Beautiful Truths of Bhagavata 006 “Bhagavatam Mahima”

Mahanidhi Madan Gopal Das

Srimad Bhagavatam is called the “king of all spiritual books” (Grantha Raja) for good reason. Within this triguna-free, transcendental treatise, the amala-purana, which showcases the absolutely selfless, divine love of Srimati Radharani, one can find all the sweet, majestic and beautiful truths about the sadhana and sadhya (daily practice and perfection) of Gaudiya Vaisnavism.

In his most compassionate and wonderful shastra, Sri Chaitanya Caritamrita, Sri Krishna Dasa Kaviraja summarizes the teachings of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and the six Goswamis of Vrindavana by mentioning the same Bhagavatam verses that they used to substantiate their sublime instructions.

To emphasize the importance of these particular verses for all Gaudiya Vaisnavas, the same Bhagavatam verse is often mentioned two, three or more times in the Sri Chaitanya Caritamrta.

This series of posts presents these verses, along with selected tikas of our acharyas and the compiler. We will cover the beautiful truths, tattvas, of Krishna, Radha, Vaisnavas, Sri Guru, Bhakti Sadhana, Nama, Prema and more.

GLORIES OF SRIMAD BHAGAVATAM

dharmah projjhita-kaitavo ‘tra paramo nirmatsaranam satam
vedyah vastavam atra vastu sivadam tapa-trayonmiilanam
srimad-bhagavate maha-muni-krte kim va parair isvarah
sadyo hrdy avarudhyate ‘tra krtibhih susrusubhis tat-ksanat
(Srimad Bhagavatam 1.1.2)

“A sincere devotee can immediately capture Bhagavan Sri Krishna in the heart just by hearing Bhagavatam or even desiring to hear. This does not happen with any other spiritual book. The Srimad Bhagavatam, which is manifest by Sri Krishna Himself, presents the eternal spiritual reality. This transcendental truth, which makes one’s life auspicious and free from all material miseries, can be understood by those without selfish intentions. Only the Srimad Bhagavatam teaches the way to attain pure love of God, Krishna prema, devoid of all material goals and liberation.

Sri Visvanatha Cakravartipada tika: Since Bhagavatam is the essence of all scripture, it shows what is beneficial and unbeneficial for the jiva. This verse clearly establishes that the Srimad Bhagavatam gives bliss to all its listeners and helps everyone achieve the highest objective, Krishna prema.

That prema arises in the devotees, since Sri Krishna is brought under control only by prema. Pranaya-rashanaya dhrtanghri-padmah: Krishna’s lotus feet are tied by the ropes of prema to the devotee. Krishna enters the heart from the moment one begins listening even if one has no faith. And if one hears with faith then how much more quickly one will develop Krishna prema.

Since Krishna becomes supremely blissful by being trapped in a heart filled with prema, this also indicates that Krishna is happy and filled with prema when the devotees hear Bhagavatam. This result is not achieved by any other scripture or other practices (kim-va-paraih).

Krishna prema is understood by those without selfishness. And even the selfish will lose their selfishness by hearing Srimad Bhagavatam. This permanent object (vastavam vastu) that Srimad Bhagavatam gives one includes Sri Krishna’s transcendental name, form, qualities, divine abode, devotees and bhakti.

Hearing Srimad Bhagavatam brings one auspiciousness (shivadam) in the form of becoming an associate of Sri Krishna with prema, and it gives release from the three-fold miseries or liberation (tapa-trayonmulanam) as the unsought result.

Pure bhakti-yoga, which this verse advocates, is called parama or supreme, because bhakti is the best process in that it gives all types of material happiness, liberation and prema.

Mahanidhi Madan Gopal Das: This opening verse of Srimad Bhagavatam is mentioned thrice in Caitanya-caritamrta (1.1.91;2.24.100;2.25.149). The Srimad Bhagavatam is so merciful and powerful that it benedicts the faithless with faith and the selfish with pure love, divine Krishna prema just by reading it or even desiring to read it.

This verse says Srimad Bhagavatam will not cheat you like everything else in this cheating age of Kali. Sri Krishna is Bhagavan as the ultimate loving, caring, giving and compassionate form of Godhead.

Fifty centuries ago, Sri Krishna simultaneously left this world and appeared in the transcendental form of the Srimad Bhagavatam. Now anyone just for the price of giving up envy can avail oneself to all the love, care and compassion of Sri Krishna just by reading Srimad Bhagavatam.

Srimad Bhagavatam ki jai!  Jai Jai Sri Radhe!