| Srimad
Vhagbat Katha |
It gives a tremendous insight, a profound vision,
and an entirely new perspective to the person who
hears the narrative. On hearing, a person is never
the same. There is a complete metamorphosis, a complete
transformation, literally a new birth. Atman (soul)
by it’s own nature is sovereign – it cannot by nature
be bound – whatever bondages felt are sheer illusions
of the mind. Shrimad Bhagwat provides that light which
enables Jeeva (human being) to experience the wonderful
freedom of liberation. One feels, "Yes, I am free!"
Shrimad Bhagwat expresses this philosophy through
the narration of the life stories of 24 incarnations
of Lord Vishnu. Amongst these, the tenth volume of
the Shrimad Bhagwat narrates in infinite detail, the
story of Lord Krishna. Since all 24 incarnations are
of Lord Vishnu, it is a vitally important scripture
for the Vaishnavites.
Written by Sage Ved Vyasa the Bhagwat leaves no topic
untouched – social, political, and economic systems
– all these have been covered and commented upon by
him. Not just issues relating to self-liberation but
even our day-to-day problems have been effectively
resolved in Shrimad Bhagwat. Hence it can be emphatically
stated that Shrimad Bhagwat is an exposition, which
explains human life very clearly, it is a direction
leading to the ultimate liberation of the soul. It
is therefore an important guide for the conduct of
human beings in all their affairs.
Ordinarily,
reading and listening to Shrimad Bhagwat is a week
long Anushthan (a religious commitment), but even
an entire lifetime may not be enough to understand
it in depth and explain
it to others. It is such a wonderful, sublime scripture
but King Parikshit had only seven days to live and
it is said that by listening to such a seven-day narration
of Bhagwat Katha King Parikshit attained liberation!
Not by death but by emancipation from ignorance and
fear. Thus Shrimad Bhagwat liberates us from fear,
problems, andignorance. In essence, this is the crux
of Shrimad Bhagwat. Content wise, it comprises three
main dialogues or principal conversations – one that
of Shukadevji and King Parikshit, second between Sutji
and Shaunak and other Rishis at Naimisharanya and
the third between Vidurji and Maitreya on the banks
of the river Ganga. These three principal conversations
convey the voluminous Bhagwat beginning and ending
with the dialogue between Sutji and Shaunak and other
Rishis. This four quatrain (8 verses) of Bhagwat was
voiced by Shri Narayan Bhagwan and heard by Brahmaji
as narrated in the second volume. Brahmaji then narrated
the same four verses (shlokas) to Narada who in turn
conveyed to Sage Ved Vyasa but told him that this
was only formularized, now expand it’s (Vyasa) purview.
The seat from where such knowledge is expounded and
explained in detail is called ‘Vyas Peetham’. For
this very reason we call the narrator of Shrimad Bhagwat
‘Vyas’. It is more a qualitative noun than a personal
noun. Thus Vyasa elaborated the four shlokas (verses)
in 9000 verses spread over 335 chapters and 12 volumes.
Then Bhagwan Ved Vyasa taught it to Shukhdeva, who
then narrated it to King Parikshit. Sutjii in Namisharanya
to Shaunaka and other Rishis conveys the same conversation.
All the different periods of these separate conversations
are mentioned in Shrimad Bhagwat.
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