Srimad Bhagavatam discourses - every friday 7.15 pm

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>ISKCON Seattle <iskconseattle

>ISKCON Seattle Devotees <iskconseattle

>Srimad Bhagavatam discourses - every friday 7.15 pm

>Wed, 10 May 2000 15:06:31 -0700 (PDT)

>

>Hare Krishna,

>

>Please accept my humble obeisances. All Glories to

>Srila Prabhupada.

>

> "This Bhagavata Purana is as brilliant as the

>sun, and it

> has arisen just after the departure of Lord

>Krsna to His

> own abode, accompanied by religion,

>knowledge, etc.

> Persons who have lost their vision due to the

>dense darkness

> of ignorance in the age of Kali shall get

>light from this Purana."

> (Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.3.43)

>

>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 five thousand years ago by Srila Vyasadeva,

>the "literary incarnation of God." After compiling the

>Vedas, Vyasadeva set forth their essence in the

>aphorisms known as Vedanta-sutras. Srimad-Bhagavatam

>(Bhagavata Purana) is Vyasadeva's commentary on his

>own Vedanta-sutras. It was written in the maturity of

>his spiritual life under the direction of Narada Muni,

>his spiritual master. Referred to as "the ripened

>fruit of the tree of Vedic literature,"

>Srimad-Bhagavatam is the most complete and

>authoritative exposition of Vedic knowledge.

>

>After compiling the Bhagavatam, Vyasa imparted the

>synopsis of it to his son, the sage Sukadeva Gosvami.

>Sukadeva Gosvami subsequently recited the entire

>Bhagavatam to Maharaja Pariksit in an assembly of

>learned saints on the bank of the Ganges at

>Hastinapura (now Delhi). Maharaja Pariksit was the

>emperor of the world and was a great rajarsi (saintly

>king). Having received a warning that he would die

>within a week, he renounced his entire kingdom and

>retired to the bank of the Ganges to fast until death

>and receive spiritual enlightenment. The Bhagavatam

>begins with Emperor Pariksit's sober inquiry to

>Sukadeva Gosvami: "You are the spiritual master of

>great saints and devotees. I am therefore begging you

>to show the way of perfection for all persons, and

>especially for one who is about to die. Please let me

>know what a man should hear, chant, remember and

>worship, and also what he should not do. Please

>explain all this to me."

>

>Sukadeva Gosvami's answer to this question, and

>numerous other questions posed by Maharaja Pariksit,

>concerning everything from the nature of the self to

>the origin of the universe, held the assembled sages

>in rapt attention continuously for the seven days

>leading up to the king's death. The sage Suta Gosvami,

>who was present in that assembly when Sukadeva Gosvami

>first recited Srimad-Bhagavatam, later repeated the

>Bhagavatam before a gathering of sages in the forest

>of Naimisaranya. Those sages, concerned about the

>spiritual welfare of the people in general, had

>gathered to perform a long, continuous chain of

>sacrifices to counteract the degrading influence of

>the incipient age of Kali. In response to the sages'

>request that he speak the essence of Vedic wisdom,

>Suta Gosvami repeated from memory the entire eighteen

>thousand verses of Srimad-Bhagavatam, as spoken by

>Sukadeva Gosvami to Maharaja Pariksit.

>

>These 18,000 verses have been translated by His Divine

>Grace A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the

>founder-acarya of the International Society for

>Krishna Consciousness and the world's most

>distinguished teacher of Indian religious and

>philosophical thought. His consummate Sanskrit

>scholarship and intimate familiarity with Vedic

>culture and thought as well as the modern way of life

>combine to reveal to the West a magnificent exposition

>of this important classic.

>

>And His Grace Hari Vilas Prabhu (our temple

>president), who is a disciple of Srila Prabhupada,

>will be showering us with this nectar of Srimad

>Bhagavatam EVERY FRIDAY beginning from May 12th, 2000.

>The discourse will start at 7.15 p.m., right after the

>Gaura Arati, at the temple. As Srimad Bhagavatam

>contains a lot of stories describing various

>activities of the Lord and His devotees, Hari Vilas

>Prabhu will be giving his discourses based on each of

>these stories. So, naturally, it will be very

>interesting to hear.

>

>For those interested in the classical roots of Indian

>civilization, Srimad Bhagavatam serves as a vast

>reservoir of detailed information on virtually every

>one of its aspects. For students of comparative

>philosophy and religion, the Bhagavatam offers a

>penetrating view into the meaning of India's profound

>spiritual heritage. To sociologists and

>anthropologists, the Bhagavatam reveals the practical

>workings of a peaceful and scientifically organized

>Vedic culture, whose institutions were integrated on

>the basis of a highly developed spiritual world view.

>Students of literature will discover the Bhagavatam to

>be a master piece of majestic poetry. For students of

>psychology, the text provides important perspectives

>on the nature of consciousness, human behavior and the

>philosophical study of identity. Finally, to those

>seeking spiritual insight, the Bhagavatam offers

>simple and practical guidance for attainment of the

>highest self-knowledge and realization of the Absolute

>Truth.

>

>So, i humbly request all of you to come to the temple

>every friday and hear and relish the nectar of Srimad

>Bhagavatam.

>

>Hare Krishna,

>your servant,

>jayendran.

>

>

>=====

>Please Chant

> Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

> Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

> ... and be Happy!

>

>

>

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