Srimad Bhagavatam

[Rival]

So a few weeks after posting on the Pics of your Religion thread that I'd fallen in love with Krishna, who I didn't know very well at the time admittedly, I stumbled upon this book in a charity shop and bought it. I love reading various Religious Writings, so please, can anyone tell me more about this?
Thanks!

 

[Acintya_Ash]

Namaste!

Srimad Bhagavatam is a wonderful book and reading it will help the aspirant immensely in progressing spiritually. Its considered as "the Best among the Puranas". Its also considered as 'Natural commentary on Vedanta-sutra'.
Vedanta Sutra involves complex philosophy and hence its very hard to understand for laymen, Srimad Bhagavatam explains it in a simplistic and effective manner and thus can be assimilated by all.

I've read only the first Canto but i've heard the Bhagavatam from sadhus.
I read from this version: Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (Bhāgavata Purāṇa) | Bhaktivedanta Vedabase Online

Which version/Whose translation do you have?

 

[Rival]

Namaste!

Srimad Bhagavatam is a wonderful book and reading it will help the aspirant immensely in progressing spiritually. Its considered as "the Best among the Puranas". Its also considered as 'Natural commentary on Vedanta-sutra'.
Vedanta Sutra involves complex philosophy and hence its very hard to understand for laymen, Srimad Bhagavatam explains it in a simplistic and effective manner and thus can be assimilated by all.

I've read only the first Canto but i've heard the Bhagavatam from sadhus.
I read this version: Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (Bhāgavata Purāṇa) | Bhaktivedanta Vedabase Online

Which version/Whose translation do you have?

View attachment 7482

Its full given title is 'SRIMAD BHAGAVATAM' and it is translatated by 'His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.' The man responsible for the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.

It is only the first canto.

 

[Acintya_Ash]

Its full given title is 'SRIMAD BHAGAVATAM' and it is translatated by 'His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.' The man responsible for the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.

That's cool! We're both reading the same version

Hare Krishna
Ash

 

[Rival]

Awesome. What does Namaste mean?

 

[Acintya_Ash]

Awesome. What does Namaste mean?

Namaste means 'Obeisances' or 'Greetings'

 

[तत्त्वप्रह्व]

What does Namaste mean?

It is made up of two sanskrit words namaḥ and te grammatically conjoining to be pronounced as it is.
Te means 'you'
Namaḥ means not-me not-mine; together meaning i give precedence to you. But as acintya_ash indicated it is used to greet people in general with the implicit offer to being of any assistance by giving precedence to the other person's requests/needs.

श्रीकृष्णार्पणमस्तु ।

 

[Aupmanyav]

Srimad Bhagawat Purana is complete instruction material for life, a most wonderful book, like the Upanishads and BhagawadGita.

 

[Asha]

Namaste Achintya Prabhu , Namaste Rival Prabhu ,

Namaste means 'Obeisances' or 'Greetings'

yes it is a polite and humble greeting, many translate it as ''I salute you'', or ''I bow to you'', by this they mean that they salute the divine spark within.

calling another Prabhu is also an acknowledgement that the Lord resides in the heart of all beings.

Both are a sign of Humility and respect.

and yes Cool ! ...good book,
what you just found it in a charity shop, So fortunate

I hope you will enjoy reading it.

Jai Shree Krishna

Asha

 

[Asha]

Namaste Prabhu Ji

It is made up of two sanskrit words namaḥ and te grammatically conjoining to be pronounced as it is.
Te means 'you'
Namaḥ means not-me not-mine; together meaning i give precedence to you. But as acintya_ash indicated it is used to greet people in general with the implicit offer to being of any assistance by giving precedence to the other person's requests/needs.

श्रीकृष्णार्पणमस्तु ।

Excuse me please and forgive me if I am wrong, but Namaste comes from Namaskar; to pay ones humble respects, and the more formal address Namaskaram. Of course yes we should allways be willing to help others, but the deeper meaning should be to bow or humble onself infront of another aqnd to respect their inner divinity, as we all hold the divine spark within our hearts. The not me, not mine is this sign of our humility, yes this presidence is nice but it is the I bow that is important isnt it ?

 

[Asha]

Namaste Ravi Prabhu

we allso show the same respects to our books when we pick them up to read them instead of putting our hands together and bowing (this is paying our namaskars) We lift the book to our heads bowing our forheads to touch the book. This is our way of respecting and paying our obeisences to the divine word conrained in the book.

If you read Srila Prabhupadas books you will soon realise that he also realy resprcted this Divine word and treated the word as God himself.

This is such a nice picture you can see how much he loves this scripture, It looks like he has just paid his Namaskars to to it and is now thinking how precious is this scripture, how fortunate am I.

Jai Shree Krishna

Asha​

 

[Stormcry]

Hari bol

 

[Asha]

Hari bol

Hare Krsna Prabhu Ji

 

[Stormcry]

Hail to Bhagavata Purana, the essence of Vedanta and which has become sweetest by Krishna's leela..

 

[Rival]

How fortunate indeed to find this sitting on a shelf in some little shop! Bibles are common, but to find Hindu texts or such is rare. It looks almost brand new as well. Thanks for your help folks! Turns out this is even more wonderful than I expected. I also like that it has a transliteration so I can say the words in the original and have a sort of feel for it.

As well, I think it's just a bonus that the money I paid for it goes to help cancer patients. That's nice, I think. Everyone benefits.

 

[Stormcry]

@Rival I think you must try this book as well. It's by Swami Tapasyananda. He's translated it as it is. The translation is in line with Sridar swami's commentary. Sridhara was a Vaishnawa, who's mentioned and praised in Bhavishya Purana as a perfect commentator of Bhagavata and the another good thing at a very cheap price in just 4 volumes. Chennaimath.org: Srimad Bhagavata - 4 Vol Set

 

[Rival]

Thanks you guys. I'll definitely make sure to check this out and put my hands on more books. Just as an aside question: what is the difference between Saivism and Vaishnavism? I hear these terms quite often and only have a vague understanding of them. One, as I understand it, is centred on Siva and the other on Vishnu. (?)
Thanks.

 

[Acintya_Ash]

Vaishnavism considers Vishnu as the Supreme Personality of Godhead , Saivism considers Shiva as Supreme God.

what is the difference between Saivism and Vaishnavism?

From my limited knowledge, The Liberation according to Saivism is to become One with Siva/Brahman. Though it may start with devotion but ultimately it leads to a monistic (impersonalistic) Conclusion.

In Vaishnavism, the major philosophical schools emphasize on Love and Devotion to God and the Ultimate Goal is Attaining his Eternal Kingdom, A Personal Conclusion.

 

[Stormcry]

In Shaivism, there's Kailash abode and in Vaishnawism, Vaikuntha.


According to Nada-Bindu Upanishada, the supremacy of abodes in respect to its position in space is like this:

Bharatvarsha< Moon-Abode < Heaven < Vaikuntha < Kailash < Mahar-Loka < Dhruva-Loka < Tapoloka < Brahma-Loka

 

[तत्त्वप्रह्व]

Namaste Prabhu Ji

Daṇdavat Prabhu

Excuse me please and forgive me if I am wrong, but Namaste comes from Namaskar; to pay ones humble respects, and the more formal address Namaskaram. Of course yes we should allways be willing to help others, but the deeper meaning should be to bow or humble onself infront of another aqnd to respect their inner divinity, as we all hold the divine spark within our hearts. The not me, not mine is this sign of our humility, yes this presidence is nice but it is the I bow that is important isnt it ?

Namaskār too is a sandhi of namaḥ(s) + kāra meaning the act of doing namaḥ. This is a very general form of salutation, nevertheless, the meaning of namaḥ remain the same.

Bowing is the (kāyena) bodily form namaskāra, and as you'd know there are different varieties - vācā (thro' speech) as in pronouncing the word, manasā (offering respect in the mind); bowing is considered the lowest form and the last, best, one including all the three the highest. When Arjuna gave precedence to Kṛṣṇa to take reins of his chariot he won the Mahābhārata - symbolically, the chariot is the body, Arjuna the jīva, etc. Even at the basic level Kṛṣṇāya namaḥ means surrendering unto Kṛṣṇa and letting Him take precedence, because it is when we do otherwise, that we naturally falter. Even when one says namaste to another individual, one is actually doing so to Kṛṣṇa within.

श्रीकृष्णार्पणमस्तु ।