The Vedic Scriptures

The following important Vedic scriptures will be presented here in brief:

Śrī Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛtam

Sri Brihad-Bhagavatamrita is a two-part work written in Sanskrit in the 16th century by Srila Sanatana Goswami, a trusted devotee of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. In the book, Uttara, the mother of King Pariksit, who was a great devotee of Krishna, wishes to hear the essence of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from her son shortly before his death by the bite of the snake Takshaka. The Mahabharata contains the Vedas, all the Vedic knowledge and the essence of it. The Bhagavatam is the essence of the Mahabharata and is also called the “ripe fruit on the tree of Vedic knowledge”. Śrī Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta, in turn, is the essence, the nectar of the Bhagavatam. Uttara said, “My son, just as nectar was churned from the ocean of milk, so please extract for me the essence of Śukadeva's teachings.”

Thereupon, in Part I of the book, Pariksit recounts how Narada Muni once wanted to find out which devotee of Krishna was the best and had received the most of Krishna's mercy. It begins with a rich landowner-brahmana who once worshipped the Lord in Prayaga¹ in the form of a Śalagram-Śila on a golden throne with many utensils according to the instructions of the scriptures. He offered him many delicious foods, expensive clothes and other valuable things. Then he bowed down before the Brahmanas and offered them obeisances. He then distributed the prasadam to the people present there – Brahmanas, householders, Brahmacaris, needy people and also satisfied the animals in that place. Narada spoke to the Brahmana and praised him for being a great recipient of Krishna's mercy. The Brahmana, however, was humble and instead praised a king in South India as a great recipient of Krishna's mercy. So Narada Muni went to the court of this king and praised him as a great devotee of Krishna. The king was humble and responded similarly to the Brahmana and instead praised Indra, the king of heaven, as a great recipient of Krishna's mercy.

This then goes on and on as before, Narada having conversations with the recipients of Krishna's mercy and each time being referred by them to others, higher up. Indra refers to Brahma, from Brahma Narada travels to Shiva, and then he successively visits Prahlad Maharaja, Sri Hanuman, the Pandavas in Hastinapura, and finally comes to Dvaraka, where he sees the Yadavas, King Ugrasena, Krishna and Krishna's queens, and hears from Uddhava, one of Krishna's dearest devotees, from the inhabitants of Vrindavan and the Gopis as the most perfect devotees of Krishna.

Part I: Sri Bhagavata-kripa-nirdhara (Ascertaining the Essence of the Mercy of the Supreme Lord)

Chapter 1: Bhauma (The Earth)
Chapter 2: Divya (The Higher Material Planets)
Chapter 3: Prapancatita (Beyond the Material World)
Chapter 4: Bhakta (The Devotees)
Chapter 5: Priya (The Dear Devotees)
Chapter 6: Priyatama (The Most Dear Devotees)
Chapter 7: Purna (The Perfect Devotees)

Part II: Sri Goloka-mahatmya (Ascertaining the Glories of Sri Goloka)

Chapter 1: Vairagya (Renunciation)
Chapter 2: Jnana (Knowledge)
Chapter 3: Bhajana (Devotional Service)
Chapter 4: Vaikuntha (The spiritual World)
Chapter 5: Priya (The Beloved)
Chapter 6: Abhista-labha (The Attainment of Desires)
Chapter 7: Jagad-ananda (The Bliss of the Worlds)

In Part II, Uttara wants to learn from her son Maharaja Pariksit about that realm to which those who aspire to serve the gopis of Vrindavan and especially Sri Radhika enter. Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī examines all the manifestations and incarnations of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, culminating in Śrī Nandanandana, the beloved son of Śrī Nanda Mahārāja. He does this by telling the story of Gopa-kumāra and his fascinating journey through the material and spiritual universe as he searches for the Lord of his heart.

King Pariksit describes the glory of Goloka with the story of an ignorant Brahmana who lived in Pragyotishapur and had received the ten-syllable Gopala mantra from his Guru. In Prayag, the Brahmana meets many Vaisnavas at a great festival and is instructed by them. In a dream, Sri Gopal instructs him to go to Vrindavan. There the Brahmana meets a cowherd boy named Gopa-Kumar, who had also received the Gopala mantra from his Guru and now tells him his own story of how he was able to travel to higher and higher regions without restriction by constantly chanting the mantra. First he takes darśana at the manifestations of Bhagavan who appear in this earthly realm or Bhumandala, such as Shri Shalagram Shila Bhagavan and Sri Jagannathadeva. He describes their ever-increasing glories in turn. Then, through the influence of chanting his mantra, he reaches Svarga-, Mahar-, Janas-, Tapas- and Satya-loka, where one after another he sees the adorable manifestations of the Lord residing in these realms. Thus he also experiences their transcendental excellence one after another. Nevertheless, Gopa-kumara does not feel completely happy in these places.

He then takes darshana at the manifestations of Bhagavan present in the eight coverings of the universe and arrives at the realm of liberation. In Mukti-loka, the realm of liberation, Gopa-kumara sees the manifestation of the glittering radiance of the Supreme Person, but still he is not completely satisfied. Then, in accordance with the regulative principles, he performs sankirtana of the holy name, the most significant of the nine bhakti procedures. By the power of nama-sankirtana, he travels first to Vaikuntha, then to Ayodhya, and then to Dvaraka-puri. However, as the mood of aiśvarya or reverence and worship for the Lord prevails in these realms, he cannot freely associate with the worshipable manifestations of the Supreme Person residing there.

Gopa-Kumar tells the Brahmana at last that he has been instructed by Srimati Radhika to meet him and take him to Gopala, to Krishna. He then places his hands on the Brahmana's head, whereupon the Brahmana can see everything that Gopar-Kumar saw and attains his original spiritual form as Gopa-companion of Krishna. . . .

In the introduction to his translation of the Bhagavatamrtam, Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja says:

“One should not conclude from this story that there is any difference in the tattva, the true nature of the various manifestations of Bhagavan. All the manifestations of the Lord are complete, from Sri Salagram Bhagavan to Sri Nandanandana (Krishna, the favourite of Nanda Maharaja and Mother Yashoda). From the perspective of tattva they are one, but from the perspective of rasa, the sweetness of transcendental relations, Sri Nandanandana is the most excellent.

It is not possible to find companions who have more affection for Him than the companions of Sri Nandanandana in Vraja. For this reason, the companions of the Lord in Vraja are incomparable. Among them, Sri Radhika is foremost. The form of Sri Nandanandana is the manifestation of the entire potency of the Lord. No other form of Bhagavan manifests His power in all its completeness.”

Notes

¹ Prayag is a sacred pilgrimage site at the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna.

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