Srimad Bhagavatam 1.1.1

1. SrimadBhagavatam1.1.1 janmädy asya yato

2. What is SrimadBhagavatam? • Bonafide commentary on Vedanta Sutra • By the same author SrilaVyasadeva • 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.

3. 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

4. Text 1 oànamobhagavateväsudeväya janmädyasyayato ’nvayäditarataç cärtheñvabhijïaùsvaräö tenebrahmahådäyaädi-kavaye muhyantiyatsürayaù tejo-väri-mådäàyathä vinimayoyatra tri-sargo ’måñä dhämnäsvenasadänirasta-kuhakaà satyaàparaàdhémahi

5. Translation O my Lord, ÇréKåñëa, son of Vasudeva, O all-pervading Personality of Godhead, I offer my respectful obeisances unto You. I meditate upon Lord ÇréKåñëa 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 ÇréKåñëa, 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.

6. 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.”

8. 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. • yasyaprabhäprabhavatojagad-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

9. 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

10. anvayäd itarataç cärtheñv abhijïaù • anvayät—directly; • itarataù—indirectly; • ca—and; • artheñu—purposes; • abhijïaù—fully cognizant; • “He is directly and indirectly conscious of all manifestations.”

11. Paramatma in heart Indirectlycognizant • 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 ’pyasauracayituàjagad-aëòa-koöià yac-chaktirastijagad-aëòa-cayäyad-antaù aëòäntara-stha-paramäëu-cayäntara-sthaà govindamädi-puruñaà tam ahaàbhajämi “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.” Çvetäçvatara Upaniñad (4.7) Directlycognizant 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

12. Thus Krsna is directly and indirectly cognizant of everything.

13. 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

14. 11th Para After defining Krsna as the all-perfect all –attractive Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Absolute Truth and the Cause of All causes, SrilaPrabhupada 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

15. 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.

16. 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.

17. Brahma bewildered. • Krsna enjoying meal with his cowherd boy friends and Brahma coming to see and examine Krsna’s potencies.

18. Even Balaram bewildered • Seeing Krsna’s pastimes in relationship to cows & calves and cowherd men & cowherd boys even Lord Balaram bewildered.

19. 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.

20. 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.

21. Lord Shiva bewildered • After the churning of milk ocean and hearing the wonderful deeds of Lord Vishnu, Lord Shiva approached and requested to see MohiniMurty form of Lord.

22. Lord Shiva runs behind Mohini • Lord Vishnu reveals His maya potency and Lord Shiva gets bewildered and runs behind MohiniMurty. • Prayers by Lord Shiva to glorify Supreme Lord.

23. 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 viduḥsura-gaṇāḥ • BG 7.13: tribhir guṇa-mayair bhāvair

24. Escaping illusory potency • Krsna says in Bg 7.14daivéhyeñäguëa-mayé mama mäyäduratyayämämeva ye prapadyantemäyämetäàtarantite “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,

25. Simply chanting Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

26. 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.”

27. 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…

28. Appearing Factual • Everything is temporary in this world,body,home,love & hatered,happiness & distress, & so on… • Yet appears to be factual (everylasting)

29. 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.

30. Waking up from dream by, Simply chanting Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

31. 12th para • Questioning Authority of SB. - Vopadeva • Sridhara Swami - Quotes References from other puranas about the validity of SB • 1. MatsyaPurana (oldest Purana) - 1. Gayatrimanthra 2. Vrtrasura pastime • 2. PadmaPuran?a - conversation between Gautama and Maharaja Ambaris?a. Gautama Instructing Ambarisha to regularly read SB • Various Scholars commentaries on SB

32. 14th Para • Gradual elevation to the highest perfectional stage of transcendence • Transcend the 3 modes of material activities - karma kanda, jananakanda, upasanakanda • fruitive actions, speculative philosophy, and worship of functional deities as inculcated in Vedic verses.