THE CORRECT METHOD OF
RECEIVING SRIMAD BHAGAVATAM
Address by Sri Prem Prayojan Prabhu to scholars at the Grand Launch of the Purāna Tilakam Project, Vrindāvana Research Institute 26/10/2025
First of all, I offer my sashtanga-dandavat pushpanjali, my heart, like flowers, thousands of times, at the lotus feet of my Holy Master, my supremely worshipable spiritual Gurudeva, asmadiya paramaradhyatama guru-pada-padma nitya-lila-pravishta om vishnupada ashtottara-shata sri rupanuga acharya-varya Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja.
Secondly, I offer my pranama thousands of times at the lotus feet of my param-gurudeva, to Srila Prabhupada and to all of our sri-rupanuga gaudiya guru-parampara.
And finally, I offer my pranama to all the assembled vaishnavas and vaishnavis.
We are most fortunate to be here in Vrindavana Dhama during the holy month of Kartika on this panchami day. From the shukla-tritiya, a few days ago, until navami, Sri Krishna is lifting Giriraja Govardhana. At that time, all the vrajavasis came together under the shelter of Giridhari Krishna.
Similarly, on this day, we see that so many vraja-vibhuti, such as our dear sannyasi maharajas, Sri Achyuta Lal Bhatta Gosvami, Shrivats Gosvami, Sri Satyanarayana dasa Babaji, Sri Padmanabha Gosvami, and so many other elevated vraja-vibhuti, the treasures of Vraja, have all come together for this conference here under the shelter of the king of scriptures, grantha-raja Srimad Bhagavatam.
"I bow down to the Supreme Lord, the ocean of mercy, whose colour is like that of a tamala tree and who appears in this world for the welfare of all. He is the bridge for crossing the unfathomable ocean of material existence. I worship that Sri Krishna who has appeared in the form of Srimad Bhagavatam."
This Srimad Bhagavatam is Sri Krishna Himself, Krishna-svarupa.
As Sri Krishna is the shelter of all existence, Srimad Bhagavatam is the shelter of all existence. As Sri Krishna is unlimited, Srimad Bhagavatam is unlimited. Every verse, word, and syllable of Srimad Bhagavatam is full of rasa and many meanings.
Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu said:
This Srimad-Bhagavatam is krishna-bhakti-rasa-svarupa, the embodiment of all the mellows of devotion to Sri Krishna. Therefore, it is the greatest, the most important of all the Vedic literatures.
Many learned scholars have spoken previously, but they have mercifully left some remnant on the plate for me. Kindly allow me to share with you just a few words about the mangalacharanam of Srimad-Bhagavatam.
Why? Mangalacharanam, praying before speaking, is important because it embodies the peculiar epistemology of Srimad-Bhagavatam. Srimad-Bhagavatam is Krishna Himself. Sri Krishna is adhokshaja; he is atindriya – beyond the senses, so we cannot accumulate knowledge of Sri Krishna in the same way that we pursue a material education.
Material education is the pursuit of the khanda-vastu-jnana – knowledge of the substances of this world, which are divisible. But Sri Krishna is,
He is without beginning, without end; he is the indivisible, non-dual Supreme Absolute Truth, and therefore, the knowledge of Krishna cannot be attained even if one is studying Srimad-Bhagavatam. One cannot approach Krishna by krama-purvaka-vikasita-jnana – the gradual accumulation of pieces of information because He is akhanda-tattva – indivisible Truth.
So, what is the actual method for realizing the Divine Reality? That has been expressed beautifully in the mangalacharanam of Srimad-Bhagavatam.
Secondly, I offer my pranama thousands of times at the lotus feet of my param-gurudeva, to Srila Prabhupada and to all of our sri-rupanuga gaudiya guru-parampara.
And finally, I offer my pranama to all the assembled vaishnavas and vaishnavis.
We are most fortunate to be here in Vrindavana Dhama during the holy month of Kartika on this panchami day. From the shukla-tritiya, a few days ago, until navami, Sri Krishna is lifting Giriraja Govardhana. At that time, all the vrajavasis came together under the shelter of Giridhari Krishna.
Similarly, on this day, we see that so many vraja-vibhuti, such as our dear sannyasi maharajas, Sri Achyuta Lal Bhatta Gosvami, Shrivats Gosvami, Sri Satyanarayana dasa Babaji, Sri Padmanabha Gosvami, and so many other elevated vraja-vibhuti, the treasures of Vraja, have all come together for this conference here under the shelter of the king of scriptures, grantha-raja Srimad Bhagavatam.
tam adi-devam karuna-nidhanam
tamala-varnam suhitavataram
apara-samsara-samudra-setum
bhajamahe bhagavata-svarupam
"I bow down to the Supreme Lord, the ocean of mercy, whose colour is like that of a tamala tree and who appears in this world for the welfare of all. He is the bridge for crossing the unfathomable ocean of material existence. I worship that Sri Krishna who has appeared in the form of Srimad Bhagavatam."
(Padma-purana Uttara Khanda 195.29)
This Srimad Bhagavatam is Sri Krishna Himself, Krishna-svarupa.
krishna-tulya bhagavata – vibhu, sarvashraya
prati-shloke prati-akshare nana artha kaya
(Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita 2.24.318)
As Sri Krishna is the shelter of all existence, Srimad Bhagavatam is the shelter of all existence. As Sri Krishna is unlimited, Srimad Bhagavatam is unlimited. Every verse, word, and syllable of Srimad Bhagavatam is full of rasa and many meanings.
Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu said:
'krishna-bhakti-rasa-svarupa’ shri-bhagavata
tate veda-shastra haite parama mahattva
(Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita, Madhya-lila 25.150)
This Srimad-Bhagavatam is krishna-bhakti-rasa-svarupa, the embodiment of all the mellows of devotion to Sri Krishna. Therefore, it is the greatest, the most important of all the Vedic literatures.
Many learned scholars have spoken previously, but they have mercifully left some remnant on the plate for me. Kindly allow me to share with you just a few words about the mangalacharanam of Srimad-Bhagavatam.
Why? Mangalacharanam, praying before speaking, is important because it embodies the peculiar epistemology of Srimad-Bhagavatam. Srimad-Bhagavatam is Krishna Himself. Sri Krishna is adhokshaja; he is atindriya – beyond the senses, so we cannot accumulate knowledge of Sri Krishna in the same way that we pursue a material education.
Material education is the pursuit of the khanda-vastu-jnana – knowledge of the substances of this world, which are divisible. But Sri Krishna is,
jahi anadi ananta akhanda,
acheda abheda, suveda batave
He is without beginning, without end; he is the indivisible, non-dual Supreme Absolute Truth, and therefore, the knowledge of Krishna cannot be attained even if one is studying Srimad-Bhagavatam. One cannot approach Krishna by krama-purvaka-vikasita-jnana – the gradual accumulation of pieces of information because He is akhanda-tattva – indivisible Truth.
So, what is the actual method for realizing the Divine Reality? That has been expressed beautifully in the mangalacharanam of Srimad-Bhagavatam.
Other speakers have described Srila Vyasadeva's mangalacharanam: sadyo hridy avarudhyate ’tra kritibhih shushrushubhis tat-kshanat (SB 1.1.2). So I want to say just a few words about the mangalacharanam of Suta Gosvami, how he prayed to his gurudeva before speaking. And then how Shukadeva Gosvami himself also made mangalacharanam before he spoke Srimad-Bhagavatam.
First of all, after Shaunaka and the rishis inquired from Suta Gosvami, Suta Gosvami folded his hands and prayed to his guru-pada-padma Sri Shukadeva Gosvami:
“I take shelter of Shukadeva Gosvami, who is the guru of all the munis who have assembled here. Shukadeva Gosvami has spoken purana-guhyam, this confidential purana.”
How? Karunayaha – by the kripa-shakti, potency of mercy. Why? Sri Shuka uvacha means shriyah shuka. Shukadeva Gosvami is the parrot of Srimati Radharani. If he were to say the name of Srimati Radhika directly, Shukadeva Gosvami would faint for six months due to viraha agni, the fire of separation. Therefore, very carefully, he has hidden the name of Radhika in Srimad-Bhagavatam. If he were to faint for six months, it would be a calamity because Parikshit Maharaja has only seven days to live.
Yet he has been inspired by karuna-shakti and has sometimes directly spoken the glories of Radhika.
He has described how Radhika, in the madness of love, was speaking with a bumblebee in Bhramara-gita, but his ecstasy became so high at that time that karuna-shakti had to come and distract him, so that he would not faint. That is why, immediately after Bhramara-gita, there is the description of Krishna meeting with Kubja. Comparatively, there is no rasa in this – sadharani-rati. To make sure that he could continue to speak without fainting, the karuna-shakti distracted him and took him to another subject: karunayaha purana-guhyam.
What is the salient point to note here?
Yah svanubhavam akhila-shruti-saram ekam – Shukadeva Gosvami is speaking from sva anubhava, his own direct realization. He is not a theoretical speaker. He is not speaking solely from memory. He is not speaking the things that he learned from some Bhagavata school.
Instead, he is speaking from his direct vidvad-anubhuti, direct realization. Shruti-saram ekam – he is speaking that which is the essence of shruti.
It is important to understand exactly the meaning of shruti. Shruti is that which is heard. Our Prabhupada Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura has explained that when the shuddha-vaishnava who has svanubhava (direct realization) speaks, then the sound coming from his lips is sanjivani-dhara, it is a life-giving current that awakens the sleeping souls.
It is the vastava-satya-shuddha, the nectar of the Absolute Truth. And when the seva-snigdha-shishya, the disciple, who is gentle, compliant, affectionate and completely absorbed in seva, receives this nectar through the anjali, through the begging palms of his ears, then there is a prakasha, an illumination in the vishuddha-hridaya-akasha, the purified sky of the heart of that disciple.
When the Guru is speaking with avimishra-bhava, the unalloyed loving mood, that sound touches the heart of the disciple, who immediately has darshana. Darshana does not mean philosophy; it means sakshatkara (perception), upalabdhi (realization), anubhuti – this is darshana.
So, shruti, hearing, means the transference of realization from the heart of Sri Guru to the heart of the disciple. The sound of his words becomes a vision of Sri Krishna in the pure sky of the heart of the disciple. That is shravanam, actual hearing.
In his exegesis of Srimad-Bhagavatam, Srila Jiva Gosvamipada meticulously explains each and every anga of bhakti. In regard to shravanam, Srila Jiva Gosvamipada wrote:
It means that in the beginning, the capability to actually engage in shravanam, to hear, depends on the shuddhata, the purity of antah-karana, the internal psychological apparatus. And when the heart attains ekagrata-chitta, one-pointed concentration, then tad-udaya-yogyata bhavati – one is eligible to experience the beautiful form of Krishna arising in the heart.
When the disciple hears Krishna's qualities, then His qualities awaken in the heart. When he hears the pastimes of Sri Krishna, the pastimes of Sri Krishna awaken in the heart. This is the method of receiving Srimad-Bhagavatam. It cannot be understood simply by reading tikas (commentaries).
In Chaitanya-charitamrita, the following verse is quoted:
Lord Siva says, “I may know Srimad-Bhagavatam, Shukadeva Gosvami may know Srimad-Bhagavatam, Vyasadeva may or may not know Srimad-Bhagavatam. But this is true: the Srimad-Bhagavatam is only realized by vishuddha nishkinchana ananya bhakti, pure, selfless, one-pointed devotion.”
Na buddhya – it cannot be realized by your intelligence. Neither by organic intelligence nor by the assistance of artificial intelligence. Na cha tikaya – and it cannot even be understood even by reading many tikas.
So Purana Tilakam is a wonderful project, and we applaud this beautiful project to collaborate together and collate all the tikas on Srimad-Bhagavatam in an electronic, searchable format with A.I. analysis tools in all the languages of the world. But at the very beginning, from the outset, in the foreword, the proper method of receiving Srimad-Bhagavatam must be given.
After praying this verse, tam vyasa-sunum upayami gurum muninam, Suta Gosvami continued:
First of all, I am offering namaskara – to whom? Narayanam namaskritya naram chaiva – to Nara-narayana Rishi. Why? Because they are the predominating Deities of the dhama, that is, Badarikashrama, where Srila Vyasadeva is dictating his samadhi-bhasha, trance language, of Srimad-Bhagavatam to Ganesha.
First, Suta Gosvami honours the Deities of the dhama there. Then he prays to Narottama. Narottama means ‘purushottama, Sri Krishna Himself, the supreme purusha’.
If the male purusha is alone, He is not purusha. He can only be purusha if His shakti is present.
When Krishna is with His full shakti, Radhika, then He is narottama.
Then devim sarasvatim vyasam – I am bowing down to Goddess Sarasvati. This is a profound point. Perhaps you know, there was a great scholar named Keshava Kashmiri. His ishtadevi was Sarasvati, the goddess of learning. Keshava Kashmiri was always serving her and praying to her. From Sarasvati he received the benediction: “You cannot be defeated in debate by any human scholar. No scholar on this earth, no human being can defeat you.”
But when that Keshava Kashmiri came to Sri Mayapura Navadvipa-dhama, he sat down at Barakona-ghata and challenged our Nimai Pandita, Sri Shachi-nandana Gaurahari, to a debate. In the course of their discussion, Sri Nimai Pandita pointed out so many defects in the poetry of Keshava Kashmiri. When it was Keshava Kashmiri's turn to reply, he opened his mouth but nothing came out.
It was the first time in his life that he was speechless. Why was he speechless? Because vak-shakti, Sarasvati, the goddess of speech, was shy. She was too shy to appear in front of her Lord, Mahaprabhu.
Keshava Kashmiri was not defeated by a human being. He was defeated by Mahaprabhu, the Lord of all Lords, Sri Krishna Himself in the form of Shachi-nandana Gaurahari.
Sarasvati was afraid to appear in front of her Lord. This is highly significant. In Srimad-Bhagavatam (2.5.13) it is said:
Mayadevi is afraid to stand in the presence of the Supreme Lord. That Mayadevi gives one the power to speak in a state of bewilderment – vimohita vikatthante mamaham iti durdhiyah – about all things related to the false ego, ‘I and mine’. Me, me, me! Dharma is about me! Artha is about me! Kama is about me! And moksha is about me!
Therefore, dharmah projjhita-kaitavo ’tra paramo nirmatsaranam satam (SB 1.1.2) – all dharma, artha, kama and moksha is kicked out of Srimad-Bhagavatam, because speaking about aham mameti, ‘I and mine’ is the symptom of Maya.
So, the confidential meaning of this pastime of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is that there are two Sarasvatis: Shuddha-Sarasvati and Sankirna-Sarasvati.
Sankirna-Sarasvati is a manifestation of Mayadevi worshipped by those who are in a mixture of the gunas. It was she who was afraid to come in front of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu: vilajjamanaya yasya sthatum iksha-pathe ’muya. That Sarasvati who was prayed to by Keshava Kashmiri was not Shuddha-Sarasvati, not Bhakti-devi, not the pure Sarasvati who reveals Srimad-Bhagavatam. Rather, she was the manifestation of Mayadevi, the goddess of material learning. She is the material vak-shakti, erudite speech devoid of realization. This is the reason why Keshava Kashmiri became speechless.
On the other hand, when Suta Gosvami prays, devim sarasvatim vyasam, he is praying to Shuddha-Sarasvati. She is the vak-shakti of transcendental sound.
There are two types of sound. In Padma Purana it is said:
sri-vishnor-namni-mantre sakala-kalusha-he shabda-samanya-buddhir – there is shabda-samanya, ordinary material sound, that is, prakrita-shabda; and there is aprakrita-shabda, supernatural sound.
So here, devim sarasvatim refers to the Goddess of vak-shakti, the Goddess of shabda-brahma, supernatural sound. No one can speak Srimad-Bhagavatam unless and until that Shuddha-Sarasvati, vak-shakti descends onto his tongue and then manifests.
This is one of the important lessons from the mangalacharanam of Suta Gosvami. Now let us consider the mangalacharanam of Shukadeva Gosvami.
Before Shukadeva Gosvami speaks Srimad-Bhagavatam, he prays:
“Oh, may rishinam rishabhah, the best of all the rishis…” What does rishi mean? Rishi means ‘mantra-drashta – those who see the svarupa of shabda’, the form of transcendental sound.
So, He who is the leader of all the rishis, that is Krishna Himself; prachodita yena pura sarasvati – in the beginning of the universe, He empowered and inspired Shuddha-Sarasvati to enter the heart of Brahma, to enlighten him and then manifest from his mouth the four Vedas and the method of how to create. May that Supreme Lord be merciful to me.
The dhvani (suggestion) of this prayer is that just as Sri Krishna inspired Sarasvati to appear on the tongue of Brahma, now Shukadeva Gosvami is saying, “I am about to speak Srimad-Bhagavatam, but it is only possible if Krishna will inspire Shuddha-Sarasvati, shabda-brahma, vak-shakti to appear on my tongue. Only then Srimad-Bhagavatam will manifest. tene brahma hrida ya adi-kavaye muhyanti yat surayah (SB 1.1.1)
So, in this shabda-brahma there is no difference at all between shabda and shabdi, between nama and nami. Therefore, shravanam (hearing) and darshana take place simultaneously. This is expressed again and again in Srimad-Bhagavatam.
Lord Brahma has prayed:
“Oh my Lord, those persons smell the fragrance of your lotus feet through the air of Vedic sound through the ears.”
Usually, normal persons smell with the nose. But those who are in the line of the Bhagavata Sampradaya smell the fragrance of Sri Krishna's lotus-feet though their ears. Furthermore, by synecdoche (upalakshana), the meaning is not limited only to “smell the fragrance”. It also implies that those who are actually hearing see the form of Sri Krishna, hear the sound of Sri Krishna, feel the touch of Sri Krishna. They experience the shabda, sparsha, rupa, rasa, gandha – all through the hearing process.
Prithu Maharaja has also prayed:
“Oh, my Lord! I do not require any other benedictions at all! I only want to hear Srimad-Bhagavatam, the glories of Krishna, from the lips of pure devotees.” Na buddhya na cha tikaya – not by intelligence, not by tikas; realization arises only by hearing from the lips of perfect devotees. Because when that sound comes from the lips, bhavat-padambhoja-sudha kananilah – the air of that sound is mixed with kunkuma from the feet of Sri Krishna:
The kunkuma from the lotus feet of Krishna originally came from the heart of Srimati Radhika. That very fragrance is carried by the air that comes from the lips of the pure devotees.
Therefore, in Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita (Adi-lila 1.98) it is said:
The mercy of Gaura-Nitai is this: just as in the dark we cannot see anything, but when light comes we can recognize that this is a pot, this is a chair, etc, in the same way, when the kripa of Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai comes, at that time, we can recognize two things: the bhakta bhagavata and the shastra bhagavata.
One bhagavata is the great scripture, Srimad-Bhagavatam. The other bhagavata is bhakti-rasa-patra – the vaishnava whose heart is overflowing with bhakti-rasa. We cannot attain that rasa it from the book alone.
By the action of the book bhagavata and the person bhagavata, the mellows of bhakti-rasa are infused into the heart. And then: tanhara hridaye tanra preme haya vasa – Sri Krishna becomes controlled by the devotee whose heart full of prema-rasa.
Sri Krishna is immediately captured in the heart of those refined persons who are eagerly desirous of hearing from the lips of pure vaishnavas.
So, the book bhagavata is necessary, but insufficient without sadhu-sanga, the association of self-realized saints.
This brings us to just one last point related to this cryptic verse:
Mahadeva says, “I know Srimad-Bhagavatam; Shukadeva Gosvami knows; but Vyasadeva may know, or may not know.”
Vyasadeva himself compiled Srimad-Bhagavatam. It came to him in his samadhi:
So, how is it that Vyasa may know or may not know? It is because Srila Vyasadeva has two aspects.
In Srila Baladeva Vidyabhushana’s commentary on the Sri Laghu-bhagavatamrita of Srila Rupa Gosvami, he explains that Vyasadeva has two aspects. There is the Vyasadeva who is Narayana, who is Bhagavan, who is ishvara-tattva. Then there is Vyasadeva who is a rishi, who is a devotee, who is shakty-avesha, an empowered devotee.
The bhagavata-tattva aspect of Srila Vyasadeva cannot realize the full nectar of bhakti, but Srila Vyasadeva as the bhakta, the ashraya-tattva, can realize the full nectar of bhakti. Therefore, it is stated that Vyasadeva may or may not know.
Similarly, Sri Krishna Himself could not realize the prema of Srimati Radhika. He had to appear in this world as Sri Gauranga Mahaprabhu. Radha-bhava-dyuti-suvalitam naumi krishna-svarupam (CC Adi 1.5) – Sri Krishna wanted to realize Radha-bhava, so He had to hear Srimad-Bhagavatam spoken by the person who had realization of Radha-bhava.
Who has realization of Radha-bhava? Only Srimati Radhika Herself. Therefore, every day, Shachi-nandana Gaurahari used to go to hear Srimad-Bhagavatam from Radhika Herself in the form of Sri Gadadhara Pandita. Thereby, Sri Krishna has shown na buddhya na cha tikaya – even Sri Krishna could not realize the ecstasies of love expressed in Srimad-Bhagavatam by His intelligence, even Sri Krishna could not know by the tikas. He could only know by hearing from the person with anubhava.
In this way, I offer my shraddha-pushpanjali millions of times to Srimad-Bhagavatam, to Shachi-nandana Gaurahari, to Sri-Sri Kishora-Kishori-jiu and all the assembled vaishnavas and vaishnavis.
First of all, after Shaunaka and the rishis inquired from Suta Gosvami, Suta Gosvami folded his hands and prayed to his guru-pada-padma Sri Shukadeva Gosvami:
yah svanubhavam akhila-shruti-saram ekam
adhyatma-dipam atititishatam tamo ’ndham
samsarinam karunayaha purana-guhyam
tam vyasa-sunum upayami gurum muninam
Srimad-Bhagavatam, 1.2.3
“I take shelter of Shukadeva Gosvami, who is the guru of all the munis who have assembled here. Shukadeva Gosvami has spoken purana-guhyam, this confidential purana.”
How? Karunayaha – by the kripa-shakti, potency of mercy. Why? Sri Shuka uvacha means shriyah shuka. Shukadeva Gosvami is the parrot of Srimati Radharani. If he were to say the name of Srimati Radhika directly, Shukadeva Gosvami would faint for six months due to viraha agni, the fire of separation. Therefore, very carefully, he has hidden the name of Radhika in Srimad-Bhagavatam. If he were to faint for six months, it would be a calamity because Parikshit Maharaja has only seven days to live.
Yet he has been inspired by karuna-shakti and has sometimes directly spoken the glories of Radhika.
madhupa kitava-bandho ma sprishanghrim sapatnyah
kucha-vilulita-mala-kunkuma-shmashrubhir nah
Srimad-Bhagavatam, 10.47.12
He has described how Radhika, in the madness of love, was speaking with a bumblebee in Bhramara-gita, but his ecstasy became so high at that time that karuna-shakti had to come and distract him, so that he would not faint. That is why, immediately after Bhramara-gita, there is the description of Krishna meeting with Kubja. Comparatively, there is no rasa in this – sadharani-rati. To make sure that he could continue to speak without fainting, the karuna-shakti distracted him and took him to another subject: karunayaha purana-guhyam.
What is the salient point to note here?
Yah svanubhavam akhila-shruti-saram ekam – Shukadeva Gosvami is speaking from sva anubhava, his own direct realization. He is not a theoretical speaker. He is not speaking solely from memory. He is not speaking the things that he learned from some Bhagavata school.
Instead, he is speaking from his direct vidvad-anubhuti, direct realization. Shruti-saram ekam – he is speaking that which is the essence of shruti.
It is important to understand exactly the meaning of shruti. Shruti is that which is heard. Our Prabhupada Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura has explained that when the shuddha-vaishnava who has svanubhava (direct realization) speaks, then the sound coming from his lips is sanjivani-dhara, it is a life-giving current that awakens the sleeping souls.
It is the vastava-satya-shuddha, the nectar of the Absolute Truth. And when the seva-snigdha-shishya, the disciple, who is gentle, compliant, affectionate and completely absorbed in seva, receives this nectar through the anjali, through the begging palms of his ears, then there is a prakasha, an illumination in the vishuddha-hridaya-akasha, the purified sky of the heart of that disciple.
When the Guru is speaking with avimishra-bhava, the unalloyed loving mood, that sound touches the heart of the disciple, who immediately has darshana. Darshana does not mean philosophy; it means sakshatkara (perception), upalabdhi (realization), anubhuti – this is darshana.
So, shruti, hearing, means the transference of realization from the heart of Sri Guru to the heart of the disciple. The sound of his words becomes a vision of Sri Krishna in the pure sky of the heart of the disciple. That is shravanam, actual hearing.
In his exegesis of Srimad-Bhagavatam, Srila Jiva Gosvamipada meticulously explains each and every anga of bhakti. In regard to shravanam, Srila Jiva Gosvamipada wrote:
prathamam namnah shravanam antahkarana-shuddhy-artham apekshyam
shuddhe chantah-karane rupa-shravanena tad-udaya-yogyata bhavati.
It means that in the beginning, the capability to actually engage in shravanam, to hear, depends on the shuddhata, the purity of antah-karana, the internal psychological apparatus. And when the heart attains ekagrata-chitta, one-pointed concentration, then tad-udaya-yogyata bhavati – one is eligible to experience the beautiful form of Krishna arising in the heart.
When the disciple hears Krishna's qualities, then His qualities awaken in the heart. When he hears the pastimes of Sri Krishna, the pastimes of Sri Krishna awaken in the heart. This is the method of receiving Srimad-Bhagavatam. It cannot be understood simply by reading tikas (commentaries).
In Chaitanya-charitamrita, the following verse is quoted:
aham vedmi shuko vetti
vyaso vetti na vetti va
bhaktya bhagavatam grahyam
na buddhya na cha tikaya
Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita, Madhya-lila 24.313
Lord Siva says, “I may know Srimad-Bhagavatam, Shukadeva Gosvami may know Srimad-Bhagavatam, Vyasadeva may or may not know Srimad-Bhagavatam. But this is true: the Srimad-Bhagavatam is only realized by vishuddha nishkinchana ananya bhakti, pure, selfless, one-pointed devotion.”
Na buddhya – it cannot be realized by your intelligence. Neither by organic intelligence nor by the assistance of artificial intelligence. Na cha tikaya – and it cannot even be understood even by reading many tikas.
So Purana Tilakam is a wonderful project, and we applaud this beautiful project to collaborate together and collate all the tikas on Srimad-Bhagavatam in an electronic, searchable format with A.I. analysis tools in all the languages of the world. But at the very beginning, from the outset, in the foreword, the proper method of receiving Srimad-Bhagavatam must be given.
After praying this verse, tam vyasa-sunum upayami gurum muninam, Suta Gosvami continued:
narayanam namaskritya
naram chaiva narottamam
devim sarasvatim vyasam
tato jayam udirayet
Srimad-Bhagavatam, 1.2.4
First of all, I am offering namaskara – to whom? Narayanam namaskritya naram chaiva – to Nara-narayana Rishi. Why? Because they are the predominating Deities of the dhama, that is, Badarikashrama, where Srila Vyasadeva is dictating his samadhi-bhasha, trance language, of Srimad-Bhagavatam to Ganesha.
First, Suta Gosvami honours the Deities of the dhama there. Then he prays to Narottama. Narottama means ‘purushottama, Sri Krishna Himself, the supreme purusha’.
If the male purusha is alone, He is not purusha. He can only be purusha if His shakti is present.
radha — purna-shakti, krishna — purna-shaktiman
dui vastu bheda nai, shastra-paramana
Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita, Adi-lila 4.96
When Krishna is with His full shakti, Radhika, then He is narottama.
Then devim sarasvatim vyasam – I am bowing down to Goddess Sarasvati. This is a profound point. Perhaps you know, there was a great scholar named Keshava Kashmiri. His ishtadevi was Sarasvati, the goddess of learning. Keshava Kashmiri was always serving her and praying to her. From Sarasvati he received the benediction: “You cannot be defeated in debate by any human scholar. No scholar on this earth, no human being can defeat you.”
But when that Keshava Kashmiri came to Sri Mayapura Navadvipa-dhama, he sat down at Barakona-ghata and challenged our Nimai Pandita, Sri Shachi-nandana Gaurahari, to a debate. In the course of their discussion, Sri Nimai Pandita pointed out so many defects in the poetry of Keshava Kashmiri. When it was Keshava Kashmiri's turn to reply, he opened his mouth but nothing came out.
It was the first time in his life that he was speechless. Why was he speechless? Because vak-shakti, Sarasvati, the goddess of speech, was shy. She was too shy to appear in front of her Lord, Mahaprabhu.
Keshava Kashmiri was not defeated by a human being. He was defeated by Mahaprabhu, the Lord of all Lords, Sri Krishna Himself in the form of Shachi-nandana Gaurahari.
Sarasvati was afraid to appear in front of her Lord. This is highly significant. In Srimad-Bhagavatam (2.5.13) it is said:
vilajjamanaya yasya
sthatum iksha-pathe ’muya
vimohita vikatthante
mamaham iti durdhiyah
Mayadevi is afraid to stand in the presence of the Supreme Lord. That Mayadevi gives one the power to speak in a state of bewilderment – vimohita vikatthante mamaham iti durdhiyah – about all things related to the false ego, ‘I and mine’. Me, me, me! Dharma is about me! Artha is about me! Kama is about me! And moksha is about me!
Therefore, dharmah projjhita-kaitavo ’tra paramo nirmatsaranam satam (SB 1.1.2) – all dharma, artha, kama and moksha is kicked out of Srimad-Bhagavatam, because speaking about aham mameti, ‘I and mine’ is the symptom of Maya.
So, the confidential meaning of this pastime of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is that there are two Sarasvatis: Shuddha-Sarasvati and Sankirna-Sarasvati.
Sankirna-Sarasvati is a manifestation of Mayadevi worshipped by those who are in a mixture of the gunas. It was she who was afraid to come in front of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu: vilajjamanaya yasya sthatum iksha-pathe ’muya. That Sarasvati who was prayed to by Keshava Kashmiri was not Shuddha-Sarasvati, not Bhakti-devi, not the pure Sarasvati who reveals Srimad-Bhagavatam. Rather, she was the manifestation of Mayadevi, the goddess of material learning. She is the material vak-shakti, erudite speech devoid of realization. This is the reason why Keshava Kashmiri became speechless.
On the other hand, when Suta Gosvami prays, devim sarasvatim vyasam, he is praying to Shuddha-Sarasvati. She is the vak-shakti of transcendental sound.
There are two types of sound. In Padma Purana it is said:
sri-vishnor-namni-mantre sakala-kalusha-he shabda-samanya-buddhir – there is shabda-samanya, ordinary material sound, that is, prakrita-shabda; and there is aprakrita-shabda, supernatural sound.
So here, devim sarasvatim refers to the Goddess of vak-shakti, the Goddess of shabda-brahma, supernatural sound. No one can speak Srimad-Bhagavatam unless and until that Shuddha-Sarasvati, vak-shakti descends onto his tongue and then manifests.
This is one of the important lessons from the mangalacharanam of Suta Gosvami. Now let us consider the mangalacharanam of Shukadeva Gosvami.
Before Shukadeva Gosvami speaks Srimad-Bhagavatam, he prays:
prachodita yena pura sarasvati
vitanvatajasya satim smritim hridi
sva-lakshana pradurabhut kilasyatah
sa me rishinam rishabhah prasidatam
Srimad-Bhagavatam, 2.4.22
“Oh, may rishinam rishabhah, the best of all the rishis…” What does rishi mean? Rishi means ‘mantra-drashta – those who see the svarupa of shabda’, the form of transcendental sound.
So, He who is the leader of all the rishis, that is Krishna Himself; prachodita yena pura sarasvati – in the beginning of the universe, He empowered and inspired Shuddha-Sarasvati to enter the heart of Brahma, to enlighten him and then manifest from his mouth the four Vedas and the method of how to create. May that Supreme Lord be merciful to me.
The dhvani (suggestion) of this prayer is that just as Sri Krishna inspired Sarasvati to appear on the tongue of Brahma, now Shukadeva Gosvami is saying, “I am about to speak Srimad-Bhagavatam, but it is only possible if Krishna will inspire Shuddha-Sarasvati, shabda-brahma, vak-shakti to appear on my tongue. Only then Srimad-Bhagavatam will manifest. tene brahma hrida ya adi-kavaye muhyanti yat surayah (SB 1.1.1)
So, in this shabda-brahma there is no difference at all between shabda and shabdi, between nama and nami. Therefore, shravanam (hearing) and darshana take place simultaneously. This is expressed again and again in Srimad-Bhagavatam.
Lord Brahma has prayed:
ye tu tvadiya-charanambuja-kosha-gandham
jighranti karna-vivaraih shruti-vata-nitam
bhaktya grihita-charanah paraya cha tesham
napaishi natha hridayamburuhat sva-pumsam
Srimad-Bhagavatam, 3.9.5
“Oh my Lord, those persons smell the fragrance of your lotus feet through the air of Vedic sound through the ears.”
Usually, normal persons smell with the nose. But those who are in the line of the Bhagavata Sampradaya smell the fragrance of Sri Krishna's lotus-feet though their ears. Furthermore, by synecdoche (upalakshana), the meaning is not limited only to “smell the fragrance”. It also implies that those who are actually hearing see the form of Sri Krishna, hear the sound of Sri Krishna, feel the touch of Sri Krishna. They experience the shabda, sparsha, rupa, rasa, gandha – all through the hearing process.
Prithu Maharaja has also prayed:
sa uttamashloka mahan-mukha-chyuto
bhavat-padambhoja-sudha kananilah
smritim punar vismrita-tattva-vartmanam
kuyoginam no vitaraty alam varaih
Srimad-Bhagavatam, 4.20.25
“Oh, my Lord! I do not require any other benedictions at all! I only want to hear Srimad-Bhagavatam, the glories of Krishna, from the lips of pure devotees.” Na buddhya na cha tikaya – not by intelligence, not by tikas; realization arises only by hearing from the lips of perfect devotees. Because when that sound comes from the lips, bhavat-padambhoja-sudha kananilah – the air of that sound is mixed with kunkuma from the feet of Sri Krishna:
purnah pulindya urugaya-padabja-raga
sri-kunkumena dayita-stana-manditena
Srimad-Bhagavatam, 10.21.17
The kunkuma from the lotus feet of Krishna originally came from the heart of Srimati Radhika. That very fragrance is carried by the air that comes from the lips of the pure devotees.
Therefore, in Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita (Adi-lila 1.98) it is said:
dui bhai hridayera kshali’ andhakara
dui bhagavata-sange karana sakshatkara
The mercy of Gaura-Nitai is this: just as in the dark we cannot see anything, but when light comes we can recognize that this is a pot, this is a chair, etc, in the same way, when the kripa of Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai comes, at that time, we can recognize two things: the bhakta bhagavata and the shastra bhagavata.
eka bhagavata bada — bhagavata-shastra
ara bhagavata — bhakta bhakti-rasa-patra
Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Adi-lila 1.99
One bhagavata is the great scripture, Srimad-Bhagavatam. The other bhagavata is bhakti-rasa-patra – the vaishnava whose heart is overflowing with bhakti-rasa. We cannot attain that rasa it from the book alone.
dui bhagavata dvara diya bhakti-rasa
tanhara hridaye tanra preme haya vasa
Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Adi-lila 1.100
By the action of the book bhagavata and the person bhagavata, the mellows of bhakti-rasa are infused into the heart. And then: tanhara hridaye tanra preme haya vasa – Sri Krishna becomes controlled by the devotee whose heart full of prema-rasa.
sadyo hridy avarudhyate ’tra kritibhih shushrushubhis tat-kshanat (SB 1.1.2).
Sri Krishna is immediately captured in the heart of those refined persons who are eagerly desirous of hearing from the lips of pure vaishnavas.
So, the book bhagavata is necessary, but insufficient without sadhu-sanga, the association of self-realized saints.
This brings us to just one last point related to this cryptic verse:
aham vedmi shuko vetti
vyaso vetti na vetti va
bhaktya bhagavatam grahyam
na buddhya na cha tikaya
Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya-lila 24.313
Mahadeva says, “I know Srimad-Bhagavatam; Shukadeva Gosvami knows; but Vyasadeva may know, or may not know.”
Vyasadeva himself compiled Srimad-Bhagavatam. It came to him in his samadhi:
bhakti-yogena manasi
samyak pranihite ’male
apashyat purusham purnam
mayam cha tad-apashrayam
Srimad-Bhagavatam, 1.7.4
So, how is it that Vyasa may know or may not know? It is because Srila Vyasadeva has two aspects.
In Srila Baladeva Vidyabhushana’s commentary on the Sri Laghu-bhagavatamrita of Srila Rupa Gosvami, he explains that Vyasadeva has two aspects. There is the Vyasadeva who is Narayana, who is Bhagavan, who is ishvara-tattva. Then there is Vyasadeva who is a rishi, who is a devotee, who is shakty-avesha, an empowered devotee.
The bhagavata-tattva aspect of Srila Vyasadeva cannot realize the full nectar of bhakti, but Srila Vyasadeva as the bhakta, the ashraya-tattva, can realize the full nectar of bhakti. Therefore, it is stated that Vyasadeva may or may not know.
Similarly, Sri Krishna Himself could not realize the prema of Srimati Radhika. He had to appear in this world as Sri Gauranga Mahaprabhu. Radha-bhava-dyuti-suvalitam naumi krishna-svarupam (CC Adi 1.5) – Sri Krishna wanted to realize Radha-bhava, so He had to hear Srimad-Bhagavatam spoken by the person who had realization of Radha-bhava.
Who has realization of Radha-bhava? Only Srimati Radhika Herself. Therefore, every day, Shachi-nandana Gaurahari used to go to hear Srimad-Bhagavatam from Radhika Herself in the form of Sri Gadadhara Pandita. Thereby, Sri Krishna has shown na buddhya na cha tikaya – even Sri Krishna could not realize the ecstasies of love expressed in Srimad-Bhagavatam by His intelligence, even Sri Krishna could not know by the tikas. He could only know by hearing from the person with anubhava.
In this way, I offer my shraddha-pushpanjali millions of times to Srimad-Bhagavatam, to Shachi-nandana Gaurahari, to Sri-Sri Kishora-Kishori-jiu and all the assembled vaishnavas and vaishnavis.
vancha-kalpatarubhyash cha kripa-sindhubhya eva cha
patitanam pavanebhyo vaishnavebhyo namo namah
