CHAPTER THREE
The Exposition of Bhagavata (bhagavat-vivritti)
(Continued)
12.12.12-27 - Suta Gosvami to Shaunaka Rishi
shatarupa ca ya strinam
adya prakritir uttama
santano dharma-patninam
kardamasya prajapateh
shatarupa—Shatarupa; ca—and; ya—who; strinam—of women; adya—the first; prakritih—the consort; uttama—best; santanah—the progeny; dharma-patninam—of the pious wives; kardamasya—of the sage Kardama; prajapateh—the progenitor.
Also related are the appearance of the first woman, Satarupa, who was the excellent consort of Manu, and the offspring of the pious wives of Prajapati Kardama. (12)
avataro bhagavatah
kapilasya mahatmanah
devahutyash ca samvadah
kapilena ca dhimata
avatarah—the descent; bhagavatah—of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; kapilasya—Lord Kapila; maha-atmanah—the Supreme Soul; devahutyah—of Devahuti; ca—and; samvadah—the conversation; kapilena—with Lord Kapila; ca—and; dhi-mata—the intelligent.
The Bhagavatam describes the incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead as the exalted sage Kapila and records the conversation between that greatly learned soul and His mother, Devahuti.(13)
nava-brahma-samutpattir
daksha-yajna-vinashanam
dhruvasya caritam pashcat
prithoh pracinabarhishah
naradasya ca samvadas
tatah praiyavratam dvijah
nabhes tato 'nucaritam
rishabhasya bharatasya ca
nava-brahma—of the nine brahmanas (the sons of Lord Brahma, headed by Marici); samutpattih—the descendants; daksha-yajna—of the sacrifice performed by Daksha; vinashanam—the destruction; dhruvasya—of Dhruva Maharaja; caritam—the history; pashcat—then; prithoh—of King Prithu; pracinabarhishah—of Pracinabarhi; naradasya—with Narada Muni; ca—and; samvadah—his conversation; tatah—then; praiyavratam—the story of Maharaja Priyavrata; dvijah—O brahmanas; nabheh—of Nabhi; tatah—then; anucaritam—the life story; rishabhasya—of Lord Rishabha; bharatasya—of Bharata Maharaja; ca—and.
Also described are the progeny of the nine great brahmanas, the destruction of Daksha's sacrifice, and the history of Dhruva Maharaja, followed by the histories of King Prithu and King Pracinabarhi, the discussion between Pracinabarhi and Narada, and the life of Maharaja Priyavrata. Then, O brahmanas, the Bhagavatam tells of the character and activities of King Nabhi, Lord Rishabha and King Bharata. (14-15)
dvipa-varsha-samudranam
giri-nady-upavarnanam
jyotish-cakrasya samsthanam
patala-naraka-sthitih
dvipa-varsha-samudranam—of the continents, great islands and oceans; giri-nadi—of the mountains and rivers; upavarnanam—the detailed description; jyotih-cakrasya—of the celestial sphere; samsthanam—the arrangement; patala—of the subterranean regions; naraka—and of hell; sthitih—the situation.
The Bhagavatam gives an elaborate description of the earth's continents, regions, oceans, mountains and rivers. Also described are the arrangement of the celestial sphere and the conditions found in the subterranean regions and in hell.(16)
daksha-janma pracetobhyas
tat-putrinam ca santatih
yato devasura-naras
tiryan-naga-khagadayah
daksha-janma—the birth of Daksha; pracetobhyah—from the Pracetas; tat-putrinam—of his daughters; ca—and; santatih—the progeny; yatah—from which; deva-asura-narah—the demigods, demons and human beings; tiryak-naga-khaga-adayah—the animals, serpents, birds and other species.
The rebirth of Prajapati Daksha as the son of the Pracetas, and the progeny of Daksha's daughters, who initiated the races of demigods, demons, human beings, animals, serpents, birds and so on—all this is described.(17)
tvashtrasya janma-nidhanam
putrayosh ca diter dvijah
daityeshvarasya caritam
prahradasya mahatmanah
tvashtrasya—of the son of Tvashta (Vritra); janma-nidhanam—the birth and death; putrayoh—of the two sons, Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakashipu; ca—and; diteh—of Diti; dvijah—O brahmanas; daitya-ishvarasya—of the greatest of the Daityas; caritam—the history; prahradasya—of Prahlada; maha-atmanah—the great soul.
O brahmanas, also recounted are the births and deaths of Vritrasura and of Diti's sons Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakashipu, as well as the history of the greatest of Diti's descendants, the exalted soul Prahlada.(18)
manv-antaranukathanam
gajendrasya vimokshanam
manv-antaravatarash ca
vishnor hayashiradayah
manu-antara—of reigns of the various Manus; anukathanam—the detailed description; gaya-indrasya—of the king of the elephants; vimokshanam—the liberation; manu-antara-avatarah—the particular incarnations of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in each manv-antara; ca—and; vishnoh—of Lord Vishnu; hayashira-adayah—such as Lord Hayashirsha.
The reign of each Manu, the liberation of Gajendra, and the special incarnations of Lord Vishnu in each manv-antara, such as Lord Hayashirsha, are described as well.(19)
kaurmam matsyam narasimham
vamanam ca jagat-pateh
kshiroda-mathanam tadvad
amritarthe divaukasam
kaurmam—the incarnation as a tortoise; matsyam—as a fish; narasimham—as a man-lion; vamanam—as a dwarf; ca—and; jagat-pateh—of the Lord of the universe; kshira-uda—of the ocean of milk; mathanam—the churning; tadvat—thus; amrita-arthe—for the sake of nectar; diva-okasam—on the part of the inhabitants of heaven.
The Bhagavatam also tells of the appearances of the Lord of the universe as Kurma, Matsya, Narasimha and Vamana, and of the demigods' churning of the milk ocean to obtain nectar.(20)
devasura-maha-yuddham
raja-vamshanukirtanam
ikshvaku-janma tad-vamshah
sudyumnasya mahatmanah
deva-asura—of the demigods and demons; maha-yuddham—the great war; raja-vamsha—of the dynasties of kings; anukirtanam—the reciting in sequence; ikshvaku-janma—the birth of Ikshvaku; tat-vamshah—his dynasty; sudyamnasya—(and the dynasty) of Sudyumna; maha-atmanah—the great soul.
An account of the great battle fought between the demigods and the demons, a systematic description of the dynasties of various kings, and narrations concerning Ikshvaku's birth, his dynasty and the dynasty of the pious Sudyumna—all are presented within this literature.(21)
ilopakhyanam atroktam
taropakhyanam eva ca
surya-vamshanukathanam
shashadadya nrigadayah
ila-upakhyanam—the history of Ila; acra—herein; uktam—is spoken; tara-upakhyanam—the history of Tara; eva—indeed; ca—also; surya-vamsha—of the dynasty of the sun-god; anukathanam—the narration; shashada-adyah—Shashada and others; nriga-adayah—Nriga and others.
Also related are the histories of Ila and Tara, and the description of the descendants of the sun-god, including such kings as Shashada and Nriga.(22)
saukanyam catha sharyateh
kakutsthasya ca dhimatah
khatvangasya ca mandhatuh
saubhareh sagarasya ca
saukanyam—the story of Sukanya; ca—and; atha—then; sharyateh—that of Sharyati; kakutsthasya—of Kakutstha; ca—and; dhi-matah—who was an intelligent king; khatvangasya—of Khatvanga; ca—and; mandhatuh—of Mandhata; saubhareh—of Saubhari; sagarasya—of Sagara; ca—and.
The histories of Sukanya, Sharyati, the intelligent Kakutstha, Khatvanga, Mandhata, Saubhari and Sagara are narrated.(23)
ramasya koshalendrasya
caritam kilbishapaham
nimer anga-parityago
janakanam ca sambhavah
ramasya—of Lord Ramacandra; koshala-indrasya—the King of Koshala; caritam—the pastimes; kilbisha-apaham—which drive away all sins; nimeh—of King Nimi; anga-parityagah—the giving up of his body; janakanam—of the descendants of Janaka; ca—and; sambhavah—the appearance.
The Bhagavatam narrates the sanctifying pastimes of Lord Ramacandra, the King of Kosala, and also explains how King Nimi abandoned his material body. The appearance of the descendants of King Janaka is also mentioned.(24)
ramasya bhargavendrasya
nihkshatrii-karanam bhuvah
ailasya soma-vamshasya
yayater nahushasya ca
daushmanter bharatasyapi
shantanos tat-sutasya ca
yayater jyeshtha-putrasya
yador vamsho 'nukirtitah
ramasya—by Lord Parashurama; bhargava-indrasya—the greatest of the descendants of Bhrigu Muni; nihkshatri-karanam—the elimination of all the kshatriyas; bhuvah—of the earth; ailasya—of Maharaja Aila; soma-vamshasya—of the dynasty of the moon-god; yayateh—of Yayati; nahushasya—of Nahusha; ca—and; daushmanteh—of the son of Dushmanta; bharatasya—Bharata; api—also; shantanoh—of King Shantanu; tat—his; sutasya—of the son, Bhishma; ca—and; yayateh—of Yayati; jyeshtha-putrasya—of the eldest son; yadoh—Yadu; vamshah—the dynasty; anu-kirtitah—is glorified.
The Shrimad-Bhagavatam describes how Lord Parashurama, the greatest descendant of Bhrigu, annihilated all the kshatriyas on the face of the earth. It further recounts the lives of glorious kings who appeared in the dynasty of the moon-god—kings such as Aila, Yayati, Nahusha, Dushmanta's son Bharata, Shantanu and Shantanu's son Bhishma. Also described is the great dynasty founded by King Yadu, the eldest son of Yayati.(25-26)
yatravatirino bhagavan
krishnakhyo jagad-ishvarah
vasudeva-grihe janma
tato vriddhish ca gokule
yatra—in which dynasty; avatirnah—descended; bhagavan—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; krishna-akhyah—known as Krishna; jagat-ishvarah—the Lord of the universe; vasudeva-grihe—in the home of Vasudeva; janma—His birth; tatah—subsequently; vriddhih—His growing up; ca—and; gokule—in Gokula.
How Shri Krishna, the Supreme personality of Godhead and Lord of the universe, descended into this Yadu dynasty, how He took birth in the home of Vasudeva, and how He then grew up in Gokula—all this is described in detail.(27)
