Hare Kṛṣṇa, can you share more about Bhagavata Purana !! 
Hare Kṛṣṇa, Bhagavata Purana is also widely known as Śrīmad Bhagavatam!!
You can find good English translations with explanations by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda at Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (Bhāgavata Purāṇa) !!
Also tomorrow there is a presentation from this topic at Temple!!
Check out schedule at About Temple Programs! !!
Hare Kṛṣṇa!!
!! Maru still lives SB 9.12.6 !!
Having achieved perfection in the power of mystic yoga, Maru still lives in a place known as Kalāpa-grāma. At the end of Kali-yuga, he will revive the lost Sūrya dynasty by begetting a son.
so ’sāv āste yoga-siddhaḥ
kalāpa-grāmam āsthitaḥ
kaler ante sūrya-vaṁśaṁ
naṣṭaṁ bhāvayitā punaḥ
Purport by His Divine Grace Abhaya Caranaravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda !!
At least five thousand years ago, Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī ascertained the existence of Maru in Kalāpa-grāma and said that Maru, having achieved a yoga-siddha body, would continue to exist until the end of Kali-yuga, which is calculated to continue for 432,000 years. Such is the perfection of mystic power.
By controlling the breath, the perfect yogī can continue his life for as long as he likes.
Sometimes we hear from the Vedic literature that some personalities from the Vedic age, such as Vyāsadeva and Aśvatthāmā, are still living. Here we understand that Maru is also still living.
We are sometimes surprised that a mortal body can live for such a long time. The explanation of this longevity is given here by the word yoga-siddha. If one becomes perfect in the practice of yoga, he can live as long as he likes.
The demonstration of some trifling yoga-siddha does not constitute perfection. Here is a factual example of perfection: a yoga-siddha can live as long as he likes.
Source:
!! Serve Kṛṣṇa become happy !!
-
Kṛṣṇa is full in all opulences;
** He does not need anything from anyone.
** But if one is prepared to give something to Kṛṣṇa,
*** that is for one’s own benefit. -
The example given in this connection is that
** when one’s real face is decorated,
** the reflection of one’s face is automatically decorated. -
Similarly, if we try to serve Kṛṣṇa
** with all our opulences,
** we, as parts and parcels or reflections of Kṛṣṇa,
*** will become happy in exchange.
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!! Purpose of Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement !!
- As recommended by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī,
tasmāt kenāpy upāyena manaḥ kṛṣṇe niveśayet (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.4).
Somehow or other, whether one thinks of Kṛṣṇa
** as an ordinary human child,
** as the source of the Brahman effulgence,
** as the origin of Paramātmā, or
** as the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
one should concentrate one’s full attention upon the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa.
-
That is also the instruction of Bhagavad-gītā (18.66):
sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja. -
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the easiest way of directly approaching Kṛṣṇa.
Īśvaraḥ sadyo hṛdy avarudhyate ’tra kṛtibhiḥ śuśrūṣubhis tat-kṣaṇāt (Bhāg. 1.1.2).
Diverting even a little of one’s attention toward Kṛṣṇa and activities in Kṛṣṇa consciousness immediately enables one to achieve the highest perfection of life.
- This is the purpose of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.
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!! Simply remain alive to gain inheritance (Kṛṣṇa consciousness !!
Brahmā’s Prayers to Lord Kṛṣṇa after Brahma vimohana Lila !! Very important shloka
tat te ’nukampāṁ su-samīkṣamāṇo
bhuñjāna evātma-kṛtaṁ vipākam
hṛd-vāg-vapurbhir vidadhan namas te
jīveta yo mukti-pade sa dāya-bhāk
Translation
My dear Lord, one who earnestly waits for You to bestow Your causeless mercy upon him, all the while patiently suffering the reactions of his past misdeeds and offering You respectful obeisances with his heart, words and body, is surely eligible for liberation, for it has become his rightful claim.
Purport
Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī explains in his commentary that just as a legitimate son has to simply remain alive to gain an inheritance from his father, one who simply remains alive in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, following the regulative principles of bhakti-yoga, automatically becomes eligible to receive the mercy of the Personality of Godhead. In other words, he will be promoted to the kingdom of God.
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!! All the creatures of Vṛndāvana were great souls !!
-
The trees of Vṛndāvana were thinking that because of past offenses they had now taken birth as trees and, being immovable, could not accompany Lord Kṛṣṇa in His wanderings throughout the Vṛndāvana area.
-
In fact, all the creatures of Vṛndāvana, including the trees and cows, were great souls who could personally associate with the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
But because of ecstatic sentiments of separation, the trees considered themselves in ignorance and thus tried to purify themselves by bowing down at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma.
Lord Kṛṣṇa understanding their mentality, simultaneously glanced at them with affection and praised their devotional service before His older brother, Balarāma.
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!! Why Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma allowed Their loving devotees to suffer !!
The question may arise as to why Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma allowed Their loving devotees to suffer such great anguish during Kṛṣṇa’s temporary imprisonment within the coils of Kāliya.
-
It must be remembered that because the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana were completely liberated souls, they did not experience material emotions.
-
When they saw their beloved Kṛṣṇa in apparent danger, their love for Him intensified to the highest degree, and thus they merged completely into the ecstasy of love for Him.
-
The whole situation has to be seen from the spiritual point of view, or it will not be seen at all.
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!! Lord’s lotus feet were touching his hoods !!
-
The Nāgapatnīs confirm that one cannot come in contact with Kṛṣṇa without having executed pious activities in devotional service in his previous lives.
-
As Lord Caitanya advised in His Śikṣāṣṭaka, one has to execute devotional service by humbly chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, thinking oneself lower than the straw in the street and not expecting honor for himself but offering all kinds of honor to others.
-
The Nāgapatnīs were astonished that, although Kāliya had the body of a serpent as the result of grievous sinful activities, at the same time he was in contact with the Lord to the extent that the Lord’s lotus feet were touching his hoods. Certainly this was not the ordinary result of pious activities.
These two contradictory facts astonished them.
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!! Lord Balarāma Slays the Demon Pralamba !!
Defeated, the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa carried Śrīdāmā. Bhadrasena carried Vṛṣabha, and Pralamba carried Balarāma, the son of Rohiṇī.
Purport
- One may ask how Bhagavān, the Supreme Lord, can be defeated by His boyfriends.
The answer is that in His original form, God has a most playful nature and occasionally enjoys submitting to the strength or desire of His loving friends.
A father may sometimes playfully fall down on the ground when struck by his beloved little child.
These acts of love give pleasure to all parties.
Thus Śrīdāmā agreed to ride on Lord Kṛṣṇa’s shoulders to please his beloved friend, who happened to be Bhagavān, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
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Śukadeva Gosvāmī said:
- Hearing these pitiful words from His friends,
- the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa told them,
“Just close your eyes and do not be afraid.”
Purport
-
This verse clearly reveals the simple, sublime relationship between Kṛṣṇa and His pure devotees.
-
The Absolute Truth, the supreme almighty Lord, is actually a young, blissful cowherd boy named Kṛṣṇa.
-
God is youthful, and His mentality is playful.
-
When He saw that His beloved friends were terrified of the forest fire, He simply told them to close their eyes and not be afraid.
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!! The Rainy Season and Autumn in Vṛndāvana !!
The peacocks became festive and cried out a joyful greeting when they saw the clouds arrive, just as people distressed in household life feel pleasure when the pure devotees of the infallible Supreme Lord visit them.
Purport
After the dry summer season, the peacocks become jubilant with the arrival of the first thundering rain clouds, and thus they dance in great happiness.
Śrīla Prabhupāda comments, “We have practical experience of this: many of our students were dry and morose previous to their coming to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, but having come into contact with devotees they are now dancing like jubilant peacocks.”
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!! The Gopīs Glorify the Song of Kṛṣṇa’s Flute !!
- Wearing a peacock-feather ornament upon His head,
- blue karṇikāra flowers on His ears,
- a yellow garment as brilliant as gold,
- and the Vaijayantī garland,
Lord Kṛṣṇa exhibited His transcendental form as the greatest of dancers - as He entered the forest of Vṛndāvana,
- beautifying it with the marks of His footprints.
- He filled the holes of His flute with the nectar of His lips,
and the cowherd boys sang His glories.
Purport
-
The gopīs remembered all the transcendental qualities of Kṛṣṇa mentioned in this verse.
-
Kṛṣṇa’s artful way of dressing and the beautiful blue flowers placed over His ears excited the gopīs’ romantic desires,
-
and as He poured the nectar of His lips into His flute, they simply lost themselves in ecstatic love for Him.
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!! Kṛṣṇa says, the perfection of life is to act like TREE for the BENEFIT of ALL !!
Then the gopīs, fully satisfied, returned to Vraja, and Śrī Kṛṣṇa and His cowherd friends went off to a distant place to graze the cows.
Sometime later, when the boys felt disturbed by the great heat of summer, they took shelter at the base of a tree that stood just like an umbrella.
The Lord then said that the life of a tree is most excellent, for even while feeling pain a tree continues to protect others from heat, rain, snow and so on. With its leaves, flowers, fruits, shade, roots, bark, wood, fragrance, sap, ashes, pulp and sprouts, a tree fulfills the desires of everyone. This kind of life is ideal.
- Indeed, said Kṛṣṇa, the perfection of life is to act with one’s vital energy, wealth, intelligence and words for the benefit of all.
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!! The Brāhmaṇas’ Wives Blessed !!
-
These women have never undergone the purificatory rites of the twice-born classes,
-
nor have they lived as brahmacārīs in the āśrama of a spiritual master,
-
nor have they
** executed austerities,
** speculated on the nature of the self,
** followed the formalities of cleanliness
** or engaged in pious rituals. -
Nevertheless, they have firm devotion for Lord Kṛṣṇa,
** whose glories are chanted by the exalted hymns of the Vedas
** and who is the supreme master of all masters of mystic power. -
We, on the other hand, have no such devotion for the Lord, although we have executed all these processes.
Purport
-
According to Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī, the husbands were not aware that their wives had occasionally associated with residents of Vṛndāvana, such as the flower ladies, and had heard about the beauty and qualities of Kṛṣṇa.
-
The brāhmaṇas were astonished at their wives’ loving devotion for Lord Kṛṣṇa, not realizing that this devotion had developed as a result of hearing and chanting about the Lord in the association of His pure devotees.
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!! Worshiping Govardhana Hill !!
- Because it is karma that causes the conditioned living entity to accept and then give up different high- and low-grade material bodies,
- this karma is his
- enemy,
- friend and
- neutral witness,
- his spiritual master and
- controlling lord.
Purport
-
Even the demigods are bound and limited by the laws of karma.
-
That Indra himself is subordinate to the laws of karma is explicitly stated in the Brahma-saṁhitā (5.54):
yas tv indra-gopam atha vendram aho sva-karma-bandhānurūpa-phala-bhājanam ātanoti.
-
The Supreme Lord, Govinda, awards all creatures the appropriate results of their work. This is as true for mighty Indra, the lord of the material heavens, as it is for the germ called indra-gopa.
-
The Bhagavad-gītā (7.20) also states,
kāmais tais tair hṛta-jñānāḥ prapadyante ’nya-devatāḥ.
-
Only those who have lost their intelligence because of various material desires surrender unto demigods rather than worship the Supreme Lord.
-
In fact, the demigods cannot award benefits to anyone independently, as stated by Lord Kṛṣṇa in the Gītā:
mayaiva vihitān hi tān.
- All benefits are ultimately issued by the Lord Himself.
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!! The Gopīs Search for Kṛṣṇa !!
Certainly this particular gopī has perfectly worshiped the all-powerful Personality of Godhead, Govinda, since He was so pleased with Her that He abandoned the rest of us and brought Her to a secluded place.
Purport
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī explains that the word ārādhitaḥ refers to Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī.
He comments, “The sage Śukadeva Gosvāmī has tried with all endeavor to keep Her name hidden, but now it automatically shines forth from the moon of his mouth. That he has spoken Her name is indeed Her mercy, and thus the word ārādhitaḥ is like the rumbling of a kettledrum sounded to announce Her great good fortune.”
Although the gopīs spoke as if jealous of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, they were actually ecstatic to see that She had captured Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
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!! SB11.3 Liberation from the Illusory Energy !!
tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta
jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam
śābde pare ca niṣṇātaṁ
brahmaṇy upaśamāśrayam
Translation
-
Therefore any person who seriously desires real happiness must seek a bona fide spiritual master
** and take shelter of him by initiation. -
The qualification of the bona fide guru is that
** he has realized the conclusions of the scriptures by deliberation
** and is able to convince others of these conclusions. -
Such great personalities, who have taken shelter of the Supreme Godhead, leaving aside all material considerations, should be understood to be bona fide spiritual masters.
Purport
-
According to Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī,
** the word śābde refers to the Vedic literature,
** and pare refers to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. -
The bona fide spiritual master must be niṣṇātam, deeply experienced in authorized Vedic literatures and in practical understanding of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
-
Without scriptural knowledge and practical realization of the Personality of Godhead, a so-called guru will be unable to dissipate the doubts of his disciples and therefore unable to execute the function of bringing the sincere student back home, back to Godhead.
-
The symptom of realized understanding of the Vedas and Kṛṣṇa is upaśamāśrayam. In other words, the bona fide spiritual master is one who has retired from the glittering illusions of materialistic society, friendship and love.
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!! Nārada Concludes His Teachings to Vasudeva !!
kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣākṛṣṇaṁ
sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam
yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair
yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ
Translation
In the Age of Kali, intelligent persons perform congregational chanting to worship the incarnation of Godhead who constantly sings the names of Kṛṣṇa. Although His complexion is not blackish, He is Kṛṣṇa Himself. He is accompanied by His associates, servants, weapons and confidential companions.
Purport
…
The incarnation of Caitanya Mahāprabhu is also described in the Śrī Viṣṇu-sahasra-nāma, which appears in Chapter 189 of the Dāna-dharma-parva of Mahābhārata. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī has quoted this reference as follows: suvarṇa-varṇo hemāṅgo varāṅgaś candanāṅgadī. “In His early pastimes He appears as a householder with a golden complexion. His limbs are beautiful, and His body, smeared with the pulp of sandalwood, seems like molten gold.” He has also quoted, sannyāsa-kṛc chamaḥ śānto niṣṭhā-śānti-parāyaṇaḥ: “In His later pastimes He accepts the sannyāsa order, and He is equipoised and peaceful. He is the highest abode of peace and devotion, for He silences the impersonalist nondevotees.”
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