Srimad Bhagavatam is the transcendental science not only for knowing the ultimate source of everything but also for knowing our relation with Him and our duty toward the perfection of human society on the basis of this perfect knowledge. Srimad-Bhagavatam makes clear that because the book is intended for people serious about spiritual progress, it will not deal with sectarian religious ideas, philosophical conjecture, or worldly concerns. Originally preserved through oral tradition, the Vedas were first put into writing by Srila Vyasadeva, the “literary incarnation of God.” After compiling the Vedas, Srila Vyasadeva was inspired by his spiritual master to present their profound essence in the form of Srimad-Bhagavatam. Known as “the ripened fruit of the tree of Vedic literature,” Srimad-Bhagavatam is the most complete and authoritative exposition of Vedic knowledge. The questions of King Parikshit and Shukadeva Goswami’s illuminating answers in the Bhagavatam, concerning everything from the nature of the self to the origin of the universe, are the basis of Srimad-Bhagavatam. This edition of Bhagavatam is a complete English translation with an elaborate and scholarly commentary, and it is the first edition widely available to the English-reading public. This work is the product of the scholarly and devotional effort of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhakti Vedanta Swami Prabhupada, the world’s most distinguished teacher of Indian religious and philosophical thought