SRIMAD BHAGHAVATHAM - AN OVER VIEW

                           SRIMAD BHAGHAVATHAM   - AN OVER VIEW
  Srimad Baghavatha Purana is 5th in the list of 18 Maha Puranas composed by and the great Vyasa Maharishi.This Puranam is popular and its significance is mentioned in various other Puranas  and Upapuranas and Samhitas as well.It is held in high esteem by one and all including Vaishnavas in all parts of India.
The Padma Purana devotes a chapter for worshipping this Purana and extols its greatness (mahatmyam) in six chapters.The Garuda Purana explains the content of this Purana as:
  अर्थोऽयं ब्रह्मसूत्राणां भारतार्थविनिर्णय: ।

गायत्री भाष्यरूपोसौ वेदार्थपरिबृंहित: ॥

ग्रन्थोष्टादशसाहस्रो द्वादशस्क्न्धसंमित: ।

पठनात्पाठनाद्ध्यानात्स्पर्शनादर्चनादृशे:।

सर्वपापहर: कृष्णरूपी चैव न संशय : ॥

Meaning: The Bhaghavatha Purana is the interpretation and elucidation of Brahma Sutras.It also expounds or explains the meaning of the text Mahabharatha,the epic.of the Gayatri Mantra. and also an explanatory and enlightenining text of Vedas.It contains 12 Cantos and 18000 verses.The very reading of this Purana,any one hearing the reading by others, meditating upon this Purana, a mere touch to it,worshipping it or mere seeing it will ensure total removal of all sins committed by anybody during his or her life time.It is Lord Krishna personified.Nobody need have a doubt about this.

It also says:

धर्मार्थकाममोक्षेषु यद्यदिच्छेत्तु मानव: ।

त्तत्तत्सर्वमाप्नोति श्रीभागवत सेवनात् ॥

Meanining: The worshipping of this Baghavatha Purana w ill surely confer the benefit or benefits of Dharma,Artha,Kama, Moksha whatever desired by the humans.

The Padma Purana expounds that this Purana is Lord Krishna personified and the various Cantos represent the various limbs and organs of Lord Krishna :

पादौ यदीयौ प्रथम द्वितीयौ ।

तृतीय तुरीयौ कथितोदूरू ।।

नाभिस्तथा पञ्चम एव षष्ठौ ।

भुजान्त्तरं दोर्युगलं तथान्यौ ॥

कण्ठस्तु राजन् नवमो यदीयौ ।

मुखारविन्दम् दशमं प्रफुल्लं ।

एकादशं यस्य ललाट फलकं॥

शिरोऽपि यद्वादश एव भाति ।

तमादिदेवं करुणा निधानं ॥

तमालवर्णं सुहितावतारं ।

अपारसंसार समुद्रसेतुं ।

भजामहे भागवतस्वरूपं ॥

Meaning:The 1st and 2nd Cantos represent the feet, 3rd and 4th the two thghs,5th and 6th the navel 7th and 8th the two arms 9th the neck 10th the ever smiling face,11th the fore head 12th the head of Lord Krishna.I worship this Lord Krishna in the form of Baghavatha Purana in order to get rid off repeated cycles of births and deaths.

The Kaushika Samhitha also elaborates the same thing but in a little different manner. with regard to the Cantos representingthe limbs and organs of Lord Krishna..

 ॥ पुराणस्स्य पारायणं व श्रवणं ॥

While the Padma Purana emphasises the " sapthaham " -the parayanam and discourse of this puranam continuously for 7 days,the Skanda Puranam and the Kaushika Samhitha advocate different methods of "shravanam" of this Puranam.
Padma Purana prescribes in ShrimadBaghavatha Mahatmyam -chapter 3 (verses 44 to 48)
as below:

                    दुर्लभैव कथा लोके श्रीमद्भागवतोद्भवा।

                    कोटिजन्मसमुत्थेन पुण्येनैव तु लभ्यते॥

                     तेन योगनिधे धीमन् श्रोतव्या सा प्रयत्नत: ।                                                                            

                      दिनानां नियमो नास्ति सर्वदा श्रवणं मतम् ॥

                     सत्येन ब्रह्मचर्येण सर्वदा श्रवणं मतम् ।

                     अशक्यत्वात्कलौ बोध्यो विशेषोऽत्र शुकाज्ञया॥

                      मनोवृत्तिजयश्चैव नियमाचरणं तथा ।

                      दीक्षां कर्तुमशक्यत्वात्सप्ताहश्रवण्ं मतम् ॥

                    श्रद्धात: श्रव्णे नित्यं माघे तावद्धि यत्फलम् ।

                    तत्फलं शुकदेवेन सप्ताहश्र्वणे कृतम्  ॥                                    

                                                                                

Meaning:The oppurtunity for a human being to read and hear this Srimad Baghavatha Katha 

materialises only when he accumulates virtues (punya) in crores of rebirths.This is very rare.

Therefore this purana has to be heard and listened to with persevearance and care.There is no prescribed period or days for listening to this Purana, but should be read and listened to always.

The requisites for this are - truth, brahmacharya (leading life with speaking and observing truth always as well as controlling of senses and sexual desires)

As this is not practicable in this Kaliyuga by all people along with controlling of mind ,restraining oneself and carrying out tenfold (10) duties prescribed and maintaining the vow undertaken etc. -the rigouros regulation for listening to this Purana, Shuka Maharishi has prescribed a limited period of seven ( 7) days for listening to of this Purana.With complete faith if one listens to this Purana for 7 days ,it will tantamount to his listening for the whole of the sacred month Magha (Kumbha).

The Skandha Purana advocates not only the shravanam for 7 days but also for an extended period of one month or two months (rithu) and even for a year.The Kaushika Samhitha prescribes a longer period of 15,18 or 30 days - a choice is given in preference to 7 day period. According to this Samhitha daily shravanam is the most superior method.The important requirement is that both the listener and exponent is that they should have composure.

Vopadeva in his work -Baghavatha Tatva (Hari Lilamrutham ) in conclusion says the following:

एकादिनियमेनैतानभ्यसेच्छक्तितोऽन्वहम् ।

वक्त्ता श्रोतर्य्यप्यश्रोता वक्तर्य्यन्यत्रा चिन्तक: ॥ 12-10

शास्त्रे स्कन्धे प्रकरणे अध्याये ,वाक्ये पदेऽक्षरे ।

गुरूपदिष्टो योऽर्थस्तं विमृशन् विष्णु तत्पर: ॥ 12-11

Meaning: According to the capacity of the individuals ,this Purana should be listened to (shravanam).

Daily atleast one or two chapters should be listened to and studied as a practice.There should be an exponent (vaktha) and listeners (shrotha).In case more exponents (vakthas) are there, the regular or one who is an exponent should become a listener (shrotha),submitting himself without any pride for his scholarship,if any other opts to be an exponent.In case there is no exponent present there,the individual himself should become both the exponent and listener.He should read the text and concentrate himself on the tatparya and tatva ( the meaning and advice ,the principle) contained in the text.

IN the second verse, it is said that the ardent listener should concentrate and understand himself on what his guru had indicated about the oneness of the jiva and paramatma (the advaita),in all shastra(Purana Canto (Skandha), prakarana ( subject or topic), chapter (adhyaya) ,the sentence(vakya) the word (pada) the letter (akshara) as INDICATING ONE-VISHNU.The first 4 are in the Purana itself, the remaining 3(vakya,pada, akshara) the meaning of which should be understood from the study of commentaries (tikas)

FROM the above it is clear that there should be an exponent (vaktha) and a listener (shrotha) during the study of this Purana.The emphasis is for understanding the meaning of the text and for intospection to understand the Purana and follow the instructions and put them into practice in day to day life.

IF AS ARDENT DEVOTEES OF KRISHNA , WE FOLLOW THE ABOVE SAID INSTRUCTIONS WE WILL BE ABLE TO GET RID OF OUR SORROWS AND DIFFICULTIES IN LIFE AND LEAD AN ENLIGHTENED LIFE.THIS IS THE MESSAGE OF THIS PURANA AND ITS ESSENCE