Text 8] Bhisma’s Passing Away 449
Bhagavatam. Sukadeva Gosvami recited 1,400,000 verses of the Maha-
bharata in the councils of the Gandharvas, Yaksas and Raksasas, and he
recited Srimad-Bhagavatam for the first time in the presence of Maharaja
Pariksit. He thoroughly studied all the Vedic literatures from his great
father. Thus he was a completely purified soul by dint of his extensive
knowledge in the principles of religion. From Mahabharata (Sabha Parva
4.11) it is understood that he was also present in the royal assembly of
Maharaja Yudhisthira and at the fasting of Maharaja Pariksit. As a bona fide
disciple of Sri Vyasadeva, he inquired from his father very extensively about
religious principles and spiritual values, and his great father also satisfied
him by teaching him the yoga system by which one can attain the spiritual
kingdom, the difference between fruitive work and empiric knowledge, the
ways and means of attaining spiritual realization, the four asramas, namely
the student life, the householder’s life, the retired life and the renounced
life, the sublime position of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the
process of seeing Him eye to eye, the bona fide candidate for receiving
knowledge, the consideration of the five elements, the unique position
of intelligence, the consciousness of the material nature and the living
entity, the symptoms of the self-realized soul, the working principles of
the material body, the symptoms of the influential modes of nature, the
tree of perpetual desire, and psychic activities. Sometimes he went to the
sun planet with the permission of his father and Naradaji. Descriptions of
his travel in space are given in the Santi Parva of the Mahabharata (332). At
last he attained the transcendental realm. He is known by different names
like Araneya, Arunisuta, Vaiyasaki, Vyasamataja, etc.

Kasyapa. One of the Prajapatis, the son of Marici and one of the sons-
in-law of Prajapati Daksa. He is the father of the gigantic bird Garuda, who
was given elephants and tortoises as eatables. He married thirteen daughters
of Prajapati Daksa, and their names are Aditi, Diti, Denu, Kela, Danayu,
Singhika, Krodha, Pradha, Visva, Vinata, Kapila, Muni and Kadru. He
begot many children, both demigods and demons, by those wives. From
his first wife, Aditi, all the twelve Adityas were born; one of them is
Vamana, the incarnation of Godhead. This great sage was also present at
the time of Arjuna’s birth. He received a presentation of the whole world
from Parasgurama, and later on he asked Paragurama to go out of the world.
His other name is Aristanemi. He lives on the northern side of the
universe.

Angira. He is the son of Maharsi Angira and is known as Brhaspati, the
priest of the demigods. It is said that Dronacarya was his partial incarnation.
Sukracarya was the spiritual master of the demons, and Brhaspati challenged
him. His son is Kacha, and he delivered the fire weapon first to Bharadvaja
