Introduction to Srimad Bhāgavatam

Crown jewel among all scriptures

As a species, human beings have made tremendous progress over the last few centuries in the fields of science and technology. Cutting edge breakthroughs in the areas of computing, communication, medicine, transport, nuclear energy etc have created unprecedented development, connectivity and comforts. However with this rapid progress, there’s also a growing crisis at large that threatens both the inner and outer well being of humans.

There is increasing isolation, loneliness, depression and other suicidal tendencies on the rise especially among the so-called developed societies thus creating an inner crisis in the lives of human beings. Then there are wars of aggression, terrorism, pandemic outbreaks and environmental degradation creating an outer crisis for human beings. The inner and the outer crises are of course linked together as it is the feeling of vacuum within that causes the actions of excesses without, such as over indulgence, violence etc.

The root of all these crises can be summarized simply as follows. Humans have made exponential progress in their ability to wield power but they have not cultivated the wisdom to wield that power responsibly. The need of the hour then is the wisdom of togetherness and oneness of not just all human beings but the entire universe, which alone will usher in true peace and harmony among all beings.

This wisdom is what Srimad Bhāgavatam presents. And it presents this wisdom not as some dry philosophy in abstract terms but as a practical living guide that can be easily adopted by any sincere reader. For this reason, it is the most befitting subject to be studied by the young and the adult alike.

The root of ignorance among humans is the non-recognition of the common Source from which everyone and everything emanates. This has resulted in individualism, sectarianism, greed, isolation and various other ills of modern society. The scientists intuitively feel the existence of a unifying theory or a theory of everything as the all-encompassing framework that fully explains all aspects of the universe. But they are not able to come upon the unifying Source due to the limitations in the perception of the material senses and thinking which is also a material process.

Srimad Bhāgavatam being a divine work transcends these limitations effortlessly and presents with great clarity and sweetness the common Source which can be also called God or Almighty. The word Almighty implies there is no might that can be separate from God. So right from the subatomic particles all the way to the supernova of the galaxies and everything in between including animate beings from ants to humans are expressions of the same Source.

Srimad Bhāgavatam starts off with the inquiry into the Source in the exact same way as Brahma Sutras which is the essence of all Vedas does:

janmādyasya yataḥ — Let us inquire into That of which everything is created.

Then it proceeds to offer the most comprehensive commentary on the Brahma Sutras, both works being written by the same author Vyāsa himself. Thus it carries the essence of the essence of all Vedas.

What makes Srimad Bhāgavatam a commentary with not just great clarity but also with unsurpassed sweetness is that it presents the entire philosophy through the pastimes of the Supreme Being Krishna and His various incarnations. The rich narrative of Krishna’s pastimes provides the framework within which the deep philosophical discussions find their right place. Thus it is the cream of all scriptures and also the fountainhead of sweetness.

Knowledge that doesn’t lead to love only causes a hardening of the heart. Whereas, in Srimad Bhāgavatam, knowledge (jnana) of the most sophisticated philosophy serves as a foundation for the flowering of motiveless love (bhakti) with the most ecstatic emotions. Also being a marvel of poetry with the most refined aesthetics, it has served as an inspiration over millennia for innumerable works of literature, art, music, dance and architecture.

Srimad Bhāgavatam is so perfectly arranged that a systematic and sincere study of the work from the beginning till the end will ensure that one is cleansed of all the mental impurities and transported to a transcendental state of peace and love for the Supreme Being Krishna and thereby all beings of the Universe. This is why it has been hailed as the crown jewel among all scriptures by many great saints including and especially Chaitanya Mahaprabhu who established the undisputed pre-eminence of Srimad Bhāgavatam among all devotional literature.

Srimad Bhāgavatam is organized as 12 large cantos, with each canto having multiple chapters and covering various aspects of philosophy nicely integrated via the medium of stories. From time immemorial, stories always have had a unique appeal in their great ability to distill complex truths in easily consumable forms. And this is especially so with great stories and epics that stand the test of time over millennia as the ones in Bhāgavatam.

Before diving into a detailed narration of the stories and the wisdom contained therein, Srimad Bhāgavatam opens with three beautiful introductory verses in the very first chapter of the very first canto (1.1.1–1.1.3) which serve as the most comprehensive overview of the entire work and as such, cover the entire ground of philosophy and the sweetness of devotion. Therefore let us dive into these three opening verses in detail so that we can complete the introduction to this great work in its own words.

ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय
oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya
Prostrations unto the Supreme Being Vāsudeva (Krishna)

Verse 1.1.1:

जन्माद्यस्य यतोऽन्वयादितरतश्चार्थेष्वभिज्ञ: स्वराट्
तेने ब्रह्म हृदा य आदिकवये मुह्यन्ति यत्सूरय: ।
तेजोवारिमृदां यथा विनिमयो यत्र त्रिसर्गोऽमृषा
धाम्ना स्वेन सदा निरस्तकुहकं सत्यं परं धीमहि ॥

janmādyasya yato’nvayāditarataścārtheṣvabhijñaḥ svarāṭ
tene brahma hṛdā ya ādikavaye muhyanti yatsūrayaḥ
tejovārimṛdāṁ yathā vinimayo yatra trisargo’mṛṣā
dhāmnā svena sadā nirastakuhakaṁ satyaṁ paraṁ dhīmahi

Translation:

We meditate upon the Transcendent Absolute Truth from whom springs forth the creation, sustenance and dissolution of the universe. He is present in all that exists and yet distinct from everything. He is fully conscious and totally independent. He revealed to the heart of the first seer the import of Vedic wisdom which can delude even the sages. The material creation made of threefold gunas appears in Him as though real, just as the fiery rays of the sun cause water to appear in a mirage. Being eternally self-effulgent, He is ever free of the illusion (māyā) of the material world. We meditate upon Him, the Supreme Being.

Comments:

Srimad Bhāgavatam is hailed as the perfect scripture composed by Vyāsa that is the distilled essence of all the Vedas and fittingly it begins with the most perfect invocation that captures the entire essence. It right away goes to the heart of all inquiries by philosophers and scientists alike as to the source of this universe and positively affirms the source to be the Supreme Truth (satyaṁ paraṁ) that is of the nature of being fully conscious (abhijñaḥ) and totally independent (svarāṭ), being the cause of all causes. It also goes beyond the idea of God as only the Creator to the Supreme Being who is responsible for creation, sustenance and destruction of the universe. In other words, everything comes from, remains in and goes back to the Supreme Being.

And by way of going past the debate of whether the Supreme Truth is only an impersonal consciousness or a personal God, this verse describes the Supreme Being as beyond all limitations including the debate of impersonal or personal. He is described both as the Impersonal Presence that pervades all of existence and the Personal Being who taught the essence of the Vedas to Brahma, the first created entity. The Personal Supreme Being is later described in great detail as Krishna, the all attractive, along with His glorious pastimes through various Avatars.

Also the transient and illusory nature of the universe is explained through the simile of water appearing in a mirage. All of creation is seen to be made of the three gunas or modes (namely sattva, rajas and tamas or poise, passion and sloth) and it is later explained comprehensively that by ascending to the mode of sattva (poise), one gains the purity that transcends him beyond all three gunas to the realization of the Supreme Being. In fact, the very structure of Bhāgavatam is ideally organized for this process of ascension to purity through the first nine cantos before entering the transcendental pastimes of Krishna in the tenth canto.

Finally, the entire verse is given in the form of the Gayatri mantra which is the greatest mantra of all the Vedas with the invocation, dhimahi. Regular and systematic reading of Srimad Bhāgavatam with an attitude of humility that is free of criticism of anyone or anything is the blessed way to transcend all desires including that of liberation. It transports us to the platform of love toward the Supreme Being and thereby all beings of the universe. In fact, the next verse explicitly makes this very declaration about the unique supremacy of Bhāgavatam.

Verse 1.1.2:

धर्म: प्रोज्झितकैतवोऽत्र परमो निर्मत्सराणां सतां
वेद्यं वास्तवमत्र वस्तु शिवदं तापत्रयोन्मूलनम् ।
श्रीमद्भागवते महामुनिकृते किं वा परैरीश्वर:
सद्यो हृद्यवरुध्यतेऽत्र कृतिभि: शुश्रूषुभिस्तत्क्षणात् ॥

dharmaḥ projjhitakaitavo’tra paramo nirmatsarāṇāṁ satāṁ
vedyaṁ vāstavamatra vastu śivadaṁ tāpatrayonmūlanam
śrīmadbhāgavate mahāmunikṛte kiṁ vā parairīśvaraḥ
sadyo hṛdyavarudhyate’tra kṛtibhiḥ śuśrūṣubhistatkṣaṇāt

Translation:

Free of any deception in religiosity born of ulterior motives and desires, Srimad Bhāgavatam compiled by the great sage Vyāsa expounds the highest truth for the pure at heart. It bestows auspiciousness and uproots the threefold miseries (caused by one’s own body/mind, other living entities and acts of nature respectively). Thus, Bhāgavatam alone is sufficient for God realization. Simply by hearing its message with sincerity, that very instant one can establish in their heart the truth of the Supreme Being, who is unknowable by all other means.

Comments:

Deception in religiosity is rooted in being attached to desires and outcomes. In general, all activities (religious or secular) are found to be motivated by desires of various kinds. They can be broadly classified as desires for financial security (artha), sense gratification (kāma), virtuous living (dharma) and finally liberation or freedom from the egoic self (moksha).

As long as we are stuck in the first two desires of security and pleasure, it is no different from animal life. While we may engage in sophisticated instruments of security and variegated avenues of pleasure, it still remains only rooted in the bodily conception that all animals also have. The role of religion in the realm of these two desires is to only guide people from not going about fulfilling them in an unregulated manner, that leads to over indulgence, disease and depression. And through such guidance and regulations, it helps us transcend to the realm of dharma where human life truly begins.

Dharma is the recognition that we are part of an interconnected universe with all our fellow beings. Therefore it encourages activities toward sharing, giving, being truthful, non-violent, non-coveting etc. Many injunctions and commandments of various religions are toward molding one’s life in the platform of dharma. While this is a beginning to one’s religious life, it too is found to be beset with attachment to various fragmentary causes — political, social, national, religious, environmental etc. Underlying all of it is the identification as an egoic self and therefore still caught in comparison, judgment, envy, pride etc. Thus all acts of religiosity motivated by a desire for virtuous living is still limiting.

The recognition then that the root of suffering is the egoic identification and hence the desire to be free of it is the last category of desire called liberation (moksha). This helps transcend all fragmentary causes and identities and only strive toward removing the root of egoic identity. And yet, the very desire to be free of the ego is ultimately the ego coming through the back door. It is the thief posing as a cop to catch the thief and hence will never be caught. Therefore, even acts of religiosity motivated by the desire for liberation, however sublime they may be, are still found upon keen insight to be ultimately binding.

Thus all activities motivated by desire for the mundane or the transcendent are karmic, being rooted in egoic identification. And these karmic activities bring about their effects to be experienced by the doer and they in turn impel further desires and thus the seemingly endless cycle of karma goes on.

All the four desires are ultimately rooted in comparison and desirous of an outcome in time which only leads to frustration and falling prey to false teachings and teachers. Thus the highest message of the Vedas which is called Vedanta (lit. the end of all knowledge) is to transcend all desires, including the desire for liberation.

This is the platform of true love or devotion (bhakti) that Srimad Bhāgavatam presents in the most comprehensive manner.

The supremacy of Srimad Bhāgavatam is further established by the fact that it was compiled by the great sage Vyāsa as the highest expression of his vast spiritual treasure. It is told in subsequent chapters that Vyāsa was not fully satisfied even after compiling the four Vedas, the great epic Mahābhārata and also the commentary of all Upanishads known as the Brahma Sutras. Then Nārada came to bestow his grace by pointing out the lacuna in his work thus far which is the need to glorify loving devotion toward the Supreme Being as the pinnacle of all philosophical inquiry. Thus Vyāsa took up the work of Srimad Bhāgavatam to explore the most sublime philosophy which is the platform of motiveless love.

The last important point of this verse is the need to hear the message keenly, with humility and sincerity. An earnest attitude toward listening to this work is the only pre-requisite necessary to reap the supreme benefit of Srimad Bhāgavatam which is a direct realization in the heart of the truth of the Supreme Being and the flowering of love toward Him and thereby all fellow beings.

Verse 1.1.3:

निगमकल्पतरोर्गलितं फलं शुकमुखादमृतद्रवसंयुतम् ।
पिबत भागवतं रसमालयं मुहुरहो रसिका भुवि भावुका: ॥ ३ ॥ (1.1.3)

nigamakalpatarorgalitaṁ phalaṁ śhukamukhādamṛtadravasaṁyutam
pibata bhāgavataṁ rasamālayam muhuraho rasikā bhuvi bhāvukāḥ

Translation:

Oh devotees who relish a taste for divine love! Bhāgavatam is the fully ripened fruit of the wish-yielding tree of Vedic wisdom flowing from the lips of the great sage Shuka. It is full of the immortal nectar of supreme bliss and perfect in every way. Go on drinking this nectar of unalloyed sweetness again and again.

Comments:

This is the last introductory verse before the dialogues and the stories through which Srimad Bhāgavatam unfolds. After presenting the supreme position of Bhāgavatam as the cream of the highest philosophy of the Vedas, here the mood of the entire work is made clear. It is not some dry exposition of abstractions that only touch the intellect. Instead it is filled with sweet exchanges of divine love that goes straight to the heart.

By addressing the listeners as those with taste for divine love, it makes clear that it is not a sophisticated intellect but a tender heart that is necessary to approach this work. Vedas are compared to a wish yielding tree for they present a regulated way of living to fulfill desires of all kinds as seen in the last verse. And Bhāgavatam represents the ripened fruit of this tree because it provides the nectar of loving devotion that is beyond the taste of all other desires. And what’s more it comes from the mouth of the sage Shuka, an enlightened being who ever relishes the nectar of devotion. Just as a fruit pecked by a parrot is known to be extra sweet, similarly this ripened fruit of devotion is all the more sweet being pecked by the sage Shuka whose name literally means parrot.

An important word in this verse is rasa which also represents the various moods of devotion. The five most prominent moods or rasa are later described in detail in Srimad Bhāgavatam as increasing levels of sweetness with well known examples illustrated through stories for each rasa as follows:

1. shānta (peaceful reverence) exemplified by Prahlada
2. dāsya (loving service) exemplified by Hanuman
3. sakhya (close friendship) exemplified by Arjuna
4. vātsalya (parental affection) exemplified by Yashoda
5. mādhurya (sweet intimacy) exemplified by Radha

The common factor of all the five rasas is devotional love or bhakti and the object of each rasa is the Source or the fountainhead of truth, wisdom and love that is Krishna.

So the entire essence of Srimad Bhāgavatam can be summed up as realizing the one true Source, through a mood of loving devotion that cleanses the mind, and thus abide in our innate nature of peace, harmony and love.