Verse 5

⁵Therefore, Bharata, by one who wants to be past fear, the Bhagavan, the Lord Hari, the self of all, is to be heard, and praised aloud, and remembered. ⁶This is the whole of it: the highest gain of a man's birth, whether by enumeration or by yoga or by standing firm in his own duty, is the remembrance of Narayana at the end. ⁷For the most part, king, the sages who have turned back from what is enjoined and what is forbidden, and who stand where the strands do not reach, take their delight in telling over the qualities of Hari. ⁸This ancient telling named for the Bhagavan, which is held equal to Brahman, I learned at the opening of the Dvapara age from my father Dvaipayana.

⁹Though I was settled where the strands do not reach, royal sage, my mind was taken by the play of him whose renown is highest, and so I learned this account. ¹⁰That is what I shall tell you, for you are given to the great Person; and for those who trust it, a true set of the mind upon Mukunda comes quickly. ¹¹For those who have grown weary of the world, king, and for those who still want things, and for the yogins alike, this has been settled upon: the singing over and over of Hari's name, where there is nothing to fear from any quarter.