20250906 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.20.9-11

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam
paramānandaṁ mādhavaṁ śrī caitanya iśvaram
hariḥ oṁ tat sat

Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya
Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya
Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.20.9

vidura uvāca
prajāpati-patiḥ sṛṣṭvā
prajā-sarge prajāpatīn
kim ārabhata me brahman
prabrūhy avyakta-mārga-vit

Translation: Vidura said: Since you know of matters inconceivable to us, tell me, O holy sage, what did Brahmā do to create living beings after evolving the Prajāpatis, the progenitors of living beings?

Purport: Significant here is the word avyakta-mārga-vit, “one who knows that which is beyond our perception.” To know matters beyond one’s perception, one has to learn from a superior authority in the line of disciplic succession. Just to know who is our father is beyond our perception. For that, the mother is the authority. Similarly, we have to understand everything beyond our perception from the authority who actually knows. The first avyakta-mārga-vit, or authority, is Brahmā, and the next authority in disciplic succession is Nārada. Maitreya Ṛṣi belongs to that disciplic succession, so he also is avyakta-mārga-vit. Anyone in the bona fide line of disciplic succession is avyakta-mārga-vit, a personality who knows that which is beyond ordinary perception.

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.20.10

ye marīcy-ādayo viprā
yas tu svāyambhuvo manuḥ
te vai brahmaṇa ādeśāt
katham etad abhāvayan

Translation: Vidura inquired: How did the Prajāpatis [such progenitors of living entities as Marīci and Svāyambhuva Manu] create according to the instruction of Brahmā, and how did they evolve this manifested universe?

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.20.11

sa-dvitīyāḥ kim asṛjan
svatantrā uta karmasu
āho svit saṁhatāḥ sarva
idaṁ sma samakalpayan

Translation: Did they evolve the creation in conjunction with their respective wives, did they remain independent in their action, or did they all jointly produce it?

* * *

Jayapatākā Swami: So tomorrow is the Bhādra Pūrṇimā. And that is the day we especially worship the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. If we donate the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that day, we go back to Godhead. All those Bhāgavatams we have received as gifts or donation, we are going to gift them in charity. Now who of you are avyakta-mārga-vit? Raise your hand! Those who have taken initiation in the guru-paramparā, in the disciplic succession, you all can be called avyakta-mārga-vit. After understanding this, are there any of you who are avyakta-mārga-vit? Because, just like from Śrīla Prabhupāda we heard that there is a spiritual world, And we have also heard from the gurus in the paramparā, so those are not seen. That is why called avyakta-mārga-vit or that which is known but beyond our sense perception. We don’t know, we have not seen the spiritual world but we have heard from the supreme authority, the guru-paramparā. So, in the guru-paramparā, we get our spiritual knowledge. The first person is Brahmā, then Nārada, like that goes the guru-paramparā. So, Vyāsadeva, he after compiling the Vedas, the Upaniṣads, the Mahābhārata was feeling incomplete within Himself. From his spiritual master, Nārada Muni, he understood that one scripture was required to be compiled solely and completely on the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Kṛṣṇa. We know that of the 18 Purāṇas, 6 are in goodness, 6 in passion and 6 in ignorance. So, the purpose of writing in such a way is that the writer has a particular motive in his mind. Actually, the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is non-different from Kṛṣṇa. And that is why those who read the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, those who give the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in charity, they are directly donating Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

There is a history of Bhakti devī. When Bhakti devī was in Vṛndāvana with her two sons, but her two sons, Jñāna and Vairāgya were emaciated and weak. If there is no pure devotion, then there is no jñāna and vairāgya. So, Nārada Muni, he searched all over Bhārata-varṣa, India, but he could not find a single place where bhakti was residing. Then in Vraja-dhāma, he found Bhakti devī with her two emaciated sons. So, Nārada Muni asked Bhakti devī, “What is the story!” She said, “I appeared in Draviḍa-deśa and I grew up in Karnataka. Now, then I went to Maharashtra and I was accepted there. But then, Kali-yuga started and so then I came here to Vṛndāvana because it became difficult to stay anywhere else.” So, she asked Nārada Muni what she should do? How could her two children be saved? So then, Nārada Muni said that, “For seven days, I will read the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and then your sons will be revived.” So Śrīmad-Bhāgavatamis the incarnation of Lord Kṛṣṇa. So Nārada Muni, he started to read Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam for seven days. And Bhakti and her sons rejuvenated. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam kī jaya!

So the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is a very rare scripture. It is not just a scripture, it is Kṛṣṇa Himself! Every sentence, every śloka in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam reminds you of Kṛṣṇa! In the Bhāgavata-māhātmya, it is stated that all the demigods come and offer their respectful obeisances to the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said that if one studies the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and the Bhagavad-gītā, then one will achieve perfection in life. Bhagavad-gītā is the preliminary study of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. So Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam tells you about the different avatāras, pure devotees and the tenth canto is all about Lord Kṛṣṇa. Now everyone should study the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and this is a great necessity. If one studies the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam up to the 12^th canto then one is awarded the Bhakti-vedānta degree. So, I got the Bhakti-vedānta degree! They wanted to give me an honorary degree, but I refused it. I studied! I took the tests! And I got A+! Now I am studying for the Bhakti-Sārvabhauma degree. Now I want that all of my disciples and all the devotees study the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the Caitanya-caritāmṛta and the Bhagavad-gītā. Some people don’t know how to read. They can hear the śāstras. There is the ‘Transcend App’ which you can hear the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and other books when played.

So, we want Kṛṣṇa, He comes to us in various forms. We cannot see Kṛṣṇa yet, because we may not be pure enough. So, He comes to us as the Deity, arcā-vigraha, There is no difference between the Deity and Kṛṣṇa Himself. Lord Kṛṣṇa due to His causeless mercy, came in the form of His arcā-vigraha. Actually, Kṛṣṇa does not take the material ingredients in His form. His form is made by His internal energy. So sometimes, He makes that visible, that is prakaṭa-līlā and sometimes He is invisible, that is His aprakaṭa-līlā. Now, there is another form of Kṛṣṇa, and that form is that He has come in the form of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. The professional reciters like to go to the rāsa-līlā, but the devotees, they go through all the cantos. So, this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is non-different from Kṛṣṇa. Every canto tells something about the different avatāras or pure devotees of Kṛṣṇa.

Lord Varāhadeva, Kapiladeva, Nṛsiṁhadeva, many incarnations are depicted in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and how Kṛṣṇa is the supremely powerful Personality of Godhead, that description is given. In the ninth canto a little bit is written about Lord Rāmacandra and Lakṣmaṇa. We are all hankering after some rasa. Kṛṣṇa is the fountainhead of all the rasas. So, naturally, we are all looking to Kṛṣṇa for this spiritual bliss. Some days ago was Rādhāṣṭamī. Kṛṣṇa is known as Madana-mohana. And Rādhārāṇī is Madana-mohana-mohinī. So in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, some of Kṛṣṇa’s confidential pastimes are mentioned. And these are not anything material. This material world is a perverted reflection of the spiritual world, that is why the rasa contained here is of inferior nature. So, the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam reveals something about the rasas in the spiritual world. And if someone studies the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, they can gradually understand. And it is very important that who you are listening the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from. Are you hearing from an ācārya in the guru-paramparā disciplic succession or from some professional, commercial speaker, he who is only interested in making money.

I would like His Holiness Bhakti Vijaya Bhāgavata Swami to say something about Bhādra Pūrṇimā and the marathon we are doing. And we also appreciate that His Grace Jananivāsa Prabhu has come.

Bhakti Vijaya Bhāgavata Swami: I am just taking the opportunity to announce the festival, Bhāgavata-saṅgraha Festival was started by His Holiness Bhakti Puruṣottama Swami with the guidance of Guru Mahārāja, in 1997, right after Śrīla Prabhupāda Centennial. That means this festival has been going on for 28 years. So, after that during lockdown period, Guru Mahārāja and His Grace Vaiśeṣika  Prabhu started the Bhādra Pūrṇimā festival. After starting Bhādra Pūrṇimā Festival, huge number of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatams were distributed. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is written that janatāgha-viplavo, that the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam distribution viplavaḥ is going on. So we are not only distributing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, we are distributing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and collecting data and throughout the year whatever data we collected, once a year we invite all the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam buyers and making this three-day festival and seminar. That is the result of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam distribution. During lockdown, Guru Mahārāja started one gṛhastha group from Māyāpur, they are engaged in distribution of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam sets and Bhagavad-gītā. In the Saṅkīrtana Department 117 brahmacārīs are engaged in distribution of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. The local gṛhastha department, parallelly, 57 gṛhasthas are distributing the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. We realize that there are so many customers outside that we need more than 500 gṛhastha distributors to engage in distributing the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Out of 57 gṛhasthas, I just take 7 who have distributed over the who year who have distributed more than 10 lakhs above rupees worth Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam!

Do you know how much Guru Mahārāja has distributed? He not only encourages and motivates all of us but he himself encourages us by distributing books himself! All of you disciples who have sponsored books, Guru Mahārāja has distributed 3.5 crores, which is about 35 million worth of books! Guru Mahārāja kī jaya!

Jayapatākā Swami: There are many gṛhasthas here. Everyone who wants to distribute books, please see, His Holiness Bhakti Vijaya Bhāgavata Swami. And he is saying he needs about 500! Two ladies got awards, many of the ladies can also distribute books. Maybe the gṛhasthas, they have to work, earn money, but some time they can give for distribution of books. And in the West, most of the book distribution is done by the gṛhasthas. So we thank His Holiness Bhakti Vijaya Bhāgavata Swami for his encouragement and leadership in the book distribution field. Also would like to thank His Holiness Bhakti Puruṣottama Swami and all the Co-Directors of Māyāpur.