Bhagavata Purana

“ The Bhâgavata Purâna carefully avoids the battle at Kurukshetra. It barely mentions the duel between Bhima and Duryodhana. According to the Mahâbhârata, Bhishma, Drona and all the brothers of Duryodhana had been killed before the fight took place between Bhima and Duryodhana. But we find here that they were all present at the Kurukshetra meeting. A slight explanation will be necessary to put the readers on the right line of thought. The ideal of the Mahâbhârata was Tatva-masi, the unity of Jiva and Íshvara. Krishna and Arjuna looked alike. ”

“ The Devas and Asuras combine and with their joint efforts, the ocean of Milk is churned, and the Goddess of Evolution, the Energy of Vishnu, makes Her divine appearance in our universe. The Devas become more than a match for the Asuras. The Vaivasvata Manvantara steps in, the Manvantara teeming with the fate of man and of the universe. Íshvara, the eternal friend of Puranjana, is most busy in the Vaivasvata Manvantara. Every effort is made to raise humanity to a higher level and to open out all the possibilities of man. ”

“ This pure humanism is the Vaishnava equivalent for: "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto these, ye have done it unto Me," and "The worship of God is . . . loving the greatest men best."
We may also give here the Indian answer to the objection sometimes raised respecting the morality of Krishna Himself,—much as the Pharisees questioned the right of Christ to pluck the ears of corn. The Bhāgavata Purāna in one place answers as Blake or Nietzsche might, that dharma is not the same for the great and the small. ”

“ PREFACE. The Bhâgavata is the most popular of all Purânas and it is held in the highest esteem by Vaishnavas in all parts of India. It was the most authoritative book with such religious teachers as Shri Chaitanya. ”

“ Surrendering Self to Me they wish for nothing else but Myself. Brahmâ, Śiva, Sankarshana, Lakshmî and My own form are not so dear to Me, O Uddhava, as thou art to Me. I always seek my Bhaktas. It is they only that know what bliss they enjoy, Bhakti consumes all impurities, even as fire consumes the fuel. Yoga, Sânkhya, Dharma, study of the scriptures, asceticism, or relinquishment nothing wins me so much as powerful Bhakti does. I am attained only by faithful Devotion. Bhakti purifies the Bhaktas, even though they be Chandâlas by birth. ”

“ They worship the Lord by means of Tapas, by control of the senses and of the mind.
"Bhagavat is then known by the following names: — Hansa, Suparna, Vaikuntha, Dharma, Yogesvara, Amala, Ísvara, Purusha, Avyakta, and Paramâtmân.
"In Tretâ, Bhagavat becomes Red. He has four hands and golden hair. His form is that of Yajna. Men are pious at the time. They worship Bhagavat by Vedic Yajna. ”

“ However transitory the things of Trilokî may be, there are attractions enough for the frail sons of Manu, abounding in passions and desires. What can then bind a man to the higher planes and the highest Purûsha of those planes or Bhagavân? It is only a description of the grandeur and the glory of those planes and of Bhagavân. Such description begets Bhakti or holy attachment, and it is this Bhakti which sets up a real communion with Bhagavân. Frail as man is, the mere performance of duties makes him attached to them, unless he is bound to the higher planes by the tie of holy attachment. ”

“ Vritra then took the trident in hand and attacked Indra — Indra then had recourse to Vajra and he easily cut off both the trident and one hand of Vritra. Vritra took a club in the other hand and struck both Indra and the elephant. The Vajra slipped out of the hands of Indra and he felt ashamed to pick it up in the presence of his enemy. "Pick it up, O King of Devas, and kill your enemy. This is no time for shame or sorrow. It is not you or I that are the real actors. Bhagavân is guiding us all. He guides the whole Universe. ”

“ They were re-united to Krishna, as the all-pervading Purusha, the preserver of the Universe. The veil may be lifted a little further. We have already seen that life in the higher Lokas is purely unselfish, for, as the Bhâgavata says, the higher Lokas are transformations of Nishkâma Karma. We are to abnegate ourselves before we can go to Mahar Loka. This abnegation can be accomplished by merging ourselves in some one who stands across the Trilokî. Love alone breaks the barrier between man and man. ”

“ For men had now to pass the limits of Trilokî, and the friend of Puranjana came down Himself to hold out the torch of divine light. Sri Krishna laid down the triple path of Karma, Bhakti and Jnâna, and shewed the relative importance of each. His teachings are perfect, thorough and exhaustive. Ever since His manifestation, those teachings have been re-iterated in a thousand forms, they have been adapted to different powers of understanding and all the modern scriptures of Hinduism have grown up, round the central point of those teachings. Men had no longer to complain of teachings. ”

“ These are my companions male and female. This serpent guards the town, even when we are all asleep. Luckily hast thou come here. I shall try with all my companions to bring to thee all objects of desire. Be thou the lord of this Puri for one hundred years. And accept all enjoyments brought by me." Puranjana entered the Puri and lived in enjoyment there for one hundred years.
Of the nine gateways, seven were upper and two lower — five on the east (Purva, which also means front) , one on the south (Dakshinâ) , one on the north (Uttara) and two on the west (Paśchima) . ”

“ He is called Ananta or endless, as there is no end of individuals. He is Bhagavat as manifested in every individual and may be called, in one sense, the Purusha of Individual souls. Balarâma is said to be an incarnation of Sankarshana. As individuals proceed in their course of life journeys, they become crystallised into separate entities, with a strong sense of personality. The inner self, the real self, runs the risk of becoming swallowed up by the outer self, the Upadhi of individuality. The point is reached, when individuals are to be drawn back to their homes, their real selves. ”

“ The only remedy is devotion to Thy service. For Thy servant by Thy favor gets the company of Mahâtmâs. By their company, he gets rid of all worldly attachments and sings the glory of Bhagavân. Then the miseries of life cannot overpower him.
"The parents are not the protectors of the child; medicine is not the remedy for the diseased; the boat is not a shelter for the drowning; for they cannot save from a recurrence of evils. And even the little that others do is promoted by the Prompter of all.
"When Purusha wishes, Mâyâ disturbed by Kâla creates the Sûkshma Sharira, headed by Manas. ”

“ Thou hast Thyself created various life kingdoms and various forms. Though Thou pervadest them all from of old, having brought them all about, yet Thy special manifestation in them is relatively greater or smaller, according to the nature of the things created by Thee even as fire, though one and the same, burns differently according to the character of the fuel. Those that are of pure intellect follow the one Real amidst the many unreal forms. The (perceiving) Purusha in all beings is said to be Thy part only. Knowing this to be the truth about Jivas, wise men worship Thy feet. ”

“ They adapt the Sânkhya and the Yoga systems to Bhakti or devotion. For a full knowledge of the teachings I refer my readers to the Purâna itself, I shall only give the salient points and avoid details as much as possible, without breaking the continuity of the discourses. "Yoga directed towards Âtmâ brings about Mukti. Chitta attached to the transformations of Gunas causes Bondage; attached to Purûsha, it causes Mukti. When the mind is pure and free from distractions, man perceives Âtmâ in himself, by Wisdom, Dispassion and Devotion. ”

“ The other Avatâras are said to be manifestations of the second Purusha. But Krishna is Bhagavân Himself, i.e., the first Purusha (I-3-28) .
There are three aspects of the Absolute, the non-transformable, which uphold creation. It is through these aspects that all beings come into existence, prosper and dissolve. It is through them that they are brought nearer and nearer in every Kalpa to Íshvara. In the perfected being, the aspects of sat (existence) , chit (consciousness) and ânanda (bliss) are not restricted by the conditions of the universe in which those aspects are developed. ”

“ The daughter of Kâla is Jarâ or decrepitude.
The Yavanas are diseases or infirmities.
Fear is the King of all diseases and infirmities viz., Death.
Prajvâra is destructive fever.
As long as Purusha does not know his real self, but identifies himself with the Gunas of Prakriti, he becomes subject to births and deaths. The only remedy for this malady is pure devotion to Guru and to Bhagavân. By such devotion, dispassion and wisdom are both acquired.
"Darbha" is Kusa grass, symbolical of Yajna. "Vidarbha" is pure land. "Malaya" or the Deccan is famous for Vishnu worship. ”

“ In the daily creation of Brahmâ, Animals, Men, Pitris and Devas are born according to their own Karma.
During the Manvantara, Bhagavân preserves this universe by His own Satva, directly as Manvantara Avatâras and indirectly as Manus and others. When Pralaya approaches, Bhagavân withdraws His Śaktis (or powers) . Trilokî is then burnt up by fires from the mouth of Sankarshana. Bhrigu and other dwellers of Mahar Loka proceed to Jana Loka. The waters of Pralaya sweep away everything before them. In that watery expanse, Hari remains seated upon the coils of Ananta, with His eyes closed. ”

“ If he goes beyond the limits of temperance and moderation he gets some unpleasant experience. If he does something wrong, he feels the painful consequence. The sting of pain makes Puranjana ponder over what he does. He registers the pleasurable and painful experiences and reasons about the causes and effects. He tries to know what is right and what is wrong.
With the power of discrimination in its infancy, with the "enjoyment" nature or the self-seeking Asuric element too strong in him, Puranjana, the Kumaric soul, is helpless. He is drifted away, though sometimes much against his will. ”

“ The Lord brought about this change by permeating the whole universe with His Satva body, or becoming something like the spiritual soul in every being. Therefore Lord Krishna is in the hearts of all beings and can be perceived by all in meditation. He is everywhere, in every atom. Whether Sri Krishna is Bhagavat Himself or some manifestation of Bhagavat makes no difference whatever. By His works, He is Bhagavat. His worshippers are bound for the abode of Bhagavat. They have not to wait in Brahmâ or Satya Loka, till the end of Brahmâ's life. Those who worship. ”

“ Uddhava informed the Gopis that he was the secret messenger of Krishna. He then delivered the following message from Bhagavân: — "You have no separation from me, for I am all-pervading. As the five elements earth, water, air, fire and ether enter into the composition of all beings, so I underlie Manas, Prana, the Bhûtas and the Indriyas, as also the Gunas themselves. I create, preserve and destroy self in self by self. By my Mâyâ, I become the Bhûtas, the Indriyas and the Gunas. But Âtmâ is pure, it is all consciousness (Jnâna) , separate, unconnected with the Gunas. ”

“ Kapila replied, "By unselfish performance of duties, by purification of mind, by intense Bhakti in Bhagavân fostered by the recital of His glory, by wisdom based on the knowledge of the Tatvas, by strong dispassion, by austere yoga, by intense concentration on Âtmâ, Prakriti becomes daily subdued and it is finally consumed, even as the wood is consumed by its own fire, caused by constant friction. Given up as already enjoyed and constantly found fault with, Prakriti does no harm to the Purusha centred in Self. Dreams do harm in sleep. ”

“ Try, when thou hast enjoyed all the things of the world and hast grown old". But Dhruva was fixed in resolve and he importuned Nârada to teach him how to meditate. Nârada initiated Dhruva into the mysteries of the Mantra "Om Namo Bhagavate Vâsudevaya", told him how to meditate on Vâsudeva and asked him to make Tapas at Mathurâ where Bhagavân permanently resides. Dhruva passed his days in austere asceticism, standing on one foot and living on air. The prince at last controlled his breath and with deep concentration saw the Divine Light in the heart. ”

“ Of the sons of Rishabha, nine became well-versed in Âtmâ Vidya. They were Kavi, Hari, Antariksha, Prabuddha, Pippalayana Avirhotra, Drumila, Chamasa, and Kara-bhâjana.
The Rishis of Bharata Varsha were performing Yajna at the place of Nimi and these nine Rishis went there.
Nimi asked the Rishis about the path of Bhagavat.
Kavi said: —
The path of Bhagavat consists of such expedients as the Lord mentioned Himself (for those that are not wise) for the speedy acquisition of self knowledge. In following this Path, man is not overcome by obstacles (as in the path of Yoga) . ”

“ The Âdityas who guided the early elementals had to be crushed, so that separateness might grow. Pushan and Bhaga were therefore overpowered by the attendants of Śiva at the sacrifice of Daksha.
The Âdityas who guide humanity in their return to spirituality are themselves high spiritual energies, the highest Devas of our Trilokî.
Our evolution is thus two-fold — individual and non-individual. When we work as individuals, we are under the influence of Daityas. When we want to cast off separateness, we are under the influence of the Âdityas. ”