Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 12.13 Summary

In this final chapter Śrī Sūta Gosvāmī describes the length of each of the Purāṇas, along with the subject matter of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, its purpose, how to give it as a gift, the glories of such gift-giving and the glories of chanting and hearing it.

The total corpus of the Purāṇas includes four hundred thousand verses, eighteen thousand of which constitute Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nārāyaṇa, instructed Brahmā in this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, whose narrations produce detachment from matter and which contains the essence of all the Vedānta. One who gives the Śrīmad-Bhāgavata Purāṇa as a gift will attain the highest destination. Among all the Purāṇas, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the best, and it is the most dear thing to the Vaiṣṇavas. It reveals that spotless, supreme knowledge accessible to the paramahaḿsas, and it also reveals the process by which one can become free from the reactions of material work — a process enriched with knowledge, renunciation and devotion.

Having thus glorified the Bhāgavatam, Sūta Gosvāmī meditates upon Lord Śrī Nārāyaṇa as the original Absolute Truth, who is perfectly pure, free from all contamination, devoid of sorrow and immortal. Then he offers obeisances to the greatest yogī, Śrī Śukadeva, who is nondifferent from the Absolute Truth. Finally, praying with true devotion, Sūta Gosvāmī offers respects to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Śrī Hari, who takes away all misery.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
His Holiness Hrdayananda dasa Goswami
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