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.
ब्रह्माण्डलैङ्ग्ये ब्रह्मवैवर्तकं वै मार्कंण्डेयं ब्राह्ममादित्यकं च । एतान्या हुस्तामसानीति विप्रास्तत्रैकदेशः सात्त्विको राजसश्च ॥ ३,१.
The Brahmāṇḍa, Liṅga, Brahmavaivarta, Mārkaṇḍeya, Brāhma, and Āditya Purāṇas are said by the learned to be Tāmasa; among these, some portions are Sāttvika and some Rājasa.
श्राव्याणि नैतानि मनुष्यलोके तत्त्वेच्छुभिस्तामसानीत्यतो हि । तेषु स्थिताः सात्त्विकांशा मुनीन्द्रास्तेषां श्रुतिर्गारुडैकाङ्घ्रितुल्या ॥ ३,१.
These Tāmasa Purāṇas are not to be heard in the world of men by those who desire truth; yet, within them, O great sages, there are Sāttvika portions, and among them, the Gāruḍa Purāṇa is considered equal to a single foot in merit.
अल्पान्युपपुराणानि वदन्त्यष्टादशानि च । विष्णुधर्मोतरं चैव तन्त्रं भागवतं तथा ॥ ३,१.
They speak of the minor Purāṇas as being eighteen in number: Viṣṇudharmottara, Tantra, and also the Bhāgavata.
तत्त्वसारं नारसिंहं वायुप्रोक्तं तथैव च । तथा हंसपुराणं च षडेतानि मुनीश्वराः ॥ ३,१.
Tattvasāra, Nārasiṃha, that which is spoken by Vāyu, and likewise the Haṃsa Purāṇa—these six are declared by the great sages.
सात्त्विकान्येव जानीध्वं प्रायशो नात्र संशयः । एतेषां श्रवणादेव गारुडार्धफलं श्रुतम् ॥ ३,१.
Know these to be mostly Sāttvika; there is no doubt in this. By merely hearing these, one attains half the fruit of the Gāruḍa Purāṇa.
भविष्योत्तरनामानं बृहन्नारदमेव च । यमनारदसंवादं लघुनारदमेव च ॥ ३,१.
The Bhaviṣyottara, Bṛhannārada, the dialogue of Yama and Nārada, and the Laghunārada are also named.
विनायकपुराणं च बृहद्ब्रह्माण्डमेव च । एतानि राजसान्याहुः श्रवणाद्भुक्तरुत्तमा ॥ ३,१.
The Vināyaka Purāṇa and the Bṛhadbrahmāṇḍa are called Rājasa; by hearing them, one attains excellent enjoyment.
गारुडात्पादतुल्यं च फलं चाहुर्मनीषिणः । पुराणं भागवतं शैवं नन्दिप्रोक्तं तथैव च ॥ ३,१.
The wise say that the fruit from these is equal to a quarter of the Gāruḍa Purāṇa. The Bhāgavata Purāṇa, the Śaiva Purāṇa, and that spoken by Nandi are also mentioned.
पाशुपत्यं रैणुकं च भैरवं च तथैव च । एतानि तामसान्याहुर्हरितत्त्वार्थवेदिनः ॥ ३,१.
The Pāśupatya, Raiṇuka, and Bhairava Purāṇas are likewise said by those who know the essence of Hari to be Tāmasa.
एतेषां श्रवणाद्विप्रागारुडाङ्घ्यर्ध्मेव च । सर्वेष्वपि पुराणेषु श्रेष्ठं भागवतं स्मृतम् ॥ ३,१.
By hearing these, O brāhmaṇas, one attains half the merit of the Gāruḍa Purāṇa; yet, among all the Purāṇas, the Bhāgavata is remembered as the best.