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Bhagavat Purana (also known as Srimad Bhagavata, Bhagavatam or Bhagwat) is the most popular and widely circulated of all the Puranas.
The word 'Purana' means 'narrative of olden times'.
After the four vedas, the Puranas
form the most sacred of the texts for devout Hindus. The highest philosophy
found in Vedas and
Upanishads was difficult for commoners to
understand. Hence Puranas, which were recited at the time of
sacrifices became popular. With the passage of time, Puranas involving
different deities manifested: Brahma, Padma, Vishnu, Siva, Garuda, Narada,
Bhagavata, Agni, Skanda, Bhavishya, Brahmavaivarta, Markandeya, Vamana,
Varaha, Matsya, Kurma and Brahmanda - a total of eighteen.
Dear to devotees of Lord Vishnu, Bhagavat
Purana consists of eighteen thousand slokas, distributed amongst 332 chapters
and divided into twelve cantos (skandhas). It is named Bhagavata from
its being dedicated to the glorification of Lord Vishnu, a
premier Hindu deity.
Though originally written in Sanskrit, Bhagavat
has been explored and translated in major vernacular languages of
India. Bhagavat, an epic philosophical and literary classic, holds a
prominent position in India’s voluminous written wisdom. Bhagavat exercises a more direct and powerful
influence upon the opinions and feelings of the people than perhaps
any other of the Puranas.
Bhagavat is considered essence of Hindu mythology like Geeta being
considered as essence of Upanishads. Bhagavat deals mainly with
innumerable exploits of Krishna, an avatar or incarnation of Vishnu
and stresses on devotion, as way to salvation (mukti). Sage
Vyas, author of many great scriptures like Mahabharat and Vedas,
compiled it . The 18,000-verse treatise centers on the science of God and
devotion to Him, and includes biographies of great devotees who
followed the path of Bhakti and attained moksha.
From academic point of view, Bhagavata Purana is a narration of
a conversation between King Parikshit and Sage Sukdev (Shukadeva). King Parīkshit
was cursed to die in seven days by a Brahmin, so he decided to spent
final days of his life in gaining knowledge about the goal of life
relegating
his stately duties. As he prepares for his impending
death, Shukadeva, who has been searching for a suitable disciple to whom he
might impart his great knowledge, approaches the king and agrees to
teach him. Their conversation goes on uninterrupted for seven days,
during which the king does not eat, drink or sleep. During this time
the sage explains that the ultimate aim of life lies in knowing the
supreme absolute truth.
The most popular and characteristic part of Bhagavat is the tenth
canto, which describes the life and works of Sri Krishna.
The Bhagavata Purana depicts Krishna not as
a Jagad-Guru (a teacher) as in the Bhagavad-Gita, but as a heroic lad
brought up by cowherd parent, Nand and Yashoda, in a small village
situated on the banks of Yamuna River. Young Krishna's childhood plays
and acts of bravery in protecting villagers from demons steals the hearts of the cowherd girls
(Gopis'). In his unique enchanting way, Krishna lifts Gopis to a
higher state as a result of intense devotion. However, when Krishna
leaves for Mathura on a mission, Gopis' love turns into grief. Their intense
longing is presented as a model of extreme devotion
to the Supreme Lord. In a way, Bhagavat paved way to various schools
of Bhakti Movement.
Known as 'the ripe fruit of the tree of Vedic literature', Srimad-Bhagavatam is the most complete and
authoritative exposition of Vedic knowledge. It covers everything from
the nature of the self to the origin of the universe, and touches upon
all fields of knowledge. It raises and answers fundamental questions like what is life,
what is a human being's role in life, what is meant by cycle of birth
and death, what is the relation between God and man, what are ways
of propitiating God etc. Bhagavata also adds fifth element of
devotion (or divine service) besides well-known four aspects of life
i.e. dharma (morality), artha (acquiring wealth), kama (pleasure) and
moksha (liberation or salvation). Narrated in story-form its style is
simple, lyrical and picturesque.
The impact of Bhagavata on Indian life over ages cannot be
measured easily. It has served as the inspiration for countless works
of literature, song, drama, painting, sculpture, folk-theatres and
crafts.
Dealing with exploits of Lord Krishna from childhood to Mahabharata
battle, anecdotes and stories figure in one form or other in Vaishnava
temple sculptures. Kaliya mardana, Gopika Vastra-harana, Gajendra-moksha, Govardhan-dharan are only few events
which have kindled imagination of artistes and craftsmen through ages. All the
important dance schools, Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Kathakkali, Odissi and Manipuri have themes from Bhagavata.
Shri Yogeshwarji, great Gujarati saint
& literate, wrote a voluminous treatise on Bhagavat Purana entitled 'Srimad Bhagavat' in
which he elaborated on principal stories of Bhagavata in simplified Gujarati language. Through the medium of this web site,
it is our
humble endeavor to make this jewel of Purana available to our
Gujarati people. We sincerely wish that it will help pass on the
great message of devotion to present and upcoming generations.
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