संतर्प्य तुष्टैः स्वमनोनु सारात्तैः कारितां काम्यपूजां तथैव । निवेदयित्वा परदेवतायां विष्णौ हरौ श्रीपुरुषादिवन्द्ये ॥ ३,१.
Having satisfied them with offerings according to one's desire, and having performed the desired worship, one should dedicate it to the supreme deity, Vishnu, Hari, the lord of Śrī, and those worthy of worship.
इहापरत्रापि सुखेतराणि दास्यन्ति पश्चादधरं वै तमश्च । अतो ह्येते नैव पूज्या न नम्या मोक्षेच्छुभिर्ब्राह्मणाद्यैर्द्विजेन्द्र ॥ ३,१.
In this world and the next, they will give only mixed happiness; afterwards, lower darkness. Therefore, these are not to be worshipped or bowed to by those desiring liberation, O best of twice-born.
तथैव सर्वाश्रमिभिश्च नित्यं महाविपत्तावपि विप्रवर्याः । श्रीकाम्य या ये तु भजन्ति नित्यं श्रीब्रह्मरुद्रेद्रयमादिदेवान् ॥ ३,१.
Likewise, by all those in every stage of life, even in great calamity, O best of Brāhmaṇas. Those who desire Śrī and worship Brahma, Rudra, Indra, Yama, and other gods.
इहेव भुञ्जन्ति महच्च दुः खं महापदः कुष्ठभगन्दरादीन् । नमन्ति येऽवैष्णवान्ब्रह्मरुद्रवायु प्रतीकान्नैव ते विष्णुभक्ताः ॥ ३,१.
They enjoy great suffering here—misery, great disease, leprosy, fistula, and so on. Those who bow to non-Vaiṣṇava forms—Brahma, Rudra, Vāyu—they are not devotees of Vishnu.
अभिप्रायं त्वत्र वक्ष्ये मुनीन्द्राः परं गोप्यं हृदि धार्यं हि तद्धि । वायोः प्रतीकं पूज्यमेवेह विप्रा न ब्रह्मरुद्रादिप्रतीकमेव ॥ ३,१.
Now I will speak my intention here, O foremost sages, which is most secret and should be held in the heart. Among the forms, only that of Vāyu is to be worshipped here by Brāhmaṇas, not those of Brahma, Rudra, and others.
पूजाकाले देवदेवस्य विष्णोर्वायोः प्रतीकं योग्यभागे निधाय । अन्तर्गतं तस्य वायोर्हरिं च लक्ष्मीपतिं पूजयित्वा हि सम्यक् ॥ ३,१.
At the time of worship, placing the form of Vāyu, the representative of Vishnu, in the proper place, one should worship Hari, the lord of Lakṣmī, who is present within Vāyu, properly.
पश्चाद्वायोः सुप्रतीकं च सम्यङ्निर्माल्यशेषेण हरेः समर्चयेत् । पृथक्च स्रग्धूपविलेपनादिपूजां प्रकुर्वन्ति च ये विमूढः ॥ ३,१.
Afterwards, one should properly worship the excellent form of Vāyu with the remaining offerings from Hari. Those who perform separate worship with garlands, incense, ointments, and so on are deluded.
तेषां दुः खमिह लोके परत्र भविष्यते नात्र विचार्यमस्ति । प्रायश्चित्तं स्वस्ति विप्राः कथञ्चित्तत्कुर्वन्तु स्मरणं नाम विष्णोः ॥ ३,१.
For them, suffering will arise in this world and the next; there is no doubt about it. For atonement, O Brāhmaṇas, let them somehow remember the name of Vishnu.
पाषण्डरुद्रादिकसं प्रतिष्ठितान्हरेर्वायोः शङ्करस्य प्रतीकान् । नमन्ति ये फलबुद्ध्या विभूढास्तेषां फलं शाश्वतं दुः खमेव ॥ ३,१.
Those who, with the desire for reward, bow to images established for heretics, Rudra, and others, or to forms of Hari, Vāyu, or Śaṅkara, are truly deluded; for them, the result is only perpetual suffering.
वायोः प्रतीकं यदि विप्रवर्यैः प्रतिष्ठितं चेन्नमनं हि कार्यम् । नैवेद्यशेषेण हरेश्च विष्णोः पूजा कृता चेन्न हि दोषलेशः ॥ ३,१.
If an image of Vāyu has been established by excellent brāhmaṇas, then it should indeed be worshipped; and if worship is performed for Hari or Viṣṇu with the remnants of offerings, there is not even the slightest fault.
गुरुर्हि मुख्यो हनुमज्जनिर्महान्रामाङ्घ्रिभक्तो हनुमान्सदैव । एवं विदित्वा परमं हरिं च पुत्रं पुनर्मुख्यदेवस्य वायोः ॥ ३,१.
The foremost guru is Hanumān, the great devotee born of Vāyu, who is always devoted to the feet of Rāma; knowing thus, one should recognize the supreme Hari as the son, and again, as the principal deity of Vāyu.
नमस्कारो नान्यथा विप्रवर्या आधीयतां हृदि सर्वै रहस्यमम् । ये वैष्णवा वैष्ण वदासभृत्याः सर्वेपि ते सर्वदा विष्णुमेव ॥ ३,१.
O best of brāhmaṇas, worship should not be done otherwise; let this secret be held in your heart. All those who are Vaiṣṇavas, servants of Viṣṇu, are always devoted solely to Viṣṇu.
नमन्ति ये वै प्रतिपादयन्ति तथैव पुण्यानि च सात्त्विकानि । नमन्ति ये वासुदेवं हरिं च सम्यक्स्वशक्त्या प्रतिपादयन्ति ॥ ३,१.
Those who bow and thus establish virtuous and sattvic merits, those who bow to Vāsudeva, to Hari, and establish him rightly according to their ability, are truly virtuous.
प्रवृत्तिमार्गेण न पूजयन्ति ह्यापत्काले परदैवं तदन्यम् । ते वैष्णवा वैष्णवदासभृत्या अन्ये च सर्वेऽवैष्णवमात्रकाः स्मृताः ॥ ३,१.
Those who do not worship other deities, even in times of distress, following the path of action, are Vaiṣṇavas, servants of Viṣṇu; all others are considered merely non-Vaiṣṇavas.
उपक्रमैरुपसंहारस्य लिङ्गैर्हरिं गुरुं ह्यन्तरेणैव यान्ति । तानेवाहुः सत्पुराणानि विप्राः कलौ युगे नाभ्यसूयन्ति सर्वे ॥ ३,१.
By means of introductions, conclusions, and signs, they approach Hari as the guru, and only through him; these alone are declared in the true Purāṇas by the brāhmaṇas, and in the Kali age, none of them are to be censured.
यतो हितान्ये प्रतिपादयन्ति प्रवृत्तिधर्मान्स्वस्ववर्णानुरूपान् । अतो ह्यसूयन्ति सदा विमूढाः कलौ हि विप्राः प्रचुरा हि तेपि ॥ ३,१.
Because they establish beneficial duties appropriate to each one's own class, therefore, the deluded always find fault in the Kali age; and indeed, such brāhmaṇas are numerous.
न चास्ति विष्णोः सदृशं च दैवतं न चास्ति वायोः सदृशो गुरुश्च । न चास्ति तीर्थं सदृशं विष्णुपद्याः न विष्णुभक्तेन समोस्ति भक्तः ॥ ३,१.
There is no deity equal to Viṣṇu, no guru equal to Vāyu, no sacred place equal to Viṣṇupadā, and no devotee equal to a devotee of Viṣṇu.
अन्यानि विष्णोः प्रतिपादकानि सर्वाणि ते सात्त्विकानीति चाहुः । श्राव्याणि तान्येव मनुष्यलोके श्राव्याणि नान्यानि च दुःखदानि ॥ ३,१.
All other teachings that establish Viṣṇu are declared to be sattvic; only those should be heard among people, and not others, for the rest bring only suffering.
कलौ युगे सर्व पुराणमध्ये त्रीण्येव मुख्यानि हरिप्रियाणि । मुख्यं पुराणं हि कलौ नृणां च श्रेयस्करं भागवतं पुराणम् ॥ ३,१.
In the Kali age, among all the Purāṇas, only three are principal and dear to Hari; among them, the Bhāgavata Purāṇa is the foremost for people, bestowing the highest good.
पूर्वं हि सृष्टिः प्रतिपाद्यते त्र यतो ह्यतो भागवतं परं स्मृतम् । यस्मिन्पुराणे कथयन्ति सृष्टिं ह्यादौ विष्णोर्ब्रह्मरुद्रादिकानाम् ॥ ३,१.
First, creation is described therein; therefore, the Bhāgavata is considered supreme, for in that Purāṇa, the creation of Viṣṇu, Brahmā, Rudra, and others is narrated at the beginning.
नानार्थमेवं कथयन्ति विप्र नीचोच्चरूपं ज्ञानमाहुर्महान्तः । तेनैव सिद्धं प्रवदन्ति सर्वं ह्यतः परं भागवतं पुराणम् ॥ ३,१.
O brāhmaṇa, the great ones declare that knowledge is taught in various ways, both high and low; thus, everything is established by that alone, and therefore the Bhāgavata Purāṇa is supreme.
ततः परं विष्णुपुराणमाहुस्ततः परं गारुडसंज्ञकं च । त्रीण्येव मुख्या नि कलौ नृणां तु तथा विशेषो गारुडे किञ्चिदस्ति ॥ ३,१.
After that, the Viṣṇu Purāṇa is said to be next, and then the one called Gāruḍa; these three alone are principal for people in the Kali age, though there is some special distinction in the Gāruḍa.
शृणुध्वं वै तं विशेषं च विप्रास्त्र्यंशैर्युक्तं गारुडाख्यं पुराणम् । आद्यांशं वै कर्मकाण्डं वदन्ति द्वितीयांशं धर्मकाण्डं तमाहुः ॥ ३,१.
Hear now, O brāhmaṇas, that special distinction: the Purāṇa called Gāruḍa is composed of three sections; the first section is called the karma portion, the second is known as the dharma portion.
तृतीयांशं ब्रह्मकाण्डं वदन्ति तेषां मध्ये त्वन्तिमोयं वरिष्ठः । तृतीयांशश्रवणात्पुण्यमाहुस्तुल्यं पुण्यं भागवतस्य विप्राः ॥ ३,१.
The third section is called the brahma portion; among these, the last is the most excellent. The brāhmaṇas declare that hearing the third section brings merit equal to that of the Bhāgavata.
तृतीयांशे पठिते वेदतुल्यं फलं भवेन्नात्र विचार्यमस्ति । तृतीयांशश्रवणादेव विप्राः फलं प्रोक्तं पठतोप्यर्थमेवम् ॥ ३,१.
When the third section is recited, the result is equal to that of the Veda—there is no doubt about this; even by hearing the third section, O brāhmaṇas, the fruit is declared to be as such, and even more by reciting it.
तृतीयांशश्रवणादर्थतश्च पुण्यं चाहुः पठतो वै दशांशम् । ततो वरं मत्स्यपुराणमाहुस्ततो वरं कूर्मपूराणमाहुः ॥ ३,१.
By hearing or understanding the third section, it is said that one gains merit equal to one-tenth of reciting it. After that, the Matsya Purāṇa is considered superior, and after that, the Kūrma Purāṇa is said to be better.
तथैव वै वायुपुराणमाहुस्त्रीण्येव चाहुः सात्त्विकानीति लोके । तत्रापि किञ्चिद्वेदितव्यं भवेच्च पुराणषट्के सत्त्वरूपे मुनीन्द्राः ॥ ३,१.
In the same way, they say there are three Sāttvika Purāṇas according to the Vāyu Purāṇa; yet, in the world, some also say so. Even among these, something further should be understood; for in the six Purāṇas, O great sages, the quality of sattva is present.
सत्त्वाधमे मात्स्यकौर्मे तथाहुर्वायु चाहुः सात्त्विकं मध्यमं च । विष्णोः पुराणं भागवतं पुराणं सत्त्वोत्तमं गारुडं चाहुरार्याः ॥ ३,१.
Of the Sāttvika Purāṇas, the Matsya and Kūrma are considered to be of lower sattva, and the Vāyu is said to be of middling sattva. The Viṣṇu Purāṇa, the Bhāgavata Purāṇa, and the Gāruḍa Purāṇa are declared by the noble ones to be of the highest sattva.
स्कान्दं पाद्मं वामनं वै वराहं तथाग्रेयं भविष्यं पर्वसृष्टौ । एतान्याहू राजसानीति विप्रास्तत्रैकदेशः सात्त्विकस्तामसश्च ॥ ३,१.
The Skanda, Padma, Vāmana, Varāha, Agni, and Bhaviṣya Purāṇas are said by the learned to be Rājasa; among these, some portions are Sāttvika and some Tāmasa.
रजः प्राचुर्याद्राजसानीति च हुः श्राव्याणि नैतानि मुमुक्षुभिः सदा । तेषां मध्ये सात्त्विकांशाश्च संति तेषां श्रुतेर्गारुडीयं फलं च ॥ ३,१.
Because of the predominance of rajas, they are called Rājasa; these are not always to be heard by those seeking liberation. Among them, there are Sāttvika portions, and for them, the fruit of hearing is equal to half that of the Gāruḍa Purāṇa.