The Glories of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Sūta glorifies Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, explains its purpose and gift-giving, and offers concluding respects.

From Canto 10, chapter 14 onward, the translation and purports were completed by Śrīla Prabhupāda's disciples after his departure, and published by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.

Themes of SB 12.13Kīrtana5 Bhakti5 Dharma5 Jñāna4 with indexed passages

Connected storiesThe churning of the ocean

Who is speakingSūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaEvery voice in this chapter ›

What this chapter speaks about · the ten subjects

Chapter summary

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 paramahaṁsas, 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.

In this chapter

Who · Sūta Gosvāmī, Śaunaka Ṛṣi, the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

The story · Answering Śaunaka’s questions, Sūta describes Lord Hari’s universal form and His manifestation as the sun, traveling through the months with different associates. He then summarizes Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and explains the purifying power of hearing and chanting the Lord’s glories. Sūta recalls that he heard these glories from Śukadeva in Parīkṣit’s assembly and has now related them to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya. He praises the Bhāgavatam as the essence of Vedānta and explains the glories of giving it as a gift. He concludes with meditation upon Nārāyaṇa and respectful obeisances to Śukadeva and the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

What it teaches · Faithful hearing of even a small portion of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam purifies the soul. Its teachings lead to knowledge, renunciation, and devotional service to the Supreme Lord.

SB 12.12.59 SB 12.13.18 SB 12.13.21 Read chapter 11 ›

Beyond this chapter

Connected stories across the Bhāgavatam

Stories told in other chapters that this chapter's verses or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purports bring in, the other Bhāgavatam verses the purports quote, and stories in other cantos with the same themes. Each link shows the sentence it comes from.

The churning of the ocean

SB 8.5–6 · The demigods seek the Lord’s help SB 8.7 · The tortoise incarnation and Śiva’s compassion SB 8.8 · Lakṣmī chooses Lord Viṣṇu

What it teaches · Even the demigods depend on the Supreme Lord’s help. Their preparations follow His direction rather than relying only on their own strength.

When the Supreme Personality of Godhead appeared as Lord Kūrma, a tortoise, His back was scratched by the sharp-edged stones lying on massive, whirling Mount Mandara, and this scratching made the Lord sleepy.
In the verse · SB 12.13.2 (Text 2)

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.
Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport · SB 12.13.2 (Text 2)

Read the story in SB 8.5–6

Same themes in another canto

Both chapters carry these themes strongly in the themes map, an editorial reading of each chapter's story.

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