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CHAPTER XXIV
THE BHAGAVATA-PURĀŅA
The Bhāgavata-purāṇa.
THE Bhāgavata-purāṇa shares with the Bhagavad-gītā a unique position in the devotional literature of India. It cannot however claim the same antiquity: before the tenth century A.D. no references to it have been discovered by the present writer. Even Rāmānuja (born in A.D. 1017) had not mentioned its name or made any quotations from it. But by the time of Madhva the work had become famous: one of the principal works of Madhva (thirteenth century A.D.) is called the Bhāgavata-tātparya, in which he deals with the principal ideas of the Bhagavata-purāṇa, and lays emphasis on them so far as they support his views. The thoughts of the Bhāgavata-purāna are loftily poetic, but the style is more difficult. The present writer is of opinion that it must have been composed by a Southerner, as it makes references to the Alvars, who have probably never been referred to by any writer in Northern or Upper India. The Bhāgavata-purāṇa, however, was so much appreciated that immediately commentaries were written upon it. Some of these commentaries are:
Amṛta-ranginī, Atmapriyā, Kṛṣṇa-padī, Caitanya-candrikā, Jayamangala, Tattva-pradīpikā, Tātparya-candrikā, Tātparya-dīpikā, Bhagavallīlā-cintamani, Rasa-mañjarī, Sukapakṣiyā Prabodhini, a țikā by Janardana Bhaṭṭa, a ṭīkā by Narahari, Prakāśa by Śrīnivāsa, Tattva-dipikā by Kalyāṇa Rāya, a ṭīkā by Kṛṣṇa Bhaṭṭa, a ṭīkā by Kaura Sādhu, a ṭīkā by Gopāla Cakravarti, Anvaya-bodhini by Cūḍāmaṇi Cakravartī, Bhāva-prakāśikā by Narasimhācārya, a ṭīkā by Yadupati, Subodhini by Vallabhācārya, Pada-ratnavali by Vijayadhvaja-tirtha, a tīkā by Viṭṭhala Dīkṣita, Sārārtha-darsini by Viśvanatha Cakravarti, a ṭīkā by Viṣṇusvāmin, Bhagavata-candrikā by Viraraghava, Bhāvārtha-dīpikā by Śivarāma, Bhāvārtha-dipikā by Śrīdhara-svāmi, Sneha-pūraṇī by Keśavadāsa, a ṭīkā by Śrivāsācārya, a tīkā by Satyabhinava-tirtha, a ṭīkā by Sudarsana Sūri, a tīkā by Braja-bhūṣaṇa, Bhāgavata-purāṇārka-prabha by Haribhānu, Bhāgavata-puraṇa-prathama-śloka-ṭīkā by Jayarama and
