Śrī Kṛṣṇa

Shri Krishna Prayer

Though ever fanned by the fluttering hem of Radha's sidelong glance, an unbroken stream of perspiration still flows from His body. Though He dwells forever in the exquisitely beautiful radiance of Radha's limbs, He remains restless, His heart forever seeking ever-new play, in union and apart. Though He continually drinks the sweet nectar of Radha's tender smile, the Lord Himself, the eternal embodiment of rasa, remains forever unsated. Though He sports each day in ever-new and lovely ways in the nectarean ocean of Radha's beauty, His heart is never filled; at every moment His boundless longing only grows. May my devoted heart remain forever absorbed in the lotus feet of Him whose very life is centered in Radha, who is filled with Radha and wholly attached to Radha.

Shri Krishna Is Bhagavan, the Complete Brahman

According to the Gita, it is established that God, by His own will, may preside over His Prakriti and assume an incarnation through divine play whenever He chooses. Many incarnations of Bhagavan have appeared in the world. Manifesting in many forms, that playful Lord of mine has enacted many divine pastimes - "Many births of Mine have passed." Among descents of a divine portion or potency, many proceed from Lord Vishnu, who reclines upon the Ocean of Milk; some proceed from Lord Shiva; and some from the Goddess of Yogic Power, who is of the nature of Existence, Consciousness, and Bliss. In some, a smaller portion is present, and in others a greater portion. That is, in one divine pastime the power and sovereign presence of Bhagavan are manifested to a lesser degree, and in another to a greater degree. Therefore, the revered Suta said to the sages:

"All these are portions or portions of portions of the Purusha, but Krishna is Bhagavan Himself." (Shrimad Bhagavata 1.3.28)

The incarnations as the Fish, the Tortoise, and the rest are all manifestations of Bhagavan: one may be a portion, another a particular potency, and another an empowered descent. But Shri Krishna is Bhagavan Himself!

In truth, Lord Shri Krishna is complete in every respect. All past and future incarnations are fully included in Him. Lord Shri Krishna is the living embodiment of infinite majesty, infinite strength, infinite fame, infinite splendor, infinite knowledge, and infinite detachment. From the beginning of His life until the close of His earthly pastimes, all His deeds are supernatural and wondrous. Every divine power is manifest in Him. Babu Bankim Chandra Chatterjee accepted Lord Shri Krishna as an incarnation, while Lala Lajpat Rai and other scholars regarded Him as a great Lord of Yoga. Yet these eminent men wished to present Lord Shri Krishna before the world as a perfect human being rather than as Bhagavan. However perfect a human being may be, he remains human; Bhagavan, on the other hand, is ever Bhagavan, possessed of inconceivable power beyond the reach of reason. With the intention of presenting his Lord Shri Krishna to the world as a perfect human being - endowed with every virtue, untouched by every sin, and complete in ideal character - the noble Bankim Babu tried to dismiss as fiction His supernatural majesty and His deeds that transcend humanity, human imagination,

scripture, and the eternally sweet. He accepted only those aspects of the Lord's divine majesty that appeared unobjectionable to his own mind, while largely setting aside the remaining rasa and majesty. The reason was that he regarded Lord Shri Krishna as an incarnation of Bhagavan by virtue of being the ideal of perfect humanity, not by virtue of the supernatural power inherent in Bhagavan's essential being. It must be acknowledged with sorrow that excessive pride in learning and intellect has led people to test Bhagavan upon the touchstone of logic, and has thereby begun to render the human heart devoid of faith, dry, and bereft of rasa. Thus, today we call ourselves followers of Lord Shri Krishna's words, yet our intellect hesitates to acknowledge Lord Shri Krishna as Bhagavan and to accept the direct meaning of His words. To do so seems to us almost an affront to our rationality and intelligence.

The Lord's entire life is filled with divine play, but for faithless people like us today, His pastimes are very difficult to understand. Hence people doubt His wondrous deeds. Nowadays they question such pastimes as His advent in a divine form; the slaying of Putana, Shakatasura, and Aghasura; the swallowing of fire; the lifting of Govardhana; the eating of curds and freshly churned butter; the subduing of Kaliya; the taking of the garments; the Rasa dance; the revelation of the cosmic form to Yashoda within His mouth; His remaining for a full year in the forms of the calves and cowherd boys; the lengthening of Draupadi's garment; the revelation of the cosmic form to Arjuna; and the extraordinary wonders He displayed in the royal assembly of the Kauravas. They do not reflect that the Maya of the Supreme Lord has filled the universe with marvelous varieties beyond the grasp of human intelligence, and that nothing whatsoever can be impossible for Bhagavan, the Master of Maya. Indeed, His divinity is revealed precisely in these divine pastimes; yet such play lies beyond the reach of human reasoning. To comprehend the mystery of these pastimes is no ordinary matter. Whoever understands in truth the mystery of the Lord's divine birth and deeds attains an eternal place at His feet. The Lord has said:

"He who thus knows in truth My divine birth and deeds, on leaving the body is not born again; he comes to Me, O Arjuna." (Gita 4.9)

"Whoever knows in truth My divine birth and divine deeds does not take birth again after leaving the body; he attains Me alone." One who has understood the mystery of Bhagavan's divine descent and His deeds of divine play has understood everything. Thereafter, in the Lord's lila, he becomes an instrument in His hands. Lokamanya writes, "For the attainment of Bhagavan, no other means besides this is required; this alone is true worship of Bhagavan." Yet knowledge of the truth becomes possible only through reverent devotion to Bhagavan.

Among the great souls who knew Lord Shri Krishna in this true way was the revered Suta, who declared before thousands of sages, "Krishna is Bhagavan Himself." Lord Vedavyasa and that foremost of the wise, the revered Shukadeva, joyfully affirm this doctrine by enshrining and singing this very line in their composition.

Lord Shri Krishna has also been described as an incarnation of the sage Narayana. The sages Nara and Narayana were born from the heart of Dharma and the womb of Murti, daughter of Daksha, and performed immense austerities. Even after exerting himself greatly with his entire host, Kamadeva could not break their vow (Bhagavata 2.7.8). Both were incarnations of Lord Vishnu. The Devi Bhagavata calls them both portions of Hari, "two portions of Hari" (Devi Bhagavata 4.5.15), while the Bhagavata states that, on the fourth occasion, Bhagavan manifested through a portion of Dharma as the sages Nara and Narayana and performed severe austerities. Their story is told at length in the Bhagavata and the Devi Bhagavata. At many places in the Mahabharata and the Bhagavata, Lord Shri Krishna and Arjuna are described as incarnations of Nara and Narayana (Vana Parva 40.12; Bhishma Parva 66.11; Udyoga Parva 96.46, and elsewhere; Shrimad Bhagavata 11.7.18; 10.89.32-33, and elsewhere).

Other evidence establishes that He is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, who dwells in the Ocean of Milk. When the Lord appears in the prison, He first manifests as Lord Vishnu, bearing the conch,

discus, mace, and lotus. In the Bhagavata, both in passages concerning the gopis and elsewhere, His feet are described as "served by Lakshmi," which identifies Him with Lord Vishnu. In the Bhishma Parva, Brahma says, "O gods! I, the lord of the whole universe, am His eldest son. Therefore:

"This Vasudeva, the great Lord of all the worlds, is to be worshiped by you. O foremost gods, never disdain Him by thinking that He is merely a man. He is the mighty Lord who bears the conch, discus, and mace." (Mahabharata, Bhishma Parva 66.13-14)

"You should worship this Vasudeva, the great Lord of all the worlds. O foremost gods! Never disregard Him by taking Him for an ordinary human being, for He is the mighty Lord Vishnu, bearer of the conch, discus, and mace." The story of Jaya and Vijaya also establishes that He is an incarnation of Vishnu. There are many other proofs of this as well.

Third, abundant evidence shows that Lord Shri Krishna was the Supreme Brahman Himself, the Supreme Person, the concentrated essence of Existence, Consciousness, and Bliss. In the Gita and the Anugita, the Lord Himself says this many times in unambiguous words:

"I am the source of all; from Me everything proceeds." (Gita 10.8)

"There is nothing whatsoever higher than Me, O Dhananjaya. All this is strung upon Me like clusters of jewels upon a thread." (Gita 7.7)

"... the great Lord of all the worlds." (Gita 5.29)

"Or, O Arjuna, what need is there for you to know all this in detail? Sustaining this entire universe with a single portion of Myself, I remain." (Gita 10.42)

"He who, free from delusion, knows Me thus as the Supreme Person knows all, and worships Me with his whole being, O Bharata." (Gita 15.19)

"For I am the foundation of Brahman, of the immortal and imperishable, of the eternal Dharma, and of absolute bliss." (Gita 14.27)

Many such verses occur in the Gita; only a few have been given here as examples. Besides these, the Mahabharata contains many statements by Grandfather Bhishma, Sanjaya, Lord Vyasa, and Narada, and

the Shrimad Bhagavata contains many such declarations by Narada, Brahma, Indra, the blessed gopis, the sages, and others. From them it is established that Shri Krishna is the complete, transcendent, eternal Brahman. At the time of the first worship, Bhishma says:

"Krishna alone is the imperishable source of the worlds. For Krishna's sake this entire universe of moving and unmoving beings has come into existence. He is unmanifest Prakriti and the eternal Creator. The infallible Lord transcends all beings; therefore He is the most worthy of worship." (Mahabharata, Sabha Parva 38.23-24)

"Shri Krishna alone is the imperishable source from which the worlds arise. For His sake this entire universe of moving and unmoving beings has come into existence. He Himself is unmanifest Prakriti and the eternal Creator; He, the infallible Lord, surpasses all beings and is therefore supremely worthy of worship." He who is the Lord of all lords is called Maheshvara, the Great Lord, or the Supreme Brahman:

"The supreme Great Lord of all lords." (Shvetashvatara Upanishad 6.7)

Overwhelmed by the burden of the cruelties and sins committed by demons in human form, the Earth-goddess assumes the form of a cow and, together with Brahma, goes to Lord Vishnu, Lord of the universe, at the Ocean of Milk. (Lord Vishnu is the sovereign and protector of the individual Earth; for this reason, the Earth went to Him.) The Lord then says, "I know of the Earth's sufferings. The Lord of lords, accompanied by the power of Time, will move upon the Earth to relieve her burden. Before His manifestation, let the gods go there and take birth in the Yadu dynasty."

"Bhagavan Himself, the Supreme Person, will be born in the house of Vasudeva. Therefore, for His beloved purpose, let the women of the gods also take birth there."

"Bhagavan Himself, the Supreme Person, will descend in the house of Vasudeva; therefore let the celestial women go there and take birth in order to serve Him." It is then said, "Many-headed Anantadeva, a partial manifestation of Vasudeva, will descend beforehand to assist in Shri Hari's beloved purpose; and at the Lord's command, the Goddess Maya, enchantress of the universe, will also incarnate to further His work." This too establishes that Lord Shri Krishna was the complete Brahman. A question now arises:

If He was an incarnation of the complete Brahman, how could He also be an incarnation of Nara-Narayana and Lord Vishnu? And if He was an incarnation of Lord Vishnu and of the sages Nara and Narayana, how could He be an incarnation of the complete Brahman? The answer is that Lord Shri Krishna is, in truth, the complete Brahman Himself. He is Bhagavan Himself, directly manifest; all incarnations of the past, future, and present are included in Him. At times He enacts His lila in the form of Vishnu, at times in the form of Nara-Narayana, and at times as the complete Brahman, the eternal Brahman. In sum, He is everything. He is the complete Supreme Person; He is the eternal Brahman; He is the Great Lord who sports in Goloka; He is the Supreme Self reclining upon the Ocean of Milk; He is Vishnu who dwells in Vaikuntha; He is the all-pervading Self; He is the sage Nara-Narayana who abides at Badarikashrama; He is the Soul of the universe who places the seed within Prakriti; and He is Bhagavan beyond the universe.

Whatever exists in the past, future, or present - He is all of it. Whatever is not in Him never existed anywhere, does not exist, and never will exist. All that exists is He alone. What else He may be, He alone knows. Our duty is simply to strive for devotion to the dust of His feet. Beyond this, we have neither authority over any other matter nor anything to gain by abandoning this supreme means and becoming entangled in other controversies.

The Duty of Spiritual Aspirants

Let the learned, the intelligent, and the rational examine the life of Lord Shri Krishna according to their own inclinations. Let them regard Him as a great man, Lord of Yoga, the Supreme Person, a perfect human being, an imperfect being, a political leader, a cunning statesman, a master of music, or a character invented by a poet - let them think whatever comes to mind. But in the eyes of spiritual aspirants, the lotus feet of the dark and captivating Mohana are the blind man's staff for the lowly; the pauper's wealth; water for the thirsty; bread for the hungry; shelter for the shelterless; strength for the weak; the life of life-breath; the life of life; the God of gods; the Lord of lords; and the Brahman of all conceptions of Brahman. He alone is everything - that is all.

Mohana has made His home within my heart. Worldly shame and family honor have fallen away in my loving attachment to Him. Wherever I look, I see Him alone - in the house, outside, and in the courtyard. He pervades every limb and every pore, overspreading body and mind. His earrings gleam beautifully against His cheeks, and armlets grace His arms. Bracelets adorn Him, a lovely forest garland rests upon Him, and anklets ring at His feet. With restless eyes and exquisitely arched brows, He stands amid the dense vines. Narayana says: for one little smile of His, I have sold myself without a price.

Therefore, spiritual aspirants must guard their path of practice with the utmost care. The way holds many obstacles. There are deep ravines of pride in learning, intellect, austerity, charity, sacrifice, and the like; there are many enchanting gardens of sensual enjoyment; temptations lie scattered at every step; the net of false reasoning is spread on every side; cheats disguised as ostentation and hypocrisy prowl all along the road; and it takes great courage to cross the forbidding mountains of prestige and praise. Yet there is no fear when one carries the provisions of faith, wears the armor of devotion, and has love as one's chief protector. These alone are needed to know Him, recognize Him, behold Him, and attain Him. Mere practices of good conduct and intellectualism do not suffice. These words of the Lord should be remembered:

"Not through the Vedas, austerity, charity, or sacrifice can I be seen in the form in which you have beheld Me. But by undivided devotion alone can I be known in this form, truly seen, and entered into, O Arjuna, scorcher of foes."

"O Arjuna, destroyer of enemies! In the form in which you have seen Me, I cannot be seen through study of the Vedas, austerity, charity, or sacrifice. Only through exclusive devotion is it possible to see Me, to know Me in truth, and to enter into Me."

Lord Shri Krishna's Instruction in Essential Truth to Shri Radha

In the 126th chapter of the Krishna-Janma-Khanda of the Shri Brahmavaivarta Purana, it is related that Lord Shri Krishnachandra once came from Dvaraka to Vrindavana. At that time, the gopis, long tormented by the anguish of separation from Him, entered an extraordinary state. Their minds and very lives were submerged in the surging waves of the ocean of affection born from reunion with their Beloved. The condition of Shri Radhika, sovereign of the gopis, was more extraordinary still. Seeing her unconscious, the gopis thought, "Alas! Has union with our Lord itself rendered us bereft of Him?" They cried out again and again:

"What have You done, what have You done, O Krishna? Our Radha is dead! Revive Radha - may all be well with You - for we wish to go to the forest with her. Otherwise, all of us women shall lay upon You the sin of killing a woman." (78-79)

"Shri Krishna! What have You done? What have You done? Alas, our Radhika has departed from life. May all be well with You; quickly restore our Radha to life, for we wish to go to the forest with her. If You do not, all of us will lay upon Your head the sin of killing a woman." What a marvel! Did Shri Radha not belong to Shri Krishna, that such harsh words should be used against Him? Yet loving indignation had made the gopis forget this. Seeing their distress, the Lord infused life into Radha with His nectar-filled glance. Radha, still wounded in loving pride, sat up weeping. The gopis took her into their laps and tried at length to console and reason with her, but her heart would not be soothed. At last, Shri Krishnachandra reassured her and said:

"Radhe! I shall impart to you the highest spiritual wisdom. Merely by hearing it, even an ignorant ploughman becomes learned. Why do you grieve, thinking of Me as the husband of Rukmini and My other queens, who are embodiments of your own essential being?

"By My very nature, I am the Lord of all. Radhe! I alone am manifesting distinctly as cause and effect. I am the one Self of all, revealed in My own essential nature. From Brahma down to the smallest blade of grass, I alone am manifest in every living being. By My very nature, I am the most completely perfect form of Shri Krishna. My abodes are the divine realm, Goloka, and the delightful regions of Gokula and Vrindavana. I Myself dwell in Vrindavana with the cowherd men and women and the cows, in a two-armed cowherd form as your supremely beloved child. In Vaikuntha I have an eternal, supremely peaceful four-armed form; there I abide in two forms as the husband of Lakshmi and Sarasvati. With Martya-Lakshmi, the mind-born daughter of the ocean upon the Earth, I dwell in a four-armed form within the Ocean of Milk at Shvetadvipa.

"I am the venerable sages Nara and Narayana, embodiments and teachers of Dharma, steadfast in Dharma and founders of the path of Dharma. In the holy land of Bharata, Shanti and Lakshmi, devoted to Dharma and faithful to their husband, are My wives, and I am their husband. I am also the sage Kapila, Lord of Siddhis, bestower of attainment, and husband of Sati. Beautiful one! Thus, through manifold forms, I abide as many different persons. In Dvaraka, in a four-armed form, I am always the husband of Shri Rukmini, and in Satyabhama's auspicious residence I abide as the Lord who reclines upon the Ocean of Milk. In the same way, I assume separate bodies and dwell in the palaces of My other queens as well.

"I am the sage Narayana in the form of Arjuna's charioteer. My portion, the sage Nara, son of Dharma, has manifested as the mighty Arjuna. To attain Me in My essential form, he worshiped Me in the sacred region of Pushkara. And Radhe! Just as you dwell as Radha in Goloka and Gokula, so in Vaikuntha you abide as Mahalakshmi and Sarasvati. You are Martya-Lakshmi, beloved of Lord Vishnu who reclines upon the Ocean of Milk; you are Shanti, embodiment of Lakshmi and beloved of Nara, the son of Dharma; and in Bharata you are Sati Bharati, beloved of Kapiladeva. You manifested as Sita in Mithila, and the chaste Draupadi is your shadow. In Dvaraka you are Mahalakshmi Rukmini; through a portion of yourself you became Draupadi, beloved of the five Pandavas; and you it was whom Ravana carried away when you appeared as Sita, beloved of Rama. What more need I say?

"O virtuous one, just as you have manifested in many forms through your shadow and your portions, so have I manifested in various forms through My own portions and powers. Yet I am the supremely complete One, the Supreme Self beyond Prakriti. O virtuous one, I have told you this entire spiritual mystery. Radhe, my supreme Goddess, forgive my every offense." (100-102)

"O virtuous one! Just as you have manifested in many forms through your shadow and your portions, so have I too appeared in diverse forms through My own portions and powers. In truth, I am the all-pervading, supremely complete Supreme Self beyond Prakriti. O virtuous one, I have revealed to you this entire spiritual mystery. Radhe, my supreme Goddess, forgive all my offenses." Hearing these profound and mysterious words of the Lord, Shri Radhika and the gopis were freed from agitation. They became aware of their true nature and, joyful at heart, bowed at the lotus feet of Lord Shri Krishna.

The Essential Truth of Shri Krishna's Nature

"He does not go even a single step beyond Vrindavana."

A doubt is raised here: if Shri Krishna never leaves Vrindavana, how can He be all-pervading? This doubt arises only because the Lord's essential nature and disposition are not understood. Bhagavan is the embodiment of love and the treasure-house of love. He manifests only in love, dwells with those who love Him, and finds delight in giving joy to His lovers and enacting loving pastimes with them. In the Shri Ramacharita Manasa, Lord Shankara says:

"Hari is equally present everywhere, all-pervading; yet I know that He manifests through love."

Bhagavan pervades everything and is present in every particle, yet He manifests only through love. As Brahman, in His attributeless and formless nature, He is everywhere, at all times, and within all beings -

who could deny this? But His personal form, endowed with divine qualities and visible form, whose beauty humbles the pride of countless Cupids, is not manifest everywhere. It appears only in the realm of love. Where else but Vrindavana, the abode of love, could Banke Bihari, who hungers for love, reside? How could Shri Krishna, conquered by love, remain where there are no loving gopis who have offered Him body, mind, and life-breath; no Shri Radharani who regards Shri Krishna alone as her entire life and lives with her being wholly one with His; and no loving cowherd boys who live solely to bring delight to Shyamasundara?

Therefore, whoever wishes to attain Shri Krishna, the beloved Lord who is love embodied, should take refuge in Vrindavana and receive the grace of the gopis, the cowherd boys, and Shri Radharani. Only then can one drink the sweetness of Gopivallabha's beauty. One whose heart has become Vraja - containing Vrindavana, the cowherd boys, the blessed gopis, Shri Radha, and Shri Krishna's beloved cows - and who seats Shri Krishna there with them all in the temple of the heart and contemplates Him, can swiftly attain Shri Krishna, the embodiment of the bliss of divine love.

The radiance of the sun-god pervades all three worlds. That radiance comes from the solar orb, and its center is the solar orb. The orb itself does not extend as far as its light; it is smaller than the range of that light, though still far larger than this Earth. Lord Aditya, the presiding deity who dwells within that orb and is called Narayana or Surya-Narayana, possesses a supremely beautiful and charming form adorned in their proper places with armlets, makara-shaped earrings, a crown, necklaces, and other ornaments. He is smaller even than His orb and always remains in His own abode; yet both the light and the orb arise from Him. Were He absent, neither the light nor the orb could exist.

To attain that presiding divine form of the sun, one must go to Aditya-loka, not to Varuna-loka. Yet as the cause, or as splendor and light, He pervades all worlds. The same is true of Shri Krishna. His all-pervading form is called Brahman and is compared to light. This is His attributeless, formless aspect. Shri Krishna's second aspect, endowed with attributes yet formless, is

is at the level of the divine sphere; this is the form we call Paramatma, the indwelling Self. The innermost reality of even this form is called Bhagavan. This Bhagavan is Shri Krishna. He ever abides within His own sphere, in Vrindavan, His eternal abode. Wherever He manifests, He manifests together with Vrindavan. Or rather, wherever He manifests, there itself is Vrindavan. Thus it is Shri Krishna's own threefold manifestation that bears the names Bhagavan, Paramatma, and Brahman. All three derive their reality from Shri Krishna alone. The Shrimad Bhagavata likewise declares:

Those who know Reality speak of that nondual Reality, which is pure consciousness, as Brahman, Paramatma, and Bhagavan.

Those who know the true nature of Bhagavan understand that He is all-pervading. That which pervades all can never leave one place and go elsewhere. Where is He not? Wherever one may go, He alone is present everywhere. Those who possess the eye of vision behold Him everywhere; others do not:

Those endowed with sight behold Him; those who do not know this truth do not.

From this standpoint too, the statement that Bhagavan never leaves Vrindavan to go elsewhere is wholly true. It establishes His very omnipresence. One who is not present everywhere cannot remain without passing from one place to another. The statement that Shri Krishna never leaves Vrindavan and Shri Rama never leaves Ayodhya also means that in Vrindavan one beholds Shri Krishna alone, and in Saketa Dhama, Shri Rama alone.

Shri Krishna in the Gita and the Bhagavata

Some people regard Shri Krishna of the Gita as an accomplished knower of Reality, the supreme master of yoga, a fearless warrior, and an incomparable statesman; by contrast, they imagine Shri Krishna of the Bhagavata to be a mere dancer, a seeker of sensual pleasure, a singer and musician, and a sportsman. They therefore look down upon or reject the Krishna of the Bhagavata while exalting the Krishna of the Gita or the Mahabharata as noble and ideal. In truth, this is not correct. The Shri Krishna of the Bhagavata is the very same Shri Krishna who appears in the Mahabharata and the Gita. The one Bhagavan performs different lilas in different places and under different circumstances. To think of the Bhagavata's Shri Krishna as given to sensual indulgence, or as an ordinary dancer and singer, is a grave delusion. Certainly, the lila narrated in the Bhagavata gives fuller expression to pure, sublime, divine love; yet manifestations of divine majesty are not lacking there. The slaying of demons, the lifting of Govardhana, the swallowing of fire, and the assumption of the forms of the calves and cowherd boys are all sovereign lilas of Bhagavan. His eating of freshly churned butter, His roaming and playing with His companions, and the gopis' love are the divine lilas of Goloka. For this reason, some devotees worship only the all-loving Bhagavan Shri Krishna - the flute-bearing Lord of Vrindavan, the sovereign of rasa - and in their tender devotional mood they say:

Krishna born among the Yadus is one; the Complete Krishna beyond Him is another. That Complete One never leaves Vrindavan and goes elsewhere.

That is, Yadunandana Shri Krishna is one, and the complete Shri Krishna who sports in Vrindavan is another. The complete Shri Krishna never leaves Vrindavan to go elsewhere. The sentiment is valid:

As was the feeling cherished by each, so was the form of the Lord each beheld.

In the same way, some devotees worship only Yogeshvara Shri Krishna of the Gita,

whose one hand holds the whip and goad.

There can be no objection to differences in the form of one's chosen Deity according to one's devotional inclination. But one should never accept the claim of those who actually regard the Krishna of the Bhagavata and the Krishna of the Mahabharata as different beings, or who reject either one; their

opinion should never be accepted. The Mahabharata contains abundant evidence identifying its Shri Krishna with the Shri Krishna of the Bhagavata, and the Bhagavata likewise contains abundant evidence of His identity with the Shri Krishna of the Mahabharata. To accept one statement of a scripture while rejecting another merely because it does not accord with one's own mind is nothing but wilfulness.

Spiritual aspirants should remain apart from all such disputes. They should strive to recognize Bhagavan and attain Him by surrendering themselves at His feet with their whole being and taking refuge in Him.

A Festival of Welcome at the Manifestation of Bhagavan Shri Krishna

(A discourse delivered at the Janmashtami festival in Vikrama Samvat 2017)

I bow to Krishna, son of Vasudeva, the divine Lord who slew Kamsa and Chanura, the supreme joy of Devaki and the Teacher of the world.

I bow to the Child who sports upon the bank of Kalindi, resplendent with jingling anklets, a nine-jeweled girdle, a lovely necklace, and a cluster of protective amulets made from tiger claws, and adorned with a dark beauty mark that wards away the pain of the evil eye.

Today is the great festival of the supremely glorious Shri Krishna Janmashtami. At the close of Dvapara in the twenty-eighth cycle of four yugas in the Vaivasvata Manvantara, on Krishna Ashtami in the month of Bhadra, the earth received the sublime blessing of Shri Krishna's manifestation. For the entire universe, this day is magnificently glorious, auspicious, sweet, tender with divine affection, and supremely blessed. On this very day, into a world oppressed by the tyranny of demons; tormented and wounded by the fierce blows of desire, craving, sorrow, wretchedness, poverty, and the like; enfeebled by outward-turned consciousness and materialism; and utterly parched for want of the nectarean stream of divine love, there appeared the Ocean of the Nectar of every rasa, the Lord of all worlds, perfect in the six divine opulences - Bhagavan Himself,

had manifested. Bhagavan alone knows the purpose of His avatar; yet it appears that the foremost purpose is His own auspicious desire to reveal His lila-form, the very embodiment of concentrated, supreme bliss and rasa. The deliverance of the holy, the relief of the earth's burden through the destruction of the wicked, and the blessed works of protecting and re-establishing dharma are also said to be reasons for the Lord's descent. Bhagavan Shri Krishna Himself says in the eighth verse of the fourth chapter of the Gita:

For the protection of the holy, for the destruction of evildoers, and for the firm establishment of dharma, I manifest Myself age after age.

"For the protection of the holy, the destruction of the wicked, and the establishment of dharma, I manifest Myself perfectly in every age." Yet these are not the only reasons. In the preceding sixth and seventh verses, Bhagavan Himself clearly indicates other purposes as well:

Though unborn, imperishable, and the Lord of all beings, I preside over My own nature and manifest Myself through My own divine power. Whenever dharma declines and adharma rises, O Bharata, then I manifest Myself.

"Though unborn, imperishable, and the Lord of all beings, I accept My own nature and, through My maya - accompanied by Yogamaya - manifest Myself perfectly. Whenever dharma declines and adharma rises, I reveal Myself." Thus the sixth verse points to the full manifestation of Bhagavan Himself, the bearer of mutually contrary attributes: though unborn, imperishable, and Lord of all beings, He takes birth, disappears from sight, and becomes a tiny, dependent child. The seventh verse points either to His destroying, through wholesome instruction, the rise of adharma that appears as the decline of dharma, or to His overthrowing the rise of adharma in the form of lust-tainted sensual indulgence and establishing instead the utterly pure, supremely self-renouncing, and sweetest dharma of the gopis' love.

Shri Krishna is Bhagavan Himself; therefore, through Him all

His lilas should attain their perfect and complete expression. Accordingly, there may be various reasons for His manifestation, and all of them are true.

Bhagavan Shri Krishna manifested at midnight on the dark eighth lunar day of Bhadrapada, in the prison of the tyrant Kamsa. Yet Bhagavan's own manifestation rendered the time, place, and all else supremely blessed. More than five thousand years have passed since that auspicious event; nevertheless, each year the same sacred month of Bhadra and the same holy eighth day of the dark fortnight return, awaken afresh the memory of the earth's supreme good fortune, and pass away. Even today, though outward-turned beings like us do not perceive it, an extraordinary dance of bliss unfolds upon the bosom of the earth on this day. Even today, fortunate devotees are blessed by worshiping this ever-memorable and supremely auspicious date, celebrating the festival of the Lord's birth, and observing the Janmashtami vow. And even today, loving devotees receive the blessed vision of the manifestation of their Beloved, dearer to them than life itself.

Shri Shukadeva, whose heart is an ocean of divine rasa, has given an exceedingly beautiful account of the time of Bhagavan Shri Krishna's manifestation. Today, at this sacred hour of manifestation, let us taste something of its rasa and inwardly contemplate and meditate upon that scene. It is a profoundly divine arrangement. He says:

Then time, endowed with every noble quality, became supremely beautiful.

"Time became endowed with every auspicious quality and supremely beautiful." Time is perpetually engaged in the creation and dissolution of the world: it makes, and then it unmakes. For this reason, no one in the world loves it. But Bhagavan, the ground of time, never neglects it. Although He is time's sovereign, He manifests within time and also withdraws from sight within time. Had Bhagavan not granted time this privilege, perhaps the poor creature's sorrow would have known no end. Today, when time learned that the all-perfect Bhagavan Himself was manifesting within it, its joy knew no bounds. Revealing all its qualities, it became supremely beautiful. From every season and every special hour, it chose and gathered every virtue into itself,

and became wondrously adorned. It took to itself the Malaya breeze of spring, the cuckoo's song, the bee's humming, the new blossom upon the mango tree, the unrestrained laughter of ashoka and champa flowers, the kadamba-scented wind of the rains, the clarity and gladness of autumn, the malati of early winter, the kunda blossoms of the cold season, the lotus of day, the water lily of night, the worship of the Deity and the impulse to work at dawn, the inclination to take food at midday and to pursue one's livelihood as sacred service to the Lord, the worship of the Deity and the celebration of sattvic joy at dusk, the repose of night, the spirited awakening in its final watch, the austerity of Satya Yuga, the sacrifice of Treta, the devotional service of Dvapara, and the chanting of Shri Hari's Name in Kali Yuga. Gathering into itself every virtue found anywhere in time's treasury, it became beautiful in every limb.

At that very hour, under Rohini, the constellation of the Unborn Lord's progenitor, all constellations, planets, and stars became tranquil.

"At that time the moon stood in the constellation Rohini, and all the constellations, planets, and stars in the heavens were becoming peaceful and benign."

The nine planets beginning with the sun, the twenty-seven constellations beginning with Ashvini, and the stellar groups classed as Janma, Sampat, and so forth assist time in its work of creation and dissolution through their varied conditions - fierce or gentle, retrograde, exalted or fallen, and so on. According to the fruits of karma, whenever time wishes any being to undergo a particular sorrow or joy, they too assume the corresponding fierce, peaceful, or retrograde condition and aid time in its work. But today, at the blessed advent of the all-perfect Bhagavan Shyamasundara, they are all relinquishing their fierceness and crookedness and becoming tranquil. Some by retrograde motion, some by rapid transit, and some by an extraordinary transit have taken their respective exalted positions, and joyfully devote themselves to welcoming the Lord. Rohini was the constellation at that hour. By accepting it as the constellation of His birth, Bhagavan blessed it beyond measure. Yet Shri Shukadeva does not explicitly name Rohini. Instead, he indicates it through the cryptic expression "the constellation of the birth of Aja." Those who, unlike ordinary beings, are not born through the fruits of karma are

called Aja, the unborn. Brahma, who is born from that Bhagavan's navel-lotus, is therefore called "the one born of Aja." The constellation over which Brahma presides is called "the constellation of the one born of Aja," namely Rohini, for Brahma is Rohini's presiding deity. The scriptures say that one should not disclose one's own birth-constellation or that of one's loved ones. Therefore, to keep the birth-constellation of his supremely beloved Shyamasundara concealed, Shri Shukadeva does not explicitly say "Rohini," but calls it "the constellation of the one born of Aja."

Where Bhagavan Shri Krishna's Name and virtues are sung, every sin, affliction, impediment, and obstacle immediately flees far away. None can remain even in the vicinity; instead, auspicious signs of every kind come and gather there. When Bhagavan Himself descends to relieve the earth's anguish, what wonder can there be if the day of the week, lunar date, constellation, astrological conjunction, and all else bear infinitely auspicious signs?

Every action in the world is subject to time, direction, and place; thus worldly actions are undertaken only after considering all three. Although time, direction, and place can impose no constraint upon the Lord's divine lila - for He Himself governs them - when He descends to this earthly realm, He bestows grace upon time, direction, and place. By joining them to Himself in a sacred relationship, He blesses them and fulfills their purpose. Thus today, like time, direction and place too are adorned with every noble quality.

The directions grew serene; the stainless heavens shone with rising stars.

All ten directions became joyful, and the stars began to sparkle in the sky. Not the slightest trace of dimness remained anywhere in any direction. A purity filled with supreme bliss spread everywhere. With hearts overflowing in exultant joy, all the guardians of the directions adorned their realms and, accompanied by the maidens of the directions, waited to welcome their Lord's blessed advent, holding vessels of offering in their hands. The stars gleamed in the heavens as though each stood

there, wishing to arrange diamond flowers tier upon tier in their countless cupped hands and offer them at the feet of Vishnu. Like time and the directions, place too was arrayed in auspicious adornment. Bhuh, Bhuvah, and Svah - a flood of joy swept through every realm. At the auspicious advent of the All-auspicious One, all the worlds became filled with joy and blessedness.

The earth, with its cities, villages, pastoral settlements, and mines, became a place in which auspiciousness abounded above all.

All the earth's great cities, little villages, cowherd settlements, and mines of precious stones became playgrounds of joy and auspiciousness. Through many agencies, the city roads were swept clean and made fragrant. Wondrous rows of lamps shone in the mansions of the wealthy. Conches sounded everywhere; instruments of many kinds began to play; worship and hymns of praise arose in place after place; and the sound of recited mantras filled the air. The mines began of themselves to cast forth their jewels. By countless means and for countless reasons, a current of joy at the blessed advent of the Blissful One began to flow everywhere. Flooding every place on earth with delight, the joy of His coming assumed a visible form and pervaded rivers and streams, lakes, forests, mountains, and every other region.

The rivers flowed with limpid water, and the lakes shone with lotuses.

The waters of the rivers became clear, and lotuses blossomed in the lakes even at night. The muddiness of all the rivers and streams - the Ganga, Yamuna, Sarasvati, Narmada, Godavari, Gomati, Kaveri, Shona, Sindhu, and others - suddenly vanished. It was as though they had received some tidings from the secret caverns of the mountains where they were born. With their rippling murmur they whispered the news into the ears of their banks; then, as though raising their arms in the form of surging waves and dancing, they rushed swiftly to bear the tidings to the ocean.

Countless rows of lotuses burst into bloom upon the lakes. Just as a being bound by maya has no relationship with anyone beyond spouse, children, family, home, and body, so those poor, bounded lakes remain confined within their own shores. Yet when Shri Krishna's grace descends upon a maya-bound being, then, even while remaining bound by maya, that being hears the words of Shri Krishna's devotees and, through those devotees,

beholds the joyous outpouring of service offered to Bhagavan. In the same way, Shri Krishna's grace descended today upon the bounded lakes as well. On the pretext of opening lotuses, they listen with innumerable ears to the rivers' joyful rippling, and with wide-open eyes behold their exuberance of bliss.

In Shri Krishna's avatar, the rivers received a privilege granted to them in no other avatar. In this very descent, Shri Kalindi would become Bhagavan Shri Krishna's fourth chief queen; and as soon as Shyamasundara descended, He would sport in Kalindi's waters with the cowherd boys and gopis. Thinking of this, the rivers became exceedingly joyful. The lakes, for their part, reflected that in this avatar Bhagavan would subdue Kaliya and free the lake called Kaliya-daha from poison. Under cover of their lotuses, they therefore offered their very hearts at Shri Krishna's feet, as though saying, "By removing all the poison from our lives, You will fulfill them."

The forest trees, laden with clusters of blossoms, resounded with flocks of birds and swarms of bees.

Rows of trees in the forests became laden with fragrant flowers of many hues. Parrots, cuckoos, and other birds awoke and chirped in sweet voices, while the humming of bees intoxicated with nectar made the whole forest resound.

Who indeed would have seen the beauty of the lonely forest at that hour? Yet today it had no need to display its loveliness to others. Fully arrayed and adorned, it wished to reveal its joy "for the delight of its own heart." Therefore, the trees and all that dwelt there left nothing lacking in their adornment. Sal, tamala, palmyra, mango, ashoka, champa, maulsiri, banyan, ashvattha, and every other tree at once cast off their old leaves and put forth tender new shoots of ruddy hue. Fresh flower clusters burst from them all; blossoms opened among the clusters, and bunch upon bunch of flowers began a new dance in the sweet, gentle undulations of the soft breeze. Malati and other vines twined around the trees' branches and boughs, spreading the sweet laughter of their flowers. Jui, jasmine, and the rest shed every leaf and became covered solely with open blossoms. The bees asleep at night seemed suddenly to receive in a dream some secret message of supreme bliss and awoke

with a start. Humming sweetly, they flew from flower to flower, asking the cause of this festival of joy. The birds sleeping in nests upon the branches awoke to the bees' resonant hum. Filling the forest's borders with their lovely warbling, they flew here and there among the trees to discover the cause of the joy that had so suddenly arisen. When the cuckoos saw untimely blossoms upon the mango trees, their delight knew no bounds. They flew swiftly to the branches and, sounding the fifth note, became absorbed in joy. Thus, with the full flowering of sublime bliss everywhere, the entire forest became a veritable "Abode of Joy."

The joy of Bhagavan Shri Krishna's blessed advent had made sky, earth, and water drunk with bliss; now it reached the air:

A pure breeze arose, pleasant to the touch and bearing sacred fragrance.

A supremely pure, cool, gentle, fragrant wind began to blow, bringing happiness to all through its touch.

The heavy rains of the monsoon had filled the air with moisture, while the fierce sunshine between showers had also imparted some warmth. But the Malaya breeze, which had been banished at the end of spring, was now released from its sentence of exile by the festival of the Lord's blessed advent. It returned and mingled with the monsoon air, which was neither too hot nor too cold. Together they searched out every place where a noble fragrance could be found, gathered it from there, and anointed every limb with it. Drunk with joy, they began to sport with the crowns of trees, the hems of women's garments, and the flags upon palace spires. Because the Lord was coming, the wind ceased at that time to play with rajas, or dust, and began instead to play with sattvic joy. For this reason, its touch brought happiness to everyone.

Thus the joy of Shri Govinda's advent made the earth auspicious, covered the waters with lotuses, filled the air with fragrance and made it delightful to the touch, while the stainless sky glittered with garlands of stars. Then fire, too, could no longer remain

inactive. Earth, water, fire, air, and ether - these five elements together perform all the work of the world. Today, at the festival of Shri Krishna's blessed advent, when four of the five were becoming intoxicated with joy, how could fire alone remain deprived of this supreme good fortune? Therefore:

The sacred fires of the twice-born, now peaceful, kindled themselves there.

The perpetual fires in the sacrificial hearths of the twice-born, which Kamsa's tyranny had caused to die out, sprang alight. No one had to kindle them. Igniting of themselves from within the wood, they curved clockwise and began to dance, tossing their flames. In the great bliss of Shri Govinda's blessed advent, they needed no offering of ghee, no recitation of mantras, and no fuel. Manifesting of themselves, they began to illumine the sacrificial pavilions.

Having gladdened and thrilled the outer world, the supreme bliss of Shri Krishna's blessed advent now entered the inner world:

The minds of the holy, who opposed the asuras, became serene.

The hearts of the holy, who opposed the asuras, were suddenly filled with gladness. The hearts of Bhagavan's devotees overflowed all at once with a joy unforeseen, unimaginable, and wholly unexpected. They did not know whence this supreme bliss had come, why it had come, or how it had entered their hearts. Filled with joy, they thrilled in every limb. Nectarean tears of loving bliss began to stream from their eyes, and they prayed to Bhagavan that this joy might abide forever. When news came of the blessed advent of Shri Krishnachandra, destroyer of the demons, strength and hope arose in the hearts of the devas oppressed by demonic tyranny. Because of their terrifying forms and innate propensity to violence, the asuras are "unloved" by all. Thus, apart from the asuras themselves, every living being is an "opponent of the asuras." In this sense, all beings of saintly nature who opposed the asuras became glad. But the joy of Bhagavan's devotees is always beyond description. A raindrop falling from a cloud gives a cloud-loving chataka bird a delight that it gives to no other. It is true that the same water quenches the thirst of others too, but they do not wait solely for water from the cloud

alone. They see water in streams, rivers, lakes, and waterfalls - in many places - and can quench their thirst from any of them. But for one-pointed, exclusive devotees who have taken refuge at the Lord's feet, the sole source of joy is the region of those very feet. Those who take refuge in enjoyment rather than at Bhagavan's feet have many sources of happiness: wife or husband, children and family, wealth and land, the splendor of sense objects, honor and esteem, praise and fame, position and authority, and much else. Therefore they cannot fully savor the divine bliss of loving devotion to the lotus feet of Bhagavan. Moreover, when even the pure water of the clouds falls upon a filthy, refuse-strewn place, it does not remain pure. In the same way, although Bhagavan's supreme bliss is eternally and perfectly pure, to those whose lives are filled with the foul refuse of desire, craving, attachment to enjoyment, and reliance upon the happiness of enjoyment, it manifests only as sensual pleasure. Just as drops of water falling upon a fiercely heated place dry up the instant they land, while the heat grows still more intense, so too a droplet of joy born of relationship with Bhagavan vanishes at once - for them - when it reaches beings inflamed by unbelief, attachment to enjoyment, and outward-turned consciousness, because they have turned away from Bhagavan; and the torment of those outward-turned and unbelieving beings increases. Today, as the full radiance of the Lord's blessed advent shone forth, a mighty current of bliss began to flow in the hearts of His exclusive devotees who had taken refuge at His feet. Those whose hearts were filled with desires and cravings for enjoyment did not receive that bliss. Seeing the abundance of nature's beauty and wealth, they experienced only the pleasure of the senses. And even that pleasure could not remain in the fevered hearts of Kamsa and the other asuras, filled as they were with outward-turned consciousness, attachment to enjoyment, and unbelief; rather, their torment grew still greater. So be it.

This supreme bliss of Shri Govinda's blessed advent flooded earth, sky, air, water, fire, streams, rivers, mountains, and all else with joy. It sang within the devotees' hearts the sweet music of the great and blissful hope of directly attaining the Lord's feet; it filled the hearts of the pleasure-bound with sensual delight; and it made the minds of outward-turned beings tremble with terrible fear. Then it ascended to heaven.

As that birthless Lord was taking birth, celestial kettledrums resounded in heaven.

At the time of the birth - the manifestation - of the birthless Lord, the kettledrums of the gods rang out in heaven. When the great bliss occasioned by the Lord's auspicious arrival rose above Bhu-loka and reached Svar-loka, countless celestial kettledrums sounded all at once, filling the whole heavenly realm with their sweet resonance. Every day in heaven, at appointed times, divine musicians play these kettledrums in rhythms such as Brahma-tala and Rudra-tala; today, however, wholly unrestrained in this great joy, they all began to sound of themselves -

Then the kettledrums of the gods, though untouched, thundered forth.

Breaking the stillness of the deep midnight, those kettledrums sounded without anyone striking them, making all heaven reverberate and ring with joy. Haha, Huhu, Tumburu, and the other Gandharvas - connoisseurs of the nectar of music in the assembly of the gods - as well as the Kimpurushas, were suddenly awakened by that sweet sound. With hearts filled with supreme bliss, they began to sing the sacred glories of the Blessed Lord. Along with them, the Siddhas and Charanas, intoxicated with joy, also began to offer hymns of praise -

The Kinnaras and Gandharvas sang, while the Siddhas and Charanas offered praise.

The Gandharvas and Kinnaras ordinarily strike up melodious strains in the divine assembly solely to heighten the joy of Indra, king of the gods, and of the other deities. The lives of the Siddhas and Charanas, too, are spent in hymning the gods. But today the lotus feet longed for even by Indra were about to appear upon the earth. Intoxicated by the inexpressible immensity of that joy, their naturally tranquil, tender, and melodious voices acquired a sweetness and tunefulness more extraordinary still, and they began to sing the auspicious glories of the Blessed Lord. Hearing the sweet, sattvic songs of the Gandharvas and Kinnaras and of the Siddhas and Charanas, the Vidyadhari women and Apsaras - wearied by their exertions in the dances of the divine court and exhilarated by drinking nectar - awakened to joy with fresh enthusiasm and began to dance in an altogether new manner -

Then the Vidyadhari women danced together with the Apsaras.

For Urvashi, Menaka, Rambha, and the other Apsaras of heaven, and for the Vidyadhari women,

all the fatigue of the day's singing and dancing vanished. Filled with supramundane supreme bliss, they forgot everything about the pleasure-dances of heaven and began to dance sweetly, matching their steps to the pure, sattvic rhythms of the songs of Govinda sung by the Gandharvas and Kinnaras, who were themselves rapt in singing Govinda's glories. Thus the whole of heaven was filled with the sweetest sounds of song and dance. All the sleeping palaces of the gods rang aloud. The gods awoke suddenly and gazed about with astonished eyes. Absorbed in bliss and spellbound, they were impelled by supreme joy to leave their respective places, hasten at once to Nandana-vana, gather the celestial parijata blossoms one by one, and shower them upon the earth -

Filled with joy, the sages and gods released showers of celestial flowers.

The great gods and sages, brimming with delight, began to extol the good fortune of the earth. Today, with the Blessed Lord's auspicious arrival, the earth is adorned with the magnificent ornament of joy; a wave of that very joy has reached heaven. Therefore the earth is "greater even than heaven" - more greatly blessed than heaven itself - for the Blessed Lord is descending upon her. To celebrate the good fortune of the earth, whose life has attained this supreme fulfillment, the gods began to rain the divine blossoms of Nandana-vana upon her. When fulfillment is attained, everyone begins to worship - this is only natural.

No one, certainly, knows the true nature of this supramundane great bliss; yet it has come quietly and made everyone drunk with joy. Today all fourteen worlds have begun to dance in delight. The upsurge of this joy stirred even the seven seas into a joyous agitation. Roaring softly and gently, they too began to dance, displaying again and again the gestures of their towering waves.

Lakshmi, daughter of the ocean, is the wife of Narayana. As though glorified by this bond of kinship, the ocean proclaims through its roar: "He at whose auspicious arrival the entire universe is flowing in supreme joy is our very own - He is our son-in-law!" Hearing the ocean roar in this way, the banks of clouds at the farthest horizons also became vocal -

Following the ocean, the clouds rumbled very gently.

They too rumbled softly and said, "Ah! His complexion and ours are one and the same. We too are deep blue, and He too is deep blue! He must therefore be our friend." Thus the ocean, exulting in the honor of its kinship with the Blessed Lord, and the hosts of clouds, exulting in the honor of sharing His complexion, began to sing the story of their respective good fortune. At that very time -

At midnight, when dense darkness had arisen and Janardana was taking birth, Vishnu, the indwelling Lord of every heart, appeared from Devaki, whose form was divine, just as the full moon rises in the eastern quarter.

"On the dark night of the month of Bhadrapada, Lord Janardana, who dwells in everyone's heart, appeared from the womb of Devaki, whose form was divine, just as the moon complete in all its sixteen digits rises in the eastern sky."

Here Devaki is called "she whose form is divine." The purport is that hers was a divine body. The Lord is eternally self-luminous. The name "Deva" denotes the self-luminous Blessed Lord of wondrous and manifold divine play. His form - His sacred embodied form - is existence, consciousness, and bliss itself -

Krishna is the Supreme Lord, whose embodied form is existence, consciousness, and bliss.

The form belonging to that Deva - the Blessed Lord - is called a divine form; therefore Sri Devaki, whose form is of that nature, is called "she whose form is divine." Her body is not material like ours; it consists of pure existence, consciousness, and bliss. That is why the self-luminous Lord appeared before her in the form of her son. The moon, sun, fire, lightning, and other lights that illumine the world are none of them self-luminous.

Know that the radiance within the sun which illumines the entire world, and that which is in the moon and in fire, to be Mine. (Bhagavad Gita 15.12)

"The light by which the moon, the sun, fire, and the rest illumine the entire world is only My own light - the radiance of My being." Indeed, even the Lord's

supreme abode, composed of existence, consciousness, and bliss, is self-luminous. The lights of the sun, moon, and the rest do not exist there -

Neither the sun, nor the moon, nor fire illumines it. Having reached it, one does not return; that is My supreme abode. (Bhagavad Gita 15.6)

That self-luminous supreme abode, upon attaining which one need not return to the world, is not illumined by the light of this world's sun, moon, or fire. The revealed scripture declares -

Everything shines only after Him who shines; by His light all this is illumined.

"The sun, moon, and every other luminary shine only by the light that is a radiance of the self-luminous Blessed Lord, and by His light - the effulgence of His being - this entire universe is illumined." Thus the Blessed Lord illumines all; there is none who illumines Him.

Parents bring their son to light in the world, and for this reason they are said to be the revealers of their son. The Blessed Lord's father and mother reveal Him to the world; they, too, are therefore His revealers. The Blessed Lord is self-revealing. Consequently, He cannot be revealed by anything other than His own self-revealing potency. Hence Vasudeva and Devaki, in the forms of the Lord's father and mother, are themselves His self-revealing potency, composed of existence, consciousness, and bliss. They are condensed embodiments of His own "pure sattva."

In truth, however, the Lord does not enter a mother's womb as material beings do; He is not born under the compulsion of karma; nor is His embodied form something separate from Him and composed of the five material elements. The Lord appears in a divine form governed solely by His own will. He alone is the Father of the universe and the progenitor of all; from Him arise countless millions of universes. Yet those devotees who love the Lord as their son, filled with parental affection, are accepted by the Blessed Lord as His mother and father, and He thereby blesses them. The divine Devaki wished, with single-hearted parental love, to attain the Blessed Lord as her son. Therefore, to strengthen her parental love and her filial

feeling toward Himself before His manifestation, the Lord, through His inconceivable potency - Maya, who enchants the minds of His own - produced in Devaki the signs of pregnancy. He had not actually entered her womb. His appearance in a divine four-armed form is direct proof of this. Nevertheless, Devaki understood that a son had indeed been born from her womb, and so, with complete maternal affection, she tended and nurtured the Lord in the form of her son. In this fathomless ocean of parental love, all the Lord's divinity is submerged. But where parental love is mingled with awareness of His majesty, flashes of His Godhood also arise from time to time. They are, of course, not lasting. The parental love of Sri Devaki and Sri Vasudeva was mingled with awareness of divine majesty, and therefore from time to time they also became conscious that their son Sri Krishna was God. Hence, even as they cared for and nurtured Him, they also praised Him and offered prayers. Entirely pure love, devoid of any awareness of majesty, existed in Vrindavana, and its exquisitely sweet expression is seen in the divine play of Vrindavana.

The Lord is Vishnu, pervading countless millions of universes, and He is also the tiny child whose form accords with His devotee's love. He is eternally vast and eternally minute -

Smaller than the smallest, greater than the greatest.

He alone is the indwelling Lord who pervades every heart; He alone transcends all; and He alone is the Blessed Lord, full of every virtue, filled with divine play, and the very embodiment of the nectar of all spiritual rasa. The Purusha-avataras, Guna-avataras, Lila-avataras, Manvantara-avataras, Amsha-avataras, Kala-avataras, Avesha-avataras, Prabhava-avataras, Vaibhava-avataras, and Paravastha-avataras all proceed from Him. He is the source of every avatara, the directly manifest Lord Himself. All avataras are contained within Him; in Him they are all included, for He is everything. This Lord, who appears in Dvapara-yuga of the twenty-eighth cycle of four yugas in the Vaivasvata Manvantara, is the ground of all, the source of every avatara, all-inclusive, transcendent of all, all-formed, eternally with attributes, eternally beyond attributes, an ocean of inconceivably infinite virtues, an ocean of the nectar of every rasa of divine love, complete in all sixteen kalas, endowed with the sixfold divine majesty, beyond diminution and augmentation, and the Supreme Person possessed of a divine embodied form of existence, consciousness, and bliss. At the same time, He is the perfectly ideal human being, the supreme Lord of Yoga complete in every art, leader of the people, consummate statesman, builder of kingdoms, renouncer of kingdoms, teacher of dharma, Acharya,

a treasury of beauty and sweetness, the attractor of every heart, the enchanter of sages' minds, the one who draws even the self-delighting sages, the lover of sweetness, subject to love, and the affectionate kinsman of all. From whatever perspective He is beheld, the vision of Him is utterly complete.

If the beings of this unresponsive world - caught in attachment to sense objects and the craving for enjoyment, battered by the assaults of Maya and delusion - would but regain a little awareness, open the eyes of faith, and look once, they would discover that by receiving this Krishna-ashtami of the month of Bhadra, the earth has become far more exalted even than heaven. Whether we earthly beings understand it or not, blessed is the earth to receive this date revered by all and this midnight; blessed are the beings of earth; blessed are earth's sky, air, and fire. Blessed are her streams, rivers, and lakes; blessed are her mountains and oceans; blessed are her sun and moon; blessed are all the things of earth; blessed is the universe in which this earth abides; and blessed too are all who observe this sacred date. By prostrating myself before them all, I too become blessed. The Lord's manifestation is now imminent. In keeping with the description above, let us each adorn our mind with the ornaments of joy and prepare to welcome Him.

At the end, I repeat this old prayer again and again and bow at the feet of Lord Sri Shyamasundara. If you wish, you too may inwardly offer this prayer together with me -

Having beheld Him, my mind desires to behold nothing else; may that son of Nanda dwell forever before my two eyes.

May body and mind remain forever clasped to the Beloved's limbs; may no thought of worldly enjoyment or liberation break this bliss.

May all awareness of the world be forgotten, and every thought of home fade away; may heart remain joined to heart, unhindered, day and night.

May senses, mind, intellect, and self become the dwelling place of Shyama; may the Beloved, the sweet crown jewel, abide forever in them all.

Proclaim the victory of Lord Sri Krishnachandra, the very source of bliss!

The Manifestation of Sri Krishna (A discourse delivered at the Sri Krishna Janmashtami Festival in Vikrama Samvat 2014)

By whose grace the mute becomes eloquent and the lame crosses a mountain - I bow to that Madhava, the embodiment of supreme bliss.

The radiance of whose moonlike toenails is Brahman, the object of meditation for Brahma and the other gods - I bow to that Lord of Vrindavana, who transcends the three gunas.

Unfailing remembrance of Krishna's lotus feet destroys all that is inauspicious and spreads peace; it brings purity of being, devotion to the Supreme Self, and knowledge joined with realization and detachment.

"When the memory of Lord Sri Krishna's lotus feet remains ever present, then by its power all sins and evils are destroyed, blessedness is attained, the inner being is purified, devotion to the Supreme Self arises, and knowledge and realization joined with detachment come of themselves." Today is the auspicious day of the festival celebrating the manifestation of that very Lord Sri Krishna. On this supremely auspicious occasion, may you and all of us sanctify our lives and make them blessed by the sacred remembrance of Lord Sri Krishna.

Avataras: Their Cause and Nature

The word avatara means descent - the descent of the Supreme Brahman. The Lord transcends all, comprises all, pervades all, and is eternally present everywhere; yet through His "power to become all" - through Maya, through Yoga-maya - He keeps Himself veiled. At times, solely by His own will and for the sake of divine play, He partially removes this covering and appears before the world. This is His descent; it is called an avatara. Such an avatara may be of the Imperishable Brahman, Lord Vishnu Himself, or may occur with pure sattva serving as its support. Even great nondualists such as Sri Shankaracharya have unreservedly accepted this descent of the Lord. Those who say, "When a human being advances to the point of becoming endowed with great virtues and reaches an exalted level, that person is called an avatara of God,"

are not correct. That would be an ascent - a rising upward - not an avatara, a descent. The Lord descends.

These avataras are of many kinds: Lila-avataras, Purusha-avataras, Amsha-avataras, Kala-avataras, Guna-avataras, Yuga-avataras, Avesha-avataras, Vibhava-avataras, Archa-avataras, and others. In every avatara there is a descent for the sake of divine play; therefore all are called avataras, and among them none is lesser or greater. Since all manifest from the Lord, they are all complete. The scriptures declare -

All His bodies are eternal and everlasting, free from diminution and augmentation, and never born of Prakriti. They are masses of supreme bliss and pure consciousness in every respect; all are complete in every virtue and wholly free of every defect.

"They are all eternal and everlasting. Their supramundane bodies, subject neither to diminution nor augmentation, are not born of Prakriti. Free from every defect such as birth and death, endowed with all virtues, complete, and consciousness itself, they are masses of supreme bliss." Among them there is no gradation arising from place, time, or potency. Gradation is acknowledged only on account of a greater or lesser manifestation of potency. A strong man may have the power to lift a load of five maunds, but where only one chhatank must be lifted, no one can say, merely because he lifts one chhatank, that he lacks the strength to lift five maunds. His power is complete, but there is no purpose there in manifesting it fully. In the same way, among the avataras of the fully omnipotent Lord, one displays less potency and another more, according to the purpose at hand. The terms completeness and partialness are used only with reference to this gradation in the manifestation and nonmanifestation of potency. Hence it is said -

When He manifests all His qualities, the wise know Him as "most complete"; when He does not manifest them all, He is "more complete"; when He displays only a few, He is "complete."

"When the Lord manifests all His limitless qualities, He is called 'most complete.' When He manifests many qualities without manifesting them all, He is called 'more complete'; and when He manifests fewer qualities still, He is called 'complete.'" The Sri Laghu-bhagavatamrita states -

"Partialness" means the constant manifestation of only a small portion of the Lord's potencies; "completeness" means His voluntary manifestation of many potencies.

"When the infinitely powerful Lord manifests only a few potencies, that avatara is called a 'portion'; when, by His own will, He manifests many potencies, it is called 'complete.'"

What is potency? On this subject it is said -

Qualities headed by majesty, sweetness, grace, and splendor are called potencies. The manifestation and nonmanifestation of potency is the cause of gradation.

"Divine majesty, sweetness, grace, splendor, and other such qualities are called potencies. The manifestation and nonmanifestation of these potencies alone causes gradation." Otherwise, all the Lord's avataras are complete.

The Lord manifests potency according to the nature of each field of divine play. Though the potency is the same, differences in its manifestation produce differences in result. For example -

Though a lamp and a mass of fire possess the same power to burn a city and the like, relief from the pain of cold can be gained only from the mass of fire.

"The power a lamp possesses to burn a city is also present in a mass of fire; from this standpoint, the two are equal. But the mass of fire has one distinctive excellence: if the affliction of cold and the like is to be removed, a lamp's flame cannot do it; the comfort that comes from destroying the cold can be obtained only from the mass of fire."

In the same way, avataras are manifested as portions, kalas, and so forth. The Bhuma Purusha, the indwelling Lord who is a manifestation of the Supreme Brahman Himself, takes pure sattva as His support and, for divine play in the form of destroying demons, protecting the holy, establishing dharma, and the like, removes at will the coverings of place and other limitations and appears in the world through a portion in the form of knowledge or action. He is then called an Amsha-avatara. At times, however, the transcendent Brahman, the complete Supreme Person, the Lord Himself replete with infinite hosts of blessed qualities, does not take sattva or any other principle as a support, but appears in His eternal, supramundane, divine form of existence, consciousness, and bliss - which is unmanifest as material body, senses,

and inner faculties, and so forth - for purposes such as delivering demons, protecting the holy, and establishing dharma. Principally independent of spiritual discipline, He manifests Himself, together with all His portions and portions of portions, in the world He chooses, in His form endowed with sweetness and majesty, in order to deliver everyone merely through a relationship with Him or the sight of Him. He is then called a "complete avatara." Although called an avatara, this is in truth "the complete manifestation of the Lord Himself." Such a complete manifestation occurs very rarely. Lord Sri Krishnachandra, the most complete Supreme Person, is precisely this full manifestation of the transcendent Brahman. The Krishna-avatara occurs in many kalpas, but the complete manifestation of the Lord Himself occurs only in the Sarasvata Kalpa. This perfect manifestation includes every portion and kala, just as a sum of ten million rupees naturally includes portions of one hundred, two hundred, one thousand, and two thousand rupees. For this reason Sri Krishna is also called the avatara of the sage Narayana, an Amsha-avatara, the dark-hair avatara of Lord Sri Narayana, Kshirodashayi, the Thousand-headed One, Mahanarayana the Lord of Vaikuntha, and Vishnu the Lord of Shvetadvipa. For the same reason, in this manifestation that delivers independently of spiritual discipline, one also sees the functions of the partial and kala avataras - delivering demons, protecting the holy, establishing dharma, and so forth - perfectly accomplished. In reality, however, Sri Krishna is directly the transcendent and complete Brahman, the complete Supreme Person, all-pervading, the doer of all, comprising all, transcending all, immeasurable, divine bliss itself, free from the qualities of Prakriti, inherently divine, an ocean of hosts of blessed qualities, the very form of bliss, possessed of every potency, complete with all portions and kalas - the Lord Himself. The other avataras are portions and kalas -

All these are portions or kalas of the Purusha, but Krishna is the Lord Himself.

The Meaning of the Word "Bhagavan"

Practitioners of eight-limbed Yoga call this very Lord the Supreme Self; Vedantins devoted to the Upanishads call Him Brahman; and practitioners of Jnana-yoga call Him Knowledge -

He is called Bhagavan by some, the Supreme Self by practitioners of eight-limbed Yoga, Brahman by those steadfast in the Upanishads, and Knowledge by practitioners of Jnana-yoga. (Skanda Purana)

The Srimad Bhagavatam declares -

Knowers of Truth speak of that nondual Reality which is called Brahman, the Supreme Self, and Bhagavan. (1.2.11)

Sri Krishna is this "Lord Himself"; Sri Krishna is the Supreme Self; and Sri Krishna is Brahman. The word bhagavat is etymologically explained as follows -

Complete divine majesty, power, fame, splendor, knowledge, and detachment - these six are designated bhaga.

Knowledge, potency, strength, majesty, power, and radiance, present without limit and without any defective qualities, are denoted by the word bhagavat.

"Infinite majesty, infinite power, infinite fame, infinite splendor, infinite knowledge, and infinite detachment - He in whom these six excellences abide eternally as His very nature is Bhagavan."

"Knowledge, potency, strength, majesty, power, and radiance are called bhaga. He in whom they are all present without limit is Bhagavan."

All these qualities abide eternally and unceasingly in Lord Sri Krishna as His very nature. Concerning the perfection of Lord Vasudeva, the Nyaya-vivarana states -

Lord Vasudeva is perfect bliss, the perfect enjoyer, the perfect doer, perfect knowledge, perfect light, and perfect potency. Because His majesty is complete, the Lord possesses the power of reconciling opposites and, as the Supreme Ruler, is untouched by defect.

"In the Lord, who is complete in the sixfold divine majesty, dwell complete bliss, complete enjoyership, complete agency, complete knowledge, complete light, complete potency, complete majesty, the power to unite opposites, and utter freedom from every defect."

The Lord as the Abode of Contradictory Attributes

The Lord is the abode of contradictory attributes; one who is not their abode is not complete. The revealed scriptures therefore describe Brahman as the common ground of contradictory attributes -

Smaller than the smallest, greater than the greatest. (Katha Upanishad 1.2.20)

"He is subtler than the subtle and greater than the great."

While seated, He travels far; while lying down, He goes everywhere. (Katha Upanishad 1.2.21)

"Even while seated He goes far away; even while sleeping He goes in every direction."

It moves, and it moves not; it is far, and it is near. (Isha Upanishad 5)

"He moves and also does not move; He is far away and also near."

He is the fourth state and also beyond the fourth, the Self and also not the self, fierce and also gentle, heroic and also unheroic, great and also not great, all-pervading and also not all-pervading, luminous and also nonluminous, facing every direction and also not facing every direction. (Nrisimha-uttara-tapaniya Upanishad, sixth section)

"He is turiya and also aturiya, the Self and also not the self, fierce and also gentle - peaceful - heroic and also unheroic, great and also not great - small - Vishnu, the all-pervading, and also not all-pervading - confined to one place - luminous and also nonluminous, facing every direction - with faces on every side - and also not facing every direction - with a face on one side."

The Puranas declare -

He is neither gross nor merely atomic in form; He is not the universe, yet He is the universe itself. By virtue of His divine majesty, the Supreme Person is the very embodiment of contradictory attributes. (Brahma Purana)

Thus the eternal and simultaneous containment of contradictory attributes is a defining mark of the Supreme Brahman. Lord Sri Krishna Himself declares from His sacred lips -

Though unborn and of imperishable nature, and though the Lord of all beings, I manifest through My own Maya, presiding over My own Prakriti.

• By saying that, although unborn, imperishable in nature, and Lord of all beings, He nevertheless takes birth, He has described Himself as the abode of contradictory attributes. "This entire universe is pervaded by Me in My unmanifest form. All beings abide in Me, yet I do not abide in them. Nor do these beings abide in Me - behold My divine power of Yoga." This declaration in the Gita also describes the state of being the abode of contradictory attributes.

Lord Sri Krishna, though the supreme enjoyer, is the supreme Yogi; though divided, He is ever undivided; though the doer of all, He is eternally the nondoer; though visible, He is invisible; though apparently limited, He is all-pervading; though taking birth, He is unborn; though relative,

Though always without expectation, He is utterly spellbound before His beloved, yet supremely wise; though filled with desire in the realm of love, He is eternally fulfilled in every desire; though humble in love's kingdom, He is eternally unhumbled; though made dependent by His devotees' love, He is supremely independent; though bound, He is eternally free; though an object of knowledge, He is immeasurable; though accessible through devotion, He is supremely inaccessible; though filled with possessive affection, He is eternally without possessiveness; though many, He is always one; though exceedingly hungry, He is eternally satisfied; and though joined in every relationship, He remains free from every relationship. These truths are plainly manifest in His divine deeds.

Shri Krishna, the Embodiment of Condensed Being, Consciousness, and Bliss, Is Bhagavan Himself

It should also be understood here that Lord Shri Krishna's body and His Self are not distinct from one another. In every respect He consists of the nectar of being, consciousness, and bliss. His mind, intellect, senses, limbs, and every bodily part are all supramundane and are the very form of Bhagavan. That divine body, which is His essential nature, is conscious, eternal, inconceivable, and endowed with majesty; though apparently delimited, it is all-pervading. He does not assume a body of the five material elements under the compulsion of karma; by His own will He manifests His eternal body of being, consciousness, and bliss:

His form is fashioned by His own will; it is in no respect made of material elements.

In the Patala-khanda of the Padma Purana, Lord Shri Krishna granted His own other lila-form, Lord Shri Rudra, a vision of Him. Explaining His formless, attributeless, all-pervading, inactive aspect as Brahman, He said: 'Rudra! The supernatural, supramundane, divine form of Mine that you now behold is a mass of stainless love and consists of being, consciousness, and bliss. This form of Mine is not composed of the five material elements. It can be seen truly only with divine eyes; therefore the Vedas call it "formless." The material qualities of sattva, rajas, and tamas are not My qualities. My qualities are supramundane and intrinsic to My own nature, and those divine qualities have no end; therefore I am called "attributeless." In My unmanifest form of consciousness I pervade everything; therefore I am called the "all-pervading" Brahman. I am not the doer within this phenomenal creation; My portions alone perform creation and the other cosmic functions through the qualities of maya. Therefore the scriptures call Me "inactive."'

Thus Shri Krishna's sacred form is eternally none other than Shri Krishna Himself, the condensed embodiment of being, consciousness, and bliss

alone. At place after place in the Mahabharata, Shri Krishna is established as the Supreme Brahman, both through His divine deeds and through the words spoken about Him by great souls.

The truth is that the great protagonist of the Mahabharata is Lord Shri Krishna - the condensed embodiment of being, consciousness, and bliss; the ocean of the nectar of all love; the Self of all; and the Supreme Brahman beyond the supreme. From beginning to end, and throughout its middle as well, the entire Mahabharata is filled with the glory of Lord Shri Krishna's qualities. At place after place in the Mahabharata, His glory is described at length by Lord Vyasadeva, the sage Markandeya, Narada, Angira, Bhrigu, Sanatkumara, Asita, Devala, Parashurama, Lord Brahma, the grandsire Bhishma, and others. Lord Shri Krishna Himself has declared His greatness. A few statements of the grandsire Bhishma are quoted here:

'Therefore I tell you, O King: He is indeed eternal and imperishable, Ever present in all worlds, their everlasting ruler, supporter of the earth, and immutable. He is the Lord who upholds the three worlds and is the teacher of all that moves and does not move; He is the warrior, the victory, the victor, and the Lord of all primordial nature. O King, He pervades all and is free from tamas and rajas; Where Krishna is, there is dharma, and where dharma is, there is victory. Vasudeva is the supreme reality, the God of all the gods; O best of Bharata's line, none higher than the lotus-eyed Lord is seen. He is all beings, the Self of beings, the great Self, and the Supreme Person. Keshava is the highest splendor and the grandsire of all worlds; The sages, O ruler of men, call Him Hrishikesha. Those human beings who take refuge in Krishna do not fall into delusion; Janardana ever protects those plunged into overwhelming fear.' (Bhishma-parva, chapters 66 and 67)

'O King! Lord Shri Krishna pervades every world; He is eternal, imperishable, the everlasting ruler, the upholder of the earth, and immutable. Lord Shri Hari, the teacher of all moving and unmoving beings, sustains the three worlds. He alone is victorious, He alone is victory, He alone is the warrior, and He alone is the Supreme Lord, the ultimate cause of all. O King! Shri Hari

is the form of all and is untouched by tamas and rajas. Wherever Shri Krishna is, there is dharma, and wherever dharma is, there is victory. O best of the Bharatas! Shri Krishna, the son of Vasudeva, is truly great and is the supreme object of worship for all the gods. None greater than the lotus-eyed Shri Krishna, nor anyone apart from Him, can be seen. The Lord alone pervades all beings; He alone is the Self of all; He alone is the great Self and the Supreme Person. O lord of men! Lord Keshava is the grandsire of all the worlds. He is supreme splendor. The sages call Him Hrishikesha. Human beings who take refuge in Lord Shri Krishna never fall into delusion. Lord Janardana always protects those who are submerged in great fear.'

Those who deeply study and contemplate the Mahabharata know well that Lord Shri Krishna is its principal subject. The Adi-parva of the Mahabharata itself says:

'In this work is celebrated the eternal Lord Vasudeva. He indeed is truth and cosmic order, purity and holiness. He is the everlasting Supreme Brahman, the immutable light, the Eternal Person, Whose divine deeds the wise recount. From Him proceed both the unmanifest and the manifest, all this universe of being and non-being. That Reality the foremost ascetics, liberated and endowed with the power of meditative yoga, Behold established within themselves, like a reflection in a mirror.'

In this Mahabharata, it is the glory of the eternal Lord Vasudeva that is sung. 'He alone is truth; He alone is cosmic order; He alone is purifying and pure. He alone is the everlasting Supreme Brahman, the Eternal Person whose nature is immutable, eternal light. Wise scholars describe His divine lilas. From Him have arisen the unmanifest and the manifest, and this entire universe in both its manifest and unmanifest forms. Liberated renunciants, endowed with the power of meditative yoga, directly behold this very Supreme Self within their hearts, as one sees a reflection in a mirror.'

In his work entitled Shri Mahabharata-tatparya-nirnaya, Acharya Shriman Anandatirtha Bhagavatpada has thoroughly established this truth by means of examples.

In the world-renowned and universally revered Shrimad Bhagavad Gita, which forms part of the Mahabharata, Lord Shri Krishnachandra Himself says:

'There is nothing whatsoever higher than Me, O Dhananjaya. All this is strung upon Me as clusters of gems are strung upon a thread.' (7.7)

'Dhananjaya! There is nothing whatsoever apart from Me. This entire universe is strung upon Me like gems upon a thread.'

'Because I transcend the perishable and am even higher than the imperishable, I am renowned in the world and in the Veda as the Supreme Person.' (15.18)

'I transcend the perishable and am higher than the imperishable. Therefore I am renowned in the world and the Veda by the name "Supreme Person."'

'And whatever is the seed of all beings, that too am I, O Arjuna. There is no moving or unmoving being that can exist without Me.' (10.39)

'Arjuna! I alone am the seed from which all beings arise. There is no moving or unmoving being that exists apart from Me.'

'I am the goal, the sustainer, the Lord, the witness, the abode, the refuge, and the friend; I am the origin and dissolution, the foundation, the repository, and the imperishable seed.' (9.18)

'I alone am the goal, sustainer, Lord, witness, abode, refuge, friend, origin, dissolution, support of all, repository, and imperishable cause.'

'For I am the foundation of the imperishable Brahman, of immortality, Of eternal dharma, and of absolute bliss.' (14.27)

'I am the foundation of the imperishable Brahman, immortality, eternal dharma, and absolute bliss - the support of all.'

'From Me everything proceeds.' (10.8)

'Everything proceeds from Me alone.'

'I am the origin and likewise the dissolution of the entire universe.' (7.6)

'I am the origin and dissolution of the entire universe.'

'The enjoyer of sacrifices and austerities, the great Lord of all worlds.' (5.29)

'I am the enjoyer of all sacrifices and austerities and the great Lord of all worlds.'

'Sustaining this entire universe with a single portion of Myself, I remain.' (10.42)

'I uphold this entire universe within a single portion of Myself.'

'One who sees Me everywhere and sees everything in Me.' (6.30)

'One who sees Me everywhere and sees everything in Me.'

'For I alone am the enjoyer and the Lord of all sacrifices.' (9.24)

'I alone am the enjoyer and Lord of all sacrifices.' Arjuna says in the Gita:

'You are the Supreme Brahman, the supreme abode, the supreme purifier, The eternal Divine Person, the primal Deity, unborn and all-pervading.' (10.12)

'Lord! You are the Supreme Brahman, the supreme abode, the supremely pure, the Eternal Person, the Divine Person, the primal Deity, unborn and all-pervading.'

In the Shrimad Bhagavatam, Shri Vyasadeva has described Shri Krishna's identity as the Supreme Brahman, His being Bhagavan Himself, and His infinite greatness. Indeed, that work was composed precisely to explain His essential nature and to narrate His divine lilas.

Here a question may arise: 'When Lord Shri Krishna is the "complete and transcendent Supreme Brahman," "the very foundation of Brahman," and in every respect the embodiment of being, consciousness, and bliss, why do His

essential form and appearance seem material, and why do His acts - bathing, eating, sleeping, and so forth - and His many other manners and dealings appear like those of an ordinary human being?' The answer is that, first, Bhagavan Himself is 'capable of becoming all things': He can assume whatever manner of being He wills, and here He is specifically enacting a human lila. Second, He Himself has answered this question in the Gita:

'Veiled by Yogamaya, I am not manifest to everyone. This deluded world does not recognize Me as unborn and imperishable.' (7.25)

'Because I remain wholly veiled by Yogamaya, I am not manifest to the sight of all people. Thus the deluded do not recognize this unborn and imperishable nature of Mine; they take Me to possess a material body subject to birth and death.'

'The deluded scorn Me when I assume a human form, For they do not know My supreme nature as the great Lord of all beings.' (9.11)

'I am the great Lord of all beings. The deluded do not know this supreme nature of Mine - My exalted majesty. Seeing Me assume a body resembling that of a human being, they take Me to be a human being with a material body, and they dishonor Me.'

The sage Shri Yamuna has said:

'Because Brahman and Krishna are one............................................'

That Brahman and Shri Krishna possess the same unity as the sun and its rays.

Therefore Lord Shri Krishna - the divine, condensed embodiment of being, consciousness, and bliss; the embodiment of the nectar of love's bliss; the locus of mutually contrary attributes - is directly the complete Brahman, the perfect Supreme Person and Lord.

The Gita's Indication of Three Kinds of Avatara and the Greatness of Lord Shri Krishna

In the Gita's discussion of avatara, He has described both this complete manifestation of Himself and His

partial avataras in wonderfully concise, aphoristic form through suggestive language. He says:

'Though unborn and of imperishable Self, though the Lord of all beings, Abiding in My own nature, I manifest through My own maya. Whenever dharma declines, O Bharata, and adharma rises, Then I fashion My own form. For the protection of the holy, the destruction of evildoers, And the establishment of dharma, I manifest age after age.' (4.6-8)

The ordinary word-for-word meaning of these verses is:

'Though I remain unborn, imperishable in Self, and the Lord of all beings, I accept My own prakriti (My own essential nature) and, through My maya (taking Yogamaya with Me), I arise - I manifest in the most excellent manner (sambhavami).'

'Whenever dharma declines and adharma rises, I fashion My own form.'

'For the deliverance of holy persons, the destruction of the wicked, and the establishment of dharma, I manifest in the most excellent manner in age after age (sambhavami).'

The deliverance of the holy, the subjugation of the wicked, and the protection and establishment of dharma - these three works of a divine avatara are well known. All three are described, along with His manifestation to accomplish them, in the eighth verse. Why, then, was it necessary to say 'I manifest' in the sixth verse and 'I fashion My own form' in the seventh? In all three verses, His manifestation is indeed expressed in different ways: 'I manifest' is said in the sixth and eighth, and 'I fashion My own form' in the seventh. It therefore appears that the three verses indicate three kinds of avatara. The statement, 'Though unborn, imperishable in Self, and the great Lord of all beings, I accept My own nature and manifest through My own maya,' indicates the complete manifestation of His form as the Supreme Brahman, who is the locus of mutually contrary attributes. The second verse indicates the

'acharya-avatara,' who destroys the decline of dharma and the rise of adharma through true instruction; the third indicates the 'partial avatara,' who protects the holy, crushes the wicked, and protects and establishes dharma.

That Shri Krishna is the perfect Supreme Person, Bhagavan Himself, becomes still clearer when one understands the profundity of the expressions 'abiding in My own nature' and 'I manifest through My own maya' in the foregoing verse of the Gita. Immediately afterward, Lord Shri Krishna declares the fruit of knowing and understanding this nature of His and its divine lilas:

'One who truly knows My birth and deeds to be thus divine, Upon leaving the body, is not born again, but comes to Me, O Arjuna.' (4.9)

'Arjuna! Whoever comes to know in truth - as they really are - this divine birth and these deeds of Mine does not take birth again after relinquishing the body; freed from birth and death, that person attains Me alone.'

One can readily understand how extraordinary must be the birth and deeds which, when known, bring the knower's own birth to an end, and that they can belong only to Bhagavan.

Today is the festival of the appearance of this very Lord Shri Krishna: the embodiment of knowledge and realized wisdom; the complete and transcendent Supreme Brahman; the perfect Supreme Person; beyond all yet present in all; complete in the six divine opulences; the embodiment of inconceivable, infinite majesty and power; the great Lord of the lords of yoga; master of prakriti; the treasury of inconceivable, infinite hosts of auspicious qualities; endowed with fifty divine qualities; consisting of every virtue; eternally beyond the material qualities; endowed with divine qualities intrinsic to His own nature; ever established in His essential nature; omniscient; eternally new; whose limbs are condensed being, consciousness, and bliss; served by every spiritual perfection; the ideal karma-yogi; establisher of dharma; crusher of the wicked; liberator of demons; bestower of blessed destiny upon the enemies He slays; teacher of the Gita; the embodiment of infinite beauty and sweetness; filled with the nectar of love's bliss; served through the devotional rasas of serenity, service, friendship, parental affection, and sweetness; the Lord of Shri Radha; the very Self of Shri Radha; the bee at the lotus feet of Shri Radha; the Lord of Shri Radha's life-breath; worshiped by Shri Radha; the enchanter of the gopis' hearts; the beloved of the gopis; the treasure of the gopis' lives; the enchanting flute-player; wearer of the peacock feather; Lord of Mathura; beloved of Shri Rukmini; Lord of Dvaraka; divine hero; divine friend; divine child;

the ideal guru; the ideal disciple; the ideal son; the ideal beloved; adept in every art; master of dance, song, and instrumental music; skilled in the fine arts; accomplished in horsemanship; dear to His devotees; devoted to His devotees; dispeller of His devotees' fears; the all-in-all of His devotees; longing for the dust of His devotees' feet; protector of His devotees' vows; naturally subject to His devotees; indebted to His devotees; tender toward those who surrender; friend of the lowly; purifier of the fallen; son of Devaki and Vasudeva; darling son of Nanda and Yashoda; child of Vraja; companion of the cowherd boys of Vraja; friend of Sudama and Arjuna; messenger of the Pandavas; friend of Krishnaa, Draupadi; supremely generous; supremely valiant; consummate statesman; treasury of courage and heroic power; master of the art of warfare; wielder of the Sharnga bow; expert in the strategy of war; foremost among great persons; teacher of the entire world; the great ideal person; the supreme exemplar of humanity; leader of the people; working for the welfare and cohesion of the world; controller of the senses and mind; wondrous in birth and deeds; perfect in all sixteen divine potencies; the condensed embodiment of being, consciousness, and bliss. These epithets all belong to Lord Shri Krishna, whose appearance festival is celebrated today. The Lord is eternal, and His lila is eternal. Nevertheless, His manifestation takes place on Krishna Ashtami in the month of Bhadrapada.

The Appearance of Shri Krishna

At midnight on the dark eighth night of Bhadrapada, He appeared in Kamsa's prison in the supremely wondrous, four-armed form of Narayana. Devaki could not bear the intense radiance of His four-armed form and said, 'O Self of the universe! Conceal this supernatural form bearing conch, discus, mace, and lotus.' The Lord, ever tender toward His devotees, reminded Shri Vasudeva and Devaki of their earlier births and told them, 'I, the Lord of all, have become your son.' He then assumed the appearance of an ordinary infant. In accordance with the Lord's command, Shri Vasudeva carried the infant Lord to Nanda's house, laid Him beside Shri Yashoda, and brought back in exchange Yashoda's newborn daughter, Jagadamba Mahamaya. Through the Lord's maya, no one perceived Vasudeva's taking the divine infant away, laying Him there, carrying the girl back, and returning to the prison. In Nanda's house, no one learned anything at all. The Shri Vishnu Purana and the Shrimad Bhagavatam give a most beautiful account of this lila and all the lilas that followed it. By reading and hearing them, one should bring one's life to fulfillment.

Our Pandit Shri Ramnarayanadatta Shastri has written most beautifully:

It was Bhadon's dark eighth night, and deep was the darkness. Drops of divine nectar rained as clouds gathered densely once more. Many sentries, overcome by sweet sleep, lay slumbering; Two prisoners alone remained awake, lost in anxious thought. Suddenly the moon arose to destroy the lineage of darkness, Both in the eastern sky and within Kamsa's prison. A birth took place, yet no child emerged from a womb; In the manifest heavens appeared the stainless guardian of the universe. Youthful in age, dark as a rain cloud, with an enchanting radiance upon His form; His captivating beauty held the splendor of countless moons and a hundred million Cupids. In His four hands were mace, conch, discus, and lotus; The prison-house, assuming the dignity of a temple, became an object of worship. The father was struck with wonder, and the mother stood amazed; That marvelous infant smiled and softly laughed. Delighted to hear His own praise, He spoke from His lips, As though revealing the profound mystery of a former birth: 'Through worship you asked for a son like Me; Today that spiritual endeavor of your former life has borne fruit. Do not fear Kamsa; carry Me to Gokula, And bring the newborn daughter of Nanda here.' So saying, He became like an ordinary infant and began to cry; All the unbearable anguish of Vasudeva and Devaki vanished. The lovely hands of celestial maidens were adorned with flowers; Amid the thunder of the clouds, the kettledrums of the gods resounded. One by one, every link in the chain of obstacles broke; The fetters on his feet snapped, and the handcuffs fell away. The iron bolts withdrew, and every door swung open; All the sentries who had stood fully arrayed lay asleep.

There the bonds of both mother and father fell away; Why should they not be freed, when life's treasure, the giver of liberation, had come there? Flowers rained down, and creation was immersed in divine nectar; One son-loving mother sat weary beneath a single grief. Devaki clasped her son to her breast and wept in sorrow: 'May no one tear my darling child away from me.' Giving her courage, Vasudeva took the beloved infant into his arms; He set out for Gokula, while Shesha followed as a sheltering canopy. The Kalindi was swelling; nowhere could its depth be found; Its restless, towering waves rose in dreadful whirlpools. The father was submerged to his neck; the Son extended His foot; The river received the dust of His lotus foot and placed it upon her head. What magic occurred? Where had the flood swept away? That unfathomable expanse of water remained only knee-deep. Placing the joy-giving child in sleeping Yashoda's lap, Vasudeva returned, carrying Nanda's daughter with him. In the fourth stage of life, Nanda received immeasurable joy; Exceeding jubilation filled the hearts of gopas and gopis. Songs of rejoicing rang through Nanda's house, and bards began to sing his glory; Brahmins and supplicants received garments, ornaments, jewels, and wealth.

The Extraordinary View Held by the Great Devotees

The great devotees of the Shri Gaudiya tradition hold that, at the very time when the Lord appeared before Shri Vasudeva and Devaki in the prison in His four-armed form, Yashodanandana also appeared in Nanda Baba's home. The first verse of the fifth chapter of the Tenth Canto of the Shrimad Bhagavatam says:

'When Nanda's own son was born, that great soul was filled with joy.'

'When Shri Nanda's own son was born, that great soul experienced supreme delight

at his birth.' Had the Lord not appeared as a son in Shri Nanda's home, Shukadeva would not have said atmaja utpanne, 'when his son was born'; he would instead have said svatmajam matva, 'regarding Him as his own son.' These great devotees say that the devotion of Shri Vasudeva and Devaki was filled with parental love mingled with awareness of divine majesty, whereas that of Shri Nanda and Yashoda was pure parental love wholly free from even the scent of such majesty. For this reason, the Lord appeared before Vasudeva and Devaki as a wondrous four-armed child bearing conch, discus, mace, and lotus. Seeing this majestic form of the Lord, they understood that Lord Narayana had appeared as their son. They therefore joined their palms and offered Him praise, and the Lord, by reminding them of their previous births, revealed that He was Bhagavan Himself. Divine majesty is manifest throughout this exchange. Thereafter, when parental affection arose and they became fearful of Kamsa, they repeatedly entreated the Lord to conceal His four-armed form and become an ordinary two-armed infant.

This establishes that the parental love of Shri Vasudeva and Devaki was mingled with awareness of divine majesty. The Lord's majestic four-armed form was their chosen object of worship, and it was that form which they wished to receive and behold as their son. Shri Nanda and Yashoda's parental love, however, was pure and bore not the slightest relation to knowledge of divine majesty. Therefore the Lord appeared before them only in the form of an ordinary two-armed child. They offered no hymn or prayer; taking Him simply to be their son, they lifted Him into their arms and had the birth rites and other ceremonies performed for the newborn child's welfare.

It is well known that the Lord appears before a devotee in precisely the form held within that devotee's heart. Shri Brahma says in the Shrimad Bhagavatam:

'O widely praised Lord, whatever form Your devotees contemplate in their hearts, That very form You lovingly assume, bestowing Your grace upon them.'

'Lord! You appear in the very form upon which Your devotees constantly meditate, and thereby fulfill their longing.'

It is explained that this explicit account does not appear in the Shrimad Bhagavatam because Shri Shukadeva was narrating the sacred story to the devotee-king Parikshit. Parikshit was connected with Vasudeva; therefore, in order to give him special joy,

Sukadeva did not explicitly describe the Lord's manifestation in Nanda's house either. His heart, overflowing with love, would not remain silent, however, and through the words "when a son was born to Nanda" the secret did indeed escape his holy lips. The Srimad Bhagavata gives another indication. Kamsa took Yasoda's daughter, who had been brought from Gokula, to be Devaki's daughter and sought to kill her by dashing her against a stone. She slipped from his hands, rose into the sky, and manifested as the Goddess. The Bhagavata then says, "Kamsa beheld the younger sister of Visnu." But if Lord Sri Krishna had been the son of Devaki alone, it would have been neither reasonable nor true to call Yasoda's daughter the Lord's "younger sister."

The truth is that the Lord, whose form is condensed supreme bliss and who is the wish-fulfilling tree of His devotees' desires, manifested in Kamsa's prison as the son of Vasudeva and at that very moment also manifested in Gokula as the son of Nanda. A short while thereafter, Yogamaya manifested as a girl. The Harivamsa states:

"Before the full term of pregnancy, in the eighth month, those two women - Devaki and Yasoda - gave birth at the same time."

It might therefore be said, "At the very moment the Lord appeared to Devaki as her son, Yogamaya appeared to Yasoda." That interpretation cannot stand, however, for the Srimad Bhagavata (10.3.47) expressly says that when Vasudeva, impelled by the Lord, took the child in his arms and desired to leave the prison, Yogamaya then appeared. Thus the Lord's manifestation in the prison and Yogamaya's manifestation in Gokula occurred one after the other, not simultaneously.

One may then ask, "What explicit evidence is there that the Lord manifested in Gokula?" In answer, the Sri Krsna-yamala says that Nanda's wife Yasoda bore twins: first a son, and then a daughter. The son was Sri Govinda Himself, and the daughter was Ambika, Yogamaya herself. It was this daughter of Yasoda whom Vasudeva carried to Mathura:

"To Yasoda, the wife of Nanda, twins were born: a male named Govinda and a girl, Ambika, who went to Mathura."

This explicit declaration also makes it wholly meaningful to call Yogamaya "Sri Krishna's younger sister."

It may again be objected: "When Sri Vasudeva carried the infant Sri Krishna to Gokula, why did he see only a baby girl there? Why did he not see the boy? And if a boy was there, where did he go? There ought to have been two boys." The answer is that the instant Vasudeva arrived, the child he carried merged into the child already there. Vasudeva never even knew that another boy had been present.

Indeed, eminent teachers have gone so far as to hold that when Devaki, in Kamsa's prison, intensely desired the concealment of the Lord's four-armed form, the two-armed child-form of the Lord abiding in Yasoda's heart concealed that four-armed form and appeared before Devaki. As the Vaisnava-tosani explains: "When Sri Devaki desired that the self-manifest four-armed form be concealed, the two-armed form abiding in Yasoda's heart appeared there after covering that form." The Lord who had manifested to Yasoda came from there and at once appeared here; within Him the Lord's four-armed form, bearing conch, discus, mace, and lotus, immediately dissolved as lightning dissolves into a cloud:

"O King, the glorious son of Vasudeva, Vasudeva, the Self of all, merged into the son of Nanda as lightning merges into a cloud."

(Sri Krsna-yamala)

The Srimad Bhagavata likewise contains an indication that He appeared before both Devaki and Yasoda:

"Visnu, who dwells in the secret heart of every being, appeared in the divine Devaki as the full moon rises in the eastern quarter."

(10.3.8)

Here, by the maxim of the lamp upon a threshold, the word "Devaki" denotes both Sri Devaki and

Sri Yasoda, for Yasoda too had "Devaki" as her second name. The Sri Harivamsa Purana says:

"Nanda's wife had two names, Yasoda and Devaki. Because she shared a name with Devaki, the wife of Sauri, a bond of friendship arose between them."

This statement also allows us to understand that, through suggestive language, Sri Sukadeva spoke of the Lord's manifestation in both places.

There is one further, less explicit indication:

"Yasoda, the wife of Nanda, knew only that a child had been born; exhausted and deprived of memory by sleep, she did not know the child's sex."

(Srimad Bhagavata 10.3.53)

Yasoda, Nanda's wife, knew that she had given birth, but because labour and sleep - the Lord-impelled maya that deludes His own people - had rendered her unconscious, she could not know whether the child was a son or a daughter. This too indicates the Lord's manifestation in Nanda's house.

The eminent teachers say that the Lord has two forms, the "aisvara" and the "brahma." The aisvara form is associated with maya, whereas the brahma form transcends maya. Through the aisvara form, distinguished by His own maya and endowed with infinite, inconceivable, incomparable hosts of auspicious qualities, the Lord creates, sustains, and governs this cosmic universe. His pure Brahman-form, free of the pastimes of creation and preservation, is composed solely of bliss and love. Thus the form that manifested in Vasudeva's house was the aisvara form, while in the form of Nanda's son the Lord descended in His Brahman-nature. The aisvara form that had appeared to Sri Vasudeva merged into the brahma form of Nanda's son. In the supremely sweet pastimes such as the rasa dance, the brahma form was manifest; in pastimes such as slaying demons and swallowing the forest fire, the aisvara form prevailed. When Sri Akrura took the Lord to Mathura, the Lord went with him in the aisvara form, while the Lord's pure form of bliss and love

remained secretly in Vraja with the cowherd maidens. This is the mystery of the declaration, "He does not go even one step away after leaving Vrndavana."

Although the Srimad Bhagavata does not state this explicitly, and although the explanation may appear somewhat intricate, in light of the foregoing exposition by eminent teachers there is nothing astonishing in the Lord's having descended also in the form of "Nanda's son." The Srimad Bhagavata itself relates that during the rasa dance Lord Sri Krishna manifested a separate form between every two among the countless cowherd maidens. In Mithila He went simultaneously, with His attendants and in two distinct forms, to the homes of both devotees - the brahmana Srutadeva and King Bahulasva. In Dvaraka, Narada saw Lord Sri Krishna performing a different pastime in the palace of each of His sixteen thousand queens. What wonder, then, if the all-powerful Lord Himself, capable of manifesting every form, appeared separately in Kamsa's prison to Sri Vasudeva and Devaki and in the Gokula home of Sri Nanda and Yasoda?

Whatever the precise account, today is the festival of manifestation of the playful, complete Supreme Person, Bhagavan Himself. This day is auspicious for the entire world. In Vraja He enacted incomparable pastimes of parental tenderness, friendship, and divine sweetness; delivered the demons; secured the welfare of society by destroying Kamsa and others; and, on the battlefield of Kuruksetra, sang the divine Srimad Bhagavad Gita - the voice of God, wondrous, beneficial to every world, relevant to every land, time, and recipient, and filled with many levels of meaning. He established kingdoms and kings; while Himself remaining ever detached, He enacted many wondrous pastimes; and at last, before the eyes of all, departed for the supreme abode in that very divine body.

Even through millions upon millions of births, Brahma, Sesa, and Sarada could not describe His nature, truth, mystery, beauty, sweetness, majesty, and the infinite, inconceivable hosts of His auspicious attributes. For my part, this is only the slightest remembrance of His qualities, undertaken for the sake of my own mind and "to sanctify my own speech." Even this has been possible only through His grace.

There is no fathoming the depth of my boundless lowliness and unworthiness, nor any fathoming the grace of that One who is gracious by His very nature. Be that as it may.

Salutation and Prayer

Blessed indeed are this world of ours, the supremely sacred land of Bharata, Dvaraka, the battlefield of Kuruksetra, the region of Mathura, the land of Vraja, Gokula, and the house of Nanda, where the Lord Himself manifested and enacted divine and exemplary pastimes of many kinds. In the words of Brahma, grandsire of all beings, let us too offer Him our salutation and prayer:

"I bow to You, the worshipful son of the cowherd king, whose body is like a rain cloud and whose garment flashes like lightning; whose radiant face is adorned with gunja earrings and a peacock feather; whose beauty is graced by a forest garland, a morsel of food, a herding stick, a buffalo horn, and a flute; and whose feet are tender."

"O worshipful One, Your body is dark as a fresh rain cloud, And Your lovely yellow garment flashes like lightning. A peacock feather crowns Your radiant brow; Your eyes are wide, and a forest garland rests upon Your breast. A cluster of rasa, with gunja berries for earrings, You bear a morsel, horn, herding stick, and splendid flute. With tender feet You roam the groves of Vrndavana; Again and again I bow to You, Prince of Vraja."

Proclaim: Victory to the Child of Vraja, the beloved son of Nanda and Yasoda!

The Festival of Sri Krishna's Birth

[An address delivered on Bhadrapada Krsna 8, Vikrama Samvat 2015, at the inauguration festival of the Sri Krishna Temple at Sri Krishna Janmabhumi, Mathura]

"I bow to Krishna, son of Vasudeva, the divine Lord who crushed Kamsa and Canura, the supreme joy of Devaki and the teacher of the world.

I bow to Madhava, supreme bliss, whose grace makes the mute eloquent and enables the lame to cross mountains.

May the gracious reality of Krishna - whose lovely form has the delicate lustre of a bank of fresh rain clouds, and whose charming cheeks reflect His gleaming makara earrings -

whose eyes are like full-blown lotuses, and a single moment's sight of whom is worth every moment - ever shine in my heart in all His splendour."

Of all lands upon the earth, Bharatavarsa is the noblest and most sacred. Even the gods yearn to take birth here. Within Bharatavarsa, the seven sacred cities are the foremost and supremely holy:

"Ayodhya, Mathura, Maya, Kasi, Kanci, Avantika, and the city of Dvaravati - these seven bestow liberation."

Among these, Ayodhya and Mathura possess a special distinction because they are the sites where the Lord Himself manifested His divine pastimes. By naming first these two sacred cities, the "birthplaces of the Birthless One," the foregoing verse reveals their greatness. Describing the glory of Mathura in the Padma Purana, the Lord Himself says:

"Ah, people of corrupted understanding do not know My supreme, eternal, enchanting city of Mathura, which is praised by Indra, lord of the gods, by Ananta, lord of the nagas, and by the greatest sages.

Although there are other cities such as Kasi, among them Mathura alone is blessed. By birth, investiture with the sacred thread, death, or cremation within its bounds, it grants human beings liberation in four ways.

There, even as a child, Dhruva devoted himself to My worship and attained that supremely pure abode which even the grandsires could not reach.

Having reached My city of Mathura, which is difficult even for the gods to attain, a person, whether lame or blind, should relinquish life there itself."

"Ah, how astonishing that people of corrupted hearts do not know this supreme, eternal, and enchanting city of Mine, praised by Indra, king of the gods, by Ananta, king of the serpents, and by the great sages. Although

there are many cities such as Kasi that bestow liberation, Mathura alone is blessed among them all. Within its bounds it grants liberation to a person through any one of four events: birth, investiture with the sacred thread, death, or cremation. There, though still a child, Dhruva worshipped Me, the Lord, and attained the supremely pure abode that even Brahma and the other grandsires did not attain. My city of Mathura is difficult even for the gods to reach; having arrived there, even a person who is lame or blind should remain there until life's end."

Within this supremely holy city of Mathura, most blessed is that place in Kamsa's prison where Bhagavan Himself - Lord of all worlds, the Self of all, immanent in all yet beyond all, and Lord of the lords of yoga - divinely manifested. Blessed indeed are we as well, for on this sacred and auspicious day of His divine birth festival we have received the good fortune of assembling at the very holy place where His divine birth occurred.

We are grateful to the venerable Mahamana Malaviyaji, whose name is worthy of remembrance each morning, and to Sri Jugal Kishore Birla, a man of exemplary character and a heart devoted to dharma. Through their enthusiasm, dedication, righteous insistence, perseverance, effort, and generosity, Sri Krishna Janmabhumi has once again recovered the glory befitting the birthplace of Sri Krishna. Its administrators from the beginning to the present, and all the energetic and industrious members of its committee, deserve the gratitude of the entire country. By giving their time, judgement, sound counsel, assistance, and courage to this sacred work, they have brought honour to the nation.

I am especially grateful to my esteemed friends Sri Bhagavandas Bhargava and Pandit Devadharji Sharma. For years, with extraordinary fearlessness, intelligence, and generosity, they have confronted and removed every obstacle and carried forward the great work of Sri Krishna Janmabhumi. Through their kindness and affectionate insistence, wholly incapable and unqualified though I am, I have today received this privilege. My esteemed Svamiji, Sri Akhandanandaji, also personally and lovingly invited me, enabling me to touch the sacred dust of holy Vraja, to participate in this great and sacred undertaking, and to enjoy the blessing of seeing all of you. I therefore thank him from my heart as well.

This great work of restoring Sri Krishna Janmabhumi has brought honour to the nation. It is sinful forcibly to seize a place of worship belonging to one tradition, or the birthplace or site of the pastimes of an incarnation or a great person, and then assert one's own possession over it. For as long as such possession continues, the stain and sin remain, together with the memory of the wrong and the attachment and aversion it engenders. By removing that sinful stain from this place, the nation's face has truly been brightened. Until recently our country was under foreign rule; now it governs itself. At such a time, not one such stain ought to remain.

The Somnath Temple was restored through the sacred endeavour of the late Sardar Patel. In the same way, the sacred temple of Sri Kasi, the holy site in Ayodhya, the temple at Siddhpur, and all other sacred places should be restored. Our Muslim brothers, looking upon the matter as citizens of an independent country, should transform all such monuments to sinful stains upon the nation into objects that inspire a sacred vision. Hindus should worship at the places of their own religion and Muslims at theirs. In this way, all should worship without obstruction at their respective sacred places. Only then lies the beauty of the country; only then lies the dignity of the state.

Today Christian missionaries, taking advantage of the poverty of the poor, are vigorously propagating Christianity in many parts of the country. In some places, adherents of various creeds are destroying temples, sacred images, and the like. This is a sinful stain upon the nation. There are not two Gods. The one Lord belongs to all: to Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Parsis, and everyone else. Beliefs and methods differ, and all should be free to worship without reproach according to their own way. It is therefore supremely necessary to restore those places that followers of another tradition have forcibly occupied and that remain as memorials of that sin.

Our Sri Krishna is such that whoever once turns his gaze toward Him forgets all self-awareness and becomes utterly captivated. Remaining within his own community, he becomes a lover of Sri Krishna. There have been many eminent Muslims of this kind, and

there still are today. I shall recite for you some of their outpourings. Many European men and women of devotional heart have offered everything at Sri Krishna's feet and become beggars for His love. I personally know a number of such fortunate Muslim and European men and women living today. Now listen to a few of these expressions.

Rahimji cannot banish the image of Syamasundara from his heart. He sings:

"His eyes resemble lotus petals; The gentle smile of Madanamohana can never be forgotten. The lustre of His teeth flashes, lovely and quick, brighter than lightning; His nectar-steeped speech has brought all the earth's sweetness under its sway. Upon the vast expanse of the heart rises the billowing necklace of pearls; And while He dances, how His yellow garment streams and streams! Day after day He seems to come and go through Sri Vrndavana in Vraja; Rahim cannot drive that vision from his heart: every gesture of the Dark One remains."

Wahid prays that his devotion to the son of Nanda may remain unbroken:

"May every place stand spellbound by the handsome, discerning One, By His gentle smile and by the melody of His flute. At His majestic form, His golden garland, And His wagtail-like gait, may every eye remain transfixed. Upon His bow-like brows, His lovely pair of eyes, And His words of pure nectar, may Wahid remain wholly steeped. Upon His lithe body, upon His dusky face, Upon Nanda's son, may devotion remain forever fixed."

The connoisseur Raskhanji wishes to remain Kanhaiya's servant even if born as an animal, a bird, or a stone:

"If I am born a man, says Raskhan, let me dwell among the cowherds of Gokula village. If I am born a beast, where else should my dwelling be? Let me graze forever among Nanda's cows.

If I am born a stone, let me be part of that very hill which He raised above His head as a parasol against Indra. If I am born a bird, let my nest be upon a kadamba branch on the bank of the Kalindi."

Nazir never tires of proclaiming His victory:

"How many praises can I offer the Player of that flute melody, Who roams each day through Seva-kunja and grazes cows from forest to forest? He is Gopala, woodland wanderer, garlanded with flowers, remover of sorrow and giver of grace; Giridhari, beautiful and dark of hue, brother to pandits, ascetics, and yogis. This is the play of Nanda's darling, enchanter of hearts, sheltered in Yasoda's shade; Hear and contemplate this rasa, bow prostrate, and cry victory to Krishna Kanhaiya!"

Devi Taj wishes to remain His, whatever she may have to endure:

"Listen, beloved of my heart, to the story within my heart: I have sold myself into Your hands and will endure disgrace as well. I have resolved upon worship of the deity and forgotten the namaz; Forsaking the creed and the Quran, I shall embrace Your virtues. Dark, lovely One, crowned sovereign with the plumed turban, In the fierce summer of Your love's wound I shall keep burning. O son of Nanda, I am sacrificed to Your beauty; Beside You, beloved, I shall remain a Hindu woman."

These devotees see His light in everything and wish to dwell always at His feet:

"Wherever I look, my beloved Krishna is present; Every splendour manifest in the world is His alone. The Hindus proclaim You when the temple bell is rung; The sheikh too calls only to You through the beloved call to prayer. Had You not revealed Your splendour, the church would long ago have fallen; In the end, even the Christian missionary has no support but You. Your light is in everything, beloved, from the least mote to the mountain; Therefore the Hindu has called You Hari and Hara.

Forgive my sins, grant me access, and settle me at Your feet; Good or bad, whatever I am, beloved, I am Yours."

Hazrat Nafis Khalili has simply let his heart be carried away by Kanhaiya's beauty:

"Kanhaiya's eyes are intoxicating as a deer's; Kanhaiya's playfulness is succulent as a flower bud. Kanhaiya's beauty carries the heart away; Kanhaiya's countenance captivates the soul. Every word and gesture of Kanhaiya holds a unique savour; The vision of Kanhaiya is a cup of silver."

This is why Sri Bharatendu, the autumn moon in the firmament of Hindi literature, once said:

"Millions of Hindus should be offered in reverence before these Muslim servants of Hari."

But what could these Muslim devotees of Hari do? The poor souls were helpless. Such is the magic in the sweetness of that lovely Dark One's beauty: whoever, even by chance or in bewilderment, once glances in His direction is utterly plundered. That is why the warning has been proclaimed:

"O travellers, do not take that road, for the way is terribly perilous. There stands a certain unclad rogue, dark as the tamala tree, with one hand resting upon the curve of His hip. He irresistibly draws away the treasure of the heart."

"O travellers! Do not go that way; the road is exceedingly dangerous. Standing there, naked, with a hand upon the curve of His hip, is a roguish boy dark-blue as the tamala tree. He lets no traveller who passes near Him depart without stealing the treasure of that traveller's heart."

That same Sri Krishna, enchanter of every human heart, is manifesting once more today at His own sacred birthplace. For us, this is a matter of the greatest good fortune.

The Nature of Sri Krishna

The question "What is Sri Krishna?" remains, and it will always

remain, for who can mark the limit of the limitless and infinite, and who can reach the end of His nature? He is everything and beyond everything, immanent in all and transcendent over all. Infinite and finite, supernatural and natural - contrary attributes and qualities shine in Him in their fullness at one and the same time. From whatever standpoint people behold Him, He appears to them accordingly. This is not a product of their imagining; He truly is all things at all times. Leaving aside the testimony of devotional mystics, even the noted rationalist Sri Kaka Kalelkarji, a companion and follower of Mahatma Gandhi, wrote:

"... Sri Krishna has made the Aryan people more inward-looking and more centred in the Self. Enjoyment and renunciation, the life of the householder and that of the renunciant, engagement and withdrawal, action and knowledge, this world and the next - the opposition within all such pairs is merely apparent; one and the same reality abides in them all. Through His life and teaching, Sri Krishna demonstrated this truth. No one has exercised a greater influence upon Aryan life than Sri Krishna, yet it is difficult to define the nature of that influence. Just as many interpretations have been given to the Bhagavad Gita, though it is written in exceedingly simple language, so too the mystery present in Sri Krishna's life has been described in many different ways. ... The Sri Krishna of the Mahabharata, the Sri Krishna of the Srimad Bhagavata, the Sri Krishna of the Gita Govinda, the Sri Krishna of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and the Sri Krishna of Tukaram Buva are one, yet they are also distinct. Even in the present age, Navin Chandra Sen's Sri Krishna differs from Bankim Chandra's; Gandhiji's Sri Krishna is different from Tilak's; and Sri Aurobindo's Sri Krishna stands apart from them all. How, then, is one to celebrate the birth anniversary of a Sri Krishna who is at once accessible and inaccessible, one and many, a connoisseur of rasa and a dispassionate ascetic, a renouncer and a gatherer, loving and stern, master of maya and guilelessly simple? It is exceedingly difficult to decide - ..."

Sri Krishna Is Bhagavan Himself

Lord Sri Krishna is the original source from whom all incarnations descend, the first Lord Vasudeva of the fourfold divine manifestation, the whole of whom all forms of Bhagavan are portions, and the

Śrī Kṛṣṇa is acclaimed in scripture as the One established in all glory: Lord of all lords and all worlds; beyond the material form, yet the very fullness of essential qualities; the Supreme Lord and the unfathomable ocean of infinite auspicious attributes. He is all-virtuous, all-pervading, beyond all, the Self of all, the life of every living being, and the ocean of the nectar of perfect love. Complete in the sixteen perfections and endowed with the six divine opulences, He possesses an eternal, true, divine, conscious body. He is the compact form of sat, cit, and ānanda, the supreme and complete Person, Bhagavān Himself.

The Vedas, Upaniṣads, Purāṇas, Itihāsas, Tantras, works of sages, and the writings of realised saints declare this again and again. In Him are gathered and brought to perfection every spiritual mood and quality that cannot be found complete in any other single place. All splendours and the whole universe abide in but one portion of Him: “Having pervaded this entire universe with one fragment of Myself, I remain.” In Him perfect humanity and perfect divinity shine together; He is the embodied fulfilment of worldly well-being and the highest good. Both inert matter and conscious beings are His nature, and both the perishable and imperishable depend upon that Supreme Person.

The Mahābhārata, Ādi-parva, chapters 63.99-104, describes the appearance of Śrī Kṛṣṇa in these terms: “The universally revered Lord of great glory appeared from Śrī Devakī through Vasudeva in order to bestow grace upon the beings of the world. He is without beginning or end, radiant, the maker and ruler of the whole universe. He is the unmanifest, the imperishable Brahman, and primordial nature constituted of the three guṇas. He is the Self, the undecaying One, material cause, originating cause, sovereign ruler, Puruṣa, Viśvakarmā; attainable through sattva; the sacred syllable Om; the infinite, immovable, divine Swan, Nārāyaṇa, sustainer, unborn, unmanifest, transcendent, indestructible, absolute, without material qualities, and cosmic in form. He is beginningless, birthless, and changeless. He is all-pervading, the Supreme Person and Supreme Self, the maker of all and the grandsire of all beings. For the increase of dharma He took birth in the Andhaka and Vṛṣṇi clans as Balarāma and Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Those two brothers knew every weapon, were mighty in valour, and were accomplished in the knowledge of every scripture.” This too establishes that Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is Bhagavān Himself.

Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the complete Person, adorned with every virtue. He is the supreme yogin, perfected in yoga, Lord of yoga, and the greatest of persons. There is abundant evidence for this. He lived in accordance with the duties of varṇa and āśrama and faithfully performed the prescribed daily rites. Rising at brahma-muhūrta, He practised meditation, bathed, performed the twilight worship and salutation to the sun, offered libations to gods, seers, and ancestors, and bowed to His elders.

He was a great giver, donating each day 84,013 milk-giving cows adorned with cloth and ornaments. He served His parents and His guru, honoured the brāhmaṇas with faith and devotion, and was reverently worshipped by great sages and seers. He removed every fever of pride: Indra's fever of power, Brahmā's fever of learning, and kings' fever of strength. Although perfectly fulfilled and desiring nothing for Himself, He performed ideal and beneficent deeds for the welfare of the world. Ever without selfish desire, He destroyed tyrannical rulers but never appropriated a kingdom. Free from possessiveness, He even received with serenity Gāndhārī's curse that His vast family would perish.

He was a servant of the people and a friend to the poor and powerless. His natural work was to destroy the wicked and establish them in His supreme abode. If not every day, then almost every week of His long life was spent fighting for the establishment of dharma and subduing evil. This work of rescuing the wicked began with His very descent. While still an unclothed child, He sent Pūtanā, Śakaṭāsura, Tṛṇāvarta, and other demons to the deathless realm.

For eleven years He herded cows in Gokula and Vṛndāvana, played boisterously with His cowherd friends, enacted countless marvellous pastimes with the boys, and made streams of rasa flow in the secluded bowers. Yet even then He did not spare the demons and rākṣasas. Who can say from where that immeasurable store of strength came? He went to Ujjain for education long after Kaṁsa had been slain, but Muṣṭika and Cāṇūra had already been crushed, Kūṭa, Śala, and Tośala broken like straws, and the great elephant Kuvalayāpīḍa overcome. He likewise destroyed His maternal uncle Kaṁsa, who possessed the strength of many thousands of elephants. All strength comes from Him; what then is surprising in this?

Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the worker of marvellous and transcendent deeds. He first appeared in Kaṁsa's prison in a radiant four-armed form, bearing conch, discus, mace, and lotus and adorned with every ornament. There followed the slaying of Pūtanā; the deliverance of Kubera's sons; the removal of Brahmā's delusion; the drinking of the forest fire; acceptance of worship as Govardhana and the lifting of Govardhana Hill; the humbling of Indra's pride; acceptance of worship in Varuṇa's realm; and the revelation of Brahman and the supreme abode to the cowherds.

Among His further wonders were the rāsa-līlā, in which a form of Kṛṣṇa appeared between each pair of gopīs; the deliverance of Sudarśana and Śaṅkhacūḍa; the revelation of His majesty to Akrūra on the road to Mathurā; the straightening of Kubjā; the display of many forms in Kaṁsa's court; the restoration of His guru's dead son; the deliverance of Nṛga; the acceptance of the sages' praises; the return of Devakī's dead sons; the assumption of two forms at once in Mithilā; the endless extension of Draupadī's garment; and the satisfaction of Durvāsā and his disciples with a single leaf of food.

He revealed extraordinary cosmic forms to His mother in Vraja, to Duryodhana and others in the Kaurava assembly, to Arjuna on the battlefield, and to Uttanka on the return to Dvārakā. In the universal form shown to Arjuna, He displayed the image of what was to come, with the heads of Bhīṣma, Droṇa, and others crushed in the terrible teeth of His form as Time. At the death of Jayadratha He caused the sun to disappear before its time; He restored the dead Parīkṣit in Uttarā's womb; He revealed Himself to Nārada in every palace; and that enchanting divine form, which captivated the three worlds, departed for the supreme abode while still in that very body. All these are wondrous and supernatural deeds.

Śrī Kṛṣṇa's mastery of dance is equally extraordinary. Śiva's dance is called tāṇḍava and Pārvatī's lāsyā, but Kṛṣṇa's dance in the rāsa-circle has an altogether unique character. To dance upon the dreadful hoods of a raging, venomous serpent is the summit of the art: what disciplined body, lightness of foot, and astonishing concentration it requires! Four schools of music are renowned: the schools of Nārada, Bharata, Hanumān, and Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Of these, the school of Śrī Kṛṣṇa is held to be the most miraculous and the most difficult.

Śrī Kṛṣṇa is a great teacher of the science of music. The sweet sound of His flute enchants all fourteen worlds. It was this flute-song that made countless beauties of Vraja forget everything else and drew them through the night to Śyāmasundara. The divine sage Nārada is said to have studied music for two years with Kṛṣṇa's chief queens, Jāmbavatī and Satyabhāmā, and then for a further two years with Śrī Rukmiṇī, attaining full mastery. If Kṛṣṇa's queens could give incomparable instruction in music to so renowned a musician as Nārada, how unfathomable must be Kṛṣṇa's own knowledge of the art!

Śrī Kṛṣṇa was the true and ideal friend. Though completely free from attraction and aversion, He said, “Arjuna's enemies are My enemies, and his friends are My friends.” He told Sātyaki that He did not regard the protection of His parents, His companions, His brothers, or even His own life as so necessary as the protection of Arjuna in battle:

“I have no father, no mother, nor you brothers; nor is even My life to be guarded as Bībhatsu is in battle.”

In Vṛndāvana He lived as the intimate companion of thousands of cowherd boys, freely sharing their play and, when defeated in a game, becoming their horse and carrying them on His back. Even after He had become Lord of Dvārakā, He embraced the impoverished brāhmaṇa Sudāmā, washed Sudāmā's feet with tears of love, pressed them, sanctified His palaces with the nectar of that foot-washing, and gathered up the grains of flattened rice Sudāmā had brought, eating them on the spot and never tiring of praising their flavour.

Śrī Kṛṣṇa was a true servant of the cows. For years He wandered from forest to forest behind them, cared for them, gave and received their love, drank their milk, and finally bestowed His own form upon them.

Śrī Kṛṣṇa was supremely skilled in driving horses. By the excellence of His charioteering, He repeatedly saved Arjuna from the fierce arrows of Bhīṣma, Droṇa, Karṇa, and others. The chief warriors of both armies were astonished at His mastery. He was a consummate knower of moral policy, statecraft, and diplomacy; throughout the war He gave the Pāṇḍavas timely counsel and preserved them from grave disasters.

Śrī Kṛṣṇa was also a great orator. His speeches carried the deepest importance. When He went as envoy to the Kaurava court, aged and learned sages came from far away simply to hear Him speak. His tenderness toward those who seek refuge is celebrated: He openly undertook to destroy all the sins of anyone who came to Him with single-minded surrender.

He was delightful in humour. As a boy He played and joked with the cowherd lads and the beautiful gopīs. One day His teasing with Rukmiṇī so overcame her that she fainted. He enjoyed warm banter with Bhīmasena, and His nature was ever playful and smiling.

His relish of rasa is especially renowned. He is rasa itself, the sovereign of rasa, and its fullness. His Vraja is full of rasa; His parents and friends are full of rasa; and the cowherd women are an endless ocean of its nectar. Millions upon millions of fortunate men and women have counted themselves blessed through worship of this King of rasa.

Śrī Kṛṣṇa as World-Teacher

Let us consider briefly His form as Jagadguru, teacher of the world. By His very nature He is the eternal, universally revered teacher. Yet His Gītā is so extraordinary that it has made the entire world His disciple for all time. The Bhagavad Gītā bears inexhaustible meanings: whatever spiritual disposition one brings to it, one finds that very disposition in the Gītā, and through the Gītā one's spiritual work comes to fulfilment.

The self-sacrificing young revolutionaries of Bengal carried a bomb in one hand and the Gita in the other. The Gita guides wealthy householders along their path, and it is the Gita that also directs the forest-dwelling Vaikhanasa who has renounced everything. Statesmen bearing the responsibility of government seek refuge in it, while renunciants and sannyasins receive their light from it. Thousands of commentaries and translations of the Gita exist in many languages, and still more continue to appear. Everyone discovers in it the foundation of his own doctrine. Sankhya, Yoga, Vedanta, worship, politics, and social ethics - the essential principles of all these are presented here with concise and lucid explanation.

Teachers and followers of every school - Jnana-yoga, Bhakti-yoga, Karma-yoga, renunciation of action, freedom from action, renunciation of all dharmas, Dvaita, Advaita, Shuddhadvaita, Vishishtadvaita, Dvaitadvaita, and others - have drawn confirmation of their views from the Gita. The scriptural triad of Vedanta, the Prasthana-trayi, cannot be complete without it. Even today scholars, eminent political leaders, and workers in other fields cannot dispense with the Gita. Lokamanya Tilak Maharaj wrote his vast commentary, Gita-rahasya, in prison. Mahatma Gandhi wrote Anasakti-yoga; Sant Vinoba wrote Gita-pravachana; and Shri Jayadayalji wrote the Gita-tattva-vivechani commentary. Who can say how many other books and verse translations have been written, and are still being written? Just recently Dr. Harivansh Rai Bachchan, the celebrated Hindi poet, composed Janagita in the Awadhi language, and it has been published from Delhi.

Countless rishis, maharishis, acharyas, poets, and thinkers have appeared through the ages; yet to this day no one has produced another small book like this Gita, spoken by Shri Krishna as He sat upon the chariot in the battlefield, a whip in one hand and the horses' reins in the other. Even the ever-venerable Shri Shankaracharya, that incomparable philosophical master universally honoured throughout the world, took refuge in the Gita. He regarded his own doctrine as vindicated only when he had shown it to accord with the Gita. In his Gita commentary, Shri Shankaracharya called those who refused to acknowledge Shri Krishna, the speaker of the Gita, as Ishvara, "deluded."

Shri Shankaracharya said precisely this. His follower Shri Madhusudana Sarasvati went so far as to refuse to recognise any ultimate reality other than Shri Krishna, whose hand is adorned with the flute. He declared plainly: "Those who cannot endure the well-attested greatness of Shri Krishna will go to hell."

In the present age, innumerable celebrated Indian and foreign scholars - among them Lokamanya Tilak, Shri Aurobindo, Mahatma Gandhi, Swami Vivekananda, Henry David Thoreau, Sir Edwin Arnold, August Wilhelm von Schlegel, Wilhelm von Humboldt, J. N. Farquhar, F. T. Brooks, and many others - have praised the Gita highly and accepted it as their guide. A few of their observations on the Gita follow.

Mahatma Gandhi

"When doubts beset me, when disappointments stare me in the face, and I see no ray of light upon the horizon, I turn to the Gita. I invariably find some verse that brings me peace, and amid overwhelming sorrow I immediately begin to smile. My life has been full of outwardly distressing events; if they have left no visible and indelible scars upon me, the credit belongs entirely to the teaching of the Bhagavad Gita."

Shri Aurobindo

"We should study the Gita neither as students examining its ideas and assigning it a place in the history of philosophical works on spiritual knowledge, nor as philologists occupied merely with criticism of its language. We take refuge in it for help and illumination. Our task is to recognise its real and living message, through which every human being may attain perfection and the highest spiritual advancement."

Lokamanya Tilak

"In the literature of the entire world there is no work equal to the Gita. Among our scriptures it is an exceedingly brilliant and flawless diamond. In no language anywhere in the world is there another book like it - one that brings peace to a sorrowing soul, reveals the condition of spiritual perfection, and, in brief, explains the profound principles of the whole moving and unmoving universe.

"Making no distinction of varna, ashrama, caste, or country, it teaches one and the same blessed destiny for all and displays tolerance toward other scriptures. This Gita, uniting knowledge, devotion, and action, is the immortal fruit of the vast tree of eternal Vedic dharma: an exceedingly sweet fruit that grants attainment of the deathless state.

"Anyone who wishes to know the fundamental principles of Hindu dharma and ethics should certainly study this incomparable work, and should study it first. The ancient systems of Yoga, Sankhya, Nyaya, Mimamsa, the Upanishads, Vedanta, and others had already carried, as far as possible, their reflection upon the perishable and imperishable creation and upon the knower of the field and the field itself to completion. Thereafter there arose the form of Vedic dharma founded upon knowledge, centred upon devotion, and committed to Karma-yoga. This is the foundational form of Vedic religion as practised today, and it is precisely this form that the Bhagavad Gita expounds. One may therefore say that no other work in Sanskrit literature explains all the principles of Hindu dharma as briefly and unambiguously as the Gita."

Mahatma Thoreau

"Of all that is memorable from the ancient age, nothing surpasses the Bhagavad Gita. Its wisdom is so excellent and all-embracing that, although many centuries have passed since the divine being who composed it, no comparable book has yet been written. Beside the Gita, all the modern knowledge of the world appears insignificant to me. When I reflect upon it,"

"the book seems so momentous that at times I feel this spiritual wisdom must have been written in some wholly different age. Every morning I bathe my heart and intellect in the Gita's sacred waters."

J. N. Farquhar, M.A.

"In the whole literature of the world, whether judged by public benefit or by practical influence, there is no poem to equal the Bhagavad Gita. Although a philosophical work, it remains as fresh and full of feeling as poetry. Though chiefly cast in a logical mode, it is a book of devotion. Though it stages a scene from the most destructive war in ancient Indian history, it is filled with peace and subtlety. And though established upon Sankhya principles, it proclaims exclusive devotion to the Lord of all. Where could one find more compelling material for study?"

F. T. Brooks

"The Srimad Bhagavad Gita is the cord that binds together India's various schools of thought and an invaluable treasure of its national life. It contains every element required of India's national scripture. More than this, it is the scripture of the coming universal religion. This magnificent gift from India's radiant past will help fashion an even brighter future for humankind."

Sir Edwin Arnold

"After scholars of such eminence, my courage in translating this marvellous poem is only an acknowledgment of the benefit I have received from their labours. A further reason is"

"that English literature would assuredly remain incomplete without this poetic and philosophical work so beloved throughout India."

Helmuth von Glasenapp

"In this work we see Shri Krishna, the complete avatara of Lord Vishnu, appear in person and expound His distinctive doctrine of liberation. He is the omniscient and omnipotent Lord, the eternal ruler of the universe. To those who worship Him with faith, He graciously grants the fruit of liberation. Before Arjuna He reveals His radiant divine body: crowned, bearing mace and discus in His hands, adorned with celestial garlands and garments, fragrant with enchanting perfume, and possessed of many eyes and many faces."

Otto Strauss

"There is no Indian work other than the Bhagavad Gita whose fame has spread so widely throughout India and other lands, and which everyone in India loves so deeply as divine song."

August Wilhelm von Schlegel

"Among all the books of the world, nowhere are thoughts found as subtle and elevated as those of the Bhagavad Gita. When I read it, I became forever indebted to Providence for preserving my life long enough to become acquainted with this work."

Wilhelm von Humboldt

"The Bhagavad Gita has approached the true ideal of spiritual poetry more closely than any short ancient work on this theme available to us today. It stands entirely apart from those works"

"that are called spiritual or didactic poetry."

Leader of the People and Reformer

Along with all this, Shri Krishna may also be called a leader of the people who opposed the "capitalist Kamsa" and his adherents. Through a great revolution He destroyed the tyrant together with his faction, installed Ugrasena as king, as though establishing popular rule, and freed the country from demonic domination. Shri Krishna is also a social reformer. He instituted the new practice of Govardhana worship, introduced many other reforms, and firmly observed them and caused others to observe them. He always delighted in living among the poor, and for this reason too He is regarded as their friend.

Protector of Womanhood

He was a great protector of women and treated them with honour. The cowherd women of Vraja are a direct example. There is also a remarkable episode. Sixteen thousand princesses were imprisoned in Pragjyotishapura. Shri Krishna slew Bhaumasura and freed them. But who would now marry women who had been held captive? Out of compassion Shri Krishna accepted them and agreed to make them His own queens.

The Beautiful Expression Even of Tamasic Dispositions

Shri Krishna possesses infinite auspicious virtues; who can describe them? Yet if He is complete man and complete Bhagavan, then the dispositions called tamasic must also be included within Him. He Himself says:

[Sanskrit]

“Whatever dispositions are sāttvika, rājasika, or tāmasika - know them all to arise from Me.”

Where, then, could these poor rajasic and tamasic dispositions go? The rajasic

disposition certainly belongs to the sphere of action. Desire, anger, greed, fear, stealing, causing pain to others, false speech, and the like are regarded as tamasic dispositions. Thus there is "desire" in Shri Krishna too. He eternally longs to taste the sweet rasa of the loving gopis and the maternal rasa of affectionate Mother Yashoda; this is His desire. Moreover, He always desires to fulfil the good wishes of His devotees and beloved ones. This too is His desire.

In His childhood play He becomes angry when His mother takes Him down from her lap and smashes the pot of curds; this is His anger. He becomes angry with rakshasas and asuras and delivers them by slaying them; this too is His anger. He is never satiated by drinking Mother Yashoda's milk, and never content with giving happiness to His beloved devotees; this is His greed. Seeing His mother's stick and reddened eyes, He becomes frightened, His eyes fill with tears, and He runs away; this is His fear.

With His magical sidelong glance and the music of His flute, He eternally steals the treasure of every heart; this is His stealing. Or, a new way of feeding Shri Krishna butter arises in the minds of the gopis: they wish Him to slip secretly into their homes while they remain hidden and watch. He plants this desire within them, and then, to fulfil that very desire, enters their homes and steals and eats their butter. This too is stealing. To steal the hearts of those who love Him is His very nature.

He grants His beloved ones the joy of enduring the torment of separation for a long time; this is His causing pain. He uses verbal artifice to increase the rasa of love; this is His false speech. Or, since in His essential nature He is one who eats nothing at all, He tells Mother Yashoda, "I did not eat the earth." This too is false speech.

Conclusion

No one can describe Śrī Kṛṣṇa's infinite virtues. It is our great good fortune that today we too live in that very land of Bhārata in which Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa appeared, and that, like a tiny mosquito trying to fly through the infinite sky, we are attempting to sing His glories.

You have graciously granted me this privilege, and for that I express my heartfelt gratitude to you. In obedience to your instruction, I now inaugurate the Śrī Kṛṣṇa Temple.

“Proclaim the victory of Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇacandra, the very source of bliss!”

The Divine Birth of Bhagavān Himself

(Discourse delivered in Mathurā during the Śrī Kṛṣṇa Birth Festival in Vikrama Saṃvat 2015.)

[Sanskrit]

“May the youthful crown prince of Vraja fulfil my cherished desire - He whose bodily lustre humbles the proud splendour of a rain cloud, whose radiant garment eclipses the beauty of lotus pollen, and whose moonlike childhood grows bashful beneath the advancing sun of youth.

“I bow to that ineffable cowherd youth, the very essence of all things: dark as a fresh rain cloud, His ears luminous with campaka blossoms, His face a blossoming lotus, His gentle smile flashing forth, His silken garment shining like gold, and His crest beautifully adorned with peacock feathers.”

The Birth of the Unborn

Today is Śrī Kṛṣṇa Janmāṣṭamī. For the whole cosmic universe this blessed day is supremely glorious, auspicious, sweet, and intimate with divine affection. On this very day, here in Bhārata, within Kaṁsa's prison in Mathurā, Śrī Kṛṣṇa was divinely born: Lord of all worlds, Lord of every lord, omnipotent, eternally beyond and yet manifest with attributes, source of every avatāra, immanent in all yet transcending all, the ocean of the nectar of every rasa, Bhagavān Himself. This birth of the One who is eternally unborn is altogether extraordinary.

[Hindi]

An episode included in this discourse had already appeared in another discourse. It has therefore been omitted here, making the present discourse shorter.

Those who know this divine birth are released from the bondage of birth. At the auspicious moment when this compact mass of supreme bliss appeared, it was midnight and darkness ruled on every side. Then, all at once, the whole of nature overflowed with joy and became festive. The greatly blessed Vasudeva beheld an intensely radiant yet cooling light, like the light of countless suns and moons. Within that radiance he saw a marvellous child: Śyāmasundara, four-armed, adorned with conch, mace, discus, and lotus. His eyes were broad and tender as lotuses; the marks of Śrīvatsa and Bhṛgu's footprint shone upon His chest; the Kaustubha gem hung at His neck; a brilliant crown set with a great cat's-eye jewel rested upon His head; and flashing earrings cast their glow upon His rosy cheeks. His hair was beautiful, black, and curling; armlets adorned His arms, bracelets His wrists, and a resplendent girdle His waist. Every limb was perfectly adorned, and streams of the nectar of beauty seemed to pour from His entire form.

What an astonishing child! Human infants emerge from the mother's womb with their eyes closed, and the midwife wipes them before they open. This child's pure, lotus-like eyes, however, were immense and reached toward His ears. A child with more than two arms might conceivably be born somewhere, but each of His four hands was graced by a divine weapon. Ordinarily ornaments increase a child's beauty; here the child was so beautiful that the ornaments themselves gained beauty by touching His divine body. No one had ever seen or heard of such an unprecedented child. This is a divine birth.

In truth Bhagavān is eternally free from birth and death. Birth and death belong only to bodies made of nature. Bhagavān's auspicious form is not merely supramundane; it is His very divine being. It is neither produced by karma nor composed of the five material elements. It is the eternal, conscious, blissful body of Bhagavān - everlasting, inseparable from His essential nature, and subject neither to acquisition nor loss. Its manifestation is called “birth”; its becoming invisible to this world is called “leaving the body.”

The Material Body and the Divine Body

Bodies are principally of two kinds: material and supramundane. All bodies within the realm of nature are material; beyond nature are the supramundane bodies of the divine, conscious realm.

The material body has three divisions: gross, subtle, and causal. So long as the causal body remains, freedom from material embodiment is not attained. Liberation means release from this material embodiment composed of all three bodies, freedom from nature, and either establishment in the Self alone or attainment of a divine conscious form such as that of one of Bhagavān's attendants.

Whether produced through sexual union or without it, whether womb-born or not womb-born, all material bodies in fact arise through a conjunction of yoni, the generative matrix, and bindu, the generative seed. There are several levels. A body produced from descending bindu is inferior, while one produced from its upward movement is superior. The body born from passion-driven intercourse is the lowest. On a particular occasion an ūrdhvaretā - one whose vital seed normally rises upward - may will the bindu to descend; the body then produced is superior to the first and belongs to the second grade. Superior even to that is a third-grade body generated by the mere resolve of such a person together with the mere touch of a woman's head, throat, ear, heart, navel, or another bodily place. Here too, generation through contact with a higher bodily place is superior to generation through contact with a lower one. A fourth-grade body produced by sight alone, without touch, is superior again; and a fifth-grade body produced by resolve alone, without even sight, is the highest.

The first and second kinds are born through sexual conjunction; the remaining three are non-sexually generated and are therefore purer and superior to the first two. The fifth is the highest of all. Bodies can also arise without either a female or male gross body, though a subtle relation between yoni and bindu remains. The bodies corresponding to the ghostly realms, where air predominates, and the divine realms, where fire or luminosity predominates, are still natural and material. The “constructed bodies” produced by yogic powers are exceedingly pure, but they too do not transcend nature.

The bodies of supramundane attendants and the devotional bodies of Bhagavān's auspicious companions in līlā are beyond material nature and entirely unlike material bodies. Yet they too stand below Bhagavān's own body. Bhagavān's body is Bhagavān Himself and is wholly beyond description.

Bhagavān is eternally constituted of being, consciousness, and bliss; therefore all His avatāras are eternal compact forms of being, consciousness, and bliss. Distinctions among avatāras arise only from gradations in the unfolding of līlā. Principally, four classes of avatāra are recognised: puruṣa-avatāras, guṇa-avatāras, līlā-avatāras, and manvantara-avatāras.

Puruṣa-avatāras

At the beginning, wishing to create the worlds, Bhagavān assumed the puruṣa-avatāra endowed with sixteen powers and associated with the great principle and the other cosmic elements. Bhagavān's four emanations are Śrī Vāsudeva, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Pradyumna, and Aniruddha. The word Bhagavān is used of Śrī Vāsudeva, who is also called the primordial Lord Nārāyaṇa.

The puruṣa-avatāra has three forms. The first is the sixteen-powered primordial Puruṣa just described, Śrī Saṅkarṣaṇa, also called Kāraṇārṇavaśāyī or Mahāviṣṇu. He is the thousand-headed Puruṣa praised in the Puruṣa-sūkta. This first, incorporeal Puruṣa is the indwelling Self of causal creation, the totality of the principles of nature.

Entering each universe as its indwelling Lord, that primordial Puruṣa becomes the second puruṣa-avatāra, Śrī Pradyumna, also called Garbhodakaśāyī. From the lotus growing from the navel of this Padmanābha Bhagavān, Hiraṇyagarbha appeared:

[Sanskrit]

“While He lay upon those waters, extending His yogic sleep, Brahmā, lord of the creators of the universe, arose from the lotus of His navel-heart.” (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.3.2)

The third puruṣa-avatāra is Śrī Aniruddha. In a form the measure of a span, He abides as the inner controller in every living being and presides within each. He is Kṣīrābdhiśāyī, the sustainer of all.

[Sanskrit]

“Some, through meditation, remember within the heart's inner space the span-sized Puruṣa who dwells there: four-armed and bearing lotus, chariot-wheel-like discus, conch, and mace.” (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 2.2.8)

Guṇa-avatāras

Śrī Viṣṇu, Śrī Brahmā, and Śrī Rudra are the guṇa-avatāras, manifested respectively for līlā through sattva, rajas, and tamas.

They manifest solely for the līlā of the three guṇas. Their source is the second puruṣa-avatāra, Garbhodakaśāyī Pradyumna.

For the cosmic play of sustaining, governing, and dissolving this universe, the second puruṣa-avatāra Himself assumes the three guṇas. As their sovereign rather than their subject, He takes the names Viṣṇu, Brahmā, and Rudra. In truth they are never controlled by the guṇas. Remaining eternally established in their own nature, they perform the threefold play of the guṇas.

Līlā-avatāras

Līlā is the eternally fresh, rasa-filled divine play that Bhagavān performs, without effort, in many auspicious divine forms and with innumerable marvellous variations, solely by His beneficent will. The auspicious forms He manifests for such play are called līlā-avatāras. These include the Four Kumāras; Nārada; Varāha; Matsya; Yajña; Nara-Nārāyaṇa; Kapila; Dattātreya; Hayagrīva; Haṁsa; Viṣṇu, beloved of Dhruva; Ṛṣabhadeva; Pṛthu; Śrī Nṛsiṁha; Kūrma; Dhanvantari; Mohinī; Vāmana; Paraśurāma; Śrī Rāma; Vyāsadeva; Śrī Balarāma; Buddha; and Kalki. They are also called kalpa-avatāras.

Manvantara-avatāras

The avatāras appearing during the fourteen manvantaras, beginning with Svāyambhuva, are known as manvantara-avatāras. Because the līlā-work of each continues for the duration of a manvantara, each is called an avatāra of a manvantara.

Different Names According to the Manifestation of Power

All Bhagavān's avatāras are perfectly complete; in their essential being and reality there is no greater or lesser. Yet according to the degree in which their powers are displayed, four classes are described: āveśa, prābhava, vaibhava, and parāvasthā. Among the avatāras named above, the Four Kumāras, Nārada, Pṛthu, and Paraśurāma are āveśa-avatāras; Kalki too is called an āveśa-avatāra.

Prābhava-avatāras are of two kinds. Some appear only briefly, such as Mohinī and Haṁsa, and disappear as soon as their particular līlā-work is complete. A second kind acts like sages who establish systems of sacred knowledge. These include Bhagavān Vedavyāsa, author of the Mahābhārata and Purāṇas; Bhagavān Kapila, teacher of Sāṅkhya; and Dattātreya, Dhanvantari, and Ṛṣabhadeva. In them the manifestation of power exceeds that in the āveśa-avatāras but is less than in the vaibhava-avatāras.

The vaibhava-avatāras are Kūrma, Matsya, Nara-Nārāyaṇa, Varāha, Hayagrīva, Pṛśnigarbha, Balabhadra, and the fourteen manvantara-avatāras. Some of these are also counted under other classifications.

The parāvasthā-avatāras are principally three: Śrī Nṛsiṁha, Śrī Rāma, and Śrī Kṛṣṇa. They are complete in the six divine excellences.

[Sanskrit]

“In Nṛsiṁha, Rāma, and Kṛṣṇa, the six divine attributes are perfectly complete.”

Śrī Nṛsiṁha's work is confined to protecting Prahlāda and slaying Hiraṇyakaśipu, and His manifestation is brief. Thus Śrī Rāma and Śrī Kṛṣṇa are principally identified as parāvasthā-avatāras.

Of Śrī Kṛṣṇa it is said, “All these are portions or portions of portions of the Puruṣa, but Kṛṣṇa is Bhagavān Himself.” The Sanaka and other līlā-avatāras named above are portions, powers, or manifestations of Bhagavān; Śrī Kṛṣṇa is directly Bhagavān Himself. The Viṣṇu Purāṇa speaks of Kṛṣṇa as “white and dark hairs,” apparently presenting Him as a partial avatāra in the form of hairs of the puruṣa-avatāra. Several passages in the Mahābhārata call Him the avatāra of the sage Nārāyaṇa, companion of Nara; elsewhere He is described as Vāmana or as an avatāra of Bhagavān Viṣṇu.

All these accounts are true. In different kalpas, such avatāras of Śrī Kṛṣṇa also occur. In the present Sārasvata Kalpa, however, Bhagavān Himself appeared in complete fullness together with all His portions, secondary portions, and majesties. All are therefore included within Him. Brahmā beheld this fullness with his own divine eyes.

Whatever realities exist in creation, material or supramundane, Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the source and inner Self of them all. He is the sole cause, refuge, and essential being of all living beings, all deities, all lords, and all avatāras. The avatāra of the white and dark hairs, the Nārāyaṇa avatāra, and all the puruṣa-avatāras are included within Him. What is He not? He is everything to everyone; He alone is all. Every Puruṣa, portion, subordinate portion, divine manifestation, and līlā-power abides within Him. Hence the declaration: “Kṛṣṇa alone is Bhagavān Himself.”

[Braj]

“His fish-like eyes gleam; in His feet shines Kūrma; His beauty bears the earth like the Boar. That dark Rāma who enchanted Bali shines forth, destroying wicked kings. He is strength within strength and wisdom within meditation; at the sight of Kalki every calamity flees. In the midst is Nṛsiṁha: in beloved Kanhā reign the qualities of every avatāra.”

Some revered teachers distinguish three principles: Viṣṇu, Mahāviṣṇu, and Maheśvara. All three are included in Śrī Kṛṣṇa. The Brahmavaivarta Purāṇa, in its Śrī Kṛṣṇa-janma-khaṇḍa, relates that when Earth became oppressed by her burden, she sought refuge in Brahmā. Accompanied by the gods, Brahmā reached the Goloka abode of Maheśvara Śrī Kṛṣṇa; the sage Nārāyaṇa was also with them. In response to their prayer, Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa consented to descend, and the arrangement for the avatāra began.

Suddenly an unprecedentedly beautiful chariot appeared, inlaid with jewels. Mahāviṣṇu sat upon it bearing conch, discus, mace, and lotus. That Nārāyaṇa descended from the chariot and merged into the body of Maheśvara Śrī Kṛṣṇa: “The divine Nārāyaṇa went and became absorbed in Kṛṣṇa's form.”

Even after Mahāviṣṇu had merged into Him, the full constitution of the Kṛṣṇa avatāra was not yet complete. Then, seated upon another golden chariot, Śrī Viṣṇu, Lord of the earth, appeared and likewise merged into the body of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Lord of Rādhikā: “He too became absorbed there in the form of Rādhikā's Lord.”

A mortal human principle was now required for the avatāra. The sage Nārāyaṇa was already present and merged into Him as well. Thus Maheśvara Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself, encompassing Mahāviṣṇu and Viṣṇu-Nārāyaṇa, descended; the sage Nara, companion of Nārāyaṇa, descended as Arjuna to assist in the avatāra's līlā.

According to the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, suffering Earth, burdened by wicked kings in demonic forms, assumed the form of a cow and went weeping to Brahmā. Taking Bhagavān Śaṅkara and the other gods with him, Brahmā reached the shore of the Milk Ocean and praised Bhagavān in His form as the Puruṣa reclining upon that ocean. This Kṣīrodakaśāyī Puruṣa is the sovereign of the individual Earth, and so she makes her distress known to Him. As the gods offered praise, Brahmā entered meditation. In samādhi he heard the celestial voice of Kṣīrābdhiśāyī Bhagavān, and afterward addressed the gods:

[Sanskrit]

“O immortals, hear from me the message of the Supreme Person, and then carry it out at once, without delay. Even before our appeal, the Puruṣa already knew the affliction of the earth. While the Lord of all lords moves upon the earth, reducing its burden through His power of Time, you too should take birth among the Yadus.

“The transcendent Puruṣa, Bhagavān Himself, will be born directly in the house of Vasudeva. For the sake of serving Him and His beloved, let the women of the gods also take birth.” (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.1.21-23)

“Gods! I have heard Bhagavān's celestial message. Hear it now through me and act upon it without delay. Even before we prayed, Bhagavān knew the earth's distress. While the God of gods performs His līlā upon earth, removing her burden by His power of Time, you too should be born in the Yadu clan and join His līlā. The supreme Puruṣa, Bhagavān Himself, will appear in Vasudeva's house. The divine women too should take birth there to serve Him and His dearest beloved, Śrī Rādhā.”

The meaning of Kṣīrodakaśāyī Bhagavān's declaration is likewise that the supreme Puruṣa, Bhagavān Himself, would appear - not that Kṣīrābdhiśāyī Himself would be that appearance. Thus the one who appeared in Vasudeva's house was Puruṣottama Bhagavān Himself, of whom Nārāyaṇa is a partial avatāra. Devakī's hymn establishes the same truth:

[Sanskrit]

“O Primal One, the creation, maintenance, and dissolution of the universe arise from a mere fraction of a portion of the qualities that are themselves a portion of prakṛti, which is a portion of Your puruṣa-avatāra. O Self of the universe, today I have taken refuge in You.” (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.85.31)

As for the phrase “white and dark hairs,” it is said that these words signify the beauty of Bhagavān's fair and dark complexions: Śrī Balarāma is radiant white and Śrī Kṛṣṇa deep blue-black. The celebrated Vaiṣṇava commentator and lover of devotees, Śrī Viśvanātha Cakravartī, gives the phrase an extraordinary interpretation:

[Sanskrit]

“White is Rudra, dark is Viṣṇu, and ka is Brahmā; He is the Lord even of them.”

Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī says:

[Sanskrit]

“Because His exceedingly dark hair is skilfully bound, the expression reveals the Kṛṣṇa-hood of the crown jewel of connoisseurs of rasa.”

That is, Śrī Kṛṣṇa is He whose dark hair has been artfully bound. Another interpretation is:

[Sanskrit]

“The Kṣīrābdhiśāyī known as 'white-and-dark-haired' exists only as His portion. That Kṛṣṇa will take birth and perform His deeds.”

That is, the Kṣīrābdhiśāyī described as having white and dark hair is Himself only a portion of Kṛṣṇa. Other interpretations too have been offered. The conclusion to be accepted, however, is that in the perfectly complete Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Bhagavān Himself, all the causes that prompt even an avatāra of Kṛṣṇa are gathered together. In the One, and from the One alone, the work of all is perfectly accomplished.

The greatest evidence consists of Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa's own words in the Gītā, which proclaim Him the perfectly complete origin of all, Bhagavān Himself. A few are quoted here:

[Sanskrit]

“All beings are called perishable, while the unchanging is called imperishable.” (Bhagavad Gītā 15.16)

“But distinct from these is the highest Puruṣa, proclaimed as the Supreme Self: the imperishable Lord who enters the three worlds and sustains them.” (15.17)

“Because I transcend the perishable and am higher even than the imperishable, I am celebrated in the world and in the Veda as Puruṣottama, the Supreme Person.” (15.18)

All beings are “perishable,” and the immutable is “imperishable.” Distinct from both is the highest Puruṣa, the deathless Supreme Self: the Lord who pervades the three worlds and bears and nourishes all. “I transcend the perishable and surpass even the imperishable; therefore in the world and the Veda I am renowned as Puruṣottama.”

[Sanskrit]

“For I am the foundation of the imperishable Brahman, of immortality, of the eternal dharma, and of absolute bliss.” (Bhagavad Gītā 14.27)

“I am the foundation of the imperishable Brahman, of immortality, eternal dharma, and exclusive, absolute joy. Brahman, immortality, eternal dharma, and absolute joy all rest upon Me.”

Many other statements in the Gītā establish Śrī Kṛṣṇa as the perfectly complete Bhagavān Himself. He is Bhagavān Himself, yet also the all-accomplished Lord of every master of yoga, endowed with limitless powers and manifestations, skilled in every art, and a historical great person. All His līlās present the ideal of the supreme human being. The Śrīmad Bhāgavatam and the Mahābhārata abound in His momentous līlā-history and exposition of truth; the various Purāṇas likewise describe His līlā beautifully.

He is supremely beautiful, sweet, and tender; at the same time He is the form of Mahākāla, exceedingly formidable and stern. Throughout His līlā one continually beholds not only the fullness of all six divine excellences but also the union of apparently contrary attributes.

The Beauty of Śrī Kṛṣṇa's Form

No one can say how beautiful and sweet His two-armed form is. A saint once said, “I do not believe that anyone in the fourteen worlds possesses the power to describe this eternal form of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, beyond māyā and beyond the guṇas.” Scriptural descriptions offer only an intimation of His form to make meditation easier. The form seen by the sage Kardama had four arms. Dhruva, Arjuna, and other devotees also beheld four-armed forms. Those forms were not all identical, yet they were one; they belong to the domain of divine majesty.

In the realm of sweetness, His two-armed form alone appears. It enchants not only His own people but His own mind as well. He is the eternal, ever-youthful form of the consummate dancer, dressed as a cowherd and standing beneath a kadamba tree with the sweet flute in His hand. His blue-black complexion resembles a dark rain cloud. He wears yellow garments; a necklace of guñjā berries and a garland of forest flowers grace His neck; and an ever-sweet, captivating smile plays upon His face. Cowherd boys and maidens surround Him. Who has the capacity to express this limitless beauty and sweetness through language?

In Vraja, His tenderly loving mother and the other cowherd mothers who regarded Him as their own child, His supremely beloved cowherd women, and all His companions were each enchanted by the beauty of Bhagavān's manifested form according to their own devotional relationship. Their countless instances of enchantment are well known. Indeed, no creature in the world once looked upon His beauty without forgetting itself.

The family priest arrived to perform the child's naming ceremony. On beholding baby Kṛṣṇa's unprecedented divine beauty, he entered an extraordinary state, forgot himself, and cried out:

[Sanskrit]

“My composure melts away; my body trembles and bristles with rapture; even my understanding is vanishing. Alas! I came to give this child a name, but He has instead erased my very name.”

“My courage is failing, my body trembles and thrills, and my intellect is disappearing. How astonishing! I came here to name Him, but He has erased my own name.” Liberation arises only when name and form dissolve. For the fortunate soul who truly glimpses His beauty of form, how can a world made of name and form remain?

When the devotee Bilvamaṅgala first received even the slightest glimpse of Śrī Śyāmasundara's beauty, his mind was plundered forever. He says:

[Sanskrit]

“I am a Śaiva - of that there can be no question - and I remain wholly devoted to reciting the five-syllabled mantra. Even so, my heart now ceaselessly remembers the smiling face of the youthful beloved of the cowherd women, radiant like an atasī blossom.”

“I am a worshipper of Śiva; there is no need to deliberate about that. I constantly repeat the five-syllabled mantra Namaḥ Śivāya. Yet despite all this, my mind now remembers only the sweetly smiling face of Śyāmasundara, the atasī-flower-beautiful youthful beloved of the cowherd women.”

Śrī Madhusūdana Sarasvatī, emperor among those steadfast in nonduality and author of the Advaita-siddhi, movingly describes his own condition:

[Sanskrit]

“We, worshipped by travellers on the path of nonduality and consecrated upon the sovereign throne of self-rule, have been forcibly made maidservants by some cunning libertine beloved of the cowherd women.”

That rogue, the beloved of the gopīs, forcibly makes even mighty champions of knowledge - travellers on the path of nonduality who have ascended the throne of spiritual sovereignty - into His servants. No other reality then occurs to them. Thus they exclaim:

[Sanskrit]

“I know no reality higher than Kṛṣṇa: His hand is adorned with the flute; His complexion resembles a fresh rain cloud; He wears yellow silk; His lips are red as the bimba fruit; His face is lovely as the full moon; and His eyes are lotuses.”

Paṇḍitarāja Jagannātha addresses his own mind:

[Sanskrit]

“O mind, I tell you this for your own good. Do not make your friend that ineffable one who grazes herds of cows in Vṛndāvana and whose complexion resembles a fresh rain cloud. With gentle smiles pouring out the nectar of beauty, He will enchant you and quickly destroy all the objects you hold dear.”

“O mind, take care! Do not befriend that indescribable person who herds cows in Vṛndāvana, darkly radiant like a new blue rain cloud. If you do, He will enchant you with His gentle smile showering the nectar of beauty, and at once destroy all the objects you cherish.” Truly, how could the poison of sense-objects survive before His nectar-filled smile?

Why speak of others? Even aged Vyāsa and Bhīṣma, together with sages such as Nārada, could only remain motionless, gazing at the beauty of His form.

[Braj]

“Gods and sages, humans and demons, beasts and birds - who in this world has ever been born who, seeing the beloved's sweet beauty, did not lose all sense and understanding?

“Yogis, supreme ascetics, and knowers who had each subdued the mind - at one glimpse of that sweet smile, they helplessly offered up their lives.

“Their natural detachment and bliss in Brahman were forgotten; their eyes grew still as they stood. Their bodies thrilled, their eyes streamed tears of love, their hearts melted, and the rasa of love swelled.”

Bhagavān Is One

Some revered teachers hold that Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who descends into līlā, manifests in three degrees.

At Kurukṣetra, they say, Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the complete manifestation of being, with the power of knowledge predominant. In Dvārakā and Mathurā He is the more complete manifestation of consciousness, with the power of action predominant. In Śrī Vṛndāvana He is the most complete manifestation of bliss, with the power of will predominant. Some even regard the Kṛṣṇa of the Mahābhārata and the Kṛṣṇa of the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam as two. These are their own devotional perceptions: “As was the feeling in each heart, so was the form of the Lord that each beheld.”

In truth the perfectly complete Bhagavān is one. His līlā-sport is infinite, and His form displays endless variety according to the līlā, but the essential reality is one. Whatever devotional disposition a person brings to seeing Him, and whatever vision arises according to that person's standpoint, all are visions of the one Bhagavān. One should not rank any of His forms as lesser or greater, but remain absorbed with intense love and devotion in serving one's chosen form. So much for that question.

Today's Auspicious Day

Today is the great and blessed day on which Bhagavān Himself appeared upon this earthly realm. Blessed are we who have received the privilege of joining this great festival and thereby fulfilling our human lives.

Bhagavān appeared in Kaṁsa's prison at Mathurā, although some devotees also hold that He appeared in Gokula. In any case, it was Nanda, Yaśodā, and the people of Vraja who received the fortune of celebrating His appearance. Let us therefore join their festival and dance and sing with the cowherd boys and Nanda Bābā.

[Hindi]

A gentleman asks whether Bhagavān Śrī Rāma is in any respect less than Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa. To imagine deficiency in Bhagavān is itself an offence. They are entirely one: in līlā, one is the supreme upholder of sacred order and the other the supreme master of līlā. Both are Bhagavān, complete in all six divine excellences. Just as the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam says of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, “Kṛṣṇa is Bhagavān Himself,” the Mahārāmāyaṇa says of Śrī Rāma, “Rāma is Bhagavān Himself.” No distinction of lesser and greater should therefore be imagined between Them.

[Braj]

“I have heard wonderful news today: Mother Yaśodā has borne a son, and every home resounds with congratulations. The doorway is crowded with cowherd men and women; His glory cannot be told. Such joy fills Gokula that the ground itself seems strewn with jewels. Old men, youths, and children dance, churning the courtyard into mud with streams of milk and curds. Sūradāsa's Lord, the ocean of joy, is the beautiful dark Kanhā.”

Joy has arisen in Nanda's home - victory to darling Kanhaiyālāla!

Śrī Kṛṣṇa's Appearance in the Earthly Realm

(Discourse delivered at the Śrī Śrī Kṛṣṇa Birth Festival in Vikrama Saṃvat 2016.)

[Sanskrit]

“Worship the beloved of the cowherd women, the ornament of Gokula's courtyards, who released Pūtanā from worldly becoming; whose jasmine-white teeth are lovely; whose eyes are adored by clusters of lotuses; and whose tender hands gleam like fragrant, blossoming lotuses - a deity rare even for the gods of Vraja.”

[Sanskrit]

“I bow to the destroyer of Kaṁsa: the radiance of His face chastises the vast orb of the pale moon; dancing bees are sheltered by His broad cheeks and flashing earrings; His garland is fashioned from masses of full-blown lotuses; and His mighty arms are terrible in power.”

Today is the great festival of the divine birth of the Unborn. What that unborn Śrī Kṛṣṇa is, and what He is like, only He knows. He Himself has said, “Neither the hosts of gods nor the great sages know the mystery of My manifestation.”

[Sanskrit]

“Neither the hosts of gods nor the great sages know My origin.”

Nevertheless, by remembering the self-revelation He gave in the Gītā with His own lips, we may make our lives and hearts supremely pure. He tells us that He remains completely untouched by action and wholly without longing for its fruit (4.14); that He is the enjoyer of every sacrifice and austerity, Lord of all worlds, and friend of every being (5.29); and that He pervades all, while the whole limitless moving and unmoving universe abides in Him (6.30).

He is the taste in water, the light in sun and moon, the fragrance in the earth, the life in every creature, the eternal seed of all beings, the intelligence of the intelligent, the brilliance of the brilliant, and the strength of the strong when free from passion and desire (7.8-11). Both eightfold insentient lower nature and conscious higher nature are His (7.4-5). He is the Vedic rite, sacrifice, ancestral offering, medicinal herb, mantra, clarified butter, fire, oblation - all Vedic and Smārta rites and all their means (9.16). He is mother, father, grandsire, sustainer, the object of knowledge, the purifier, Om, and the three Vedas. He alone is the goal, supporter, Lord, witness, dwelling, refuge, friend, creation and dissolution, foundation of all, treasury of all, and imperishable seed (9.17-18). He is being and non-being, death and immortality (9.19); He is neither being nor non-being (13.12), and He transcends both (11.37).

Even a great sinner who worships Him with exclusive devotion immediately becomes righteous, attains lasting peace, and becomes His devotee (9.30-31). One who dies remembering Him undoubtedly attains Him (8.5). The entire universe rests within a single portion of Him (10.42). Nothing whatever exists apart from Him; the whole moving and unmoving universe is strung upon Him like jewels on a thread (7.7). As the Self, He dwells in the hearts of all beings (10.20). He is the foundation even of immortality, eternal dharma, absolute bliss, and the imperishable Brahman (14.27). He transcends the perishable universe, surpasses the immutable imperishable Brahman, and is the supreme Puruṣottama (15.16-18). This is the Gītā's concise account of Śrī Kṛṣṇa in His own words.

Beyond this, the Vedas, Upaniṣads, Purāṇas, histories, works composed by all-seeing sages and realised great souls, and the experience of saints and devotees whose lives attained fulfilment all declare Śrī Kṛṣṇa to be the source of every avatāra: puruṣa, guṇa, līlā, manvantara, prābhava, vaibhava, parāvasthā, partial and subordinate-partial descents, consecrated image descents, and every other kind. Within the fourfold emanation He is the first, Vāsudeva.

He is Lord of every lord, possessor of all divine forms, the source from whom they arise, the beginning of all yet Himself beginningless; beyond material qualities yet filled with the attributes of His own essential nature; formless in the sense of being free from material shape; the ocean of inconceivably infinite virtues; beyond all yet present in all; complete in every excellence; the life of every living being; the simultaneous refuge of apparently contradictory attributes; embodiment of knowledge; ocean of the nectar of all love; endowed with all six divine majesties and all sixteen powers; the supreme form of love; rasa itself and the crown jewel of those who relish rasa; eager to bless His devotees; at once the object and possessor of devotion; possessed of an eternal, true, conscious divine body subject neither to acquisition nor loss; a compact form of being, consciousness, bliss, and rasa; the transcendent, perfectly complete Puruṣottama - Bhagavān Himself. On this auspicious day that eternally self-established Bhagavān of inconceivable and infinite majesty assumed a divine descent to sanctify the earthly realm.

Because this was the descent of Bhagavān Himself, the avatāras associated with the white and dark hairs, Nara-Nārāyaṇa, Vāmana, and all the rest are included within Him. Every puruṣa, portion, subordinate portion, manifestation, līlā, and divine power abides in Him. Because it is the descent of the unborn, imperishable Lord of all lords, this is the birth of the Unborn. Bhagavān did not enter a womb; He entered the mind, and then revealed Himself in His divine form, astonishing His supremely fortunate parents. His birth and deeds are all divine. He Himself says:

[Sanskrit]

“One who knows in truth the divine nature of My birth and action does not take birth again after leaving the body, but comes to Me, O Arjuna.” (Bhagavad Gītā 4.9)

“My birth and action are divine. Whoever knows this in truth does not take birth again after abandoning the body, but attains Me.” What doubt can there be that a birth whose mystery, once known, ends the knower's rebirth is itself divine?

Bhagavān's eternal body of being, consciousness, and bliss is His own everlasting essential nature, subject neither to acquisition nor loss. It is not merely supramundane but supremely divine. It is neither subject to birth and death, produced by karma, nor composed of the five elements. It is eternal because the very notions of creation and destruction do not apply to it. Therefore, in the Gītā Bhagavān calls those who regard this human-seeming form of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, compact with being and consciousness, a material human body “witless” and “deluded.”

There He indicates the glory of His “supreme nature” - His divine being and form:

[Sanskrit]

“Those without understanding, not knowing My supreme, imperishable, unsurpassed nature, think of Me, the unmanifest, as having merely assumed a manifest personality.” (Bhagavad Gītā 7.24)

“Not knowing My unsurpassed supreme nature - My eternal conscious and blissful divine form - those without discernment imagine that I, Bhagavān, who am not manifest to the vision of māyā, have become an ordinary human person.”

[Sanskrit]

“Fools disregard Me when I appear in a human form, not knowing My supreme nature as the great Lord of beings.” (Bhagavad Gītā 9.11)

“Not knowing the supreme divine nature of Me, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the great Lord of all beings, the deluded suppose that I have assumed a material human body.”

By appearing as Bhagavān Himself, Śrī Kṛṣṇa established the highest ideal through His worldly-seeming and supernatural līlās, destroyed adharma and its agents, and re-established dharma. Making Arjuna the occasion, He opened to everyone the treasury of knowledge that is the Gītā. He tasted the nectar of His beloved devotees' love and blessed them by granting them the relish of love's rasa. Every virtue, art, Yoga, Sāṅkhya, knowledge, and realised wisdom attained its complete expression in His līlā. He alone is Lord of Vraja, Lord of Mathurā, and Lord of Dvārakā. Today is the supremely holy festival of His appearance.

Certain exalted Vaiṣṇava saints hold, or are said to have experienced, that at the very moment Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa appeared before Vasudeva and Devakī in a four-armed form within Kaṁsa's prison at Mathurā, Yaśodā's son also appeared in Nanda Bābā's home. This has been discussed at length elsewhere.

The parental love of Śrī Nanda and Yaśodā was utterly pure and contained not the slightest awareness of divine majesty.

Therefore Bhagavān appeared before them only as an ordinary two-armed baby. They offered no hymn or prayer. Yaśodā took Him upon her lap, certain that He was the son born from her own body. Nanda Bābā bathed, adorned himself with garments and ornaments, summoned brāhmaṇas learned in the Veda, caused benedictory hymns to be recited, and performed his son's birth ceremony. He duly worshipped the gods and ancestors; gave the brāhmaṇas two million cows adorned with cloth and ornaments; and donated seven hills of sesame covered with masses of jewels and gold-embroidered cloth. He caused magnificent auspicious instruments to be played. Intoxicated with joy, he and the cowherds poured curds, milk, clarified butter, and water over one another, smeared one another's faces with butter, and tossed butter through the air in a great festival of bliss.

[Sanskrit]

“Having summoned brāhmaṇas learned in the Veda, Nanda bathed, purified and adorned himself, caused auspicious benedictions to be recited, and duly performed his son's birth rite together with worship of the ancestors and gods. He gave the ornamented brāhmaṇas two million cows and seven hills of sesame covered with heaps of jewels and cloth embroidered with gold.” (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.5.1-3)

[Sanskrit]

“At that great festival many wondrous instruments resounded. Delighted, the cowherds drenched one another with curds, milk, clarified butter, and water, smeared one another, and threw fresh butter.” (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.5.13-14)

Nanda Bābā's festival of Dadhikāṁdā is still celebrated today. There was no possibility of a festival in Kaṁsa's prison. Bhagavān therefore appeared in Yaśodā and Nanda's home as an ordinary child, conforming to the pure feeling in their hearts.

For the omnipotent One, capable of doing, not doing, or doing otherwise, there is not the slightest impossibility in appearing at both places simultaneously. He who in the rāsa-circle manifested a separate form between every pair among millions of cowherd women, and whom Nārada saw performing a distinct līlā beside each of thousands of queens in their palaces at Dvārakā, could appear at one moment both in Gokula and in Kaṁsa's prison at Mathurā.

What happened, how, and why - Śrī Bhagavān alone knows. Our part is to purify the heart by remembering His līlā.

In the realm of parental affection, Śrī Nanda and Yaśodā are regarded as Bhagavān's eternal father and mother. In the realm of līlā He forever descends as their son. The story of this līlā-life is beautiful. King Nanda possessed every prosperity but had no son. His years were advancing and old age was near; thus the vine of hope in the loving hearts of Vraja's people was gradually withering. Upananda and the other elder cowherds consulted together and arranged a sacrifice for the birth of a son. All prayed to the Lord of sacrifice to grant Nanda a child.

Outside, the sacrifice proceeded and the sky resounded with the brāhmaṇas' Vedic chanting. Within the private chambers, however, Nanda was telling Yaśodā, “Queen Yaśodā, this sacrifice will not result in a son for me. I do long for a child, and I have faith in the sacrifice; yet the kind of son for whom my heart perpetually yearns cannot easily be bestowed by the unseen potency generated by ritual action. All fruits of sacrifices and other rites are transient. The one whom I forever behold as my son is unchanging. To hope to obtain Him as the fruit of karma is only a vain hope: He is no fruit of action at all. The one enthroned upon my heart's desire and seen in my dreams is more beautiful even than Nārāyaṇa, Lord of Vaikuṇṭha. It seems to me that once a heart has been touched by His beauty, it can no longer be drawn anywhere else.”

On hearing King Nanda's words, Queen Yaśodā eagerly asked about his dream.

Nanda replied, “Devī, you are my eternal partner in dharma and my constant companion in happiness and sorrow. What could I hide from you? Until now I said nothing because I considered it impossible, and speaking of such an impossibility would be thought madness. But today I cannot refuse your request, so I shall tell you. Listen: in dream and in waking reverie I perpetually see this:

[Sanskrit]

“Upon your lap I see a dark child with lovely, restless, elongated eyes. He plays there and drinks from your breasts overflowing with milk. Whether this is a dream or wakefulness I cannot determine. Tell me truly, companion in dharma - does this same child shine within your heart as well?”

“I see an exceedingly divine child, dark and beautiful as a blue jewel, His captivating restless eyes extraordinarily large. Seated in your lap, He drinks the milk flowing from your breasts and plays in countless ways. When I see Him I lose myself. I cannot tell whether I sleep or wake. Yaśodā, tell me truly: have you too ever seen this child in a dream?”

Hearing her husband's words, Yaśodā became overwhelmed with joy and said in a choked voice, “King of Vraja, I too continually see precisely such a child playing in my lap. In dreams I nurse Him and fondle and caress Him. Considering the vision utterly impossible, I too felt shy and never told you. What a gulf lies between an ordinary cowherd woman like me and that divine wish-fulfilling jewel!”

King Nanda continued, “I tried very hard to banish this impossible longing from my mind, but I could not rid myself of it in any way. It seems only by the gracious glance of Bhagavān Nārāyaṇa, creator of all the universes, that this thing never seen or heard before is appearing to us. If Nārāyaṇa bestows His grace, neither the removal of this impossible longing nor the attainment of this rare object is impossible. Whatever He wills shall come to pass.”

Thereafter, with the consent of Yaśodā, who was devoted to serving Nārāyaṇa, Nanda and Yaśodā surrendered body, mind, and speech at Śrī Nārāyaṇa's feet. They resolved to observe, in the prescribed manner for one year, a vow on Dvādaśī, the day especially dear to Śrī Hari, and began the observance.

As the number of their Dvādaśī fasts increased, so too did the couple's longing to receive as their son the supremely beautiful and divine child seen in their dreams. Their yearning became nearly unbearable. When the vow had been completed in every detail, one night during ordinary sleep they saw in a dream their chosen Lord, four-armed Bhagavān Nārāyaṇa bearing conch, discus, mace, and lotus. He approached them, looked upon them with a gracious gaze, and spoke in an exceedingly sweet voice:

[Sanskrit]

“Ah, you two are deeply attached to Me and devoted to Me. Why then do you lose heart and grieve? That tender youth whose beauty resembles the atasī flower, whom you both continually experience shining in your hearts as your son, eternally follows you alone. In every kalpa, to propagate devotion to Him, portions of you appear in heaven as Droṇa and Dharā under My direction.

“To grant direct realisation of that fruit which even Brahmā and the other gods cannot attain - praised in words such as 'Ah, what abundant fortune!' - you yourselves have now taken birth upon earth. Before long this lovely longing cherished by you both will bear fruit.”

“O Nanda and Yaśodā! You are attached to Me and are My supreme devotees. Why do you pass your days discouraged and distressed? The tender dark child, beautiful as an atasī blossom, who perpetually shines as your son within your experience, is eternally bound to you. To spread parental love throughout the world, portions of you manifest in heaven as Droṇa and Dharā at My prompting and perform intense austerity in every kalpa. The fruit of that austerity cannot be attained even by Brahmā and the gods. So exalted is it that Brahmā regards himself fulfilled merely by gaining the fortune of residence in the place where they dwell.”

“Brahmā himself acknowledges this in declarations such as, 'Ah, what abundant fortune would be mine to take any birth here in this forest!' You have both appeared upon earth to taste the very fruit sought through the austerities of your portions Droṇa and Dharā. Do not be anxious. Very soon your beautiful desire will be fulfilled.”

Filled with hope by these gracious commands of Śrī Nārāyaṇa, King Nanda awaited every moment the attainment of that enchanting child as his son. Śrī Yaśodā remained in the same state.

During those days, an ascetic woman of mature years entered King Nanda's assembly accompanied by a young brāhmaṇa graduate. At the first sight of her, all present felt that she was an ascetic of immense spiritual power. They rose with folded hands, offered seats with great honour, and asked, “Devī, who are you? Seeing you, one feels that you are Bhagavān's own power Yogamāyā. The boy with you appears as though the sage Nārada had assumed a child's form and come here for our welfare.”

Smiling at the assembly's words, the ascetic replied, “My name is Paurṇamāsī. I am an ascetic and a knower of destiny. This boy is called Madhumaṅgala; he has completed his sacred studies. It is entirely fitting that he reminds you of Nārada, for his disposition truly resembles that sage's.”

Hearing her, the members of Nanda's court folded their hands and said, “Devī, we are utterly unworthy to serve you. Why, then, have you shown us such extraordinary grace? We cannot understand.” She replied, “Very soon an indescribable blessing will come among you; that is why I have come.” When all asked further, Paurṇamāsī explained: “Your king Nanda, dearer to you than life, will have a son, and that son will immerse the whole universe in an ocean of bliss.” Hearing Paurṇamāsī's words, everyone overflowed with supreme joy, their bodies thrilled, and they spoke in voices choked with emotion.

“Devī, by your auspicious arrival this Bṛhadvana of ours has become a great holy place. We shall build you a leaf-hut at Kṛṣṇāntika, near the river Kṛṣṇā - the Yamunā. Please live there.”

Paurṇamāsī replied, “Your promise is as authoritative as a sentence of revelation. Although newly uttered this very moment, it is unfailingly true. My dwelling will indeed be kṛṣṇāntika - near Kṛṣṇa. Instead of saying 'on the Yamunā's bank,' the word kṛṣṇāntika came from your lips. This indicates that Nanda's son will be named Kṛṣṇa and will possess tremendous power. How can I describe His influence? Through it, mutually opposed conditions will cease to conflict.”

[Sanskrit]

“When He is born, the earth will become without demons, yet ever fresh; learning and every noble cultivation will flourish, yet relation with Him will bring freedom from the guṇas; people will possess what is needed for service, yet devotion to Him will make them utterly without possessions. Though these states appear contrary, He will reconcile them all.” (Śrī Gopāla-campū)

“When Nanda's son is born, conditions that appear mutually opposed will be united upon earth: freedom from demons and perpetual newness, possession of qualities and transcendence of qualities, having possessions and having nothing. Śrī Kṛṣṇa's coming will leave the earth without demons, for He will destroy them all; thus it will have nir-dānavatā, freedom from dānavas. Fortunate people on earth will constantly taste Nanda's son's limitless sweet virtues in ever-new forms; thus there will be sadā-navatā, perpetual newness.

“Although people will be adorned with learning and other virtues, their connection with Nanda's son will carry them beyond the material guṇas of sattva, rajas, and tamas; thus both sa-guṇatā and nir-guṇatā will be realised. Although they retain the few material things needed to maintain the body for Bhagavān's service - sa-kiñcanatā, possessing something - through devotion they will be wholly niṣ-kiñcana, possessing nothing as their own. In this way mutually opposed states will meet at one and the same time.”

Paurṇamāsī Devī's sacred leaf-hut was built on the bank of the Kālindī. Longing to behold Nanda's son, she settled there with Madhumaṅgala.

Paurṇamāsī was a disciple of the divine sage Nārada and the mother of Sāndīpani Muni, Śrī Kṛṣṇa's teacher. Endowed with immense spiritual power, she arranged every aspect of Śrī Kṛṣṇa's sweet līlā. Madhumaṅgala was her grandson and Śrī Sāndīpani's son. A beloved companion of Bhagavān Śyāmasundara, he delighted in humour and was wonderfully witty. He appears in Śrī Kṛṣṇa's pastoral līlās and in the cowherd maidens' līlās of worshipping the sun. He is popularly known as the jester Manasukhā.

Bhagavān first entered Nanda Bābā's heart, just as He had entered Vasudeva's. Then one day Yaśodā Maiyā experienced, as if in a dream, that the child whom she had previously seen in a dream emerged from Nanda's heart together with a little girl flashing like lightning and entered her own heart. From that moment the divine signs of a pregnancy filled with awareness of Bhagavān appeared in Yaśodā. Eight months later, on the auspicious Kṛṣṇāṣṭamī of the month of Bhādra, blissful Śrī Govinda appeared. Earth, heaven, sky, air, and all the elements were immersed in the rasa of supreme bliss.

Today, immersed in this ocean of supreme bliss, let us all pray at His lotus feet:

Ninefold Hymn

[Hindi]

1. His utterly enchanting dark body has the lustre of a rain-laden cloud. It is beautiful like a tender tamāla leaf adorned with yellow gorocanā. His rounded arms extend to His knees and steal the pride of maddening Cupid. Bracelets, armlets, and other ornaments grace that supremely lovely form.

2. A garland of guñjā berries encircles Him, splendid among many-coloured flowers. A jewelled crown ornaments His topknot and bears a fresh peacock feather. Rows of curly dark locks lovingly kiss His blue-black cheeks, while the radiance of His earrings illumines their captivating beauty.

[Hindi]

3. His crimson lips surpass the beauty of bimba fruit and bandhūka blossoms, and upon them rests His lovely, sweet flute. His supremely sweet smile enchants the three worlds and pours forth delight. A lustrous pearl gleams splendidly at the tip of His nose.

4. His doe-like eyes are forever graced by the arrow-like sidelong glances of the cowherd maidens, whom the slightest movement of His brows drives mad. Renouncing every pleasure with ease, they remain perpetually absorbed in the joy of service; their incomparable hearts desire only the happiness of Śyāmā and Śyāma.

5. Three graceful lines play upon His beautiful neck, where pure rāgas and rāginīs arise through melodious modulations of voice. The radiant Kaustubha jewel adorns His broad chest, and divine necklaces of precious gems and a flower garland beautify His throat.

6. Tiny bells at His waist unfold in soft, sweet sound. The divine light of His rosy toenails illumines Brahman itself. His jewelled anklets delight the world with smiling joy, and His yellow garment graces a luminous body beyond compare.

7. The matchless fragrance of His limbs captivates the minds of gods and sages. He stands in an exquisite threefold-bending pose beneath the wish-fulfilling tree. Beside Him is Vṛṣabhānu's daughter, the very embodiment of divine beauty and virtue - beloved Rādhā, eternally one with Him and supremely worthy of worship.

8. Enchanting Mādhava is dear to His friends, the surabhi cows, the calves, and all His kindred. He is the son and delight of Nanda and Yaśodā, the supreme dancer who bewitches the universe. We are wholly unworthy, unqualified, and most fallen; yet out of Your natural compassion, O Muralīdhara, accept us.

9. Grant us the foot-dust of the devotees of those lovers who are forever absorbed in serving the lotus feet of the Beloved Pair. That dust is supremely rare; Uddhava and Brahmā yearn for it. Those devotees desire neither worldly enjoyment nor liberation, which would mean abandoning that sacred dust.

[Sanskrit]

“Obeisance to Kṛṣṇa, son of Vasudeva and delight of Devakī; obeisance to Govinda, the young son of the cowherd Nanda.”

[Hindi]

Proclaim the victory of bliss's very source, Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇacandra!

[Braj]

Joy has arisen in Nanda's home - victory to darling Kanhaiyā!

The Appearance of “Bhagavān Himself,” Śrī Kṛṣṇa

(A discourse delivered at the Śrī Kṛṣṇa Janmāṣṭamī festival in Vikrama Saṁvat 2018)

[Sanskrit]

“Upon His face, beautiful as the full moon, curl-tipped locks gleam with the hue of fresh dark clouds. They shine like bees bowing over the lotus of His head. Again and again I bow to Nanda's son, accompanied by Balarāma.

“We bow to Śrī Govinda's lotus feet, which sweep away misfortune. The deep-blue jewels in the crowns of Indra and the assembled gods, bending before them with intense reverence and abundant offerings, look like bees. Those feet are richly bathed by the freely flowing Mandākinī, lovely as streaming nectar.

“We worship that divine radiance: the dawning beauty of a blue lotus kissed by a trembling row of fresh campaka blossoms, and transformed into tender shoots by the young cowherd maidens eager for the dance.”

They had long been waiting: those strangely fortunate sinners among asuras, daityas, dānavas, and human beings who were destined to abandon their bodies beneath the graceful blows of the Lord's supremely auspicious lotus hands and thereby attain the highest state; Mother Earth, who had received Bhagavān's assurance that she would be freed from the crushing burden of asuras and kings in asuric form; and the utterly liberated, self-delighting sages such as Vyāsa and Nārada.

Their hearts had been stirred by the auspicious, blissful waves of Bhagavān's līlā. They yearned to behold His enchanting, all-attractive, embodied form of being, consciousness, and bliss; drawn by His divine and transcendent qualities as Bhagavān, their hearts were filling with causeless devotion to Him.

The supremely fortunate Devakī and Vasudeva were waiting, rich in sweet devotion blended with awareness of majesty; in a former birth they had already received from Bhagavān Himself the boon that He would appear as their son. His eternal parents Nanda and Yaśodā, their divine hearts filled with parental rasa, were waiting; so too were Vraja's motherly cowherd women and its blessed cowherd boys endowed with pure friendship, who had descended to earth solely for this supreme joy.

The immensely fortunate cows, calves, and other creatures were waiting. Gods, sages, and highly meritorious souls had descended in their forms, and Bhagavān Himself wished to drink their milk, lead them grazing from forest to forest, roam with them, and give them the highest divine joy.

With eager hearts, the inconceivably and infinitely fortunate cowherd maidens were waiting: the eternally perfected and the perfected through spiritual practice; the personified revelations who, after severe austerities over many kalpas, had received the boon of cowherd-maiden bodies; Brahmavidyā herself; great sages; and the noble women of Mithilā who had attained the feeling of the cowherd maidens. Entirely free from desire for their own pleasure and filled with the all-renouncing, supremely sweet rasa of love, they passed every moment like an age in their longing to bring endless joy to their supremely beloved Śyāmasundara, the compact embodiment of consciousness and bliss.

Countless other beings, bearing all manner of wondrous feelings, were also waiting for Him. Then the transcendent Parabrahman, the avatārī and “Bhagavān Himself,” together with all His intrinsic divine powers, all His divine portions, every avatāra, and every source of avatāras, appeared at midnight in Kaṁsa's prison. At that moment the whole of nature throughout all the universes became intoxicated with joy and began the sweetest dance with every limb.

[Hindi]

Time became exceedingly beautiful, endowed with every auspicious quality. The moon entered Rohiṇī, and every constellation, planet, and star became serene.

[Hindi]

Every direction grew exceedingly serene, and all the stars shone brightly in the sky. Every city, village, and cowherd settlement upon the earth became an abode of auspiciousness.

All rivers flowed with limpid water, and countless lotuses blossomed in the lakes at night. The trees bent beneath their flowers, while cuckoos called and bees began to hum.

A sweet breeze arose, pleasant to the touch, pure, cool, gentle, and fragrant. Joy at once entered the hearts of the holy, who stand opposed to the demonic.

Celestial kettledrums suddenly sounded sweetly, awakening boundless delight. Hearing of the birth of the Unborn, all the gods themselves became embodiments of joy.

Pure Gandharvas and noble Kinnaras began to sing exquisitely honeyed melodies. Siddhas and Cāraṇas, their hearts exultant, offered sacred songs of praise.

At midnight all the Vidyādharī women and apsarās arose and danced. The exalted assembly of divine sages joyfully praised the earth's supreme good fortune.

The oceans began to murmur softly and clouds answered with gentle thunder when, in the depth of night, the sovereign of all divine sovereigns appeared.

Let us now make an auspicious attempt to contemplate something of the essential nature of this transcendent Parabrahman, Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

Bhagavān, manifest in this sweet human form, is beginningless and the beginning of all. He is beyond everything yet pervades everything, the ultimate cause of all causes, all-pervading, the essence of all, and transcending all. He is the very Parabrahman, the embodied form of being, consciousness, and bliss.

[Sanskrit]

“Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Lord, whose form is being, consciousness, and bliss. Govinda is beginningless, the beginning of all, and the cause of every cause.” (Brahma-saṁhitā 5.1)

This visible, limitless universe, together with whatever lies or could lie entirely beyond it, has one source that contains all things within itself. Having discovered and experienced that reality, our great sages, supreme knowers of truth, named it Brahman.

The word Brahman denotes the very nature of that reality. It means “the greatest reality.”

[Sanskrit]

“It expands, and it causes expansion; therefore it is Brahman.”

In other words, that which is great (bṛhat) and grows (bṛṁhati), and which makes others great and causes them to grow (bṛṁhayati), is called Brahman. Whatever can make something great or cause it to grow must possess the power to do so. Revelation declares that Brahman has not merely one power, but many:

[Sanskrit]

“The Supreme possesses manifold powers.” (Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.8)

Indeed, those powers must be infinitely diverse, because Brahman is the greatest. Since no comparison is given to indicate in relation to whom, or to what extent, Brahman is great, we must understand that it is greater than all and great in every respect: it is bṛhat. It is great in its essential nature, great in power, and great in the workings of power.

Because it is greater in its essential being than everything else, Brahman is all-pervading, the support of all, infinite, and omnipresent. Because it is great in power, both the number of its powers and the measure of each power are infinite. A power becomes known only through its activity. When the seers of revelation declared that Brahman has infinite powers, it follows that they must also have directly perceived the workings of those powers.

When the revelations call Brahman “infinite” - “Brahman is infinite” - that infinitude must hold in every respect: in Brahman's nature, powers, actions, and the wondrous variety of its self-manifestations of power. Through the activity of power, what is without manifest distinctions becomes endowed with distinctions. When a concealed power manifests and becomes active, its action also operates upon the possessor's own form; that form therefore acquires a manifest particularity. For this reason Brahman is described in two modes.

[Sanskrit]

“Brahman has indeed two forms: the formed and the formless.” (Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 2.3.1)

In truth, Brahman's intrinsic nature, its power, the diversity of its forms, the diversity of its powers, and the varied ways in which those powers manifest are all intrinsic to Brahman, eternal, and beginningless. Although Brahman is eternally one in essence, from beginningless time its own nature has possessed manifold forms, manifold powers, and manifold processes through which those powers manifest. Though eternally one, it simultaneously possesses an eternal distinct existence.

This distinct existence does not compromise unity. Without a distinct mode of being, neither eternality nor the experience of bliss would be possible. Because eternal distinct being is real, Brahman and Brahman's forms as Viṣṇu, Nārāyaṇa, Rāma, Kṛṣṇa, Śiva, Durgā, and others are not deceptive appearances produced by māyā. They are beginningless, real, and eternal. Although one, Brahman has manifested in these many forms from beginningless time:

[Sanskrit]

“Though one, He shines forth as many.”

The intrinsic property of a substance remains present within each of its atoms. The power to burn, for example, is present in every particle of fire, and the quality of extinguishing fire is present in every particle of water. Brahman is eternal and ever-existent, composed of being, consciousness, and bliss. It is always complete in every place, all-knowing, all-pervading, infinite, and omnipresent. Consequently, each of its forms is likewise eternal, ever-existent, composed of being, consciousness, and bliss, complete everywhere, all-knowing, all-pervading, infinite, and omnipresent.

[Sanskrit]

“All the bodies of that Supreme Self are eternal and everlasting. They are subject neither to rejection nor acquisition and are never born from material nature. They are masses of supreme bliss and pure consciousness throughout; each is complete in every divine quality and wholly free from every defect.”

Thus all Bhagavān's forms are eternal, everlasting, and the very forms of the Supreme Self. Their bodies are free from birth and death, intrinsic to their being, and never produced by material nature. They are masses of supreme bliss, embodiments of pure knowledge and consciousness, complete in every divine quality, and eternally untouched by every defect and covering of māyā.

With our limited intellect we imagine that more than one omnipresent reality cannot exist: where would there be room for a second all-pervading form, and how could Brahman's forms be so numerous? Such thinking is natural for us because our finite, material intellect cannot reach beyond its own limits. Scripture, however, calls Brahman's power inconceivable. The possibility of many all-pervading forms is established by that inconceivable power; ordinary argument does not apply there. If such a reality could be contained by ordinary reasoning, the word “inconceivable” would never be used.

Our mind and intellect, confined within a limited field, cannot reach that far. It is therefore said:

[Sanskrit]

“Realities that are truly inconceivable should not be forced into the categories of logic.”

We should understand, then, that the one Brahman is eternally manifest in infinite forms.

[Sanskrit]

“Though one, He shines forth as many.” (Gopāla-tāpanī Upaniṣad)

[Sanskrit]

“The One of many forms.” (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam)

Without a form possessing many powers, such manifestation could not occur. These diverse forms are not separate, independent realities; they are varied expressions or modes of the one supreme form.

The requirements of līlā cause power to manifest to a greater or lesser degree in these forms. Some forms fully express every power and all the diversity of those powers; others reveal them only minimally. In the first kind, Brahman's total nature shines in its completeness. Indeed, Brahmatva itself finds its culmination there. Such a form is “the foundation of Brahman,” the ground upon which Brahman rests, and may therefore be called Parabrahman.

In that Parabrahman, the essential nature is most complete, the powers are most complete, and the innumerable modes in which those powers manifest are likewise most complete. Hence it is called the “most complete Parabrahman” or “Brahman in its totality.”

A form in which power is expressed only to the smallest degree may be called Brahman. It is Brahman in its own essential nature, but not in the manifest display of power. There the essential being is fully revealed, while the powers are not manifest. It is therefore called without distinctions, without manifest power, and formless. This “formlessness” is literal in the sense that no form is manifested, for no power is displayed there.

It is the perfected expression of the bṛṁhati aspect of the word Brahman - that which is great - but not of bṛṁhayati, that which makes others great. Yet even this undifferentiated mode is never wholly devoid of power, because power is intrinsic to its very nature. Brahman is not empty; it has being, and therefore possesses the power of existence. It is blissful, and therefore possesses the power of bliss. It is conscious, and therefore endowed with the power of consciousness.

Beyond this, no form of Parabrahman Bhagavān ever lacks power. The power is simply not manifest in the undifferentiated Brahman. Thus we should regard Brahman not as “devoid of power” but as possessing unmanifest power. Here “without distinctions” should mean precisely “with power unmanifest.”

Brahman is the embodiment of bliss and of rasa: “Rasa indeed is He.” The word rasa has two senses. It can mean that which is tasted, as honey is tasted; and it can mean the one who tastes, as the bee tastes honey. Both are rasa. Thus rasa signifies both “the relishable rasa” and “the relisher who savours rasa.”

All Brahman's forms are relishable manifestations of bliss. Yet a form in which power is not manifest - the unmanifest Brahman - cannot itself become the active taster or connoisseur of rasa.

Those forms in which majesty, sweetness, beauty, graciousness, affection for devotees, compassion, and other divine qualities are manifest are Bhagavān. The more fully these divine qualities and powers are expressed in a form, the more completely Bhagavattā, the nature of Bhagavān, shines there. The form in which these qualities and powers are expressed in their absolute fullness is Bhagavān in His most complete form, “Bhagavān Himself.”

Thus the Parabrahman described above is Bhagavān Himself, complete Bhagavān in His totality. In Him the relishable nature of rasa is perfectly manifest, while the wonder of relishing rasa has also reached its highest consummation. He is therefore the crown of relishers, rasika-śekhara.

The undifferentiated Brahman, whose power is unmanifest, is distinct from Him in mode and therefore cannot be the supreme relisher. Bhagavān in His totality is the “crown jewel among sovereign relishers.” He is Parabrahman as the very form of the blissful rasa of love, Bhagavān Himself, who draws all beings through His incomparable sweetness of rasa. For this reason His name is Kṛṣṇa - the all-attractive One.

From the standpoint of essential reality, Śrī Kṛṣṇa is not a separate form, a separate power, or merely one special power. Brahman has two modes, the unqualified and the qualified:

[Sanskrit]

“The essential form is twofold: with manifest qualities and as the unqualified.”

Brahman with unmanifest power is called nirguṇa, while Brahman with manifest power is called saguṇa. This does not mean that any of Bhagavān's forms possesses material qualities; “saguṇa” and “nirguṇa” here refer to the degree in which divine power is manifest.

No form of Bhagavān contains material qualities. Every form is eternally endowed with divine, conscious qualities intrinsic to Bhagavān. Differences appear only because the powers or qualities are manifested to greater or lesser degrees.

In Śrī Kṛṣṇa every quality and power is manifest in its absolute fullness. He is therefore the source possessing all portions, while all other forms are His portions. A fuller manifestation of power is called the source; a lesser manifestation, a portion. The difference lies only in expression, never in essential being.

All powers are perfectly manifest in Śrī Kṛṣṇa. He is the eternal abode of inconceivably infinite divine qualities intrinsic to His very being; the support of infinitely many mutually contrary attributes; and the ocean of all nectarous rasas. For this reason He is the Supreme Lord of every lord, the great Lord of all worlds, “Bhagavān in His totality,” and “Bhagavān Himself,” the source of all His portions.

Śrī Kṛṣṇa is embodied in a divine form that is itself being, consciousness, and bliss. He has two arms, wears the dress of a cowherd, carries the flute, and is the eternally fresh youth and supreme dancer whose ever-new body is forever captivating. He is Līlā-Puruṣottama, the Supreme Person of divine play.

Śrī Kṛṣṇa is an infinitely inexhaustible treasury of majesty and sweetness, yet He too has two modes: the aiśvara, or sovereign, and the brāhma, or sweetness-expanding. In His sovereign mode He performs such līlās as destroying asuras, establishing and renewing dharma in the world, protecting the holy, and chastising the wicked. In His brāhma mode He unfolds sweetness.

His form, virtues, beauty, and sweetness appear with such divine wonder and such ever-new freshness that they attract liberated sages, gods, every Lakṣmī, and even other forms of Bhagavān. What need, then, be said of anyone else? His supremely sweet and indescribable power of beauty attracts and entices even Śrī Kṛṣṇa's own mind:

[Sanskrit]

“Never perceived before, some astonishing and most exalted flood of sweetness now shines before Me. Alas, beholding it, even I become greedy at heart and desire to relish it eagerly, just as Rādhikā does.” (Lalita-mādhava 8.28)

Upon seeing His own beauty reflected in a jewelled wall or mirror, Śrī Kṛṣṇa exclaims in wonder.

“Ah! Never before have I experienced this sweetness. How astonishing, how exalted and excellent, and how sweet is this treasury of My beauty! At the sight of it My mind has become enthralled. Śrī Rādhikā never tires of gazing upon it; with unblinking eyes and supreme eagerness she beholds it eternally and without interruption. From this one may infer that she alone tastes the full rasa of this beauty. I therefore wish to enjoy it with the same supreme eagerness as Śrī Rādhikā.”

Language has neither words nor power adequate to describe the sweetness of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the ocean of all nectarous rasa. Only one who has seen it knows it, yet even that person cannot speak of it, because this beauty steals the heart away forever.

The Christian devotee Michael said:

[Hindi]

“One who has ever gazed without obstruction, filling his eyes with Mohana's beauty, alone can understand how Rādhā came to disregard the honour of her family.”

That beautiful form takes away one's entire being in an instant. The supremely loving devotee Līlāśuka Śrī Bilvamaṅgala sings:

[Sanskrit]

“Sweet, sweet is this almighty Lord's form; sweet, sweet, and sweet is His face. Ah, this tender smile fragrant with honey is sweet, sweet, sweet, and ever sweeter.”

Seeing sweetness everywhere, the ever-venerable Śrī Vallabhācārya sings:

[Sanskrit]

“Sweet are His lips, sweet His face, sweet His eyes, and sweet His smile. Sweet is His heart and sweet His gait; everything about the Lord of Sweetness is sweet.

“Sweet are His words, sweet His deeds, sweet His garment, and sweet His graceful curve. Sweet are His movements and sweet His wandering; everything about the Lord of Sweetness is sweet.”

Through these and similar words he indicates Śrī Kṛṣṇa's all-pervading sweetness. The following verses convey something of words attributed to Mahāprabhu Caitanya:

[Hindi]

“The beauty of Kṛṣṇa's limbs is sweeter than the sweet itself. Within it, the moon of His face shines in incomparable and consummate loveliness.”

[Hindi]

“Sweeter than sweet, and sweeter still than the sweetest, is the lovely, nectar-drenched moonlight of Śrī Kṛṣṇa's gentle smile.

“Every particle of that sweetly smiling moonlight is exceedingly sweet. Pervading all three worlds, it makes everything sweet.”

Wherever sweetness is found in the world, it is only an expansion of a particle of Śrī Kṛṣṇa's moonlike, sweet smile. His gentle smile alone ordains all the world's joy; otherwise the world is intrinsically filled with suffering.

Thus both majesty and sweetness are manifest in their absolute fullness in Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Yet within the realm of rasa, sweetness is pre-eminent, for in truth everyone desires rasa and everyone seeks it. Because people do not seek this supremely holy rasa of Bhagavān, however, they taste the so-called “rasa” of sense enjoyment: foul rasa, which desecrates the very name; contrary rasa; and utter aridity.

As a result, their lives here and hereafter become stained everywhere by sin and fault, consumed by the flames of sorrow, filled with agitation and unrest, and tormented as if in hell. To save human beings from this and enable them to attain true rasa - Bhagavān's own rasa, “Rasa indeed is He” - so that their lives may become blessed, fulfilled, and happy, Vyāsa, following Śrī Nārada's instruction, caused the sacred stream of the supremely sweet līlā narratives of Bhagavān, sovereign of rasa, to flow. The great Bhāgavata Śrī Śukadeva immersed the dying King Parīkṣit in that unfathomable treasury of rasa and made him blessed.

This divine rasa resides in Bhagavān's sweetness; sweetness is therefore pre-eminent. Indeed, even Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa's majesty remains subordinate to His sweetness. Every atom of His sovereign power is steeped in sweetness. Consequently Śrī Kṛṣṇa's majesty never inspires the fear associated with majesty elsewhere.

People mistakenly see divinity only in grandeur. In Śrī Kṛṣṇa, however, sovereign līlā is so adorned with sweetness that, even while revealing His supreme divinity, it strips Him of forbidding pomp and remoteness and makes Him the devotee's intimate “own.” The devotee claims Him as his own, falls at His feet, embraces Him, presses close to His heart, seats Him upon his lap, sits upon His lap, and even puts an arm around His neck.

He takes him along, eats and drinks with him, and sports with him; and although the Lord is endowed with the majesty of every excellence, He accepts all this joyfully and with eager delight - not through deceit, not through maya, not as a performance, but by truly becoming just so, in order to taste and bestow the sweet relish of divine love!

Today is the festival of the manifestation of this all-comprehensive Lord, Sri Krishna, "God Himself." Remember that Lord Sri Krishna is not a five-elemental, embodied living being who takes birth under the compulsion of karma. He is the eternal, true, beginningless embodiment of Existence-Consciousness-Bliss. In Him there is no distinction between body and indwelling self. Because He is the abode of mutually contrary attributes, worldly states appear to be seen in Him; yet even those worldly-seeming states are in truth nothing but His divine form, composed of consciousness and bliss.

You may behold Him in whatever form you desire, and you may establish with Him whatever relationship you desire. He stands ready to accept every such relationship. But that relationship must be exclusive, unwavering, complete, and of the very soul - not merely external.

He is ours, and we are His. Though the Lord is equal toward all, He enshrines in His own heart the one who worships Him with love, and He Himself dwells in that devotee's heart: "They are in Me, and I too am in them" (Bhagavad Gita). Nor is that all. He Himself becomes the devotee's heart and makes the devotee His own heart. The Srimad Bhagavata declares:

"The holy devotees are My heart, and I am the heart of those holy devotees. They know no one apart from Me, and I know no one apart from them."

(9.4.68)

Victory to Nanda's son, Sri Syamasundara!

• Whatever I have said here is no more than grace received from realized Vaisnava saints. As for me, I am a wretched and lowly creature, wholly ignorant of the truth of the divine form. I cannot even express their inspired utterances in full.

The Supreme Nature of Sri Krishna and His Love

I have received your letter. What you have written is correct. Vaisnava devotees who love Sri Krishna do indeed hold that the formless Brahman, the Absolute in its essential aspect, is the radiance of Lord Sri Krishna's body; that the indwelling Supreme Self is His partial manifestation; and that Lord Sri Narayana, the complete foundation of the six divine opulences - sovereignty, righteousness, fame, splendour, knowledge, and detachment in their fullness - is Sri Krishna's form of divine self-expression.

Sri Krishna and Sri Radha, who is His very essential potency, are utterly non-different. The one supreme Divine Reality, wholly free from duality, manifests in two forms in order to relish the rasa of divine play. These two forms are called the "object" and the "receptacle" of love. Sri Krishna is the object, and Sri Radha is its receptacle. The object is the enjoyer, and the receptacle is that which is enjoyed. For the sake of the lila, Sri Krishna sometimes becomes the receptacle and Sri Radha assumes the role of the object.

Sri Radha is the embodied form of the bliss intrinsic to Lord Sri Krishna. Yet, for the purposes of the lila, Sri Radharani is the perfect ideal of love, while Lord Sri Krishna is the perfect ideal of bliss. Thus Sri Radha, who is lila embodied, is Lord Sri Krishna's foremost worshipper. She has no awareness of any happiness of her own. She knows only Sri Krishna's happiness, and it is solely by seeing Sri Krishna happy that she eternally experiences supreme joy. All the gopis, Her companions and friends, are embodiments of this same disposition. They are happy only in the happiness of Sri Radha and Krishna. Not even the faintest imagined desire for the pleasure of their own senses exists in them. For this reason they are the supreme ideal guides of the path of loving devotion and of all loving devotees.

The Crown Jewel of Thieves and Paramours

"I bow to that Supreme Person who dwells in Vraja, who steals fresh butter and the garments of the cowherd women, who steals away the sins accumulated through countless births, and who stands foremost among thieves.

"May I dissolve into the sweetness of the moon of that Lord's face - its beauty softly radiant beneath a multitude of moonbeams, His eyes like the loveliest lotuses, His countenance joyful with the proud delight of His own play, victorious in the lovers' quarrels of the maidens of Vraja."

A gentleman asks: "In the Gopala-sahasranama, one of the Lord's names is 'the Crown Jewel of Thieves and Paramours.' Theft and adultery are both exceedingly base tendencies. Let alone a devotee of God: even an ordinarily discerning person avoids theft and illicit relations. How, then, can either be possible in God? If neither exists in Him, does calling Him the crown jewel of thieves and paramours not amount to abusing Him? And if theft and adultery can truly be attributed to Him, how could He remain God, and how could the people of the world follow His example without coming to ruin? It seems to me that someone with an evil intention gave Him this name. I wish to know your view on the matter."

In reply, I shall attempt to write a little according to my limited understanding. If it brings the questioner some satisfaction, so much the better. If not, at least it will provide an occasion to spend some time in discourse about the Lord. Since it is the questioner who has afforded me this blessed opportunity, I am in any case grateful to him.

It is entirely true that theft and adultery are exceedingly base tendencies, and people possessed of such tendencies can never be discerning or virtuous. Such faults cannot remain in a devotee; to imagine them in God is the very height of folly. Even so, the name "Crown Jewel of Thieves and Paramours" given to the Lord in the Gopala-sahasranama is neither an insult to God nor something contrived by anyone with an evil intention.

From a particular standpoint this name is perfectly meaningful when applied to the Lord, and once its mystery is understood, no doubt remains.

First, one must understand the Lord's nature. The Lord, endowed with divine qualities inherent in His very being, is wholly devoid of worldly qualities - the modifications of the three gunas born of material nature - and is therefore nirguna, beyond the material gunas. Because He is the supreme ideal of devotees, the teacher who guides the world, and the sustainer and nourisher of the universe, He bears within Himself every sattvic quality and is therefore adorned with endless virtues. Because it is He who manifests through material nature as the entire universe, He also contains all that appears as good and bad qualities. The Lord alone is both the efficient and the material cause of the whole universe. From this standpoint, all states in the world arise from Him,1 and every state is related to Him. Yet none of this introduces any defect into His essential nature. Although everything comes about through Him, He is bound by nothing.2

Even if, for some particular purpose, He is regarded as wholly distinct from the world, one must still admit that everything in the world belongs to God. He is the "Great Lord of all worlds,"3 and He Himself dwells within the body of every person as the indwelling self or atman.4 From this standpoint, because His ownership extends over every object in the whole world and because He is the husband of all women, He can be charged neither with appropriating another's property nor with relations with another's wife.

But here the question does not concern the Lord in His station as the Great Lord of all worlds and the Soul of the universe;

1. "Whatever states arise from sattva, rajas, or tamas - know them all to have arisen from Me..."

(Bhagavad Gita 7.12)

That is, know every state born of sattva, rajas, and tamas to have arisen from Me alone.

2. "Nor do those actions bind Me, O Dhananjaya." (Bhagavad Gita 9.9)

That is, O Arjuna, those actions do not bind Me.

3. "The Great Lord of all worlds." (Bhagavad Gita 5.29)

4. "I am the Self, O Gudakesa, dwelling in the hearts of all beings." (Bhagavad Gita 10.20)

O Arjuna, I alone dwell as the Self in the heart of every being.

rather, the questioner regards the Lord in His embodied, all-auspicious form as distinct from the Soul of the universe and the Great Lord of all worlds, and asks about that Lord who descends to earth precisely to establish dharma. His question is: "Can the Lord, who assumes an avatara in order to establish dharma, perform any act inherently opposed to dharma - an act that would destroy a noble ideal and, instead of establishing dharma, bring about its decline?"

In reply, it is entirely reasonable and true to say that the laws of the world of maya impose no constraint upon the Lord. He is absolutely independent. Whatever He does is His dharma, and whatever He says is scripture. Certainly, it is neither right nor possible for everyone to imitate His actions, for the Lord's actions accord with His own divine nature. A living being, not possessing divinity, cannot practise the dharma proper to God. Lord Sri Krishna drank fire; He brought Nanda back from Varuna's realm; He restored His teacher's son from the abode of Yama; He concealed the sun in broad daylight; in His childhood play He raised a mountain upon His little finger; and through His deeds He bewildered even Brahma. No living being can perform any of these acts. A human being therefore cannot imitate the Lord's actions. His words, however - His teachings - must certainly be followed, for therein lies the welfare of all living beings.

Even so, in the lila of the Lord's embodied, all-auspicious form there is in truth no act contrary to scripture or classifiable as theft, adultery, or any other sin. Deluded people, failing to understand His true nature, wrongly impute faults to His deeds.* Then

• "Fools, not knowing My supreme nature as the Great Lord of all beings, fail to recognize Me when I assume a human body and hold Me in contempt."

(Bhagavad Gita 9.11)

what, then, is meant by this "theft and adultery"? That is what we must now consider briefly. Even the Vedas salute God with the words, "Salutations to the Lord of thieves," thus addressing Him as their chief. On the authority of the ancient sacred texts, Gosvami Sri Tulasidasa, who had realized the true form of Lord Sri Rama, likewise called Him "the delight of the eyes and the thief of the world's heart." Yet it is principally for Lord Sri Krishna that the name "Crown Jewel of Thieves and Paramours" is used.

The Srimad Bhagavata makes it clear that Sri Krishna is God Himself: "Krishna alone is the Supreme Lord Himself." In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Sri Krishna repeatedly declares with His own holy lips that He is the manifest Supreme Ruler, the transcendent Reality compacted of Existence-Consciousness-Bliss. And this Lord was given the name "Crown Jewel of Thieves and Paramours" by those very gopis of Vraja for whose sacred foot-dust Brahma, foremost of the gods, and Uddhava, foremost of the wise, count it their good fortune to assume even a lower birth or an insentient body such as a creeper or shrub,* and to whom the Lord Himself

• "My greatest good fortune would be to take any birth whatever in the forest of Vraja, especially in Gokula, so that my head might be anointed with the dust from the feet of one of its residents. Their entire life is the blessed Lord Mukunda, whose foot-dust the revealed scriptures have sought from beginningless time even to this day."

(Srimad Bhagavata 10.14.34)

Sri Brahma says: "Lord, may I be born on this earth in Vraja - especially in Gokula - even as some insect or worm, so that I may gain the blessed fortune of anointing my head with the dust of the feet of the people of Gokula. Their entire life is You, Lord Mukunda, and the revealed scriptures have sought the dust of their feet from beginningless time until this very day, yet have not found it."

"Ah, may I become any one of the shrubs, creepers, or herbs in Vrindavana that receive the dust of these gopis' feet. For they abandoned their own people and the path of respectable society, both so difficult to forsake, and attained the path of Mukunda, which the revealed scriptures themselves seek."

(Srimad Bhagavata 10.47.61)

"Again and again I bow to the dust of the feet of the women of Nanda's Vraja. The songs they sing of Hari's deeds purify all three worlds."

(Srimad Bhagavata 10.47.63)

declares Himself indebted.1

By eating butter in the gopis' homes and placing their garments upon a kadamba tree on the bank of the Yamuna, Lord Sri Krishna came to be called a thief. By delighting in His own Self amid the gopis on the night of the autumn full moon, He came to be called a paramour. Yet if even the slightest truth of the mystery that belongs to the realm of divine love - the eating of butter, the stealing of garments, and the rasa dance - is understood, one clearly realizes that this "theft" is not theft at all, and that this "delighting" is no adultery in the form of union with another's wife.

Quarrelling over words is another matter. Those who know the truth do not fix their attention on words; they attend to their meanings in context. In the Vedas and the Bhagavad Gita, the word "desire" is also used in a noble sense. The Lord Himself desires to become many from one.2 He identifies desire that does not conflict with dharma as His own manifestation.3 In scripture, the gopis' divine love is called "desire"

Sri Uddhava says:

"Ah, may I become any one of the shrubs, creepers, or herbs born in Vrindavana that receive the dust of these gopis' feet, so that their foot-dust may fall upon me as well. For the gopis abandoned their own people and the path of respectable society, both so very difficult to forsake, and attained the path of Lord Mukunda, which the revealed scriptures have sought from beginningless time."

"Again and again I bow to the dust of the feet of the women of Nanda's Vraja, whose songs of the Lord's lila-stories purify all three worlds."

1. "I am unable to repay your faultless love and the noble service you have rendered Me, even in the lifetime of the gods. You worshipped Me after severing the hard-to-break chains of home. May your own goodness be the recompense for what you have done."

(Srimad Bhagavata 10.32.22)

Lord Sri Krishna says: "Beloved ones! You have utterly broken the hard fetters of home and served Me. I could not repay your noble deed even in the lifetime of the gods. By your own generosity alone can you release Me from this debt."

2. "He desired." (Taittiriya Upanisad 2.6)

3. "I am desire in beings when it does not conflict with dharma, O best of the Bharatas." (Bhagavad Gita 7.11) That is, O Arjuna, I am desire that does not conflict with dharma.

in this sense.1 The word "delight" occurs in the revealed scriptures and in the Bhagavad Gita,2 and the word "rejoice" also appears in the Gita.3 But the meaning of all these words in such passages is altogether different. Consider the word "birth" alone. The Gita uses "birth" of the Lord. God is unborn, yet He Himself tells Arjuna, "Many births of Mine have passed."4 At the same time, He says that one who knows the truth of His birth is freed from birth. Reflect upon this: can the birth of One whose birth, when known in its truth, releases a person from birth be of the same kind as the birth of an ordinary human being who is released from it? It is the birth of the Unborn - a divine birth. Though called birth, in truth it is not birth. In the same way, the Lord's "desire," His "theft," His "adultery," His "delight," His "sport," and all the rest are divine. Those who worship this Lord exclusively transcend the gunas; what can it be but folly to imagine in that eternally nirguna Lord the vices that are impure modifications of external material nature?

What, then, are these acts? They are divine lilas intrinsic to Lord Sri Krishna's own being. In the divine realm of Vraja they take place divinely, in divine bodies, with the divine residents and maidens of Vraja. In them there is no material theft, no material dalliance,

1. "The love of the women of the cowherd community alone came to be known as desire."

2. "Sporting in the Self, delighting in the Self, and active in the Self, such a one is the foremost of the knowers of Brahman."

(Mundaka Upanisad 3.1.4)

"But one whose delight is solely in the Self..." (Bhagavad Gita 3.17)

3. "They are satisfied and rejoice together." (Bhagavad Gita 10.9)

4. "Many births of Mine have passed..." (Bhagavad Gita 4.5)

"My birth and action are divine. One who thus knows them in truth, on leaving the body, is not born again, but comes to Me, O Arjuna."

(Bhagavad Gita 4.9)

That is, O Arjuna, My birth and action are divine. The person who knows this in truth does not take birth again after leaving the body, but attains Me alone.

and no material body. Indeed, even the nature of that realm is not material. This mystery therefore cannot enter the contemplation of our material intellect. Our intellect is an extremely gross form of the cosmic intelligence that functions as an effect of external nature, and it is so deeply covered by ignorance born of that very nature that it cannot grasp even the mystery of external nature, its own cause. How, then, could it comprehend the play of a divine realm wholly beyond material nature? Thus, when we read or hear such words, our minds become deluded. We take the blessed Lord to be a materially embodied human like ourselves, construe His divine lilas as worldly acts proper to material human beings, and impute faults to Him. Then, driven by delusion, we try to imitate Him, or, prompted by sinful understanding, attempt to justify our own sin under cover of His divine lilas, and so fall into the dreadful pit of hell. This is nothing but our own ignorance.

The mystery of the nonmaterial Lord's nonmaterial lilas can be known only upon attaining a nonmaterial state. For this reason, in the Bhagavad Gita Lord Sri Krishna teaches that true knowledge of His essential nature is attained through supreme devotion only after one has become established in Brahman.* This rare state is attained only by the Lord's grace. When one reaches it, the divine lilas of the Lord that are truly revealed are wholly of His own divine nature and beyond the reach of mind and speech. No one can describe them.

Yet some outward, relatively gross features of the realm of love, which by the Lord's grace

• "Having become established in Brahman, serene in self, one neither grieves nor desires. Equal toward all beings, one attains supreme devotion to Me. Through devotion one comes to know Me in truth - how great I am and who I am."

(Bhagavad Gita 18.54-55)

Lord Sri Krishna says:

"Having become established in Brahman, the serene person neither grieves for anything nor longs for anything. Seeing Brahman equally in all beings, that person then attains supreme devotion to Me, and through that supreme devotion knows the truth of My essential nature exactly as it is."

may enter to some degree into the understanding of persons whose inner being is pure; only these can be considered. In their light, we may call the lila of stealing curds and butter from the gopis' homes the Lord's "lila of accepting His devotees' worship," the stealing of garments His "lila of removing the veil," and the rasa dance His supremely confidential "lila of love's union."

Can anyone truly say that Lord Sri Krishna ever entered the home of a gopi and stole butter from one who regarded that butter as her own and grieved when the Lord took it? The gopis' very lives were centered in Sri Krishna, and their minds were wholly absorbed in Him. Their bodies, their minds, everything they possessed belonged to Syamasundara, Sri Krishna, the dearest Lord of their lives. They lived in the world for Sri Krishna, dwelt in their homes for Sri Krishna, and performed every household task for Sri Krishna. In their stainless, holy understanding - rare even for the greatest yogis - there was nothing they regarded as their own apart from Sri Krishna. For Sri Krishna alone, solely to bring Him happiness, they worshipped Him with what was already His own; and seeing Sri Krishna happy, they became happy.

From the moment they awoke in the morning until they slept at night, everything they did was done solely for love of Sri Krishna. Even their sleep took place in Sri Krishna: in dream and in deep sleep alike they beheld His sweet and tranquil lilas. At night, while setting the curd and meditating upon Syamasundara's exquisitely lovely form, each loving gopi would cherish this wish: "May my curd set beautifully. For Sri Krishna I shall churn it and draw from it a great abundance of the finest butter. I shall place it upon a hanging shelf just high enough for Sri Krishna's hand to reach with ease. Then may Sri Krishna, the treasure of my life, enter my home with His companions, laughing and playing; may they plunder the butter and freely distribute it, dance in my courtyard intoxicated with joy, while I hide in some corner and behold this lila with my own eyes, thereby making my life blessed and fulfilled."

All night the gopi would remain absorbed in this thought. Early in the morning she would quickly churn the curd, remove the butter, and place it upon the hanging shelf. Lest the treasure of her life come and turn away,

she would set every other task aside and churn the curd first. After placing the butter on the hanging shelf, she would grow restless awaiting Sri Krishna and think within herself: "Ah! Why has the treasure of my life not come today? Why is He so late? Will He not sanctify this servant's home today? Will He not taste the butter I have offered, make Himself happy, and thereby make me happy?"

Weeping amid these thoughts, the gopi would run to the doorway again and again, cast aside her modest reserve, and gaze down the road. "Is Syamasundara coming or not?" she would ask her friends. Every instant passed like an age for her. Lord Sri Krishna, the wish-fulfilling tree of His devotees' desires, would simultaneously assume many forms, enter the home of each such gopi, and accept her offering. He became happy on seeing His devotee happy, and by His own happiness increased the devotee's joy without limit.

Now tell me: can this be called theft? The theft that the Smriti texts declare an offence, the loathsome theft made into a profession by wretched, sense-bound creatures who are slaves to desire and covet another's wealth - can that theft bear even the slightest comparison with this one? Only through immense spiritual merit, as the fruit of endless virtuous deeds over countless births, does a person's understanding turn toward the Lord's feet. Only as one continues spiritual practice with that purified understanding does the Lord's grace sometimes enable an exceptional devotee to offer everything to Him. Only then does some faint shadow of the gopis' great ideal appear in that devotee. What can it be but confusion of intellect to regard the Lord's lila of love with the gopis, who are manifestations of His own essential nature, as ordinary theft?

The Lord's second theft was that of the garments of the greatly blessed young cowherd maidens on the bank of the Yamuna. By worshipping the goddess Katyayani, they sought to attain their dearest Sri Krishna as the Lord of their lives. Even the gopis' spiritual practice for attaining the Lord was itself a lila of the realm of love. When had Sri Krishna ever been unattained by the gopis, who are manifestations of His own being? All these lilas were enacted to show the path of love - to reveal how one may enter the realm of love and how much renunciation that entrance requires. It was to let devotees taste the sweetness of that very realm of love

that Sri Krishna, the very sovereign of rasa and crown of divine connoisseurs, descended with His divine companions and His divine abode and enacted His sweet lilas of love in Vraja. Among them, the stealing of the garments was a singular lila. It is profoundly mysterious. Unless one leaves the hellish kingdom of sense objects, which appear delightful at first, and enters the divine realm of love, one cannot understand the mystery of this lila of Sri Krishna, the sovereign of rasa and ocean of bliss.

To a worldly vision veiled by attachment to sense objects, only faults will appear in this divine lila of the Lord. For people with such a vision, it is sufficient to answer that Sri Krishna was then a very small child of six. It was simply impossible for Him to steal the gopis' garments with any evil intention. Alternatively, Sri Krishna acted in order to abolish the improper custom of bathing naked in the river, and He told them that bathing without garments was an offence against the deities* and should not be done.

For devotees who practise the path of love, however, the meaning is not confined to this. For them, the Lord performs this lila to teach complete renunciation - to teach the devotee to remove every covering and come before Him. In knowledge of the truth of God, even after the two great obstacles of impurity and distraction have been destroyed, a formidable obstruction remains so long as the veil persists. That veil is not easily destroyed. Ignorance covers the living being's understanding so skilfully that it will by no means permit one to go before the Lord uncovered and without a veil. The lila of stealing the garments contains the truth that every covering of the devotee, inner and outer, is destroyed.

The form of the sovereign of rasa - the treasury of the nectar of bliss and beauty, composed of the rasa of consciousness and bliss - is so sweet that in His presence all awareness of anything else is lost. Body and home, shame and reserve, honour and dishonour, one's own and another's, this world and the next - all are swept away in the powerful current of that incomparable river of beauty. What, then, need be said of the covering of outer garments? It is not the case that the gopis had any inner or outer veil between themselves and the Lord. Sri Krishna, whom one has once, with a sincere heart,

• "Because you, while observing your vow, entered the water unclothed, this indeed was an offence against the deities."

(Srimad Bhagavata 10.22.19)

By merely remembering Him, all the bonds of maya are severed forever and the heavy veil of ignorance is torn away forever. The gopis attain the Lord's direct company and eternally experience His essential reality. They manifested, by His own will, from His own divine potency, which is of His very being, and appeared in diverse forms solely to assist in His divine pastimes of love. To imagine any covering upon such gopis would itself be an offense against the Lord.

These pastimes of the gopis and the Lord took place as ideal guides for devotees on the path of love. When love manifests, all awareness of body and mind should be lost; in the divine realm of love, no covering should remain before the Beloved, whether as an obstacle to attaining Him or as a stain upon love. How, then, can the Lord's pastime of taking away the gopis' garments, undertaken to make them free of every covering in such love, be impure? Even in ordinary worldly love there is no room for a barrier between lover and beloved. How, then, could the barrier of clothing remain in the perfect union of Rasaraja and Mahabhava, the twofold manifestation of the one Lord? Who can remain behind a veil before Sri Krishna, Emperor of the realm of love, the very foundation of the principle of love, the divine embodiment of love, and the Self of all beings? How could anyone conceal even one part of the body from Sri Krishna, the all-pervading Supreme Self present in every atom?

Deluded by ignorance and failing to recognize the indwelling Lord, the bound soul vainly tries to hide itself and its actions from Him. The devotee, however, regards the self as belonging to Him and lays it open before Him. And if, despite being a devotee, someone hesitates for any reason to disclose the self in this way, the devotee-loving Lord Himself strips away the covering, removes completely every barrier between Himself and the devotee, and, with a firm embrace, forcibly takes away that covering so as to immerse the devotee in His blissful ocean of rasa and make the devotee filled with rasa. This is the outward secret of the pastime of taking away the garments. Could any sensible person suspect an evil intention in this lila? Could any discerning person call this pastime of breaking the covering an act of theft?

Nor is this all that the Lord does. First of all, He seeks to steal the devotee's mind

and when a devotee desires to give the mind to God, He does indeed steal it in the end! Once a person's mind has been stolen, how can that person remain apart from the Stealer of the mind? This is why, in the lila of the gopis, they are shown as dwelling ceaselessly in Sri Krishna.

To escape the enchantment of Shyamasundara's boyhood beauty, one is warned not to enter Nanda Baba's lane:

O traveler, do not go by that road! That street is fearfully dangerous; there all your possessions will be plundered. There stands a graceful young gallant, dark as a tamala tree. Bare-bodied, He strikes with the intoxication of Love, smiling ever so sweetly. He looks like an exceedingly innocent boy, yet He is a most accomplished magician. In an instant He steals the entire treasure of the heart; no one can restrain Him.

Thus far we have considered the significance of theft. We must now reflect a little upon the meaning of jara, a paramour. It has already been said that, because the Lord is the Self of every being, no conception of illicit paramourship can ever apply to Him. Yet the embodied, divine, all-auspicious Lord has here been called the "Crown Jewel among Paramours," and it is this that must be considered.

There are five principal rasas in relation to God: (1) shanta, peaceful adoration; (2) dasya, servitude; (3) sakhya, friendship; (4) vatsalya, parental affection; and (5) madhurya, conjugal sweetness. These five rasas also operate in worldly love, but when they are related to God they become five progressively heightened devotional moods, five ever-deepening modes of divine love. The highest of the five is madhurya. Madhurya contains within itself all four of the others - shanta, dasya, sakhya, and vatsalya. Because it is love's supremely developed form, its savor is exceedingly sweet. Connoisseurs of this rasa cast aside both worldly enjoyment and liberation as straw and remain intoxicated with divine love; hence it is called madhura, sweet.

In shanta-rasa there is only the unfolding of the purified inner being's Godward disposition. In dasya one gains the privilege of serving God; yet here God is majestic, the Master and the One to be served, while the devotee is lowly, a servant and attendant. A certain distance and reserve remain. But in sakhya,

vatsalya, and madhurya, God becomes progressively more and more intimate, one's very own. In sakhya His majesty remains somewhat hidden while love becomes manifest. In vatsalya a shadow of majesty appears only occasionally, while tender affection develops in the devotee. In madhurya the Lord forgets all His majesty, effaces His grandeur, and appears before the devotee as the most intimate and beloved Consort. In this rasa there is no prayer, no desire, no fear, and no reserve. Though the other four rasas may appear in conduct suited to a particular time and occasion, madhurya remains the principal rasa. "The Beloved is mine, and I am the Beloved's. Everything that is His is mine, and apart from my one Beloved I have nothing at all." The service offered to God in this rasa is not service to a master, but service to the Beloved. The lover finds boundless happiness solely in the Beloved's happiness, and therefore the service, too, is boundless.

This mood of madhurya is of two kinds: svakiya-bhava and parakiya-bhava. The love of a married husband for his own wife is called svakiya-bhava, while the relation of love between a man and another man's wife is called parakiya-bhava. Because sensual gratification is predominant in worldly love, worldly parakiya-bhava is sinful, loathsome, and a cause of hell; it must therefore be wholly renounced. Worldly parakiya-bhava contains a vile desire for bodily union, and its object of love is a jara, an adulterous paramour.

In the divine consort-mood of love for God, however, parakiya-bhava is far superior to svakiya-bhava, for here there is no desire for bodily union or sensual pleasure, and the Beloved is no adulterous paramour. He is God Himself - the very Self of husbands and sons and of the entire universe. In svakiya-bhava, too, the faithful wife surrenders her name and lineage, mind and life, wealth and dharma, this world and the next - everything - to her husband, and spends every moment of her life serving him. Yet it lacks four things found in parakiya: ceaseless contemplation of the Beloved, an intensely ardent and insatiable longing for union, the inability to see any fault whatever in the Beloved, and the desire for nothing at all. Because the wedded pair live together continually, these four are not present in svakiya in the same way; therefore parakiya-bhava is superior. Although the gopis are never without eternal union with the Lord, the predominance of parakiya-bhava

made even a moment's loss of His sight unbearable to them.¹ While performing every task they contemplated Sri Krishna without interruption,² and every one of Sri Krishna's actions appeared to them so filled with divine excellence that they could not withdraw their minds from Him even for a single moment. It must certainly always be remembered that this parakiya-bhava is possible only in Braja - that is, only in the divine kingdom of love, wholly free from worldly sense-desire. The Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita therefore says:

In parakiya-bhava there is an extraordinary exultation of rasa; apart from Braja, it has no dwelling anywhere else.

¹ The exultation of the highest parakiya-bhava within the supreme madhura-rasa occurs nowhere outside Braja, the divine kingdom of love. Therefore Lord Sri Krishna, Emperor of this kingdom of love, is not found in this form anywhere outside Braja:

When You go roaming through the forest by day, each moment becomes an age for those who cannot see You. And when they gaze upon Your beautiful face, framed by curling locks, the maker of their eyelids seems dull-witted. (Srimad Bhagavatam 10.31.15)

The gopis say: "Shyamasundara! When You roam through the forest during the day, every moment passes like an age for us because we cannot see You. Then, in the evening, when we behold Your beautiful face adorned with curling tresses as You return from the forest, Brahma, who made the eyelids of our eyes, appears foolish to us, for we cannot bear even the blinking of our eyelids."

² While milking the cows, pounding grain, churning curds, plastering the courtyard, rocking cradles, soothing crying infants, sprinkling and sweeping the floors, the women of Braja sing of Him, their minds bound to Him in love, their throats choked with tears; blessed are they whose hearts rest in the Lord of mighty strides. (Srimad Bhagavatam 10.44.15)

"Blessed are those women of the cowherd settlement whose minds are absorbed in Sri Krishna. While milking the cows, pounding rice and other grains, churning curds, plastering the courtyard, rocking children in their cradles, singing lullabies to crying infants, sprinkling the floors of their homes, and sweeping, they sing Sri Krishna's names and virtues from loving hearts, their eyes filled with tears and their voices choked with emotion."

Leaving Vrindavana, He does not take even a single step.

The gopis' love for Sri Krishna bore the conception of parakiya; hence it is said of them, "They came into union with Him even under the conception of a paramour." Their conception was the mood of loving Him as a paramour, not the loathsome, lust-driven disorder of mind infected by sensual desire.

Among the Lord's internal potencies, the hladini-shakti, His bliss potency, is supreme. This is His "Prakriti," His "Self-maya," or Yogamaya. The Lord's manifestation as Rasaraja, the sovereign embodiment of rasa, occurs through this hladini potency. In truth there is no distinction in essential nature between the potency and its Possessor. In divine lila, the Lord Himself, wishing to relish the divine rasa of His own beauty and sweetness, manifests through the hladini potency as Sri Radha, the embodiment of Mahabhava. From that same potency countless other powers manifest for the various lilas; as Sri Radha's companions, they participate in the pastimes of love between Sri Krishna, Rasaraja, and Sri Radha, the embodiment of Mahabhava. All of them are joined in the loving union of Sri Radha and Krishna; they are the sacred gopis.

On the autumn full-moon night, the Lord summons these gopis with the divine sound of His flute. Who, indeed, could remain unmoved after hearing the Lord's call? Sri Krishna had stolen their minds; they were the gopis "whose minds had been seized by Krishna." Hearing that divine flute-music, which intensifies bodiless Love, each one - just as she was and in whatever state she happened to be - ran out to meet her Beloved, but not in her gross physical body. That body remained where it was, and every cowherd husband saw his wife asleep beside him:

The people of Braja thought that their own wives were lying asleep beside them. (Srimad Bhagavatam 10.33.38)

That is, the residents of Braja saw their own wives, who had gone to the rasa dance, sleeping there beside them.

All the gopis went in divine bodies of bhava - bodies beyond the gross, subtle, and causal, manifested solely for the enactment of the loving pastimes of Braja - and in those very divine

bodies of bhava, the Lord - the compact mass of Being, Consciousness, and Bliss; the Lord of all masters of yoga; the very Enchanter of Cupid; one whose every desire is fulfilled, whose desires are true, and whose every desire is complete; the divine, all-auspicious embodiment of conscious bliss - takes refuge in Yogamaya and desires to sport. Manifesting simultaneously in many forms beside every gopi, each herself an embodiment of bhava and conscious bliss, He performs the rasa dance and delights as the Self-delighting Lord. Of the nature of this sport, the venerable sage Sri Shukadeva says:

The Lord of Lakshmi sported with the beauties of Braja as a child freely plays with its own reflections. (Srimad Bhagavatam 10.33.17)

"Just as a child sees its own image in a mirror and plays with it freely, so did Lord Sri Krishna, the Lord of Lakshmi, sport with the beauties of Braja." This, in brief, is the outward explanation of the Lord's form as the divine Paramour. Could anyone call this divine pastime of love - this venerable lila of union between the Supreme Self and the individual soul, or between God and the devotee - adultery?

He stole not merely curds, butter, and garments, but the entire minds and lives of all the gopis. And He did not sport with merely one or two. Like the play of the Supreme Self who dwells as the countless selves within countless bodies, He delighted in His own Self with innumerable gopis composed of conscious bliss. Therefore the blessed gopis who attained the experience of rasa openly and emphatically called Lord Sri Krishna the "Crown Jewel among Thieves and Paramours" - and they were entirely right!

It is certainly true that some sensually driven men have treated these divine pastimes of the Lord as worldly theft and adultery, have misused them, and continue to do so. Their conduct can neither alter the divine nature of the Lord nor injure the gopis in any way. But men and women who, with evil intent, misuse these lilas in poetry, sentiment, conduct, instruction, or understanding assuredly incur sin and travel toward hell.

The Radiance of Sri Krishna's Character

Your letter contained questions to which even a partial reply can be written only when the mind is steady and firmly established in the yoga of remembering Sri Krishna's character. This too has been one reason for the delay. I hope you will forgive me.

The allegations you have made against Lord Sri Krishna's conduct in Braja, and the sarcastic statements you have written in your questions, are not proper. It is true that you wish to see Sri Krishna as "utterly radiant," and it is also true that you feel pain when you read or hear the "impure" accounts of His character that have come before you. Your intention is sound, but it is not right to condemn Sri Krishna's character and call it impure without first understanding its inner truth. Today there are many others like you who sincerely wish to see Sri Krishna's character cast in a mold of radiance shaped by their own imagination. But that is their imagination. Their notion that they can confine God within their own limits is truly absurd. God is God; our intellect, veiled by maya, cannot sit in judgment upon His lilas.

Worship and contemplate Sri Krishna. When, through the power of worship and by His grace, you attain a purified understanding, you will begin to comprehend the greatness of His conduct in Braja. If you wish to behold His radiant character, look to His Srimad Bhagavad Gita, where there is no room for qualification or evasion. This does not mean that His conduct in Braja is not radiant. It is supremely radiant and supremely pure. Yet one can advance toward the supremely radiant only after first realizing the radiant. One can proceed further only after attaining surrender to God, the Gita's final teaching. Those who dare to criticize His supremely radiant conduct in Braja without first understanding the radiant character taught in His Gita find the eyes of their discernment dazzled. They discover themselves in a strange darkness, a darkness produced by an overwhelming light too intense for their eyes to bear,

produced by that very light. Thus, unable to understand the true mystery, they employ many kinds of specious reasoning to accuse the Lord; or else, by declaring this aspect of His conduct false, they entangle themselves in the dreadful mire of sin.

This does not mean that I fully know the mystery of Sri Krishna's conduct in Braja. I do not even know the radiant mystery of His Gita. You have asked for my own "opinion" in answer to your questions, and so I am writing something. I do not claim that what I write is the one correct explanation. Instead of answering each of your lengthy questions separately, I shall address them together in brief. Please forgive me if any point is left out.

I accept the lilas of Lord Sri Krishna with the sacred gopis as wholly true and supremely pure. As I understand them, they contain not the slightest taint of adultery. They are the supremely pure divine realization belonging to the highest of all stages of spiritual practice. It is attained only by greatly renounced, single-minded saints who are connoisseurs of divine rasa and who have attained perfection in the exceedingly difficult and supremely rare discipline of the gopis' love.

It is certainly true that Sri Radharani's name does not occur in the Srimad Bhagavatam. From this, however, one should not venture to say that her "story" is imaginary. It is no mere "story"; it is truth, truth itself. Her name does not appear in the Srimad Bhagavatam, but neither does the text contradict her reality. Indeed, it names none of the gopis. Her lila is related in the very ancient Padma Purana, in the Brahma-vaivarta Purana, and in respected works such as the Garga-samhita. Beyond even these, the realization of those great souls who directly beheld Sri Radharani and her grace stands as testimony. If someone does not accept this, there is neither compulsion nor insistence; yet truth cannot be destroyed by anyone's acceptance or rejection.

There is no need to investigate whether Sri Radharani was married to Sri Krishna, although accounts of their marriage are also found. My point is simply this: if, from a merely gross point of view, one considers Sri Krishna an ordinary human being, He was only eleven years old when He left Vrindavana for Mathura. The rasa-lila and related events occurred much earlier still. Sexual sport is not possible at such a tender age.

If, on the other hand, one accepts Him as almighty, the indwelling Knower of all, the one Self of everyone, the great Lord of all worlds, the compact mass of Being, Consciousness, and Bliss - God Himself - then whatever Sri Radharani may appear to be outwardly, she is the Goddess Herself. She is Lord Sri Krishna's hladini-shakti, the embodied form of His blissful nature, His own essential potency. She is never separate from Him. In the supremely divine lila of bliss and love, she and He are the eternal divine manifestation of one form in two bhavas. Sri Radharani is the embodiment of Mahabhava, and Lord Sri Krishna is the supreme embodiment of love.

The nature of love is to be happy in the happiness of the beloved. Wherever there is a desire to gratify one's own senses, love is entirely absent; there is only defiled lust. Lord Sri Krishna is Srimati Radharani's beloved, and Sri Radharani is Sri Krishna's beloved. Whatever Sri Radharani does, she does for Sri Krishna's happiness. When she sees Him happy, her nature is to be happy in His happiness, and she therefore experiences immeasurable joy. At the same time, Sri Krishna's happiness increases when He sees Sri Radharani happy, for she is His beloved, and His loving lila exists precisely to make her happy. Thus each makes the other happy; each one's happiness increases through the other's happiness, and they remain absorbed in lila.

The sacred gopis are concentrated embodiments of this very hladini-shakti, Sri Krishna's own essential potency. Day and night they experience joy in the bliss of Sri Radha and Krishna's union and participate in Their lila. This lila is supremely divine. Sri Radha and Sri Krishna are both lover and beloved. Therefore the devotee-poet Sri Bhagavatarasika says in one verse:

Each is the other's chakora bird, and each the other's moon. Both are chataka birds and both the rain of Svati; both are clouds and both unfailing lightning. Both are lotuses and both impassioned bees; both are iron and both are magnets. Both are lovers and both beloved; joined together, their graceful eyes meet. Both are clouds and both peacocks; both are deer and both melodies steeped in rasa.

Both are flawless jewels and both noble serpents; both are water and both are fish. To Bhagavatarasika, beloved Biharini is dear, and dear is Rasika Bihari. Each lives by beholding the other's face and drinking the nectar of the other's lips; they are never apart.

Yet this same Bhagavatarasika has rightly said:

Without being a rasika, no one can understand the words of a rasika.

It is true that the rasa-lila and related accounts openly describe the erotic sentiment and portray their figures in the manner of heroes and heroines. But it is not true that reading them awakens lust. Recitation of the five chapters of the rasa-lila is held to destroy lust, the disease of the heart, and so indeed it does. The case is different for those who are devoid of devotional feeling for God; for them, reading the rasa-lila is not appropriate. This is the secret of differences in spiritual eligibility. As I understand it, there is nothing blameworthy in this erotic sentiment or in the lila of hero and heroine.

The complete Absolute Himself - the Supreme Person, the indwelling Knower of all, the great Lord of all worlds, the Self of all, the sovereign Lord, the sole foundation of the entire cosmic universe, He who sustains the totality of the universe with only one infinitesimal portion of Himself, the sacred Lord whose form is Being, Consciousness, and Bliss - is the hero of this rasa in His form as Gopinatha. The heroines are the sacred gopis, concentrated embodiments of the hladini-shakti described above and essentially non-different from Him. Their lila, too, is composed of Being, Consciousness, and Bliss; it is exceedingly wondrous, divine, supramundane, and altogether beyond our material minds and intellects.

Yet suppose for a moment that this lila did savor only the erotic rasa of union, dalliance, and the like. Even then, no essential fault would arise. Imagine intensely sweet sugar candy molded into the shape of a bitter gourd so that it looks exactly like one. Does that make the sugar candy bitter? Does it deprive the candy of its natural qualities? On the contrary, the marvel of the lila is greater still: people take it for a bitter gourd, while in truth it is sweet sugar candy. In the same way, whatever the form of any lila of Lord Sri Krishna, the compact embodiment of Being, Consciousness, and Bliss, and of the sacred gopis, concentrated embodiments of His hladini-shakti and non-different from Him,

there is no bitter savor of worldly lust within it. There is only the eternal, divine rasa of Being, Consciousness, and Bliss. Where defiling maya itself is absent, how can one imagine lust born of maya? Lust is destroyed on a plane far below this one. But anyone who attempts to imitate it assuredly sins. No one can imitate the Lord. What is beyond maya cannot be imitated or enacted by means of things fashioned by maya. Make any kind of sweet from the fruit of a bitter gourd; however beautiful it may look, its bitterness cannot be removed. Therefore those who have sought, or now seek, to imitate Sri Krishna's rasa-lila and savor the pleasure of worldly hero and heroine have drowned and will surely drown. In all respects, Sri Krishna alone can imitate Sri Krishna.

Your question nevertheless deserves consideration: "How, then, can the Lord be regarded as an ideal for the guidance and welfare of the world?" The first answer is that no one's childhood actions are taken as standards for guiding the world. It is not the case that every childhood action of the world's greatest exemplary saints was necessarily worthy of a saint. The lila of Braja ends before Sri Krishna reaches the age of eleven.

Second, the gopi-lila within the lila of Braja is an exceedingly secret reality. It is directly realized only by the Lord and His internal potencies; no one else has entry into it. This lila does not occur in the public world, nor is public guidance its purpose. It is a supramundane lila that takes place in the realm of experience of greatly exalted saints. It bears no relation to the outward work of guiding the world. Even in Braja almost no one knew of this lila. What, then, need be said of outsiders? The cowherd men saw their respective wives asleep beside them:

The people of Braja thought that their own wives were lying asleep beside them. (Srimad Bhagavatam 10.33.38)

The gods headed by Brahma were like people who cannot see what is taking place inside a pavilion and are enthralled and astonished merely by beholding its splendor from outside: unable to see the inner event, they too

remained astonished by the external appearance alone. Lord Shankara and Narada, and at one time Arjuna, beheld this lila only after attaining the mood of the gopis. This is why Shishupala, even while pouring a torrent of abuse upon the Lord, never once alluded to the gopi-lila. Had he known of it, he would not have remained silent on the matter. This should not be taken to mean that the lila never occurred. In the Mahabharata itself, Draupadi, in her anguished appeal, addressed the Lord as "Beloved of the gopis." Draupadi was an intimate devotee and therefore knew something of this secret. Thus the lila has no relation to the outward work of guiding the world; how, then, could it obstruct the Lord's standing as an ideal for such guidance? This applies to ordinary society. For the inner world of intimate practitioners, this very lila is the ideal that guides their world.

It is indeed stated in the Bhagavatam, and it is true, that hearing the flute increased kama - Ananga, bodiless Love - in the gopis' hearts. But, as already explained, that kama was not our defiled lust. Love, too, is without a body. The gopis' "kama" was love directed wholly toward Sri Krishna. It was eternally perfect love; the instant they heard the flute, it surged into irresistible strength, drove them divinely mad with love, and impelled them at once toward the Lord. The Lord stood upon the bank of the Yamuna precisely to accept their loving service. With the flute's enchanting call He summoned the gopis and drew them near. This is the lila of love between loving devotees and the Lord; it does not contain even the faintest scent of lust.

As for the poets, in my understanding they may be divided into three classes: (1) devotee-poets who directly experienced the lila; (2) poets who trusted in the lila and composed accounts of the lila of Braja with faith, devotion, and purity of feeling; and (3) poets of worldly erotic sentiment who, whether with pure or impure feeling, place Sri Krishna and Sri Radharani or the gopis in the roles of hero and heroine in order to compose erotic poetry. To give names and decide who belongs to which class

I do not possess the power to do so. Who can know what lay in another's heart? I do, however, revere the devotee-poets Sri Surdasji, Tulsidasji, Nanddasji, and others; and I believe that whatever they said was spoken from a heart of the utmost purity.

Although Tulsidasji was a devotee of Sri Rama, this did not oblige him to narrate the life of Sri Krishna. Nevertheless, in his Sri Krishna Gitavali he gave a brief and exquisitely sweet account of Sri Krishna's childhood lilas.

The Lord of the Beauties of Vraja

The fountainhead of bliss, Sri Krishnachandra, beloved son of the king of Vraja, left the blessed beauties of Vraja in the dense forest and vanished from their sight. Overwhelmed by separation, they began searching for the Beloved of their very lives. As they searched, they became wholly filled with Sri Krishna. Then, tormented by their longing to behold Him, they began to lament and weep inconsolably. At that very moment Shyamasundara appeared in their midst, smiling most sweetly. His lotus face blossomed with a gentle smile. He wore a yellow garment and a divine garland of forest flowers around His neck. His beauty churned the mind even of Kamadeva, who churns the minds of all the beings in the universe. He was verily the Enchanter of the enchanter. When the beauties of Vraja found in their midst Shyamasundara, lovelier, sweeter, and more enchanting than millions of Kamadevas, it was as though divine life returned to their lifeless bodies. Their eyes blossomed with joy and love. The Beloved's sudden appearance brought fresh ardor to their hearts, and new consciousness awakened in every limb. Each welcomed Him according to the feeling of her own heart: one clasped His tender lotus hands in hers; another embraced His lotus feet; another took His feet and placed them upon her heart; another received the betel He had chewed; while another, overwhelmed by loving pique, arched her brows and, from a distance,

cast a brow-knit sidelong glance at Him. Others, with unwinking eyes, drank the sweet nectar of His enchanting lotus face. Every pore of their bodies blossomed. Thus, when the burning anguish of separation had subsided, they sat encircling Shyamasundara, the treasure of their lives. Once again, playful laughter began. As though posing a riddle in order to make the fountainhead of bliss, Sri Krishnachandra, confess with His own lips that He was exceedingly hard-hearted and a great deceiver, the beauties of Vraja asked Him:

“Some reciprocate only with those who worship them; some do the opposite. Still others reciprocate with neither. O virtuous one, please tell us plainly about this.”

(Srimad Bhagavata 10.32.16)

“Shyamasundara! Some people worship only those who worship them; they love only those who love them. Others worship those who do not worship them; they love even those who do not love them. A third kind does not worship even those who worship them and does not love even those who love them; needless to say, they do not love those who do not love them. Beloved, tell us: which of these three do You consider best?” The beauties of Vraja meant, “Tell us plainly to which of these three classes You belong.” In reply, Shyamasundara, the fountainhead of bliss and beloved son of Nanda, said:

“Friends, those who worship one another act solely for selfish ends. There is neither friendship nor dharma in that; it is only self-interest and nothing else.

“Those who worship even those who do not worship them are compassionate, like parents. O slender-waisted ones, in them are faultless dharma and true friendship.

“Some do not worship even those who worship them, much less those who do not. Such persons are either self-delighting, desireless, ungrateful, or hostile to their benefactors.

“Yet, friends, I do not always reciprocate even with those beings who worship Me, so that their inclination to follow Me may deepen. Just as a poor man who gains wealth and then loses it becomes so absorbed in thinking of it that he knows nothing else,

“Even so, O powerless ones, because for My sake you abandoned worldly convention, the Vedic path, and your own people, I remained hidden while inwardly worshipping you, so that your devotion to Me might deepen. Do not resent Me for this, My beloved ones.

“Not even with the lifespan of the gods could I repay your spotless union with Me and your noble deeds, for you severed the hard-to-break chains of home to worship Me. May your own goodness be the recompense for what you have done.”

(Srimad Bhagavata 10.32.17-22)

The Lord said, “My dear friends! Those who reciprocate only when they are worshipped, who love only when they are loved, are wholly intent upon selfish gain. In them there is neither true friendship nor dharma. It is mere commerce, a transaction of give and take; they have no purpose beyond self-interest. Those who love even when they are neither worshipped nor loved, such as innately compassionate holy persons and parents, have hearts filled with friendship. Their love is truly pure, and dharma is present there as well. Those who do not worship even when they are worshipped, and do not love even when they are loved, certainly cannot be expected to love when they are not loved. Such indifferent persons are of four kinds: those who delight in the Self, those whose desires are fulfilled, the ungrateful, and those who betray their benefactors. Friends, if you are asking about Me, I belong to none of these three classes: the conditional, the unconditional, or the indifferent. If at times I do not outwardly return the love of those who love Me, it does not mean that I do not love them. I act so that their minds may remain fixed upon Me. When, after meeting them, I conceal Myself again, My devotees' minds become conformed to Me. A poor man who acquires great wealth and then loses it becomes so consumed by thoughts of that wealth that his whole heart seems made of it; forgetting everything else, he becomes wholly absorbed in it. In the same way, when I hide Myself, My devotees become wholly absorbed in Me. My beloved ones, you have offered all your

faculties to Me, and for My sake you have abandoned social convention, the Vedic path, and even your own intimate relations. I concealed Myself here so that no thought of your own beauty and blessed fortune might arise in your minds, and so that your minds might remain fixed on Me alone. Although I was not visible, I was present there in your very midst. I watched every state of your love and became immersed in it. Therefore, do not accuse Me. You are all exceedingly dear to Me, and I too am your beloved. Your love is perfectly pure; it bears not the faintest scent of self-interest. For My sake you have broken the fetters of household life, fetters that even the most powerful cannot break. Even if, with a divine and immortal body, I wished to repay your love, renunciation, and service throughout eternity, I could not do so. I remain forever in your debt. Only by your own gentle nature can you release Me from it, for I am utterly unable to discharge that debt.”

The Lord, the very life of the blessed beauties of Vraja, is not a merchant engaged in give and take. When the Lord tempted Prahlada with the offer of a boon, Prahlada said to Sri Bhagavan Nrisimhadeva, “A servant who seeks to have his desires fulfilled by You is no servant, but merely a merchant: ‘Such a one is no servant; he is indeed a trader.’ And one who grants a servant's desires in order to obtain his service and become his master is no master.”

The Lord says in the Gita:

“As people surrender unto Me, so do I reciprocate with them.”

(Bhagavad Gita 4.11)

This is the general rule; such is the Lord's conduct toward every living being. Here, however, Sri Bhagavan has described this as an undertaking driven solely by self-interest, because an expectation is plainly present. Where there is expectation, there is a condition; and where there is a condition, there is neither freedom nor the heart's undivided singleness. Just as buyer and seller meet because each expects some benefit, the same is true here. But the Lord of the beauties of Vraja, the Lord of the devotees, does not love His devotees out of any selfish

endeavour.” Their mutual worship, their mutual love, is wholly causeless and therefore arises from love alone and is itself the very form of love.

The Lord of the blessed beauties of Vraja, that is, of loving devotees, is not merely a compassionate, unconditional lover like a father or mother. Out of affection, parents conceal their child's faults. Their tender compassion cannot bear to see the child unhappy, and so faults may remain in the child. The Lord, however, makes His devotee entirely faultless: He burns away every impurity and makes the devotee pure gold. Thus He is neither conditional like a merchant nor unconditional like a parent.

The devotees' Lord is not one who merely delights in the Self. Such self-delighting persons remain absorbed in their own essential nature. The world has no importance in their sight, and consequently they remain indifferent to it. Such a one has no duty to perform:

“For him there is no work that must be done.”

(Bhagavad Gita 3.17)

The Lord, however, never tires of laboring for His devotee. His work is never finished. Even if He spends His immortal life serving His devotee, He never considers the task complete.

Nor is the devotees' Lord merely one whose every desire is fulfilled. Those called fulfilled in desire have all their wishes satisfied and retain not even the scent of longing for any object. Yet the devotees' Lord yearns for a leaf, a flower, fruit, or water lovingly offered by His devotee, even for the tiniest grains of flattened rice. Like one who has gone hungry for days, He picks up and eats, one by one, the grains scattered in the courtyard. He longs to enact the nectar-filled rasa dance with the beauties of Vraja. Filling His flute with sweet notes, He summons them near. He cries insistently for the milk of loving Mother Yashoda, and He steals butter and curd from the homes of the beauties of Vraja and feasts upon them!

The Lord is not ungrateful either. He grows bashful even before one who has bowed to Him but once:

“He feels shy before one who has offered but a single salutation.”

Then what need be said of a devotee

? He becomes wholly subject to His devotee. The Lord said to Sri Durvasaji:

“O brahmana, I am utterly subject to My devotees and am as though without independence. My holy devotees have possessed My heart; I love My devotees, and they love Me.”

(Srimad Bhagavata 9.4.63)

“Durvasaji! I am wholly subject to My devotees; I have not the least independence. My saintly devotees have taken possession of My heart. They love Me, and I love them.” Thus the Lord is eternally grateful, and one who is grateful can never be indifferent.

Those who delight in the Self and those whose desires are fulfilled may also be indifferent, but their indifference is not tainted; it is an adornment of their nature. The indifference of the ungrateful and of those who betray their benefactors, however, is dreadful, and of these the betrayer is worst. Those who cheerfully appropriate another's goods and proudly twirl their moustaches are bad, but worse still are those who turn against their benefactors. Sri Bhagavan is no such betrayer. He acknowledges what His devotees have done for Him and even feels shy to present Himself before them. Sri Ramachandraji, the Lord who is the supreme exemplar of righteous conduct, says to His devotee Hanuman:

“Listen, O monkey: no god, man, sage, or embodied being has ever served Me as you have. What return can I make for your service? My heart cannot even face you.”

This establishes that the Lord belongs to none of the classes of the indifferent. What, then, is He? He is indebted to the beauties of Vraja, eternally indebted to devotees like them. Though omnipotent and replete with every divine majesty, He cannot repay them; therefore His love is not prompted by expectation. Though He is the mother, sustainer, and grandsire of all, He does not, like ordinary parents, remain merely unconditional and allow faults to persist in His devotees. Though eternally self-delighting, He cannot remain indifferent. Though eternally fulfilled in every desire, He does not remain without desire. Though by His natural beneficence He makes everyone indebted to Him, He Himself remains grateful. And though He alone is the Guru of the universe, He regards the blessed beauties of Vraja, Sri Radharani, as His guru in

love and never betrays Her. This is the self-revelation, spoken by His own lips, of Sri Krishnachandra, beloved son of the king of Vraja, the fountainhead of bliss and boundless ocean of the nectar of supreme love! The Lord Himself said to Sri Uddhavaji:

“Neither Brahma, born from My own body, nor Shankara, nor Sankarshana, nor Sri Lakshmi, nor even My own Self is as dear to Me as you are.”

“Uddhava! Neither My son Brahma, nor Shankara, who is My very Self, nor My brother Balaramaji, nor even My consort Lakshmiji is as dear to Me as a loving devotee like you. Indeed, not even My own Self is so dear to Me.”

The Discipline for Beholding Sri Krishna

A Gujarati gentleman earnestly desires answers to the following questions. He has asked that his name not be disclosed, and it is therefore withheld. A few words in his questions have been changed while carefully preserving their meaning.

1-Several holy men say that God cannot be directly beheld in the present age. Is this belief worthy of acceptance? Even if we were to accept it for a moment, would that mean it is untrue that devotees such as Tulsidas and Narsi Mehta beheld the captivating form of Shyamasundara in this very Kali Yuga?

2-Is it possible to behold beloved Krishnachandra as plainly as I see you seated before me and converse with you? If so, what should we do to behold that enchanting form without delay?

3-Until these physical eyes can gaze upon that Beloved to their complete satisfaction, they are of no use. Please tell me: what is the perfect path by which the eyes may be made truly fruitful?

4-The fiercest fire of separation, born of longing to behold Krishna, is burning in my heart. I do not know why it will not burst forth! This makes me more anxious still.

Along with these questions, the gentleman has written much else, from which it is evident that a longing for the direct vision of the Lord has awakened in his heart. A true answer to these questions could come only from a venerable great soul who has been blessed by beholding the enchanting, divine sweetness of Shyamasundara's form. Nevertheless, on the basis of what I have heard from the experience-filled words of such great souls, I shall attempt some answer. I am grateful to the questioner for giving me this auspicious opportunity to speak of the Lord. Rather than answer the four questions separately, I shall address them together.

It is my firm conviction that the Lord can certainly be directly beheld in this age. Indeed, compared with other ages, He may be beheld with less time and less effort. I accept as wholly true that crown jewels among devotees such as Tulsidasji and loving souls such as Narsi Mehta received the Lord's direct vision. If a devotee so desires, he can meet the Lord in one place and converse with Him just as two friends converse with one another. The devotee must, of course, possess the requisite fitness. The many sacred lives of devotees bear witness to this. The finest means of beholding the Lord quickly is an intense and ardent longing to see Him. If one yearns to behold God with the same extreme desperation with which a drowning man longs to rise above the water, the Lord's vision is no extraordinary matter. This anguish must be genuine, not contrived. When a person's only son is dying, or an honor maintained for hundreds of years is being lost, the heart feels a natural and guileless anguish. When that same anguish to behold the Supreme arises within an exceedingly blessed devotee, the Lord cannot refrain from granting him His vision. Such anguish arises only when the devotee regards the Supreme as greater than all the

things of the world, regards every enjoyment of this world and the next as utterly petty and negligible, and has surrendered his life, wealth, splendor, honor, social shame, worldly duty, and Vedic duty, everything, for the one supremely beloved Shyamasundara. Describing the nature of devotion, the divine sage Narada says:

“Devotion consists in dedicating every action to Him and becoming supremely anguished the moment He is forgotten.”

(Narada Bhakti Sutra 19)

To offer all one's actions to the Lord and to become utterly anguished the moment one forgets Him: this is devotion. So long as desire for worldly enjoyment remains, so long as the transient things of the world appear beautiful, pleasurable, and satisfying, and so long as we savor them, our whole heart is not free for the Lord. Gosain Tulsidasji said:

“If Rama had become sweet to me, the nine sentiments and the six tastes would all have turned insipid and savorless.”

“If Lord Rama had truly become dear to me, the nine aesthetic sentiments, beginning with the erotic, and the six flavors, beginning with the sour, would have become tasteless, empty, and flat.” We receive only as much fruit as the place we give the Lord within ourselves. But until we adorn and prepare the entire throne of our heart for the Lord of that heart, and until an unceasing stream of divine feeling flows in our inner being, continuous and unbroken like a stream of oil, we cannot feel anguish for Him. And until we become anguished for Him, the Lord too does not become anguished for us, for this is one of His conditions:

“As people surrender unto Me, so do I reciprocate with them.”

(Bhagavad Gita 4.11)

When a devotee becomes utterly absorbed in love and, like one intoxicated, renounces home, wife and children, this world and the next, joy and sorrow, honor and dishonor, and everything else, and becomes supremely anguished for that

Supreme Lord, who begins to writhe like a fish taken from water at even a moment's separation, and whose very life becomes distraught with the pain of separation like that of the devoted gopis, may behold the Lord very quickly. But such single-hearted anguish is generally absent in us; that is why His vision is delayed. We labor with all our strength and strive sincerely for wealth, children, honor, and fame; we agonize over them. Have we ever, on even one day in our entire lives, striven or agonized so intensely for the Supreme? We wander and weep for paltry wealth and honor, but have we ever, in genuine anguish for the Supreme, shed even a single tear? In such a state, how can we say that the Supreme cannot be beheld? Where is the longing to behold Him in our hearts? We have filled our whole mind with the refuse and rubbish of transient worldly objects. Can anyone remain still when fiercely hungry or thirsty? Yet our craving for enjoyment and our indifference toward the Lord prove that we have felt no fierce hunger or thirst for Him. The day that hunger awakens, nothing apart from the Lord will please us. On that day our mind will withdraw from every side and become absorbed in contemplation of Him alone. Just as the mind naturally turns away from petty commerce in cowrie shells once a vast empire has been gained, so even the greatest pleasures of the world will begin to seem trivial and insipid. Then we shall spontaneously exclaim:

“Nothing in this world brings delight to me; moment after moment the dark-hued Form returns to memory.”

Although the Lord is supremely sweet and the very embodiment of supreme bliss, we are not wholly drawn to Him. The reason is that we have not properly understood His greatness. Therefore, abandoning nectar, we wander day and night after the alluring

poison-filled sweets of sensual objects, eat them, and repeatedly meet death. The Lord's vision is not rare; what is rare is an exclusive longing to behold Him, wholly free from pretence. The Lord is eternal and real, all-pervading at every time and in every place. How, then, can it be accepted that He cannot be seen in one particular age? Those who say so are either devoid of faith or have never had the opportunity to understand the import of His glory.

There is no doubt that these eyes attain their true fulfillment only by gazing, with an ever-unsated thirst, upon the world-enchanting beauty of Shyamasundara's form, ever fresh and radiant as a blue lotus. Yet until the Lord's grace imparts divine vision to these eyes, they remain deprived of that splendor. The perfect path for making the eyes divine and thus fulfilling their purpose is the supreme anguish described above. The blessed soul in whose heart the fiercest fire of separation from Sri Krishna's vision is burning is worthy of every praise. This fire of separation generally does not emerge outwardly. But when the pain of separation becomes utterly unbearable and bursts forth, it instantly burns away all his sins and afflictions and makes him mad with love. At that moment the devotee, intoxicated with exclusive love, forgets everything like the gopis of Vraja and runs to behold that life-beguiling Enchanter who is dearer than life itself. Employing all his strength and fervor, he calls out to Him. It is in this very state that he receives the Lord's vision. The Lord appears in the very form in which the devotee longs to behold Him; His conduct, dealings, and conversation are also generally of the very kind the devotee had desired before.

To attain such a state, the aspirant should first gain some understanding of the Lord's incomparable greatness through holy company, and then awaken some love for Him within by constant repetition of His name and meditation upon Him. As the heart fills with love for the Lord, worldly objects will withdraw from it. Continuing in this way, on the day he is able to adorn his

heart's throne for the Supreme alone, in that very moment supreme anguish will arise within his heart. Becoming exceedingly intense, that anguish will awaken in the Lord's heart an equal anguish to grant His devotee His vision. Immediately thereafter will come the blessed hour in which devotee and Lord meet one another face to face, and the earth will be sanctified by their meeting.

Longing for Beauty

Do not suppress the heart's longing for beauty; let it grow to its fullest. But strive to fasten it upon the supremely beautiful Reality. Seek that infinite and ultimate treasury of beauty. Nature has obtained but one tiny particle from that ocean of beauty, yet she swells with pride, assumes ever-new and countless forms, reveals herself again and again, and keeps the world spellbound. The peerless beauty of the sky; the delightful beauty of the cool, gentle, fragrant breeze upon the skin; the wondrous beauty of fire, water, and earth; the beauty of the manifold colors and fragrances of endlessly varied flowers; the beauty of the many-colored, pleasing forms of different birds and of their sweet warbling; the heart-stealing sweetness of children; the graceful loveliness of maidens; and the sweet beauty of the affection of mother, wife, friend, and others, even all of these together cannot equal the tiniest droplet from that nectarean ocean of beauty. Seek that boundless mass of beauty. Awaken the longing to behold Him; awaken it in every limb. Let your intellect, your mind and heart, all your senses, every limb and member of your body, every pore of your being become restless for His exquisite beauty. Do only this. Then see into what conscious, divine empire of beauty your longing carries you. Ah! If you receive even the faintest glimpse of Him just once, you will be blessed beyond measure. Thereafter this longing for beauty will not need to be extinguished. It will become immortal and will grow so greatly, so greatly, that even the bliss of liberation

Even after losing oneself in it, one remains fully alive and aware, only to plunge and rise again and again in that ocean of beauty. Such is that beauty that even if one gazes upon it ceaselessly, day and night, for endless ages, one is never satisfied. The thirst for His vision never subsides; the eyes forever remain "thirsty for the sight of Hari." There can be no thought of quenching this thirst. Rather, like a fire that grows ever fiercer when fed oblations of ghee together with fuel, it increases without end and advances toward infinity. Yet this thirst--this ever-deepening longing for His vision--is even more blissful than the vision itself. Such is the beauty that, at its sight, life stirs even in the hearts of sages whose minds had become as if dead. Shri Radhika, the daughter of Vrishabhanu, says--

His lovely radiance surpasses a fresh raincloud; His enchanting garment shines brighter than new lightning. His moonlike face, adorned by His wondrous flute, outshines the autumn moon; Decked with peacock feathers and the lustre of a splendid pearl necklace, That Madana-mohana, dear friend, deepens my eyes' longing to behold Him.

"Dear friend! His beautiful lustre excels that of a fresh raincloud; His enchanting yellow robe gleams more brilliantly than a new garland of lightning. His moonlike face is more radiant even than the spotless autumn full moon and is adorned by His exquisitely beautiful flute. He is splendidly arrayed in peacock feathers, and around His neck shines a superb necklace of pearls with a pure lustre. That Madana-mohana is intensifying my eyes' longing for His vision." And why speak only of the eyes? Every sense is growing eager to behold Him. Every limb is restless with an intense yearning for sweet union with Him. Even after meeting Him again and again, one experiences only separation--only the pang of longing. She says further--

His voice is the deep resonance of a thundering cloud; The auspicious chiming of His ornaments draws the ear. His playful words and their meanings disclose countless graceful moods; The melody of His flute steals the hearts of noble ladies such as Lakshmi. That Madana-mohana, dear friend, deepens my ears' longing to hear Him.

"Dear friend! His voice is as profoundly resonant as the thunder of a cloud; the sweet chiming of His ornaments draws the ears; His playful words continually bring forth a wealth of graceful moods; and the sound of His flute continually steals the hearts of goddesses such as Lakshmi. That Madana-mohana is intensifying my ears' longing to hear Him."

The waves of fragrance from His body conquer musk and captivate all women; From the eight lotuses of His limbs He spreads the scent of camphor-laden lotuses. He is anointed with a fragrant unguent of musk, camphor, finest sandalwood, and agarwood; That Madana-mohana, dear friend, deepens my nose's longing to breathe His fragrance.

"Dear friend! The waves of fragrance from His sacred body, surpassing even musk, bring women under His spell. Through the eight lotuses upon His form--His two lotus feet, two lotus hands, two lotus eyes, lotus navel, and lotus face--He diffuses the fragrance of lotuses mingled with camphor. His limbs are anointed with an aromatic paste prepared from musk, camphor, the finest sandalwood, agarwood, and other fragrant substances. That Madana-mohana is intensifying my nose's longing for His fragrance."

His broad and lovely chest is like a portal of sapphire; His bolt-like arms dispel the anguish in the hearts of young women tormented by love. His body is as cooling as the moon, yellow sandalwood, the lotus, camphor, and a cloud; That Madana-mohana, dear friend, deepens my bosom's longing for His touch.

"Dear friend! His broad chest is as enchanting as a great panel of sapphire. His two arms, like the bolts of a door, are able to destroy the mental anguish of young women stricken with love. His body is exceedingly cool, like the moon, yellow sandalwood, the lotus, camphor, and a cloud. That Madana-mohana is intensifying my bosom's longing for His touch."

The blazing nectar of His lips steals from Vraja's peerless women Every thirst for the succession of other tastes; Even its slightest remnant is attained only by the greatly blessed. The fine roll of betel leaf He has chewed vanquishes nectar itself; That Madana-mohana, dear friend, deepens my tongue's longing to taste Him.

"Dear friend! The supremely sweet nectar of His lips steals from the incomparable women of Vraja every desire for all other tastes. It can be attained only through an immense store of merit, and the roll of betel He has chewed defeats nectar itself. That Madana-mohana is intensifying my tongue's longing to taste Him." Panditaraja Jagannatha warns the mind that is deluded by sense-objects--

O mind, I tell you this for your own good: while grazing a herd of cows in Vrindavana, Do not make a friend of anyone whose lustre resembles a fresh raincloud. With gentle smiles that pour forth the nectar of beauty on every side, He will bewitch you and swiftly bring both you and your cherished sense-objects to ruin.

"O mind! I speak for your good. While grazing cows in Vrindavana, do not befriend anyone whose lustre resembles a fresh dark cloud. With His gentle smile, which showers the nectar of beauty, He will enchant you and at once destroy even those objects of the senses that you hold dear." Only one who has drunk this sweetness of form knows its savour. What can others know of it? It is said that the Muslim devotee Raskhan was once attached to a woman. She was very proud and repeatedly treated him with disdain. Then one day he happened to see an enchanting picture of Shyamasundara--the son of the King of Vraja, the source of bliss, Madana-mohana, Lord Shri Krishnachandra--and from that very instant he was captivated by Him. He asked the people, "Where does this dark and beautiful thief of my heart live, and what is His name?" They told him, "He lives in sacred Vrindavana, and His name is Raskhani." At once, beside himself with love, he reached Vrindavana. As the fruit of his intense and single-minded longing for that vision, he beheld Brajachandra, surrounded by cows, cowherd boys, and gopis: the very essence and entire treasure of the nectar of all beauty, sweetness, and rasa; compact supreme bliss; the Enchanter even of the god of love. From then on he offered himself forever at His feet. He says--

Having beheld Mohana's beauty, says Raskhan, my eyes are mine no more; They come drawn taut like a bow and fly away like arrows released.

Upon this beauty, says Raskhan, I would now offer a million gods of love; Poets have never found its likeness, though they have continued to search. I beheld the boundless beauty of lovely, dark Mohana; That Prince of Vraja came to dwell in heart, soul, and eyes. At a single glance, Nanda's son, that thief, carried off the jewel of my heart; Now bereft of mind, what can I do? I have fallen once again into His snare.

Raskhan was himself wholly captivated by the nectarean beauty of Raskhani. Singing the glory of that irresistible Enchantress, he calls out again and again to warn all the people of Vraja--

I shall keep my fingers pressed into my ears Whenever the flute begins to sound softly. With those bewitching strains, says Raskhan, Let Him climb the terrace and call the cattle, if He can. I call out and tell all the people of Vraja today; Who knows how much anyone will understand tomorrow? Mother, the smile upon that face Cannot be withstood, cannot be withstood, cannot be withstood!

So awaken in your heart a longing for the sweetness and beauty of Madana-mohana Shyamasundara, and make your life blessed. All the faults of desire, anger, greed, pride, and the rest are extremely difficult to relinquish; nor is there any need to waste one's life in the struggle to cast them off. Change the object toward which they are directed. The divine sage Narada has said--

Having offered all one's conduct to Him, desire, anger, pride, and the like should be directed toward Him alone.

Once everything has been offered to Him, to whom else should desire, anger, and the rest be given? When the water of a filthy drain enters the stainless current of the Ganga, it too becomes the sacred water of the Ganga. In the same way, when faults such as desire and anger are related to Bhagavan and receive the touch of Brahman, they become devotion, or even the very form of Bhagavan Himself, and are therefore supremely worthy of acceptance.

For this very reason devotees disdain liberation and, birth after birth, desire eternal servitude. For this reason lovers direct loving anger and tender pique toward their dearest, the Beloved of their life, Shyamasundara; and for this reason a devotee's longing for devotion never disappears. Desire, anger, greed, and the rest then become sweet means that serve the devotee's spiritual life, and the devotee never wishes to abandon them. This too is a sweet and divine art, worthy of being learned.

Scattered Blossoms

1--Lord Shri Krishna is the wish-fulfilling tree of His devotees' desires. This avatara of His took place solely to bring happiness to His devotees. To delight in giving happiness to His devotees is Shri Krishna's own natural disposition. Mother Yashoda frightens Him, scolds Him, and ties Him to the mortar, while the Lord weeps--all this serves to nourish Yashoda's rasa of maternal love. The final scene of this lila is that Yashoda repents of her mistake; an ocean of maternal love surges within her heart; she clasps her Kanhaiya to her breast and, raining tears of affection, sinks into an indescribable joy. He lets His cowherd friends climb upon His back so that they may taste the rasa of friendship; and, in accordance with Shri Radharani's desire, He assumes the guise of a sakhi or another companion and continually immerses her in an ocean of utterly divine madhurya-rasa. The joy that Bhagavan, His associates, and His loving devotees experience in these lilas is beyond the power of speech to express. This happiness and this rasa can be known only through direct personal experience. They can be tasted only through the causeless grace of Shri Priya-Priyatama, the divine Beloved Pair.

2--Such is the nature of love for Shri Krishna: the devotee forgets himself, yet he never forgets what his relationship with Shri Krishna is, what service he is to render Him, or how that service is to be performed.

3--Bhagavan comes into the world to taste rasa, to drink His own divine nectar of bliss--the rasa of friendship through His cowherd companions,

the rasa of sweetness through His beloveds, and the rasa of parental love through His mother, father, and elders. Bhagavan Himself tastes these rasas and enables His mother, father, cowherd companions, and others to taste them as well.

4--Bhagavan's birth is supernatural. Kausalya, filled with maternal love, and Devaki or Yashoda have the perception, "There is a child in my womb," and the signs of pregnancy also appear. In reality, however, Bhagavan neither dwells in the womb like an ordinary living being nor is His body formed from the food eaten by His mother. Whatever gestates in a womb and is formed from the mother's food is neither imperishable nor divine. Bhagavan's body, however, is the very embodiment of being, consciousness, and bliss; it is Bhagavan Himself.

5--As the indwelling Lord, Bhagavan is present in everyone's heart; but in the hearts of His lovers He dwells in the form of their particular bond of love: as a son in the heart of one possessed of maternal love, as the Beloved in the heart of one possessed of the mood of sweetness, and as a friend in the heart of one possessed of friendship.

6--Whether or not anyone beholds Bhagavan's divine and all-auspicious form depends upon Bhagavan's will.

7--Mother Yashoda is the eternally perfect embodiment of maternal love. She is Shri Krishna's eternal mother, and Shri Krishna is Yashoda's eternal son. Mother Yashoda is maternal love itself condensed into form; there is nothing else in her.

Question--To love Shri Krishna as one's son is surely Yashoda's ignorance. Only when knowledge arises from this love will she attain the truth of Bhagavan, will she not?

Answer--Which is better: the knowledge that holds Bhagavan apart, declares Him imperceptible, and permits one neither to see, hear, nor touch Him; or this ignorance of Yashoda's, by which she holds Bhagavan fast as though He were an ordinary child? The world follows behind Bhagavan, but Bhagavan follows behind Mother Yashoda.

Only pure loving devotees, those whose devotion is spontaneous and passionate, can experience Bhagavan in His fullness.

8--Lord Shri Krishna is beyond reasoning. His essential form, His majesty,

and His sweetness cannot be inferred by logic. Reasoning requires an analogy, but no analogy applies to Bhagavan. Bhagavan's form, filled with majesty and sweetness, is possible for Bhagavan alone. Since He is without analogy--since no comparison whatever is possible for Him--there is no scope for reasoning about Him.

9--There is one simple and unfailing means by which one may behold Shri Krishna directly and rightly understand His mood of sweetness: withdraw all possessiveness and attachment from every side and surrender oneself wholly at the feet of Shri Radha. Only through Shri Radha's grace can the rasa of Shri Krishna's sweetness be fully savoured.

The Essential Form of Lord Shri Krishna and the Purposes of His Avatara (A discourse delivered at the Janmashtami festival in Vikrama Samvat 2019)

His anklets and foot-bells ring, and His new jewelled girdle chimes; He is adorned with a lovely necklace and a cluster of protective tiger-claw amulets. A black beauty-mark that wards off the affliction of the evil eye shines upon Him; I bow to the Child who plays upon the bank of the daughter of Mount Kalinda.

With four teeth as spotless as jasmine blossoms, Murari continually bites the tip of His mother's breast; As He looks toward Nanda's face, May His gentle smile fulfil the longing of my heart.

His hand was plunged into the pot to steal its delicious fresh butter; Then He saw His angry mother hastening to seize a cord. May the Protector of the universe, disguised as a cowherd boy, protect us: His little feet beginning to move, neither fleeing nor standing still, He suddenly closed His eyes.

One should meditate upon the Enchanter of the world, The mass of His left-side curls resting upon His shoulder, His gently raised brows like tender vines, His soft lips slightly curved, His sidelong glance extended far; joyfully filling the flute With His restless, leaflike fingers, He stands gracefully curved in three places Beneath the wish-fulfilling tree.

The Descent of Bhagavan Himself

Supremely blessed is this day. On this very day, here in Bharata, within the secluded chamber of Kamsa's prison at Mathura--a chamber dense with the deepest darkness--Ghanshyama Shri Krishna appeared: filled with indescribable, inconceivable, and infinite majesty, beauty, and sweetness; an ocean containing the very essence of the nectar of incomparable, infinite, divine rasa; the indescribable, inconceivable, and infinite abode of all mutually contrary qualities and attributes; the Great Lord of every world; beyond all, yet present in all; eternally beyond qualities and yet possessed of qualities; the seed of every avatara; the source of infinite and wondrous powers and capacities; inherently unborn and imperishable; whose self-willed form is being, consciousness, and bliss; Bhagavan Himself. His manifestation was supremely auspicious, supremely glorious, and supremely filled with sweetness.

The sorrowing Earth was crushed beneath the unbearable burden of wicked kings in demonic form, exceedingly tyrannical and swollen with the pride of dreadful power, and of people wholly given to misconduct and depravity. Taking the form of a cow, she went weeping piteously to Brahma and told him the story of her suffering. The Earth-goddess said--

"Those who are devoid of devotion to Lord Shri Krishna and who revile Shri Krishna's devotees; those who do not care for father, mother, guru, wife, son, or other dependants; those bereft of compassion and dharma who revile gurus and gods; those who betray friends, repay kindness with ingratitude, bear false witness, violate trust, and steal property placed in their keeping; those who sell beneficent mantras and the Name of Hari, the sole bestower of auspiciousness; those who harm living beings and are exceedingly greedy; those deluded people who practise neither worship, sacrifice, fasting, vows, nor discipline of any kind; those sinful people who hate cows, brahmins, gods, Vaishnavas, Shri Hari, accounts of Hari, and devotion to Hari--such demons, assuming many different forms, ceaselessly commit tyranny, misconduct, and depravity,

and I am suffering intensely beneath the dreadful weight of them all." Brahma then took the Earth with him, gathered Lord Shankara and the other gods as well, and went to the shore of the Ocean of Milk. There they praised Bhagavan with the Purusha-sukta. After some time Brahma entered deep meditation, and while he remained absorbed in samadhi he heard a divine message from the Lord who reclines upon the Ocean of Milk. Having heard it, Brahma told the gods, "Even before we offered our prayer, Bhagavan already knew of the Earth's distress. He is the Lord even of all lords, and while He performs His lila upon the earth to relieve her burden through His power of time, you too must take birth in the Yadu dynasty and assist His lila. Sovereign Anantadeva of the thousand heads, a portion of Bhagavan, will manifest before the Lord. The divine Vishnumaya will also descend from the womb of Yashoda, the wife of Nanda. The Supreme Person, Bhagavan Himself, will manifest in the house of Vasudeva. For the sake of loving service to Him--or, alternatively, for service to Him and to His beloved Shri Radha--let the celestial women also take birth there--"

The Supreme Person, Bhagavan Himself, will appear in Vasudeva's house; For the sake of those dear to Him, let the women of the gods take birth as well. (Shrimad Bhagavata 10.1.23)

This divine message from the Lord who reclines upon the Ocean of Milk establishes that this time the Supreme Person, Bhagavan Himself, will appear directly--not the Lord who reclines upon the Ocean of Milk. Bhagavan has many kinds of avataras: purusha-avataras, guna-avataras, lila-avataras, partial avataras, kala-avataras, and others. All are complete, yet because their lilas differ, His power is manifested in differing degrees. This avatara, however, is that of Bhagavan Himself. The dispositions of every other avatara and every divine form are contained within Him. According to the Brahma-vaivarta Purana, Brahma, Shankara, and all the other gods went to Goloka to serve Lord Shri Krishna, Bhagavan Himself. There they were blessed with the vision of Shri Radha-Madhava and fervently offered Bhagavan an earnest and momentous prayer to accept an avatara, remove the terrible burden of the earth, and expand the sweet rasa of His lila.

Hearing the gods' prayer, Bhagavan is moved with compassion. He reveals to them His infinite glory and the greatness of His devotees, and at last says, "Gods! Return now to your respective homes. I Myself shall descend upon the earth; you too must go there in partial forms."

Bhagavan then calls the divine cowherd boys and gopis and speaks these sweet words to them: "O cowherd boys and gopis! All of you must descend into Nanda's sacred land of Vraja. Shri Radhika! Go to the house of Vrishabhanu; I shall receive you in the lotus grove in the form of a child. Radhe! You are dearer to Me than life, and I too am dearer to you than life. There is no difference whatever between us. We are eternally one."

You are dearer to Me than life, O Radha, and I too am dearer to you than life; There is no difference between us: we are eternally one single being. (Brahma-vaivarta Purana, Krishna-khanda 6.67)

Meanwhile, a divine chariot arrived, a mass of radiance like the splendour of a hundred suns, adorned with celestial gems, garlands of parijata blossoms, white yak-tail fans, and pure ochre cloths. Within it sat the beautiful Shyamasundara, Lord Narayana, clad in yellow and bearing the conch, discus, mace, and lotus. The great goddesses Sarasvati and Mahalakshmi were with Him. Lord Narayana descended from the chariot and at once merged into Shri Krishna's body. Everyone was astonished at this supreme wonder--

Lord Narayana came and merged into Krishna's divine form; Seeing this supreme wonder, they were all filled with amazement.

After this, in another supremely beautiful and radiant chariot, came Lord Vishnu, the four-armed Lord of the universe, adorned with a forest garland and shining with immeasurable splendour. He too descended from the chariot and merged into the form of Lord Radhikeshvara--

And He too merged there into the form of Radhikeshvara.

This likewise establishes that Lord Shri Krishna is directly Bhagavan Himself, and that within this form of His everyone, together with all their functions in the divine lilas, is comprehensively present. The Brahma-vaivarta Purana relates that after this Bhagavan

Shri Krishna smiled and said to the goddess Kamala Lakshmi, "Goddess! Descend in the city of Kundina, in the house of King Bhishmaka, from the womb of Queen Vaidarbhi. I shall go there and take your hand in marriage." Then Bhagavan said to the goddess Parvati, who had also come there, "You are Mahamaya, who brings about the creation and dissolution of the universe. Go in a partial form to the sacred land of Vraja and descend from Yashoda's womb. People will worship you with devotion in city after city. As soon as you appear, Vasudeva will place Me in Yashoda's lying-in chamber and carry you away. Then, as soon as Kamsa beholds you, return to Lord Shiva. I shall relieve the earth of her burden and return to My own abode."

Bhagavan then directed the particular gods as to where and under what names and forms each of them would take birth.

Shri Krishna's Divine Form Is Transcendent, the Very Form of Bhagavan

Lord Shri Krishna is Bhagavan Himself. His divine body is neither a material body produced by karma nor an artificially manifested body produced by yogic perfection. It is wholly unlike a material body, free from both diminution and augmentation, divine, composed of being, consciousness, and bliss, and the very form of Bhagavan. Abundant testimony to this is found in the Shrimad Bhagavata, the Mahabharata, and many other sacred texts.

The Brahma-vaivarta Purana itself contains a beautiful episode recording a conversation between Shri Krishna and Sanatkumara. In it Lord Shri Krishna attempts to describe Himself as material, while Sanatkumara, in answering His questions, establishes His divinity, declares His body to be directly the conscious and blissful body of Bhagavan, and gives a most extraordinary meaning of the name "Vasudeva." The episode is as follows--

Once, hundreds of great rishis and eminent sages, radiant with the splendour of Brahman, came to behold Lord Shri Krishna. Then Shri Sanatkumara entered that assembly of sages in the form of a perfectly beautiful, naked five-year-old boy, a concentrated mass of supreme radiance. He came forward, exchanged inquiries about the sages' well-being, and said, "It is futile to inquire after Shri Krishna's well-being, for He Himself is the seed of all blessedness. Indeed, at this very moment, the sight of the Supreme Self, Shri Krishna, is itself your well-being;

He is beyond material nature, beyond all qualities, free from desire, the seed of all, and the embodiment of divine radiance. He has descended at the entreaty of His devotees solely to relieve the burden of the earth."

Lord Shri Krishna then said to him, "Best of brahmins! When it is considered proper to inquire after the well-being of every embodied being, why am I alone not a fit recipient of such an inquiry?"

It is desired that one inquire after the welfare even of those who bear a body; Why then, O brahmin, is no inquiry after My welfare appropriate?

Sanatkumara replied, "Lord! Good and ill occur only in a material body. For a body that is eternal and itself the seed of every welfare, an inquiry after its welfare is meaningless."

In a material body, O Lord, good and ill continually arise; For an eternal body, the source of all well-being, an auspicious inquiry is meaningless.

Bhagavan then said, "Best of brahmins! All who bear a body are regarded as belonging to nature, for no body can exist without eternal Prakriti."

Whoever bears a form is remembered as belonging to Prakriti; No body exists, O brahmin, apart from that eternal Prakriti.

Sanatkumara replied, "Lord! Only bodies produced from the male and female generative fluids are regarded as material. You Yourself are the beginning of all, the seed and cause of all, the Lord of Prakriti, Bhagavan Himself. How could Your body be material? You are the repository of all the avataras proclaimed by the Vedas, the imperishable seed of all, eternal and everlasting, the Supreme Self and Supreme Lord, self-luminous and of the very nature of divine radiance."

Bodies born from the mingling of generative fluids are regarded as material; How could the body of the Lord of Prakriti, the Seed of all, be material? You are the seed of all and the origin of all; You are Bhagavan Himself, The repository of all avataras, the imperishable seed. What do the Vedas declare You to be? The Eternal among the eternal, the Everlasting, Supreme radiance itself, the highest Supreme Self and the Supreme Lord.

At this, Shri Krishna said again, 'O eminent brahmin! At present I am the son of Vasudeva, and therefore my body surely depends upon blood and seed. How, then, am I not a natural being and a proper recipient of an inquiry after my well-being?'

'At present I am Vasudeva's son, and this body rests upon blood and seed. How, O brahmin, am I not a natural being, one to whom an auspicious inquiry should be addressed?'

The Meaning of the Word 'Vasudeva'

At last Sanatkumara replied, 'Lord! The word "Vasudeva" has another meaning. "Vasu" denotes the great Virat Purusha, the abode of all, within whose hair-pores infinite universes abide; and the one who is His "Deva" - His Lord - is You Yourself, the Supreme Brahman, Vasudeva. The four Vedas, the Puranas, the histories, the traditional narratives, and other sacred accounts all describe this name, "Vasudeva." In which Veda is it declared that Your body is made of blood and seed? All these sages are witnesses here; Dharma, the witness of all, is also present; and the Vedas, the sun, and the moon are now my witnesses as well. Your body is composed of Existence, Consciousness, and Bliss.'

'Vasu is the abode of all; the universes dwell within His hair-pores. The Deva, the Lord of that Vasu, is the Supreme Brahman, proclaimed as Vasudeva.

This name Vasudeva is seen in all four Vedas, in the Puranas and histories, and in accounts and other sacred narratives.

Where is it declared in the Veda that Your body depends upon blood and seed? The sages here are witnesses, and Dharma is the witness everywhere.

The Vedas are my witnesses, and so too, at this very moment, are the sun and the moon.'

(Brahmavaivarta Purana, Shri Krishna Janma Khanda, Chapter 87)

It was this very Shri Krishna, the directly manifest Lord Himself, who descended in Bharata at the end of Dvapara Yuga and blessed the earth.

Let us now reverently remember His sacred lila of manifestation.

The Manifestation of Shri Krishna

It is the auspicious eighth lunar day of the dark fortnight of Bhadrapada. It is midnight, and dense darkness reigns on every side. Yet all at once the whole of nature

fills with gladness and becomes festive. All nature adorns herself and rises in eager delight to welcome the Supreme Lord, her ultimate refuge. Every direction grows serene; the waters of the rivers become limpid; lotuses bloom in the lakes though it is night; the branches of the trees bend beneath flowers and fruit; and the hearts of the holy become intoxicated with joy. A pure, gentle, fragrant Malaya breeze begins to blow. The instruments of the gods sound of themselves, the Gandharvas and Kinnaras begin to dance and sing, and all the Siddhas and Charanas offer hymns of praise.

The prison of the cruel Kamsa gleams with a wondrous radiance. The illustrious Vasudeva beholds a light at once dazzling and cool, like the light of countless suns and moons. Within it appears an astonishing and wondrous Child: four-armed and large-eyed, adorned with conch, discus, mace, and lotus; bearing upon His breast the mark of Bhrigu, the Shrivatsa, and a necklace of gems; arrayed in many ornaments, a diadem, crown, and earrings; and from every limb of His body flows the rasa-filled triple stream of beauty, sweetness, and majesty.

Vasudeva and Devaki praise Him. Bhagavan Shri Krishna reassures them and grants them freedom from fear, reminding them of their connection with His former descents and of the boon they had received. Devaki then says to Him, 'My mind is distraught with fear of Kamsa.' Shri Bhagavan replies, 'If that is so, take Me at once to Gokula and bring back Mahamaya, who has appeared from Yashoda's womb.'

Having said this, Bhagavan immediately assumes the form of an infant. Although Vasudeva and Devaki have seen Bhagavan's majestic four-armed form, bearing conch, discus, mace, and lotus, the prompting of His lila-shakti awakens vatsalya-rasa within them. They become afraid and consider how they might carry the infant away, clasped to their hearts. But how can they go? Their hands are manacled, their feet are shackled, a massive iron door is shut, and armed guards stand outside. Overwhelmed with grief, they inwardly take refuge in Bhagavan. At once the manacles fall from their hands, the shackles from their feet, and the immense iron doors open by themselves. Yet one should not

suppose that all this occurred merely through Bhagavan's maya-shakti, so adept at making the impossible possible. The very moment Shri Krishna is held against the heart, every bond is severed of itself; no further effort is needed to become free. Conversely, so long as Shri Krishna is not held within the heart, bondage does not open even after thousands upon hundreds of thousands of attempts. Bound hand, foot, and neck by the chains of maya, the outward-turned jiva lies within the prison of the world, behind the strong, closed iron doors of craving and desire. Enemies such as lust and anger keep constant guard over that cell; thus the jiva cannot escape its captivity by any means. But when, like Vasudeva, the jiva presses Shri Krishna to its breast and sets out upon the road to Vraja, all the manacles and shackles of maya and delusion fall open; the guards of lust, anger, and the rest fall asleep; and the doors of craving and desire swing wide. Without effort, the jiva is freed from worldly bondage. By coming into Vasudeva's lap, Bhagavan is giving this teaching to the world.

Departure for Gokula

Vasudeva leaves the prison and slowly comes out onto the road. Shri Krishna is the transcendent, concentrated embodiment of supreme bliss. Holding Him to his heart as he walks, Vasudeva therefore feels no hardship; rather, at every step he begins to bathe in an ocean of bliss. The outward-turned jiva, bearing the burden of pride as it travels the road of the world, suffers at every step. To be freed from this sorrow, one should, like the blessed Vasudeva, take Shri Krishna into the heart and set out toward Vraja, the sacred ground of His lila.

Casting fearful glances in every direction, Vasudeva moves slowly and silently toward Vraja. At that moment, on the command of Indra, king of the gods, dark clouds surge across the sky and begin to rumble softly. Lightning flashes from time to time, and rain falls without cease. Indra reflects, 'In this torrential rain no resident of Mathura will leave home, and thus no one will learn of Vasudeva's departure. From time to time -

the lightning will illumine the darkness, so Vasudeva will have no difficulty moving forward.' Even upon setting out along a darkened road, one who holds Shri Krishna in the heart cannot lose the way. That is why today the lightning, laughing again and again, is showing Vasudeva the path. Silently but swiftly, he continues onward.

The moment the clouds gather in the sky, Bhagavan Anantadeva recognizes a precious opportunity to serve Shri Krishna. He comes there, spreads his thousand hoods as a canopy over Vasudeva's whole body, and follows close behind him.

Anantadeva, Shri Sankarshana, is another form of Shri Krishna Himself. Yet because the spirit of servitude is eternally perfect in him, he always serves Shri Krishna in many forms. The sweetness of the joy of service is greater even than the joy inherent in Shri Krishna's own essential being. Therefore, out of eagerness to relish this joy, Shri Krishna Himself assumes the identity of a servant and, in His own other form, renders service to Himself.

'What did he not become for that Krishna - His bed, seat, garments, sandals, parasol, and fly-whisk - assuming distinct forms among all forms?'

According to this statement of the Brahmanda Purana, Sankarshana, Shri Shesha, assumes many forms - bed, seat, garment, sandals, parasol, fly-whisk, and others - and in them serves Shri Govinda, the embodiment of the nectar of every rasa. Shesha follows with the shelter of his hoods, though Vasudeva does not even know that he is there.

Vasudeva reaches the bank of the Yamuna. There he sees that a terrible tempest seems to have overtaken the river. Mountain-high waves rear upward, and hundreds upon thousands of immense whirlpools churn. Astonished and afraid at this dreadful aspect of the Yamuna, Vasudeva thinks, 'The night is passing. If I cross but cannot return, who knows what calamity Kamsa will unleash when he awakens in the morning?' Standing on the Yamuna's bank with Shri Hari in his lap - He who can carry one at once across the boundless, infinite ocean of becoming - Vasudeva is anxious about reaching the other shore. Such is the ineffable glory of vatsalya-rasa. Bhagavan's sweet infancy, too, possesses an extraordinary and wondrous power. Worldly enjoyment, liberation, and spiritual powers -

whatever longing one may have for them, whatever knowledge of divine majesty or inquiry into ultimate truth may remain - all are swept away at once in the nectarean current of divine vatsalya-rasa and the rasa of childhood sweetness.

With Shri Krishna in his lap, Vasudeva stands upon the Yamuna's bank, anxiously pondering what to do. The Yamuna, meanwhile, is restless with longing for the touch of Shri Krishna's feet. Abandoning all restraint, she surges toward Him in tumultuous waves. She performs a tandava dance, leaping again and again and raising her head high in the hope of touching the rose-red feet of her supremely beloved Lord.

Vasudeva looks all around in distress. The water is unfathomable, and whole mountains of it are leaping into the air. Seeing His father Vasudeva's anguish, Bhagavan suddenly and gently grants the Yamuna the bliss of touching her head with His lotus feet. Overjoyed, the Yamuna begins to bow as though offering full prostration. Vasudeva gazes in amazement: the water before him is subsiding. He advances a little farther and finds it still shallower. The Yamuna had been advancing in a tandava dance, her towering waves shaped by an immeasurable thirst for the touch of Shri Krishna's feet. The instant she receives that touch, her flood is checked; one by one the waves grow still; the force of the current ceases; and the Yamuna becomes motionless and wave-free. Her dreadful tempest was in truth no tempest at all. It was the Yamuna's spontaneous tandava dance, born of her ardent longing for the touch of Shri Krishna's feet. Vasudeva now crosses without difficulty.

But by which road can he quickly reach Nanda's house? Who will show him the way on the deserted riverbank in the stillness of this night? Carrying Shri Krishna in his lap, Vasudeva somehow begins to move slowly forward. Behind him, through her soft and gentle murmuring, the Yamuna inwardly seems to say, 'Go, Vasudeva! Remember: a devotee of Shri Krishna never strays from the path and never loses the way. Whichever direction he begins to walk becomes the path for him. Vasudeva, you need not find the road; the road itself will find you. That very path will become your guide, take you to Nanda's abode,

and lead you there. You are holding Shri Krishna in your lap, so why are you anxious?'

Shri Vasudeva reaches Nanda's palace directly. He sees that everyone is asleep. Without hindrance he enters the birth-chamber, lays the infant Shri Krishna beside Yashoda, takes the newborn daughter to whom she has just given birth, and returns to the prison in Mathura. As soon as he returns, everything becomes exactly as it was before. Yashoda does not even know whether she has borne a son or a daughter. Only when the infant Shri Krishna cries as part of His lila does Yashoda awaken and learn that she has a dark-complexioned son resembling the petal of a blue lotus.

'Awakening, Yashoda beheld that her own son had been born, dark as the petal of a blue lotus; then she attained exceeding joy.'

(Vishnu Purana)

Shri Krishna's Manifestation from the Wombs of Devaki and Yashoda in Two Forms

Some Vraja-loving scholars hold that Shri Bhagavan appeared simultaneously from both mothers, Devaki and Yashoda, in two distinct forms corresponding to majesty and sweetness: Shri Vasudeva and Shri Govinda. In some recensions of the Harivamsha, the following verse is found in this connection:

'In the eighth month, before the full term of pregnancy, both women - Devaki and Yashoda - gave birth at the same time.'

'In the eighth month of an incomplete term of pregnancy, Devaki and Yashoda both manifested Shri Krishna at the very same time.' Yogamaya appeared immediately after Yashoda's Shri Krishna. The difference in time therefore establishes the appearance of Yashoda's two children: Shri Krishna and Yogamaya. Devaki's Shri Krishna, in the majestic Vasudeva form, was four-armed and bore the conch, discus, mace, and lotus; Yashoda's Shri Krishna, filled with sweetness, was the two-armed Supreme Brahman in human form. When Vasudeva brought Bhagavan in the Vasudeva form to Yashoda, that Vasudeva form

merged at that very moment into the form of Shri Govinda. The two became one form; majesty was submerged in the vast ocean of sweetness. Vasudeva then took Yashoda's daughter, a partial manifestation of Yogamaya, and returned to the prison in Mathura.

The following half-verse from the Shrimad Bhagavata is also cited to establish that He appeared separately in two places at one and the same time:

'When Nanda's own son was born, that great-hearted one was filled with joy.'

These are the words of Shukadeva. If Nanda's Shri Krishna had not appeared, why would Shukadeva have said, 'when his own son was born' - 'a son was born'? He could instead have said, 'regarding Him as his own son, Nanda attained supreme joy.' What actually occurred is not known; yet for the all-powerful Bhagavan, who can do, undo, and transform anything, there is nothing at all astonishing in appearing in two places at the same time.

Whatever the case may be, it is Yashoda Maiya, Nanda Baba, the cowherd boys of Vraja, and the blessed women of Vraja who receive the divine and exceedingly rare bliss of Bhagavan's supremely sweet infant lila.

Thereafter Shri Govinda, the embodied radiance of bliss, shines in Mother Yashoda's lap. It is as though a blue lotus has blossomed in the lake of Consciousness and Bliss: no bee has ever before inhaled its fragrance; no wind has ever carried that fragrance away; no particle of any wave has ever touched it; and no one has ever seen it before. Shri Krishna is like such a blue lotus - never smelled, never despoiled of its fragrance, never struck, and never seen. That is, devotees like bees had previously relished majestic forms such as Narayana, but not this form; He is therefore 'never smelled.' Great poets like the wind had previously sung the glories of majestic forms such as Shri Narayana, but not this form; He is therefore 'never despoiled of His fragrance.' Just as an ordinary lotus is born in water, this lotus has not descended into water, that is, into the phenomenal

world. A lotus born in water is battered by waves, but the qualities within the phenomenal world, themselves like waves, have never so much as touched Him; He is therefore 'unstruck.' Majestic forms and forms blending majesty with sweetness had been seen before, but no one had ever seen this dark-blue One sporting in Yashoda's lap; He is therefore 'unseen.'

There is also another sense, equally and supremely true: this sweetest form of Shri Bhagavan is so extraordinary that at every moment ever-new rasas of beauty, sweetness, and the rest unfold within Him, while ever-new moods of lila blossom and rejoice at every instant. Loving devotees therefore experience each one of His moods at every moment as wholly unprecedented. Every mood of His appears eternally new, as though it had never before been relished.

'A blue lotus of matchless splendor appeared in Yashoda's lap, within the lake of Consciousness and Bliss: never smelled by bees, its fragrance never carried away by winds; not born in water, never struck by the weight of wave-particles; never seen by anyone, anywhere.'

The Purposes of Shri Krishna's Descent

Explaining the principal purposes of this divine descent of the Supreme Brahman beyond the supreme, it is said:

'Intending through His sweet deeds to establish the self-delighting sages in bhakti-yoga; intending, through the creation of many forms of lila-rasa, to gladden His own devotees; intending to relieve the earth, overburdened by hosts of daityas, of her burden - embodied Bliss appeared in the home of the lord of Vraja as though newly born.'

(Shri Ananda Vrindavana Champu)

There are three principal reasons for Shri Bhagavan's descent in this manner: (1) through His sweet lila-deeds, to engage the self-delighting sages in the yoga of loving devotion; (2) through the creation of many forms of lila-rasa, to gladden His loving devotees, Himself rejoicing as He relishes their pure prema-rasa and making them joyful by granting them its relish; and (3) to lift from the earth the terrible

weight beneath which she lay crushed by fierce daityas. For these three principal purposes, Bhagavan Shri Krishna, the very form of Bliss, appeared in the home of Nanda Baba, king of Vraja, as though taking birth there.

In His lila, Bhagavan Shri Krishna perfectly fulfilled all three purposes. In the sweet lila of Vraja, Bhagavan granted lovers of the different rasas - vatsalya, sakhya, madhura, and others - the taste of the divine nectar of prema-rasa, and He tasted it Himself. From time to time He assumed a mood of majesty, took the lives of the daityas, and bestowed liberation upon them. In the lilas of Mathura and Dvaraka, He distributed more of majesty than of madhurya-rasa, and more of the supremely pure nectar of desireless action and knowledge than of prema. He drew great rishis and munis, wise and stainless-souled paramahamsa mahatmas, and engaged them in His pure devotion.

The Union of Perfect Divinity and Perfect Humanity in the Life of Shri Krishna

So much for the essential reality and greatness of the Lord Himself and His eternal sweetness of rasa. Yet in Bhagavan Shri Krishna's extraordinary lila-filled life there is a supremely wondrous union of perfect divinity and perfect humanity at once. He is the most perfect Bhagavan and the most perfect human being. On one side His life displays the inexhaustibly varied play of divinity; on the other, an equally supreme and ultimate flowering of humanity. Infinite sweetness together with infinite majesty; matchless, boundless valor and might together with an ever-new, incomparable beauty that enchants the minds of sages; justice hard as the thunderbolt together with love tender as a flower; consummate skill in founding ever-new kingdoms together with utter indifference to accepting a kingdom for Himself; unceasing readiness for action together with effortless, complete detachment and dispassion; perfect spirituality together with supreme political wisdom; eternal evenness amid every disparity; and devotion to service together with being worshiped by all - thus Shri Krishna's life visibly and directly reveals the perfect, natural harmony of countless states that appear mutually opposed yet exist in Him simultaneously.

Shri Krishna Is Complete in Every Respect

At the same time, there are those who do not regard Bhagavan Shri Krishna as Bhagavan, but regard Him as the Lord of Yoga,

an ideal great soul, or an exalted practitioner of desireless karma-yoga. Even for them, what Bhagavan Shri Krishna has given through His exemplary life is so great, so vast, so generous, so ideal, and so worthy of emulation that it has no equal anywhere. In every field we find Him seated upon the highest place. Spirituality, dharma, statecraft, the art of war, science, art, music, leadership, service, family life, social reform - wherever we look, He always stands as the ideal for all. Bearing the sure message of divine hope, He is established as the Acharya, perfect in accomplishment, skill, and realization. He Himself becomes the guide and the helmsman of the sturdy boat, ever ready to carry all people easily across the unfathomable ocean of every hardship and bondage.

On this blessed day of His auspicious birth anniversary, let us take refuge at His feet and make our birth and life fulfilled and blessed.

Krishna's form, dark-blue as a fresh rain cloud, is supremely enchanting; His lovely, gracious treasury of beauty captivates all the three worlds.

Peerlessly anointed with liquid musk, saffron, and sandalwood, every limb is made of pure Consciousness, filled with grace, and beautiful beyond compare.

His matchless nose, adorned with a jewel, puts the parrot's beak to shame; beholding His mass of curling black hair, the swarms of bees grow abashed.

A topknot crowns His head, with peacock plume and a brilliant jewel-studded diadem; His two lovely ears glitter with karnika-flower earrings.

His brows curve gracefully; His two clear eyes are fully opened lotuses. His posture is charming, His threefold bend graceful, His waist gently curved.

His yellow garment flashes like lightning, His teeth shine, and His lips are rose-red; His face is radiant, His smile sweet, and the flute rests sweetly in His hand.

Devotee of His devotees, ever their servant, He yearns to shower grace upon them; connoisseur of prema-rasa, He is intent on relishing the nectar of rasa and love.

Beloved of Vraja, friend, master, and servant of Vraja's people with body, mind, and wealth; son of Nanda and Yashoda, the very life of Vraja's young maidens.

Renouncing every display of divinity, sovereignty, and lordship, for the joy and welfare of Vraja's people He assumes, by His own will, a two-armed form.

On the incomparable Wednesday of Bhadra's eighth lunar day in the dark fortnight, beneath the auspicious Rohini constellation, at the most blessed hour of midnight,

He appeared as the beloved son of Shri Nanda and Yashoda; to distribute His own essential being, He became the intimate kinsman of all.

Proclaim the victory of Bhagavan Shri Krishna, the delight of Nanda and Yashoda!

The Manifestation of Bhagavan Shri Krishna and Remembrance of His Exemplary, Sweet Character

(A discourse delivered at the Janmashtami festival in Vikrama Samvat 2020)

Salutations to Bhagavan Shri Krishna

'We bow to that very Krishna, more complete than the complete, the most perfectly complete, from whom arise creation and the other cosmic acts through hosts of descents - partial manifestations, portions of portions, minute portions, kalas, empowered descents, and complete descents.

In Manvantaras, in ages past and yet to come, and in Kalpas, You assume Your own divine body together with Your partial potency. Today itself You unfold Your perfectly complete splendor; establishing dharma upon the earth, You spread auspiciousness.

That which is rare even for stainless yogis and beyond their reach becomes attainable through bhakti-yoga to those whose pure hearts have melted. O source of Bliss, the honeyed dust of Your lotus feet, moving with a gentle gait,

we enshrine within our hearts.

Already endowed with a supremely lovely form, You will shine here in that same lovely form - wondrous, enchanting hundreds of millions of Cupids, bearing the radiant splendor of Goloka-dhama, the beloved Lord of Radha who possesses the supreme treasure of dharma.'

We bow to the most perfectly complete Shri Krishna, who transcends even the complete: the Supreme Person through whose partial descents, portions of portions, kalas, empowered descents, complete descents, and other manifestations the lila-works of creation, dissolution, and the rest are accomplished.

In past and future Manvantaras, Yugas, and Kalpas, You assume a divine form as Shri Balarama together with Your partial potency. Even now You are extending Your perfectly complete radiance, establishing dharma and spreading auspiciousness upon the earth in many ways. O source of Bliss! That state which is rare even for the highest yogis and is reached only by simple, pure-hearted practitioners of bhakti-yoga whose hearts have melted - we enshrine within our hearts the nectar-pollen dust of Your lotus feet as they move with a gentle gait. You are already clothed in a supremely lovely body, and in this descent too You will shine in that same lovely form. Your form enchants even hundreds of millions of Cupids and is utterly wondrous. Here also You will bear the mass of radiance that You bear in Goloka-dhama. We bow to You, Shri Radha's beloved, the bearer of the supreme treasure of dharma.

The Nature and Cause of the Descent

At the end of Dvapara in the twenty-eighth Chaturyuga of the Vaivasvata Manvantara, on the auspicious Krishna Ashtami of the month of Bhadra, this earthly realm received the supreme good fortune of Shri Krishna's manifestation. Today is that supremely sacred and glorious festival of Shri Krishna Janmashtami. It commemorates the descent to earth of the Lord Himself, Shri Krishna, in His integral fullness. To this day, no one has been able either to encompass or explain the glory of Bhagavan's essential reality,

No one has ever been able to describe Him fully, nor will anyone ever be able to do so. Relying upon the suggestive words of Bhagavān Himself and of great lovers of Bhagavān, and moved by their natural, compassionate inspiration, one may remember a little of His supreme reality and thereby bless one's life.

Bhagavān is the eternal and true auspicious form, a compact embodiment of being, consciousness, and bliss. He eternally transcends all and pervades all. He is beyond every material quality and is Himself the form of inconceivably infinite virtues. His inconceivably infinite beauty, sweetness, and majesty are forever becoming new.

Though eternally unborn, He performs the līlā of birth. Though eternally imperishable, He disappears from sight. Though eternally the great Lord of all beings, He becomes a tiny dependent infant and performs sweet childhood līlās. Bhagavān indicates this nature of His, the support of inconceivably infinite and simultaneously contrary attributes, in the sixth verse of the Bhagavad Gītā's fourth chapter:

[Sanskrit]

“Though unborn and imperishable, and though the Lord of all beings, I establish Myself in My own nature and manifest through My own māyā.” (Bhagavad Gītā 4.6)

That is: “Remaining unborn, imperishable, and Lord of every being, I abide in My own nature (svāṁ prakṛtim) and appear through My own māyā (ātma-māyā).”

Bhagavān has three natures: first, the eightfold lower nature that constitutes the world; second, the conscious higher nature present as living beings and sustaining the whole universe; and third, His own nature, in which He abides during līlā. This last is the internal nature, utterly pure and wholly divine.

Bhagavān's māyā likewise has many modes. Yet the māyā through which Bhagavān Himself performs līlā is His own personal māyā. It is called Yogamāyā, or Bhagavān's līlā intrinsic to His very being. For as long as He performs His special līlā, He takes refuge in this Yogamāyā. At the beginning of the rāsa-līlā too, He “resorted to Yogamāyā.” Through this same Yogamāyā He also keeps Himself concealed: He is “veiled by Yogamāyā,” as the Gītā declares.

Unlike the bodies of living beings, Bhagavān's divine body is neither made of the five material elements nor produced by karma. It is the pure form of Bhagavān, governed wholly by His own will. In this immaculate divine form Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa appeared on today's supremely glorious eighth lunar day.

Bhagavān has named three principal purposes of His avatāra: protecting the holy, destroying evildoers, and establishing dharma. In this complete descent of Bhagavān Himself, the sources and powers of His many other avatāras are also included. Through this avatāra, therefore, the auspicious tasks were fully accomplished: the asuras who had appeared as sinful kings were destroyed; the holy whom they oppressed were delivered; and the adharma spread by sinners was overthrown, allowing pure and eternal human dharma to be established.

Yet through this līlā-form, a condensed embodiment of the rasa of supreme love and bliss, Bhagavān protects another kind of saint: those who, in their intense longing for His auspicious love and supremely blissful vision, experience terrible pain of separation and pass every moment of life burning in the fierce flames of that fire.

Similarly, by destroying the asuric bodies of those wicked yet fortunate asuras, He effortlessly brings them to His own abode. They had become qualified to reach Bhagavān's divine realm by surrendering their lives beneath His auspicious lotus hands alone.

The establishment of dharma here clearly points to something higher: the destruction of the rise of adharma that takes the form of lust-tainted sense indulgence, and the establishment of the supreme, most excellent and sweetest dharma of pure love, endowed with the effortless renunciation of desires for both enjoyment and liberation.

Thus in every sphere - this world and the next, self-interest and the highest good, knowledge and love - the inharmonious asuric impulse toward enjoyment is uprooted, and the highest pure divine dispositions are naturally established through this appearance of Bhagavān Himself.

Bhagavān appears at midnight in Kaṁsa's prison. At that moment the sky and all ten directions become clear. The constellations begin to glitter with unusual brilliance. The whole earth rejoices; rivers, streams, seas, and lakes become naturally pure. At that very midnight, lotuses everywhere in the rivers and lakes begin to bloom.

Their sweet fragrance spreads everywhere upon the breeze. Pollen scatters in every direction, and innumerable swarms of bees arrive to drink the honey and hum in delight. Peacocks dance in supreme joy. A cool, gentle, fragrant Malaya breeze begins to flow.

The countryside prospers. Villages and cities become abodes of auspiciousness; gods and brāhmaṇas, mountain ranges, cows, and cowherd communities all flourish in happiness. In heaven, divine kettledrums suddenly sound amid a tremendous cry of victory. Vidyādharas, Gandharvas, Siddhas, Kinnaras, and Cāraṇas begin to sing sweetly, and the gods' praises resound throughout every quarter. Celestial Gandharvas and Vidyādharas dance, while the gods shower fine, fragrant flowers such as pārijāta, mandāra, and mālatī. Rain-laden clouds sing hymns with their gentle thunder.

In this way the whole moving and unmoving universe adorns itself to welcome its Lord auspiciously and becomes blessed.

At such an auspicious hour, at midnight on Kṛṣṇāṣṭamī in the month of Bhādra, under the joyful conjunction of the Rohiṇī constellation, Bhagavān Hari Himself appears from Devakī in Vasudeva's home, just as sacrificial fire arises from the araṇi wood. Describing the beauty of Bhagavān's form at that moment, the sage says:

[Sanskrit]

“He shines in a pure and many-coloured garland and bears the radiant Kaustubha jewel. Anklets and armlets cast circular halos of light, and His crown and earrings glow like the newly risen sun.

“His moving bracelets possess the wondrous splendour of circling fire, and His many-stranded girdle flashes like lightning. A garland of lotuses hangs upon Him, humming with bees, and He wears a divine garment the colour of newly refined gold.

“His divine beauty is like a rain cloud accompanied by lightning. Clusters of swaying dark curls surround His face. Rays streaming from His body dispel the deepest darkness. Supremely auspicious and beautiful, He has great lotus eyes.

“Variegated leaf-patterns adorn His limbs. At every moment He enchants millions of Cupids. He is complete, transcendent, and absorbed in playing the sweet music of His flute.”

Vasudeva saw the child shining brightly, adorned with a pure, many-coloured garland and wearing the splendid Kaustubha jewel at His throat. Anklets beautified His feet and armlets His arms, casting radiance like the circles of the moon and sun.

A diadem crowned His head and earrings adorned His ears, scattering the glow of the rising sun. Bracelets upon His hands shone like revolving firebrands. A girdle encircled His waist, its strands flashing like streaks of lightning. A lotus garland hung across His chest while bees hummed around it.

A divine yellow garment beautified His body, glowing like refined gold and making His form resemble a bank of rain clouds alive with lightning. Swaying dark curls framed His face. Rays issuing from His body dispelled the darkness of the chamber. His great eyes resembled lotuses, and His limbs were painted with varied leaf and vine designs. With the splendour of His form, that complete Puruṣottama, the transcendent child, enchanted millions of Cupids at every moment while sounding the sweetest notes of the flute.

Beholding Bhagavān in this unprecedented form of sweetness and beauty, Vasudeva and Devakī found their lives fulfilled, and their joy knew no limit. Vasudeva praised Him, and Bhagavān recalled the events of their former births.

Then, in response to Vasudeva and Devakī's prayer, Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa immediately assumed the form of an infant. Vasudeva took Him in his arms to Nanda's home and returned carrying Yogamāyā in His place. Under the influence of Bhagavān's wondrous māyā, everyone everywhere was overcome by sleep, and no one discovered the secret.

Śrī Kṛṣṇa's subsequent līlās have been described at length in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, Brahma-vaivarta Purāṇa, Viṣṇu Purāṇa, Brahma Purāṇa, Harivaṁśa, Mahābhārata, and many other texts. The more one reads, understands, and absorbs them into the heart, the greater the blessing.

Lessons and Duties Taught by Śrī Bhagavān's Līlā-Character

Every quality of Śrī Bhagavān is a supreme ideal. The blazing example of desireless action that Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa placed before all through His līlā is without equal.

His example is unique: He enters a righteous war without attachment or aversion; destroys thousands of unrighteous kings yet installs their own descendants in their places; creates countless kingdoms but accepts none for Himself; bestows love equally upon all without ever supporting injustice, inspiring everyone to destroy adharma.

Like a consummate actor upon the stage, He brings every worldly task to completion while remaining utterly free from possessiveness, attachment, expectation, and desire. Through His own conduct He places before the world a simple and natural discipline by which every action becomes an auspicious worship of Bhagavān. This is a special glory of Śrī Kṛṣṇa's līlā-character.

Bhagavān's childhood in Vṛndāvana is filled with the supremely sweet and holy līlās of parental love, friendship, and divine conjugal sweetness. Although entirely historical, it has no equal in the history of any land, in any work of literature, or even in the imagined gardens of poetry. Whoever bathes in this supremely sweet ocean of līlā-nectar becomes blessed beyond measure.

Many great paramahaṁsas, sages, saints, realised beings firmly established in nondual truth, and yogīs who know reality have become blessed by plunging wholly into this unfathomable ocean of rasa. Even today the ocean of Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa's sweet līlā-rasa surges just as before. Only one who has become wholly empty of every desire for enjoyment or liberation should dare to leap into it.

All can and should become blessed by adopting, according to their capacity, the ideal of Bhagavān's divine karma-yoga, the great way of life He practised, and His teachings, and by bringing these into their own lives.

Today almost the entire visible world has become devoted to sense gratification and is falling into a thoroughly asuric disposition. Consequently, today's science, joined to the demon of mechanisation and itself asuric and rākṣasic, spreads in another form an ignorance that destroys pure spirituality and has entered upon a campaign of self-destruction. For this reason, today the world is moving toward decline.

In the name of development and progress, the world advances toward the destruction and degradation of spiritual, moral, and religious sentiments and conduct. Most painful of all, under the influence of a darkened intellect it experiences everything in reverse:

[Sanskrit]

“The intellect enveloped in tamas regards adharma as dharma.” (Bhagavad Gītā 18.32)

Its descent is therefore certain:

[Sanskrit]

“Those established in the functioning of the lowest guṇa, tamas, go downward.” (Bhagavad Gītā 14.18)

India too, blinded by delusion, is moving toward ruin through unthinking imitation of this course.

In this terrible crisis of dharma, the Bhagavad Gītā of Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the sole lighthouse guiding the few remaining people who still revere dharma, their constant light upon the path and their supreme provision for the journey. Thus the dissemination of Śrī Kṛṣṇa's divine teaching, and above all its practical embodiment in life, is now the one great ground of hope.

Terrible clouds of danger hang over India, leaving her bewildered about her duty. The China-asura and Pakistan-asura press upon her. At such a time it is especially necessary to worship and awaken the divine spiritual power, and to receive from it unfailing strength. Let us conclude with this prayer:

[Hindi]

“O compact embodiment of being and consciousness, most complete One, supreme bliss of love; O Lord of the universe, son of Vasudeva, Nanda's darling Govinda.

“Victory to Hari, Yaśodā's son and the crown jewel born of Devakī; sun over the lotus of Rādhā's heart, enchanting bee of sweetness.

“May my speech remain absorbed in singing Your virtues, my ears immersed in hearing them, my mind intent on contemplating Your lovely form, and my body devoted to service.

“May body, mind, and intellect remain forever wholly and exclusively surrendered. Attaining fulfilment naturally, may my life become blessed.

[Braj]

“Joy has arisen in Nanda's home - victory to darling Kanhaiyā!”

The Appearance of Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Embodiment of All Nectarous Rasa

(A discourse delivered at the Janmāṣṭamī festival in Vikrama Saṁvat 2021)

[Sanskrit]

“May Nanda's son protect me: His face defeats the autumn moon; He is an ocean of playful beauty; His hand strikes the ball; He is the very life of the cowherd maidens. Dust clings to His body, His flute rests beneath His arm, and the cows obey His voice.

“May that blossoming, lovely-browed cowherd protect you today: His limbs glow tawny from the rich colours adorning them; His hand holds a lofty horn; He is the blessing of the circle of cowherd maidens; and the tender vine of His fame spreads playfully through every direction.”

Today is the great festival of the divine birth of the eternally unborn. Blessing the whole of nature, Bhagavān Himself has appeared today in His divine humanlike form.

Bhagavān has many different avatāras: puruṣa avatāras, līlā avatāras, guṇa avatāras, Manvantara avatāras, Yuga avatāras, empowered avatāras, kalpa avatāras, partial avatāras, arcā avatāras, and others. Because Bhagavān is eternally true and absolutely complete in His own being, each of His forms is eternal, everlasting, fully conscious, free from acquisition or loss, a mass of supreme bliss, and complete. Nevertheless, from the standpoint of līlā, distinctions appear according to gradations in the manifestation of power.

[Sanskrit]

“Although completeness is universal and without distinction, gradation nevertheless arises through the manifestation or nonmanifestation of His power.” (Prameya-ratnāvalī 1.14)

When Bhagavān Himself appears in His own complete form, He contains every avatāra. Bhagavān Himself, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, appears in His own form in every kalpa, and He appears in a sweet and captivating humanlike body. Therefore foolish people who do not know the true nature of Bhagavān as the great Lord of all beings and of all forms see this human form and mistake Him for a human being possessing a body made of the five elements.

[Sanskrit]

“Fools disregard Me when I appear in a human form, not knowing My supreme nature as the great Lord of beings.” (Bhagavad Gītā 9.11)

In truth, this humanlike form of Bhagavān Himself was not fashioned after the model of human bodies in the mortal world; it is eternal. Human bodies were fashioned after the model of Bhagavān's body.

Bhagavān's body is divine and nonmaterial, without any distinction between body and indwelling self, free from birth and death, the cause of every cause, eternally perfect, changeless, beginningless yet the beginning of all, and a compact embodiment of being, consciousness, and bliss. By contrast, a human body in the mortal world is formed of blood, flesh, and other substances; divided into parts; subject to birth and death; made of the five elements; distinct from the embodied self; and perishable.

Bhagavān's form is the pure form of Bhagavān, arising wholly by His own will:

[Sanskrit]

“His form is constituted by His own will and not at all by material elements.” (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam)

It is never fashioned under the compulsion of prārabdha karma, never undergoes karmic enjoyment, and never perishes. It is eternal, true, everlasting, and divine in action. Established in the divine nature intrinsic to His own being, He manifests and withdraws through His own māyā, which is līlā intrinsic to that being. The Tantra declares:

[Sanskrit]

“Independent in Himself, He is a form full of flawless qualities and devoid of the attributes of an insentient material body. His hands, feet, face, belly, and every other part consist of bliss alone; everywhere His being is free from internal differentiation.”

Bhagavān's divine body is wholly free from defects such as delusion, stupor, confusion, harshness, lust, anger, falsehood, craving, anxiety, disease, old age, fear, fatigue, inequality, dependence upon another, mutability, impermanence, and destruction. It is complete in such qualities as omniscience, omnipotence, the nature of truth, knowledge, and bliss, all majesty, and unsurpassed sweetness.

It is not subject to time, karma, or any other force, and is free from the insentience of a body made from the five elements. Its hands, feet, face, belly, and every other limb are nothing but divine, conscious bliss.

Nor does His being admit the three kinds of difference: internal difference, like leaves, flowers, and fruit within one tree; difference within a class, like one fruit tree from another; or difference of kind, like a tree from a stone. He is Bhagavān's form alone.

Three purposes are traditionally given for Bhagavān's avatāra: protecting the holy, destroying evildoers, and establishing dharma. Because this avatāra in Bhagavān's own form contains the other avatārī forms, it undoubtedly accomplishes all three great and auspicious works. Bhagavān destroys asuras manifest as sinful kings, asuras in countless other forms, and evildoers who follow them under the sway of asuric dispositions. He delivers upright, saintly people oppressed by these cruel and corrupt beings. And He destroys the adharma propagated by deeply sinful asuric human beings and establishes pure, eternal dharma. Those who understand Bhagavān's descent through these purposes are therefore not wrong.

Yet Bhagavān Himself does not descend in His complete, personal form merely to protect the holy, destroy the wicked, and establish dharma when dharma declines and adharma rises, as the Yuga avatāras do. His descent is for the distribution of His own nature as divine love and for the play of tasting the bliss intrinsic to His own being.

For this reason, in their hymn to Śrī Devakī's unborn child in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, Brahmā and the gods say:

[Sanskrit]

“O Lord, although You are unborn, we can conceive no cause for Your birth except divine play. Creation, dissolution, and maintenance are accomplished by māyā, which rests in You, the Self who is the refuge of fearlessness.” (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.2.39)

The purport is: “O Lord, controller of all, You are unborn. No cause for this divine birth of Yours can exist apart from playful relish of the bliss of Your own being. The creation, maintenance, and dissolution of the universe are not the purpose of this appearance.”

“For You are the support of all. Through the māyā-śakti that depends upon You, Your guṇa avatāras such as Brahmā and Rudra continually perform those functions. You are fearlessness itself; even a semblance of chanting and remembering Your name can grant complete protection from the fear of asuras such as Kaṁsa. There is no need for You personally to appear merely to kill these asuras and establish dharma.”

From this perspective, protecting the holy, destroying evildoers, and establishing dharma acquire another meaning. Loving devotees understand that Bhagavān Himself descends for that higher purpose.

Bhagavān Himself protects those saints who experience incomparable anguish of separation in their most intense longing to behold their supremely beloved Lord in His eternally auspicious, divine form filled with the rasa of love and supreme bliss. They pass every moment of life scorched by the dreadful flames of separation. Bhagavān delivers them by granting the vision of His eternal divine līlā-form: the embodiment of all nectarous rasa; the support of inconceivable, indescribable, and mutually contrary qualities; a sweet, captivating, conscious form composed of the condensed nectar of supreme love and bliss. This is His protection of the holy.

Similarly, Bhagavān Himself separates from their bodies those evildoers and supremely fortunate asuras who have become qualified to relinquish the body beneath His own auspicious divine lotus hands, and He easily brings them to His divine supreme abode of absolute welfare, difficult even for sages and yogīs to attain. Slain by Bhagavān's own hand, they leave the earth forever and enter His abode. In truth, this is how the earth's burden is removed.

Bhagavān's punishment is therefore itself supreme grace. He does not merely kill those asuras; He fulfils them by granting His own divine nature. This is the destruction of evildoers.

The establishment of dharma likewise means that Bhagavān destroys the rise of adharma in the form of sense indulgence, tainted by lust and swollen by delusion.

He establishes the pure, transcendent dharma of love, supremely excellent and unsurpassed in sweetness, made perfect by the effortless renunciation of every desire for both enjoyment and liberation.

Bhagavān Himself, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, is the form of complete majesty and the embodiment of every rasa. The sweetness present in that Lord of complete majesty is the eternal self-expression of divine sweetness within His fully majestic being. Sweetness devoid of majesty is not genuine divine sweetness; it resembles poison that seems sweet at first:

[Sanskrit]

“Like nectar in the beginning, but like poison in its result.”

Everything differs between Bhagavān, whose humanlike form is conscious sweetness, and a human being endowed with false, object-bound sweetness. Bhagavān's sweetness is real, nonmaterial, and a compact embodiment of conscious bliss; human sweetness is false, material, insentient, and perishable.

Bhagavān's mādhurya means the deeply concealed humanlike form of the eternally and completely majestic Lord, together with His divine and blissful humanlike līlā. That līlā contains an incomparable and extraordinary constellation of beauty, grace, loveliness, sweetness, artistry, and other virtues. It attracts the entire moving and unmoving world, all fourteen realms, and even the mind of the all-attractive Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself.

In describing the unsurpassed beauty, sweetness, variety, artistry, and other qualities of that humanlike form of the humanlike Parabrahman, four special sweetnesses are said to be eternally present: the sweetness of His form, His flute, His love, and His līlā. This fourfold mādhurya is the special distinction of Śyāmasundara, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, son of the Lord of Vraja.

Loving devotees understand the one principal cause of Śrī Kṛṣṇa's appearance to be the unfolding of this sweetness through the expansion of His līlā. In that līlā Bhagavān plays as a cowherd, flute in hand, the ever-youthful supreme dancer. This is the truth of sweet līlā.

Because this sweetness is pre-eminent in Bhagavān's descent in His own form, He appeared in Kaṁsa's prison in a majestic four-armed divine form, immediately changed into a two-armed infant, inspired Vasudeva, and came to sweet Vraja so that He and His devotees might taste the blissful rasa of sweet līlā.

Vraja alone is the field in which Śrī Kṛṣṇa's sweetness shines in its absolute fullness. There majesty remains completely concealed; if it appears at all, it appears only to serve sweetness.

In Vraja alone flows the river of love's sweetness, filled with pure possessive intimacy yet wholly free from desire for one's own pleasure.

Bhagavān has three modes: Brahman, Paramātmā, and Bhagavān. Brahman is certainly the form of bliss, but power is not manifest there. In the indwelling Paramātmā the conscious potency is partially unfolded, so the bliss potency too has a manifest existence, though only in a very subtle measure. A devotee in the peaceful mood experiences some sweetness in Bhagavān whose majesty is predominant, but that sweetness cannot conceal awareness of divine majesty.

In Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa, beloved of the cowherd maidens of Vraja, sweetness shines in its fullness. Consequently, in the complete tasting of sweetness there, every experience of majesty and the other divine powers remains wholly withdrawn. This is pure love.

Revelation declares:

[Sanskrit]

“That is complete; this is complete. From the Complete, the complete arises. Taking the complete from the Complete, the Complete alone remains.”

The reality of Bhagavān's essential nature is eternal, one, and absolutely complete. It has neither the fragmentation and incompleteness found in individual beings and inert matter, nor separation or rivalry within itself. Yet because of the special fullness in which sweetness manifests, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, embodiment of all nectarous rasa, is in Vraja the supremely complete crown of relishers.

[Sanskrit]

“Power consists of qualities headed by majesty, sweetness, compassion, and splendour. The greater or lesser manifestation of power is the cause of gradation.”

Even within Vraja Dhāma, the experience of sweetness varies according to gradations of love. Love in friendship surpasses love in service; parental love surpasses friendship; and the cowherd maidens' experience of sweetness rises still higher than parental love. Among the cowherd maidens, the love and experience of sweetness belonging to Śrī Rādhā, who is the very form of mahābhāva, surpass all and remain wholly incomparable.

Here, in His eternally fresh youthful form, Bhagavān tastes the supremely sweet divine rasa of the cowherd maidens.

The cowherd maidens' love is utterly unconditional, unobstructed, and pure. It requires no awareness of majesty or of dharma and adharma, no dependence upon beauty or qualities to awaken feeling, no search for personal happiness, and not even awareness of lover and beloved.

Ordinarily, this awareness of lover and beloved is the very life of sweet rasa and the beloved mood; without it, that life would seem to have no essence. Yet even this has neither necessity nor independent significance in the pure love of the cowherd maidens led by Śrī Rādhā.

Those supremely fortunate, utterly faithful cowherd maidens, beloved of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, are wholly submerged beneath the flood of an overflowing ocean of eternally pure love's nectar. They forget everything except the happiness of their Beloved. Their every movement, effort, and action is an expression of loving attachment devoted solely to Śrī Kṛṣṇa's happiness.

Śrī Rādhā is their original source, the utmost limit of love, the embodiment of mahābhāva. The eternal and supremely radiant celebration of rasa between Rasārāja and mahābhāva - between Śrī Mādhava and Śrī Rādhā - is Vraja's priceless and incomparable spiritual treasure.

Even in Vraja, Bhagavān, who grants His slain enemies the supreme destination, performs līlās of destroying asuras. Yet those līlās cannot cast even a shadow of majesty upon the loving Vraja residents' minds. They perceive no divine grandeur in their beloved Śrī Kṛṣṇa; rather, their spontaneous affection and fondness for Him grow still deeper.

Today is the auspicious festival of this avatāra of supreme sweetness. Those who desire Bhagavān's love, the fifth and highest aim of life, should worship this sweet form of His.

After Vraja, Bhagavān's majestic līlā becomes progressively more manifest, and in Mathurā and Dvārakā He performs the deliverance of asuras. Even there sweetness preserves its influence from concealment. Thus the direct moonlight of sweetness shines even in the Gītā spoken upon the battlefield:

[Sanskrit]

“O Lord, as a beloved bears with the beloved, please bear with me.” (Bhagavad Gītā 11.44)

Throughout the līlās of Mathurā and Dvārakā, extraordinary revelations of sweetness appear here and there.

At the same time, with the greatness of desirelessness, Bhagavān chiefly performs the līlā of sustaining the world through His ideal conduct. In these līlās, alongside Bhagavān Himself, the majestic divine forms who remain within Him and act through Him sometimes come to the fore.

Here Bhagavān frees a helpless populace from corrupt kings. He subdues countless rulers possessed by asuric dispositions, including Kaṁsa, Śiśupāla, Jarāsandha, Śālva, Narakāsura, and Bāṇāsura, yet accepts no kingdom anywhere for Himself, thus giving direct proof of His desirelessness.

As long as a society contains many people who revere dharma, possess faith, trust Bhagavān, remain detached from enjoyment, seek the welfare of every being, follow good conduct, and do not hoard; as long as devotion to duty and the spirit of renunciation predominate, happiness and peace endure. Human life's journey advances toward its supreme goal, Bhagavān. Actions arise from the desire to bring one another happiness and welfare, and love increases.

But when human beings become devoted to sensual pleasure, behave without restraint in ways forbidden by scripture, and destroy the boundaries of dharma; when greed for wealth and enjoyment replace renunciation, and hunger for rights replaces duty; when revenge replaces tolerance, petty selfishness replaces selfless service, and animal conduct replaces restraint; when service and concern for others give way to tormenting others and oppressing the weak; when falsehood rules in place of truth and the seizure of another's property by any means becomes habitual - then the human tendency toward enjoyment turns wholly downward.

A person becomes an animal, ghost, or rākṣasa while still bearing a human form, and powerful streams of unrest and sorrow flow everywhere. If devotees who trust Bhagavān remain in such an evil age, they call to Him. Hearing their anguished cry, the ocean of compassion descends to remove their suffering.

Such conditions had arisen in Dvāpara Yuga. Under the irresistible rule of powerful kings such as Kaṁsa and Jarāsandha, possessed by asuric dispositions, the dharma-revering people suffered terribly.

Asuric dispositions were spreading with tremendous force. Along with worldly suffering, people were deeply afflicted in the sphere of spiritual practice. Every facility for preserving the path of sādhana and practising with a peaceful mind - japa, austerity, kīrtana, and other disciplines - had been taken away. They were forcibly deprived of spiritual practice. The cow, mother of the gods, and the brāhmaṇas, foremost among the social orders, suffered greatly.

At that time Bhagavān's faithful devotees uttered an anguished cry. Bhagavān appeared and removed everyone's suffering. Those who understand His form as predominantly majestic may, according to their disposition and in the mood of servants, worship Him as father of the universe, mother, sustainer, grandsire, refuge of all, ocean of compassion, reservoir of mercy, causeless lover, and supreme friend, and thereby remove their worldly and spiritual sorrows.

Even for those who do not accept Śrī Kṛṣṇa as an avatāra of Bhagavān, but regard Him as the supreme master of Yoga, a great soul established in Brahman, an ideal sustainer of society, and a complete human being endowed with every virtue, this eighth day of the dark fortnight of Bhādra is greatly auspicious and worthy of honour.

Never in world history has there appeared another great person like Śrī Kṛṣṇa, complete in every virtue and extending light and power through His exemplary qualities in every field. On the auspicious day of such a great person's appearance, all should immerse themselves in joy and supreme bliss, remember His sweet, captivating, and universally beneficent names and virtues, fashion their lives according to His ideal and command, and thereby fulfil their humanity.

[Sanskrit]

“I bow to Kṛṣṇa in the form of Gopāla, dark as a fresh rain cloud, with eyes like blue lotuses, the delight of the cowherd maidens.”

[Hindi]

“Victory to Nanda's darling, victory to Gopāla; victory to the broad-eyed flute-bearer. Lovely swan upon the lake of Rādhā's mind, victory to the darling son of Vasudeva and Devakī.”

The Essential Nature and Greatness of Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa

(A discourse delivered at the Janmāṣṭamī festival in Vikrama Saṁvat 2022)

[Sanskrit]

“I bow to that supremely blissful Mādhava whose grace makes the mute eloquent and enables the lame to cross mountains.

“I bow to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, difficult to know yet easily known, for whom the whole universe is food and death itself a condiment.

“I bow to the goddess Śrī Rādhikā, who wanders in the forests of Vraja. Without her grace, no one can truly know Kṛṣṇa.

“The two syllables Kṛṣ-ṇa dance upon the tongue and awaken a longing for many tongues. Entering the hollows of the ears, they awaken desire for millions of ears. When they become companions of the courtyard of the heart, they conquer the activity of every sense. I do not know how much nectar has formed these two syllables.”

Today is the great festival of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Janmāṣṭamī. On this very auspicious day, upon this fortunate and sacred earth, the complete Puruṣottama Bhagavān - the nonmaterial form of being, consciousness, and bliss and the avatārī source of all avatāras - appeared in fullness together with all His portions and partial portions.

Bhagavān descends in many kalpas, but this complete manifestation occurs only in the Sārasvata Kalpa. Today we celebrate that complete appearance of Bhagavān Himself, Śrī Kṛṣṇa; this is a gift of His causeless grace.

Various revelations describe the transcendent Parabrahman as Puruṣottama; the primal cause of all; ruler of the whole universe and even of material nature; foundation of creation, maintenance, and dissolution; all-knowing, all-pervading, unborn, imperishable, great Lord of every world, support and refuge of all, Self of all, infinite, blissful, absolutely complete, nondual, one, supreme, mysterious, supreme light, omnipotent, and ground of every power.

The Mahābhārata, Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, Bhagavad Gītā within the Mahābhārata, and many Purāṇas and śāstras apply these same and innumerable other descriptions to Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Śiva, Brahmā, Nārada, and many others praise Him in this way.

The sages headed by Sanaka, great seers such as Vyāsadeva, Bhīṣma - who could choose the hour of his death and was an ocean of knowledge and realised wisdom - and countless other exalted beings described Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa as the complete Puruṣottama. They regarded worshipping, honouring, and praising Him as life's supreme good fortune. By the maxim of testing a whole pot of rice through a few grains, a small selection of their statements is cited here.

Bhagavān Himself declares:

“I entirely transcend the perishable realm of inert matter and am higher even than the imperishable individual self. Therefore I am renowned as Puruṣottama in both the world and the Veda.” (Bhagavad Gītā 15.18)

“I am the origin and dissolution of the entire universe, the primal cause of all.” (Bhagavad Gītā 7.6)

“Nothing whatsoever is higher than Me. This whole universe is strung upon Me like jewels upon a thread.” (Bhagavad Gītā 7.7)

“Arjuna, know Me alone as the eternal seed of every being.” (Bhagavad Gītā 7.10)

“I am the source of all, and from Me the whole universe proceeds.” (Bhagavad Gītā 10.8)

[Sanskrit]

“Because I transcend the perishable and am higher even than the imperishable, I am celebrated as Puruṣottama in the world and in the Veda.” (Bhagavad Gītā 15.18)

“I am the origin and dissolution of the entire universe.” (Bhagavad Gītā 7.6)

“Nothing higher than Me exists, O Dhanañjaya. All this is woven upon Me like clusters of jewels upon a thread.” (Bhagavad Gītā 7.7)

“Know Me, O Pārtha, as the eternal seed of every being.” (Bhagavad Gītā 7.10)

“I am the source of all; from Me everything proceeds.” (Bhagavad Gītā 10.8)

“I know all beings who have passed, who exist now, and who will arise in the future; yet no one knows Me.” (Bhagavad Gītā 7.26)

“I alone am the goal, sustainer, Lord, witness of all good and evil, dwelling, refuge, friend, source of creation and dissolution, foundation of continuance, treasury, and imperishable seed, the primal cause.” (Bhagavad Gītā 9.18)

“This whole universe is pervaded by Me.” (Bhagavad Gītā 9.4)

“All beings abide in Me.” (Bhagavad Gītā 9.6)

“Arjuna, I am the Self seated in the hearts of all beings, and I am the beginning, middle, and end of every being.” (Bhagavad Gītā 10.20)

“I remain sustaining the entire universe with only one portion of Myself.” (Bhagavad Gītā 10.42)

“Though unborn and imperishable, and though Lord of every being, I establish Myself in My own nature and appear through My Yogamāyā.” (Bhagavad Gītā 4.6)

[Sanskrit]

“I know the beings of the past, present, and future, O Arjuna, but no one knows Me.” (Bhagavad Gītā 7.26)

“I am the goal, sustainer, Lord, witness, dwelling, refuge, friend, origin, dissolution, foundation, treasury, and imperishable seed.” (Bhagavad Gītā 9.18)

“By Me all this is pervaded.” (Bhagavad Gītā 9.4)

“All beings abide in Me.” (Bhagavad Gītā 9.6)

“I am the Self, O Guḍākeśa, dwelling in every being's heart. I am the beginning, middle, and end of all beings.” (Bhagavad Gītā 10.20)

“Supporting this entire universe with one portion of Myself, I remain.” (Bhagavad Gītā 10.42)

“Though unborn and imperishable, and though Lord of all beings, I establish Myself in My own nature and manifest through My own māyā.” (Bhagavad Gītā 4.6)

“The person who knows Me as the enjoyer of every sacrifice and austerity, the great Lord of all worlds, and the friend of every being attains peace.” (Bhagavad Gītā 5.29)

“I am the foundation of imperishable Brahman, immortality, eternal dharma, and absolute, undivided bliss.” (Bhagavad Gītā 14.27)

Arjuna says:

“You are supreme Brahman, the supreme abode, and the supreme purifier. All the sages, the divine seer Nārada, Asita, Devala, and Vyāsa describe You as the eternal divine Person, the primal God even of the gods, unborn and all-pervading; and You Yourself declare the same.” (Bhagavad Gītā 10.12-13)

Vasudeva says:

“I now know that You are directly Puruṣottama, beyond material nature. Your form is pure experience and pure bliss, and You alone witness every intellect.” (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.3.13)

“O all-pervading Lord, people say that although You Yourself are free from all action, qualities, and transformations, the universe's creation, maintenance, and dissolution arise from You alone.” (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.3.19)

[Sanskrit]

“One who knows Me as the enjoyer of sacrifices and austerities, the great Lord of all worlds, and the friend of all beings attains peace.” (Bhagavad Gītā 5.29)

“For I am the foundation of imperishable Brahman, immortality, eternal dharma, and absolute bliss.” (Bhagavad Gītā 14.27)

“You are supreme Brahman, the supreme abode and purifier, the eternal divine Person, the primal God, unborn and all-pervading. All sages proclaim this of You, as do the divine sage Nārada, Asita, Devala, and Vyāsa; and You Yourself tell me so.” (Bhagavad Gītā 10.12-13)

“You are known directly as the Person beyond nature, whose form is pure realised bliss and who sees every intellect.” (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.3.13)

“O all-pervading Lord, although You are actionless, they say that creation, maintenance, and dissolution arise from You.” (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.3.19)

“You alone are the Self of all and the one reality. You are the primeval Person, self-luminous, infinite, and the beginning of all; eternal, imperishable, a ceaseless form of bliss, unstained, complete, one, free from every limitation, and immortal.” (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.14.23)

Śrī Rudra says:

“You are the supremely mysterious Parabrahman, the very form of supreme light.” (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.63.34)

“You are the cause of the universe's creation, maintenance, and dissolution. You are equal everywhere, supremely peaceful, the friend, Self, and worshipful Lord of all. You are one without a second, the foundation and indwelling ground of the universe. O Lord, we worship You to gain freedom from saṁsāra.” (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.63.44)

[Sanskrit]

“You alone are the Self, the primeval Person, truth, self-luminous, infinite, and primal; eternal, imperishable, ceaseless bliss, unstained, complete, one, free from limiting designations, and immortal.” (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.14.23)

“You are indeed Brahman, the supreme light, hidden within Brahman.” (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.63.34)

“We worship You, the cause of the universe's maintenance, creation, and dissolution; equal, tranquil, the friend, Self, and deity of all; the one without a second, the sign and ground of the universe - so that we may be freed from becoming.” (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.63.44)

After returning from the Pāṇḍavas, Sañjaya tells Dhṛtarāṣṭra: “Place the entire universe on one side and Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa alone on the other; in essential power, Bhagavān Janārdana will prove greater. Śrī Kṛṣṇa can reduce the whole universe to ashes by a mere resolve, but the whole universe together cannot burn Him.

“Where truth, dharma, modesty, and sincerity dwell, there Bhagavān is present; and where Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa is, there is victory. Bhagavān Keśava alone continually turns the wheel of time, the wheel of the world, and the wheel of the ages through His Yoga-power. I speak this truth: Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa alone is the sovereign of time, death, and the whole conscious and unconscious universe.”

[Sanskrit]

“On one side stands the entire universe; on the other, Janārdana alone. In essential worth Janārdana exceeds the whole universe.

“Janārdana could reduce this universe to ashes by thought alone, but the entire universe has no power to burn Janārdana.

“Where truth is, where dharma, modesty, and sincerity are, there Govinda is; where Kṛṣṇa is, there is victory.

“Bhagavān Keśava ceaselessly turns the wheel of time, the wheel of the world, and the wheel of the ages through His own Yoga.” (Mahābhārata, Udyoga Parva 68.7-9, 12)

When Grandfather Bhīṣma directed that Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa receive the first worship at the Pāṇḍavas' Rājasūya sacrifice, Śiśupāla became enraged and spoke many abusive and perverse words to him. Peace-loving Yudhiṣṭhira grew somewhat afraid. Bhīṣma then described Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa's greatness. Among his words were these:

“Śrī Kṛṣṇa alone is the foundation of all worlds' creation and dissolution. This whole universe and every moving and unmoving being exist for Śrī Kṛṣṇa's play. He alone is the unmanifest nature and the eternal agent. He transcends all beings and is infallible; therefore He is supremely worthy of everyone's worship.

“Intellect, mind, the great principle, air, fire, water, space, earth, and all four classes of beings - born from eggs, sweat, wombs, or vegetation - are established in Śrī Kṛṣṇa alone. He is the ground of all. The sun and moon, planets and stars, every direction and intermediate direction, all rest upon Him.

“As the Agnihotra is the foremost of the Vedas, Gāyatrī of metres, a king of human beings, the ocean of rivers, the moon of stars, the sun of luminous bodies, Sumeru of mountains, and Garuḍa of birds, so Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the central and foremost reality of every course of existence - high, low, and intermediate - and of all three worlds.”

The renowned sage and all-knowing divine seer Nārada was also present. Before everyone he declared in unmistakable words:

“Those who do not worship lotus-eyed Śrī Kṛṣṇa should be regarded as dead even while alive, and one should never converse with them.” (Mahābhārata, Sabhā Parva 39.9)

Countless such declarations occur throughout the scriptures. Beyond them, the direct experiences of teachers, saints, and devotees constitute entirely irrefutable and unambiguous testimony.

Bhagavān possesses many forms. Though one in essential reality, they differ from the standpoint of differences in līlā. His avatāras likewise appear for different purposes. Yet this is the appearance of Bhagavān Himself, the source whose portions are present in every one of those forms.

[Sanskrit]

“Kṛṣṇa alone is the origin and dissolution of the worlds. This whole moving and unmoving universe exists for Kṛṣṇa's sake.

“He is the unmanifest nature and the eternal agent; He transcends all beings. Therefore the infallible Lord is supremely worthy of worship.

“Intellect, mind, the great principle, air, fire, water, space, earth, and the four classes of beings are all established in Kṛṣṇa.

“The sun, moon, stars, planets, directions, and intermediate directions are all established in Kṛṣṇa.

“The Vedas have Agnihotra as their head, metres have Gāyatrī, human beings have the king, and rivers have the ocean.

“Stars have the moon as their head, luminous bodies the sun, mountains Meru, and birds Garuḍa.

“Whatever movement exists in the universe - upward, across, or downward - Bhagavān Keśava is its head throughout the worlds of gods.” (Mahābhārata, Sabhā Parva 38.23-29)

[Sanskrit]

“Those people who do not worship lotus-petal-eyed Kṛṣṇa should be known as dead while living and never addressed.” (Mahābhārata, Sabhā Parva 39.9)

Some call Him an avatāra of four-armed Nārāyaṇa, Mahāviṣṇu; others, of Viṣṇu, Lord of Śvetadvīpa. Some describe Him as an avatāra from Bhagavān's hairs, and others as an appearance of the sage Nārāyaṇa. Consequently, the mystery of Śrī Kṛṣṇa's avatāra has become extremely profound and complex.

The Brahma-vaivarta Purāṇa makes clear that when the complete and transcendent Bhagavān Himself, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, descends, four-armed Nārāyaṇa Mahāviṣṇu merges into Him, Viṣṇu the Lord of the earth also merges into Him, and the sage Nārāyaṇa joins Him as well.

In truth Bhagavān is not born like material beings, nor does He possess a body of the five elements, generated from karma and reproductive seed. Bhagavān's auspicious body is wholly identical with Bhagavān. It is not the threefold material body - gross, subtle, and causal. It is never born and never dies, never formed and never destroyed. It is His eternal, true, conscious divine body, which only seems to take birth and disappear.

Therefore Bhagavān describes Himself as unborn, imperishable, and Lord of all, who appears by His own will. He declares: “One who knows in truth this divine birth and action of Mine - both being the nonmaterial form of Bhagavān - does not take birth again after leaving the body, but attains Me, Bhagavān.”

The extraordinary nature of that birth and action, and the extent to which it is Bhagavān's own form, cannot even be imagined, for knowing its secret frees the knower forever from the bondage of birth and death and brings one to Bhagavān.

Six bhagas, or majesties, dwell eternally and infinitely in Bhagavān, and six intrinsic divine qualities belong to His being. Therefore He is called Bhagavān. In Śrī Kṛṣṇa they shine in their completeness. Thus the statement “Kṛṣṇa alone is Bhagavān Himself” is entirely true and reasonable.

[Sanskrit]

“Complete majesty, dharma, fame, splendour, knowledge, and detachment - these six are declared to be bhaga.”

[Sanskrit]

“Knowledge, power, strength, majesty, potency, and splendour, complete and free from every inferior quality, are denoted by the word Bhagavat.” (Viṣṇu Purāṇa 6.5.74, 79)

Complete majesty, dharma, fame, śrī, knowledge, and detachment are the six called bhaga. One in whom they are intrinsic is Bhagavān. Leaving aside qualities fit to be rejected, the auspicious virtues of knowledge, power, strength, majesty, potency, and splendour are signified by the word Bhagavat.

“Majesty” is the power of universal lordship and mastery that exercises unobstructed dominion over all. “Dharma” is that by which all are sustained, blessed, and delivered. “Fame” is auspicious renown extending through infinite universes. “Śrī” is the one great foundational power behind every form of wealth and excellence. “Detachment” is natural nonattachment amid all kinds of prosperity - sovereign wealth, fame, power, renunciation, and every other excellence. Perfect knowledge is Bhagavān's own essential nature.

“Knowledge” is direct awareness of every object in all times. “Power” is the capacity to accomplish what appears impossible or to make the unmade occur; therefore Bhagavān is said to be capable of doing, not doing, or doing otherwise. “Strength” is the power effortlessly to sustain all. “Majesty” is the power to control, subordinate, and rule all. “Potency” is remaining naturally unchanged even while being the cause of the universe. “Splendour” is the capacity naturally to overpower and surpass everything.

Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa is spontaneously complete in all these majesties and qualities. Even so, He performs the līlā of an exemplary human within the human world, sustains society, and places before all a direct example of great desirelessness.

Yet He is not merely the form of majesty; He is also the form of sweetness. In Him both complete majesty and complete sweetness shine in absolute fullness. Therefore He is the most complete and is Bhagavān Himself.

In divine majesty, Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa's greatness is revealed; in sweetness, one glimpses His perfect lovableness. In some of His līlās only majesty shines and sweetness remains unmanifest; in others sweetness alone shines while majesty stays concealed. Yet in certain līlās of Vṛndāvana the two appear together, producing a wonder of extraordinary sweetness.

Thus, while drinking Pūtanā's breast milk, Bhagavān killed her. His drinking at her breast manifests sweetness, while the act of slaying her manifests majesty. Likewise, when He crushed the pride of the great, intoxicated serpent Kāliya and subdued him, Bhagavān performed an exquisitely graceful dance upon his hoods. Majesty shines in the subjugation, and the sweetness of līlā in the dance.

Bhagavān Himself is described, according to one classification, as possessing sixty-four qualities. By Bhagavān's grace, fifty of these can also appear in souls who have attained an exalted spiritual state. Five additional qualities are found in Śrī Rudra and other divine beings, and another five are manifest in Bhagavān Śrīpati. Four qualities, however, appear in their fullness only in Nanda's darling Śrī Kṛṣṇa: the sweetness of His līlā, the sweetness of His love, the sweetness of His beauty, and the sweetness of His flute. Because of these four divine qualities, Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa is sweeter than the sweetest.

Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa appears in Kaṁsa's prison. Bhagavān undergoes no material birth; yet, being capable of bringing everything into existence, He could enact even the līlā of such a birth if He wished. Here, however, He does not do even that. He suddenly manifests in a wondrous, four-armed divine form. The essence of the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam's account follows:

[Hindi verse]

“That prison of Kaṁsa, steeped in darkness, was a black emblem of sin; it was a lightless dungeon, guarded by dark-clad sentinels.

“It was Wednesday, the dark eighth night of Bhādra's waning fortnight; midnight was black, and boundless, dreadful darkness lay all around.

“The unborn, imperishable Lord of all was now to make His auspicious descent, taking His stand within His own nature and unfolding His own māyā.”

[Hindi verse, continued]

At that very moment, cool divine radiance suddenly filled the chamber; everything changed in an instant, and nature began to smile gently.

Time itself became supremely beautiful, endowed with every auspicious quality; the moon stood in Rohiṇī, while all the planets and stars rested peacefully in the sky.

The directions grew clear, and stars began to sparkle overhead; rivers ran with limpid water, and lotuses opened in the lakes at night.

Trees bent beneath blossoms; birds and bees broke into song and humming; a supremely pure, fragrant breeze began to blow, bestowing happiness upon all.

The hearts of the righteous, enemies of the asuras, suddenly became naturally joyous and free; heavenly drums resounded in Svarga with delight at the birth of the Unborn.

Unstruck by any hand, they sounded of themselves at midnight; rejoicing Kinnaras and Gandharvas began their melodious songs.

Vidyādharī maidens and Apsarases suddenly danced to exquisitely sweet rhythms; gods and sages joyfully offered praise, beholding the earth's immense good fortune.

Ocean and cloud began to sing their own glad song in low, sweet tones; from the goddess Devakī appeared the beautiful, sweet Bhagavān Himself.

He arose as the full moon, complete in all sixteen digits, rises; as it ascends in the east, not a trace of darkness-born anguish remained for the saints.

He who illumines all the ages assumed that wondrous dark hue; seeing Puruṣottama before them, the husband and wife stood astonished.

His soft, long, lovely lotus eyes enchanted the minds of sages; His four mighty arms shone with conch, mace, spotless lotus, and discus.

Upon His chest the exceedingly lovely Śrīvatsa mark appeared; at His neck the Kaustubha jewel cast forth its peerless splendour.

His rain-cloud-dark body shone pure and beautiful; upon that lovely form gleamed divine yellow silk of surpassing charm.

His crown and radiant earrings were fashioned from priceless gems and vaidūrya; His curling locks flashed about them like rays of the sun.

[Hindi verse]

“At His waist a girdle set with divine jewels shone, a treasury of beauty; armlets adorned His arms, and auspicious bracelets graced His hands.

“Every limb was ornamented, and radiance spread in every direction; beholding that form, Vasudeva and Devakī were immersed in immeasurable joy.”

Similarly, Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa did not relinquish His body as a material body is relinquished. In truth, the nonmaterial body that is Bhagavān's own eternally blissful being cannot be abandoned, for in Him there is no distinction between the body and its possessor. Bhagavān's departure from the earthly realm alone is called His relinquishing of the body.

[Sanskrit]

“Hari's departure from the earthly world is remembered as His relinquishing of the body. Since His nature is eternal bliss, no other body belonging to Him is ever perceived.” (Śrī Skanda Purāṇa)

Shortly before Bhagavān returned to His supreme abode, His divine chariot, marked with Garuḍa and accompanied by its horses, banner, and other equipment, rose into the sky and disappeared. Then Śrī Brahmā, Bhagavān Śiva with Pārvatī, Indra and the other gods, the Prajāpatis, sages, ancestors, Siddhas, Gandharvas, and many others filled the heavens to behold His līlā of departure for the supreme abode. The sky seemed crowded with aerial cars. Singing Bhagavān's virtues, they showered flowers upon Him.

Bhagavān looked toward those gods and closed His eyes. In His own supremely beautiful, divinely embodied form, enchanting all three worlds, He went to His supreme abode. At that moment celestial drums sounded and flowers began to rain. From their aerial cars the gods saw Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa depart for His supreme abode. Together with Bhagavān Śrī Hari, Truth, Dharma, Fortitude, Fame, and the goddess Śrī followed after Him.

This very Bhagavān Himself, in the role of an exemplary human being, displayed ideals in every sphere: the observance of dharma, spiritual reflection, knowledge and realised wisdom, protection of cows and brāhmaṇas, friendship, devotion to the teacher, devotion to mother and father, love for one's wife, respect for women, statecraft, skill in warfare, mastery of many arts, and the suppression of oppression and oppressors.

Through these līlās He placed before the world humanity's great ideal. By acting in complete desirelessness, free from attachment and craving, He embodied the ideal karma-yogin. Through egoless and even-minded conduct, He embodied the ideal of the impartial knower established in Brahman, free from the sense of personal agency. He taught these ideals not merely through speech but through His own actions.

Using Arjuna as the occasion, He imparted the divine wisdom of the Gītā, which benefits everyone and reveals, in every sphere of life, a beautiful and effective way to remove obstacles and attain one's goal. With His beloved devotees He performed distinct, incomparable, supremely sweet līlās suited to each one's mood of tranquility, service, friendship, parental affection, or conjugal love. He granted them the taste of divine rasa, and with a yearning heart He Himself tasted the rasa of their love, utterly free from even the faintest scent of desire. Thus He blessed them and fulfilled their lives. It is only natural that fortunate men and women in every sphere, drawn to Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa - the supreme intimate beloved of all - should offer themselves completely at His feet.

There is no regional language in India in which nothing has been written about Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa's līlās and glory. Every renowned holy person, great soul, saint, and devotee in India bears the influence of devotion to Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Sanskrit possesses a boundless literature devoted to Him; and the literatures of Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati, Odia, Assamese, and the southern languages Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, and others are likewise filled with songs of His virtues.

Among the celebrated teachers, the Vaiṣṇava ācāryas were naturally devotees of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Yet even Ādi Śaṅkarācārya, the renowned exponent of Advaita Vedānta, regarded devotion to Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa as his good fortune. He composed hymns filled with Kṛṣṇa's love, greatness, and rasa; reading them immerses the mind in the rasa of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. His well-known Śrī Kṛṣṇāṣṭakam, Śrī Acyutāṣṭakam, Śrī Govindāṣṭakam, and other hymns overflow with devotion.

He himself performed mental worship of Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa and set out its method in a work titled Bhagavat-Mānasa-Pūjā. From the opening meditation and the concluding meditation prescribed there, it is clear that he contemplated Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa as the child of Vṛndāvana, companion of the cowherd boys and beloved of the gopīs.

The opening meditation is:

[Sanskrit]

“One should meditate upon Kṛṣṇa seated upon the lotus of the heart, His body dark as a rain-laden cloud, His eyes like lotuses, wearing a garland, crown, bracelets, and other ornaments. His face resembles the full autumn moon; He bears the lovely flute, is anointed with saffron, and is surrounded by the company of gopīs.”

Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa sits upon the heart's lotus throne, His dark body like a cloud heavy with rain and His eyes like lotuses. A forest-flower garland beautifies His neck; a crown adorns His head, bracelets His hands, and fitting ornaments each of His other limbs. His captivating face resembles the autumn moon. He holds a beautiful flute, is adorned with sandal paste blended with saffron, and is encircled on every side by cowherd maidens.

The concluding meditation is:

[Sanskrit]

“Kṛṣṇa, dark blue as a rain-filled cloud, is ever worthy of service. In His hand He holds yogurt rice, then fresh butter and the flute. At times He is absorbed in painting clusters of leaf designs upon the pitcher-like breasts of His beloveds; at others He joins His affectionate young companions in childhood play.”

Dark and beautiful Śrī Kṛṣṇa, whose lustre resembles a rain-laden cloud, is ever worthy of service. He holds yogurt, rice, butter, and His flute in His hand and plays with His loving boyhood friends; at times He becomes absorbed in tracing leaf patterns upon the pitcher-like breasts of His beloved cowherd maidens.

On one occasion Śrī Śaṅkarācārya prayed that Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa appear and grant him a vision for the liberation of his mother. Every stanza of that prayer ends with the plea, “May Śrī Kṛṣṇa come within the range of my eyes.” Bhagavān heard the prayer and appeared before the ācārya, bearing conch, discus, and lotus, thereby fulfilling him. The concluding stanza says:

[Sanskrit]

“Thus worshipped by Śaṅkara for his mother's liberation, Śrī Hari - the Self of all, the primal Lord whose virtues are clearly proclaimed by the śruti - appeared near that foremost ascetic in a gracious, splendid form, adorned with His own qualities and holding conch, discus, and lotus.”

When the foremost renunciant Śrī Śaṅkarācārya worshipped Śrī Hari, the Self of the entire universe and possessor of the virtues described by the śruti, for the liberation of his mother, Hari appeared before him in a gracious and glorious form, bearing His own qualities and holding conch, discus, and lotus in His hands.

In his revered work Prabodha-sudhākara, Śrī Śaṅkarācārya establishes that Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa is neither confined to one place nor merely a partial avatāra. Rather, He is all-pervading, the Self of all, the direct Paramātman from whom all avatāras proceed. He says:

[Sanskrit]

“Although this Lord of the Yadus possesses a visible form and appears confined to one place, He is nevertheless all-pervading, the Self of all, and existence-consciousness-bliss.”

He describes Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa as distinct even from Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Maheśa: a changeless and supreme “blue radiance made of consciousness.”

[Sanskrit]

“Kṛṣṇa indeed exists as a certain unique, changeless blue radiance composed of pure consciousness.”

See the form in which he remembered and directly beheld Bhagavān:

[Sanskrit]

“In the supremely lovely forest of Vṛndāvana, standing upon the bank near the Yamunā, beneath a wish-fulfilling tree, He places one foot across the other.

“Cloud-dark, He stands illuminating this universe with His own brilliance. He wears yellow silk, and every limb is anointed with sandal and camphor.

“His great eyes extend toward His ears, which are adorned by a pair of earrings. His lotus face bears a gentle smile, and He wears a noble necklace set with the lovely Kaustubha jewel.”

[Sanskrit, continued]

“His bracelets, rings, and other ornaments shine, illumined by His own radiance. A forest garland sways upon His neck, and by His splendour He drives away the age of Kali.

“His head is adorned with clusters of guñjā berries amid humming bees. Remember Hari within a leafy bower, dining with the cowherd boys.”

Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa sits upon the earth beneath a wish-fulfilling kadamba tree in supremely delightful Vṛndāvana, close to the bank of the Yamunā, one foot crossed over the other. His complexion is deep cloud-blue, and He illumines the whole universe with His radiance. He wears yellow silk, and all His limbs are anointed with sandal and camphor. His immense eyes extend toward His ears, where earrings shimmer. A gentle, sweet smile rests upon His lotus face. He wears a lovely necklace set with the Kaustubha jewel. His own light makes His fine bracelets, rings, and other ornaments shine. A forest-flower garland hangs at His neck, and His brilliance dispels the age of Kali. His limbs are adorned with guñjā berries, bees hum around His head, and He sits within a bower taking a forest meal with the cowherd boys. One should remember that dark and beautiful Lord.

Swami Śrī Madhusūdana Sarasvatī, the renowned defender and follower of Śaṅkara's doctrine and author of the distinguished Vedānta work Advaita-siddhi, refuses to acknowledge any reality beyond flute-enchanting Śyāmasundara. He goes so far as to point straight toward hell for those who deny Śrī Kṛṣṇa's greatness and divinity. Savour his words:

[Sanskrit]

“If yogins, with minds mastered through the practice of meditation, behold some indefinable, attributeless, inactive supreme light, let them behold it. As for us, may that wondrous blue radiance which races along the sandy banks of the Kālindī enchant our eyes forever.

“Beyond Kṛṣṇa - whose hand is adorned with the flute, whose lustre resembles a fresh rain cloud, who wears yellow silk, whose lips are red like ripe bimba fruit, whose lovely face resembles the full moon, and whose eyes are lotuses - I know no reality whatsoever.”

[Sanskrit]

“Those fools who cannot tolerate the wondrous greatness of Kṛṣṇa, established even by valid sources of knowledge, have gone to hell.”

If yogins, with minds brought under control by the practice of meditation, behold some indescribable, qualityless, inactive supreme light, let them do so; we have no quarrel with them. For us, may the unearthly blue radiance that runs upon the sandy banks of the Kālindī continue for all time to fill our eyes with wonder.

If any reality exists beyond Śrī Kṛṣṇa - whose hands are beautified by the flute, whose lustre is like a fresh cloud, who wears yellow garments, whose lips are red like ripe bimba fruit, whose face is lovely as the full moon, and whose eyes resemble lotuses - I do not know it.

Those who cannot bear Śrī Kṛṣṇa's wondrous glory, established not only by direct experience but also by scripture and other valid means of knowledge, are fools who go to hell.

Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the abode of indescribable, inconceivably infinite, and mutually contrary qualities and powers, possesses countless virtues. The more one remembers them, the more auspicious it is. Today, on the festival of His appearance, we remember Him in holiness and humbly pray to Him in the feeling-filled language of a cowherd maiden who has offered herself completely:

[Hindi verse]

“O complete Brahman! O supreme bliss, eternal foundation of all! O Puruṣottama, supreme Lord! O Acyuta, incomparable and boundlessly generous!

“O Lord of the universe, all-sustaining sovereign! O unborn, imperishable Bhagavān! O Paramātman, Self of all, purity itself, the very form of knowledge and realised wisdom!

“O son of Vasudeva and Devakī! O Kṛṣṇa, darling of Yaśodā and Nanda! O Lord of the Yadus, Lord of Vraja, protector of the cows, lifter of Govardhana, O Gopāla!

“You are my only refuge; You alone are the essence of happiness. You alone are my everything; You alone are my whole life embodied.

“How great You are, how exalted, how rare, divine, and majestic! Yet, wise Lord, forgetting all Your divinity, You embraced insignificant me.”

“I possess no love, no rasa at all, nor the least renunciation in my heart; I am destitute of spiritual practice and live in lowliness, yet even so You love me.

“Seeing Your wondrous nature, my heart rises in ever-new enthusiasm: may I never leave You or become separate from You - this alone my heart desires.

“I have no fear or concern for merit or sin, this world or the next; let me simply lie in the dust of Your feet, making body, mind, and wealth worthless.

“Let all the world remain or depart; let honour come or stigma cling to me; may I go on serving the dust of Your feet - this alone is inscribed upon my heart.

“Whether I dwell in the mansion of realised knowledge or lie fallen in a pit of dense darkness, may I ever hear Your flute and continue beholding Your incomparable form.”

Finally, acclaim His victory:

[Hindi victory hymn]

“Victory to Devakī's joy! Victory to Yaśodā's joy! Proclaim victory, victory, victory to the destroyer of asuras! (1)

“Victory to Nanda's darling! Victory to the tamer of the serpent! Proclaim victory, victory, victory to the stealer of butter! (2)

“Victory to the brother of Dāū! Victory to the arranger of the rāsa dance! Proclaim victory, victory, victory to the divine dancer! (3)

“Victory to the bearer of the flute! Victory to the wanderer of Vraja! Proclaim victory, victory, victory to Kṛṣṇa Murāri! (4)

“Victory to the beloved of the gopīs! Victory to the beloved of Rādhā! Proclaim victory, victory, victory to the beloved of Rukmiṇī! (5)”

[Hindi victory hymn]

“Victory to the purifier of the universe! Victory to the cherisher of His devotees' feelings! Proclaim victory, victory, victory to Him who makes all else forgotten! (6)

“Victory to the singer of the Gītā! Victory to the leader of the world! Proclaim victory, victory, victory to the giver of happiness to all! (7)

“Victory to the Lord of all! Victory to the great Lord of the worlds! Proclaim victory, victory, victory to the Lord of His devotees! (8)

“Joy has arisen in Nanda's home - victory to darling Kanhaiyā!”

The Appearance of the Complete and Transcendent Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa

(Discourse delivered at the Janmāṣṭamī festival of Vikrama Saṁvat 2023)

[Sanskrit]

“Again and again I bow to Kṛṣṇa, son of Vasudeva, Devakī's delight, the young son of the cowherd Nanda, Govinda.

“Obeisance to Him whose navel is a lotus, who wears a garland of lotuses, whose eyes are lotuses, and whose feet are lotuses.

“Obeisance to the treasure of those who possess nothing, who is beyond the workings of the guṇas, who delights in His own Self, who is perfectly peaceful, and who is Lord of liberation.

“Śrī Kṛṣṇa! Friend of Arjuna! Foremost of the Vṛṣṇis! Destroyer of the royal dynasties that oppress the earth! Your valour never diminishes. Govinda, You descended to remove the suffering of cows, brāhmaṇas, and gods. Master of Yoga, teacher of all, Bhagavān, I bow to You.” (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.8.21, 22, 27, 43)

Today is Śrī Kṛṣṇa Janmāṣṭamī, the greatly auspicious, supremely sweet, and profoundly sacred day of the blessed appearance of the complete, transcendent Bhagavān Himself.

The sorrowing earth, oppressed by an unbearable burden and terrified by the fierce, violent atrocities of demons appearing as ungovernable kings and of other asuras of dreadful deeds, assumed the form of a cow and approached Brahmā, the creator. Then, with Brahmā's agreement, she went with Bhagavān Śaṅkara and the other gods to the shore of the Ocean of Milk and began to call upon Bhagavān.

Bhagavān in the form of the Puruṣa reclining upon the Milk Ocean is the Lord of the individual earth; therefore the earth-goddess customarily presents her suffering and pain to Him. There Brahmā and the other gods offered prayers to Bhagavān. Brahmā entered samādhi, and while he remained absorbed he heard Bhagavān's voice from the sky.

After hearing it, Brahmā told the gods: “Bhagavān already knows the earth's torment. Before He, the Lord of lords, descends to remove her burden, you gods should take birth in the Yadu dynasty and stand ready to assist His līlā. The supreme Person, Bhagavān Himself, will appear directly in Vasudeva's house. To serve Him, and together with Him to serve His most beloved Śrī Rādhā, the celestial women should also take birth there.”

[Sanskrit]

“The supreme Person, Bhagavān Himself, will take birth directly in Vasudeva's home. To serve His beloved, let the women of the gods also take birth.” (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.1.23)

The plain meaning of the Milk-Ocean Lord's words is that it is not merely the Puruṣa reclining upon the Milk Ocean, but the supreme Person Puruṣottama Himself, who will descend in Śrī Vasudeva's home.

Different accounts are found of Śrī Kṛṣṇa's avatāras in different kalpas. In some He is described as an avatāra of Bhagavān Viṣṇu; in others, of Nārāyaṇa or Vāmana; elsewhere, as a partial avatāra in the form of Viṣṇu's white and black hairs; and elsewhere still, as an avatāra of the sage Nārāyaṇa. In the present Sārasvata Kalpa, however, Bhagavān Himself appeared in fullness together with all His portions, subordinate portions, and manifestations of majesty. In this avatāra the distinct līlā-functions of many avatāras are perfectly accomplished by this one Lord, because they are all contained within this complete Bhagavān Himself. The Puruṣas, portions, subordinate portions, manifestations, līlās, powers, and all else are established in Him alone.

According to the Brahma-vaivarta Purāṇa, the earth-goddess accompanies the gods to Goloka, the realm of Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa, great Lord of all worlds. At the gods' prayer, Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa agrees to descend Himself. Just then a divine chariot arrives. Four-armed Nārāyaṇa Mahāviṣṇu, bearing conch, discus, mace, and lotus, steps down and merges into the divine body of the supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Then Śrī Viṣṇu, Lord of the earth, arrives upon another divine chariot and likewise merges into Bhagavān, Lord of Rādhikā. When the need for a human principle in the avatāra then presents itself, the sage Nārāyaṇa, who is present there, also enters Him. Thus Bhagavān Himself appears in Vasudeva's home after uniting within Himself the forms of Mahāviṣṇu, Viṣṇu, and Nārāyaṇa.

The cruel Kaṁsa killed Devakī's first six sons one by one as soon as they were born. At Bhagavān's command, Mahāmāyā transferred Devakī's seventh embryo into the womb of Rohiṇī, Vasudeva's other wife; hence that child received the name Saṅkarṣaṇa, “He who was drawn away.”

Thereafter Bhagavān entered Vasudeva's mind and passed from his mind into Devakī's. He did not remain in a womb as ordinary embodied beings do. Even so, through His līlā Devakī seemed to experience pregnancy and to understand that He was born from her own womb. Her complete maternal love and Bhagavān's submission to His devotees are the chief reasons for this.

One day the gods entered Kaṁsa's prison and offered the famous praise known as the Garbha-stuti, the Hymn to the Lord in the Womb.

It was the dark midnight of the waning fortnight of Bhādrapada, within the sordid prison of the cruel tyrant Kaṁsa. Yet at the time of Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa's divine appearance everything became supremely auspicious, beautiful, and pure. Time itself was endowed with every auspicious quality and became radiant. The moon then stood in the constellation Rohiṇī, while all the constellations, planets, and stars in the sky became peaceful and gentle. Every direction brightened and the stars sparkled overhead. The water of the rivers became clear; even at night, countless rows of lotuses blossomed in the lakes; and in the forests, rows of trees became laden with fragrant flowers of many colours.

Parrots, cuckoos, and other birds began to sing sweetly, and the woodland resounded with the gentle humming of bees intoxicated by nectar. A pure, cool, mild, fragrant, delightful wind blew, giving joy through its touch. All nature blossomed with happiness; the five elements - earth, water, fire, air, and space - filled with supreme delight.

The fires in the sacrificial hearths of the brāhmaṇas, extinguished under Kaṁsa's cruel oppression, spontaneously rekindled. The tormented hearts of saints hated by the asuras suddenly filled with joy. At the unborn Bhagavān's divine appearance, celestial drums sounded together in heaven without being struck. Hāhā, Hūhū, Tumburu, and other Gandharvas and Kinnaras, masters of music, sang Bhagavān's sacred virtues in exquisitely sweet voices, while Siddhas and Cāraṇas began hymning Him. Vidyādharī maidens and Apsarases forgot sensual pleasure and danced in time with the pure, nectarean rhythms of the Gandharvas' and Kinnaras' ecstatic praise of Govinda.

The gods awakened at once, joyfully entered Nandana Garden, and showered the earth with fragrant heavenly blossoms such as pārijāta. At the pure appearance of the ocean of supreme bliss, the earth's seven seas seemed to dance, softly murmuring and displaying their high, fluid waves. Hearing the ocean's sweet thunder, the banks of clouds at the horizons also resounded.

At midnight, Janārdana, who dwells in every heart, appeared from Devakī, whose form was divine, as the full moon rises in the eastern sky. Bhagavān's body was divine, and so was Devakī's; hence she is called “divine in form.”

[Sanskrit]

“When Janārdana was born at midnight amid deep darkness, Viṣṇu, who dwells in every heart, appeared through Devakī of divine form, as the full moon rises in the east.” (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.3.8)

The immeasurably fortunate Śrī Vasudeva saw a vast, cool, delightful radiance like countless suns and moons. Within it he beheld an extraordinary four-armed child of divine dark-blue form, adorned with celestial garments and ornaments and bearing conch, mace, discus, and lotus.

Bhagavān's blessed divine body is not merely nonmaterial; it is Bhagavān's own essential form. That eternal divine body, inconceivably endowed with majesty, sweetness, and beauty, is made of consciousness and remains eternally all-pervading even while appearing bounded. It is neither born of karma nor composed of the five elements, and there is no distinction in it between body and embodied possessor. It is eternally existence-consciousness-bliss.

Devakī could not bear the intense brilliance of this divine four-armed form. She prayed that Bhagavān conceal it and grant her the sight of Him as an infant. Bhagavān, tender toward His devotees, reminded Vasudeva and Devakī of their former births and told them, “I, the Lord of all, have become your son.” He then appeared at once as an ordinary infant.

At Bhagavān's command, Śrī Vasudeva carried the infant Lord to Nanda's home, laid Him beside Śrī Yaśodā, and brought back in exchange Jagadambikā Mahāmāyā, who had appeared from Yaśodā. The prison doors opened, the guards fell asleep, the road became deserted, the Yamunā gave way, and everyone in Nanda's home slept. Through Bhagavān's māyā, expert in making the impossible occur, no one learned that Vasudeva had placed the child beside Yaśodā and returned to prison with the girl.

Thereafter began the many-hued, all-embracing līlā that brings welfare and bliss to all; it continued unobstructed until Bhagavān disappeared from the earthly realm. Every episode is sufficient to fulfil an embodied life. By hearing, recounting, and singing these līlās, human beings fallen in the ocean of saṁsāra readily cross beyond it. Bhagavān performs līlā precisely so that people may become fulfilled simply by hearing, praising, and remembering it.

Kuntī Devī, while praising Bhagavān, describes the purposes of Śrī Kṛṣṇa's avatāra:

[Sanskrit]

“Some say that the Unborn has taken birth in the dynasty of dear Yadu to increase the fame of the virtuous king, as sandalwood appears in the Malaya hills.

“Others say that, being prayed to by Vasudeva and Devakī, You, though unborn, came for this world's welfare and to destroy those who hate the gods.

“Others say that You were born at Brahmā's prayer to lighten the earth's immense burden, as one rescues a foundering boat from the ocean.

“Some say You have appeared to perform deeds fit for hearing and remembrance by those tormented in this world through ignorance, desire, and karma.

“Those who repeatedly hear, sing, proclaim, remember, and rejoice in Your deeds soon behold Your lotus feet, where the current of becoming comes to rest.” (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.8.32-36)

“O Bhagavān, why have You, the unborn, taken birth? Some great souls say that You entered the Yadu dynasty to increase the fame of the virtuous King Yudhiṣṭhira, or that, just as sandalwood appears on Mount Malaya and spreads its renown, You descended in King Yadu's line to extend his glory. Others say that Vasudeva and Devakī had prayed in a former birth, as Sutapā and Pṛśni, that You appear as their son. Therefore, though unborn, You became their child for the world's welfare - the protection of saints - and for the destruction and deliverance of god-hating asuras. Some say You descended to relieve the earth, which was sinking like an overloaded ship beneath the crushing weight of demons.” Having presented these views, Kuntī states her own:

“In this world ignorance gives rise to desire; impelled by desire, people perform action for reward, and bound by its consequences they suffer many afflictions. You have assumed this avatāra to perform divine līlās that bestow loving devotion and free such sufferers from saṁsāra's pain. Those who lovingly hear Your wondrous deeds from others, sing and remember them, and continually rejoice in them soon behold Your lotus feet, where the powerful stream of birth and death ceases forever.”

In truth, no one but unborn Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself knows what He is, how He is, or the mystery of why He appears. He says, “Neither the hosts of gods nor the great sages know My origin.”

Yet He Himself declares: “Though unborn, imperishable, and Lord of all beings, I take command of My own nature and manifest perfectly through My māyā, My līlā.” “Whenever dharma declines and adharma rises, I manifest Myself. To protect the good, destroy evildoers, and establish dharma, I appear age after age.”

In three verses of the Gītā's fourth chapter, 4.6-8, Bhagavān separately describes His appearance and its causes. Verse six indicates that although unborn, imperishable, and Lord of all beings, He takes birth, disappears, and becomes a dependent child; thus it plainly describes the direct appearance of the complete and transcendent Puruṣottama, who holds apparently contrary attributes. Verse seven describes His form as the teacher who removes dharma's decline and adharma's rise through true instruction. Verse eight names three purposes: protecting saints, destroying asuras, and establishing dharma.

True adharma is turning away from Bhagavān, loving enjoyment, and becoming enslaved by desire. The adharma of lust must be destroyed, and the pure, self-giving dharma of love established.

The asuric tendency devoted to sensual indulgence continually strengthens the six enemies, beginning with desire and anger, and endangers the disposition of saints. Thus destroying this pleasure-seeking, desire-filled asuric nature is, in truth, the destruction of adharma and evildoers and the protection of saints. Bhagavān accomplishes this by descending Himself and establishing the dharma of pure love through His sacred, supremely sweet, rasa-filled līlā. Until this dharma of love is attained, even stainless Paramahaṁsa sages are not perfectly fulfilled. Therefore Kuntī Devī says, while explaining the avatāra's purpose:

[Sanskrit]

“You have appeared to institute bhakti-yoga for Paramahaṁsa sages of stainless heart. How, then, can we women behold You?” (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.8.20)

You descend to awaken loving devotion within the hearts of discerning Paramahaṁsa sages whose hearts are pure. How can we women of little understanding recognise You?

Śrī Kṛṣṇa's līlās, virtues, and deeds so captivate the heart with love that even sages whose knot of ignorance has broken and who eternally delight in the Self begin to practise causeless devotion and pure love for Bhagavān.

[Sanskrit]

“Even self-delighting sages, free from all bonds, render causeless devotion to Urukrama, for Hari's qualities are such.” (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.7.10)

Bhagavān's līlās bestow love even upon self-delighting sages and fulfil them wholly. Some loving great souls identify this as the purpose of Bhagavān Himself descending. Foremost among the renounced, Śrī Śukadeva briefly explains the avatāra's purpose to King Parīkṣit:

[Sanskrit]

“O King, the manifestation of Bhagavān - imperishable, immeasurable, beyond the material guṇas, yet the essential Self of all divine qualities - occurs for humanity's supreme good.” (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.29.14)

O King Parīkṣit, the Lord is free from transformations such as birth and death, inaccessible to ordinary means of proof, untouched by material qualities, the very form of auspicious divine qualities, and complete in the six majesties. His manifestation occurs solely for humanity's highest welfare, and that highest welfare lies wholly in pure loving devotion.

Some great souls experience that loving saints know none but their beloved Bhagavān and burn in the fierce fire of separation from Līlā-Puruṣottama. Bhagavān descends to grant them the nectar-rasa of love through sweet union, extinguish forever their terrible and incomparable forest fire of sorrow, and Himself drink the nectar of love that He has poured into their lives.

In His avatāra-līlā Bhagavān gives qualified devotees love, the fifth and highest aim of life, and makes them His own. At the same time He kills asuras and asuric kings, scorched by the fire of sin and devoted to oppression, and by His merciful nature of granting a supreme destination even to slain enemies, brings them the highest welfare. He frees saints deprived of worship from their tormentors and thus protects them. Under the pretext of killing, He delivers the asuras chiefly responsible for adharma's rise, and establishes the stainless dharma of varṇāśrama and the protection of cows, brāhmaṇas, and saints. This benefits both the mortal and celestial worlds.

Śrī Kṛṣṇa's līlā is infinitely many-sided. Just as every kind of knowledge, action, power, and feeling resides in Bhagavān - for He is their original source, support, and mover - so too His līlās assume infinitely many forms.

They bring different beings onto the good path within their own spheres and grant them the highest welfare. Bhagavān's līlās therefore contain every rasa, wholesome instruction for everyone, true teaching, and true ideals. There is no field in which He is not the supreme teacher. Hence He is Jagadguru. Whoever approaches Him in any feeling receives instruction through His līlā suited to that very feeling and attains the highest good.

He accepts whatever relationship a person wishes to form with Him, for by nature He is “the friend of all beings.” Thus He is the supremely delightful son of Vasudeva and Devakī and of Nanda and Yaśodā; the companion of Vraja's boys, of poor Sudāmā, and of heroes and scholars such as Arjuna and Uddhava; the sweetest beloved of the cowherd maidens; and the revered husband of Dvārakā's majestic queens. He is the devoted servant of cows, friend of animals and birds, and enemy of asuras and rākṣasas. To knowers He is Brahman, to yogins Paramātman, to devotees Bhagavān, and to lovers the supreme object of love. Among statesmen He is a consummate master of policy; among warriors, an incomparably mighty hero. He is the supreme guardian of those who seek refuge, and for disciples the highest teacher, giver of wisdom, and guide to the right path.

He is perfectly skilled in every undertaking; mastery of action is natural in His līlā. Whatever He does, He performs as one possessing the fullest experience. No art lies beyond Him, yet every display of art naturally contains the world's welfare: art not merely for art, but for blessing.

He is the great master of music, and the greatest musicians are His pupils. His instrumental art is indescribable. The melodious sound of His flute reaches Brahmaloka and enchants all, making the inert conscious and the conscious inert. Hearing it, millions of Vraja's lovely women become as if intoxicated; forgetting every worldly relationship, they reach their beloved Śrī Kṛṣṇa and offer their whole selves to Him.

Thereby they become supremely worshipful even to Paramahaṁsa sages of knowledge and to the universally revered gods.

His dancing is utterly extraordinary. Śiva's dance is called tāṇḍava and Pārvatī's lāsya, but dancing lightly upon the thousand hoods of a venom-spewing serpent lies beyond even the summit of dance. Its purpose is to destroy all Kāliya's sins and grant him loving devotion. His great rāsa dance remains a mystery even to the foremost knowers of reality.

He became the supreme master of wrestling. Though appearing very small, He manoeuvred so adroitly that the proud wrestlers Muṣṭika and Cāṇūra were crushed. By breaking the bow, destroying Kuvalayāpīḍa, and killing Kaṁsa, He established the force of His strength and valour.

When, and from whom, did He ever learn to drive horses? Yet in this art He stands as everyone's teacher. Even masters of horsemanship like Śalya consider themselves insignificant before Him. His work as charioteer serves only to uphold the ideal of friendship and secure Arjuna's victory in the war for dharma.

His eloquence is renowned. Elderly knowers, learned Vedic scholars, paṇḍitas, and seers travelled from afar to hear His address in the Kaurava assembly.

His divine radiance and majesty are so extraordinary that all naturally bow before Him. The greatest contemporary knowers and scientists, elders in learning and age, practitioners of dharma and austerity, sages, mighty heroes, lovers of peace, and formidable warriors all revered Him and marvelled at His transcendent splendour. Bhagavān Vedavyāsa Himself, Devarṣi Nārada, Grandfather Bhīṣma, Grandfather Ugrasena, Vidura, Yudhiṣṭhira, Bhīma, Arjuna, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Karṇa, Gāndhārī, Kuntī, and men and women of many dispositions and temperaments considered their lives fulfilled by beholding Him as God.

His Bhagavad Gītā is a supremely radiant divine sun not only in the spiritual literature of the world, but also in the firmament of human life.

It continually expands, bringing supreme peace and light, drawing the whole world toward itself. People in every sphere adopt it as an unfailing guide: secluded forest-dwelling renunciants, karma-yogins like Lokmanya Tilak, political leaders like Gandhi, skilled merchants, and great revolutionaries. Modern humanity, forgetful of the Self, overcome by darkness and intoxicated with material science, sits upon the mouth of a volcano of destruction. If it takes refuge in Śrī Kṛṣṇa's all-beneficent Śrīmad Bhagavad Gītā and receives its illumination, it can gain the divine light of true science, find the true path of progress and welfare, and free the world from the dreadful fear of annihilating fire.

His līlā directly displays the supreme ideal of desirelessness. Though utterly without desire and complete in every attainment, He performs fitting actions for the welfare of the world. He kills oppressive kings but never seizes anyone's kingdom.

He naturally accepts every good task. He experiences neither elation nor sorrow, neither honour nor insult, neither pride nor shame. At the Pāṇḍavas' Rājasūya sacrifice He accepts the first worship before venerable sages, seers, and teachers such as Bhīṣma; at that same sacrifice He washes the feet of arriving guests. On the Mahābhārata battlefield He is, in one sense, chairman of the Pāṇḍavas' council of war, yet He also sits upon Arjuna's chariot driving the horses, reins and whip in hand - “holding whip and reins together in one hand.”

He is the most complete Bhagavān, yet as a complete human being He also conducts Himself ideally. To prevent conflict between Pāṇḍavas and Kauravas, He personally enters the Kaurava court as a messenger of peace and uses every means of persuasion to avert war. When Duryodhana refuses, He also clearly commands the Pāṇḍavas to fight.

Even the smallest act of Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa is exemplary, memorable, worthy of contemplation, and fit to embody in life. His nonmaterial, supernatural divinity cannot be imitated; attempting to imitate it leads into the abyss of downfall. Yet every līlā-act He performs for the world's welfare may be followed according to one's capacity.

He unquestionably is Bhagavān Himself. Yet whether one regards Him as a great person, master of Yoga, supreme Person, superlative human, complete or incomplete human, skilful or devious statesman, master of the arts, or anything else, genuine contact with Him certainly brings welfare, though the paths of approach will differ.

Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa is real and eternal, without origination or destruction. His body is the very bliss of divine existence and consciousness. Even so, from the standpoint of līlā, today is the sacred festival of His great appearance. With devotion and humility, we should bow endlessly to each particle of dust from His holy feet; remember and sing His supremely sacred līlās and names; and, as far as possible and fitting, embody His ideal teachings and līlā-deeds so that our lives may be fulfilled.

[Hindi verse]

“Today the Unborn, imperishable Lord was born in a supremely auspicious abode; within Kaṁsa's prison, then in Nanda's home, the lovely One appeared.

“The supremely free, sole and mighty Lord of all worlds, submitted to His devotees and appeared as Bhagavān conquered by devotion.

“He joined the cowherd boys in every kind of village game; through forest after forest He grazed calves and befriended the wild creatures.

“He plundered yogurt, stole butter, and raised pure commotion; He teased everyone thoroughly, devising ever-new līlās with them all.

“Slaying daityas and dānavas, He effortlessly delivered them; holding Govardhana upon His little finger, He destroyed Indra's pride.”

[Hindi verse, continued]

“Playing His flute sweetly, He enchanted all and stole the wealth of their hearts; He drank the forest fire, subdued Kāliya, and removed Vraja's terrible calamity.

“He ate clay, then showed His mother the unfathomable universe within His mouth; astonished, she tasted joy, and ever-new occasions for delight arose.

“Stealing the gopīs' garments, He broke the covering and made them pure; through the great rāsa He wondrously established His love-rasa-filled divinity.

“Reaching Mathurā, He blessed and delivered the washerman and Kubjā; He killed Kuvalayāpīḍa and destroyed the wrestlers Muṣṭika and Cāṇūra.

“He crushed cruel Kaṁsa and gave the kingdom to Ugrasena; then Rasārāja performed varied līlās of knowledge and power.

“He easily subdued Kālayavana and broke Jarāsandha's pride; Mādhava settled in Dvārakā and duly celebrated eight marriages.

“Killing Bhaumāsura, He brought sixteen thousand princesses with Him; He fulfilled their longing and took their hands in His auspicious hand.

“In the Pāṇḍavas' royal assembly He killed Śiśupāla and effortlessly blessed him; accepting the first worship, He raised Yudhiṣṭhira's honour high.

“On the Pāṇḍava-Kaurava battlefield He gave Arjuna the wisdom of the Gītā, the great guiding light that destroys the worlds' sin and darkness.

“Giving Arjuna exclusive refuge, He eternally accepted him as His own, granting the right to serve, in a divine body, within the divine realm.

“Such is the Lord of all: beyond all, present in all, foundation of all, forever free from material guṇas and abode of every auspicious quality.

“Eternal ocean of rasa's nectar, treasury of supreme beauty and sweetness, supremely free, yet conquered by love, He regards His lover as His own beloved.

“At every moment He increases love and bestows ever-new rasa; eternally fulfilled, He forever tastes fresh rasa and drinks its nectar.

“A skilful statesman and builder of kingdoms, eternally complete and desireless, He removes everyone's sorrow, gives happiness, and is the natural abode of everyone's good.”

[Hindi verse, continued]

“Supreme companion and dear one, supreme beloved, father, teacher, and noblest friend, natural well-wisher, tender to those who seek refuge, supremely generous, delighting in His Self.

“Today the protector of gods, sages, cows, and brāhmaṇas, foundation of truth and dharma, appeared; come all, and with unrestrained voices acclaim His victory again and again.

“Victory to the delight of Vasudeva and Devakī, Nanda's joy and Yaśodā's darling! Victory to the enchanter of lovers and sages, triumph to His vast and tender heart!

“Victory to Nanda Bābā and Yaśodā, victory to gopīs, cows, and cowherds! Victory to the flute and Yamunā; victory, victory, victory to Vṛndāvana and Dvāpara's age!

“Victory to Vasudeva and Devakī, triumph to Kaṁsa's prison! Victory to Rohiṇī and Balarāma, victory to noble Uddhava and Akrūra!

“Victory to Mathurā and Dvārakā, to each chief queen, a garland upon Hari's heart! Victory to Hari's sixteen thousand wives; triumph to Dhanañjaya, Kuntī's son!

“Victory to the Gītā, victory to the great Mahābhārata, triumph to the Bhāgavata, essence of līlā! Victory to loving knowers who spread the Lord's glory!

“Proclaim victory to the delight of Vasudeva and Devakī, Nanda and Yaśodā's darling!”

The Appearance of Līlā-Puruṣottama

(Discourse delivered at the Janmāṣṭamī festival of Vikrama Saṁvat 2024)

[Sanskrit]

“I bow to the child who sports upon the bank of Kālindī's daughter, whose anklets and waist bells ring without cease, whose lovely necklace, tiger-claw ornament, and protective amulets adorn Him, and whose dark beauty mark steals away suffering at a glance.

“I bow to Gopāla, dark as a blue-lotus petal, the joy of Yaśodā and Nanda, and the delight of the gopīs' eyes.”

At the end of the last Dvāpara Yuga, Bhagavān Himself appeared and blessed the universe, especially this earthly realm. Today is the great festival celebrating that appearance.

Bhagavān Himself, ocean of all nectarean rasa and complete in the six majesties, appears in this dry world to deliver people oppressed by asuras and asuric human beings. An avatāra has many purposes: protecting saints, subduing the wicked, relieving the earth's burden, establishing dharma, destroying the rise of desire-tainted adharma, and spreading the pure, self-giving dharma of love.

It was midnight on Bhādrapada's dark eighth night, within cruel Kaṁsa's prison, amid the dreadful cries of demonic guards - all images of that terrible place, fearsome time, and asuric humanity. At that very midnight and in that prison, Bhagavān Himself appeared. The moment arrived, and all nature blossomed with joy, became blessed, and welcomed its Lord in marvellous ways. Time acquired every auspicious quality. The moon stood in Rohiṇī; planets, constellations, and stars became peaceful and gentle. The ten directions brightened, and stars glittered. Great cities, villages, hamlets, and mines of jewels became cradles of blessing. Rivers cleared; lotuses opened in lakes at night; forest trees bent under multicoloured fragrant blossoms. Birds sang, bees intoxicated by nectar hummed, and a pure, cool, mild, fragrant wind delighted all with its touch. The sacrificial fires extinguished by Kaṁsa's oppression rekindled themselves.

Nature had adorned herself outwardly, but this joy entered the inner world too. The hearts of persecuted saints hated by the asuras suddenly filled with gladness. At the unborn Lord's birth-līlā, celestial drums sounded unstruck and heaven rang. Gandharvas, Kinnaras, Siddhas, and Cāraṇas spontaneously began singing gentle, sattvic songs of Bhagavān's virtues.

Vidyādharī maidens and Apsarases forgot their pleasure-dances and joined the pure rhythms of the Gandharvas' and Kinnaras' ecstatic praise of Govinda. Gods and sages joyfully acclaimed the earth's good fortune. The ocean softly thundered, as if welcoming the husband of his daughter Lakṣmī, his own son-in-law. Clouds too, proud that their hue resembled dark-blue Śyāma on His auspicious arrival, sang their fortune with gentle thunder.

Bhagavān then appeared as the son of divine-formed Devakī. Seeing the child-Lord, clothed in yellow silk, four arms bearing conch, discus, mace, and lotus, Vasudeva and Devakī filled with joy but also feared Kaṁsa. Seeing their fear, Bhagavān said, “Take Me to Gokula,” and at once assumed an infant form. Vasudeva took Him in his arms and departed.

Bhagavān is omnipotent and can do everything, yet embodied beings also have duties. He performs līlā to reveal those duties and lead them along the path of practice. Vasudeva's shackles fell away, the strong iron doors opened by themselves, and the guards sank into deep sleep. As Vasudeva wondered how he could leave, the impossible occurred before his eyes.

Outside lay deep darkness beneath a cloud-covered sky, with rain falling. Light shone from the līlā-filled Lord's body and showed Vasudeva the road. Anantadeva spread his hoods as an umbrella above Bhagavān, so not one drop touched His divine body. At the Yamunā, Vasudeva saw a storm: high waves danced and terrible whirlpools formed. Though he had just witnessed wonders, Bhagavān's māyā is strange, and he lacked courage to proceed.

One account says that Mahāmāyā assumed the form of a jackal and crossed the Yamunā before Vasudeva. Seeing this gave him courage. Bhagavān rested in his arms, yet courage was absent: such is the embodied soul's lack of faith. Carrying the Lord, Vasudeva entered the river.

Another wondrous account says the Yamunā thought, “My Lord is passing over me; shall I not embrace Him once?” A powerful wave rose and drew infant Śyāmasundara into the water. Vasudeva cried in anguish. The Yamunā was dancing in longing for His vision and embrace; this was not a storm but her dance of joy. Seeing Vasudeva distressed, Bhagavān told her, “My father is terrified; quickly return Me to his arms.” She replied, “Your command is upon my head, Majesty, but grant me one boon: may all Your childhood līlās occur upon my banks.” Bhagavān said, “So be it,” and returned to His father's embrace.

Vasudeva reached Nanda Bābā's mansion, where everyone lay asleep under Bhagavān's māyā. In the birth chamber he lifted the newborn girl Mahāmāyā from Yaśodā, laid Śrī Kṛṣṇa there, and returned. Soon after Mahāmāyā's appearance everyone had fallen asleep; even Yaśodā forgot whether she had borne a son or daughter - “her memory taken away by sleep.”

During the remaining night, the infant's cry awakened Mother Yaśodā. Seeing her son, she overflowed with joy and drank the nectar of His form insatiably through her eyes - “she gazed upward, as though drinking with her eyes.” For every limb she recalled many comparisons, but all were defeated by His beauty.

[Hindi verse]

“Within the home arose countless blue autumn moons; at their sight a divine ocean of blissful nectar surged in Nanda's queen.

“What incomparable beauty, what a form enchanting gods and sages! What matchless loveliness and radiance streamed from nail to crown!”

Queen Yaśodā urgently told her maids, “Quickly inform the master. Let him come and see once.” Hearing this, Nanda Bābā ran in. Yaśodā said:

“Look, look at the graceful blue jewel who has entered my lap; behold this blue moonrise today and fill mind and eyes with delight.”

Nanda Bābā could only gaze. No words can describe his blissful state:

“Nanda gazed upon the divine beauty shadowing every limb; his eyes ceased to blink, absorbed in unbroken contemplation of that form.”

News spread throughout Vraja. Nanda's mansion quickly overflowed with people. At dawn everyone danced in joy, carrying milk, yogurt, sacred grass, butter, and turmeric, eager to fulfil their lives by beholding infinite bliss, sweetness, and beauty.

Bhagavān may appear to crush demons or destroy adharma and establish dharma; yet those who have tasted even a drop of this nectar of beauty feel that His divine appearance was for them alone. He performed countless līlās - delivering asuras, lifting Govardhana, crushing Indra's pride, dispelling Brahmā's delusion, delivering Kaṁsa, protecting the Pāṇḍavas, and imparting the divine Gītā. No ideal deed is absent from His līlā; hence He is called Līlā-Puruṣottama.

Today, at the hour of Līlā-Puruṣottama's appearance, we are blessed by remembering Him and pray that this infinite treasure of conscious bliss and beauty remain the sole goal and attainment of our lives.

Proclaim victory to Nanda's darling!

When and Why Does Bhagavān Himself Come?

(Discourse delivered at the Janmāṣṭamī festival of Vikrama Saṁvat 2025)

[Sanskrit]

“Bowing my head, O Mukunda, I ask only this one thing of You: by Your grace, may I never forget Your lotus feet, birth after birth.

“Whether I dwell in heaven, on earth, or freely in hell after hell, may I remember even at death Your feet, which put autumn lotuses to shame.”

Material nature naturally tends downward. Within it sattva inclines toward rajas, and rajas flows toward tamas. Unless a powerful person checks it, this descent continues unhindered. As nature falls, gross materialism displaces spirituality. Humanity becomes seized by asuric and rākṣasic dispositions; egoism, possessiveness, desire, craving, greed, and attachment grow fiercely. Through theft, robbery, plunder, violence, fraud, or any means, people pursue enjoyment - wealth, authority, position, honour, and bodily comfort. Dharma, truth, and justice lose all place. Unrighteous, arbitrary, obstinately wicked asuras of base selfishness gain power as kings and rulers. Unrestrained lust masquerades as sacred love; women of good families take pride in becoming unchaste. God, dharma, seekers, and spiritual practice are violently opposed. Saintly believers are persecuted; genuine aspirants are slandered, humiliated, and confronted at every step by obstacles. They cannot practise even in hiding.

A dark, perverse intelligence covers humanity. People see progress in destruction and, enslaved to sensual pleasure, commit cruel and vile demonic acts in the name of humanity. When the lawless wrongdoing and savage oppression of materially powerful villains reach their limit, together with the anguished cries of tender-hearted saints, Bhagavān descends.

Bhagavān Himself comes to earth especially when evildoers must be killed by His hand, freed from their bodies, and sent to His abode, and when He must relieve saints tormented by the lust-corrupted sensory world, longing for pure love, and burning in separation from their supreme beloved.

Everyone knows the country had fallen into utter misery under Kaṁsa. Nature had descended so low that inertia, atheism, falsehood, adharma, injustice, oppression, misconduct, and debauchery danced wildly. Kaṁsa reached the summit of cruelty by shackling Bhagavān's future parents Vasudeva and Devakī and imprisoning them.

Kaṁsa was covered in tamas, though even wicked people sometimes perform good acts to win praise. Thus he personally drove the newly married Devakī and Vasudeva in their chariot. But when the heavenly voice warned of danger to his self-interest, he flared with rage, drew his sword, and prepared to kill his sister. Vasudeva's reasoning restrained him, yet he imprisoned them. Consulting his ferocious asura council, he launched many terrible atrocities. The earth-goddess, distraught, assumed a cow's form and cried before Brahmā, who went with Śiva and the hosts of gods to the shore of the Milk Ocean.

There they praised the Lord reclining on the Milk Ocean, who conveyed the heavenly message: “Gods, hear through me the voice of Bhagavān and act upon it without delay. Even before our prayer, Bhagavān knew the earth-goddess's anguish. While the Lord of lords performs līlā upon earth through His time-power to remove her burden, take birth in the Yadu line and assist Him. The supreme Person, Bhagavān Himself, will appear in Vasudeva's home. Celestial women should also take birth there to serve Him and His beloved Śrī Rādhā.”

Thus the Milk-Ocean Lord made clear that for killing asuras, protecting saints, and establishing dharma, the supreme Person Bhagavān Himself would appear directly.

Meanwhile, by Bhagavān's indication, a cause arose in Goloka for Śrī Rādhā to descend. With Her came Goloka's attendants, goddesses, and conscious instruments of līlā. Great sages and ascetics, the Vedic hymns, Brahmavidyā, and others, perfected through austerity and eager to taste Bhagavān's love-rasa, descended into cowherd homes in Vraja and waited impatiently. Their pain of separation swiftly approached infinity; each moment without their beloved Lord, the embodiment of rasa, became unbearable:

[Hindi verse]

“Each moment became an age, a dwelling of terrible pain; the rainy season veiled their eyes as ceaseless streams of tears flowed.

“Their hearts filled with anguish, and life cried aloud in grief; severe separation from the Beloved left the whole world empty.”

This too became an indispensable reason for Bhagavān, delighter of loving hearts, to come.

According to the Brahma-vaivarta Purāṇa, Brahmā, accompanied by the afflicted earth, goes to Goloka, realm of the great Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, to pray for the protection of saints and the establishment of social dharma and the dharma of love. He has seen the sufferings of saints and those separated from Bhagavān, and the decline of dharma in humanity's desire-filled sinful life. The sage Nārāyaṇa accompanies him. Seeing the earth's and saints' pain, Bhagavān accepts the gods' prayer and agrees to descend Himself.

Because Bhagavān Himself is coming, all divine forms must be included within Him. Mahāviṣṇu, bearing conch, discus, mace, and lotus, arrives upon a divine chariot and merges into the body of the supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Upon another chariot comes Bhagavān Viṣṇu, Lord of the earth, who merges into Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Lord of Rādhikā: “He too merged there into the form of Rādhikā's Lord.” Because this complete avatāra also requires the human principle, the sage Nārāyaṇa likewise merges into Him.

Transformations of Parabrahman, indwelling Puruṣas who take pure sattva as their basis and manifest by a portion to destroy asuras, protect saints, and establish dharma, are called partial avatāras. But here the complete Puruṣottama appears: full of inconceivably infinite powers, qualities, rasa, and glory; foundation even of Brahman; dependent upon no other basis; bearing the infinite powers and variety of all His līlā-forms; and manifest in His eternal, true, nonmaterial form of divine existence-consciousness-bliss, with conscious eyes, ears, hands, feet, senses, and inner faculties inseparable from Himself.

Hence this is called a complete avatāra, the full appearance of Bhagavān Himself. Śrī Kṛṣṇa is directly the complete transcendent Brahman, filled with infinite divine beauty, sweetness, majesty, existence, consciousness, and bliss; supreme refuge even of Brahman, present in every form, immanent in all yet beyond all, immeasurable, divinely blissful, free of material qualities, ocean of eternal divine qualities from head to foot - Bhagavān Himself.

Within Him are fully included and manifest the Milk-Ocean-reclining Mahāviṣṇu, Mahānārāyaṇa Lord of Vaikuṇṭha, Viṣṇu Lord of Śvetadvīpa, and every partial, Puruṣa, guṇa, līlā, kalā, empowered, Manvantara, prābhava, vaibhava, and parāvasthā avatāra. Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the most perfectly complete. He is the Self and original nature of every material and nonmaterial being in creation - the root cause and supreme refuge of all beings, all nature, all gods, and every state of feeling. He is Bhagavān, complete in the six majesties.

At the same time He is the great human being endowed with every virtue. One should say that in Śrī Kṛṣṇa's divine human līlās, humanity's most perfect fulfilment and divinity's most perfect form appear together. He is Lord even of the masters of Yoga, the embodiment of knowledge of reality, the desireless karma-yogin, and the very form of supreme love. He is a great teacher and an exalted benefactor who sustains society; a mighty warrior, master of infinite arts, ideal political leader, supreme connoisseur of rasa, and the natural embodiment of detachment. Countless saintly hearts worship Him above all. He is both the devotee and the object of devotion. He is everything to everyone and the whole of everything.

Therefore, whatever form anyone saw in Him, whatever anyone said about Him, and whatever anyone understood and taught about Him is true from that standpoint. Every manifestation, power, splendour, intelligence, and knowledge abides in Him. Hence, “Kṛṣṇa alone is Bhagavān Himself.”

His blessed appearance occurs at midnight on the eighth day of Bhādrapada's dark fortnight. Until shortly before that appearance, nature had fallen to a dreadful depth and assumed a terrifying form. The night was wrapped in dense darkness; black clouds covered the sky; fierce lightning and thunder frightened every creature. In Kaṁsa's harsh prison, the supremely saintly Vasudeva and Devakī were bound in iron chains.

Then the auspicious hour for Bhagavān Himself to descend arrives, and every obstacle instantly disappears. In the words of Śrī Śukadeva, crown jewel of Paramahaṁsas:

“Time becomes endowed with every auspicious quality and supremely beautiful. The moon stands in Rohiṇī, and all the planets, constellations, and stars grow peaceful and gentle. The directions become clear and joyful; stars shine in the sky. River water turns pure. Lotuses blossom in lakes even at night. Forest trees become laden with fragrant flowers. Birds begin sweet songs, and the forest resounds with bees. A pure, cool, mild, fragrant wind of delightful touch begins to blow. The extinguished fires in the brāhmaṇas' sacrificial hearths rekindle. The hearts of saints hated by the asuras fill with joy. At the unborn Lord's birth-līlā, the gods' drums sound of themselves in heaven at midnight. Gandharvas and Kinnaras sing Bhagavān's virtues; Siddhas and Cāraṇas offer praise; Vidyādharī maidens dance. Gods and sages joyfully extol the earth's good fortune. Sweet waves rise in the seas, and clouds thunder gently and melodiously.”

Thus all nature suddenly rises from its fallen level, arrays itself in the higher realm, and begins welcoming and serving its master, the most complete Bhagavān. At that moment Bhagavān Janārdana, whose form is existence-consciousness-bliss, appears through Devakī “of divine form” just as the full moon in all sixteen digits rises in the eastern sky.

As soon as Bhagavān appears, divine light fills the dark prison. Vasudeva's and Devakī's shackles open by themselves; all their bonds are broken forever. The guards who protect asuric rule suddenly fall asleep, and natural supreme bliss spreads everywhere.

This proves that confinement in a solitary prison, empty of every object and filled with hardship, can be far more blessed than independent life in golden, jewel-studded palaces crowded with servants and overflowing with innumerable sensual pleasures that spread sin and end in sorrow.

For in such a prison Bhagavān is remembered sweetly at every moment, and from it Bhagavān, benefactor of the universe, makes His auspicious appearance. Far more contemptible and fit to be abandoned are those pleasure-filled palaces of gold and jewels, destined for destruction like Kaṁsa's corrupted body and dark mass of sensual grandeur.

Bhagavān's līlā has three principal forms: majestic līlā, līlā in which majesty and sweetness are mingled, and pure sweet līlā. Vasudeva and Devakī were devotees in the combined mood of majesty and sweetness; therefore Bhagavān appeared before them as a wondrous child in the majestic four-armed form of Viṣṇu. At Vasudeva's prayer, He immediately became an infant.

Yet He had quickly to reach the loving devotees who possessed varied rasas, suffered separation, and were the abodes of rāgātmikā love in purely sweet Vraja. Bhagavān therefore inspired Vasudeva and departed.

Bhagavān's nonmaterial supreme love manifests and flourishes more fully in the sweet realm of pure renunciation than in a majestic realm touched even faintly by desire, craving, or attachment. Majesty also imposes various conventions and limits that obstruct love's full revelation. Sweetness is unobstructed, free, and boundless. Śrī Kṛṣṇa especially loves sweetness; therefore, through Vasudeva, He immediately enters its kingdom, Nanda's home.

When Śrī Vasudeva set out carrying infant Kṛṣṇa, every iron prison door opened by itself; the guards were already asleep. The Yamunā was rising because she desired the touch of Bhagavān's feet. Once she received it, she calmed and gave Vasudeva a path with water only to his knees.

Vasudeva reached Nanda's home without obstruction. There too everyone slept through Bhagavān's līlā, including Mother Yaśodā. Bhagavatī Viṣṇumāyā had appeared as an infant girl. Vasudeva quietly laid infant Śrī Kṛṣṇa there, took the goddess Yogamāyā, and immediately returned. Through Bhagavān's līlā, no one knew that he had carried Śrī Kṛṣṇa away, laid Him beside Yaśodā, and returned with the girl.

The iron doors and locks that Yogamāyā had opened when Vasudeva left the prison all closed again as soon as he returned.

After Vasudeva's departure, the people in Nanda's home awoke. Mother Yaśodā awakened, and auspicious news was sent to Nanda Bābā. Joy spread everywhere. The great-hearted Nanda felt supreme delight at the birth of his son:

[Sanskrit]

“The great-hearted Nanda rejoiced at the birth of his own son.” (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.5.1)

He celebrated a magnificent festival, and great gifts and meritorious donations were made. From the word ātmaja, “own son,” some great souls conclude that at the very time Bhagavān appeared in Kaṁsa's prison in a four-armed form, He also appeared in Nanda's home as two-armed Yaśodānandana. It is said that the infant brought by Vasudeva merged into Yaśodā's child. This has been discussed in detail in previous years' discourses. Even if it happened in this way, it would be no wonder for the omnipotent Bhagavān.

Whether He appeared in Nanda's home cannot be established here; what is certain is that Śrī Nanda, Yaśodā, and the people of Vraja alone received the fortune of celebrating the blessed festival of His appearance and attaining incomparable joy. Therefore they are blessed.

In truth, wherever sweet rāgātmikā love is present, an unfettered, spontaneous ocean of bliss surges. That very ocean rose in Nanda's home. We too are blessed today to receive the fortune of rejoicing in the memory of that great festival of bliss.

This eighth day of Bhādra's dark fortnight is the same sacred day on which Bhagavān Himself made His auspicious appearance upon earth. This auspicious day and this midnight hour, which bring to mind Śrī Kṛṣṇa, His līlā, His essential nature, and His beauty, sweetness, and majesty, are all worthy of reverence.

May Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa illumine our hearts, now covered in darkness, with the light of His spontaneous grace, so that His divine radiance may enter our lives and our lives, surrendered at His feet, may become blessed.

The complete Supreme Lord beyond the highest appeared upon the earth, the abode of supremely divine majesty, the treasury of beauty and sweetness. Sending the wicked to His own abode and delivering the holy, He took a divine incarnation Himself and re-established dharma. Today is that same blessed date, the auspicious eighth day of the dark fortnight of Bhādra. Let everyone prepare the festive array with heaps of fragrant flowers of faith. Today that same vast and sweet festival is being celebrated in Nanda's house, the festival that will swiftly extinguish the suddenly raging forest fire of worldly existence. Let all of us join together today and celebrate that auspicious festival, which destroys attachment to enjoyment, removes the afflictions of becoming, and bestows incomparable love. Love belonging to Kṛṣṇa, love directed to Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Himself as stainless love: may that alone be granted to us; that alone is our welfare and security. Sing ceaselessly of Kṛṣṇa's name and virtues; cast off shame and dance with love. Together with the whole community, become followers of the servants of Kṛṣṇa's devotees. At every moment remember sweet, enchanting, auspicious Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava; remember Them always and without interruption, and be blessed from moment to moment.

Joy has arisen in Nanda's house. Glory to dear Kanhaiyā!

The Festival of Śrī Kṛṣṇa's Birth (Composed for the Janmāṣṭamī festival of Vikrama Saṃvat 2026)

He who transcends everything and is free from everything, yet is all, pervades all, and supports all; He who is all-pervading, the Self of all, Himself creation, Creator, and dissolution; the Lord of māyā, forever untouched by māyā, Brahman, pervaded by Brahman, and the ground of Brahman; beyond qualities and possessed of qualities, formless, eternally stainless, yet the divine embodied Lord with qualities.

Pervading primordial nature and its transformations, manifest as the person dwelling in nature, pervading the universe and shaped as the universe; unchanging and of one essence, yet appearing as the ever-varied world; He expands His play through the forms of Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Maheśa, and manifests the infinitely varied forms of Sarasvatī, Lakṣmī, and Kālī. Free from the bonds of space and time, yet formed of space and time and beyond time, He assumes the terrible form of Time and ceaselessly sounds the fearsome song of destruction. Eternal, infinite, boundless, transcendent, supremely independent, the Lord Himself, He performs a seemingly finite play that is worldly, limited, and governed by action. The source of every incarnation, the whole of whom all others are portions, eternal and beginningless, the Lord of all lords, the Supreme Lord of every world, the origin of all. Complete in all sixteen powers, a compact mass of being and consciousness, endowed with the six divine excellences, and generous; unborn, imperishable, possessed of a conscious divine body, and forever free from change. Filled with līlā, Himself the līlā and its witness, divine being-consciousness-bliss; the ocean of every rasa of love, love embodied in concentrated form, freely distributing love. The great abode of innumerable, infinite, inconceivably contrary qualities, Lord Kṛṣṇa, the treasury of incomparable sovereignty, appeared within the prison. To protect the holy and bring even the very wicked to deliverance, the Lord Himself assumed this divine incarnation in order to establish dharma. To remove the fierce anguish of separation suffered by His loving devotees, the Lord manifested by His own pure will in order to establish the dharma of love. It was Bhādra, the eighth day of the dark fortnight, under the auspicious birth-star Rohiṇī, at midnight on Wednesday, when an incomparable, blissful radiance spread everywhere. The hour became exceedingly beautiful and was joined with every auspicious quality; the planets, stars, and constellations all at once grew gentle and beneficent. Every direction became serene, and stars covered the sky on every side; the earth's cities, villages, and Vraja became boundlessly auspicious. The rivers flowed with perfectly clear water, and countless lotuses opened in the lakes at night; trees bent beneath flowers, while cuckoos called and bees began to hum. A cool, gentle, fragrant, sweet, pure breeze began to blow with a delightful touch; an extraordinary, spontaneous joy arose in the hearts of the saints who opposed the demons.

Suddenly the kettledrums of the gods sounded of themselves in heaven; hearing of the birth of the Unborn, the gods rejoiced and their distress vanished. The pure Kinnaras and Gandharvas began to sing, and the Apsarases began to dance; the Siddhas and Cāraṇas offered praise, every heart filled with true delight. Gods, seers, and sages began to extol the earth's immeasurable good fortune; clouds went to the shore of the ocean and rumbled softly with blissful sound. The prison began to glitter as a pure and joyful light spread through it; it seemed that every sorrowful particle of the jail broke into a gentle, sweet smile. The fetters and chains of Śrī Vasudeva and Devakī opened at once; beholding the wondrous Child, a supernatural mass of radiance, they were fulfilled. He appeared as Viṣṇu, four-armed, bearing the auspicious conch, mace, discus, and lovely lotus; a divine and splendid yellow garment adorned His beautiful dark-blue body. Śrīvatsa shone upon His chest, the Kaustubha jewel at His throat, and His lotus eyes were immense; His supremely beautiful form, rich with rasa, stole the minds of gods, seers, and sages. His enchanting crown was richly set with jewels and cat's-eye gems, and His earrings shone; His black curling hair gleamed in their radiance. A girdle of bells adorned His waist; bracelets and armlets beautified His extraordinary arms; Vasudeva gazed upon that incomparable form with eyes full of wonder and joy. Recognizing the Lord, he began to praise Him, his heart filled with supreme bliss; the Lord revealed their ancient relationship, the joyful secret of their former births. Hearing the deeply moving lament of His mother Devakī, frightened of Kaṁsa, the Lord assumed an infant's form and Himself said, "Carry Me to Gokula." His own essential potency Yogamāyā took the pure guise of His younger sister and appeared in Nanda's house in Gokula through greatly blessed mother Yaśodā. Meanwhile all the locks opened, and every guard fell unconscious in sleep; father Vasudeva lovingly took the dear Child in his arms and set out attentively. The Yamunā touched His feet and joyfully gave Vasudeva a path; he reached Nanda's house and found every doorway open and everyone asleep. He gently laid the Infant beside Yaśodā at once; then, like one carrying a recovered treasure, he took the girl and departed, outwardly solemn but inwardly joyful.

He returned to the prison at once, and every door closed by itself; hearing the infant cry, the guards awoke, and one hurried to Kaṁsa's court. The moment he heard, Kaṁsa ran like a madman, sword in hand; he arrived and snatched away the girl, his mind filled with immeasurable wonder. Unable to understand how it was a girl, the sinner seized her by the hand and, with extreme cruelty, tried to dash her upon the stone. Devakī continued to weep, but the girl effortlessly flew into the sky; appearing as an eight-armed goddess furnished with weapons, she terrified him and said: "Fool! The hero who will kill you has already been born. What will be gained by killing me? Be calm, and do not murder children." Meanwhile an immeasurable current of supreme bliss began to flow through Nanda's house; everyone plunged into it in ecstasy, abandoning the limits of convention. Then commenced the supremely rare and holy play filled with rasa; the music of friendship, parental love, and sweetness took embodied form.

Life of Vraja, treasure of the cows' and gopīs' happiness, beloved Child of Nanda and Yaśodā; the friends' supreme treasure, the pure servant and protector of the calves, Gopāla. Herder of cows, purifier of forest after forest, companion of woodland creatures, delighting in many moods and colors, ever intoxicated with play among His boyhood friends like an ordinary village child. Deliverer of demons, subduer of Kāliya, destroyer of the wicked, the eternal form of joy; breaker of Indra's pride, dispeller of Brahmā's delusion, remover of His own people's grief, incomparable in beauty. With rasa-filled eyes that steal the minds of sages and black curling hair upon His head; bearer of the flute, wearer of the peacock-feather crown, lifter of the mountain, ever-newly dressed as the supreme dancer. Enjoyer of the rāsa and of the bowers, stealer of heart and treasure, King of Vraja; rasika, ocean of rasa, thirsting and eager for rasa, giver of rasa, and sovereign of rasa. Enchanter of the gopīs' minds, giver of joy to the gopīs, the very life and breath of the gopīs; Rādhā's beloved, lover of Rādhikā, immeasurable in His love for Rādhā. Worshipped by Rādhā and Himself the worshipper of Rādhikā, eternally one with Rādhikā's essential reality, yet eternally retaining a distinct identity in order to relish the līlā and rasa of the nectar of love.

An infinite ocean of ever-new beauty and the nectar of divine sweetness, His endless and ever-attractive form surges with waves of ever-new bliss. Sweet and sweeter than the sweetest, His body resembles a fresh rain cloud, dark-blue Śyāmasundara radiant with beauty; His līlā is sweet and sweeter than the sweetest, His rāsa supremely pure, the highest attainment of life. He came to Mathurā and delivered the intoxicated Muṣṭika, Cāṇūra, Kaṁsa, and Kuvalayāpīḍa; then freed His father and mother and repeatedly bowed at their feet. Reassuring and comforting them, He enthroned Ugrasena; He Himself became a servant, steadfast in His pure and desireless disposition. After completing His Mathurā līlā, He went to Dvārakā; He slew and liberated many demons who had seized kingdoms. Then the supremely wise Lord went to Indraprastha and met His kinsmen, the Pāṇḍavas; upon the battlefield of Kurukṣetra He proclaimed the divine wisdom of the Gītā. He Himself embodied and revealed Rādhā's mahābhāva-filled form of divine love and supreme renunciation, an incomparable state rarely attained even by seers and sages. Without renunciation there is no love, and without love there is never bliss: the source of bliss gave this teaching through the divine love of Rādhā and the gopīs. Through the Gītā He taught the destruction of expectation and attachment, desire, hatred, possessiveness, ego and pride; surrender to the Lord; and evenness of heart. The Supreme Lord who had assumed human form demonstrated this through His own perfectly exemplary conduct, remaining free from elation and intolerance. At once rasika and detached, enjoyer and renunciant, seemingly hard yet an abode of compassion; master of māyā yet utterly simple, householder and renunciant, greatly acquisitive yet generous. Active in works and established in knowledge, ever engaged and withdrawn, with qualities and beyond qualities; full of intimate affection yet utterly without possessiveness, apparently deluded yet wholly undeluded - wondrous indeed. Forever the embodiment of supreme equality, eternally established in His own essential form and nature, that truth of His being is never absent anywhere or in any way.