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Vedic Philosophy

Made Visual

An humble offering to
the assembled
devotees!
All Glories to Srila
Prabhupada!

 rmadBhgavatam begins
with the definition
of the ultimate
source. It is a bona
fide commen-tary
on the Vedntastra by the same
author, rla
Vysadeva,

written
by him in
this
cave.

at the dawn of the age of kali...

in the Himalayas

to give light to the people in this world, who

are in darkness due to Kalis influence

Prelude

o
namo
NaMaae

p
>aGavTaebhagava

vaSaudev

te

janmdy asya yato nvayd

itarata crthev abhija
svar
tene brahma hd ya dikavaye muhyanti yat sraya
tejo-vri-md yath vinimayo
yatra tri-sargo m
dhmn svena sad nirastakuhaka satya para dhmahi

O my Lord, r Ka, son

of Vasudeva, O allpervading Personality of
Godhead, I offer my
respectful obeisances unto
You. I meditate upon Lord
r Ka because He is
the Absolute Truth and the
primeval cause of all causes

He is directly and
indirectly conscious of
all manifestations, and
He is independent
because there is no
other cause beyond
Him.

It is He only
who first
imparted the
Vedic
knowledge unto
the heart of
Brahmj, the
original
living
being.

By Him even the great sages

and demigods are placed into
illusion, as one is bewildered
by the illusory
representations of water

Only because of Him do

the material universes,
temporarily manifested
by the reactions of the
three modes of nature,
appear factual, although
they are unreal.

I therefore
meditate upon
Him, Lord r
Ka, who is
eternally
existent in the
transcendental
abode, which is
forever free
from the illusory
representations
of the material
world. I
meditate upon
Him, for He is
the Absolute
Truth.

O expert and thoughtful

men, relish rmadBhgavatam, the mature
fruit of the desire tree of
Vedic literatures. It
emanated from the lips
of r ukadeva
Gosvm.

KRISHNA

BRAHMA
NARADA

VYASA DEVA
SUKADEVA GOSWAMI

Therefore this fruit

has become even
more tasteful,
although its
nectarean juice was
already relishable for
all, including
liberated souls.
SB 1.1.3

end of invocation; begin of first

scenario
Once, in a holy
place in the forest of
Naimiraya, great
sages headed by the
sage aunaka
assembled to
perform a great
thousand-year
sacrifice for the
satisfaction of the
Lord and His
devotees. SB 1.1.4

The sages addresse Suta

Goswami:
O learned one, in this iron age of Kali
men have but short lives. They are
quarrelsome, lazy, misguided, unlucky
and, above all, always disturbed.
O Sta Gosvm, you can tell us all
that you have scientifically learned
from your spiritual masters

6 question by the sages

1) What is the
4) What kind of
ultimate good for pastimes perform
people?
His expansions in
relation to creation?
2) What is the
essence of all
scriptures?

5) What are the

activities of His
incarnations?

3) For what purpose 6) To whom have

did Lord Krishna
religious principles
appear?
gone for shelter

6 question by the sages

1) What is the
4) What kind of
ultimate good for pastimes perform
people?
His expansions in
relation to creation?
2) What is the
essence of all
scriptures?

5) What are the

activities of His
incarnations?

3) For what purpose 6) To whom have

did Lord Krishna
religious principles
appear?
gone for shelter

6 question by the sages

1) What is the
4) What kind of
ultimate good for pastimes perform
people?
His expansions in
relation to creation?
2) What is the
essence of all
scriptures?

5) What are the

activities of His
incarnations?

3) For what purpose 6) To whom have

did Lord Krishna
religious principles
appear?
gone for shelter

6 question by the sages

1) What is the
4) What kind of
ultimate good for pastimes perform
people?
His expansions in
relation to creation?
2) What is the
essence of all
scriptures?

5) What are the

activities of His
incarnations?

3) For what purpose 6) To whom have

did Lord Krishna
religious principles
appear?
gone for shelter

6 question by the sages

1) What is the
4) What kind of
ultimate good for pastimes perform
people?
His expansions in
relation to creation?
2) What is the
essence of all
scriptures?

5) What are the

activities of His
incarnations?

3) For what purpose 6) To whom have

did Lord Krishna
religious principles
appear?
gone for shelter

6 question by the sages

1) What is the
4) What kind of
ultimate good for pastimes perform
people?
His expansions in
relation to creation?
2) What is the
essence of all
scriptures?

5) What are the

activities of His
incarnations?

3) For what purpose 6) To whom have

did Lord Krishna
religious principles
appear?
gone for shelter

The sages
conclude: We think
that we have met
Your Goodness by
the will of
providence, just so
that we may accept
you as captain of
the ship for those
who desire to cross
the difficult ocean
of Kali, which
deteriorates all the
good qualities of a
human being.
SB 1.1.22

vysa uvca

Ugrarav [Sta
Gosvm], the
son of
Romaharaa,
being fully
satisfied by the
perfect questions
of the brhmaas,
thanked them and
thus attempted to
reply.

nryaa namasktya
nara caiva narottamam
dev sarasvat vysa
tato jayam udrayet
Before reciting this rmadBhgavatam, which is the very means
of conquest, one should offer
respectful obeisances unto the
Personality of Godhead, Nryaa,
unto Nara-nryaa i, the
supermost human being, unto mother
Sarasvat, the goddess of learning,
and unto rla Vysadeva, the
author. SB 1.2.4

What is the ultimate good for

people?
Answer to Question One:
SB 1.2.6
sa vai pus paro
dharmo
yato bhaktir adhokaje
ahaituky apratihat
yaytm suprasdati

The supreme
occupation [dharma]
for all humanity is that
by which men can
attain to loving
devotional service unto
the transcendent Lord.
Such devotional
service must be
unmotivated and
uninterrupted to
completely satisfy the

SANATANA DHARMA
Dharma means that which cannot be given up or that
which is a constant
companion.
Water and liquidity
What is the constant

cannot be separated.
companion of living being?

to love and to render service.

SANATANA DHARMA ==
ETERNAL RELIGION
SANATANA DHARMA - COMING FROM DAWN OF CREATION
BHAGAVAD GITA SPOKEN TO ARJUNA

2500 yrs.

BUDDHISM
CHRISTIANITY

ISLAM

2000 yrs.

1300 yrs.

NUMBER OF YEARS

5000 yrs.

DIFFERENT RELIGIONS SAME MESSAGE

OTHER RELIGIONS : SANATANA DHARMA
POCKET DICTIONARY : CHAMBERS
DICTIONARY
THERE IS MUCH THAT I
HAVE TO TELL YOU BUT
YOU CANNOT BEAR IT
NOW JESUS IN BIBLE

I shall now declare unto you in full this knowledge both

phenomenal & noumenal by knowing which there shall
remain nothing further to be known. [B.G.7.2]

By rendering
devotional service
unto the Personality
of Godhead, r
Ka, one
immediately
acquires causeless
knowledge and

Lifes desires should never be

directed toward sense
gratification. One should desire
only a healthy life, or selfpreservation, since a human
being is meant for inquiry about
the Absolute Truth. Nothing else
should be the goal of ones
works.
SB 1.2.10
And what is that Truth?

vadanti tat tattva-vidas

tattva yaj jnam advayam
brahmeti
paramtm
eti
bhagavn
iti
abdyate
Learned transcendentalists who
know the Absolute Truth call this
nondual substance Brahman,
Paramtm or Bhagavn.
SB 1.2.11

naa-pryev
abhadreu
nitya bhgavata-sevay
bhagavaty uttama-loke
bhaktir bhavati naihik
SB 1.2.18

What is the essence of all scriptures?

Answer to Question Two:
SB 1.2.28-29
In the revealed scriptures, the
vsudeva-par ved ultimate object of knowledge
vsudeva-par makhis r Ka, the Personality of
vsudeva-par yog Godhead. The purpose of
vsudeva-par kriyperforming sacrifice is to
please Him. Yoga is for
vsudeva-para jna
realizing Him. All fruitive
vsudeva-para tapa activities are ultimately
vsudeva-paro dharmorewarded by Him only. He is
vsudeva-par gati supreme knowledge, and all
severe austerities are
performed to know Him.

Vsudeva means
the all-pervading
or localized
Supreme
Personality of
Godhead. That
Supersoul enters
into the bodies
of the created
beings

He manifest His
transcendental pastimes
amongst them just to
create the desire to go

For what purpose did Lord Krishna

Answer toappear?
Question Three:

.assuming the roles of

incarnations, He performs
pastimes to reclaim those in the
mode of goodness. SB 1.2.34

What kind of pastimes do the Lords

expansions perform (in relation to
creation)?

Answer to Question Four:

He is the Purusa Avatara

Answer to Question Five:

What are the activities of his
incarnations?
avatr hy asakhyey
the incarnations of the Lord are
innumerable, like rivulets flowing
from inexhaustible sources of water
ete ca-kal pusa
kas tu bhagavn
svayam
indrri-vykula loka mayanti
Allyuge
of the yuge
above-mentioned incarnations are either plenary
portions or portions of the plenary portions of the Lord,
but Lord r Ka is the original Personality of Godhead.
All of them appear on planets whenever there is a
disturbance created by the atheists. The Lord incarnates

To whom have religious principles

gone for shelter after His departure ?
Answer to Question Six:
ke sva-dhmopagate dharma-jndibhi saha
kalau naa-dm ea purrko dhunodita
SB 1.3.43

Reviewing the sequences of

events:

Sages at Naimiraya
listen to Suta Goswami
Suta Goswami says that he
had been present when
Sukadeva Goswami spoke to
King Pariksit and had listened
with rapt attention.

Previously,
Vyasadeva spoke
the Srimad
Bhagavatam to
his son
Sukadeva
Goswami

and he in turn
spoke it to King
Pariksit for
seven days

thus the sages at

Naimiraya wonder

why a
meeting
between King
Pariksit and
Sukadeva took

Sukadeva past by naked girls who where

undisturbed in their bathing. He was so pure.
And he spend time with householders just
enough to milk a cow. But he agreed to spend
7 days with a king.?

The sages
conclude
that the talk
between the
two must
have been
about the
pastimes of
the Lord.

They also wonder who

inspired Vyasadeva to
compile the Srimad
Bhagavatam which he
then instructed to
Sukadeva.

We learn that it was the great Narada who

had instructed Vyasa to broadcast the
Glories of the Lord for the good of All

O Vysadeva, your
vision is completely
perfect. Your good fame
is spotless. You are firm
in vow and situated in
truthfulness. And thus
you can think of the
pastimes of the Lord in
trance for the liberation
of the people in general
from all material
bondage.
SB 1.5.13

thus in trance he saw the Lord

and His external energy under His

Vyasadeva, seeing the age of Kali fast approaching, took the

instruction of his guru Narada to hearth and composed the
Srimad Bhagavatam for the uplift of mankind.
thus we too are fortunate to hear
the pastimes of the Lord

Chapter 19

overview
Begin of Krishnas pastimes
in the Srimad Bhagavatam

The Son of Drona Punished;

Prayers by Kunti
Narada and

Chapter 7
Chapter 4

Vyasadeva
Question by the

Chapter 1

Lord Krishna is seen as the Chariot Driver of His

Devotee.
They are chasing Avatthm

First Glimpse into Pastimes

Bhima is
ready to
kill
Avatthm

Draupadi has
compassion..
and by
Lord
Krishnas
plan he is

Avatthm then releases his brahmstra

weapon to kill King Pariksit in the womb
When the Lord saw that there was no time
for the Pavas to counteract the
brahmstra of Avatthm, He took up
His weapon even at the risk of breaking
His own vow. Although the Battle of
Kuruketra was almost finished, still,
according to His vow, He should not have
taken up His own weapon. But the
emergency was more important than the
vow. He is better known as the bhaktavatsala, or the lover of His devotee, and
thus He preferred to continue as bhaktavatsala than to be a worldly moralist who

King Pariksit in the

Womb of Uttara
protected by the
Lord.

Uttaras prays:
Except You no one
else can protect me
in this word of
dualities.

After saving Pariksit, Lord Krishna is ready to

leave for His own city, Dwaraka.
Queen Kunti requests Him to stay
O
Ka, I purua
offer my
namasye
obeisances
tvdyam unto You
because You are the
vara
prakte
original personality
param
and are unaffected
by
the qualities
of
alakya
sarvathe
material world.
bhtnm
You are existing
antar
bahirand
both within
avasthitam
without everything,
yet You are invisible

My dear Ka, Your

Lordship has protected us
from a poisoned cake, from
a great fire, from cannibals,
from the vicious assembly,
from sufferings during our
exile in the forest and from
the battle where great
generals fought. And now
You have saved us from the
weapon of Avatthm.

vipada santu t avat tatra tatra jagadguro

bhavato darana yat syd
apunar bhava-daranam
I wish that all those calamities would
happen again and again so that we could
see You again and again, for seeing You
means that we will no longer see repeated
births and deaths. SB 1.8.25

My Lord, Your
Lordship can easily
be approached, but
only by those who
are materially
exhausted. One who
is on the path of
[material] progress,
trying to improve
himself with
respectable
parentage, great
opulence, high
education and bodily
beauty, cannot
approach You with
sincere feeling.
SB 1.8.26

vanti gyanti ganty bhkaa

smaranti nandanti tavehita jan
ta eva payanty acirea tvaka
bhava-pravhoparama padmbujam

O Ka, those who continuously hear,

chant and repeat Your transcendental
activities, or take pleasure in others doing
so, certainly see Your lotus feet, which

tvayi me nanya-viay
matir madhu-pate sakt
ratim udvahatd addh
gagevaugham udanvati

O Lord of Madhu, as the Ganges

forever flows to the sea without
hindrance, let my attraction be
constantly drawn unto You without
being diverted to anyone else.SB

end of queen Kuntis prayers

On the request of
King Yudhisthira,
Lord Krishna agrees
to further delay His
departure for
Dwaraka

Yudhisthira, under the influence of Krishnas

covering potency (just as Arjuna was covered
before the war) cant be pacified for killing all the
soldiers in the war. By Krishnas arrangement the
King will now be instructed by Bhisma.
Krishna causes Yudhisthiras bewilderment for
the following reasons:

1)Bhisma should get to see Lord Krishna at the

time of
leaving this world.
2)Bhisma should get to see the Pandavas as
Kings
(his own cherished desired)

Therefore, the Pandavas return back to

the Battlefield of Kuruksetra, to be
present at the passing away of
Bhmadeva.

O best among the

descendants of
Bharata [Yudhihira],
I maintain that all this
is within the plan of
the Lord. Accepting
the inconceivable plan
of the Lord, you must
follow it. You are now
the appointed
administrative head,
and, my lord, you
should now take care
of those subjects who

Bhma, in the presence of many great sages,

ea vai bhagavn skd

This r Ka is no other
than the inconceivable,
original Personality of
Godhead. He is the first
Nryaa, the supreme
enjoyer. But He is moving
amongst the descendants of
King Vi just like one of us
and He is bewildering us with
His self-created energy.
SB 1.9.17+18

Let my mind be
fixed upon Lord r
Ka, whose
motions and smiles
of love attracted
the damsels of
Vrajadhma
[the gops].
SB 1.9.40.

Bhmas breathing stops; flowers fall

Lord Krishna journeys

back to His own city
Dwaraka
Hastinapura

Dwaraka

Sta Gosvm said: Upon reaching the border of

His most prosperous metropolis, known as the
country of the nartas [Dvrak], the Lord
sounded His auspicious conchshell, heralding His
arrival and apparently pacifying the dejection of

End of Chapter Eleven

Return to Dwaraka

Chapter 19

overview
Return to Dwaraka;
Parkit s birth
The Son of Drona Punished;
Prayers by Kunti
Narada and

Chapter 11

Chapter 7
Chapter 4

Vyasadeva
Question by the

Chapter 1

Setting the scene for talks

about King Pariksit

The sages at
Naimiraya had
wondered

why a
meeting
between King
Parkit and
Sukadeva took

but in the course of the

narration other topics were
discussed. The sages were
absorbed in hearing such
descriptions, but now they
wanted to turn to the
original topic, and thus
aunaka i inquired:
How did King Yudhisthira
rule?

Suta Goswami said: Mahrja Yudhihira, after

being enlightened by what was spoken by
Bhmadeva and Lord r Ka, ruled over the
earth and seas and was followed by his younger

During the reign of Mahrja

Yudhihira, the clouds
showered all the water that
people needed, and the earth
produced all the necessities of
man in profusion. Due to its
fatty milk bag and cheerful
attitude, the cow used to
moisten the grazing ground
with milk.
SB
1.10.4
Because of the Kings
having no enemy, the
living beings were not
at any time disturbed
by mental agonies,

Birth of King Parkit

King Yudhihira, who
was very satisfied with
the birth of Mahrja
Parkit, had the
purificatory process of
birth performed.
Learned brhmaas,
headed by Dhaumya
and Kpa, recited
auspicious hymns. SB
1.12.13

Learned Brahmanas give astrological

insight
about the Child:
viu-rta
(protected
by Vishnu)
mahbhgavata
(first class
devotee)

Some time
after:

Arjuna does not

return from
Dwaraka.
Yudhisthira and
Bhima observe
inauspicious
omens.

Meanwhile in Dwaraka:
Lord Brahm approaches Lord
Krishna
The Supreme Lord said:
My dear Lord,
O lord of the demigods,
previously we
Brahm, I understand
requested You to
your prayers and
remove the burden of
request. Having
the earth. O unlimited
removed the burden of
Personality of
the earth, I have
Godhead, that request
executed everything
has certainly been
that was required on
fulfilled. SB 11.6.21
your behalf.

That very Ydava

dynasty in which I
appeared became
greatly magnified in
opulence, especially
in their physical
strength and
courage, to the
extent that they
threatened to
devour the whole
world. Therefore I
have stopped them,
just as the shore
holds back the
great ocean.

Uddhava hears of the Lords pending

departure:
O saintly
My dear
Uddhava,
Uddhava, you
in the near
should not
future I will
remain here
abandon
on the earth
this earth.
once I have
Then,
abandoned
being
this world.
overwhelm
O Lord Keava, my dear master,
ed by the
I cannot tolerate giving up Your
age of Kali,
lotus feet even for a fraction of
the earth
a moment. I urge You to take
will be
me along with You to Your own

Before the Lords

departure,
Uddhava meets
Him again near
Prabhsa-ketra
There, the great
sage Maitreya
Muni is also
present and the
Lord instructs to
both the CaturSloka (BhaktiYoga).

The Disappearance of Lord Krishna

Lord Brahm arrived at
Prabhsa along with Lord
iva and his consort, the
sages, the Prajpatis and
all the demigods, headed
by Indra to witness the
Lord mystical departure.
SB 11.31.1
Jara
(former
Bgu
Muni)

After the Lords Departure

Maitreya instructs Vidura

r Sta Gosvm
said: While traveling
on a pilgrimage,
Vidura received
knowledge of the
destination of the
self from the great
sage Maitreya and
then returned to
Hastinpura. He
became as well
versed in the

Vidura arrives in
Hastinpura.
Yudhisthira said:
While traveling on
the surface of the
earth, how did
you maintain your
livelihood? At
which holy places
and pilgrimage
sites did you
render service?

bhavadvidh
bhgavats
trthabht
svaya
vibho
trthkurvanti
trthni
svnta-

Vidura then instructs his blinded

brother, Dhtarra

Dhtarra Quits
Home
Vidura says:
Insurmountable, eternal
time imperceptibly
overcomes those who are
too much attached to
family affairs and are
always engrossed in their
thought. My dear King,
please get out of here
immediately. Do not delay.
Just see how fear has
overtaken youVerily, you

The Pandavas Retire

Timely
Having
learned about
the departure
of Lord
Krishna,
Yudhisthira
enthrones
Pariksit and
leaves home,
together with
the other
Pandavas.

Chapter 19

overview
How Pariksit received the

Chapter 16

age of Kali
Return to Dwaraka;
Parkit s birth
The Son of Drona Punished;
Prayers by Kunti
Narada and

Chapter 11

Chapter 7
Chapter 4

Vyasadeva
Question by the

Chapter 1

How Pariksit received the age of

Kali

Oh, who are you? You

appear to be strong
and yet you dare kill,
within my protection,
those who are
helpless! By your
dress you pose
yourself to be a godly
man [king], but by
your deeds you are

Kali surrenders and gets five places to

stay

Pariksit says: O friend of irreligion, you do not

deserve to remain in a place where experts
perform sacrifices according to truth and
religious principles for the satisfaction of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead.
SB
1.17.33

The age of Kali: It is the age for

persons who wish to fulfill their
sinful desires.
The wise persons look for shelter,
as one who has intelligence will
take shelter from an upcoming
storm.
What happens to King Pariksit is
part of the Lords plan.

Maharaja Pariksit cursed by a

Brahman boy
O Suta Goswami! We
have begun this
sacrifice. We are
unsure of the result.
Our bodies became
black. Hearing from
you is far better

Please describe those topics

of the Lord by which Pariksit
attained the lotus feet of the
Lord.

The Good Sages said:

tulayma lavenpi
na svarga npunarbhavam
bhagavat-sagi-sagasya
martyn kim utia
The value of a moments
association with the devotee
of the Lord cannot even be
compared to the attainment
of heavenly planets or
liberation from matter, and
what to speak of worldly
benedictions in the form of
material prosperity, which
are for those who are meant

The appearance of Sukadeva

Goswami
King Pariksit decides
to fast until death.
He ask the
assembled sages
about the duty for
everyone and
specifically of those
who are just about
to die. At that
moment there
appeared the
powerful son of

Thus ends the First Canto of

the rmad-Bhgavatam

o tat sat

a lot !!!