Some Gems from Srimadh Bhagavatham--2nd Posting

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Dear BhagavathAs interested inBhagavadh Vishayam:

 

Since Srimadh Bhagavatham's dasama skandham deals

with the life and Leelaas of Sri KrishNaa , I have assembled

ten gems from the different Skandhams of Srimadh Bhagavatham

for our daly reflections :

 

1.POWER OFTHE NAME OF THE LORD

 

Skandham VI .2 .17-19 : This deals with Antima smrithi . "Those who

utter the name of the Lord in a spirit of helpless supplication

during the last moments of their lives on this earth ,quickly get

cleared of the sins accumulated during many births and reach Him

without fail . .. The name of the Lord , uttered with or without awareness

of its power and sanctity , destroys completely the sins of human beings,

just as Agni totally consumes the fuel .

 

2 . THREE TYPES OF DEVOTEES (Bh . XI . 2 .45-47)

 

These verses deal with BhagavathOttamAs , BhagavadhAdhamAs

and the in betweens . " The HIGHEST type (Uttamaas) of BhagavathA

is the one , who perceives the glory of the Lord reflected in all of His

creations--high and Low-- and also recognizes all living ones as

dwelling in Him. ... The lower one mkaes the distinction between

the Lord , His BhagavathAs , common folk and truly evil-minded

ones. Correspondingly , he maintains toward the above four ,

attitudes of deep love, friendship , pity and distance respectively .

The LOWEST type of devotee is one , who offers worship to the icons of

the Lord with great affection ,but has no respect for His BhagavathAs

and no interest in common folks or others. "

 

3. WAYS OF REACHING THE LORD (Bh . VII . 1 .30)

 

The GOpis through physical attrction, Kamsaa through fear,

SisupAlA through hate, the VrishNis through clanishness ,

the PaandavAs through their affection and the Rishis through

devotion attained Him " .

 

4 . ONENESS OF MIND OF THE LORD ( Bh. X .87.23 )

 

The sages focus their minds on Him as the resdent in their

hearts, the philosophers try to recognize Him as the indweller of

all things, the AsurAs soend their time in mortal fear of confrontation

with Him and the passionate gOpis ,who long for physical union

with Him in violation of all social and ethical taboos ---they are ALL

alike to Him .

 

5.THE ADORATION OF ACHYUTHAA AND ITS EFFECTS ( Bh .IV . 31. 14 )

 

Just as by supplying water at the root of a tree nourishes all

the branches , the leaves and the shoots , just as food consumed

to sustain vitality strengthens al the limbs , so also adoration of

AchyuthA nourishes all Gods and the Universe.

 

6. INFINITE ATTRIBUTES OF THE LORD ( Bh .X . 14. 7)

 

A special person may perhaps over a long period of time

count the grains of sand present over the envelope of this

universe, count the particles of dew in the environment

or estimate the number of stars in the firmament , but no one,

absolutely no one can count the attributes of thine , the infinite one !

 

7 . THE PATHS OF WORSHIP( Bh . X .40 .10 )

 

O Lord ! Just as ALL rivers originating from various

mountains fed by rain ultimately reach the Ocean ,

so do ALL paths of worship lead ultimately to YOU .

 

8 . MOODA BHAKTHI ( Bh . XI .12 . 8 and 13 )

 

The gOpis never recited the VedAs , they never spent

their time in apprenticeship under a Guru , they practised

no austerity , but by association with holiness , they attained Me .

..... Hundreds of GOpis attained Me , the supreme Brahman ,

through loving Me as their paramour , but not through understanding

My true nature as the sustainer of the Universe .

 

9 . VIDVESHA BHAKTHI ( Bh . VII . 28 )

 

Even by uninterrupted thinking of the Lord ( KrishNA ) as their

dreaded enemy , they ( KamsA , SisupAlA ) became washed of

all their sins and attained Him a tthe end .

 

10 . THE GLORY OF KRISHNAA ( Bh . X . 40 .50 )

( The final slokam of the Dasama Skandham )

 

By the ceaseless practise of hearing (SravaNam ) ,

singing about ( Nama Sankeerthanam ) , and remembering

(SmaraNam ) of the glorious deeds of Lord KrishNaa , man's

attachment to Him grows day by day ; as a result , man attains

the Lord and thereby conquers the irreversible and inevitable

approach of death , which overpowers all beings. It is in search of

THAT state , the emperors go to the forests leaving their kingdoms

behind .

 

Sri VaishNava Daasan ,

 

Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan