Where the mother goes, the child follows…

The force of all pervading Time spun Mother Earth into Kali Yuga and the Dark Age set in. The virtues of gratitude, compassion, righteousness, purity, veracity and keenness of memory in mankind declined and gave in to lesser traits. Short lived men were ever surrounded by misery in their life span.

Due to the negative effects of Kali Yuga, Bhakti Devi and her sons, Jnana and Vairagya, debilitated and aged rapidly. Bhakti Devi tried in vain to revive herself and her sons by traveling to various holy places. When she reached Vrindavan, where Lord Krishna’s footprints are ever present, lo! Bhakti Devi regained her youth and beauty. But her sons’ condition did not get better and they could not even be aroused. Sage Narada, who happened to meet Bhakti Devi there, tried in vain to help her revive Jnana and Vairagya by chanting from various scriptures. However, the magical moment finally came only when Sage Narada performed a Srimad Bhagavata saptaham, as advised by the Sanakadi munis; when this was done, Jnana and Vairagya instantly regained their youth and started chanting ‘Sri Krishna Govinda Hare Murare Hey Natha Narayana Vasudeva”.

Moreover, when Bhakti Devi asked where she and her sons should seat themselves in the assembly, she was requested by the sages to place herself in the hearts of all the rasikas who had gathered to hear the leelas of Lord Krishna.

Srimad Bhagavatam is Bhagavan Himself. This Purana, which was graciously revealed by the Lord Himself to Brahma, is the essence and the fruit of the Vedas. It is said:

Srimad Bhagavatam puraanam amalam yad vaisnavaanaam priyam
yasmin paaramahamsyam ekam amalam jnaanam param geeyathe
tathra jnaana viraaga bhakti sahitam naishkarmyamaavishkritam
tachshranvan vipatan vichaarana paro bhaktyaa vimuchhyennarah

The glorious Bhagavatam is a faultless Purana, a beloved of the devotees of the Lord. It expounds the Supreme Reality which is free of all impurities, which is all Consciousness and is the goal of all Paramahamsas. This Purana instills withdrawal from all activity coupled with spiritual enlightenment, dispassion, and devotion. A man devoutly listening to it, carefully reading it and analyzing it gets liberated from the cycle of births and deaths.

Bhakti (devotion) is the mother of jnana (Self-knowledge) and vairagya (dispassion). A child will not come easily when called, but if you invite the mother instead, the child will follow naturally. Similarly, developing dispassion towards objects of the world or obtaining the “supreme knowledge” is not easy. However, if we develop bhakti towards the Lord, we will be automatically bestowed with both dispassion and knowledge. And listening to Srimad Bhagavatam, which contains nothing but the glories of the Lord, is the simplest way to install Bhakti Devi and her children in our hearts.

– Lekshmi Nair, Houston, TX

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