1 · LearnExplore more · 10 min
Who speaks to whom
The main voices of the Bhāgavatam, counted from the translation itself, and the people who speak and listen in its great episodes.
Counted from the translation
The main voices, canto by canto
Each number is how many times a verse's translation opens with this speaker (“… said:”). Darker cells mean that voice speaks more in that canto.
| Speaker | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | All |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Śukadeva Gosvāmī | · | 8 | 14 | 2 | 50 | 62 | 4 | 57 | 46 | 231 | 19 | 7 | 500 |
| The Supreme Lord | 1 | 2 | 18 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 11 | 2 | 47 | 37 | 1 | 137 |
| Maitreya Ṛṣi | · | · | 44 | 83 | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | 127 |
| Nārada Muni | 3 | 1 | · | 29 | · | 3 | 39 | 1 | · | 9 | 3 | · | 88 |
| Sūta Gosvāmī | 38 | 4 | 5 | 2 | · | 3 | · | 3 | 1 | 6 | · | 20 | 82 |
| King Parīkṣit | 1 | 3 | · | · | 7 | 9 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 20 | 3 | 2 | 59 |
| Lord Brahmā | · | 4 | 18 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | · | 42 |
| Lord Kṛṣṇa | 1 | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | 32 | 8 | · | 41 |
| Uddhava | · | · | 4 | · | · | · | · | · | · | 4 | 23 | · | 31 |
| Vidura | 1 | · | 14 | 12 | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | 27 |
| Prahlāda Mahārāja | · | · | · | · | · | · | 16 | 2 | · | · | · | · | 18 |
| Lord Śiva | · | · | · | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | · | 2 | 17 |
| Śaunaka Ṛṣi | 6 | 2 | 4 | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | 4 | 16 |
| Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira | 5 | · | · | · | · | · | 8 | · | · | 3 | · | · | 16 |
| Devahūti | · | · | 11 | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | 11 |
| King Pṛthu | · | · | · | 11 | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | 11 |
“The Supreme Lord” groups openings where the translation names Him as the Supreme Personality of Godhead or the Lord, in whichever form He is speaking.
In the 54 episodes
Choose a person
Nārada Muni speaks to
Vyāsadeva· Nārada questions VyāsadevaSB 1.5.2
Dissatisfaction with literary accomplishment opens a deeper inquiry into the need to glorify the Lord and bhakti.
Dhruva· Nārada meets DhruvaSB 4.8.27
A wounded young prince encounters wise instruction, reframing his quest for position through devotion.
King Prācīnabarhi· Nārada tells Purañjana’s storySB 4.25.4
An apparently distant king’s story is used to expose the listener’s own entanglement and redirect his consciousness.
Kayādhu· Nārada teaches KayādhuSB 7.7.1
The earlier conversation with Prahlāda’s mother explains how the child heard spiritual instruction before birth.
Nārada Muni hears from
Lord Brahmā· Brahmā instructs NāradaSB 2.5.9
Brahmā describes cosmic creation in relation to the Supreme Lord when Nārada inquires about its origin.
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.