God and the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam - The Literary Incarnation
The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is not an ordinary book; it is the crest jewel of all Vedic literature and the direct representation of the Supreme Lord in the form of transcendental sound. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that to read or hear the Bhāgavatam is to directly associate with God, absorbing His light, bliss, and supreme perfection.
The Nature of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
Because the Supreme Lord is absolute, anything intimately connected with Him shares His transcendental nature. Śrīla Prabhupāda emphasizes that the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the literary incarnation of God, perfectly embodying the Lord's supreme qualities of eternal bliss and knowledge.
- This Srimad-Bhagavatam is the literary incarnation of God, and it is compiled by Srila Vyasadeva, the incarnation of God. It is meant for the ultimate good of all people, and it is all-successful, all-blissful and all-perfect.
- As God is all light, all bliss and all perfection, so also is Srimad-Bhagavatam.
- Srimad-Bhagavatam is the science of the Personality of Godhead.
- The topic of the Srimad-Bhagavatam is the science of both the Lord and the living entity.
- Srimad-Bhagavatam 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.
Protecting the Vedic Truth
The condensed philosophical codes of the Vedānta-sūtra are often misunderstood or deliberately twisted by mundane scholars. Śrīla Prabhupāda notes that Śrīla Vyāsadeva specifically compiled the Bhāgavatam to serve as the natural commentary on the Vedānta, protecting it from impersonalist interpretations.
- Srila Vyasadeva, being the incarnation of the Supreme Lord, could foresee the misuse of the Vedanta-sutra by unscrupulous men, and, therefore, he personally supplemented the Vedanta-sutra with the Bhagavata Purana.
- Sri Vyasadeva is the authorized incarnation of Narayana, the Personality of Godhead. Therefore, there is no question as to his authority. He is the author of all other Vedic literatures, yet he recommends the study of Srimad-Bhagavatam above all others.
- The impersonalist always tries to misrepresent the personal feature of the Lord, not knowing the science of this great knowledge, and Srimad-Bhagavatam is in pursuance of the Vedas and scientific knowledge of the Personality of Godhead.
- The impersonal interpretation of the mundane wranglers is completely refuted in this verse because it is clearly stated here that the Supreme Lord has His qualities, form, pastimes and everything that a person has.
- The cream of Srimad-Bhagavatam in the foregoing four slokas is sometimes squeezed out by the impersonalist for different interpretations in their favor, but it should be carefully noted that the four slokas were first described by the Lord Himself.
The Origin and Existence of the Lord
The Bhāgavatam systematically establishes that the Supreme Lord is the eternal, original cause of all causes. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the text explicitly confirms the Lord's existence prior to the material creation, establishing His absolute independence from the deluding energy.
- In the four verses it is first said that the Lord existed before the creation, and thus the beginning of the Srimad-Bhagavatam includes the Vedanta aphorism janmady asya (SB 1.1.1).
- In Srimad-Bhagavatam (SB 2.9.33) the Lord also says, aham evasam evagre: "Only I existed before the creation."
- In the beginning of Srimad-Bhagavatam it has already been said that the Supreme Absolute Truth exists in His own abode without any touch of the deluding energy.
- The Lord is not impersonal in His abode, which is always nirasta-kuhakam, as stated in the very beginning of the Bhagavatam. Therefore both the impersonal and personal features of the Lord are acceptable, as mentioned in the revealed scriptures.
- Here He (God) is called the amogha-lilah, which indicates that there is nothing lamentable in His creation.
Documenting the Incarnations
One of the primary functions of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is to provide an authoritative list of the Supreme Lord's descents into the material world. Śrīla Prabhupāda notes that the text not only records past incarnations like Lord Kapila, but also accurately foretells the appearances of Lord Buddha and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
- Here (in Srimad-Bhagavatam) ten subjects are described: (6) Prescribed duties for law-abiding men, (7) a description of the incarnations of the Lord, (8) the winding up of the creation, (9) liberation from gross and subtle material existence.
- The list of incarnations of the Personality of Godhead given herein is not complete. It is only a partial view of all the incarnations.
- Srimad-Bhagavatam was composed just prior to the beginning of the age of Kali (about five thousand years ago), and Lord Buddha appeared about twenty-six hundred years ago. Therefore in the Srimad-Bhagavatam Lord Buddha is foretold.
- 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.
- The etymological meaning of sankhya is "that which explains very lucidly by analysis of the material elements." This was done for the first time by Lord Kapila, who is said herein (SB 1.3.10) to be the fifth in the line of incarnations.
Relishing the Lord's Pastimes
The highest nectar of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is found in its descriptions of the Lord's intimate loving affairs with His pure devotees. Śrīla Prabhupāda clarifies that these confidential pastimes are extremely dear to the Vaiṣṇavas, but they remain completely inaccessible and misunderstood by nondevotees and professional reciters.
- Srimad-Bhagavatam is full of narrations of the transcendental activities of the Personality of Godhead.
- Srimad-Bhagavatam is full of such activities of the Lord in relationship with His devotees, and the nondevotees have no knowledge of such pastimes.
- Elevated brahmanas are Vaisnavas engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord, and thus Srimad-Bhagavatam, which is the science of devotional service, is very dear to the Vaisnavas.
- O saintly King (Pariksit), I (Sukadeva Gosvami) was certainly situated perfectly in transcendence, yet I was still attracted by the delineation of the pastimes of the Lord, who is described by enlightened verses.
- Professional readers of the Bhagavatam indulge in reading the confidential portions dealing with the pastimes of the Supreme Lord. These portions appear to read like sex literature. However, Srimad-Bhagavatam is meant to be heard from the beginning.
The Power of the Bhagavatam
The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam acts as a powerful purifying agent for the conditioned soul. Śrīla Prabhupāda promises that simply by carefully reading and hearing this great literature, one can cleanse the mind of all material dust, understand God perfectly, and attain permanent liberation.
- It (the Srimad-Bhagavatam) 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 it is stated here that only the great devotees of the Lord who are able to clear the mind of all material dust by rigid devotional service can experience the Lord as He is.
- The Bhagavatam says, that the prime duty of the human being is to satisfy the Supreme Lord by the performance of one's occupational duty (SB 1.2.13).
- Srimad-Bhagavatam, which is full of narrations of the activities of the Supreme Lord, is auspicious for all living beings residing in every planet. One who takes it as belonging to a particular sect is certainly mistaken.
- The unlimited fountainhead of all pleasure is God, and one who is fortunate enough to get this information through transcendental literatures like Srimad-Bhagavatam becomes permanently liberated to occupy his proper place in the kingdom of God.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Śrīla Prabhupāda establishes that the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is identical to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, serving as His direct literary incarnation. Because the condensed aphorisms of the Vedānta-sūtra are susceptible to the dangerous misinterpretations of mundane scholars and impersonalist philosophers, the original author, Śrīla Vyāsadeva, mercifully provided his own natural commentary in the form of the Bhāgavatam. Within its pages, the entire science of God is perfectly explained. It definitively proves that the Absolute Truth is a Supreme Person who existed before the material creation, who descends in innumerable incarnations—including Lord Buddha and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu—and who engages in eternally blissful pastimes with His pure devotees. While nondevotees and professional reciters fail to grasp the profound purity of these pastimes, the sincere Vaiṣṇavas hold the Bhāgavatam as their most dear scripture. By submissively hearing and carefully studying this all-blissful, all-perfect literature from the very beginning, the conditioned soul is cleansed of all material dust. Ultimately, the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam reveals that the prime duty of the human being is to satisfy the Supreme Lord through devotional service, a realization that elevates the fortunate reader to a state of permanent liberation in the kingdom of God.
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