FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.8.9

प्रोवाच मह्यं स दयालुरुक्तो मुनि: पुलस्त्येन पुराणमाद्यम् । सोऽहं तवैतत्कथयामि वत्स श्रद्धालवे नित्यमनुव्रताय ॥ ९ ॥
provāca mahyaṁ sa dayālur ukto
[provaacha mahyam sa dayaalur ukto]
muniḥ pulastyena purāṇam ādyam
[munih pulastyena puraanam aadyam]
so ’haṁ tavaitat kathayāmi vatsa
[so ’ham tavaitat kathayaami vatsa]
śraddhālave nityam anuvratāya
[shraddhaalave nityam anuvrataaya]
provāca — said mahyam — unto me saḥ — he dayāluḥ — kindhearted uktaḥ — aforementioned muniḥ — sage pulastyena — by the sage Pulastya purāṇam ādyam — the foremost of all the Purāṇas saḥ aham — that also I tava — unto you etat — this kathayāmi — shall speak vatsa — my dear son śraddhālave — unto one who is faithful nityam — always anuvratāya — unto one who is a follower.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
provāca mahyaṁ sa dayālur ukto
provāca
said
mahyam
unto me
saḥ
he
dayāluḥ
kindhearted
uktaḥ
aforementioned
muniḥ pulastyena purāṇam ādyam
muniḥ
sage
pulastyena
by the sage Pulastya
purāṇam ādyam
the foremost of all the Purāṇas
so ’haṁ tavaitat kathayāmi vatsa
saḥ aham
that also I
śraddhālave nityam anuvratāya
tava
unto you
etat
this
kathayāmi
shall speak
vatsa
my dear son
śraddhālave
unto one who is faithful
nityam
always
anuvratāya
unto one who is a follower.
The great sage Parāśara, as aforementioned, being so advised by the great sage Pulastya, spoke unto me the foremost of the Purāṇas [Bhāgavatam]. I shall also describe this before you, my dear son, in terms of my hearing, because you are always my faithful follower.

The great sage of the name Pulastya is the father of all demoniac descendants. Once upon a time Parāśara began a sacrifice in which all the demons were to be burnt to death because his father had been killed and devoured by one of them. The great sage Vasiṣṭha Muni arrived at the sacrifice and requested Parāśara to stop the deadly action, and because of Vasiṣṭha’s position and respect in the community of sages, Parāśara could not deny the request. Parāśara having stopped the sacrifice, Pulastya, the father of the demons, appreciated his brahminical temperament and gave the blessing that in the future he would be a great speaker on the Vedic literatures called the Purāṇas, the supplements of the Vedas. Parāśara’s action was appreciated by Pulastya because Parāśara had forgiven the demons out of his brahminical power of forgiveness. Parāśara was able to demolish all the demons in the sacrifice, but he considered, “Demons are so made that they devour living creatures, men and animals, but why on that account should I withdraw my brahminical qualification of forgiveness?” As the great speaker of the Purāṇas, Parāśara first of all spoke on the Śrīmad-Bhāgavata Purāṇa because it is the foremost of all the Purāṇas. Maitreya Muni desired to narrate the same Bhāgavatam be had heard from Parāśara, and Vidura was qualified to hear it because of his faithfulness and his following the instructions received from superiors. So Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam was being narrated from time immemorial by the disciplic succession, even before the time of Vyāsadeva. The so-called historians calculate the Purāṇas to be only a few hundred years old, but factually the Purāṇas existed from time immemorial, before all historical calculations by the mundaners and speculative philosophers.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Merciful Parāśara, blessed by Pulasya, spoke this foremost Purāṇa to me. I now speak this Purāṇa to you, who are faithful and always obedient. Hearing that his father had been eaten by demons, Parāśara performed a sacrifice to kill all the demons. Vaśiṣṭa advised him to stop the sacrifice. Pulastya, whose offspring were thus saved, [Note: Pulastya gave birth to Rāksāsas, Vānaras, Kinnaras, Gandharvas and Yakṣas. ] gave him a blessing, “You will become the speaker of Purāṇas.”
Inquiry here is not casual curiosity — it is a serious approach made by someone ready to be changed. The verse asks the reader to examine the quality of their own inquiries.
Reflection Questions
  • Whom in your life do you actually let teach you, in the sense of letting them correct you?
  • Whose lineage do you stand inside, even quietly, and how does that shape what you hear?
📝 My note

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