Text 1-3: Sūta said: Parīkṣit, who, being burned up by the weapon of Aśvatthāmā, did not die in his mother’s womb because of the mercy of Lord Kṛṣṇa, performer of astonishing actions; who, because he had taken shelter of the Lord, did not become bewildered with great fear from the life threatening snake called Takṣaka called by the curse of the brāhmaṇa; who became the student of Śukadeva, and giving up all material association and being situated in realization of the Lord, gave up his body on the bank of the Gaṅgā.

Text 4: Those who remember the lotus feet of the Lord; those who relish the nectar of pastimes concerning the Lord; and those whose very lives are the Lord do not have confusion even at the time of death.

Text 5: As long as Abhimanyu’s son, the great lord, was the king of the earth, Kali, though he had entered everywhere, could not influence anyone.

Text 6: On the day that the Lord left the earth, at that very instant, Kali, the source of irreligion, entered the world.

Text 7: The King did not kill Kali. He was like a bee, enjoying the honey—for at this time he understood that auspicious acts bear results just by deciding to do them, whereas sinful acts bear result only by undertaking them.

Text 8: Kali was an attentive tiger among inattentive men. But what could powerful Kali do to the innocent people since he was afraid of the devotees?

Text* 9: I have described to you what you had asked concerning pure Parīkṣit, which is related to the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa.

Text 10: Those who desire their own benefit should hear those topics concerning the qualities and activities of the Lord who performed the greatest actions.

Text* 11: The sages said: O auspicious Sūta! Live for eternal years, since you narrate to us, who are mortals, the shining glories of Kṛṣṇa!

Text 12: You let us, blackened by the smoke at this uncertain sacrifice, drink the intoxicating nectar of the lotus feet of Govinda.

Text 13: Let us not compare even a particle of devotee association to Svarga or liberation, what to speak of any blessings in this world.

Text 14: What knower of rasa could be satisfied with the topics of the Lord who is the sole, supreme shelter of the greatest devotees? Even those who are masters of yoga and the devatās headed by Brahmā and Śiva, cannot find an end to the spiritual qualities of the Lord who is without material qualities.

Text 15: O learned one! You are the one who prominently serves the Lord among us! Please describe in detail to us who desire to hear the great, pure and transcendental activities of the Lord who is the supreme shelter of the greatest devotees.

Text 16: Parīkṣit, the great devotee, with pure intelligence, attained liberation, in the form of the feet of the Lord having a flag marked with Garuḍa, through knowledge spoken by Śukadeva.

Text 17: Please tell us clearly the most pure Bhāgavatam containing unlimited pastimes, which is devoted to astonishing bhakti, since it is dear to the devotees and was recited to Parīkṣit.

Text 18: Sūta said: Born of mixed castes, we have certainly made our birth successful today by following after Śukadeva, for glorification of great devotees quickly destroys the mental pains arising from low birth.

Text 19: What doubt is there about this for one who chants the name of the unlimited Lord, who is the shelter of the greatest devotees, who has unlimited power, and who is called unlimited because he bestows his unlimited qualities to the devotee?

Text 20: Enough with delineating the Lord, who has no equal or superior in qualities! Ignoring Brahmā and others who pray to her, even Lakṣmī, with a desire for receiving all those qualities in full, serves the dust of the feet of this Lord who has no material desire.

Text 21: Who can be called by the name Bhagavān except Mukunda whose toe-nail water purifies the universe along with Śiva and becomes arghya for Brahmā.

Text 22: The devotees who are attracted to Kṛṣṇa, immediately giving up strong attachment to body and other material objects, attain the highest stage of life, pārama-haṁsa, in which lack of hatred and absorption in Kṛṣṇa are the natural qualities.

Text 23: You are like many suns! I will speak the knowledge requested by you according to what I have understood. Just as birds fly high in the sky only according to their ability, so the wise understand the pastimes of the Lord only according to their limited ability.

Text* 24: One day while taking his bow and hunting in the forest, after pursuing animals, he became tired, hungry and very thirsty.

Text 25: Not seeing water anywhere, he entered the hermitage of a sage, and saw the peaceful sage sitting with closed eyes.

Text 26: The sage had withdrawn his senses, life air, mind and intelligence after controlling them. Having surpassed the three states, he had entered into trance and realized brahman. He did not move at all.

Text 27: Parīkṣit, having a dry palate, requested water from that the sage covered with unkempt, matted locks of hair and dressed in deer skin.

Text 28: Thinking that he had been disrespected by not being offered a grass seat, arghya or friendly words, the king became angry.

Text 29: O brāhmaṇa! Afflicted by hungry and thirst, he suddenly became angry and spiteful towards the brāhmaṇa as never before.

Text 30: In anger he placed a dead snake on the shoulder of the sage using the tip of his bow, left the hermitage and returned to his city.

Text 31: Was he actually closing his eyes in a state of withdrawing his senses? Or was he feigning trance, perhaps because a fallen kṣatriya had come?

Text 32: The sage’s powerful son, playing with other young boys, hearing that the King had offended his father, spoke the following words to them.

Text 33: This is the sin of kings who are like fat crows! It is a sin committed by servants or door-keepers, who are like dogs, acting against their masters.

Text 34: The fallen kṣatriya is designated as a door-keeper by the brāhmaṇas. How can he, guarding the door, enter the house and eat the food in the pots?

Text* 35: Since Lord Kṛṣṇa, the punisher of those who deviate from the path, has departed, I will punish this breaker of rules. See my power!

Text 36: Saying this to his friends who were sages’ sons, eyes red with anger, performing ācamana with water from the Kauśikī River, he released a thunderbolt of words.

Text 37: By my order Takṣaka will bite this black sheep of his family, offender of my father, and a trespasser of boundaries.

Text 38: Returning to the hermitage, the boy, seeing his father with the snake around his neck, began crying loudly, afflicted with suffering.

Text 39-40: O brāhmaṇa! The descendent of Aṅgirasa, hearing the wailing of his son, eventually opened his eyes and saw the dead snake on his shoulder. Casting off the snake, he asked, “O son! Why are you crying? Who has wronged you?” Having been asked, his son explained everything.

Text 41: Hearing that Parīkṣit had been undeservedly cursed, the sage was not pleased with his son. “Oh! You have committed a great sin today. For a small offense you have given great punishment.”

Text 42: By this king’s intolerable power the citizens, protected and without any fear, enjoy prosperity. He is equal to Viṣṇu in fame. You cannot consider to be the same as ordinary men by immature intelligence.

Text 43: O child! When this King, representative of Viṣṇu, disappears, the people, suffering from thieves, will be destroyed in an instant like unprotected sheep,.

Text 44: The sin, though it is unrelated to us, arising from theft of wealth from people without a protector, will affect us at that time. The crowd of thieves will kill each other, curse each other and steal from each other animals, women and wealth.

Text 45: Proper conduct of men, prescribed through actions of varṇa and āśrama which are described in the Vedas will be destroyed. Mixed castes will arise for the dogs and monkeys absorbed in money and women.

Text 46: King Parīkṣit, the protector of dharma, the renowned emperor, a sage among kings, a very great devotee of the Lord, performer of horse sacrifices, suffering from hunger, thirst and fatigue, does not deserve our curse.

Text 47: The Lord, the soul of all beings, should forgive the sin committed to your innocent devotee by this boy of immature intelligence.

Text 48: Though the devotees are capable of counteracting, they do not react when scolded, cheated, cursed, insulted or beaten.

Text 49: The great sage was sorry for the sin committed by his son, and did not think at all that the King had committed an offense when he (the sage) was treated badly.

Text 50: Generally the devotees in this world, on experiencing distress and happiness by others’ actions, do not become agitated and do not rejoice, since they do not take shelter of material happiness and distress.