Srimad Bhagavatam — Dvitiya Skandha, Shloka 17
Parīkṣit’s Comprehensive Inquiries and the Bhāgavata as Śabda-avatāra
युगानि युगमानं च धर्मो यश्च युगे युगे । अवतारानुचरितं यदाश्चर्यतमं हरे: ॥ १७ ॥
yugāni yuga-mānaṁ ca dharmo yaś ca yuge yuge avatārānucaritaṁ yad āścaryatamaṁ hareḥ
Explique-moi les yuga et leur durée dans la création, la forme du dharma en chaque yuga, et les actes et lila les plus merveilleux des incarnations de Hari à chaque époque.
Lord Kṛṣṇa is the original Personality of Godhead, and all the incarnations of the Supreme Lord, although nondifferent from Him, are emanations from the Supreme. Mahārāja Parīkṣit inquired from the great and learned sage Śukadeva Gosvāmī about the different activities of such incarnations so that the incarnation of the Lord might be confirmed by His activities in the authoritative scriptures. Mahārāja Parīkṣit was not to be carried away by the sentiments of the common man to accept an incarnation of the Lord very cheaply. Instead he wished to accept the incarnation of the Lord by symptoms mentioned in the Vedic literatures and confirmed by an ācārya like Śukadeva Gosvāmī. The Lord descends by His internal energy without any obligation to the laws of material nature, and thus His activities are also uncommon. The specific activities of the Lord are mentioned, and one should know that the activities of the Lord and the Lord Himself are identical due to being on the absolute plane. Thus to hear the activities of the Lord means to associate with the Lord directly, and association with the Lord directly means purification from material contamination. We have already discussed this point in the previous volume.
FAQs
This verse shows Parīkṣit Mahārāja asking for a structured explanation of the yugas, their durations, and the specific dharma that applies in each yuga, along with the Lord’s incarnations connected to those ages.
As he prepared to hear Bhagavatam before death, Parīkṣit sought clarity on time (yuga cycles), proper dharma for each age, and the most astonishing divine acts of Hari’s avatāras—topics essential for faithful understanding and remembrance of the Lord.
Use this verse as guidance to seek the dharma relevant to one’s time and condition, and to anchor life in hearing and remembering the Lord’s avatāra-līlās—devotional hearing that strengthens faith and spiritual focus.