Read Bhagavata Purana in English

The Bhagavata Purana is one of the eighteen Puranas of Hinduism. It is also called Srimad Bhagavatam or simply Bhagavatam. Besides this, Ras Bhava devotion is also described in this Purana. Therefore, the main theme of the Bhagavata Purana is Bhakti Yoga. Ved Vyas is traditionally considered the author of this Purana. A detailed account of Lord Vishnu's incarnations can be found in the Bhagavata Purana. Shukdevji first narrated the Bhagavata Purana to King Parikshit. Maharishi asks Sutji about Lord Vishnu's 12 incarnations of wise sages. Sutji says I heard this story from Shukdevji. I will tell you this, and thus begins the Bhagavatam.

introduction:

Among the 18 Puranas, the Bhagavata Purana stands out as the most significant and renowned. It is recognized as the eighth Purana in the list of Puranas. Within the Bhagavata Purana, Maharishi Sutji shares a tale with sadhus and sages, who inquire about the incarnations of Lord Vishnu. Sutji attributes the story to Shukdevi. This Purana consists of 12 skandhas, 335 chapters, and 18 thousand verses, presenting the incarnations of Lord Vishnu in a straightforward manner.

12 Wings:

First Skandha: The first section of this Purana consists of nineteen (19) chapters where Shukdev ji eloquently narrates the significance of devotion to God. It includes descriptions of various incarnations of God, the past lives of Devarshi Narad, the birth, actions, and liberation of King Parikshit, the condemnable actions of Ashwatthama and his subsequent defeat, the passing of Bhishma Pitamah, the departure of Shri Krishna Kadwar, the teachings of Vidur, and the tales of Dhritarashtra, Gandhari, and Kunti. Additionally, it covers events such as bodily movements and the Pandavas' journey to the Himalayas for their ascension to heaven, all presented in a sequential narrative.

The second skandha: This Skandha begins with a description of the colossal form of God. This is followed by mention of worship of various deities, preaching of Geeta, glorification of Shri Krishna and devotion in the spirit of "Krishnaarpanmastu". Krishna is said to be present in the form of "soul" in all living beings. That section also mentions the ten qualities of the Puranas and the origin of the universe.

The third skandha: The third canto begins with the meeting of Uddhava and Vidura. Uddhava mentions the childhood pastimes of Lord Krishna and other divine characters. In addition to this, the meeting of Vidura and sage Maitreya, the mention of the creation sequence, the origin of Brahma, the description of the division of time, the description of the expansion of the universe, the story of Varaha Avatar, the curse given by sage Kashyapa to the demon sons born untimely from Diti due to her insistence, the fall of Jaya and Vijaya cursed by Sanatkumara from Vaikuntha, taking birth as 'Hiranyaksha' and 'Hiranyakashipu' from Diti's womb, Prahlada's devotion, the killing of Hiranyaksha by Varaha Avatar and Hiranyakashipu by Narasimha Avatar, the marriage of Kardama and Devahuti, the teachings of Sankhya philosophy, and the description of the incarnation of the Lord as Kapila Muni are all described in this canto.

The fourth skandha: The fame of this epic is due to the story of 'Puranjana'. It portrays King Puranjana and a beautiful woman from Bharatkhand. In this tale, Puranjana enters the city of Navadvipa out of his desire for pleasure and luxury. There, he is attacked by the Yavanas and Gandharvas. The allegory here is that Navadvipa is the body, where the soul freely indulges in its youth. However, the invasion of old age, symbolized by the form of the Time Maiden, destroys his power and ultimately sets him on fire.

Narada Ji explains the metaphor, saying, "Puranjana is a living being and this human body is a city with nine gates (nine gates - two eyes, two ears, two nostrils, one mouth, one anus, one genital). The beautiful illusion of ignorance and unawareness is called Maya. Its servants are the ten senses. The protection of this city is done by the five-headed serpent. Eleven commanders, the wheels of sin and virtue, the flag of the chariot with three qualities, the covering of seven elements such as skin, and the symbol of indulgence through the senses. The powerful speed and velocity of time is the enemy Gandharva Chanda-Vega. It has three hundred and sixty Gandharva soldiers who steal the lifespan for three hundred and sixty days and nights. The five-prana human constantly fights with them day and night and keeps losing. Time destroys the life of the fearful creature with fever or disease.

The essence of this metaphor is that humans constantly indulge in sensory pleasures, leading to the deterioration of their bodies due to excessive indulgence. As old age approaches, their strength diminishes, and they become afflicted and destroyed by various diseases. Relatives cremate their earthly bodies as an offering to the fire.

The fifth skandha: The fifth canto describes the characters of King Priyavrata, Agnidhra, King Nabhi, Rishabhadeva, and Bharata. This Bharata is not the son of Shakuntala. It mentions Bharata's birth as a deer in the deer species due to his attachment to the deer, then his birth in a Brahmin family through the glory of the Gandaki River, and his spiritual dialogue with the king of the Sauvira kingdom. After this, the world of living beings is beautifully described through the allegory of the Puranjana story. Then there is a description of the Bharata dynasty and the description of the Bhuvanakosha. Thereafter, the story of the descent of the Ganges, the geographical description of Bharata, and the method of remembering Lord Vishnu through the Shishumara planetary system are explained. Finally, various types of hellish planets are described here.

The sixth skandha:Description of Narayan Kavach and Punsavan Vrat Vidhi has been done from a practical perspective in the sixth canto. By observing the Punsavan Vrat, one can obtain a son. It protects humans from the negative effects of diseases, illnesses, and planets. It should definitely be observed on the days of Ekadashi and Dwadashi.

The beginning of this story is from the narrative of Ajamil Ujamil, a resident of Kanyakubj. At the time of his death, Ajamil calls out to his son 'Narayan'. Upon his call, messengers of Lord Vishnu arrive and take him to the divine abode. While narrating the glory of Bhagavad Dharma, the messengers of Vishnu say that no matter how big a sinner one may be - a thief, an alcoholic, a betrayer of friends, a murderer, an adulterer with the guru's wife - all sins of millions of births are destroyed if one remembers the name of Lord Vishnu. However, this statement shows exaggeration. One who engages in adultery with another man's wife or the wife of the guru can never be happy. This is a heinous sin. Such a person falls into the hell of Raurava.

Seventh Skandha: The story of devotee Prahlada and Hiranyakashipu is elaborately described in the seventh canto. In addition to that, there is a detailed analysis of human religion, caste religion, and women's religion. Through the narrative of devotee Prahlada, discussions on religion, renunciation, devotion, and selflessness have been conducted.

Eighth Skandh: This section contains interesting stories of Gajendra's rescue by Vishnu when caught by a crocodile. In the same section, there is also the story of Vishnu distributing the nectar as the churning of the ocean and in the form of Mohini. The story of the battle between the gods and demons and the tale of the 'Vamana Avatar' of the Lord are also included in this section. The section concludes with the story of the 'Matsya Avatar'.

Ninth Skandha: According to one characteristic of the Puranas, as per the 'Vanshanucharit' (genealogy) section, the description of various lineages such as the Ikshvaku lineage of Manu and his five sons, the Nimi lineage, the Chandra lineage, the Vishwamitra lineage, the Puru lineage, the Bharat lineage, the Magadha lineage, the Anu lineage, the Drahya lineage, the Turvasu lineage, and the Yadu lineage is obtained. The detailed analysis of characters like Rama and Sita has also been done. The explanation of their ideals has also been provided.

Tenth Skandha: This scripture is divided into two parts - 'Purvardh' and 'Uttarardh'. In this scripture, the character of Lord Krishna is elaborated. The famous 'Ras Panchadhyayi' is also included in it. The chapters of 'Purvardh' narrate the story from the birth of Lord Krishna to his journey with Akroor ji to Hastinapur. The 'Uttarardh' describes the battle with Jarasandh, the construction of Dwarka city, the abduction of Rukmini, Lord Krishna's married life, the killing of Shishupala, and so on. This scripture is completely filled with the divine play of Lord Krishna. It begins with the marriage of Vasudev and Devaki. The prophecy, the killing of Devaki's children by Kansa, the birth of Krishna, Krishna's childhood leelas, his cowherding, the killing of Kansa, Akroor ji's journey to Hastinapur, the battle with Jarasandh, the exile from Dwarka, the construction of the city of Dwarka, the marriage with Rukmini, the birth of Pradyumna, the killing of Shambasur, the story of the Syamantaka gem, and Krishna's relationship with Jambavati and Satyabhama.

Eleven skandha: In the eleventh canto, the characteristics of the devotees of the Lord are described through the dialogue between King Janak and nine yogis. The enlightened sage Dattatreya advises King Yadu, saying that one should acquire patience from the earth, contentment and detachment from the air, indivisibility from the sky, purity from water, detachment and illusion from fire, momentary nature from the moon, knowledge acquisition from the sun, and the teachings of renunciation. Further, Uddhava is instructed about the eighteen types of accomplishments. After that, the mention of the manifestations of the Supreme Being is made, followed by the description of varnashrama dharma, jnana yoga, karma yoga, and bhakti yoga.

Twelve skandha: In this chapter, the description of the dynasties after King Parikshit is given in the future tense. The essence of it is that for 138 years, King Pradyotan will rule, then the ten kings of the Shishunaga dynasty, 136 years, the ten kings of the Maurya dynasty, 112 years, the ten kings of the Sunga dynasty, 345 years, then thirty kings of the Andhra dynasty will rule for 456 years. After that, the reign will be of the kings named Amir, Gardabhi, Kad, Yavan, Turk, Gurund, and Maun. The Maun king will rule for 300 years and the remaining kings will rule for one thousand ninety-nine years. After that, the reign will belong to the Valhika dynasty and the Shudras and Mlechhas. Besides religious and spiritual works, this Purana is extremely important as a pure literary and historical work.

Importance:

The Bhagavata Purana is considered to be the most widely read Purana among all the Puranas. Within this sacred text, the divine Leelas (miraculous acts) of Lord Shri Krishna are narrated in great detail, surpassing the accounts found in any other Purana. Hence, the Bhagavata Purana holds a special place of reverence for devotees of Lord Krishna.

Sarvvedantasaram hi Shri Bhagavatamishyate.
Tadrasamritatriptasya nanyatra syadratih kavita.

The Srimad Bhagavatam serves as the quintessence of the Vedas. Once an individual has quenched their thirst with the nectar of this divine scripture, they will find no joy in any other pursuit. Merely by attentively listening to the Bhagwat Katha, one can absolve themselves of the accumulated sins from countless lifetimes. The act of immersing oneself in the teachings of the Bhagwat not only fosters personal growth but also facilitates spiritual enlightenment. In this age of Kali, by delving into the narrative of the Bhagavata Purana, an individual can transcend the boundaries of the material world and traverse the vast ocean of the universe.