||Srimad Bhagavatha Mahapuran||

|| Om Namo Bhagavathe Vasudevaya||

Chapter –3 - The Grand fire sacrifice at Naimisharanya!

Maharishi Vedavyasa starts the composition of the great epic offering initial obeisance to the supreme Lord who is absolute truth.  He is the creator, preserver, and destroyer as well. Maharishi Vedavyasa explains the unstained Dharma which has no equivalent words to describe, which refers to any spiritual or religious deeds which elevate the soul to attain liberation from repeated births.  In Bhagavatha Mahapuran Maharishi Vedavyasa describes the pure love to supreme Lord, it is the nectar-like knowledge of Veda, it is the essence of Veda, it is the ripened fruit of Vedic knowledge, which was relished by the parrot faced illustrious Sage Shuka.  Therefore Maharishi Vedavyasa recommends the souls to devour it at heart content, to attain the ocean like supreme bliss.  This sacred scripture was composed by Maharishi Vedavyasa, it was retold by Sage Shuka to King Pareekshith, while Sutha Pauranika and illustrious Rishis were assembled.  Later it was described by Sutha Pauranika to Shuka and Shaunaka and various Rishis.  It was the time, Kali era has begun the intellect of the people were diminishing, righteousness; peace and truthfulness are vanishing to a large extent, people are disturbed and constant conflicts have arisen in the family, life span has become short, people are not finding satisfied with any of their deed, people have neither interest nor intellect to adopt spirituality.  Shuka and Shaunakadhis arrived in the dense wood of Naimisharanya and organized for a grand fire sacrifice, which continued for several years, during this Yagna the Sages and Rishis assembled were pondering upon the various pastimes of the Supreme Lord whenever they get off from the work.  

The Shuka Shaunakadhis and Rishis assembled requests Sutha Pauranika who had attained the supreme knowledge of Bhagavatha Purana from Sage Shuka, to describe the reason for the evil effects of the Kali era and also requested to clarify their doubts.  The first episode of Bhagavath Mahapurana begins with Sutha Pauranika who was seated on the elevated dais before Rishis and Shuka Shaunakadhis, there are Rishis and sages assembled before him, each of the Sages respectfully places their doubts before him.  Shaunakadhis begins with their doubts to clarify, there were six questions related to the living beings on the Earth in the era of Kali. Shaunakadhis with folded hands prayed to Sutha Pauranika “Maharishi, people in the Kali era are more agitated, frustrated, restless and miserable, is there any remedy to protect the living beings from their distress? Secondly, we have various sacred scriptures such as 18 Puranas, Upapuranas, Veda, Upanishads, Vedanga, Ramayan, Bhagavad Gita, and  Mahabharath, etc.. Kindly describe the essence of the knowledge of these scriptures? Thirdly, why did the Supreme Lord Krishna incarnated on the Earth? Fourthly, if he did incarnate kindly describe us about the pastimes of supreme Lord.  Fifthly, kindly describe the various incarnations of supreme Lord elaborately.  Finally, Lord Krishna has completed the pastimes on the Earth and returned to his celestial abode, where does Dharma exists on the Earth?”