Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 12.13.3
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesHear the Glories of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
“Now please hear a summation of the verse length of each of the Purāṇas. Then hear of the prime subject and purpose of this Bhāgavata Purāṇa, the proper method of giving it as a gift, the glories of such gift-giving, and finally the glories of hearing and chanting this literature.”
What the purport teaches
- Sūta Gosvāmī asks his listeners to hear the verse counts of the Purāṇas and the subject and purpose of the Bhāgavata Purāṇa.
- He also introduces the proper method and glories of giving it as a gift, along with the glories of hearing and chanting it.
- Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the best of all Purāṇas. The other Purāṇas are mentioned like a king’s assistants in a description of his glory.
Try this today
Reread this translation and note one topic you want to hear about attentively.
Ask yourself
Which would I like to understand better: the Bhāgavatam’s purpose, hearing it, or giving it?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
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.