by KRISHNA DVAIPAYAN VYAS DEV

Listen to the Mahatmya (importance) of Srimad Bhagvatam:

http://srimadbhagvatam.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Srimad-Bhagvat-Mahatma.mp3

What is the  Srimad Bhagvat Puran?

Srimad Bhagvat Puran is the concluding puran written by Bhagvan Krishna-Dvaipaayan Vyas in his full maturity, after getting inspired from his spiritual master, Narada Muni. Interestingly, both Bhagvan Krishna-Dvaipaayan Vyas and Narad Muni are incarnations of Lord Vishnu, but they are playing transcendental roles for the benefit of human race.

Vyas is a title (vyasyatey iti vyasah — the one who expands is called Vyas), and Krishna-Dvaipaayan Vyas was the 28th Vyas (Parashar Muni was the 26th Vyas). His real name is Krishna Dvaipaayan (dweepay ayanam ashrayah yasya sah dvaipaayan — he was born  in an island).  All the major Hindu scriptures in this 28th chatur-yug of current Vaivasvat manvantar have been written by Bhagvan Krishna-Dvaipaayan Vyas.

As a side note, this is the list of Vyasas in the currentVaivasvat manvantar: In the first Dvâpara, Brahmâ Himself divided the Vedas; in the second Dvâpara, the first Prajapati Vyâsa did the same; so S’akra, in the third, Brihaspati, in the fourth, Surya in the fifth; Yama, in the sixth, Indra, in the seventh, Vasistha, in the eighth; Sarasvata Risi in the ninth, Tridhama, in the tenth; Trivrisa, in the eleventh, Bharadvâja, in the twelfth; Antariksa, in the thirteenth; Dharma, in the fourteenth; Evaruni in the fifteenth; Dhananjaya, in the sixteenth; Medhatithi in tba seventeenth; Vrati, in the eighteenth; Atri, in the nineteenth; Gautama in the twentieth, Uttama, whose soul was fixed on Hari, in the twenty-first, Vâjasravâ Vena, in the twenty second; his family descendant Somaiu the twenty-third; Trinavindu, in the twenty-fourth; Bhârgava, in the twenty-fifth; Sakti, in the twenty-sixth, Jâtûkarnya in the twenty-seventh and Krisna Dvaipâyana became the twenty-eighth Veda Vyâs in the Dvâpara Yugas. In the next 29th Dvâpara Yuga, Asvatthama, the son of Drona will be the Veda Vyâsa.

In Vishnu Sahasranaam, it is said:

Yog & samkhya knowledge, sculpture (mundane arts), action, Vedas, scriptures, realization – all these have come from Lord Janardan.

See Also:

• The background – Conversation between Vyas ji and Narad ji
• How did Vyas ji get inspired to author Srimad Bhagvatam?
• Immediate effects of reading or listening to Srimad Bhagvatam

What do other Puranas say about Srimad Bhagvatam?

The Skanda Purana states:

“In Kali-yuga, of what value are collections of hundreds of thousands of other scriptures, if one does not keep the Srimad Bhagavatam in his house? wherever is the Srimad Bhagavatam in Kali-yuga, the Lord goes there along with the demigods. O muni, a person who faithfully recites a verse of Srimad Bhagavatam every day attains the fruit of reading the eighteen Puranas“.

(Skanda Purana, 2.5.16.40-42,44,33)