Secret Truths of the Bhāgavatam Sr´ i¯ Bhagavata¯ ¯rahasya OUR WEBSITES www.purebhakti.com: for news, updates, and free down loads of books, lectures, and bhajanas www.purebhakti.tv: to watch and hear, or to download, classes online www.harikatha.com: to receive, by email, the lectures and videos of Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa www.bhaktistore.com www.gvpbookdistribution.com www.mygvp.com Gosvāmī Mahārāja on his world tours FOR• MORE INFORMATION • If you are interested to know more about the books, lectures, audios, videos, [email protected] teachings, and international society of Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja, pleaseYOUR contact COMMENTS the secretary at AND FEEDBACK at www.purebhakti.com/gvp We humbly invite our readers to submit any errors they may find in this publication śrī-śrī-guru-gaurāṅgau jayataḥ Secret Truths of the Bhãgavatam Sr´ i¯ Bhagavata¯ ¯rahasya Lecture series given in June, 1999 New Vraja (Badger), California by Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja vrindavan • new delhi • san francisco G auḍīya VedāNta puBliCatioNs Secret Truths of the Bhãgavatam (2nd Edition, 2014, 3000 copies) © 2014 gaudiya vedanta publications. some rights reserved. except where otherwise noted, only the text (not the design, photos, art, etc.) in this book is licensed under the creative commons attribution-no derivative works 3.0 unported license. to view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/3.0/ permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at www.purebhakti.com/pluslicense or write to: [email protected] Verse translations marked with an asterisk (*) are by Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta svāmī Mahārāja © Bhaktivedanta Book trust intl. Front Cover art © Śyāmarāṇī dāsī. used with permission. photo of Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja © subāla-sakha dāsa. used with permission. photo of Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta svāmī Mahārāja © Bhaktivedanta Book trust intl. used with permission. www.krishna.com Graphic illustrations 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8: paintings by Śyāmarāṇī dāsī © Bhaktivedanta Book trust intl. used with permission. Graphic illustration 9: bas relief by Mañjarī dāsī and Śyāmarāṇī dāsī © Śyāmarāṇī dāsī. used with permission. www.mygvp.com Secret Truths of the Bhāgavatam the printing of (2e edition) is financed by an endowment fund established by Śrīpada B. V. Śrauti Mahārāja and also Jagannātha dāsa (Fiji) in memory of his good wife, Kṛṣṇa-līlā dāsī. isBN 978-1-935428-85-5 lCatalogingibrary of Congress in Publication Control Data--DK Number 2014950726 BhaktivedāntaCourtesy: d.K. aNārāyaṇagencies (p) ltd. <[email protected]>author , 1921-2010. secret truths of the Bhāgavatam = Śrī Bhāgavata-rahasya / lecture series given in New Vraja (Badger), California June, 1999pages by Ś r cmī Śr īmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja. -- 2nd edition. includes verses in sanskrit (roman); with english translation. isBN 9781935428855 1. puranas. Bhāgavatapurāṇa--Criticism, interpretation, etc. 2. Chaitanya (sect)--prayers and devotions. 3. Krishna (Hindu deity) in literature. 4. Vrindāvan (india)--in literature. i. title. ii. title: Śrī Bhāgavata-rahasya. ddC 294.5925 23 Contents Editors’ Preface to the Second Edition................................ i The Sr´ -imad-Bha-gavatam ...............................................................xxi Part 1: Sr´ -imad-Bhagavatam- Classes ......................................1 Chapter 1 – I Meditate on the Absolute Truth ..........................3 .................25 ............................................47 Chapter 2 – Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Does Not Cheat ..................................................71 Chapter 3 – The Process of Hearing .........................................93 Chapter 4 – Kṛṣṇa and the Gopīs ....................................115 Chapter 5 – Kṛṣṇa Leaves Vṛndāvana ..............................137 Chapter 6 – The Fortune of the Gopīs PartChapter 2: Explainations 7 – Come with of Me Songs to Vṛndāvana ´ - - Composed by Srila Bhaktivinoda Th. akura ................157 ...........................................................................159 .........................................................169 Yaśomatī-nandana ...................................................................175 Gurudeva! Kṛpā-bindu Diyā ........................................................................179 ‘Āmāra’ Bolite Prabhu! PartMānasa, 3: Entering Deha, Geha the Process ...............................................187 ................................................. 189 ...................................................... 193 Observance of Puruṣottama Month ........................................................................... 199 Observance of Annakūṭa Festival ............................. 205 The High-class Disciple ................................................................................... 211 The Glory of Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī ........................................................................................ 217 Honoring Devotees GlossaryRipples ..................................................................................................in a Pond 227 Editors’ Preface (to the Second Edition) By the causeless mercy of our beloved Śrīla Gurudeva, Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja, we are happy to present to our respected readers a series of seven lectures Śrīmad- he gave at the New Vraja community in Badger, California, June Bhāgavatam 1999. There he spoke on the deep meanings of the , from the First Canto to the Tenth, culminating in śloka of the Bhāgavatam the inner significance of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes in Vṛndāvana. Śrīla Gurudeva explained that each contains many levels of meanings. When, in the association of Kṛṣṇa’s pure devotees, a faithful hearer understands these meanings, he becomes free from hunger, thirst, illusion, unhappi– Himself. ness, and fear, and ultimately attains the association of Kṛṣṇa śrīmad-bhāgavatārthānām āsvādo rasikaiḥ saha sajātīyāśaye snigdhe sādhau saṅgaḥ svato vare Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya-līlā 22.131) Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam One should taste the meaning of in the association of pure devotees. One should associate with the devotees who are more advanced than oneself, and who are endowed with a similar type of affection for the Lord. * Śrīla Gurudeva told his audience that, although for many Bhāgavatam years he had given discourses on the elevated meanings of the to devotees in Mathurā and Vṛndāvana, never before had he explained them during his visit to Western countries. He i Secret Truths of the Bhagavatam- later requested that these discourses be presented in book form, for distribution to a larger audience. He further explained that because English is not his native language, he could not share his heart’s realizations as easily in English as he could in Hindi. To make the meanings accessible to edited. a wide range of Western readers, he wanted the lectures carefully Therefore, while preparing this publication, we asked Śrīla Gurudeva many questions for clarification. We also asked his secretary, Śrīmān Bhaktivedānta Mādhava Mahārāja ‘Vidyālaṅkara’, who, at the time, had been hearing these lectures in Hindi for the previous twenty years. Their responses to our questions were then added, sometimes to the body of the lectures, and sometimes as footnotes. To ensure the reader’s clarity of understanding, we Bhāgavatam have also occasionally inserted wording in square brackets. Śrīla Gurudeva wanted the topics in this book to flow without interruption and that his other classes in New Vraja that year be placed in a separate section of the book. Bhāgavatam Part One, therefore, is the series of Śrīla Gurudeva’s seven bhajanas evening classes on the ; Part Two consists of his explanations of Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava ; and Part Three is comprised of his morning classes at the homes of the New Vraja residents as well as other topics that he discussed in the the Bhāgavatam. evenings before presenting his main point – the secret truths of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam In his discourses, Śrīla Gurudeva often quoted verses from , and although he explained their purports, he did not always translate them. Therefore, after each verse quoted, we have added the translations, many of which come from Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Prabhupāda (compliments Bhaktivedānta Book Trust). We would like to express our gratitude to the BBT for allowing us to use Śrīla Prabhupāda’s invaluable books as references. ii Editors’ Preface to the Second Edition It was by Śrīla Prabhupāda’s request and inspiration that Śrīla Gurudeva preached in the Western countries. We think that readers will be satisfied to see how the instructions of Śrīla each other. Prabhupāda and Śrīla Gurudeva complement and illuminate We pray that our respected readers will excuse any mistakes and imperfections in our presentation of Śrīla Gurudeva’s bhakti. instructions and hope that they cherish this book, finding it helpful in their practice of Vaiṣṇava dāsānudāsa, Secret Truths of the Bhāgavatam The Publishing Team The Publishing Team of the Second Edition Editorial Consultants Editors Proofreading : B. V. Mādhava Mahārāja, Brajanātha dāsa Sound file: Śyāmarāṇī check dāsī, Vaijayantī-mālā dāsī Layout : Sanātana dāsa, Sulatā dāsī Cover design : Vasantī dāsī : Jānakī dāsī : Kuñja-kalikā dāsī We would like to acknowledge theSecret contribution Truths of theof all Bhāgavatam those devotees over who assisted in typing, checking the sound files, editing,