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Bhâgavata Vyûha - The structure of the S'rîmad Bhâgavatam\\

For the love of God, Anand Aadhar Prabhu, Enschede 22 Febr. 2006

<I>The S'rîmad Bhâgavatam is the spotless purâna in which,<BR> most dear to the vaishnavas, by the topmost devotees only,<BR> the spiritual knowledge perfectly pure and supreme is celebrated;<BR> in there is, together with the knowledge, the detachment and the devotion,<BR> the freedom from all fruitive labor revealed which will deliver a person who,<BR> with devotion hearing and properly reading and reciting, is of serious consideration.(S.B. 12.13: 18)</I>

Category: Contents | Articles

Category: contents | Articles

Category: Articles

<B>R</B>eading S'rîmad Bhâgavatam one may wonder how Vyâsadeva came to the order of this book. The sanskrit text itself offers us no titles for the cantos, but the tradition does. So how did one arrive at these titles? The book itself gives us some clues to this. First of all describes Vyâsa in 1.2: 11 how the unity of undivided knowledge is known by a threefold discipline, or <I>trisâdhana</I>, specified as the science of God concerning the aspects of the Absolute, the <I>brahman</I>, the Greater Soul, the <I>paramâtmâ</I>, and the person of all <I>bhâga</I>, viz. excellence, fortune and majesty, or <I>Bhagavân</I>. Another way to describe these three different disciplines in one breath is to say that in freedom from illusion with the Spirit of the Absolute, one, as a soul relating to the Supersoul in analysis connecting with the regulative principles, has to arrive at the Fortunate One to be there with Him of service as a person of God. So the basic logic, of step by step attaining to love of Godhead, that is followed in this text is known as the art and science of arriving at the personal of God departing from the impersonal of the Absolute Truth. Though the Absolute truth is nondual of nature and, relating to the Supreme Soul, a matter of local culture shipping with duality, is the conflict of the dual versus the nondual of realization solved in the personal of considering the object of worship religiously, and the explanations of the teaching in the politics of spreading the message.

The S'rîmad Bhâgavatam is the spotless purâna in which,<BR> most dear to the vaishnavas, by the topmost devotees only,<BR> the spiritual knowledge perfectly pure and supreme is celebrated;<BR> in there is, together with the knowledge, the detachment and the devotion,<BR> the freedom from all fruitive labor revealed which will deliver a person who,<BR> with devotion hearing and properly reading and reciting, is of serious consideration.(S.B. 12.13: 18)</I>

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<B>T</B><i>he S'rîmad Bhâgavatam is the spotless purâna in which,<BR> most dear to the vaishnavas, by the topmost devotees only,<BR> the spiritual knowledge perfectly pure and supreme is celebrated;<BR> in there is, together with the knowledge, the detachment and the devotion,<BR> the freedom from all fruitive labor revealed which will deliver a person who,<BR> with devotion hearing and properly reading and reciting, is of serious consideration.(S.B. 12.13: 18)</I>

<B>T</B><i>he S'rîmad Bhâgavatam is the spotless purâna in which,<BR> most dear to the vaishnavas, by the topmost devotees only,<BR> the spiritual knowledge perfectly pure and supreme is celebrated;<BR> in there is, together with the knowledge, the detachment and the devotion,<BR> the freedom from all fruitive labor revealed which will deliver a person who,<BR> with devotion hearing and properly reading and reciting, is of serious consideration.(S.B. 12.13: 18)</I>

<B>T</B>he S'rîmad Bhâgavatam is the spotless purâna in which,<BR> most dear to the vaishnavas, by the topmost devotees only,<BR> the spiritual knowledge perfectly pure and supreme is celebrated;<BR> in there is, together with the knowledge, the detachment and the devotion,<BR> the freedom from all fruitive labor revealed which will deliver a person who,<BR> with devotion hearing and properly reading and reciting, is of serious consideration.(S.B. 12.13: 18)</I>

or the science of realizing oneself God as the Fortunate One

Bhâgavata Vyûha- The structure of the S'rîmad Bhâgavatam\\

or the science of realizing oneself God as the Fortunate One

<B>T</B>he S'rîmad Bhâgavatam is the spotless purâna in which,<BR> most dear to the vaishnavas, by the topmost devotees only,<BR> the spiritual knowledge perfectly pure and supreme is celebrated;<BR> in there is, together with the knowledge, the detachment and the devotion,<BR> the freedom from all fruitive labor revealed which will deliver a person who,<BR> with devotion hearing and properly reading and reciting, is of serious consideration.S.B. 12.13: 18)</I>

Bhâgavata Vyûha- The structure of the S'rîmad Bhâgavatam\\

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For the love of God, Anand Aadhar Prabhu, Enschede 22 Febr. 2006

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For the love of God, Anand Aadhar Prabhu, Enschede 22 Febr. 2006

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<B>R</B>eading S'rîmad Bhâgavatam one may wonder how Vyâsadeva came to the order of this book. The sanskrit text itself offers us no titles for the cantos, but the tradition does. So how did one arrive at these titles? The book itself gives us some clues to this. First of all describes Vyâsa in 1.2: 11 how the unity of undivided knowledge is known by a threefold discipline, or <I>trisâdhana</I>, specified as the science of God concerning the aspects of the Absolute, the <I>brahman</I>, the Greater Soul, the <I>paramâtmâ</I>, and the person of all <I>bhâga</I>, viz. excellence, fortune and majesty, or <I>Bhagavân</I>. Another way to describe these three different disciplines in one breath is to say that in freedom from illusion with the Spirit of the Absolute, one, as a soul relating to the Supersoul in analysis connecting with the regulative principles, has to arrive at the Fortunate One to be there with Him of service as a person of God. So the basic logic, of step by step attaining to love of Godhead, that is followed in this text is known as the art and science of arriving at the personal of God departing from the impersonal of the Absolute Truth. Though the Absolute truth is nondual of nature and, relating to the Supreme Soul, a matter of local culture shipping with duality, is the conflict of the dual versus the nondual of realization solved in the personal of considering the object of worship religiously, and the explanations of the teaching in the politics of spreading the message.

<B>T</B>he S'rîmad Bhâgavatam is the spotless purâna in which,<BR> most dear to the vaishnavas, by the topmost devotees only,<BR> the spiritual knowledge perfectly pure and supreme is celebrated;<BR> in there is, together with the knowledge, the detachment and the devotion,<BR> the freedom from all fruitive labor revealed which will deliver a person who,<BR> with devotion hearing and properly reading and reciting, is of serious consideration.S.B. 12.13: 18)</I>

<B>R</I>eading S'rîmad Bhâgavatam one may wonder how Vyâsadeva came to the order of this book. The sanskrit text itself offers us no titles for the cantos, but the tradition does. So how did one arrive at these titles? The book itself gives us some clues to this. First of all describes Vyâsa in 1.2: 11 how the unity of undivided knowledge is known by a threefold discipline, or <I>trisâdhana</I>, specified as the science of God concerning the aspects of the Absolute, the <I>brahman</I>, the Greater Soul, the <I>paramâtmâ</I>, and the person of all <I>bhâga</I>, viz. excellence, fortune and majesty, or <I>Bhagavân</I>. Another way to describe these three different disciplines in one breath is to say that in freedom from illusion with the Spirit of the Absolute, one, as a soul relating to the Supersoul in analysis connecting with the regulative principles, has to arrive at the Fortunate One to be there with Him of service as a person of God. So the basic logic, of step by step attaining to love of Godhead, that is followed in this text is known as the art and science of arriving at the personal of God departing from the impersonal of the Absolute Truth. Though the Absolute truth is nondual of nature and, relating to the Supreme Soul, a matter of local culture shipping with duality, is the conflict of the dual versus the nondual of realization solved in the personal of considering the object of worship religiously, and the explanations of the teaching in the politics of spreading the message.

<B>T</B>he final step in this in depth analysis of the structure of this book is the translation of this result, this <I>bhâvita</I>, into the actual titles the <I>paramparâ</I> came up with. In this respect is another element added to the story: the element of the different subjects discussed in the book. In 2.10: 1 explains S'ukadeva Gosvâmî as the first philosopher-king after Krishna, the first <I>mahârâja-âcârya</I> that: '<I>In this (Bhâgavatam) there are (ten types of) statements about the following: the creation of the universe, the secondary creation, the different worlds, support (by the Lord), the creative drive, the changes of Manus, following divine instruction, returning to God, finding liberation and the Summum Bonum (description of the actions of Lord Krishna)</I>. In 12.7: 9-11 he further dilates on this saying: <I>'The creation (of this universe, </I><I>sarga</I><I>), the subsequent creation (of different worlds and beings, </I><I>visarga</I><I>), the maintenance (the sustenance, the </I><I>vritti</I><I> or sthâna) and protection (the rakshâ or poshana of the living beings), the reigns (of the various Manus), the dynasties (</I><I>vams'as</I><I>), the narrations about them (vams'a-anucaritam), the annihilation (of different kinds, </I><I>pralaya</I><I> or samsthâ), the motivation (of individuality or hetu) and the supreme shelter (of the Fortunate One or apâs'raya), o brahmin, are the ten characteristic topics of a purâna as understood by the authorities on the matter; some state that relative to the greater ones, the lesser purânas deal with five'. </I>These verses inspired the <I>paramparâ, </I>the disciplic succession in the person of Swami Prabhupâda to present the book with the titles given in the last row of the table below. In fact is in his argument that what is laid out above more or less intuitively combined with these ten topics. The titles must not be seen as direct translations of these ten topics though, since they are diffusely discussed throughout the book. S'rîla Jîva Gosvâmî explicitly reminds us of the fact that <I>'one should not try to assign each of the ten topics to a particular canto. Nor should the S'rîmad-Bhâgavatam be artificially interpreted to show that it deals with the topics successively.</I>' The titles assigned by the <I>paramparâ</I> just remind one of the ten subjects as far as a certain emphasis is made by a certain canto or <I>kânda</I>. The actual in depth structure is realized by the full scope of the table below summarizing this discussion.

<B>T</B>he final step in this in depth analysis of the structure of this book is the translation of this result, this <I>bhâvita</I>, into the actual titles the <I>paramparâ</I> came up with. In this respect is another element added to the story: the element of the different subjects discussed in the book. In 2.10: 1 explains S'ukadeva Gosvâmî as the first philosopher-king after Krishna, the first <I>mahârâja-âcârya</I> that: '<I>In this (Bhâgavatam) there are (ten types of) statements about the following: the creation of the universe, the secondary creation, the different worlds, support (by the Lord), the creative drive, the changes of Manus, following divine instruction, returning to God, finding liberation and the Summum Bonum (description of the actions of Lord Krishna)</I>. In 12.7: 9-11 he further dilates on this saying: <I>'The creation (of this universe, </I><I>sarga</I><I>), the subsequent creation (of different worlds and beings, </I><I>visarga</I><I>), the maintenance (the sustenance, the </I><I>vritti</I><I> or sthâna) and protection (the rakshâ or poshana of the living beings), the reigns (of the various Manus), the dynasties (</I>bh:glossary/v.html#Vamsa"><I>vams'as</I><I>), the narrations about them (vams'a-anucaritam), the annihilation (of different kinds, </I>bh:glossary/p.html#Pralaya"><I>pralaya</I><I> or samsthâ), the motivation (of individuality or hetu) and the supreme shelter (of the Fortunate One or apâs'raya), o brahmin, are the ten characteristic topics of a purâna as understood by the authorities on the matter; some state that relative to the greater ones, the lesser purânas deal with five'. </I>These verses inspired the <I>paramparâ, </I>the disciplic succession in the person of Swami Prabhupâda to present the book with the titles given in the last row of the table below. In fact is in his argument that what is laid out above more or less intuitively combined with these ten topics. The titles must not be seen as direct translations of these ten topics though, since they are diffusely discussed throughout the book. S'rîla Jîva Gosvâmî explicitly reminds us of the fact that <I>'one should not try to assign each of the ten topics to a particular canto. Nor should the S'rîmad-Bhâgavatam be artificially interpreted to show that it deals with the topics successively.</I>' The titles assigned by the <I>paramparâ</I> just remind one of the ten subjects as far as a certain emphasis is made by a certain canto or <I>kânda</I>. The actual in depth structure is realized by the full scope of the table below summarizing this discussion.

,I>The S'rîmad Bhâgavatam is the spotless purâna in which,<BR> most dear to the vaishnavas, by the topmost devotees only,<BR> the spiritual knowledge perfectly pure and supreme is celebrated;<BR> in there is, together with the knowledge, the detachment and the devotion,<BR> the freedom from all fruitive labor revealed which will deliver a person who,<BR> with devotion hearing and properly reading and reciting, is of serious consideration.S.B. 12.13: 18)</I>

Bhâgavata Vyûha- The structure of the S'rîmad Bhâgavatam\\

[Bhâgavata Vyûha- The structure of the S'rîmad Bhâgavatam\\

[Bhâgavata Vyûha- The structure of the S'rîmad Bhâgavatam]\\

!!Bhâgavata Vyûha- The structure of the S'rîmad Bhâgavatam
or the science of realizing oneself God as the Fortunate One

<I>The S'rîmad Bhâgavatam is the spotless purâna in which,<BR> most dear to the vaishnavas, by the topmost devotees only,<BR> the spiritual knowledge perfectly pure and supreme is celebrated;<BR> in there is, together with the knowledge, the detachment and the devotion,<BR> the freedom from all fruitive labor revealed which will deliver a person who,<BR> with devotion hearing and properly reading and reciting, is of serious consideration.<I>S.B. 12.13: 18)</I>

<B>S</B>o despite of the nondual nature of the Absolute is it the mission to face the duality of the material world with the help of the person of God who is there as the teacher and the friend. This duality is traditionally in India defended with the different <I>darshanas, </I>or the different perspectives of indian philosophy. The threefold of the discipline combined with the duality that has to be faced, results in these <I>darshanas</I>. Thus is the discipline with the Absolute Truth known by method, <I>nyâya</I>, and non-illusion, <I>vais'eshika</I>, by setting up the argument concerning the time and the person properly in cantos one and two and then facing the facts of the manifestation of the form and norm of God in cantos three and four. Next has one to face the duality of matter and soul facing the reality of the material diversity at the one hand and the need to stay connected in rising above it in transcendence. Thus we see the <I>sâmkhya</I> and the <I>yoga</I> appear in the line of the argument of this <I>purâna, </I>of these classical stories that help us to realize the vedic wisdom. Though Lord Kapila, the <I>avatâra</I> for the analytical approach, was introduced already in the third canto as part of the science of arriving at non-illusion about the Absolute, do we get to see the full scope of it's effect in the fifth and sixth canto. Therein is presented the diversity of the person and the universe in relation to the Supersoul. Connecting in <I>yoga</I> therewith one faces the form and the norm of it in the cantos seven and eight where we learn to know <I>avatâra</I> Nrisimha and the culture of <I>bhakti</I> together with the founding fathers of the traditions defending that culture of the enlightened souls the way they take responsibility in the different eras of creation. For the realization of the personal we finally enter the discipline of considering the object of worship, called <I>mîmâmsâ</I>, the great example known as the Time or kâla at the one hand and the substance of the person or the <I>purusha</I> at the other hand. This is seen in the ninth and the tenth canto presenting us the persons found of the dynasties of the vedic culture in relation to the sun and the moon at the one hand and the person as the object of worship in the form of Lord Râma and Lord Krishna at the other hand. With Krishna we find the culmination of the discipline of oneness in diversity in one person, the Person of All Qualities and Fortune. In the last part, is the <I>vedanta</I>, or the final commentary presented. In canto eleven this is done in the form of the teachings to remember after Krishna left this world and is the norm of celibacy in facing the Age of Quarrel set by sage Mârkandeya in canto twelve, in which the people have difficulty keeping track with the classical wisdom arguing endlessly about their personal weaknesses in politics and a societal confusion of identity. So do we at this second level, accepting duality with the threefold respected nondual reality of the Absolute Truth, have the sixfold division of the <I>darshanas</I> covering all the different aspects of indian philosophy.

<B>T</B>he next realization at an even deeper level of order is most confounding: there seem to different types of logic woven into the story. This logic presents us with an almost chaotic array of stories relating to the time of the material universe, the person who is of or against God, the manifestation of the Lord in different forms and the reality of the religion that by tradition is needed to remember God. A doubter failing in the method may be in confusion about the purpose of the vedic discipline presented by Vyâsadeva. Is it all about becoming religious? Or is it to figure out who the Fortunate One actually is? Is it to sober up with the difficulties of <I>mâyâ</I>, the bewildering potency of the material universe with its operating modes or <I>gunas</I> to the eternal of Time, or is it all about defeating demons, the <I>asuras</I> and <I>râkshasas</I>, to be a pious person? To what purpose is the <I>bhâgavata purâna</I> there? Vyâsa is not so explicit in this at a meta-level. He simply presents us the consequence of his logic. He reasons about <I>avatâra, purusha, kâla</I> as well as about <I>dharm</I>a in a pleasant intuitive mix surprising us at every page. The general outline of his logic seems to be that departing from a certain historical respect of time, the person manifest in the universe as also the person of God in the form of the universe must be realized, after which the need for the hero of God, the manifestation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, comes in view, for He is the One to lead the bewildered living beings back to His purpose: the <I>dharma</I> which then is delivered as the conclusion of the mission for all the three disciplines. So, in one breath said, places the time realized as a person us for the need of the hero, of the incarnation of the Great Example, to be certain on the path of our religiosity of finding liberation with our enlightenment in spiritual self-realization. So do we with this line of argument have a fourfold cause to reason from we in the West more or less already knew from Aristotele; this causal network is the <I>kâranata, </I>the causality of the Bhâgavatam. From this <I>kâranata</I> we see the sixfold of the different visions further divided in twelve, do we see the argument further diversified to the basic logic about self-realization. This twelvefold effect of the logic followed thus is laid down in the twelve books, or the divisions of the three hundred thirty-five chapters in this bible or collection of stories, or<I> samhitâ</I>, about the wisdom of God. Thus we get the contents, the <I>anukrama</I> of this book arranged chapter by chapter. The final result of realizing this structure, this <I>vyûha</I> of the <I>bhâgavata,</I> is in the table below presented as a permutation on the concepts of the <I>pratyaya </I>or the proof thus delivered. Time as the doer results in the proof of history. The substance of the universe and the logic followed is proven to be the person. The hero of the Lord incarnate in a certain form is the manifestation of that proof of the person of God and the religiousness of the norm set by Him is the proven duty we have to conclude to. Thus reasoning from the causal modes of history, person, manifestation and the duty we arrive at the result, the <I>bhâvita</I>, of the structural awareness of the Bhâgavatam as laid down in the before last row of the table below.

<B>T</B>he final step in this in depth analysis of the structure of this book is the translation of this result, this <I>bhâvita</I>, into the actual titles the <I>paramparâ</I> came up with. In this respect is another element added to the story: the element of the different subjects discussed in the book. In bh:http://bhagavata.org/canto2/chapter10.html#Text%201">2.10: 1 explains S'ukadeva Gosvâmî as the first philosopher-king after Krishna, the first <I>mahârâja-âcârya</I> that: '<I>In this (Bhâgavatam) there are (ten types of) statements about the following: the creation of the universe, the secondary creation, the different worlds, support (by the Lord), the creative drive, the changes of Manus, following divine instruction, returning to God, finding liberation and the Summum Bonum (description of the actions of Lord Krishna)</I>. In 12.7: 9-11 he further dilates on this saying: <I>'The creation (of this universe, </I>bh:glossary/s.html#Sarga"><I>sarga</I><I>), the subsequent creation (of different worlds and beings, </I>bh:glossary/v.html#Visarga"><I>visarga</I><I>), the maintenance (the sustenance, the </I>bh:glossary/v.html#Vritti"><I>vritti</I><I> or sthâna) and protection (the rakshâ or poshana of the living beings), the reigns (of the various Manus), the dynasties (</I>bh:glossary/v.html#Vamsa"><I>vams'as</I><I>), the narrations about them (vams'a-anucaritam), the annihilation (of different kinds, </I>bh:glossary/p.html#Pralaya"><I>pralaya</I><I> or samsthâ), the motivation (of individuality or hetu) and the supreme shelter (of the Fortunate One or apâs'raya), o brahmin, are the ten characteristic topics of a purâna as understood by the authorities on the matter; some state that relative to the greater ones, the lesser purânas deal with five'. </I>These verses inspired the <I>paramparâ, </I>the disciplic succession in the person of Swami Prabhupâda to present the book with the titles given in the last row of the table below. In fact is in his argument that what is laid out above more or less intuitively combined with these ten topics. The titles must not be seen as direct translations of these ten topics though, since they are diffusely discussed throughout the book. S'rîla Jîva Gosvâmî explicitly reminds us of the fact that <I>'one should not try to assign each of the ten topics to a particular canto. Nor should the S'rîmad-Bhâgavatam be artificially interpreted to show that it deals with the topics successively.</I>' The titles assigned by the <I>paramparâ</I> just remind one of the ten subjects as far as a certain emphasis is made by a certain canto or <I>kânda</I>. The actual in depth structure is realized by the full scope of the table below summarizing this discussion.

For the love of God, Anand Aadhar Prabhu, Enschede 22 Febr. 2006

Bhâgavata Vyûha- The structure of the S'rîmad Bhâgavatam
or the science of realizing oneself God as the Fortunate One

<I>The S'rîmad Bhâgavatam is the spotless purâna in which,<BR> most dear to the vaishnavas, by the topmost devotees only,<BR> the spiritual knowledge perfectly pure and supreme is celebrated;<BR> in there is, together with the knowledge, the detachment and the devotion,<BR> the freedom from all fruitive labor revealed which will deliver a person who,<BR> with devotion hearing and properly reading and reciting, is of serious consideration.<I>S.B. 12.13: 18)</I></P>

For the love of God, Anand Aadhar Prabhu, Enschede 22 Febr. 2006

Bhâgavata Vyûha- The structure of the S'rîmad Bhâgavatam <B><I>or the science of realizing oneself God as the Fortunate One<BR></I></B>

<I>The S'rîmad Bhâgavatam is the spotless purâna in which,<BR> most dear to the vaishnavas, by the topmost devotees only,<BR> the spiritual knowledge perfectly pure and supreme is celebrated;<BR> in there is, together with the knowledge, the detachment and the devotion,<BR> the freedom from all fruitive labor revealed which will deliver a person who,<BR> with devotion hearing and properly reading and reciting, is of serious consideration.<I>S.B. 12.13: 18)</I></P></CENTER>

<B>R</B>eading S'rîmad Bhâgavatam one may wonder how Vyâsadeva came to the order of this book. The sanskrit text itself offers us no titles for the cantos, but the tradition does. So how did one arrive at these titles? The book itself gives us some clues to this. First of all describes Vyâsa in 1.2: 11 how the unity of undivided knowledge is known by a threefold discipline, or <I>trisâdhana</I>, specified as the science of God concerning the aspects of the Absolute, the <I>brahman</I>, the Greater Soul, the <I>paramâtmâ</I>, and the person of all <I>bhâga</I>, viz. excellence, fortune and majesty, or <I>Bhagavân</I>. Another way to describe these three different disciplines in one breath is to say that in freedom from illusion with the Spirit of the Absolute, one, as a soul relating to the Supersoul in analysis connecting with the regulative principles, has to arrive at the Fortunate One to be there with Him of service as a person of God. So the basic logic, of step by step attaining to love of Godhead, that is followed in this text is known as the art and science of arriving at the personal of God departing from the impersonal of the Absolute Truth. Though the Absolute truth is nondual of nature and, relating to the Supreme Soul, a matter of local culture shipping with duality, is the conflict of the dual versus the nondual of realization solved in the personal of considering the object of worship religiously, and the explanations of the teaching in the politics of spreading the message.

<B>S</B>o despite of the nondual nature of the Absolute is it the mission to face the duality of the material world with the help of the person of God who is there as the teacher and the friend. This duality is traditionally in India defended with the different <I>darshanas, </I>or the different perspectives of indian philosophy. The threefold of the discipline combined with the duality that has to be faced, results in these <I>darshanas</I>. Thus is the discipline with the Absolute Truth known by method, <I>nyâya</I>, and non-illusion, <I>vais'eshika</I>, by setting up the argument concerning the time and the person properly in cantos one and two and then facing the facts of the manifestation of the form and norm of God in cantos three and four. Next has one to face the duality of matter and soul facing the reality of the material diversity at the one hand and the need to stay connected in rising above it in transcendence. Thus we see the <I>sâmkhya</I> and the <I>yoga</I> appear in the line of the argument of this <I>purâna, </I>of these classical stories that help us to realize the vedic wisdom. Though Lord Kapila, the <I>avatâra</I> for the analytical approach, was introduced already in the third canto as part of the science of arriving at non-illusion about the Absolute, do we get to see the full scope of it's effect in the fifth and sixth canto. Therein is presented the diversity of the person and the universe in relation to the Supersoul. Connecting in <I>yoga</I> therewith one faces the form and the norm of it in the cantos seven and eight where we learn to know <I>avatâra</I> Nrisimha and the culture of <I>bhakti</I> together with the founding fathers of the traditions defending that culture of the enlightened souls the way they take responsibility in the different eras of creation. For the realization of the personal we finally enter the discipline of considering the object of worship, called <I>mîmâmsâ</I>, the great example known as the Time or kâla at the one hand and the substance of the person or the <I>purusha</I> at the other hand. This is seen in the ninth and the tenth canto presenting us the persons found of the dynasties of the vedic culture in relation to the sun and the moon at the one hand and the person as the object of worship in the form of Lord Râma and Lord Krishna at the other hand. With Krishna we find the culmination of the discipline of oneness in diversity in one person, the Person of All Qualities and Fortune. In the last part, is the <I>vedanta</I>, or the final commentary presented. In canto eleven this is done in the form of the teachings to remember after Krishna left this world and is the norm of celibacy in facing the Age of Quarrel set by sage Mârkandeya in canto twelve, in which the people have difficulty keeping track with the classical wisdom arguing endlessly about their personal weaknesses in politics and a societal confusion of identity. So do we at this second level, accepting duality with the threefold respected nondual reality of the Absolute Truth, have the sixfold division of the <I>darshanas</I> covering all the different aspects of indian philosophy. </P>

<B>T</B>he next realization at an even deeper level of order is most confounding: there seem to different types of logic woven into the story. This logic presents us with an almost chaotic array of stories relating to the time of the material universe, the person who is of or against God, the manifestation of the Lord in different forms and the reality of the religion that by tradition is needed to remember God. A doubter failing in the method may be in confusion about the purpose of the vedic discipline presented by Vyâsadeva. Is it all about becoming religious? Or is it to figure out who the Fortunate One actually is? Is it to sober up with the difficulties of <I>mâyâ</I>, the bewildering potency of the material universe with its operating modes or <I>gunas</I> to the eternal of Time, or is it all about defeating demons, the <I>asuras</I> and <I>râkshasas</I>, to be a pious person? To what purpose is the <I>bhâgavata purâna</I> there? Vyâsa is not so explicit in this at a meta-level. He simply presents us the consequence of his logic. He reasons about <I>avatâra, purusha, kâla</I> as well as about <I>dharm</I>a in a pleasant intuitive mix surprising us at every page. The general outline of his logic seems to be that departing from a certain historical respect of time, the person manifest in the universe as also the person of God in the form of the universe must be realized, after which the need for the hero of God, the manifestation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, comes in view, for He is the One to lead the bewildered living beings back to His purpose: the <I>dharma</I> which then is delivered as the conclusion of the mission for all the three disciplines. So, in one breath said, places the time realized as a person us for the need of the hero, of the incarnation of the Great Example, to be certain on the path of our religiosity of finding liberation with our enlightenment in spiritual self-realization. So do we with this line of argument have a fourfold cause to reason from we in the West more or less already knew from Aristotele; this causal network is the <I>kâranata, </I>the causality of the Bhâgavatam. From this <I>kâranata</I> we see the sixfold of the different visions further divided in twelve, do we see the argument further diversified to the basic logic about self-realization. This twelvefold effect of the logic followed thus is laid down in the twelve books, or the divisions of the three hundred thirty-five chapters in this bible or collection of stories, or<I> samhitâ</I>, about the wisdom of God. Thus we get the contents, the <I>anukrama</I> of this book arranged chapter by chapter. The final result of realizing this structure, this <I>vyûha</I> of the <I>bhâgavata,</I> is in the table below presented as a permutation on the concepts of the <I>pratyaya </I>or the proof thus delivered. Time as the doer results in the proof of history. The substance of the universe and the logic followed is proven to be the person. The hero of the Lord incarnate in a certain form is the manifestation of that proof of the person of God and the religiousness of the norm set by Him is the proven duty we have to conclude to. Thus reasoning from the causal modes of history, person, manifestation and the duty we arrive at the result, the <I>bhâvita</I>, of the structural awareness of the Bhâgavatam as laid down in the before last row of the table below.</P>

<P><FONT SIZE="+1" FACE="Georgia" COLOR="#663300"><B>T</B>he final step in this in depth analysis of the structure of this book is the translation of this result, this <I>bhâvita</I>, into the actual titles the <I>paramparâ</I> came up with. In this respect is another element added to the story: the element of the different subjects discussed in the book. In bh:http://bhagavata.org/canto2/chapter10.html#Text%201">2.10: 1 explains S'ukadeva Gosvâmî as the first philosopher-king after Krishna, the first <I>mahârâja-âcârya</I> that: '<I>In this (Bhâgavatam) there are (ten types of) statements about the following: the creation of the universe, the secondary creation, the different worlds, support (by the Lord), the creative drive, the changes of Manus, following divine instruction, returning to God, finding liberation and the Summum Bonum (description of the actions of Lord Krishna)</I>. In 12.7: 9-11 he further dilates on this saying: <I>'The creation (of this universe, </I>bh:glossary/s.html#Sarga"><I>sarga</I><I>), the subsequent creation (of different worlds and beings, </I>bh:glossary/v.html#Visarga"><I>visarga</I><I>), the maintenance (the sustenance, the </I>bh:glossary/v.html#Vritti"><I>vritti</I><I> or sthâna) and protection (the rakshâ or poshana of the living beings), the reigns (of the various Manus), the dynasties (</I>bh:glossary/v.html#Vamsa"><I>vams'as</I><I>), the narrations about them (vams'a-anucaritam), the annihilation (of different kinds, </I>bh:glossary/p.html#Pralaya"><I>pralaya</I><I> or samsthâ), the motivation (of individuality or hetu) and the supreme shelter (of the Fortunate One or apâs'raya), o brahmin, are the ten characteristic topics of a purâna as understood by the authorities on the matter; some state that relative to the greater ones, the lesser purânas deal with five'. </I>These verses inspired the <I>paramparâ, </I>the disciplic succession in the person of Swami Prabhupâda to present the book with the titles given in the last row of the table below. In fact is in his argument that what is laid out above more or less intuitively combined with these ten topics. The titles must not be seen as direct translations of these ten topics though, since they are diffusely discussed throughout the book. S'rîla Jîva Gosvâmî explicitly reminds us of the fact that <I>'one should not try to assign each of the ten topics to a particular canto. Nor should the S'rîmad-Bhâgavatam be artificially interpreted to show that it deals with the topics successively.</I>' The titles assigned by the <I>paramparâ</I> just remind one of the ten subjects as far as a certain emphasis is made by a certain canto or <I>kânda</I>. The actual in depth structure is realized by the full scope of the table below summarizing this discussion.

For the love of God, Anand Aadhar Prabhu, Enschede 22 Febr. 2006

Bhâgavata Vyûha- The structure of the S'rîmad Bhâgavatam

<B><I>or the science of realizing oneself God as the Fortunate One<BR></I></B>

<I>The S'rîmad Bhâgavatam is the spotless purâna in which,<BR> most dear to the vaishnavas, by the topmost devotees only,<BR> the spiritual knowledge perfectly pure and supreme is celebrated;<BR> in there is, together with the knowledge, the detachment and the devotion,<BR> the freedom from all fruitive labor revealed which will deliver a person who,<BR> with devotion hearing and properly reading and reciting, is of serious consideration.<I>[[bh:http://bhagavata.org/canto12/chapter13.html#Text%2018"|S.B. 12.13: 18]])</I></P></CENTER>

<B>R</B>eading

         S'rîmad Bhâgavatam one may wonder how
         Vyâsadeva came to the order of this book. The sanskrit
         text itself offers us no titles for the cantos, but the
         tradition does. So how did one arrive at these titles? The
         book itself gives us some clues to this. First of all
         describes Vyâsa in [[bh:http://bhagavata.org/canto1/chapter2.html#Text%2011"|1.2:
         11]] how the unity
         of undivided knowledge is known by a threefold discipline,
         or <I>trisâdhana</I>, specified as the science of God
         concerning the aspects of the Absolute, the <I>brahman</I>,
         the Greater Soul, the <I>paramâtmâ</I>, and the
         person of all <I>bhâga</I>, viz. excellence, fortune
         and majesty, or <I>Bhagavân</I>. Another way to
         describe these three different disciplines in one breath is
         to say that in freedom from illusion with the Spirit of the
         Absolute, one, as a soul relating to the Supersoul in
         analysis connecting with the regulative principles, has to
         arrive at the Fortunate One to be there with Him of service
         as a person of God. So the basic logic, of step by step
         attaining to love of Godhead, that is followed in this text
         is known as the art and science of arriving at the personal
         of God departing from the impersonal of the Absolute Truth.
         Though the Absolute truth is nondual of nature and, relating
         to the Supreme Soul, a matter of local culture shipping with
         duality, is the conflict of the dual versus the nondual of
         realization solved in the personal of considering the object
         of worship religiously, and the explanations of the teaching
         in the politics of spreading the message. 

        <B>S</B>o
         despite of the nondual nature of the Absolute is it the
         mission to face the duality of the material world with the
         help of the person of God who is there as the teacher and
         the friend. This duality is traditionally in India defended
         with the different <I>darshanas, </I>or the different
         perspectives of indian philosophy. The threefold of the
         discipline combined with the duality that has to be faced,
         results in these <I>darshanas</I>. Thus is the discipline
         with the Absolute Truth known by method, <I>nyâya</I>,
         and non-illusion, <I>vais'eshika</I>, by setting up the
         argument concerning the time and the person properly in
         cantos one and two and then facing the facts of the
         manifestation of the form and norm of God in cantos three
         and four. Next has one to face the duality of matter and
         soul facing the reality of the material diversity at the one
         hand and the need to stay connected in rising above it in
         transcendence. Thus we see the <I>sâmkhya</I> and the
         <I>yoga</I> appear in the line of the argument of this
         <I>purâna, </I>of these classical stories that help us
         to realize the vedic wisdom. Though Lord Kapila, the
         <I>avatâra</I> for the analytical approach, was
         introduced already in the third canto as part of the science
         of arriving at non-illusion about the Absolute, do we get to
         see the full scope of it's effect in the fifth and sixth
         canto. Therein is presented the diversity of the person and
         the universe in relation to the Supersoul. Connecting in
         <I>yoga</I> therewith one faces the form and the norm of it
         in the cantos seven and eight where we learn to know
         <I>avatâra</I> Nrisimha and the culture of
         <I>bhakti</I> together with the founding fathers of the
         traditions defending that culture of the enlightened souls
         the way they take responsibility in the different eras of
         creation. For the realization of the personal we finally
         enter the discipline of considering the object of worship,
         called <I>mîmâmsâ</I>, the great example
         known as the Time or kâla at the one hand and the
         substance of the person or the <I>purusha</I> at the other
         hand. This is seen in the ninth and the tenth canto
         presenting us the persons found of the dynasties of the
         vedic culture in relation to the sun and the moon at the one
         hand and the person as the object of worship in the form of
         Lord Râma and Lord Krishna at the other hand. With
         Krishna we find the culmination of the discipline of oneness
         in diversity in one person, the Person of All Qualities and
         Fortune. In the last part, is the <I>vedanta</I>, or the
         final commentary presented. In canto eleven this is done in
         the form of the teachings to remember after Krishna left
         this world and is the norm of celibacy in facing the Age of
         Quarrel set by sage Mârkandeya in canto twelve, in
         which the people have difficulty keeping track with the
         classical wisdom arguing endlessly about their personal
         weaknesses in politics and a societal confusion of identity.
         So do we at this second level, accepting duality with the
         threefold respected nondual reality of the Absolute Truth,
         have the sixfold division of the <I>darshanas</I> covering
         all the different aspects of indian philosophy. </P>

        <B>T</B>he
         next realization at an even deeper level of order is most
         confounding: there seem to different types of logic woven
         into the story. This logic presents us with an almost
         chaotic array of stories relating to the time of the
         material universe, the person who is of or against God, the
         manifestation of the Lord in different forms and the reality
         of the religion that by tradition is needed to remember God.
         A doubter failing in the method may be in confusion about
         the purpose of the vedic discipline presented by
         Vyâsadeva. Is it all about becoming religious? Or is
         it to figure out who the Fortunate One actually is? Is it to
         sober up with the difficulties of <I>mâyâ</I>,
         the bewildering potency of the material universe with its
         operating modes or <I>gunas</I> to the eternal of Time, or
         is it all about defeating demons, the <I>asuras</I> and
         <I>râkshasas</I>, to be a pious person? To what
         purpose is the <I>bhâgavata purâna</I> there?
         Vyâsa is not so explicit in this at a meta-level. He
         simply presents us the consequence of his logic. He reasons
         about <I>avatâra, purusha, kâla</I> as well as
         about <I>dharm</I>a in a pleasant intuitive mix surprising
         us at every page. The general outline of his logic seems to
         be that departing from a certain historical respect of time,
         the person manifest in the universe as also the person of
         God in the form of the universe must be realized, after
         which the need for the hero of God, the manifestation of the
         Supreme Personality of Godhead, comes in view, for He is the
         One to lead the bewildered living beings back to His
         purpose: the <I>dharma</I> which then is delivered as the
         conclusion of the mission for all the three disciplines. So,
         in one breath said, places the time realized as a person us
         for the need of the hero, of the incarnation of the Great
         Example, to be certain on the path of our religiosity of
         finding liberation with our enlightenment in spiritual
         self-realization. So do we with this line of argument have a
         fourfold cause to reason from we in the West more or less
         already knew from Aristotele; this causal network is the
         <I>kâranata, </I>the causality of the
         Bhâgavatam. From this <I>kâranata</I> we see the
         sixfold of the different visions further divided in twelve,
         do we see the argument further diversified to the basic
         logic about self-realization. This twelvefold effect of the
         logic followed thus is laid down in the twelve books, or the
         divisions of the three hundred thirty-five chapters in this
         bible or collection of stories, or<I> samhitâ</I>,
         about the wisdom of God. Thus we get the contents, the
         <I>anukrama</I> of this book arranged chapter by chapter.
         The final result of realizing this structure, this
         <I>vyûha</I> of the <I>bhâgavata,</I> is in the
         table below presented as a permutation on the concepts of
         the <I>pratyaya </I>or the proof thus delivered. Time as the
         doer results in the proof of history. The substance of the
         universe and the logic followed is proven to be the person.
         The hero of the Lord incarnate in a certain form is the
         manifestation of that proof of the person of God and the
         religiousness of the norm set by Him is the proven duty we
         have to conclude to. Thus reasoning from the causal modes of
         history, person, manifestation and the duty we arrive at the
         result, the <I>bhâvita</I>, of the structural
         awareness of the Bhâgavatam as laid down in the before
         last row of the table below.</P>

         <P><FONT SIZE="+1" FACE="Georgia" COLOR="#663300"><B>T</B>he
         final step in this in depth analysis of the structure of
         this book is the translation of this result, this
         <I>bhâvita</I>, into the actual titles the
         <I>paramparâ</I> came up with. In this respect is
         another element added to the story: the element of the
         different subjects discussed in the book. In
         [[bh:http://bhagavata.org/canto2/chapter10.html#Text%201">2.10:
         1]] explains
         S'ukadeva Gosvâmî as the first philosopher-king
         after Krishna, the first
         <I>mahârâja-âcârya</I> that: '<I>In
         this (Bhâgavatam) there are (ten types
         of) statements about the following: the creation of the
         universe, the secondary creation, the different worlds,
         support (by the Lord), the creative drive, the
         changes of Manus, following divine instruction, returning to
         God, finding liberation and the Summum Bonum
         (description of the actions of Lord Krishna)</I>. In
         [[bh:http://bhagavata.org/nederlands/canto12/hoofdstuk7.html#Text 9-10"|12.7:
         9-11]] he further
         dilates on this saying: <I>'The creation (of this
         universe, </I>bh:glossary/s.html#Sarga"><I>sarga</I><I>),
         the subsequent creation (of different worlds and beings,
         </I>bh:glossary/v.html#Visarga"><I>visarga</I><I>),
         the maintenance (the sustenance, the
         </I>bh:glossary/v.html#Vritti"><I>vritti</I><I>
         or sthâna) and protection (the rakshâ or
         poshana of the living beings), the reigns (of the
         various Manus), the dynasties (</I>bh:glossary/v.html#Vamsa"><I>vams'as</I><I>),
         the narrations about them (vams'a-anucaritam), the
         annihilation (of different kinds, </I>bh:glossary/p.html#Pralaya"><I>pralaya</I><I>
         or samsthâ), the motivation (of individuality
         or hetu) and the supreme shelter (of the Fortunate
         One or apâs'raya), o brahmin, are the ten
         characteristic topics of a purâna as understood by the
         authorities on the matter; some state that relative to the
         greater ones, the lesser purânas deal with five'.
         </I>These verses inspired the <I>paramparâ, </I>the
         disciplic succession in the person of Swami Prabhupâda
         to present the book with the titles given in the last row of
         the table below. In fact is in his argument that what is
         laid out above more or less intuitively combined with these
         ten topics. The titles must not be seen as direct
         translations of these ten topics though, since they are
         diffusely discussed throughout the book. S'rîla
         Jîva Gosvâmî explicitly reminds us of the
         fact that <I>'one should not try to assign each of the ten
         topics to a particular canto. Nor should the
         S'rîmad-Bhâgavatam be artificially interpreted
         to show that it deals with the topics successively.</I>' The
         titles assigned by the <I>paramparâ</I> just remind
         one of the ten subjects as far as a certain emphasis is made
         by a certain canto or <I>kânda</I>. The actual in
         depth structure is realized by the full scope of the table
         below summarizing this discussion. 

For the love of God, Anand Aadhar Prabhu, Enschede 22 Febr. 2006