Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 12.13.19
Āśraya· The supreme shelterKṛṣṇa Speaks Through His Pure Representatives
“I meditate upon that pure and spotless Supreme Absolute Truth, who is free from suffering and death and who in the beginning personally revealed this incomparable torchlight of knowledge to Brahmā. Brahmā then spoke it to the sage Nārada, who narrated it to Kṛṣṇa-dvaipāyana Vyāsa. Śrīla Vyāsa revealed this Bhāgavatam to the greatest of sages, Śukadeva Gosvāmī, and Śukadeva mercifully spoke it to Mahārāja Parīkṣit.”
What the purport teaches
- The Bhāgavatam begins and concludes with meditation upon the Supreme Truth. That Truth is pure, spotless and free from suffering and death.
- Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself originally spoke Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam to Brahmā. He continued speaking through Nārada Muni, Dvaipāyana Vyāsa, Śukadeva Gosvāmī and other great sages.
- When pure devotees speak Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Kṛṣṇa speaks through them. Submissive hearing from His bona fide devotees frees one from the conditioned state and prepares one to meditate upon and serve Him.
Try this today
Listen attentively to a short Bhāgavatam reading by a bona fide devotee, with the intention to understand and serve.
Ask yourself
How can I hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam more submissively, as Kṛṣṇa’s message through His devotees?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
From Canto 10, chapter 14 onward, the translation and purports were completed by Śrīla Prabhupāda's disciples after his departure, and published by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.