एकोनविंशत्साहस्रं गारुडं हरिभाषितम् । सप्तदशसहस्रं च पुराणं कूर्मभाषितम्
The Garuḍa Purāṇa, spoken by Hari, consists of nineteen thousand verses; the Kūrma Purāṇa, likewise, contains seventeen thousand verses.
एकाशीतिसहस्राणि स्कन्दाख्यं परमाद्भुतम् । पुराणाख्या च संख्या च विस्तरेण मयानघाः
The Skanda Purāṇa, most marvelous, has eighty-one thousand verses; thus, O sinless ones, I have told you the names and the counts of the Purāṇas in detail.
तथैवोपपुराणानि शृण्वन्तु ऋषिसत्तमाः । सनत्कुमारं प्रथमं नारसिंहं ततः परम्
In the same way, listen, O best of sages, to the Upapurāṇas: first is the Sanatkumāra, then the Nārasiṃha.
नारदीयं शिवं चैव दौर्वाससमनुत्तमम् । कापिलं मानवं चैव तथा चौशनसं स्मृतम्
The Nārada, Śiva, and the incomparable Daurvāsasa; the Kāpila, Mānava, and also the one known as Kauśanasa.
वारुणं कालिकाख्यं च साम्बं नन्दिकृतं शुभम् । सौरं पाराशरप्रोक्तमादित्यं चातिविस्तरम्
The Vāruṇa, Kālikā, Sāmba, the auspicious one composed by Nandi; the Saura, that taught by Parāśara, and the extensive Āditya.
माहेश्वरं भागवतं वासिष्ठं च सविस्तरम् । एतान्युपपुराणानि कथितानि महात्मभिः
The Māheśvara, Bhāgavata, and the detailed Vāsiṣṭha—these Upapurāṇas have been recounted by the great souls.
अष्टादश पुराणानि कृत्वा सत्यवतीसुतः । भारताख्यानमतुलं चक्रे तदुपबृंहितम्
Having composed the eighteen Purāṇas, the son of Satyavatī created the unrivaled narrative called the Bhārata, which is supplemented by them.
मन्वन्तरेषु सर्वेषु द्वापरे द्वापरे युगे । प्रादुःकरोति धर्मार्थी पुराणानि यथाविधि
In every Manvantara, in each Dvāpara Yuga, one who seeks righteousness brings forth the Purāṇas according to proper order.
द्वापरे द्वापरे विष्णुर्व्यासरूपेण सर्वदा । वेदमेकं स बहुधा कुरुते हितकाम्यया
In every Dvāpara Yuga, Viṣṇu, in the form of Vyāsa, always divides the single Veda into many, desiring the welfare of all.
अल्पायुषोऽल्पबुद्धींश्च विप्रान्ज्ञात्वा कलावथ । पुराणसंहितां पुण्यां कुरुतेऽसौ युगे युगे
Knowing that, in the Kali age, the brāhmaṇas are short-lived and of limited understanding, he composes the sacred collection of Purāṇas in every age.
स्त्रीशूद्रद्विजबन्धूनां न वेदश्रवणं मतम् । तेषामेव हितार्थाय पुराणानि कृतानि च
For women, Śūdras, and twice-borns' sons who are unfit to hear the Veda, the Purāṇas were made for their benefit.
मन्वन्तरे सप्तमेऽत्र शुभे वैवस्वताभिधे । अष्टाविंशतिमे प्राप्ते द्वापरे मुनिसत्तमाः
In this auspicious seventh Manvantara, called Vaivasvata, when the twenty-eighth Dvāpara arrives, O best of sages,
व्यासः सत्यवतीसूनुर्गुरुर्मे धर्मवित्तमः । एकोनत्रिंशत्संप्राप्ते द्रौणिर्व्यासो भविष्यति
Vyāsa, the son of Satyavatī, my revered teacher and knower of dharma, will become Drauni, the Vyāsa, at the twenty-ninth cycle.
अतीतास्तु तथा व्यासाः सप्तविंशतिरेव च । पुराणसंहितास्तैस्तु कथितास्तु युगे युगे
In the same way, there have been twenty-seven Vyāsas in the past, and those great ones have recited the collections of Purāṇas in every age.
ऋषय ऊचुः ब्रूहि सूत महाभाग व्यासाः पूर्वयुगोद्भवाः । वक्तारस्तु पुराणानां द्वापरे द्वापरे युगे
The sages said: Tell us, O highly fortunate Sūta, who were the Vyāsas born in previous ages, and who were the narrators of the Purāṇas in each Dvāpara Yuga?
सूत उवाच द्वापरे प्रथमे व्यस्ताः स्वयं वेदाः स्वयम्भुवा । प्रजापतिर्द्वितीये तु द्वापरे व्यासकार्यकृत्
Sūta said: In the first Dvāpara, the Vedas were divided by Svayambhū himself; in the second Dvāpara, Prajāpati performed the work of Vyāsa.
तृतीये चोशना व्यासश्चतुर्थे तु बृहस्पतिः । पञ्चमे सविता व्यासः षष्ठे मृत्युस्तथापरे
In the third, Uśanas was Vyāsa; in the fourth, Bṛhaspati; in the fifth, Savitṛ was Vyāsa; in the sixth, Mṛtyu, and in the next,
मघवा सप्तमे प्राप्ते वसिष्ठस्त्वष्टमे स्मृतः । सारस्वतस्तु नवमे त्रिधामा दशमे तथा
In the seventh, Maghavan; in the eighth, Vasiṣṭha is remembered; in the ninth, Sārasvata; and in the tenth, Tridhāmā.
एकादशेऽथ त्रिवृषो भरद्वाजस्ततः परम् । त्रयोदशे चान्तरिक्षो धर्मश्चापि चतुर्दशे
In the eleventh, Trivṛṣa; then Bharadvāja after that; in the thirteenth, Antarikṣa, and Dharma in the fourteenth.
त्रय्यारुणिः पञ्चदशे षोडशे तु धनञ्जयः । मेधातिथिः सप्तदशे व्रती ह्यष्टादशे तथा
In the fifteenth, Trayyaruṇi; in the sixteenth, Dhanañjaya; Medhātithi in the seventeenth, and Vratī in the eighteenth.
अत्रिरेकोनविंशेऽथ गौतमस्तु ततः परम् । उत्तमश्चैकविंशेऽथ हर्यात्मा परिकीर्तितः
Atri in the nineteenth, then Gautama after that; Uttama in the twenty-first, known as Haryātmā.
वेनो वाजश्रवाश्चैव सोमोऽमुष्यायणस्तथा । तृणबिन्दुस्तथा व्यासो भार्गवस्तु ततः परम्
Vena, Vājaśravā, Soma, Amuṣyāyaṇa, Tṛṇabindu, Vyāsa, and then Bhārgava.
ततः शक्तिर्जातुकर्ण्यः कृष्णद्वैपायनस्ततः । अष्टाविंशतिसंख्येयं कथिता या मया श्रुता
Then Śakti, Jātukarṇya, and then Kṛṣṇadvaipāyana; these twenty-eight are recounted as I have heard.
कृष्णद्वैपायनात्प्रोक्तं पुराणं च मया श्रुतम् । श्रीमद्भागवतं पुण्यं सर्वदुःखौघनाशनम्
From Kṛṣṇadvaipāyana, I have heard the Purāṇa called the glorious Bhāgavata, holy and destroyer of all heaps of sorrow.
कामदं मोक्षदं चैव वेदार्थपरिबृंहितम् । सर्वागमरसारामं मुमुक्षूणां सदा प्रियम्
It grants desires and liberation, is adorned with the meaning of the Vedas, is the delight of the essence of all scriptures, and is always dear to those seeking liberation.
व्यासेन कृत्वातिशुभं पुराणं शुकाय पुत्राय महात्मने यत् । वैराग्ययुक्ताय च पाठितं वै विज्ञाय चैवारणिसम्भवाय
Vyāsa composed this most auspicious Purāṇa and taught it to his son Śuka, the great soul, endowed with detachment, knowing him to be born of the fire-stick.
श्रुतं मया तत्र तथा गृहीतं यथार्थवद्व्यासमुखान्मुनीन्द्राः । पुराणगुह्यं सकलं समेतं गुरोः प्रसादात्करुणानिधेश्च
I have heard and received it there, just as it was, from the mouth of Vyāsa and the great sages, the entire secret of the Purāṇas, by the grace of my guru, the ocean of compassion.
सूतेन पृष्टः सकलं जगाद द्वैपायनस्तत्र पुराणगुह्यम् । अयोनिजेनाद्भुतबुद्धिना वै श्रुतं मया तत्र महाप्रभावम्
When Sūta asked, Dvaipāyana there revealed all the Purāṇa's secrets; I heard it from that one not born from a womb, of wondrous intellect and great power.
श्रीमद्भागवतामरांघ्रिपफलास्वादादरः सत्तमाः संसारार्णवदुर्विगाह्यसलिलं सन्तर्तुकामः शुकः । नानाख्यानरसालयं श्रुतिपुटैः प्रेम्णाशृणोदद्भुतं तच्छ्रुत्वा न विमुच्यते कलिभयादेवंविधः कः क्षितौ
The best among men, Śuka, desiring to cross the difficult ocean of worldly existence, listened with love through attentive ears to the wondrous Bhāgavata, a treasury of many stories and the nectar of the gods' feet; who, having heard it, would not be freed from the fear of Kali in this world?
पापीयानपि वेदधर्मरहितः स्वाचारहीनाशयो ॥ व्याजेनापि शृणोति यः परमिदं श्रीमत्पुराणोत्तमम् । भुक्त्या भोगकलापमत्र विपुलं देहावसानेऽचलं योगिप्राप्यमवाप्नुयाद्भगवतीनामाङ्कितं सुन्दरम्
Even the most sinful, devoid of Vedic dharma and good conduct, who listens even by pretense to this supreme, glorious Purāṇa, enjoys abundant pleasures here and, at life's end, attains the beautiful, unshakable state marked by the names of the Lord, which is reached by yogis.