Srimad Bhagavatam

1.1.1

janmädy asya yato

What is Srimad Bhagavatam?
– Bonafide commentary on Vedanta Sutra
– By the same author Srila Vyasadeva

How the content of SB is arranged?

– Begins with Definition of Ultimate source
– 18,000 verses, 12 cantos, begins with Gayatri

How to approach Bhagavatam?

– Only qualification needed is to proceed step by step &
not jumping haphazardly.

Result
– By regular reading of SB from canto 1 thru 9 one is sure
to become God-realized soul.
 Overview
First three texts form a prelude to the book
1st verse: Defines the Absolute Truth
2nd verse: Describes the Bhagavatam &
Defines the actual religion
3rd verse: Invites humanity to taste
Bhagavatam’s sweetness
 Text 1
oà namo bhagavate väsudeväya
janmädy asya yato ’nvayäd itarataç
cärtheñv abhijïaù svaräö
tene brahma hådä ya ädi-kavaye
muhyanti yat sürayaù
tejo-väri-mådäà yathä
vinimayo yatra tri-sargo ’måñä
dhämnä svena sadä nirasta-kuhakaà
satyaà paraà dhémahi
 Translation
O my Lord, Çré Kåñëa, son of Vasudeva, O all-pervading
Personality of Godhead, I offer my respectful obeisances unto
You. I meditate upon Lord Çré Kåñëa because He is the
Absolute Truth and the primeval cause of all causes of the
creation, sustenance and destruction of the manifested
universes. He is directly and indirectly conscious of all
manifestations, and He is independent because there is no other
cause beyond Him. It is He only who first imparted the Vedic
knowledge unto the heart of Brahmäjé, the original living being.
By Him even the great sages and demigods are placed into
illusion, as one is bewildered by the illusory representations of
water seen in fire, or land seen on water. Only because of Him
do the material universes, temporarily manifested by the
reactions of the three modes of nature, appear factual, although
they are unreal. I therefore meditate upon Him, Lord Çré
Kåñëa, who is eternally existent in the transcendental abode,
which is forever free from the illusory representations of the
material world. I meditate upon Him, for He is the Absolute
Truth.
 janmädy asya yato
janma-ädi—creation, sustenance and
destruction;
asya—of the manifested universes;
yataù—from whom
“I meditate upon Lord Çré Kåñëa because
He is the Absolute Truth and the primeval
cause of all causes of the creation,
sustenance and destruction of the
manifested universes.”
Conception of Absolute Truth Conception of God

Indicates Summum Bonum Indicates Controller

Or the Ultimate Source of all energies.

That substance from which nothing is

different.

Both understanding are not on the same level.

Absolute truth is a person , the divine son of Vasudeva and Devaki known as
Krsna , the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

(Para 1: Jiva Goswami’s Krsna Sandarbha,

Brahma Samhita,
Sama Veda,
Padma Purana – name of Krsna is the supreme)

Everything else including Brahma Jyoti – emanates from Him.

Ref. BG 10.8, BG 14.27

 Krsna is the Absolute Truth
Narada asking from Brahma - SB 2.5.4
“My dear father, what is the source of your knowledge? Under whose
protection are you standing? And under whom are you working? What is
your real position? Do you alone create all entities with material elements by
your personal energy?”

Brahma’s reply - SB 2.5.11

I create after the Lord's creation by His personal effulgence [known as the
brahmajyoti], just as when the sun manifests its fire, the moon, the
firmament, the influential planets and the twinkling stars also manifest their
brightness.
yasya prabhä prabhavato jagad-aëòa-koöi- BS 5.40

From 3rd para

1. Inquiring about the origin – human intelligence

2. SB - gives direct answers
3. Analgoy of scientist / satellites – Krsna the Supremely intelligent.

From 4th para

Krsna is the chief individual person. Katha Upanishad 2.2.13, BG 7.7
 Sustenance and Destruction;
Also primarily carried out by the Lord
Krsna alone in the form of Vishnu-murty as
Ksirodakshayi Vishnu & Maha-Vishnu.
Therefor Krsna is the source of everything
creation, sustances and destruction and
thus,
janmädy asya yatah
anvayäd itarataç cärtheñv abhijïaù

anvayät—directly;
itarataù—indirectly;
ca—and;
artheñu—purposes;
abhijïaù—fully cognizant;
“He is directly and indirectly conscious
of all manifestations.”
 Indirectly cognizant Paramatma in heart

Universe is compared to big organization and all the

demigods to the heads of different departments and Krsna
is the owner or this universal organization.
Thus He is indirectly cognizant of the affairs of universe
through the different department heads, who act as His
servants to carry out the affairs of universal management.
As the Paramatma in the heart of everyone BG 13.23
eko ’py asau racayituà jagad-aëòa-koöià
yac-chaktir asti jagad-aëòa-cayä yad-antaù
aëòäntara-stha-paramäëu-cayäntara-sthaà Çvetäçvatara Upaniñad
(4.7)
govindam ädi-puruñaà tam ahaà bhajämi

“I worship the Personality of Godhead, Govinda, who, by one of His plenary

portions, enters into the existence of every universe and every particle of
the atoms and thus unlimitedly manifests His infinite energy all over the
material creation.”

Directly cognizant
In spiritual world, there is no Paramatma feature, but Krsna knows directly
everything. BG 7.26

SP analogies: 1. Civil Engineer 2. Chemist 3. Gold mine & Gold ornaments

Para 7,8 & 9
 Sva-rāṭ — Lord is fully
independent
Independence in material world
“Independence is our birth right.”
It is illusion in this material world.
Everyone is dependent on something or someone for survival, nourishment,
happiness, and so on.
No other living entity is either abhijñah? or svarat?. That is, no one is either fully
cognizant or fully independent
Even Brahma has to meditate upon the Supreme Lord in order to create. what to
speak of scientists / Mayavadis / Atheists?

BG 7.12: Know that all states of being — be they of goodness, passion or

ignorance — are manifested by My energy. I am, in one sense, everything, but I
am independent. I am not under the modes of material nature, for they, on the
contrary, are within Me.

SP analogies: 1. Chemist 2. Gold mine & Gold ornaments 3.Brahma , atheists, mayavadis
Para 7& 9
 11th Para

After defining Krsna as the all-perfect all –attractive Supreme

Personality of Godhead, the Absolute Truth and the Cause of All
causes,

Srila Prabhupada recommends that everyone Surrender to Him and

become a Great Soul, a mahatma. BG 7.19:

One who does not surrender is in illusion

Because the Lord is omniscient BG 7.26, for Him there is no illusion

tene brahma hådä ya ädi-kavaye
“It is He only who first
imparted the Vedic
knowledge unto the
heart of Brahmäjé, the
original living being.”

Birth of Brahma within universe.

Brahma’s bewilderment and tapasya.
Krsna revealing to him the purpose of his birth.
Brahma engaging in creation work and his
confession.
muhyanti yat sürayaù tejo-väri-mådäà
yathä
“By Him even the great sages and demi-
gods are placed into illusion, as one is
bewildered by the illusory representations
of water seen in fire, or land seen on
water.”
Illusions of different kinds.
Bodily concept of life.
Krsna bewildering even the great
demigods.
 Brahma bewildered.

Krsna enjoying
meal with his
cowherd boy
friends and
Brahma coming to
see and examine
Krsna’s potencies.
 Even Balaram bewildered
Seeing Krsna’s
pastimes in
relationship to cows
& calves and
cowherd men &
cowherd boys even
Lord Balaram
bewildered.
Brahma seeing so many Vishnus
Brahma amazed to
see Krsna still
playing with
cowherd boys.
All cowherd boys
transformed into
Vishnu forms and
thus Brahma
bewildered.
 Brahma humbled
Brahma becoming
confused and
bewilderd and then
finally realized that
Krsna is not a ordinary
boy, but master of all
the mystics.
Brahma offering
prayers to Krsna.
 Lord Shiva bewildered
After the churning of
milk ocean and
hearing the
wonderful deeds of
Lord Vishnu, Lord
Shiva approached
and requested to
see Mohini Murty
form of Lord.
Lord Shiva runs behind Mohini
Lord Vishnu reveals
His maya potency
and Lord Shiva gets
bewildered and runs
behind Mohini Murty.
Prayers by Lord
Shiva to glorify
Supreme Lord.
 Many demigods bewildered
Indra bewildered so many times.
Thus Lord’s potencies are unsurmountable
and only who take shelter of Him can
overcome the illusory potency.

BG 10.2 : na me viduḥ sura-gaṇāḥ

BG 7.13: tribhir guṇa-mayair bhāvair
 Escaping illusory potency
Krsna says in Bg 7.14
daivé hy eñä guëa-mayé mama mäyä duratyayä mäm
eva ye prapadyante mäyäm etäà taranti te

“This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three

modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But
those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross
beyond it.”

The easiest way to surrender to Krsna is by,

 vinimayo yatra tri-sargo ’måñä
“Only because of Him
do the material
universes, temporarily
manifested by the
reactions of the three
modes of nature,
appear factual,
although they are
unreal.”
Creation of interaction of 3 modes.
3 Modes create everything within this
material world.
Everything means –
bodies of different living entities,
different matter,
different emotions,
different interactions between different
living entities, and so on…
Appearing Factual
Everything is
temporary in this
world,
body,
home,
love & hatered,
happiness &
distress, & so on…
Yet appears to be
factual (everylasting)
 Material world compared to
dreaming.
E.g. in dream on sees being chased by
tiger,
suffering due to tiger chasing is actually
non-existant, yet the effect of it is real.
Mayavada theory not supported,
world is temporary and thus unreal, but it
is not imaginery or non existant.
Waking up from dreaming drives away all
sufferings.
Waking up from dream by,
12th para

Questioning Authority of SB. - Vopadeva

Sridhara Swami - Quotes References from other puranas about the

validity of SB
1. Matsya Purana (oldest Purana) - 1. Gayatri manthra 2. Vrtrasura
pastime
2. Padma Puran?a - conversation between Gautama and Maharaja
Ambaris?a. Gautama Instructing Ambarisha to regularly read SB

Various Scholars commentaries on SB

14th Para
Gradual elevation to the highest perfectional stage of transcendence
Transcend the 3 modes of material activities - karma kanda, janana
kanda, upasana kanda
fruitive actions, speculative philosophy, and worship of functional
deities as inculcated in Vedic verses.
 Brahma Gayatri Bhagavatam 1st Text

Om janmādy asya yato

Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the Absolute Truth and the primeval

  cause of all causes of the creation, sustenance and
destruction

Bhur Bhuvah Suvah yatra tri-sargo 'mṛṣā

lower/middle/upper planetary systems - or material

 
universes

savitur varenyam bhargah Svarat

Sun's self sustaining effulgence Lord's full independence

Dhiyo yonah prachotayat tene brahma hrda

Prayerful mood of Lord enlightens Brahma because of Brahma's prayerful

enlightenment mood

Dhimahi Satyam Param Dhimahi

I meditate upon the Absolute Bhagavatams beginning 1.1.1 and end 12.13.19 -
Truth ultimate objective : Meditation on Krsna