Book excerpt: Over the course of seven days, Paramahamsa Sri Swami Vishwananda captivated an eager audience with his commentary on the Shreemad Bhagavatam, extracting the essence of its message and deepening the understanding and experience of everyone present. This book is the result of that event. About the Shreemad Bhagavatam: Despite being compiled long ago by Sage Veda Vyasa, the Shreemad Bhagavatam’s message is very relevant today for it describes the powerful connection to the Divine presence that resides within the heart of every human being. Its verses prove that whenever humanity is most in need, the Divine manifests Itself on Earth to answer the call of the sincere devotees, and to re-establish balance, right action, and the life-affirming power of Divine Love. Paramahamsa Vishwananda’s commentary gives an enlightening spiritual context to these stories of men and women, kings and beggars, avatars and demons, and seamlessly connects them to the deeper issues and questions that concern all of us today: life purpose, responsibility, honesty, jealousy, pride, ego, stewardship of the Earth, and much more.