SRIMAD BHAGAVATAM - Prabhupada

Introduction"This Bhagavata Purar:w is as brilliant as the sun, and it has arisenjust after the departure of Lord I,la to His own abode, accompanied byreligion, knowledge, etc. Persons who have lost their vision due to thedense darkness of ignorance in the age of Kali shall get light from thisPurar:w." (Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.3.43)The timeless wisdom of India is expressed in the Vedas, ancientSanskrit texts that touch upon all fields of human knowledge. Originallypreserved through oral tradition, the Vedas were first put into writingfive thousand years ago by Sri:la Vyasadeva, the "literary incarnation ofGod." Mter compiling the Vedas, Vyasadeva set forth their essence inthe aphorisms known as Vedan'ta-sutras. Srimad-Bhagavatam isVyasadeva's commentary on his own Vedanta-sutras. It was written inthe maturity of his spiritual life under the direction of Narada Muni, hisspiritual master. Referred to as "the ripened fruit of the tree of Vedicliterature," Srimad-Bhagavatam is the most complete and authoritativeexposition of Vedic knowledge.After compiling the Bl!f'igavatam, Vyasa impressed the synopsis of itupon his son, the sage Sukadeva GosvamL Sukadeva Gosvami: subsequentlyrecited the entire Bhagavatam to Maharaja Pari:kit in an assemblyof learned saints on the bank of the Ganges at Hastinapura (nowDelhi). Maharaja Pari:kit was the emperor of the world and was a greatrajar$i (saintly king). Having received a warning that he would diewithin a week, he renounced his entire kingdom and retired to the bankof the Ganges to fast until death and receive spiritual enlightenment.The Bhagavatam begins with Emperor Pari:kit's sober inquiry toSukadeva Gosvami::"You are the spiritual master of great saints anddevotees. I am therefore begging you to show theway of perfection for all persons, and especially forone who is about to die. Please let me know what aman should hear, chant, remember and worship,and also what he should not do. Please explain allthis to me."xm