Bhagavatam (Skanda 1, Chapter 7, Slokas 1-11)

By Gopinath (Recap given by Chitra on 23 Jan ‘03)

Sage Vyasa took the advise of Narada to overcome his feeling of dissatisfaction and entered into Samadhi. In his mind, which was pure and full of love for the God, Vyasa had the vision of the God and the power of Maya dependent on the God.


God created Maya and it in turn created the whole world of names and forms. It is through this Maya, we are both enjoying and suffering. Like the story of an eagle, which had mistakenly joined a group of hens without knowing its true nature, we are identifying ourselves with the body due to Avidhya. When we understand our true nature as Satchitananda, we will become free the same moment and be one with the Lord. The body, which is a product of Sattava, Rajas and Tamas, is the cause of the miseries in this world of samsara. The only way to transcend this problem is by the devotion to the God. This was the spark of inspiration to Sage Vyasa to write Bhagavatha purana, which pulls people out of their ignorance and brings them to the light of truth. After this transformation, another feather was added to Vyasa, i.e. Sage Vyasa became Bhagavan Vyasa.

Vyasa had written this Mahapurana not for his benefit, as we all know he is spiritually advanced. It is for the benefit of all of us who are ignorant of the truth. From day we are born and till the time of death, we have one or other worries. The only way to come out of worries and fear is through ‘Parama prema bhakti’, which Narada had. The Lord, who is ‘Sangataharana’, is in the form of Bhagavatham by studying which Avidhya - the root cause of worry, fear and attachment is rooted out.

Suka, son of Vyasa, who was totally free from all attachments, became an instrument to propagate the Lord’s message. Suka muni, being a thorough renouncer, was not interested in anything but all the time into the Self and was qualified for this mission of the Lord. The Sages do not require any book reading, as they are all the time in communion with the Lord, with no self-cerntered desires. The Lord’s power is like a magnet pulling everybody who is inclined towards Him. It is through this powerful pull of the Lord, we all are attending Satsang week regularly week after week. Sukha muni learnt this Bhagavatha purana as the seva to the Lord and the devotees of Lord Hari.

Whether one is a speaker or a listener, the transformation comes when the mind and the senses of the people are drawn towards the Lord. Transformation comes by reading scriptures, Guru’s upadesha and continuous sadhana with the thirst of a seeker and by God’s grace.