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"Srimad Bhagavatam – First Canto" by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. COPYRIGHT NOTICE: This is an evaluation copy of the printed version of this book, and is NOT FOR RESALE. This evaluation copy is intended for personal non-commercial use only, under the "fair use" guidelines established by international copyright laws. You may use this electronic file to evaluate the printed version of this book, for your own private use, or for short excerpts used in academic works, research, student papers, presentations, and the like. You can distribute this evaluation copy to others over the Internet, so long as you keep this copyright information intact and do not add or subtract anything to this file and its contents. You may not reproduce more than ten percent (10%) of this book in any medium without the express written permission from the copyright holders. Reference any excerpts in the following way: “Excerpted from “Srimad Bhagavatam First Canto” by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, courtesy of the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, www.krishna.com.” This book and electronic file is Copyright 1972-2004 Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, 3764 Watseka Avenue, Los Angeles, California 90034, USA. All rights reserved. For any questions, comments, correspondence, or to evaluate dozens of other books in this collection, visit the website of the publishers, www.krishna.com. About the Author His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the world’s most distinguished teacher of Vedic religion and thought, is the author of Bhagavad-gita As It Is, Srimad-Bhagavatam, The Nector of Devotion and many other English versions of Vedic literature. He is the founder- acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, which has hundreds of centers throughtout the world. Copyright © 1998 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust Int'l. All Rights Reserved. 2 First Canto Preface We must know the present need of human society. And what is that need? Human society is no longer bounded by geographical limits to particular countries or communities. Human society is broader than in the Middle Ages, and the world tendency is toward one state or one human society. The ideals of spiritual communism, according to Çrémad-Bhägavatam, are based more or less on the oneness of the entire human society, nay, of the entire energy of living beings. The need is felt by great thinkers to make this a successful ideology. Çrémad-Bhägavatam will fill this need in human society. It begins, therefore, with the aphorism of Vedänta philosophy janmädy asya yataù [SB 1.1.1] to establish the ideal of a common cause. Human society, at the present moment, is not in the darkness of oblivion. It has made rapid progress in the field of material comforts, education and economic development throughout the entire world. But there is a pinprick somewhere in the social body at large, and therefore there are large-scale quarrels, even over less important issues. There is need of a clue as to how humanity can become one in peace, friendship and prosperity with a common cause. Çrémad-Bhägavatam will fill this need, for it is a cultural presentation for the respiritualization of the entire human society. Çrémad-Bhägavatam should be introduced also in the schools and colleges, for it is recommended by the great student-devotee Prahläda Mahäräja in order to change the demoniac face of society. kaumära äcaret präjïodharmän bhägavatän ihadurlabhaà mänuñaà janmatad apy adhruvam arthadam (Bhäg. 7.6.1) Disparity in human society is due to lack of principles in a godless Copyright © 1998 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust Int'l. All Rights Reserved. civilization. There is God, or the Almighty One, from whom everything emanates, by whom everything is maintained and in whom everything is merged to rest. Material science has tried to find the ultimate source of creation very insufficiently, but it is a fact that there is one ultimate source of everything that be. This ultimate source is explained rationally and authoritatively in the beautiful Bhägavatam, or Çrémad-Bhägavatam. Çrémad-Bhägavatam is the transcendental science not only for knowing the ultimate source of everything but also for knowing our relation with Him and our duty toward perfection of the human society on the basis of this perfect knowledge. It is powerful reading matter in the Sanskrit language, and it is now rendered into English elaborately so that simply by a careful reading one will know God perfectly well, so much so that the reader will be sufficiently educated to defend himself from the onslaught of atheists. Over and above this, the reader will be able to convert others to accepting God as a concrete principle. Çrémad-Bhägavatam begins with the definition of the ultimate source. It is a bona fide commentary on the Vedänta-sütra by the same author, Çréla Vyäsadeva, and gradually it develops into nine cantos up to the highest state of God realization. The only qualification one needs to study this great book of transcendental knowledge is to proceed step by step cautiously and not jump forward haphazardly like with an ordinary book. It should be gone through chapter by chapter, one after another. The reading matter is so arranged with its original Sanskrit text, its English transliteration, synonyms, translation and purports so that one is sure to become a God-realized soul at the end of finishing the first nine cantos. The Tenth Canto is distinct from the first nine cantos because it deals directly with the transcendental activities of the Personality of Godhead Çré Kåñëa. One will be unable to capture the effects of the Tenth Canto without going through the first nine cantos. The book is complete in twelve cantos, each independent, but it is good for all to read them in small installments one after another. I must admit my frailties in presenting Çrémad-Bhägavatam, but still I am hopeful of its good reception by the thinkers and leaders of society on the Copyright © 1998 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust Int'l. All Rights Reserved. strength of the following statement of Çrémad-Bhägavatam (1.5.11): tad-väg-visargo janatägha-viplavo yasmin prati-çlokam abaddhavaty api nämäny anantasya yaço ’ìkitäni yac chåëvanti gäyanti gåëanti sädhavaù “On the other hand, that literature which is full with descriptions of the transcendental glories of the name, fame, form and pastimes of the unlimited Supreme Lord is a transcendental creation meant to bring about a revolution in the impious life of a misdirected civilization. Such transcendental literatures, even though irregularly composed, are heard, sung and accepted by purified men who are thoroughly honest.” Oà tat sat A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Dated at Delhi December 15, 1962 Introduction The conception of God and the conception of Absolute Truth are not on the same level. The Çrémad-Bhägavatam hits on the target of the Absolute Truth. The conception of God indicates the controller, whereas the conception of the Absolute Truth indicates the summum bonum or the ultimate source of all energies. There is no difference of opinion about the personal feature of God as the controller because a controller cannot be impersonal. Of course modern government, especially democratic government, is impersonal to some extent, but ultimately the chief executive head is a person, and the impersonal feature of government is subordinate to the personal feature. So without a doubt whenever we refer to control over others Copyright © 1998 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust Int'l. All Rights Reserved. we must admit the existence of a personal feature. Because there are different controllers for different managerial positions, there may be many small gods. According to the Bhagavad-gétä any controller who has some specific extraordinary power is called a vibhütimat sattva, or controller empowered by the Lord. There are many vibhütimat sattvas, controllers or gods with various specific powers, but the Absolute Truth is one without a second. This Çrémad-Bhägavatam designates the Absolute Truth or the summum bonum as the paraà satyam. The author of Çrémad-Bhägavatam, Çréla Vyäsadeva, first offers his respectful obeisances unto the paraà satyam (Absolute Truth), and because the paraà satyam is the ultimate source of all energies, the paraà satyam is the Supreme Person. The gods or the controllers are undoubtedly persons, but the paraà satyam from whom the gods derive powers of control is the Supreme Person. The Sanskrit word éçvara (controller) conveys the import of God, but the Supreme Person is called the parameçvara, or the supreme éçvara. The Supreme Person, or parameçvara, is the supreme conscious personality, and because He does not derive any power from any other source, He is supremely independent. In the Vedic literatures Brahmä is described as the supreme god or the head of all other gods like Indra, Candra and Varuëa, but the Çrémad-Bhägavatam confirms that even Brahmä is not independent as far as his power and knowledge are concerned. He received knowledge in the form of the Vedas from the Supreme Person who resides within the heart of every living being. That Supreme Personality knows everything directly and indirectly. Individual infinitesimal persons, who are parts and parcels of the Supreme Personality, may know directly and indirectly everything about their bodies or external features, but the Supreme Personality knows everything about both His external and internal features. The words janmädy asya [SB 1.1.1] suggest that the source of all production, maintenance or destruction is the same supreme conscious person. Even in our present experience we can know that nothing is generated from inert matter, but inert matter can be generated from the living entity. For instance, by contact with the living entity, the material body develops into a working machine. Men with a poor fund of knowledge mistake the bodily machinery to Copyright © 1998 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust Int'l.

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