Bhagavata Purana - Definition and Overview

The Bhagavata Purana (sometimes rendered as Bhagavatha Purana), also known as the Srimad Bhagavatam, written c.400-1000, is a Hindu Purana which discusses Krishna.

The Bhagavata Purana is a narration of a conversation between two holy personalities from the Hindu tradition. King Pariksit of India, who has been cursed to die in seven days by a Brahmin, decides to give up his kingly duties to learn about the goal of life. As he prepares for his impending death, the saint Sukadeva Goswami, who has been searching for a suitable disciple to whom he might impart his great knowledge, approaches the king and agrees to teach him. Their conversation is uninterrupted for seven days, during which the king does not eat, drink or sleep. During this time the saint explains that one's goal in life is understanding the supreme absolute and defines the supreme personality of godhead.

The Purana mentions the first Jain Tirthankara, Rishabhadeva, and includes the Lord Buddha (Buddhadev) as the ninth avatar of Vishnu, instead of Balarama.

External Links

A popular English translation of this immense work was begun and mostly written by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, a teacher from a disciplic succession claimed to have descended from Krishna himself, and was completed by his disciples. It is available online at www.srimadbhagavatam.com.