Two Features of Bhāgavata - Book and Person

The Absolute Truth is manifest in this world to reclaim the fallen souls, principally through the agency of the Bhāgavata. Śrīla Prabhupāda clarifies that Bhāgavata is not merely a book sitting on a shelf; it is a dynamic spiritual force that exists in two inseparable features: the book Bhāgavata (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam) and the person Bhāgavata (the pure devotee). This article explores the relationship between these two, the method of Bhāgavata-vidhi, and the social vision of a Bhāgavata community.

The Book and the Person

There are two types of Bhāgavatas: the scripture and the devotee. While the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the literary incarnation of God, its deep import is often blocked by academic or sentimental interpretations. Therefore, the scripture must be received through the transparent medium of the person Bhāgavata—one who lives the teachings. The combination of these two forces is the most potent remedy for the suffering of the material world.

• Two kinds of bhagavata: book bhagavata and person bhagavata.
• The messages of the book Bhagavata, therefore, have to be received from the devotee Bhagavata, and the combination of these two Bhagavatas will help the neophyte devotee to make progress on and on.
• There are two types of Bhagavatas, namely the book Bhagavata and the devotee Bhagavata. Both the Bhagavatas are competent remedies, and both of them or either of them can be good enough to eliminate the obstacles.

Daily Service vs. Professional Recitation

Śrīla Prabhupāda strictly warns against the "seven-day" professional reciters who treat the Bhāgavatam as a means of livelihood. The injunction of the scripture is nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā—one must serve the Bhāgavata daily. Whether reading the book or serving the devotee, the process is meant to be a constant engagement, not a fleeting weekly show.

• Bhagavata is so powerful that nityam bhagavata-sevaya: we have to read Srimad-Bhagavatam daily, and twenty-four hours. That is the injunction: nityam. Nityam means "always." So our members especially, I mean to say, those who are inmates.
• A professional man who makes a business out of reciting the Bhagavatam illegally is certainly not a representative of Sukadeva Gosvami. Such a man's business is only to earn his livelihood.

Bhāgavata-vidhi and Pañcarātrika-vidhi

In the execution of devotional service, there are two parallel paths: Bhāgavata-vidhi (the path of preaching and hearing) and Pāñcarātrika-vidhi (the path of Deity worship). While Deity worship purifies the senses, the Bhāgavata path convinces the intelligence and spreads the philosophy. Śrīla Prabhupāda established the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement on the simultaneous performance of both.

• Our process is to work on Bhagavata and Pancaratriki systems simultaneously. Deity worship is pancaratriki system and preaching is Bhagavata system.
• The Krsna consciousness movement follows the process of pancaratrika-vidhi and that of bhagavata-vidhi simultaneously, so that people can take advantage of the movement and make their lives successful.

Bhāgavata Communism

The philosophy of the Bhāgavata extends to social organization. Śrīla Prabhupāda coined the term "Bhagavata Communism" to describe a society where everything is recognized as God's property. In this vision, no one is starved—not even the animals. It is a spiritual communism based on the equal right of all living beings to be maintained by the Supreme Father.

• Bhagavata communism says that even if you have got a lizard in your room, you must give him something to eat. If you have got a serpent in your room, you must give it something to eat. Nobody in your house should starve.
• This is the conception, bhagavata community, equal right to everyone, even to the animals.
• Everything belongs to God; nothing belongs to us. This is Bhagavata communism. As the communists, they say, "Everything belongs to the state," we say "Everything belongs to God."

Conclusion

To associate with the Bhāgavata is to associate with Kṛṣṇa. Whether through the pages of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam or the instructions of a pure devotee, this association acts as a powerful medicine (bhavauṣadhi) that cures the disease of birth and death. By hearing from the person Bhāgavata, studying the book Bhāgavata, and living by the principles of Bhāgavata-dharma, one can spiritualize their entire existence.

Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani

Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category Bhagavata. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.