The Bhagavata Purana 1

by Bibek Debroy (Translator)

A seamless blend of fable and philosophy, the Bhagavata Purana is perhaps the most revered text in the Vaishnava tradition. It brings to life the legends of gods, asuras, sages and kings-all the while articulating the crucial ethical and philosophical tenets that underpin Hindu spiritualism.
The narrative unfolds through a series of conversations and interconnected stories. We are told how the sage Vyasa was inspired by Narada to compose the Bhagavata Purana as a means to illumine the path to a spiritual life. We learn of the devotion of Prahlada, the austerity of Dhruva, and the blinding conceit of Daksha. Also recounted are tales of the many incarnations of Vishnu, especially Krishna, whom we see grow from a beloved and playful child to a fierce protector of the faithful.

Genres: Religion, Mythology, Fiction, Hinduism, Spirituality

500 pages, Paperback

Published January 5, 2019

About the author

Bibek Debroy was an Indian economist, who served as the chairman of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister of India. He was also the Chairman of the Finance Ministry's 'Expert Committee for Infrastructure Classification and Financing Framework for Amrit Kaal'. Debroy has made significant contributions to game theory, economic theory, income and social inequalities, poverty, law reforms, railway reforms and Indology among others. From its inception in January 2015 until June 2019, Mr. Debroy was a member of the NITI Aayog, the think tank of the Indian Government. He was awarded the Padma Shri (the fourth-highest civilian honour in India) in 2015.
Bibek Debroy's recent co-authored magnum opus, Inked in India, stands distinguished as the premier comprehensive documentation, capturing the entirety of recognized fountain pen, nib, and ink manufacturers in India.
In 2016, he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the US-India Business Summit. In 2022, he was conferred with the Lifetime Achievement Award by The Australia India Chamber of Commerce (AICC). In February 2024, Debroy was conferred Insolvency Law Academy Emeritus Fellowship, in recognition of his distinguished leadership, public service, work and contributions in the field of insolvency.
Bibek Debroy died on 1 November 2024, at the age of 69. He had been admitted to All India Institutes of Medical Sciences in New Delhi one month prior.

Reviews

[Nikhil Mathur · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes Bibek does bring out every ounce of authenticity of the original scripture but as a normal reader would prefer, he could have referred to the characters by their usual names rather than using their other, synonymous names or have added it in the paragraph itself. Repeater looking at the referenced words given on every page makes the reading a lot slow and somewhat unhookes the reader at some points. But the brilliant translator did an as usual, commendable job by bringing out one of the most sacred and revered texts of our culture and making the common folks familiar with our glorious, ancestral knowledge.

[Nikhil Kasarpalkar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great translation from Bibek Debroy

[Monte Desai · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful and magnificent and life changing.

[Michael Nguyen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite a difficult book. Better than the sectarian ISKCON translation. But there are too many names and events and jargon in the original sanskrit that it makes reading difficult. Have too look up all the words, and get chapter summaries ironically from ISKCON or Velukuddi from Sri Vaishnava sampradaya

[Nitish Dang · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, I would say that even though this is scripture, it times it is more an encyclopedia plus scripture. There is also repetitiveness at times.
Yet the stories and information contained within are poetic and beautiful. While not direct, I think everyone who reads this can take away different things.
I read it side by side with other translations and Bibey Debroy’s translation is much better. Maybe one area of criticism would be the inconsistent use of names but from my understanding, it appears that is just how it was meant to be read and Debroy keeps the original form

Looking forward to reading the next two volumes

[Black Horse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spectacular

[Sakthieesvar Meenakshi Sundaram · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the way our scriptures explain such complicated concepts with beautiful stories

[Sagar Mulani · Rating 1 out of 5]

Pretty much about adjectives and more adjectives about describing how great the lord is. Not recommended at all!

[Lulu]

between 500 CE to 1000 CE, but most likely between 800 and 1000 CE. A version of the text existed no later than 1030 CE

However, J. A. B. van Buitenen points out that 10th–11th CE South Indian Vaishnava theologians Yamuna and Ramanuja do not refer to Bhagavata Purana in their writings, and this anomaly must be explained before the geographical origins and dating are regarded as definitive.

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