Bhaagavatha Saaradaa — 5

SriSaaradaa Dayaa Deeptih :—

Bhaagavatam—5.

Bhaagavata Maahaatmyam.

Having finished the informal and formal prayers, we enter into the precincts of the “Maahaatmyam” part of the Bhaagavata Mahaapuraanam. Maahaatmyam means the glory and grandeur (of Bhaagavata). Maahaatmyam speaks of the spiritual efficacy of Bhaagavata while describing the past situations and human lives in which the beneficial and benign qualities of Bhaagavata discourses and listening and even chanting the text are well-proven and thoroughly established in our tradition. One has to remember that all these are followed devoutly by all the participants in this fully dedicated Devotional Sacrifice. All the participants relive Bhaagavata-times. Once we start our Bhaagavata devotional sacrifice in our blog “sriaim.com”, it acquires the glory of becoming Mathura or Gokulam or Brindaavanam and so on as required by the situation, and all of us become gopas or gopis or the intimate companions of Sri Krishna as demanded by the context. So please be ready to be an exciting part of this electrifying celebration.

Sri Krishna is none other than the very source of the grand portrayal of the the ultimate substance of celebration, both immanent and transcendent. Sri Raadhaadevi is none other than that celebration itself portrayed through Lord Krishna. Raadhaa is the inseparable subjective content of Krishna. That is why any objective search for Raadhaa in Bhaagavata ends in vain or frustration. With this minimum understanding let us enter into “Bhaagavata Maahaatmyam“.

There are two maahaatmyams, one is from “Padmapuraanam” and the other is from the “Skaandapuraanam“. Following our tradition, we start with the Maahaatmyam from the Padmapuraanam. The first verse from the text of Maahaatmyam of the Padma puraanam.

“Satchidaananda Roopaaya
Viswotpattyaadi Hetave |
Taapatraya vinaasaaya
Sri Krishnaaya vayam numah“||

“We extol Sri Krishna. He is the Truth-Consciousness-Bliss principle underlying the creation. He is the source of the entire creation, sustenance and dissolution of the universe. He is the exterminator of the three-fold sufferings and miseries(of all beings). This verse has four quarters.

1. Satchidaananda (roopaaya) It means Truth-Consciousness-Bliss. This is the defining feature of Sri Krishna-“Svaroopa lakshanam“.

2.”Visvotpattyaadi hetave” It means “Being the source of the creation, the sustenance and the dissolution of the universe”. This defines the neutral feature the “Tatastha lakshana” of the Lord.

3. “Taapatraya vinaasaaya” which means one who eradicates the three sufferings called personal( aadhyaatmika), physical(aadhi bhoutika) and super-natural(aadhi daivika). This establishes the feature of relationship between the devotee and the Lord. This is “Sambandha lakshanam“.

4. “Sri Krishnaya vayam numah” which means that “we extol Sri Krishna”. This clarifies the feature of unity between the Lord and the devotee- the Deva and the jeeva. This is “Samyoga lakshanam“.

Swasti ||