Bhagavatam first canto study 5 – 1.2.1-1.2.8 – The Bhagavatam’s speaker and subject are radically exalted

Hare Krishna. Welcome back to the study of the first canto of the Srimad Bhagavatam. We will now begin with the second chapter of the first canto, which is entitled by Srila Prabhupada as Divinity and Divine Service.
Vyasa Vacha Iti Samprishna Samristo Vipranam Ramaharshini Pratipojya Vachastesham Pravaktu Upachakrame So Vyasa Vacha, so Vyasadeva is narrating this, is speaking this. Vyasadeva is the overall author, overall narrator of the Bhagavatam. He put it down, the narration in written form.
So he is the author. Iti Samprishna Samristo being satisfied with these questions. Vipranam Ramaharshini The questions of Vipras, Ramaharshini was satisfied.
Pratipojya Vachastesham and offering, thanking them for their words. Pravaktu Upachakrame He attempted to speak. So the setting is that the sages are gathered at Nameshharanya and they have asked several important questions to to Suta Goswami and those questions are now being answered by Suta Goswami.
So it is described over there. Now generally there are the questions which reveal the level of the questioner. So the questions which have been asked over here are profound and seeing this profound level of questions the sages have become satisfied.
They have become pacified. They have become the sages themselves are alive and know these are good questions that have been asked but most importantly the sages are going to answer the question. Suta Goswami is especially gratified because these are very insightful questions.
Samprishna, he is satisfied and now he after offering due respect to the questioner begins to answer the question. So he begins first by offering obeisances to his spiritual master Suta Vacha. So it’s a very amazing glorification that is offered over here.
Normally speaking if somebody is going to be a speaker and we are going to introduce the speaker we would talk about how that person who God say has got a degree from here, doctorate from there, has got this award. So we talk about the qualifications of that person but would we introduce someone oh this person is a college dropout or worst it is a school dropout. This person did not get any education at all.
Normally speaking even if it were true we would not talk about it. We would leave it for the people to infer whatever they wanted to infer. But here it’s so amazing that Suta Goswami is glorifying his spiritual master by saying So who is this I offer my obeisances to that person He did not perform any purificatory rituals and no samskaras were performed for him.
Normally a person for whom samskaras are not performed is considered to be uncivilised and in the Vedic tradition Vedic culture if such a person is there that person is considered to be a low level person So now why is it being stated over here that oh he is a person who did not perform any purificatory rituals. The point is that he is so great so advanced, so transcendental that no purificatory rituals are required for him. Separation One who is afflicted by separation from you Ajuhava Ajuhava He called out And what happened when he called out Putre ti tanmai taya Tarbo bhinne dos Putre iti Oh my son Please come Putre ti tanmai taya Tanmai taya So although he called out Tanmai, his conscience was completely absorbed in him Tarbo Bhinne dos Tarbo So when he called out, normally speaking So again another point of glorification has been talked about over here It’s normal human culture that if somebody calls out to me I should turn around and at least acknowledge Yes, what can I do for you That’s what normally we would do Again would we glorify someone Oh this person when somebody calls him out he does not respond only What kind of glorification is this So the point again is to recognise that he was so transcendental He was so transcendental that he had no attachment, no affection Now further it’s being said over here It’s not just, suppose some stranger is calling us and we feel that the stranger may just be a nuisance then we may not respond to that person’s call But if it’s a familiar person calling then we would normally respond Especially say if a father is calling out to a son, it’s a matter of basic human culture to respond But if the father calls and son doesn’t respond, we wonder what is going on What kind of son is this And further if the son doesn’t respond and we would say at the very least The son is a very absent minded person That would be a charitable way of saying it Maybe the son is lost in his own thoughts that’s why he did not respond The more cutting response would be that How insensitive, how disrespectful If we call someone and that person doesn’t respond itself It’s very strange, but again Here Suta Goswami is glorifying Shukadeva Goswami as Putreti tanmai tayataravah bhivedas That when his father, Vyasadev called him out called out to him The only response was the echoes of the trees So now the echoes of the trees could mean that that his sound went to the trees and it echoed back or it could also mean the trees were also calling out The trees were echoing his call in the sense that his call was echoing back from the trees or they were echoing the calling they were reiterating his call And the second meaning that they were reiterating his call is hinted by And to that being who is in the hearts of all living beings So he enters into the heart of all living beings because of his non-enviousness, because of his compassion, because of his loving nature, he endures himself to all living beings and therefore I offer my obeisances So again the point of the Bhagavatam which is mentioned in the second verse So just as the Bhagavatam rejects conventional notions of dharma calling them as subordinate dharma or even cheating religion So similarly the Bhagavatam’s primary speaker flouts and transcends normal notions of respectability and that is his glory So the Bhagavatam’s glory is what? That its speaker transcends that speaker doesn’t care for normal conventions and that is mentioned in two ways that the speaker did not talk for normal education, did not bother about normal rituals of purification and did not respond to a normal call, so how utterly transcendental he was how utterly detached from the world he was that is being depicted So sometimes you know the glorification of a person can be done in normal way, oh he did this and suppose you want to glorify a learned person, he’s got this degree and he has won this award and he has written this book we can talk about various various accomplishments but sometimes just one vision, one image can capture the accomplishment of a person in a pertinent way so for example say there is a famous author and that author wins a Nobel prize and just that person’s receiving a Nobel prize, one image is there now that one image can speak a lot we don’t have to tell other things also, that image can convey a lot similarly this verse when it is glorifying Suta Goswami it just draws one image one scene from his life is depicted through this verse to bring out the glory of Suta Goswami how extraordinary is this person that without caring for education without caring for purification without caring for normal family reciprocation just renounces the world in the pursuit of the absolute so that Shukdev that Shukdev, Muniman I offer my obeisances so such is the right, in the beginning itself Suta Goswami is glorifying his Guru in such an extraordinary way thereby conveying to us the extraordinariness of the message that is going to follow so it’s the third text yasvānubhāvam akhilÅ›ruti sāramekam adhyātmādhÄ«pam athitÄ«rÅ›atāṁ tam ondham samsārinām karunayāḥ purāṇa-guhiyam tam vyāsasunum upayāmi gurum munÄ«nām yasvānubhāvam akhilÅ›ruti sāramekam now further his glory is being described over here Shukdev Goswami’s glory is being described by his disciple Suta Goswami yasvānubhāvam svanubhāvam by his own personal experience by his realisation akhilÅ›ruti sāramekam the question had been asked what is the essence of all the scriptures please tell us the essence of the scriptures so he is saying that this great akhilÅ›ruti sāramekam he has understood the one essence of all the scriptures adhyātma-dÄ«pam athitÄ«rÅ›atāṁ tam ondham adhyātma-dÄ«pam adhyātma so adhyātma-dÄ«pam refers to the point here that actually he was effulgent, what was effulgent about him effulgence in him was he was himself like a light or he offered the light, adhyātma-dÄ«pam dÄ«pa, the torchlight of transcendental wisdom transcendental knowledge athitÄ«rÅ›atāṁ tam ondham tam ondham the darkness of ignorance for transcending athitÄ«rÅ›atāṁ samsārÄ«nāṁ karunayāḥ purāṇa-guhiyam samsārÄ«nāṁ for those who are trapped in samsara karunayāḥ purāṇa-guhiyam karunayāḥ out of compassion for them purāṇa-guhiyam he offered this very confidential purāṇa, very special purāṇa he offered to them, he taught them what is the nature of this purāṇa tam, what is the nature of that person tam vyāsa-sunyam upayāmi guru-munÄ«nām and to that vyāsa-sunyam, the son of Vyāsadeva, upayāmi I offer my respects, I bow down to him guru-munÄ«nām he is the guru of the sages so in this verse, his glory is described by that for people who are samsārÄ«s, trapped in material existence, out of his compassion, he offered the torchlight of transcendental knowledge karunayāḥ purāṇa-guhiyam and that is the confidential purāṇa and akhileshu-ti-sāramÄ«kam, the confidential purāṇa, which is the, it’s interesting shuddhi-sāramÄ«kam, it is the sāra of the Å›rutis Å›rutis are the Vedas and it is the sāra of this so in this way, he is further glorifying, so the previous verse talked about how his personal qualities and this verse talked about his gift, the big benediction that he has given in terms of revealing this great purāṇa so 1.2.4 then he offers obeisances to others nārāyanaṁ namaská¹›tya naraṁ caiva narottamam devīṁ sarasvatīṁ vyāsam tojāyam udhÄ«rayet nārāyanaṁ namaská¹›tya so unto nārāyana, I offer my obeisances namaská¹›tya, namaská¹›tya namaská¹›tya, means I offer my obeisances to nārāyaṇa naraṁ caiva narottamam and naraṁ narottama so here he is referring to nārāyaṇa now if we, there are various traditions there are various lineages in which the bhāgavatam has come down and one of the lineages is that which comes down from nārāyaṇa so devīṁ sarasvatīṁ vyāsam so unto sarasvatīṁ devÄ«, she is the goddess of learning and her blessings are required any any learned endeavour is to meet with success and then further it is stated over here vyāsam, vyāsa is of course the foremost of the Vedic preceptors and it is to him that here the obeisances are being offered and then it says tatojāyam udhÄ«rayet and udhÄ«rayet I’ll speak tatojāyam, that which will conquer so the message that is going to be spoken that is going to conquer our illusion and in order to speak such a great message I seek blessings of my elders and those elders whose blessings he is going to seek, he talks, he mentions over here, so first after in two verses talking about foremost spiritual mentor from him who wrote the bhāgavatam, then he talks about nārāyaṇa doshÄ« sarasvatÄ« devÄ« and the vyāsadeva and then he moves on in 1.5 1.2.5 munaya sādhu kṛṣṭhoham bhavadbhir lokamangalam yatkutaḥ kṛṣṇa sampraÅ›ino yenātmā suprasÄ«dati munaya sādhu kṛṣṭhoham munaya, whose age is sādhu kṛṣṭhoham, sādhu means good I think good questions have been asked over here, munaya sādhu kṛṣṭhoham bhavadbhir lokamangalam the questions which you have asked lokamangalam, actually great good of all living beings will happen by that yatkutaḥ kṛṣṇa sampraÅ›ino by such questions about Krishna what happens? yenātmā suprasÄ«dati by such questions about Krishna ātmā suprasÄ«dati one gets innermost happiness one’s very soul becomes filled, becomes satisfied becomes enriched, becomes enlivened and that is the perfection of life the highest satisfaction will come through such questions so sometimes when questions are asked the question is very good the speaker feels pleased because he feels satisfied because now the speaker can talk about an important subject in a way that is relevant to the audience normally the speaker may talk about an important subject but the audience may not feel the relevance but if somebody from the audience asks the question, then that asking of the question itself indicates the relevance because at least that person, that questioner feels that it’s relevant and if it’s not just some abstract question about some technicality but it’s a question of urgent practical relevance, then what happens by that? one becomes very pleased, speaker becomes pleased, the speaker answers the question over here so that’s what is happening here the speaker, Suta Goswami has become very pleased with this question and then he answers so actually the answers begin from the next text savaipuṁ sāṃparo dharmo yato bhaktir dhoká¹£aje ahaitukÄ«ya pratihata yai ātmā suprasÄ«dati so this is 1, 2, 6, celebrated verse from the ÅšrÄ« Bhāgavatam this verse actually underscores the universality of the message of the Bhāgavatam savaipuṁ sāṃparo dharmo paro dharmo the supreme dharma now the supreme dharma here, what is that savaipuṁ sāṃparo dharma yato bhaktir dhoká¹£aje yato bhakti by which bhakti is performed what kind of bhakti? adhoká¹£aje adhoká¹£aje means unto the lord who is adhāká¹£aja, who is beyond sense perception ahaitukÄ«ya pratihata ahaitukÄ«ya pratihata that lord who is ahaitukÄ«ya and apratihata that bhakti which is uninterrupted and unmotivated ahaitukÄ«ya pratihata yātmā suprasiddhati this actually satisfies the heart of a person what the verse is underscoring is if you want satisfaction in life we cannot get it very easily to get satisfaction we need to offer pure love there are several important points in this verse paro dharmo the bhāgavatam raises itself above all sectarianism by giving a non-sectarian criteria for the topmost religion it doesn’t say hindus or christianity or whatever is the supreme topmost religion, it says that which is the topmost religion that which actually leads to purification that which leads to the purification by which one comes to the level of pure love so again that means even if whatever specific path one follows, if one comes to the level of pure love, that is the purpose and perfection of religion so paro dharmo is talks about universality of the transcendental religion adhoká¹£aje it talks about that invisibility to some extent inconceivability normally when we want to love someone we want to see that person people see each other and often it is love at first sight so the idea is that there is sight and then there is love but the point which is made here is that actually this lord is beyond sight adhoká¹£aje adhoká¹£aje means he who is beyond sense perception aksha is eyes ja is born of akshaja is the knowledge that is born of the eyes that means knowledge that comes from visual perception adha akshaja adha means to push down so that lord who pushes down the knowledge that is born from sense perception that means that lord is beyond knowledge of sense perception such a lord what happens about what is talked about him such a lord it is he who is being worshipped over here it is he who is being glorified over here it is he who is being celebrated and cherished over here as the supreme being adhoká¹£aje so the inconceivability of this love is that although he is beyond sight we can actually develop love that is that is beyond normal conceptions of love normally whatever relationship we have they are motivated and they are interrupted there is a particular purpose for which we develop the relationship and when that purpose is no longer being served or that purpose is fulfilled we feel what is the need for that relationship ahai tu kiya pratibhata that actually speaking there is no interruption there is no motivation nayatma suprasidati such a practise will actually satisfy the heart now the previous verse also said it will satisfy the heart this also says satisfy the heart but the previous verse is saying that such questions will satisfy the heart but now the questions will satisfy the heart in the what sense the answers to those questions will satisfy the heart and what answer will satisfy the answer that we have to develop pure love in order to attain perfection in our life and that’s what is talked about over here so next verse goes on vasudeve bhagwati bhakti yoga prayojita janayatya shivairagyam jnanam jaya dahai tu kamu vasudeve bhagwati beautiful verse somebody may ask this question suta goswami is speaking to all these devotees and they are all of different orientations if not all of them are devotees so so unto that all pervading lord so the question may come up you are saying bhakti is the highest but actually jnan and vairagya very important isn’t it so what about jnan and vairagya so it’s explained that jnan and vairagya are implied they are automatically going to come for someone who has got bhakti bhakti yoga prayojita bhakti yoga if one practises bhakti one applies bhakti towards the supreme lord janayatya shivairagyam janayati actually is born very quickly ashvairagyam soon vairagyam renunciation is born jnanam chayadahaitukam and knowledge is also born it is not motivated it is transcendental knowledge so rather than stating that so normal conception of people is that to advance spiritually to transcend the world you have to develop knowledge and renunciation bhagavatam says yes these are important but they are not the most important in transcendence actually they are byproducts of bhakti so vasudeve bhagavati this verse actually also conveys a conjugal metaphor that unto that supreme lord bhakti yoga prayojita so when bhakti is offered to the lord bhakti is our heart’s love when we offer our heart’s love to the lord what happens at that time that offering of bhakti to the lord leads to the leads to the birth of two children in a famous narrative in the puranas it is stated about how bhaktidevi had two children and in kaliyuga these two children had become old and bhakti is young but the children have become old and emaciated so those two children are jnan and vairagya the idea is that jnan and vairagya cannot be independently cultivated in this world but bhakti can be cultivated and jnan and vairagya will follow the point is conveyed that if the mother is there without the mother the children cannot come and when the mother is there and the mother gives thanks to the father then automatically the children come so the point is that there is no need to pursue jnan and vairagya separately jnan and vairagya will both come when there is bhakti so here the possible concern or possible objection is anticipated and responded to that bhakti is supreme jnan and vairagya are important but they will come automatically there is no need to separately endeavour for them in the eighth text dharmah svanushtitah pumsam vishvakse nakathasuyah nautpadhe yadhiratim shramaye vahikebalam dharmah svanushtitah pumsam dharmah that dharmah which is our individual practise svanushtitah pumsam that dharmah which each of us is practising according to our nature, pumsam vishvakse nakathasuyah vishvakse nakathasuyah so actually speaking different people have different dharmah, svanushtitah means that may be a person among brahmachari dharmah or brahmana dharmah shudra dharmah or whatever dharma is there vishvakse nakathasuyah if one does not directly answer to the supreme lord vishvakse if one does not become attracted to the katha of vishvakse nautpadhe yadhiratim if one does not develop prati for him then shramaye vahikebalam it’s all shramaye it’s all this shrama it’s a waste of time, it’s a waste of time waste of time, just useless labour this is again a very powerful message from the bhagavatam which actually contrasts strongly the the varnashram the varnashram based narrative which was there in the vedic framework that one has to do one’s duty and only by doing one’s duty one can become elevated so akshudra has to do shudra’s duty vaishya has to do vaishya’s duty the brahmana has to do brahmana’s duty now all that is good in the bhagavatam it is all good but it is not sufficient the point is not just to do duty the point is to know the purpose of doing one’s duty and the purpose is actually to develop attraction to the lord if one does not develop attraction towards the lord it’s a waste of time so in this way the bhagavatam actually challenges many of the existing dharmic conventions by raising the issue how can actually doing one’s duty be a waste of time the bhagavatam offers a radical differentiation between the material conceptions of religion and spirituality so after all dharma, samasthita or brahman, shudra, akshudra it’s all based on matter it’s all based on material self-conceptions it’s based on bodily identification and although whatever duties we have according to our social roles based on our current bodily designations those are important in their own way for our material maintenance, for the maintenance of social harmony, for the maintenance of family but from the ultimate point of view they in themselves do not lead to any lasting gain for that we need to connect with the lord for that we need to devote ourselves to the lord and that becoming devoted to the lord is what is stressed in this text but unless we devote ourselves to him we cannot actually become satisfied we cannot actually become purified, we cannot actually become liberated and that’s why it’s it’s actually a waste of time this theme will be explored further repeatedly in the bhagavatam where normal hierarchies will be reversed and normal conventions of superiority and inferiority will be challenged time and time again where for example a demon is revealed to be greater than indra devata or the other brahmin are considered to be higher than their husbands and more spiritually evolved than their husbands so like that durvasa muni, a brahmana is shown as less self-controlled than than ambarish maharaj who is a kshatriya and who is a as contrasted to durvasa muni who is a sannyasi, so this theme will be illustrated again and again in the stories of the bhagavatam but this theme is again in this particular context it is continuing how bhakti is the highest so in the 6th verse it is written bhakti is the highest dharma what about jnana and vairagya, that was answered in the 7th text, it will automatically come by bhakti, what about one’s duty yes, one’s prescribed duty if it does not lead to bhakti it is just a useless labour in this way the paramount significance of bhakti is being unambiguously unequivocally uncompromisingly emphasised by shukadeva swami we will continue our discussion in our future talks, thank you Hare Krishna