A devotee cites numerous passages from Vedic literature revealing the crowning glory of the Srimad – Bhagvatam.
BHAGAVATAM IS THE CROWN JEWEL OF ALL REVEALED SCRIPTURES
dharmah projjhita-kaitavo 'tra paramo
nirmatsaranam satam
vedyam vastavam atra vastu
sivadmn tapa-trayonmulanam
srimad-bhagavate maha-muni-krte
kim va parair isvarah
sadyo hrdy avarudhyate 'tra
kytibhih susrusubhis tat-ksanat
Completely rejecting all religious activities which are materially motivated, this Bhagavata Purana propounds the highest truth, which is understandable by those devotees who are fully pure in heart. The highest truth is reality distinguished from illusion for the welfare of all. Such truth uproots the threefold miseries. This beautiful Bhagavatam, compiled by the great sage Vyasadeva [in his maturity]' is sufficient in itself for God realization. What is the need of any other scripture? As soon as one attentively and submissively hears the message of Bhagavatam, by this culture of knowledge the Supreme Lord is established within his heart. (Bhag 1.1.2)
BHAGAVATAM IS THE RIPENED FRUIT OF THE VEDIC DESIRE TREE
nigama-kalpa-taror galitam phalam
suka-mukhad amrta-drava-samyutam
pibata bhagavatam rasam alayam
muhuraho rasika bhuvi bhavukah
O expert and thoughtful men, relish Srimad Bhagvatam, the mature fruit of the desire tree of vedic literatures. It emanated from the lips of Sri Sukadeva Goswami. Therefore this fruit has become even more tasteful, although its nectarean juice was already relishable for all, including liberated souls. ( Bhag1.1.3)
BHAGAVATAM IS THE LITERARY INCARNATION OF KRSNA
idam bhagavatam nama
puranam brahma-sammitam
uttama-sloka-caritam
cakara bhagavan rsih
nihsreyasaya lokasya
dhanyam svasty-ayanam mahat
This Srimad-Bhagavatam is the literary incarnation of God, and it is compiled by Srila Vyasadevaa, the incarnation of God. It is meant for the ultimate good of all people, and it is all-successful, all-blissful and all-perfect. (Bhag 2.1.8)
krsne sva-dhamopagate
dharma-jnanadibhih saha
kalau nasta-drsam esa
puranarko 'dhunoditah
This Bhagavata Purana is as brilliant as the sun, and it has arisen just after the departure of Lord Krsna to His own abode, accompanied by religion, knowledge, etc. Persons who have lost their vision due to the dense darkness of ignorance in the age of Kali shall get light from this Purana. (Bhag 1.3.43)
BHAGAVATAM IS THE NATURAL COMMENTARY ON VEDANTA, MAHABHARATA, GAYATRI AND THE VEDAS
artho 'yam brahma-sutranam bharatartha-vinirnayah
gayatri bhasya-rupo 'sau vedartha-paribrmhitah
purananam sama-rupah saksad-bhagavatoditah
dvadasa-skhandha-yukto 'yam sata-viccheda-samyutah
grantho 'stadasa-sahasrah srimad-bhagavatabhidhah
'The meaning of the Vedanta-sutra is present in Srimad-Bhagvatam. The full purport of the Mahabharata is also there. The commentary of the Brahma-gayatri is also there and fully expanded with all Vedic knowledge. Srimad-Bhagavatam is the supreme personality of godhead in his incarnation as vyasadevaa. There are twelve cantos, 335 chapters and eighteen thousand verses.' (Garuda Purana, also quoted in Hari-bhakti-vilasa 10.394)
IN CONVERSATION BETWEEN CAITANYA MAHAPRABHU AND PRAKASHANANDA SARASWATI.
gayatrira arthe ei granta-arambhana
"satyam param" -sambandha,
"dhimahi" -sadhana-prayojana
"In the beginning of Srimad-Bhagavatam there is an explanation of the Brahna-gayatri mantra. 'The Absolute truth [satyam param]' indicates the relationship, and 'we meditate [dhimahi] on him' indicates the execution of devotional service and the ultimate goal of life. (Cc.Mad.25.147)
cari-veda-upanisade yata kichu haya
tara artha lana vyasa karila sancaya
yei sutre yei rk-vsaya-vacana
bhagavate sei rk sloke nibandhana
ataeva brahma-sutrera bhasya-sri-bhagavata
bhagavata-sloka, upanisat kahe 'eka' mata
"Vyasadevaa collected whatever Vedic conclusions were in the four Vedas and 108 Upanisads and placed them in the aphorisms of the Vedanta-sutra. "In the Vedanta-sutra, the purport of all Vedic knowledge is explained, and in Srimad-Bhagavatam the same purport has been explained in eighteen thousand verses. "Therefore it is to be concluded that the Brahma-sutra is explained vividly in Srimad-Bhagavatam. Also, what is explained in the verses of Srimad-Bhagavatam has the same purport as what is explained in the Upanisads . (Cc. Mad. 25.9B-100)
ataeva bhagavata-sutrera 'artha '-rupa
nija-krta sutrera nija-'bhasya'-svarupa
"Srimad-Bhagavatam gives the actual meaning of the Vedanta-sutra. The author of the Vedanta-sutra is Vyasadevaa, and he himself has explained those aphorisms in the form of Srimad-Bhagavatam. (Ce. Mad. 25.1434)
ataeva bhagavata karaha vicara
iha haite pabe sutra-srutira artha-sara
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu advised Prakasananda Sarasvati, "Study Srimad – Bhagvatam very scrutinizingly. Then you will understand the actual meaning of the Brahma-sutra." (Cc. Mad. 25.153)
BHAGAVATAM IS THE CREAM OF THE VEDAS AND THE VERY FORM OF KRSNA
Sabe purusartha 'bhakti' bhagavate haya
'premarupa Bhagavata' carivede kaya
cari veda-dadhi Bhagavata
mathilenn suke-khailenu pariksita
Srimad Bhagvatam speaks of the highest goal of life, devotional services, and divine love of krsna. According to all the vedas Srimad Bhagavatam is the very form of divine love. The four Vedas are like yogurts, but Srimad Bhagvatam is like butter. The churner of this butter is Sukadeva Gosvami, and the eater of this butter is Pariksita maharaja(C. Bhag. Mad., 22.15-16) krsna-tulya bhagavata vibhu, sarvasraya prati-Sloke prati-aksare nana artha kaya "Srimad-Bhagavatam is as great as Krsna, the Supreme Lord and shelter of everything. In each and every verse of Srimad-Bhagavatam and in each and every syllable, there are various meanings.(Cc. Mad 24.318) bhagavata, tulasi gangaya, bhaktajane caturdha vigraha krsna ei cari sane Srimad Bhagavatam, Tulasi-devi, the Ganges, and the devotees- wherever these four things are found, Krsna is always present. (CBhag. Mad. 22.B1)
WHOEVER DISREGARDS BHAGAVATAM AND RELIES ON SANKARACARYA'S COMMENTARY IS LOST
jivera nistara lagi' sutra kaila vyasa
mayavadi-bhasya sunile haya sarva-nasa
"Srila Vyasadevaa presented the Vedanta philosophy for the deliverance of conditioned souls, but if one hears the commentary of Sankaracarya, everything is spoiled.(Ce.Mad. 6.169)
BHAGAVATAM REVEALS THE INNER MEANING OF VEDANTA
arva-vedanta-saram hi
sri-bhagavatam isyate
tad-rasamrta-trptasya
nanyatra syad ratih kvacit
Srimad-Bhagavatam is declared to be the essence of all Vedanta philosophy. One who has felt satisfaction from its nectarean mellow will never be attracted to any other literature.(Bhag. 12.13.15)
BHAGAVATAM IS FOR PURIFICATION OF CONDITION SOUL AND RELISHED BY THE PURE DEVOTEES
srnvatam sva-katha krsnah punya-sravana-kirtanah hrdy antah stho hy abhadrani vidhunoti suhrt satam Sri Krsna, the Personality of Godhead, who is the Paramatma [Supersoul] in everyone's heart and the benefactor of the truthful devotee, cleanses desire for material enjoyment from the heart of the devotee who has developed the urge to hear His messages, which are in themselves virtuous when properly heard and chanted. (Bhag 1.2.17)
nasta-prayesv abhadresu nityam bhagavata-sevaya
bhagavaty uttama-sloke bhaktir bhavati naisthiki
By regular attendance in classes on the Bhagavatam and by rendering of service to the pure devotee, all that is troublesome to the heart is almost completely destroyed, and loving service unto the Personality of Godhead, who is praised with transcendental songs, is established as an irrevocable fact. (Bhag 1.2.18)
na yad vacas citra-padam harer yaso
jagat-pavitram pragnita karhicit
tad vayasam tirtham usanti manasa
na yatra hamsa niramanty usik-ksayah
Those words which do not describe the glories of the Lord, who alone can sanctify the atmosphere of the whole universe, are considered by saintly persons to be like unto a place of pilgrimage for crows. Since the all-perfect persons are inhabitants of the transcendental abode, they do not derive any pleasure there.(Bhag 1.5.10)
tad-vag-visa rgo janatagha-viplavo
yasmin prati-slokam abaddhavaty api
namany anantasya yaso 'nkitani yat
srnvanti gayanti grnanti sadhavah
On the other hand, that literature which is full of descriptions of the transcendental glories of the name, fame, forms, pastimes, etc" of the unlimited Supreme Lord is a different creation, full of transcendental words directed toward bringing about a revolution in the impious lives of this world's misdirected civilization. Such transcendental literatures, even though imperfectly composed, are heard, sung and accepted by purified men who are thoroughly honest. (Bhag. 1.5.1!)
anarthopasamam saksad bhakti-yogam adhoksaje
lokasyajanaro vidvams cakre sarvata-smnhitam
The material miseries of the living entity, which are superfluous to him, can be directly mitigated by the linking process of devotional service. But the mass people do not know this, and therefore the learned Vyasadeva comptled this Vedic literature, which is in relation to the Supreme Truth. (Bhag 1.76)
yasyam vai sruyamanayam
krsne parama-puruse
bhaktir utpadyate pumsah
soka-moha-bhayapaha
Simply by giving aural reception to this Vedic literature, the feeling for loving devotional service to Lord Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, sprouts ~ up at once to extinguish the fire of lamentation, illusion and fearfulness.( Bhag 1.7.7)
BHAGAVATAM IS BEYOND SENSUAL EXPRERlENCE
I worship that Supreme Lord Sri Krsna, the origin of all the gods, the abode of mercy, whose transcendental form is black like the ramal tree, and who has appeared in the form of His sound avatara, Srimad- Bhagavatam. It is the literary incarnation of Krsna, a bridge by which lost souls can cross the ocean of repeated birth and death.
THE INCONCEIVABLE NATURE OF BHAGAVATAM
mahacintya Bhagavara sarvasastre gaya
iha na bujhiye vidya, tapa, pratisthaya
bhagavata bujhi heno yara acche jnana
se na jane kabhu bhagavatera pramana
According to all the revealed scriptures, the Srimad Bhagavatam is inconceivable, beyond mundane understanding. Its meaning cannot be understood either by scholarship or penance. One who is not a devotee of Krsna, no matter how great a scholar he may be, will never understand Srimad Bhagavatam (CBhag. Mad. 22.13-/4)
bhagavate acinrya isvara-buddhi yanra
se janaye Bhagavara-artha bhakti-sara
Srimad Bhagavatam has inconceivable knowledge about the Supreme Lord. One who knows this knows the Srimad Bhagavatam gives the essence of devotion to Krsna.(C.Bhag 22.25)
aham vedmi suko vetti vyaso vetti na vetti va
bhaktya Bhagavaram grahyam na buddya na ca tikaya
I know Sukadeva knows the meaning of Srimad Bhagavatam, whereas Vyasadevaa mayor may not know it. The Srimad Bhagavatam can only be known through Bhakti, not by mundane intelligence or by reading many commentaries (Cc. Mad. 24.313)
TWO KINDS OF BHAGAVATA, THE BOOK AND THE PERSON
dui sthane Bhagavara nama sum matra grantha-Bhagavata ara krsna-krpa patra the name Bhagavata applies to two things: the book Bhagavata, and the agent of Krsna's Mercy, the devotee Bhagavata. (C. Bhag. Antya 3.532)
eka bhagavata bada bhagavata-sastra
ara bhagavata bhakta bhakti-rasa-patra
One of the bhagavatas is the great scipture Srimad Bhagavatam, and the other is the pure devotee absorbed in the mellows of loving devotion. (Cc. Adi. 1.99)
dui bhagavata dvara diya bhakti-rasa
tanhara hrdaye tanra preme haya vasa
Through the action of these two bhagavatas the lord instills the mellows of transcendental loving service into the heart of a living being, and thus the lord, in the heart of his devotee, comes under the control of the devotee's love. (Cc. Adi. 1.100)
maya-mugdha jivera nahi svatah krsna-jnana
jivera krpaya kaila krsna veda-purana
"The conditioned soul cannot revive his Krsna consciousness by his own effort. But out of causeless mercy, Lord Krsna compiled the vedic literature and its supplements, the Puranas. (Cc. Mad. 20.122)
BHAGAVATAM IS UNDERSTOOD THROUGH VAISNAVAS
"yaha, bhagavata pada vaisnavera sthane
ekanta asraya kara caitanya-carane
"If you want to understand Srimad-Bhagavatam," he said, "you must approach a self-realized Vaisnava and hear from him. You can do this when you have completely taken shelter of the lotus feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu." (Cc. Ant. 5.131) vaisnava-pasa bhagavata kara adhyayana try to study Srimad-Bhagavatam from a pure Vaisnava who has realized God."
STUDY BHAGAVATAM IN LIGHT OF PREVIOUS ACARYAS
sridhara-svami-prasade 'bhagavata' jani
jagad-guru sridhara-swami 'guru' kari' mani
"Sridhara Swami is the spiritual master of the entire world because by his mercy we can understand Srimad Bhagvatam.I Therefore accept him as a spiritual master. (Cc. Ant. 7.133)
sridhara-upare garve ye kiche likhibe
'artha-vyasta' likhana sei, loke na manibe
"Whatever you might write due to false pride, trying to surpass Sridhara Swami, would carry a contrary purport. Therefore no one would pay attention to it. (Cc. Ant.7.134)
WHO DOES NOT RECOGNIZE BHAGVATAM IS DOOMED
yara bheda acche tara nasa bhalmate
Myself, My devotees, and the scripture Srimad Bhagvatam one who sees any difference between these three wil find that all his intelligence has been destroyed. (C. Bhag. Mad 18)
ye va bhattacarya, cakravarti, misra saba
tara o na jane saba grantha-anubhava
sastra padaiya sabe ei karma kare
srotara sahita yamapase duhi' mare
The so called Bhattacaryas, Cakravartis, Misras, and others make a business out of the scripture, but have no realization at all. All their study of scripture is simply karmic activity. Whoever hears from them will be bound by Yamaraja and dragged down to hell at the timeof death. (C. Bhag Adi 2.67-68)
bhagavata ye na mane, se yavana sama
tara sasta acche janme janme prabhu yama
Whoever has no regard for Srimad Bhagavatam is the same as a yavana, an untouchable heathen. He will be punished birth after birth by Lord Yamaraja.
BHAGAVATAM IS DEAR TO THE TOPMOST PARAMAHAMSAS
srimad-bhagavatam puranam
amalam yad vaisnavanam priyam
yasmin paramahamsyam ekam
amalam jnana param giyate
tatra jnana-viraga-bhakti-sahitam
naiskarmyam aviskrtam
tac chrnvan su-pathan vicarana-paro
bhaktya vimueyen narah
Srimad Bhagvatam is the spotless Purana. It is most dear to the vaisnava because it describes the pure and supreme knowledge of the paramahamsas. This Bhagavatam reveals the means for becoming free from all material work, together with the processes of transcendental knowledge, renunciation and devotion. Anyone who seriously tries to understand Srimad Bhagvatam, who properly hears and chants it with devotion, becomes completely liberated. (Bhag 12.13.18)
Ananta Nitai Dasa, a natural musician and singer, serve full time at ISKCON Mumbai