Question : I have been told that the Srimad Bhagavatam is a commentary/explanation of only 4 verses. These 4 verses are the original instructions to Lord Brahma. I think it is called “catur sloki Bhagavata.” Please comment and explain also which canto and which chapter and verse numbers do this refer to.
Answer by Romapada Swami:
In the beginning of creation, when Lord Brahma appeared on a lotus flower born from the navel of Lord Vishnu, he was perplexed as to the source of the lotus flower and of his own existence. Brahma also required direction how to proceed with his creative work, ie. the engineering and construction of the entire universe. All he could see was the lotus flower upon which he was seated and endless darkness. At that time, hearing the syllables
‘tapa’ being vibrated from an unknown source, he executed devotional penances for a long time. At the end of a thousand celestial years, the Lord being very much satisfied by Brahma’s penance manifested before him along with His spiritual abode, and instructed him the essence of Bhagavatam in four verses.
Graphic description of this episode of Brahma’s perplexity, penance and finally seeing the Supreme Lord are found in the Second Canto, Chapter Nine. The questions Lord Brahma put to the Lord upon seeing Him are answered by the Lord in the catur-sloki or four essential verses, which are Texts 33-36. As in the Bhagavad-gita, where Krishna has summarized the whole text in four verses [Bg. 10.8-11], so the complete Srimad-Bhagavatam has also been summarized in these four verses. Brahma instructed them to Narada and requested him to expand them further. Later on Naradaji gave the same instruction to Vyasadeva, who then expanded the entire Srimad Bhagavatam (this is described in Canto 1, Ch. 5-7), which was later recited by Sukadeva Gosvami to Maharaja Pariksit.
The questions asked by Brahmaji were as follows: (1) What are the forms of the Lord both in matter and in transcendence? (2) How are the different energies of the Lord working? (3) How does the Lord play with His different energies? (4) How may Brahma be instructed to discharge the duty entrusted to Him, without being conditioned by such activities? The answers to these four questions forms the nucleus of Bhagavatam. The Lord informs Brahma that this knowledge is very subtle and can be understood only by the grace of the Lord, achieved through the process of devotional service. (Cf. 2.9.31-32)
