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EDITORIAL August 27, 1999 VNN4597 Comment on this story The Superiority Of The Srimad Bhagavatam BY GIRIDHARI DAS EDITORIAL, Aug 27 (VNN) — In an attempt to disparage His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaj, GBC Ravindra Svarupa wrote in his infamous letter: "They (Prabhupada's disciples accepting Srila Maharaj as siksa-guru) hear Narayan Maharaj say -within the smaller circle- that he has no taste for Bhagavad-Gita... What has happened to them that their memory has become corrupted, so that they can't recall Prabhupada's unequivocal judgment about those who make such statements ?" The above statement is characteristic of the writer's deep ignorance of Gaudiya Vaisnava siddhanta. It is not by chance that Srila Bhaktivedanta Svami Maharaj translated and commented the Srimad-Bhagavatam, even the Tenth Canto (Krsna-book), before Bhagavad-Gita as it is. It is a misleading half-truth to say that any of our acaryas have no regard for the Gita. Still, there are some philosophical aspects which have to be considered in this matter. In his final days in the year of 1936 paratpara-gurudev nitya-lila om visnupad Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Prabhupad commented in a circle of disciples: "If the Vedas, Upanisads, Bhagavad-Gita and all other scriptures would disappear from the world, except for the Srimad Bhagavatam, nothing would be really lost, as the Bhagavatam contains the essence of everything." He compared the Vedas and the Upanisads with the bark of a tree, and the Srimad Bhagavatam with the sap of that huge tree. Why did Srila Sarasvati Prabhupad give such a comment ? Aren't all Vedic scriptures on the same level ? Can one really say that the Srimad Bhagavatam is superior to the Bhagavad-Gita, which was spoken by Krishna Himself ? Doesn't the Gita-mahatmya proclaim that because the Bhagavad-Gita emanated from the lotus-mouth of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, there is no need to study any other sastra? The following essay is a humble attempt to clarify these questions. One thing though has to be kept in mind. Without knowing the preliminary instructions of the Bhagavad-gita, one cannot understand Srimad Bhagavatam. Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayan Maharaj, who has recently translated and commented the Srimad Bhagavad-gita with the commentary of Visvanath Cakravarti Thakur (900 pages in the Hindi edition !), explains in the Nectar of Govinda-lila: "For understanding these things, the instructions of the Bhagavad-gita serve as a foundation. Constructed upon this foundation is the palace of the Srimad Bhagavatam with its 12 floors." "In condensed form this verse of the Gita is showing us how to attain the bhakti of Vraja, and then in the Srimad-Bhagavatam this conception is delineated in an expanded form. Therefore the beginning book is the Gita, and we should never disrespect the Gita in any way." Let us analyse now some statements by our sampradaya-guru, Srila Madhvacarya. Srila Madhvacarya cites in his commentary Bhagavad-gita-bhasya following verse from the Narayanastaksara-kalpa: vedad api param cakre pancamam vedam uttamam bharatam pancaratram ca mularamayanam tatha puranam bhagavatam ceti sambhinnah sastrapungavah "Srila Vyasadeva, the expert in all sastras, composed the fifth Veda, which is even superior to the 4 Vedas. This excellent pancama Veda consists of the Mahabharata, Pancaratra, the original Ramayana and the Bhagavata Purana." Here we see that the Puranas and Itihasas are given more importance. It is interesting to note that the Bhagavata Purana is used here as representative of all Puranas. Srila Madhvacarya often describes the Srimad Bhagavatam as the Purana par excellance. Still, I haven't found any detailed information in Srila Madhvacarya's works why the Srimad Bhagavatam is the topmost scripture. However, I have come across a passage from his commentary Mahabharata-tatparya-nirnaya, in which he quotes an interesting etymological account of the word Mahabharata from the Brahmanda Purana. It is helpful to know that in Sanskrit "maha" means 'great' and "bhara" means 'weight', thus "Mahabharata". sastresu bharatam saram tatra namasahasrakam vaisnavam krsnagita ca tajjnanam mucyate 'njasa. na bharatasamam sastram kuta evanayoh samam bharatam sarvavedas ca tulam aropitah pura. devair brahmadibhih sarvair rsibhis ca samanvitaih. vyasasyaivajnaya tatra tv atyaricyata bharatam. mahattvad bharavattvac ca mahabharatam ucyate. niruktam asya yo veda sarvapapaih pramucyate. "The sastras contain the essence of the Mahabharata, which embodies the thousand names of Visnu and the song of Krsna. By knowing them one attains liberation. There is no scripture equal to the Mahabharata. Once, Srila Vyasadeva ordered all rsis and demigods headed by Brahma to weigh the Mahabharata and all the Vedas on a scale. The Mahabharata was found to have more weight. Because of its greatness (mahattva) and significance or weight (bharavattva), it is called Mahabharata. One who knows this etymological meaning will get rid of all sins." In the view of Srila Madhvacarya the Mahabharata is more significant than all other Vedic scriptures, especially because it contains the thousand names of Visnu and the Bhagavad-Gita. However, there is a special reason why the Srimad Bhagavatam is regarded as the topmost scripture, even superior to the Gita, in the Gaudiya-sampradaya. The following article by our most revered Gurupadapadma Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayan Maharaj, vice-president of the Gaudiya Vedanta Samiti, contains a beautiful elucidation of this subject matter. The article was printed in the Bhagavat Patrika (Hindi) with the title: "A comparative examination of the Gita and the Srimad Bhagavat" - "The Vedas, Upanisads, Puranas, Valmiki Ramayana, Mahabharata and other sastras in accordance with them are the original, authoritative scriptures of the Indian literature. Among them the Vedas are the pramanas (means of knowledge; evidence) which are apauruseya (superhuman) and svatahsiddha (self-evident), as they emanated with the breath of Bhagavan. Even so, the Srimad Bhagavad-Gita which is included in the Mahabharata and which emanated from the lotus-mouth of Krsna is the most important Upanisad of the entire Vedic literature. The Upanisads are the essence of the Vedas, hence they are also called Vedanta. Bhagavan Sri Krsna Himself collected the essence of all Upanisads, and as if pouring the ocean in a pot, He spoke the Gitopanisad. Therein one will find the solutions to the problems of humanity, which are applicable to all people, at all times and at all places. However, Bhagavan Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself said that the essence of all instructions in the Bhagavad-Gita - "sarva-dharman parityajya" - is external, because this advice to fully surrender (saranagati) is not bhakti itself, but the gateway to enter bhakti. Entering that door one can gradually go through sadhana-bhakti, bhava-bhakti, prema-bhakti and then the following stages up to bhava and mahabhava, finally reaching the topmost intimate quarter. In this way, the Srimad Bhagavad-Gita is regarded as the primary book of transcendental, pure bhakti. The Srimad Bhagavatam however is the essence of the desire tree of all Vedic scriptures, the fully ripened and sweetest fruit only consisting of ambrosial rasa and devoid of any skin, stone and other inferior parts. The Gita is the essence of one part of the Vedas - the Upanisads, but the Srimad Bhagavatam is the essence of all scriptures, the Vedas, the Upanisads, Puranas, Ramayana, Mahabharata, etc. Even after Dvaipayana Vedavyasa divided the Veda into four parts and composed the Vedanta-sutra, the Mahabharata and other Puranas, he was not fully satisfied. Following the instruction of his Gurudeva Sri Narad Gosvami, he went into trance (samadhi) and received the Srimad Bhagavatam in his heart. Only then did he attain full satisfaction. This is why the Srimad Bhagavatam is regarded in the world of transcendalists as the topmost, post-graduate book. In the Gita the perishable nature of the world, the bad consequences of attachment to the sense objects, karma, akarma, vikarma, niskama-karma, bhagavat-arpita karma, karma for bhagavat-priti, atma-tattva, maya-tattva, svarupa-sakti-tattva, paramatma-tattva and bhagavat-tattva have been clearly analysed. The sole purport of the Gita by revealing all these tattvas is to give instructions of full surrender (saranagati) unto the lotus-feet of Sri Krsna Bhagavan. Through saranagati Krsna delivers one from all sins. This Krsna is the source of brahman and paramatma, and the ultimate para-tattva. Just where the Gita ends, the Srimad Bhagavatam starts. Sri Nandanandana Krsna of Vraja is an ocean of all nectarean rasas and also the enjoyer of all rasas. He can only be controlled by pure love. In the Srimad Bhagavatam it has been especially said that the vraja-gopis are the embodiment of Sri Krsna's hladini-sakti. Their love towards Krsna is the particular subject of the Srimad Bhagavatam. Krsna can be conquered by this prema only, not otherwise - "na paraye'ham niravadya sanyuja". Therefore the heart of Vyasadeva could only be fully satisfied after composing the Srimad Bhagavatam. The Gita is the ambrosial vani emanating from Sri Krsna's mouth, but the Srimad Bhagavatam with its 12 limbs is the very body (svarupa) of Vrajendranandana - "tamala varna suhrtavatara". The Gita is designated as the book full of tattva-jana, whereas the Srimad Bhagavatam is called the book full of transcendental, relishable rasas. In the Gita Sri Krsna is declared as the topmost para-tattva through the verse "mattah parataram nanyat kimcid asti". In the Srimad Bhagavatam however Sri Krsna is not only declared as the highest tattva through the verse "krsnastu bhagavan svayam", but also as the Sri vigraha, the embodiment, of all transcendental rasas through the verse "mallanmasani nrnam". Those who follow the instructions of the Gita can please Sri Krsna through their saranagati, but they cannot controll Him. The devotees of Vraja however can easily conquer Him. Through the verse "na paraye'ham niravadya samyujam" Sri Krsna Himself says that He is eternally indebted to the gopis. When Sri Krsna displayed His universal form, Arjuna became frightened and folding his hands started to pray: "O my Lord, who art the creator, maintainer and destroyer of the universe. From now on I will never adress you as sakha, friend. Please forgive my offenses." On the other hand, in the Srimad Bhagavatam Vrajendranandana Sri Krsna shows Her mother Yasoda the entire universe in His mouth. Even so, Yasoda maiya was not even slightly impressed by this virata-aisvarya, universal opulence. She considers this sight to be a sort of magical power or the evil glance of ghosts, but she never regards Him as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This attitude of pure love is possible in a special stage. The Arjuna of the Gita and other persons regard Krsna as the supreme tattva, but they cannot relate to Him as a friend, son or lover while considering Him to be the embodiment of all aisvarya and madhurya. In the Srimad Bhagavatam it is described how the associates of Vraja have loving dealings with Sri Krsna, considering Him to be their friend, son or lover, just as in worldy relations. In the Gita Krsna is the one who is sought by all devotees, whereas in the Srimad Bhagavatam Krsna Himself becomes the one who searches, running behind His premi-bhaktas. Yasoda maiya binds Him very easily with the rope of prema. His sakhas defeat Him. He even tries to placate His most beloved gopis again and again, when they exhibit mana. Sri Krsna desires the mercy of the vraja-vasis - "aho bhagyam aho bhagyam nanda-gopa-vrajokasam". This is why Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, after much deliberation, designated the instructions of the Gita as "iho bahya" ("this is external"). In the grand biography of Srila Sarasvati Prabhupada (published by Mandala) I have found an interesting passage in the chapter "Srila Prabhupada answers questions from his disciples", which corroborates Srila Gurudeva's exposition: Question: The following is considered to be the most significant verse of the Bhagavad-gita: sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja aham tvam sarva-papebhyo moksayisyami ma sucah "Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear." But Mahaprabhu said of this verse, "eho bahya" - this is also external. Why is that ? Srila Prabhupada: Yes, Mahaprabhu said to Raya Ramananda Prabhu that even this great verse was only external. Devotional love for the Supreme Lord is the natural inclination of the soul. So the Supreme Lord should not have to canvass for Himself. He should not have to coax us to love Him. He should not have to somehow persuade us to become His devotee. He should not make us promise to love Him. His devotees naturally engage themselves wholeheartedly to make Him happy, due to their spontaneous, uncontrollable love for Him. If a father has to take great trouble to make his son love Him, then everyone can understand what kind of son he has. It is only natural that the devotees will automatically, following his heart's desire, serve his Lord. But in this situation it seems that the opposite is happening. Not only has the devotee forgotten his Lord, but he has forgotten his own eternal identity. Being forgetful of his eternal existence, he has become the master of the temporary, and he is serving the temporary. This is why Mahaprabhu said of this great verse that it is external: TO TEACH US ABOUT PURE DEVOTION - THE SUPREME DEVOTION BELONGING TO VRAJA-DHAMA. I end this article with a verse spoken by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself: "krsna-bhakti-rasa-svarupa sri bhagavata tate veda-sastra haite parama mahattva" (Sri Caitanya-Caritamrta Madhya 25.150) "The Srimad Bhagavatam is the very form of the rasas of krsna-bhakti. Therefore it is more important than all other Vedic scriptures." Comment on this story  Contact VNN about this storySend this story to a friend
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