Drinking the Divine Juice of Bhagatam

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Drinking the Divine Juice of Bhagatam

By Victor D. DiCara (Vraja Kishor das)

 

The 61st practice of Sadhana is to taste the objective of the Shrimad Bhagatam.

 

Rupa Goswami quotes the third text of the Bhagavatam to glorify and explain

this

practice.

 

nigama-kalpa-taror-galitaM phalaM

shuka-mukhAd-amrita-drava-saMyutam |

pibata bhAgavataM rasam-AlayaM

muhur aho rasikA bhuvi bhAvukAH || 225 ||

 

"The very ripe fruit of the Vedic desire tree, pierced by the beak of a parrot,

 

has become liquid-soft, as sweet as nectar, and totally perfect. Connoisseurs

of the world's beauty and poetry should drink it's divine juice again and

again,

without cessation!"

 

The author of this shloka compares Vedic scriptures ("nigama") to

"wish-fulfilling

trees" ("kalpa-taru") because they fulfill all wishes for pleasure,

achievement,

righteousness, and liberation (kAma, artha, dharma, mokSa). The author then

compares

the SHrImad BhAgavatam to the fruit ("phala") of that tree. All the energies

of a tree culminate in it's fruit. Similarly the four types of human desires

mentioned above, culminate in the fifth desire: love of Godhead (kriSNa-prema).

 

Comparing SHrImad BhAgavatam to the fruit of the Vedic desire tree indicates

that it bestows the culmination of all wishes - love of Godhead.

 

Furthermore, the author describes the fruit as being so ripe that it oozes and

drips on the ground ("galitam"). This indicates that SHrimad BhAgavatam is

overflowing

with love of Godhead. The BhAgavatam-fruit is so "ripe" or mature because it

was the final scripture composed by SHrI VyAsa, after his realization of

Godhead

and reality became fully mature.

 

Next, the author states that this fruit was pierced by the beak of a parrot

("shuka-mukhAt")

and from that incident became even riper, attaining an almost liquid state

('drava")

as sweet as nectar ("amrita") and totally perfect, without skin or pit

("samyuta").

The "parrot" (shuka) here is SHuka-deva Goswami, who "pierced" the BhAgavatam

with his mouth when he spoke it to King ParIkSit, embellishing and perfecting

it, by (1) making it "liquid-soft," or easily swallowed and appreciated by all,

 

(2) making it as sweet as nectar by infusing it's words with his own deep love

of Godhead, and (3) removing any remaining pit or skin of jnana (pursuit of

liberation)

or karma (pursuit of pleasure, achievement, or righteousness). The SHrImad

BhAgavatam

as spoken by SHukadeva Goswami is thus nothing but relishable love of Godhead.

 

Connoisseurs of beauty and poetry ("rasika-bhAvuka") should drink the

"BhAgavatam-rasa"

- the divine juice of SHrimad BhAgavatam. They will find it so pleasurable that

 

they will not be able to stop, and will thus drink again and again ("muhur"),

without cessation ("Alayam").

 

By stating that the rasikA and the bhAvuka will taste BhAgavatam-rasa, the

author

implies that only the Krishna-bhakta who is a connoisseur appreciative of

BhAva-bhakti

can properly read or speak SHrImad BhAgavatam. But, by using the word bhuvI the

 

author also implies that BhAgavatam spoken by such a rasikA has the potential

to attract even connoisseurs of worldly beauty and poetry.

 

By stating that one will relish the juice of the BhAgavatam-fruit without

cessation

(Alayam), the author implies that the love of Godhead described within SHrImad

BhAgavatam continues to attract the soul even after he or she attains

immortality

through liberation.

 

This love of Godhead is the objective or aim of SHrImad BhAgavatam. To taste

the love of Godhead within SHrImad BhAgavatam is the 61st practice of SAdhana.

This is most effectively done when one hears the BhAgavatam from a person who,

like SHukadeva Goswami, is imbued with love of Godhead.