Monday, 25 January 2010 14:10

Many great personalities glorified Srimad Bhagavatam. If one wants to find answers on how to overcome material miseries, Goal of life (our destination) or his Relationship with Supreme or find out the Mysteries of the universe or learn about the Practical lifetime experiences of exalted personalities which can be applied to our lives or Developing love of God one should definitely read Srimad Bhagavatam. See the highlites about this great scripture.

This transcendental llterature is filled with inspiring spiritual stories mixed with powerful spiritual knowledge - an encylopedia of spiritual knowledge. It is also filled with some beautiful prayers by exalted devotees of the Supreme Personality of God, Sri Krsna.

From beginning to end, the Srimad-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. This Bhägavatam is the essence of all Vedaanta 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.

 

Srimad-Bhagavatam is the spotless Puranam. It is most dear to the Vaishnavas because it describes the pure and supreme knowledge of the paramahaàsas. 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 Srimad-Bhagavatam, who properly hears and chants it with devotion, becomes completely liberated.

 

History of Bhagavatam

It was to Lord Brahma that the Supreme Personality of Godhead first revealed the Srimad-Bhagavatam in full. At the time, Brahma, frightened by material existence, was sitting on the lotus flower that had grown from the Lord's navel.

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 Krsna-dvaipaayana Vyasa. Srila Vyasa revealed this Bhagavatam to the greatest of sages, Sukadeva Gosvami, and Sukadeva mercifully spoke it to Maharaja Parikshit.

 

Bhagavatam is the King of all literatures

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

Just as the Ganga is the greatest of all rivers, Lord Acyuta the supreme among deities and Lord Sambhu [Siva] the greatest of Vaishnavas, so Srimad-Bhagavatam is the greatest of all Puranas.

ksetraanaam caiva sarvesaam
  yathaa kaasih hy anuttamaa
tathaa puraana-vraataanaam
  srimad-bhaagavatam dvijaah [SB 12.13.17]

O brahmanas, in the same way that the city of Kasi is unexcelled among holy places, Srimad-Bhagavatam is supreme among all the Puranas.

Why Vyasa was dissatisfied even after compiling all the Vedic literatures and what was His impetus in compiling the Bhagavatam?


Sri Narada said: You have not actually broadcast the sublime and spotless glories of the Personality of Godhead. That philosophy which does not satisfy the transcendental senses of the Lord is considered worthless.

Although, great sage, you have very broadly described the four principles beginning with religious performances, you have not described the glories of the Supreme Personality, Vasudeva.

The material miseries of the living entity, which are superfluous to him, can be directly mitigated by the linking process of devotional service. But the mass of people do not know this, and therefore the learned Vyasadeva compiled this Vedic literature, which is in relation to the Supreme Truth.