Srimad-Bhagavatam
“The Story of the Fortunate One”
This book relates the story of the Lord and His incarnations since the earliest records of Vedic history. It is verily the Krishna ‘bible’ [in Sanskrit called a Samhitâ] of the Hindu universe.
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is sometimes said to begin where the Bhagavad-gita leaves off, since it goes even further into the nature of reality and the relationship between all beings and the Absolute.
The author of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Śrīla Vyāsadeva, first offers his respectful obeisances unto the paraṁ satyam (Absolute Truth), and because the paraṁ satyam is the ultimate source of all energies, the paraṁ satyam is the Supreme Person.
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, an epic philosophical and literary classic, holds a prominent position in India’s voluminous written wisdom. The timeless wisdom of India is expressed in the Vedas, ancient Sanskrit texts that touch upon all fields of human knowledge. Originally preserved through oral tradition, the Vedas were first put into writing by Śrīla Vyāsadeva, the “literary incarnation of God.” After compiling the Vedas, Śrīla Vyāsadeva was inspired by his spiritual master to present their profound essence in the form of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Known as “the ripened fruit of the tree of Vedic literature,” Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the most complete and authoritative exposition of Vedic knowledge.
It has about 18.000 verses contained in 335 chapters and consists of 12 subdivisions of books that are called Cantos. These books together tell the complete history of the Vedic culture and cover the essence of the classical collections of stories called the Purāṇas. This specific collection of Vedic stories is considered the most important one of all the great eighteen classical Purāṇas of India.
Srimad-Bhagavatam:
Canto 1: “Creation”
Canto 2: “The Cosmic Manifestation”
Canto 3a: “The Status Quo”
Canto 3b: “The Status Quo”
Canto 4a: “The Creation of the Fourth Order”
Canto 4b: “The Creation of the Fourth Order”
Canto 5: “The Creative Impetus”
Canto 6: “Prescribed Duties for Mankind”
Canto 7: “The Science of God”
Canto 8: “Withdrawal of the Cosmic Creations”
Canto 9: “Liberation”
Canto 10: “Summum Bonum”
Canto 11: “Krishna’s Final Instruction”
Canto 12: “The Age of Deterioration”
