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Every religion has its own sacred text to be read, understood and followed. The Vedas are called apourusheya as their origin cannot be dated or credited to any individual. In fact, Brahman/Almighty is known only through the Vedas (Bhagavad Gita 15.15), which contain the description of and praise for the creator of this universe.
While speaking of his vibhutis, or opulences, Krishna says in the Gita that He is Saama amongst the Vedas (BG 10.22), indicating that He and the Vedas are one.
As the Vedas are vast and complicated, a neophyte can hardly aspire to understand them. As such, upon Sage Narada’s suggestion, Lord Vedavyas scripted the Bhagavatha Purana, pouring the essence of all the Vedas into it. This is a spiritual encyclopedia containing the leelas of Lord Vishnu in His many avatars, the stories of great devotees, the scriptural injunctions on ethical behaviour which are relevant even today, the description of life in Kali Yuga with specific mentions of the degeneration of values as Kali Yuga advances, and much more.
Listening to the Bhagavatha Purana lifts one from the throes of material miseries, and an ardent devotee experiences transcendental happiness. There is a story wherein a sinner’s soul does not get redemption despite the performance of many rituals by his brother.
Finally, upon a sage’s advice, the sinner’s brother, Gokarna, organises the Bhagavatha Purana discourse over a period of a few days. At the end of the discourse, the sinner’s soul attains redemption, and he is taken to heaven. The devotee today draws inspiration from such incidents and involuntarily begins to surrender to the almighty, setting him on the track towards realisation.
Just as the Bhagavatha Purana is an ethereal experience inviting immense spiritual blessings, so is reading, understanding and writing the divine conversation, the Bhagavad Gita. Krishna has said that reading the Gita is tantamount to performing a jnan yajna to Him, and the devotee who spreads the message of the Gita is very dear to Him.
With Gita Jayanti around the corner, one must realise that the Gita’s messages are for all times and that only total surrender to the almighty saves a soul, as Krishna finally says, “sarva dharmam paritajya maamekam sharanam vraja, and I will deliver you from all sinful reactions” (BG18.66).