Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 1
The Description of the Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa’s Table of Contents
Anukramaṇī
ब्रह्मोवाच । श्रृणु वत्स प्रवक्ष्यामि ब्रह्मांडाख्यं पुरातनम् । यच्च द्वादशसाहस्रमादिकल्पकथायुतम् ॥ १ ॥
brahmovāca | śrṛṇu vatsa pravakṣyāmi brahmāṃḍākhyaṃ purātanam | yacca dvādaśasāhasramādikalpakathāyutam || 1 ||
梵天说道：听吧，亲爱的孩子；我将宣说那部古老的《梵卵（Brahmāṇḍa）往世书》，共一万二千颂，并具足关于原初劫（宇宙最初大劫）的叙事。
Brahmā
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
It frames Purāṇic knowledge as a sacred transmission: Brahmā introduces an ancient cosmological text (Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa), emphasizing that understanding creation across kalpas supports right view of dharma and the divine order.
While not explicitly teaching bhakti, it establishes the authority of Purāṇic narration—one of the primary vehicles through which devotion to the Supreme (often Vishnu in Purāṇas) is cultivated via hearing (śravaṇa).
The verse points to purāṇic anukramaṇikā-style cataloging—textual structure by verse-count and kalpa-topic—supporting traditional disciplines of organizing and transmitting sacred literature (a practical aspect akin to śāstra-pāṭha and textual taxonomy).