Gaura Vani

śrī-śuka uvācavarīyān eṣa te praśnaḥkṛto loka-hitaṁ nṛpaātmavit-sammataḥ puṁsāṁśrotavyādiṣu yaḥ paraḥTranslationŚrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: My dear King, your question is glorious because it is very beneficial to all kinds of people. The answer to this question is the prime subject matter for hearing, and it is approved by all transcendentalists.

dharmārtha uttama-ślokaṁtantuḥ tanvan pitṝn yajetrakṣā-kāmaḥ puṇya-janānojas-kāmo marud-gaṇānTranslationOne should worship Lord Viṣṇu or His devotee for spiritual advancement in knowledge, and for protection of heredity and advancement of a dynasty one should worship the various demigods.

sa eva prathamaṁ devaḥkaumāraṁ sargam āśritaḥcacāra duścaraṁ brahmābrahmacaryam akhaṇḍitamTranslationFirst of all, in the beginning of creation, there were the four unmarried sons of Brahmā [the Kumāras], who, being situated in a vow of celibacy, underwent severe austerities for realization of the Absolute Truth.

etan nānāvatārāṇāṁnidhānaṁ bījam avyayamyasyāṁśāṁśena sṛjyantedeva-tiryaṅ-narādayaḥTranslationThis form [the second manifestation of the puruṣa] is the source and indestructible seed of multifarious incarnations within the universe. From the particles and portions of this form, different living entities, like demigods, men and others, are created.

yasyāmbhasi śayānasyayoga-nidrāṁ vitanvataḥ nābhi-hradāmbujād āsīdbrahmā viśva-sṛjāṁ patiḥTranslationA part of the puruṣa lies down within the water of the universe, from the navel lake of His body sprouts a lotus stem, and from the lotus flower atop this stem, Brahmā, the master of all engineers in the universe, becomes manifest.

sūta uvāca jagṛhe pauruṣaṁ rūpaṁbhagavān mahad-ādibhiḥsambhūtaṁ ṣoḍaśa-kalamādau loka-sisṛkṣayāTranslationSūta said: In the beginning of the creation, the Lord first expanded Himself in the universal form of the puruṣa incarnation and manifested all the ingredients for the material creation. And thus at first there was the creation of the sixteen principles of material action. This was for the purpose of creating the material universes.

bhejire munayo ’thāgrebhagavantam adhokṣajamsattvaṁ viśuddhaṁ kṣemāyakalpante ye ’nu tān ihaTranslationPreviously all the great sages rendered service unto the Personality of Godhead due to His existence above the three modes of material nature. They worshiped Him to become free from material conditions and thus derive the ultimate benefit. Whoever follows such great authorities is also eligible for liberation from the material world.

sattvaṁ rajas tama iti prakṛter guṇās tairyuktaḥ paraḥ puruṣa eka ihāsya dhattesthity-ādaye hari-viriñci-hareti saṁjñāḥśreyāṁsi tatra khalu sattva-tanor nṛṇāṁ syuḥTranslationThe transcendental Personality of Godhead is indirectly associated with the three modes of material nature, namely passion, goodness and ignorance, and just for the material world’s creation, maintenance and destruction He accepts the three qualitative forms of Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva. Of these three, all human beings can derive ultimate benefit from Viṣṇu, the form of the quality of goodness.

tadā rajas-tamo-bhāvāḥkāma-lobhādayaś ca yeceta etair anāviddhaṁsthitaṁ sattve prasīdatiTranslationAs soon as irrevocable loving service is established in the heart, the effects of nature’s modes of passion and ignorance, such as lust, desire and hankering, disappear from the heart. Then the devotee is established in goodness, and he becomes completely happy.

śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥpuṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥhṛdy antaḥ stho hy abhadrāṇividhunoti suhṛt satāmTranslationŚrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead, who is the Paramātmā [Supersoul] in everyone’s heart and the benefactor of the truthful devotee, cleanses desire for material enjoyment from the heart of the devotee who has developed the urge to hear His messages, which are in themselves virtuous when properly heard and chanted.

yad-anudhyāsinā yuktāḥkarma-granthi-nibandhanamchindanti kovidās tasyako na kuryāt kathā-ratimTranslationWith sword in hand, intelligent men cut through the binding knots of reactionary work [karma] by remembering the Personality of Godhead. Therefore, who will not pay attention to His message?

tasmād ekena manasābhagavān sātvatāṁ patiḥśrotavyaḥ kīrtitavyaś cadhyeyaḥ pūjyaś ca nityadāTranslationTherefore, with one-pointed attention, one should constantly hear about, glorify, remember and worship the Personality of Godhead, who is the protector of the devotees.

ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhāvarṇāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥsvanuṣṭhitasya dharmasyasaṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇamTranslationO best among the twice-born, it is therefore concluded that the highest perfection one can achieve by discharging the duties prescribed for one’s own occupation according to caste divisions and orders of life is to please the Personality of Godhead.

tac chraddadhānā munayo jñāna-vairāgya-yuktayā paśyanty ātmani cātmānaṁbhaktyā śruta-gṛhītayāTranslationThe seriously inquisitive student or sage, well equipped with knowledge and detachment, realizes that Absolute Truth by rendering devotional service in terms of what he has heard from the Vedānta-śruti.

kāmasya nendriya-prītirlābho jīveta yāvatājīvasya tattva-jijñāsānārtho yaś ceha karmabhiḥTranslationLife’s desires should never be directed toward sense gratification. One should desire only a healthy life, or self-preservation, since a human being is meant for inquiry about the Absolute Truth. Nothing else should be the goal of one’s works.

dharmasya hy āpavargyasyanārtho ’rthāyopakalpatenārthasya dharmaikāntasyakāmo lābhāya hi smṛtaḥTranslationAll occupational engagements are certainly meant for ultimate liberation. They should never be performed for material gain. Furthermore, according to sages, one who is engaged in the ultimate occupational service should never use material gain to cultivate sense gratification.

dharmaḥ svanuṣṭhitaḥ puṁsāṁviṣvaksena-kathāsu yaḥnotpādayed yadi ratiṁśrama eva hi kevalamTranslationThe occupational activities a man performs according to his own position are only so much useless labor if they do not provoke attraction for the message of the Personality of Godhead.

vāsudeve bhagavatibhakti-yogaḥ prayojitaḥjanayaty āśu vairāgyaṁjñānaṁ ca yad ahaitukamTranslationBy rendering devotional service unto the Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, one immediately acquires causeless knowledge and detachment from the world.

sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmoyato bhaktir adhokṣajeahaituky apratihatāyayātmā suprasīdatiTranslationThe supreme occupation [dharma] for all humanity is that by which men can attain to loving devotional service unto the transcendent Lord. Such devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted to completely satisfy the self.

munayaḥ sādhu pṛṣṭo ’haṁbhavadbhir loka-maṅgalamyat kṛtaḥ kṛṣṇa-sampraśnoyenātmā suprasīdatiTranslationO sages, I have been justly questioned by you. Your questions are worthy because they relate to Lord Kṛṣṇa and so are of relevance to the world’s welfare. Only questions of this sort are capable of completely satisfying the self.

nārāyaṇaṁ namaskṛtyanaraṁ caiva narottamamdevīṁ sarasvatīṁ vyāsaṁtato jayam udīrayetTranslationBefore reciting this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, which is the very means of conquest, one should offer respectful obeisances unto the Personality of Godhead, Nārāyaṇa, unto Nara-nārāyaṇa Ṛṣi, the supermost human being, unto mother Sarasvatī, the goddess of learning, and unto Śrīla Vyāsadeva, the author.

yaḥ svānubhāvam akhila-śruti-sāram ekamadhyātma-dīpam atititīrṣatāṁ tamo ’ndham saṁsāriṇāṁ karuṇayāha purāṇa-guhyaṁtaṁ vyāsa-sūnum upayāmi guruṁ munīnāmTranslationLet me offer my respectful obeisances unto him [Śuka], the spiritual master of all sages, the son of Vyāsadeva, who, out of his great compassion for those gross materialists who struggle to cross over the darkest regions of material existence, spoke this most confidential supplement to the cream of Vedic knowledge, after having personally assimilated it by experience.

munayaḥ sādhu pṛṣṭo ’haṁbhavadbhir loka-maṅgalamyat kṛtaḥ kṛṣṇa-sampraśnoyenātmā suprasīdatiTranslationO sages, I have been justly questioned by you. Your questions are worthy because they relate to Lord Kṛṣṇa and so are of relevance to the world’s welfare. Only questions of this sort are capable of completely satisfying the self.

munayaḥ sādhu pṛṣṭo ’haṁbhavadbhir loka-maṅgalamyat kṛtaḥ kṛṣṇa-sampraśnoyenātmā suprasīdatiTranslationO sages, I have been justly questioned by you. Your questions are worthy because they relate to Lord Kṛṣṇa and so are of relevance to the world’s welfare. Only questions of this sort are capable of completely satisfying the self.

nārāyaṇaṁ namaskṛtyanaraṁ caiva narottamamdevīṁ sarasvatīṁ vyāsaṁtato jayam udīrayetTranslationBefore reciting this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, which is the very means of conquest, one should offer respectful obeisances unto the Personality of Godhead, Nārāyaṇa, unto Nara-nārāyaṇa Ṛṣi, the supermost human being, unto mother Sarasvatī, the goddess of learning, and unto Śrīla Vyāsadeva, the author.

sūta uvācayaṁ pravrajantam anupetam apeta-kṛtyaṁ dvaipāyano viraha-kātara ājuhāvaputreti tan-mayatayā taravo ’bhinedustaṁ sarva-bhūta-hṛdayaṁ munim ānato ’smiTranslationŚrīla Sūta Gosvāmī said: Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto that great sage [Śukadeva Gosvāmī] who can enter the hearts of all. When he went away to take up the renounced order of life [sannyāsa], leaving home without undergoing reformation by the sacred thread or the ceremonies observed by the higher castes, his father, Vyāsadeva, fearing separation from him, cried out, “O my son!” Indeed, only the trees, which were absorbed in the same feelings of separation, echoed in response to the begrieved father.

vyāsa uvācaiti sampraśna-saṁhṛṣṭoviprāṇāṁ raumaharṣaṇiḥpratipūjya vacas teṣāṁpravaktum upacakrameTranslationUgraśravā [Sūta Gosvāmī], the son of Romaharṣaṇa, being fully satisfied by the perfect questions of the brāhmaṇas, thanked them and thus attempted to reply.

brūhi yogeśvare kṛṣṇe brahmaṇye dharma-varmaṇi svāṁ kāṣṭhām adhunopete dharmaḥ kaṁ śaraṇaṁ gataḥTranslationSince Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Absolute Truth, the master of all mystic powers, has departed for His own abode, please tell us to whom the religious principles have now gone for shelter.

brūhi yogeśvare kṛṣṇe brahmaṇye dharma-varmaṇi svāṁ kāṣṭhām adhunopete dharmaḥ kaṁ śaraṇaṁ gataḥTranslationSince Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Absolute Truth, the master of all mystic powers, has departed for His own abode, please tell us to whom the religious principles have now gone for shelter.

kṛtavān kila karmāṇi saha rāmeṇa keśavaḥatimartyāni bhagavāngūḍhaḥ kapaṭa-mānuṣaḥTranslationLord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead, along with Balarāma, played like a human being, and so masked He performed many superhuman acts.

kalim āgatam ājñāyakṣetre ’smin vaiṣṇave vayamāsīnā dīrgha-satreṇakathāyāṁ sakṣaṇā hareḥTranslationKnowing well that the Age of Kali has already begun, we are assembled here in this holy place to hear at great length the transcendental message of Godhead and in this way perform sacrifice.

vayaṁ tu na vitṛpyāmauttama-śloka-vikrameyac-chṛṇvatāṁ rasa-jñānāṁsvādu svādu pade padeTranslationWe never tire of hearing the transcendental pastimes of the Personality of Godhead, who is glorified by hymns and prayers. Those who have developed a taste for transcendental relationships with Him relish hearing of His pastimes at every moment.

athākhyāhi harer dhīmannavatāra-kathāḥ śubhāḥlīlā vidadhataḥ svairamīśvarasyātma-māyayāTranslationO wise Sūta, please narrate to us the transcendental pastimes of the Supreme Godhead’s multi-incarnations. Such auspicious adventures and pastimes of the Lord, the supreme controller, are performed by His internal powers.

tasya karmāṇy udārāṇi parigītāni sūribhiḥbrūhi naḥ śraddadhānānāṁlīlayā dadhataḥ kalāḥTranslationHis transcendental acts are magnificent and gracious, and great learned sages like Nārada sing of them. Please, therefore, speak to us, who are eager to hear, about the adventures He performs in His various incarnations.

ko vā bhagavatas tasya puṇya-ślokeḍya-karmaṇaḥ śuddhi-kāmo na śṛṇuyād yaśaḥ kali-malāpahamTranslationWho is there, desiring deliverance from the vices of the age of quarrel, who is not willing to hear the virtuous glories of the Lord?

yat-pāda-saṁśrayāḥ sūta munayaḥ praśamāyanāḥ sadyaḥ punanty upaspṛṣṭāḥ svardhuny-āpo ’nusevayāTranslationO Sūta, those great sages who have completely taken shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord can at once sanctify those who come in touch with them, whereas the waters of the Ganges can sanctify only after prolonged use.

tan naḥ śuśrūṣamāṇānāmarhasy aṅgānuvarṇitumyasyāvatāro bhūtānāṁkṣemāya ca bhavāya caTranslationO Sūta Gosvāmī, we are eager to learn about the Personality of Godhead and His incarnations. Please explain to us those teachings imparted by previous masters [ācāryas], for one is uplifted both by speaking them and by hearing them.

sūta jānāsi bhadraṁ tebhagavān sātvatāṁ patiḥdevakyāṁ vasudevasyajāto yasya cikīrṣayāTranslationAll blessings upon you, O Sūta Gosvāmī. You know for what purpose the Personality of Godhead appeared in the womb of Devakī as the son of Vasudeva.

sūta jānāsi bhadraṁ te bhagavān sātvatāṁ patiḥ devakyāṁ vasudevasya jāto yasya cikīrṣayāTranslationAll blessings upon you, O Sūta Gosvāmī. You know for what purpose the Personality of Godhead appeared in the womb of Devakī as the son of Vasudeva.

prāyeṇālpāyuṣaḥ sabhyakalāv asmin yuge janāḥmandāḥ sumanda-matayomanda-bhāgyā hy upadrutāḥTranslationO learned one, in this iron Age of Kali men almost always have but short lives. They are quarrelsome, lazy, misguided, unlucky and, above all, always disturbed.

tatra tatrāñjasāyuṣmanbhavatā yad viniścitampuṁsām ekāntataḥ śreyastan naḥ śaṁsitum arhasiTranslationPlease, therefore, being blessed with many years, explain to us, in an easily understandable way, what you have ascertained to be the absolute and ultimate good for the people in general.

tatra tatrāñjasāyuṣman bhavatā yad viniścitam puṁsām ekāntataḥ śreyas tan naḥ śaṁsitum arhasiTranslationPlease, therefore, being blessed with many years, explain to us, in an easily understandable way, what you have ascertained to be the absolute and ultimate good for the people in general.

vettha tvaṁ saumyatat sarvaṁ tattvatas tad-anugrahāt brūyuḥ snigdhasya śiṣyasya guravo guhyam apy utaTranslationAnd because you are submissive, your spiritual masters have endowed you with all the favors bestowed upon a gentle disciple. Therefore you can tell us all that you have scientifically learned from them.

yāni veda-vidāṁ śreṣṭho'bhagavān bādarāyaṇaḥanye ca munayaḥ sūta parāvara-vido viduḥBeing the eldest learned Vedāntist, O Sūta Gosvāmī, you are acquainted with the knowledge of Vyāsadeva, who is the incarnation of Godhead, and you also know other sages who are fully versed in all kinds of physical and metaphysical knowledge.

ṛṣaya ūcuḥ: tvayā khalu purāṇāni setihāsāni cānagha ākhyātāny apy adhītāni dharma-śāstrāṇi yāny utaTranslationThe sages said: Respected Sūta Gosvāmī, you are completely free from all vice. You are well versed in all the scriptures famous for religious life, and in the Purāṇas and the histories as well, for you have gone through them under proper guidance and have also explained them.

ta ekadā tu munayaḥ prātar huta-hutāgnayaḥ sat-kṛtaṁ sūtam āsīnaṁ papracchur idam ādarātTranslationOne day, after finishing their morning duties by burning a sacrificial fire and offering a seat of esteem to Śrīla Sūta Gosvāmī, the great sages made inquiries, with great respect, about the following matters.

naimiṣe ’nimiṣa-kṣetre ṛṣayaḥ śaunakādayaḥ satraṁ svargāya lokāya sahasra-samam āsataTranslationOnce, in a holy place in the forest of Naimiṣāraṇya, great sages headed by the sage Śaunaka assembled to perform a great thousand-year sacrifice for the satisfaction of the Lord and His devotees.

naimiṣe ’nimiṣa-kṣetreṛṣayaḥ śaunakādayaḥsatraṁ svargāya lokāya sahasra-samam āsataTranslationOnce, in a holy place in the forest of Naimiṣāraṇya, great sages headed by the sage Śaunaka assembled to perform a great thousand-year sacrifice for the satisfaction of the Lord and His devotees.

dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo ’tra paramo nirmatsarāṇāṁ satāṁ vedyaṁ vāstavam atra vastu śivadaṁ tāpa-trayonmūlanam śrīmad-bhāgavate mahā-muni-kṛte kiṁ vā parair īśvaraḥ sadyo hṛdy avarudhyate ’tra kṛtibhiḥ śuśrūṣubhis tat-kṣaṇātTranslationCompletely rejecting all religious activities which are materially motivated, this Bhāgavata Purāṇa propounds the highest truth, which is understandable by those devotees who are fully pure in heart. The highest truth is reality distinguished from illusion for the welfare of all. Such truth uproots the threefold miseries. This beautiful Bhāgavatam, compiled by the great sage Vyāsadeva [in his maturity], is sufficient in itself for God realization. What is the need of any other scripture? As soon as one attentively and submissively hears the message of Bhāgavatam, by this culture of knowledge the Supreme Lord is established within his heart.

CHAPTER ONEQuestions by the SagesText 1TranslationO my Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, son of Vasudeva, O all-pervading Personality of Godhead, I offer my respectful obeisances unto You. I meditate upon Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa because He is the Absolute Truth and the primeval cause of all causes of the creation, sustenance and destruction of 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 Brahmājī, 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 Śrī Kṛṣṇa, 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.Text 2TranslationCompletely rejecting all religious activities which are materially motivated, this Bhāgavata Purāṇa propounds the highest truth, which is understandable by those devotees who are fully pure in heart. The highest truth is reality distinguished from illusion for the welfare of all. Such truth uproots the threefold miseries. This beautiful Bhāgavatam, compiled by the great sage Vyāsadeva [in his maturity], is sufficient in itself for God realization. What is the need of any other scripture? As soon as one attentively and submissively hears the message of Bhāgavatam, by this culture of knowledge the Supreme Lord is established within his heart.