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Brihad-bhagavatamrita is a sacred text for followers of the Hindu tradition of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. Along with Hari-bhakti-vilasa, it is one of the most important works of Vaishnava theologian Sanatana Goswami. While Hari-bhakti-vilasa sets out guidance for Vaishnava behavior and ritual, Brihad-bhagavatamrita contains an analysis of the teachings of Chaitanya from an ontological and metaphysical perspective.
Sri Brhad-bhagavatāmṛta is divided in two cantos: Pūrva-khaṇḍa, or first, and Uttar-khaṇḍa, or last. The name of the First Canto is Śrī Bhagavat-kṛpā-sāra-nirdhāraṇa khaṇḍa – Ascertaining the Essence of the Mercy of the Supreme Lord. The Second Canto is known as Śrī Golokamāhātmya- nirūpaṇa khaṇḍa – Ascertaining the Glories of Śrī Goloka. [1] [2]
In the first part of Brihad-bhagavatamrita Sanatana Goswami has described a conversation between Parikshit and his mother, Uttara. It took place after Parikshit heard the Bhagavata Purana from Śuka. Uttara asked her son to explain the essence of Bhagavata Purana, and Parikshit revealed to her the stages of confidential Bhakti. He told her a story about how Narada was looking for greatest devotee of Krishna. The Great Rishi began his search with devotees of Krishna whose Bhakti was mixed with karma and jnana (Brahma and Shiva), then went up to Shanta-rasa (Prahlada), Dasya-rasa (Hanuman), Sakhya-rasa (Arjuna), and finally came to the greatest devotee of Krishna - Uddhava, who always longed to be in Vrindavan, and showed that the highest level of Bhakti is the love of the gopis for Krishna.
The second part of Brihad-bhagavatamrita tells us about the glory and bliss of the spiritual abode Goloka, as well as of the process of renunciation of the material world, true knowledge, Bhakti Yoga, love for Krishna and implementation of the higher purpose of life. The second part contains the narrative of a wandering shepherd boy, who received a mantra from a resident of Vrindavan, travelling from one planetary system to another, exploring the different levels of consciousness of living beings. His spiritual odyssey covers Vaikuntha, Brahmaloka, Shivaloka and the heavenly planets.
Second Canto contains four chapters:
(1) Vairāgya – Renunciation (2) Jñāna – Knowledge (3) Bhajana – Devotional Service (4) Vaikuṇṭha – The Spiritual World Each of the two cantos of this scripture is a separate history. Our worshipful author has not merely written two histories. Rather, for facilitating the worship of the divine couple, Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, he has thoroughly analyzed Their Lordships’ fundamental reality and nature.
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the essence of all scriptures, such as the Vedas, Vedānta, Purāṇas, Itihāsas, and so on. By churning that essence, this book, aptly named Śrī Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta – the Essential Nectar of the Bhāgavatam – has become manifest. Throughout this book, all topics regarding devotional service to Bhagavān have been presented. The original discourse of the book between Śrī Jaimini and Janamejaya is based on a conversation between Śrī Parīkṣit and Uttarā. After Śrī Parīkṣit had heard Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from the lips of Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī, and before the snake-bird Takṣaka arrived, Parīkṣit's mother, Śrī Uttarā-devī, said to him, “O my dear son, please narrate to me, in simple, easy-to-understand language, the essence of what you have heard from Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī.” Śrī Bṛhadbhāgavatāmṛta begins with this inquiry.
In the Second Canto, the author examines all the manifestations and incarnations of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, beginning with Śrī Śālagrāma Bhagavān and ending with Śrī Nandanandana, the beloved son of Śrī Nanda Mahārāja. This volume begins with the history of Gopa-kumāra. Gopa-kumāra receives the gopāla-mantra from his gurudeva. Due to the influence of this gopāla-mantra, it becomes possible for him to travel to all abodes without restriction. First, he takes darśana of the manifestations of Bhagavān that appear in this earthly realm, or Bhū-maṇḍala, such as Śrī Śālagrāma Bhagavān; the Deity manifestation of the Lord who is ensconced in the palace of the king; and the ancient Deity of Śrī Jagannāthadeva. He sequentially describes their progressively greater glories. Then, by the influence of the chanting of his mantra, he reaches the planets of Svarga, Mahar, Janas, Tapas, and Satya, where one by one he has divine vision of the worshipable manifestations of the Lord who manifest in those abodes. Thus he also experiences Their transcendental excellences in succession. Yet Gopa-kumāra does not experience complete happiness in those places.
Thereafter, he takes darśana of the manifestations of Bhagavān that are present in the eight coverings of the universe and arrives in the abode of liberation. In mukti-loka, the realm of liberation, Gopakumāra sees the manifestation of the brilliance of the Supreme Person, but still, complete satisfaction eludes him. After this, in accordance with regulative principles, he performs saṅkīrtana of the holy name, the most prominent of the nine processes of bhakti. By the potency of nāma-saṅkīrtana, he travels first to Vaikuṇṭha, then to Ayodhyā, and then to Dvārakā-purī. However, because in those realms the mood of aiśvarya, or awe and reverence for the Lord, is prominent, he cannot freely associate with the worshipful manifestations of the Supreme Person there.
Finally, Gopa-kumāra returns to Vṛndāvana manifest on earth, where he executes rāgānugā bhakti, spontaneous devotional service that follows the moods of the eternal associates of Vraja. By the potency of his practice of rāgānugā bhakti, he attains Goloka-Vṛndāvana. There, he obtains his cherished goal – service to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the son of the king of Vraja.
One should not conclude from this history that there is any difference in the tattva, or fundamental truth, of the various manifestations of Bhagavān. All manifestations of the Lord are complete, from Śrī Śālagrāma Bhagavān to Śrī Nandanandana (Kṛṣṇa, the darling son of Nanda Mahārāja). From the perspective of tattva, They are one, yet from the perspective of rasa, or the sweetness of transcendental relationships, Śrī Nandanandana is the most excellent. [1] [2]
Brihad-bhagavatamrita contains descriptions of the various categories of devotees of Krishna: close devotees, and devotees of the closest devotees. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in his comments to the Chaitanya-charitamrita (Adi Lila, 5.203) writes that anyone who wants to learn about the devotees and about devotional service to Krishna should read Brihad-bhagavatamrita.
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was a 15th-century Indian saint who is considered to be the combined avatar of Radha and Krishna by his disciples and various scriptures. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's mode of worshipping Krishna with ecstatic song and dance had a profound effect on Vaishnavism in Bengal. He was also the chief proponent of the Vedantic philosophy of Achintya Bheda Abheda Tattva. Mahaprabhu founded Gaudiya Vaishnavism. He expounded Bhakti yoga and popularized the chanting of the Hare Krishna Maha-mantra. He composed the Shikshashtakam.
Vaikuntha, also called Vishnuloka, and Tirunatu (Tirunāṭu) in Tamil, is the abode of Vishnu, the supreme deity in the Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism, and his consort, Lakshmi, the supreme goddess.
The Bhagavata Purana, also known as the Srimad Bhagavatam, Srimad Bhagavata Mahapurana or simply Bhagavata, is one of Hinduism's eighteen great Puranas (Mahapuranas). Composed in Sanskrit by Veda Vyasa, it promotes bhakti (devotion) towards Krishna, integrating themes from the Advaita (monism) philosophy of Adi Shankara, the Vishishtadvaita of Ramanujacharya and the Dvaita (dualism) of Madhvacharya. It is widely available in almost all Indian languages.
Jayadvaita Swami, a Gaudiya Vaishnava swami, is an editor, publisher, and teacher and a disciple of A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). He was the seniormost editor for the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust for more than forty years. He served as a trustee for the Book Trust from 1988 through 2017. He has been described as "one of ISKCON's most independent-minded and respected thinkers." He is the author of Vanity Karma: Ecclesiastes, the Bhagavad-gita, and the meaning of life, a cross-cultural commentary on the biblical book of Ecclesiastes. The book won the 2016 Benjamin Franklin Book Award from the Independent Book Publishers Association as the best book in the "religion" category.
Sanatana Goswami was a principal follower of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Sanatana wrote a number of important works in the bhakti tradition of Gaudiya Vaishnavism and was the seniormost of the influential Six Goswamis of Vrindavan, among whom was his brother Rupa Goswami.
Jiva Goswami was an Indian philosopher and saint from the Gaudiya Vaishnava school of Vedanta tradition, producing a great number of philosophical works on the theology and practice of Bhakti yoga, Vaishnava Vedanta and associated disciplines. He is known as one of the Six Goswamis of Vrindavan and was the nephew of the two leading figures, Rupa Goswami and Sanatana Goswami.
Shuddadvaita is the "purely non-dual" philosophy propounded by Vallabhacharya, the founding philosopher and guru of the Vallabhā sampradāya or Puśtimārg, a Hindu Vaishnava tradition focused on the worship of Krishna. Vallabhacharya's pure form (nondualist) philosophy is different from Advaita. The Shrinathji temple at Nathdwara, and compositions of eight poets, including Surdas, are central to the worship by the followers of the sect.
The Kumaras are four sages (rishis) from the Puranic texts of Hinduism who roam the universe as children, generally named Sanaka kumara, Sanatana kumara, Sanandana kumara and Sanat kumara. They are described as the first mind-born creations and sons of the creator-god Brahma. Born from Brahma's mind, the four Kumaras undertook lifelong vows of celibacy (brahmacharya) against the wishes of their father. They are said to wander throughout the materialistic and spiritualistic universe without any desire but with purpose to teach. All four brothers studied Vedas from their childhood, and always travelled together.
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The Nimbarka Sampradaya, also known as the Hamsa Sampradāya, and Sanakādi Sampradāya, is one of the four Vaiṣṇava Sampradāyas. It was founded by Nimbarka, a Telugu Brahmin yogi and philosopher. It propounds the Vaishnava Bhedabheda theology of Dvaitadvaita (dvaita-advaita) or dualistic non-dualism. Dvaitadvaita states that humans are both different and non-different from Isvara, God or Supreme Being. Specifically, this Sampradaya is a part of Krishnaism—Krishna-centric traditions.
The Raslila or Ras dance, is part of the traditional story of Krishna described in Hindu scriptures such as the Bhagavata Purana and literature such as the Gita Govinda, where he dances with Radha and gopis of Braj. Raslila has also been a popular theme for other India classical dances including Bharatanatyam, Odissi, Manipuri, Kuchipudi and Kathak. The Indian classical dance of Kathak evolved from the 'Raslila of Braj and Manipuri Raas Leela Classical Dance (Vrindavana) also known as Natwari Nritya, which was revived in 1960s by the Kathak dancer, Uma Sharma.
The Devi Bhagavata Purana, also known as the Srimad Devi Bhagavatam, Srimad Bhagavatam,Bhagavata Purana or simply Devi Bhagavatam, is one of the eighteen Mahapuranas of Hinduism. Composed in Sanskrit by Veda Vyasa. The text is considered as a major purana for Devi worshippers. It promotes bhakti (devotion) towards Mahadevi, integrating themes from the Shaktadvaitavada tradition.
In Vaishnavism, Svayam Bhagavān or Krishnastu Svayam Bhagavān is a Sankrit phrase used for SriKrishna, which means that Sri Krishna is the Supreme Being himself.
Sat Sandarbhas is a 16th-century Vaishnava Sanskrit text, authored by Gaudiya Vaishnava theologian Jiva Goswami. The six treatise are Tattva-, Bhagavat-, Paramatma-, Krishna-, Bhakti-, and Priti-sandarbha. Jiva's Krama-sandarbha commentary on the Bhagavata Purana is often described as the "seventh" of the six sandarbhas.
Sri Devananda Gaudiya Math is situated at Teghori Pada in Nabadwip dham of district Nadia in the West Bengal state of India, and is a matha and prominent holy place of the Gaudiya Vaishnavas, as well the headquarters of the Sri Gaudiya Vedanta Samiti. It is located in the middle of the place earlier known as Koladvipa. The Math has been continuing as a famous religious spot thronged by thousands of devotees every year.
The Upadesamrta, or Nectar of Instruction, is an important Gaudiya Vaishnava spiritual text, composed by Rupa Goswami. The Upadesamrta was translated into English in its entirety by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, founder acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. Prabhupada also gives extensive commentaries on each translated verse within the Upadesamrita.
This is a list of works by Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati (1874-1937), a Gaudiya Vaishnava leader and religious reformer. This list includes his original works, commentaries on canonical Vaishnava texts, and articles in periodicals Sajjana-toshani and the Gaudiya.
Shri Haridas Shastri (1918-2013) was an Indian Gaudiya Vaisnava scholar and practitioner. A prolific Sanskrit scholar, he wrote more than a sixty books, including translations from the Sanskrit of several Gauḍīyā books and his own commentaries on them. His original works include the highly regarded book, the Vedānta-darśanam bhāgavata bhāṣyopetam, his translation-cum-commentaries of the Sat Sandarbhas, and his transliterations of Śrī-caitanya-bhāgavata, Śrī-caitanya-caritāmṛta and Śrī-caitanya-maṅgala. Jonathan Edelmann at the University of Florida has called Shastri "arguably the most prolific and well-educated Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava “insider” scholar of the twentieth century" and "a voice distinct from the more well known Gaudīya-Maṭha and ISKCON". Among his disciples is the noted Gauḍīyā scholar and practitioner, Dr. Satyanarayana Dasa.
Parjanya(Sanskrit: पार्जन्य, IAST: Pārjánya) also known as Parjanya Maharaja or Parjanya is one of the son of Yadava king Devamida and the brother of Shurasena. He was also paternal grandfather of Krishna and father of the Nanda.