Srimad Bhagavata Purana In English (Bhagavata Purana)

Shrimad Bhagwat Purana is one such Purana which is considered to be the most revered by Hindu society in this period. It is considered to be the main book of the Vaishnava sect. In this Purana, the esoteric and mysterious topics of Vedas, Upanishads and philosophy have been presented very simply. It would be right to call it an encyclopedia of Indian religion and culture. It has helped to play an important role in establishing the religious, social and temporal boundaries of Hindu society for hundreds of years.

This ancient text coordinates various sadhanas, such as the confluence of Sakam and Nishkama Karma, Jnana Sadhana, Siddhi Sadhana, Bhakti, Grace, Maryada, Dvaita-Advaita, Dvaitadvaita, Nirguna-Saguna and Manifest-Unmanifest Secrets. This ‘Srimad Bhagavata Purana’ is full of variety and beautiful poetic form, which deals with customs. It has a ceaseless stream of science, drawing the reader to the arrow of unreachable knowledge. This Purana is the accumulator of various types of well-being and calms the three heats – physical, divine and spiritual. It has a depth of knowledge, devotion and detachment.

The ‘Srimadbhagvat Purana’ repeatedly describes the divine and supernatural nature of Shri Krishna, which has been expressed very beautifully. The characteristics of the Puranas generally mention five subjects, but it also describes ten subjects – Sarg-Visarg, Sthaan, Poshan, Uti, Manvantara, Ishnukatha, Nirodha, Mukti and Aashraya (these ten characteristics have been described in the second chapter). Here the qualities of Shri Krishna have been beautifully described, and by taking refuge in his devotees, even castes like Kirat, Hun, Andhra, Pulinda, Pulkas, Abhir, Kank, Yavan and Khas become pure.

What is the place of Bhagavata Purana in the order of Puranas?

In the order of Puranas, Bhagwat Purana occupies the fifth place. We can guess its popularity because it is the most famous. Bhagwat Purana is considered to be the Mahapuran of Vaishnavism with 12 chapters, 335 chapters and 18 thousand verses. This Purana is considered as a unique text of the Bhakti branch and its various acharyas have made many commentaries. It provides a good opportunity to practice Krishna-bhakti and it is an ocean of spiritual knowledge. It also has a lot of high philosophical thoughts. In this Purana, there is no mention of ‘Radha’, the deity of the main Krishna-poetry. The full name of this Purana is Shrimad Bhagwat Purana.

What are the beliefs about Bhagavata Purana.

Many people are divided on this topic. Some do not consider it a Mahapuran and they feel that this Devi-Bhagwat should be called Upapurana. As you have seen before, some people have different views on this subject. There is also a controversy regarding Bhagwat’s composition. Dayananda Saraswati described it as a thirteenth-century composition, while most scholars regard it as a sixth-century treatise. According to some people, it is also called the work of a Southern scholar. The tenth skanda of the Bhagavata Purana is especially beloved among the devotees.

What does the Bhagavata Purana say about the origin of the universe.

A strange truth has been told in this Purana about the origin of the universe. It is said here that by the will of God, he is axiomatic of the creative power of being one to the many with his maya. At the time of the creation of the world, God accepted His nature, time and karma. This caused distress in all the three gunas—sattva, raja, and tama—and nature transformed that aversion. As a result of this process, karmic qualities were born which transformed into the ego, space, air, fire, water, earth, mind, senses, and sentient beings.

The combination of all these elements led to the creation of the individual and the universe. The universe lay like an egg for a thousand years. Then the Lord revealed from that universe a thousand faced and limbed Virata Purusha. From the mouth of this great man arose Brahmins, from the arms Kshatriyas, from the thighs were Vaishyas, and from the feet were born Shudras.

For the first time, when a male was born from a male, at that time water was called ‘Nar’. Gradually, this slogan started being called ‘Narayan’. Thus, in all, ten types of creations are described. These creations are importance, ego, tanmatra, senses, and the presiding deity of the senses ‘mind’, and avidya. These are all six natural creations. Apart from this, there are also four perverse creations, which include immovable, tree, animal and bird, man, and god. The description of these creations has also been done very outlined, which attracts the readers.

What are the things told about Hindu time calculation in Shrimad Bhagwat Purana?

In the Srimad Bhagavata Purana, time calculation has been done very subtly. According to this, all objects are made up of atoms. An atom is made up of two molecules and a trasium is formed by three molecules. It takes a long time for the sun’s rays to cross the trajectories, this is what we call ‘error’. One error has a hundredfold perforation and three time perforations have one ‘love’. The meeting of three loves creates one ‘nimesh’, three nimesh make one ‘moment’ and five moments make one ‘kashta’. Similarly, by forming fifteen kashta, a ‘laghu’ is formed, fifteen laghus form a ‘nadika’ or ‘dand’. The union of two nadikas or dandas creates a ‘muhurat’ and the union of six muhurats forms a ‘prahar’ or ‘yam’.

The Chaturyuga, that is, the golden age, the tretayuga, the Dwapara yuga, and the Kali yuga, the duration of these four ages is twelve thousand years. It is a celestial year equal to three hundred and sixty years of human beings.

Each Manu has authority for 7,16,114 Chaturyugas. In one ‘Kalpa’, Brahma has fourteen Manus, which create the world everyday. This universe is made up of sixteen Vikaras (Prakriti, Mahattattva, Ahankar, five Tanmatras, two types of senses, mind and Panchabhuta), which has an expansion of fifty crore Yojanas from within. There are ten coverings on top of it. There are crores of zodiac signs in this universe, in which the supreme abode of God, which appears in the form of atoms, is situated. In this way, the Puranakar has discussed the importance of God, the greatness of time and the insignificance of animate and inanimate matter or living beings in comparison to it.

First chapter of Shrimadbhagvat Purana

In the first chapter of this Purana, there is an important description of devotion to God by Shukdev Ji, which includes a detailed description of the various incarnations of God, stories of the previous birth of Devarshi Narada, description of the birth of King Parikshit, the story of karma and salvation, the condemnable acts of Ashwatthama and his defeat and victory, the death of Bhishma Pitamah, Shri Krishna’s visit to Dwarka, the teachings of Vidur, the journey of Dhritarashtra, Gandhari and Kunti, and the Pandavas going to the Himalayas to attain heaven.

Second chapter of Shrimad Bhagwat Purana

The chapter of Shrimad Bhagwat Purana begins with the description of the colossal form of God. After this, there is a description of worship of various gods, teachings of Gita, glory of Shri Krishna and devotion with the feeling of ‘Krishnaarpanamastu’. It is told that all living beings are Krishna in the form of ‘atma’. The chapter also mentions the ten characteristics of Puranas and the origin of the universe.

Third Canto of Srimad Bhagwat Purana

The story of the third chapter begins with the meeting of Uddhav and Vidur ji. This story is a beautiful description of the childhood pastimes of Lord Krishna and other characters by Uddhav ji. It also mentions the conversation between Vidur ji and Maitreya Rishi, along with the creation order, the origin of Brahma, the division of time, the expansion of the creation, the story of Varaha avatar, Rishi Kashyap having sexual intercourse with Diti on her insistence and giving birth to two inauspicious demon sons, Jai-Vijaya being cursed by Sanatkumar, falling from Vishnulok, and appearing as ‘Hiranyaksha’ and ‘Hiranyakashipu’ from Diti’s womb, Prahlad’s devotion, the killing of Hiranyaksha by Varaha avatar and Hiranyakashipu by Narasimha avatar, the marriage of Kardama-Devahuti, the preaching of Sankhya Shastra and the description of Kapil Muni as an incarnation of God.

Fourth chapter of Shrimad Bhagwat Purana

This chapter is very famous because of ‘Puranjanopakhyana’. In this story we get the description of the story of a king named Puranjan and a beautiful lady of Bharatkhand. In this story Puranjan enters the city of nine doors with the desire of enjoyment. Here he has to face the attack of Yavanas and Gandharvas. In this story the city of nine doors is shown like the body, where the soul roams freely in youth. But due to the attack of old age in the form of Kalkanya, its power is destroyed and finally it is set on fire.

Narada says, “Puranjan is the embodied soul and the city is the human body, which is equipped with nine gates. This city means the human body which is filled with nine gates- two eyes, two ears, two nostrils, one mouth, one anus and one penis. The illusion of ignorance and ignorance is hidden in this beautiful city. Its ten senses are its servants who are attracted by it and pull it towards the objects. The five-faced serpent protects this city, and its eleven commanders are the two wheels of sin and virtue, the flag of the chariot of three Gunas, the covering of seven metals, and the enjoyments through the senses. Here the enemy Gandharva is the symbol of the speed and velocity of time in the form of Chandveg. Its three hundred and sixty Gandharva soldiers are the three hundred and sixty days and nights of the year, which gradually end the life. The man with five breaths fights with the senses day and night and keeps losing. Time destroys the frightened soul with fever or disease.

Fifth chapter of Shrimad Bhagwat Purana

The fifth chapter describes the characters of kings like Priyavrat, Agnidhra, Raja Nabhi, Rishabhdev and Bharat. Here Bharat is the Jadvanshi Bharat, not the son of Shakuntala. Bharat was born in the love of a deer, after being born in the womb of a deer, he was born in a Brahmin family due to the power of the Gandak river and later had a spiritual dialogue with the Sindhu Sauvir king.

After this, a beautiful description of the world of beings has been given in the form of Puranjanopakhyana, which has been done through metaphor. After this comes the description of Bharat dynasty and Bhuvan Kosh. After this, the story of Gangavataran, geographical description of India, and the method of doing the Jyotish Chakra called Shishumar in the form of remembrance of Lord Vishnu have been described. At the end of this, a description of various types of Raurava hells has been given.

Sixth chapter of Shrimad Bhagwat Purana

In Shastha Skandha, the Narayan Kavach and Punsavan Vrat Vidhi are explained for you in an easy, special, and interesting way. By observing Punsavan Vrat, one gets a son, which is very important for a family. By observing this Vrat, one gets protection from various diseases, ailments, and ill effects of planets. This Vrat is especially important on Ekadashi and Dwadashi days, so it must be observed on these days.

This section begins with the story of Ajamila, a resident of Kanyakubja. When Ajamila calls out to the Supreme Lord his son ‘Narayana’ at the time of his death, a miraculous event occurs. The messengers of Lord Vishnu take him to the mighty Paramalok. This anecdote describes the wonders of the Bhagavata Dharma, which states that a person who is a thief, a drunkard, a friend-traitor, a brahmahatyaari, a person who has relations with the Guru, Guru-wife, no matter how sinful he may be, if he remembers the name of Lord Vishnu, all his sins are forgiven. However, there is a hidden truth in this. A person who has relations with other women and the wife of his Guru can never be happy, because it is a heinous sin and such a person has to fall into the Raurava hell.

In this surprisingly rich Skandha we find an interesting description of the lineage of Daksha Prajapati. By using Narayana armor, Indra achieves great victory over his enemies. The effect of this armor remains intact even after death. This entire book covers the defeat of the gods by the demon Vatrasura, the creation of lightning by the sage Dadhichi and The interesting story of the destruction of Vatrasur is also shown.

Seventh chapter of Shrimadbhagvat Purana

In the seventh skand, the story of Bhaktaraj Prahlad and Hiranyakashipu is presented in detail. Apart from this, human religion, varna dharma and women’s religion have also been discussed in detail. Through the narration of Bhakta Prahlada, we have discussed issues like dharma, renunciation, devotion and selflessness.

Eighth chapter of Shrimad Bhagwat Purana

This chapter contains an interesting story of Gajendra’s rescue from the clutches of a crocodile, which is narrated by Vishnu. This chapter also contains the story of Samudra Manthan and another interesting story of distribution of Amrit by Vishnu in the form of Mohini. This chapter also contains a description of the battle between Devasuras and a story of Lord Vishnu’s ‘Vaman Avatar’. Finally, this chapter ends with the story of ‘Matsya Avatar’.

Ninth chapter of Shrimadbhagvat Purana

This Puranic feature ‘Vanshanucharita’ depicts the description of the lineages of Manu and his five sons. Here, the details of the lineages of Ikshvaku, Nimi, Chandra, Vishwamitra, Puru, Bharat, Magadha, Anu, Drahyu, Turvasu and Yadu have been presented. Apart from this, Ram, Sita and other great men have also been discussed in detail and their ideals have also been described. It is also important to see the Suryavansh tree and Chandra Vansh tree.

The tenth chapter of Shrimadbhagvat Purana

This chapter is divided into two parts – ‘Purvardha’ and ‘Uttarardha’. Here, the character of Shri Krishna is described in detail. The most famous ‘Raas Panchadhyayi’ is also included in this. The story from the birth of Shri Krishna to Akrur ji’s visit to Hastinapur is in the ‘Purvardha’. And in the ‘Uttarardha’, we see the war with Jarasandha, the construction of Dwarkapuri, the abduction of Rukmini, the household religion of Shri Krishna, the killing of Shishupal and much more. This chapter is completely full of the leelas of Shri Krishna.

It begins with the marriage of Vasudev and Devaki. And then the prophecy of Kansa killing Devaki’s children. After this we see the birth of Krishna. His innocent childhood antics, cow rearing, killing of Kansa, and Akrur ji’s visit to Hastinapur.

Then comes the ‘uttardh’, where we see the war with Jarasandha, the escape from Dwaraka, the construction of the city of Dwaraka, the marriage with Rukmini, the birth of Pradyumna, the killing of Shambasura, the story of Syamantaka Mani, and Krishna’s marriage with Jambavati and Satyabhama. Apart from this, there is also the love affair of Usha-Aniruddha, the war with Banasura and the story of King Nriga.

In this chapter we also get to know the deep story of friendship between Krishna and Sudama. All in all, this chapter is a truly colourful story.

Eleventh Canto of Srimad Bhagwat Purana

Ekadaskandha describes the special qualities of the devotees of God through a dialogue between King Janaka and nine Yogis. In this special explanation, Brahmavetta Dattatreya Maharaj taught King Yadu that patience is learnt from earth, contentment and detachment from air, insouciance from sky, purity from water, liberation from fire and being beyond illusion. He looked at the moon’s brightness as transient, called the sun the illuminator of knowledge and preached the teaching of renunciation.

Moving forward, eighteen types of siddhis are described to Uddhava. At the end of this entire dialogue, the divine powers of God are described and the importance of devotion to God through Varnashrama Dharma, Jnana Yoga, Karma Yoga and Bhakti Yoga is explained.

Twelfth Canto of Srimad Bhagwat Purana

The dynasties that followed King Parikshit were described in the future times. In this regard, King Pradyotana ruled for 138 years, then came the slave kings of the Shishunaga dynasty who ruled for 136 years, the Maurya dynasty for 112 years, the four kings of the Kanva dynasty for 345 years and the Andhra dynasty for 456 years. After this, the turn of the rule of various kings will come such as Amir, Gardabhi, Kad, Yavan, Turk, Gurund and Maun. Maun kings will rule for about 300 years and the rule of the remaining kings will last for 1096 years. After this, the rule of the Valhika dynasty, Shudras and Mlechchas will take place. This Purana has very important messages apart from religious, spiritual, literary, and historical works.

Srimad Bhagavata Purana In English