tvayoktāni śrutāni me

Chapter One

The Story of Sudyumna

|| 9.1.1 ||

śrī-rājovāca

manvantarāṇi sarvāṇi

tvayoktāni śrutāni me

vīryāṇy ananta-vīryasya

hares tatra kṛtāni ca

King Parīkṣit said: You have described the Manvantaras, within those periods, the wonderful activities of the Supreme Lord of unlimited potency take place, and I have heard this.

Offering respects to guru and Kṛṣṇa, the ocean of mercy, I take shelter of Śukadeva, master of the world, eye of the universe. I offer myself and everything I possess to he who is the life of the gopīs, the controller, for service to his dear devotees. 

Sad-dharma has been described. Now, in the Ninth Canto topics related to the followers of the Lord (īśānukathā) are told with the intention of propagating bhakti, vijñaṇa and vairāgya. This is demonstrated through splendid devotees such as Ambarīṣa. Vairāgya is demonstrated by persons like Yayāti, even though they were engaged in material pleasures. With this aim in mind, this topic also includes descriptions of the members of the dynasties of the sun and moon, whose very names are purifying, and who also taught by their personal example.

 

In the Ninth Canto, thirteen chapters describe the sun dynasty and eleven chapters describe the moon dynasty. Thus there are twenty-four chapters in the Ninth Canto, endowed with various astonishing subjects, and concluding with topics of Kṛṣṇa. In the First Chapter Sudyumna goes hunting, becomes a woman, and after recovering his former state, produces a son Purūravā. 

 

Having heard that Satyavrata, a great devotee, became Manu by the mercy of Matysa, Parīkṣit, having developed faith in those topics, asks questions in four verses with the intention of learning about the devotees in the various dynasties.

|| 9.1.2-3 ||