Bhagavad Arka Marichi Mala, Part 10

BY: SUN STAFF

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur

May 30, 2011 — CANADA (SUN) — Bhagavad Arka Marichi Mala by HDG Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur.

Bhagavad Arka Marichi Mala

CHAPTER THREE
The Exposition of Bhagavata (bhagavat-vivritti)

01.01.03

nigama-kalpa-taror galitam phalam
shuka-mukhad amrita-drava-samyutam
pibata bhagavatam rasam alayam
muhur aho rasika bhuvi bhavukah

nigama—the Vedic literatures; kalpa-taroh—the desire tree; galitam—fully matured; phalam—fruit; shuka—Shrila Shukadeva Gosvami, the original speaker of Shrimad-Bhagavatam; mukhat—from the lips of; amrta—nectar; drava—semisolid and soft and therefore easily swallowable; samyutam—perfect in all respects; pibata—do relish it; bhagavatam—the book dealing in the science of the eternal relation with the Lord; rasam—juice (that which is relishable); alayam—until liberation, or even in a liberated condition; muhuh—always; aho—O; rasikah—those who are full in the knowledge of mellows; bhuvi—on the earth; bhavukah—expert and thoughtful.

O expert and thoughtful men, relish Shrimad-Bhagavatam, the mature fruit of the desire tree of Vedic literatures. It emanated from the lips of Shri Shukadeva Gosvami. Therefore, this fruit has become even more tasteful, although its nectarean juice was already relishable for all, including liberated souls.

12.13.18 Suta Gosvami to Shaunaka Rishi

shrimad-bhagavatam puranam amalam yad vaishnavanam priyam
yasmin paramahamsyam ekam amalam jnanam param giyate
tatra jnana-viraga-bhakti-sahitam naishkarmyam aviskritam
tac chrinvan su-pathan vicarana-paro bhaktya vimucyen narah

shrimat-bhagavatam—Shrimad-Bhagavatam; puranam—the Purana; amalam—perfectly pure; yat—which; vaishnavanam—to the Vaishnavas; priyam—most dear; yasmin—in which; paramahamsyam—attainable by the topmost devotees; ekam—exclusive; amalam—perfectly pure; jnanam—knowledge; param—supreme; giyate—is sung; tatra—there; jnana-viraga-bhakti-sahitam—together with knowledge, renunciation and devotion; naishkarmyam—freedom from all material work; avishkritam—is revealed; tat—that; shrinvan—hearing; su-pathan—properly chanting; vicarana-parah—who is serious about understanding; bhaktya—with devotion; vimucyet—becomes totally liberated; narah—a person.

Shrimad-Bhagavatam is the spotless Purana. It is most dear to the Vaishnavas because it describes the pure and supreme knowledge of the paramahamsas. This Bhagavatam reveals the means for becoming free from all material work, together with the processes of transcendental knowledge, renunciation and devotion. Anyone who seriously tries to understand Shrimad-Bhagavatam, who properly hears and chants it with devotion, becomes completely liberated.

12.13.19 Suta Gosvami to Shaunaka Rishi

kasmai yena vibhasito 'yam atulo jnana-pradipah pura
tad-rupena ca naradaya munaye krishnaya tad-rupina
yogindraya tad-atmanatha bhagavad-rataya karunyatas
tac chuddham vimalam vishokam amritam satyam param dhimahi

kasmai—unto Brahma; yena—by whom; vibhasitah—thoroughly revealed; ayam—this; atulah—incomparable; jnana—of transcendental knowledge; pradipah—the torchlight; pura—long ago; tat-rupena—in the form of Brahma; ca—and; naradaya—to Narada; munaye—the great sage; krishnaya—to Krishna-dvaipayana Vyasa; tat-rupina—in the form of Narada; yogi-indraya—to the best of yogis, Shukadeva; tat-atmana—as Narada; atha—then; bhagavat-rataya—to Parikshit Maharaja; karunyatah—out of mercy; tat—that; shuddham—pure; vimalam—uncontaminated; vishokam—free from misery; amritam—immortal; satyam—upon the truth; param—supreme; dhimahi—I meditate.

I meditate upon that pure and spotless Supreme Absolute Truth, who is free from suffering and death and who in the beginning personally revealed this incomparable torchlight of knowledge to Brahma. Brahma then spoke it to the sage Narada, who narrated it to Krishna Dvaipayana Vyasa. Shrila Vyasa revealed this Bhagavatam to the greatest of sages, Shukadeva Gosvami, and Shukadeva Gosvami mercifully spoke it to Maharaja Parikshit.

12.13.15?.

Sarva-vedanta-saram hi
shri-bhagavatam ishyate
tad-rasamrita-triptasya
nanyatra syad ratih kvacit

sarva-vedanta—of all Vedanta philosophy; saram—the essence; hi—indeed; shri-bhagavatam—Shrimad-Bhagavatam; ishyate—is said to be; tat—of it; rasa-amrita—by the nectarean taste; triptasya—for one who is satisfied; na—not; anyatra—elsewhere; syat—there is; ratih—attraction; kvacit—ever.

Shrimad-Bhagavatam is declared to be the essence of all Vedanta philosophy. One who has felt satisfaction from its nectarean mellow will never be attracted to any other literature.

12.13.11 Suta Gosvami to Shaunaka Rishi

adi-madhyavasaneshu
vairagyakhyana-samyutam
hari-lila-katha-vrata-
mritanandita-sat-suram

adi—in the beginning; madhya—the middle; avasaneshu—and the end; vairagya—concerning renunciation of material things; akhyana—with narrations; samyutam—full; hari-lila—of the pastimes of Lord Hari; katha-vrata—of the many discussions; amrita—by the nectar; anandita—in which are made ecstatic; sat-suram—the saintly devotees and demigods

From beginning to end, the Shrimad-Bhagavatam is full of narrations that encourage renunciation of material life, as well as nectarean accounts of Lord Hari's transcendental pastimes, which give ecstasy to the saintly devotees and demigods.

12.13.12 Suta Gosvami to Shaunaka Rishi

sarva-vedanta-saram yad
brahmatmaikatva-lakshanam
vastv advitiyam tan-nishtham
kaivalyaika-prayojanam

sarva-vedanta—of all the Vedanta; saram—the essence; yat—which; brahma—the Absolute Truth; atma-ekatva—in terms of nondifference from the spirit soul; lakshanam—characterized; vastu—the reality; advitiyam—one without a second; tat-nishtham—having that as its prime subject matter; kaivalya—exclusive devotional service; eka—the only; prayojanam—ultimate goal.

This Bhagavatam is the essence of all Vedanta philosophy because its subject matter is the Absolute Truth, which, while nondifferent from the spirit soul, is the ultimate reality, one without a second. The goal of this literature is exclusive devotional service unto that Supreme Truth.

12.12.06-11 Suta Gosvami to Shaunaka Rishi

prayopavesho rajarsher
vipra-shapat parikshitah
shukasya brahmarshabhasya
samvadash ca parikshitah

praya-upaveshah—the fast until death; raja-risheh—of the sage among kings; vipra-shapat—because of the curse of the brahmana's son; parikshitah—of King Parikshit; shukasya—of Shukadeva; brahma-rishabhasya—the best of brahmanas; samvadah—the conversation; ca—and; parikshitah—with Parikshit.

Also described are saintly King Parikshit's sitting down to fast until death in response to the curse of a brahmana's son, and the conversations between Parikshit and Shukadeva Gosvami, who the best of all brahmanas. (6)

yoga-dharanayotkrantih
samvado naradajayoh
avataranugitam ca
sargah pradhaniko 'gratah

yoga-dharanaya—by fixed meditation in yoga; utkrantih—the attainment of liberation at the time of passing away; samvadah—the conversation; narada-ajayoh—between Narada and Brahma; avatara-anugitam—the listing of the incarnations of the Supreme Lord; ca—and; sargah—the process of creation; pradhanikah—from the unmanifest material nature; agratah—in progressive order.

The Bhagavatam explains how one can attain liberation at the time of death by practicing fixed meditation in yoga. It also contains a discussion between Narada and Brahma, an enumeration of the incarnations of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and a description of how the universe was created in progressive sequence, beginning from the unmanifest stage of material nature. (7)

viduroddhava-samvadah
kshattri-maitreyayos tatah
purana-samhita-prashno
maha-purusha-samsthitih

vidura-uddhava—between Vidura and Uddhava; samvadah—the discussion; kshattri-maitreyayoh—between Vidura and Maitreya; tatah—then; purana-samhita—concerning this Puranic compilation; prashnah—inquiries; maha-purusha—within the Supreme Personality of Godhead; samsthitih—the winding up of creation.

This scripture also relates the discussions Vidura had with Uddhava and with Maitreya, inquiries about the subject matter of this Purana, and the winding up of creation within the body of the Supreme Lord at the time of annihilation. (8)

tatah prakritikah sargah
sapta vaikritikash ca ye
tato brahmanda-sambhutir
vairajah purusho yatah

tatah—then; prakritikah—from material nature; sargah—the creation; sapta—the seven; vaikritikah—stages of creation derived by transformation; ca—and; ye—which; tatah—then; brahma-anda—of the universal egg; sambhutih—the construction; vairajah purushah—the universal form of the Lord; yatah—from which.

The creation effected by the agitation of the modes of material nature, the seven stages of evolution by elemental transformation, and the construction of the universal egg, from which arises the universal form of the Supreme Lord—all these are thoroughly described. (9)

kalasya sthula-sukshmasya
gatih padma-samudbhavah
bhuva uddharane 'mbhodher
hiranyaksha-vadho yatha

kalasya—of time; sthula-sukshmasya—gross and subtle; gatih—the movement; padma—of the lotus; samudbhavah—the generation; bhuvah—of the earth; uddharane—in connection with the deliverance; ambhodheh—from the ocean; hiranyaksha-vadhah—the killing of the demon Hiranyaksha; yatha—as it occurred.

Other topics include the subtle and gross movements of time, the generation of the lotus from the navel of Garbhodakashayi Vishnu, and the killing of the demon Hiranyaksha when the earth was delivered from the Garbhodaka ocean. (10)

urdhva-tiryag-avak-sargo
rudra-sargas tathaiva ca
ardha-narishvarasyatha
yatah svayambhuvo manuh

urdhva—of the higher species, the demigods; tiryak—of the animals; avak—and of lower species; sargah—the creation; rudra—of Lord.Shiva; sargah—the creation; tatha—and; eva—indeed; ca—also; ardha-nari—as a half man, half woman; ishvarasya—of the lord; atha—then; yatah—from whom; svayambhuvah manuh—Svayambhuva Manu.

The Bhagavatam also describes the creation of demigods, animals and demoniac species of life; the birth of Lord Rudra; and the appearance of Svayambhuva Manu from the half-man, half-woman Ishvara. (11)

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