Commentaries
The Bhagavata Purana is one of the most commented texts in Indian literature. There is a saying in Sanskrit - vidyā bhāgavatāvadhi - Bhāgavatam is the limit of one's learning. Hence through out the centuries it attracted a host of commentators from all schools of Krishna worshippers. Over eighty medieval era Bhāṣya (scholarly reviews and commentaries) in Sanskrit alone are known, and many more commentaries exist in various Indian languages.[164] The oldest exegetical commentary presently known is Tantra-Bhagavata from the Pancaratra school. Other commentaries include:
Dvaita commentaries
- Bhāgavata Tātparya Nirṇaya by Madhvacharya (13th century CE)
- Pada-ratnavali by Vijayadhvaja Tīrtha (15th century CE) - elaborate commentary
- Bhagvata Tatparya Nirnaya Tippani by Yadupati Acharya (16th century)
- Duraghatabhavadipa by Satyabhinava Tirtha (17th century CE)
- Bhaghavata-Sarodhara by Adavi Jayatirthacharya (18th century CE)
- Srimadbhagavata Tippani by Satyadharma Tirtha (18th century CE)
Acintya-bhedābheda Commentaries
- Caitanya-mata-mañjuṣā - Śrīnātha Cakravartī
- Bṛhad-vaiṣṇava-toṣiṇī - Sanātana Gosvāmī
- Laghu-Vaiṣṇava-toṣiṇī - Jīva Gosvāmī
- Krama-sandarbha - Jīva Gosvāmī
- Bṛhat-krama-sandarbha - Jīva Gosvāmī
- Ṣaṭ-sandarbhas by Jīva Gosvāmī (16th century CE)[165]
- Vaiṣṇavānandinī - Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
- Sārārtha Darśinī - Vishvanatha Chakravarti (17th century CE) - elaborate commentary
- Dīpika-dīpanī - Rādharamaṇa Gosvāmī
- Gauḍīya-bhāṣya - Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati (20th century CE) - elaborate commentary
- Bhaktivedānta Purports - A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (20th century CE) - elaborate commentary
Viśiṣṭādvaita Commentaries
- Śuka pakṣīyā - Sudarśana sūri
- Bhāgavat chandrikā - Vīrarāghava (14th century CE) - elaborate commentary
- Bhakta rañjanī - Bhagavat prasāda
Suddhādvaita Commentaries
- Subodhini by Vallabha
- Ṭippaṇī - Gosvāmī Viṭṭhalanātha
- Subodhinī prakāsha - Gosvāmī Puruṣhottama
- Bāla prabodhinī - Gosvāmī Giridharlāl
- Viśuddha rasadīpikā - Kishorī prasāda
Dvaitādvaita Commentaries
- Siddhānta pradīpikā - Śuka-sudhī
- Bhāvārtha dīpikā prakāsha - Vamshīdhara
- Anitārtha prakāśikā - Gaṅgāsahāya
Others
- Bhāvārtha-dīpikā by Sridhara Swami (15th century CE)[166]
- Amrtatarangini by Laksmidhara (15th century CE)[167]
- Hanumad-Bhasya
- Vasana-bhasya
- Sambandhoki
- Vidvat-kamadhenu
- Paramahamsa-priya
- Suka-hridaya
- Mukta-phala and Hari-lilamrita by Vopadeva
- Bhakti-ratnavali by Visnupuri
- Ekanathi Bhagavata by Saint Eknath of Paithan (16th century CE, on the 11th Canto in the vernacular language of the Indian state of Maharashtra)
- Narayaneeyam by Melpathur Bhattathiri of Kerala (1586, a condensed Srimad Bhagavatam)
- Bhagavata-Purana by S.S. Shulba (2017, original Sanskrit);[168] other Sanskrit manuscripts are available
- A study of the Bhagavata Purana or Esoteric Hinduism by P.N. Sinha (1901)[169]
Devotional
The table below does not include devotee avatars of Vishnu such as Narada, Kipila, or Prthu. Devotees featured or appearing repeatedly throughout the scripture are marked with "--" in the Canto column.
| Name | Description | Canto |
|---|---|---|
| Prahlada | Son of the demon-king Hiranyakashipu | 7 |
| Unnamed Saint | Encountered by Prahlada lying on the ground and covered in dirt; explained the nature of a perfect person | 7 |
| Vidura | Sudra incarnation of Yama; Aryamā officiated the post of Yamarāja in his absence (SB 1.13.15) | 3 |
| Uddhava | Friend and counsellor of Krishna | 3 ,10, 11 |
| Parikshit | King, succeeded his granduncle Yudhishthira; much of the Srimad Bhagavatam consists of narrations to him by Suka Gosvami | 1, 2, -- |
| Suka Gosvami | Sage, son of Vyasadeva, main narrator | -- |
| Maitreya | Sage | 3 |
| Vrtrasura | Demon King (also a villain) who defeated the demigods led by Indra | 6 |
| Dhruva | Boy sage, son of Uttanapada, grandson of Svayambhuva Manu | 4 |
| Pracetas / Varuna | Meditated in the ocean to achieve liberation; instructed by Narada | 4 |
| Bharata | King that lost liberation due to affection for a deer; reincarnated as a deer and later a human saved by the Goddess Kali from being sacrificed | 5 |
| Priyavrata | King that was attached to his kingdom, but became detached and achieved liberation; his chariot wheels created the seven oceans and islands | 5 |
| Ajamila | Brahmin that lost liberation due to sex-attraction; liberated due to calling his son's name - Narayana (one of Vishnu's names) - upon death | 6 |
| Citraketu | King whose only son was murdered; in his sorrow, learned from Narada the illusion of familial relationships; later cursed by Parvati | 6 |
| Gajendra | Elephant rescued from Makara, the crocodile, by Vishnu riding his mount, Garuda | 8 |
| Yayati | King cursed to suffer old age; passed the curse to his son but learned the futility of sense-pleasure, took back the curse, and achieved liberation | 9 |
| Akrura | Sent by Kamsa in a plot to trick and kill Krishna, but informed him of it | 10 |
| Vasudeva Anakadundubhi and Devaki | Parents of Krishna and Balarama; imprisoned and had their other children murdered by Kamsa | 10 |
| Sandipani Muni | Guru of Krishna and Balarama; Krishna later brought his dead son back from Yama's abode | 10 |
| Nanda and Yashoda | Foster parents of Krishna and Balarama; Nanda was head of the Gopas, a tribe of cowherds | 10 |
| Mucukunda | King granted a boon by Indra to sleep after battling demons; anyone who interrupts his sleep will be burned to ashes | 10 |
| Jambavan | Bear that battled Krishna over the Syamantaka Jewel; surrendered and was blessed by Krishna who married his daughter, Jambavati | 10 |
| Nrga | King turned into a lizard; rescued by Krishna from a well; he had accidentally given away a cow to a Brahmin that was not his | 10 |
| Sudama | Impoverished sage and childhood friend of Krishna; so poor, he could only offer flat rice as a gift to Krishna at Dvaraka | 10 |
| Durvasa | Sage that deliberately insulted Brahma, offended Shiva, and kicked Vishnu to determine which of them was the greatest | 10 |
| Nimi | King instructed by the '9 Yogendras' about Bhakti for Krishna (narrated by Narada to Vasudeva Anakadundubhi, father of Krishna) | 11 |
"Every human being born in this world is immediately indebted to the demigods, the great sages, ordinary living entities, the family, society, and so on. But a person who surrenders unto the lotus feet of the Lord and engages fully in His service is no longer indebted to anyone. In other words, he has no obligations to fulfill except executing devotional service."
bhagavatar
The table below is primarily based on the avatars listed in Canto 1, Chapter 3 (SB 1.3)[48] and Canto 2, Chapter 7 (SB 2.7)[49] of the Srimad Bhagavatam (SB)[note 2]. The number given in parenthesis "()" after a name indicates the order of incarnation as stated in Canto 1. Note that:
- Avatars not listed in the above chapters - such as Hamsa, Hayagriva, and Ajita - are listed based on their primary (or only) appearance in the given cantos.
- Avatars featured or appearing repeatedly throughout the scripture are marked with "--" in the Canto column (except Krishna).
- Avatars only briefly mentioned (e.g. in the lists above) are marked with a blank space in the Canto column.
- Various appearances of Vishnu and Krishna (e.g. during sacrifices and visions) are not listed.
- Duplicates or expansions of the Krishna avatar are not listed (e.g. the 16,100 duplicates to marry 16,100 rescued princesses; and the duplicates of the cowherd boys and calves hidden by Brahma in Canto 10).
| Avatar (Incarnation Number) | Description | Function | Canto |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kumaras (1) | Sanaka, Sanatkumara, Sanandana, and Sanatana | Revive spiritual truth | 1, 3, 4 |
| Varaha (2) | Boar | Lift the Earth out of the cosmic ocean (Garbhodaka) | 3 |
| Narada (3) | Sage | Expound Vedic Knowledge | -- |
| Nara-Narayana (4) | Twins | Demonstrate austerity and penance (Prāyaścitta) | 4 |
| Kapila (5) | Sage | Expound Sankhya Philosophy | 3 |
| Dattatreya (6) | Trimurti Guru | Expound renunciation (Sannyasa) | 4 |
| Yajna (7) | Personification of sacrifice | Expound sacrifice (Yajna) | |
| Rsabha (8) | First Tirthankara of Jainism | Expound Japa Yoga (materialistic yoga) | 5 |
| Prthu (9) | First consecrated king | Rule over the Earth in abundance | 4 |
| Matsya (10) | Fish | Shelter from the vast water at the end of the millennium | 8 |
| Kurma (11) | Tortoise | Pivot for Mandara Mountain used as a churning rod | 8 |
| Dhanvantari (12) | God of Ayurvedic medicine | Inaugurate medical science | 8, 9 |
| Mohini (13) | Female; represents seductive illusion | Delude demons - and later Shiva - through seduction (maya) | 8 |
| Nrsimha (14) | Half lion, half man | Kill Hiranyakasipu | 7 |
| Vamana (15) | Dwarf | Take away all the lands of Bali in three steps | 8 |
| Parashurama / Bhrgupati (16) | Warrior | Uproot unwanted rulers (21 times) | 9 |
| Vyasadeva (17) | Compiler of Vedic scriptures | Divide Vedic knowledge to make it easier to understand | -- |
| Rama / Ramachandra (18) | Incarnation in previous Treta Yuga | Destroy Ravana | 9 |
| Balarama (19) | Krishna's brother | Diminish the burden of the Earth from asuras | 10 |
| Krishna (20) | Transcendental source of all | Diminish the burden of the Earth from asuras | 1, 10, 11 |
| Buddha (21) | Founder of Buddhism | Expound impersonal philosophy to atheists | |
| Kalki (22) | Supreme Chastister | Appear at the end of Kali Yuga to destroy evil | 12 |
| Hayagriva | Half-horse, half-man; personification of Vedas and Sacrifices | Revive Vedic knowledge and sacrifice (Yajna) | 2, 5 |
| Hamsa | Swan | Revive Vedic knowledge | 11 |
| Aniruddha | Grandson of Krishna, son of Pradyumna | Diminish the burden of the Earth from asuras | 10 |
| Pradyumna | Son of Krishna; avatar of Kamadeva (an avatar of Vishnu) | Diminish the burden of the Earth from asuras | 10 |
| Samba | Son of Krishna | Diminish the burden of the Earth from asuras | 10 |
| Suyajna (Hari) | Son of Prajapati | Diminish misery; beget Demigods (e.g. Indra) with Daksina | 7 |
| Manu | Descendant of the ruling Manu dynasty | Rule over the miscreant kingly order (Kshatriyas) | 3 |
| Ananta / Sankarsana / Shesha / Tamasi | Transcendental serpent worshipped by Shiva | Support and destroy the universe | 5 |
| Ajita | Appeared to churn the ocean of milk | Churn the ocean of milk | 8 |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)