Brief Scientific Overview:



Known as 'the ripe fruit of the Vedic literatures', Srimad-Bhagavatam is the most complete and authoritative conclusion of Vedic knowledge. It covers vast subject matters from the nature of the self to the creation of the universe, and touches upon different other fields of knowledge. The Third Canto gives calculations of time, from the shortest unit, to the interval needed for atomic combinations, and the elaborate details of the entire duration of the material universe.

An example of Time Dilation, a concept of modern physics, appears in the Ninth Canto, wherein King Kakudmi travel to the highest planetary system in this universe, Brahmaloka, with his daughter Revati to meet the demigod Brahma. After spending a short time there, King Kakudmi and Revati discover that during their short stay there, many thousands of years have passed on earthly planet and all the people he once knew have died long ago, and even their names were no longer remembered, as if disappeared in the mist of time. The Third Canto describes in a few details the development of the embryo in the womb, starting from the time of conception to the time of delivery.

How to approach this holy scripture:

The Tenth Canto is distinct from the first nine cantos because it deals directly with the transcendental activities of the Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krsna. One will be unable to properly understand the Tenth Canto without going through the nine previous cantos. The book is complete in twelve cantos, each independent, but it is advised to read them in order to understand the relationship of the Lord with His devotees.

Introduction

The Srimad Bhagavatam is a narration of a conversation that took place on the bank of the Ganga. King Parikshit, grandson of Arjuna, who has been cursed by a Brahmana boy to die in seven days decides to leave his kingdom and learn about the goal of life. As he awaits his death, the most axalted of all sages, Sukadev Goswami, who happens to pass by, is requested by the sages present there to enlighten the King. Sukadev Goswami answers the king's questions for seven days uninterrupted, during which the king does not eat, drink or sleep. During this time the saint explains that one's goal in life is understanding the supreme absolute truth, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna.

The Pinnacle of this Scripture:

The 10th Canto of the Srimad Bhagavatam is the cream of this literature, for it describes Krishna's childhood pastimes as that of a child raised by Mother Yashoda and Nanda Baba in Vrindavan, near the river Yamuna. As a child, Krishna performs extraordinary pastimes, such as stealing butter or playing in the forest with his cowherd friends. He also performed acts of bravery by protecting the town from demons. Most importantly, however, is that He steals the hearts of the simple cowherd girls, known as the gopis. Through His internal potency, He expands Himself to give each gopi the attention needed to allow her to be absorbed in love for Him. This love, represented by the seperation they feel when Krishna is called away on a mission to Mathura, and the intense longing they experiene is the summit of unalloyed devotion to the Supreme Lord.