Garudapurana 3.1

Homage to holy Gaṇeśa. / Homage to holy Lakṣmī-Nṛsiṃha. / Homage to holy Dattātreya. / Homage to holy Vedavyāsa. / Homage to holy Hayagrīva. / Now begins the third section, the Brahmakāṇḍa, in the Garuḍa Purāṇa: / Om. Lightning to the wrestlers, the foremost of men to humanity, love personified to women, / a kinsman to the cowherds, a punisher to the wicked rulers of earth, a child to his parents, / death to the lord of Bhojas, ordained by the creator, the supreme reality to the yogins, / and always the lord of the Vṛṣṇis, Acyuta shone forever in the arena together with his elder brother.

"Homage to Nārāyaṇa"—having bowed down indeed to him, whose form is the primal source, / I will proclaim this narrative of Nārāyaṇa.

The great-souled sages, Śaunaka and others, speakers of the Veda, / performed exceedingly great ascetic penance in the most holy place named Naimiṣa.

Subduing their senses, subduing their food, being virtuous, devoted to truth, / they were worshipping with supreme devotion the primal Viṣṇu, teacher of the world.

Praising supreme Brahman, the eye of the universe, endowed with great energy, / knowing the reality of the meaning of all scriptures, they practised penance in the Naimiṣa Forest.

Some worshipped the Lord of Sacrifice with sacrifices, some the supreme [Lord] consisting of knowledge through spiritual insights, / and others worshipped Nārāyaṇa with supreme devotion.

Once, however, the noble, great-souled [sages] gathered together in assembly, / desiring to know the means to dharma, wealth, pleasure, and liberation.

Twenty-six thousand were the sages of restrained seed, / and the number of their disciples and grand-disciples cannot be stated.

Those assembled sages, purified in soul, of great energy, / were benefactors of the world, free from passion and free from envy.

"How can men have unfaltering devotion to Hari? / By what means may all of a person’s three kinds of action succeed?"

Seeing them thus intent on questioning himself, Śaunaka, / folding his hands, bowed down with humility, that wise one spoke these words:

Śaunaka said: / "In the holy Siddhāśrama resides Sūta, the foremost of purāṇic reciters; / he knows all this, that disciple of Vyāsa and lord of ascetics.

Therefore, let us ask him!"—thus [said] the sage Śaunaka. / Then those sages went from there to the holy Siddhāśrama.

Those dwellers of the Naimiṣa Forest questioned him as he sat comfortably. / The sages said: / "We have arrived as guests, and you, O [sage] of good vows, are the host.

Having worshipped [him] properly with the rites of bathing and gifting: / by what means may Viṣṇu become pleased? How is he worshipped by men?

And proclaim the ascertainment of the truth that serves as the means to liberation." / Sūta said: / "Listen, all you sages, to Hari, the ascertainment of the truth.

Having bowed to Viṣṇu, Śrī, Vāyu, Bhāratī, the one named Śeṣa, / and the guru Dvaipāyana Kṛṣṇa, I will speak according to my understanding.

There is none equal to Nārāyaṇa; there has been none, nor will there be. / By this truthful statement I accomplish all objectives."

Śaunaka said: / "For what purpose should the bowing to Viṣṇu at the beginning of a text, O best of sages, / be performed? Tell me, O Brahman, out of your compassion, O [sage] of good vows.

Then [why] to Śrī, then to Vāyu, and then after that to Bhāratī, / and at the end, why have you bowed to Vyāsa? / O Sūta, Sūta, highly fortunate one, state the reason in this matter."

Sūta said: / "First to be praised is the one to be known solely by all Vedas—in Veda, treatise, Itihāsa, and Purāṇa; / Viṣṇu alone predominantly shines as existence itself, therefore Hari alone is to be bowed to.

He is foremost everywhere, superior even to anyone else; he alone is to be bowed to, and not Śaṅkara and the others. / Those who out of insolence bow down indeed to Śaṅkara, Vināyaka, Caṇḍikā, and Reṇukā,

and likewise to the Sun, Bhairava, the Mothers, and likewise to Vāṇī, Girijā, and Śrī— / none of them at all in this world are Vaiṣṇavas, nor are they his devotees, so the noble ones say.

Bowing should never be performed separately; these deities are not pleased by worship. / All the deities, having received worship, and having granted something by giving a reward to them,

and having satisfied them according to their own desire, being pleased, and likewise having offered / that desire-prompted worship caused to be done by them to the supreme deity, Viṣṇu, Hari, praised by Śrī, Puruṣa, and others,

they will later grant things other than happiness in this world and the next, and indeed the lower darkness. / Therefore these are certainly not to be worshipped nor bowed to by Brahmins and others seeking liberation, O foremost of the twice-born,

and likewise at all times by members of all life-stages, even in great misfortune, O best of the vipras! / Those, however, who out of desire for prosperity constantly worship the deities beginning with Śrī, Brahmā, Rudra, Indra, and Yama,

experience great suffering even in this very world, and great calamities such as leprosy and fistula. / Those who bow to non-Vaiṣṇavas, to the representations of Brahmā, Rudra, and Vāyu, are not Viṣṇu's devotees at all.

I will tell the intention here, O kings of sages; it is supreme secret and must indeed be held in the heart: / the representation of Vāyu alone is to be worshipped here, O vipras, not the representation of Brahmā, Rudra, and the others.

At the time of worship of Viṣṇu, the god of gods, having placed the representation of Vāyu in a suitable location, / and having properly worshipped Hari, the husband of Lakṣmī, dwelling inside that Vāyu,

afterwards, one should properly worship the auspicious representation of Vāyu with the remnants of the offerings to Hari. / And those fools who perform separate worship with garlands, incense, unguents, and the like,

theirs will be suffering in this world and in the next world; there is no doubt in this matter. / The expiation is for welfare, O vipras; let them somehow perform that remembrance of the name of Viṣṇu.

Those fools who, with the expectation of a reward, bow to the representations of Hari, Vāyu, and Śaṅkara / established by heretics, Rudra, and others—their fruit is perpetual suffering alone.

If the representation of Vāyu is consecrated by the best of vipras, then indeed bowing should be done. / If worship is performed with the remnant of the food offered to Hari and Viṣṇu, then there is not the slightest fault."

The supreme guru indeed was born as Hanumān, the great devotee of Rāma's feet, eternally Hanumān. / Having known this, and [knowing] Hari to be supreme, and the son of the chief deity Vāyu—

O best of brahmins, homage [should be offered], not otherwise! Let this secret be held in the heart by all. / Those who are Vaiṣṇavas, or servants of the servants of Vaiṣṇavas, all of them always [revere] only Viṣṇu.

They indeed bow down, and likewise teach virtues that are pure (sāttvika); / they bow down to Vāsudeva and Hari, and explain [Him] fully according to their own capacity.

Even in times of distress, they do not worship another, foreign god through the path of outward ritual action. / They are Vaiṣṇavas, servants of Vaiṣṇava servants; and all others are regarded as mere pseudo-Vaiṣṇavas.

By the interpretive marks such as commencement and conclusion, they proceed straight to Hari and the guru. / The genuine Purāṇas speak of only them, O brahmins; in the Kali age, not all are free from malice.

Because they expound other, beneficial outward religious duties appropriate to their respective castes, / the deluded ones are always envious here; for such [pseudo-]brahmins are indeed numerous in the Kali age.

There is no deity equal to Viṣṇu, and there is no guru equal to Vāyu; / there is no holy bath equal to Viṣṇupadī (the Gaṅgā), and no devotee equal to a devotee of Viṣṇu.

All other texts that expound Viṣṇu, they declare to be sāttvika. / Only those are to be heard in the mortal world; others, which give suffering, must not be heard.

In the Kali age, among all the Purāṇas, only three are primary and dear to Hari. / For men in the Kali age, the chief Purāṇa that brings welfare is the Bhāgavata Purāṇa.

Because the primordial creation is expounded here, the Bhāgavata is held to be supreme; / in which Purāṇa they describe the creation of Brahmā, Rudra, and the rest from Viṣṇu at the beginning.

Thus they explain various subjects, O brahmin; the great ones speak of knowledge having higher and lower forms. / By that alone they declare everything to be established; hence the Bhāgavata Purāṇa is supreme.

Next to that, they mention the Viṣṇu Purāṇa, and after that, the one named Garuḍa. / Only these three are chief for men in the Kali age; yet there is a certain distinction in the Garuḍa.

Hear that distinction, O brahmins! The Purāṇa named Garuḍa consists of three sections. / They call the first section the ritual section (karmakāṇḍa), and the second section they call the section on dharma (dharmakāṇḍa).

They call the third section the theological section (brahmakāṇḍa); among them, this final one is the highest. / From listening to the third section, O brahmins, they declare the merit to be equal to the merit of the Bhāgavata.

When the third section is recited, the reward is equal to the Veda; there is no doubt about this. / From the mere hearing of the third section, O brahmins, the [same] fruit is proclaimed as from reciting and understanding the meaning.

From hearing the third section and comprehending its meaning, they say the merit of the reciter is one-tenth. / After that, they declare the Matsya Purāṇa to be best; after that, the Kūrma Purāṇa.

Likewise, they name the Vāyu Purāṇa; and these three alone are declared to be sāttvika in the world.

Even among these, O lords of sages, something must be understood within the six Purāṇas consisting of sattva:

The Matsya and the Kūrma are called the lowest grade of sattva, and the Vāyu is said to be intermediate sattva; / the Viṣṇu Purāṇa, the Bhāgavata Purāṇa, and the Garuḍa are called the highest sattva by the noble.

The Skanda, the Padma, the Vāmana, the Varāha, and the Āgneya, [and] the Bhaviṣya regarding subsequent creation— / these, O brahmins, they describe as rājasika, though a portion of them is sāttvika and tāmasika.

Because of the abundance of rajas, they are called rājasika; they should never be heard by seekers of liberation. / Yet within them are sāttvika portions; from hearing them, the reward is [equal to a part of] the Garuḍa.

The Brahmāṇḍa, the Liṅga, the Brahmavaivarta, the Mārkaṇḍeya, the Brāhma, and the Āditya— / these, O brahmins, they describe as tāmasika, though a portion of them is sāttvika and rājasika.

These are not to be heard in the mortal world by those desiring truth, because they are tāmasika. / The sāttvika portions situated in them, O lords of sages—hearing them equals one-fourth of the Garuḍa.

They speak of eighteen minor Purāṇas (upapurāṇas): / the Viṣṇudharmottara, the Sātvata Tantra,

the Tattvasāra, the Nārasiṃha, the one proclaimed by Vāyu, / and the Haṃsa Purāṇa; these six, O lords of sages,

you should know as truly sāttvika for the most part; there is no doubt here. / From merely hearing these, half the fruit of the Garuḍa is taught in tradition.

The one named Bhaviṣyottara, the Bṛhannārada, / the Dialogue of Yama and Nārada, and the Laghunārada,

the Vināyaka Purāṇa, and the Bṛhadbrahmāṇḍa— / these they declare to be rājasika; from hearing them, excellent enjoyment [arises].

The wise declare the fruit to be equal to one-fourth of the Garuḍa. / The Bhāgavata, the Śaiva, that spoken by Nandin,

the Pāśupata, the Raiṇuka, and likewise the Bhairava— / these are called tāmasika by those who know the truth of Hari's nature.

From hearing these, O brahmins, [the fruit is] half of one-fourth of the Garuḍa. / Yet among all the Purāṇas, the Bhāgavata is held to be the best.

Its recitation is fully equal to the Vedas, and its hearing yields half of that. / And from hearing it with understanding of the meaning, the merit is remembered to be tenfold.

The speaker obtains twice the merit, and the commentator even more. / Great ones speak of equality with the infinite Vedas, and on account of weightiness and greatness, O brahmins, so also of the Mahābhārata.

Those who know the mystery of Viṣṇu declare that in meaning it even surpasses the Vedas.

Among its parts, the noble say the Bhagavad Gītā is supreme, and likewise the Thousand Names of Viṣṇu; / from hearing those two, great ones declare the fruit to be ten times greater than the rest of the Mahābhārata.

Daityas, taking birth among the families of all brahmins in the Kṛta age, within the [Mahā]bhārata of six thousand [verses], / always cast out some [verses] and insert newly composed ones there.

Knowing Hari, the Lord in the form of Vyāsa then composed the Bhāgavata Purāṇa; / and having fully proclaimed the Viṣṇu Purāṇa, he composed next to that the work named Garuḍa.

Therefore the Garuḍa is the chief Purāṇa, approved by scripture; / there is nothing equal to the Garuḍa in revealing the duties sacred to Viṣṇu.

Just as Janārdana is the foremost among the gods, just as Sudarśana is the foremost among weapons, / just as the horse sacrifice is the foremost among rites, even so Rudra is foremost among devotees whose devotion is broken.

Among rivers [the foremost is] the Gaṅgā, among water-born flowers the lotus, and even so Vāyu among devotees whose devotion is unbroken; / and among the Purāṇas, the Gāruḍa is the foremost: so they say in revealing the reality of Hari.

In the Purāṇa called Gāruḍa, Hari is declared to be the subject to be demonstrated.

Therefore Hari is to be saluted; Hari is declared to be the goal and the worthy recipient.

Because the goddess Śrī has the nature of fortune, obeisance [to her] is remembered immediately after; / he who is beyond, the supreme person, is also remembered as the lord of practitioners.

Therefore Vāyu too is to be bowed to at the beginning of the Purāṇa, O best of the twice-born; / Bhāratī, being of the nature of speech, is to be bowed to immediately after Vāyu.

Nara is called an auxiliary practitioner; because of this, immediately after that, / he is said by the wise to be bowed to, always according to the hierarchy.

Therefore one should bow to Vyāsa because he is the author of the work.
Śaunaka said:
Why indeed is obeisance to the noble Vyāsa to be performed at the end?

Tell the reason for his praise at the end, O you of noble vows!
Sūta said:
Immediately after Viṣṇu, obeisance to Vyāsa is foremost indeed.

For Hari himself is Vyāsa, possessing the nature of the circle of speech;
Vyāsa is by no means stated to be identical with the blessed Hari.

There too I shall explain the reason with reverence, O lords of sages:
Vyāsa is remembered as some [mere] sage in the tāmasa Purāṇas.

Relying on such a notion, the daityas, along with the followers of the daityas, / enter into blind darkness; therefore he is saluted at the end.

This supreme secret is to be retained in the heart, no doubt;
obeisance is stated only for the highest, because the subject to be demonstrated here [is Hari alone].

For through the state of conciseness and expansion, that is understood of the highest;
they would not know that reality, because Hari is the [sole] foundation.

Hari and Vyāsa are indeed one; yet Vyāsa is remembered as like Hari;
their state of being the foundation and being the lord belongs to the two of them alone, no doubt.

Because she enters into the category of the Lord, lordship is stated of Śrī;
because the three are foundations and are to be served, their lordship is remembered.

Because the three beginning with Vāyu are to be served, service [to them] is remembered;
Māruti is indeed the principal limb of Viṣṇu in removing the burden of the earth.

Bhāratī, having the nature of speech, is remembered as his second limb;
Śeṣa is the third limb of Hari; they are not to be bowed to as equals of Hari.

Those who are to be demonstrated principally are indeed stated to be bowed to;
and those beginning with Vāyu are intermediate, therefore they are not remembered as bowed to [in that manner].

Because names such as Bhīṣma and Droṇa are continually
denotative primarily of [the deities present in] Bhīma and others, they are to be bowed to, O lords of sages.

Only the highest possess the quality of being bowed to and of being the subject to be demonstrated;
all this has been declared by me; what else do you wish to hear?

Thus ends the first chapter, entitled 'Determination of the division of Purāṇas into sāttvika and others, and the division of deities to be bowed to and not to be bowed to', in the Brahmakāṇḍa, the third section of the Uttarakhaṇḍa, in the conversation between Sūta and Śaunaka in the venerable Garuḍa Mahāpurāṇa.