-bhāgavataḿ dvijāḥ

(17) Just like Kâs'î [Benares] is unsurpassed among all holy places, S'rîmad Bhâgavatam is matchless among all the Purânas, o twice-born ones.

12.13.18

śrīmad-bhāgavataḿ purāṇam amalaḿ yad vaiṣṇavānāḿ priyaḿ

yasmin pāramahaḿsyam ekam amalaḿ jñānaḿ paraḿ gīyate

tatra jñāna-virāga-bhakti-sahitaḿ naiṣkarmyam āviskṛtaḿ

tac chṛṇvan su-paṭhan vicāraṇa-paro bhaktyā vimucyen naraḥ

(18) S'rîmad Bhâgavatam is the spotless Purâna most dear to the Vaishnavas in which the perfectly pure and supreme spiritual knowledge is celebrated of no one less but the best of devotees; in it is revealed, together with the knowledge, the detachment and the devotion, the freedom from all fruitive labor which will deliver that person who serious in his conviction with devotion listens, studies and does the mantras as should.
Because Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is completely free of contamination by the modes of nature, it is endowed with extraordinary spiritual beauty and is therefore dear to the pure devotees of the Lord. The word pāramahaḿsyam indicates that even completely liberated souls are eager to hear and narrate Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Those who are trying to be liberated should faithfully serve this literature by hearing and reciting it with faith and devotion.

12.13.19

kasmai yena vibhāsito 'yam atulo jñāna-pradīpaḥ purā

tad-rūpeṇa ca nāradāya munaye kṛṣṇāya tad-rūpiṇā

yogīndrāya tad-ātmanātha bhagavad-rātāya kāruṇyatas

tac chuddhaḿ vimalaḿ viśokam amṛtaḿ satyaḿ paraḿ dhīmahi

(19) I meditate upon the incomparable torch light of the Immortal Truth that is Free from Sorrow and long ago was revealed to the deity ['Ka' or Brahmâ], by whom this transcendental knowledge pure and uncontaminated was spoken to Nârada the great sage who delivered it by means of his personal form to Krishna Dvaipâyana Vyâsa who next expounded it to the king of the yogis [S'ukadeva] who out of his mercy on his turn revealed it to [Parîkchit] the grace of the Fortunate One.

The first verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam states, satyaḿ paraḿ dhīmahi — "I meditate upon the Supreme Truth" — and now at the conclusion of this magnificent transcendental literature, the same auspicious sounds are vibrated. The words tad-rūpeṇa, tad-rūpiṇā and tad-ātmanā in this verse clearly indicate that Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself originally spoke Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam to Brahmā and then continued to speak this literature through the agency of Nārada Muni, Dvaipāyana Vyāsa, Śukadeva Gosvāmī and other great sages. In other words, whenever saintly devotees vibrate Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, it is to be understood that Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself is speaking the Absolute Truth through the agency of His pure representatives. Anyone who submissively hears this literature from the Lord's bona fide devotees transcends his conditioned state and becomes qualified to meditate upon the Absolute Truth and serve Him.

12.13.20

namas tasmai bhagavate

vāsudevāya sākṣiṇe

ya idam kṛpayā kasmai

vyācacakṣe mumukṣave

(20) Obeisances to Him, the Supreme Personality of Godhead Lord Vâsudeva, the Supreme Witness who mercifully explained this to the deity who desired liberation.

12.13.21

yogīndrāya namas tasmai

śukāya brahma-rūpiṇe

saḿsāra-sarpa-daṣṭaḿ yo

viṣṇu-rātam amūmucat

 (21) Obeisances to him, the king of the yogis, S'ukadeva Gosvâmî, the personal manifestation of the Absolute Truth who freed [Parîkchit] the grace of Vishnu who was bitten by the snake of material existence.
Sūta Gosvāmī now offers obeisances to his own spiritual master Śukadeva Gosvāmī. just as Arjuna was placed into material confusion so that Bhagavad-gītā might be spoken, so King Parīkṣit, a pure, liberated devotee of the Lord, was cursed to die so that Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam might be spoken. Actually, King Parīkṣit is viṣṇu-rāta, eternally under the protection of the Lord. Śukadeva Gosvāmī liberated the king from his so-called illusion to exhibit the merciful nature of a pure devotee and the enlightening effect of his association.

12.13.22

bhave bhave yathā bhaktiḥ

pādayos tava jāyate

tathā kuruṣva deveśa

nāthas tvaḿ no yataḥ prabho

(22) O Lord, You are our Master, the Lord of the Divinity, therefore please make it so that we life after life at Your feet may find bhakti.

12.13.23

nāma-sańkīrtanaḿ yasya

sarva-pāpa praṇāśanam

praṇāmo duḥkha-śamanas

taḿ namāmi hariḿ param

 (23) I offer my obeisances to Him, the Supreme Lord, whose congregational chanting of the holy name destroys all sins and to whom bowing down the misery is extinguished."
 Thus end of  the Twelfth Canto, Thirteenth Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled "The Glories of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam."
Thus the twelfth Canto of the S'rîmad Bhâgavatam ends named: The Age of Deterioration.
With this last Canto ends the Story of the Fortunate One, the Bhâgavata Purâna, also known as the S'rîmad Bhâgavatam and the Paramahamsa Samhitâ. All glories to the Brahmâ-Mâdhva-Gaudiyâ Sampradâya paramparâ of the foregoing Vaishnav âcâryas headed by Lord Gauranga, S'rî Krishna Caitanya Mahâprabhu, who through their commentaries, translations, bhajans and lectures made this presentation possible and brought the full of the Vaishnava culture to the humble western servant of Krishna, Anand Aadhar Prabhu, who in truth is never finished with his work.

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