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Dear Members of the Prapatti group,

 

I am forwarding the following article at the request of Sri Sadagopan.

Somehow this post did not show up on the list when he sent it.

 

Best Wishes,

 

Muralidhar Rangaswamy

 

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RE: Copy of: Source Literature on Srimadh Bahgavatham--Posting # 3

 

Dear Members of the Bhakthi group :

 

Over the Centuries , many scholars have contributed

annotations and commentaries on Bhagavatham. Others

have condensed the 18, 000 slokAs of Bhagavatham in their

own languages into smaller versions. Yet others have focussed

on the dasama skandham or the tenth canto , which deals exclusively

with the life and message of Lord KrishNa . Even many advaitins like

Jnana Deva (AD 1275-1296 ) of MaharaashtrA , Madhusudhana

Saraswathi ( Circa AD 1675 ) , who were monistic dialecticians

succumbed to the charm of Lord KrishNa celebrated in the tenth

Canto .They became His ardent devotees and accepted the principle

of a personal God and Bhakthi doctrine.

 

The great Sanskrit scholar from MaharashtrA , Eknath ( AD 1548-1600 )

wrote a marAtti commentary on the eleventh skandham of Bhagavatham .

Narasimha Mehta (AD 1441-1481) of Gujerat depicted the sports of

KrishNA in his work known as Bhagvati PurANam . He is well known for his

song "VaishNavo Janatho " . Mira Bhai (born AD 1550 ) , the wife of

RaaNA KumbhA of MewAr had intense longing to obain Lord KrishNA

as her husband and relinquished all her worldly desires and surrendered

her soul to Him . She followed the path of Bhagavatha DharmA and

established RaagAthma SambhandhA (unalterable emotional

attachment ) to Giridhar naath . She composed immortal bhajans

and roamed in Brindhaavan , while singing them to the last of her breath.

 

Chaitanya MahA prabhu (AD 1485-1533) known for Sri KrishNa Prema

DhAnam (gift of Love for KrishNA ) is an AchaaryA , whose life was an example

of Bhagavatha Dharmam . The philosophy of Gaudiya VaishNavism of Bengal

established by Chaitanya and his six Goswamins and its origin in KeraLa.

Chaitanya was strongly influenced by the work of Saint of Villamangalam

( Born AD 1300 ) known otherwise as LeelAsukhar . The mellifluent KrishNa

KarNAmrutham was composd by Leelaasukhar , which inspired ChaitanyA

and completely changed his life. LeelAsukhar himself was born in

Sukhapuram ,a village named for Sukha Deva because of its reputation

as a center for scholars on Srimadh Bhagavatham .

 

The earliest of recent (!) Achaarya , who expressed his bhakthi to

Lord KrishNA was Adhi SankarA himself through his composition ,

GovindAshtakam on the Lord of GuruvAyoor ..

 

KeraLA has always been a great land known for erudite scholars ,

who were experts in the intrepretation of Srimadh Bhagavatham and in

the practise of Bhakthi to Lord KrishNA consecrated at the temple of

GuruvAyoor . One of them was PoonthAnam , a contemproary of Sri

NarAyaNa Bhattadhiri , the author of the sacred Sri NarayaNeeyam .

PoonthAnam was a great scholar in MalayALam . He spent most of

his ninety years of life intrepreting Bhagaavtham at the Guruvayoor

temple and performing bhajans in front of the Lord. He gave to us

the work known as Jnanaa pAna (song of wisdom ) based on the

incidents covered by Bhagavatham .

 

Prince Maanadevan , the ruler of Calicutt was another great scholar,

who created eight plays based on the Dasama skandham known as

KrishNa Geethi , which formed the basis of KrishNAttam . These dance

dramas are performed even today at the Guruvayoor temple

and are the forerunners of today's KathakaLi .

 

In more recent years, Kudallur Kunjikkavu Nambhoodhri (AD 1839-1903)

was a great scholar of Bhagavatham . He was trained by his father

to become a second Sukha Deva in the exposition of Bhagavatham.

He was successful in preaching the efficacy of KrishNa nAma Japam.

He was followed by Vasudevan nambhoodhri (AD 1891-1947 ) . He was

also born at Sukhapuram. He tackled the stupendous task of writing

a MalayALam commentary for Bhagavatham . After completing

his commentary on the ninety first chapter, he was called back to the

holy feet of the Lord Guruvayoorappan . Bhagavatham has 360 chapters

and it appears that the Lord was pleased with the completion of

one fourth of the work undertaken in the realm of His leelA vibhuthi

( one fourth of His world ) and united him with the rest of the three

fourth of His world (Nitya Vibhuthi ) .

 

The three disciples of Chaitanya followed the inspiration obtained by

their Acharya at KeraLA and wrote their own commentaries on Bhagavatham.

Santana Goswamin produced the Brahad BhagavathAmrutha;

Rupa Goswamin produced a condensed version . Jiva Goswamin

composed Bhagavatha SandarbhA , known otherwise as Sarva Sambhadini .

These Goswamins with their unique understanding of the teachings of

Bahgavatham converted quite an emotional religion founded by Chaitanya

into the scholastic philosophy of Gaudiya VaishNavism , a strong religious

force in today's Bengaal .

 

Elsewhere in India , Sankara Deva (AD 1449 -1568) of Assam --originally

a SaakthA -- was influenced by Bhagavatham and became an ardent devotee

of KrishNA of the dasama skhandham . He propagated VaishNava Bhakthi

cult in the eastern-most corner in India. A vast literature on Bhagavatham

in Assamese resulted form his efforts. His major works are six lyrical

dramas dealing with the eight skandAs of the Bhagabvatha PuraNam .

 

In Andhra Pradesh , PottaNNa wrote his version of Bhagavatham in Telegu.

A copy of PottaNNa's Bhagavatham was a treasured possession of

Saint Thyagaraja (AD 1767-18447 ) , one of the musical trinities of

Carnatic music. Born of a Telegu family settld in Tamil Naadu ,

Saint Thyagaraja used PottaNNa's Bhgavatham for

his daily PaarAyaNam .

>From the fifth to the ninth centuries , the mystical poets and

the God-hungry AzhwArs of Tamil Naadu made liberal use of

the Dasama Skhandam in their devotional songs. Prominent

among them are NammAzhwAr , PeriyaazhwAr and his daughter,

AandAL . The bhakthi doctrines were intrepreted by these AzhwArs

through their melodious poems, which were set to music later by another

Acharya known as Natha Muni .NammaazhwAr says in one of his

Paasurams : " There is naught else; we tell it in brief to all the beings of

the world ; sorrow not; the thought of the Lord alone is enough. Ah!

even if you do not attain worldly wealth , evil will not come to you;

learn the fautless glory of our Lord born as a cowherd in North MathurA

and know it as best to live in its thoughts ."

 

PeriyazhwAr , the author of ThirupallAndu and Periya Thirumozhi

enjoyed the playful pranks of Bala KrishNA in Gokulam described in

chapters 5-25 0f the Dasama Skandham . In one of his moving verses ,

he says : " O You ills tormenting me for long! Listen, I tell you now ,

this body of mine has become the holy shrine of the great Lord , the

cowherd KrishNA ; know that ! O you ills that sink me down! I tell you one

more word; you have no more hold here ; know that and walk out ; this is not

the old town; it has now ben taken over as a protected place . "

 

ANdAL , who became the bride of God imitated the gOpis of BrindhAvan and

composed verses , where she expressed her longing to have KrishNA as her

husband. In one of her ThiruppAvai verses , she summarizes the Bhagavatha

dharmA as follows : " Lord GovindhA !O Lord without any blemish ! Listen to

the idea of us coming to You in the small hours of the morning , bowing to

You and offering service at Your golden lotus feet . O Lord born among

cowherds! You should not go away without accepting our Kaimkaryam .

We are not serving You to gain some thing for today or tomorrow. We are

serving You and You alone. Please banish all other desires and distractions

from our minds ."

 

The HaridAsAs of KarnatakA -- Purandara DAsA (AD 1480- 1564 ) ,

Kanaka DAsA , Vijaya DAsA -- were also great BhagavathAs , whose

lives were shaped by the teachings of Srimadh Bhagavatham . IN KarnAtakA ,

the eight maTAs of Udipi are great centers of expositions on Srimadh

Bhagavatham . The Ishta Daivam (personal God ) of the achaaryAs of

the mutts is none other than Udipi KrishNan, the Lord celebrated

in the Dasama Skandham .

 

In every nook and corner of India , we find Bhagavathaas , who have

served as a potent instrument for the spreading of the Bhakthi cult.

Be it the soul-stirring slokaas of KrishNa KarNAmrutham or exquisite

lyrics of Jaya Deva's Gita Govindham describing the sublime love of

Radhaa and KrishNA , the BhagavathA philosophy advocated by

Srimadh Bhagavatham has shaped the lives and thoughts of millions in

the Indian subcontinent . The elite and the every day man have been blessed

by this experience . This tradition will no doubt endure , given the power of

the message enshrined in Srimadh Bhagavatham .

 

Sri VaishNava Daasan ,

 

Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan