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Srimad-Bhagavatam: Bhagavata Purana (18 Vol. Set)

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I know what your thinking "$400! How can any book be worth that?" I felt that same way soon after I forked out the money. My doubts were soon dispelled after two heavy boxes arrived at my door. Mind you, the Srimad Bhagavatam is the size of an encyclopedia! Each volume was replete with colorful illustrations bringing to life the past wisdom of the ancient culture of India. I was completely awestruck. Had I only viewed the books prior to buying them, even without reading them, I would have been sold, despite the price.

Yet, the presentation was not even the half of it. The pages were filled with the words of Srila Prabhupada. The greatest religious scholar and practicioner to live in the modern age. Unlike your usual rhetoric filled, hard to translate, philosophical writing, Srila Prabhupada's commentary eucidly brought the ancient text to life. His words brought the deepest subject matters ever contemplated by man to be tangible realities that could easily be understood even by simplest of minds. If that is not a tribute to his glory, what is?

I have never been the same since reading it. It deeply inspired me to dedicate my life to understanding the absolute truth and to live a life in pursuit of it. One customer claimed "it is the greatest book ever written", unfortunately, even that is an understatement. Buy this book, you will not regret it.

Well, $400 is a lot to pay for a set of books, but this will be the best $400 you ever spent, in my humble opinion. Srimad Bhagavatam is absolutely mind blowing, challenging every materialistic paradigm with devastating logic and searing spiritual truths. Described in its own text as the "literary incarnation of God", it aims to bring the reader to pure spiritual consciousness -- and that's in just the first nine volumes. The tenth and largest volume in the set deals with the sublime and inconceivably beautiful pastimes of Krishna, proclaimed by this and all other Vedic texts as the Supreme Lord.

It is a challenging read, not for those who still think that we can make this world into some kind of paradise, maybe adjust things so that suffering will disappear. Those who believe that life is meant for satisifying the senses and the mind will also soon put it down. The Bhagavatam dismisses such notions as utter foolishness. It asserts that the living being is an eternal part of the Supreme Spirit, meant to enjoy unlimited spiritual bliss, but only when he or she gives up the endeavour for material happiness. And it states in no uncertain terms that we do not belong in this world, a world where birth, death, disease, old age, anxiety, pestilence, war and a host of other miseries are ultimately unavoidable. But misery, says the Bhagavatam, can and will be avoided just as soon as we apply in our lives the spiritual science it advocates. That science is the pursuit of transcendence, of a world where misery is entirely unknown, where we experience an ineffable happiness beyond anything ever achievable within the material sphere.

The author Prabhupada illuminates the meaning of every text with brilliant purports. True, they are not always easy to fathom, but the Bhagavatam tells us that the very endeavour to understand its message is itself purifying to the intelligence, and thus the meaning gradually reveals itself, like the sun penetrating an early morning fog.

After almost twenty-five years of studying Prabhupada's Bhagavatam, I think I am about ready to admit that I am in that fog. Now I think it is time to do something about it, and this book, at least for me, is definitely the answer. I will leave you with two of the invocatory prayers.

"Completely rejecting all religious activities which are materially motivated, this Bhagavatam propounds the highest truth, which is understandable by those who are fully pure in heart. The highest truth is reality distinguished from illusion for the welfare of all. Such truth uproots the threefold miseries. This beautiful Bhagavatam, compiled by the great sage Vyasadeva, is sufficient in itself for God realization. What is the need of any other scripture? As soon as one attentively and submissively hears the message of Bhagavatam, by this culture of knowledge the Supreme Lord is established within his heart." (SB 1.1.1)

"This Bhagavatam is as brilliant as the sun, and it has arisen just after the departure of Lord Krishna to His own abode, accompanied by religion, knowledge, etc. Persons who have lost their vision due to the dense darkness of ignorance in the age of Kali shall get light from this Purana." (SB 1.3.43)

Om Tat Sat
Vaishnava dasanudas
Krishna Dharma

By far this book is the best piece of literature that I have ever read. The concepts presented here have completely altered the way I see the world around me and has helped me to distinguish reality from illusion. Just the sound of the sanskrit when chanted has a very deeply satisfying and soothing effect on the mind. There is nothing like it. Here is an excerpt from the Srimad Bhagavatama itself:

This Bhagavata Purana is as brilliant as the sun, and it has arisen just after the departure of Lord Krsna to His own abode, accompanied by religion, knowledge, etc. Persons who have lost their vision due to the dense darkness of ignorance in the age of Kali shall get light from this Purana.

PURPORT by His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Lord Sri Krsna has His eternal dhama, or abode, where He eternally enjoys Himself with His eternal associates and paraphernalia. And His eternal abode is a manifestation of His internal energy, whereas the material world is a manifestation of His external energy. When He descends on the material world, He displays Himself with all paraphernalia in His internal potency, which is called atma-maya. In the Bhagavad-gita the Lord says that He descends by His own potency (atma-maya). His form, name, fame, paraphernalia, abode, etc., are not, therefore, creations of matter. He descends to reclaim the fallen souls and to reestablish codes of religion which are directly enacted by Him. Except for God, no one can establish the principles of religion. Either He or a suitable person empowered by Him can dictate the codes of religion. Real religion means to know God, our relation with Him and our duties in relation with Him and to know ultimately our destination after leaving this material body. The conditioned souls, who are entrapped by the material energy, hardly know all these principles of life. Most of them are like animals engaged in eating, sleeping, fearing and mating. They are mostly engaged in sense enjoyment under the pretension of religiosity, knowledge or salvation. They are still more blind in the present age of quarrel, or Kali-yuga. In the Kali-yuga the population is just a royal edition of the animals. They have nothing to do with spiritual knowledge or godly religious life. They are so blind that they cannot see anything beyond the jurisdiction of the subtle mind, intelligence or ego, but they are very much proud of their advancement in knowledge, science and material prosperity. They can risk their lives to become a dog or hog just after leaving the present body, for they have completely lost sight of the ultimate aim of life.

The Personality of Godhead Sri Krsna appeared before us just a little prior to the beginning of Kali-yuga, and He returned to His eternal home practically at the commencement of Kali-yuga. While He was present, He exhibited everything by His different activities. He spoke the Bhagavad-gita specifically and eradicated all pretentious principles of religiosity. And prior to His departure from this material world, He empowered Sri Vyasadeva through Narada to compile the messages of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, and thus both the Bhagavad-gita and the Srimad-Bhagavatam are like torchbearers for the blind people of this age. In other words, if men in this age of Kali want to see the real light of life, they must take to these two books only, and their aim of life will be fulfilled. Bhagavad-gita is the preliminary study of the Bhagavatam. And Srimad-Bhagavatam is the summum bonum of life, Lord Sri Krsna personified. We must therefore accept Srimad-Bhagavatam as the direct representation of Lord Krsna. One who can see Srimad-Bhagavatam can see also Lord Sri Krsna in person. They are identical.

Srimad-Bhagavatam is a MUST read for any persons interested in the spiritual life. Human beings are forever running about in anxiety about material things. Human beings, knowing the impermanance of the physical world, realize that someday they will die. But human beings do not want to die. This is natural because human beings, the spirit-soul not the physical body, is eternal. Being an eternal entity, human beings feel fear and anxiety while trapped in the physical body. Human beings forget that they are eternal and will not die. Srimad-Bhagavatam is the roadmap back home; back to God! Read Srimad-Bhagavatam and put an end to your fear and anxiety!

I have spent the last 20 years reading all 12 cantos of this monumental work by Swami Prabhupada. It should be read by all, piece by peice, canto by canto. These 18,000 Sanskrit verses rendered into English is a revolution in the world of literature. Everything else pales by commparison. Highly recommended.

Called the desire tree of Vedic literature, the Srimad Bhagavatam has it all: adventure, poingnant romance, exalted heros facing wrenching struggles. It is a classic for all time. Once started it pulls the reader through its majestic tales, woven through the fabric of space and time. It is both historical and prophetic. The most inspirational literature I have ever encountered!

For the Seeker who is looking for answers that convention and tradition do not provide, this set of books provides insight into ancient thoughts and concepts that are used over and over again throughout the religions, philosophies and sciences of renaissance Europe and the middle East.

The search of mankind to find the meaning of life and existence has continued since the dawn of time. This search has been documented in many forms. Unfortunately the answers are not a group thing.

As a seeker your cup is not quite full, nor is you hunger abated at this point in your life. You are full of definitions that have no real meaning for you. You are full of philosophies that have no relevance for you. You are full of answers that do not answer your real questions in a meaningful and definitive manner. You are the perfect image of the hungry ghosts , with bloated belly full of things that do not satisfy your hunger, constantly consuming but always hungry and unfulfilled. You probably have asked why are the answers so illusive, while the questions appear so simple. You may have found that the extent of mans knowledge in all fields of endeavor reaches an event horizon that is so close and then collapses into itself prior to yielding the eloquent truths that you are seeking. Buddha wakes up, Christ reveals, Khrisna enlightens. Knock, knock Neo the matrix is calling. You may have found that, at a certain point, the concept of Science, a supposed exactitude, dissolves into a metaphysical abstraction, which dissolves into a philosophy and my dissolve into a religious belief system or tradition which may dissolve into a psychology. You may have discovered that the word Religion is as definable as love, bloated of definition and infinite implied meanings to which you cannot relate. You may have discovered that most science at the outer limits of the known and knowable, relies on belief systems and postulates that are not different from traditional religious systems.

The Srimad Bhagavatam is an ancient book of great merit that is required reading if want to understand the precepts of modern religious traditions and where the concepts of today were derived. Nothing is new, only new to those who have just discovered.

The Vedas were written in Sanskrit 5,000 years ago and subsequently lost to future generations. Fortunately for us, Lord Caitanya rediscovered them just 500 years ago. That's right. While Christopher Columbus, in his search for an alternate route to India, was "discovering" America, Lord Caitanya, God incarnated as a pure devotee, was actually in India revealing the planet's most sacred text.

Have you heard of Ayurvedic medicine or perhaps the Kama Sutra? These are both part of the Vedas, but they deal with material life. The Srimad-Bhagavatam is known as the cream of the Vedas. It explains the meaning and process of spiritual advancement. To get an accurate appreciation of this text you must find the ONLY version that is translated without adulteration. His Divine Grace, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, is a pure devotee of Lord Krishna in the direct disciplic succession from Krishna's very own disciple Arjuna. He accurately translated the Srimad-Bhagavatam into English for the spiritual advancement of the western culture.

Srila Prabhupada followed the Vaishnava (someone who studies and lives by the Vedic principles) philosophy that any translation must be made without personal interpretation. His version is the Srimad-Bhagavatam as it was written 5,000 years ago. His commentaries are based upon the commentaries of previous spiritual masters who are also in the disciplic succession. There is no personal interpretation here. I cannot stress this enough.

I was first given an all-in-one version of this 18-volume set over 20 years ago. It is not condensed, just small print on thin paper without pictures. (It's also out of print.) I was 18 then and I started by reading just one page per day. Ultimately I stopped reading. I purchased the 18-Volume set about ten years ago and now I am just a few chapters from completion. I wish that I could describe to you how much peace this reading has brought me. I am a much better person now than I ever could have been without reading the Srimad-Bhagavatam. My family life, love life, professional life have all been positively affected. My spiritual journey has been refined.

If you are serious about reading the Srimad Bhagavatam, I recommend reading Prabhupada's translation of the Bhagavad-Gita first. Bhagavad-Gita As It Is

Prabhupada's translation of the Srimad-Bhagavatam Srimad-Bhagavatam: Bhagavata Purana (18 Vol. Set) can be purchased through Amazon for $[...] or through the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust at Krishna.com for $[...] + shipping. If you'd like more info about the Bhagavatam before purchasing it, I recommend a visit to [...], which is a very informative website.

Srimad-Bhagavatm: $[...]
The knowledge you will gain and spiritual advancement you will make after reading it: Priceless

Srila Prabhupada's translation is very concise and richly in the highest traditions of Bhakti Yoga.It is the culmination of Vaisnava philosophy of India,at it's peak.

This collection of books is way too expensive, instead get the Library of Vedic Culture CD-ROM where you can get the presentation of all the books by Srila Prabhupada plus devotional paintings and bhajans. And the real good news: all of this is under 13 dollars.