Srìmad Bhagavatam, first canto

[Surya]

  O Lord Krsna, please protect me and maintain me. O Lord Rama, descendant of King Raghu, please protect me. O Krsna, O Kesava, killer of the Kesi demon, please maintain me.

 

 

Here I will, at the very least, study one verse each day, quote the text as well as purport by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, and possibly some reflections on it. I have already read the intro and first chapter. I’ll skip the intro here, but will start again from chapter one. 
 

I very much hope someone would like to participate in it. 
 

best wishes!

 

edit: apologies, the purport and Sanskrit is not available at vedabase, but as I have it in print as well, I might scan and include it by request!

Edited July 12 by Surya

[Surya]

CHAPTER ONE

Questions by the Sages

Text 1: O my Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, son of Vasudeva, O all-pervading Personality of Godhead, I offer my respectful obeisances unto You. I meditate upon Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa because He is the Absolute Truth and the primeval cause of all causes of the creation, sustenance and destruction of the manifested universes. He is directly and indirectly conscious of all manifestations, and He is independent because there is no other cause beyond Him. It is He only who first imparted the Vedic knowledge unto the heart of Brahmājī, the original living being. By Him even the great sages and demigods are placed into illusion, as one is bewildered by the illusory representations of water seen in fire, or land seen on water. Only because of Him do the material universes, temporarily manifested by the reactions of the three modes of nature, appear factual, although they are unreal. I therefore meditate upon Him, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is eternally existent in the transcendental abode, which is forever free from the illusory representations of the material world. I meditate upon Him, for He is the Absolute Truth.

 

 

—————

 

Q: what does the term «Godhead» mean?

 

notes:

The last sentence stood out: «I therefore meditate upon Him, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is eternally existent in the transcendental abode, which is forever free from the illusory representations of the material world. I meditate upon Him, for He is the Absolute Truth.»

 

It made me think about something a good friend of me once said: either you worship God, or you worship the mundane (ego, money and the like). I believe there is great truth to that.

 

 

Edited July 9 by Surya

[Nungali]

" ...  universes, temporarily manifested by the reactions of the three modes of nature, appear factual, although they are unreal. "  

 

I am taking the three forces as 'unreal' and  not the Universes .... no doubt a variation on the 'purport'    

 

    I have written a lot about this  ......  beyond the concept of the three Gunas  . 

 

They are 'unreal' as they  are not 'material '  ... solid  .... three- dimensional , but their existence is postulated as factual as their evidence is everywhere found .  The three modes of nature  interact  ( on which ever level we consider ; eg    the strong force, the weak force and the electromagnetic force  )  but  are 'beyond the veil' , 'above the abyss ' ,  'behind material existence ' .

 

But when these 'ideal' forces interact the produce  another thing that  is 'real'  and material  - or a 'multitude  of things '  ( everything )  which is the '4th' stage of the manifestation  ... connected to the other three but not in a way we can 'see'   ( to follow the above example  those three forces can fit into a 'unified field theory '  but the 4th  force, gravity ,  does not  - as it is a product of the first three , not part of their 'set' . ) 

 

Which is why, in the Tao . 'the three gave birth to all things '   ; people mostly consider the duality of yin and yang and acknowledge that 'signature' in creation , but  the 'principle of three' seems little discussed.  

 

And not only do these three lead inevitable to 4 , but these 4 operate in three modes ;  

 

have a look at the way your fingers are constructed .

 

"  Mysterious Energy, triform, mysterious Matter, in fourfold and sevenfold division, the interplay of which things weave the dance of the Veil of Life upon the Face of the Spirit ... " 

 

Here the sevenfold division relates to the planets and represents 7 forms of energy interacting within the 12 (3 x4 ) modes or 'fields' . 

 

  

,

Edited July 9 by Nungali

[Surya]

Discussion on SB 1.1.1

 

Thanks for participating, Nungali. I follow you halfway, but there are parts I do not understand. I understand the "Illusiary yet simutalinously real" aspect (I think), but the numbers thing is still a little above my level of understanding. Id be happy to go further into it, if you are as well, but that would take some effort and time on my part, which I do not have the time to dwelve into at this very moment.  

 

And yeah, thank you for metioning the word purport. Never really thought about the meaning of it but...

verb

 

/pəˈpɔːt/

1. appear to be or do something, especially falsely.

   "she is not the person she purports to be"

    

    Why would they add that into the scripture? 

    

    

    

    

   Creating a new post for verse 2, for the sake of order.

 

 

[Surya]

SB 1.1.2

 

Completely rejecting all religious activities which are materially motivated, this Bhāgavata Purāṇa propounds the highest truth, which is understandable by those devotees who are fully pure in heart. The highest truth is reality distinguished from illusion for the welfare of all. Such truth uproots the threefold miseries. This beautiful Bhāgavatam, compiled by the great sage Vyāsadeva [in his maturity], is sufficient in itself for God realization. What is the need of any other scripture? As soon as one attentively and submissively hears the message of Bhāgavatam, by this culture of knowledge the Supreme Lord is established within his heart.

 

__________________________________
Thoughts: I agree that your ability to understand the deeper meanings of sacred texts depends on purity of heart. The second line is poetry to my ears. Well, yeah, not to much to add really, good stuff. I have always been a rebel, as Ive felt that ive been lied to by authorthies my whole life (the matrix, sort of). Now I think it is time to listen "attentivley and submissively" to the sacred texts by learned and pure devotees, but ofc, not throw all reasoning out the window. Rather, delay judgement: if it is something I dont understand or disagree with, ive decided to delay judgement,

Edited July 10 by Surya

[Nungali]

10 hours ago, Surya said:

Discussion on SB 1.1.1

 

Thanks for participating, Nungali. I follow you halfway, but there are parts I do not understand. I understand the "Illusiary yet simutalinously real" aspect (I think), ....

 

 

"That all depends if you are going to release the lions or not ." 

 

 

 

Spoiler

The king got impatient with Mulla Nasruddin , constantly pointing out the illusory nature of reality . So he demanded he be captured  and contained in an arena . The King then address him ; "O Mullah , do you still claim reality is illusion ?" 

"Yes I do ."

"Very well, then , soldiers ! Release the lions !"

Mullah ; " Lions !   ? ? ?    Hold on a minute there ! " 

King ; " But I thought you maintained  reality was an illusion ?" 

" I did !" 
" Well... is it or isn't it ?" 

Mulla ;  " That depends on if you are going to release the lions or not ." 

 

[Surya]

On 11.7.2025 at 9:22 AM, Nungali said:

 

"That all depends if you are going to release the lions or not ." 

 

 

 

  Hide contents

The king got impatient with Mulla Nasruddin , constantly pointing out the illusory nature of reality . So he demanded he be captured  and contained in an arena . The King then address him ; "O Mullah , do you still claim reality is illusion ?" 

"Yes I do ."

"Very well, then , soldiers ! Release the lions !"

Mullah ; " Lions !   ? ? ?    Hold on a minute there ! " 

King ; " But I thought you maintained  reality was an illusion ?" 

" I did !" 
" Well... is it or isn't it ?" 

Mulla ;  " That depends on if you are going to release the lions or not ." 

 

Are they noble lions? 🦁 

[Surya]

1.1.3

 

O expert and thoughtful men, relish Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the mature fruit of the desire tree of Vedic literatures. It emanated from the lips of Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī. Therefore this fruit has become even more tasteful, although its nectarean juice was already relishable for all, including liberated souls.

[Surya]

1.1.4

 

Once, in a holy place in the forest of Naimiṣāraṇya, great sages headed by the sage Śaunaka assembled to perform a great thousand-year sacrifice for the satisfaction of the Lord and His devotees.

 

1.1.5

 

One day, after finishing their morning duties by burning a sacrificial fire and offering a seat of esteem to Śrīla Sūta Gosvāmī, the great sages made inquiries, with great respect, about the following matters.

 

1.1.6

 

The sages said: Respected Sūta Gosvāmī, you are completely free from all vice. You are well versed in all the scriptures famous for religious life, and in the Purāṇas and the histories as well, for you have gone through them under proper guidance and have also explained them.

 

1.1.7

 

Being the eldest learned Vedāntist, O Sūta Gosvāmī, you are acquainted with the knowledge of Vyāsadeva, who is the incarnation of Godhead, and you also know other sages who are fully versed in all kinds of physical and metaphysical knowledge.

 

__________________________________

 

Alright, so today I qouted quite a few more, because I feel each one left on a cliff hanger, so to speak. But I guess the essence is to keep and inquiring mind, asking the right question to the right people with respect. Which is a good lesson indeed.

[Surya]

1.1.8

And because you are submissive, your spiritual masters have endowed you with all the favors bestowed upon a gentle disciple. Therefore you can tell us all that you have scientifically learned from them.

____
Indeed I can!

 

Lets include the purport for this one: 

Purport

The secret of success in spiritual life is in satisfying the spiritual master and thereby getting his sincere blessings. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura has sung in his famous eight stanzas on the spiritual master as follows: “I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of my spiritual master. Only by his satisfaction can one please the Personality of Godhead, and when he is dissatisfied there is only havoc on the path of spiritual realization.” It is essential, therefore, that a disciple be very much obedient and submissive to the bona fide spiritual master. Śrīla Sūta Gosvāmī fulfilled all these qualifications as a disciple, and therefore he was endowed with all favors by his learned and self-realized spiritual masters such as Śrīla Vyāsadeva and others. The sages of Naimiṣāraṇya were confident that Śrīla Sūta Gosvāmī was bona fide. Therefore they were anxious to hear from him.

 

1.1.9

 

Please, therefore, being blessed with many years, explain to us, in an easily understandable way, what you have ascertained to be the absolute and ultimate good for the people in general.

 

1.1.10

O learned one, in this iron Age of Kali men almost always have but short lives. They are quarrelsome, lazy, misguided, unlucky and, above all, always disturbed.

 

_______________________________________________________________
The request put forward by the sages was done so due to the knowledge of the comming Kali Yuga. The purport of 1.1.10 goes into further details of what these challenges would be (in the comming (this) age). The purport to 1.1.10 states that in adition to the above mentioned vices, man is also troubled by politics, the education system, distractions marketing, spiritual frauds and the likes, but above all they are lazy. Lazy even in self realization, which is stated to be the goal of human excistence. It is for this reason, Śrīla Sūta Gosvāmī is asked to get to the essence of scripture in the following verse.

__________________________________________________________________

 

1.1.11

There are many varieties of scriptures, and in all of them there are many prescribed duties, which can be learned only after many years of study in their various divisions. Therefore, O sage, please select the essence of all these scriptures and explain it for the good of all living beings, that by such instruction their hearts may be fully satisfied.

 

Edited July 18 by Surya

[Surya]

Jumping back to the Gita. Below I will quote tree verses reccomended to me by my teachers:

 

Bg. 18.61

ईश्वर: सर्वभूतानां हृद्देशेऽर्जुन तिष्ठति ।
भ्रामयन्सर्वभूतानि यन्‍त्रारूढानि मायया ॥ ६१ ॥

īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
hṛd-deśe ’rjuna tiṣṭhati
bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni
yantrārūḍhāni māyayā

Synonyms

īśvaraḥ — the Supreme Lord; sarva-bhūtānām — of all living entities; hṛt-deśe— in the location of the heart; arjuna — O Arjuna; tiṣṭhati — resides; bhrāmayan — causing to travel; sarva-bhūtāni — all living entities; yantra — on a machine; ārūḍhani — being placed; māyayā — under the spell of material energy.

Translation

The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone’s heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine, made of the material energy.

Purport

Arjuna was not the supreme knower, and his decision to fight or not to fight was confined to his limited discretion. Lord Kṛṣṇa instructed that the individual is not all in all. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, or He Himself, Kṛṣṇa, as the localized Supersoul, sits in the heart directing the living being. After changing bodies, the living entity forgets his past deeds, but the Supersoul, as the knower of the past, present and future, remains the witness of all his activities. Therefore all the activities of living entities are directed by this Supersoul. The living entity gets what he deserves and is carried by the material body, which is created in the material energy under the direction of the Supersoul. As soon as a living entity is placed in a particular type of body, he has to work under the spell of that bodily situation. A person seated in a high-speed motorcar goes faster than one seated in a slower car, though the living entities, the drivers, may be the same. Similarly, by the order of the Supreme Soul, material nature fashions a particular type of body to a particular type of living entity so that he may work according to his past desires. The living entity is not independent. One should not think himself independent of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The individual is always under the Lord’s control. Therefore one’s duty is to surrender, and that is the injunction of the next verse.
 

Bg. 15.17

उत्तम: पुरुषस्त्वन्य: परमात्मेत्युदाहृत: ।
यो लोकत्रयमाविश्य बिभर्त्यव्यय ईश्वर: ॥ १७ ॥

uttamaḥ puruṣas tv anyaḥ
paramātmety udāhṛtaḥ
yo loka-trayam āviśya
bibharty avyaya īśvaraḥ

Synonyms

uttamaḥ — the best; puruṣaḥ — personality; tu — but; anyaḥ — another; parama-ātmā — the Supreme Self; iti — thus; udāhṛtaḥ — is said; yaḥ — who; loka— of the universe; trayam — the three divisions; āviśya — entering; bibharti — is maintaining; avyayaḥ — inexhaustible; īśvaraḥ — the Lord.

Translation

Besides these two, there is the greatest living personality, the Supreme Soul, the imperishable Lord Himself, who has entered the three worlds and is maintaining them.

Purport

The idea of this verse is very nicely expressed in the Kaṭha Upaniṣad (2.2.13) and Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad (6.13). It is clearly stated there that above the innumerable living entities, some of whom are conditioned and some of whom are liberated, there is the Supreme Personality, who is Paramātmā. The Upaniṣadic verse runs as follows: nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām. The purport is that amongst all the living entities, both conditioned and liberated, there is one supreme living personality, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who maintains them and gives them all the facility of enjoyment according to different work. That Supreme Personality of Godhead is situated in everyone’s heart as Paramātmā. A wise man who can understand Him is eligible to attain perfect peace, not others.
 

Bg. 17.15

अनुद्वेगकरं वाक्यं सत्यं प्रियहितं च यत् ।
स्वाध्यायाभ्यसनं चैव वाङ्‍मयं तप उच्यते ॥ १५ ॥

anudvega-karaṁ vākyaṁ
satyaṁ priya-hitaṁ ca yat
svādhyāyābhyasanaṁ caiva
vāṅ-mayaṁ tapa ucyate

Synonyms

anudvega-karam — not agitating; vākyam— words; satyam — truthful; priya — dear; hitam — beneficial; ca — also; yat — which; svādhyāya — of Vedic study; abhyasanam — practice; ca — also; eva — certainly; vāk-mayam — of the voice; tapaḥ — austerity; ucyate — is said to be.

Translation

Austerity of speech consists in speaking words that are truthful, pleasing, beneficial, and not agitating to others, and also in regularly reciting Vedic literature.

Purport

One should not speak in such a way as to agitate the minds of others. Of course, when a teacher speaks, he can speak the truth for the instruction of his students, but such a teacher should not speak to those who are not his students if he will agitate their minds. This is penance as far as talking is concerned. Besides that, one should not talk nonsense. The process of speaking in spiritual circles is to say something upheld by the scriptures. One should at once quote from scriptural authority to back up what he is saying. At the same time, such talk should be very pleasurable to the ear. By such discussions, one may derive the highest benefit and elevate human society. There is a limitless stock of Vedic literature, and one should study this. This is called penance of speech.

 

[Surya]

Today we are jumping 7 chapters ahead.

 

 

ŚB 1.7.47

My lord, do not make the wife of Droṇācārya cry like me. I am aggrieved for the death of my sons. She need not cry constantly like me.

 

ŚB 1.7.48

If the kingly administrative order, being unrestricted in sense control, offends the brāhmaṇa order and enrages them, then the fire of that rage burns up the whole body of the royal family and brings grief upon them all.

 

ŚB 1.7.49

Sūta Gosvāmī said: O brāhmaṇas, King Yudhiṣṭhira fully supported the statements of the Queen, which were in accordance with the principles of religion and were justified, glorious, full of mercy and equity, and without duplicity.

 

ŚB 1.7.50

 

Nakula and Sahadeva [the younger brothers of the King] and also Sātyaki, Arjuna, the Personality of Godhead Lord Sri Kṛṣṇa, son of Devakī, and the ladies and others all unanimously agreed with the King.

 

ŚB 1.7.51

Bhīma, however, angrily disagreed with them and recommended killing this culprit, who had murdered sleeping children for no purpose and for neither his nor his master’s interest.

 

ŚB 4.25.54

अन्धावमीषां पौराणां निर्वाक्पेशस्कृतावुभौ ।
अक्षण्वतामधिपतिस्ताभ्यां याति करोति च ॥ ५४ ॥

andhāv amīṣāṁ paurāṇāṁ
nirvāk-peśaskṛtāv ubhau
akṣaṇvatām adhipatis
tābhyāṁ yāti karoti ca

Synonyms

andhau — blind; amīṣām — among those; paurāṇām — of the inhabitants; nirvāk — of the name Nirvāk; peśaskṛtau — of the name Peśaskṛt; ubhau — both of them; akṣaṇ-vatām — of the people who possessed eyes; adhipatiḥ — ruler; tābhyām — with both of them; yāti — used to go; karoti — used to act; ca — and.

Translation

Of the many inhabitants of this city, there are two persons named Nirvāk and Peśaskṛt. Although King Purañjana was the ruler of citizens who possessed eyes, he unfortunately used to associate with these blind men. Accompanied by them, he used to go here and there and perform various activities.

Purport

This is a reference to the arms and legs of the living entity. The two legs do not speak, and they are blind. If a person simply trusts his legs to take him walking, he is likely to fall into a hole or bump into something. Thus led by the blind legs, one’s life may be placed in jeopardy.

Of the senses that are working, the hands and legs are very important, but they have no eyes to see. This means that in the hands and legs there are no holes. In the head there are many holes — two eyes, two nostrils, two ears and one mouth — but lower down, in the arms and legs, there are no holes. Consequently, the arms and legs have been described as andha, blind. Although the living entity has many holes in his body, he nonetheless has to work with his hands and arms. Although the living entity is the master of many other senses, when he has to go somewhere, do something or touch something, he has to use his blind legs and hands.

 

The 26 qaulities of a Vaishnava:

In his purport to Srimad-Bhagavatam (5.18.12), Srila Prabhupada listed the 26 qualities of a devotee in the following manner:

“Sri Krsnadasa Kaviraja, the author of Caitanya-caritamrta, says that all good qualities become manifest in the body of a Vaisnava and that only by the presence of these good qualities can one distinguish a Vaisnava form a non-Vaisnava. Krsnadasa Kaviraja lists the twenty-six good qualities of a Vaisnava:

(1)  He is very kind to everyone.
(2)  He does not make anyone his enemy.
(3)  He is truthful.
(4)  He is equal to everyone.
(5)  No one can find any fault in him.
(6)  He is magnanimous.
(7)  He is mild.
(8)  He is always clean.
(9)  He is without possessions.
(10)  He works for everyone’s benefit.
(11)  He is very peaceful.
(12)  He is always surrendered to Krsna.
(13)  He has no material desires.
(14)  He is very meek.
(15)  He is steady.
(16)  He controls his senses.
(17)  He does not eat more than required.
(18)  He is not influenced by the Lord’s illusory energy.
(19)  He offers respect to everyone.
(20)  He does not desire any respect for himself.
(21)  He is very grave.
(22)  He is merciful.
(23)  He is friendly.
(24)  He is poetic.
(25)  He is expert.
(26)  He is silent.”

https://www.gbcspt.com/a-perfect-gentleman/

[Surya]

ŚB 4.25.62

In this way, King Purañjana was captivated by his nice wife and was thus cheated. Indeed, he became cheated in his whole existence in the material world. Even against that poor foolish King’s desire, he remained under the control of his wife, just like a pet animal that dances according to the order of its master.