Honoring Loved Ones Through Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Last Edited: October 6, 2026, 9:10 PM (PDT)

Introduction

Vedic culture describes human life as carrying a profound responsibility: to use this human birth as an opportunity for the soul to return to its original relationship of love with the Supreme Lord.

The śāstras teach that from the very moment we are born, we inherit and continue to accrue debts:

1. to the sages, who preserved and transmitted sacred knowledge—from the Vedas and Purāṇas to the many sciences, arts, and disciplines that sustain civilization;
2. to the devas, who preside over and facilitate the natural forces upon which our lives depend;
3. and to the generations before us, the Pitṛs, who raised us and gave us family lineage, culture, traditions, inheritance, and so much of what we have received in this life.

The śāstras prescribe various karmas (duties and actions) within varṇāśrama to fulfill these obligations. Śrāddha is one such prescribed karma, performed by the living for the benefit of those who have departed.

The word śrāddha is closely connected with śraddhā, meaning “faith” or “trust.” In its ritual sense, śrāddha refers to acts performed with śraddhā for the benefit of those who have departed—traditionally the Pitṛs, but also, as śāstra describes, other deceased relatives and loved ones.

This is where our campaign name, “Śrāddha Dāna,” comes from: giving with faith for the benefit of someone who has departed. Followers of Vedic culture know that Pitṛ Pakṣa—pitṛ meaning forefather and pakṣa meaning fortnight—is a sacred time to remember and honor our loved ones and ancestors.

So during this time, two questions naturally arise:

1. How can I repay my debt to those who came before me?
2. What is the greatest benefit I can offer them?

In this piece, we make the case that the answer to both questions is found in Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself. For a Vaiṣṇava who wishes to benefit the forefathers, śāstra offers a higher principle: worship Kṛṣṇa for their sake. And Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the literary form of the Lord, gives us a remarkable way to put this principle into practice: place Kṛṣṇa-kathā in another home and thereby give Hari a place.

The Challenge of Fulfilling These Duties in Kali-yuga

Following the śāstric system of karma-kāṇḍa is no easy task. The rites prescribed for devas and Pitṛs come with detailed requirements concerning whom to worship, what to offer, when to perform a rite, and how to carry it out. Śrīla Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī illustrates this complexity in his Sat-kriyā-sāra-dīpikā:

“Those who are entangled in karma worship the devas and Pitṛs through daily and periodic rites. They must worship individually all thirty-three million demigods, such as Gaṇeśa, etc. If a person performs śrāddha, he must begin with his father, mother, grandfather, and great-grandfather, and worship all those forefathers up to those generated directly from Lord Brahmā, the creator of the universe. Is there a problem if one does otherwise?” (Śrīla Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī presents many pieces of evidence, a few of which follow.)

“O king of kings, in every ritual, everyone must worship all the demigods and forefathers. Otherwise, everything is fruitless.” (Bṛhad-Viṣṇu Purāṇa)

“The karmīs who desire the results of their work should worship all the demigods, forefathers, and guests with appropriate paraphernalia and ingredients, so that they may attain the fruits of their actions. If this is not done properly, then their endeavor is useless.” (Śruti)

In the opening section of his Sat-kriyā-sāra-dīpikā, Śrīla Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī establishes that, for devotees who understand śāstra, Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the ultimate shelter and object of worship.

He further establishes that even those who are not initiated Vaiṣṇavas but are part of the varṇāśrama system are not recommended to worship the demigods. Neglecting the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa causes them to fall from their positions (see Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.5.2–3: mukha-bāhūru-pādebhyaḥ …; ya eṣāṁ puruṣaṁ sākṣād …).

In essence, nitya (constant) and naimittika (occasional) karmas such as śrāddha are prescribed duties to the devas and forefathers for householders in varṇāśrama culture. Varṇāśrama was once pervasive throughout society and centered on Vedic literature; people were generally educated in the knowledge and practices required to fulfill these duties. This required serious education and training. It is not without reason that Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.20.43 describes the learned (kavayaḥ) as performing these offerings to the Pitṛs.

However, in this age of Kali, according to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 12.2.12–16, the principles of varṇāśrama have been ruined and the path of the Vedas has been largely forgotten, leaving a semblance of religion devoid of substance. Genuine experts in karma-kāṇḍa rituals are now rare. An important question therefore arises: How does a Vaiṣṇava fulfill these duties?

Vaiṣṇava Approach to Śrāddha

Broadly speaking, the Vaiṣṇava understanding is that worship of the Supreme Lord satisfies those who are connected with Him, just as watering a tree’s root nourishes its trunk, branches, and twigs (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.31.14).

All the ācāryas cite this principle when discussing śrāddha, the Pitṛs, and the devas in relation to devotees. Śrīla Prabhupāda does so in his books, as do Śrīla Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī and Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī in their works. Thus, rather than approaching the Pitṛs independently and navigating the various requirements of karma-kāṇḍa, the Vaiṣṇava turns toward the Supreme Lord for their sake.

Glories of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and the Solution It Provides

The following verses are especially compelling, as they directly glorify the worship of Hari for the benefit of one’s forefathers.

dhanyās te mānavā loke kali-kāle viśeṣataḥ ye kurvanti harer nityaṁ pitṛ-arthaṁ pūjanaṁ mune

O sage, fortunate are those people in this world, especially in the age of Kali, who regularly worship Hari for the sake of their forefathers.

kiṁ dattair bahubhir piṇḍair gayā-śrāddhādibhir mune yair arcito harir bhaktyā pitṛ-arthaṁ ca dine dine

O sage, what need is there for many piṇḍa offerings and rites such as Gayā-śrāddha when Hari is worshiped daily with devotion for the sake of the forefathers?

yam uddiśya hareḥ pūjā kriyate muni-puṅgava uddhṛtya narakāvāsāt taṁ nayet paramaṁ padam

The person for whose sake the worship of Śrī Hari is performed is freed from a hellish abode, and Hari leads them to the supreme destination.

yo dadāti hareḥ sthānaṁ pitṝn uddiśya nārada kartavyaṁ hi pitṝṇāṁ yat tat kṛtaṁ tena bho dvija

O Nārada, whoever gives Śrī Hari a place with their forefathers in mind thereby fulfills the duty owed to their forefathers.

— Hari-bhakti-vilāsa 9.307–310

Hari-bhakti-vilāsa 9.310 is particularly striking in this regard. By giving Śrī Hari a place (sthāna) on behalf of the Pitṛs, one has fulfilled what is to be done (yat kartavyam) for the forefathers (pitṝṇām).

Someone may think that giving Śrī Hari a place (sthāna) necessitates establishing His deity (arca-vigraha). That is one way to interpret this verse, but the forms of the Lord accessible to us are not limited to the deity.

Śrī Bhagavān states:

śabda-brahma paraṁ brahma mamobhe śāśvatī tanū

“These two eternal forms of Mine—śabda-brahma (Vedic literature or the holy name) and para-brahma (My transcendental form, or the deity form)…” (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.16.51).

Of all the Vedic literatures, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the ripened fruit (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.1.3: nigama-kalpa-taror-galitaṁ-phalam). As a Purāṇa, it is especially accessible and is singled out among the scriptures as Kṛṣṇa’s form (teneyaṁ vāṅmayī mūrtiḥ pratyakṣā vartate hareḥ, Bhāgavata-māhātmya). It does not have the extensive restrictions and installation requirements associated with the deity form.

The cantos of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam have been described as different parts of the Lord’s body: His feet, thighs, navel, arms, throat, face, forehead, and head (pādau yadīyau prathama-dvitīyau …; Śrī Gauḍīya Kaṇṭhahāra and Padma Purāṇa).

This gives us another way to understand how verse 9.310 can be applied:

By giving Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam a place in a home, we give Hari a place there, with the forefathers in mind.

Śāstra repeatedly describes Hari Himself as present wherever Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is kept:

yatra yatra bhaved vipra śāstraṃ bhāgavataṃ kalau | tatra tatra harir yāti tridaśaiḥ saha nārada ||

“O brāhmaṇa Nārada, wherever the scripture Bhāgavatam is present in Kali-yuga, Lord Hari goes there along with the thirteen principal demigods.” (Skanda Purāṇa, conversation between Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna)

tiṣṭhate vaiṣṇavaṃ śāstraṃ likhitaṃ yasya mandire | tatra nārāyaṇo devaḥ svayaṃ vasati nārada ||

“The Supreme Lord Nārāyaṇa Himself lives in the house where the written Vaiṣṇava scriptures are kept.” (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.209)

ślokaṃ bhāgavataṃ cā'pi ślokārdhaṃ pādameva vā | likhitaṃ tiṣṭhate yasya gṛhe tasya vasāmyaham ||

“I stay in that house where a verse from the Bhāgavata—or even half a verse or a quarter verse—is written and kept.” (Skanda Purāṇa 2.2.5.16.50)

Unlike the arca-vigraha, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam can be received, kept, read, heard, and shared without the extensive installation and ritual requirements associated with deity worship. The Bhāgavatam manifested for the welfare of the general mass of people (lokasyājānato vidvāṁś, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.7.6) and promises to destroy the blemishes of Kali-yuga (kṛṣṇa-caritaṁ kali-kalmaṣa-ghnam, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.1.14).

Therefore, in his prayers to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī glorifies its availability to all people (sarvadā sarva-sevyāya) and its power to uplift even the most degraded person into a pure sādhu (asādhu-sādhutā-dāyin).

Gokarṇa and Dhundhukāri: When Ordinary Rites Were Not Enough

An illuminating story of Gokarṇa and his brother Dhundhukāri is found in the Bhāgavata-māhātmya of the Padma Purāṇa.

Dhundhukāri had lived a profoundly sinful life and, after his death, became a suffering preta, or ghostly being. When Gokarṇa learned of his condition, he was astonished: he had already performed śrāddha for his brother at Gayā, yet Dhundhukāri remained bound in that state.

Gokarṇa himself had expected the Gayā piṇḍa to benefit his brother. He therefore asked Dhundhukāri how he could still be suffering in the form of a preta. Dhundhukāri replied that even the śrāddha at Gayā had not purified him, and asked Gokarṇa to find another means of emancipation.

The learned brāhmaṇas were consulted, and ultimately the means prescribed was a seven-day recitation of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

Gokarṇa assembled the brāhmaṇas and began the seven-day reading. Significantly, the recitation was undertaken specifically for Dhundhukāri’s deliverance. Dhundhukāri, still in his ghostly condition, came and listened from within a bamboo stalk with seven knots.

As the seven-day recitation proceeded, one knot of the bamboo broke each day. At the conclusion of the recitation, after the twelfth canto had been heard, the final knot broke. Dhundhukāri was freed from his ghostly condition and appeared in a divine form. A celestial vehicle from Vaikuṇṭha then came for him, and he departed for the abode of Viṣṇu.

Dhundhukāri himself then glorified the power of the Bhāgavata and the seven-day recitation, declaring that it had freed him from his preta condition and granted him passage to Viṣṇu’s abode.

Concluding Thoughts

None of this is to say that śrāddha should not be performed. In fact, it is the order of Kṛṣṇa, conveyed through the śrutis and smṛtis. By taking to the higher order of bhakti, however, one may, according to one’s eligibility (śraddhā, or faith in Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa-bhakti), transcend the lower order and take shelter of the Lord (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.1.11, with commentary by Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura).

One’s debts to the forefathers and other personalities are completely cleared when one fully surrenders to Kṛṣṇa (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.5.41). However, even advanced devotees who have no such obligation perform śrāddha and other activities to set an example for the rest of the population (see the examples of Prahlāda Mahārāja and Janaka Mahārāja). They do so in a mood of loka-saṅgraha (Bhagavad-gītā 3.20), so that people who are not yet eligible for bhakti will follow the Vedic regulations concerning their varṇāśrama duties.

What has been established is that by giving Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with one’s forefathers in mind, one has fulfilled the duties required of oneself towards them. Anyone can take advantage of this opportunity to help our forefathers and ourselves.

Let the Bhāgavatam enter another home

LoveContinued connects offerings with established distribution networks, including Graam Vidya Daan. Sets are sent to villages in India, to devotees in Latin America, and to Japan—places where eager recipients cannot afford to purchase the Bhāgavatam.

If you wish, you can also sponsor annadāna and go-sevā alongside a set of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

Sponsorships made in remembrance of loved ones are offered at a mahā-yajña in Gayā on Mahālaya Amāvasyā.

Sponsor a Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam set in remembrance of a loved one →

Works Cited

1. Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī. Hari-bhakti-vilāsa. Vol. 1, with Dig-darśinī commentary by Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī. Edited and translated by Haridās Śāstrī. Gadādhara-Gaurahari Press, 1986.
   • English translation of verses 9.307–310 based on this edition.
2. Śrīla A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.
3. Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī. Sat-kriyā-sāra-dīpikā.
4. Śrīla A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda. Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.
5. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī Prabhupāda. Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.1.11, 1.2.209. Commentary on 1.1.11 by Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura.
6. Bṛhad-Viṣṇu Purāṇa. Quoted in Sat-kriyā-sāra-dīpikā; the specific passage is not identified in the manuscript.
7. Śrīla Vyasadeva, Padma Purāṇa. Bhāgavata-māhātmya (Gokarṇa and Dhundhukāri narrative).
8. Śrīla Vyasadeva, Skanda Purāṇa. Includes the Mārgaśīrṣa-māhātmya, Bhāgavata-śraiṣṭhya-māhātmya verses cited in the essay.
9. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda. Śrī Gauḍīya Kaṇṭhahāra. Cited for the description of the Bhāgavatam’s cantos as the Lord’s body.