Text 9: The Supreme Personality of Godhead is one, whether He alone acts with the modes of material nature, or simultaneously expands in many forms, or expands consecutively to direct the modes of nature.
Text 10: Kindly clear up all these doubtful inquiries, because you are not only vastly learned in the Vedic literatures and self-realized in transcendence, but are also a great devotee of the Lord and are therefore as good as the Personality of Godhead.
Text 11: Sūta Gosvāmī said: When Śukadeva Gosvāmī was thus requested by the King to describe the creative energy of the Personality of Godhead, he then systematically remembered the master of the senses [Śrī Kṛṣṇa], and to reply properly he spoke thus.
Text 12: Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who, for the creation of the material world, accepts the three modes of nature. He is the complete whole residing within the body of everyone, and His ways are inconceivable.
Śrīdhara Svāmi-kṛtā Bhāvārtha-dīpikā Vyākhyā
The one Person assumes various births simultaneously in the form of avatars like Brahma etc., or successively, according to the way He accepts the modes of Prakriti. (9)
I have understood the Brahman described in words through reasoning, but the Supreme beyond that through direct experience. (10)
I was requested. This means I performed preliminary rites like paying obeisance to the gods and the guru. (11)
The same is explained further by the thirteen statements to Him, the Supreme. The reason for that is stated - "To the infinitely glorious one." He is the cause of the origin etc. of the manifest world with His divine play. By Him the three energies of rajas etc. were accepted in the form of Brahma etc. To the inner controller, for He is therefore imperceptible in His ways being present within everything. (12)
Śrī Vaṃśīdhara-kṛtā Bhāvārtha-dīpikā Prakāśa Vyākhyā
Just as the one Supreme Person simultaneously bears the modes of Prakriti in His universal form, remaining unattached while sustaining and protecting them by His glance etc., similarly He bears multiple forms either simultaneously through manifestations like Brahma, Marichi etc., or successively. Of what kind is His performance of actions? (9)
Now if even the poets cannot comprehend this, how do you claim to know the truth? To this it is said: Just as the Lord Krishna was Your devotee, so are You. Moreover, regarding the Brahman described in the Vedas, You have realized the Supreme Brahman Krishna through direct experience, while other writers of scriptures have not experienced Sri Krishna; hence they do not understand things like "What does He perform? What are His activities?" etc. Only the Lord Himself knows the meaning of the Vedas, and by His grace His devotees too, but not others. Here it is to be understood that both the speaker Shukacharya and the listener Parikshit intend that just as Krishna's divine pastimes like the Rasa constitute a prominence of the energy of consciousness, similarly the creation of universes etc. through the manifestations like Brahma etc. constituting a prominence of Maya, is to be heard from the Vaishnavas, without any objection. (10)
"Hrishikesha" - The instigator of all the senses; with the intention that "He Himself, abiding in my words, may respond", (Shukacharya) performed preliminaries. The gods themselves are guru; hence bowing to them is auspicious, as said "The guru is Brahma, the guru is Vishnu." Or, he performed the auspicious act of bowing to Vyasa who is the guru and the Supreme Self who is the deity. (11)
The same auspiciousness is described further. For that Supreme One, the reason for His infinite glory is stated - because of His being the indwelling controller, His way is incomprehensible even to yogis. To that Supreme Purusha, Sri Krishna who is described in the verse "From whom I transcend the imperishable" (Gita 8.20) etc., salutations. His being the Supreme Purusha is described in that context itself, not elsewhere, as the great poet has said, "Hari alone is renowned as the Supreme Purusha." First His lordship is described - to the infinitely glorious one through manifestations like Purusha etc. Then His divine play as Purusha is stated - to the one whose way, characterized by devotional discipline, is incomprehensible for being the indwelling essence of aggregate and individual souls like Brahma etc. (12)
Śrīmad Vīrarāghava Vyākhyā
He further inquires "in what way" by saying "yathā". The one Lord, while performing manifold activities through His various incarnations, bears the modes of Prakriti like sattva etc. simultaneously as well as successively. Here "yathā" raises the question about the material and efficient causes in creation. "Yathā gopāyati" questions whether in protection too, like in creation, the Lord protects by being the indwelling controller of the souls by His own incarnation. "Yathā saṃyacchati" raises the question about the controlling principle. Since questions similar to those of Narada will be answered there itself, "yathā guṇāstviti" raises the question whether the Lord's incarnation is constituted of the three modes, or just one of the three modes, or is entirely transcendental to the modes. Though the third alternative is not explicitly questioned, it is intended by the inquirer, as it is the established conclusion. (9)
This was stated earlier by me to be considered. May the Lord properly explain it, for You alone are capable of explaining. "I am well-versed in the Brahman described in words" - thoroughly conversant with the meaning of all scriptures. "And in the Supreme Brahman" - conversant with the Self, forming a connected statement. This indicates the acquisition of knowledge arising from yoga focused on the Supreme Brahman. (10)
As instructed earlier for narrating the glories of Hari, he was requested, recollecting the Lord Hrishikesha, the controller of all senses, and performed preliminary rites like offering obeisance to the deities and guru. (11)
The same is described by the thirteen statements starting with "Salutations". "To that Supreme Purusha" - distinct from Prakriti and Purusha. The reason for that is stated - "To the infinitely glorious One" - who pervades and presides over the qualities within and without by His own nature. That is further clarified - "He is the cause of the origin, sustenance and dissolution of the manifest world, with His divine play." By which the three energies of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva in incarnation were accepted. This states His distinction. Further asserting His glory, it is said - "To the inner controller" - "This speaks of His being the all-pervading principle compared to which everything else is the pervaded." "Whose way is incomprehensible" - the word 'way' here metaphorically refers to the knowledge in the form of upāsanā relating to the essential nature, form etc. of the Lord, not the literal sense of traversable path. This states His being beyond the scope of material senses, which also indicates His distinction. (12)
Śrīmad Vijayadhvaja Tīrtha-kṛtā Pada Ratnāvalī Vyākhyā
Then he raises another question by saying "yathā" (in what way). The one Lord Hari, through His incarnations like Vāsudeva etc., performs manifold activities like creation etc., bearing the modes of Prakriti like sattva etc. The word "tu" (but) indicates the incongruity of the modes being borne simultaneously due to their mutually contradictory natures. The word "api" suggests the acceptance of their being borne successively. (9)
He says "vicikitsitam" (to be considered) indicating not just a doubt, but a desire to be instructed, meaning "You have the expertise to properly explain this." This implies that even transcendental subjects can be comprehended and explained by you. (10)
Suta removes Shaunaka's grave doubt about what Parikshit did after asking the question, by saying "iti" (in this way). The word "iti" indicates the manner. By saying "Hrishikesham" he primarily implies that Hari instigated the power of speech and other senses. "He began to recite the Bhāgavata Samhitā" is implied. (11)
Intending to narrate the Bhāgavata Purāna as a response to Parikshit's question, Shuka, observing proper etiquette, pays obeisance to his chosen deity with the verses starting from "Namah parāsmai" till "Namastasmā". He establishes the Lord's glory with the verse "Sadityādina" - "He is the cause of the origin, sustenance and dissolution of the manifest true world, with the triad of energies of will, knowledge and action accepted in His divine play." The term "nitya" (eternal) is to be construed, as the scripture, not perception, is the authority here. He does not say "to the embodied" as the way of the Lord is incomprehensible even to the embodied beings with eyes etc. Instead, he says "to the inner controller" - who eternally resides within as the inner self, as per the Vedic statement "The two purushas are in this world, the enjoyer and the enjoyed." (12)
Śrīmaj Jīva Gosvāmi-kṛtā Krama Sandarbha Vyākhyā
There, first describing the truth of the Lord, he offers obeisance with the thirteen statements beginning with "Namah" (Salutations). "Parāsmai" (To the Supreme One) refers to the Lord Shri Krishna Himself. Because He is "Bhūyase" (the Infinite, the Most Glorious One), being absolutely complete and perfect in every way. Hence, He is partially manifested in forms like the Purusha, while His real nature remains "Anupalakyavartmane" (whose way is incomprehensible). (12)
Śrīmad Viśvanātha Cakravarti-kṛtā Sārārtha darśinī Vyākhyā
Just as the one Purusha simultaneously bears the modes of Prakriti in the form of Purusha, yet remains untainted, merely witnessing and sustaining them; similarly, through His manifold incarnations like Brahma, Marichi etc., He bears them in succession or gradually. What kind of actions does He perform? The acts of creation etc. (9)
"Vicikitsitam" means doubtful. Indeed, even the poets find this difficult to comprehend, so how do you know this truth? To this, the meaning is: Just as the Lord Krishna is your devotee, so are you likewise. Moreover, regarding the Vedic knowledge in words, you are accomplished through deliberation, while in the Supreme Brahman, Krishna, you have actual experience. Other scholars, however, do not have such experience, so they do not truly know. "What does He create, what does He describe, what does He contemplate upon?" About this, it is said: "No one else in this world knows My heart." Here, the intention of both the listener Parikshit and the speaker is to be understood - Krishna's avatara leelas, predominated by His cit-shakti, like Rama etc., as well as the Purusha-avatara leelas predominated by His maya-shakti, like the creation of the universe etc., are to be heard only from the Vaishnavas, not scrutinized here. (10)
The meaning of "Om Hrishikesham sarvendriya-pravartakam" is that the Lord Himself, abiding in Suta's speech, began to speak. "Pracakrame" means he commenced with the paying of obeisance to the Deity and Guru. (11)
He describes that same Lord with thirteen statements. "Paraasmai" - Obeisance to that Supreme Purusha, Shri Krishna. First, he describes His lordship - "Bhūyase" - whose glory is immeasurable by incarnations like Purusha etc. There, he first describes the Purusha-avatara leela with "Sadudbhava" - the triad of energies being sattva, rajas and tamas. He describes the second and third Purusha-avatara leelas as - "Dehinam" - to the indweller of all beings from Brahma down to the individuals, "Anupalakyavartmane" - whose way of devotional service is incomprehensible even to yogis. (12)
Śrīmac Chukadeva-kṛta Siddhānta Pradīpaḥ
This relates to what was said before. "Vicikitsitam" means doubtful - how can the Lord properly explain this? Regarding that, he states the qualification with "shābde" etc. (10)
Having been invited to narrate the glories of Hari, and remembering that the Lord is "Hrishikesha" - the controller of all senses who aids the senses of the listeners to receive, he began the endeavor by first paying obeisance to Hari and the Guru etc. (11)
He describes that very Lord with thirteen statements beginning with "Namah". "Parāsmai" - Obeisance to that Supreme Purusha whose form is distinct from both the sentient and insentient. The reason for this is given - "Bhūyase" - to Him whose glory is unlimited, who is the cause in the origin, sustenance and dissolution of the manifest world. With His avatars as Padmasava, Rudra etc., He accepted the three energies characterized as rajas, sattva and tamas. "Anupalakyavartmane" - His way of attainment is incomprehensible even to non-devotees. To that Inner Self. (12)
Śrīmad Vallabhācārya Viracitā Subodhinī Vyākhyā
Moreover, by what means does the Lord act? If it is said "by the gunas (qualities)," does He accept those gunas sequentially or simultaneously? For indeed, they do not all arise or merge simultaneously. Does He accept them abundantly? He creates the multifarious gunas of prakriti and accepts them in abundant measure. Or alternatively, being singular Himself, He accepts them simultaneously while existing as manifold, through the distinctions of beginning, etc. Moreover, performing actions through births - having taken various births, He performs actions. The meaning is that He acts out of submission to karma. (9)
Having thus resolved the five questions, in his customary manner of speaking, he summarizes the questions with "This very thing has been inquired about by me." "I desire to know how the Lord would properly explain this." He affirms the Lord's capability in "Even in regard to the Supreme Brahman expressed through words, you are well-versed by means of those very means." The phrase "khalu" is used to indicate what is well-known. (10)
Explaining that Shuka also gave a qualified answer, he says "Thus having been invited..." Upāmantraṇa means entreaty. Here, in this context, remembering that the Lord Himself as "Hrishikesha" - the instigator of intelligence - is the dispeller of all doubts, he began to give a reply. "He began the endeavor" means he commenced the preliminaries. The preliminary is indeed paying obeisance to the Deity and Guru. "Having been invited to narrate the glories of Hari" - this is the reason for the preliminary at the beginning of the Skanda text. (11)
The complete meaning of all scriptures is determined through seven declarations of obeisance. His greatness is described by five prayerful statements. That which is spoken by Shuka constitutes one obeisance to Vyasa. The other is fashioned indirectly through the course of the narrative. From the very obeisance onwards, the Lord, the dispeller of all doubts, is entreated to grant desires and nothing else - this is the meaning of the two obeisances. (12a)
Even though five questions were asked by him (Shuka), still for the purpose of removing all doubts, remembering the Lord, he offers obeisance to the Lord after first resolving each of those doubts one by one. There, regarding the first doubt about the nature of creation, offering obeisance while explaining each mode, he says "Obeisance..." (12b)
In the beginning, "Parah" means the Supreme, the unattached, the indifferent, the singular. After that, that very same (Supreme) is the "Purusha." By this, the acceptance of an embodied form by the bodiless Vishnu is first described. Thereafter, by the desire "May I become many," that single (Supreme) became numerous. Then, for the purpose of sport, he mentions the acceptance of the three powers which are the gunas (qualities) of His Maya, for the creation, sustenance and dissolution of the world - "to the one who accepted the three powers." By the word "sata," non-existence is negated. Moreover, His origin, sustenance and dissolution are for the purpose of divine play. The Lord originates, remains and merges while having real existence - thus, the sequence is also shown. Since the all-pervading (Lord) is similar (to the created world), what is created has no delimitation. Thus, He acts simultaneously with distinction of space, or sequentially, as is befitting of divine play. Thereafter, by His inner presence, he says "to the one who enters within embodied beings." For He does not enter from outside, rather He manifests from within. Having created the entire (world) for the sake of the manifestation of names and forms born of the duality, having entered into all, His path is incomprehensible even to all - one of such nature has indeed arisen. By this, it is implied that knowledge of Him can only be gained through the Guru, Vedas, etc. (12)
Śrīmad Gosvāmi Śrī Puruṣottama Caraṇa Viracitaḥ Śrī Subodhinī Prakāśaḥ
How do they explain (the statement) "by the gunas" to people? Moreover, (the text beginning with) "kena" etc. (9)
Here, with the words "ity upāmantritaḥ" etc., along with "ity ādi" from the beginning of the Skanda (Purāṇa) - by this, the siddhānta of the path of devotion is indicated, meaning that the glories of the Lord should not be described without a prayer. (11)
Here, in the verses beginning with "Oṃ namaḥ parasmā," the meaning of "etāvat" is "to this extent," referring to what is denoted by the term upakrama (preliminary). "Anyat" (the other) refers to the subsequent verse "etad eva" (this very thing). "Krīḍārtham" means "for the purpose of divine play." By this, the maxim that in the context of the compound "sad-udbhava-sthāna-nirodha-līlā," it should be understood as a case analogous to the "mayūravyaṁsakādi" class of compounds, is indicated. In the compound "sad-udbhava-sthāna-nirodhārthi līlā" (divine play aimed at the origin, sustenance, and dissolution of the existent), there would arise a contradiction with injunctions like "sa vai naiva reme" and others related to Purusha-vidhi (the ordinance of the Supreme Being) and the Vedānta, if it were to be compounded. Here, in this context, it should be understood that the two adjectives "bhūyase" etc. denote the specific individual form. And this much (text covered so far) should be understood as being in the form of questions and answers, apart from (the verse) "kurvan karmāṇi janmabhiḥ" (performing actions through births). (12)
Śrī Giridhara-kṛtā Bāla Prabodhinī
He alone, through numerous births and descents, performs many actions and divine plays, while simultaneously or gradually presiding over the gunas of Prakriti – sattva, rajas and tamas – in the manner they manifest. (9)
All this that was stated earlier is my doubt, therefore (the phrase) "me" (to me) is connected with both (the words) "vicititsitam" (doubted) and "sandigdham" (doubtful). When there is an expectation of "How am I omniscient?", he says - "Indeed, without doubt, the Lord is adept in the verbal Brahman, known as the Vedas, through analytical study; and in the Supreme Brahman, he is adept through direct experience." (10)
Thus, having been requested by the king to narrate the glories of Hari in the aforementioned manner, Shuka, remaining steadfast in his words, intended that the Lord himself should give the answer. Recollecting Hrishikesha, the controller of all senses, he began to give the reply by following the sequence of paying obeisance to the deities and the guru. (11)
There, he offers obeisance to the deities, with the twelve words beginning with "namaḥ" - "Namaḥ" has to be connected with the word in the dative case everywhere, such as "parasmai puruṣāya" (to the Supreme Purusha). He states the reason for (addressing Him as) the Supreme Purusha with "bhūyase" (to the infinitely glorious one), meaning "to the one of immeasurable grandeur." He illustrates that very point - "By whose power, in the form of the threefold divine play of the origination, sustenance and dissolution of the manifest existence, the threefold potencies in the form of sattva, rajas and tamas, embodied as Brahma, Vishnu and Rudra, are presided over - to that (Supreme Lord), I bow." Although He alone performs and causes all actions to be performed, yet His way is difficult to comprehend, and the knowledge of that is extremely rare, as stated in "anuplakṣya-vartmane" (whose path is difficult to discern). He gives the reason for that - "dehinām antarbhavāya" (existing within embodied beings). (12)
Hindī Anuvāda
The Lord indeed is alone. To perform various actions, He assumes the form of a person and embodies various qualities of nature together, or He assumes numerous incarnations and embodies them successively. || 9 ||
O great sage! You are fully conversant with both the Vedas and the Absolute Truth, so please dispel this doubt of mine. || 10 ||
Suta said: When Maharaja Parikshit thus prayed to the Lord for a description of His glories, the blessed Shukadeva, constantly remembering the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna, began his narration. || 11 ||
Sri Shukadeva said: Innumerable obeisances unto the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord, who assumes the three potencies of creation, maintenance, and dissolution in the form of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shankara to perform His pastimes of creating, maintaining, and destroying the universe. He is the indwelling witness present in the hearts of all living beings, moving and nonmoving. His actual form and the means of attaining Him are beyond the conception of the material senses and mind. He is infinite, and His glory is also infinite. || 12 ||
SB 2.4.9-12
