Srimad Bhagavata Mahapuranam With Three Commentaries- Skandha XII

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Amongst these scriptures Srimad bhagavatam is unique. Written by Vedavyasa, it is described as verily the fruit of Veda-Kalpataru.

In this Kaliyuga, the easiest path to cross the ocean of samsara is the Bhakti yoga. There is no other scripture, which explains better the nature of Bhakti, than.

This holy treatise was taught to king Parikshit, by sage Suka, to remove the fear of death, as , the former was cursed to die within a week, with a snake bite.

The fear of death doesn't merely conform to Parikshit, and it pervades all living beings. Death is inevitable. To face death fearlessly, the teachings contained in Srimad bhagavatam have to be understood and followed.

The T.T.D. is publishing religious books in various languages. As part of this effort, the publication of Sanskrit Bhagavatam critically edited by eminent scholars has been taken up.

In the Indian philosophy there are three important systems called Adwaita, Visishtadwaita and Dwaita. Three well-known Acharyas belonging to the foregoing three systems of philosophy wrote commentaries on Srimadbhagavatam expounding their respective systems. The well-edited copies of the commentaries were not available to the readers since a long time. They are now made avail- able in this critical edition.

This is the twelfth skandha of Srimad bhagavatam. Late Sriman N.C.V. Narasimhacharya, the well-known Sanskrit Scholar and recipient of President's award, prepared this critical edition, with meticulous care.

We hope the readers, as well as educational institutions, would utilize this book fully, thereby making the T.T.D's efforts fruitful.

Bhagavatam is said to be Brahma Sammita - equal to Brahma, where, the word Brahma means, both Veda and Parabrahma.

Though various secrets of the Vedas are expounded in this work, the pre-eminence- of Bhakti yoga has been stressed in it more prominently. 'Bhagavatam can be understood· neither by erudition, nor through commentaries, but only by Bhakti' says an adage. Different kinds of devotion have been described in this work, through various stories in an attractive style.

Generally, Purana has five characteristics i.e. Srushti (Creation), Prati - Srushti (Secondary creation), Vamsa (generation), Manvantara (cosmic cycle ruled over by Manu) and Vamsanucharita (an account of royal dynasties). But Srimadbhagavatam being a Maha Purana, contains ten characteristics. They are. 1. Sarga, 2. Visarga, 3. Sthana, 4. Poshana, 5. Uti, 6. Manvantara, 7. Ishanukatha, 8. Nirodha, 9. Mukti and 10. Asraya. They are briefly explained below. 1. Sarga: Under the direction of the Lord, the three Gunas, get shaken, thereby producing the five elements, primary sensations, indriyas, Ahankara and Mahattattva. This is Sarga (Subtle Creation) which is described in the third Skandha.

2. Visarga : Brahma takes birth from Viratpurusha. He creates various beings, both animate and inanimate. This creation is Visarga (Gross creation) which is explained in the fourth Skandha.

3. Sthana : Keeping the creation, in an orderly form without decay is Sthana, which is de- scribed in the fifth Skandha.

4. Poshana : The Lord shows His grace towards His devotees. He sends His message to this world, through Acharyas. He takes birth Himself to protect this creation. He nourishes it by His Nama and Rupa. This process is poshana which is explained in the Sixth Skandha.

5. Uti: The impressions of previous actions are termed as utis, the explanation of which is found in the Seventh Skandha.

6. Manvantara : The history of propagation of devotion towards Lord by various Manus in different ages and establishment of Dharma, is called Manvantara. This is contained in the eighth Skandha.

7. Ishanukatha : The description of the incarnations of Lord and stories of the devotees, is termed as Ishanukatha, which is described in the ninth Skandha. 8. Nirodha : The Lord absorbs Uradhi’s of the Jeevas into Himself and enters into Yoganidra.

This is Nirodha Leela, contained in the tenth Skandha.

9. Mukti : To be within his own self, discarding all other forms is called, Mukti, (Liberation from the gunas of prakruti) which is described in eleventh Skandha.

10. Asraya : The last characteristic Asraya, is nothing but Adhistana (the last resort of the Universe) which is explained in the last Skandha (present volume).

The Other Characteristics are intended to support the last one.

Parabrahma is Asraya. It is also called Paramatma. All the actions in the creation take place on account of this Paramatma only. Srimabhagavatam emanated only to describe the glory of Paramatma. This volume is the last Skandha of Bhagavata. It describes the lineage of the king’s ofKaliyuga and also explains the Kali dharma.

Bhagavatam describes the method of warding off the evil affects of Kali as follows. Kali is the store-house for all kinds of evils. But there is a very great quality in it. By mere chanting of sri Krishna's name, one gets released from the bondage of samsara. The results that we reap by 1. meditation in Kruthayuga, 2. by conducting Yajnas in Thretayuga, 3. by performing Paricharya in Dwapara yuga, could be got by mere Hari Kirtana (chanting of name) in Kali yuga.

In the Kalisantharana Upanishad, the importance of nama sankirtana is stressed, during the conversation of Brahm a and Narada.

In the last part of this Skandha, sage Suka tells Parikshit, dispelling his fear of death, as follows.

"Oh! king, do not think: that you are going to die. You were never born. You are not going to die like your physical body."

Book's Contents and Sample Pages