Why should I have any interest in an ancient scripture called the Srimad Bhagavatam?? What does it contain anyway??  What is in it for me or society as a whole? Does such ancient literature have any relevance in today’s technological world with fast communication and instant pleasures for the body, and, as it is claimed, where economic development is liberating many from poverty and bringing far better standards of life??

These are the questions many people pose when approached by those who study the science of self-realization contained within the Bhagavatam, a science of the study of consciousness within the confines of matter, consciousness that finds itself within spacetime dimensions , as depicted by Einstein, and consciousness along with the body is under mother natures strict physical laws that everyone is forced to submit to.

The progressive spiritual seeker appreciates that the contents of the Bhagavatam do not contradict objective, empirical science.  Today, multidimensional spacetime is readily accepted by modern physicists, the Harvard PROFFESOR Lisa Randall teaches openly such mathematical observations , biologists see significations of design and mathematical symmetry in the organic world they study, and leading chemists are often aware that the theory that consciousness is an upshot of a combination of material elements is no less than derisory; an ultimately lame attempt by the Darwinian to explain subjective existence as a phenomenon of mechanistic science.

The substrata of the material universe is fundamentally atomic; so says the Srimad Bhagavatam.  Coincidentally, Niels Bohr, who helped define the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum physics, also studied the Vedas closely. The Bhagavatam describes material nature as a quantum reality with endless possibilities, a reality which responds to the free will and determinism of each individual within it. It also elaborates on multidimensional spacetime, and introduces the concept of three overarching principles, or modes, of material nature. As an example of the kind of quandary scientific discoveries sometimes present, whilst modern physicists believe changes in gravity can determine how nature operates, they are puzzled that gravity on earth is a relatively weak force. The Bhagavatam’s resolution for the puzzled (in keeping with Kantian logic that senses do not perceive all levels of existence) is acceptance of the ethereal plane, the as yet undetected plane of existence which modulates, and so defines, current laws of quantum and classical physics.

What is the origin of the Srimad Bhagavatam?

The Srimad Bhagavatam is a natural commentary on, and also, a companion to, the Vedanta Sutras.  ‘Veda’ means ‘knowledge’, and ‘anta’ means ‘ultimate’. The Veda-anta comprises Sutras which are condensed forms of information, sort of codes or dense stanzas that can be greatly expanded upon. The Vedanta sutra itself is a distillation of the knowledge of the original four Vedas written by the Indian sage Vyasadeva. These voluminous original four Vedas give directions to mankind to develop and progress in every conceivable way, but at the same time, they underline the main purpose of human life as love of God.

All living beings already have a connection with God.  Inspiration, for example, is a phenomenon that clearly exists.  Researchers, philosophers and scientists often comment that ‘eureka’ moments confront them at the unlikeliest of moments, shopping in the tinned veg isle, or perhaps feeding the budgerygar. The physicist Richard Feynman has  commented that an intense focus of attention to a sticky problem predictably leads to an extraordinary emergeance of solutions. Similar experiences are shared by many in all manner of creative and artistic fields.

The achievements of writers and philosophers from time out of mind should not be overlooked, but rather judged by their merits. Vyasadeva compiled the Vedas many thousands of years ago, but these are inspired works by any estimation.  As an incarnation of God himself, as the source of all inspiration, one discovers on inspection, he has some very pertinent things to say about the purpose of life.  An interesting thought regarding perennial questions of mankind such as “What is consciousness?” and “How do we understand the world that surrounds us?” is, where on earth these questions come from?

The Srimad Bhagavatam presented to you by the scholar and devotional practitioner A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada is a commentary on the original four Vedas along with their summary, the Vedanta Sutra. It incorporates the teachings of four original professors of spiritual knowledge, namely Lord Brahma, Sri Laksmidevi, the Kumara sages, and the enigmatic Lord Shiva.  These professors established lineages, known as ‘sampradayas’, that protect and pass down the Vedic knowledge from one generation to another. Scholars that have risen to prominence in these four ‘sampradayas’ over the last couple of millenniums have been Madhvacarya, Ramanujacarya, Nimbarkacarya and Vallabhacarya. Their teachings are incorporated into AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada’s purports on the Srimad Bhagavatam texts.  Prabhupada was himself taught by his own teacher, or spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddanta Sarasvati Goswami , who was the son of Srila Bhaktivinod ThakurBhaktisiddanta Sarasvati Goswami was a disciple of Srila Gour Kisor das babaji .

Historically, and according to time and circumstance, the above historical scholars of the Indian sub-continent presented the full picture of the Absolute Truth incrementally.  The full picture of the individual living being and God is that they are inconceivably one and different from one another.  A familiarity with the emphasis that each of the eminent scholars brings to the fore informs us of this bigger picture. An appreciation of the ‘advaita-vada’, or ‘oneness’, of one scholar, should be balanced with a good appreciation of the ‘dvaita-vada’ or ‘difference’ from God, of the other.

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami is a follower of the teachings of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who is the chief, and most recent exponent of the Truth of inconceivable oneness and difference, and also an incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krishna.  Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu entrusted His teachings to His direct disciples Sanatana Goswami, Rupa Goswami, Jiva Goswami and Raghunatha das Goswami, who in turn established His teachings on a sound scriptural and philosophical basis.  Today, the erudition of these Goswamis is greatly respected in universities throughout the world.

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s ultimate teachings is that all living beings have an eternal relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krishna, in one of five ‘rasas’ or varieties of loving mellows, from neutrality through to divine conjugal love. These relationships are described in the Vedas as confidential, more confidential and most confidential.

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami explains in his introduction to the Bhagavatam that the broad conception of ‘God’ is not on the same level as a realisation of the Absolute Truth. The Srimad Bhagavatam brings into focus the Absolute Truth, that is, the Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krishna, who Himself possesses innumerable energies which are manifested in perfect design and perfect order.  He is the cause of all causes, who acts to facilitate the free will of the individual being in this world, but who also fashions nature in such way as to guide and correct living entities so that they are restored to their constitutional position of spontaneous love for Him.

The principles of the Bhagavatam can be applied in all fields; political, social, economic, judicial, military etc., and they’re principles that can raise the merit of any value system. There is much that can be gleaned here for the spiritual upliftment of all living beings, and the spiritual perfection of love for Krishna encompasses love for every living thing, since all living things are eternally parts and parcels of Him.  The symptoms of someone completely on the spiritual platform is the absence of all anxieties, and a satisfaction and bliss wherein there is no concern for material loss, and no hankering for material, temporary gain whatsoever. This state is termed the “param gatim”, the supreme goal of life superseding all other goals, and quite naturally the goal which should always be born in mind.

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