Shrimad Bhagavata, one of the Purana books, consists of about eighteen thousand verses which are assigned to twelve books or Skandas. Apart from its superb poetry and the very wide range of its devotional teachings, the reason for its wide and ever-expanding appeal is its elaborate exposition of the life and message of Sri Krishna and the necessity of cultivating devotion to him. Six thousand verses including the first book, the tenth book (describing his birth and childhood), eleventh and twelfth books deal with Sri Krishna directly and many other indirectly. The eleventh book in particular gives brief and pointed answers to the hundreds of questions posed by the great devotee Uddhava, dealing with the practice of spiritual life. Sri Krishna is treated as the perfect and complete Descent of the Divine alluding that everyone of us can attain the perfection following. His guidelines and footsteps. Krishna is the human version of the Supreme Being or That One (tad ekam) of the Vedas and the Upanishads. The rest of the subject matter, including the accounts of other Incarnations, is made subordinate to it.

This book has several version; the verse in (2.9) stated that the Bhagavata was transmitted by the Lord Himself to Brahma and by him to Narada. Almost all the members of the Vaishnava population of the whole world look upon this book as their main scripture on a par with Bhagavat Gita and Upanishads. Several teachers or founders of sects outside the Vaishnava fold have written learned commentaries on this book. Another important aspect of the Bhagavata is that it mentions a large number of philosophical viewpoints such as non-dualism, realistic theism, dualism etc. Its effort is towards the synthesis of all different schools and not for positing opposition between the different philosophies.

Often, we see this desire of personal salvation overcome by another attraction which also belongs to the higher turn of our nature and which indicates the essential character of the action the liberated soul must pursue. It is that which is implied in the great legend of the Amitabha Buddha who turned away when his spirit was on the threshold of Nirvana and took the vow never to cross it while a single being remained in the sorrow and the Ignorance. It is that which underlies the sublime verse of the Bhagavata Purana, "I desire not the supreme state with all its eight siddhis nor the cessation of rebirth; may I assume the sorrow of all creatures who suffer and enter into them so that they may be made free from grief." (CWSA, Volume: 23-24, The Synthesis of Yoga, p.269)

The 2004 diary has a quote from the Shrimad Bhagavata one for each day. For your convenience have made each month a chapter. The message in these verses is eternal though the diary can be used in 2004 only. If you like to buy the diary please email Shyama : himatsingka@auroville.org.in, or call her at 91 0413 2331962 / 2336672.