Sections 132–141

English witness · section(s) 138

Anuccheda 138

1 That the residents of Gokula Vrndavana are the eternal associates of Sri Krsna is confirmed by Lord Brahma in six verses from Srimad Bhagavatam (10.14.32-37), which I shall now discuss (in Anucchedas 138-143): In the first of these verses (Srimad Bhagavatam 10.14.32), Brahma glorified the residents of Vrndavana, saying: “How greatly fortunate are Nanda Maharaja, the cowherd men and all the inhabitants of Vrajabhumi! There is no limit to their fortune because the Absolute Truth, the source of transcendental bliss, the eternal Supreme Brahman, has become their friend.”* 2 In this verse the word ‘bhagyam’ (good fortune) does not refer to the ordinary auspicious situation created by ordinary pious activities. The transcendental good fortune described in this verse was obtained by receiving the indescribable causeless mercy of Sri Krsna. We may also note that the word ‘bhagyam’ is repeated twice to indicate the limitless extent of that good fortune. In the second part of the verse, the subject ‘brahma’ refers to Sri Krsna. The subject is modified by the words ‘purnam’ (complete), ‘paramanandam’ (the supreme bliss), and ‘sanatanam’ (eternal). The predicate is ‘mitram’ (friend). The adjective ‘sanatana’ (eternal) may be understood to modify either ‘brahma’ (the Absolute Truth), or ‘mitram’ (friend). In this way the construction may be interpreted: “The eternal Absolute Truth is the friend of the inhabitants of Vrajabhumi”. An example of this may be seen in the sentence ‘manoramam suvarnam idam kundalam jatam’, where the adjective ‘manoramam’ (beautiful) may be understood to modify either ‘suvarnam’ (gold), or ‘kundalam’ (earring). Interpreted in the first way, the sentence may be translated: “The earring is fashioned from beautiful gold”, and interpreted in the second way the sentence may be translated: “This golden earring is beautiful”. Both interpretations are possible. In this verse both interpretations may be accepted simultaneously, and ‘sanatanam’ may modify both ‘brahma’ (the Absolute Truth) and ‘mitram’ (friend) at the same time. Therefore we may say that “Sri Krsna is the eternal Absolute Truth”, and we may also say that Sri Krsna, the Absolute Truth is the eternal friend of the inhabitants of Vrajabhumi”. If we wish to completely reject the second interpretation, and say that Sri Krsna is the eternal Absolute Truth, and He is only temporarily the friend of the inhabitants of Vrajabhumi”, we will create an interpretation that is hard for a reasonable person to accept. For this reason we may understand that this verse (by using the phrase ‘mitam sanatanam’) affirms that the inhabitants of Vrajabhumi are the eternal associates of Sri Krsna just as Rukmini and the other intimate associates of the Lord are. Their relationship continuously exists in all three phases of time (past, present, and future).

English witness · section(s) 139

Anuccheda 139

1 After describing the good fortune of the residents of Vrajabhumi, who are able to experience the transcendental bliss of eternal friendship with Sri Krsna, Brahma describes the auspicious condition that is attained even by him and the other demigods, Brahma says (Srimad Bhagavatam 10.14.33): “O infallible Lord, although the good-fortune of these inhabitants of Vrajabhumi is beyond compare, even the demigods, such as Siva, Candra and myself have become greatly fortunate, for we always drink through our senses the honeylike nectar of Your lotus feet.”* 2 In this verse the word ‘eka’ means ‘unbroken’ or ‘eternal’ and the word ‘bhagya-mahima’ means ‘the glorification of their good-fortune’. “Sarvadayah’ means ‘the demigods (headed by Siva) in charge of the ten directions’. We may note that Lord Siva is put at the head of all demigods because he is the greatest devotee of Lord Krsna. The word ‘bhuri-ghagyah’ indicates the good-fortune experienced by these demigods. The word ‘hrsika-casakaih’ means ‘with the drinking vessels of the eyes and other senses’ and the word ‘te’ means ‘Your’. In the last part of the verse Brahma says” “We always drink the nectar of Your lotus feet.” By using the three words ‘madhu’, ‘amrta’ and asavam’ which all mean ‘nectar’, the sweetness and beauty of the Lord’s lotus feet is described. These three words form a samahara-samasa in order to indicate the limitless variety and amount of nectar present in the Lord’s lotus feet. We may also note that the demonstrative pronoun ‘etat’ (this) refers to the nectar of Lord Krsna’s lotus feet. Someone may argue that because the demigods are the administrators of the affairs of the material senses of the living entities within the material world, we may conclude that they perceived the Lord through the senses of the residents of Vrajabhumi, and this is what is meant by the phrase ‘hrsika-casakaih pibamah’. This cannot be the case, for the inhabitants of Vrajabhumi all have eternal spiritual forms, not under the jurisdiction of the material demigods. But even if we accept that the inhabitants of Vrajabhumi had material senses, still, the demigods do not enjoy the activities of the senses of conditioned souls, or directly experience through those senses. This is confirmed by Sripada Sankaracarya in his commentary on Vedanta-sutra (2.4.17) in the following words: “The demigods are administrators of the conditioned souls’ senses. Only the individual living entities directly experience through their senses. The administrative demigods do not experience through the living entities senses.”

English witness · section(s) 140

Anuccheda 140

The exalted position of the inhabitants of Gokula is confirmed in the following appeal spoken by Lord Brahma to Sri Krsna (Srimad Bhagavatam 10.14.30-34): “Therefore, my Lord, either in this life or wherever I may take birth, even as an animal or a bird, I pray that I may be so fortunate that I may be counted as one of Your devotees. Wherever I may be, I pray that I may be engaged in the devotional service of Your lotus feet.”* “My dear Lord, I am therefore not interested in either material opulences of liberation. I am most humbly praying at Your lotus feet for You to please give me any sort of birth within this Vrndavana forest so that I may be able to be favoured by the dust of the feet of some of the devotees of Vrndavana. Even if I am given the chance to grow just as the humble grass in this land, that will be a glorious birth for me. But if I am not so fortunate to take birth within the forest of Vrndavana, I beg to be allowed to take birth outside the immediate area of Vrndavana so that when the devotees go out they will walk over me. Even that would be a great fortune for me. I am just aspiring for a birth in which I will be smeared by the dust of the devotees’ feet.* “I can see that everyone here is simply full of Krsna consciousness; they do not know anything but Mukunda. All the Vedas are indeed searching after the lotus feet of Krsna.”* In these verses Brahma requests a birth within the area of Vrndavana, because in that way he may attain the good fortune of eternal devotional service to the lotus feet of Sri Krsna. In these verses it is as if Brahma has asked: “What can compare to the good-fortune of taking birth within the area of Vrndavana?” By glorifying the land and residents of Vrndavana in this way, Brahma affirms that the residents of Vrndavana are the eternal associates of Sri Krsna.

English witness · section(s) 141

Anuccheda 141

1 In the next verse (Srimad Bhagavatam 10.14.35), Brahma explains that Sri Krsna is greatly indebted to the residents of Vrndavana for their pure devotional service. Because of this unpayable debt, Sri Krsna thinks He must eternally remain among the residents of Vrndavana and accept their devotional service. Brahma says: “My Lord, sometimes I am puzzled as to how Your Lordship will be able to repay, in gratitude, the devotional service of these residents of Vrndavana. Although I know that You are the supreme source of all benediction, I am puzzled to know how You will be able to repay all the service that You are receiving from these residents of Vrndavana. I think of how You are so kind, so magnanimous, that even Putana, who came to cheat You by dressing herself as a very affectionate mother, was awarded liberation and the actual post of mother. And other demons belonging to the same family, such as Aghasura and Bakasura, were also favoured with liberation. Under the circumstances, I am puzzled. These residents of Vrndavana have given You everything: their homes, wealth, friends, dear ones, bodies, children, lives and minds. Everything is being utilised for Your purpose. So how will You be able to repay their debt? You have already given Yourself to Putana! I surmise that You shall ever remain a debtor to the residents of Vrndavana, being unable to repay their loving service.”* 2 In this verse the word ‘sad-vesat’ means ‘appearing like Mother Yasoda and the other pure-hearted devotees of Vrndavana’. Because each of the residents of Vrndavana loves Sri Krsna with great intensity, therefore they have attained His association from time immemorial. Sri Krsna is their eternal friend (sanatanam mitram) and therefore they are extremely fortunate (tad-bhuri-bhagyam). By praying for a birth in the land of Vrndavana, Brahma has spoken properly. This is a very good request.

English witness · section(s) 142–143

Anuccheda 142

1 Someone may object, saying that the residents of Vrndavana are ordinary householders and conditioned souls, for they manifest all the ordinary material attachments to family and home that are manifested by ordinary creatures. They are not great sages or renounced sannyasis. How is it possible, therefore, that they are eternal associates of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In order to answer this objection, Brahma replies that because the residents of Vrndavana are immersed in love for Krsna, they cannot be at all encumbered by material desires or attachments as the conditioned souls are. Brahma explains this in the next verse, where he contrasts the condition of the materially contaminated living entities with that of the pure devotees of Vrndavana. Brahma says (Srimad Bhagavatam 10.14.36): “My Lord, I can understand that the superexcellent service of the residents of Vrndavana is due to their engaging all natural instincts in Your service. It is said that attachments for material objects are like thieves which steal away the valuable time of the living entity. The material illusions of such attached persons are like shackles which bind him by the legs to his house and paraphernalia which become no more than a prison house for him. But this is only the case for persons who are not in Krsna consciousness. In the case of the residents of Vrndavana, such obstructions as attachment for hearth and home are non-existent. Because their attachment has been converted to You, and their home has been converted into a temple because You are always there, and because they have forgotten everything for Your sake, there is no impediment. For a Krsna conscious person, there is no such thing as impediments in hearth and home. Nor is there illusion.”* 2 In this verse Brahma explains that as long as one does not completely surrender himself at the lotus feet of Lord Krsna, or in other words as long as one remains a non devotee materialist, his material attachments will act as thieves (stenah), stealilng away the valuable opportunity offered in the human form of life. On the other hand, if one becomes devoted to Lord Krsna, and offers himself with love at the Lord’s lotus feet, then his so-called material attachments to home and hearth do not remain material in nature, but become spiritualised because of being engaged in the Lord’s service in Krsna consciousness. Such so-called material attachments do not act as thieves, but on the contrary, they are a source of transcendental happiness for the devotees. 3 This is described by Prahlada Maharaja in the following prayer (Visnu Purana 1.20.19): “The foolish materialists take great delight in the contact of the senses with the sense-objects. O Lord, I pray that the same attachment may be manifested towards You. That I may always remember You and perceive You with my senses. May the attachment to You never leave my heart.”* 4 If Prahlada Maharaja and other great devotees who have completely surrendered to the Supreme Lord may remain in family life, apparently attached to family and home, then why should anyone think that simply because the residents of Vrndavana are householders, and not renounced sannyasis, therefore they cannot be eternal associates of the Lord? The residents of Vrndavana are eternally dear to Lord Krsna, and they are perfectly situated in the highest platform of spiritual happiness free from all contact of the material energy. This is described in the following statement of Srila Sukadeva Gosvami (Srimad Bhagavatam 10.11.58): “In this way all the cowherd men, headed by Nanda Maharaja, enjoyed topics about the pastimes of Krsna and Balarama with great transcendental pleasure, and they could not ever perceive material tribulations.”* 5 In this verse the word ‘bhava’ means ‘material existence’, and ‘vedana’ means ‘awareness of material happiness and distress’. We may note in this regard that the dictionary definition of ‘vedana’ is: “The word ‘vedana’ means 1. Knowledge, or 2. Suffering.” Although apparently situated in the material world as ordinary conditioned souls, the residents of Vrndavana were completely free from the bondage of material existence. They did not suffer any of the distresses of material life. Sarva-samvadini Comment (Anucchedas 139-142). 1 Brahma explains (Srimad Bhagavatam 10.14.33-36): “My dear Lord, no one can actually appreciate the good fortune of these residents of Vrndavana. We are all demigods, controlling deities of the various senses of the living entities, and we are proud of enjoying such privileges, but actually there is no comparison between our position and the position of these fortunate residents of Vrndavana because they are actually relishing Your presence and enjoying Your association by dint of their activities. We may be proud of being controllers of the senses, but here the residents of Vrndavana are so transcendental that they are not under our control. Actually they are enjoying the senses through service to You. I shall therefore consider myself fortunate to be given a chance to take birth in this land of Vrndavana in any of my future lives.”* 2 My dear Lord, I am therefore not interested in either material opulences or liberation. I am most humbly praying at Your lotus feet for You to please give me any sort of birth within this Vrndavana forest so that I may be able to be favoured by the dust of the feet of some of the devotees of Vrndavana. Even if I am given the chance to grow just as the humble grass in this land, that will be a glorious birth for me. But if I am not so fortunate to take birth within the forest of Vrndavana, I beg to be allowed to take birth outside the immediate area of Vrndavana so that when the devotees go out they will walk over me. Even that would be a great fortune for me. I am just aspiring for a birth in which I will be smeared by the dust of the devotees’ feet.* “I can see that everyone here is simply full of Krsna consciousness; they do not known anything but Mukunda. All the Vedas are indeed searching after the lotus feet of Krsna.”* 3 In this verse the word ‘iha’ (here) means ‘in the district of Mathura, where the Supreme Personality of Godhead descended. ‘Apy atavyam sri-gokule’ means ‘in the forest of Vrndavana’. What kind of birth does Brahma pray to get? Sridhara Svami explains in his commentary: “Brahma prays for any kind of birth in Vrndavana where he may be able to become sprinkled by the dust of the lotus feet of the residents of Vrndavana.” 4 My Lord, sometimes I am puzzled as to how You Lordship will be able to repay, in gratitude, the devotional service of these residents of Vrndavana. Although I know that You are the supreme source of all benediction, I am puzzled to know how You will be able to repay all the service that You are receiving from these residents of Vrndavana. I think of how You are so kind, so magnanimous, that even Putana, who came to cheat You by dressing herself as a very affectionate mother, was awarded liberation and the actual post of a mother. And other demons belonging to the same family, such as Aghasura and Bakasura, were also favoured with liberation. Under the circumstances, I am puzzled. These residents of Vrndavana have given You everything: their bodies, their minds, their love, their homes. Everything is being utilised for Your purpose. So how will You be able to repay their debt? You have already given Yourself to Putana! I surmise that You shall ever remain a debtor to the residents of Vrndavana, being unable to repay their loving service.”* In this verse ‘rata’ means ‘giver’ and ‘tvat’ means ‘from You.” 5 My Lord, I can understand that the superexcellent service of the residents of Vrndavana is due to their spontaneously engaging all natural instincts in Your service. It is said that attachment for material objects and home is due to illusion, which makes a living entity conditioned in the material world. But this is only the case for persons who are not in Krsna consciousness. In the case of the residents of Vrndavana, such obstructions, as attachment to hearth and home, are non existent. Because their attachment has been converted unto You, and their home has been converted into a temple because You are always there, and because they have forgotten everything for Your sake, there is no impediment. For a Krsna conscious person, there is no such thing as impediments in hearth and home. Nor is there illusion.* 6 This is also described in the following verses (Srimad Bhagavatam 10.29.9-16): “Some of the gopis were factually detained from going to Krsna by their husbands and were locked up by force within their rooms. Being unable to go to Krsna, they began to meditate upon His transcendental form by closing their eyes. They already had the form of Krsna within their minds.* 7 “If they had been bound by fruitive action, they were fully freed from the reaction of karma, by constant meditation on Krsna. Their severe painful yearnings caused by their not being able to see Krsna freed them from all sinful reactions, and their ecstasy of transcendental love for Krsna in His absence was transcendental to all their reactions of material pious activities.* 8 “All the gopis who concentrated their minds on Krsna in the spirit of paramour love became fully uncontaminated from all the fruitive reactions of material nature, and some of them immediately gave up their material bodies developed under the three modes of material nature.* 9 “Maharaja Pariksit heard Sukadeva Gosvami explain the situation of the gopis who assembled with Krsna in the rasa dance. When he heard that some of the gopis, simply by concentrating on Krsna as heir paramour, became freed from all contamination of material birth and death, he said: The gopis did not know that Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They accepted Him as a beautiful boy and considered Him to be their paramour. So how was it possible for them to get freed from the material condition just by thinking of a paramour?”* 10 “On hearing this question of Maharaja Pariksit, Sukadeva Gosvami replied: My dear King, your question is already answered, even before this incident.* “Sisupala was always envious of Krsna, and because of his envy Krsna killed him. Since Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sisupala gained salvation simply by seeing Him. If an envious person can get salvation simply by concentrating his mind on Krsna, then what to speak of the gopis who are so dear to Krsna and always thinking of Him in love? There must be some difference between the enemies and the friends. If Krsna’s enemies could get freed from material contamination and become one with the Supreme, then certainly His dear friends like the gopis are freed with Him.* 11 “Krsna is not an ordinary person. He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, full of all spiritual qualities. He appears in this material world out of His causeless mercy, in order to benedict the conditioned souls, and whenever He appears, He appears as He is without change.* 12 “If one somehow or other becomes attached to Krsna or attracted to Him, either because of His beauty, quality, opulence, fame, strength, renunciation or knowledge, or even through lust, anger or fear, or affection or friendship, then one’s salvation and freedom from material contamination is assured.* 13 “Rest assured that one attracted by Krsna attains liberation from material bondage because Krsna is the transcendental master of all mystic power. There is nothing surprising about this.”* Note: The main text of the Sandarbha is resumed at this point.

Anuccheda 143

1 Someone may say that if the residents of Vrndavana are free from the bondage of material existence, then why do they seen like ordinary inhabitants of the material world. In order to answer this objection, Brahma explains that the appearance and activities of both Sri Krsna and the residents of Vrndavana are spiritual, only superficially do they appear to be material. Brahma said (Srimad Bhagavatam 10.14.37): “My dear Lord Krsna, I can also understand that Your appearance as a small cowherd boy, a child of the cowherd men, is not at all a material activity. You are so much obliged by their affection that You are here to enthuse them with more loving service by Your transcendental presence. In Vrndavana there is no distinction between material and spiritual because everything is dedicated to Your loving service. My dear Lord, Your Vrndavana pastimes are simply to enthuse Your devotees. If someone takes Your Vrndavana pastimes to be material, he will be misled.”* 2 In this verse Brahma explains that Sri Krsna is beyond the touch of the material energy, and He imitates the form and activities of the ordinary living entities in the material world, appearing as a small cowherd boy in Gokula. Even though this is true, still the form of Sri Krsna, the small cowherd boy in Gokula, is not a temporary manifestation of the Supreme Lord for a particular purpose, but rather it is the original feature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In other words, the form of Sri Krsna is the original form of God, and is not made of the five material elements, but is completely spiritual. Someone may ask: Why does the Supreme Lord appear in this way as a small child? To this question the following answer may be given: Lord Krsna seems like an ordinary child, and performs activities that seem like those of an ordinary child, in order to grant transcendental bliss to the devotees who become His associates. In other words, they become charmed and pleased by the Lord’s apparently ordinary activities. Because these devotees are so intimately associated with the Lord in this way, brahma praised them in the verse beginning with the words ‘aho bhagyam’ (quoted in Anuccheda 138, text 1).

English witness · section(s) 144

Anuccheda 144

1 Although superficially appearing as ordinary householders, the residents of Vrndavana remained always free from all material contamination. This is confirmed in the following statement of Srila Sukadeva Gosvami (Srimad Bhagavatam 10.6.40): “For that Personality of Godhead, the gopis always felt maternal love, and Krsna sucked their breasts with full satisfaction. Therefore, because of their relationship as mother and son, although the gopis were engaged in various family activities, one should never think that they returned to this material world after leaving their bodies.”* 2 In this verse the word ‘tasam’ (of them) refers to the gopis of Vrajabhumi, and the word ‘samsarah’ means ‘material existence’. The phrase ‘na punah kalpate’ means ‘one should never think that the gopis returned to this material world, for they were always situated in the transcendental position, aloof from the contact of the material energy’. Material existence is a condition imposed upon those who are ignorant (ajana-sambhavah), but because the gopis were always enlightened by pure Krsna consciousness, they remained always free from the darkness of material existence. Although the brilliant sun of transcendental knowledge destroys the darkness of material existence, the exalted state of love of Godhead is situated on a platform above the conditioned of transcendental knowledge. The intimate love of the gopis for Krsna in the mood of parental love (vatsalya rasa) is a very exalted condition, superior to ordinary love of God. The gopis are eternally situated in that conditioned of intense love of Krsna (aviratam sri-krsne kurvatinam). Because in this verse Sukadeva Gosvami has used the word ‘aviratam’ (eternally), we should understand that the relationship of the gopis with Krsna is eternal and beginningless. The gopis are also, therefore, eternal associates of Sri Krsna.

English witness · section(s) 145

Anuccheda 145

1 Someone may argue that because the Srimad Bhagavatam says ‘na punah kalpate samsarah’ (the gopis never returned to the material world), therefore we must conclude that at a certain time the gopis were conditioned souls, or else how would it be possible for them to not return to the material world (if they had never been in it in the first place). The answer to this question is that the gopis of Vrajabhumi may be divided into two classes: 1. Eternal associates of Sri Krsna, and 2. Those who are being promoted to that status from the material world. The description ‘na punah kalpate samsarah’ refers to this second class of gopis, who are becoming eligible to be eternal associates of Sri Krsna. It is this second class of gopis who are described by Srila Sukadeva Gosvami in the following words (Srimad Bhagavatam 10.29.9-16): “Some of the gopis were factually detained from going to Krsna by their husbands and were locked up by force within their rooms. Being unable to go to Krsna, they began to meditate upon His transcendental form by closing their eyes. They already had the form of Krsna within their minds.* “If they had been bound by fruitive action, they were fully freed from the reaction of karma by constant meditation on Krsna. Their severe painful yearnings caused by their not being able to see Krsna freed them from all sinful reactions, and their ecstasy of transcendental love for Krsna, His absence was transcendental to all their reactions of material pious activities.* “All the gopis who concentrated their minds on Krsna in the spirit of paramour love became fully uncontaminated from all the fruitive reactions of material nature, and some of them immediately gave up their material bodies developed under the three modes of material nature.* “Maharaja Pariksit heard Sukadeva Gosvami explain the situation of the gopis who assembled with Krsna in the rasa dance. When he heard that some of the gopis simply by concentrating on Krsna as their paramour, became freed from all contamination from material birth and death, he said: The gopis did not know that Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They accepted Him as a beautiful boy and considered Him to be their paramour. So how was it possible for them to get freed from the material condition just by thinking of a paramour?* “On hearing this question of Maharaja Pariksit, Sukadeva Gosvami replied ‘My dear King, your question is already answered, even before this incident.* “Sisupala was always envious of Krsna, and because of his envy Krsna killed him. Since Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sisupala gained salvation simply by seeing Him. If an envious person can get salvation simply by concentrating his mind on Krsna, then what to speak of the gopis who are so dear to Krsna and always thinking of Him in love? There must be some difference between the enemies and the friends. If Krsna’s enemies could get freed from material contamination and become one with the Supreme, then certainly His dear friends like the gopis are freed with Him.* “Krsna is not an ordinary person. He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, full of all spiritual qualities. He appears in this material world out of His causeless mercy, in order to benedict the conditioned souls, and whenever He appears, He appears as He is without change.* “If one somehow or other becomes attached to Krsna or attracted to Him, either because of His beauty, quality, opulence, fame, strength, renunciation or knowledge, or even through lust, anger or fear, or affection or friendship, then one’s salvation and freedom from material contamination is assured.* “Rest assured that one attracted by Krsna attains liberation from material bondage because Krsna is the transcendental master of all mystic power. There is nothing surprising about this.”* 2 In Srimad Bhagavatam 10.29.10 (the second verse quoted in Anuccheda 145), the word ‘asubha’ means ‘the gopis fear of their superiors, and other inauspicious impediments, which obstructed their going to meet Krsna’, and the word ‘mangalam’ means ‘the auspicious process of thinking of Krsna as their dearmost friend, which enables the gopis to very quickly attain Him.” By intently meditating on Sri Krsna, these gopis became purified of all material defects and returned back to the spiritual world. That such an auspicious result is obtained by the devotees is confirmed in the following verse from Vedic literatures: “Pure devotees of Lord Krsna are always free from the bondage of fruitive actions (karma). Such devotees do not again take birth in the material world, for they return to the eternal spiritual world.” 3 When Srimad Bhagavatam says that the gopis became liberated (instead of already being eternally liberated) (10.29.9-16), we may take it in the opposite way. An example of a statement intended to be taken in the opposite way is the following verse spoken by Lord Narayana to Bhrgu Muni, who had just kicked the Lord’s chest (to test whether the Lord were actually humble and situated in the mode of goodness). Lord Narayana said (Srimad Bhagavatam 10.89.11): “My dear Bhrgu Muni, My chest has now become sanctified because of the touch of your feet, and I am now assured that the goddess of fortune, Laksmi, will be very glad to live there perpetually.”* This statement of the Lord is actually untrue. The opposite is true: that Bhrgu Muni became purified by touching the Lord (although under extraordinary circumstances). In the same way, it may also be taken that the description of the gopis attaining liberation at a certain point actually means not that they attained liberation, but that they were already liberated eternally. 4 In the verses (quoted in Anuccheda 145) the word ‘paramatmanam’ means ‘the all-pervading Supersoul’ or ‘the supreme soul of all souls’. Because Sri Krsna is the supreme souls of all souls, He is the supreme object of everyone’s love. This is described in the following statement at the conclusion of Brahma’s prayers to Lord Krsna (Srimad Bhagavatam 10.14.53): “You should know Krsna as the original soul of all atmas (living entities). For the benefit of the whole universe, He has, out of His causeless mercy, appeared as an ordinary human being. He has done with the strength of His own internal potency.”* 5 In verse 11 (quoted in Anuccheda 145) we may note the word ‘jara-buddhya’ (thinking of Him as their paramour). Although the love of the gopis for Krsna appeared to cross beyond all bounds of propriety and morality, actually it did not. The gopis thought of Krsna as their paramour, and thinking in that way their love for Him was unexcelled, but still, their contact with Krsna remained always free from the gross physical activity known in this world as adulterous love. 6 In verse 11 (quoted in Anuccheda 145) the word ‘bandhana’ means ‘husbands, fathers, and other superiors, who stopped the gopis from going to Krsna.’ When Maharaja Pariksit heard that the gopis became liberated from their material bodies constructed from the three modes of material nature, and became liberated simply by thinking of Krsna, a doubt arose in his mind. He said: “The gopis simply thought of Krsna as their paramour (sri-krsnam param kantham viduh), and they were completely unaware that He was actually the Supreme Personality of Godhead (brahma). Under these circumstances, how is it possible that they became free from the influence of the three modes of material nature simply by thinking of a paramour? Generally, those who understand the actual truth about the Supreme Personality of Godhead become free from the modes of nature. How is it possible, then, that the gopis became liberated without understanding the actual truth about Sri Krsna?” 7 In verse 13 (quoted in Anuccheda 145), we may note that the word ‘guna-dhiyam’ (meditating on the qualities) does not mean that the gopis were absorbed in thinking of the three modes of material nature, but that they were meditating on the transcendental qualities and beautiful form of Sri Krsna. How the gopis obtained liberation simply by thinking of Sri Krsna as their paramour is explained in the following verse (Srimad Bhagavatam 10.29.14): “On hearing this question of Maharaja Pariksit, Sukadeva Gosvami replied, ‘My dear king, your question already answered, even before this incident.* “Sisupala was always envious of Krsna, and because of his envy Krsna killed him. Since Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sisupala gained salvation simply by seeing Him. If an envious person can get salvation simply by concentrating his mind on Krsna, then what to speak of the gopis who are so dear to Krsna and always thinking of Him in love? There must be some difference between the enemies and the friends. If Krsna’s enemies could get freed from material contamination and become one with the Supreme, then certainly His dear friends like the gopis are freed with Him.* 8 By reading the story of King Puranjana (Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto Four), and other accounts in the Vedic literatures, we may understand how difficult it is to become liberated and enter the spiritual planet of Sri Krsna. Srila Sukadeva Gosvami has therefore described the actual path of liberation by speaking this verse. We may note that the word ‘caidya’ in this verse does not only refer to Sisupala, but to Dantavakra as well. 9 We may note that Sisupala and Dantavakra had previously been Jaya and Vijaya, the doorkeepers of Vaikunthaloka. In the following verse (Srimad Bhagavatam 7.1.35), Maharaja Yudhisthira asked how it was possible that these two liberated residents of the spiritual world could fall into the material world and accept bodies made of the gross material elements. The king said: “The bodies of the inhabitants of Vaikuntha are completely spiritual having nothing to do with material body, senses or life air. Therefore, kindly explain how associates of the Personality of Godhead were cursed to descend in material bodies like ordinary persons.” In another place in Srimad Bhagavatam we also find the explanation that the bodies of Sisupala and Dantavakra were not material, but eternal and spiritual. In other words, Jaya and Vijaya never actually accepted material bodies. This is explained by the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself. 10 Jaya and Vijaya descended to the material world to facilitate the Lord’s pastimes there. Their being cursed by the Four Kumaras were simply a pretext. The Lord’s pastimes was the actual reason. This is confirmed by the following verse from Srimad Bhagavatam (3.16.29): “The Lord then said to His attendants, Jaya and Vijaya: Depart this place, but fear not. All glories unto you. Though I am capable of nullifying the brahmanas’ curse, I would not do so. On the contrary, it has My approval.”* 11 The reason for the descend of Jaya and Vijaya to the material world is described in the following prose statement from the Uttara-khanda of Padma-Purana: “On the pretext of being cursed by the Four Kumaras, Jaya and Vijaya descended to the material world. Actually, the only real reason for their descent was to perform pastimes with the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” In order to attract the minds of the devotees with His transcendental pastimes, the Lord desired to fight great heroic battles with certain demons. In order to fulfil this desire of the Lord, Jaya and Vijaya three times accepted the bodies of kings. The bodies they accepted were splendidly effulgent and fully invested with anima and other mystic powers. They were not ordinary bodies. 12 In his commentary on Srimad Bhagavatam 7.1.45, Sridhara Svami explains that Jaya and Vijaya did not accept material bodies when they descended to this world. Sridhara Svami says: “By the phrase ‘krsna-cakra’hatamhasau’ it should be understood that Lord Krsna destroyed the sinful reactions of Jaya and Vijaya. It was, therefore Jaya and Vijaya’s sinful reactions that were killed, and not their bodies.” 13 When Krsna played His flute to call the gopis to the arena of the rasa dance, the gopis went to meet Krsna in their original spiritual bodies, and left behind their imitation material bodies constructed of the modes of material nature especially for that occasion. This is described in the following statement of Srila Sukadeva Gosvami (Srimad Bhagavatam 10.33.37): “The so-called husbands of the gopis felt no enmity towards Lord Krsna. Enamoured by the influence of the external energy of Krsna, they thought that their wives were sleeping by their sides. They could not understand that they had gone to dance with Krsna.”* 14 From this explanation we may understand that where it says in Srimad Bhagavatam (10.29.11) that the gopis left behind material bodies (jahur gunamayam deham) when they went to join Sri Krsna in the rasa-dance, it does not mean that they left behind their own material bodies. The gopis always had eternal spiritual forms, and the bodies left behind by them were specially constructed for the occasion. 15 In the mood of enmity Jaya and Vijaya (Sisupala and Dantavakra) were constantly thinking of Krsna, and when they were finally killed by Krsna, they attained Krsna’s association in the spiritual world. In the same way the gopis, who were also intensely absorbed in feelings of love for Krsna, also attained His association again in the spiritual world. These gopis were so attracted to the sweetness of Sri Krsna’s handsome form, that they gave up their lives in order to attain His association. 16 In Srimad Bhagavatam 10.269.14 (quoted in Anuccheda 145), Srila Sukadeva Gosvami said that Lord Krsna appears in this material world in order to benefit the conditioned souls. Otherwise He has no reason to appear in this world. This is explained in the second part of the verse, where the word ‘avyayasya’ means that Lord Krsna never falls down. In other words, He is never forced to descend to this material world, but only comes out of His own wish. In this verse the word ‘nirgunasya’ indicates that Sri Krsna has no material qualities, for He has all spiritual qualities, powers and opulences (gunatmanah). The question may be asked: Why are Lord Krsna’s pastimes in this material world beneficial for the conditioned souls? To answer this question is given in the next verse (10.29.15), where it is said: “If one somehow or other becomes attached to Krsna or attracted to Him, either because of His beauty, qualities, opulence, fame, strength, renunciation, or knowledge, or even through lust, anger, or fear, or affection or friendship, then one’s salvation and freedom from material contamination are assured.”* In other words, by appearing in this world and manifesting His transcendental pastimes, Lord Krsna gives the conditioned souls an opportunity to hear about Him and thus become attracted to Him. Attraction to Krsna is the beginning of all-auspiciousness for the conditioned souls. 17 In this verse (Srimad Bhagavatam 10.29.15, quoted in Anuccheda 145), the word ‘tan-mayatam’ means ‘the greatness of Sri Krsna’. In the case of the devotees, who always remember Krsna with love and affection, this means that they become attracted to Sri Krsna. In the case of the demons, however, this means that by meditating on Krsna in a mood of fear and anger, they get the opportunity to merge into the effulgence of Krsna, just as a drop of water merges into a container of milk. In this way there are two separate destinations for the devotees and the demons, although both kinds of liberation are designated by the single word ‘tan-mayatam’ in this verse. 18 In this context the word ‘tan-mayatam’ has these two meanings. The phrase ‘dugdhamayam jalam’ is an example of an ambiguous statement that can be interpreted in different ways. The fact that a single word may have many meanings is described in the following statement of Vedanta-sutra (2.3.4): If the demons attained liberation simply by meditating on Sri Krsna in the mood of fear and anger, then the devotees, by meditating on Krsna with love, certainly attained a much greater result. Therefore the destination attained by the gopis was certainly much greater than the liberation attained by Jaya and Vijaya. 19 The gopis attained liberation from material existence (yata etad vimucyate) simply by meditating on Krsna in what was apparently lust, and the other residents of Vrndavana also became liberated by meditating on Krsna as their child or friend. One might be surprised to hear that the residents of Vrndavana became liberated by lust and other seemingly material emotions. One would have certainly expected a different result to be obtained from lust and other emotions. However, because these emotions were directed towards Krsna, Sukadeva Gosvami informs Maharaja Pariksit that this auspicious result obtained by the residents of Vrndavana is not at all surprising (na caiva vismaya karyah).

English witness · section(s) 146

Anuccheda 146

1 The previous births of the king of Vraja and other associates of the Lord will now be discussed. The glorious position of Mother Yasoda is described in the following verse (Srimad Bhagavatam 10.8.45): “The glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead are studied through the three Vedas, the Upanisads, the literature of sankhya-yoga and other Vaisnava literature, yet mother Yasoda considered that Supreme Person her ordinary child.”* 2 Mother Yasoda’s good fortune is also described in the following verse (Srimad Bhagavatam 10.9.20): “Neither Lord Brahma, nor Lord Siva, nor even the goddess of fortune, who is always the better half of the Supreme Lord, can obtain from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the deliverer from this material world, such mercy as received by Mother Yasoda.”* 3 Having heard of the great fortune of Mother Yasoda, Pariksit Maharaja became astonished and inquired from Sukadeva Gosvami (Srimad Bhagavatam 10.8.46): “O learned brahmana, mother Yasoda’s breast milk was sucked by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. What past auspicious activities did she and Nanda Maharaja perform to achieve such perfection in ecstatic love?”* 4 Pariksit Maharaja also described the great fortune of Nanda Maharaja and Yasoda-devi in the following verse (Srimad Bhagavatam 10.8.47): “Although Krsna was so pleased with Vasudeva and Devaki that He descended as their son, they could not enjoy Krsna’s magnanimous childhood pastimes, which are so great that simply chanting about them vanquishes the contamination of the material world. Nanda Maharaja and Yasoda, however, enjoyed these pastimes fully and therefore their position is always better than that of Vasudeva and Devaki.”*

English witness · section(s) 147

Anuccheda 147

Considering Maharaja Pariksit’s question about the previous birth of Nanda and Yasoda, Sukadeva Gosvami replies (Srimad Bhagavatam 10.8.48): “To follow the orders of Lord Brahma, Drona the best of the Vasus, along with his wife Dhara, spoke to Lord Brahma in this way.”*

English witness · section(s) 148

Anuccheda 148

What did they say? They said (Srimad Bhagavatam 10.8.49): “Drona and Dhara said: Please permit us to be born on the planet earth so that after our appearance, the Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead, the supreme controller and master of all planets, will also appear and spread devotional service, the ultimate goal of life, so that those born in this material world may very easily be delivered from the miserable condition of materialistic life by accepting this devotional service.”*

Srila Jiva Gosvami’s Sri Krsna-sandarbha An Essay on Lord Krsna Volume Five