Scriptures

Śrīmad Devī Bhāgavatam

BOOK 1 • CHAPTER 1
Ch 1 Verse 1 Verse
Sanskrit Text
१.१ प्रथमोऽध्यायः । शौनकप्रश्नः । ॐ सर्वचैतन्यरूपां तां आद्यां विद्यां च धीमहि । बुद्धिं या नः प्रचोदयात् ॥ १ ॥
English Translation
I meditate on the beginningless Brahmāvidyā who is Sarvacaitanyarūpā, of the nature of all-consciousness; May She stimulate our buddhi to the realisation of That (or who stimulates our buddhi in different directions).
Ch 1 Verse 2 Verse
Sanskrit Text
शौनक उवाच - सूत सूत महाभाग धन्योऽसि पुरुषर्षभ । यदधीतास्त्वया सम्यक् पुराणसंहिताः शुभाः ॥ २ ॥
English Translation
Śaunaka said :-- “O highly fortunate Sūta! O noble Sūta! You are the best of persons; you are blessed inasmuch as you have thoroughly studied all the auspicious Purāṇas.
Ch 1 Verse 3 Verse
Sanskrit Text
अष्टादश पुराणानि कृष्णेन मुनिनानघ । कथितानि सुदिव्यानि पठितानि त्वयानघ ॥ ३ ॥
English Translation
O sinless one! you have gone through all the eighteen Purāṇas composed by Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyana; these are endowed with five excellent characteristics and full of esoteric meanings. Note :-- The characteristics are to make the mantras reveal to one’s own self, to realise, to transfer to others the Śakti, force thereof, to prove the various manifestations of the several effects thereof, etc.
Ch 1 Verse 4-5 Verse
Sanskrit Text
पञ्चलक्षणयुक्तानि सरहस्यानि मानद । त्वया ज्ञातानि सर्वाणि व्यासात्सत्यवतीसुतात् ॥ ४ ॥ अस्माकं पुण्ययोगेन प्राप्तस्त्वं क्षेत्रमुत्तमम् । दिव्यं विश्वसनं पुण्यं कलिदोषविवर्जितम् ॥ ५ ॥
English Translation
O Sinless one! It is not that you have read them like a parrot, but you have thoroughly grasped the meaning of them all as you have learnt them from Vyāsa himself, the son of Satyavati. Now it is our good merits that you have come at this divine holy excellent Viśvasan Ksettra (place), free from any defects of the Kali age.
Ch 1 Verse 6 Verse
Sanskrit Text
समाजोऽयं मुनीनां हि श्रोतुकामोऽस्ति पुण्यदाम् । पुराणसंहितां सूत ब्रूहि त्वं नः समाहितः ॥ ६ ॥
English Translation
O Sūta! These Munis assembled here are desirous to hear the holy Purāṇa Samhitā, that yields religious merits. So describe this to us with your mind concentrated.
Ch 1 Verse 7 Verse
Sanskrit Text
दीर्घायुर्भव सर्वज्ञ तापत्रयविवर्जितः । कथयाद्य महाभाग पुराणं ब्रह्मसम्मितम् ॥ ७ ॥
English Translation
O all-knowing Sūta! Live long and be free from the threefold sorrows of existence. O highly fortunate one! Narrate to us the Purāṇa equivalent to the Vedas.
Ch 1 Verse 8-9 Verse
Sanskrit Text
श्रोत्रेन्द्रिययुताः सूत नराः स्वादविचक्षणाः । न श‍ृण्वन्ति पुराणानि वञ्चिता विधिना हि ते ॥ ८ ॥ यथा जिह्वेन्द्रियाह्लादः षड्रसैः प्रतिपद्यते । तथा श्रोत्रेन्द्रियाह्लादो वचोभिः सुधियां स्मृतः ॥ ९ ॥
English Translation
O Sūta! Those persons that do not hear the Purāṇas, are certainly deprived by the Creator, though they have apparently the organ of hearing, of the power of tasting the sweet essence of words; because, the organ of hearing is gratified then and then only when it hears the words of the wise men, just as the organ of taste is satisfied then and then only when it tastes the six kinds of rasas (flavour, taste) (sweet, sour, pungent, bitter, salty, and astringent). This is known to all.
Ch 1 Verse 10 Verse
Sanskrit Text
अश्रोत्राः फणिनः कामं मुह्यन्ति हि नभोगुणैः । सकर्णा ये न श‍ृण्वन्ति तेऽप्यकर्णाः कथं न च ॥ १० ॥
English Translation
The serpents that are void of the organ of hearing are enchanted by sweet music; then why should not those persons that have the organs of hearing and are averse to hear the Purāṇas, be thrown under the category of the deaf?
Ch 1 Verse 11-13 Verse
Sanskrit Text
अतः सर्वे द्विजाः सौम्य श्रोतुकामाः समाहिताः । वर्तन्ते नैमिषारण्ये क्षेत्रे कलिभयार्दिताः ॥ ११ ॥ येन केनाप्युपायेन कालातिवाहनं स्मृतम् । व्यसनैरिह मूर्खाणां बुधानां शास्त्रचिन्तनैः ॥ १२ ॥ शास्त्राण्यपि विचित्राणि जल्पवादयुतानि च । त्रिविधानि पुराणानि शास्त्राणि विविधानि च । विताण्डाच्छलयुक्तानि गर्वामर्षकराणि च । नानार्थवादयुक्तानि हेतुमन्ति बृहन्ति च ॥ १३ ॥
English Translation
O Saumya! Hence all these Brāhmins, being distressed with the fear of this Kali, have come here to this Naimisāraṇya, eager to hear attentively the Purāṇas, and are staying here with this one object. Time must be spent away anyhow or other; those that are fools while away their times in sports and other evil practices and those that are learned pass away their times in meditating on the Śāstras; but these Śāstras are too vast and very varied; they contain Jalpas (debates or wrangling discussions to win over the opposite party), Vadas (sound doctrines to arrive at just conclusions), and various Arthavādas (explanations and assertions, recommending Vidhis or precepts by stating the good arising from its proper observance and evils arising from its omission and also by adducing historical instances for its support; praises and eulogies) and filled with many argumentations. And, amongst these Śāstras again, the Vedānta is the Sāttvik, the Mimāmsas are the Rājasik and the Nyāya Śāstras with Hetuvādas, are the Tāmasik; so the Śāstras are varied.
Ch 1 Verse 14-18 Verse
Sanskrit Text
सात्त्विकं तत्र वेदान्तं मीमांसा राजसं मतम् । तामसं न्यायशास्त्रं च हेतुवादाभियन्त्रितम् ॥ १४ ॥ तथैव च पुराणानि त्रिगुणानि कथानकैः । कथितानि त्वया सौम्य पञ्चलक्षणवन्ति च ॥ १५ ॥ तत्र भागवतं पुण्यं पञ्चमं वेदसम्मितम् । कथितं यत्त्वया पूर्वं सर्वलक्षणसंयुतम् ॥ १६ ॥ उद्देशमात्रेण तदा कीर्तितं परमाद्भुतम् । मुक्तिप्रदं मुमुक्षूणां कामदं धर्मदं तथा ॥ १७ ॥ विस्तरेण तदाख्याहि पुराणोत्तममादरात् । श्रोतुकामा द्विजाः सर्वे दिव्यं भागवतं शुभम् ॥ १८ ॥
English Translation
Similarly, the Purāṇas are of three kinds :-- (1) Śattvik, (2) Rājasik and (3) Tāmasik. O Saumya! (one of gentle appearance) you have recited those Purāṇas endowed with five characteristics and full of many narratives; of these, the fifth Purāṇa, equivalent to the Vedas and with all the good qualities, the Bhāgavata yields Dharma and Kāma (religion and desires), gives liberation to those who desire for emancipation and is very wonderful; you mentioned this before but ordinarily; you did not dwell on this specially. Now these Brāhmaṇas are eager to hear gladly this divine auspicious Bhāgavata, the best of the Purāṇas; so kindly describe this in detail.
Ch 1 Verse 19-20 Verse
Sanskrit Text
त्वं तु जानासि धर्मज्ञ पौराणीं संहितां किल । कृष्णोक्तां गुरुभक्तत्वात् सम्यक् सत्त्वगुणाश्रयः ॥ १९ ॥ श्रुतान्यन्यानि सर्वज्ञ त्वन्मुखान्निःसृतानि च । नैव तृप्तिं व्रजामोऽद्य सुधापानेऽमरा यथा ॥ २० ॥
English Translation
O knower of Dharma! By your faith and devotion to your Guru, you have become Sāttvik and thus have thoroughly known the Purāṇa Samhitās spoken by Veda Vyās. O Omniscient one! Therefore it is that we have heard many Purāṇas from your mouth; but we are not satisfied as the Devas are not satisfied with the drinking of the nectar.
Ch 1 Verse 21 Verse
Sanskrit Text
धिक्सुधां पिबतां सूत मुक्तिर्नैव कदाचन । पिबन्भागवतं सद्यो नरो मुच्येत सङ्कटात् ॥ २१ ॥
English Translation
O Sūta! Fie to the nectar even as the drinking of nectar is quite useless in giving Mukti. But hearing the Bhāgavata gives instantaneous Mukti from this Samsāra or round of birth and death.
Ch 1 Verse 22-24 Verse
Sanskrit Text
सुधापाननिमित्तं यत् कृता यज्ञाः सहस्रशः । न शान्तिमधिगच्छामः सूत सर्वात्मना वयम् ॥ २२ ॥ मखानां हि फलं स्वर्गः स्वर्गात्प्रच्यवनं पुनः । एवं संसारचक्रेऽस्म्निन् भ्रमणं च निरन्तरम् ॥ २३ ॥ विना ज्ञानेन सर्वज्ञ नैव मुक्तिः कदाचन । भ्रमतां कालचक्रेऽत्र नराणां त्रिगुणात्मके ॥ २४ ॥
English Translation
O Sūta! we performed thousands and thousands of Yajñas for the drinking of the nectar (Amrita), but never we got the full peace. The reason being that Yajñas lead to heaven only; on the expiry of the period of punya (good merits, the heavenly life ceases and one is expelled, as it were from the Heavens. Thus incessant sojourns in this wheel of Samsāra, the constant rounds of births and deaths never end. O Knower of every thing! Thus, without Jñāna (knowledge, wisdom) Mukti never comes to men, wandering in this wheel of Time (Kālacakra) composed of the three Guṇas.
Ch 1 Verse 25 Verse
Sanskrit Text
अतः सर्वरसोपेतं पुण्यं भागवतं वद । पावनं मुक्तिदं गुह्यं मुमुक्षूणां सदा प्रियम् ॥ २५ ॥
Sanskrit Colophon
इति श्रीमद्देवीभागवते महापुराणेऽष्टादशसाहस्र्यां संहितायां प्रथमस्कन्धे शौनकप्रश्नः नाम प्रथमोऽध्यायः ॥ १.१॥
English Translation
So describe this holy Bhāgavata, always beloved of the Mumukṣas (those that desire Mukti), this secret work yielding liberation, holy and full of all sentiments (rasas). Thus ends the first chapter of the first Skandha on the questioning about the Purāṇa by Saunaka and other Rishis in the Mahāpurāna Śrīmad Devī Bhāgavatam of 18,000 verses by Maharṣi Veda Vyāsa.