Adhyatma (अध्यात्म): July 2014

Baal Krishna, Baby Krishna

Bhagwat Mahapurana is written by Maharishi Ved Vyas. Maharishi Ved Vyas is so revered that he is almost accepted as God. The following Shloka shows his place in Sanatan Hindu Dharma:--

अचतुर्वदनो ब्रह्मा द्विबाहुर्परो हरि : |

अभाल लोचनो शम्भुः भगवान बादरायणः ||

( God Badarayan i.e. Maharishi Ved Vyas is "the Brahma who is without four heads"; he is "the Vishnu who has only two hands" and he is "the Shiva without the third eye on the forehead")

Bhagwat Mahapurana is itself considered Lord Krishna. When Krishna ended his Leela on this earth after the arrow shot in his sole, He presented himself in the form of Bhagwat Mahapurana through Maharishi Vyas to guide us on the path of Dharma.

The first chapter of Bhagwat Mahapuran has described its importance (माहत्म्य). It says.

नित्यं भागवतम् यस्तु पुराणं पठते नरः ।

प्रत्यक्षरं भवेत्तस्य कपिलादानजं फलम् ॥

(The person who daily reads Bhagwat earns the Punya of donating Kapila cow with the pronunciation of each letter.)

श्लोकार्धं श्लोकपादं या नित्यं भागवतोद्भवम् ।

पठते शृणुयाद् यस्तु गोसहस्त्रफलं लभेत् ॥

(The person who daily reads or hears either half or quarter shloka of Bhagwat, gets the Punya of donating a thousand cows.)

The Bhagwat Mahapuran is a vast book with twelve Skandh. Gita Press has published it in two heavy volumes. The Sanskrit shlokas are quite difficult to pronounce in many places. If someone devotes himself to daily reading, it is so good. But it is not the case for everyone. So we must devise a way so that we can daily read Bhagwat in a short and simple way and earn the above-stated Punya. Krishna himself stated about the Bhagwat in four shlokas and these four shlokas are the zest and heart of Bhagwat, hence it is named Chatushloki Bhagwat (Four Shloka Bhagwat). In the first of the four Shloka, Krishna says about himself, in the second he describes his Maya, in the third, he says about this world and in the fourth and last shloka he says that only above three things are to be known by a person who is in search of knowledge (Tatwa),

So I advise the following daily ten minutes readings that are all from the Bhagwat. Shlokas in Sanskrit are in both Devanagari and Roman script with their meaning:---

Prayer (प्रार्थना)

वन्दे श्रीकृष्णदेवं मुरनरकभिदं वेदवेदांतवेद्यं

लोके भक्ति प्रसिद्धं यदुकुलजलधौ प्रादुरासीदपारे ।

यस्यासीद् रुपमेवं त्रिभुवनतरणै भक्तिवच्चं स्वतन्त्रम्

शास्त्रं रूपं च लोके प्रकटयति मुदा यः स नो भूतिहेतुः ॥

Vande srikrishnadewam mur narakbhidam ved vedanta vedyam

loke bhakti prasiddham yadukul jaladhow pradurasidapare

yasyasid rupamewam tribhuwan taraney bhaktiwachcham swatantram

shashtram rupam ch loke prakatayati muda yah sa no bhutihetuh.

(Meaning: I hail God Sri_Krishna who killed the demons named Mur and Narak, Krishna whose 'Tatwa' can be only known through 'Ved and Vedanta', who can only be found through devotion, who emerged from the vast ocean of 'Yadavas'. Krishna whose image is like the boat of devotion that can only sail through all the three 'Loka', who has made himself available in this world in the form of 'Shashtra', May that God do all the good to us)

नमः कृष्ण पदाब्जाय भक्ताभीष्टप्रदायिने ।

आरक्तं रोचयेच्छश्वन्मामके हृदयाम्बुजे ॥

namah krishna padabjay bhaktabhishta pradayine

aaraktam rochayechchhashwan mamke hrudayambuje.

(Meaning: I say 'Namaskar' to those somewhat light red colored pair of feet of Krishna that fulfills the wishes of devotees and always remain there in my heart.)

श्रीभागवतरूपम् च पूजयेत् भक्तिपूर्वकम् ।

अर्चकाया अखिलानकामान् प्रयच्छति नो शंशयः ॥

Sribhagwat rupam ch pujayet bhaktipurwakam

archakaya akhilankaman prayachchhati no shanshayah.

(Meaning: We should worship 'Bhagwat Mahapuran' which is Himself Krishna's form, with full devotion; this fulfills all the wishes of devotees, no doubt in it.)

Dhyan (ध्यान )

किरीटकेयूरमहार्हनिष्कैर्मण्युत्तमालंकृत्तसर्वगात्रम् ।

पीताम्बरं काञ्चनचित्रनद्ध मालाधरं केशवमभ्युपैमि॥

kirit keyuram harhaniskaih manyutt malankrut sarvagatram

pitambaram kanchanchitranaddha maladharam keshawam abhyupaimi.

(Meaning: I imagine God Krishna as having a crown on the head, ornaments on his arms, a precious chain on the chest, ornaments made of 'Mani' on all parts of the body, lovely yellow clothes on the body, and garland of flowers peculiarly threaded by golden wire.)

(two first shloka of first chapter)
कृष्णं नारायणं वन्दे कृष्णं वन्दे व्रजप्रियं ।
कृष्णं द्वैपायनं वन्दे कृष्णं वन्दे पृथासुतं ॥

Krishnam narayanam vande Krishnam vande vrajpriyam
Krishnam dwaipayanam vande Krishnam vande pruthasutam.

(Meaning: I praise Krishna who is God Narayana, Krishna who likes 'Vraja", Krishna that is Maharshi Ved Vyas, and Krishna that is 'Arjuna')

सच्चिदानन्दरुपाय विश्वोत्पत्यादि हेतवे
तापत्रय: विनाशाय श्रीकृष्णाय वयं नुमः ॥

Sat-Chitanand Rupay Vishwotpatyadi Hetawe
Tap Trayah Vinashay SriKrishnay Wayam Numah.

(Meaning: We pray to that Sri Krishna who is himself 'sat-chit-ananda, the reason behind the origin of this world and who destroys all three types of suffering.)

Chatushloki Bhagwat (चतुःश्लोकी भागवत )

श्री भगवान उवाच :--

अहमेवासमेवाग्रे नान्यद् यत् सदसत् परं । पश्चादहं यदेतच्च यो अवशिष्येत सो अस्मि अहम् । १ ।

ऋते अर्थम् यत् प्रतीयेत न प्रतीयेत चात्मनि । तद्विद्याद्यात्मनो मायां यथा आभासो यथा तमः | २ ।

यथा महान्ति भूतानि भूतेषूच्चावचेष्वनु । प्रविष्टान्यप्रविष्टानि तथा तेषु न तेष्वहम् ।३ ।

एतावदेव जिज्ञास्यं तत्वजिज्ञासुना आत्मनः । अन्वयव्यतिरेकाभ्याम् यत् स्यात् सर्वत्र सर्वदा । ४ ।

ahmewasmewagre nanyad yat sadsat param| paschadaham yadetachch yo awshishyet so asmihum |1|

ruteartham yat pratiyet na pratiyet chatmani | tadvidyadatmano mayam yatha aabhaso yatha tamah|2|

yatha mahanti bhutani bhuteshuchchawacheshwanu| prawitanya apriwishtani tatha teshu na teshwaham|3|

etawadewa jigyasyam tatwajigyasunaatmanah | anwaya vyatirekabhyam yat syat sarwatra sarwada|4|

(Meaning: God says "I was even before this world originated, I am at present, and even after this world ends only I will remain there. I am timeless non-other |1| What seems there to be real but in fact, there is nothing eg. image in a mirror; and even though there seems to be nothing but it is really there eg, 'Rahu' in the sky, such illusions are my 'MAYA'.|2| Since everything is made up of myself so I am inside them but since they are something I am also not inside them ('Dwaita - Adwaita'.) |3| A person in search of truth must only know that through the way of proof by 'Anvyaya' method or through 'Vyatireka', I am there at all places and at all times.|4|)

(Last few shlokas of last chapter)

भवे भवे यथा भक्तिः पादयोस्तव जायते ।

तथा कुरुष्व देवेश नाथः त्वं नो यतः प्रभो ॥

bhawe bhawe yatha bhaktih padyostawa jayate

tatha kurushwa dewesh nathastwam no yatah prabho.

(Meaning: O God of gods! please do such that in each life I have the devotion in your feet and nothing else.)

नाम संकीर्तनं यस्य सर्व पाप प्रणाशनम् ।

प्रणामो दुःख शमनः तं नमामि हरिं परम् ॥

nam sankirtanam yasya sarwapap pranashnam

pranamo dukh shamanam tam namami harim param.

(Meaning: I say 'Namaskar' to that God "HARI' whose repeatedly pronunciation of name destroys all the sins and all the troubles go away at the very moment when someone says 'pranam' to him')

त्वदीयं वस्तु गोविन्दं तुभ्यमेव समर्पये ।
तेन त्वदंघ्रिकमले रतिं मे यच्छ शाश्वतिम् ॥

Twadiyam Vastu Govindam Tubhyamev Samarpaye
Ten Twadanghrikamale Tratin me Yachchh Shashwatim.

(Meaning: O God 'Govind', everything that I have is given to me by you and I submit everything to you. Please give me only one thing that I get affection in your lotus-like feet timelessly.)