Shrimad Bhaagavad

A lot of us do not seem to know the difference between the Shrimad Bhagvad and the Bhagvad Geeta.

The Shrimad Bhagvad is a 'Purana' (ancient scripture)

It is believed that even if one reads a very small portion of the Shrimad Bhaagvad, Mukti (Liberation from the cycles of Birth and Death) is assured. 

You may have attended a discourse of The Shrimad Bhaagvad at the 1st year death ceremony of a relative or a friend. And chances are that you may have not followed much of the narration, except for probably, the story of Lord Krishna and Lord Rama

The Shrimad Bhaagvad is tremendous!

It deals with the Creation of the Universe.

In it, is narrated the lives of the different Incarnations of God 

And every Hindu should READ it at least once during their lifetime, because no amount of lecturing will do it justice.

(I took 12 years to lecture on it at the rate of once a week, and I am not even a shade learned on the subject)

The Shrimad Bhaagvad will teach us:

How to live in the house and not to have the house live in us (Without getting attached to it) 

Real Bhakti (Devotion) need not be only practiced in a place of worship, or at a particular time or in a particular way.

The real connection with devotion is through the heart.

He is required to follow rules, regulations and rituals whose heart is not totally immersed in love.

It has been promised in the Shrimad Bhaagvad that he who devotes two and a half hours everyday in thinking of the Lord, his needs will totally be taken care of by the Almighty.

The Shrimad Bhaagvad exudes Knowledge and Devotion. Its stories are pregnant with moral, symbolic and practical value. 

Allow me to narrate to you one of them.

King Parikshit was given a curse whereby he was supposed to die, after 7 days of being bitten by a poisonous snake.

The anxiety that one feels at the time of death is not entirely due to the pain of separating from the body, but due to the fear of the sins that one may have committed. One will have to stand trial for ones actions, and it is the fear of that test that creates turmoil at the time of death.

Symbolically Parikshit stands for 'man'

And the poisonous snake is 'Death' and 'Time' whose clutches no one escapes.

Parikshit could have panicked, but he did not.

Instead he went about finding means by which, he could use these last 7 days of his life to his best advantage.

He wanted to achieve 'Mukti'

He was told that the best way was to listen to the Shrimad Bhaagvad .

The Shrimad Bhaagvad is considered 'Narain-Svaroop' The Lord God Himself.

Lord Krishna, at the time of renouncing His body, told Udhav, His child hood friend that He would forever reside in the Shrimad Bhaagvad.

Whatever is worth pondering about in the world is contained in it.

Giant Spiritual Personalities state: "Jab poorna janmon ke punya uday hote hain, tabhi is pavitra katha ke sunneka yog milta hai"

It is only when the virtues of previous lives commence to fructify, does one get the opportunity to hear the Great Katha of the Shrimad Bhaagvad.