Srimad Bhagavatam - Canto 2 Summary

Canto 2: The Cosmic Manifestation

Chapter 1: The first step in God Realization

After Maharaja Pariksit asked Sukhdev Gosvami the questions - what should a man hear, chant, remember and worship and what should he not do. Sri Sukadeva Gosvami replied that those questions were glorious as they are beneficial to all kinds of people.He also said that the answer to the question is the prime subject matter for hearing and is approved by all transcendentalists. He further clarified that people who are materially engrossed being blind to the knowledge of ultimate truth leave many subject matters and their lifetime is wasted.  He said, the one who desires to be free from all miseries must hear, glorify and remember the supersoul. The highest perfection of human life is achieved by complete knowledge of matter and spirit in two ways 1. by practice of mystic powers or 2. pefect discharge of occupational duty - to remember the peronality of Godhead at the end of life.One who gives full attention and respect to hearing the SB achieves unflinching faith in the Supreme Lord.Constant chanting of the holy name of the Lord is the doubtless and fearless way of success for all.

At the last stage of life, one should be bold enought not be to afraid of death and must cut off all attachements to the material body and everything pertaining to it. One should leave home and practice self control. In a sacred place he should bathe regularly and sit in a lonely place duly sanctified and then make the mind remember the 3 transcendental letters aum by regulating the breathing process and control the mind so not to forget the transcendental seed. As the mind becomes progressively spiritualized, withdraw it from sense activities and by intelligence the senses will be controlled and become fully fixed in transcendental conciousness. Then meditate upon the limbs of visnu one after another without being deviated from the conception of the complete body. Thus all the dirty things in the mind can be purified. By this system of rememberance and by being fixed in the habit of seeing the all good personal conception of the Lord one can attain the devotional service of the Lord.

Then Pariksit asked - 1. How and where the mind has to be applied 2. How the conception can be fixed so that dirty things in a person's mind can be removed.

Sukadeva Gosvami said:
1. Control the sitting posture
2. Regulate the breathing process
3. control the mind and senses
4. With intelligence apply the mind to the gross potencies of the Lord (Virat Rupa) - this is the personal body of the absolute truth.

Then he describes the Virat rupa starting from the legs all the way to his hair.

He then told Pariksit that he has explained the gross material gigantic conception (virat rupa) and one who is seriously desires liberation concentrates his mind on this form of the Lord because there is nothing more than this in the material world. One should concentrate his mind upon him otherwise they will be misled and will cause his own degradation.

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Chapter 2: The Lord in the Heart

Sri Sukadeva Gosvami said that Lord Brahma regained his lost conciousness by meditating on the virat rupa and was able to rebuilt the creation. As the vedic hyms are bewildering and directs the intelligence of people to meaninglyess things like heavenly kingdoms, the enlightened persons should endeavor only for minimum necessities of life. Thus being fixed one must render SERVICE to the supersoul situated in one's own heart. The lord is situated in everyone's heart and measures 8 inches with four hands carrying a lotus, a wheel of a chariot, a counchshell and a club. His mouth expresses his happiness, his eyes spread like the petals of a lotus, his garments are yellowish like the saffron of a kadamba flower and are bedecked with valuable jewels. His ornaments are made of gold, set with jewels and he wears a glowing head dress and earings. His lotus feet are placed over the whorls of lotuslike hearts of great mystics.On His chest is the Kaustubha jewel, engraved with a beautiful calf, and there are other jewels on His shoulders. His complete torso is garlanded with fresh flowers.He is well decorated with an ornamental wreath about His waist and rings studded with valuable jewels on His fingers. His leglets, His bangles, His oiled hair, curling with a bluish tint, and His beautiful smiling face are all very pleasing. His magnanimous past times and glowing glance of his face are all indications of his extensive benedictions. One must therefore concentrate on this form of the Lord as long as the mind is fixed on him by meditation.

The process of meditation begins from the lotus feet to his face. First the lotus feet, then the calves, then the thighs and higher and higher. The more the mind becomes fixed the more the intelligence becomes purified.For the less intelligent beginners, meditation on the impersonal feature, the virāṭ-rūpa, or universal form of the Lord, will gradually qualify one to rise to personal contact.

Even at time of death, one should not be perplexed and should think of the Lotus feet of the Lord by controlling his breathe and mind. Then sukhadev gosvami explains how the yogi can leave this body by controlling the air inside the body and his journey to the topmost planet.

Only the purified soul can attain the perfection of associating with the Personality of Godhead in complete bliss and satisfaction in his constitutional state. Whoever is able to renovate such devotional perfection is never again attracted by this material world, and he never returns.O King, it is therefore essential that every human being hear about, glorify and remember the Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead, always and everywhere.Those who drink through aural reception, fully filled with the nectarean message of Lord Kṛṣṇa, the beloved of the devotees, purify the polluted aim of life known as material enjoyment and thus go back to Godhead, to the lotus feet of Him [the Personality of Godhead].
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Chapter 3: Pure Devotional Service: The Change in Heart

A person who has broader intelligence must by all means worship the supreme whole, the personality of Godhead. Transcendental knowledge in relation with the Surpreme Lord is knowledge resulting in the complete suspension of the waves and whirlpools of material modes. Such knowledge is self satisfying due to its being free from material attachements and being transcendetnal it is approved by authorities.

Then Saunaka rsi asked Suta Gosvami what did Maharaj Pariksit inquire from him after hearing all he had said? He also said he would like to hear any conversation which resulted in the discussion of Lord Hari.Both by rising and by setting, the sun decreases the duration of life of everyone, except one who utilizes the time by discussing topics of the all-good Personality of Godhead.Bottomline, Saunaka rsi emphasized that this human life should be used to hear, chant, remember, server the lord and anybody who hasn't in this lifetime has wasted this life. He wanted to know more what was said during that conversation.
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Chapter 4: The Process of Creation

After hearing Sukadeva Gosvami's speech, Maharaja Pariksit applied his concentration faithfully upon Lord Krishna. He gave up all fruitive activities and any material affection. Then he asked:

1. How does the Lord, by his personal energies create these phenomenal universes which are inconceivable even to the great demigods.
2. How does  the Lord using his personal energies maintain and again wind down the phenomenal world.
3. Please clear up my doubtful inquries about the personality of Godhead who can alone act with the modes of the material nature and simultaneously expand in many forms or expands consecutively to direct the modes of nature.

Then Suta Gosvami said Sukadeva Gosvami remembered the master of senses systematically to give the proper reply. He offered his obeisances to the Lord who accepts the three modes of nature to create the material world. He is the complete whole residing within the body of everyone and his ways are inconceivable. Whose glorifications, rememberance, auidence, prayers, hearing and worship can at once cleanse the effects of all sins of the performer.

It is the personality of Godhead Sri Krishna who gives liberation. By thinking of His Lotus feet at every second, following the footsteps of authorities, the devotee in trance can see the absolute Truth.

After paying his respectful obeisances, Sri Sukadeva Gosvami said to the King, that Brahma on being questioned by Narada exactly apprised him on this subject as it was directly spoken by the Lord to his own son who was impregnated with vedic knowledge from his very birth.
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Chapter 5: The Cause of All causes

Sri Narada Muni asked his father Brahmaji:

1. Symptoms of this manifest world
2. What is its background
3. HOw is it created
4. How is it conserved
5. And under shose control is all this being done.
6. What is your source of knowledge
7. Under whose protection are you standing
8. uNDER whom are you working
9. What is your real position
10. Do you alone create all entities with material elements of your personal energy.


Brahma said: I have been inspired to see the porwess of the almighty personality of Godhead. I create after the Lord's creation by his personal effulgence known as brahmajyoti. I offer my beisances and meditate upon Lord Krsna.

The illusionary energy of the Lord (Maya) cannot take precedence as people bewildered by her always are absorbed in thoughts of it is I and it is Mine!

Then Brahmaji told Narada that

1. The 5 elementary ingredients of creation and their interaction set up by eternal time, the nature of individual living beings are all differentiated parts and parcels of the personality of Godhead.
2. The vedic literatures are made by and are meant for the lord and the demigods are also to server the Lord.
3.All sacrifices, all meditation and all mysticism are meand of realizing him.
4. Ultimate salvation is to enter the kingdom of Narayana.
5. Inspired by him I discover what is already created by him.
6. He accepts through his external energy the 3 modes of nature - goodness, passion and ignorance. These further are manifested as matter, knowledge and activities - put the eternally transcendental living entity under conditions of cause and effect and make him responsible for such activities.
7. The lord then creates eternal time from his own potency - which is the fate of all living entities. And their particular nature for which they are created. He again merges them independently.
8. After the incarnation of the first purusa, the mahat tattva or the principles of creation take place and then time is manifested. In course of time, the three qualities appear which transform into activities.
9. Material activities are caused by the mahat tatvvas being agitated.
10. The self centered materialist ego is then transformed into 3 features and is known as the modes of goodness, passion and ignorance in 3 divisions - the powers that evolve matter, knowledge and intelligence.
11. From the darkness of false ego the first of the five elements the sky is generated. It's subtle quality is the sound and sound here is very important as it describes the person. Hence, chanting the Hare Krishna mantra is the Lord itself as the vibrations gets to him.
12. Then Brahmaji described how the sky, air, fire, water and earth were created and how each of them have one extra quality - touch, sound, shape, taste, odor.
13. From the modes of goodness, the mind is generated and also the 10 demigods who controll the bodily movements.
14. By transformation of the modes of passion - the sense organs are created.
15. After all the organs were created and assembled by the force of energy - the universe came into being by accepting both primary and secondary causes of creation.
16. Thus all the universes remained thousands of eons within water and the lord entering into each of them caused them to be fully animated.

Then Brahmaji explained to Narada how great philosophers imagine that the complete planetary systems of the universe are displays of the different limbs of the universal body of the Lord.
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Chapter 6: Purusa-sukta confirmed

Brahmaji said:

1. The mouth of the virat purusa is the generating center of the voice - controlling diety is fire.
2. His skin and six layers are the generating centers of the vedic hyms and his tounge is the productive center of the different foodstuffs and delicacies for demigods, forefarthers and general mass of people.
2. 2 nostrils are the generating centers of our breathing of all airs and also produces all different kinds of fragrences.
3. His eyes are the generating centers of all kinds of forms and they glitter and illuminate. They are like the sun. His ears are receptables for all vedas and his sense of hearing is the source of all kinds of sound.
4. His skin is the generating center for all kinds of sense of touch and place of sacrifice.
5. The hairs on his body is the cause of all vegetation - particularly the tree which are ingredients for sacrifice. Hairs on his head and face are resovoirs for clouds and his nails produce electricity, stones and iron ores.
6. His arms are productive fields for the great demigods
7. Lotus feet serve as protection from all kinds of fear
8. His genitals originate - water, semen, generatives, rain.
...
The Lord covers all starting from Brahmaji all the way down to the birds and insects and is transcendental to all of them - eternally existingin his form not exceeding nine inches. One forth of his energy is used up in the material world and the other three forths is used up in the spiritual world where souls who aren't reborn live eternally serving the Lord.

When brahmaji was born he didn't have any materials for sacrifice and hence he used the bodily parts of the Lord to create them.

"O Nārada, because I have caught hold of the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, with great zeal, whatever I say has never proved to have been false. Nor is the progress of my mind ever deterred. Nor are my senses ever degraded by temporary attachment to matter."

Then Brahmaji said even him who is known as the great Brahma can't understand him fully. Hence, it's best for me to surrender unto His feet who alone can deliver one from the miseries of repeated birth and death.

He then says, that since him or Siva can't ascertain the limits of spiritual happiness and also the Lord himself is unable to estimate His own limits.

Basically in this chapter Brahmaji describes the virat rupa of the Lord and tells Naradji that Krishna is the supreme and nobody can fully understand him, all we can do is to surrender unto his feet who can then deliver one from miseries of birth and death.
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Chapter 7: Scheduled Incarnations with Specific Functions

In this Chapter Brahmaji describes all the lila-incarnations:

1. The Boar
2. Prajapati, Suyajna, Akuti
3. Kapila
4. Atri's son Dattatreya
5. Four Sanas
6. Twin forms - Narayana and Nara in the womb of Murti
7. Dhruva
8. Maharaja Vena
9. Son of Sudevi, Rsabhadeva
10. Hayagriva incarnation
11. Fish incarnation
12. Tortoise incarnation
13. Nrsimhadeva
14. Leader of the elephants - lotus flower
15. Sons of Aditi
16. Bali maharaj
17. Hamsavatara
18. Manu
19. Dhanvantari
20. Parasurama
21. Rama -
22. Krishna - putana, kaliya the snake, yashoda, maharaja nanda, govardhan hill leela, rasa dance,
23. son of satyavati - vyasadeva
24. Buddha
25. Chaitanya majaprabhu
26. Kalki avatar
27. At the beginning there is penance, brahma, prajapatis and at the end is Siva and irreligion
28. Hence nobody can describe the complete prowless of visnu.
29. But anyone who has surrendered unto the service of the Lord can overcome the insurmountable ocean of illusion can understand the Lord.
30. He then tells Narada that all surrendered souls know how he acts thourgh yogamaya potencies.

My dear son, I have now explained in brief the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is creator of the manifested worlds. Without Him, Hari, the Lord, there are no other causes of the phenomenal and noumenal existences. O Nārada, this science of God, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, was spoken to me in summary by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and it was spoken as the accumulation of His diverse potencies. Please expand this science yourself.The Lord's activities in association with His different energies should be described, appreciated and heard in accordance with the teachings of the Supreme Lord. If this is done regularly with devotion and respect, one is sure to get out of the illusory energy of the Lord.
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Chapter 8: Questions by Maharaja Pariksit

1. How did Narada who was instructed by Bramha explain the modes and their transcendence and whom did he explain to?
2. What is the reality of those who are in the absolute of the truth of the Lord.
3. Only by hearing the SB (which is the lotus) of Krishna can one wash away the impurties and a cleansed person who takes shelter of the lord's feet will never want to give us on that liberation.
4. Does the living being come to the body accidentally or of some cause
5. What is the difference between the original person and the situtaion that one speaks of with many different embodiments if he's in possession of the lotus flower.
6. How was Brahmaji able to see the form of the Lord even though he was born from the lotus flower of the navel.
7. Also how can he be maintaining, creating and annihilating the material world remains untouched by his own external energy though resting in everyone's heart.
8. What can you tell us about the rulers of the differend worlds which are different parts of the body of the Lord.
9. What about a day in brahma, periods between them and time measure of past, present and future. and how the lifespan is alloted to embodied beings.
10. What is the beginning of time and what about the way in terms of one's karma.
11. What is the extent of one's accruing karma to the different modes of nature in different life forms which are due to results of one's desires.
12. How did the creation of the lower regions, the 4 quarters of heaven, the sky, the planets and the stars, hills, rivers, seas and islands and their inhabitants take place.
13. what is the extent and measure of outer space and inner space and what are their divisions.
14. what are the different ages and how long do they take and what is their nature and which avatar of the Lord performs which activities in each age.
15. what are the religious afflication of human society and what are the duties of the three classes - labor, trade, intellect and the 4th class administration
16. how many elements are there in creation, what are their characteristics and how do they react. what are the rules and regulations of devotional service to the Lord in the culture of yoga and what are the different spiritual methods.
17. Powers of the yoga masters, where does that lead to, how do yogis detach from astral body and what is the transcendental knowledge found in vedas, upaveda and other scriptures.
18. how do the different ways of living beings come about and how do they find their end. what are procedures for performing rituals, pious works and deeds of self interest.
19. How do all those who live in union with the lord or against him come about and what is the condition of the liberated ones and the others.
20. How does the lord enjoy his pasttimes with him inner potencies and then forakse them as a witnss to the external of his capacities.
Sukadeva gosvami was very pleased to hear all these questions from the pure soul and said that this science called bhagvatam was giving by the supreme to brahma at the beginning of the age when the creator found his existence.
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Chapter 9: Answers by Citing the Lord's Version

Sri Sukhdeva Goswami replied to the King's questions thus: Unless one is influenced by the energy of the supreme there is no meaning to the relationship of the pure soul in pure conciousness with the material body. That relationshiop is just like a dreamer's seeing his own body working.Being in this material world, the living entity is encaged in many forms offered by the external energy of the Lord. But when the living entity becomes situated in his constitutional glory and enjoys the transcendence beyond time and material energy he gives up the false conceptions of I and mine and becomes fully manifested as the pure self.The objective goal of life for a purified soul is just how the supreme being pleased by Lord Brahma presented his eternal and transcendental form.

Brahmaji couldn't identify the source of his lotus seat and while thinking, heard two syllables joined together (tapa). He had faith in the sound he heard and underwent penances for 1000 years. He controlled his mind and senses and is a great example for us. Krsna being satisfied by his penance was pleased to manifest his personal abode Vaikunta which is full of self realized persons, freed from all kinds of miseries and fear of illusory existence. No influence of time, no ignorance or passion and both the demigods and demons worship the lord as his devotees.

The inhabitants have a glowing sky-bluish complexion, their eyes resemble lotus flowers, their dress is yellowish and have attractive bodily features. They all have four hands, pearl necklaces and all appear effulgent like coral and diamonds in complexion and have garlands around their heads, blooming like lotus flowers and some wear ear rings. The Vaikunta planets are surrounded by airplanes which are all glowing.  The airplanes belong to the great mahatmas or devotees of the Lord. The ladies are very beautiful like lightning because of celestial complexions and are all combined together to appear just like the sky decorated with clouds and lightning.

The Personality of Godhead, seen leaning favorably towards His loving servitors, His very sight intoxicating and attractive, appeared to be very much satisfied. He had a smiling face decorated with an enchanting reddish hue. He was dressed in yellow robes and wore earrings and a helmet on his head. He had four hands, and His chest was marked with the lines of the goddess of fortune.  The Lord was seated on His throne and was surrounded by different energies like the four, the sixteen, the five, and the six natural opulences, along with other insignificant energies of the temporary character. But He was the factual Supreme Lord, enjoying His own abode.

Seeing all this Brahmaji's eyes filled with tears of ecstacy. Seeing Brahmaji, the Lord knew he was fit to create the living entities and shook his hands and said: I wish you good luck and the greated benediction as a result of penances is to see me by realization.

The highest perfectional ingenuity is the personal perception of My abodes, and this has been possible because of your submissive attitude in the performance of severe penance according to My order.O sinless Brahmā, you may know from Me that it was I who first ordered you to undergo penance when you were perplexed in your duty. Such penance is My heart and soul, and therefore penance and I are nondifferent. He also told Brahmaji, that only by penance and the energy to create, maintain and destroy all comes from penance only.

Lord Brahma then said, that even though you are present in every entity's heart and you are aware of all their endevors, I pray to you to fulfill my desire - How do you assume the mundane form even though you are transcendental and have no form at all.And how do you manifest different energies for annihilation, generation, acceptance and maintenance. Brahmaji wanted to get answers to all this so he could act instrumentally to generate living entities and not be conditioned by their activities. I also pray that even though you have shook my hand like a friend, by creating all the entities I don't give rise to any pride of myself being supreme, because I'm your servant.

Then the Lord said, that knowledge about me is very confidential and can only be realized with devotional service hear carefully (4 seed verses of SB)

1. All of Me, namely My actual eternal form and My transcendental existence, color, qualities and activities — let all be awakened within you by factual realization, out of My causeless mercy.
2. Brahmā, it is I, the Personality of Godhead, who was existing before the creation, when there was nothing but Myself. Nor was there the material nature, the cause of this creation. That which you see now is also I, the Personality of Godhead, and after annihilation what remains will also be I, the Personality of Godhead.
3. O Brahmā, whatever appears to be of any value, if it is without relation to Me, has no reality. Know it as My illusory energy, that reflection which appears to be in darkness.
4. O Brahmā, please know that the universal elements enter into the cosmos and at the same time do not enter into the cosmos; similarly, I Myself also exist within everything created, and at the same time I am outside of everything.

After this Krishna disappeared. Then Brahmaji started to re-create the universe full of living entities. Then Naradji desired to know all about the energies of Visnu. He also inquired about Krishna. Then the SB which was described by the supreme and which contains 10 characteristics was told with satisfaction by Brahma to Narada which was later told by Narada to vyasa.

Then Sukadev gosvami explained how the universe was manifested from the gigantic form of Krishna by explaining the 4 verses above in detail.

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Chapter 10: Bhagavatam Is the Answer to All Questions


Sri Sukadava Gosvami answered - There are 10 divisions of statements with regarding the following - the creation of universe, subcreation, planetary systems, protection by the Lord, Creative impetus, change of Manus, the science of God, returning home, back to Godhead, liberation and summum bonum.To isolate the transcendence of the summum bonum, the symtoms of the rest are inferred by vedas or by direct explanation or by summary explanation by sages.

The elementary creation of 16 items of matter is called sarga - five elements (fire, water, land, air and sky), sound, form, taste, smell, touch, eyes, ears, nose, tongue, skin and mind

Subsequent resultant interaction of the modes of material nature is called visarga.

The right situation of living entities is to obey the laws of the Lord and be in perfect peace of mind under the protection of the supreme personality of Godhead. The science of God describes the incarnations of Godhead and his different activities together with activities with his devotees.

Winding of cosmic manifestation - is the merging of living entity along with his conditional tendency with the mystic lying down of the Maha Visnu.

Liberation is the permanent situation of the form of the living entity after he gives up the changeable gross and subtle material bodies. The supreme one is the supreme source of cosmic manifestation as well as the reservoir and winding up. The supreme fountainhead the absolute truth.

Adhyatmic - The individual person possessing different instruments of senses
Adhidaivic - the inividual controlling deity of senses
Adhibhautic - the embodiment seen on the eyeballs

All 3 stages of living entities are interdependent. In the absence of one the other is not understood. But the supreme being is independent of them all.

The supreme person is not impersonal and is therefore a nara or a person. The transcendental water created from the supreme nara is known as nara and because he lies in the water he's called narayana. The Lord then converts his potency from one to three - controlling entities, controlled entities and material bodies.

1. From the sky, situated within the transcendental body of the Maha Visnu, sense energy, mental force and bodily strength are all generated as well as sum total of fountainhead of living force.
2. When the total energy is in motion all living entities move and when total energy stop endeavoring all living entities stop sensual activities.
3. Then Sukadeva gosvami explained the virat purusa and how the mouth, tounge, speech, smell, odor, nostrils, eyes, ears, physical characteristis of matter, legs, genitals, anus, navel, air, abdomen, intestines and arteries,  heart, the mind, moon, determination, skin, blood, fat, marrow, bone.
4. The sense organs are attached to the modes of material nature, and the modes of material nature are products of the false ego. The mind is subjected to all kinds of material experiences (happiness and distress), and the intelligence is the feature of the mind's deliberation.
5. All living entities are created by the Supreme Lord according to their past deeds.

After hearing all about the creation, Saunaka Rsi asked Suta Gosvami about Vidura and how Vidura left home and how he met Maitreya. Suta Gosvami said let me explain the very subject how Sukhadeva explained to the the king.


END OF CANTO 2 - HARIBOL!