CONTENTS:
- SRIMAD BHAGAVATAM IS THE ULTIMATE SCRIPTURE
- SRILA PRABHUPADA'S APPRECIATION
- GURU MAHARAJA’S INSTRUCTIONS
1. SRIMAD BHAGAVATAM IS THE ULTIMATE SCRIPTURE
Bhagavatam is actually the final word of Vedic wisdom, the final conclusion of the Vedic wisdom. Srila Sanatana Goswami very wonderfully describes the purpose of Srimad Bhagavatam, or the teachings of Srimad Bhagavatam, the objective of Srimad Bhagavatam through his Brihad Bhagavatamrita. It takes us not only the platform of devotion, establishing the platform devotion, it takes us from higher and higher stages of devotion. Ultimately going to Vrindavan and in Vrindavan, the devotion of the Gopis and among the Gopis, the devotion of Srimati Radharani. That is the highest spiritual understanding. That is the goal of Srimad Bhagavatam. This Srimad Bhagavatam in this way is giving us the most elevated and the most perfect spiritual understanding. Therefore, sivadam tapa trayonmulanam and srimad-bhagavate maha-muni-krte. This Bhagavatam is given by great sage Vyasdeva kim vaparairisvarah. There is different spiritual knowledge but when one receives the knowledge of Srimad Bhagavatam then there is no need for any other aspects of Vedic wisdom–karmakanda, jnanakanda. These are all becomes totally redundant, totally unnecessary. As the matter-of-fact Chaitanya Caritamrita describes that this Karmakanda and jnanakanda aspect of the Vedas are actually two pots of poison. Karmakanda jnanakanda, je to boli visher bhanda. Visha means poison, bhanda means pots. These are two pots of poison. So, one who Becomes attached to jnanakanda and karmakanda section of the Vedas, they simply travel in different species of life. Nana yoni braman kare.
In the material nature they keep on transmigrating from one body to another, according to his karma. And kadarya bhaksana kare he eats all kinds of abominable stuff. And tara janma, adho pate yaya his birth is totally wasted. So, in this way we can see that Srimad Bhagavatam is the ultimate wisdom, ultimate spiritual wisdom. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu also pointed out that, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s teaching is, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s conclusion is that the Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krishna is the ultimate worshipable Lord. Aradhya bhagavan–aradhya means worshipable. So, this aradhya bhagavan or Supreme worshipable Lord is the son of Nanada Maharaja, Krishna. Tad dhama Vrindavan. And His abode–Vrindavan–is also worshipable.
And Ramya kacid upasana vrajavadhu vargena kalpita the way cowherd damsels of Vrindavan worshipped Him, that is the highest form of worship. And Srimad bhagavatam puranam amalam the spotless Purana Srimad Bhagavatam is the truth. So, this way we can see that the Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu established these teachings through the authority of Srimad Bhagavatam and why Srimad Bhagavatam? Because Srimad Bhagavatam is the ultimate scripture. Srimad Bhagavatam is establishing these teachings and goal of life is to achieve loving devotional service to Krishna. Prema pumartho mahan sri Chaitanya mahaprabhor matan idam– so this is the conclusion of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. This is the teaching of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. So just accept it and there is no need to accept anything else. Similarly in the beginning of Srimad Bhagavatam also the same kind of point is established kim va parair isvarah. What’s the need of anything else? Once you get the highest then where is the need for anything else? Bhagavatam has also been described as the Maha-Purana.
There are many Puranas but there is only one Maha Purana– Srimad Bhagavatam. And this Maha Purana has ten symptoms. ten symptoms of Maha Purana. Other Puranas are there, some are dealing with five, some with seven, etc. but Bhagavatam is dealing with all ten. What are those symptoms of Maha Purana? Atra sargo visargas ca, sthanam posanam utayah, manvantaresanukatha, nirodho muktir asrayah. Sargo– principal creation. Creation that was conducted by Vishnu. That is sarga, primary creation, initial creation, Maha Vishnu. What is the understanding of creation? Our understanding of creation is very scientific. Or scientific in sense, our understanding of creation is actually real creation. So that creation is that Supreme Personality of Godhead expands Himself as Maha Vishnu and He lies in the causal ocean and as He breaths, through His breathing the bubbles that are generated. These bubbles are the universes. Maha Vishnu lies in the causal ocean and when He breaths each duration of His breathing is the duration of the Universe. He breaths out the universes, the bubbles that are generated, they are created, the universes are created. And as He breaths in, they go. So, actually one breath of Vishnu is the cause of appearance and the annihilation of the universes. And this Maha Vishnu is kala vishesho. Maha Vishnu is the expansion of the expansion of the expansion of Krishna, gopi bhartur. So, anyway that is the primary creation. Vishnu breaths and the material universes become active. Then Vishnu again enters into each universe as Garbhodakasayi Vishnu. Then from Him comes out the lotus and Brahma is situated in this lotus. So that is the beginning of the creation. And then creation from Brahma onwards is Visarga– secondary creation or sub creation. Then sthanam– description of the planetary systems. How the different planets are situated? There are fourteen planetary systems in each universe; seven higher planetary systems and seven lower planetary systems. Then poshanam– how this material universe is maintained? Who is maintaining everything? The Supreme Personality of Godhead is maintaining everything.
So, in this way Bhagavatam gives very distinct, very clear understanding of these aspects. Sthanam, poshanam, utayah– the tendency to expand. Tendency to procreate. Then Manavantara– how in a day of Brahma there are fourteen Manus. And the Manus come with the full entourage. Just like in a factory there is a shift. One shift goes, another shift comes. So, when a new shift comes, it has the same structure. You can say in the machine there are different machines, there are different operators of the machine. Then there is a foreman, who is the in-charge of the shift, or etc. similarly there are different sets of demigods and in are the incarnations of the Lord in different Manavantara. So, they come one after another. There are fourteen Manus, they come in a day of Brahma. Ishanu katha– the description of the activities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead as His incarnations. Ishanukatha. Then nirodha– cessation of material activities that leads to mukti, liberation 3 for material bondage.
Now generally people think that mukti or liberation is the ultimate goal but Bhagavatam is giving us the understanding that is even beyond Mukti. What is after that? One becomes liberated, but what after liberation? That ashraya literally means shelter. Even after liberation there is need of the shelter. Like a person has become free from the prison. Now, for a criminal it may be the goal of life to get out of the prison but when he goes out of the prison then what he is going to do? If he doesn’t have a job, if he doesn’t have any income he is going to starve. So, this liberation from prison, freedom from prison is not the goal. The question is what is he going to do after he is liberated? And after liberation comes the supreme shelter. And who is that supreme shelter. The supreme shelter is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Just as one can consider, okay the prisoner has come out of the prison but when he comes out of the prison the arrangement is made that he will go to the palace of the King. Now what a good fortune– from prison to the palace of the King. So that is what happens to a person who surrenders to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Not only he becomes free from prison or imprisonment, but he is elevated to the palace to the abode of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the Supreme proprietor, who is the Supreme controller and who is the Supreme enjoyer. So that is the ultimate. And this understanding has been perfectly presented in Srimad Bhagavatam. That’s why Srimad Bhagavatam is so special.
2. SRILA PRABHUPADA'S APPRECIATION
We the members of The International Society for Krishna Consciousness must realise that the real success of ISKCON lies in recognising and establishing the unique position of Srila Prabhupada as the founder-acharya of ISKCON.
3. GURU MAHARAJA’S INSTRUCTIONS
Srila Prabhupada had made this wonderful family ISKCON, Where, you have father, uncles, brothers, cousins, everyone. Thus, you are never alone.
(The content of this E-magazine is based on a lecture given by HH Bhakti Charu Swami on 21 July 2012 in Spain)
(Compiled and Edited by Hemavati Radhika Devi Dasi)