sa saṁhitāṁ bhāgavatīṁ kṛtvānukramya cātma-jam |
śukam adhyāpayāmāsa nivṛtti-nirataṁ muniḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 1.7.8)
“After composing and revising this Bhāgavata-saṁhitā [i.e., Śrīmad Bhāgavatam], he [i.e., Vyāsadeva] taught it to his son, the sage Śuka, who delighted in detachment.”
yena rūpa matsya-kūrma-ādi avatāra |
āvirbhāva-tirobhāva yena tā’-sabāra ||
ei mata bhāgavata kāro kṛta naya |
āvirbhāva tirobhāva āpanei haya ||
bhakti-yoge bhāgavata vyāsera jihvāya |
sphūrti se haila mātra kṛṣṇera kṛpāya ||
(Caitanya-bhāgavata: 3.3.510–512)
“As the forms of all the avatāras beginning with Matsya and Kūrma appear and disappear [i.e., are not created and destroyed], so too the Bhāgavata is not composed by anyone and rather appears and disappears of its own accord. By virtue of bhakti-yoga, the Bhāgavata appeared on Vyāsa’s tongue, and this happened only by Kṛṣṇa’s grace.”
yasyāṁ vai śrūyamāṇāyāṁ kṛṣṇe parama-pūruṣe |
bhaktir utpadyate puṁsaḥ śoka-moha-bhayāpahā ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 1.7.7)
“Indeed, as it [i.e., Śrīmad Bhāgavatam] is heard, [prema-] bhakti to the Supreme Puruṣa, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, which dispels lamentation, delusion, and fear, arises in a person.”
anarthopaśamaṁ sākṣād bhakti-yogam adhokṣaje |
lokasyājānato vidvāṁś cakre sātvata-saṁhitām ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 1.7.6)
“Bhakti-yoga [i.e., sādhana-bhakti] to Adhokṣaja [i.e., Bhagavān, the Transcendent] is itself the cessation of misfortune (anartha). The learned one [i.e., Vyāsadeva] then composed this Sātvata-saṁhitā [i.e., Śrīmad Bhāgavatam] for the unknowing people.”
yayā sammohito jīva ātmānaṁ tri-guṇātmakam |
paro’pi manute’narthaṁ tat-kṛtaṁ cābhipadyate ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 1.7.5)
“Bewildered by māyā, the jīva, although superior [to the guṇas], thinks himself to be constituted of the three guṇas and [thus] undergoes the misfortune (anartha) [i.e., the plight of saṁsāra] which results from this [i.e., from misidentification of self].”
bhakti-yogena manasi samyak praṇihite’male |
apaśyat puruṣaṁ pūrṇaṁ māyāñ ca tad-apāśrayam ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 1.7.4)
“In his pure heart, which was perfectly fixed by virtue of the yoga of bhakti, Vyāsadeva saw the complete Puruṣa, as well as māyā sheltered behind him.”
yāha bhāgavata paḍa vaiṣṇavera sthāne |
ekānta āśraya kara caitanya-caraṇe ||
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 3.5.131)
“Go and study Śrīmad Bhāgavatam from a Vaiṣṇava and take shelter exclusively at the feet of Śrī Caitanya.”
akleśenaivārtha-viśeṣa-sphūrteḥ śrī-bhāgavatasya vicitrārthatvaṁ vidvat-kāma-dhenu-rūpatvāt |
(Kṛṣṇa Sandarbha: 182)
“Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, wherein special signification is manifest without difficulty, contains astonishing signification, as it is a desire-cow for the learned.”
kṛṣṇa-bhakti rasa-svarūpa śrī-bhāgavata |
tāte veda-śāstra haite parama-mahattva ||
ataeva bhāgavata karaha vicāra |
ihā haite pābe sūtra-śrutira artha sāra ||
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 2.25.150, 153)
“Śrīmad Bhāgavatam is a manifestation of Kṛṣṇa-bhakti-rasa and, therefore, is of greatness superior to [even] the Veda-śāstra. Therefore, engage in deliberation upon Śrīmad Bhāgavatam. From this you will find the essence of the meaning of the sūtra [i.e., Vedānta-sūtra] and the Śrutis [i.e., the Vedas].”
asāre saṁsāre viṣaya-viṣa-saṅgākula-dhiyaḥ
kṣaṇārdhaṁ kṣemārthaṁ pibata śuka-gāthātula-sudhām |
kim arthaṁ vyarthaṁ bho vrajata kupathe kutsita-kathe
parīkṣit-sākṣī yac-chravaṇa-gata-mukty-ukti-kathane ||
(Padma Purāṇa: Bhāgavata-māhātmya, 6.100)
“O all of you whose minds are bewildered by attachment to the poison of sensory experience in the insubstantial world of saṁsāra! For your own good, drink [even] for half a moment the incomparable nectar of Śuka’s narration. Bho! Why walk down the rough [alt., misdirected] road of odious blather in vain? Parīkṣit is the witness that hearing narration of this speech [i.e., of Śuka’s message] results in mukti.”
