srimadbhagavatham-skandha2

October 14, 2007

Chapter8- Parikshit entreating Suka to relate Bhagavata.

Parikshit requested Suka to tell him about the Lord so that he could leave his body with full concentration on Sri Krishna, who enters swiftly the heart of those who incessantly sing His glory and listen to His stories, `praviShtah karNaranDhreNa svaanaam bhaavasaroruham.'

Parikshit wished to know about the creation of the universe in detail, about micro and macrocosm, dimensions of the worlds and what is beyond, the incarnations of the Lord, the common and special dharmas etc.

Chapter9- The instruction to Brahma

Brahma wished to create the world but had no idea how to do it. Then he heard a divine voice saying `tapa,' `tapa,' and he started doing tapas and the Lord appeared in front of him as shanka chakra gadha paaNi, `kireetinam kundalinam chathurbhujampeethaambaram vakshasi lakshitham Sriya.'

Brahma wished to know the real nature of the Supreme Self who is formless but appears in many forms and creates and absorbs the universe back into himself as a spider does, as declared in the upanihad `yaThaa oorNanaabhiH srjathe grhnathe cha.' Then the Lord instructed him the highest and most secret of all knowledge, the knowledge of Supreme reality. What follows reflects the truth of the Upanishads,

The Lord said

1.`ahameva aasam eva agre naanyath yath sadhasath param; paschaadhaham yadhethaccha yo avaSishyetha so asmi aham,' (SB.2-9-32) meaning, "I was alone in the beginning, there was nothing else real or unreal. What was going to remain in the end is also me."

This is the declaration in the Upanishads, `sadheva soumya idhamagra aaseeth ekemva adhvitheeyam,' (Chan.6-2-1) `there was sath alone in the beginning , one only without a second.'

The Lord further said , " The apprehension of a thing where it is not and non-apprehension of it where it is , all this is due to My maayaa."

2.Rthe arTham yath pratheeyetha na pratheeyetha chaathmani; tadvidhyaath aathmano maayaam yaThaa aabhaaso yaThaa thamaH(SB.2-9-33)

The next sloka is about the anupravesa, the Lord entering into everything and yet untouched by all.

3.yaThaa mahaanthi bhoothaani bhootheShu ucchaavacheShu anu

pravishtaanyapravishtaani thaThaa thshu na theshu aham (sb.2-9-34)

As the gross elements enter into all beings in their gross form yet they are not affected by the imperfections of the individual entities, similarly the Lord is not affected by the imperfections of all beings by entering into them as their inner self.

4. ethaavadheva jijnaasyam thatthvajijnaasunaa aathmanah

anvayavyatirekaabhyaam yathsyaath sarvathra sarvadhaa (SB.2-9-35)

This is the supreme truth to be known by one who wishes to acquire the knowledge of the Self by the method of agreement and difference.

These four slokas are known as chathuslokee bhagavatha and are very important in import.

The first sloka explains the causality of Brahman as made out in the Upanishad quoted above, showing that Brahman is both material and efficient cause of the universe.

The second sloka is explained as follows:

The self is associated with the body which is due to maya as in reality it is different from the body. This is the example of `rthe arThe yath pratheeyetha,' that which appears where it is not. On the other hand the self is real but it is not cognizes as existent.

The third sloka expresses that Brahman is transcendent and imminent and hence pervades all beings in and out like the Akasa and other elements . So Brahman is not affected by the characteristics of the sentient and insentient beings.

The last sloka mentions the method of agreement and difference. The sloka means, what is existent always and everywhere is the truth to be known by method of agreement and denial. That is, what exists everywhere and always is the truth and what does not is not. The former is anvaya, the method of agreement and the latter is the method of difference.

Brahma after learning this from the Lord instructed it to Narada who in turn instructed this to Vyasa.