Srimad Bhagavatam — Dvadasha Skandha, Shloka 6
Bhāgavatam Mahimā — The Glory, Measure, Transmission, and Gift of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
ब्राह्मं दशसहस्राणि पाद्मं पञ्चोनषष्टि च । श्रीवैष्णवं त्रयोविंशच्चतुर्विंशति शैवकम् ॥ ४ ॥ दशाष्टौ श्रीभागवतं नारदं पञ्चविंशति । मार्कण्डं नव वाह्नं च दशपञ्च चतु:शतम् ॥ ५ ॥ चतुर्दश भविष्यं स्यात्तथा पञ्चशतानि च । दशाष्टौ ब्रह्मवैवर्तं लैङ्गमेकादशैव तु ॥ ६ ॥ चतुर्विंशति वाराहमेकाशीतिसहस्रकम् । स्कान्दं शतं तथा चैकं वामनं दश कीर्तितम् ॥ ७ ॥ कौर्मं सप्तदशाख्यातं मात्स्यं तत्तु चतुर्दश । एकोनविंशत्सौपर्णं ब्रह्माण्डं द्वादशैव तु ॥ ८ ॥ एवं पुराणसन्दोहश्चतुर्लक्ष उदाहृत: । तत्राष्टदशसाहस्रं श्रीभागवतमिष्यते ॥ ९ ॥
brāhmaṁ daśa sahasrāṇi pādmaṁ pañcona-ṣaṣṭi ca śrī-vaiṣṇavaṁ trayo-viṁśac catur-viṁśati śaivakam
The Brahma Purāṇa contains ten thousand verses; the Padma Purāṇa, fifty-five thousand; the Śrī Viṣṇu Purāṇa, twenty-three thousand; the Śiva Purāṇa, twenty-four thousand; and the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, eighteen thousand. The Nārada Purāṇa has twenty-five thousand; the Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa, nine thousand; the Agni Purāṇa, fifteen thousand four hundred; the Bhaviṣya Purāṇa, fourteen thousand five hundred; the Brahma-vaivarta Purāṇa, eighteen thousand; and the Liṅga Purāṇa, eleven thousand. The Varāha Purāṇa holds twenty-four thousand; the Skanda Purāṇa, eighty-one thousand one hundred; the Vāmana Purāṇa, ten thousand; the Kūrma Purāṇa, seventeen thousand; the Matsya Purāṇa, fourteen thousand; the Garuḍa Purāṇa, nineteen thousand; and the Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa, twelve thousand. Thus all the Purāṇas together are said to be four hundred thousand verses; and of these, eighteen thousand belong to the sacred Bhāgavatam.
Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī has quoted from the Matsya Purāṇa as follows:
FAQs
This passage states that the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam is accepted as having eighteen thousand verses (aṣṭādaśa-sāhasram).
It declares the Purāṇic collection (purāṇa-sandoha) to be four lakhs—about 400,000 verses in total.
Use it as a traditional catalog: it situates the Bhāgavatam among the Mahāpurāṇas and helps prioritize a focused reading plan—especially centering on the Bhāgavatam’s bhakti teachings.