The Bhagavata Purana 3
Page 2
Within a specific Purana text, there are earlier sections, as well as later ones. That makes it difficult to date a Purana, except as a range. Across Purana texts, there are older Puranas, as well as later ones. Extremely speculatively, the dating will be something like the following. (1) Agni (800–1100 CE); (2) Bhagavata (500–1000 CE); (3) Brahma (700–1500 CE); (4) Brahmanda (400–600 CE); (5) Brahmavaivarta (700–1500 CE); (6) Garuda (800–1100 CE); (7) Kurma (600–900 CE); (8) Linga (500–1000 CE); (9) Markandeya (250–700 CE); (10) Matsya (200–500 CE); (11) Narada (900–1600 CE); (12) Padma (400–1600 CE); (13) Shiva (1000–1400 CE); (14) Skanda (600–1200 CE); (15) Vamana (450–900 CE); (16) Varaha (1000–1200 CE); (17) Vayu (350–550 CE); (18) Vishnu (300 BCE to 450 CE); and (19) Bhavishya (500–1900 CE). Reiterating once again that there is no great precision in these ranges, by this reckoning, the Vishnu Purana is the oldest and some parts of the Bhavishya Purana are as recent as the nineteenth century.
As mentioned earlier, there is no Critical Edition for the Puranas. Therefore, one has to choose a Sanskrit text one is going to translate from. If one is going to translate all the Puranas, it is preferable, though not essential, that one opts for a common source for all the Purana texts. The common source for the Bhagavata Purana, and the subsequent Purana translations, is the one brought out by Nag Publishers, with funding from the ministry of human resource development. 8 A transliterated Sanskrit text is available through the University of Gottingen. 9 In Devanagari, the text is available at https://sanskritdocuments.org/doc_purana/bhagpur.html?lang=sa, with the transliterated Sanskrit text at http://www.sanskritweb.net/sansdocs/bhagpur.pdf. The Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies at the University of Oxford has a lot of useful resources under the umbrella of the Bhagavata Purana Research Project. 10 Among other things, this research project has published a book that is a bit like an abridged translation of the Bhagavata Purana. 11 The Bhagavata Purana is divided into twelve skandhas. The word skandha means trunk, or largish branch. In this context, it means section or segment. Out of these twelve skandhas, the tenth is the longest and is also the most read. Therefore, there are translations of the Bhagavata Purana that are limited to only the Tenth Skandha. Edwin Bryant’s rendering of the Tenth Skandha is almost like such a translation. 12 For the entire Bhagavata Purana, there are unabridged translations in Indian languages. However, to the best of my knowledge, there are only five unabridged translations in English: (1) Manmatha Nath Dutt; 13 (2) Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada; 14 (3) Ganesh Vasudeo Tagare; 15 (4) Swami Tapasyananda; 16 and (5) C.L. Goswami and M.A. Shastri. 17 In 1901, Purnendu Narayana Sinha published a version that was close to a translation, but fell just short because it followed the path of retelling. 18 The Sanskrit texts used in these five translations vary a bit and the one used in this translation also varies a bit from the ones used in these five. The Bhagavata Purana is believed to have 18,000 shlokas. The table below shows what this particular Sanskrit version has: just over 14,000 spread across 335 chapters. One should not jump to the conclusion that a large number of shlokas are missing. A few are indeed missing. But sometimes, it is also a question of how one counts a shloka. With the content remaining identical, the text may be counted as one shloka in one place and as two shlokas elsewhere. Our numbering is exactly the same as in the Sanskrit text we have followed. Hence, even though there may be no difference in content between our version of the text and, say, that used by Swami Prabhupada, the numbering will vary a bit. (Sometimes, there are minor differences in the Sanskrit text though.) However, there are some shlokas that are indeed missing and Ganesh Vasudeo Tagare is a good source for translations of these missing shlokas, because those missing shlokas have been separately translated there. When we have enumerated all the chapters, there are two identifying numbers that have been provided. The first number refers to the skandha, the second to the number of the chapter within the skandha. Thus, Chapter 4(30) will be the thirtieth chapter in the fourth Skandha.
Skandha Number of chapters Number of shlokas
1 19 811
2 10 391
3 33 1412
4 31 1450
5 26 738
6 19 855
7 15 752
8 24 929
9 24 962
10 90 3948
11 31 1360
12 13 564
Total 335 14172
In the translations of the Bhagavad Gita, the Mahabharata, the Harivamsha and the Valmiki Ramayana, we followed the principle of not using diacritical marks. The use of diacritical marks (effectively the international alphabet of Sanskrit transliteration) makes the pronunciation and rendering more accurate, but also tends to put off readers who are less academically inclined. Since diacritical marks are not being used, there is a challenge of rendering Sanskrit names in English. Sanskrit is a phonetic language and we have used that principle as a basis. Applied consistently, this means that words are rendered in ways that may seem unfamiliar. Hence, the name of the jewel, often written as Kaustubha, will appear as Koustubha here. This is true of proper names, and, in a few rare cases, of geographical names. The absence of diacritical marks causes some minor problems. How does one distinguish Vasudeva Krishna from Krishna’s father, Vasudeva? Often, the context will make the difference clear. If not, we have written the son as Vaasudeva and the father as Vasudeva. In translating, the attempt has been to provide a word-for-word translation, so that if one were to hold up the Sanskrit text, there would be a perfect match.
The intention is also to offer a translation, not an interpretation. That sounds like a simple principle to adopt, and for the most part, is easy to follow. However, there is a thin dividing line between translation and interpretation. In some instances, it is impossible to translate without bringing in a little bit of interpretation. Inevitably, interpretation is subjective. We have tried to minimize the problem by (a) reducing interpretation; (b) relegating interpretation to footnotes and (c) when there are alternative interpretations, pointing this out to the reader through those footnotes. If a Purana text is just about the five attributes mentioned, the task isn’t that difficult. Take the Bhagavata Purana as an example. In Chapter 2(10), we are told about the ten characteristics of the Bhagavata Purana and these are sarga, visarga, sthana, poshana, uti, manvantara, isha-anukatha, nirodha, mukti and ashraya. These are (1) gross creation; (2) subtle creation; (3) preservation; (4) sustenance; (5) the addiction to the senses; (6) manvantaras; (7) accounts of the lord; (8) withdrawal; (9) liberation and (10) the ultimate refuge. Therefore, the text has much more than the five attributes cited. The word ‘bhagavat’ means the divine one, the illustrious one, the fortunate one, the prosperous one, the blessed one, the sacred one, the holy one. We are often more familiar with the nominative form, bhagavaan. Bhagavat/Bhagavaan occur frequently in our text and I have translated the word as ‘the illustrious one’. Since this is a Purana devoted to Vishnu, Bhagavat/Bhagavaan typically means Vishnu. But the text is not called Bhagavata Purana; it is in fact called Bhaagavata Purana. What does the word Bhaagavata mean? Taken as an adjective, the word means sacred and Bhaagavata Purana is simply the sacred Purana, a perfectly acceptable meaning. However, taken as a noun, Bhaagavata means a devotee or worshipper of Vishnu—and bhaagavata dharma is the dharma of devotion towards Vishnu. Therefore, Bhaagavata Purana is the text that describes this bhaagavata dharma that Vishnu devotees follow.
Hence, it isn’t only about stories. As mentioned earlier, the longest Skandha, the tenth, is also the most popular and is read most often. This particular skandha describes Krishna’s exploits and pastimes. This includes rasa lila and this skandha has some exquisite poetry. The song of the gopis is an example of this. As is thus obvious, this skandha has its fair share of stories. But in the other skandhas, the emphasis is more on dharma and moksha and a mix of bhakti (devotion), advaita (monism), dvaita (dualism), samkhya and yoga, 19 with notions of avataras (Vishnu’s incarnations) brought in. There is the influence of pancharatra doctrines and texts. Literally,
the term pancharatra means five nights, and is a reference to five nights over which sacrifices were performed. However, there were pancharatra doctrines too and these developed a metaphysical philosophy. If we so wish, we can call it a theology. Vaishnava dharma integrated this pancharatra tradition with the other strands that have just been mentioned. Since this is a synthesis of many different strands, there are bound to be nuances and different schools. What does the Bhagavata Purana teach? What is its philosophy? Beyond the obvious tenet of devotion to Vishnu and emphasis on bhakti yoga, this is extremely difficult to answer. As a text that builds a theology, the Bhagavata Purana is much more complicated than the Bhagavad Gita. Indeed, one could say it builds extensively on that Bhagavad Gita foundation. Down the years, there have been several commentaries on and interpretations of the Bhagavata Purana. Depending on the language and the timeline for beginning and ending the cut-off, there must be at least two hundred such commentaries and interpretations. Which of these schools or interpretations should one follow? Should one take cognizance of other possible interpretations? In principle, this dilemma can exist in the course of translating any Purana. But in no other Purana is it as serious, because no other Purana devotes such a large percentage of shlokas to philosophy.
The choice in this translation is conscious and is driven by the objective and the target audience. The target audience is the ordinary reader who desires a faithful rendering of the Sanskrit text. The target reader isn’t the academic who desires something like a survey of literature. Nor is the target reader a devotee of one particular Vaishnava school. To state it a bit more explicitly, Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Swami Tapasyananda and C.L. Goswami and M.A. Shastri follow one particular line of commentary or interpretation or school. From an academic’s perspective, Ganesh Vasudeo Tagare is the best. His translation also includes an excellent introduction and a detailed note on several different commentators of the Bhagavata Purana, certainly covering the major ones. However, apart from the language of the Tagare rendition not being very smooth, that edition is also layered with complexities which can deter the ordinary reader. On the other hand, I have consciously done what is akin to a contemporary Manmatha Nath Dutt translation. Without distorting, I have chosen the simplest possible interpretation or translation that fits. In a few minor instances, this meant choosing an interpretation that was marginally different from those chosen by these preceding translators. It is possible to criticize the avoidance of complexities, but it is a conscious choice and the dissatisfied reader can always go on to read more copious commentaries and annotations. There is plenty in the Bhagavata Purana to immerse oneself in and this translation is not meant to be the final item on that reading list. It can at best be the first.
Tenth Skandha continued . . .
Chapter 10(1): 69 shlokas
Chapter 10(2): 42 shlokas
Chapter 10(3): 53 shlokas
Chapter 10(4): 46 shlokas
Chapter 10(5): 32 shlokas
Chapter 10(6): 44 shlokas
Chapter 10(7): 37 shlokas
Chapter 10(8): 52 shlokas
Chapter 10(9): 23 shlokas
Chapter 10(10): 43 shlokas
Chapter 10(11): 58 shlokas
Chapter 10(12): 44 shlokas
Chapter 10(13): 64 shlokas
Chapter 10(14): 61 shlokas
Chapter 10(15): 52 shlokas
Chapter 10(16): 67 shlokas
Chapter 10(17): 25 shlokas
Chapter 10(18): 32 shlokas
Chapter 10(19): 16 shlokas
Chapter 10(20): 49 shlokas
Chapter 10(21): 20 shlokas
Chapter 10(22): 38 shlokas
Chapter 10(23): 52 shlokas
Chapter 10(24): 38 shlokas
Chapter 10(25): 33 shlokas
Chapter 10(26): 25 shlokas
Chapter 10(27): 29 shlokas
Chapter 10(28): 17 shlokas
Chapter 10(29): 48 shlokas
Chapter 10(30): 46 shlokas
Chapter 10(31): 19 shlokas
Chapter 10(32): 22 shlokas
Chapter 10(33): 40 shlokas
Chapter 10(34): 32 shlokas
Chapter 10(35): 26 shlokas
Chapter 10(36): 40 shlokas
Chapter 10(37): 34 shlokas
Chapter 10(38): 43 shlokas
Chapter 10(39): 57 shlokas
Chapter 10(40): 30 shlokas
Chapter 10(41): 52 shlokas
Chapter 10(42): 38 shlokas
Chapter 10(43): 40 shlokas
Chapter 10(44): 51 shlokas
Chapter 10(45): 50 shlokas
Chapter 10(46): 49 shlokas
Chapter 10(47): 70 shlokas
Chapter 10(48): 36 shlokas
Chapter 10(49): 31 shlokas
Chapter 10(50): 58 shlokas
Chapter 10(51): 63 shlokas
Chapter 10(52): 44 shlokas
Chapter 10(53): 56 shlokas
Chapter 10(54): 60 shlokas
Chapter 10(55): 40 shlokas
Chapter 10(56): 45 shlokas
Chapter 10(57): 42 shlokas
Chapter 10(58): 58 shlokas
Chapter 10(59): 46 shlokas
Chapter 10(60): 59 shlokas
Chapter 10(61): 40 shlokas
Chapter 10(62): 35 shlokas
Chapter 10(63): 53 shlokas
Chapter 10(64): 44 shlokas
Chapter 10(65): 32 shlokas
Chapter 10(66): 43 shlokas
Chapter 10(67): 28 shlokas
Chapter 10(68): 54 shlokas
Chapter 10(69): 45 shlokas
Chapter 10(70): 47 shlokas
Chapter 10(71): 47 shlokas
Chapter 10(72): 49 shlokas
Chapter 10(73): 34 shlokas
Chapter 10(74): 55 shlokas
Chapter 10(75): 41 shlokas
Chapter 10(76): 33 shlokas
Chapter 10(77): 37 shlokas
Chapter 10(78): 39 shlokas
Chapter 10(79): 34 shlokas
Chapter 10(80): 45 shlokas
Chapter 10(81): 41 shlokas
Chapter 10(82): 48 shlokas
Chapter 10(83): 43 shlokas
Chapter 10(84): 71 shlokas
Chapter 10(85): 59 shlokas
Chapter 10(86): 59 shlokas
Chapter 10(87): 50 shlokas
Chapter 10(88): 40 shlokas
Chapter 10(89): 66 shlokas
Chapter 10(90): 50 shlokas
Chapter 10(12)
Shri-Shuka said, ‘Once, Hari made up his mind to eat in the forest. He woke up in the morning and used the beautiful tunes of his flute to wake up his friends and the calves. With the calves in front, he then left Vraja. At this sweet sound, thousands of boys went with him, with their pouches, 1 canes, 2 horns and flutes. Each of them placed his own herd, with more than one thousand calves in each, in front. They happily left. They made their own calves mingle in the same herd as Krishna’s innumerable calves. They made them graze. Here and there, they engaged in boyish games. They were adorned with glass beads, gunja berries, 3 jewels and gold. But in spite of being adorned, they ornamented themselves with fruits, green leaves, bunches of flowers, feathers and minerals. They stole the pouches from each other. When detected, they flung these far away. When the owner caught up, they laughed and flung them further away. When the owner cried, they returned them. Krishna sometimes went far away, to admire the beauty of the forest. “I am first. No I am first.” Saying this, they touched him and enjoyed themselves. Some played on flutes. Some blew on horns. Some buzzed, along with the bees. Others called, along with the cuckoos. Some rushed towards shadows. Some walked like proud swans. Some sat down, along with the storks. Some danced with peacocks. Some tugged the tails of young monkeys seated on braches. Some climbed those trees. Some made faces at the monkeys. Some leapt on the branches. Some leapt, along with the frogs. Some got wet from the water in the river. Some laughed at their own shadows. Some cursed their echoes. He is the supreme divinity, and the virtu
ous who become his servants realize the bliss of the brahman 4 through him. Because of his maya, he had assumed the form of a human child. They enjoyed themselves with him and created stores of merit for themselves. Yogis who control themselves cannot touch the dust of his feet after the difficulties of many births. But in this land, he himself presented himself before them. How can one describe the good fortune of the residents of Vraja?
‘There was a great asura named Agha. He saw their happy pastimes and was incapable of tolerating it. The immortals drank amrita. But even then, they always waited for an end to his life, because he disturbed them as long as he was alive. Aghasura saw the boys, with Krishna at the forefront. He was the younger brother of Baki 5 and Baka and had been commanded by Kamsa. “This is the one who has killed both my brother and sister. I will kill him, along with his followers. When these are offered as sesamum seeds and water to my well-wishers, 6 the residents of Vraja are as good as dead. These children are as dear to them as their breath of life. When the breath of life is destroyed, why worry about the body?” Having decided this, he assumed the form of a gigantic python. 7 It was one yojana 8 long, as thick as a large mountain. Having assumed this extraordinary form, the deceitful one lay on the path, opening its mouth, which was like a cave, to devour them. The lower lip was on the ground and the upper lip touched the clouds. The mouth was like the cave of a mountain. The fangs were like the peaks of mountains. The inside of the mouth was completely dark. The tongue was like a broad road. The breathing was like a harsh storm. The fiery glance was like a forest conflagration. On seeing it, all of them were of the view that this was a beautiful spot in Vrindavana, shaped in the form of a python with a gaping jaw. They looked at it, as if it was a place to play in. “O friends! Tell us if it is without life, stationed in front of us. Doesn’t it resemble the gaping mouth of a snake that will devour us. Isn’t that true?” “True. 9 The upper lip looks like a cloud tinged red by the rays of the sun. The lower and reddened lip, on the ground, looks like its shadow. On the right and the left, the corners of the mouth are like caves in mountains. Behold. The fangs seem to resemble lofty peaks of mountains. In length and breadth, the tongue seems to rival a broad road. The inside of the mouth is as dark as the darkness in between two peaks. Behold. The fiery breath is like the harsh wind of a forest conflagration. There is the bad stench of burnt corpses. There is a smell of flesh emerging from the inside. If we enter, will it devour us? Or will it be instantly destroyed by this one, 10 like Baka?” Glancing towards the face of Baka’s enemy, they laughed, clapped their hands and entered. They were ignorant about the actual truth and thought what was false to be true. The one who is located inside all creatures knew everything. The illustrious one heard and desiring to protect those who were his own, made up his mind to prevent them. However, they entered inside the asura’s stomach. But it didn’t digest the children or the calves. The rakshasa remembered about his beloved relatives being slain and waited for Baka’s enemy to enter. Krishna is the one who grants everyone freedom from fear. He saw that they had gone outside his control and were without a protector. They were helpless and were like grass, facing the death from its digestive fire. He was filled with compassion, but also surprised at what destiny had done. 11 “What should be done now? Should one allow the wicked one to live? Or should one prevent injury to the innocent and the virtuous? How can both be achieved?” Thinking in this way, the infinite Hari decided and entered the mouth. The gods who were hidden in the clouds shrieked in fear. Kamsa and others and demons who were Agha’s friends rejoiced. The illustrious and undecaying Krishna heard this. It desired to crush him, the children and the calves. However, inside its throat, he swiftly enlarged his size. That gigantic being’s breath of life was restricted. Its eyes popped out and rolled around here and there. All the breathing was completely restricted. The breath of life shattered the crown of life and emerged outside. All the breath of life emerged outside. The illustrious one glanced at the calves and his well-wishers, who were dead, and brought them back to life. With them, Mukunda again came out through the mouth. An extraordinary and large radiance rose up from the serpent’s body. Through its own resplendence, it illuminated the ten directions. It waited in the sky for the lord to emerge. While all the residents of heaven looked on, it then entered his person. All of them were extremely delighted that their own task had been accomplished. They worshipped him by showering down flowers. Celestial apsaras danced. Divine musicians played on musical instruments. Brahmanas praised him. Everyone recited chants of victory. There were wonderful prayers and excellent music and singing. There were sounds of victory and festivities, with auspicious tones. Hearing this, Aja soon approached the spot. He saw the lord’s glory and was filled with amazement. O king! The wonderful skin of the python was dried. It was kept in Vrindavana and for many days, the residents of Vraja played inside that cave. Hari’s exploit of liberating the serpent and bringing them back from the dead happened when he was five years old. However, the astounded boys spoke about it in Vraja when he was six years old. This is not astounding. Using his maya, he assumed the form of a human child. He is cause and effect. He is the supreme creator. Through his touch, even Agha was cleansed of his sins. The wicked find it extremely difficult to obtain him and be identified with him. 12 It is only if one’s mind is immersed in him, if one is devoted to him and if one places his form in the core of one’s heart, even once, that one attains this state. One then enjoys eternal bliss. He destroys all maya. What need be said of one 13 who is inside him?’