46 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 1, Ch. 1

very easily imagine how brains higher than man can produce similarly
wonderful things which are far superior. The reasonable person will easily
accept this argument, but there are stubborn atheists who would never
agree. Srila Vyasadeva, however, at once accepts the supreme intelligence
as the paramesvara. He offers his respectful obeisances unto the supreme
intelligence addressed as the para or the paramesvara or the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. And that paramesvara is Sri Krsna, as admitted
in Bhagavad-gita and other scriptures delivered by Sri Vyasadeva and
specifically in this Srimad-Bhagavatam. In Bhagavad-gita, the Lord says

that there is no other Para-tattva (summum bonum) than Himself. There-
fore, Sri Vyasadeva at once worships the Para-tattva, Sri Krsna, whose

transcendental activities are described in the Tenth Canto.

Unscrupulous persons go immediately to the Tenth Canto and especially
to the five chapters which describe the Lord’s rasa dance. This portion of
the Srimad-Bhdgavatam is the most confidential part of this great literature.
Unless one is thoroughly accomplished in the transcendental knowledge
of the Lord, one is sure to misunderstand the Lord’s worshipable transcen-
dental pastimes called rdsa dance and His love affairs with the gopis. This
subject matter is highly spiritual, and only the liberated persons who have
gradually attained to the stage of paramahamsa can transcendentally relish
this rasa dance. Srila Vyasadeva therefore gives the reader the chance to
gradually develop spiritual realization before actually relishing the essence
of the pastimes of the Lord. Therefore, he purposely invokes a Gayatri
mantra, dhimahi. This Gayatri mantra is meant for spiritually advanced
people. When one is successful in chanting the Gayatri mantra, he can
enter into the transcendental position of the Lord. One must therefore
acquire brahminical qualities or be perfectly situated in the quality of
goodness in order to chant the Gayatri mantra successfully and then
attain to the stage of transcendentally realizing the Lord, His name, His
fame, His qualities and so on.

Srimad-Bhdgavatam is the narration of the svariipa of the Lord mani-
fested by His internal potency, and this potency is distinguished from
the external potency which has manifested the cosmic world, which is
within our experience. Srila Vyasadeva makes a clear distinction between
the two in this sloka. Sri Vyasadeva says herein that the manifested internal
potency is real, whereas the external manifested energy in the form of
material existence is only temporary and illusory like the mirage in the
desert. In the desert mirage there is no actual water. There is only the

appearance of water. Real water is somewhere else. The manifested cosmic
creation appears as reality. But reality, of which this is but a shadow, is in
