अपूजयंस्ते मुनयस्तदानीमुदाखाग्भिर्मुहुरेव सूतम् । धन्योऽसि सूत त्वमिहेत्युदैरयन्व्यसर्जयंस्तं च निवर्तितेऽध्वरे ॥ २,४९.
Then the sages repeatedly honored Sūta with joyful words, saying, 'You are blessed, Sūta, truly blessed here,' and dismissed him when the sacrifice was concluded.
पुराणं गारुडं पुण्यं पवित्रं पापनाशनम् २,४९.
The Garuḍa Purāṇa is holy, pure, and destroys sin.
श्रुत्वा दानानि देयानि वाचकायाखिलानि च । पूर्वोक्तशयनादीनि नान्यथा सफलं भवेत् ॥ २,४९.
Having heard of the gifts to be given, and all that is to be offered to the reciter, as well as the previously mentioned beds and so forth, if these are not given, the result will not be attained.
पुराणं पूजयेत्पूर्वं वाचकं तदनन्तरम् । वस्त्रालङ्कारगोदानैर्दक्षिणाभिश्च सादरम् ॥ २,४९.
First, one should honor the Purāṇa, and then the reciter, with respect, by giving garments, ornaments, cows, and gifts.
अन्नदानैर्हेमदानैर्भमिदानैश्च भूरिभिः । पूजयेद्वाचकं भक्त्या बहुपुण्यफलाप्तये ॥ २,४९.
With abundant gifts of food, gold, and land, one should worship the reciter with devotion, in order to obtain many meritorious results.
यश्चेदं शृणुयान्मर्त्यो यथापि परिकीर्तयेत् । विहाय यातनां घोरां धूतपापो दिवं व्रजेत् ॥ २,४९.
Whoever among mortals hears or recites this, abandoning terrible torment, having their sins washed away, will go to heaven.
अथ गारुडे ब्रह्मकाण्डस्तृतीय आरभ्यते । ओं मल्लानामशनिर्नृणां नरवरः स्त्रीणां स्मरो मूर्तिमान् गोपानां स्वजनोऽसतां क्षितिभृतां शास्ता स्वपित्रोः शिशुः । मृत्युर्भोजपतेर्विधातृविहित स्तत्त्वं परं योगिनां वृष्णीनां च पतिः सदैव शुशुभे रङ्गेऽच्युतः साग्रजः ॥ ३,१.
Now, in the Garuḍa Purāṇa, the third section, the Brahma Kāṇḍa, begins. Om. Among wrestlers, he is the thunderbolt; among men, the best of men; among women, he is embodied Kāma; among cowherds, their kinsman; among the wicked, the ruler; among kings, the protector; to his parents, a child. To the king of Bhoja, he is death; to the creator, the ordained truth; to yogis, the supreme reality; and always, in the arena, Acyuta shone forth with his elder brother.
नमो नारायणायेति तस्मै वै मूलरूपिणे । नमस्कृत्य प्रवक्ष्यामि नारायणकथामिमाम् ॥ ३,१.
Salutation to Nārāyaṇa, the one who is the root form; having bowed to him, I will now speak this tale of Nārāyaṇa.
शौनकाद्या महात्मानो ह्यृषयो ब्रह्मवादिनः । नैमिषाख्ये महापुण्ये तपस्तेपुर्महत्तरम् ॥ ३,१.
Great souls such as Śaunaka, sages devoted to Brahman, performed great austerities in the highly meritorious place called Naimiṣa.
जितेन्द्रिया जिताहाराः संतः सत्यपरायणाः । यजन्तः परया भक्त्या विष्णुमाद्यं जगद्गुरुम् ॥ ३,१.
Having conquered their senses and food, being virtuous and devoted to truth, they worshipped Viṣṇu, the original preceptor of the world, with supreme devotion.
गृणन्तः परमं ब्रह्म जगच्चक्षुर्महौजसः । सर्वशास्त्रार्थतत्त्वज्ञास्तेपुर्नैमिष कानने ॥ ३,१.
Praising the supreme Brahman, the eye of the world, of great energy, and knowing the true meaning of all the scriptures, they dwelt in the forest of Naimiṣa.
यज्ञैर्यज्ञपतिं केचिज्ज्ञानैर्ज्ञानात्मकं परम् । केचित्परमया भक्त्या नारायणमपूजयन् ॥ ३,१.
Some worshipped the Lord of sacrifices with sacrifices, some worshipped the one whose essence is knowledge with knowledge, and some worshipped Nārāyaṇa with supreme devotion.
एकदा तु महात्मानः समाजं चक्रुरुत्तमाः । धर्मार्थकाममोक्षाणामुपायं ज्ञातुमिच्छवः ॥ ३,१.
Once, those great souls, the best among them, assembled, wishing to know the means to dharma, artha, kāma, and mokṣa.
षद्विंशतिसहस्राणि मुनीनामूर्ध्वरेतसाम् । तेषां शिष्यप्रशिष्याणां संख्या वक्तुं न शङ्क्यते ॥ ३,१.
There were twenty-six thousand sages, steadfast in celibacy; the number of their disciples and sub-disciples cannot be reckoned.
मुनयो भावितात्मानो मिलितास्ते महोजसः । लोकानुग्रहकर्तारो वीतरागा विमत्सराः ॥ ३,१.
Those sages, purified in mind, assembled together, possessed of great energy, benefactors of the world, free from passion and envy.
कथं हरौ मनुष्याणां भक्तिरव्यभिचारिणी । केन सिध्येत्तु सकलं कर्म त्रिविधमात्मनः ॥ ३,१.
How can unwavering devotion to Hari arise among people? By what means can all three kinds of actions of the self be perfected?
इत्येवं प्रष्टुमात्मानमुद्यतान्प्रेक्ष्य शौनकः । सांज लिर्वाक्यमाह स्म विनयावनतः सुधीः ॥ ३,१.
Seeing them thus prepared to ask, Śaunaka, wise and humble, spoke these gentle words.
शौनक उवाच । आस्ते सिद्धाश्रमे पुण्ये सूतः पौराणिकोत्तमः । स एतदखिलं वेत्ति व्यासशिष्यो यतीश्वरः ॥ ३,१.
Śaunaka said: In the holy hermitage of Siddhas resides Sūta, the foremost of narrators of the Purāṇas; he, the disciple of Vyāsa, the lord of ascetics, knows all this.
तस्मात्तमेव पृच्छाम इत्येवं शौनको मुनिः । अथ ते ऋषयो जग्मुः पुण्यं सिद्धाश्रमं ततः ॥ ३,१.
Therefore, let us ask him—so said the sage Śaunaka. Then those seers went to the holy hermitage of the Siddhas.
पप्रच्छुस्ते सुखासीनं नैमिषारण्यवासिनः । ऋषय ऊचुः । वयं त्वतिथयः प्राप्तास्त्वातिथेयोसि सुव्रत ॥ ३,१.
They questioned him, who was seated comfortably, the resident of Naimiṣāraṇya. The sages said: We have come as guests, and you are the host, O virtuous one.
स्नानदानोपचारेण पूजयित्वा यथाविधि । केन विष्णुः प्रसन्नः स्यात्स कथं पूज्यते नरैः ॥ ३,१.
After worshipping with bathing, gifts, and proper offerings, by what means does Vishnu become pleased, and how should he be worshipped by men?
मुक्तिसाधनभूतं च ब्रूहि तत्त्वविनिर्णयम् । सूत उवाच । शृणुध्वमृषयः सर्वे हरिं तत्त्वविनिर्णयम् ॥ ३,१.
Tell us the determination of truth regarding that which is the means to liberation. Sūta said: Listen, O sages, to the determination of truth about Hari.
नत्वा विष्णुं श्रियं वायुं भारतीं शेषसंज्ञकम् । द्वैपायनं गुरुं कृष्णं प्रवक्ष्यामि यथामति ॥ ३,१.
Having bowed to Vishnu, Śrī, Vāyu, Bhāratī, Śeṣa, Dvaipāyana, the guru, and Kṛṣṇa, I shall speak according to my understanding.
नास्ति नारायणसमं न भूतं न भविष्यति । एतेन सत्यवाक्येन सर्वार्थान्साधयाम्यहम् ॥ ३,१.
There is none equal to Nārāyaṇa, nor has there been, nor will there be. By this truthful statement, I accomplish all purposes.
शौनक उवाच । किमर्थं नमनं विष्णोर्ग्रन्थादौ मुनिसत्तम । कर्तव्यं ब्रूहि मे ब्रह्मन्कृपया मम सुव्रत ॥ ३,१.
Śaunaka said: For what reason, O best of sages, is it necessary to bow to Vishnu at the beginning of a scripture? Tell me, O Brahman, kindly, O virtuous one.
ततः श्रियं ततो वायुं भारतीं च ततः परम् । अन्ते व्यासं किमर्थं च त्वं नमस्कृतवानसि । सूतसूत महाभाग ब्रूहि कारणमत्र च ॥ ३,१.
Then to Śrī, then to Vāyu, then to Bhāratī, and finally to Vyāsa—why have you offered salutations to them? O Sūta, greatly fortunate, tell me the reason for this.
सूत उवाच । आदौ वन्द्यः सर्ववेदैकवेद्यो वेदे शास्त्रे सेतिहासे पुराणे । सत्तां प्रायो विष्णुरेवैक एव प्रकाशतेऽतो नम्य एको हरिर्हि ॥ ३,१.
Sūta said: At the beginning, the one to be worshipped is Vishnu alone, who is known through all the Vedas, in the Vedas, scriptures, histories, and Purāṇas. He alone shines forth as existence; therefore, Hari alone is to be worshipped.
सर्वत्र मुख्यस्त्वधिकोन्यतोपि स एव नम्यो न च शङ्कराद्याः । नमन्ति येऽविनयाच्छङ्करं तु विनायकं चण्डिकां रेणुकां च ॥ ३,१.
He alone is chief everywhere and superior to others; only he is to be worshipped, not Śaṅkara and others. Those who bow to Śaṅkara, Vināyaka, Caṇḍikā, and Reṇukā do so out of ignorance.
तथा सूर्यं भैरवं मातारश्व तथा वाणीं गिरिजां वै श्रियं च । सर्वेपि ते वैष्णवा नैव लोके न तद्भक्ता वेति चार्या वदन्ति ॥ ३,१.
Likewise, to Sūrya, Bhairava, Mātāraśva, Vāṇī, Girijā, and Śrī—all these are Vaiṣṇavas, not independent deities in the world, nor are their devotees; so say the teachers.
न पार्थिक्यान्नमनं कार्यमेव प्रीणन्ति नैता देवताः पूजनेन । पूजां गृहीत्वा देवताश्चैव सर्वाः किञ्चिद्दत्वा फलदानेन तांश्च ॥ ३,१.
Bowing to those who are not related to Pārtha is not to be done; these deities are not pleased by such worship. Even when worship is accepted, all the deities give only a little fruit.