Srimad-Bhagavatam
Canto 1
Creation
1
What is Srimad-Bhagavatam?
“This Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
is the literary incarnation
of God, and it is compiled
by Śrīla Vyāsadeva, the
incarnation of God. It is
meant for the ultimate
good of all people, and it
is all-successful, allblissful and all-perfect.”
(SB1.3.40)
2
• “This Bhāgavata Purāṇa
is as brilliant as the sun,
and it has arisen just after
the departure of Lord
Kṛṣṇa 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 Purāṇa.”
(SB 1.3.43)
3
“Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the transcendental science
not only for knowing the ultimate source of
everything but also for knowing our relation with
Him and our duty toward perfection of the human
society on the basis of this perfect knowledge. It is
powerful reading matter in the Sanskrit language,
and it is now rendered into English elaborately so
that simply by a careful reading one will know God
perfectly well, so much so that the reader will be
sufficiently educated to defend himself from the
onslaught of atheists. Over and above this, the
reader will be able to convert others to accepting
God as a concrete principle.”
4
The Bhagavatam is a Revolution!
Human society, at the present moment, is not in the
darkness of oblivion. It has made rapid progress in
the field of material comforts, education and
economic development throughout the entire world.
But there is a pinprick somewhere in the social body
at large, and therefore there are large-scale
quarrels, even over less important issues. There is
need of a clue as to how humanity can become one
in peace, friendship and prosperity with a common
cause. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam will fill this need, for it is
a cultural presentation for the respiritualization of the
entire human society…Disparity in human society is
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due to lack of principles in a godless civilization.
Bhagavatam is for Spiritual Revolutionaries!
tad-vāg-visargo janatāgha-viplavo
yasmin prati-ślokam abaddhavaty api
nāmāny anantasya yaśo 'ńkitāni yac
chṛṇvanti gāyanti gṛṇanti sādhavaḥ
SB 1.5.17
"On the other hand, that literature which is full with
descriptions of the transcendental glories of the name, fame,
form and pastimes of the unlimited Supreme Lord is a
transcendental creation meant to bring about a revolution in
the impious life of a misdirected civilization. Such
transcendental literatures, even though irregularly
composed, are heard, sung and accepted by purified men
who are thoroughly honest."
6
History of the Bhagavatam
• It was to Lord Brahmā
that the Supreme
Personality of Godhead
first revealed the ŚrīmadBhāgavatam in full. At the
time, Brahmā, frightened
by material existence,
was sitting on the lotus
flower that had grown
from the Lord's navel.
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Brahmā then spoke it to the sage Nārada (SB
12.13.19)
8
who narrated it to Kṛṣṇa-dvaipāyana Vyāsa
9
Śrīla Vyāsa revealed this Bhāgavatam to the
greatest of sages, Śukadeva Gosvāmī
10
and Śukadeva mercifully spoke it to
Mahārāja Parīkṣit.
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What’s described inside the Bhagavatam
• “From beginning to end, the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
is full of narrations that encourage renunciation of
material life, as well as nectarean accounts of
Lord Hari's transcendental pastimes, which give
ecstasy to the saintly devotees and demigods.
This Bhāgavatam is the essence of all Vedānta
philosophy because its subject matter is the
Absolute Truth, which, while nondifferent from the
spirit soul, is the ultimate reality, one without a
second. The goal of this literature is exclusive
devotional service unto that Supreme Truth.” (SB
12.13.11-12)
12
In the ŚrīmadBhāgavatam there
are ten divisions of
statements
regarding the
following: the
creation of the
universe
13
subcreation
14
planetary systems
15
protection
by the Lord
16
the creative impetus
17
the change of
Manus
18
the science of God
19
returning
home, back
to Godhead,
liberation
20
and the
summum
bonum.
21
• “That Purana is
known as SrimadBhagavatam which
explains the topmost
principles of religion
with reference to the
Gayatri mantra and
which tells of the
killing of the demon
Vrtra. This Purana
has eighteen
thousand verses.” –
Matsya Purana
22
Bhagavatam is the essence of All Vedas
• “This Srimad-Bhagavatam is the most
perfect Purana. It is the natural
commentary on the Vedanta-Sutra, it
establishes the meaning of the
Mahabharata, it is a commentary on
Gayatri, it explains and expands the
meaning of the Vedas…it was spoken by
the Supreme Lord Himself. It has twelve
cantos, hundreds of chapters, and eighteen
thousand verses”-Garuda Purana
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Bharatartha-vinirnayah: Bhagavatam
establishes the meaning of the Mahabharata
• “The Mahabharata is glorified because it
contains the conclusions of all scriptures.
Long ago, on the request of Srila Vyasa, Lord
Brahma and the other demigods came
together with all the great sages and placed
the Mahabharata on one side of a scale and
the entire Vedas on the other. The
Mahabharata, it turned out, weighed more
because of its greatness and heaviness. For
this reason it is called Maha-Bharata.”24
Mahabharata Adi-Parva 1.272-274
• “Thus the great sage
Vyāsadeva, who is very kind
to the ignorant masses,
edited the Vedas so they
might be assimilated by less
intellectual men. Out of
compassion, the great sage
thought it wise that this would
enable men to achieve the
ultimate goal of life. Thus he
compiled the great historical
narration called the
Mahābhārata…”
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Vedartha-paribrmhitah: Bhagavatam
expands the Vedas
• “In Kali-Yuga what is the value of collecting
hundreds of thousands of other scriptures if one
does not keep Srimad-Bhagavatam at home.”Skanda Purana, Visnu Khanda, 5.16.40
• A Person who faithfully recites one verse of
Srimad-Bhagavatam every day, O sage, attains
the fruit of reading the eighteen Puranas”Skanda Purana, Visnu-Khanda, 5.16.33
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How to Study Bhagavatam?
“The only qualification one needs to study this
great book of transcendental knowledge is to
proceed step by step cautiously and not jump
forward haphazardly like with an ordinary book.
It should be gone through chapter by chapter,
one after another. The reading matter is so
arranged with its original Sanskrit text, its
English transliteration, synonyms, translation
and purports so that one is sure to become a
God-realized soul at the end of finishing the first
nine cantos.”
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First Chapter Outline
• Prelude (Text 1-3)
Text 1: Defining God
Text 2: Defining Religion
Text 3: Invitation to Taste the Bhagavatam’s
Nectar
• Setting the Scene: Sages of Naimisaranya
Inquire from Suta Gosvami (4-8)
• Question One and Two (Text 9-11)
• Question Three (Text12-16)
• Question Four and Five (Text 17-18)
• Question Six (Text 19-23)
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•
Summary of the Questions asked by Saunaka
1. “Please…explain to us, in an easily understandable way, what
you have ascertained to be the absolute and ultimate good for the people in general.”
(Text 1.1.9) Answer: (Text 1.2.6)
2. “There are many variety of scriptures…Therefore, O Sage, please select the
essence of all these scriptures and explain it for the good of all living beings, by such
instructions their hearts may be fully satisfied.” (Text 1.1.11) Answer: (1.2.7)
3. “You know for what purpose the Personality of Godhead appeared in the womb of
Devaki as the son of Vasudeva.” (Text 1.1.12) Answer: (1.2.34 and Tenth Canto)
4. “[The Lords] transcendental acts are magnificent and gracious, and great learned
sages like Narada sing of them. Please, therefore, speak to us, who are eager to
hear about the adventures He performs in his various incarnations.” (Text 1.1.17)
Answer: (1.2.30)
5. “O wise Suta, please narrate to us the transcendental pastimes of the Supreme
Godhead’s multi-incarnations. Such auspicious adventures and pastimes of the
Lord, the Supreme Controller, are performed by His internal powers.” (Text 1.1.18)
Answer: First Canto, Third Chapter.
6. “Since, Sri Krishna, 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.” (Text 1.1.23) Answer: (1.3.43)
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30
Opening Scene
The Mood in which Bhagavatam Should be
Received
• SB 1.1.4: 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.
• SB 1.1.5: 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.
31
“The great sages are [1]always anxious to do
good to the people in general, and as such the
sages headed by Śaunaka and others
[2]assembled at this holy place of Naimiṣāraṇya
with [3]a program of performing a great and
continuous chain of sacrificial ceremonies.
Forgetful men do not know the right path for peace
and prosperity. However, the sages know it well,
and therefore for the good of all men they are
always anxious to perform acts which may bring
about peace in the world. They are [4]sincere
friends to all living entities, and at the [5]risk of
great personal inconvenience they are [6]always
engaged in the service of the Lord for the good of
all people.” (Purport SB 1.1.4)
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
“Lord Viṣṇu is just like a great tree, and all others,
including the demigods, men, Siddhas, Cāraṇas,
Vidyādharas and other living entities, are like
branches, twigs and leaves of that tree. By pouring
water on the root of the tree, all the parts of the
tree are automatically nourished. Only those
branches and leaves which are detached cannot
be so satisfied. Detached branches and leaves dry
up gradually despite all watering attempts.
Similarly, human society, when it is detached from
the Personality of Godhead like detached branches
and leaves, is not capable of being watered, and
one attempting to do so is simply wasting his
energy and resources.” (Purport SB 1.14)
39
40
Vṛtrāsura said: All living entities who have taken birth in this
material world must die. Surely, no one in this world has
found any means to be saved from death. Even providence
has not provided a means to escape it. Under the
circumstances, death being inevitable, if one can gain
promotion to the higher planetary systems and be always
celebrated here by dying a suitable death, what man will not
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accept such a glorious death?
Vrtrasura Encouragement
There are two ways to meet a glorious death, and
both are very rare. One is to die after performing
mystic yoga, especially bhakti-yoga, by which
one can control the mind and living force and die
absorbed in thought of the Supreme Personality
of Godhead. The second is to die on the
battlefield, leading the army and never showing
one's back. These two kinds of death are
recommended in the śāstra as glorious.
42
But if in this battle you cut off my head with your thunderbolt
and kill my soldiers, O Indra, O great hero, I shall take great
pleasure in offering my body to other living entities [such as
jackals and vultures]. I shall thus be relieved of my
obligations to the reactions of my karma, and my fortune will
be to receive the dust from the lotus feet of great devotees
like Nārada Muni.
O my Lord, O Supreme Personality of Godhead,
will I again be; able to be a servant of Your eternal
servants who find shelter only at Your lotus feet? O
Lord of my life, may I again become their servant
so that my mind may always think of Your
transcendental attributes, my words always glorify
those attributes, and my body always engage in
the loving service of Your Lordship?
43
O my enemy, just look
at me. I have already
been defeated, for my
weapon and arm have
been cut to pieces.
You have already
overwhelmed me, but
nonetheless, with a
desire to kill you, I am
trying my best to
fight. I am not at all
morose, even under
such adverse
conditions. Therefore
you should give up
your moroseness and
continue fighting. 44
Vrtrasura Encouragement
O my enemy, consider this battle a gambling
match in which our lives are the stakes,
the arrows are the dice, and the animals
acting as carriers are the game board. No
one can understand who will be defeated
and who will be victorious. It all depends
on providence.
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