Category:Explicit in the Srimad-Bhagavatam
Theme Analysis
In the vast library of Vedic literature, texts can range from highly allegorical to deeply esoteric. However, Śrīla Prabhupāda teaches that the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is unique because of its absolute, explicit clarity. It does not hide the ultimate conclusion. While the Bhagavad-gītā provides a powerful synopsis of spiritual knowledge, the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam takes that foundational understanding and explicitly expands it into the complete, postgraduate science of God.
[Image of a pyramid diagram showing the progression of Vedic knowledge: the Upanisads at the base, the Vedanta-sutra above them, the Bhagavad-gita as the preliminary synopsis, and the Srimad-Bhagavatam at the very peak as the explicit science of God]
A dominant theme in this category is the Bhāgavatam's explicit defense of personalism. Śrīla Prabhupāda notes that Māyāvādī philosophers struggle to understand the Supreme Lord's eternally blissful, transcendental form, despite the term "Bhagavān" being explicitly defined in the text. Furthermore, the Bhāgavatam directly establishes Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the son of Vasudeva and Devakī, as the primeval Lord and the cause of all causes. It also explicitly lays out the intricate philosophy of acintya-bhedābheda-tattva (simultaneous oneness and difference), explaining how the Lord's energies are not apart from Him, yet remain distinct. Finally, the text is perfectly relevant for the current age, explicitly identifying Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu as the yuga-avatāra and mandating the saṅkīrtana-yajña as the authorized method of deliverance.
- Synopsis vs. Science: Śrīla Prabhupāda compares the Bhagavad-gītā to a preliminary synopsis and the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam to the fully explicit, elaborated science of God.
- The Supreme Person: The Bhāgavatam explicitly identifies the Absolute Truth not as a void or an impersonal light, but as Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the divine son of Vasudeva.
- Simultaneous Oneness and Difference: The text explicitly resolves the philosophical tension between monism and dualism by explaining how God's energies are simultaneously one with and different from Him.
- The Age of Kali: The Eleventh Canto of the Bhāgavatam provides explicit directions for the modern age, predicting the appearance of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and the chanting of the holy names.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: Explicit in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam - The Clear Science of God.
Pages in category "Explicit in the Srimad-Bhagavatam"
The following 20 pages are in this category, out of 20 total.
B
- Besides Srimad-Bhagavatam, there are commentaries on the Vedanta-sutra composed by all the major Vaisnava acaryas, and in each of them devotional service to the Lord is described very explicitly
- Bhagavad-gita is only a synopsis of the science of God, and it is more explicitly given in the Srimad-Bhagavata. But after all, it is a great science
I
- In the Srimad-Bhagavatam, Eleventh Canto, it is explicitly directed that one should perform sankirtana-yajna to please the Lord's incarnation as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. This should be rigidly followed in order to achieve the result of yajna performance
- In the Srimad-Bhagavatam, the science of God, the first nine cantos prepare the ground for hearing the Tenth Canto. This will be further explained in the last chapter of this canto. In the Third Canto it will be more explicit
- In this verse (SB 4.18.3) the word amusmin is very explicit. It is the duty of everyone to mold his life in such a way that he will have a profitable next life
- It is explicitly stated here (in SB 3.29.27) that mana, respect, is offered to a superior, and charity is offered to an inferior
- It is explicitly stated herein that simply by satisfying the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one satisfies the demigods and all other living entities without differentiation
O
- Obeisances unto the Personality of Godhead, Vasudeva (om namo bhagavate vasudevaya), directly indicate Lord Sri Krsna, who is the divine son of Vasudeva and Devaki. This fact is more explicitly presented later in Srimad-Bhagavatam
- Obeisances unto the Personality of Godhead, Vasudeva, directly indicate Lord Sri Krsna, who is the divine son of Vasudeva and Devaki. This fact will be more explicitly explained in the text of this work
S
- Srimad-Bhagavatam explicitly deals with this aspect of simultaneous oneness and difference. This philosophy is also found in the Vedanta-sutra beginning with the janmady asya sutra
- Srimad-Bhagavatam explicitly promulgates this simultaneously-one-and-different philosophy of the Vedanta-sutra, which begins with the "janmady asya" sutra
T
- That knowledge and renunciation are never perfect unless joined by devotional service is explicitly explained here - in SB 3.25.19
- The answer is to search the Absolute Truth, Who is the Source of all emanation. This Absolute Source of emanation is explained preliminarily in the Bhagavad-gita, and explicitly in the Srimad-Bhagavatam
- The import of the Vedas is still more explicitly explained in Srimad-Bhagavatam. The conclusion of the Vedic literatures is that Lord Sri Krsna is the primeval Lord and the cause of all causes
- The Lord’s transcendental form, which is eternally blissful and full of knowledge, is unknown to Mayavadi philosophers. Although the term “Bhagavan” is explicitly described in Srimad-Bhagavatam, they cannot understand it
- The words explicitly used here (in SB 3.25.43) are yuktena bhakti-yogena
- This incarnation of the Lord in the Kali-yuga is Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. There are many other places, both in the Bhagavatam and in other scriptures, in which the incarnation of the Lord as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is explicitly mentioned