Bhāgavata-mahimā-sāra – Essence of the Glories of Bhāgavatam
Wednesday, November 26th, 2014with His Grace Kartik Chandra das
The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (Bhāgavata Purāṇa) is the jewel of the Purānas and is one of the most prominent texts accepted by acaryas in the Gaudiya Vaisnava sampradaya.
There is no limit to the Bhāgavatam. The demigods have a Bhāgavatam of 100,000 verses, which dwarfs the 18,000 verses we have access to. But the glories of the Lord are limitless and can be sung unendingly. And that scripture which describes the glories of the Lord is also, without doubt, glorious. Therefore, Sūta Gosvāmī explains:
śrīmad-bhāgavataṁ purāṇam amalaṁ yad vaiṣṇavānāṁ priyaṁ
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the spotless Purāṇa and it is most dear to the Vaiṣṇavas.
(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 12.13.18)
As Vaisnavas, we regard the Bhāgavatam as a great inspiration as well as a primary source of evidence. We are also obliged to read and study the text over and over. In this regard, there is an old Sanskrit maxim: mahimā jñātvā abhyāsam kriyatām – “One must embark on studying a particular subject after understanding its glories.”
After the first session on Sunday 23rd November, there was a great demand for more. Therefore we have organised this 3-session series on the same topic. Each of them are standalone, so you do not need to have attended one in order to attend the others. We invite you to come and delve into “Bhāgavata-mahimā-sāra”, the glories of the Bhāgavata Purāṇa. This will also be a nice prelude for those attending the Bhagavatam Series, which will involve a study of the Bhagavatam itself.
The key topics that will be covered over the 3 weeks are as follows:
– The importance of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in Gaudiya Vaisnava life
– The benefits of studying Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
– The glories of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
Key sources used in this seminar will be the Skanda-Purana, Padma-Purana, Matsya-Purana, Sat-sandharbas and the 11 main Bhāgavatam commentaries by the acaryas. For experienced practitioners of Krishna consciousness rather than newcomers.
Date: Coming soon
Time: 10.00am – 1.00pm
Venue: Bhaktivedanta Manor
Course Fee: £30 (£15 for a single session)
For more information, please email cvs@krishnatemple.com or call 07539 314457.
You can sign up to this course by following the Paypal link below, or at the Manor reception (call 01923 851000, option 9). You will then receive e-mail confirmation of your place on the course.
To attend the entire course please follow the link below:
To attend any one of the sessions, please follow the below link, stating next to your name which of the three sessions you would like to attend:
About the speaker
Kartik Chandra das was born in a traditional Vaishnava family who trace their Vaishnava roots going back fourteen generations. From an early age he received training in Sanskrit Grammar and devotional scriptures. He had first-hand experience of Vaishnava tradition and culture as part of his upbringing.
He met ISKCON devotees in 1993 and has been associated with ISKCON since then. He holds a BEng (Hons) and Post-graduate qualification in Software Engineering and Project Management. He works in a Management role at one of the largest multinational software corporations in the world.
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is Kartik’s favourite literary work. His other interests are in Sanskrit Aesthetics, Paninian Grammar, Linguistics, Philosophy of Science and Cloud Computing. He currently lives in North West London with his wife and two children.
