पुराणसंहितामेतामृषिर्नारायणोऽव्ययः ।
नारदाय पुरा प्राह कृष्णद्वैपायनाय सः ॥
स वै मह्यं महाराज भगवान्बादरायणः ।
इमां भागवतीं प्रीतः संहितां वेदसम्मिताम् ॥
इमां वक्ष्यत्यसौ सूत ऋषिभ्यो नैमिषालये ।
दीर्घसत्रे कुरुश्रेष्ठ सम्पृष्टः शौनकादिभिः ॥
purāṇa-saṁhitām etām ṛṣir nārāyaṇo’vyayaḥ |
nāradāya purā prāha kṛṣṇa-dvaipāyanāya saḥ ||
sa vai mahyaṁ mahārāja bhagavān bādarāyaṇaḥ |
imāṁ bhāgavatīṁ prītaḥ saṁhitāṁ veda-sammitām ||
imāṁ vakṣyaty asau sūta ṛṣibhyo naimiṣālaye |
dīrgha-satre kuru-śreṣṭha sampṛṣṭaḥ śaunakādibhiḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 12.4.41–43)
“[Śrī Śukadeva to Mahārāja Parīkṣit:] In the past, the Seer, Nārāyaṇa, spoke this compendium of the Purāṇas [viz., Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, to Brahmā], the unhindered one [viz., Brahmā, spoke it] to Nārada, and he [viz., Nārada, spoke it] to Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyana [viz., Vyāsa]. O Great King, he, Bhagavān Bādarāyaṇa [viz., Vyāsa], being pleased, [spoke] this compendium related to Bhagavān [viz., Śrīmad Bhāgavatam], like the Veda, to me. He, Suta, spoke this to the seers at Naimiṣāraṇya during a long sacrifices, O best of the Kurus, upon being questioned by those led by Śaunaka.”
Commentary
śrī-guru-sampradāyaṁ śuddham avicchinnam anusṛtyaivaitat paṭhana-pāṭhana-śravaṇa-śrāvaṇādikaṁ kāryam ity abhiprāyeṇāha—purāṇeti | ṛṣir nārāyaṇo brahmaṇe ity adhyāhāryam | sa ca brahmā avyayaḥ aparādhābhāvād bhakti-vyaya-rahito nāradāya purāṇa-saṁhitām etām iti | … asau sūta iti pura-sthitam aṅgulyā nirdiśati |
(Sārārtha-darśinī-ṭīkā)
“This practice of studying and teaching, hearing and reciting, and so on is to be done only by following a pure, unbroken lineage (sampradāya) of blessed gurus. With this intent, he says Purāṇa … [i.e., Śrī Śukadeva speaks these verses]. ‘The Seer, Nārāyaṇa, [spoke] to Brahmā’ is to be supplied. He, Brahmā, furthermore, being unhindred, that is, free from hindrance to bhaki because of an absence of offenses (aparādhas), [spoke] this compendium of the Purāṇas to Nārada. [As he says,] ‘He, Sūta,’ he points with his finger [at Sūta] situated in the fore.”