Bhārata Sāvitrī
Bhārata Sāvitrī
Śrī Vedavyāsa’s final message to humanity in Mahābhārata.
Excerpted from the Svargārohana Parva, 5.47–51.
Vyāsadeva
aṣṭādaśa-purāṇeṣu vyāsasya vacana-dvayam
aṣṭādaśa-purāṇeṣu vyāsasya vacana-dvayam |
paropakāraḥ puṇyāya pāpāya para-pīḍanam ||
(Mahāsubhāṣita-saṅgraha: 3587)
“Throughout the eighteen Purāṇas, Vyāsa has [just] two [fundamental] statements: benefiting others leads to merit (puṇya) and troubling others leads to sin (pāpa).”
aṣṭādaśa-purāṇeṣu vyāsasya vacana-dvayam Read on →
yaṁ pravrajantam anupetam apeta-kṛtyaṁ
yaṁ pravrajantam anupetam apeta-kṛtyaṁ
dvaipāyano viraha-kātara ājuhāva |
putreti tan-mayatayā taravo’bhinedus
taṁ sarva-bhūta-hṛdayaṁ munim ānato’smi ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 1.2.2)
“[Sūta Gosvāmī:] I bow to him [i.e., Śukadeva Gosvāmī], the sage upon whom the hearts of all beings are fixed [alt., the sage who is present in the hearts of all beings], he whom Dvaipāyana [i.e., Vyāsadeva], despairing in separation, called out to, ‘O son!’ as he withdrew [i.e., as Śukadeva departed from household life into seclusion to live as a renunciant just after his birth] unattained [i.e., not attained by Vyāsa; alt., alone] without rites [i.e., without receiving the upanaya and other customary saṁskāras], and, because of being absorbed [in whom], the trees echoed [‘O son!’ in return].”
yaṁ pravrajantam anupetam apeta-kṛtyaṁ Read on →
idaṁ bhāgavataṁ nāma purāṇaṁ brahma-sammitam
idaṁ bhāgavataṁ nāma purāṇaṁ brahma-sammitam |
uttama-śloka-caritaṁ cakāra bhagavān ṛṣiḥ |
niḥśreyasāya lokasya dhanyaṁ svasty-ayanaṁ mahat ||
tad idaṁ grāhayām āsasutam ātmavatāṁ varam |
sarva-vedetihāsānāṁ sāraṁ sāraṁ samuddhṛtam ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 1.3.40–41)
“For the ultimate welfare of the world, the fortunate ṛṣi [i.e., Vyāsa] composed this propitious, auspicious, and supreme Purāṇa known as Bhāgavatam, which is equal to Brahman, and which describes the activities of he of highest praise [i.e., Śrī Kṛṣṇa]. Vyāsa then fed his son, the best of the self-realized, this extracted essence of the essence of all the Vedas and Itihāsas.”
idaṁ bhāgavataṁ nāma purāṇaṁ brahma-sammitam Read on →
sa saṁhitāṁ bhāgavatīṁ kṛtvānukramya cātma-jam
sa saṁhitāṁ bhāgavatīṁ kṛtvānukramya cātma-jam |
śukam adhyāpayāmāsa nivṛtti-nirataṁ muniḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 1.7.8)
“After composing and revising this Bhāgavata-saṁhitā [i.e., Śrīmad Bhāgavatam], he [i.e., Vyāsadeva] taught it to his son, the sage Śuka, who delighted in detachment.”
sa saṁhitāṁ bhāgavatīṁ kṛtvānukramya cātma-jam Read on →
yena rūpa matsya-kūrma-ādi avatāra
yena rūpa matsya-kūrma-ādi avatāra |
āvirbhāva-tirobhāva yena tā’-sabāra ||
ei mata bhāgavata kāro kṛta naya |
āvirbhāva tirobhāva āpanei haya ||
bhakti-yoge bhāgavata vyāsera jihvāya |
sphūrti se haila mātra kṛṣṇera kṛpāya ||
(Caitanya-bhāgavata: 3.3.510–512)
“As the forms of all the avatāras beginning with Matsya and Kūrma appear and disappear [i.e., are not created and destroyed], so too the Bhāgavata is not composed by anyone and rather appears and disappears of its own accord. By virtue of bhakti-yoga, the Bhāgavata appeared on Vyāsa’s tongue, and this happened only by Kṛṣṇa’s grace.”
yena rūpa matsya-kūrma-ādi avatāra Read on →
anarthopaśamaṁ sākṣād bhakti-yogam adhokṣaje
anarthopaśamaṁ sākṣād bhakti-yogam adhokṣaje |
lokasyājānato vidvāṁś cakre sātvata-saṁhitām ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 1.7.6)
“Bhakti-yoga [i.e., sādhana-bhakti] to Adhokṣaja [i.e., Bhagavān, the Transcendent] is itself the cessation of misfortune (anartha). The learned one [i.e., Vyāsadeva] then composed this Sātvata-saṁhitā [i.e., Śrīmad Bhāgavatam] for the unknowing people.”
anarthopaśamaṁ sākṣād bhakti-yogam adhokṣaje Read on →
bhakti-yogena manasi samyak praṇihite’male
bhakti-yogena manasi samyak praṇihite’male |
apaśyat puruṣaṁ pūrṇaṁ māyāñ ca tad-apāśrayam ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 1.7.4)
“In his pure heart, which was perfectly fixed by virtue of the yoga of bhakti, Vyāsadeva saw the complete Puruṣa, as well as māyā sheltered behind him.”
bhakti-yogena manasi samyak praṇihite’male Read on →
janmādy asya yato’nvayād itarataś cārtheṣv abhijñaḥ svarāṭ
janmādy asya yato’nvayād itarataś cārtheṣv abhijñaḥ svarāṭ
tene brahma hṛdā ya ādi-kavaye muhyanti yat sūrayaḥ |
tejo-vāri-mṛdāṁ yathā vinimayo yatra tri-sargo’mṛṣā
dhāmnā svena sadā nirasta-kuhakaṁ satyaṁ paraṁ dhīmahi ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 1.1.1)
“Let us meditate on the eternal Supreme Being, because of whom the manifestation, maintenance, and dissolution of this [perceptible universe] occur; who is fully aware of all matters and autonomous; who revealed the Veda, about which even the sages are bewildered, to the first seer [i.e., Lord Brahmā] through the heart; in whom exists the real threefold creation like a combination of fire, water, and earth; and by whose own power deception [i.e., māyā] is forever dispelled.”
janmādy asya yato’nvayād itarataś cārtheṣv abhijñaḥ svarāṭ Read on →
viṣṇor nāmaiva puṁsāḥ śamalam apaharat puṇyam utpādayac ca
viṣṇor nāmaiva puṁsāḥ śamalam apaharat puṇyam utpādayac ca
brahmādi-sthāna-bhogād viratim atha guroḥ śrī-pada-dvandva-bhaktim |
tattva-jñānaṁ ca viṣṇor iha mṛti-janana-bhrānti-bījaṁ ca dagdhvā
saṁpūrṇānanda-bodhe mahati ca puruṣaṁ sthāpayitvā nivṛttam ||
(Vyāsapāda; cited in Padyāvalī: 24)
“Only Viṣṇu’s name removes impurity and produces meritorious action, detachment from enjoyment of the positions of Brahmā and so forth, bhakti to the two beautiful feet of guru, and knowledge of the nature of Viṣṇu; [only Viṣṇu’s name] burns away the seed [i.e., cause] of revolving in birth and death here [in this world], establishes a person in deep awareness of complete bliss [in the service of Śrī Viṣṇu], and [finally, seeing its work complete,] retires [i.e., manifests in the form of its bearer, Viṣṇu].”
viṣṇor nāmaiva puṁsāḥ śamalam apaharat puṇyam utpādayac ca Read on →