Srimad Bhagavatam – 2.3.25 | HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj | ISKCON Chennai | June 16, 2026
jaya rādhā-mādhava kuñja-vihārī
gopījana-vallabha giri-vara-dhārī
yaśodā-nandana vraja-jana-rañjana
yamunā-tīra-vana-cārī
Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare
Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare
Jaya Prabhupāda Jaya Prabhupāda
Prabhupāda Jaya Prabhupāda
Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya
Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya
Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale
śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāmin iti nāmine
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe
nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
jaya śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda
śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda
Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare
Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare
Reading from Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 2 Chapter 3 Verse 25.
ŚB 2.3.25
अथाभिधेह्यङ्ग मनोऽनुकूलं
प्रभाषसे भागवतप्रधान: ।
यदाह वैयासकिरात्मविद्या-
विशारदो नृपतिं साधु पृष्ट: ॥ २५ ॥
athābhidhehy aṅga mano-’nukūlaṁ
prabhāṣase bhāgavata-pradhānaḥ
yad āha vaiyāsakir ātma-vidyā-
viśārado nṛpatiṁ sādhu pṛṣṭaḥ
Synonyms
atha — therefore; abhidhehi — please explain; aṅga — O Sūta Gosvāmī; manaḥ — mind; anukūlam — favorable to our mentality; prabhāṣase — you do speak; bhāgavata — the great devotee; pradhānaḥ — the chief; yat āha — what he spoke; vaiyāsakiḥ — Śukadeva Gosvāmī; ātma–vidyā — transcendental knowledge; viśāradaḥ — expert; nṛpatim — unto the King; sādhu — very good; pṛṣṭaḥ — being asked.
Translation
O Sūta Gosvāmī, your words are pleasing to our minds. Please therefore explain this to us as it was spoken by the great devotee Śukadeva Gosvāmī, who is very expert in transcendental knowledge, and who spoke to Mahārāja Parīkṣit upon being asked.
Purport
Knowledge explained by the previous ācārya like Śukadeva Gosvāmī and followed by the next like Sūta Gosvāmī is always powerful transcendental knowledge, and it is therefore penetrating and useful to all submissive students.
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj:
So in this chapter even though it is not Sukadeva Goswami speaking but actually it’s just a kind of a bridge between conversations between Sukadeva and Maharaj Parikshit still we see it is all glorification of the Supreme Lord and the process of Bhakti. And though we see other topics have been discussed like the universal form ultimately these are all secondary. In the next chapter there will be a discussion of creation. Then again in the third canto there is a lot of discussion of creation again. Then in the fourth canto again the sub-creation of Lord Brahma. And in the fifth canto also creation of the different planetary systems and the Dwipas and Jambudwip and Mount Meru etc. So actually these are secondary topics in the Bhagavatam because the main topic is Bhakti and Krishna. And only when we get to the tenth canto do we have whole discussion in detail of Krishna. So we may get side tracked because of all these other topics.
So there are ten topics in the Bhagavatam and one is about Krishna So we should not be distracted by all these other topics. And we can study all these different topics as long as they relate to the main topic. If we try to simply just study them separately then they actually have no meaning. So a description of all the creation and sub-creation of planetary systems and the systems set up by the Manus and the Varanashrama system and Jnana Yoga etc are all ultimately a glorification of the expertise and intelligence of Supreme Lord. So therefore we study these topics and show it as a glorification of Krishna. And not that we take individual verses or quotations from other sections and say we have to follow this. However, the Bhagavatam is a traditional text, it’s a Purana. And if you look at other Puranas like the Vishnu Purana, we will see it’s the same discussion discussion of creation, sub-creation and dynasties and the kings and whatever.
So we have 18 Puranas all discussing these topics. But in each one the emphasis is slightly different. And we see in the Tamasic puranas there’s a great emphasis upon Shiva. And even some stories showing how Shiva is superior to Vishnu. And in the Brahma, the six Puranas in the mode of passion, Brahma is glorified. And then we have six puranas glorifying Vishnu.
So they present similar subject matters but they glorify different deities. So the sattvic puranas they all glorify Vishnu. Of course Krishna is mentioned but then it’s Bhagavat Purana Srimad Bhagavatam that mainly glorifies Krishna. And in Bhagavatam Krishna is not just an avatar, He is the source of all avatars. So subject matter is the same but then we have a glorification of Lord Krishna. So because it’s a Purana it discusses all these other subjects as well. But as mentioned in Bhagavatam and also in Vishnu Purana after discussing all the different dynasties and whatever from Svayambhuva Manvantara all the way up to Vaivasvata Manvantara and then up to Rama and then to Krishna and whatever and dynasties in the future then ultimately all this is a waste of time [Laughs]. It’s all discussed in order to show it’s all temporary and all these kings disappeared. Of course it does have value also because it is the Manus and their descendants who have been empowered by the Lord to establish Dharma and Bhakti in the world, So in that sense its fine. But we see all these dynasties whatever, they continue but they are all under control of time. And the Yugas rotate and then the Manvantaras change and then the end of Brahma’s day everything gets destroyed [Laughs]. So this also is valuable in the sense that for common people it illustrates the temporary nature of this world. And of course most people are attached to the material world so this is a illustration of the futility of the material world.
So this is also useful in spiritual life we should understand the temporary nature of the material world. But the purpose of doing that and rejecting it is to show that there is an alternative. In Bhagavatam that alternative is Krishna. For other people who don’t have faith then the alternative may be Brahman. So those who have true faith and have devotion then when they take the Bhagavatam they get the proper conclusion. So we should not be sidetracked by all the different topics whatever but see how they relate to the main topic that is Krishna.
So in this chapter there was full glorification of Krishna and devotional service. A complete rejection of the material world. So in discussing all these other topics like creation of the material world etc. its all matter. It’s all created and it’s also destroyed. The example is often given in different places in Bhagavatam and other Puranas as well that the Lord creates everything and he destroys everything. So from a material point of view that may look not like a glorification but a type of cruelty he just destroys everything [Laughs]. But it’s a glorification because it shows that the Supreme Lord is eternal. He is beyond everything in the material world. And if we are attached to the material world then its just created and destroyed.
So of course the Bhagavatam and other scriptures give us the proper knowledge by which we can overcome this creation and destruction. In spite of that we tend to pick up the wrong topics and emphasize the wrong things. And therefore in spite of the fact that of all the different Puranas and literatures Bhagavatam is the most direct still we can misinterpret. And therefore as mentioned in this verse we have to go to the devotees and ask them. And they are mentioning how Parikshit Maharaj went and asked Sukadeva Goswami. And so similarly these sages are asking Suta Goswami what did they say [Laughs].
So we will see throughout the Bhagavatam that yes you can misinterpret but if we look closely then the message is very clear. So why do we get the wrong message sometimes at times. That is because we have our own desires. So we will try to fulfill them by finding some verse in Bhagavatam And of course Bhagavatam glorifies so many things. And we even see Shiva glorified as Bhagavan the creator and destroyer of the universe [Laughs]. And you will find [Not clear] Brahman glorified as the ultimate. So there was one person she went through the whole Bhagavatam ultimately the conclusion is Brahman [Laughs]. And of course you cannot take all sorts of verses if you want to and think that is the ultimate [Laughs]. So we have to take all these statements and sometimes we don’t take some of them as absolute.
We have to be mature enough to see which are relative statements and which are final statements. The same goes for the whole of scriptures Vedas and Upanishads, Smritis and other Puranas. And because there is a problem in seeing which is the real statements there are always different philosophies. And thus we get different stages like Jaimini having Karma Mimamsa philosophy as the ultimate philosophy based on Vedas [Laughs]. Or if we go to the Upanishads, Vedanta Sutra then we have impersonal Brahman as taken as supreme by Shankaracharya. So even they are very intelligent people but still they have different conclusions from the same scriptures [Laughs]. So if it is possible for such great intelligent sages to come to the wrong conclusion what to speak of us [Laughs]. So in principle ultimately you can prove anything on scripture [Laughs]. But it may not be presenting the conclusion. So that is why we do need some guidance in reading and studying the scriptures. And even in studying Bhagavatam again we need that guidance.
Of course Krishna told Uddhava I prefer indirect expression also, parokshavada. So though Bhagavatam is for the most part direct also some things are a little bit hidden. So if we don’t have an understanding of the proper conclusion then we will get the wrong meaning. So fortunate we have our Acharyas who give us proper explanation. And for the most part then there is no controversy. So that is why we emphasize the fact that we have to take the knowledge through the parampara.
So the first canto was an introduction. Basically it answers the question how was Srimad Bhagavatam spoken. So to do that it gives the whole history of Narada Muni and Vedavyas etc and Parikshit and how he ruled the kingdom and all these different topics. And then ultimately it gets revealed by Sukadeva Goswami. So the rest of the Bhagavatam until 12th canto is more or less the words of Sukadeva Goswami speaking. And Parikshit listens and sometimes he asks questions. So it is through this that the whole Bhagavatam is revealed In this way the whole Bhagavatam is revealed. Ultimately the main topic is the 10th canto. But we see all before that Sukadeva Goswami speaking and Parikshit asking questions about it.
So Sukadeva Goswami understood these topics are all important and Parikshit was asking questions all about this. So though it is secondary to direct description of Krishna still Sukadeva Goswami and Parikshit Maharaj consider it important.
Now fortunately through these discussions not only we get these topics of creation, sub-creation and planetary systems but we also get a discussion of bhakti and glorification of the different forms of the lord. And through the description of the method of creation then we also understand the basic knowledge of sambandha. So therefore in these other cantos apart from the tenth canto we will get the knowledge of sambandha and abhideya. So these are also necessary for our progress in devotional service.
Hare Krishna.
Q & A :
1.) This question is regarding the you see you are saying that that getting different meaning from the depends on the person, the person’s intention what intention he is reading the scriptures or what intention he is approving the scriptures. But same thing can happen in other scriptures. Even if someone reads Bhagavatam but if he has some desire he will get a different meaning. Similarly we have other scriptures also if we approach the same scriptures with a different meaning we also can get the same result. Then what makes different Bhagavatam and other scriptures, we get almost the same result?
So speciality of bhagavatam is it points out that Krishna is Bhagavan, not only he is Bhagavan he is swayam Bhagavan. If we read other Puranas, then we will say yes Krishna is an avatar. But here Krishna is given a very special position. So that is made very clear in the first canto. And there Narada Muni instructs Vedavyasa to don’t make things unclear just mention everybody should worship Krishna [Laughs]. in spite of that people if they have their own ideas they can get so many other things out of Bhagavatam.
Devotee : Sometimes someone might ask that you know if you want to know who is Bhagavan. In Bhagavatam it says Krishna is Bhagavan. In other puranas, if you read Shiva Purana, tamo guna purana, Shiva is Bhagavan. So that person after reading Shiva Purana he comes to Bhagavatam he might get a different idea different kind of knowledge. In that Purana Shiva is Bhagavan but here Krishna is Bhagavan. He will be confused that means Vyasadeva who is the compiler of all the scriptures he is the cause for the confusion of the readers.
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj : And for that reason Narada Muni said all of this is a waste of time, don’t write all these Puranas it just confuses people in Kali Yuga particularly. People are not intelligent so they don’t want to read too much so they read one scripture and they take that as absolute and they ignore everything else. And of course they are materially attached, so if they get some material results from that they don’t want to change. But in one sense VedVyasa in doing that was simply repeating what’s in the Vedas. So in the Vedas we have a whole section called Karmakanda and this is exactly this worshiping Devatas just to get some results [Laughs]. So he is merely presenting what’s already there in the Vedas he is not inventing something new when he does that. Narada Muni says this is too confusing for people in Kali Yuga. But even in Bhagavad Gita and in Bhagavatam we will get Karma Yoga, worship of Devatas, [Not clear] in 2nd canto there is a whole thing, all the different devatas you can worship for different results [Laughs].
So it is presented because ultimately it is part of the Vedic literature. At the same time as much as possible it is clarified that these are not absolute types of worship. But if we are really attached to Devata worship we can just take a few verses from the second canto and say, I can worship Surya Deva or I can worship Ganesha or I can worship because it is in the Bhagavatam [Laughs]. And similarly in Bhagavad Gita you can just go to chapter 3 there it says worship the Devatas to get all your desires fulfilled, so I will follow chapter 3 and we will ignore chapter 9 [Laughs]. So we have to be careful how we read scripture.
2.) Maharaj Vedas is very vast knowledge and many things are not present right now, many things are missing, only some portion of the vedas is available right now. But here Narada Muni he knows that the people of Kali Yuga, they have very short life and very unfortunate they don’t have time to read many things. The way all the Vedas, many portions of the vedas are hided similarly Karma–kanda, Jnana–kanda, it also could be hidden. But instead of not hiding, Vyasadeva revealed it to the public and because of that people are confused. So he could have done it okay anyway many Vedas are already hidden, similarly I can do this also it could help the people of Kali Yuga, simply by having one scripture, Srimad Bhagavatam. But he didn’t do that as it is in the Vedas he kept it but due to that people are confused.
Of course Krishna says the sages and I also like Paroksha Vada [Laughs]. So though among all the different scriptures the Bhagavatam is the most direct still there will be an aspect of things that you can take and do your own thing if you want to [Laughs]. So in that sense Bhagavatam is like Mohini Avatar, if you want you can get all the material things out of it if you want the real essence then you can get that if you are a devotee. We will see repeatedly throughout the Bhagavatam everything gets rejected except the process of Bhakti and the name. In spite of that people still get the wrong message [Laughs]. Even devotees get the wrong message. So then they will think I have to do Varanashram and Varnashram, if I don’t do Varanashram I can’t perfect Bhakti. So that is so repeatedly rejected throughout the Bhagavatam. Yeah, people get that idea and they get stuck to it [Laughs].
3.) Hare Krishna Maharaj as we see we approach scriptures for every reference and every standards or guides Maharaj but we see the speaker who gives Bhagavatam also gives gives the gives the lectures based on his understanding. That’s why we have lot of different conclusions like some emphasis on Varanashrama, some emphasis on Bhakti but we see Paramparait speaks about only Bhakti in this way we also conclude based on our understanding, also the speaker who understands based on his realization. So what to follow. Like Bhagavatam scriptures also gives us it’s like a Mohini Avatar it also gives us the understanding based on our desire and the speaker who speaks Bhagavatam he reads and he gets the realization based on his desire and when he gives the lecture it’s based on his realization. So what do we approach what is the right thing to approach ?
When the speaker projects his own desires and meanings into the Bhagavatam then it becomes impure. So Prabhupada speaks to the transparent via media. So one who is following Lord Caitanya should be practicing pure bhakti. And therefore that should be the main point of his speaking [Laughs] and to introduce anything else then becomes impurity. So we have to be careful of that.
4.) Maharaj, so though the people approach Bhagavatam for material desires. Won’t the reading of Bhagavatam itself purifies the reader and take them to pure devotional service? For example Dhruva Maharaj approached Lord for material desires but he has become a pure devotee. So similarly won’t it make a devotee, won’t it make a person get purified and take to pure devotional service?
So as said in the second canto you can, you should worship the lord whether you have all desires or no desires. And if you worship the lord and nobody else with all desires still that’s better than not worshipping him at all [Laughs]. But the hope there is that eventually by association with people practicing pure bhakti he will get elevated. So people can start bhakti with different motivations but if they get the association of devotees practicing pure bhakti then they can progress to pure bhakti.
5.) We know Raganuga bhakti following the people who is in vraja but following who are in Gauralila also comes under Raganuga. For example Goswamis like Rupa Goswami and others. So does this come under Raganuga?
So the strict definition of Raganuga is to follow after the inhabitants of Vrindavan. Now Caitanya Mahaprabhu is non-different from Krishna. But at the same time he is channa avatar. So to some degree the rasas become a little bit hidden. We do have of course people worshipping Lord Caitanya but we advise you can worship lord Caitanya but not independent of the worship of Krishna. So we never separate the two worships.
6.) Hare Krishna Maharaj. We have Bhagavatam and Bhagavad gita given by Prabhupada. And we also got commentaries by Vishwantha Chakravarti Thakura, Baladeva Vidyabhusana and Jiva Gosvami’s sandarbhas. What is the uniqueness we find when we look at the commentaries of these Acharyas?
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj : Well the unique feature is their following their following after Caitanya Mahaprabhu. So therefore ultimately they are taking Radhakrishna as the highest goal. So we have commentaries in Bhagavatam from other Sampradayas. So they may not have the [Not clear] conclusions.
Devotee : Like Maharaj I am asking when we look at the commentaries of these Acharyas like individually like Prabhupada and Vishwanath Chakravarth Thakura like just what are the uniqueness we find?
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj : Uniqueness of each one ?
Devotee : Well every Acharya is an individual. So of course they are accepting the conclusions of Caitanya Mahaprabhu but they can express it in different ways according to their individual nature. And thus we have two commentaries in Bhagavad Gita one by Baladeva and one by Vishwanath written almost the same time but they are completely different. Conclusion is the same but commentary is very different.
7.) Maharaj Guru has to make his disciples disciplined so what are the aspects that Guru has to look into his disciple to make him disciplined?
So discipline is a rather broad term. There is discipline in Jnana Yoga and Ashtanga Yoga and Karma Yoga also. A lot of those disciplines are probably the same but the primary teaching of the followers of Lord Caitanya is the emphasis upon the practice of Bhakti Yoga and chanting the holy name. And all disciplines should be related to how effectively we can do that.
8.) Maharaj, we understand that there are two natures permanent nature and temporary nature after repeated hearing also about the both natures our mind still is not able to concentrate on the permanent nature constantly, sometimes we will think that this material world is temporary but it is not established in Krishna consciousness constantly. Still we are listening everyday but all those things we are doing regulations, rules but it is not, as irrevocable fact it is not establishing it. So how to make our mind completely absorbing Krishna consciousness Maharaj in spite of all circumstances?
So ulitmately the question is what is the method of controlling the mind and the senses? So the Bhagavatam answer is Bhakti yoga and chant the holy name [Laughs]. If we engage our senses and mind in Krishna then we can get rid of our attraction to material world.
9.) Maharaj, after today’s class, I am just thinking that how, especially the Gaudiya Vaishnavas, how for us, I guess the safest scripture is Caitanya Charitamrita, where there is no distraction and all the teachings are so emphatically supported by different scriptures. Like scriptural references are also given there and I don’t see that there is any distraction in Chaitanya Caritamrita.
So true, unlike Bhagavatam or Bhagavad Gita or other works, we don’t have elaborate discussions of Karma Yoga or Jnana Yoga or Astanga Yoga etc. But then Prabhupada also says that is the post graduate study [Laughs]. Of course, within that also we have a discussion in the very philosophical discussions. We will have a discussion of Sambandha, Abhideya and Prayojana also. But nevertheless, we see Prabhupada emphasized first we go through Bhagavad Gita and Bhagavatam. So one reason of course is that instead of simply distributing Caitanya Caritamrita to everybody, we go through these works because to get directly to Lord Caitanya, first we have to accept Lord Caitanya. And so then the people will ask the question, okay we have the whole Caitanya Caritamrita [Not clear] but who is Lord Caitanya? So if we go through Bhagavatam then we understand who is Lord Caitanya because it’s mentioned here [Laughs].
10.) Maharaj, So we hear so emphatically again Caitanya Mahaprabhu and his followers talking about the process of pure devotional service. So Maharaj, is it the same for other Sampradayas also, other bona fide Sampradayas, do they also emphasize only on pure devotional service?
Well, definitely the idea of pure bhakti is there. But we will see in some Sampradayas, they do put a lot of emphasis upon varnashramic rules. And then within bhakti of course they put a lot of emphasis upon archana.
11.) Can we say that all the Vedic literatures establish the underlying consciousness as the ultimate reality, whereas modern science rejects this?
Well [Laughs], Supreme Lord. So ultimately we have a spiritual conscious entity behind the whole of everything, including the material world, science has not come to that conclusion so far. Some serious scientists do accept consciousness. But they can’t really define consciousness. And to accept that consciousness has a spiritual form is beyond their imagination.
12.) Can a sadhaka meditate on his Siddha body, aspiring for a particular position in the spiritual world? At what stage he can do that?
So that is according to qualification. And who decides the qualification? Generally guru. That qualification is obtained through the guru.
13.) Hare Krishna Maharaj, when a person is doing bhakti when will that bhakti mature? Will that bhakti mature because of the effort made by the devotee? Or will that bhakti mature when Lord interferes and takes some action? How can we understand this?
Well, we know that the beginning of bhakti is because of mercy of guru and Krishna [Laughs]. We cannot separate the process of bhakti from mercy. Bhakti itself is the internal energy of Krishna. Mercy is also the internal energy of Krishna [Laughs]. So, yes, we should put our endeavor into it. But it is not only our endeavor, it is always mercy.
14.) In Kali Yuga, the subject matter of Bhagavad Gita and Bhagavatam being transcendental can be understood only by intellectuals and above. How normal people can understand this subject?
Ultimately, the principles presented in Bhagavatam and Bhagavad Gita are very simple. So, what is the main principle presented in Bhagavad Gita? Surrender to Krishna, give up all other dharmas. So, even a simple person can understand that. So, if he understands, accepts and follows, that’s fine.
15.) The author of all Puranas is Vyasadeva. But what could be the intention of Vyasadeva for mentioning Lord Krishna as Supreme Lord in Bhagavatam and only as avatar in other Puranas?
So, the purpose of Bhagavatam is to stop the confusion about worshipping other forms of the Lord or different Devatas. So, therefore, Krishna is glorified as the highest form.
16.) Which relationship with Krishna is most highest? Vatsalya, Madhurya, Sakhya or Dasya? And what do you suggest for the young devotees?
So, in one sense, there is no higher or lower. Whatever one achieves is the highest. Now, according to our philosophy, ultimately we say Madhurya rasa is the highest. If one is attracted to that, one can aspire for that. If one is attracted to other rasas, fine, one can aspire for that also.
Devotees: Grantharaj Srimad Bhagavatam ki jai!!! HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj ki jai!!! Srila Prabhupada ki jai!!! Nitai Gaura Premanande Hari Haribol!!!