The Bhagavata Purana (5 Volumes)

The present volume contains the Bhagavata Purana Part I (Skandhas 1-3) in English translation. It is the seventh in the series of fifty volumes on Ancient Indian Tradition and Mythology. The project of the series was envisaged and financed in 1970 by Shri Sundarlal jain the verteran enterpriser in the field of oriental publication and the leading partner messrs Motilal Banarsidas. Hitherto seven volumes of the series have been published and are ready for sale. The present translation is based on the Sanskrit text of the Bhagavata Purana published by Messrs Ksemaraja Srikrsnadas Venkatesvara Press, Bombay. This text constructed on the collation of mss and supported by the oldest commentator Sridhara Svamin is fairly accurate. But we have also recorded the translation of all the additional verses accepted as genuine in the authoritative commentaries of Ramanuja and Madhva Schools there are not found in the text of Sridhara Svamin. The Bhagavata Purana Deals with a variety of subjects geographical historical philosophical religious and the like which need elucidation. This task could not be accomplished by a mere translation. We have therefore provided footnotes on these topics. On the philosophical verses especially we have recorded different interpretations of the commentators belonging to different schools of thought viz those of sankara Ramanuja Madhva, Nimbarka, Vallabha and Caitanya (Gaudiya School of Vaisnavism) and also two eminent Marathi commentators Krsna Dayarnava and Ekanatha. In the Accomplishment of this task we have utilized the commentaries published in the Bhagavata Vidya Peeth Ahmedabad Edition and in the Vrindavana edition of this purana. In order to help the reader understand the background of the subject matter we have prefixed to this part a critical and comparative introduction which discusses among other topics the date authorship, philosophy, religion and general characteristics of this Purana. A Brief not on the commentators has also been added to the introduction while a general index is thought to be included in the last Part of this work. Before closing it is our pleasant duty to put on record our sincere gratitude to Dr. S.K. Chatterjee, Dr. V. Raghavan of the UNESCO for their kind encouragement and valuable help which render this work more valuable to scholars than it would otherwise have been. We must also thank the learned translator and annotator Dr. G.V. Tagare for his untiring zeal and sustained efforts in bringing out his volume within scheduled time in spite of untold obstacles. Finally we avail of this opportunity to state that any critical suggestion and advice for improvement are welcome and will receive proper consideration from us.