Conceptual, conversational and chronological background of the Bhagavatam’s creation narrative

Hare Krishna.

This is a fairly technical section. So I would like to give some background before we get to the technicality. And since I will be giving the classes for the next 2-3 days, so I will continue the flow what I did in today's class in future classes.

So today, before we go to the technicality, I will give the conceptual, conversational and chronological structure of the Bhagavata, by which we can understand the context in which this discussion is going on. So, from the conceptual point of view, the Bhagavata Purana, the word Bhagavata itself is related to Bhagavan. That which is centred on Bhagavan.

And, in the Bhagavata Purana, the various stories, various concepts, various systems of thought are shown to be ultimately theistic. To be ultimately centred on a personal absolute truth. The Bhagavata Purana is an eternal book.

The Srimad Bhagavatam, I should not refer to it. So, it is an eternal book. At the same time, when it was put by Vyasate in written form, when it was depicted as a conversation between Vishwamitra and Parikshit Maharaj, the purpose of the Bhagavatam was to help Parikshit Maharaj to focus his mind on the Supreme Lord in the last seven days before he was going to depart from the world.

So, Antep, Narayana, Siddhi. And, so, for this central purpose of helping to fix the mind in the Lord. Now, there are two ways, two broad ways in the Vedic tradition of turning towards transcendence.

One is by the rejection of matter. That there is a rigid separation between matter and spirit and reject the material and turn towards the spiritual. And the second way is by the connection of matter with spirit.

Now, what I am speaking, the nomenclature I use, there are no technical connotations. But broadly, the Vedantic way, Vedanta is one of the systems of thought in the Indian systems of thought. I'll talk about it a little later more.

But in Vedanta, there is a rigid separation of matter and spirit. Just as we see something like that in the Bhagavad Gita second chapter. Krishna says, you are not the body, you are the soul.

So, separate the matter from the spirit and focus on the spirit. So, this leads to a largely world rejecting form of spirituality. Because the world is material.

And you have to go beyond this world to spirit. The other method, this is rejecting matter for the sake of spirit, is largely the centre of Vedanta, not just Vedanta. The Jnana aspect of Vedanta.

So, in Jnana Marga, in Karma Marga, essentially, the idea is that this world is an enjoyable place. But you just have to make some adjustments. Now, modern times, people may think that you have to make technological adjustments.

But in the past, people would think that you have to make karmic adjustments. That means, I have to do some Punya, I have to do some Yajna, I have to satisfy some Devatas. And then, this world will become a happy place.

So, broadly speaking, the attitudes towards the world can be classified into three. In the Karma Marga, the world is romanticised. Oh, this is a wonderful place.

Just do the right Karma, do the right Punya, then you will enjoy it. And there are scriptures of heaven which are given, or how much enjoyment is available in heaven. So, the Karmi is romanticise the world.

The Jnani is demonise the world. Demonise the world. Oh, this world is full of temptation, entanglement, misery.

The only way you can protect yourself from misery is by renouncing the world. So, the Jnana Marga is, as I said, separation of matter and state. So, the Jnani is demonise the world.

Karmi is romanticise the world. Jnani is demonise the world. Bhaktas utilise the world.

Utilise means that we understand that this world, in and of itself, is not a place of happiness. But this world is also the energy of the Supreme Lord. And because it is energy of the Supreme Lord, when it is connected to the energy of the day, then even the resources of this world, when we use the service of the Lord, can provide us spiritual happiness.

So, now, the Bhagavata of course, is ultimately a Bhakti book. But it is not just a Bhakti book isolated from its broad context. That means the Bhagavatam doesn't say that, just fix the mind in the absolute truth, don't bother about the world.

No, it says, we are in the world, we will observe the world, so how can we see the world in a God-centred way, in a Krishna- centred way. That is the focus of the Bhagavata. And at every time in history, there are certain systems of thought that are developed.

And those, it is the challenge of the theistic thinkers of those times to show how one can see God even through those systems of thought. So, the Bhagavatam, its heart is the tenth candle, where there is the description of the pastimes of Krishna, when he descended from the spiritual world and manifested his pastimes in Vrindavan. But to build up towards the tenth candle, the Bhagavatam also describes, so there is the spiritual world, where Krishna performs his pastimes and Krishna descends to the material world where he can behold his spiritual pastimes.

But before describing those pastimes, the Bhagavatam gives us a devotional vision of the world itself. So, nature can be conceived as connected with the absolute truth and by seeing that connection, we can remember God even when we are observing it. So, this connection of the absolute with the connection of the world with the absolute is done largely in three sections of the Bhagavatam.

With respect to three things. In the second canto, with respect to the Virat Rupa, in the third canto, with respect to Sankhya and the fifth canto, with respect to Cosmology. So, now, these three are three different frameworks by which the world is analysed.

So, for example, the second canto, there is the Vishwa Rupa. Now, what exactly is the Vishwa Rupa? There itself Shukadeva Goswami says that this is Kalpita. Kalpita Rupa translates as imagined.

That means, for those people who are very enamoured by the greatness of the world, then for them to conceive the world in terms of the absolute truth, they also need some great conception of the absolute truth. So, then for them, it is told, you can envision the eyes of the absolute truth, half the sun and the moon. The bones of the absolute truth are the mountains.

The river, the big big trees, they are the hair of the absolute truth, on the Virat Rupa of the absolute truth. So, the point of this is that when we look at the world, we can conceive that this world is connected with God. And this theme of the Vishwa Rupa comes repeatedly in the Bhagavatam.

In the Bhagavatam, the term is used for Virat Rupa, not Vishwa Rupa. So, the Virat Rupa comes many times in the prayers in which Vidura offers, which either Vidura offers or Dhava offers or Devata offers. Repeatedly this theme comes.

And interestingly, if you read it carefully, we find that at different places, somewhat different aspects of the form of the absolute truth are compared with different parts of the universe. Sometimes the bones will be compared to one thing, sometimes the bones will be compared to another thing. The point here is that it is not that here there is a universe and there is some form of God in which the eyes of the sun and the moon.

There is no such form like that exists in the universal cosmology. There is no specific Loka called the Virat Rupa Loka. The Virat Rupa includes the universe.

So, where can the Virat Rupa live? If the Virat Rupa is actually a person who lives somewhere. So, it's not exactly a person. The Virat Rupa is a conceptualisation.

And the purpose of the conceptualisation is to help people connect the world with God. That is the second point. I am not going to the technicality of the Virat Rupa.

Just going over it right now. The second way in which the Bhagavatam connects the world with God is through the framework of Sankhya. Sankhya is in itself a system of thought.

In the broad Indian tradition, there are six systems of thought that developed. And the Bhagavatam actually integrates all six of them and shows them how they are ultimately Krishna centred. So, Sankhya is a system.

The word Sankhya also means counting. Sankhya, to count. So, Sankhya essentially involves, okay, we are all attracted to this world.

So, now if we deconstruct the world and look at its component ingredients, then the infatuation with the world can subside. So, if there are attractive sense objects which captivate our imagination. But if we analyse and think, ultimately what is this made of? It's made of earth, water, fire, air, ink, our mind integrates it.

And if there is a lump of earth lying somewhere, if a glass of water lying somewhere, it's not that I would madly fall in love with a glass of water or a lump of earth. Infatuation, which we have the sense objects that can largely be reduced if we can deconstruct them and see them as made of their component elements. The purpose of Sankhya is this kind of detachment through deconstruction.

Detach ourselves from the world by deconstructing the attractive objects of this world into their components. So, now in this section of the Bhagavatam, the Sankhya analysis given and Sankhya, how it is connected with the absolute truth is described. So, Sankhya as a system of thought is not necessarily theistic.

It can be theistic, but purpose of Sankhya is simply to analyse the material elements. So, in the Mahabharata it is described that there are three systems of Sankhya. There is what they call as 24 Sankhya, 25 Sankhya and 26 Sankhya.

24 Sankhya means, basically the world is analysed into these elements and consciousness is seen just as a product of the elements and the purpose of life is to dissolve the sense of consciousness. Now, again these are very complex concepts. I am giving simple outlines.

Basically, it is thought that there is nothing beyond the world. There is 24 Sankhya. Then there is 25 Sankhya where there is Prakriti and there is Purusha.

So, there is consciousness and there is matter. And there is 26 Sankhya which is the Bhagavatam Sankhya where there is Prakriti which is made up of 24 elements. There is Purusha who is the 25th element that is all of us, the souls.

And then there is Purushottama, the supreme soul. So, the Bhagavatam uses the Sankhya frame of analysis but after using this frame of analysis it gives some additional vital details which are missing in the system of Sankhya which is disconnected from the world. So, when I am talking about system of Sankhya, every system of thought is broadly like a map.

When we draw a map of a country, we can have a map that describes the physical terrain, we can have a map that describes the road transport systems. We can have a map that is primarily suited for say archaeological expeditions. What is the nature of the soil below the top surface.

So, different maps have different purposes and if we look at different maps, sometimes in some geography books you will have a physical map, you will have a transportation map, you will have political map. It is the same thing but it is analysed in different perspectives. So, like that the six systems of philosophy or in general the system of philosophy is basically a map of reality.

So, now the Bhagavatam explains how in various maps there is God over there. The connection of these various systems of thought with God is revealed. So, conceptually in this third candle the Bhagavatam is connecting the Sankhya system of analysis with Krishna and showing how Parikshit Maharaj is already familiar with Sankhya.

So, because that was prevailing system of thought and what Shukadeva Swami is doing is telling him that how you can see the Sankhya in a devotional way. So, for example what is happening to your contemporary example. It was we all have studied science and we studied many equations, we studied atoms, we studied molecules and normally when we studied our purpose when we studied academically there is no God in the subject.

But actually if we study the writings of some of the deepest scientists from India there is a famous mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan he said that an equation for me has no meaning unless it represents a thought of God. An equation for me has no meaning unless it represents a thought of God. So, for example E is equal to MC square.

This was the equation that Einstein proposed to explain the interchangeability of matter and spirit. Now this, there is no God in it. But still the question remains how did this equality come about? E is equal to MC square how did this equality come out? So, if the whole this is still a big subject but if the universe is just something which exploded from something then first of all maths itself is just a concept in our mind.

There are numbers and there are equations and there are equalities. So, why should some concept in our mind correlate with something in the outside world and correlate to a mathematical degree? Degree of mathematical precision. So, this way what is happening? We have knowledge of science but we can see the spiritual within science through this connection.

Okay, I have studied so many equations but what made these elements in nature equal to each other in such a precise way? That is the action of God. So, just as we can see God through material science also similarly the Bhagavatam, the prevailing system of thought at that time was Samkhya. So, the Bhagavatam shows us how we can see God through Samkhya.

So, this is with respect to the conceptual development and of course the same thing the Bhagavatam will do with respect to cosmology. There was a particular conception of cosmos that was prevalent at that time and the Bhagavatam shows how within this conception of cosmos we can focus on God. We can focus primarily on Dharma and ultimately the goal of Dharma that is Krishna.

Now, with respect to the conversational flow of the Bhagavatam there is sometimes in computers you have nested loops. One loop within another, within another. So, like that there are nested conversations in the Bhagavatam.

So, this is currently what is going on is the third level of nesting. The outermost frame is with respect to Bhagavatam it's actually the most outermost would be Vyasadev is speaking to audience for all time to come. Vyasadev puts it in writing.

But the first frame is within the Bhagavatam itself it is Suta Goswami speaking to the sages of Naimishar. So, that starts with the first canto, first chapter and that's the whole meta frame of the Bhagavatam. Within that the conversation is second conversation is Shukadev Goswami speaks to Parikshit Maharaj.

That starts from the last few words in the first canto where Parikshit Maharaj asks some questions and Shukadev Goswami starts speaking practically from the second canto. That is the second level conversation. Now, there is a third level conversation which is within which words are being discussed.

That is the conversation between Maitreya and Vidura. So, Vidura has, while the Kurukshetra war was about to start, Vidura left the world, renounced the world, left his palace and went to the forest. He kept wandering for many many years.

The whole Kurukshetra war got over and many other things happened and he kept wandering. And then during his wanderings he meets Uddhava. This is described in the first 2-3 chapters of the Bhagavatam.

And he asks some questions to Uddhava. And Uddhava says that my senior, Maitreya Rishi is present over here right now. So, actually, specifically Vidura asks various questions.

What did Krishna speak before he departed from the world? So, then he says, actually I can speak but Maitreya was also present at that time. So, Maitreya Rishi will speak. So, then Vidura goes to Maitreya Rishi.

And he asks various questions to Maitreya. Maitreya is describing his answer. The third level frame.

At one place in the Bhagavatam, there is 6 levels of frame. And it can become very complicated. Who is speaking to whom? But, despite the complexity, there is a purpose that is served.

The purpose is that who is speaking to whom doesn't matter as much as what is being spoken. And, there is a remarkable consistency in the various conversations that have happened at different times, at different places, between different conversations. So, the multiple framing of the Bhagavatam's conversations conveys the timelessness of the message.

And there are so many different messages speaking at so many different times, but they all consistently spoke the same message. So, here, there is a third level framing. This is with respect to conversation.

Now, we are coming to the chronology. The chronological aspect of the Srimad Bhagavatam. Here, the Bhagavatam focusses on describing one day of Brahma.

So, largely, the Bhagavatam, as I said, the first chronology is that in the Bhagavatam, the sages of Naimisharanya are sitting, and then Suta Goswami comes and starts speaking. The first canto fully describes, the whole first canto is setting the scene. It first describes the background of who Shukadeva Goswami is.

Then all the chapters, starting from 7th chapter, the son of Drona punished. Up to the departure of Krishna, and then the departure of the Pandavas, and then Parikshit Maharaj being cursed. That is giving a background to the second conversation, that is Parikshit Maharaj.

And then how Parikshit Maharaj came to hear the Bhagavatam. So, from the chronological point of view, Bhagavatam has been spoken 5000 years ago. And then within that second canto, various subjects are described.

From the third canto onwards, the Bhagavatam can largely be read as a description of events in one day of Brahma. In one particular day of Brahma, what are the events happening? That's what the Bhagavatam is describing from the third canto onwards. And we see that the major section of the Bhagavatam is a description of the time of Swayambhu Manu.

That particular technicality I'll come to later. But there are 14 Manus in one day of Brahma. And from the third canto itself, here a few chapters, 12 chapters onwards, Swayambhu Manu will make his appearance.

And then the various avatars that appear in the time of Swayambhu Manu, they will be described. And connected with that, within the Manvantara of Swayambhu Manu, the avatars that appear and the great devotees that appear. That is described.

So, for example, in the third canto of Swayambhu Manu, from the third canto to the eighth canto is a description of Swayambhu Manu. In the eighth canto, there is a quick listing from the first Manu to the seventh Manu. And then from the eighth canto onwards, there is a description of Vaivasvata Manu.

Vaivasvata Manu is the Manu who, according to the cosmic timescale, is ruling now. And from the eighth canto onwards to the twelfth canto, till the eleventh canto ending more or less, it is the description of events within Vaivasvata Manu. And it was in the Vaivasvata Manu's time that Krishna also appeared.

So, this is the chronology of the Srimad Bhagavatam. So, largely, the Bhagavatam from the third canto onwards can be read as a description of important events within one day of Brahma. And within that day, the Bhagavatam doesn't give a detailed, blow-by-blow account of everything in history.

There was a famous historian, Wendurin, he wrote many volumes on books in history. And he said that the biggest lesson that we learn from history is that we don't learn anything. So, what he meant is that if you just look at history, people keep committing the same mistakes again and again.

You know, people succumb to lust, people succumb to greed, people succumb to pride, and people succumb to anger. And that's how wars happen, that's how conflicts happen. So, essentially, if you look at history in a mundane sense, you know, there are historians who have done phenomenal amount of work in trying to record history and to map history.

And their contributions can be appreciated. But from the perspective of ultimate meaning, if we see in history, it's just the repetition of the old. And there's one thinker who said even now, apart from history, there is news.

So, he said, what exactly is news? He said, news is old things happening to new people. Happening to new people. Old things happening to new people.

If this is sports news, what is it? Essentially, whether he has cricket or baseball or whatever sports, it's the same essential actions, but there's a new player, there's a new person who's batting, there's a new person who's bowling, new person who's fielding. That's not on the sports field, but outside in the world also, essentially the same events happen. So, I write for some spiritual columns in Indian newspapers.

So, Times of India is one of India's biggest papers. So, the editor of Times of India, it was the first paper that started a spiritual column. Some other papers also have.

So, when I wrote to that editor, I asked, how did Times of India pioneer this idea of a spiritual column in a newspaper? So, she gave an interesting reply. She said that the daily news is essentially a news of death, destruction and deceit. Oh, this accident happened over here, this person died.

Oh, this disaster happened. And then this scandal happened, this can happen. So, the daily news largely agitates people's mind.

So, we wanted some section of the newspaper which would pacify people's minds. That's why we started the spiritual column. So, the point which I am making is just a mundane account of history, whether it is ancient history or whether it is contemporary news.

But there is really, from the ultimate perspective, not much that is to be learned. Because ultimately, people just keep succumbing to the same passions again and again, keep doing the same mistakes. And even if people live a path of rectitude, live morally still, there is old age, there is disease, there is death.

Shankaracharya says, Punarappi jananam, punarappi maranam, punarappi jananni jathani sharanam. Iha sansare pahundustare, kripaya vare pahimurare. He says, what is the nature of material existence? Shankaracharya, at one level, was an impersonalist.

But at his heart, he was a devotee. And there are many devotional compositions also he made. So, the Bhaja Govinda prayers are the most celebrated among his devotional compositions.

Among the most celebrated in his devotional compositions. And there he says, what is the nature of materialism? Punarappi jananam, punarappi maranam. We go through birth, we are born, we die.

And again we are born, again we die. Punarappi jathani, punarappi jananni jathani sharanam. Once again, we go into the womb of some mother and from there we are born.

Iha sansare pahundustare. This sansar is filled with many, many difficulties. And therefore, kripaya vare pahimurare.

Oh, Lord Murari, just as you killed the demon Mura, similarly, rescue me from this Mura, demon-like sansare, this material existence. So, the point I am making is, this is the chronology of the Bhagavatam. The Bhagavatam doesn't go into a blow-by-blow account of all the events that happened in universal history.

It has a particular focus. The focus is, the Bhagavatam focusses on those times that can take us beyond time. The Bhagavatam focusses on those times that can take us beyond time.

How can we go beyond time? If we learn to love the eternal, if we redirect our attraction, our heart, from the temporary to the eternal, then we can attain the eternal, we can go beyond the influence of time. So, in the history of the universe, there have been great devotees who have performed fast times, who have manifested how to live in a way by which we can learn to love the Lord while we are in this world, and by being devoted to the Lord, we can transcend this world. So, that is how, by following their examples, we can go beyond time.

So, the Bhagavatam focusses on the times which can help us to go beyond time. By focussing on the times when the devotees perform either austerities, perform service, and show an example for us, how we can also perform service. And the second also, of course, the Bhagavatam does is, another way, it takes us, focusses on the times which take us beyond time, is by describing the times when the Supreme Lord descends into this world.

So, those are the times when, by meditating on His fast times, we can develop our attraction, and we can go beyond this world, if we learn to love Him. This also, if you see, in India, the Bhagavad Gita is often quoted. It is quoted not so much as a book or as a guidebook for living.

It is quoted as a evidence of official piety. Now, I also know Sanskrit. I also follow the Gita.

And people quote some verses. It is not so much for… Now, one day, one person came to Vishal Prabhupada and he said, Swamiji, I can recite the whole Bhagavad Gita in one hour. I memorised the whole Gita.

Prabhupada said, that's good. But can you live the Bhagavad Gita for one minute? That is important. So, if you see, in the Bhagavad Gita, many Indians, especially Hindus, they love to quote this 4.7 and 8. … … … … … So, that whenever there is adharma, then, Krishna says, I descend and I reach the abode of dharma.

And different people, anybody who wants to arrogate to themselves the cause of dharma, they say that actually, they quote these words. So, for example, in the Indian independence struggle, at that time, the, one of the political parties, a scam-tainted political party, Congress. So, at that time, that was the only political party at that time, more or less, before independence.

So, there are Congress leaders, who have written in their documents that actually, this British government is adharma. And Krishna has incarnated as an Indian National Congress. … … So, people often use the Bhagavad Gita for their own purposes.

There was a right-wing Hindu, he said, you know, India's greatest tragedy is that India did not follow the Bhagavad Gita. He says, if India had followed the Bhagavad Gita, what would have happened? Within 24 hours of the creation of Pakistan, India would have attacked and conquered Pakistan. That was his idea of the application of Bhagavad Gita.

He says, Pakistan is dharma, India is dharma, and dharma should conquer dharma. So, Prabhupada would of course sometimes quote 4.7 and 4.8, but if you hear Prabhupada's lectures, Prabhupada would quote 4.9 much more. 4.9 is, janma karma chalai devyam evam yo vetti tattvata, tattva deham punar janma naiti So, here Krishna is saying that if you meditate on my activities and on my appearance, if you understand them in truth, then you will go beyond this world, you can attain my abode.

tattva deham punar janma naiti, you know me born again, maam eti, you will come to me. So, now these verses have a flow, 4.7, 4.8 and 4.9. So, most people who are largely materialistic in their conceptions, they think the purpose of God is to maintain order in this world. And whenever there is disorder, God should come here and re-establish order.

Yes, God does descend and re-establish order, but the purpose of the world ultimately is not just to live an orderly way in this world, that is important, but this world, no matter how orderly we live, still it is temple, still there is death, destruction and ultimately distress. So, the purpose of the world is to go beyond this world. So, the purpose of the world is to inspire the soul to practise spiritual life, to turn towards what? The higher dimensions of life.

And the purpose of spiritual life is to make spiritual life our purpose. The purpose of spiritual life is to make spiritual life our purpose. That means we practise spiritual life now so that we can ascend to the spiritual level of existence and we can live spiritually forever.

Nowadays, spirituality is a very trendy word. People think that in the broad outer world, people often confuse the mind and the soul, mind and spirit. So, anything that offers any mental peace, they say it is spiritual.

And so, somebody does some visualising exercise. Before I was introduced to Krishna Consciousness, I used to go to various organisations. So, I remember there was one teacher, he said, now I will offer you all a spiritual experience.

So, normally the young college students are wondering what is going on. Close your eyes. Imagine that you are on the banks of the ocean.

You are on the banks of a river. It is a soothing rain. You feel the skin of your body relaxing.

You take deep breaths. You relax. You look at the sky above.

You look at the mountain. You hear the birds chirping. You feel calm the way you are walking.

You feel calm. You feel relaxed. You feel happy.

So, after that, all of us, yes, we had a very spiritual experience. So, now for most people, spirituality is essentially something that acts like a shock absorber for material life. When we are going on a road, if the road is bumpy, then if the vehicle has some shock absorber, then the jolts don't become so much.

So, like that, life in this world, there are many jolts. And the purpose of spirituality is to act like a shock absorber. I get some stress.

I go to spirituality. I go to spiritual life. I de-stress myself.

That's okay at one level. But then the purpose of spiritual life is ultimately to make spiritual life our purpose. It is to actually raise our consciousness to spiritual level and attain Krishna's spiritual kingdom.

So, I was saying that Prabhupada course 4.9 much more. Because Prabhupada's focus is not just establishing order in this world, but it's primarily to move out of this world and to attain the spiritual world. So, the Bhagavatam also has a similar focus.

In its chronology, it doesn't focus on all the historical events that happened. It focusses primarily on those times that can inspire us to go beyond time. So, when Krishna descends to this world, Krishna manifests his pastimes.

And by meditating on those pastimes, we can increase our attraction to him. And we can return to him. That way, we can attain his abode.

So, now, within the, as I said, from the third canto onwards, not third canto first chapter, but from the sixth chapter onwards, the Bhagavatam can be seen as a narrative of one day of Brahma. So, till now, what has happened in the day of Brahma within this particular narration. So, it describes how Brahma was born.

And when he was born, he was on a lotus. And just everything was dark. He couldn't see anything.

Who am I? Where am I? What am I? He had no idea of what to do. It was in complete darkness. And at that time, he heard the sound Tapa, Tapa.

And when he heard that sound Tapa, then he started performing austerities. And by performing austerity, he pleaded the Supreme Lord and the Lord appeared to him. And then, when the Lord appeared, he gave him Chatur Shloki Bhagavatam.

The Bhagavatam is in four verses. And Jeeva Swami gives a very technical, but very illuminating analysis of the Chatur Shloki Bhagavatam in his Sandarbhas. So, the Bhagavatam, in essence, is immutable.

But in form, it is expandable. The essential message remains the same. But the same message will be illustrated by different sages at different times according to the specific needs of their audiences.

So, that four-verse essence, which was given by the Supreme Lord to Brahma, that was expanded by Vyasadeva. And he has given us as the thousands of verses of the Bhagavatam. So, after Brahma, for him, he not only had a darshan of the Lord, he also had a darshan of the world.

The word darshan can mean seeing and darshan can also mean a system of thought, which helps us to see. Now, we don't just see with eyes. We see with our intelligence.

We may see many things, but if we don't have intelligence, then we don't understand what is happening. For example, if somebody has come from a rural area where a person doesn't understand any traffic signals. And then there are traffic road signs.

Okay, there is a signal here, there is a speed breaker, you should turn right, turn left. Now, those signs, you know, an arrow like this, arrow like that or something, they don't make any sense. We may see with our eyes, but we don't see just with our eyes.

We may see the visual perceptions may enter our eyes, but unless there is intelligence, we don't understand what those visual perceptions mean. So, that's why the word darshan has both these contexts. One is to see with the eyes, but darshan also means to get a framework of thought by which we can make sense of what we see.

So, the Lord gives Brahma both the darshans. He gives him darshan of his own personal form and a very beautiful darshan is described. And after that, he also gives him philosophical understanding, darshan of what this world is meant for and how that purpose can be fulfilled.

And then Brahma, he offers prayers of creative energy. So, that is the ninth chapter. And then subsequently, the creation that unfolds is being described.

So, in that creation, there are multiple stages within that creation. So, in this verse, what is described is the third and fourth stages. And then, of course, the 18th verse describes the 16th and 17th verses.

The 16th and 17th verses are the third and fourth stages of creation. And the 18th describes the fifth and sixth. So, what these creations specifically, technically mean, that we will discuss in our future classes.

But we have just given this background from the conceptual, the conversational and the chronological perspective. I will summarise and then we can have some questions. So, we discussed about how the purpose of the Bhagavatam is to focus on Bhagawan.

And there are two ways to focus on Bhagawan. One is just to reject the world and focus on spiritual reality. The other is to connect the world with the spiritual reality.

The Bhagavatam adopts both these approaches. There are some places where it is strongly worldly. But there are places where it shows how the world can be used as a tool for meditating on the Absolute Truth.

And it does that using the existing worldviews, showing how to connect the world with God. So, that is the second canton with respect to Viratpura, third canton with respect to Samkhya, and fifth canton with respect to cosmology. Within the conversational frame of the Bhagavatam, this is the third level conversation.

And the multiple framings for the conversation essentially drive home the timelessness of the message. That whoever may be conversing with whoever else, the point is the message of wisdom remains consistently the same. And then within the chronological frame of the Bhagavatam, the Bhagavatam from the third canto onwards can be largely read as events within a day of Brahma.

And from the third to seventh canto, it is Swayamva Manu. And from the eighth canto onwards till the end, it is Vyavastha Manu, whose chronology is being described. And within the description of history also, the Bhagavatam focusses on times that can take us beyond time.

By either describing the activities of devotees or by describing the activities of the Lord. And the purpose of describing the creation of the Bhagavatam is to help us to see the whole creation as connected with the creator. In fact, this particular section describes, normally there is this connection of the creation and the creator.

But that is there in all religions. But the Bhagavatam focusses on not just the creator, but from the Bhagavatam's worldview, Brahma is the creator. The Bhagavatam describes the creation of the creator also.

So, there is the ultimate creator who is beyond this whole dichotomy of creation and creator. Or creator and creator. So, the third canto is sometimes referred to as, or one of its events is, creating the creator.

So, it is Supreme Lord who creates the creator and that creator will create the other things. The creation as well as the creatures within the creation. These specific technicalities we will discuss in our future classes.