ers of the Bhagavadgita (Albany: State University of New
York Press, 1986).
Bhagavan
Bhagavan in Sanskrit means “one who is glorious,
illustrious, revered, divine, or holy.” It is the most
common word for “God” in Hinduism. In its sense
of “holy” or “divine” it is also used as an honor-
ific for gurus and divine personages, for example,
Bhagavan Sri RAJNEESH.
Further reading: Thomas Hopkins, Hindu Religious
Tradition (Encino, Calif.: Dickenson, 1971); Klaus Klos-
termeier, Survey of Hinduism (Albany: State University
of New York Press, 1994).
Bhagavata Purana
The Bhagavata Purana is one of the 18 principal
PURANAS of Indian tradition; it may well be the
most popular of them all. Bhagavata means “that
which pertains to god” (in this case, VISHNU, and
more particularly his incarnation as KRISHNA); a
purana is a work describing the actions and his-
tory of a divinity. The Bhagavata Purana then is
the story about those who are devoted to God.
The work is sometimes attributed to VYA S A, author
of the Mahabharata.
The Bhagavata Purana was probably com-
posed in South India, as it makes reference to the
devotional ALVARAS Vaishnavite saints of the Tamil
country. There are 18,000 verses in this work,
332 chapters and 12 sections or books. The 10th
section, the most popular, recounts the tales of
Krishna’s life in BRINDAVAN—his killing of demons,
his childhood escapades, and his dalliances with
the GOPIS or cowherd girls.
The work exalts BHAKTI or devotion to God as
the highest of paths. Neither by knowledge alone
(JNANA) nor by action can one reach the supreme,
which requires only steadfast devotion. The poem
agrees with those VEDANTA philosophers who see
the supreme divinity as the embodiment of innu-
merable auspicious characteristics and see the
world as real and a manifestation of the godhead.
As do these philosophers, it equates the BRAHMAN
(Ultimate Reality) and the ATMAN (Ultimate Self)
of the UPANISHADS with Vishnu or Krishna.
According to the Bhagavata Purana, each indi-
vidual soul is eternally distinct and real, even
when basking in the full effulgence of God after
liberation from birth and rebirth. Liberation gives
the soul its place in heaven, Goloka, where Lord
Krishna resides. Commentaries on the Bhagavata
Purana are numerous; the Vedanta (teachers) MAD-
HVA and VALLABHA both wrote full commentaries.Further reading: Subhash Anand, The Way of Love: The
Bhagavat Doctrine of Bhakti (New Delhi: Munshiram
Manoharlal, 1996); Anant Pai, Stories from the Bhagawat
(Mumbai: India Book House, 2000); James D. Redington,
trans., Vallabhacarya on the Love Games of Krishna (Delhi:
Motilal Banarsidass, 1983); T. S. Rukmani, A Critical
Study of the Bhagavata Purana with Special Reference to
Bhakti. Chowkhamba Sanskrit Series, vol. 77 (Varanasi:
Chowkhamba Sanskrit Series Office, 1970); J. M. Sanyal,
trans., The Srimad-Bhagavatam of Krishna-Dwaipayana
Vyasa, 2d ed. 5 vols. (Calcutta: Oriental, 1964–65); Gra-
ham M. Schweig and Graham M., trans., Dance of Divine
Love: The Rasa Lila of Krishna from the Bhagavata Purana,
India’s Classic Sacred Love Story (Princeton, N.J.: Princeton
University Press, 2005).Bhairava
Bhairava (frightful or terrible) is a fearsome
manifestation of SHIVA, whose icon has long
fangs. He is sometimes also called Kalabhairava
or Kalaraja, Lord of Time (as KALI is seen to be
the Mistress of Time), and is seen to control time
and the world.
Bhairava’s frightful nature emerged when Lord
BRAHMA spoke to him arrogantly, and he severed
Brahma’s fifth upward-looking head with his fin-
gernail. Because he had thus killed a BRAHMIN, the
skull could not be removed from his hand, where
it remained, until he was released from the curse
that befalls one who kills a Brahmin.K 74 Bhagavan