Srimad Bhagavatam is the greatest spiritual Book | Damaghosha Das

By: Damaghosha Das

Wed, Jan 4, 2012, Seattle, USA — Below we have a short excerpt from a Srimad Bhagavatam lecture explaining how important it is for everyone to hear this great spiritual classic on a daily basis.

Prabhupada tells us it will take a month to explain each of the 18,000 verses which comes to over a thousand five hundred years to hear the entire book properly.

This was greeted by much laughter since most of us will never live even a hundred years, what to speak of a thousand! Despite our shortcomings in longevity, however all of us should attentively hear this great spiritual book because it is approved by all the greatest spiritual authorities. And it is what an intelligent person who is dying, does at the time of his death.

And who is not dying? As soon as one is born he is dying since every human lifespan has a limit to it. Therefore everyone’s perpetual duty is to daily hear the beautiful Srimad Bhagavatam, which means literally the stories connected to the beautiful Personality of Godhead – Bhagavan Sri Krishna.

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Lectures, June 26, 1974, Melbourne

So when Parikshit Maharaja was informed that he was to die within seven days, he accepted the curse: “Yes, I was wrong to insult the sage.” Otherwise, he could counteract. He was also very powerful. But he did not. So this is the history.

So immediately he left his kingdom, family, children, and went to the bank of the Ganges and sat down there, being prepared for the coming imminent death, within seven days. So because he was emperor of the world… So he was going to die. This news was spread, and all big, big men, great saintly persons, even demigods, they also come to see him. And he was asking everyone, “What is my duty?” So at that time Sukadeva Gosvami also arrived there. Sukadeva Gosvami was a young boy, but paramahamsa. So he was received in that big assembly as the great personality of knowledge. Even his father Vyasadeva was present.

So everyone stood up. His father also stood up to receive him, he was such a great personality. And then he was given a nice seat, as is the custom, to give advice to Maharaja Parikshit: “What was my duty?” But Parikshit Maharaja was, from the beginning of his life, a devotee himself, a devotee of Lord Krishna. And he inquired, “Whether I shall devote or I shall absorb my mind with Krishna consciousness?” Because he was a devotee of Krishna. Many people gathered. They gave different
advices: “Maharaja, you do this at the time of death,” and “Do that,” “Do this.” So there were many big, big persons. He was perplexed. But he was a devotee of Krishna from the very beginning of his life, and thus he inquired, “Whether it is better to absorb the mind in Krishna consciousness?” This was his question.

So in answer to this question, Sukadeva Gosvami replied, variyan esa te prasnah:
“My dear King…”
variyan esa te prasnah krto
loka-hitam nrpa. Nrpa,
“the king,” address. “My dear king, your inquiry is very glorified,”
variyan esa te prasnah krto loka-hitam,
“because on account of this question, whatever I shall reply…” Means he knew. The reply is this Srimad-Bhagavatam. Question was about Krishna, and the reply is Srimad-Bhagavatam, eighteen thousand verses.

And each and every verse is so important that if a serious student studies each and every verse, each verse will take at least one month to understand. And there are eighteen thousand verses. So for serious study of Srimad-Bhagavatam, it will take eighteen thousand months. So eighteen thousand months meaning how many years? One thousand five hundred years. (laughter) It is such an important book, Srimad-Bhagavatam. Each verse is a new verse, not repetition of the same subject. And it is deeply thoughtful. And every verse is, as it is stated here, atmavit-sammatah, approved by persons who are self-realized. Atmavit. Atmavit. Atma means self, and vit means one who knows, well aware of self-realization. They are called atmavit. 

Later, at the end of the lecture someone asks-

Gopi-kanta: Srila Prabhupada, what is the exact benefit if a person just takes a Srimad-Bhagavatam on the street and gives some donation to help out the printing costs or whatever?

Prabhupada: That is already explained. They will read. They will see the picture of Krishna. Immediate profit is: they will ask, “What is this picture?” And you will say, “Krishna.” “Oh,” they say, “it is Krishna?”

Then… (laughter) From the beginning of the, what is called, cover, the benefit begins, because the uttering the word “Krishna” is benefit. Then, if he reads… Of course, if he pays for the book, he will read. So you give a chance to the person to know about Krishna. Their life becomes sublime.

Nectar of Devotion 10 Techniques of Hearing and Remembering

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu also recommended this process of hearing as a means of self-realization in the present age of Kali. In this age it is very difficult to follow thoroughly the regulative principles and studies of the Vedas which were formerly recommended. However, if one gives aural reception to the sound vibrated by great devotees and acharyas, that alone will give him relief from all material
contamination.

Therefore it is the recommendation of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu that one should simply hear from authorities who are actually devotees of the Lord. Hearing from professional men will not help. If we hear from those who are actually self-realized, then the nectarean rivers, like those which are flowing on the moon planet, will flow into our ears.