Category:Describing the Srimad-Bhagavatam
Theme Analysis
The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is not an ordinary historical or mythological text; it is the mature, ripened fruit of the Vedic desire tree. Śrīla Prabhupāda frequently notes that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu characterized the Bhāgavatam as the spotless Purāṇa. It earns this title because it is entirely free from the contamination of fruitive activities, philosophical speculation, and mundane religiosity. Instead, it is the perfect description of the all-perfect Personality of Godhead, compiled by the fully realized sage, Śrīla Vyāsadeva.
The transmission of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is an act of supreme compassion. Although Śukadeva Gosvāmī was already situated in the liberated state of Brahman realization, he was irresistibly attracted by the transcendental pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Out of deep compassion for the suffering souls of the Kali-yuga, he described this great literature to Mahārāja Parīkṣit. Reading and describing the Bhāgavatam is identical to performing kīrtana, the congregational chanting of the Lord's glories.
The authorized process for understanding this literature is straightforward: one must submissively hear the descriptions from a bona fide spiritual master and then endeavor to repeat them. This act of describing the Bhāgavatam is the natural next step for a sincere listener. It is a potent spiritual practice that washes away all sinful contamination and grants the highest perfection. However, this transmission must be kept pure. One must strictly avoid the interpretations of Māyāvādī philosophers who describe the text according to their own whimsical, faithless ideas. The true message of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is only revealed by the mercy of the great ācāryas in the disciplic succession, such as Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura.
- The Spotless Purāṇa: The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the essence of all Vedic knowledge, perfectly describing the Absolute Truth without any material contamination.
- Compassionate Transmission: Great souls like Śukadeva Gosvāmī describe the Bhāgavatam purely out of compassion to deliver the conditioned souls from material existence.
- Hearing and Chanting: Describing and reading the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is non-different from kīrtana, the most effective spiritual practice in the current age.
- The Need for Mercy: The true import of the Bhāgavatam cannot be understood through Māyāvādī speculation; it is only revealed by the grace of the authorized spiritual master.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: Describing the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam - The Spotless Purāṇa.
Pages in category "Describing the Srimad-Bhagavatam"
The following 32 pages are in this category, out of 32 total.
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- Henceforward, may all our (Nalakuvara's and Manigriva's) words describe Your (Krsna's) pastimes, may our ears engage in aural reception of Your glories - SB 10.10.38
- Here it is recommended that "Srimad-Bhagavatam is the essence of all Vedic literature, and it was first spoken by Sukadeva Gosvami." The Vedic literature is full of knowledge. That I have described. And the essence of Vedic literature is Srimad-Bhagavatam
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- My dear son, since you (Vidura) have inquired from me (Maitreya), I have answered. O sinless one, the descriptions of Kapiladeva and His mother and their activities are the purest of all pure discourses
- My dear Vidura, I (Maitreya) have summarily explained the causes of devastation. One who hears this description three times attains piety and washes the sinful contamination from his soul
- My dear Vidura, the population of the universe was thus increased by the descendants of these sages and the daughters of Kardama. Anyone who hears the descriptions of this dynasty with faith will be relieved from all sinful reactions
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- O Uddhava, in the lotus millennium in the days of yore, at the beginning of the creation, I spoke unto Brahma, who is situated on the lotus that grows out of My navel, about My transcendental glories, which the great sages describe as Srimad-Bhagavatam
- One can attain the highest perfection if one hears Srimad-Bhagavatam. This hearing is described as nityam bhagavata-sevaya - SB 1.2.18
- One who has actually heard (Srimad Bhagavatam) attentively, his next business will be how to describe it, kirtanam. One who has heard nicely from the spiritual master, the next business will be how to chant it, repeat it. That is natural
- One who hears or describes it with faith & devotion is no longer doomed to hellish life because this historical narration has the potency to vanquish all sinful reactions, regardless of his having a material body & of how sinful he may have been
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- Since it is described that Maharaja Dhruva ruled for thirty-six thousand years, he must have lived in the Satya-yuga, when people lived for one hundred thousand years
- Srimad-Bhagavatam describes the glories of the Lord and His devotees. Because the whole subject matter is the glorification of the Lord, naturally the glorification of His devotees automatically follows
- Srimad-Bhagavatam is the greatest contribution of Vedic literature. In the Vedic literature we find a desire tree. Whatever knowledge you want to derive, there is in the Vedic literature, and SB is described as nigama-kalpa-taror galitam phalam
- Srimad-Bhagavatam is the perfect description of the all-perfect Personality of Godhead by the all-perfect personality Srila Vyasadeva, the compiler of the Vedas
- Still, he (Sukadeva) was attracted by the transcendental pastimes of the SPG, and out of compassion for the people he described the transcendental historical literature called Srimad-Bhagavatam. This is compared to the light of the Absolute Truth
- Sukadeva Gosvami is addressed as maha-bhaga. Maha means great, and bhaga means fortunate. Because he is very fortunate, he is describing Srimad-Bhagavatam
- Sukadeva Gosvami, he described also the Srimad-Bhagavatam to Maharaja Pariksit for seven days only. He also became fully Krsna consciousness. So it is a thing which is not material. In material calculation one has to wait
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- Taking the proper position from which to describe the dynasty of Manu, Sukadeva Gosvami begins by saying that when the entire world is inundated, only the Supreme Personality of Godhead exists, and nothing else
- The acaryas mentioned in these verses (SB 6.15.12-15) are described in the Mahabharata. The word pancasikha is also important
- The atomic description of the Srimad-Bhagavatam is almost the same as the modern science of atomism, and this is further described in the Paramanu-vada of Kanada
- The endeavor of one who constantly hears or describes this narration of the churning of the ocean of milk will never be fruitless. Indeed, chanting the glories of the SPG is the only means to annihilate all sufferings in this material world
- The great sage Parasara, being so advised by the great sage Pulastya, spoke unto me the foremost of the Puranas (Bhagavatam). I shall also describe this before you, my dear son, in terms of my hearing, because you are always my faithful follower
- The great souls expert in describing Srimad-Bhagavatam have very diligently delineated the other nine categories, sometimes by direct narrations and sometimes by indirect narrations such as stories
- Thereupon the supplementary Vedic literature, Srimad-Bhagavatam, which was described by the Personality of Godhead and which contains ten characteristics, was told with satisfaction by the father (Brahma) to his son Narada
- They (mayavadis) have no faith. On the contrary, they describe it (Srimad-Bhagavatam) in their own way. We should not hear, therefore, from the Mayavadis
- This Bhagavata reading is also described as kirtana by Sukadeva Gosvami. Abhavad vaiyasakih kirtane. Kirtane. It is called kirtana
- This passage (of CC Adi 8.19) is a quotation from Srimad-Bhagavatam (SB 5.6.18). While Sukadeva Gosvami was describing the character of Rsabhadeva, he distinguished between bhakti-yoga and liberation by reciting this verse
- This work is described by Mahaprabhu Sri Caitanya as the spotless Purana because it contains the transcendental narration of the Personality of Godhead Sri Krsna
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- Were we not favored by Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, by our first meeting for a few minutes only, it would have been impossible for us to accept this mighty task of describing Srimad-Bhagavatam in English
- What I am speaking before you from Srimad-Bhagavatam or Bhagavad-gita, that is also chanting. This is also kirtana. Kirtana means describing