The sacred Devī Bhāgavata Purāṇa, composed in beautiful script, is to be treated with the utmost reverence. It should be placed upon a golden throne and wrapped in fine silk cloth, signifying its divine status. On the auspicious eighth or ninth day, after honoring the one who recites or teaches the Purāṇa, one should offer him enjoyment and hospitality; for through such acts, both the giver and the receiver are blessed, and the rare liberation is attained. Regardless of one’s station—whether poor, weak, young, in the bloom of youth, or advanced in age—anyone who possesses knowledge of the Purāṇas or is skilled in healing should always be respected and honored. Among all the teachers in the world, born of virtue, the knower of the Purāṇas stands supreme. A Brāhmaṇa well-versed in the Purāṇas, seated on the revered seat of Vyāsa, should not bow to anyone during the discourse until its conclusion, maintaining the dignity of the sacred narration. Those who listen to the divine Purāṇic stories without devotion, however, derive no merit and remain entangled in suffering and poverty. If one listens to the tale of the Goddess without first honoring the Purāṇa with offerings—such as betel or flowers—they too are destined for poverty. If, after hearing the story, a person abandons the gathering and departs elsewhere, they lose their pleasures, and even their spouses and wealth may perish. Those who, out of arrogance, sit on high seats while listening to the sacred story will suffer torments in hell and be reborn as crows. Those who sit on low or heroic seats attain the fate of birds dwelling on arjuna trees. If someone speaks harsh words during the recitation, they become donkeys in this world and, in the next, kites. Those who revile the knowers of the Purāṇas or the sin-destroying story are destined to be born as dogs for a hundred lifetimes, without doubt. If anyone presumptuously sits on the same seat as the speaker during the narration, they incur a grievous sin, equivalent to violating the teacher’s sanctity, and are cast into hell. Those who listen without bowing in respect become poisonous trees, and those who listen while lying down are reborn as pythons. Men who never listen to the Purāṇic stories, after enduring the torments of hell, are reborn as village pigs. Likewise, those who disapprove of the stories or wickedly create obstacles, after suffering in hell for millions of years, also become village pigs. On the other hand, those who offer a seat, a vessel, wealth, fruit, clothes, or a blanket to the knower of the Purāṇas attain the abode of Hari. Even those who offer new silk cloth or auspicious thread to the book of the Purāṇa itself become enjoyers of happiness. The merit gained from hearing any other Purāṇa is multiplied a hundredfold by hearing the Devī Bhāgavata. Just as the Gaṅgā is the holiest of rivers, Śaṅkara the foremost among gods, the Rāmāyaṇa the greatest of poems, and the sun the brightest among luminaries, so too is the Devī Bhāgavata supreme among Purāṇas. As the moon brings delight, fame brings wealth, the earth stands steadfast for the patient, and the ocean is deep, so too is the Devī Bhāgavata profound and sustaining. Among mantras, Savitri is the highest; for the destruction of sin, remembrance of Hari is foremost; and among the eighteen Purāṇas, the Devī Bhāgavata is supreme. However one manages to hear it—if one listens to it nine times—the result is beyond description, and such a person is truly liberated while living. For those seeking the destruction of ghosts and spirits, the gaining of kingdoms from enemies, or the blessing of sons, listening to the Devī Bhāgavata brings fulfillment. Whoever recites or even listens to the Śrīmad Bhāgavata—even half a verse or a quarter—attains the supreme state. The Goddess herself revealed half a verse, and through disciples and their disciples, that teaching was expanded. There is no dharma higher than Gāyatrī, no austerity greater, no deity equal, nor any law superior to her. She is called Gāyatrī because she protects the chanter, and within the Bhāgavata, the secret Goddess is established. Thus, even the great Purāṇas do not equal a sixteenth part of this Bhāgavata, which brings joy to the Goddess. The Śrīmad Bhāgavata Purāṇa, pure and immaculate, is the treasure of the brāhmaṇas; here, the pure dharma is spoken by Nārāyaṇa, the secret of Gāyatrī is revealed, and Maṇidvīpa is described, as the Goddess herself sang to Himavat. Therefore, in this world, nothing is equal or superior to this Purāṇa, and so, O twice-born, the Devī Bhāgavata should always be served. Whose entire power neither the Creator, nor Hari, nor Śiva, nor Ananta knows; even their portions and sub-portions do not comprehend her—what then of other gods? To her, the Mother of the world, I offer constant reverence. By attaining the dust of whose lotus feet, Brahmā creates the universe daily, Viṣṇu sustains it, and Rudra dissolves it; none else is capable. To her, the Mother of the world, I offer constant reverence. In Maṇidvīpa, radiant with wells of nectar and groves of divine trees, in a palace of wish-fulfilling gems, shining with wondrous beauty, the Mother dwells, smiling in the heart of Supreme Śiva. One who meditates on her attains both worldly enjoyment and liberation. Worshipped by Brahmā, Īśa, Acyuta, Śakra, and other great sages, may she, the presiding deity of Maṇidvīpa, bring welfare to the world. Om. We contemplate that primal knowledge, the embodiment of all consciousness, who may inspire our intellect. At this, Śaunaka spoke: “Sūta, O most fortunate one, best among men, you are truly blessed, for you have thoroughly studied the auspicious collections of the Purāṇas. The eighteen Purāṇas, O sinless one, were narrated by the sage Kṛṣṇa, and you have recited and studied them, most divine. O bestower of honor, all the Purāṇas, endowed with the five characteristics and full of secrets, have been learned by you from Vyāsa, the son of Satyavatī. By the merit of our good deeds, you have come to this excellent and sacred place—divine, trustworthy, holy, and free from the faults of the Kali age.