SRIMAD BHAGAVATHAM, composed by Veda Vyasa is a compilation of the narratives by Easwara, with the focus on the Supreme Orchestrator - The PARAMATHMA, who is the central driving force of all events and the force of perception with which we experience the events. 

The scripture adopts the format of bunching together events in the form of short narratives, conversations between central characters, and stories, each with a message of its own. The characters are drawn from different walks of life. The relationships, the ambitions, the struggle between good and evil, and finally the dawn of realization of the truth by the central characters, is the structure of the narratives. 

The Paramathma's message is conveyed through conversation between the central characters.  

The entire Purana has been tailored to turn us, voluntarily and with full acceptance, towards the very purpose of life, which is Self-Realization. 

Self Realization requires us to be able to control our thoughts and remove all imbalances from it.  An understanding of the manner is which our thoughts work is the key to controlling it. 

The Puranas are our keys to unlock our thought process.  

Each narrative in the Bhagavatham is meant to illustrate one aspect of our own inner self. Each character is designed to isolate each of the characteristic that makes up our inner self.  

The characters are good, bad and indifferent. They represent perfection and imperfection. They are knowledgeable and ignorant. They are strong and they are weak. The are rich and they are poor, They are honest and they are crooked. They are handsome and they are ugly. They glow with good health and they contract sickness and handicaps.  

We can easily recognize that we re all made of a combination of the above characteristcs in various different proportions.  So each of us starts life with different combinations of the above attributes.

As we read the various naratives in the Bhagavatham, we will be able to see a part of our own selves being reflected in the different enactors.

The lock and the key are located deep within our inner selves. 

Only we can only reach in to ourselves, take the key and unlock the lock. No one else, including the Paramathma will do this for us.  Each of us has to learn the means to use the key and unlock the source of all knowledge.

The Paramathma will happily be an instruction manual and provide guidance on what is required to be done.  But he will leave it up to us to do the needful.