oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya (1.1.1)
janmādy asya yato ’nvayād itarataś cārtheṣv abhijñaḥ svarāṭ
tene brahma hṛdā
ya ādi-kavaye muhyanti yat sūrayaḥ
tejo-vāri-mṛdāṁ yathā vinimayo yatra
tri-sargo ’mṛṣā
dhāmnā svena sadā nirasta-kuhakaṁ
satyaṁ paraṁ dhīmahi
om — O my Lord; namaḥ — offering my obeisances; bhagavate —
unto the Personality of Godhead; vāsudevāya — unto Vāsudeva (the son of
Vasudeva), or Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the
primeval Lord; janma-ādi — creation, sustenance and destruction; asya
— of the manifested universes; yataḥ
— from whom; anvayāt — directly; itarataḥ — indirectly; ca —
and; artheṣu — purposes; abhijñaḥ
— fully cognizant; sva-rāṭ
— fully independent; tene — imparted; brahma — the Vedic
knowledge; hṛdā
— consciousness of the heart; yaḥ
— one who; ādi-kavaye — unto the original created being; muhyanti
— are illusioned; yat — about whom; sūrayaḥ — great sages and
demigods; tejaḥ
— fire; vāri — water; mṛdām
— earth; yathā — as much as; vinimayaḥ — action and reaction; yatra —
whereupon; tri-sargaḥ
— three modes of creation, creative faculties; amṛṣā —
almost factual; dhāmnā — along with all transcendental paraphernalia; svena
— self-sufficiently; sadā — always; nirasta — negation by
absence; kuhakam — illusion; satyam — truth; param —
absolute; dhīmahi — I do meditate upon.
O 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.
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-kṣaṇāt
dharmaḥ
— religiosity; projjhita — completely rejected; kaitavaḥ — covered by fruitive
intention; atra — herein; paramaḥ
— the highest; nirmatsarāṇām
— of the one-hundred-percent pure in heart; satām — devotees; vedyam
— understandable; vāstavam — factual; atra — herein; vastu
— substance; śivadam — well-being; tāpa-traya — threefold
miseries; unmūlanam — causing uprooting of; śrīmat — beautiful; bhāgavate
— the Bhāgavata Purāṇa;
mahā-muni — the great sage (Vyāsadeva); kṛte — having compiled; kim
— what is; vā — the need; paraiḥ
— others; īśvaraḥ
— the Supreme Lord; sadyaḥ
— at once; hṛdi
— within the heart; avarudhyate — becomes compact; atra — herein;
kṛtibhiḥ — by the pious men; śuśrūṣubhiḥ — by culture; tat-kṣaṇāt — without delay.
Completely 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.
nigama-kalpa-taror galitaṁ phalaṁ
śuka-mukhād amṛta-drava-saṁyutam
pibata bhāgavataṁ
rasam ālayam
muhur aho rasikā bhuvi bhāvukāḥ
nigama — the Vedic literatures; kalpa-taroḥ — the desire tree; galitam
— fully matured; phalam — fruit; śuka — Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī,
the original speaker of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam; mukhāt — from the lips
of; amṛta —
nectar; drava — semisolid and soft and therefore easily swallowable; saṁyutam — perfect in all
respects; pibata — do relish it; bhāgavatam — the book dealing in
the science of the eternal relation with the Lord; rasam — juice (that
which is relishable); ālayam — until liberation, or even in a liberated
condition; muhuḥ
— always; aho — O; rasikāḥ
— those who are full in the knowledge of mellows; bhuvi — on the earth; bhāvukāḥ — expert and thoughtful.
O expert and thoughtful men, relish Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam,
the mature fruit of the desire tree of Vedic literatures. It emanated from the
lips of Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī. Therefore this fruit has become even more
tasteful, although its nectarean juice was already relishable for all,
including liberated souls.
na yad vacaś citra-padaṁ harer yaśo (1.5.10)
jagat-pavitraṁ
pragṛṇīta karhicit
tad vāyasaṁ
tīrtham uśanti mānasā
na yatra haṁsā
niramanty uśik-kṣayāḥ
na — not; yat — that; vacaḥ — vocabulary; citra-padam
— decorative; hareḥ
— of the Lord; yaśaḥ
— glories; jagat — universe; pavitram — sanctified; pragṛṇīta — described; karhicit
— hardly; tat — that; vāyasam — crows; tīrtham — place of
pilgrimage; uśanti — think; mānasāḥ — saintly persons; na — not; yatra
— where; haṁsāḥ — all-perfect beings; niramanti
— take pleasure; uśik-kṣayāḥ
— those who reside in the transcendental abode.
Those words which do not describe the glories of the
Lord, who alone can sanctify the atmosphere of the whole universe, are
considered by saintly persons to be like unto a place of pilgrimage for crows.
Since the all-perfect persons are inhabitants of the transcendental abode, they
do not derive any pleasure there.
tad-vāg-visargo janatāgha-viplavo (1.5.11)
yasmin prati-ślokam abaddhavaty api
nāmāny anantasya yaśo ’ṅkitāni
yat
śṛṇvanti gāyanti gṛṇanti sādhavaḥ
tat — that; vāk — vocabulary; visargaḥ — creation; janatā
— the people in general; agha — sins; viplavaḥ — revolutionary; yasmin
— in which; prati-ślokam — each and every stanza; abaddhavati
— irregularly composed; api — in spite of; nāmāni —
transcendental names, etc.; anantasya — of the unlimited Lord; yaśaḥ — glories; aṅkitāni — depicted; yat
— what; śṛṇvanti
— do hear; gāyanti — do sing; gṛṇanti
— do accept; sādhavaḥ
— the purified men who are honest.
On the other hand, that literature which is full of
descriptions of the transcendental glories of the name, fame, forms, pastimes,
etc., of the unlimited Supreme Lord is a different creation, full of
transcendental words directed toward bringing about a revolution in the impious
lives of this world’s misdirected civilization. Such transcendental
literatures, even though imperfectly composed, are heard, sung and accepted by
purified men who are thoroughly honest.
naiṣkarmyam apy acyuta-bhāva-varjitaṁ (1.5.12)
na śobhate jñānam alaṁ
nirañjanam
kutaḥ punaḥ śaśvad abhadram īśvare
na cārpitaṁ karma
yad apy akāraṇam
naiṣkarmyam — self-realization, being freed from the
reactions of fruitive work; api — in spite of; acyuta — the
infallible Lord; bhāva — conception; varjitam — devoid of; na
— does not; śobhate — look well; jñānam — transcendental
knowledge; alam — by and by; nirañjanam — free from designations;
kutaḥ —
where is; punaḥ
— again; śaśvat — always; abhadram — uncongenial; īśvare —
unto the Lord; na — not; ca — and; arpitam — offered; karma
— fruitive work; yat api — what is; akāraṇam — not fruitive.
Knowledge of self-realization, even though free from all
material affinity, does not look well if devoid of a conception of the
Infallible [God]. What, then, is the use of fruitive activities, which are
naturally painful from the very beginning and transient by nature, if they are
not utilized for the devotional service of the Lord?
tyaktvā sva-dharmaṁ
caraṇāmbujaṁ harer (1.5.17)
bhajann apakvo ’tha patet tato yadi
yatra kva vābhadram abhūd amuṣya kiṁ
ko vārtha āpto ’bhajatāṁ
sva-dharmataḥ
tyaktvā — having forsaken; sva-dharmam
— one’s own occupational engagement; caraṇa-ambujam — the lotus feet; hareḥ — of Hari (the Lord); bhajan
— in the course of devotional service; apakvaḥ — immature; atha — for the matter of;
patet — falls down; tataḥ
— from that place; yadi — if; yatra — whereupon; kva —
what sort of; vā — or (used sarcastically); abhadram —
unfavorable; abhūt — shall happen; amuṣya — of him; kim —
nothing; kaḥ
vā arthaḥ
— what interest; āptaḥ
— obtained; abhajatām — of the nondevotee; sva-dharmataḥ — being engaged in
occupational service.
One who has forsaken his material occupations to engage
in the devotional service of the Lord may sometimes fall down while in an
immature stage, yet there is no danger of his being unsuccessful. On the other
hand, a nondevotee, though fully engaged in occupational duties, does not gain
anything.
tasyaiva hetoḥ
prayateta kovido (1.5.18)
na labhyate yad bhramatām upary adhaḥ
tal labhyate duḥkhavad
anyataḥ sukhaṁ
kālena sarvatra gabhīra-raṁhasā
tasya — for that purpose; eva — only; hetoḥ — reason; prayateta
— should endeavor; kovidaḥ
— one who is philosophically inclined; na labhyate — is not
obtained; yat — what; bhramatām — wandering; upari adhaḥ — from top to bottom; tat
— that; labhyate — can be obtained; duḥkhavat — like the miseries; anyataḥ — as a result of previous
work; sukham — sense enjoyment; kālena — in course of time; sarvatra
— everywhere; gabhīra — subtle; raṁhasā — progress.
Persons who are actually intelligent and philosophically
inclined should endeavor only for that purposeful end which is not obtainable
even by wandering from the topmost planet [Brahmaloka] down to the lowest
planet [Pātāla]. As far as happiness derived from sense enjoyment is concerned,
it can be obtained automatically in course of time, just as in course of time
we obtain miseries even though we do not desire them.
idaṁ
hi puṁsas tapasaḥ śrutasya vā (1.5.22)
sviṣṭasya sūktasya
ca buddhi-dattayoḥ
avicyuto ’rthaḥ
kavibhir nirūpito
yad-uttamaśloka-guṇānuvarṇanam
idam — this; hi — certainly; puṁsaḥ — of everyone; tapasaḥ — by dint of austerities;
śrutasya — by dint of study of the Vedas; vā — or; sviṣṭasya — sacrifice; sūktasya
— spiritual education; ca — and; buddhi — culture of knowledge; dattayoḥ — charity; avicyutaḥ — infallible; arthaḥ — interest; kavibhiḥ — by the recognized
learned person; nirūpitaḥ
— concluded; yat — what; uttamaśloka — the Lord, who is described
by choice poetry; guṇa-anuvarṇanam — description of the
transcendental qualities of.
Learned circles have positively concluded that the
infallible purpose of the advancement of knowledge, namely austerities, study
of the Vedas, sacrifice, chanting of hymns and charity, culminates in the
transcendental descriptions of the Lord, who is defined in choice poetry.