Bhagavata Purana
Topic: Bhakti and Sufi Traditions · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 2 "Bhakti-Sufi Traditions"
Meaning
The Bhagavata Purana is one of the best-known Puranas, the Sanskrit texts of myth and devotion. It is usually dated c. 9th–10th century. It centres on Vishnu, especially the life of Krishna, and teaches loving devotion (bhakti) as the way to God. Many ideas of the Tamil Alvars were taken into the Sanskrit tradition and reached their fullest form in this text. It later inspired bhakti movements across India.
Example
In late-15th-century Assam, Shankaradeva based his Bhagavati dharma on the Bhagavad Gita and the Bhagavata Purana. It taught complete surrender to Vishnu and singing his name (naam kirtan). Chaitanya in Bengal and Vallabhacharya also drew on this text for their worship of Krishna.
Don't confuse with
- Bhagavad Gita: a short dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna inside the Mahabharata. The Bhagavata Purana is a separate, much longer text about Vishnu and Krishna.
Related concepts
- Adi Shankaracharya
- Advaita Vedanta
- Shankaracharya mathas
- Ramanuja
- Vishishtadvaita
- Madhvacharya
- Haridasa movement
- Purandara Dasa
- Kanaka Dasa
- Annamacharya