Śrīmad Bhāgavatam. Seventh Canto - Part Three

by A.C. Bhaktivedanta

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, an epic philosophical and literary classic, holds a prominent position in India's voluminous written wisdom. The timeless wisdom of India is expressed in the Vedas, ancient Sanskrit texts that touches upon all fields of human knowledge. Originally preserved through oral tradition, the Vedas were first put into writing by Śrīla Vyāsadeva, the literary incarnation of God. After compiling the Vedas, Śrīla Vyāsadeva was inspired by his spiritual master to present their profound essence in the form of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Known as the ripened fruit of the tree of Vedic literature, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the most complete and authoritative exposition of Vedic knowledge. After writing the Bhāgavatam, Vyāsa taught it to his son, Śukadeva Gosvāmī, who later spoke the Bhāgavatam to Mahārāja Parīkṣit in an assembly of sages on the bank of the sacred Ganges River. Although Mahārāja Parīkṣit was a great rājarṣhi (saintly king) and the emperor of the world, when he received notice of his death seven days in advance, he renounced his entire kingdom and retired to the bank of the Ganges to seek spiritual enlightenment. The questions of King Parīksit and Śukadeva Gosvāmīs illuminating answers, concerning everything from the nature of the self to the origin of the universe, are the basis of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. The first verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam makes clear that because the book is intended for people serious about spiritual progress, it will not deal with sectarian religious ideas, philosophical conjecture, or worldly concerns. The second text promises that anyone who reads the book systematically will achieve the spiritual success meant for all human beings. This edition of Bhāgavatam is the only complete English translation with an elaborate and scholarly commentary, and it is the first edition widely available to the English-reading public. This work is the product of the scholarly and devotional effort of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, the worlds most distinguished teacher of Indian religious and philosophical thought. His Sanskrit scholarship and intimate familiarity with Vedic culture combine to reveal to the West a magnificent exposition of this important classic. With its comprehensive system of providing the original Sanskrit text, Roman transliteration, precise word-for-word equivalents, a lucid English translation and a comprehensive commentary, it will appeal to scholars, students and laymen alike. The entire multivolume text, presented by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, promises to occupy a significant place in the intellectual, cultural and spiritual life of modern man for a long time to come.

Contains 310 verses with the original sanskrit text, its roman transliteration, synonyms, translation and elaborate purports.

Librarian's note: an alternate cover edition
ISBN: 0-912776-89-7

388 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1976

About the author

His Divine Grace Abhay Charanaravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (अभय चरणारविन्द भक्तिवेदान्त स्वामी प्रभुपाद)was born as Abhay Charan De on 1 September 1896 in Calcutta, India.

He first met his spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami, in Calcutta in 1922. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, a prominent devotional scholar and the founder of sixty-four branches of Gaudiya Mathas (Vedic institutes), liked this educated young man and convinced him to dedicate his life to teaching Vedic knowledge in the Western world. Srila Prabhupada became his student, and eleven years later (1933) at Allahabad, he became his formally initiated disciple.

At their first meeting, in 1922, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura requested Srila Prabhupada to broadcast Vedic knowledge through the English language. In the years that followed, Srila Prabhupada wrote a commentary on the Bhagavad-gita and in 1944, without assistance, started an English fortnightly magazine.

In the last ten years of his life, in spite of his advanced age, Srila Prabhupada circled the globe twelve times on lecture tours that have took him to six continents. In spite of such a vigorous schedule, Srila Prabhupada continued to write prolifically. His writings constitute a veritable library of Vedic philosophy, religion, literature and culture.