Bhagavata Devotees
Bhagavata Devotees — 10 chapters, 100 questions. From the Bhagavata Purana.
Ten stories of devotees scattered across cantos 4 to 9 of the Bhagavata Purana — a snubbed child (Dhruva), a better king drawn from a tyrant's body (Prithu), a fallen brahmin who spoke the name without knowing it (Ajamila), a grieving father (Citraketu), a demon's own son (Prahlada), an elephant caught in a crocodile's jaws (Gajendra), a king tested by giving everything away (Bali), a king reborn as a deer for loving a fawn (Jada Bharata), and a fast used against the one who kept it (Ambarisha). Each chapter says which canto and chapter it comes from; where the texts collide — Vritra, the three strides, the birth of Nishada, Holika — both sides are given and nothing is adjudicated.
- Dhruva — the lap he did not get — A five-year-old was denied his father's lap, and walked out to find a place no one could remove him from
- Prithu — who milked the earth — The sages killed the king who said "I alone am the enjoyer" — and drew a better king out of his own body
- Ajamila — saved by a name — At the edge of death, after a life gone wrong, he spoke the name of God without meaning to
- Citraketu — whose son was taken — A king paid for one laugh with a birth among demons — and he had no complaint about it
- Prahlada — who would not stop — The father tried every method to kill his son. Every time, the son came back speaking the same name
- Narasimha — the pillar splits — What came out of the pillar was neither man nor lion — and its rage did not cool even after the killing
- Gajendra — the elephant in the jaws — After a thousand years in a crocodile's grip the elephant did what it had never done before — it gave up
- Vamana and Bali — three paces — A dwarf brahmin asked for three paces of land, and there was nowhere left for the third pace but the king's own head
- Jada Bharata — who became a deer — A king grew so attached to a fawn that his next birth was a deer's
- Ambarisha and Durvasa — the discus that chased a sage — The Lord himself said — "I am not free, I am under the control of my devotees" — and a sage was chased by that sentence for a year
Questions about Bhagavata Devotees
How is Bhagavata Devotees divided here?
This retelling of Bhagavata Devotees has 10 chapters: Dhruva — the lap he did not get, Prithu — who milked the earth, Ajamila — saved by a name, Citraketu — whose son was taken, Prahlada — who would not stop, Narasimha — the pillar splits, Gajendra — the elephant in the jaws, Vamana and Bali — three paces, Jada Bharata — who became a deer, Ambarisha and Durvasa — the discus that chased a sage.
What is Bhagavata Devotees about?
Ten people, ten starting points — and each reached God simply by wanting to.
What is the source of this retelling?
From the Bhagavata Purana.
Is there a quiz on Bhagavata Devotees?
Yes. Each chapter ends with 10 questions, and behind every right answer there is a short story that explains it. In all, 100 questions.