Introduction
All Glories to Sri Guru and Gauranga
The Glories of Srimad Bhagavatam

At first, I beg to pay my most humble prostrated obeisance at the lotus feet of my
most adorable Guru, Srila Prabhupada, who is a direct representative of Lord Sri Krsna,
who is filled with divine vigor, who imparted transcendental knowledge unto me and
rescued me from the ocean of rebirth and death, and who has now forever entered into the
divine pastimes of Lord Sri Krsna being performed in the spiritual world. I beg for his
blessings to narrate Srimad Bhagavatam to benefit those souls interested in stopping their
cycle of rebirth and death. I beg for the blessings of Lord Sri Sri Radha Govindadeva and
Sri Sri Radha Madana Mohana to please help in this grand task. Srimad Bhagavatam
liberates those who seriously study it and it is the storehouse of nectar for the truly
dedicated devotees of the Lord.

Srimad Bhagavatam is a conversation between Sri Sukadeva Goswami and King Pariksit,
which was put into writing over five thousand years ago by Srila Vyasadeva. Vyasadeva
said that this same Srimad Bhagavatam was spoken at Haridwar by Maitreya Muni to
Vidur Maharaja; then at Sukaraksetra by Sri Sukadeva Goswami to King Pariksit; and
later at Naimisaranya by Sri Suta Goswami to eighty eight thousand sages headed by
Sage Saunaka. Although Srimad Bhagavatam is depicted in three different conversations,
it mainly takes place between Srila Sukadeva Goswami and King Pariksit. The speaker,
Srila Sukadeva Goswami, is a pure devotee of the Lord and the listener, King Pariksit , is
the most civilized royal personality on earth; and Srimad Bhagavatam includes every
category of knowledge a person requires to live a peaceful life and reach the kingdom of
God (after death).

Srimad Bhagavatam propagates the process of devotion that is free from all deceit and
hypocrisy. Just by studying it or listening to it the Lord comes and sits in the heart of the
person. For example, if a worldly person reads Srimad Bhagavatam daily, in due course
they will develop loving feelings in their heart for the Lord, and by those loving thoughts
Krsna will manifest to them. In other words, just by studying or listening to Srimad
Bhagavatam a special place for the Lord is created in the person's heart; because the Lord
in the form of Srimad Bhagavatam enters the heart and sweeps it clean from all

contamination. Thus, by the contact of Srimad Bhagavatam a sinner becomes purified. It
is the desire fulfilling scripture, and by studying it Lord Krsna becomes locked in the
heart. Thus in all situations a devotee thinks, "It does not matter how many problems I
face in life, I shall not relinquish my service to the Lord." This is the result of studying
Srimad Bhagavatam and chanting the Lord's names, which is why all the sages
recommend, sravana kirtana jale karaha sechana, "The creeper-like devotion to Krsna
should be nurtured by daily watering it with the water-like chanting of the Lord's glories
and listening to and/or studying Srimad Bhagavatam."

The scriptures and Guru are on an equal level because they bring the conditioned soul to
the spiritual path by authoritatively impelling them. Srimad Bhagavatam convinces the
listeners or readers about what is beneficial and unbeneficial for a human being and
reveals the correct spiritual path to them in a commanding spirit. There are many
beneficial and non-beneficial things in this world for a human being, but only those who
follow the commands from Srimad Bhagavatam correctly understand what is truly
beneficial for them. Accepting scriptural guidance is the best method for obtaining the
ultimate goal of life.

How wonderful and surprising it is that the very same Lord, who is rarely understood
even by great sages, who is the Lord of all movable and immovable entities, comes to sit
in the heart of the sincere reader or listener of Srimad Bhagavatam! The narration of
Srimad Bhagavatam mesmerizes and controls the Supreme Lord, which is why all the
sages and saintly people listen to it in rapt attention. Lord Siva speaks Srimad
Bhagavatam to his wife Parvati. The Serpent Sesa sings Srimad Bhagavatam with his
unlimited hoods. The four Kumaras, namely Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanatana and Sanat
Kumara, also speak Srimad Bhagavatam to glorify Lord Krsna, because every other
spiritual and religious process fades before it.

Srimad Bhagavatam, if read with full faith, transforms the reader very quickly and the
reader receives its maximum benefit, whereas those who are hypocritical, insincere, lusty,
wicked by nature, malicious in heart, envious, angry or jealous receive benefit based on
their degree of material contamination. One does not have to first stop his/her bad habits
to qualify to read Srimad Bhagavatam, nor first become pure to read it, one can read it at
any stage and in any condition of life because it only rewards the participant. The sole
remedy for removing contamination from the heart is reading Srimad Bhagavatam and
chanting Krsna's names.

Performing devotion to Krsna removes all misery of life. Present miseries and losses are
experienced only due to past karma, which can be mitigated by chanting Krsna's names
and engaging in His devotional service. Chanting Krsna's names on Tulasi (holy plant)
rosary beads is the perfect way to reform the soul; and hearing about Krsna, reading
about Him, chanting His names and performing devotional service to Him are remedies
to purify the soul. Therefore, the scriptures state that adopting these activities is very
intelligent because they bring a change of heart, but while reading or listening to Srimad
Bhagavatam one should examine if the narration is being understood properly. One
should contemplate their own shortcomings and mediate about how best to remove them.

While chanting or reading Srimad Bhagavatam one should consider that the Lord came to
Prahlada, and the Lord rescued Dropadi, but why is He not coming to my aid? Such
contemplation is called, "Seeing one's own shortcomings." Studying or listening to
Srimad Bhagavatam, chanting Krsna's names and accepting an authentic Spiritual Master
are the remedies to protect oneself from misdeeds, and they are the pathways to liberation
from this world.

Every spiritual process remains ineffective as long as the desire to receive liberation
remains in the heart, which is why Srimad Bhagavatam disproves all categories of
austerities, ritualistic ceremonies and sacrifices and establishes the path of devotion to be
supreme. But one needs to follow the commentaries of great spiritual teachers who are
perfect examples of devotional life in order to receive the correct meaning of Srimad
Bhagavatam. Accepting speculative interpretations of Srimad Bhagavatam will not help.
Simply memorizing some Bhagavatam verses and giving lectures on them to earn one's
livelihood or respect are simply other ways to mislead the innocent. The speaker should
be a living example of Srimad Bhagavatam, which reveals that the speaker firmly
believes what he preaches and is not materially motivated. That is why Lord Sri
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu warned everyone stating, bhagavata padha giya vaisnavera
sthane, "One must study Srimad Bhagavatam under a real devotee because he knows the
correct meaning of it, thus he will reveal the truth." Only a true Vaisnava can impart the
real meaning of Srimad Bhagavatam. Those who are not sincere devotees may speak on
it, but they have not yet understood the inner meaning of it. If they understood the real
meaning of Srimad Bhagavatam they would have become real devotees themselves and
would have stopped their hypocrisy. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu stated that one must
study Srimad Bhagavatam under the guidance of a pure devotee, without which one
cannot understand the real meaning of it. Srimad Bhagavatam is the book form of God;
therefore only a real devotee who knows God can realize and explicate its true meaning.
There is no other way. Therefore the scriptures state that the association of a pure devotee
rewards all perfection in life. If one does not keep connection with a pure devotee or if
someone lost such association it must be understood that Krsna could not be obtained by
them.

Srimad Bhagavatam includes the pure occupation of the soul and nowhere else can such a
pure process to obtain Krsna be found. Therefore Srila Sridhara Swami states, atraiva
avarudhyate, "Lord Krsna is locked within Srimad Bhagavatam and no where else, and
those fortunate enough to understand what it instructs, obtain Him." Srimad Bhagavatam
is the summit of knowledge and there is no scripture that is equal to or greater than it. It is
the culmination of all spiritual processes and nowhere else can absolute knowledge be
found.

Srimad Bhagavatam explains solely about Krsna in each verse. It states that Krsna is the
creator, maintainer and destroyer of this universe and there is no other God than Him
anywhere. It states that Krsna is the Absolute Truth and therefore at every moment one
should meditate and serve Him only.