Devanagari
श्रीशुक उवाच
सरस्वत्यास्तटे राजन्नृषय: सत्रमासत ।
वितर्क: समभूत्तेषां त्रिष्वधीशेषु को महान् ॥ १ ॥
Verse text
śrī-śuka uvāca
sarasvatyās taṭe rājann
ṛṣayaḥ satram āsata
vitarkaḥ samabhūt teṣāṁ
triṣv adhīśeṣu ko mahān
Synonyms
śrī
—
śukaḥ uvāca — Śukadeva Gosvāmī said
;
sarasvatyāḥ
—
of the river Sarasvatī
;
taṭe
—
on the bank
;
rājan
—
O King (Parīkṣit)
;
ṛṣayaḥ
—
sages
;
satram
—
a Vedic sacrifice
;
āsata
—
were performing
;
vitarkaḥ
—
a disagreement
;
samabhūt
—
arose
;
teṣām
—
among them
;
triṣu
—
among the three
;
adhīśeṣu
—
chief lords
;
kaḥ
—
who
;
mahān
—
the greatest .
Translation
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Once, O King, as a group of sages were performing a Vedic sacrifice on the banks of the Sarasvatī River, a controversy arose among them as to which of the three chief deities is supreme.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Once, O King, as a group of sages were performing a Vedic sacrifice on the banks of the Sarasvatī River, a controversy arose among them as to which of the three chief deities is supreme.
KB 10.89.1
Long, long ago, there was an assembly of great sages on the bank of the river Sarasvatī who performed a great sacrifice of the name Satra. In such assemblies, the great sages present usually discuss Vedic subject matters and philosophical topics, and in this particular meeting the following question was raised: The three predominating deities of this material world, namely Lord Brahmā, Lord Viṣṇu and Lord Śiva, are directing all the affairs of this cosmos, but who among them is the Supreme?
Purport
The three chief deities mentioned here are Lord Viṣṇu, Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva.
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
In the eighty ninth chapter, the supremecy of Visnu over Brahma and Siva is shown through a test by Bhrgu Muni. Krsna also takes the sons of a brahmana from the bhuma purusa.
Here, another story is told to show that Visnu is the object of service, by pointing out his superiority.
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
Angered because Śiva with upādhis was easily pleased, while considering how the Lord gave things which bring about the highest, purest goal because of his pure svarūpa, Śukadeva now shows Viṣṇu’s superiority to Brahmā, He speaks of Viṣṇu’s superiority over Śiva and Brahmā and Viṣṇu’s compassion and humility, though he was insulted, The sages were performing a sacrifice. Present tense is used to show that it continued till the present. Because they were absorbed in the action of sacrifice, they did not notice the passing of time. They wondered, using scripture (sam—abhūt), “Who was supreme among the three?”
Purport (Sanatana Goswami)
Bṛhgu and other sages of the Sārasvata lineage performed a sacrifice. Or they were seated on the bank of the Sarasvatī River. The present tense is used to incidate that they were absorbed in sacrifice. They wondered using scripture as a basis who was the greatest among the three, who were the most worthy of service in all the worlds, or were masters of blessing and cursing. Or though it was impossible to discuss, they discussed. O king! Śukadeva expresses astonishment that the knowledgeable sages discussed this, though Viṣṇu is in all cases supreme.