The Ripe Fruit of Knowledge

We therefore accept the Srimad-Bhagavatam as the cream of all Vedic knowledge. From a cow we take milk, and from the milk we derive whey, buttermilk, etc., but the essence of the milk is the cream. Therefore Srimad-Bhagavatam is called the cream or essence of the Vedas, and sometimes it is also called the ripened fruit of the Vedic tree of knowledge. A tree has roots, a trunk, branches and leaves, but the quintessence of the tree is the fruit. The development of the tree culminates when a succulent, ripened fruit is produced. Srimad-Bhagavatam is called the ripened fruit of the Vedic tree, for it contains the most sweet and essential knowledge. A tree is produced by the wonderful action of nature, and it produces a nice fruit which is for our benefit. We can take that fruit very happily, and thus the purpose of the tree is fulfilled. Similarly, it is described by Caitanya Mahaprabhu that Srimad-Bhagavatam, being the spotless Purana, is the fruit of Vedic knowledge.

If one simply understands Srimad-Bhagavatam, all of the Vedic knowledge is known to him. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupada, a great Vaisnava acarya (Krsna conscious spiritual master), once observed that if all the books in the world were burned today and none were left but Srimad-Bhagavatam, there would be no lack of knowledge. Srimad-Bhagavatam consists of twelve cantos containing about 18,000 verses. The very first verse, which is the invocation, explains the purpose of the entire work.