The Shrimad Bhagavatam: An Overview

Composed by the sage Vedavyasa, the Shrimad Bhagavatam has 12 skandhas and about 18,000 verses; its tenth skandha tells the life and leelas of Shri Krishna.

The Shrimad Bhagavatam, also called the Bhagavata Purana, is honoured as the crown jewel among the Puranas. According to tradition, even after dividing the Vedas and composing the Mahabharata, the sage Vedavyasa felt that something was incomplete. The divine sage Narada then inspired him to sing of the qualities and leelas of the Lord, and from this the Bhagavatam was born. Vyasa taught the text to his son Shukadeva, a sage of complete detachment.

The Bhagavatam was narrated in a special situation. King Parikshit, the grandson of Arjuna, had been cursed by the young sage Shringi to die within seven days from the bite of the serpent Takshaka. The king gave up his kingdom and sat on the bank of the Ganga, vowing to fast until death. Many sages gathered there and Shukadeva arrived. The king asked what a person facing death should do, and in reply Shukadeva narrated the Bhagavatam to him over seven days. Later Suta repeated the same narration to Shaunaka and the sages at Naimisharanya.

The Bhagavatam has 12 skandhas (cantos) and about 18,000 verses. It describes creation, the avatars, the lives of great devotees, royal dynasties and dharma. The tenth skandha is the most beloved, because it tells of Shri Krishna's birth, his childhood leelas in Gokul and Vrindavan, the Rasa Leela, his journey to Mathura, the end of Kamsa and his life in Dwarka. The eleventh skandha contains his final teaching to Uddhava.

In memory of the seven-day narration to Parikshit, the tradition of the Bhagavata Saptah arose, in which the Bhagavatam is recited and explained over seven days. Devotees in India and abroad organise these Saptah kathas with great faith. The central message of the Bhagavatam is that loving devotion to the Lord's name, form, qualities and leelas is the highest goal of life.

Source

Shrimad Bhagavatam, Canto 1

Skandhas

12

Verses Approx

18000