50 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 1, Ch. 1

seen. Only the mahdtmas can understand that the Supreme Lord is the
primeval cause of all creations. He is parama or ultimate truth because all
other truths are relative to Him. He is omniscient. For Him, there is no
illusion.

Some Mayavadi scholars argue that Srimad-Bhdgavatam was not com-
piled by Sri Vyasadeva. And some of them suggest that this book is a
modern creation written by someone named Vopadeva. In order to refute
such meaningless arguments, Sri Sridhara Svami points out that there is
reference to the Bhagavatam in many of the oldest Purdnas. This first
Sloka of the Bhagavatam begins with the Gayatri mantra. There is refer-
ence to this in the Matsya Purana, which is the oldest Purana. In that
Purana, it is said with reference to the Gayatri mantra in the Bhagavatam
that there are many narrations of spiritual instructions beginning with the
Gayatn mantra. And there is the history of Vrtrasura. Anyone who makes
a gift of this great work on a full moon day attains to the highest perfec-
tion of life by returning to Godhead. There is reference to the Bhagavatam
in other Puranas, also, where it is clearly stated that this work was finished
in twelve cantos which include 18,000 slokas. In the Padma Purana also
there is reference to the Bhagavatam in a conversation between Gautama
and Maharaja Ambarisa. The King was advised therein to read regularly
Srimad-Bhagavatam if he desired liberation from material bondage. Under
the circumstances, there is no doubt about the authority of the Bhaga-
vatam. Within the past 500 years, many erudite scholars and dcaryas like
Jiva Gosvami, Sanatana Gosvami, Visvanatha Cakravarti, Vallabhacarya,
and many other distinguished scholars even after the time of Lord Caitanya
made elaborate commentaries on the Bhdgavatam. And the serious student
would do well to attempt to go through them to better relish the transcen-

dental messages.

Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur specifically deals with the original
and pure sex psychology (adi-rasa), devoid of all mundane inebriety. The
whole material creation is moving under the principle of sex life. In
modern civilization, sex life is the focal point for all activities. Wherever
one turns his face, he sees sex life predominant. Therefore, sex life is not
unreal. Its reality is experienced in the spiritual world. The material sex
life is but a perverted reflection of the original fact. The original fact is in
the Absolute Truth, and thus the Absolute Truth cannot be impersonal.
It is not possible to be impersonal and contain pure sex life. Consequently,
the impersonalist philosophers have given indirect impetus to the abomi-
nable mundane sex life because they have overstressed the impersonality of
the ultimate truth. Consequently, man without information of the actual
