A Summary of the Srimad Bhagavata Mahapuranam ( 04/04/2013. )

1: King Parikshit’s Question to Suka Maharishi - 16. So, ignorance is at the back of the so-called joys of life. If we know the cause, we will be disappointed in one second. There is a thief behind this joy that we appear to have in this world. That thief is trying to rob us of whatever energy we have. Sankaracharya, in one of his verses, tells us that there are many thieves in this world, and they are ready to rob us of all the treasures that we have in the form of energy. Our energy becomes depleted through every form of sense contact, and we become old and weak, and then perish due to a total exhaustion of the energy quantum of our personality. We may say in this sense that the senses are deceivers, but philosophically there is another aspect which makes us give them some credit also when they tell us that all things are not well. That all things that glitter are not gold is seen by the dissatisfaction that follows. Whatever be the position that we hold in th

1: King Parikshit’s Question to Suka Maharishi - 15. So, what is good for us is a question that arose in the beginning itself. The good is not merely the good of this world, which is only a relative good because that which appears to be good now may not be good tomorrow. Also, even now, the idea that something is good is not complete, because the relativity of the character of the apparent goodness of a thing is due to the cause that is behind the appearance of this goodness, and that cause is completely out of our reasoning. The reason why we feel satisfaction through contact of the senses with objects is not known to us. We know only the result, but the cause of it is not known. Some mysterious action takes place, like the operation of a person controlling puppets in a puppet show. We see only puppets moving and enjoy the play, not knowing that somebody is manipulating strings to control their activity. Likewise, we are not aware of what takes place when we conta

1: King Parikshit’s Question to Suka Maharishi - 14. But the individual, mortal as he is, is unable to deepen the feeling to such an extent, and he is unable to pass through these levels of creation as a needle passes through the thousand rose petals, because the intensity of his feeling is not sufficient. That is to say, our longing for freedom is not adequately accentuated. There is a temptation in this world which tells us that there is something here which is good enough, and we need not seek another good in some other realm of creation. This interpretation of there being something permanently good in this world is provided to us by the wrong activity of the sense organs. We are caught in the web of sensory activity, which tells us that this world is all. But the senses also tell us that this world is not all by the dissatisfaction that follows from every kind of so-called satisfaction provided to us by the sense organs. Because the contact of the senses with o

1: King Parikshit’s Question to Suka Maharishi - 13. Though the rise from one level to another level is usually gradual, as is described to us in the Srimad Bhagavata and the Puranas, it is also said that a sudden rise is possible. It is something like this. Suppose one thousand rose petals are kept one over the other and a needle is passed through them, we may say that the needle pierced all these petals at one stroke; whereas, in fact, the needle passed gradually through one petal to the other in spite of the impression that it was an instantaneous action. Similarly, by the force of the power of yoga and meditation, we may compress the total process of the ascent through all the levels of creation into a so-called instantaneous action, though we cannot escape the law of any level of creation. We may travel quickly by airplane, trudge by foot, or sit in a bullock cart. If we travel by airplane it takes no time at all to reach our destination, but we have covered th

1: King Parikshit’s Question to Suka Maharishi - 12. Thus, as we are ready to bestow thought on what is really good for us, that alone can be considered as ‘good’ which will be valid when we enter the different levels of creation. That which is good is a single visa that is given to us for entry into all the levels of creation. Since what is good in this world may not be good in other worlds, if we regard whatever goodness we manifest in our life in this world as the total reality, it may not carry us further to the other worlds, as they may require another qualification from us. Unless we belong to the other world in some way or the other, we cannot be received in that world. If we are citizens located only in one world, how would we enter into other worlds? That is why there is a visa system, which is the permission given by one country to an individual from another country to enter. That is to say, when we enter from one world to another, one country to another, we

1: King Parikshit’s Question to Suka Maharishi - 11. It is an incomparable scripture. Its eighteen skandhas represent the eighteen processes of the evolution of the cosmos. In Indian culture, the word ‘eighteen’ has been regarded as very sacred. The Bhagavata contains eighteen skandhas, the Mahabharata contains eighteen parvas, the war took place for eighteen days, the Bhagavadgita has eighteen chapters; it is a great mystery. According to the traditional belief in the computational meaning of numbers, eighteen represents victory. According to a traditional calculation in India especially, the word ‘eight’ is represented by the word ‘ja’, and the word ‘ya’ is represented by the number ‘one’. In the the old system, letters are read from right to left, not from left to right as we do in the modern system. So ‘ja’ and ‘ya’ mean ‘jaya’ or victory. The Mahabharata book also is called Jaya by Krishna Dvaipayana Vyasa. The same question that was raised by Parikshit wa

1: King Parikshit’s Question to Suka Maharishi - 10. But, at death, the consciousness withdraws itself. That is why we feel such a fear; some tremendous upheaval takes place when we leave this body. The fear of death that was hovering on the mind of Parikshit had to be removed by this kind of great admonition by Sukadeva Maharishi, which is the highlighting feature of the beginning of the second chapter of Srimad Bhagavata Mahapurana. It is believed that this great scripture, the Srimad Bhagavata, is like a delicious nectar. It is as sweet as kheer because, as Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa Deva used to say, it is a combination of the sugar of devotion, the energy of the ghee of vairagya, and the milk of knowledge. Jnana, vairagya, and bhakti – all the three are combined in a wonderful manner in the narration of the Srimad Bhagavata Mahapurana. Sri Krishna Himself is supposed to be indwelling this wonderful scripture. We do not physically see the personality of Bhaga

1: King Parikshit’s Question to Suka Maharishi -9. I can tell you with all assurance that I am the happiest man not only now when there is a kitchen to cater to all individual whims and tastes, but I was also the happiest man when I had to receive Bhiksha from Nepali-Kshetra, as also Sri Swamiji had to. It is because I had no individuality, no idea or plan of my own; I allowed myself to be moulded by Sri Swamiji. There was one Swami Jagadeeswarananda with us whom Sri Swamiji trained as a good lecturer. Sri Swami Jagadeeswaranandaji's lectures on Concentration and Meditation were simply grand and eloquent. Again there is Swami Narayanji. In those days he was sweeping the Ashram and keeping it clean. Today also he does the same work. He finds immense pleasure in it. He derives supreme happiness from that work. How is it? He had no idea of his own.  He allowed Sri Swamiji to shape his career. Sri Swamiji, too, has made him a good Sankirtanist. Swami Naraya

1: King Parikshit’s Question to Suka Maharishi -8. These descriptions in the beginning of the eighth chapter of the Bhagavadgita point out that we belong to all levels of existence. It is, therefore, not to be considered as something unwarranted that a time comes when we have to shed this body, because every day we are shedding the earlier components of our body in the process of rising into a more healthy condition. Cells of the body decompose every moment of time, and it is believed that every seven years all the cells are changed; we become new persons altogether. But we do not know that this is happening because of the identification of consciousness with every process that is taking place. Otherwise, if this linkage of development is not filled in by consciousness, we would feel jerks every time we jump or move from one level to another level. Such jerks are not experienced on account of a rapid action of consciousness, just as the rapid flashing of many still pictures on a scr

1: King Parikshit’s Question to Suka Maharishi -7. Action is cosmic action, and the characteristic of all visible physical things is its perishable nature – bhuta-bhava-udbhava-karh   visargah   karma-samjnitah (Gita 8.3); adhibhutam   ksharo   bhavah   purushah-ca-adhidaivatam (Gita 8.4). The Purusha, who is the principle of cosmic sacrifice as we have it described in the Purusha Sukta, is also the indwelling presence in all our hearts. He is the source of individual sacrifices and right action, virtuous action, etc. He is the impeller from the recesses of our own heart. This is the source of individual impulses. Adhiyajnoham evatra (Gita 8.4) – the field of activity is also God Himself. God is the director of the drama of creation, as also the actor. He does not employ people to act in the theatre. He himself appears as all the actors in all forms of manifestation, and he also directs it from another point of view. He is the performer as well as the witness of all performances. Sw

1: King Parikshit’s Question to Suka Maharishi -6. So, the origin of action – everybody’s action, up to the action of the atom – is impelled by this great Action of the Purusha. Really speaking, there are not many actions taking place in the world in terms of various individualities. One Action is taking place, as the rumbling of thousands of waves in the ocean is actually the one action of the ocean itself. Many actions are not taking place in the ocean; it is one impulse of the root and the heart of the bowels of the ocean that rises up as the waves. One action is taking place in the ocean; One Action is taking place in this cosmos also. The perishable nature of all things is called adhibhuta prapancha, the externalised projected form of physical nature. The very fact of being external is a tendency to evolution and destruction. Everything in this world evolves from the lower level to the higher level. What is called evolution is nothing but the destruction

1: King Parikshit’s Question to Suka Maharishi -5. The supreme good, therefore, is the Supreme Brahman, the Ultimate Reality which is intimately, vitally, inextricably connected with svabhavah, which is called the Atman. The internal, essential nature of the human individual, known as the Atman or the Self, is the true nature of a person. That is why it is called svabhava, the true disposition of an individual. Our selfhood is what we are; and how we behave, how we act, and how we think and feel depend upon the true nature which is our own self displayed through the various categories constituting this psychophysical individuality. This is svabhava.  Action, in the real sense of the term, is the force that ejects this cosmos right from the topmost level of creation – the atomic bindu of creation, prior to the bursting of this total potentiality into the two halves of positive and negative forces. Everything, all action – any impulse whatsoever, down to the movemen

1: King Parikshit’s Question to Suka Maharishi - 4. At the very beginning of the second chapter of the Srimad Bhagavata Mahapurana this question is answered briefly, and reference to this is also made in the beginning of the eighth chapter of the Srimad Bhagavadgita when Bhagavan Sri Krishna says :- (Gita 8.3); aksharam   brahma   paramam   svabhavodhyatmamucyate, bhutabhavodbhavakaro   visargahn   karmasamjnitah. (Gita 8.4). adhibhutam   ksharo   bhavah   purushascadhidaivatam, adhiyajnohamevatra   dehe   dehabhrtamvara. Our involvements in this life are explained in this beautiful contextual answer of Bhagavan Sri Krishna to Arjuna when He says, “That which is the ultimate good is the Supreme Brahman.” A similar question was raised by Yudhishthira at the end of the Mahabharata war when he went to Bhishma, who was lying on a bed of arrows, and Bhishma’s answer was that it is better to remember Vishnu and recite his name one thousand names, not only at the e

1: King Parikshit’s Question to Suka Maharishi - 3. How are we to answer this question? What is good for any person?  In the freezing heights of the Himalayas, it is good to have a blanket over oneself. But a blanket is not good in the hot deserts of Africa; we would like to have cold water there. When we are hungry, it is good to have delicious food; when we are vomiting due to illness, it is good not to eat at all. Anyone who desires his or her own good cannot answer this question of what is actually good for oneself, because whatever answer we give, we will find it is connected to some cause thereof, and it is not the final good. Riches will end, the body will wither, and life is uncertain. None of these things connected with life in this world can be regarded as really good in their ultimate sense. Then, what is really good for the human individual? The difficulty in answering this question arises because we think that we are living only in this world of

1: King Parikshit’s Question to Suka Maharishi - 2. When, to Asvatthama’s consternation, the attempt to destroy the Pandavas with this missile failed, he ran away from the field cursing everybody and yelling out that even fathers are not to be trusted these days because his father duped him, as it were, by saying that he had initiated him into an invincible astra, which actually amounted to nothing. When Asvatthama was shouting like this while running away, he met Vyasa – the great Krishna Dvaipayana – on the way, who asked him what the matter was. He said, “My father did not tell me the truth. I was initiated into the invincible force called Narayana Astra, being told that no one on Earth can stand before it; but when I used it, nothing actually happened.” The great Vyasa replied, “My dear boy, your father has not made any mistake. He gave you that strength which no one else in the world could wield. But you used this astra of Narayana against Narayana Himself. Therefore, it

1: King Parikshit’s Question to Suka Maharishi - 1. In ancient times, Raja Parikshit raised a detailed question that amounted to asking whether we are living in this world alone, or if it is possible that we may be citizens of some other worlds also. This question of King Parikshit was connected with the background of his own life, which has the antecedence of the great story of the Mahabharata. When Asvatthama, the son of Acharya Drona, discharged the invincible missile known as Narayana Astra with the hope of ending the Pandavas in a single instant, he felt that his aim of life was complete. As this was an astra which could not be faced by all the forces of the Earth put together, he was under the impression that the Pandavas had been reduced to ashes. As the Pandavas were at a distance, Asvatthama climbed to the top of a tree in order to see the heap of ashes that were their remains, but to his surprise he found the Pandava forces were as jubilant as ever, and it did

Skandham-6. Chapter-5. Slokam - 9. katham sva-pitur adesam  avidvamso vipascitah, anurupam avijnaya  aho sargam karisyatha. katham  =  how; sva-pituh  =  of your own father; adesam  =  the order; avidvamsah  =  ignorant; vipascitah  =  who knows everything; anurupam  =  suitable for you; avijnaya  =  without knowing; aho  =  alas; sargam  =  the creation; karisayatha  =  you will perform. Alas, your father is omniscient, but you do not know his actual order. Without knowing the actual purpose of your father, how will you create progeny? To be discontinued. Next  A Summary of the Srimad Bhagavata Mahapuranam

Skandham-6. Chapter-5. Slokam-s - 6 to 8. 6. uvaca  catha  haryasvah  katham  srakshyatha  vai  prajah, adrstvantam  bhuvo  yuyam   balisa  bata  palakah. uvaca  =  he said; ca  =  also; atha  =  thus; haryasvah  =  O Haryaśvas, sons of Prajapati Daksha; katham  =  why; srakshyatha  =  you will beget; vai  =  indeed; prajah  =  progeny; adrstva  =  having not seen; antam  =  the end; bhuvah  =  of this earth; yuyam  =  all of you; balisah  =  inexperienced; bata  =  alas; palakah  =  although ruling princes; 7. tathaika-purusham   rastram  bilam  cadrsta-nirgamam, bahu-rupam  striyam  capi  pumamsam  pumscali-patim. tatha  =  so also; eka  =  one; purusham  =  man; rashtram  =  kingdom; bilam  =  the hole; ca  =  also; adrsta-nirgamam  =  from which there is no coming out; bahu-rupam  =  taking many forms; striyam  =  the woman; ca  =  and; api  =  even; pumamsam  =  the man; pumscali-patim  =  the husban

Skandham-6. Chapter-5. Slokam-4& 5. 4. tad-upasparsanad  eva  vinirdhuta-malasayah, dharme  paramahamsye  ca  protpanna-matayo ’py  uta. tat  =  of that holy place; upasparsanat  =  from bathing in that water or touching it; eva  =  only; vinirdhuta  =  completely washed away; mala-asayah  =  whose impure desires; dharme  =  to the practices; paramahamsye  =  executed by the topmost class of sannyāsīs; ca  =  also; protpanna  =  highly inclined; matayah  =  whose minds; api uta  =  although; 5. tepire  tapa  evograṁ   pitradesena yantritah, praja-vivrddhaye   yattan  devarṣis  tan  dadarsa  ha. tepire  =  they executed; tapah  =  penances; eva  =  certainly; ugram  =  severe; pitr-adesena  =  by the order of their father; yantritah  =  engaged; praja-vivrddhaye  =  for the purpose of increasing the population; yattan  =  ready; devarsih  =  the great sage Nārada; tan  =  them; dadarsa  =  visited; ha  =  

Skandham-6. Chapter-5. Slokam-3. tatra narayana-saras  tirtham  sindhu-samudrayoh, sangamo  yatra  sumahan  muni-siddha-nisevitam. tatra  =  in that direction; narayana-sarah  =  the lake named Nārāyaṇa-saras; tirtham  =  very holy place; sindhu-samudrayoh  =  of the River Sindhu and the sea; sangamah  =  confluence; yatra  =  where; su-mahat  =  very great; muni  =  by sages; siddha  =  and perfected human beings; nisevitam  =  frequented. In the west, where the River Sindhu meets the sea, there is a great place of pilgrimage known as Narayana-saras. Many sages and others advanced in spiritual consciousness live there. To be continued  ...

Srimad Bhagavatham : Skandham-6. Chapter-5. ( Narada Maharishi Cursed by Prajapati Daksha ) Slokam-2. aprthag-dharma-silas  te  sarve  dakshayana  nrpa, pitra  proktah  praja-sarge  praticim  prayayur  disam. aprthak  =  alike in; dharma-silah  =   good character and behavior; te  =  they; sarve  =  all; dakshayana  =  the sons of Daksha; nrpa  =  O King; pitra  =  by their father; proktah  =  ordered; praja-sarge  =  to increase the population; praticim  =  we stern; prayayur  =  they went to; disam  =  the direction. My dear King, all the sons of Prajapati Daksha were alike in being very gentle and obedient to the orders of their father. When their father ordered them to beget children, they all went in the western direction. To be continued  ...

Srimad Bhagavatham : Skandham-6. Chapter-5. ( Narada Maharishi Cursed by Prajapati Daksha ) Slokam-1. sri-suka uvaca tasyam  sa  pancajanyam  vai  vishnu-mqyopabrmhitah, haryasva-samjnan  ayutam  putran   ajanayad   vibhuh. sri-sukah  uvaca  =  Sri Suka  Maharishi  said; tasyam  =  in her; sah  =  Prajapati Daksha; pancajanyam  =  his wife named Pancajani; vai  =  indeed; vishn-maya-upabrmhitah  =  being made capable by the illusory energy of Lord Vishn; haryasva-samjnan  =  named the Haryasvas; ayutam  =  ten thousand; putran  =  sons; ajanayat  =  begot; vibhuh  =  being powerful. Sri Suka Maharishi continued :-  Impelled by the illusory energy of Lord Vishnu, Prajapati Daksha begot ten thousand sons in the womb of Pancajani [Asikni]. My dear King, these sons were called the Haryasvas. To be continued  ...

Srimad Bhagavatham : Skandham-6. Chapter-5. ( Narada Maharishi Cursed by Prajapati Daksha ) Introduction :-- This chapter relates how all the sons of Daksha were delivered from the clutches of the material energy by following the advice of Narada, who was therefore cursed by Daksha. Influenced by the external energy of Lord Vishnu, Prajapati Daksha begot ten thousand sons in the womb of his wife, Pancajani. These sons, who were all of the same character and mentality, were known as the Haryasvas. Ordered by their father to create more and more population, the Haryasvas went west to the place where the River Sindhu (now the Indus) meets the Arabian Sea. In those days this was the site of a holy lake named Narayaṇa-saras, where there were many saintly persons. The Haryasvas began practicing austerities, penances and meditation, which are the engagements of the highly exalted renounced order of life. However, when Sri Narada Maharishi saw these boys engaged in

Srimad Bhagavatham : Skandham-6. Chapter-4.  ( The Hamsa-guhya  Prayers ) Slokam-54. sri suka uvaca ity  uktva  misatas  tasya  bhagavan  visva  bhavanah, svapnopalabdhartha   iva   tatraivantardadhe  harih. sri sukah uvaca  =  Sukadeva Gosvami continued to speak; iti  =  thus; uktva  =  saying; misatah tasya  =  while he (Dakṣa) was personally looking on; bhagavan  =  the Supreme Personality of Godhead; visva-bhavanah  =  who creates the universal affairs; svapna-upalabdha-arthah  =  an object obtained in dreaming; iva  =  like; tatra  =  there; eva  =  certainly; antardadhe  =  disappeared; harih  =  the Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Sri  Suka  Maharishi continued: After the creator of the entire universe, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, had spoken in this way in the presence of Prajapati Daksha, He immediately disappeared as if He were an object experienced in a dream. Chapter-4.  ( The Hamsa-guhya  Prayers ) E

Srimad Bhagavatham : Skandham-6. Chapter-4.  ( The Hamsa-guhya  Prayers ) Slokam-53. tvattodhastat  prajah   sarva  mithuni-bhuya   mayaya, madiyaya  bhavishyanti  harishyanti  ca  me  balim. tvattah  =  you; adhastat  =  after; prajah  =  the living entities; sarvah  =  all; mithuni-bhuya  =  having sex life; mayaya  =  because of the influence or facilities given by the illusory energy; madiyaya  =  My; bhavishyanti  =  they will become; harishyanti  =  they will offer; ca  =  also; me  =  unto Me; balim  =  presentations. After you give birth to many hundreds and thousands of children, they will also be captivated by My illusory energy and will engage, like You, in sexual intercourse. But because of My mercy to you and them, they will also be able to give Me presentations in devotion. To be continued  ...