BACKGROUND OF SRIMAD BHAGAVATAM
Srimad Bhagavatam itself explains the background of Srimad Bhagavatam. Let us read that:
Sitting in a secluded place on the banks of the Saraswati River, Vyasa deva began to think deeply.
Then he said to himself:
“I have been following my spiritual duties properly. I have been worshipping the Vedas and the spiritual master in a mature manner. I have divided the Vedas into four parts, and I have written the Mahabharata in a way that even the common people can understand and benefit from. But my mind does not feel complete…”
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“Why does my heart not feel satisfied?”
Thus through his honest self-examination, Srila Vyasa deva tried to find the reason for his dissatisfaction.
He thought: “The sublime pastimes of Lord Sri Krishna and devotion, that is, loving service to Lord Krishna, are the natural condition of all living entities. Such a pure path of devotion will satisfy the pure devotees and the Lord. I have not described all these sufficiently in my chronicles. Perhaps that is the reason?”
While Srila Vyasa was thinking thus, his spiritual master, Sri Narada Muni, visited his ashram.
Immediately, Vyasa stood up respectfully and greeted his spiritual master. Sri Narada Muni knew very well the condition of Vyasa and the reason for his displeasure.
Therefore, smiling, he said, “My dear Vyasa, in your chronicles you have not sufficiently mentioned the glories of the path of devotion. And you have not explained in detail the sublime pastimes of Lord Sri Krishna. Please do that now. Only then will your heart be satisfied. Because even if the wonderful and glorious activities of Lord Sri Krishna are described in an imperfect manner, that chronicle is appreciated by the holy saints.”
“Hearing, reading, writing and speaking about the sublime pastimes of Lord Sri Krishna and His pure devotees is a heart-satisfying and pleasurable experience.”
Thus Srila Vyasa deva understood the reason for his dissatisfaction through his own self-examination and the confirmation of Sri Narada Muni.
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Narada further described his own past life to encourage Vyasa deva:
“In my previous birth, I was born as the son of a maidservant, but due to the sacred association of great devotees called “Bhakti Vedantis”, I was encouraged to practice devotion. Thus I became the sage Narada and attained the spiritual body. The result of intense practice of devotion is eternal. Through devotion, one attains the shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and is freed from all miseries. Devotion makes even people who lead sinful lives virtuous. Therefore write the Srimad Bhagavatam, emphasizing in it the path of devotion clearly.”
Thus Sri Narada gave great clarity to Vyasa’s mind and also gave special guidance for further writing the Srimad Bhagavatam. Having thus instructed Vyasa, Narada departed from there.
“One may be a great scholar. They too get confused. Therefore, to get clarity from those confusions, the guidance of a mature person is necessary.”
Sri Narada was personally very experienced in the supreme power of devotion. Thus, Narada inspired Vyasa to write down the stories of devotion and those who were highly transformed by devotion.
Then Srila Vyasa sat in meditation with devotional fervor. In this situation, he could see Lord Sri Krishna, Maya, and the power of Maya. He could also see that people were suffering due to the influence of Maya.
He realized that the only solution to all these sufferings was devotion, or loving service to the Lord. Thus he composed the Srimad Bhagavatam. In it, he explained very clearly the supreme path of devotion, the divine activities of Lord Sri Krishna, His various incarnations, and His beloved devotees. Now his heart was completely satisfied.
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