FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.4.3

कस्मिन् युगे प्रवृत्तेयं स्थाने वा केन हेतुना । कुत: सञ्चोदित: कृष्ण: कृतवान् संहितां मुनि: ॥ ३ ॥
kasmin yuge pravṛtteyaṁ
[kasmin yuge pravritteyam]
sthāne vā kena hetunā
[sthaane vaa kena hetunaa]
kutaḥ sañcoditaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ
[kutah sanchoditah krishnah]
kṛtavān saṁhitāṁ muniḥ
[kritavaan samhitaam munih]
Word-for-word
kasmin — in which yuge — period pravṛttā — was begun iyam — this sthāne — in the place vā — or kena — on what hetunā — ground kutaḥ — wherefrom sañcoditaḥ — inspired by kṛṣṇaḥ — Kṛṣṇa-dvaipāyana Vyāsa kṛtavān — compiled saṁhitām — Vedic literature muniḥ — the learned.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
kasmin yuge pravṛtteyaṁ
kasmin
in which
yuge
period
pravṛttā
was begun
iyam
this
sthāne vā kena hetunā
sthāne
in the place
vā
or
kena
on what
hetunā
ground
kutaḥ sañcoditaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ
kutaḥ
wherefrom
sañcoditaḥ
inspired by
kṛṣṇaḥ
Kṛṣṇa-dvaipāyana Vyāsa
kṛtavān saṁhitāṁ muniḥ
kṛtavān
compiled
saṁhitām
Vedic literature
muniḥ
the learned.
In what period and at what place was this first begun, and why was this taken up? From where did Kṛṣṇa-dvaipāyana Vyāsa, the great sage, get the inspiration to compile this literature?
Purport

Because Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the special contribution of Śrīla Vyāsadeva, there are so many inquiries by the learned Śaunaka Muni. It was known to them that Śrīla Vyāsadeva had already explained the text of the Vedas in various ways up to the Mahābhārata for the understanding of less intelligent women, śūdras and fallen members of the family of twice-born men. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is transcendental to all of them because it has nothing to do with anything mundane. So the inquiries are very intelligent and relevant.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
In which yuga, in what place, and for what reason did the sage Vyāsa write this work? Who inspired him to write this work?
Commentary

Kutaḥ here is a sārva-vibhakti (applicable to all cases of nouns). The suffix taḥ indicates “from.” It means “by whom.” Kṛṣṇa refers to Vyāsa.

Related lectures
Personal Guidance
The sages ask not only what Vyāsa wrote but where and when and why he was inspired. Context matters: knowing the origin of a text helps us receive its message rightly. Curiosity about origins is reverence in disguise.
Reflection Questions
  • What teaching do I follow without knowing why it was given?
  • How would knowing a text's circumstances change my reading of it?
📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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