SB 1.1
oṁ ajñāna-timirāndhasya
jñānāñjana-śalākayā
cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena
tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ
oṁ अज्ञान तितिरान्धस्य
ज्ञानाञ्जन शलाकया ।
चक्षुरुन्मीतलिं येन
िस्मै श्री गुरवे निः ॥
I was born in the darkest ignorance, and my spiritual
master opened my eyes with the torch of knowledge.
I offer my respectful obeisance unto him.
nārāyaṇaṁ namaskṛtya
naraṁ caiva narottamam
devīṁ sarasvatīṁ vyāsaṁ
tato jayam udīrayet
Before reciting this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, which is the very means of conquest, one
should offer respectful obeisances unto the Personality of Godhead, Nārāyaṇa, unto
Nara-nārāyaṇa Ṛṣi, the supermost human being, unto mother Sarasvatī, the goddess
of learning, and unto Śrīla Vyāsadeva, the author. [SB 1.2.4]
śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ
puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ
hṛdy antaḥ stho hy abhadrāṇi
vidhunoti suhṛt satām
Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead, who is the Paramātmā [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. [SB 1.2.17]
naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu
nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā
bhagavaty uttama-śloke
bhaktir bhavati naiṣṭhikī
By regular attendance in classes on the Bhāgavatam 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. [SB 1.2.18]
kṛṣṇāya vāsudevāya
devakī-nandanāya ca
nanda-gopa-kumārāya
govindāya namo namaḥ
"Let me therefore offer my respectful obeisances unto the Lord, who has become the son
of Vasudeva, the pleasure of Devakī, the boy of Nanda and the other cowherd men of
Vṛndāvana, and the enlivener of the cows and senses.“ (SB 1.8.21)
Hare Krsna Hare Krsna
Krsna Krsna Hare Hare
Hare Ram Hare Ram
Ram Ram Hare Hare
Questions by the
Sages
Canto
1, Chapter 1
SB 1.1
Prelude to SB
(1-3)
Setting the
scene (4-5)
Qualification
of Suta
Goswami (6-8)
6 Questions
by sages (923)
O my Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, son of Vasudeva, O all pervading Personality of Godhead, I offer my
respectful obeisances unto You. I meditate upon Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa because He is the Abso-lute Truth
and the primeval cause of all causes of the creation, sustenance and destruction of the
manifested universes. He is directly and in-directly conscious of all manifestations, and He is
independent because there is no other cause beyond Him. It is He only who first imparted the
Vedic knowledge unto the heart of Brahmājī, the original living being. By Him even the great
sages and demigods are placed into illusion, as one is bewildered by the illu-sory representations
of water seen in fire, or land seen on water. Only because of Him do the material universes,
temporarily manifested by the reactions of the three modes of nature, ap-pear factual, although
they are unreal. I there-fore meditate upon Him, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is eternally existent in the
transcendental abode, which is forever free from the illusory representations of the material world.
I medi-tate upon Him, for He is the Absolute Truth. (1) Completely rejecting all religious activities
which are materially motivated, this Bhāgavata Purāṇa 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
Bhāgavatam, compiled by the great sage Vyāsadeva [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 Bhāgavatam, by this culture of knowledge the Supreme Lord is established
O expert and thoughtful men, relish Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, the mature fruit of the desire tree of Vedic literatures. It
emanated from the lips of Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī. Therefore this fruit has become even more tasteful, although its
nectarean juice was already relishable for all, including liberated souls.(3) Once, in a holy place in the forest of
Naimiṣāraṇya, great sages headed by the sage Śaunaka assembled to perform a great thousand year sacrifice for
the satisfaction of the Lord and His devotees.(4) One day, after finishing their morning duties by burning a
sacrificial fire and offering a seat of esteem to Śrīla Sūta Gosvāmī, the great sages made inquiries, with great
respect, about the following matters.(5)
The sages said: Respected Sūta Gosvāmī, you are completely free from all vice. You are well versed in all the
scriptures famous for re-ligious life, and in the Purāṇas and the histories as well, for you have gone through them
under proper guidance and have also explained them.(6)Being the eldest learned Vedāntist, O Sūta Gosvāmī, you
are acquainted with the knowledge of Vyāsadeva, who is the incarnation of Godhead, and you also know other
sages who are fully versed in all kinds of physical and metaphysical knowledge.(7)And because you are
submissive, your spiritual masters have en-dowed you with all the favors bestowed upon a gentle disciple.
Therefore you can tell us all that you have scientifically learned from them.(8)Please, therefore, being blessed with
many years, explain to us, in an easily under-standable way, what you have ascertained to be the absolute and
ultimate good for the people in general.(9)O learned one, in this iron age of Kali men have but short lives. They are
quar-relsome, lazy, misguided, unlucky and, above all, always disturbed.(10)There are many vari-eties of
scriptures, and in all of them there are many prescribed duties, which can be learned only after many years of
study in their various divisions. Therefore, O sage, please select the essence of all these scriptures and explain it
for the good of all living beings, that by such in-struction their hearts may be fully satisfied.(11) All blessings upon
you, O Sūta Gosvāmī. You know for what purpose the Personality of God-head appeared in the womb of Devakī
O Sūta Gosvāmī, we are eager to learn about the Personality of Godhead and His incarna-tions. Please
explain to us those teachings im-parted by previous masters [ācāryas], for one is uplifted both by speaking
them and by hearing them.(13) Living beings who are entangled in the complicated meshes of birth and
death can be freed immediately by even unconsciously chanting the holy name of Kṛṣṇa, which is feared by
fear personified.(14) O Sūta, those great sages who have completely taken shelter of the lotus feet of the
Lord can at once sanctify those who come in touch with them, whereas the waters of the Ganges can
sanctify only after prolonged use.(15) Who is there, desiring deliverance from the vices of the age of quarrel,
who is not willing to hear the virtuous glories of the Lord? (16) His transcendental acts are magnificent and
gracious, and great learned sages like Nārada sing of them. Please, there-fore, speak to us, who are eager
to hear about the adventures He performs in His various in-carnations. (17)
O wise Sūta, please narrate to us the transcendental pastimes of the Supreme Godhead's multi incarnations.
Such auspicious adventures and pastimes of the Lord, the supreme control-ler, are performed by His internal
powers.(18) We never tire of hearing the transcendental pas-times of the Personality of Godhead, who is
glorified by hymns and prayers. Those who have developed a taste for transcendental rela-tionships with
Him relish hearing of His pas-times at every moment.(19) Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead, along
with Balarāma, played like a human being, and so masked He performed many superhuman acts.(20) Knowing well that the age of Kali has already begun, we are assembled here in this holy place to hear at great
length the transcendental message of Godhead and in this way perform sacrifice.(21) We think that we have
met Your Goodness by the will of providence, just so that we may ac-cept you as captain of the ship for
those who desire to cross the difficult ocean of Kali, which deteriorates all the good qualities of a human
being.(22) Since Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Absolute Truth, the master of all mystic powers, has departed for His own
abode, please tell us to whom the religious principles have now gone for shelter(23)
6 Questions by the Sages:
What is the ultimate benefit for mankind?
What is the essence of all scriptures?
For what reason did the Lord take His birth from Devaki?
Describe the wonderful deeds of the Lord when He assumed the
forms of Brahma, Rudra, etc, for the purpose of creating,
maintaining, and destroying the universe.
5. Fully describe the activities of Lord Hari's incarnations within this
universe.
6. Where has religion taken shelter after Krsna has retired to His own
abode?
1.
2.
3.
4.
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya
kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale
śrīmate bhaktivedāntasvāmin iti nāmine
I offer my respectful obeisances unto His
Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Prabhupāda, who is very dear to Lord Kṛṣṇa,
having taken shelter at His lotus feet.
namas te sārasvate deve
gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe
nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādipāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
Our respectful obeisances are unto you, O
spiritual master, servant of Sarasvatī
Gosvāmī. You are kindly preaching the
message of Lord Caitanyadeva and delivering
the Western countries, which are filled with
impersonalism and voidism.
namo mahā-vadānyāya
kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te
kṛṣṇāya kṛṣṇa-caitanya-nāmne
gaura-tviṣe namaḥ
namo brahmaṇya-devāya
go-brāhmaṇa-hitāya ca
jagad-dhitāya kṛṣṇāya
govindāya namo namaḥ
(Viṣṇu Purāṇa 1.19.65)
O most munificent incarnation! You are
Krishna Himself appearing as Sri Krishna
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. You have assumed
the golden color of Srimati Radharani, and
You are widely distributing pure love of
Krishna. We offer our respectful obeisances
unto You.
I offer my respectful obeisances to the
Supreme Absolute Truth, Krishna, who is the
well-wisher of the cows and the brahmanas
as well as the living entities in general. I offer
my repeated obeisances to Govinda [Krishna],
who is the pleasure reservoir for all the
senses.
mahā-prasāde govinde
nāma-brahmaṇi vaiṣṇave
svalpa-puṇyavatāḿ rājan
viśvāso naiva jāyate
(Mahabharata)
O king, Those who have very few pious
activities to their credit can never develop
faith in maha-prasada, in Sri Govinda, in the
holy name of the Lord, or in the Vaisnavas.
śarīra abidyā-jāl, joḍendriya
tāhe kāl,
jīve phele viṣaya-sāgore
tā'ra madhye jihwā ati,
lobhamoy sudurmati,
tā'ke jetā kaṭhina saḿsāre
This material body is a network of ignorance,
and the senses are one's deadly enemies, for
they throw the soul into the ocean of material
sense enjoyment. Among the senses, the
tongue is the most voracious and verily
wicked; it is very difficult to conquer the
tongue in this world.
Bhaktivinoda Thakura
kṛṣṇa boro doyāmoy, koribāre
jihwā jay,
swa-prasād-anna dilo bhāi
sei annāmṛta pāo, rādhākṛṣṇa-guṇa gāo,
preme ḍāko caitanya-nitāi
Lord Krsna is very merciful. Just to control the
tongue, He has given us the remnants of His
own food! Now, please eat these nectarean
grains while singing the glories of Their
Lordships Sri Sri Radha and Krsna, and in
love call out "Caitanya! Nitai!"
namas te narasiḿhāya
prahlādāhlāda-dāyine
hiraṇyakaśipor vakṣaḥśilā-ṭańka-nakhālaye
I offer my obeisances to Lord Narasimha,
who gives joy to Prahlada Maharaja and
whose nails are like chisels on the stone like
chest of the demon Hiranyakasipu
ito nṛsiḿhaḥ parato nṛsiḿho
yato yato yāmi tato nṛsiḿhaḥ
bahir nṛsiḿho hṛdaye nṛsiḿho
nṛsiḿham ādiḿ śaraṇaḿ prapadye
Lord Nrsimha is here and also there.
Wherever I go Lord Nrsimha is there. He is in
the heart and is outside as well. I surrender
to Lord Nrsimha, the origin of all things and
the supreme refuge
tava kara-kamala-vare nakham
adbhuta-śṛńgaḿ
dalita-hiraṇyakaśipu-tanu-bhṛńgam
keśava dhṛta-narahari-rūpa jaya
jagadīśa hare
O Kesava! O Lord of the universe! O Lord
Hari, who have assumed the form of halfman, half-lion! All glories to You! Just as one
can easily crush a wasp between one's
fingernails, so in the same way the body of
the wasp like demon Hiranyakasipu has been
ripped apart by the wonderful pointed nails
on Your beautiful lotus hands.
This prayer is the fourth verse of Pralaya Payodhi Jale
(Dasavatara stotram) by Srila Jayadeva Goswami.
वां छा कल्पिरुभ्यश्च कृपा-तिन्धुभ्य एव च।
पतििानां पावनेभ्यो वैष्णवेभ्यो निो निः।।
।।vancha-kalpatarubhyash cha
kripa-sindhubhya eva cha
patitanam pavanebhyo
vaishnavebhyo namo namaha।।
"I offer my respectful obeisances
unto the Vaishnava devotees of the
Lord. They are just like desire trees
and can fulfill the desires of
everyone, and they are full of
compassion
for
the
fallen
conditioned souls."
BhaktiVriksha Week
Tentative
Date
Leader Name
Vaishnava behavior – Week 53
11 June
Rakhee
Vaishnava behavior – Week 54
18 June
Richa
Vaishnava behavior – Week 55
25 June
Mamta
Vaishnava behavior – Week 56
2 July
Kamal
Vaishnava behavior – Week 57
16 July
Monica
Vaishnava behavior – Week 58
23 July
Rohit
Vaishnava behavior – Week 59
30 July
Satish
Vaishnava behavior – Week 60
6 August
Kamal
Vaishnava behavior – Week 61
13 August
Rohit
Hare Krishna
Questions?
Take-aways?
Realizations?
JAI SRILA
PRABHUPADA