OM NAMO BHAGAVATE VASUDEVAYA


INTRODUCTION



This home page describes about SRIMAD BHAGAVATAM , SRIMAD RAMAYANAM, MAJOR UPANISHADS , MINOR UPANISHADS , SRIMAD MAHABHARATHAM and SRIMAD BHAGAVAT GITA.

This Home page describes brief about the above chapters and gives the contents of the PURANAS and tells about that as a whole.

The Jivatma gets human body and mind, after having been embodied in eightyfour lakhs of inferior births. Prior to the Jivatma acquiring this body, he had undergone births and deaths and births and deaths, as trees, insects, worms, beasts and assumed many other bodies like those of bugs and buffaloes and bees and beetles. At long last, by the grace of GOD, he come to acquire a human body. To acquire a human body again after death, he has to undergo another long cycle of births and deaths through various unpleasant vicissitudes. Thus , our life as a human being, is preceded by and succeeded by, many many years of innumerable other lives.

The main purpose of this rare and prcious life as a human being, should be to know, who we are and to realize the Self and thereby, cut off all sorrows at one stroke. This is not possible in any other life, because, among all creatures, man alone has the wonderful equipment of the intellect with its great potentiality developed to the highest.


THE ORIGIN OF THE BHAGAVATA

1. First of all, Bhagavata had its origin from Bhagavan Himself when he told to Brahma sitting in the lotus of his navel in four verses called the cathussloki Bhagavata (II-9).

2. Brahma communicated the Bhagavata he heard from Bhagavan, to his son Narada (II-5).

3. Narad communicated it to Vyasa Maharshi (I-4,5,6,7).

4. Vyasa complied the Bhagavata and taught it to his son, Suka (I-3 and II-1).

5. Suka gave discourses in Bhagavata in seven days to King Parikshit on the banks of the Ganges (I-3).

6. Suta who was in the assembly of rishis along with Parikshit, heard it from Suka and gives a discourse in the assembly of Rishis to the chief listner Saunaka at Naimisaranya.

Vyasa ha written the Bhagavata, as spoken by Suta to Saunaka at Naimisaranya. Suta was merely reporting what Suka said to Parikshit.

Suka himself traces another origin of Bhagavata:

1. Samkarshana Murti gave the Bhagavata to Sanatkumara (III-8)

2. Sanatkumara communicated it to Samkhyayana Maharshi (III-8)

3. Samkhyayana communicated it to sgae Parasara and to Brihaspati(IV-8)

4. Sage Parasara communicated it to his disciple Maitreya.

5. Maitreya told Bhagavata to Vidura (III-8)

Adisesha propagated Bhagavata in Patala, Brihaspati in Heaven, Parasara on this earth and Sanathkumara brothers in worlds beyond heaven.

When whole Bhagavata is narrated to a listner in the course of seven days, it is called Bhagavata Saptaha.


First Bhagavata Saptaha

Sri Suka conducted the first Saptaha. In Kaliyuga, 30 years after Sri Krishna left this world, from Sukla Navami to Purnima in the month of Bhadra.


Second Saptaha by Gokarna

Gokarna conducted second Saptaha for Dhundhukari's liberation, in Kaliyuga, 200 years after Sri Suka's Saptaha, from Sukla Navami to Purnima in the month of Kataka.

Third Saptaha

Third Saptaha was conducted by the Sanaka brothers to Sri Narada. This was 30 years after Gokarna's Saptaha from Sukla Navami to Purnima in the month of Vrichika (Karthika).

The Bhagavata contains 12 Skandas and 335 chapters and 14101 slokas, including short sentences like Bhagavan uvaca "Sri Suka uvaca" etc., there are 18000 verses in the Bhagavata.


The portions to be read on each of the seven days:

1 st day : Upto and including Manu- akrdama Samvada.

1 st Skanda, 2 nd Skanda and 22 chapters of 3 rd Skanda. ( 51 Chapters - 2112 slokas ).

2 nd day : Upto and including Bharatopakhyana.

chapters 23 to 33 of 3 rd Skanda, 4 th Skanda and 14 chapters of 5 th Skanda.

( 56 Chapters - 2298 slokas ).

3 rd day : Upto end of 7 th Skanda.

Chapters 15 to 26 of 5 th Skanda, 6 th Skanda and 7 th Skanda. ( 46 Chapters - 1917 slokas ).

4 th day : Upto and including Sri Krishnavatara.

8 th Skanda, 9 th Skanda and first 3 chapters of 10 th Skanda. ( 51 Chapters - 2059 slokas ).

5 th day : Upto and including Rikmini Swayamvaram.

chapter 4 to 54 of 10 th Skanda.

( 51 Chapters - 2132 slokas).

6 th day : Upto and including Hamsavatara.

Chapters 55 to 90 of 10 th Skanda and 13 chapters of 11 th Skanda. ( 49 Chapters - 2212 slokas).

7 th day : Upto the very end of Bhagavata.

Chapters 14 to 31 of 11 th Skanda and 12 th Skanda.

( 31 Chapters - 1371 slokas).


The incarnations mentioned in Srimad Bhagavata :


1. Purusha - Avatara.

2. Avatara as the Four Sanaka brothers.

3. Avatara as Sri Narada.

4. Varaha - Avatara.

5. Nara - Narayana Avatara.

6. Datta -Treya - Avatara.

7. Hamsa - Avatara.

8. Suyajna - Avatara.

9. Kapila - Avatara.

10. Hayagriva - Avatara.

11. Rishaba - Avatara.

12. Avatara for blessing Dhruva.

13. Avatara as Emperor Prithu.

14. Avatara for liberation of Gajendra.

15. Narasimha Avatara.

16. Kurma Avatara.

17. Dhavantari Avatara.

18. Mohini Avatara.

19. Matsya Avatara.

20. Prisingarbha Avatara.

21. Vamana Avatara.

22. Parasurama Avatara.

23. Vedavyasa Avatara.

24. Sri Rama Avatara.

25. Sri Balarama Avatara.

26. SRI KRISHNA AVATARA.

27. Buddha Avatara.

28. Kalki Avatara.


All these are partial incarnations. But SRI KRISHNASTHU BHAGAVAN SVAYAM. Krishnavatara is the Purnavatara.

There are unlimited number of Avataras all which cannot be exhaustively enumerated.

All puranas including Srimad Bhagavata Mahapurana have ten distinguishing features ( Lakshanas). 1. Sarga , 2. Visarga , 3. Sthana , 4. Poshana , 5. Uthi , 6. Manvantaram , 7. Isanukatha , 8. Nirodha , 9. Mukti and 10. Asraya. The first nine (9) are to establish firmly the Asraya which is Brahman.

Suta said in XII chapter about the number of Slokas in Puranas.

Suta said : The Brahma Purana contains 10,000 slokas; Padma Purana, 55,000 ; Vishnu purana, 23,000 ; Siva purana 24,000 ; Srimad Bhagavata 18,000 ; Narada purana 25,000 ; Markandeya purana 9,000 ; Agni purana 15,400 ; Bhavishya purana14,500 ; Brahmavaivarta purana 18,000 ; Linga purana 11,000 ; Varaha purana 24,000 ; Skanda purana 81,100 ;Vamana purana 10,000 ; Kurma purana 17,000 ; Matsya purana 14,000 ; Garuda purana 19,000 ; Brahmanda purana 12,000. All the puranas put together contains 4 lakh slokas.

OM NAMO BHAGAVATE VASUDEVAYA



HARI OM TAT SAT

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