Srimad Bhagavatam — Dvadasha Skandha, Shloka 7
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 contains 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 the Purāṇas together are said to number four hundred thousand verses; and among them, eighteen thousand belong to the sacred Bhāgavatam.
Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī has quoted from the Matsya Purāṇa as follows:
FAQs
In Canto 12, Chapter 13, Sūta Gosvāmī lists the Purāṇas and states their traditional śloka totals—here giving the counts for the Vārāha, Skanda, and Vāmana Purāṇas.
He was summarizing the Purāṇic corpus to situate Śrīmad Bhāgavatam within the broader Vedic literature and to highlight its recognized place and stature.
It encourages a disciplined approach to sacred study—recognizing the vastness of Vedic literature while valuing focused hearing and reading of core texts like Śrīmad Bhāgavatam.