The Devotees' own Myspace ~ A Krsna Conscious Social Network ~ Connecting Devotees Around the World!
THE GLORIES OF SRIMAD BHAGAVATAM
13.08.2002, Radha-Govinda Mandir, Vienna, Austria
We were discussing what great stress, what emphasis Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has put on Srimad-Bhagavatam. This is one of the prominent features of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s teachings-that among all sastra, this Srimad-Bhagavatam is supreme. Why? Because Srimad-Bhagavatam glorifies the mahabhava of the gopis of Vrndavana, and especially of Srimati Radhika. In Srimad-Bhagavatam (12.13.18) it is stated:
srimad-bhagavatam puranam amalam yad vaisnavanam priyam
yasmin paramahamsyam ekam amalam jnanam param giyate
tatra jnana-viraga-bhakti-sahitam naiskarmyam aviskrtam
tac chrnvan su-pathan vicarana-paro bhaktya vimucyen narah
Srimad-Bhagavatam is puranam amalam. In Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura’s verse glorifying Mahaprabhu’s teachings, it says ‘pramanam amalam.’ Here is says ‘puranam amalam’. Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura said that Srimad-Bhagavatam is ‘pramanam amalam’, the immaculate evidence. But here Bhagavatam itself is saying ‘puranam amalam’. It is the immaculate Purana, amala-no spot, no defect. If Bhagavatam can be called puranam amalam, the Purana which has no defect, no mala, then it must mean that other Puranas have some mala, some defect. Otherwise, what would be the use of glorifying the Bhagavatam as puranam amalam? So, this is a fact. The Puranas are not defective, they are perfect, but in the Puranas, something has been written for loka sangraha. This means something has been written for the sake of attracting the minds of the common people and gradually elevating them. But in Srimad-Bhagavatam, there is no loka sangraha. This Bhagavatam tells the truth as it is, the naked truth without being shy. Srimad-Bhagavatam never looks into the eyes of anyone and becomes shy. No, it declares to the whole world the unadulterated truth.
So many sastras and Puranas have given the injunctions-husband and wife should never be separated. A wife should not leave her husband; otherwise, this is the same as killing him. And a husband should not leave his wife. The disciple should never leave his guru under any circumstances. Also in Puranas it has been told that children must serve their parents. But what does Bhagavatam say? The Puranas give the advice-do your duty in life. Follow varnasrama dharma; in this way you can please the Supreme Lord. To deviate from one’s duty in life is very dangerous. But what does Bhagavatam say?
tyaktva sva-dharmah caranambujam harer
bhajann apakvo ’tha patet tato yadi
yatra kva vabhadram abhud amusya kim
ko vartha apto ’bhajatam sva-dharmatah (SB 1.5.17)
Before Vyasadeva had realized Srimad-Bhagavatam, Narada Rsi told him this verse and Vyasadeva has put it in Srimad-Bhagavatam. Oh, now you tell the truth. What truth? If a person gives up all dharma, all duty, all responsibility, everything, to do bhajana of Sri Krsna, then there is no loss, no danger, no problem at all. Someone may say, “But what if that person is not mature, and after some time he falls down? Then it was a very bad thing.” Srimad-Bhagavatam says, “No-bhajann apakvo ’tha patet tato yadi. Even if he falls down due to immaturity, still there is no loss. One day he will try again and he will be successful. And whatever bhajana he tried to do, that was his to his credit-forever! That is for his eternal benefit. And on the other hand, if someone does all of his duties in this world perfectly, what does he gain? Nothing.” All are afraid to speak it, but Bhagavatam is fearless. Bhagavatam tells the position of Krsna-bhajana, service of Krsna. This is the necessity, this is the emergency, this is the crying need of the moment. Which moment? Every moment, for every single living entity in the whole world-Bhagavatam is speaking out like this!
The Puranas have advised, “Obey your father,” but Srimad-Bhagavatam tells otherwise. You know Prahlada Maharaja? His father was trying to train him to become a good materialist, but Prahlada Maharaja never followed his father’s order. All sastra says, “Don’t leave your Guru,” and Bhagavatam recounts the story of Bali Maharaja. When Sukracarya told Bali, “Hey, don’t promise any donation to this brahmana boy.” He was Vamanadeva. What did Bali do? He rejected his Guru. For what? For parama-tattva, for prema. For love of Krsna you can do anything. This is the message of Bhagavatam. All sastra says, “Don’t leave your husband,” and Bhagavatam (10.47.61) says:
ya dustyajam sva-janam arya-patham ca hitva
bhejur mukunda-padavim srutibhir vimrgyam
Uddhava is saying, “Gopis are so great. Why? They have left all their dharmas and households and everything for Krsna.” This is the message that Bhagavatam is giving. In Rama Carita Manasa, Tulasi dasa has paraphrased in Hindi all the prominent verses of Srimad-Bhagavatam. There he said:
jinke priya na rama vidhehi, tyajo koti vairi sama
yadyapi parama sanehi
If someone does not have love for Sita Rama, but we will apply this to Radha-Krsna, if someone does not have love for our ista-deva, then leave that person. How? Kote vairye syam-as if they are ten million deadly enemies. Will you go to the place which is inhabited by ten million of your deadly enemies? So just as you will leave that place, leave anyone who does not love your ista-deva. Any example? Yes. He said, “Just see. Rama Carita Manasa gives so many examples from Srimad-Bhagavatam:
tyajo pita prahlada vibhisana bandho
bharat mahatari
guru bali tyajo kanta vraja vanita
bhayo jaga mangala kari
Prahlada Maharaja left his father. Vibhisana left his brother Ravana. Bharat, the brother of Ramacandra, rejected his mother Kaikeyi when he thought that she had gone against Rama. He said, “In my whole life, I will never use this word ‘mother’ again. What to speak of associate with her, even I am not using this word ‘mother’ again for the rest of my life.” Bharat gave up his mother because he was thinking, “She is against Ramacandra.” Actually, she was not, but this is very confidential. It may seem like that, the whole world has got that impression from the history, but internally the real meaning is something different. Bali Maharaja left his guru, and the gopis left their husbands. And what happened? Was it a bad thing? No. By their behavior, they have made the whole universe auspicious.
Like this Bhagavatam speaks very boldly. It never cheats anyone.
dharmah projjhita-kaitavo ’tra paramo nirmatsaranam satam
vedyam vastavam atra vastu sivadam tapa-trayonmulanam
srimad-bhagavate maha-muni-krte kim va parair isvarah
sadyo hrdy avarudhyate ’tra krtibhih susrusubhis tat-ksanat
(SB 1.2.2)
All kinds of cheating, all kinds of duplicity,hh all kinds of short-changing, everything is kicked out from Srimad-Bhagavatam! Those who are paramahamsa, who are nirmatsaranam-they have no envy-can understand Bhagavatam. Nirmatsara, meaning ‘no envy’, comes from the word matsya, fish-like Matsyavatara. Envy means fishiness in Sanskrit. What is the fishiness? It does not mean ‘bad smell’. If you go into fish society, you will see that there are so many fish, but the big fish are looking at the small fish and thinking, “Oh, he should not grow up and become a big fish like me.” So he immediately swoops down on the little fish and gobbles him up. They look at someone else and see if they are smaller, and if they think that they will become equal or bigger, then they just eat them. This is fish mentality. So this fishiness is called matsarya, envy-the inability to tolerate the excellence of another person. Someone else has some excellent quality, and when we see it, oh, our heart is burning. “Ohhhhh, why is he so good?” This is called matsarya.
In this world, all the conditioned souls are afflicted with this disease of fishiness. Such persons cannot understand Srimad-Bhagavatam. Those who are very very humble and whose hearts are completely pure never feel envy towards anyone else; they can understand this Srimad-Bhagavatam. It is for them, not for others. But if even those who are somewhat envious will take shelter of Sad Guru, bhakta bhagavata, and hear this Bhagavatam, by hearing, it will purify them. Only reading, reading, reading will not purify you. Why? Bhagavatam is understood by sraddha, by faith. Whose faith is very high-sraddha, nistha, ruci, asakti, bhava, prema-can realize the meaning of Bhagavatam.
The preacher of Bhagavatam is not a lecturer from the university. The speaker of Bhagavatam is that person who transmits sraddha into the heart of those who are hearing. The speaker of Bhagavatam has realized Krsna; he has relation with Krsna, and is relishing the bhakti rasa, the mellow of service to Him. Therefore, the words of Bhakta-Bhagavata have power. And when the words go inside the ears of the hearers of Srimad-Bhagavatam, that inculcates faith in their heart and they develop a strong conviction, “Yes, I believe it-Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead! I am tiny jiva in the chain of birth and death. My whole life is inauspicious. Every activity in this world is a futile waste of time, and only devotion to the lotus feet of Radha and Krsna is the panacea to solve all problems and satisfy my heart and soul so that I can become happy forever. This is the goal and perfection of life.” The speaker of Bhagavatam is not giving material education, information or data. What is he giving? He is transmitting into the heart of the hearers faith in the lotus feet of Radha and Krsna. So those who are paramahamsa can understand Bhagavatam.
Vedyam vastavam atra vastu sivadam tapa-trayonmulanam: this Bhagavatam is explaining ‘vastava vastu’-the reality. It is separating reality from illusion. What is reality? Braja-lila, the eternal and sweet pastimes of Radha and Krsna in Vrndavana-this is reality. Our life, our comings and goings and dramatic life experiences-what is this? Only like dancing shadows, very dreamlike. But we are so attached to body and mind, and on the mental platform, we think, “This is the real life. This is the true life.” This is only the influence of Maya, illusion; we are subjected to her influence by our own selfishness, lust, egocentric desires. So Bhagavatam separates reality from illusion, and by doing so, it uproots all problems-tapa-trayonmulanam. If we analyze our life, we will see that we are doing so many things, but what are they? Only hard work to uproot problems, but we never uproot them; only we snip them-pruning. If you prune a plant, two days later, all the leaves have grown back. So in this way we pass our valuable human form of life, only pruning our problem tree. You’ll see, if you prune a tree, then it grows and becomes very full and nice. So in this way, our whole life, from morning to night, only working hard to prune our problem tree so it will become very very big, and we are so proud of it. “Oh, I have a big house and so much money and children and everything. Just see my problem tree.” So Bhagavatam takes our problem tree, rips it out by the root and throws it in the trash-finished-forever! This is Bhagavatam.
Srimad-bhagavate maha-muni-krte kim va parair isvarah: This Bhagavatam was compiled by Vyasa in his maturity, in his highest stage of realization, by the mercy of Narada Rsi. And therefore, in this Bhagavatam there is so much nectar. What is the need of any other sastra? Just try to give your heart to Srimad-Bhagavatam. Why? Sadyo hrdy avarudhyate ’tra krtibhih susrusubhis tat-ksanat: those who are krtibhih, who have sukrti in this life and from previous lives, who have done hard work for Guru-they have sweat so much and expended gallons of blood in the service of Guru and Vaisnavas-for them, what will happen? When they hear Srimad-Bhagavatam from Bhakta-Bhagavata, then Krsna goes into their heart through their ears and quickly shuts the door. He will not let anything else in-“Now I am here and only Me, no one else. Now it is just Me and you forever.” This is the meaning of sadyo hrdy avarudhyate ’tra krtibhih susrusubhis tat-ksanat. When this happens, tat-ksanat-immediately, at once it happens. This is the power of hearing Srimad-Bhagavatam from Bhakta-Bhagavata.
Any independent attempt to understand Bhagavatam will fail. In Caitanya Caritamrta (Antya 5.131-132) Srila Svarupa Damodara Gosvami gave the instruction:
“yaha, bhagavata pada vaisnavera sthane
ekanta asraya kara caitanya-carane
caitanyera bhakta-ganera nitya kara ‘sanga’
tabeta janiba siddhanta-samudra-taranga
If you want to read Srimad-Bhagavatam, sit down at the feet of Bhakta-Bhagavata and hear it from him. In this way take complete of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Why? This is His teaching. To take shelter of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu means to follow His instructions. What are His instructions? Srimad-bhagavatam pramanam amalam. Follow this Srimad-Bhagavatam deeply. If you will do this, caitanyera bhakta-ganera nitya kara ‘sanga’: everyday, regularly associate with the associates of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, with His sisya-varga, His parampara-those who are in His line. Tabeta janiba siddhanta-samudra-taranga: then you can enter into the waves of siddhanta. So this Bhagavatam is very dear to the Vaisnavas. Srimad-bhagavatam puranam amalam-spotless, immaculate, perfect-it is uncompromising. Yad vaisnavanam priyam-it is so dear to the Vaisnavas.
Rupa Gosvami is crying to Bhagavatam:
asadhu sadhuta dayin atinicocca taraka
ha na munca kadacin mam premna hrt kantha sphura
“O Srimad-Bhagavatam, those who are not sadhus, you make them into sadhus. Those who are fallen, you make them into the topmost personalities. Hey Srimad-Bhagavatam, please don’t leave me. Always manifest yourself in my heart and in my throat. But don’t come alone. Come along with prema, Braja-prema.” So this Srimad-Bhagavatam is vaisnavanam priyam, very dear to the Vaisnavas.
Yasmin paramahamsyam ekam amalam jnanam param giyate: Bhagavatam gives the topmost knowledge, which is for the paramahamsa. Paramahamsa is what? It is said that hamsa, swan, is the symbol of essential discrimination. Why? Because if you will put milk into water, you cannot separate it, but a swan knows the art of drinking only the milk, leaving behind the water. So the swan can discriminate between milk and water. In the same way, our Srila Rupa Gosvamipada discriminated between pure bhakti and impure bhakti, between vaidhi-bhakti and raganuga-bhakti, between sadhana-bhakti and bhava-bhakti and prema-bhakti, between sambandha-bhakti and kamatmika-bhakti, and in kamatmika-bhakti between sakhis’ mood and manjaris’ mood. Discriminating, discriminating, discriminating to come to the point, to the substance. So hamsa can separate milk from water, but what is paramahamsa? They don’t even see any water-everything for them is milk. No discrimination-everything is rasa and rasa-everywhere! So Bhagavatam is for them. It has the knowledge which will make you like that.
Tatra jnana-viraga-bhakti-sahitam: the subject matter of Bhagavatam is bhakti, and jnana and vairagya are included. If one will do pure bhakti, knowledge and renunciation automatically follow that person. If one is disturbed by material desire, material attachment, don’t fight it. Try to do pure bhakti and vairagya will become your maidservant. Vairagya is the maidservant of bhakti. Why are you trying to be renounced? Try to be dedicated.
naiskarmyam aviskrtam tac chrnvan su-pathan vicarana-paro bhaktya vimucyen narah
Here Bhagavatam is giving the instruction: tac chrnvan-first try to hear it. Then read afterwards. Otherwise, if you read first, you will misunderstand. And then what you have learned wrong will have to be undone. So your first duty is to hear Srimad-Bhagavatam. Then when you read, su-pathan, your patha will be su, very beautiful. There are two types of reading-patha and su-patha-reading and beautiful reading. When you read Bhagavatam after hearing it, this is beautiful. Vicarana-then meditate on it, deliberate on it. Consider what is the true spirit and message of Srimad-Bhagavatam over and over again in your mind. Then you will attain pure bhakti. This is the process for receiving the actual essential gift and contribution of this topmost of all the Veda-sastras.
I have tried and I have also failed to glorify the greatness of Srimad-Bhagavatam. But I am praying that Srimad-Bhagavatam should be merciful to me, sprinkle one drop of water on me so I can describe one sloka. Yesterday we began the sloka:
asam aho carana-renu-jusam aham syam
vrndavane kim api gulma-latausadhinam
ya dustyajam sva-janam arya-patham ca hitva
bhejur mukunda-padavim srutibhir vimrgyam
(SB 10.47.61)
We were discussing what great stress, what emphasis Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has put on Srimad-Bhagavatam. This is one of the prominent features of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s teachings-that among all sastra, this Srimad-Bhagavatam is supreme. Why? Because Srimad-Bhagavatam glorifies the mahabhava of the gopis of Vrndavana, and especially of Srimati Radhika. In Srimad-Bhagavatam (12.13.18) it is stated:
srimad-bhagavatam puranam amalam yad vaisnavanam priyam
yasmin paramahamsyam ekam amalam jnanam param giyate
tatra jnana-viraga-bhakti-sahitam naiskarmyam aviskrtam
tac chrnvan su-pathan vicarana-paro bhaktya vimucyen narah
Srimad-Bhagavatam is puranam amalam. In Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura’s verse glorifying Mahaprabhu’s teachings, it says ‘pramanam amalam.’ Here is says ‘puranam amalam’. Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura said that Srimad-Bhagavatam is ‘pramanam amalam’, the immaculate evidence. But here Bhagavatam itself is saying ‘puranam amalam’. It is the immaculate Purana, amala-no spot, no defect. If Bhagavatam can be called puranam amalam, the Purana which has no defect, no mala, then it must mean that other Puranas have some mala, some defect. Otherwise, what would be the use of glorifying the Bhagavatam as puranam amalam? So, this is a fact. The Puranas are not defective, they are perfect, but in the Puranas, something has been written for loka sangraha. This means something has been written for the sake of attracting the minds of the common people and gradually elevating them. But in Srimad-Bhagavatam, there is no loka sangraha. This Bhagavatam tells the truth as it is, the naked truth without being shy. Srimad-Bhagavatam never looks into the eyes of anyone and becomes shy. No, it declares to the whole world the unadulterated truth.
So many sastras and Puranas have given the injunctions-husband and wife should never be separated. A wife should not leave her husband; otherwise, this is the same as killing him. And a husband should not leave his wife. The disciple should never leave his guru under any circumstances. Also in Puranas it has been told that children must serve their parents. But what does Bhagavatam say? The Puranas give the advice-do your duty in life. Follow varnasrama dharma; in this way you can please the Supreme Lord. To deviate from one’s duty in life is very dangerous. But what does Bhagavatam say?
tyaktva sva-dharmah caranambujam harer
bhajann apakvo ’tha patet tato yadi
yatra kva vabhadram abhud amusya kim
ko vartha apto ’bhajatam sva-dharmatah (SB 1.5.17)
Before Vyasadeva had realized Srimad-Bhagavatam, Narada Rsi told him this verse and Vyasadeva has put it in Srimad-Bhagavatam. Oh, now you tell the truth. What truth? If a person gives up all dharma, all duty, all responsibility, everything, to do bhajana of Sri Krsna, then there is no loss, no danger, no problem at all. Someone may say, “But what if that person is not mature, and after some time he falls down? Then it was a very bad thing.” Srimad-Bhagavatam says, “No-bhajann apakvo ’tha patet tato yadi. Even if he falls down due to immaturity, still there is no loss. One day he will try again and he will be successful. And whatever bhajana he tried to do, that was his to his credit-forever! That is for his eternal benefit. And on the other hand, if someone does all of his duties in this world perfectly, what does he gain? Nothing.” All are afraid to speak it, but Bhagavatam is fearless. Bhagavatam tells the position of Krsna-bhajana, service of Krsna. This is the necessity, this is the emergency, this is the crying need of the moment. Which moment? Every moment, for every single living entity in the whole world-Bhagavatam is speaking out like this!
The Puranas have advised, “Obey your father,” but Srimad-Bhagavatam tells otherwise. You know Prahlada Maharaja? His father was trying to train him to become a good materialist, but Prahlada Maharaja never followed his father’s order. All sastra says, “Don’t leave your Guru,” and Bhagavatam recounts the story of Bali Maharaja. When Sukracarya told Bali, “Hey, don’t promise any donation to this brahmana boy.” He was Vamanadeva. What did Bali do? He rejected his Guru. For what? For parama-tattva, for prema. For love of Krsna you can do anything. This is the message of Bhagavatam. All sastra says, “Don’t leave your husband,” and Bhagavatam (10.47.61) says:
ya dustyajam sva-janam arya-patham ca hitva
bhejur mukunda-padavim srutibhir vimrgyam
Uddhava is saying, “Gopis are so great. Why? They have left all their dharmas and households and everything for Krsna.” This is the message that Bhagavatam is giving. In Rama Carita Manasa, Tulasi dasa has paraphrased in Hindi all the prominent verses of Srimad-Bhagavatam. There he said:
jinke priya na rama vidhehi, tyajo koti vairi sama
yadyapi parama sanehi
If someone does not have love for Sita Rama, but we will apply this to Radha-Krsna, if someone does not have love for our ista-deva, then leave that person. How? Kote vairye syam-as if they are ten million deadly enemies. Will you go to the place which is inhabited by ten million of your deadly enemies? So just as you will leave that place, leave anyone who does not love your ista-deva. Any example? Yes. He said, “Just see. Rama Carita Manasa gives so many examples from Srimad-Bhagavatam:
tyajo pita prahlada vibhisana bandho
bharat mahatari
guru bali tyajo kanta vraja vanita
bhayo jaga mangala kari
Prahlada Maharaja left his father. Vibhisana left his brother Ravana. Bharat, the brother of Ramacandra, rejected his mother Kaikeyi when he thought that she had gone against Rama. He said, “In my whole life, I will never use this word ‘mother’ again. What to speak of associate with her, even I am not using this word ‘mother’ again for the rest of my life.” Bharat gave up his mother because he was thinking, “She is against Ramacandra.” Actually, she was not, but this is very confidential. It may seem like that, the whole world has got that impression from the history, but internally the real meaning is something different. Bali Maharaja left his guru, and the gopis left their husbands. And what happened? Was it a bad thing? No. By their behavior, they have made the whole universe auspicious.
Like this Bhagavatam speaks very boldly. It never cheats anyone.
dharmah projjhita-kaitavo ’tra paramo nirmatsaranam satam
vedyam vastavam atra vastu sivadam tapa-trayonmulanam
srimad-bhagavate maha-muni-krte kim va parair isvarah
sadyo hrdy avarudhyate ’tra krtibhih susrusubhis tat-ksanat
(SB 1.2.2)
All kinds of cheating, all kinds of duplicity,hh all kinds of short-changing, everything is kicked out from Srimad-Bhagavatam! Those who are paramahamsa, who are nirmatsaranam-they have no envy-can understand Bhagavatam. Nirmatsara, meaning ‘no envy’, comes from the word matsya, fish-like Matsyavatara. Envy means fishiness in Sanskrit. What is the fishiness? It does not mean ‘bad smell’. If you go into fish society, you will see that there are so many fish, but the big fish are looking at the small fish and thinking, “Oh, he should not grow up and become a big fish like me.” So he immediately swoops down on the little fish and gobbles him up. They look at someone else and see if they are smaller, and if they think that they will become equal or bigger, then they just eat them. This is fish mentality. So this fishiness is called matsarya, envy-the inability to tolerate the excellence of another person. Someone else has some excellent quality, and when we see it, oh, our heart is burning. “Ohhhhh, why is he so good?” This is called matsarya.
In this world, all the conditioned souls are afflicted with this disease of fishiness. Such persons cannot understand Srimad-Bhagavatam. Those who are very very humble and whose hearts are completely pure never feel envy towards anyone else; they can understand this Srimad-Bhagavatam. It is for them, not for others. But if even those who are somewhat envious will take shelter of Sad Guru, bhakta bhagavata, and hear this Bhagavatam, by hearing, it will purify them. Only reading, reading, reading will not purify you. Why? Bhagavatam is understood by sraddha, by faith. Whose faith is very high-sraddha, nistha, ruci, asakti, bhava, prema-can realize the meaning of Bhagavatam.
The preacher of Bhagavatam is not a lecturer from the university. The speaker of Bhagavatam is that person who transmits sraddha into the heart of those who are hearing. The speaker of Bhagavatam has realized Krsna; he has relation with Krsna, and is relishing the bhakti rasa, the mellow of service to Him. Therefore, the words of Bhakta-Bhagavata have power. And when the words go inside the ears of the hearers of Srimad-Bhagavatam, that inculcates faith in their heart and they develop a strong conviction, “Yes, I believe it-Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead! I am tiny jiva in the chain of birth and death. My whole life is inauspicious. Every activity in this world is a futile waste of time, and only devotion to the lotus feet of Radha and Krsna is the panacea to solve all problems and satisfy my heart and soul so that I can become happy forever. This is the goal and perfection of life.” The speaker of Bhagavatam is not giving material education, information or data. What is he giving? He is transmitting into the heart of the hearers faith in the lotus feet of Radha and Krsna. So those who are paramahamsa can understand Bhagavatam.
Vedyam vastavam atra vastu sivadam tapa-trayonmulanam: this Bhagavatam is explaining ‘vastava vastu’-the reality. It is separating reality from illusion. What is reality? Braja-lila, the eternal and sweet pastimes of Radha and Krsna in Vrndavana-this is reality. Our life, our comings and goings and dramatic life experiences-what is this? Only like dancing shadows, very dreamlike. But we are so attached to body and mind, and on the mental platform, we think, “This is the real life. This is the true life.” This is only the influence of Maya, illusion; we are subjected to her influence by our own selfishness, lust, egocentric desires. So Bhagavatam separates reality from illusion, and by doing so, it uproots all problems-tapa-trayonmulanam. If we analyze our life, we will see that we are doing so many things, but what are they? Only hard work to uproot problems, but we never uproot them; only we snip them-pruning. If you prune a plant, two days later, all the leaves have grown back. So in this way we pass our valuable human form of life, only pruning our problem tree. You’ll see, if you prune a tree, then it grows and becomes very full and nice. So in this way, our whole life, from morning to night, only working hard to prune our problem tree so it will become very very big, and we are so proud of it. “Oh, I have a big house and so much money and children and everything. Just see my problem tree.” So Bhagavatam takes our problem tree, rips it out by the root and throws it in the trash-finished-forever! This is Bhagavatam.
Srimad-bhagavate maha-muni-krte kim va parair isvarah: This Bhagavatam was compiled by Vyasa in his maturity, in his highest stage of realization, by the mercy of Narada Rsi. And therefore, in this Bhagavatam there is so much nectar. What is the need of any other sastra? Just try to give your heart to Srimad-Bhagavatam. Why? Sadyo hrdy avarudhyate ’tra krtibhih susrusubhis tat-ksanat: those who are krtibhih, who have sukrti in this life and from previous lives, who have done hard work for Guru-they have sweat so much and expended gallons of blood in the service of Guru and Vaisnavas-for them, what will happen? When they hear Srimad-Bhagavatam from Bhakta-Bhagavata, then Krsna goes into their heart through their ears and quickly shuts the door. He will not let anything else in-“Now I am here and only Me, no one else. Now it is just Me and you forever.” This is the meaning of sadyo hrdy avarudhyate ’tra krtibhih susrusubhis tat-ksanat. When this happens, tat-ksanat-immediately, at once it happens. This is the power of hearing Srimad-Bhagavatam from Bhakta-Bhagavata.
Any independent attempt to understand Bhagavatam will fail. In Caitanya Caritamrta (Antya 5.131-132) Srila Svarupa Damodara Gosvami gave the instruction:
“yaha, bhagavata pada vaisnavera sthane
ekanta asraya kara caitanya-carane
caitanyera bhakta-ganera nitya kara ‘sanga’
tabeta janiba siddhanta-samudra-taranga
If you want to read Srimad-Bhagavatam, sit down at the feet of Bhakta-Bhagavata and hear it from him. In this way take complete of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Why? This is His teaching. To take shelter of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu means to follow His instructions. What are His instructions? Srimad-bhagavatam pramanam amalam. Follow this Srimad-Bhagavatam deeply. If you will do this, caitanyera bhakta-ganera nitya kara ‘sanga’: everyday, regularly associate with the associates of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, with His sisya-varga, His parampara-those who are in His line. Tabeta janiba siddhanta-samudra-taranga: then you can enter into the waves of siddhanta. So this Bhagavatam is very dear to the Vaisnavas. Srimad-bhagavatam puranam amalam-spotless, immaculate, perfect-it is uncompromising. Yad vaisnavanam priyam-it is so dear to the Vaisnavas.
Rupa Gosvami is crying to Bhagavatam:
asadhu sadhuta dayin atinicocca taraka
ha na munca kadacin mam premna hrt kantha sphura
“O Srimad-Bhagavatam, those who are not sadhus, you make them into sadhus. Those who are fallen, you make them into the topmost personalities. Hey Srimad-Bhagavatam, please don’t leave me. Always manifest yourself in my heart and in my throat. But don’t come alone. Come along with prema, Braja-prema.” So this Srimad-Bhagavatam is vaisnavanam priyam, very dear to the Vaisnavas.
Yasmin paramahamsyam ekam amalam jnanam param giyate: Bhagavatam gives the topmost knowledge, which is for the paramahamsa. Paramahamsa is what? It is said that hamsa, swan, is the symbol of essential discrimination. Why? Because if you will put milk into water, you cannot separate it, but a swan knows the art of drinking only the milk, leaving behind the water. So the swan can discriminate between milk and water. In the same way, our Srila Rupa Gosvamipada discriminated between pure bhakti and impure bhakti, between vaidhi-bhakti and raganuga-bhakti, between sadhana-bhakti and bhava-bhakti and prema-bhakti, between sambandha-bhakti and kamatmika-bhakti, and in kamatmika-bhakti between sakhis’ mood and manjaris’ mood. Discriminating, discriminating, discriminating to come to the point, to the substance. So hamsa can separate milk from water, but what is paramahamsa? They don’t even see any water-everything for them is milk. No discrimination-everything is rasa and rasa-everywhere! So Bhagavatam is for them. It has the knowledge which will make you like that.
Tatra jnana-viraga-bhakti-sahitam: the subject matter of Bhagavatam is bhakti, and jnana and vairagya are included. If one will do pure bhakti, knowledge and renunciation automatically follow that person. If one is disturbed by material desire, material attachment, don’t fight it. Try to do pure bhakti and vairagya will become your maidservant. Vairagya is the maidservant of bhakti. Why are you trying to be renounced? Try to be dedicated.
naiskarmyam aviskrtam tac chrnvan su-pathan vicarana-paro bhaktya vimucyen narah
Here Bhagavatam is giving the instruction: tac chrnvan-first try to hear it. Then read afterwards. Otherwise, if you read first, you will misunderstand. And then what you have learned wrong will have to be undone. So your first duty is to hear Srimad-Bhagavatam. Then when you read, su-pathan, your patha will be su, very beautiful. There are two types of reading-patha and su-patha-reading and beautiful reading. When you read Bhagavatam after hearing it, this is beautiful. Vicarana-then meditate on it, deliberate on it. Consider what is the true spirit and message of Srimad-Bhagavatam over and over again in your mind. Then you will attain pure bhakti. This is the process for receiving the actual essential gift and contribution of this topmost of all the Veda-sastras.
I have tried and I have also failed to glorify the greatness of Srimad-Bhagavatam. But I am praying that Srimad-Bhagavatam should be merciful to me, sprinkle one drop of water on me so I can describe one sloka. Yesterday we began the sloka:
asam aho carana-renu-jusam aham syam
vrndavane kim api gulma-latausadhinam
ya dustyajam sva-janam arya-patham ca hitva
bhejur mukunda-padavim srutibhir vimrgyam
(SB 10.47.61)
Welcome to
Sanga-Space
About
Latest Blog Posts!
Videos & MP3's
© 2009 Created by admin on Ning. Create a Ning Network!
