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191 THE EIGHTH MANVANTARA. ............ 192 THE NINTH MANVANTARA. ............. 192 THE TENTH MANVANTARA.............. 193 THE ELEVENTH MANVANTARA. .......... 193 THE TWELFTH MANVANTARA. ........... 193 THE THIRTEENTH MANVANTARA. ......... 193 THE FOURTEENTH MANVANTARA.......... 193 THE ADMINISTRATION OF A MANVANTARA ... 194 THE STORY OFBALI................00. 195 THOUGHTS ON THE ABOVE.............. 198 THE MATSYA AVATARA. ............00. 199 SRA ITA? sof lonry oh vee ahh ae Pe a tine anaring Bek 4 200 THE VAIVASVATA MANVANTARA. ......... 200 THE LUNARDYNASTY. ..............0.. 220 THE LUNAR DYNASTY (Continued). ......... 225 THOUGHTS ON THE VAIVASVATA MANVANTARA. 250 THE TENTH SKANDHA. ..............-.004- 268 VRINDAVANA LILA... ....0.0.0..00 000004 268 MATAURA TIGA, p05) oe uta Beae dak piccgte See gyahs 342 DVARARA TIVAY 44. 28 ae eee den he A 346 THE LINE OF KRISHNA. .............00. 379 THOUGHTS ON THE MATHURALILA. ....... 379 THOUGHTS ON THE DVARAKA ........... 380 TELE WAV ES sis. os et Oo G8 oe foe a. a 388 THE ELEVENTH SKANDHA ................. 393 THE MUSHAUAG RIT 4 Sick ae fo peg Soo koun 393 THE BHAGAVATA PATH. ............... 394 KRISHNA AND UDDHAVA. .............. 400 SELF-INSTRUCTION. ............2..0004 402 ATMA A REFUTATION OF THE SCHOOL OF JAIMINI. 406 BONDAGE AND LIBERATION. ............ 413 SADHU AND BHARTI ...04 6 shtie-atartic anes ea 415 xiv A Study of the Bhagavata Purana WHY GIVE.UP ALL: KARMA oi ak 4 ye Ew ea 418 TTHE GUNAS ©) o.oo Ba Sapte ct ied AS 420 HOW TO WITHDRAW FROM THE OBJECTS OF ETE SENSES. 288 i Gis S dd Gti our gaat he Bate’ 421 BHAKTI YOGA. a: 38. eg we eh ed a 424 MEDITATION; 3 80. Saha hoe be te hes 425 THE SIDDHIS® 4-4: dese hee, a ea ee de eon bot 8 426 THE VIBHUTIS OR POWERS OF THELORD. .... 429 VARNA AND ASRAMA RULES. ............ 429 WHAT ONE IS TO DO FOR MOKSHA. ........ 429 THE SADHANAS OR EXPEDIENTS. ......... 430 THE THREE PATHS: KARMA, JNANA AND BHAKTI. 433 GUNA AND DOSHA OR RIGHT AND WRONG ... 435 EE TALE AOS 3.0 hen titra ue mag Bae ee pet eee 437 PRAKRITI AND PURUSHA,,. 03.4 cnt god tee Po 438 RE-INCARNATION § ge 6:40 n'n) G08 RS AOE Bee Ree EES 438 FORBEARANCE. jv5. 2.4.44 4G. Sod Gok Gedo RR 440 SANK Ae cote Sng Goa alae ae Boe Wiech eee ea 441 SATVA RAJAS AND TAMAS. ............. 443 COMPANY :2 oe Sara a RAS a dee e Hehe eee 445 KRIYA YOGA AND IDOL WORSHIP. ......... 446 NANA YOGA. 2 S218 Pt an So Bee eee 446 BHAKTI YOGA. 0... hh ee a eel tes 447 HE END: <2) S:4<% @tic ah eR oe ie oe 8 448 THE TWELFTH SKANDHA. ................. 449 PRAIGAYA és, 55.638 994. 2a AO ty RR Re 452 SKANDHA I. THE IDEAL OF BHAGAVATA PURANA: A DISCOURSE BETWEEN VYASA AND NARADA. "I have duly respected the Vedas, the teachers and the sacrificial fire, I have put the sense of all the Vedas into the Mahabharata and have made their sacred lore accessible to all classes of men. I have done all this, nay, much more. Still I think my work is not fully done." So thought Veda Vyasa, the adept author of the Kali Yuga, while meditat- ing on the sacred banks of the Sarasvati, and his heart became heavy with something, he knew not what. At this time Narada appeared before him—Narada, who knew all that transpired in the Triloki and who could enter into the hearts of all beings. "Thou hast fully known," said Narada, “all that is knowable, for thou hast written the excellent Mahabharata, which leaves nothing unsaid. How is it then thou fee- lest dispirited as if thy object were not gained?" What could Vyasa say in reply; he only inquired from the seer Narada the cause of his uneasiness. Narada entered into a free criticism of the Bhagavat Gita, the philosophical portion of the Mahabharata, pointed out its shortcom- ings and suggested to Vyasa what next to do. A few remarks will be necessary to understand all this. There are seven planes Bhi, Bhuvar, Svar, Mahar, Jana, Tapas and Satya. Bhir is the terrestrial plane. Bhuvar is the astral plane. Svar is the plane of Kama and desires. These three planes, collectively known as Triloki, are the planes of personality. Kama is the guiding principle of existence in Triloki, and a recurrence of births and re-births its main characteristic. With every Night of Brahma, this triple plane comes to an end, transferring its energies to the next higher plane, and is re-born with every Day of Brahma. Mahar is intermediate between Triloki and the three higher Lokas of Universality. The Vedic school laid great stress on communion with the Devas of Svar Loka or Svarga or Indra Loka, and this was pre-eminently 2 A Study of the Bhagavata Purana known as Vedic Yajna. The performance of Vedic Yajna led only to a prolonged gratification of kama in Svar Loka. But however long the period might be, it was limited by the magnitude of the force (Aptirva) which buoyed up the individuality in the Svar Loka. As the Gita says, when the merits are exhausted the observer of Vedic Dharma enters again into the transitory plane. The course of births and re-births is then set up anew, with constant transformations and with all the miseries of existence conditioned by personality. This was not Mukti or liberation. The followers of the post-vedic or Upanishad school contended that liberation lay in crossing the triple plane of individuality to the higher cosmic planes of univer- sality. When an individual reaches the higher planes, he does not again become subject to transformations, and to the constant recur- rence of births and re-births. There is one continued life, one contin- ued existence in the higher planes, till the end of cosmos or the Life of Brahma. This life is not measured by personalities but is the cos- mical life, and the individuality becomes a cosmical entity. Further there is life also beyond the cosmos, in the highest plane, the abode of the Supreme. The Gita only incidentally describes the highest plane in the fol- lowing sloka: "That is my supreme abode, by reaching which (Jivas) do not recur (to fresh births). Not the Sun, not the Moon, not even fire illumines that."—XV. 6. Krishna also refers to that plane in VIII. 20 and XV. 4. 5. The Gita lays down Nishkéma Karma, or the unselfish perfor- mance of the duties of life (Sva-dharma) as the first step towards reaching the higher planes. The sense of separateness is killed by Nishkaéma Karma. Then the Gita takes the disciple to Upasana or communion with the Purusha of the highest plane, but scarcely a glimpse is given of that plane and its surroundings. The Mahabharata does not throw any light on the dwellers of the higher planes, nor does it give any details of those planes. Without any distinct prospect of trans-Triloki life, one is asked to adhere to the duties appertaining to one’s own sphere of life (Sva-dharma) and to perform those duties unselfishly. However transitory the things of Triloki may be, there are attractions enough for the frail sons of Manu, abounding in pas- Purnendu Narayana Sinha, M. A., B. L. ) sions and desires. What can then bind a man to the higher planes and the highest Purdsha of those planes or Bhagavan? It is only a description of the grandeur and the glory of those planes and of Bha- gavan. Such description begets Bhakti or holy attachment, and it is this Bhakti which sets up a real communion with Bhagavan. Frail as man is, the mere performance of duties makes him attached to them, unless he is bound to the higher planes by the tie of holy attachment. The Gita is however silent as to the attractions of the higher planes and of Bhagavan. This was the defect pointed out by Narada. "O thou great Muni, as thou hast treated of Dharma and of other things, so thou hast not recited the glory of Vasudeva".—I. 5. 9. "This universe is also an aspect of Bhagavan, for its creation, preservation and end proceed from Him. Thou knowest all this thy- self. But thou hast shown to others only a portion of this truth."—L 5. 20. "Salutations to Thee, Bhagavan, let me meditate on Vasudeva. Salutations to Pradyumna, Aniruddha and to Sankarshana. He who, by naming these mirtis in the mirtiless, whose only miurti is mantra, makes offerings to Yajna Purusha, is the complete seer."—I. 5. 37-38. A mystery lies veiled in this Sloka. But who is this Narada? Why should we accept his authority? Narada was therefore careful to give his own account, elaborated by the enquiries of Vyasa. All students of occultism will do well to read carefully this account which forms a fitting preliminary to the Bha- gavata. ACCOUNT OF NARADA. SKANDHA I. CHAP. 5 & 6. "In the previous Kalpa, in my former birth, I was born of a cer- tain maid-servant of Vedic Rishis. Certain Yogis had collected at a place to pass the rainy season and I was engaged as a boy to serve them. Seeing me void of all fickleness as a boy and self-controlled, the Munis, who looked on all with equal eyes, were kind to me, es- pecially as I gave up play, followed them, served them and talked little. With the permission of the regenerated I at one time partook of the remnants of their meal and the impurities of my mind were 4 A Study of the Bhagavata Purana all removed. When thus my mind became pure, my inclination grew towards their Dharma. By their favor I heard them sing the beau- tiful stories of Krishna. Hearing those stories every day with faith, I gained holy love for Krishna. Through that love my mind became fixed in Him and I came to perceive my Sthtila and Sikshma bodies as only false reflections of the real Self or Brahma. The Bhakti that grew up in me destroyed my Rajas and Tamas. Then when the kind Rishis were about to leave the place, they imparted to me the most occult knowledge which had been given to them by Bhagavan him- self. Through that knowledge I have known the Maya of Bhagavan.