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Who is speaking?

Every chapter of the Bhāgavatam, coloured by how many narrators deep it goes. Choose one to see its frames and every verse where a new voice begins.

335 chapters

The depth map

1 voice5 voices deep
Canto 1
Canto 2
Canto 3
Canto 4
Canto 5
Canto 6
Canto 7
Canto 8
Canto 9
Canto 10
Canto 11
Canto 12

SB 1.17 · 1 voice deep

Punishment and Reward of Kali

The frames this chapter sits inside, outermost first. Choose one to read its note and the verse where its voice begins.

The outermost frame. Sūta repeats what he heard from Śukadeva for the sages led by Śaunaka.

Where this voice begins

“Śrīla Sūta Gosvāmī said: Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto that great sage [Śukadeva Gosvāmī] who can enter the hearts of all.”

In the translation

Voices in this chapter

Each verse whose translation opens by naming its speaker, in order. Repeated openings by the same speaker are grouped.

  1. 1.17.1Sūta Gosvāmī
  2. 1.17.17The personality of religion
  3. 1.17.21Sūta Gosvāmī
  4. 1.17.22The King· 2 openings
  5. 1.17.35Sūta Gosvāmī· 2 openings

The frames come from where the translation itself says who is speaking (“Śukadeva Gosvāmī said …”). Their exact start and end verses, the episode labels and the setting bands are study aids, not words of the scripture; Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on each verse is always the final word.