Bhagavata Purana

Preservation represents the triumph of the one in Vaikuntha, while sustenance results from his favours.

The Bhagavata Purana (Sanskrit: भागवतपुराण; IAST: Bhāgavata Purāṇa), also known as the Srimad Bhagavatam, Srimad Bhagavata Mahapurana (Śrīmad Bhāgavata Mahāpurāṇa) or simply Bhagavata, is one of Hinduism's eighteen great Puranas (Mahapuranas).

Quotes

• O lord! All of us will find shelter at your lotus feet, the remembrance of which grants freedom from fear to the men who are devoted to you. There are those who are bound down to non-permanent bodies and homes. They are deeply attached to the undesirable elements of “I” and “mine”. Though you reside within the body, such men are extremely far away from you. O illustrious one! We will worship at your lotus feet. O supreme lord! Those who are attached to futile objects in their conduct and to the senses are those whose minds are far away from the supreme. O great one! Therefore, they do not see the bliss at your feet, discerned by those who seek shelter there. O god! There are those who drink the nectar of your account. Their store of devotion is extensive. They obtain the comprehension that is the essence of non-attachment. They swiftly obtain their place in Vaikuntha.
  • As translated by Bibek Debroy (2018), Ch. 3:5

• The interaction of the elements, the senses, the objects of the senses and the mind is said to be subtle creation. Brahma’s creation, through a disequilibrium in the qualities, is said to be Pourusha or gross creation. Preservation represents the triumph of the one in Vaikuntha, while sustenance results from his favours. Manvantaras provide for virtuous dharma, while addiction to the senses represents the desire to undertake action. Accounts of the lord are said to be descriptions of his avataras, conduct and detailed narrations of those who follow Hari. Withdrawal is his act of lying down, together with his powers. Liberation results when he gives up all other forms and resorts to his own form.
  • As translated by Bibek Debroy (2018), Ch. 3:14

• A son born from your two sons will be revered by virtuous ones. They will chant about his pure fame and his glory will be like that of the illustrious one. Just as inferior gold is purified, virtuous ones will follow his good conduct and purify themselves, such as by not engaging in enmity. Everyone in the universe will be pleased with him, since the illustrious one will be himself pleased with him. He will use the intelligence in his atman to be devoted to no one else. He will be extremely fortunate and great-souled. He will be great in his sentiments and will be the greatest of the great. Through his increased devotion, when he gives up this life, he will enter Vaikuntha and find bliss there. He will not be lustful. He will be a store of good conduct and a store of qualities. He will be happy when others are happy and miserable when others are miserable. He will have no enemies in this world and he will be the reliever of all sorrows. He will be like the king of the stars, relieving the heat of the summer. Both inside him and outside him, he will see the unblemished lotus-eyed one, who assumes the form desired by his own devotees.
  • As translated by Bibek Debroy (2018), Ch. 3:14

• Sanaka and the others were my sons through my mental powers and were born before you. Without any desires, they travel through the sky and go to all the worlds and the residents there. They once went to Vaikuntha, where the illustrious one with the unblemished atman resides. All the worlds revere Vaikuntha. All the people who reside in Vaikuntha have a form like Vaikuntha. They are not driven by any material aspirations, but worship Hari because of dharma. The original and illustrious Purusha is there and he can be approached through the use of words. He accepts the pure form of sattva and the foremost confers happiness on us, his devotees.
  • Brahma, speaking in the third chapter, as translated by Bibek Debroy (2018), Ch. 3:15

• In the tract of land known as Bhārata-varṣa, as in Ilāvṛta-varṣa, there are many mountains and rivers.... The inhabitants of Bhārata-varṣa are purified because they always remember these rivers.
  • Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (Bhāgavata Purāṇa) » Canto 5: The Creative Impetus CHAPTER NINETEEN A Description of the Island of Jambūdvīpa [1]