The ''Bhagavata Purana'' ( sa, भागवतपुराण; ), also known as the ''Srimad Bhagavatam'', ''Srimad Bhagavata Mahapurana'' or simply ''Bhagavata'', is one of

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

's eighteen great

Purana Purana (; sa, , '; literally meaning "ancient, old"Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature (1995 Edition), Article on Puranas, , page 915) is a vast genre of Indian literature about a wide range of topics, particularly about legends an ...

s (''Mahapuranas''). Composed in

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural diffusion ...

Veda Vyasa Krishna Dvaipayana ( sa, कृष्णद्वैपायन, Kṛṣṇadvaipāyana), better known as Vyasa (; sa, व्यासः, Vyāsaḥ, compiler) or Vedavyasa (वेदव्यासः, ''Veda-vyāsaḥ'', "the one who cl ...

, it promotes ''

bhakti ''Bhakti'' ( sa, भक्ति) literally means "attachment, participation, fondness for, homage, faith, love, devotion, worship, purity".See Monier-Williams, ''Sanskrit Dictionary'', 1899. It was originally used in Hinduism, referring to d ...

'' (devotion) towards

Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is on ...

, integrating themes from the

Advaita ''Advaita Vedanta'' (; sa, अद्वैत वेदान्त, ) is a Hindu sādhanā, a path of spiritual discipline and experience, and the oldest extant tradition of the orthodox Hindu school Vedānta. The term ''Advaita'' ( ...

(monism) philosophy of

Adi Shankara Adi Shankara ("first Shankara," to distinguish him from other Shankaras)(8th cent. CE), also called Adi Shankaracharya ( sa, आदि शङ्कर, आदि शङ्कराचार्य, Ādi Śaṅkarācāryaḥ, lit=First Shanka ...

, the

Vishishtadvaita Vishishtadvaita (IAST '; sa, विशिष्टाद्वैत) is one of the most popular schools of the Vedanta school of Hindu philosophy. Vedanta literally means the in depth meaning ''of the Vedas.'' ''Vishisht Advaita'' (liter ...

(qualified monism) of Ramanujacharya and the

Dvaita Dvaita Vedanta (); (originally known as Tattvavada; IAST:Tattvavāda), is a sub-school in the Vedanta tradition of Hindu philosophy. The term Tattvavada literally means "arguments from a realist viewpoint". The Tattvavada (Dvaita) Vedanta ...

(dualism) of

Madhvacharya Madhvacharya (; ; CE 1199-1278 or CE 1238–1317), sometimes anglicised as Madhva Acharya, and also known as Purna Prajna () and Ānanda Tīrtha, was an Indian philosopher, theologian and the chief proponent of the '' Dvaita'' (dualism) sch ...

. It is widely available in almost all Indian languages. The ''Bhagavata Purana'', like other puranas, discusses a wide range of topics including cosmology, astronomy, genealogy, geography, legend, music, dance,

yoga Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consciou ...

and culture. As it begins, the forces of evil have won a war between the benevolent ''

devas Devas may refer to: * Devas Club, a club in south London * Anthony Devas (1911–1958), British portrait painter * Charles Stanton Devas (1848–1906), political economist * Jocelyn Devas (died 1886), founder of the Devas Club * Devas (band), ...

'' (deities) and evil ''

asura Asuras (Sanskrit: असुर) are a class of beings in Indic religions. They are described as power-seeking clans related to the more benevolent Devas (also known as Suras) in Hinduism. In its Buddhist context, the word is sometimes translated ...

s'' (demons) and now rule the universe. Truth re-emerges as Krishna, (called "

Hari Hari ( sa, हरि) is among the primary epithets of the Hindu preserver deity Vishnu, meaning 'the one who takes away' (sins). It refers to the one who removes darkness and illusion, the one who removes all obstacles to spiritual progre ...

" and "

Vāsudeva Vāsudeva ( sa, वासुदेव, ), later incorporated as Vāsudeva-Krishna (, " Krishna, son of Vasudeva"),"While the earliest piece of evidence do not yet use the name Krsna...." in Krishna-Vāsudeva or simply Krishna, was the son of ...

" in the text) – first makes peace with the demons, understands them and then creatively defeats them, bringing back hope, justice, freedom and happiness – a cyclic theme that appears in many legends. The ''Bhagavata Purana'' is a revered text in

Vaishnavism Vaishnavism ( sa, वैष्णवसम्प्रदायः, Vaiṣṇavasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu denominations along with Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism. It is also called Vishnuism since it considers Vishnu as ...

, a Hindu tradition that reveres

Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" withi ...

. The text presents a form of religion (''

dharma Dharma (; sa, धर्म, dharma, ; pi, dhamma, italic=yes) is a key concept with multiple meanings in Indian religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and others. Although there is no direct single-word translation for '' ...

'') that competes with that of the

Vedas upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the '' Atharvaveda''. The Vedas (, , ) are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute th ...

, wherein ''bhakti'' ultimately leads to self-knowledge, salvation (''

moksha ''Moksha'' (; sa, मोक्ष, '), also called ''vimoksha'', ''vimukti'' and ''mukti'', is a term in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism for various forms of emancipation, enlightenment, liberation, and release. In its soteriologic ...

'') and bliss. However the ''Bhagavata Purana'' asserts that the inner nature and outer form of Krishna is identical to the Vedas and that this is what rescues the world from the forces of evil. An oft-quoted verse (1.3.40) is used by some Krishna sects to assert that the text itself is Krishna in literary form.Barbara Holdrege (2015), Bhakti and Embodiment, Routledge, , pages 109-110 The date of composition is probably between the eighth and the tenth century CE, but may be as early as the 6th century CE. Manuscripts survive in numerous inconsistent versions revised through the 18th century creating various recensions both in the same languages and across different Indian languages. The text consists of twelve books (''skandhas'') totalling 332 chapters (''adhyayas'') and 18,000 verses. The tenth book, with about 4,000 verses, has been the most popular and widely studied. It was the first ''Purana'' to be translated into a European language as a French translation of a Tamil version appeared in 1788 and introduced many Europeans to Hinduism and 18th-century Hindu culture during the colonial era.

Nomenclature

'Bhagavata Purana' can be translated as 'the history of the devotees of

'. 'Srimad Bhagavatam' can be translated as 'the glorious devotees of

'. *' Bhagavata' (or 'Bhagavatam' or 'Bhagavat',

भागवत) means 'follower or worshipper of

'. **' Bhagavan' (Sanskrit भगवन्) means 'Blessed One', 'God', or 'Lord'.

- the transcendental, primeval Personality of Godhead,

avatar Avatar (, ; ), is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means "descent". It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, goddess or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appear ...

of Vishnu - is directly referred to as 'Bhagavan' throughout this scripture. It is stated in canto 1, chapter 3, verse 28, "kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam" which

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Abhay Charanaravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami (; 1 September 1896 – 14 November 1977) was an Indian Gaudiya Vaishnava guru who founded ISKCON, commonly known as the " Hare Krishna movement". Members of ISKCON view Bhaktivedanta Swami as a re ...

translates as, "Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the original Personality of Godhead." *' Purana' (Sanskrit पुराण) means 'ancient' or 'old' (or 'old traditional history'). It also means 'complete' and 'completing' in the sense that a Purana 'completes the

'. **'Maha' ( Sanskrit महत्) means 'great', 'large', or 'vast'. *'Srimad' (or 'Srimat', Sanskrit श्रीमत्) means 'radiant', 'holy', 'splendid', or 'glorious', and is an

honorific An honorific is a title that conveys esteem, courtesy, or respect for position or rank when used in addressing or referring to a person. Sometimes, the term "honorific" is used in a more specific sense to refer to an honorary academic title. It ...

religious title. **'

Sri Shri (; , ) is a Sanskrit term denoting resplendence, wealth and prosperity, primarily used as an honorific. The word is widely used in South and Southeast Asian languages such as Marathi, Malay (including Indonesian and Malaysian), Javanes ...

' (or 'Shri' or 'Shree', Sanskrit श्री) means 'wealth'.

Lakshmi Lakshmi (; , sometimes spelled Laxmi, ), also known as Shri (, ), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism. She is the goddess of wealth, fortune, power, beauty, fertility and prosperity, and associated with '' Maya'' ("Illusion"). A ...

- Goddess of Wealth and Vishnu/Krishna's wife - is also referred to as 'Sri'. **'Mad' (or 'Mat', Sanskrit मत्) means 'religion' or 'believed'. **Those with a wealth ('Sri') of religion ('mad') may be honoured with the title of 'radiant', 'holy', 'splendid', or 'glorious' ('Srimad').

Content and structure

The 18,000 verses of the Srimad Bhagavatam consist of several interconnected, interwoven, and non-linear dialogues, teachings, and explanations espousing

Bhakti Yoga Bhakti yoga ( sa, भक्ति योग), also called Bhakti marga (, literally the path of ''Bhakti''), is a spiritual path or spiritual practice within Hinduism focused on loving devotion towards any personal deity.Karen Pechelis (2014 ...

that go back and forth in time and across its twelve

canto The canto () is a principal form of division in medieval and modern long poetry. Etymology and equivalent terms The word ''canto'' is derived from the Italian word for "song" or "singing", which comes from the Latin ''cantus'', "song", from the ...

Stated authorship and purpose

From the A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabupada /

Bhaktivedanta Book Trust The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), known colloquially as the Hare Krishna movement or Hare Krishnas, is a Gaudiya Vaishnava Hindu religious organization. ISKCON was founded in 1966 in New York City by A. C. Bhaktiv ...

(BBT) translation: From the

Bibek Debroy Bibek Debroy is an Indian economist, serving as the chairman of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister of India. Debroy has made significant contributions to game theory, economic theory, income and social inequalities, poverty ...

translation: A unique and especial emphasis is placed on fostering transcendental loving devotion to Krishna as the ultimate good, i.e. for its own sake rather than for fruitive results or rewards such as detachment or worldly or heavenly gains, a practice known as

Puranic characteristics

As detailed in the Matsya Mahapurana, all

Puranas Purana (; sa, , '; literally meaning "ancient, old"Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature (1995 Edition), Article on Puranas, , page 915) is a vast genre of Indian literature about a wide range of topics, particularly about legends an ...

must cover at least five specific subjects or topics - referred to in

as ''Pancha Lakshana'' (literally meaning 'consisting of five characteristics' - in addition to other information including specific deities and the four aims or goals of life. From the K.L. Joshi (editor) translation: A sattvic

Vaishnava Vaishnavism ( sa, वैष्णवसम्प्रदायः, Vaiṣṇavasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu denominations along with Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism. It is also called Vishnuism since it considers Vishnu as the ...

Mahapurana (‘great purana’), the Srimad Bhagavatam adds another five characteristics, expanding this list to ten. From the J.M. Sanyal translation: The Bhagavata further elaborates on the differences between lesser and greater

possessing five or ten characteristics, respectively. From the ''Disciples'' of Swami Prabhupada / BBT translation:

Shlokas / verses

Although the number of original

shloka Shloka or śloka ( sa, श्लोक , from the root , Macdonell, Arthur A., ''A Sanskrit Grammar for Students'', Appendix II, p. 232 (Oxford University Press, 3rd edition, 1927). in a broader sense, according to Monier-Williams's dictionary, is ...

s is stated to be 18,000 by the Bhagavata itself - and by other

such as the Matsya mahapurana - the number of equivalent verses when translated into other languages varies, even between translations into the same language and based on the same manuscript. The English translation by

(BD), for example, contains 78 more verses than the English translation by

/ BBT, despite likely being based on the same manuscript: In his discussion on the issue of varying numbers of verses in translations of the Srimad Bhagavatam, Debroy states:

Manuscript

Contrary to the western cultural tradition of

novelty Novelty (derived from Latin word ''novus'' for "new") is the quality of being new, or following from that, of being striking, original or unusual. Novelty may be the shared experience of a new cultural phenomenon or the subjective perception of an ...

, poetic or

artistic license Artistic license (alongside more contextually-specific derivative terms such as poetic license, historical license, dramatic license, and narrative license) refers to deviation from fact or form for artistic purposes. It can include the alterat ...

with existing materials is a strong tradition in Indian culture, a '''tradition of several hundred years of linguistic creativity. There are variations of original manuscripts available for each Purana, including the Srimad Bhagavatam. The common manuscript for translations of the Bhagavata Purana - seemingly used by both Swami Prabhupada and

- is the ''Bhāgavatamahāpurāṇam'' (Nag Publishers, Delhi), a reprint of Khemraj Shri Krishnadas' manuscript ( Venkateshvara Press, Bombay). In regards to variances in Puranic manuscripts, academi
Dr. Gregory Bailey
states:

Critical Edition

''The Bhāgavata'' '' �rīmad Bhāgavata Mahāpurāṇa Critical Edition'', edited by H. G. Shastri, et al., 4 vols. in 6 parts, Ahmedabad: B. J. Institute of Learning and Research, 1996-2002 (vol. 1, skandhas 1-3, ed. by H. G. Shastri, 1996; vol. 2, skandhas 4-6, ed. by Bharati K. Shelat, 1999; vol. 3, skandhas 7-9, ed. respectively by H. G. Shastri, B. K. Shelat, and K. K. Shastree, 1998; vol. 4, part 1, skandha 10, ed. by K. K. Shastree, 1997; vol. 4, part 2, skandhas 11-12, ed. by K. K. Shastree, 1998; vol. 4, part 3, Epilogue, by K. K. Shastree, 2002).

Date of origin

According to the ''Bhagavata Purana'' itself, it was spoken to Parikshit about 5,000 years ago and was recited and chanted by devotees up until to the present day. Academics estimate the date of composition is probably around the sixth century CE, but may be as early as the 1st century BCE. Manuscripts survive in numerous, inconsistent versions revised through the 18th century, creating various recensions both in the same languages and across different Indian languages.

Characters

All tables provided apply to all complete translations of the Bhagavata Purana. All tables can also be sorted by column title.

Avatars of Vishnu

The table below is primarily based on the avatars listed in Canto 1, Chapter 3 (SB 1.3) and Canto 2, Chapter 7 (SB 2.7) of the Srimad Bhagavatam (SB). The number given in parenthesis "()" after a name indicates the order of incarnation as stated in Canto 1. Note that: * Avatars not listed in the above chapters - such as Hamsa,

Hayagriva Hayagriva, also spelled Hayagreeva ( sa, हयग्रीव IAST , ), is a Hindu deity, the horse-headed avatar of Vishnu. The purpose of this incarnation was to slay a danava also named Hayagriva (A descendant of Kashyapa and Danu), ...

, and Ajita - are listed based on their primary (or only) appearance in the given cantos. *Avatars featured or appearing repeatedly throughout the scripture are marked with "--" in the Canto column (except Krishna). *Avatars only briefly mentioned (e.g. in the lists above) are marked with a blank space in the Canto column. * Various appearances of Vishnu and Krishna (e.g. during sacrifices and visions) are not listed. * Duplicates or expansions of the Krishna avatar are not listed (e.g. the 16,100 duplicates to marry 16,100 rescued princesses; and the duplicates of the cowherd boys and calves hidden by

Brahma Brahma ( sa, ब्रह्मा, Brahmā) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the trinity of supreme divinity that includes Vishnu, and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp ...

in Canto 10).

Notable devotees

The table below does not include devotee

s of

such as

Narada Narada ( sa, नारद, ), or Narada Muni, is a sage divinity, famous in Hindu traditions as a travelling musician and storyteller, who carries news and enlightening wisdom. He is one of mind-created children of Brahma, the creator god. He ...

Kapila Kapila ( sa, कपिल), also referred to as Cakradhanus, is a sage in Hindu tradition. According to Bhagavata Purana, he is the son of the sage Kardama and Devahuti, the daughter of the Svayambhuva Manu. Kardama had nine daughters, who wer ...

, or Prthu. Devotees featured or appearing repeatedly throughout the scripture are marked with "--" in the Canto column.

Notable demons and villains

Many demons (villains) are mentioned throughout the Srimad Bhagavatam; cantos listed concern their primary (or only) appearances and/or descriptions. This table is not exhaustive.

Cantos

For ease of reference, synopses of cantos cite the complete 18-volume

(BBT) translation of the Srimad Bhagavatam, available at th
Bhaktivedanta Vedabase
It also provides original

verses,

transliteration Transliteration is a type of conversion of a text from one script to another that involves swapping letters (thus ''trans-'' + '' liter-'') in predictable ways, such as Greek → , Cyrillic → , Greek → the digraph , Armenian → or L ...

synonym A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are al ...

s, and purports. Other translations of quoted verses have also been provided for comparison. The ''non-exhaustive'' overviews given apply to all complete translations. SB 1.1.3 original Sanskrit: Swami Prabhupada translation:

translation:

First Canto

Consisting of 19 chapters, the first canto opens with an invocation to

and the assertion that the Srimad Bhagatavam, compiled by

Vyasa Krishna Dvaipayana ( sa, कृष्णद्वैपायन, Kṛṣṇadvaipāyana), better known as Vyasa (; sa, व्यासः, Vyāsaḥ, compiler) or Vedavyasa (वेदव्यासः, ''Veda-vyāsaḥ'', "the one who cl ...

deva, is sufficient alone to realise God. The overarching narration begins at the onset of

Kali Yuga ''Kali Yuga'', in Hinduism, is the fourth and worst of the four ''yugas'' (world ages) in a '' Yuga Cycle'', preceded by '' Dvapara Yuga'' and followed by the next cycle's '' Krita (Satya) Yuga''. It is believed to be the present age, which i ...

as a dialogue between Sukadeva Gosvami (the son of Vyasadeva) and a group of sages headed by

Saunaka Shaunaka ( sa, शौनक, ) is the name applied to teachers, and to a Shakha of the Atharvaveda. It is especially the name of a celebrated Sanskrit grammarian, author of the , the , the and six Anukramaṇīs (indices) to the Rigveda. He is c ...

, as they perform a thousand-year sacrifice for Krishna and his devotees in the forest of Naimisaranya. Questioned by the

sages A sage ( grc, σοφός, ''sophos''), in classical philosophy, is someone who has attained wisdom. The term has also been used interchangeably with a 'good person' ( grc, ἀγαθός, ''agathos''), and a 'virtuous person' ( grc, σπουδα� ...

, topics covered by Suta Gosvami include the: * Birth of Pariksit - protected in the womb by Krishna - in the aftermath of the devastating

Kurukshetra War The Kurukshetra War ( sa, कुरुक्षेत्र युद्ध ), also called the Mahabharata War, is a war described in the ''Mahabharata ( sa, महाभारत )''. The conflict arose from a dynastic succession struggle be ...

* Appearance and instruction of

to Vyasadeva on the composition of the Srimad Bhagavatam * Meditation and inspiration of Vyasadeva on the western bank of the

Sarasvati river The Sarasvati River () is a deified river first mentioned in the Rigveda and later in Vedic and post-Vedic texts. It played an important role in the Vedic religion, appearing in all but the fourth book of the Rigveda. As a physical river, ...

to compile and revise the Bhagavata * Teaching of the Bhagavata by Vyasadeva to his already-liberated son, Suka Gosvami * Departure and disappearance of Krishna, followed by the signs and onset of Kali Yuga * Retirement of the

Pandava The Pandavas (Sanskrit: पाण्डव, IAST: Pāṇḍava) refers to the five legendary brothers— Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva—who are the central characters of the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. They are acknowledge ...

s (including King

Yudhisthira ''Yudhishthira'' ( Sanskrit: युधिष्ठिर, IAST: ''Yudhiṣṭhira'') is the eldest among the five Pandava brothers. He is mentioned in the ancient epic Mahabharata. He was sired by King Pandu of the Kuru Dynasty and his firs ...

) and consequent enthronement of Pariksit * Attempts of Pariksit to stem the influence of Kali before being cursed by a

Brahmana The Brahmanas (; Sanskrit: , ''Brāhmaṇam'') are Vedic śruti works attached to the Samhitas (hymns and mantras) of the Rig, Sama, Yajur, and Atharva Vedas. They are a secondary layer or classification of Sanskrit texts embedded within ...

boy to die within seven days * Renunciation of Pariksit, who decided to fast until death ( Prayopavesa) on the banks of the Ganges in devotion to Krishna * Arrival of sages (including Narada and Bhrgu) and their disciples to Pariksit's fast, followed by Suta Gosvami
SB 1.3.38 original Sanskrit: Swami Prabhupada translation: J.M. Sanyal Translation:

Second Canto

Consisting of 10 chapters, the second canto opens with an invocation to

. The second layer of overarching narration begins as a dialogue between Sukadeva Gosvami and Pariksit on the banks of the

Ganges river The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...

(narrated by Sukadeva Gosvami to a group of sages headed by

in the forest of Naimisaranya). Questioned by Pariksit, the topics covered by Suta Gosvami include the: * Transcendental, supreme, eternal, and pure nature of Krishna * Universal Virat-Rupa and Maha-Vishnu forms of Krishna, as well as His scheduled

s with their purposes * Process and laws of creation and annihilation of the universe * God realisation,

, devotional duties, and the need for a spiritual master (

Guru Guru ( sa, गुरु, IAST: ''guru;'' Pali'': garu'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan- Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: traditionally, the guru is a reverential ...

) *

Vedic upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the '' Atharvaveda''. The Vedas (, , ) are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute th ...

knowledge, modes of material nature ( gunas),

karma Karma (; sa, कर्म}, ; pi, kamma, italic=yes) in Sanskrit means an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptively ...

, false (i.e. materialistic) ego, and

illusion An illusion is a distortion of the senses, which can reveal how the mind normally organizes and interprets sensory stimulation. Although illusions distort the human perception of reality, they are generally shared by most people. Illusions may oc ...

and suffering due to ignorance * Divisions (caste or varna) of society, common religious affiliations, and

faith Faith, derived from Latin ''fides'' and Old French ''feid'', is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or In the context of religion, one can define faith as "belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion". Religious people ofte ...

versus

atheism Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no d ...

SB 2.5.35 original Sanskrit: Swami Prabhupada translation: Bibek Debroy translation:

Third Canto

Consisting of 33 chapters, the third canto continues the dialogue between Sukadeva Gosvami and Pariksit on the banks of the

Vidura Vidura (Sanskrit: विदुर, lit. ''skilled'', ''intelligent'' or ''wise''), also known as Kshatri, plays a key role in the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. He is described as the prime minister of the Kuru kingdom and is the paternal uncle ...

, the sudra incarnation of

Yama Yama (Devanagari: यम) or Yamarāja (यमराज), is a deity of death, dharma, the south direction, and the underworld who predominantly features in Hindu and Buddhist religion, belonging to an early stratum of Rigvedic Hindu deities. ...

and devotee of

, is the main protagonist narrated. After being thrown out of his home by King

Dhritarashtra Dhritarashtra ( sa, धृतराष्ट्र, ISO-15919: Dhr̥tarāṣṭra) was a Kuru king, and the father of the Kauravas in the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. He was the King of the Kuru Kingdom, with its capital at Hastinapura. He was ...

(his older half-brother) for admonishing the Kaurava's ignoble behaviour towards the

s, Vidura went on a

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

where he met other devotees of Krishna such as Uddhava and the sage

Maitreya Maitreya (Sanskrit: ) or Metteyya (Pali: ), also Maitreya Buddha or Metteyya Buddha, is regarded as the future Buddha of this world in Buddhist eschatology. As the 5th and final Buddha of the current kalpa, Maitreya's teachings will be aimed a ...

; their dialogues form a third layer of narration. Topics covered by Sukadeva Gosvami, Uddhava, and Maitreya include the: * Remembrance, pastimes, qualities, and kingdom (

Vaikuntha Vaikuntha ( sa, वैकुण्ठ, lit=without anxiety, translit=Vaikuṇṭha), also called Vishnuloka (), and Tirunatu (Tirunāṭu) in Tamil, is the abode of Vishnu, the supreme deity in the Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism,Gavin Flood, ...

) of Krishna * Universal - Virat-Rupa - form of

to animate dormant material energy for creation (with

Kali Kali (; sa, काली, ), also referred to as Mahakali, Bhadrakali, and Kalika ( sa, कालिका), is a Hindu goddess who is considered to be the goddess of ultimate power, time, destruction and change in Shaktism. In this tra ...

, explicitly stated to represent His external energy) * Emergence of

from Garbhodakasayi Vishnu; Brahma's prayers to

, creation of living beings, and manifestation of the

* Curse of the Four Kamaras on Jaya and Vijaya and their consequent incarnations as the demons Hiranyaksa and Hiranyakasipu * Appearance of the

Varaha Varaha ( sa, वराह, , "boar") is an avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu, in the form of a boar. Varaha is generally listed as third in the Dashavatara, the ten principal avatars of Vishnu. Varaha is most commonly associated with the leg ...

avatar to lift the Earth out of the depths of the Cosmic Ocean ( Garbhodakasayi) and destroy Hiranyaksa * Appearance of the

avatar to expound Sankya philosophy and devotional service (

) for Krishna * Principles of material nature, divisions of creation, and calculation of time SB 3.25.25 original Sanskrit: Swami Prabhupada translation: J.M. Sanyal translation:

Fourth Canto

Consisting of 31 chapters, the fourth canto continues the dialogues of Sukadeva Gosvami, Uddhava, and

. There are additional layers of dialogue, such as between the sage-avatar

and King Pracinabharhisat (as narrated by Maitreya to

). Focusing on the female descendants of

Svayambhuva Manu Swayambhuva Manu ( Sanskrit: स्वयम्भुव मनु) is the first of the fourteen Manus.Genealogies Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kins ...

of the daughters of

Svayambhuva Manu Swayambhuva Manu ( Sanskrit: स्वयम्भुव मनु) is the first of the fourteen Manus.Dhruva Dhruva (Sanskrit: ध्रुव, , lit. "''unshakeable, immovable, or fixed"'') was an ascetic devotee of Vishnu mentioned in the Vishnu Purana and the Bhagavata Purana. The Sanskrit term ''dhruva nakshatra'' (ध्रुव नक्ष� ...

(grandson of

Svayambhuva Manu Swayambhuva Manu ( Sanskrit: स्वयम्भुव मनु) is the first of the fourteen Manus.Daksa and

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one o ...

, self-immolation of Sati (wife of Shiva and daughter of Daksa), and attack by Shiva on Daksa's ritual * Liberation of the boy-sage

Dhruva Dhruva (Sanskrit: ध्रुव, , lit. "''unshakeable, immovable, or fixed"'') was an ascetic devotee of Vishnu mentioned in the Vishnu Purana and the Bhagavata Purana. The Sanskrit term ''dhruva nakshatra'' (ध्रुव नक्ष� ...

, including advice from Narada, his vision of

, and battles between Dhruva and the Yaksas * Killing of the tyrant-king Vena by

Brahmin Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests ( purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers ( ...

s before the appearance of the Prthu avatar to restore abundance of the Earth *

Allegorical As a literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a hidden meaning with moral or political significance. Authors have used allegory t ...

story, descriptions, and characteristics of King Puranjana, who was reborn as a woman due to thinking of his wife when he died * Activities of the Pracetas, including meeting with Shiva, instruction from Narada, and ultimate liberation * Qualities of

devotion (

), the soul (

atman Atman or Ātman may refer to: Film * ''Ātman'' (1975 film), a Japanese experimental short film directed by Toshio Matsumoto * ''Atman'' (1997 film), a documentary film directed by Pirjo Honkasalo People * Pavel Atman (born 1987), Russian hand ...

), the super-soul ( paramatman), and materialistic life
SB 4.16.17 original Sanskrit: Swami Prabhupada translation: Bibek Debroy translation:

Fifth Canto

Consisting of 26 chapters, the fifth canto focuses on the dialogue between Sukadeva Gosvami and Pariksit on the banks of the

. Notable additional layers of dialogue are between the avatar Rsabha and his sons, and between Bharata and King Rahugana (the former was perceived as a fool and made to carry the latter's

palanquin The litter is a class of wheelless vehicles, a type of human-powered transport, for the transport of people. Smaller litters may take the form of open chairs or beds carried by two or more carriers, some being enclosed for protection from the el ...

). Topics covered include the: * Appearance, life, and teachings of the publicly-abused avatar Rsabha, the first

Tirthankara In Jainism, a ''Tirthankara'' (Sanskrit: '; English: literally a ' ford-maker') is a saviour and spiritual teacher of the '' dharma'' (righteous path). The word ''tirthankara'' signifies the founder of a '' tirtha'', which is a fordable pass ...

(spiritual teacher) of

Jainism Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle bein ...

* Appearance of

to return vedic knowledge to Brahma *Activities, character, teachings, and liberation of King Bharata (incarnated as a deer and then a supposed

idiot An idiot, in modern use, is a stupid or foolish person. 'Idiot' was formerly a technical term in legal and psychiatric contexts for some kinds of profound intellectual disability where the mental age is two years or less, and the person cannot ...

) * Activities and descendants of King Priyavrata, whose chariot wheels created the seven oceans and islands (i.e. continents) * Descriptions of the universe,

sun The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is a nearly perfect ball of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core. The Sun radiates this energy mainly as light, ultraviolet, and infrared radi ...

, orbits of the planets, and the heavenly and hellish planets * Flow of the Ganges and expansion of

Narayana Narayana (Sanskrit: नारायण, IAST: ''Nārāyaṇa'') is one of the forms and names of Vishnu, who is in yogic slumber under the celestial waters, referring to the masculine principle. He is also known as Purushottama, and is co ...

as Vasudeva (

), Sankarsana,

Pradyumna Pradyumna ( sa, प्रद्युम्न) is the eldest son of the Hindu deities Krishna and his chief consort, Rukmini. He is considered to be one of the four vyuha avatars of Vishnu. According to the Bhagavata Purana, Pradyumna was ...

, and

Aniruddha Aniruddha ( sa, अनिरुद्ध ') is a character in Hindu mythology, the son of Pradyumna and Rukmavati, and the grandson of Krishna and Rukmini. He is said to have been very much like his grandfather, to the extent that he i ...

* Glories of Ananta / Sankarsana /

Shesha Shesha ( Sanskrit: शेष; ) , also known as Sheshanaga ( Sanskrit: शेषनाग; ) or Adishesha (), is a serpentine demigod (Naga) and Nagaraja (King of all serpents), as well as a primordial being of creation in Hinduism. In the ...

/ Tamasi SB 5.5.1 original Sanskrit: Swami Prabhupada translation: J.M. Sanyal translation:

Sixth Canto

Consisting of 19 chapters, the sixth canto continues with the dialogue between Sukadeva Gosvami and Pariksit on the banks of the

. A notable additional layer of dialogue is between

and his messengers (called the ''Yamadatas''). With the main focus on the battles of the demon-devotee Vrtrasura and his armies against the demigods led by

Indra Indra (; Sanskrit: इन्द्र) is the king of the devas (god-like deities) and Svarga (heaven) in Hindu mythology. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war. volumes/ref> I ...

, as well as the life of King Citraketu, topics covered include the: * Life of Ajamila, a

that lost liberation due to sex-attraction but was liberated due to calling his son -

- upon death * Instructions of

Yamaraja Yama ( sa, यम), also known as Kala, and Dharmaraja is the Hindu god of death and justice, responsible for the dispensation of law and punishment of sinners in his abode, Yamapuri. He is often identified with Dharmadeva, the personificati ...

to his messengers about justice, punishment, chanting, Vishnu's messengers, and surrender (

Bhakti ''Bhakti'' ( sa, भक्ति) literally means "attachment, participation, fondness for, homage, faith, love, devotion, worship, purity".See Monier-Williams, ''Sanskrit Dictionary'', 1899. It was originally used in Hinduism, referring to d ...

) to Krishna * Curse of Daksa on

, and a

genealogy Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kin ...

of the daughters of Daksa * Offence of

to Brhaspati, the appearance of Vrtrasura to battle the demigods, their prayers to

and Vrtrasura's death * Story of King Chitraketu, the murder of his son, instruction from

and Angiras, meeting with Krishna, and curse by

Parvati Parvati ( sa, पार्वती, ), Uma ( sa, उमा, ) or Gauri ( sa, गौरी, ) is the Hindu goddess of power, energy, nourishment, harmony, love, beauty, devotion, and motherhood. She is a physical representation of Mahadevi i ...

* Vow of

Diti Diti ( sa, दिति) is a daughter of the ''Prajapati'' Daksha in Hinduism. She is a wife of the sage Kashyapa and the mother of the demonic race Daityas and the divine group of Marutas. Legend According to the ''Puranic'' scriptures, ...

to kill Indra, her embryo being cut into 49 pieces by Indra but saved by

, and her purification through devotion * Performance of the

Pumsavana Pumsavana ( sa, पुंसवन, ) (literally: quickening the fetus, or engendering a male or female issue) is the second of the 16 saṃskāras (sacraments, rite of passage) in ancient texts of Hinduism. The rite of passage is celebrated in ...

ceremony for pregnancy with prayers to Vishnu and

(Goddess of Wealth and Fortune) SB 6.3.13 original Sanskrit: Swami Prabhupada translation: Bibek Debroy translation:

Seventh Canto

Consisting of 15 chapters, the seventh canto continues with the dialogue between Sukadeva Gosvami and Pariksit on the banks of the

. A notable additional layer of dialogue is between

and

Yudhishthira ''Yudhishthira'' ( Sanskrit: युधिष्ठिर, IAST: ''Yudhiṣṭhira'') is the eldest among the five Pandava brothers. He is mentioned in the ancient epic Mahabharata. He was sired by King Pandu of the Kuru Dynasty and his fir ...

about

Prahlada Prahlada () is an asura king in Hindu mythology. He is known for his staunch devotion towards the preserver deity, Vishnu. He appears in the narrative of Narasimha, the man-lion avatar of Vishnu, who rescues Prahlada by slaying his wicked fa ...

, the devotee-son of the demon-King Hiranyakasipu (brother of Hiranyaksa, destroyed by the

avatar in the third canto; the demonic brothers are incarnations of Jaya and Vijaya). Prahlada, protected by

, survives multiple attempts to kill him until the arrival of the Nrsimha avatar to destroy his father, who could not be killed by any weapon, by any man or beast, or in the water, air, or on land. Topics covered include the: * Vow of demon-King Hiranyakasipu to destroy

, his austerities to become invincible, and conquering of the entire universe * Birth, abuse, and teachings of the devotee

, son of Hiranyakasipu, protected from death by Krishna * Arrival of the Nrsimha avatar to destroy Hiranyakasipu, later pacified by the prayers of Prahlada * Perfect society in the form of the four social and four spiritual classes or orders * Behaviour of a good person, ideal family life, and instructions to be civilised * Exposition that the absolute truth is a person -

- who is the master and controller of all * Previous incarnations of

, and that Krishna lived with the

s like an ordinary human being SB 7.14.9 original Sanskrit: Swami Prabhupada translation: J.M. Sanyal translation:

Eighth Canto

Consisting of 24 chapters, the eighth canto continues the dialogue between Sukadeva Gosvami and Pariksit on the banks of the

. A notable additional layer of dialogue is between the

Vamana Vamana (), also known as Trivikrama (), Urukrama (), Upendra (), Dadhivamana (), and Balibandhana () is an Dashavatara, avatar of the Hinduism, Hindu deity Vishnu. He is the fifth avatar of Vishnu, and the first Dashavatara in the Treta Yug ...

avatar and

King Bali Mahabali (IAST: Mahābalī), also known as Bali, Indrasenan, or Māveli, is a daitya king featured in Hinduism. He is the grandson of Prahlada, and a descendant of the sage Kashyapa. There are many versions of his legend, in ancient texts such ...

about the demon-King Hiranyakasipu. Topics covered include the: * Details and ages of the four Manus (Svayambhuva, Svarocisa, Uttama, and Tamasa), and of the future Manus * Elephant

Gajendra Indra (alias Sakra) and Shachi riding the five-headed Divine Elephant Airavata, Folio from a Jain text, Panch Kalyanaka">Shachi.html" ;"title="Indra (alias Sakra) and Shachi">Indra (alias Sakra) and Shachi riding the five-headed Divine Elepha ...

, rescued from

Makara ''Makara'' ( sa, मकर, translit=Makara) is a legendary sea-creature in Hindu mythology. In Hindu astrology, Makara is equivalent to the Zodiac sign Capricorn. Makara appears as the vahana (vehicle) of the river goddess Ganga, Narmada, a ...

the crocodile by

riding his mount

Garuda Garuda ( Sanskrit: ; Pāli: ; Vedic Sanskrit: गरुळ Garuḷa) is a Hindu demigod and divine creature mentioned in the Hindu, Buddhist and Jain faiths. He is primarily depicted as the mount (''vahana'') of the Hindu god Vishnu. Garu ...

, after prayers of surrender * Battles between the

demigod A demigod or demigoddess is a part-human and part-divine offspring of a deity and a human, or a human or non-human creature that is accorded divine status after death, or someone who has attained the "divine spark" ( spiritual enlightenment). A ...

s and the

demons A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in religion, occultism, literature, fiction, mythology, and folklore; as well as in media such as comics, video games, movies, anime ...

, the truce brokered by

, and churning of the

ocean of milk In Hindu cosmology, the Ocean of Milk (',', ''Malayalam: Pālāḻi'') is the fifth from the centre of the seven oceans. It surrounds the continent known as Krauncha. According to Hindu scriptures, the devas and asuras worked together for a mill ...

by both factions * Appearance of the

Kurma Kurma ( sa, कूर्म; , 'Turtle', 'Tortoise'), is the second avatar of the Hindu preserver deity, Vishnu. Originating in Vedic literature such as the Yajurveda as being synonymous with the Saptarishi called Kashyapa, Kurma is mo ...

Dhanvantari Dhanvantari () is the physician of the devas in Hinduism. He is regarded to be an avatar of Vishnu. He is mentioned in the Puranas as the god of Ayurveda. During his incarnation on earth, he reigned as the King of Kashi, today locally refe ...

Mohini Mohini ( Sanskrit: मोहिनी, ') is the Hindu goddess of enchantment. She is the only female avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu. She is portrayed as a '' femme fatale'', an enchantress, who maddens lovers and demons, sometimes leading t ...

, and Ajita avatars (and

) during the churning of the ocean of milk * Second appearance of Mohini to beguile

* Annihilation of the demons by

* Appearance of the

avatar to take back the three worlds from King Bali in three footsteps, and the

surrender Surrender may refer to: * Surrender (law), the early relinquishment of a tenancy * Surrender (military), the relinquishment of territory, combatants, facilities, or armaments to another power Film and television * ''Surrender'' (1927 film), an ...

of Bali to Him * Appearance of the

Matsya Matsya ( sa, मत्स्य, lit. ''fish'') is the fish avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu. Often described as the first of Vishnu's ten primary avatars, Matsya is described to have rescued the first man, Manu, from a great deluge. Matsya ...

avatar to save devotee-King Satyavrata from the

flood A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrol ...

(during the time of Hiranyaksa in the third canto) SB 8.5.30 original Sanskrit: Swami Prabhupada translation: Bibek Debroy translation: In 7th chapter of eighth canto mentioned Lord

is also non different from

Brahman In Hinduism, ''Brahman'' ( sa, ब्रह्मन्) connotes the highest universal principle, the ultimate reality in the universe.P. T. Raju (2006), ''Idealistic Thought of India'', Routledge, , page 426 and Conclusion chapter part X ...

. He is supreme ruler of the universe and the eternal refugee of all living beings. Motilal Banarsidass Publications:

Ninth Canto

Consisting of 24 chapters, the ninth canto continues the dialogue between Sukadeva Gosvami and Pariksit on the banks of the

. With no notable additional layers of dialogue, the primary focus is upon the male

dynasties A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family,''Oxford English Dictionary'', "dynasty, ''n''." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1897. usually in the context of a monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A d ...

of various ruling figures (the female sides are covered in the fourth canto). Topics covered include the: * Pastimes of the

Rama Rama (; ), Ram, Raman or Ramar, also known as Ramachandra (; , ), is a major deity in Hinduism. He is the seventh and one of the most popular '' avatars'' of Vishnu. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Bei ...

avatar that destroyed the demon-King

Ravana Ravana (; , , ) is a rakshasa king of the island of Lanka, and the chief antagonist of the Hindu epic '' Ramayana'' and its adaptations. In the ''Ramayana'', Ravana is described to be the eldest son of sage Vishrava and rakshasi Kaikesi. He ...

(and Kumbhakarna; incarnations of Jaya and Vijaya) * Appearance of the

Parashurama Parashurama (), also referred to as Rama Jamadagnya, Rama Bhargava and Veerarama, is the sixth avatar among the Dashavatara of the preserver god Vishnu in Hinduism. He is believed to be one of the ''Chiranjeevis'' (Immortals), who will app ...

avatar to repeatedly destroy the corrupt, Godless ruling (

Kshatriya Kshatriya ( hi, क्षत्रिय) (from Sanskrit ''kṣatra'', "rule, authority") is one of the four varna (social orders) of Hindu society, associated with warrior aristocracy. The Sanskrit term ''kṣatriyaḥ'' is used in the co ...

) class *

Genealogy Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kin ...

and downfall of Saubhari Muni due to sex-desire (after seeing fish copulate), and his liberation through performing austerities *Story of King

Yayati Yayāti ( sa, ययाति, translit=Yayāti), is a king in Hindu tradition. He is described to be a Chandravamsha king. He is regarded to be the progenitor of the races of the Yadavas and the Pandavas. He is considered in some texts ...

, cursed to suffer old age; after passing the curse to his

son A son is a male offspring; a boy or a man in relation to his parents. The female counterpart is a daughter. From a biological perspective, a son constitutes a first degree relative. Social issues In pre-industrial societies and some curren ...

, he learned the futility of sense-pleasure and achieved liberation * Story of King

Pururava Pururavas (Sanskrit: पुरूरवस्, ''Purūravas'') is a character in Hindu literature, a king who served as the first of the Lunar dynasty. According to the Vedas, he is a legendary entity associated with Surya (the sun) and Usha ...

, beguiled by the

Apsara An apsaras or apsara ( sa, अप्सरा ' lso ' pi, अक्चरा, translit=accharā) is a type of female spirit of the clouds and waters in Hinduism and Buddhist culture. They figure prominently in the sculpture, dance, litera ...

Urvasi, until he sated his lusty desires with a ceremonial fire * Genealogies of the sons of

Svayambhuva Manu Swayambhuva Manu ( Sanskrit: स्वयम्भुव मनु) is the first of the fourteen Manus.Mandhata Mandhata, also called Shivapuri or Mahismati, Capital of Awanti Mahajanpad Omkareshwar, is a riverine island in the Narmada river in Khandwa district, Madhya Pradesh, India. Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga is situated on the southern part of the ...

, Amsuman,

, Bharata, Ajamidha,

Puru Puru refer to: *Puru (Vedic tribe), a tribe, or a confederation of tribes, mentioned many times in the Rigveda *King Puru, a Hindu king in the Rigveda and Mahabharata *King Porus, a king of northwest India in the time of Alexander the Great *Puru ( ...

, and

*Genealogy of

, and brief descriptions of His beauty and pastimes SB 9.24.59 original Sanskrit: Swami Prabhupada translation: Bibek Debroy translation (the J.M. Sanyal translation is missing verse 58 onwards of this chapter):

Tenth Canto

Consisting of 90 chapters, the tenth canto continues the dialogue between Sukadeva Gosvami and Pariksit on the banks of the

. Notable additional layers of dialogue all involve the '' lila'' (divine play) of the supreme and transcendental

avatar. Thus focusing on the appearance and pastimes of Krishna, topics covered include the: * Imprisonment of Krishna's parents (

Vasudeva Anakadundubhi According to Hindu scriptures, Vasudeva (Sanskrit: वसुदेव, IAST: ''Vasudeva''), also called Anakadundubhi, (''anakas'' and ''dundubhis'' both refer to ''drums'', after the musicians who played these instruments at the time of his b ...

and

Devaki Devaki ( Sanskrit: देवकी, IAST: ''Devakī'') is a character in Hindu literature, most noted for being the mother of the god Krishna. She is one of the seven daughters of Devapa or Devaka, a king of the Yadu dynasty, and has four b ...

), the murder of His siblings, and attempted murder of baby Krishna by King

Kamsa Kamsa ( sa, कंस, Kaṃsa, translit-std=IAST) was the tyrant ruler of the Vrishni kingdom, with its capital at Mathura. He is variously described in Hindu literature as either a human or an asura; The Puranas describe him as an asura, whi ...

* Fostering of Krishna and

Balarama Balarama ( Sanskrit: बलराम, IAST: ''Balarāma'') is a Hindu god and the elder brother of Krishna. He is particularly significant in the Jagannath tradition, as one of the triad deities. He is also known as Haladhara, Halayudha, Bala ...

Nanda Nanda may refer to: Indian history and religion * Nanda Empire, ruled by the Nanda dynasty, an Indian royal dynasty ruling Magadha in the 4th century BCE ** Mahapadma Nanda, first Emperor of the Nanda Empire ** Dhana Nanda (died c. 321 BCE), last ...

and

Yashoda Yashoda ( sa, यशोदा, translit=Yaśodā) is the foster-mother of Krishna and the wife of Nanda. She is described in the Puranic texts of Hinduism as the wife of Nanda, the chieftain of Gokulam, and the sister of Rohini. According to the ...

(

Gopas Gopa or Gop or Gope is a synonym of the Yadav (Ahir) caste. It is generally used as a title by the Ahir caste in the states of Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal of East India and even in Terai region of Nepal. Etymology The sanskrit word Gopa, ...

, a tribe of cowherds); Yashoda saw the universal form in boy-Krishna's mouth * Attempts on baby and boy-Krishna's life by various demons, mostly sent by Kamsa (e.g. Putana, Trnavarta,

Aghasura Aghasura (Sanskrit: अघासुर) is an asura featured in Hindu literature, most notably in the Bhagavata Purana. He was one of Kamsa's generals, and the elder brother of the demoness Putana and Bakasura. Agha is stated to be as one of th ...

Pralamba Pralamba is an asura killed by Balarama in Hindu mythology. According to the pertinent legend, the asura assumed the guise of a cowherd and attempted to join Krishna and Balarama in a game of jumping, whose conditions dictated that the loser car ...

, Kesi, etc.) * Chastisement of

Kaliya Kaliya (IAST: Kāliya, Devanagari: कालिय), in Hindu traditions, was a venomous Nāga living in the Yamunā river, in Vṛndāvana. The water of the Yamunā for four leagues all around him boiled and bubbled with poison. No bird or ...

, swallowing of a forest fire, lifting of

Govardhana Hill Govardhan also called Giriraj, is a key pilgrimage centre in India and a municipal town; a nagar panchayat; seat of a MLA Member of Legislative Assembly of Uttar Pradesh; a Tehsil, in Mathura district in the India in state of Uttar Pradesh. Ab ...

, stealing of Gopis' clothes, and the

Rasa dance The rasalila (), also rendered the raslila or the ras dance, is part of the traditional story of Krishna described in Hindu scriptures such as the Bhagavata Purana and literature such as the Gita Govinda, where he dances with Radha and the gop ...

*Defeat of numerous demonic foes (e.g.

Jarasandha Jarasandha was a powerful king of Magadha, a minor antagonist in Mahabharata. He was the son of king Brihadratha, the founder of the Barhadratha dynasty of Magadha. According to popular lore, the descendants of Brihadratha ruled Magadha for 26 ...

Kalayavana Kalayavana ( sa, कालयवन, lit=Death Greek, translit=Kālayavana) is a king in Hinduism. He is stated to have invaded Mathura with an army of 30 million ''yavanas'' (barbarians) against Krishna. Legend The ''Brahmanda Purana'' 14.46 ...

Narakasura Naraka, also known as Narakasura (), is an asura king in Hindu mythology. In Assamese tradition, he is regarded as the legendary progenitor of all three dynasties of Pragjyotisha-Kamarupa, and the founding ruler of the legendary Bhauma dyna ...

, Paundraka, etc.) to diminish the burden of the Earth * Marriages to over 16,000 wives (and children with each), establishment of Dvaraka, return of the Syamantaka Jewel, and washing of Narada's feet *Defeat of

Banasura Bana, also referred to as Banasura (), is an asura king in Hindu mythology, ruling from the city of Śoṇitapura. He is described to be the son of Mahabali. His tale of battling Krishna is described in the Bhagavata Purana. Legend A might ...

and Shiva, daily activities, blessing of Sudama, blessing of His devotees, saving of

from Vrkasura, and summary of glories SB 10.90.50 original Sanskrit: ''Disciples'' of Swami Prabhupada translation: J.M. Sanyal translation:

Study

The largest canto with 4,000 verses, the tenth canto is also the most popular and widely studied part of the Bhagavata. It has also been translated, commented on, and published separately from the rest of the Srimad Bhagavatam.

A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Abhay Charanaravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami (; 1 September 1896 – 14 November 1977) was an Indian Gaudiya Vaishnava guru who founded ISKCON, commonly known as the " Hare Krishna movement". Members of ISKCON view Bhaktivedanta Swami as a rep ...

stated this canto is distinct from the others, albeit while warning against studying it before reading the previous nine:

Eleventh Canto

Consisting of 31 chapters, the eleventh canto continues the dialogue between Sukadeva Gosvami and Pariksit on the banks of the

. Notable additional layers of dialogue are between

and

Vasudeva According to Hindu scriptures, Vasudeva (Sanskrit: वसुदेव, IAST: ''Vasudeva''), also called Anakadundubhi, (''anakas'' and ''dundubhis'' both refer to ''drums'', after the musicians who played these instruments at the time of his ...

, and between

and Uddhava (and in turn, other dialogues such as that between the Hamsa (swan) avatar and

). Topics covered include the: * Curse and destruction of the

Yadu Dynasty Yaduvamsha () or Yādava Vaṃśa is a legendary dynasty featured in Hinduism, a cadet branch of the Chandravamsha dynasty. The dynasty's progenitor was Yadu, the eldest son of Emperor Yayati. Legend Origin In Hindu texts, the king Yay ...

(through intoxicated in-fighting) at Prabhasa to relieve the burden of the Earth * Appearance of the Hamsa (swan) avatar to answer the questions of the sons of

* Discourse of

about the instruction of the '9 Yogendras' to King Nimi about

for

* Final teachings of Krishna to Uddhava at Dvaraka (e.g. the story of a young

avadhuta ''Avadhūta'' (IAST ', written as अवधूत) is a Sanskrit term from the root 'to shake' (see V. S. Apte and Monier-Williams) that, among its many uses, in some Indian religions indicates a type of mystic or saint who is beyond egoic-conscio ...

narrating his 24 gurus to King

Yadu This is a list of ancient Indo-Aryan peoples and tribes that are mentioned in the literature of Indic religions. From the second or first millennium BCE, ancient Indo-Aryan peoples and tribes turned into most of the population in the northern ...

) * Disappearance of Krishna after being shot in the foot by the hunter, Jara * Flood and destruction of Dvarka
SB 11.7.33-35 original Sanskrit: ''Disciples'' of Swami Prabhupada translation: Swami Ambikananda Saraswati translation:

The Uddhava or Hamsa Gita

Containing the final teachings of Krishna to His devotee Uddhava, the eleventh canto is also referred to as the 'Uddhava Gita' or '

Hamsa Gita Hamsa Gita (Sanskrit) (also referred to as Uddhava Gita) consists of Krishna's final discourse to Uddhava before Krishna draws his worldly 'descent' (Sanskrit: ''avatar'') and 'pastimes' (Sanskrit: lila) to completion. Though the ''Uddhava Gita'' ...

'. Like the tenth canto, it has also been translated and published separately, usually as a companion or 'sequel' to the

Bhagavad Gita The Bhagavad Gita (; sa, श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता, lit=The Song by God, translit=śrīmadbhagavadgītā;), often referred to as the Gita (), is a 700- verse Hindu scripture that is part of the epic ''Mahabharata'' ( ...

. 'Hamsa' means 'swan' or 'spirit', and: * Is the name of the single class or order of society in

Satya Yuga ''Satya Yuga'' ( ''Krita Yuga''), in Hinduism, is the first and best of the four ''yugas'' (world ages) in a ''Yuga Cycle'', preceded by ''Kali Yuga'' of the previous cycle and followed by ''Treta Yuga''. ''Satya Yuga'' lasts for 1,728,000 yea ...

(as compared to four in Kali Yuga), the first and purest of the four cyclical

yuga A ''yuga'', in Hinduism, is generally used to indicate an age of time. In the ''Rigveda'', a ''yuga'' refers to generations, a long period, a very brief period, or a yoke (joining of two things). In the ''Mahabharata'', the words ''yuga'' and ...

s * Symbolises

(Ultimate Truth, Self, or

Atman Atman or Ātman may refer to: Film * ''Ātman'' (1975 film), a Japanese experimental short film directed by Toshio Matsumoto * ''Atman'' (1997 film), a documentary film directed by Pirjo Honkasalo People * Pavel Atman (born 1987), Russian hand ...

) in

* Is the mount ridden by

* Is the name of the tenth (i.e. swan)

that taught the

(hence the symbolism of the swan being ridden by Brahma as a mount).

Twelfth Canto

Consisting of 13 chapters, the twelfth and final canto completes the dialogue between Sukadeva Gosvami and Pariksit on the banks of the

, and ends with the overarching dialogue between Sukadeva Gosvami and the group of sages led by

, at the forest of Naimisaranya. Focusing on prophecies and signs of

, topics covered in this canto include the: * Degradation of rulers as liars and plunderers, and the symptoms of the age of Kali (e.g. atheism, political intrigue, low character of royals, etc.) * Final instructions to and death of Pariksit due to his curse (bitten by a poisonous serpent

Takshaka Takshaka (Sanskrit: तक्षक, IAST: Takṣaka) is a Nagaraja in Hinduism and Buddhism. He is mentioned in the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. He is described to be a king of the Nagas. He is one of the sons of Kadru. Takshaka also known i ...

) * Prayers of sage

Markandeya Bhargava Markandeya ( sa, मार्कण्‍डेय ) is an ancient rishi (sage) born in the clan of Bhrigu Rishi (Bhargava Brahmins Community). The Markandeya Purana especially, comprises a dialogue between Markandeya and a sage call ...

Nara-Narayana Naranarayana (), also rendered Nara-Narayana, is a Hindu duo of sage-brothers. Generally regarded to be the partial-incarnation (aṃśa-avatara) of the preserver deity, Vishnu, on earth, Nara-Narayana are described to be the sons of Dharma ...

, resistance to

Kamadeva Kama ( sa, काम, ), also known as Kamadeva and Manmatha, is the Hindu god of love and desire, often portrayed alongside his consort, Rati. The Atharva Veda regards Kamadeva as the wielder of the creative power of the universe, also descri ...

sent by

to break his vows, and glorification by

and Uma * Four categories of universal annihilation * Appearance of the

Kalki Kalki ( sa, कल्कि), also called Kalkin or Karki, is the prophesied tenth and final incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu. He is described to appear in order to end the Kali Yuga, one of the four periods in the endless cycle of exist ...

avatar to destroy evil at the end of Kali Yuga * Description of the lesser and greater

, and the eighteen major Puranas * Description of the Mahapurusa * Summary and glories of the Srimad Bhagavatam SB 12.13.11-12 original Sanskrit: ''Disciples'' of Swami Prabhupada translation: A Wikipedia editor's translation:

Philosophy

While

and

Dvaita Vedanta Dvaita Vedanta (); (originally known as Tattvavada; IAST:Tattvavāda), is a sub-school in the Vedanta tradition of Hindu philosophy. The term Tattvavada literally means "arguments from a realist viewpoint". The Tattvavada (Dvaita) Vedanta s ...

are the prominent teachings, states

T. S. Rukmani Trichur Subramaniam Rukmani, often known as T. S. Rukmani, is a Sanskritist who served many years on the faculty of Concordia University (1996-2012) and retired in 2012. She translated many Sanskrit texts into English. Biography Rukmani was born ...

, various passages show a synthesis that also includes

Samkhya ''Samkhya'' or ''Sankya'' (; Sanskrit सांख्य), IAST: ') is a dualistic school of Indian philosophy. It views reality as composed of two independent principles, '' puruṣa'' ('consciousness' or spirit); and ''prakṛti'', (nature ...

Yoga Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consciou ...

Vedanta ''Vedanta'' (; sa, वेदान्त, ), also ''Uttara Mīmāṃsā'', is one of the six (''āstika'') schools of Hindu philosophy. Literally meaning "end of the Vedas", Vedanta reflects ideas that emerged from, or were aligned with, ...

, and

Advaita Vedanta ''Advaita Vedanta'' (; sa, अद्वैत वेदान्त, ) is a Hindu sādhanā, a path of spiritual discipline and experience, and the oldest extant tradition of the orthodox Hindu school Vedānta. The term ''Advaita'' ...

Bhakti

Cutler states the Bhagavata is among the most important texts on

, presenting a fully developed teaching that originated with the

. Bryant states that while classical yoga attempts to shut down the mind and senses, Bhakti Yoga in the Bhagavata teaches that the mind is transformed by filling it with thoughts of Krishna. Matchett states that in addition to various

didactic Didacticism is a philosophy that emphasizes instructional and informative qualities in literature, art, and design. In art, design, architecture, and landscape, didacticism is an emerging conceptual approach that is driven by the urgent need t ...

philosophical passages the Bhagavata also describes one of the activities that can lead to liberation (''

'') as listening to, reflecting on the stories of, and sharing devotion for

with others. Bhakti is depicted in the

, adds Matchett, as both an overpowering emotion as well as a way of life that is rational and deliberately cultivated.

Samkhya

Surendranath Dasgupta Surendranath Dasgupta (18 October 1887 – 18 December 1952) was an Indian scholar of Sanskrit and Indian philosophy. Family and education Surendranath Dasgupta was born to a Vaidya family in Kushtia, Bengal (now in Bangladesh), on Sunday, ...

describes the theistic

philosophy taught by

in the Bhagavata as the dominant philosophy in the text. Sheridan points out that in the Third Canto, Kapila is described as an

, born as the son of the sage Kardama Muni, in order to share the knowledge of self-realization and liberation with his mother, Devahuti; in the Eleventh Canto,

also teaches Samkhya to Uddhava, describing the world as an illusion, and the individual as dreaming, even while in the waking state. Krishna expounds Samhkhya and Yoga as the way of overcoming the dream, with the goal being Krishna Himself. Sheridan also states that the treatment of Samkhya in the Bhagavata is also changed by its emphasis on devotion, as does Dasgupta, adding it is somewhat different from other classical

texts.

Advaita

Kumar Das and Sheridan state that the Bhagavata frequently discusses a distinctly

advaitic ''Advaita Vedanta'' (; sa, अद्वैत वेदान्त, ) is a Hindu sādhanā, a path of spiritual discipline and experience, and the oldest extant tradition of the orthodox Hindu school Vedānta. The term ''Advaita'' (li ...

or non-dualistic philosophy of Shankara. Rukmani adds that the concept of

is explained as ''Ekatva'' (Oneness) and ''Sayujya'' (Absorption, intimate union), wherein one is completely lost in Brahman (Self, Supreme Being, one's true nature). This, states Rukmani, is proclamation of a 'return of the individual soul to the Absolute and its merging into the Absolute', which is unmistakably advaitic. The Bhagavata Purana is also stated to parallel the non-duality of

by Sheridan. As an example: Scholars describe this philosophy as built on the foundation of

non-dualism Nondualism, also called nonduality and nondual awareness, is a fuzzy concept originating in Indian philosophy and religion for which many definitions can be found, including: nondual awareness, the nonduality of seer and seen or nondiffe ...

in the

Upanishads The Upanishads (; sa, उपनिषद् ) are late Vedic Sanskrit texts that supplied the basis of later Hindu philosophy.Wendy Doniger (1990), ''Textual Sources for the Study of Hinduism'', 1st Edition, University of Chicago Press, , ...

, and term it as "Advaitic Theism". This term combines the seemingly contradictory beliefs of a personal God that can be worshiped with a God that is immanent in creation and in one's own self. God in this philosophy is within and is not different from the individual self, states Sheridan, and transcends the limitations of specificity and temporality. Sheridan also describes Advaitic Theism as a "both/and" solution for the questions of whether God is transcendent or

immanent The doctrine or theory of immanence holds that the divine encompasses or is manifested in the material world. It is held by some philosophical and metaphysical theories of divine presence. Immanence is usually applied in monotheistic, panthe ...

, and credits the Bhāgavata with a 'truly creative religious moment' for introducing this philosophy. The text suggests that God

and the soul (

) in all beings is one in quality (nirguna). Bryant states that the

monism Monism attributes oneness or singleness (Greek: μόνος) to a concept e.g., existence. Various kinds of monism can be distinguished: * Priority monism states that all existing things go back to a source that is distinct from them; e.g., i ...

in Bhagavata Purana is certainly built on

foundations, but not exactly the same as the

. The Bhagavata asserts, according to Bryant, that the empirical and the spiritual universe are both metaphysical realities, and manifestations of the same Oneness, just like heat and light are "real but different" manifestations of sunlight.Edwin Bryant (2004), Krishna: The Beautiful Legend of God: Srimad Bhagavata Purana Book X, Penguin, , pages 43-48

Dharma

Kurmas Das states the Bhagavata Purana conceptualizes a form of

Dharma Dharma (; sa, धर्म, dharma, ; pi, dhamma, italic=yes) is a key concept with multiple meanings in Indian religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and others. Although there is no direct single-word translation for '' ...

that competes with that of the

, suggesting that Bhakti ultimately leads to Self-knowledge,

Moksha ''Moksha'' (; sa, मोक्ष, '), also called ''vimoksha'', ''vimukti'' and ''mukti'', is a term in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism for various forms of emancipation, enlightenment, liberation, and release. In its soteriologic ...

(salvation) and bliss. The earliest mention of

is found in the

Shvetashvatara Upanishad The ''Shvetashvatara Upanishad'' ( sa, श्वेताश्वतरोपनिषद् or or , IAST: ' or ') is an ancient Sanskrit text embedded in the Yajurveda. It is listed as number 14 in the Muktika canon of 108 Upanishads. The Up ...

verse 6.23, but scholars such as

Max Muller Max or MAX may refer to: Animals * Max (dog) (1983–2013), at one time purported to be the world's oldest living dog * Max (English Springer Spaniel), the first pet dog to win the PDSA Order of Merit (animal equivalent of OBE) * Max (gorilla) ...

state that the word Bhakti appears only once in this

Upanishad The Upanishads (; sa, उपनिषद् ) are late Vedic Sanskrit texts that supplied the basis of later Hindu philosophy.Wendy Doniger (1990), ''Textual Sources for the Study of Hinduism'', 1st Edition, University of Chicago Press, , ...

; and that being in one last verse of the epilogue it could be a later addition, and that the context suggests that it is a

panentheistic Panentheism ("all in God", from the Greek grc, πᾶν, pân, all, label=none, grc, ἐν, en, in, label=none and grc, Θεός, Theós, God, label=none) is the belief that the divine intersects every part of the universe and also extends bey ...

idea and not

theistic Theism is broadly defined as the belief in the existence of a supreme being or deities. In common parlance, or when contrasted with ''deism'', the term often describes the classical conception of God that is found in monotheism (also referred t ...

.Max Muller
The Shvetashvatara Upanishad
Oxford University Press, pages xxxiv and xxxviiPaul Carus, , pages 514-515 Scholarly consensus sees bhakti as a post-Vedic movement that developed primarily during the

era of

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

n history. The Bhagavata Purana develops the Bhakti concept more elaborately, states Cutler, proposing "worship without ulterior motive and with kind disposition towards all" as Dharma. T.R. Sharma states the text includes in its scope intellectual and emotional devotion as well as Advaita Vedanta ideas. The text does not subscribe, states Gupta and Valpey, to context-less "categorical notions of justice or morality", but suggests that "Dharma depends on context".Ravi Gupta and Kenneth Valpey (2013), The Bhagavata Purana, Columbia University Press, , pages 8-10, 30-32 They add that in a positive or neutral context, ethics and moral behavior must be adhered to; and when persistently persecuted by evil, anything that reduces the strength of the "evil and poisonous circumstances" is good. That which is motivated by, furthers, and enables bhakti is the golden standard of Dharma.

Yoga

Sarma states that the Bhagavata Purana describes all steps of yoga practice, and characterizes yoga as

, asserting that the most important aspect is the spiritual goal.Rāma Karaṇa Śarmā (1993), Researches in Indian and Buddhist Philosophy, Motilal Barnarsidass, , pages 218-221 According to Sarma and Rukmani, the text dedicates numerous chapters to yoga, such as Canto 10 (chapter 11), which begins with a declaration that

Siddhi In Indian religions, (Sanskrit: '; fulfillment, accomplishment) are material, paranormal, supernatural, or otherwise magical powers, abilities, and attainments that are the products of yogic advancement through sādhanās such as meditati ...

results from concentrating one's mind on

, adding this substitutes the concept of a "personal god" in the Yogasutras of Patanjali, and contrasts with Patanjali's view that Siddhi is considered powerful but an obstacle to

Samadhi ''Samadhi'' ( Pali and sa, समाधि), in Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism and yogic schools, is a state of meditative consciousness. In Buddhism, it is the last of the eight elements of the Noble Eightfold Path. In the Ashtanga Yo ...

. In other chapters of the text, Rukmani states,

Śuka Shuka ( sa, शुक , also Shukadeva ) is a rishi (sage) in Hinduism. He is the son of the sage Vyasa and the main narrator of the scripture ''Bhagavata Purana''. Most of the ''Bhagavata Purana'' consists of Shuka reciting the story to the ...

describes different meditations on aspects of

, in a way that is similar to the

Yoga Sutras of Patanjali The ''Yoga Sutras of Patañjali'' is a collection of Sanskrit sutras ( aphorisms) on the theory and practice of yoga – 195 sutras (according to Vyāsa and Krishnamacharya) and 196 sutras (according to others, including BKS Iyengar). The ...

. However, adds Bryant, the Bhagavata Purana recommends the object of concentration as

, thus folding in yoga as a form of bhakti and the "union with the divine". Bryant describes the synthesis of ideas in Bhagavata Purana as: Sheridan as well as Pintchman affirm Bryant's view, adding that the Vedantic view emphasized in the Bhagavata is non-dualist, as described within a reality of plural forms.Tracy Pintchman (1994), The rise of the Goddess in the Hindu Tradition, State University of New York Press, , pages 132-134

Significance

The source of many popular stories of Krishna's pastimes for centuries in the

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographical region in Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian Ocean from the Himalayas. Geopolitically, it includes the countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, In ...

, the Bhagavata Purana is widely recognized as the best-known and most influential of the ''

,'' and as a part of

literature ''(''the Puranas,

Itihasa Itihasa () refers to the collection of written descriptions of important events in Hinduism. It includes the Mahabharata, the Puranas and the Ramayana. The Mahabharata includes the story of the Kurukshetra War and preserves the traditions of ...

epics, and

) is referred to as the " Fifth Veda". It is important in Indian religious literature for its emphasis on the practice of devotion compared to the more theoretical approach of the

, for challenging the ritualism of the

, and for its extended description of a God in human form.

Hindu Festivals

The stories in the Bhagavata Purana are also the legends quoted by one generation to the next in Vaishnavism, during annual festivals such as

Holi Holi (), also known as the Festival of Colours, the Festival of Spring, and the Festival of Love,The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) p. 874 "Holi /'həʊli:/ noun a Hindu spring festival ...". is an ancient Hindu religious festival ...

and

Diwali Diwali (), Dewali, Divali, or Deepavali ( IAST: ''dīpāvalī''), also known as the Festival of Lights, related to Jain Diwali, Bandi Chhor Divas, Tihar, Swanti, Sohrai, and Bandna, is a religious celebration in Indian religions. It is ...

. The

International Society for Krishna Consciousness The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), known colloquially as the Hare Krishna movement or Hare Krishnas, is a Gaudiya Vaishnava Hindu religious organization. ISKCON was founded in 1966 in New York City by A. C. Bhaktiv ...

(ISKCON) celebrates the promise of Canto 12, Chapter 13, Verse 13 by distributing sets of Srimad Bhagavatam leading up to the full-moon day of the month of Bhādra (Bhādra Purnima) in India and around the world. ''Disciples'' of Swami Prabhupada translation:

Vaishnavism

Gaudiya Vaishnavism

The Bhagavata has played a significant role in the emergence of the Krishna-bhakti (

Gaudiya Vaishnavism Gaudiya Vaishnavism (), also known as Chaitanya Vaishnavism, is a Vaishnava Hindu religious movement inspired by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486–1534) in India. "Gaudiya" refers to the Gaura or Gauḍa region of Bengal, with Vaishnavism meani ...

) movement of

Lord Chaitanya Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (; born Vishvambhar Mishra) was a 15th-century Indian saint who is considered to be the combined avatar of Radha and Krishna by his disciples and various scriptures. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's mode of worshipping Krishna ...

(1486–1534 CE), in Bengal. The scriptural basis for the belief that Lord Chaitanya is an avatar of

is found in verses such as the following (''Disciples'' of

Swami Prabhupada Abhay Charanaravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami (; 1 September 1896 – 14 November 1977) was an Indian Gaudiya Vaishnava guru who founded ISKCON, commonly known as the "Hare Krishna movement". Members of ISKCON view Bhaktivedanta Swami as a rep ...

translation): Chaitanya is commonly referred to as 'Gauranga' in regards to His golden complexion (as detailed in the

Gauranga Gauranga is another name for Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (or Gauranga Mahaprabhu), the 16th century Bengali avatar and founder of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. The term ''Gauranga Mahaprabhu'' references Lord Chaitanya possessing the golden complexion of Sri ...

article, the

word 'ākṛṣṇaṁ' means 'not blackish' and 'golden'), and is most notable for popularising the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. In regards to not being explicitly named as an

(unlike others such as

) in the Bhagavata, this is also explained (

translation): The key word in this verse in regards to Krishna incarnating in the age of

is 'channaḥ' (''S''anskrit छन्न''),'' which means ' hidden', 'secret', or 'disguised'. In Gaudiya Vaishnavism, Chaitanya is accepted as a hidden avatar of

that appeared in the age of Kali (also known as 'the Iron Age' and 'the age of quarrel') as His own devotee to show the easiest way to achieve Krishna Consciousness. Modern Gaudiya movements such as the Gaudiya Math (established by

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati (; bn, ভক্তিসিদ্ধান্ত সরস্বতী; ; 6 February 1874 – 1 January 1937), born Bimala Prasad Datt (, ), was a Gaudīya Vaisnava Hindu guru (spiritual master), ācārya (philo ...

in 1920) and others established by disciples of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, such as the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada in 1966) and the Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math (by

Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar (; 10 October 1895 – 12 August 1988) was an Indian guru, writer, sannyasi and spiritual leader in the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, founder-president-acharya of the Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math. ...

in 1941), trace their disciplic lineages back directly to Lord Chaitanya.

Other Vaishnava Traditions

In the 15th–16th century

Ekasarana Dharma Ekasarana Dharma (literally: ''Shelter-in-One religion'') is a neo-Vaishnavite monolithic religion propagated by Srimanta Sankardeva in the 15th-16th century in the Indian state of Assam. It reduced focus on vedic ritualism and focuses on ...

Assam Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...

, a

tradition whose proponents,

Sankardeva Srimanta Sankardev( শ্ৰীমন্ত শংকৰদেৱ )(; ; 1449–1568) was a 15th–16th century Assamese polymath; a saint-scholar, poet, playwright, dancer, actor, musician, artist social-religious reformer and a figure of im ...

and Madhavdeva, acknowledge that their theological positions are rooted in the ''Bhagavata Purana'', purged of doctrines that find no place in Assamese Vaishnavism and adding a

monist Monism attributes oneness or singleness (Greek: μόνος) to a concept e.g., existence. Various kinds of monism can be distinguished: * Priority monism states that all existing things go back to a source that is distinct from them; e.g., i ...

commentary instead. In northern and western India the ''Bhagavata Purana'' has influenced the ''Hari Bhakti Vilasa'' and ''Haveli''-style Krishna temples found in

Braj Braj, also known as Vraj, Vraja, Brij or Brijbhoomi, is a region in India on both sides of the Yamuna river with its centre at Mathura-Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh state encompassing the area which also includes Palwal and Ballabhgarh in Hary ...

region near Mathura-Vrindavan. The text complements the Pancharatra Agama texts of

.Edwin Francis Bryant and Maria Ekstrand (2004), The Hare Krishna Movement, Columbia University Press, , pages 48-51 While the text focuses on Krishna "Lord Narayana (Vishnu) himself appears and explains how

and

should never be seen as independent and different from him". The sixth book includes the feminine principle as ''Shakti'', or goddess Devi, conceptualizing her as the "energy and creative power" of the masculine yet a manifestation of a sexless Brahman, presented in a language suffused with Hindu monism.

Jainism and Buddhism

The fifth canto of the ''Bhagavata Purana'' is significant for its inclusion of legends about the first

Rishabha Rishabhanatha, also ( sa, ऋषभदेव), Rishabhadeva, or Ikshvaku is the first (Supreme preacher) of Jainism and establisher of Ikshvaku dynasty. He was the first of twenty-four teachers in the present half-cycle of time in Jain co ...

, as an

. Further, his father

Nabhi King Nabhi or Nabhi Rai was the 14th or the last '' Kulakara'' of '' avasarpini'' (the descending half of the cosmic time cycle in Jainism and the one in which the world is said to be at present). He was the father of Rishabhanatha, the first ' ...

is mentioned as one of the Manus and his mother

Marudevi Marudevī was the mother of the first Jain Tirthankara, Rishabhanatha and the queen of King Nabhi. Birth of Rishabhanatha The enlivening of the embryo through the descent of the future Tīrthankara's soul in the mortal body is celebrated ...

also finds a mention. It further mentions the 100 sons of Rishabha including Bharata. While homage to

Shakyamuni Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in ...

is included in by declaring him as an

, the interpretation of Buddhism-related stories in the Purana range from honor to ambivalence to polemics wherein prophecies predict some will distort and misrepresent the teachings of the Vedas, and attempt to sow confusion. According to

, the Bhagavata Purana is also significant in asserting that

practice is a form of Bhakti.

The Arts

The Bhagavata Purana played a key role in the history of Indian theatre, music, and dance, particularly through the tradition of ''Ras'' and ''Leela''. These are dramatic enactments about Krishna's pastimes. Some of the text's legends have inspired secondary theatre literature such as the eroticism in Gita Govinda. While Indian dance and music theatre traces its origins to the ancient Sama Veda and

Natyasastra The ''Nāṭya Śāstra'' (, ''Nāṭyaśāstra'') is a Sanskrit treatise on the performing arts. The text is attributed to sage Bharata Muni, and its first complete compilation is dated to between 200 BCE and 200 CE, but estimates vary ...

texts, the ''Bhagavata Purana'' and other

-related texts such as ''

Harivamsa The ''Harivamsa'' ( , literally "the genealogy of Hari") is an important work of Sanskrit literature, containing 16,374 shlokas, mostly in the '' anustubh'' metre. The text is also known as the ''Harivamsa Purana.'' This text is believed to ...

'' and ''

Vishnu Purana The Vishnu Purana ( IAST:, sa, विष्णुपुराण) is one of the eighteen Mahapuranas, a genre of ancient and medieval texts of Hinduism. It is an important Pancharatra text in the Vaishnavism literature corpus. The manusc ...

'' have inspired numerous choreographic themes. Many '''Ras plays dramatise episodes related in the ''Rasa Panchadhyayi'' ("Five chapters of the Celestial Dance"; Canto 10, Chapters 29–33) of the ''Bhagavatam''. The ''Bhagavatam'' also encourages theatrical performance as a means to propagate the faith (BP 11.11.23 and 36, 11.27.35 and 44, etc.), and this has led to the emergence of several theatrical forms centred on

all across India. Canto 10 of ''Bhagavatam'' is regarded as the inspiration for many classical dance styles such as

Kathak Kathak ( hi, कथक; ur, کتھک) is one of the eight major forms of Indian classical dance. It is the classical dance from of Uttar Pradesh. The origin of Kathak is traditionally attributed to the traveling bards in ancient northern Ind ...

Odissi Odissi (), also referred to as Orissi in old literature, is a major ancient Indian classical dance that originated in the temples of Odisha – an eastern coastal state of India.Manipuri and

Bharatnatyam Bharatanatyam () is a major form of Indian classical dance that originated in Tamil Nadu. It is one of the eight widely recognized Indian classical dance forms, and expresses South Indian religious themes and spiritual ideas, particularly of ...

. Bryant summarizes the influence as follows,

Commentaries and translations

Commentaries

The Bhagavata Purana is one of the most commented texts in Indian literature. There is a saying in Sanskrit - vidyā bhāgavatāvadhi - Bhāgavatam is the limit of one's learning. Hence throughout the centuries it attracted a host of commentators from all schools of Krishna worshippers. Over eighty medieval era ''Bhāṣya'' (scholarly reviews and commentaries) in Sanskrit alone are known, and many more commentaries exist in various Indian languages. The oldest exegetical commentary presently known is ''Tantra-Bhagavata'' from the Pancaratra school. Other commentaries include:

Advaita Vedanta ''Advaita Vedanta'' (; sa, अद्वैत वेदान्त, ) is a Hindu sādhanā, a path of spiritual discipline and experience, and the oldest extant tradition of the orthodox Hindu school Vedānta. The term ''Advaita'' ...
commentaries

*''Bhāvārtha-dīpikā'' by Śrīdhara Svāmī (15th century CE).Gupta, Ravi M. ''Why Śrīdhara Svāmī? The Makings of a Successful Sanskrit Commentary'' According to Ravi M. Gupta, this commentary "exerted extraordinary influence on later Bhāgavata commentaries, and indeed, on Vaiṣṇava traditions more generally." This influence is "particularly true of the

Caitanya Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (; born Vishvambhar Mishra) was a 15th-century Indian saint who is considered to be the combined avatar of Radha and Krishna by his disciples and various scriptures. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's mode of worshipping Krishna ...

Vaiṣṇava commentaries by Sanātana Gosvāmi, Jīva Gosvāmī, Viśvanātha Cakravartī, and others." *''Amrtatarangini'' by Laksmidhara (15th century CE) *A commentary by Madhusūdana Sarasvatī (c.1540–1640) on the first verse of the Bhagavata Purana

Acintya-bhedābheda Commentaries

* Caitanya-mata-mañjuṣā - Śrīnātha Cakravartī * Bṛhad-vaiṣṇava-toṣiṇī - Sanātana Gosvāmī * Laghu-Vaiṣṇava-toṣiṇī - Jīva Gosvāmī * Krama-sandarbha - Jīva Gosvāmī * Bṛhat-krama-sandarbha - Jīva Gosvāmī * Ṣaṭ-sandarbhas by Jīva Gosvāmī (16th century CE)Barbara Holdrege (2015), Bhakti and Embodiment, Routledge, , pages 149-150 * Vaiṣṇavānandinī - Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa * Sārārtha Darśinī - Vishvanatha Chakravarti (17th century CE) - elaborate commentary * Dīpika-dīpanī - Rādharamaṇa Gosvāmī * Gauḍīya-bhāṣya -

Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati (; bn, ভক্তিসিদ্ধান্ত সরস্বতী; ; 6 February 1874 – 1 January 1937), born Bimala Prasad Datt (, ), was a Gaudīya Vaisnava Hindu guru (spiritual master), ācārya (philo ...

(20th century CE) - elaborate commentary * Bhaktivedānta Purports -

(20th century CE) - elaborate commentary

Dvaita Dvaita Vedanta (); (originally known as Tattvavada; IAST:Tattvavāda), is a sub-school in the Vedanta tradition of Hindu philosophy. The term Tattvavada literally means "arguments from a realist viewpoint". The Tattvavada (Dvaita) Vedanta ...
commentaries

* Bhāgavata Tātparya Nirṇaya by

(13th century CE) * Pada-ratnavali by Vijayadhvaja Tīrtha (15th century CE) - elaborate commentary * Bhagvata Tatparya Nirnaya Tippani by Yadupati Acharya (16th century) * Duraghatabhavadipa by Satyabhinava Tirtha (17th century CE) * Bhaghavata-Sarodhara by Adavi Jayatirthacharya (18th century CE) * Srimadbhagavata Tippani by

Satyadharma Tirtha Satyadharma Tirtha (c. 1743 – c. 1830), was a Hindu philosopher, scholar, theologian and saint belonging to the Dvaita order of Vedanta. He was the 28th pontiff of Uttaradi Math since Madhvacharya from 1797-1830. Life Satyadharma Tirtha wa ...

(18th century CE)

Dvaitādvaita Commentaries

* Siddhānta pradīpikā - Śuka-sudhī * Bhāvārtha dīpikā prakāsha - Vamshīdhara * Anitārtha prakāśikā - Gaṅgāsahāya

Suddhādvaita Commentaries

* Subodhini by Vallabha *Bhagavatārtha Prakarana by Vallabha *Dashama Skandha Anukramanikā by Vallabha * Ṭippaṇī - Gosvāmī Viṭṭhalanātha * Subodhinī prakāsha - Gosvāmī Puruṣhottama * Bāla prabodhinī - Gosvāmī Giridharlāl * Viśuddha rasadīpikā - Kishorī prasāda

Viśiṣṭādvaita Commentaries

* Śuka pakṣīyā - Sudarśana sūri * Bhāgavat chandrikā - Vīrarāghava (14th century CE) - elaborate commentary * Bhakta rañjanī - Bhagavat prasāda

Others

* ''Hanumad-Bhasya'' * ''Vasana-bhasya'' * ''Sambandhoki'' * ''Vidvat-kamadhenu'' * ''Paramahamsa-priya'' * ''Suka-hridaya'' * ''Mukta-phala'' and ''Hari-lilamrita'' by Vopadeva * ''Bhakti-ratnavali'' by Visnupuri * ''Bhakti-Ratnakar'' by Srimanta Sankardev * ''Ekanathi Bhagavata'' by Saint Eknath of Paithan (16th century CE, on the 11th Canto in the vernacular language of the Indian state of Maharashtra) *''

Narayaneeyam ''Narayaniyam'' is a medieval-era Sanskrit text, comprising a summary study in poetic form of the ''Bhāgavata Purana''. It was composed by Melputhur Narayana Bhattathiri, (1560–1666 AD) one of the celebrated Sanskrit poets in Kerala. Even thou ...

'' by Melpathur Bhattathiri of

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South Ca ...

(1586, a condensed Srimad Bhagavatam) *''Bhagavata-Purana'' by S.S. Shulba (2017, original Sanskrit); other Sanskrit manuscripts are available * ''A study of the Bhagavata Purana or Esoteric Hinduism'' by P.N. Sinha (1901)

Translations

The ''Bhagavata'' has been rendered into various Indian and non-Indian languages. A version of it is available in almost every Indian language, with forty translations alone in the Bengali language. From the eighteenth century onwards, the text became the subject of scholarly interest and Victorian morality, Victorian disapproval, with the publication of a French translation followed by an English one. The following is a partial list of translations:

Assamese language, Assamese

* ''Bhagavat of Sankardeva, Bhagavata of Sankara'' (1449-1568 CE, primary theological source for Mahapuruxiya Dharma, Mahapurushiya Dharma in the Indian state of

) *''Katha Bhagavata by Bhattadeva '' (Prose translation 16th century CE)

Bengali language, Bengali

Sri Krishna-Vijaya by Maladhara Basu, a translation of the 10th Canto and a bit from others. * ''Krishna prema tarangini'' by Shri Raghunatha Bhagavatacharya (15th Century CE)

Hindi

* ''Bhagavata Mahapurana'' published by Gita Press (2017)

Kannada

* ''Bhagavata Mahapurana'' by Vidwan Motaganahalli Ramashesha Sastri (foreword by historian S. Srikanta Sastri) Odia language, Odia * ''Odia Bhagabata'' by Jagannatha Dasa (Odia poet), Jagannatha Dasa (15th Century CE)

Telugu

*''Andhra Maha Bhagavatam'' by the poet Pothana (15th century CE). It is considered as ''"the crown jewel of Telugu language, Telugu literature''".

English

*''The Śrīmad Bhāgavatam'' by

A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Abhay Charanaravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami (; 1 September 1896 – 14 November 1977) was an Indian Gaudiya Vaishnava guru who founded ISKCON, commonly known as the " Hare Krishna movement". Members of ISKCON view Bhaktivedanta Swami as a rep ...

(1970–77, includes

s, and purports). Swami Prabhupada completed cantos 1 through 9 and the first ten chapters of canto 10 before he died. After his departure, a team of his disciples completed the work, which was then published by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, Bhaktivedenta Book Trust. *''A prose English translation of Shrimadbhagabatam'' by M.N. Dutt (1895, unabridged) *''Bhagavata Purana'' by Motilal Banarsidass Publishers (1950, unabridged) * ''The Srimad Bhagavatam'' by J.M. Sanyal (1970, abridged) * The Bhagavata Purana by Ganesh Vasudeo Tagare (1976, unabridged) * Srimad Bhagavata by Swami Tapasyananda (1980, unabridged) *A Translation by B.P. Yati Maharaj of Mayapur Sri Chaitanya Math *Reading from Bhagabata by Gananath Das which has been translated from Odia Bhagabata * ''Bhagavata Mahapurana'' by C.L. Goswami and M.A. Shastri (2006, unabridged, Gita Press) * Śrīmad Bhāgavatam with the Sārārtha darśini commentary of Viśvanātha Cakravartī by Swami Bhānu (2010) *''Srimad Bhagavata Purana'' by Anand Aadhar (2012) * ''The Bhagavata Purana'' by

(2019, unabridged) * Śrīmad Bhāgavatam with the Krama sandarbha commentary of Jīva Gosvāmī by Swami Bhānu (2019)

English (partial translations and paraphrases)

* Kṛṣṇa: The Supreme Personality of Godhead by

A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Abhay Charanaravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami (; 1 September 1896 – 14 November 1977) was an Indian Gaudiya Vaishnava guru who founded ISKCON, commonly known as the " Hare Krishna movement". Members of ISKCON view Bhaktivedanta Swami as a rep ...

(part translation, condensed version: summary study and paraphrase of Canto 10) *Vallabhacarya on the Love Games of Krishna by James D. Redington (English translation of Vallabha's commentary on the Rāsa-Panchyādhyāyi) *''The Bhagavata Purana; Book X'' by Nandini Nopani and P. Lal (1997) * ''Krishna: The Beautiful Legend of God: Srimad Bhagavata Purana Book X'' by Edwin F. Bryant (2004)Edwin Bryant (2004), Krishna: The Beautiful Legend of God: Srimad Bhagavata Purana Book X, Penguin, * ''The Wisdom of God: Srimat Bhagavatam'' by Swami Prabhavananda (part translation, part summary and paraphrase) * * ''The Uddhava Gita'' by Swami Ambikananda Saraswati (2000, prose translation of Canto 11) * ''Bhagavata Purana'' by Ramesh Menon (2007, a 'retelling' based on other translations) * ''Bhakti Yoga: Tales and Teachings from the Bhagavata Purana'' by Edwin F. Bryant (2017, selections of verses and commentary) *Brihad Vaishnava Toshani by Bhanu Swami *Laghu Vaishnava Toshani by Bhanu Swami

French

* ''Bagavadam ou Bhagavata Purana'' by Maridas Poullé (1769) * ''Le Bhagavata Purana'' by Eugene Burnouf (1840)

Notes

References

Citations

Sources

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

External links

;English *Swami Prabhupāda's versio
Bhaktivedanta Vedabase

Gita Press versionThe Translation of Sankaradeva's Gunamala - the 'pocket-Bhagavata'
(Assam version)
Translation of Sankaradeva's Veda-Stuti (The Prayer of the Vedas), Bhagavata, Book X, from Sankaradeva's Kirttana Ghosa, the 'Bhagavata in miniature'Bhagavata Purana Research Project
Oxford University
A prose English translation of Srimad Bhagavatam
MN Dutt (Open access limited to the US and parts of Europe)
Bhagavata Purana Research Project
(Srimad Bhagavatam English Version) *An Android app with text in Devanagari and IAST, two different English translations and two different recitations
Srimad Bhagavatam (English)
;Sanskrit original

*[http://sanskritdocuments.org/doc_purana/bhagpur.html?lang=sa Bhagavata Purana] (Sanskrit)
Searchable transliterated PDF file of the entire Bhagavata-Purana from sanskritweb.net
{{Hindudharma Krishna Puranas Hindu texts Vaishnava texts Gaudiya Vaishnavism

Nomenclature

Content and structure

Stated authorship and purpose

Puranic characteristics

Shlokas / verses

Manuscript

Critical Edition

Date of origin

Characters

Avatars of Vishnu

Notable devotees

Notable demons and villains

Cantos

First Canto

Second Canto

Third Canto

Fourth Canto

Fifth Canto

Sixth Canto

Seventh Canto

Eighth Canto

Ninth Canto

Tenth Canto

Study

Eleventh Canto

The Uddhava or Hamsa Gita

Twelfth Canto

Philosophy

Bhakti

Samkhya

Advaita

Dharma

Yoga

Significance

Hindu Festivals

Vaishnavism

Gaudiya Vaishnavism

Other Vaishnava Traditions

Jainism and Buddhism

The Arts

Commentaries and translations

Commentaries

Advaita Vedanta ''Advaita Vedanta'' (; sa, अद्वैत वेदान्त, ) is a Hindu sādhanā, a path of spiritual discipline and experience, and the oldest extant tradition of the orthodox Hindu school Vedānta. The term ''Advaita'' ... commentaries

Acintya-bhedābheda Commentaries

Dvaita Dvaita Vedanta (); (originally known as Tattvavada; IAST:Tattvavāda), is a sub-school in the Vedanta tradition of Hindu philosophy. The term Tattvavada literally means "arguments from a realist viewpoint". The Tattvavada (Dvaita) Vedanta ... commentaries

Dvaitādvaita Commentaries

Suddhādvaita Commentaries

Viśiṣṭādvaita Commentaries

Others

Translations

Assamese language, Assamese

Bengali language, Bengali

Hindi

Kannada

Telugu

English

English (partial translations and paraphrases)

French

See also

Notes

References

Citations

Sources

Further reading

External links

Advaita Vedanta ''Advaita Vedanta'' (; sa, अद्वैत वेदान्त, ) is a Hindu sādhanā, a path of spiritual discipline and experience, and the oldest extant tradition of the orthodox Hindu school Vedānta. The term ''Advaita'' ...
commentaries

Dvaita Dvaita Vedanta (); (originally known as Tattvavada; IAST:Tattvavāda), is a sub-school in the Vedanta tradition of Hindu philosophy. The term Tattvavada literally means "arguments from a realist viewpoint". The Tattvavada (Dvaita) Vedanta ...
commentaries