Ekädaçé Issue no: 213 29th June 2023
Wonderful Krishna
Wonderful Krishna
Srila Sukadeva Goswami
The all-aTTracTive one
Disciples of His Divine Grace
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
love of God is dormanT in everyone
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
The TWo Kinds of Prema, love of Godhead
Srila Vishvanatha Chakravarti Thakur
The Prema of vraja
Srila Sanatana Goswami
Sukadeva Gosvami said: The cowherd men were astonished when they saw Krishnaa’s activities, such as lifting Govardhan Hill. Un-able to understand His transcendental potency, they approached Nanda Maharaja and spoke as follows. (1)
[The cowherd men said:] Since this boy performs such extraordinary activities, how could He warrant a birth among worldly men like usa birth that for Him would seem contemptible? (2) How could this seven-year-old boy playfully hold up the great hill Govardhan with one hand, just as a mighty elephant holds up a lotus flower? (3) As a mere infant who had hardly yet opened His eyes, He drank the breast milk of the powerful demoness Putana and then sucked out her very life air as well, just as the force of time sucks out the youth of one’s body. (4)
Once, when only three months old, little Krishna was crying and kicking up His feet as He lay beneath a huge cart. Then the cart fell and turned upside-down simply because it was struck by the tip of His toe. (5) At the age of one, while sitting peacefully He was taken up into the sky by the demon Trinavarta. But baby Krishna grabbed the demon’s neck, causing him great pain, and thus
killed him. (6) Once, His mother tied Him with ropes to a mortar because she had caught Him stealing butter. Then, crawling on His hands, He dragged the mortar between a pair of arjuna trees and pulled them down. (7) Another time, when Krishna was tending the calves in the forest together with Balarama and the cowherd boys, the demon Bakasura came with the intention of killing Krishna. But Krishna seized this inimical demon by the mouth and tore him apart. (8)
Desiring to kill Krishna, the demon Vatsa disguised himself as a calf and entered among Krishna’s calves. But Krishna killed the demon and, using his body, enjoyed the sport of knocking kapittha fruits down from the trees. (9) Together with Lord Balarama, Krishna killed the jackass demon and all his friends, thereby securing the safety of the Talavana forest, which abounded with fully ripened palm fruits. (10)
After arranging for the mighty Lord Balarama to kill the terrible demon Pralamba, Krishna saved Vraja’s cowherd boys and their animals from a forest fire. (11) Krishna chastised the most poisonous serpent, Kaliya, and after humbling him He drove him forcibly from the lake of the Yamuna. In this way the Lord made the water of that river free of the snake’s powerful poison. (12) Dear Nanda, how is it that we and all the other residents of Vraja cannot give up our constant affection for your son? And how is it that He is so spontaneously attracted to us? (13) On the one hand this boy is only seven years old, and on the other we see that He has lifted the great hill Govardhan. Therefore, O King of Vraja, a doubt about your son arises within us. (14)
Nanda Maharaja replied: O cowherd men, just hear my words and let all your doubts concerning my son be gone. Some time ago Garga Muni spoke to me as follows about this boy. (15)
[Garga Muni had said:] Your son Krishna appears as an incarnation in every millennium. In the past He assumed three different colors: white, red and yellow and now He has appeared in a blackish color. (16) For many reasons, this beautiful son of yours sometimes appeared previously as the son of Vasudeva. Therefore, those who are learned sometimes call this child Vasudeva. (17) For this son of yours there are many forms and
names according to His transcendental qualities and activi-ties. These are known to me, but people in general do not understand them. (18)
To increase the transcendental bliss of the cowherd men of Gokula, this child will always act auspiciously for you. And by His grace only, you will surpass all difficulties. (19) O Nanda Maharaja, as recorded in history, when there was an irregular, incapable government, Indra having been dethroned, and when honest people were being harassed and disturbed by thieves, this child appeared in order to curb the rogues and to protect the people and enable them to flourish. (20)
Demons cannot harm the demigods, who always have Lord Vishnu on their side. Similarly, any person or group attached to all-auspicious Krishna cannot be defeated by enemies. (21) Therefore, O Nanda Maharaja, this child of yours is as good as Narayana. In His transcendental qualities, opulence, name, fame and influence, He is exactly like Narayana. Thus you should not be astonished hy His activities. (22)
[Nanda Maharaja continued:] After Garga Rsi spoke these words to me and returned home, I began to consider that Krishna, who keeps us free from trouble, is actually an expansion of Lord Narayana. (23)
Sukadeva Gosvami continued: Having heard Nanda Maharaja relate the statements of Garga Muni, the residents of Vrindavan became enlivened. Their perplexity was gone, and they worshiped Nanda and Lord Krishna with great respect. (24)
Indra became angry when his sacrifice was disrupted, and thus he caused rain and hail to fall on Gokula, accompanied by lightning and powerful winds, all of which brought great suffering to the cowherds, animals and women there. When Lord Krishna, who is by nature always compassionate, saw the condition of those who had only Him as their shelter, He smiled broadly and lifted Govardhan Hill with one hand, just as a small child picks up a mushroom to play with it. Holding up the hill, He protected the cowherd community. May He, Govinda, the Lord of the cows and the destroyer of Indra’s false pride, be pleased with us. (25).
Çrémad-Bhägavatam (Bhägavata Puräëa) » Canto 10: The Summum Bonum » Chapter Twenty Six » Verses 1–25 » Translations by Disciples of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
The all-aTTracTive one Disciples of His Divine Grace
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami PrabhupadaThe very word Krishna means "the all-attractive one." The residents of Vrindavan could not give up their constant love (anuräga) for Lord Krishna. Their attitude toward Him was not particularly theistic, because they were unsure whether He was God or not. But He attracted all their love precisely because as God He is the all-attractive person, the supreme object of our love.
The cowherd men also asked, "How is it that young Krishna feels such constant love for us?" In fact the Supreme Lord loves all living beings, who are eternally His children. At the end of the Bhagavad-gétä, Lord Krishna dramatically declares His affection for Arjuna and urges Arjuna to reciprocate that love by surrendering to Him.
Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, in His prayers to Lord Krishna, states, etädåçé tava kåpä bhagavan mamäpi durdaivam édåçam ihäjani nänurägaù: "My Lord, You are so merciful toward Me, but I am so unfortunate that love for You has not awakened within Me." (Çikñäñöaka 2) In this statement Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu also uses the word anuräga. Our misfortune is that we cannot reciprocate the anuräga, or loving affection, that the Lord feels for us. Although we are infinitesimal and insignificant and the Lord is infinitely attractive, somehow we do not give Him our love. We must accept responsibility for this foolish decision, since to surrender to God or not is the essential expression of our free will.
The Krishna consciousness movement provides an efficient, systematic program to help conditioned souls revive their original, blissful consciousness, which is love of God, Krishna consciousness. The intricacies of Krishna consciousness are so wonderful that even Krishna's eternal associates, the residents of Vrindavan, are astonished by them, as shown by these verses.
— Çrémad-Bhägavatam (Bhägavata Puräëa) » Canto 10: The Summum Bonum » Chapter Twenty six » Verse 13 » Purport by Disciples of His Divine Grace A. C.
love of God is dormanT in everyone
His Divine Grace
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami PrabhupadaMäyävädé philosophers are satisfied simply to understand Brahman to be the sum total of knowledge, but Vaiñëava philosophers not only know in detail about the Supreme Personality of Godhead but also know how to approach Him directly. The method for this is described by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu as nine kinds of devotional service, beginning with hearing:
çravaëaà kértanaà viñëoù smaraëaà päda-sevanam arcanaà vandanaà däsyaà sakhyam ätma-nivedanam (SB 7.5.23)
The nine kinds of devotional service are hearing about Krishna, chanting about Him, remembering Him, offering service to His lotus feet, offering Him worship in the temple, offering prayers to Him, working as His servant, making friendship with Him and unreservedly surrendering to Him. One can directly approach the Supreme Person-
ality of Godhead simply by executing these nine kinds of devotional service, of which hearing about the Lord is the most important (çravaëädi).
Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has very favorably stressed the importance of this process of hearing. According to His method, if people are simply given a chance to hear about Krishna, certainly they will gradually develop their dormant awareness, or love of Godhead. Çravaëädi-çuddha-citte karaye udaya (Cc. Madhya 22.107). Love of God is dormant in everyone, and if one is given a chance to hear about the Lord, certainly that love develops.
Our Krishna consciousness movement acts on this principle. We simply give people the chance to hear about the Supreme Personality of Godhead and give them prasädam to eat, and the actual result is that all over the world people are responding to this process and becoming pure devotees of Lord Krishna. We have opened hundreds of centers all over the world just to give people in general a chance to hear about Krishna and accept Krishna’s prasädam. These two processes can be accepted by anyone, even a child. It doesn’t matter whether one is poor or rich, learned or foolish, black or white, old or still a child—anyone who simply hears about the Su-
preme Personality of Godhead and takes prasädam is certainly elevated to the transcendental position of devotional service.
—Śrī Caitanya-cari tāmrta » Ādi-līlā » Chapter Seven »
Verse 142 » By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.The TWo Kinds of Prema, love of Godhead
Srila Vishvanatha Chakravarti ThakurPrema, love of Godhead, is of two kinds: kevala-prema (unalloyed love) and mahém-jnäna-yukta-prema (love mixed with knowledge, awe and reverential worship). The goal of rägänuga-bhakti-sädhana is primarily kevala-prema. Devotees on the path of vaidhi-bhakti-sädhana attain such liberations as särüpya (equal bodily feature), sälokya (equal facility to live on the same planet with the Lord), särñöi (equal possession of opulence like the Lord), and sämépya (equal association with the Lord). According to Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s teachings, kevala-prema, unalloyed devotional surrender is the pinnacle of all attainments and goals. Kevala-prema is further sub-divided as: bhävottha (sprung from bhäva) and präsadotha (sprung directly from mercy). Further sub-divisions of bhävottha are: vaidhi and rägänuga. Präsadottha is extremely rare. Bhavottha-prema is more common and is described in the Caitanya-caritämåta (Cc. Madhya 23.9-13, 39):
kona bhägye kona jévera çraddhä yadi haya
tave sei jéva sädhu saìga karaya
sädhu saìga haite haya çravaëa kértana
sädhana bhaktye haya sarvänartha nivartana
anartha nivåtti haile bhakti niñöha haya
niñöha haite çravaëädye ruci upajaya
ruci bhakti haite haya açakti pracura
açakti haite citte janme kåñëe préty aìkura
sei rati gäòha haila dhare prema näma
sei prema prayojana sarvänanda dhäma
yäìra citte kåñëa prema karaye udaya
täìra väkya, kriyä, mudrä vijneha na bujhaya
"If, by good fortune, a living entity develops faith in Kåñëa he begins to associate with devotees. Inspired by devotee association he begins the process of devotional service by hearing and chanting which cleanses his heart of all unwanted
contamination. Freed from all contamination, his devotion advances to the stage of firm, undeviating faith. When firm faith awakens, taste for hearing and chanting blossoms. From taste for devotional service arises deep attachment, leading to the appearance in the heart of the seed of love Godhead, which begins to grow. When that stage of ecstasy intensifies, it is called love of Godhead, prema. It is the prime human necessity, life’s ultimate goal and the reservoir of all pleasure. Even the most learned man could not understand the words, activities and symptoms of a person situated in love of Godhead."
The Kärikä, explanatory verse:
äkarña sannidhau lauhaù pravåtto dåçyate yathä aëor mahati caitanye pravåttiù prétir eva sä pratiphalana-dharmatvät baddha-jive nisargataù itareñu ca sarveñu rägo’sti viñayädiñu
liìga-bhaìgottarä bhaktiù çuddha-prétir anuttamä
tat pürvam ätmänikñepät bhaktiù prétimayé saté
"When a magnet is placed at a proper distance from iron, the iron, acting according to its properties, is drawn to the magnet. Similarly, the infinitesimal living entity when it comes in front of Krishna, the infinite Supreme Being, exhibits its innate characteristics—the inherent symptoms of unalloyed spiritual love. This spontaneous spiritual emotion is self-perfected and self-manifesting in the transcendental realm. This material world is merely a perverted reflection of the spiritual abode. The living entity, jéva, has had to accept an alien nature in this material world, contrary to its original spiritual nature, and has developed an aberrant attachment for the base and gross material things—this becoming his second nature.
"As long as the jéva’s subtle material body (consisting of mind, intelligence and false-ego) is not purified, pure spiritual emotions, which are transcendental and self-perfected, cannot awaken. The symptoms of bhakti exhibited after the dismantling of the jéva’s subtle material form are indeed pure love of Godhead. Preceding this stage, the jéva attempts to discard his material identity. He acknowledges his transcendental nature as a rarely attained gift and offers himself in full surrender. At
this point, devotion can at best be affectionate, but not profound spontaneous love."
These matters described by Srila Krishnadas Kaviraj in his immortal Caitanya-caritämåta (Cc Madhya 22.149, 153, 156-157, 159):
rägatmikä bhakti mukhya vrajaväsé jane tä’ra anugata bhaktira rägänuga näme lobhe vrajaväséra bhäve kare anugati
çästrayukti nahi mäne rägänugära prakåti
bähya, abhyantara, ihära dui ta’sädhana
bahye sädhaka dehe kare çravaëa kértana
mäne nija siddha deha kariya bhävan
ratri dine kare vraje kåñëera sevana
nijäbiñöha kåñëa preñtha päche ta’ lägiyaï
nirantara sevä kare antarmanä haïä
"The original inhabitants of Vrindavan are attached to Krishna spontaneously in devotional service. Nothing can compare to their devotional service, which is called rägätmikä-bhakti. When a devotee follows in the footsteps of the devotees of Vrindavan his devotion is called rägänuga-bhakti.
If one is a follower of an eternal inhabitant of Vrindavan and develops covetousness (lobha) for his mood of surrender then he does not care for the injunctions and reasoning of the çästras. That is the way of spontaneous love. One may execute this rägänuga-bhakti by two processes—external and internal. The self-realised, advanced devotee externally remains like a neophyte and executes all the çästric injunctions, especially hearing and chanting. However, within his mind, in his original purified self-realised position, he serves Krishna in Vrindavan in his particular way. He serves Krishna ceaselessly, throughout the day and night. Actually, the inhabitants of Vrindavan are very dear to Krishna. If one wants to engage in spontaneous loving service, he must follow the inhabitants of Vrindavan and constantly engage in devotional service within his mind.
The Kärikä, explanatory verse:
kåñëa-bahirmukhe sä ca viñaya-prétir eva hi sä caiva kåñëa-sammukhyät kåñëa-prétiù sunirmalä raty ädi-bhäva-paryantaà svarüpa-lakñaëaà småtam däsya-sakhyädi-sambandhät sa caiva rasatäà vrajet
"The difference between love of Godhead, Krishna, and love of matter is profound. As soon as the loving propensity is withdrawn from matter and dovetailed towards Krishna, it becomes love of Godhead (prema). On the other hand, when the jéva turns his back to Krishna and observes matter with the intent of enjoyment, he develops material attachment and love for matter. When the symptoms of the soul’s original identity begin to manifest, they start on the level of rati and can reach the heights of mahäbhäva
The sthäyi-bhäva is the steady constitutional emotion and evokes the individual spiritual moods of däsya, sakhya, vätsalya and mädhurya
It becomes a catalyst, helping the ecstatic symptoms to manifest, creating rasa, spiritual relish."
Daça-müla-tattva » Translated by Sarvabhavana Das
The Prema of vraja
Srila Sanatana GoswamiGoloka’s Lord and its residents care for one another as do people of the material world, yet their prema transcends the limits of mundane love.
The loving dealings of Vraja are like nothing ever seen in this world. When Mother Yashoda simply remembers Krishna, milk flows from her breasts. And Nanda Maharaja is constantly drenched in a flood of his own tears of love for Krishna.
The cowherd men use everything they have, even their wives and children, only for Krishna’s pleasure, never their own. And some of the old ladies of Vraja adopt the mood of Yashoda, while others disguise themselves as their own young daughters to please Krishna. Krishna’s friends are constantly desirous of seeing Him, so much so that they cannot tolerate even the momentary obstruction caused by Krishna’s passing behind a tree. And the blessed cowherd girls have no interest in life other than Him; whether separated from Him, or going out to meet Him, or enjoying His company, they relish all sorts of extraordinary ecstasy.
In these ways the prema of Vraja is both amazing and sweet, combining within itself the majestic opulence of the spiritual world and the simple sweetness of the material world. The devotees of Vraja possess superworldly opulence, and at the same time they are the most simple people. By their opulent power they are expertly able to understand and take part in all the various aspects of the Lord’s countless pastimes. And like ordinary people, the Vraja-väsés, it is well known from the accounts of their lives, enjoy food and drink, the company of friends and relatives, and so on.
And even the Personality of Godhead, though showing His opulence, shows it in the pastimes of an ordinary child. During His infant pastimes, for example, Krishna drank milk from the breast of Putana and sucked out the life air from that powerful witch, who had never suspected He could do so. And in countless other ways also, the Lord, though showing His opulence, acted like an ordinary human being. As the narration of Båhad-bhägavatämåta continues, this will all be thoroughly explained. With such ideas in mind, Sri Sukadeva Gosvami said:
evaà nigüòhätma-gatiù sva-mäyayä gopätmajatvaà caritair viòambayan reme ramä-lälita-päda-pallavo grämyaiù samaà grämya-vad éça-ceñöitaù (SB 10.15.19)
“In this way the Supreme Lord, whose soft lotus feet are personally attended by the goddess of fortune, concealed His transcendental opulences by His internal potency and acted like the son of a cowherd. Yet even while enjoying like a village boy in the company of other village residents, He often exhibited feats only God could perform.”
The word viòambayan in this Tenth Canto verse is a form of the verb viòamb (“to imitate”) as a present participle (“imitating”). This participial form, however, can also sometimes mean “for the purpose of,” as it does here—“for the purpose of imitating.”
Thus the verse can be construed to say that Kåñëa hides His supremacy (nigüòhätma-gatiù) by His own special potencies (sva-mäyayä) for the purpose of imitating or assuming the nature of a cowherd boy (gopätmajatvam). He hides His godly powers (ätma-gati) so that He can act like an ordinary human, but His absolute power is still discernible in the extreme limit of the perfect sweetness He displays in each of His pastimes. He enjoys having His feet massaged by the supreme goddess of fortune, and He does things only God can do (éça-ceñöitaù), and yet He plays like an ordinary village boy (grämya-vat) in the company of other villagers.
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Quotations from the books, letters, and lectures of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada ©Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. ©All the paintings are copyrights of their respective artists.