Chapter One

The Four Sittings of Srimad Bhagavatam

Question: In the beginning of Srimad Bhagavatam events are described of Suta Goswami speaking at Naimisaranya and this is after Vyasadeva had spoken Bhagavatam to Sukadeva. So how is it that Vyasadeva was aware of the events at Naimisaranya?

Srila Sridhara Maharaja: So many sittings of Bhagavatam took place. First Narada came and gave instruction by way of a ten sloka outline. He told Vyasadeva; "Meditate on it and give it out to the public. Elucidate these principles. Elucidate, otherwise what you have given so far will be all fruitless." So Vyasa took only those ten slokas, those ten verses. He meditated and wrote the principle Bhagavatam in a short way. He gave, "That is revered brahma, the highest quarter, the Krsna conception of Godhead, and that lila is very sweet. That is nothing of this side in maya, but that plane is full of transcendental, sweet pastimes." Vyasadeva managed to call his son, Sukadeva, and in Badarikasrama he taught him: "Although my inclination was towards this non-differentiated brahman conception, my father managed to teach me this lila of Bhagavan Krsna. Today I shall talk about that to you in this great assembly."

So Sukadeva received Srimad Bhagavatam from Vyasadeva. Previously Narada gave it to Vyasadeva, and Vyasa composed it in elaboration and taught it to Sukadeva: this was the second recitation. The third was when Sukadeva delivered lectures with his remarks to the great assembly of scholars in Sukartala.

When Sukadeva gave lecture there was one Suta Goswami who was a very sharp hearing man, srutidhara. Srutidhara is one who having only once heard something keeps it in his memory, and Suta, having those qualities, was present in that meeting. The fourth sitting was in Naimisaranya where the rsis, apprehending the black march, of Kali-yuga, commenced and engaged themselves in a one thousand year campaign, yajna. Finding Suta Goswami they told, "We have got much leisure in the evening to hear about the Absolute and we heard that you, Suta, were present in that mysterious and famous assembly where Sukadeva gave his lecture about Bhagavatam and you memorized it. We request that you deliver by way of lecture to us that Bhagavatam." Suta Goswami accepted their proposal and that was the last sitting in the form of regular evening lectures. Sixty thousand or so rsis, the scholars and performers of sacrifices, assembled to hear from him. It was after this sitting that Vyasadeva took the whole thing and compiled it in book form and let it loose on the public.

Question: What is that Sukartala that you mentioned just now?

Srila Sridhara Maharaja: Sukartala is a small district of Uttar Pradesh just opposite Vibhukuti, a little far off from the Ganges, where there was the place of Maharaja Pariksit. When Pariksit was sure to die he came to live in that place near the Ganges, and there the third assembly took place. Perhaps it was from Suka that the name Sukartala has now come, and by that name this place is known to the public.

Question: Was Vyasadeva present at Naimisaranya when Suta spoke?

Srila Sridhara Maharaja: No, he was not present in the meeting, but he got information. He was a yogi. Vyasadeva was such a yogi that he could understand and feel whatever is happening anywhere. In this way the whole battle story in Mahabharata has been described by him. How it is possible? Not only that but he was a yogi of such higher class that he could transfer his yoga-sakti to Sanjaya who, inspired by that potency, could also feel that battle. He could observe so many things simultaneously: what one is saying to another, what weapon one is throwing to another, all these thing's Sanjaya could see simultaneously and he is relating the whole thing to Dhrtarastra by the grace of Vyasadeva. Vyasadeva is able to see many things simultaneously in his yoga-developed consciousness.

Once one gentleman told me that Einstein in his last days was asked by his wife, "What invention are you searching now?" He replied: "If I am successful in this campaign of my research then you will be able to see me wherever I am. Wherever I shall be you shall be able to see and feel me. That plane I am going to try to invent." That was Einstein's last tendency according to one gentleman, though I don't know how far it is true.

Many devotees are also said to realize such a position that from a separate place they can detect when a dog is entering within a particular temple in Vrndavana. He is feeling, "Oh, a dog is entering there." When our plane of consciousness, our conscious seat, is not disturbed by any self-produced thought, when it is clear, then when any wave carrying any news strikes it, it can feel that, "This is happening somewhere else and the wave has come to touch the aerial of my consciousness." When our conscious seat is very clear any wave that arises to touch it, any fact that arises in our plane of thinking, that cannot but be an actual fact. But when self-produced prejudices have covered the conscious seat then we cannot detect such things the plane of our consciousness cannot be read. But when that is cleared, any incident happening anywhere sends some wave to every "receiver" and each can understand, "Oh, such thing is happening!" Useless thoughts and false thoughts do not arise in his mind. Whatever is happening is sending some wave, his mind is so clear that be detects that event. He reads his mind, he feels it and he says, "Oh, this is happening here and that is happening there." It may be considered something like that.

But this is a kind of siddhi, mystic power. A true Vaisnava avoids all these things, but automatically it may come to someone and sometimes they may disclose this fact otherwise they avoid all these things. They do not want miracles. They are eager to find out the miracle of the center, the central miracle. They are busy to search for the miracle of miracles, and so these side issues they neglect. They are all-attentive to find out the main problem. Their cent-per-cent energy is engaged for that, concentrated, without caring for these things.

Question: Srila Sridhara Maharaja, when Sukadeva was asked to speak Srimad Bhagavatam he was in the presence of his guru, Vyasadeva, and param-guru, Narada. So how is it that he took the exalted seat of the vyasasana in the presence of his guru and param-guru?

Srila Sridhara Maharaja: Sukadeva was not asked to speak Bhagavatam, only Pariksit Maharaja prayed, "What should be the duty of a man who is surely going to die very soon? How should I utilize my energy that it may help me after death? Certain death is approaching towards me and so how can I utilize my time best ?"

So many rsis, authorities of different departments, were recommending to him differently, and he was perplexed. He told, "You give some unanimous verdict to me. I have no time so please you give some unanimous instruction." At that time by chance Sukadeva arrived there at the meeting. Sukadeva was a man of fable; many had heard about him, about this peculiar realized soul. "He is a boy of sixteen but he has got no feeling about this world which is so charming to all of us. We are trying our hardest, our best, to get out of the entanglement of this charming world but we find that we fail at every step. However, that boy, Sukadeva, has crossed the line of maya and always is in continuous conception of the conscious world. He is quite ignoring these material things and he does not even find the necessity of a cloth around his waist. Even he has got no distinction in his mental eye as to whether one is a woman or a man. He is so highly and firmly established in pure spiritual conception that even the beautiful girls do not feel any necessity to cover the parts their of body."

He was like a fable to the gathered sages. So when Sukadeva appeared they all rose in honor of him. Sukadeva is not caring for anything there and when he entered, all the rsis told to Pariksit Maharaja: "Maharaja, you are very fortunate: this mahatma, who we all seek to have darshan of, has come. You please ask your question to him, and we are all eager to hear something from his lips." So they all unanimously put Sukadeva in the presidential chair. They all took their seats and Pariksit asked him, "I am just approaching certain death so what is my duty? How should my duty be couched in order that I can have my highest benefit in the least span of time?"

Sukadeva began to answer and everyone there in pin-drop silence began to listen to his words. His words were coming unquestionably as the absolute truth and were unanimously accepted by all. Present in that assembly were all the big scholars who had come to give some consolation to Pariksit Maharaja, "You are such a good Maharaja with good administration. You are unparalleled as well as a lover, respecter and protector of the brahminical yajna, faith, etc. Despite all these qualifications you have been thrown a curse from that same side of the brahmana section, and that is a very lamentable thing." In this way almost all the leaders of all different schools of philosophy came to give consolation to Maharaja Pariksit. It was in that well-represented assembly that Sukadeva was to speak.

Narada and Vyasadeva knew well that, "What we are trying to inaugurate, which seemed to be a very narrow and bigoted thing, when Sukadeva will speak this Bhagavatam he will give it in a very extensive way and with the widest color."

Narada expressed, "I gave ten poems as ten outlines to Vyasadeva and he elaborately taught that to Sukadeva. Sukadeva has got some extensive credit and. honor amongst all the types of scholars. Coming in that broad view and percolated by his brahma conception we are eager to see how this elaborated Srimad Bhagavatam shall be delivered to this world retaining its transcendental characteristic. In order to do away with any mundane misconception it must pass through Sukadeva otherwise people may think this to be mundane. He has got the broadest conception of view and his qualification is admitted from all sides."

Narada and Vyasadeva were present and eagerly waiting. Happily they tasted how through brahma-jnana, through the widest touch, this Krsna-lila, which seems to be of very limited and narrow things passes through to be widely accepted.

All these gentlemen for seven clays attended this meeting and they all listened with such eagerness.

Sukadeva told, "From my father, from my dear affectionate father I have learned these things." And giving warning to the audience he told, "You all know that I have no bigoted conception about religion. The broadest conception of religion I possess and I am famous for that. I have got contact with the brahma. Brahma means the biggest, the greatest plane: the higher, widest plane. I am already settled in that consciousness so what I say don't take it as mundane happenings of this limited world, but it is coming from the other side. That is beyond Brahmaloka and has attracted me. I have got no charm for anything of this mundane world. I am well established in the transcendental world. I shall give delivery to you all of what attracted me and what I have noted and studied, and that is fully transcendental. With this warning I give delivery of all these things, of Krsna-lila. You should take it that Krsna's pastimes are broader, wider, higher and deeper things in the transcendental world. You must take it like that." Now and again giving this warning Sukadeva is delivering the whole thing, and Narada and Vyasadeva are reflecting: "Yes, we are successful!"

In his introduction to Srimad Bhagavatam, Vyasadeva has written there, "Originally this Srimad Bhagavatam is a very good thing, but still its beauty is enhanced by the commentary that has come from the mouth of Sukadeva The Bhagavat knowledge modified and ornamented by the knowledge of Sukadeva has got a wider view and that universal truth will be easy for all sections of the religious school to accept."

So, knowingly it was that the guru and param-guru of Sukadeva were present there. They knew the future and could understand that this recitation would occur, and also out of sympathy for Maharaja Pariksit they came. They did not come by chance.