Srimad Bhagavatam Skanda 1- Forms and The Fame of Lord Bhagavan

Srimad Bhagavatam cleanses kalimala or the pollutant of Kali, destroys sins, shows the indweller, the Lord, in oneself by bringing Vairagya towards the materialistic world, and gives pure devotion, crystal clear, and clean knowledge. 

जन्म गुह्यं भगवतो य एतत्प्रयतो नरः ।

सायं प्रातर्गृणन् भक्त्या दुःखग्रामाद्विमुच्यते ॥ 29

The auspicious stories outlining the Forms and Fame of Lord Bhagavan that have appeared from the original form of Lord Purusha as Padmanabha in this universe is very secretive and is not easily available to the human. One who reads this with full concentration and love would get released from the bind of sorrow, says Sri Sutacharya.

Hence, let's pray to the Lord including Parvati Pati to bless us with such concentration and Bharati Pati for Bhakti, the light of love in Lord:

|| Sri Veda Vyasaya Namaha ||

|| Hari Om ||

My Salutations to Lord Adhokshaja, Lord Vasudeva, bestower of Satvika Bhakti. My repeated Salutation to the unchanging Lord Tattva, the bestower of Nishkama Bhakti. My Salutations to Goddess Mahalakshmi who removes our ignorance & wrongful knowledge, who keeps us away from entertainment that would bind us with actions & desire and bestows a desire for Satvika Bhakti. My Salutations to Bharati Ramana, the cause of happiness to Goddess Bharati influencing Bhakti. My Salutation to Parvati Pati, cause for auspiciousness. 
My Prostration to the attendant of God Brahma who accrued an immeasurable Satvika merit as Prahlad and as Guru Raghavendra bestows only Satvika blessings which is stainless.

Sri Sutacharya continuing the narration on the Fame of Lord which cleanses kalimala or the pollutant of Kali says,

जगृहे पौरुषं रूपं भगवान् महदादिभिः।

सम्भूतं षोडशकलमादौ लोकसिसृक्षया ॥1॥

In the beginning, the Lord intended to create the universe. Hence, from Prakriti having Satvika, Rajasika and Thamasika Guna he created Mahat-Tattva. From Mahat-Tattva he created Ahankara Tattva from which he created sixteen elements consisting of five Jnana Indriya, five Karma Indriya, One Manas and five Tanmatra. He accepted the form of Purusha including these sixteen elements.
यस्याम्भसि शयानस्य योगनिद्रां वितन्वतः ।
नाभिह्रदाम्बुजादासीद्ब्रह्मा विश्वसृजां पतिः ॥2॥
After the creation of Brahamanda or the Universe including the cosmic ocean, The Lord Purusha entered the universe. He took a sleeping posture on the primordial water and with Yoga Nidra gulped the darkness appearing as Purusha. From his naval sprang a lotus giving birth to God Brahma.

Lord Ananta Padmanabha

यस्यावयवसंस्थानैः कल्पितो लोकविस्तरः ।

तद्वै भगवतो रूपं विशुद्धं सत्त्वमूर्जितम् ॥3॥
From the body and the limbs of Lord Purusha who has the Virat Roopa of omniform, all the fourteen Lokas or regions were formed. This way the entire universe is a shape and form of Lord Bhagavan who is Virtuous, full of good attributes, knowledge, strength, and a foundation for all beings. This pure and Satvika form of Lord is very Auspicious, Supreme and Excellent.

पश्यन्त्यदो रूपमदभ्रचक्षुषा सहस्रपादोरुभुजाननाद्भुतम् ।
सहस्रमूर्धश्रवणाक्षिनासिकं सहस्रमौल्यम्बरकुण्डलोल्लसत् ॥
The God Brahma seeing the entire Universe with the divine vision as the form of Lord Vasudeva sings his fame and glory through Purusha Sukta. This way the one Lord appearing to him surprisingly wonderful with millions of feet, thighs, arms, face, ears, eyes, nose and dazzling with Ornaments as Virat Purusha being in omniform. Also, God Brahma gazing this Sports Charm of the Lord is brimming with bliss and knowledge.

एतन्नानावताराणां निधानं बीजमव्ययम् ।
यस्यांशांशेन सृज्यन्ते देवतिर्यङ्नरादयः ॥
This being the original form of the Lord in this universe is the seed or the root causing several forms of Himself as the sport's charm. The form originating from this original form, the Lord created beings including Gods, human and nonliving things.

Let's take a look at the further aspects of Lord Purusha:

1. The appearance of Lord Purusha means the destruction of darkness or Thamas i.e. The Goddess Durga Devi who had taken the form of darkness during Pralaya appears in her original form and is popularly called the swallowing of Thamas or Darkness. This happened outside the universe.
2. After creating the Universe, the Lord enters with Prakriti including Goddess Mahalakshmi, all sixteen elements including the Gods starting from Brahma till the Gods influencing the sixteen elements and before creating of Sun, Moon, Stars or other luminous bodies and with his unimaginable & excellent power illuminates the Univers. 
3. Lord Purusha has three forms and is called Parama Purusha:

• The first being Lord Sriman Narayana outside of this universe as the Creator of Mahat-Tattva and the creator of the Universe.
• The second being Lord Ananta Padmanabha having spread inside the Universe as omniform. As the Lord enters the Universe having cosmic Ocean blesses the birth of God Sesha on whom the lord takes a sleeping posture or Yoga Nidra. It is important for us to refresh that Lord in Yoga Nidra means that he would be meditating on his own attributes with full of knowledge and Bliss and even for a second He does not lose his consciousness nor would be thoughtless or heartless. 
• The third being as the Indweller in all the beings and called Lord Purusha. 
• These three forms are called Parama Purusha.

When Lord Padmanabha was in Yoga Nidra, a lotus with fourteen petals sprang from his navel in which appeared God Brahma. After giving birth to God Brahma, the Lord blessed him with the vision of Virat Roopa or Omniforma which evidently is surprisingly wonderful. Subsequently, the Lord instructs God Brahma to start creation, from the body and limbs of Lord the fourteen regions start forming. Just by his wish, the unimaginably vast universe starts to get formed surprisingly even to the best of Being, God Brahma.

Also, all living Atma and nonliving Prakriti rolls back to this Ananta Padmanabha Roopa at the end of the existence of Pralaya. Hence, He is been called Beeja or Seed by Sri Suthacharya though this form exists during complete existence including when various forms like Sri Rama or Sri Krishna of His appears on earth.

The details of Virat Roopa have been elaborated by Lord Veda Vyasa in later part of Bhagavata and we should seek his continued blessings for an opportunity to study in detail. The fabric called Bhagavata has been woven by Lord Veda Vyasa with threads like concepts rolled-up, the essence of concepts, the detailed theory for concepts, applications and their elaborations including the plot of stories and their morale is itself a Wonder.
Kanaka Dasaru (1509 – 1609), an Aproksha Jnani standing as an example against the prejudice of caste during his period. The Kanakana Kindi in Sri Krishna Temple of Udupi is preaching to date that following once Varna ashrama or the Caste is not an obstruction to accomplish closeness to Lord.
Wondering the charm of the sport of Lord Purusha and brimming with Bhakti, Kanaka Dasaru has sung the below Kannada song making the nectar of Bhakti flow. So, let’s try to put our finger with English translations in font Italics to lick the same!

Nee maayeyoLago ninnoLu maayeyo
Nee dehadoLago ninnoLu dehavo
Are you inside the Maya or Prakriti through which you have constructed this Universe that is being influenced by Goddess Maha Lakshmi or is Prakriti inside you!
Are you inside the body or the body is inside you!
Bayalu aalayadaLago, aalayavau bayaloLago
Bayalu aalayaveraDu nayanadoLago
Nayana buddhiya oLago, buddhi nayanada oLago
Nayana buddhigaLeraDu ninnoLago, Krishna || 1||
Is this space for our stay or is our stay inside the space!
Or is our stay and space in our sight!
Or our sight is in our intellect or the intellect is in our sight!
Or is our sight and intellect both with you, Krishna (1)
Saviyu sakkare oLago, sakkareyu saviyoLago
Saviyu sakkare yeRadu jivheyoLago
Jivhe manasina oLago, manasu jivheya oLago|
Jivhe manasugaLeraDu ninnoLago, Krishna || 2||
Is the sweetness inside the sugar or the sugar is in sweetness!
Or is sweetness and sugar in our taste of the tongue!
Or is taste in our thoughts or the thoughts in the taste!
Or is our taste, thoughts with you, Krishna (2)
Kusumadali gandhvao, gandhadali kusumavo
Kusuma gandhagaLeraDu aaghraaNadoLago
Asamabhava kaaginele aadi keshavaraya
UsuraleNNaLavallaa ella ninnoLago, Krishna || 3||
Is the flower inside the fragrence or the fragrence is in flower!
Or is flower and fragrance in our breath!
Unlikely, Oh! Lord Adikeshava of Kaginele,
The breath itself is not mine and everything is with you, Krishna (3)

May wish to check out this link for the Youtube sound bite of the above song sung by the famous Shri Vidyabhushana

The forms of the Lord are immeasurable nor are all His forms possible to be listed. However, Sri Sutacharya being very kind and showing mercy to “We the people of Kali Yuga”, narrates twenty-two forms here as deemed sufficient and when read with full concentration and bhakti would release us from the bind of sorrow. Let’s take a look at these forms:

स एव प्रथमं देवः कौमारं सर्गमाश्रितः ।

चचार दुश्चरं ब्रह्मा ब्रह्मचर्यमखण्डितम् ॥ ६॥

First, the Lord took the form of Kaumara maintaining the most difficult and complete Brahmacharya or Vow of Chastity.

In this form of Kumara, the Lord appears always as five years old. He initiated and thaught Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanatana and Sanat Kumar the Tattva Jnana. Also, in this form, He initiated and thought even God Brahma the Tattva Jnana.

The appearance of the Lord could be broadly classified as those creating illusions by taking birth as a human. Examples being Parshurama, Sri Rama, Sri Krishna and so on. The other being like those of Sri Narasimha or Matsya without any birth. The appearance of Lord Kumara is Swayambu or without birth.

SanatKumara also a form of Kama performed the vow of chastity and continues to submit the Vairagya to Lord. Also, God Rudra would never be influenced by any arishadverga of Kama, Krodha and so on or the materialistic world and is known to be the Vairagya Shiromani. This he could accomplish through the blessings of this Lord Kumara.

द्वितीयं तु भवायास्य रसातलगतां महीम् ।

उद्धरिष्यन्नुपादत्त यज्ञेशः सौकरं वपुः ॥ ७॥

In the second form, Lord appeared as Yagnesha or adiVaraha or boar with benevolence and for the welfare of life on earth. In this form, the Lord placed the earth back into its orbit.

Here, Sri Sutacharya narrates the first incidence in the first manvantara of Swayambu Manu. During this incidence, when the earth was thrown out of its orbit by evil demon Hiranyaksha, Lord took the form of Yagnesha killed the evil Hiranyaksha and placed the earth back to its orbit. Also, all substance required for Sacrifice or Yagna was created by this form of Lord and hence is called Yagnesha.

तृतीयं ऋषिसर्गं च देवर्षित्वमुपेत्य सः ।

तन्त्रं सात्वतमाचष्ट नैष्कर्म्यं कर्मणां यतः ॥ ८॥

In the third form, Lord appears as Mahidasa connected to both Gods and Rishis and has been called as Devarishi. As Mahidasa, Lord initiated Devarishi Narada with Pancharatra Samhita outlining nishkama karma or actions propitiating Lord without expectation as Stivika Technique or Tantra.

Pleased with Rishi named Vishala and his wife Etara, Lord takes birth as their son and his name as Aitareya. All the Great or Mahat Gods become his Dasa or slave follower. With this fame, The Lord is called Mahidasa. Lord Mahidasa teaches and imparts knowledge of Aitareya Upanishad to all Gods including to Goddess Lakshmi. As there is no eligibility to study Vedas to women, non-practicing Brahmins and other Varnas, Lord established Pancharatra Samhita. Here, He outlined the secrets of accomplishing moksha or breaking from the cycle of death and birth through initiating nishkama karma or actions propitiating Lord without expectation as Stivika Technique or Tantra.

र्ये धर्मकलासर्गे नरनारायणावृषी ।

भूत्वात्मोपशमोपेतमकरोद्दुश्चरं तपः ॥ ९॥

As sons of Dharma and his wife Murthy, Lord appeared as Nara-Narayana maharishi. In this form, the Lord took-up the austerity or tapas by coordinating thoughts and Indriya or sensory organs.

As Nara-Narayana, Lord appeared in the house of Dharmaraja as Narayana along with Nara or the form of God Sesha and is popularly known as Nara-Narayana. The Lord Narayana is present in God Nara also as his Indweller. This form of Badri Narayana is very important to all the residents of Jamboodweepa or present-day India. The objective of this form of Lord is a cause for the initiation of Tapas or Austerity and bless the Gods, Pitru or past forefathers & Humen beings doing Tapas. Hence, leading the mind towards the Lord and confer blessings.

पञ्चमः कपिलो नाम सिद्धेशः कालविप्लुतम् ।

प्रोवाचासुरये साङ्ख्यं तत्त्वग्रामविनिर्णयम् ॥ १०॥

Corrupting the Axiom of Indoctrination is from the beginning of creation and the virtuous gets deprived of Vedas. Hence, Lord appears in the form of Kapila to Kardama and Devahuti. Lord as Vasudeva Kapila compiled and initiated Sankhya Shastra to Asuri that would help to arrive at the Axiom.

|| Hari Om ||

Seeking continued blessings of Lord, Gods, and Gurus for the study of other for forms of the Lord in Srimad Bhagavatam Skanda 1- Forms and The Fame of Lord Bhagavan (Continued) 
|| Sri Krishnarpanamastu ||