Description

The Fifth Canto corresponds to the lotus navel of the Supreme Lord. Here, Sukadeva Gosvami continues on the toic of visarga and describes the dynasty of the Priyavrata (5.1-15), the other son of Manu. The latter half of this canto (5.16-26) discusses sthanam, the positioning of various planetary systems within the structure of the universe for the inhabitation of various living entities.

The Sixth Canto of the Bhagavatam presents several interesting episodes on the theme of posana, or protection offered by the Supreme Lord to His devotees, although they sometimes transgress the laws of dharma. Hearing about the hellish planets in 5.26, compassionate Pariksit inquired from Sukadeva Goswami how the living entities may be saved from entering such hellish conditions. Sukadeva Goswami, to test his disciple, first presented karma-kanda and jnana-kanda as solutions, but seeing Pariksit not satisfied, presented bhakti-yoga as the ultimate protection from all sins. To substantiate this, he told the story of Ajamila.

“What is special: the clarity of both the text and its graphic presentation, enabling a full and penetrating comprehension of the Bhagavatam’s structure and profundity” – HH Devamrita Swami.