Bhagavatam depicts how Bhakti inverts the traditional social hierarchies
Throughout the Bhagavatam and especially in the 10th Canto, the Bhagavatam inverts traditional hierarchies. Traditional hierarchies means, say for example, a Brahmana is considered to be higher than a Kshatriya. A Sanyasi is considered to be higher than a Grihastha.
But there is one Bhagavatam pastime which shows how a Kshatriya and a Grihastha turns out to be greater than a Brahmana and a Sanyasi. Which is that pastime? Yes, Durvasa Muni and Ambarish Maharaj. So, the Bhagavatam depicts how Bhakti inverts all hierarchies.
There are social hierarchies, but Bhakti inverts those hierarchies. Normally, the Devatas are considered to be much much better and greater than the Asuras. But there is a pastime in which the Asura turns out to be greater.
Which is that pastime? Pratharasura. Similarly, if we consider that normally the Devatas pray to Vishnu for help. And Vishnu comes to the help of the Devatas.
But there is a pastime in which Vishnu comes, Vishnu disregards the Devatas and actually is pleased with the Asura. In fact, Vishnu comes not to protect the Devatas, but to protect an Asura. Not exactly Asura.
If I tell who it is, then the answer is clear. It is, which is the pastime? Prahalad. Yes.
He comes to actually save, Prahalad is not Asura, he is a child of Asura. But Asura Yoni. So, similarly, in the tradition, these hierarchies are there.
Bhagavatam will demonstrate in this pastime how, if the wives of the Brahmanas, because they have devotion and the husbands themselves, it is not that they don’t have devotion, but they are stuck much more with rituals. And thus, in this pastime, the wives turn out to be much much greater. Much greater devotees than their husbands.
So, all traditional hierarchies in the Bhagavatam are inverted. And this culminates in the pastime of the Gopis. Where the Gopis leave everything for Krishna.
And leaving one’s home at night to go and meet some unknown man. That is actually considered to be immoral and improper. But when the Gopis go to do that, that is considered to be the supreme morality.
So, in this way, the Bhagavatam’s mood is to very dramatically demonstrate how bhakti is all important. And how bhakti inverts all pre-existing social hierarchies.