The following is an excerpt from Kṛṣṇa – The Lord of Sweetness, Chapter 1, First Edition by Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja

 

jīvera ‘svarūpa’ haya — kṛṣṇera ‘nitya-dāsa’

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya-līlā 20.108)

[It is the living entity’s constitutional position to be an eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa]

By constitution, all souls are eternal servants of Godhead. Nowadays, there are so many conceptions of God in different parts of the world, but God is one without a second. The people of one place may not believe in God, while those of another do. But whether they believe it or not, a person or a power controls all. No human can control everything. No human can create this world and control the whole universe.

Whether one accepts God or not, no one can deny the truth of death. Whether one is an atheist or a theist, all will accept that death is true. Furthermore, all will accept without doubt that there is birth, death, sorrow, and suffering in this world. No one is satisfied. All fear death. At any time, suffering may come.

In this world, sometimes a man feels happiness in the company of a lady, and a lady feels happiness in the company of a man. Sometimes, we take something [for our enjoyment] and taste it. Sometimes, we have and support many children, and by this, a little happiness comes. But this happiness is always coming and going; this world has no permanent happiness.

The ṛṣis and munis (saints and sages) have researched the following questions: From whom does the world come? From whom does support and nourishment come? In whom does the world again enter? That very person or power is God: G. O. D. – Generator, Operator, and Destroyer. We cannot be happy if we are not faithful to Him and not serving Him.

He is full of all powers. All opulence is within Him, and He is always so very merciful. He desires that all suffering persons come to Him, serve Him, chant His names, remember Him, and be happy forever. He wants them to know, “This body is not my self; it is not the soul. This mind, also, is not the soul. They are temporary. Our soul is present but covered by these two outer bodies (the body and mind). As a result, we have forgotten God.” God, also, is a person. He is an ocean of rasa (transcendental loving relationships) and very powerful, so we should try to know and serve Him. Then we can come out of [the cycle of repeated] birth, death, sorrow, and suffering and be eternally happy. Without doing this, there is no way we can be happy.

In this world, there may be many different living styles, but the nature of the soul is the same everywhere. All are eternal – in China, Russia, America, or anywhere. Souls are the same, in the same category [in that each soul is an eternal servant of God, Śrī Kṛṣṇa], but due to lack of good association, people have forgotten Kṛṣṇa, and they are forgetting Him more and more.

In India, Vedic culture and knowledge are so developed that they have ‘discovered’ the soul, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and the variety of relationships the soul can have with Him. We cannot see and realize God with these material eyes or with material knowledge. Never.

Transcendental knowledge is given by the unbroken disciplic succession of bona fide spiritual masters, starting with Kṛṣṇa Himself, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. From Him, the disciplic succession came. He imparted this transcendental knowledge to Lord Brahmā, and Brahmā gave it to Nārada Ṛṣi. Nārada Ṛṣi gave it to Vyāsadeva, and Vyāsadeva gave it to Śukadeva Gosvāmī. Thus, it descended. We should trust this disciplic succession and try to follow it.

What are the qualities of God? How is He so merciful? What relationship do we have with Him, and how can we realize and serve Him eternally? This is explained in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. In my classes here, I want to explain something from the Tenth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. It will be very tasteful to hear and helpful in your practice of bhakti-yoga.

Without bhakti-yoga, we cannot realize the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is so merciful that He sometimes descends to this world. Why? To bestow His mercy upon the living entities here. He manifests in so many ways, in so many incarnations. For instance, He comes in the form of Matsya (a fish), Kūrma (a tortoise), Varāha (a boar), Nṛsiṁhadeva (half man, half lion), Vāmana (a dwarf ), Paraśurāma (a warrior), Rāma (a great king), Baladeva (the elder brother of Śrī Kṛṣṇa), Buddha (a teacher of non-violence), and then Kalki (the destroyer of the universes). But the root of all ten forms is Śrī Kṛṣṇa. He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

He comes – descends to this world – and attracts all. What to speak of attracting human beings, He also attracts deer, birds, other animals, creepers, trees, and everything else. You should know that trees possess a soul, as do the creepers. A soul is present in hogs, fish, eggs, and demigods. If you practice bhakti-yoga, you can see and realize this fact, and gradually, you will attain bhakti.

What is bhakti?

Two things are eternal: the soul and the Supersoul. The Super soul is Kṛṣṇa, and there are unlimited souls. The pure soul and Kṛṣṇa meet together only through love and affection. Meeting with God through pure love and affection is called bhakti-yoga. This love and affection (prema) has so many categories.

Those souls who are in the purest stage – those in the spiritual realms of Goloka, Vṛndāvana, and Vaikuṇṭha – serve Kṛṣṇa eternally.

Those souls who are in material bondage, however, are covered by the deluding material potency and have a gross and subtle body. They are called conditioned souls. Conditioned souls are always unhappy, suffering in the cyclic chain of birth and death. How can they attain the eternal, transcendental stage? They can attain it by practising bhakti-yoga from the beginning [faith]. Faith leads to firm faith, a taste for devotional service, attachment, the awakening of pure spiritual emotion, and finally, highly condensed love for God (prema).

I want to explain some of Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes because people generally do not want to hear high-class, conclusive philosophical truths. You will find it very interesting if we explain the Tenth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam – how Kṛṣṇa descends to this world, how He kills the demons and protects saintly persons, and how He plays when He is here.

Śukadeva Gosvāmī spoke Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam to Parīkṣit Mahārāja. Do you know Parīkṣit Mahārāja?

About five thousand years ago, there was a king named Parīkṣit. He was the son of Abhimanyu and his wife Uttarā. Abhimanyu was the son of Arjuna and was connected with Kṛṣṇa. [Arjuna’s wife, Subhadrā, was the sister of Kṛṣṇa.] It was in this dynasty that Parīkṣit Mahārāja appeared. He was a very learned and powerful king.

Once, Parīkṣit Mahārāja went out to conquer the whole world. When he was returning, he was so hungry and thirsty that he went to the hermitage of the saint Śamīka Ṛṣi, whose son’s name was Śṛṅgi Ṛṣi. At that time, Śamīka Ṛṣi was meditating on Kṛṣṇa and had gone into such a trance that he forgot his body and became completely unaware of his surroundings. He was wholly absorbed in Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes. In the meantime, King Parīkṣit approached him and said, “I am so thirsty; please give me water.” But the ṛṣi did not hear him. The king asked two or three times, and then he remembered that he was the king of that place. He thought, “Upon my coming here, this ṛṣi has seen me and closed his eyes. He is not actually in a trance. A saintly person, a Vaiṣṇava, should be very humble and merciful. I am asking for water, but he is not giving it. He is remaining silent.” Parīkṣit Mahārāja became somewhat angry.

[As a child,] King Parīkṣit had played on the lap of Kṛṣṇa. He was very religious-minded and learned; he knew all philosophical conclusions about the Absolute Truth. How did this illusion, by which he became angry, come about? The material illusory potency of the Lord (māyā) cannot touch him, but the spiritual illusory potency (yogamāyā) can. Yogamāyā desired for Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam to somehow manifest in this world, and that is why she put the king in illusion. Otherwise, Parīkṣit Mahārāja, being so learned, remained far away from that material illusory potency, which normally could not cover his knowledge. Yet, by the wish of Kṛṣṇa, it happened. The king thought, “You are not honouring me, so I must give you some punishment. I cannot beat you or abuse you because you are a brāhmaṇa (of the priestly order), but I will give you a garland – a snake garland.”

In that place, a dead snake was lying on the ground. Parīkṣit Mahārāja took the serpent and wrapped it threefold around the ṛṣi’s neck like a garland and then left that place. On his way, he thought, “What have I just done? Have I offended that ṛṣi? If he was in a trance and meditating on Kṛṣṇa, I have done wrong and committed an offence. But I don’t know if he was in a trance. If he was, then, by his curse, I may be destroyed; my life may be destroyed. What should I do?” Thinking like this, he proceeded toward his kingdom.

As he was nearing his kingdom, two students of Śamīka Ṛṣi arrived. They offered him obeisances and said, “When you put the dead serpent on the neck of Śamīka Ṛṣi, his five-year-old son was playing with other boys nearby. When he heard that someone had put a dead snake around his father’s neck, he became furious. He took some water from the river Kauśika (Ganges) and spoke the following curse: ‘Whoever placed that dead snake on my father’s neck will be bitten by a snake-bird and die in just seven days. No one will be able to save him.’ He then took water and sprinkled it [signifying the affirmation of a curse].”

Śṛṅgi Ṛṣi then went to his father, climbed on his lap, and began to weep loudly. After some time, his father came to his external senses and asked his son, “Why are you weeping?”

“O Father, have you not seen this dead serpent on your neck?” Śamīka Ṛṣi understood that it was Parīkṣit Mahārāja who had done this. How did he know? He knew past, present, and future. Anyone who does real internal worship and service of the Lord (bhajana) becomes so powerful that he can know the past, present, and future. You can also know the past, present, and future by performing bhajana. All of our spiritual predecessors are qualified to have this knowledge. Like Kṛṣṇa, they are so powerful that whatever they say comes true.

The sage rebuked his son: “Oh, you are very ignorant. King Parīkṣit has done this. He is so learned and religious-minded. He is the nephew of Kṛṣṇa and the grandson of Arjuna. If he dies, the whole world will be thrown into chaos and destroyed. A brāhmaṇa should be tolerant and forgiving. Why did you become so angry? A brahmacārī should be very tolerant, yet you became so angry. Tolerance is the most important quality of a Vaiṣṇava or anyone.”

tṛṇād api su-nīcena
taror iva sahiṣṇunā
amāninā māna-dena
kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ

Śrī Śikṣāṣṭaka (3)

[“One who thinks himself lower than the grass, who is more tolerant than a tree, and who does not expect personal honour yet is always prepared to give all respect to others can very easily always chant the holy name of the Lord.”]

“You are a brāhmaṇa, but you do not have the quality of tolerance. What will happen if Parīkṣit Mahārāja dies? He will die; I know.” In a trance, Śamīka Ṛṣi saw that by this incident, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam would manifest in this world, and so he became silent and said nothing more.

Śamīka Ṛṣi could see everything – that Parīkṣit Mahārāja would hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from Śukadeva Gosvāmī and that Parīkṣit Mahārāja would thus be liberated – but he also knew that Parīkṣit was already a liberated soul, and that this was like a drama. He realized that Kṛṣṇa was doing all this. Śamīka Ṛṣi told one of his students, “Go to Parīkṣit Mahārāja and tell him, ‘In seven days a serpent will bite you and you will die, so do whatever you want to do.’ ”

That student went to Parīkṣit Mahārāja and related everything to him. Mahārāja Parīkṣit became happy and told the student that this was not a curse but a benediction. “For a long time, I have wanted to give up all these worldly things – kingdom, reputation, son, wife, and so forth – and practice bhakti-yoga in a solitary place in the forest, but I was too involved in all this to be able to do so. I, therefore, think this is not a curse. Rather, Kṛṣṇa has given me an opportunity. It is the blessing of Kṛṣṇa Himself. I must give up everything worldly and chant, remember, and hear the sweet and powerful pastimes of Kṛṣṇa. This is the only way.”

Parīkṣit Mahārāja did not go back to his kingdom. Leaving his royal dress, bow and arrows, crown, and everything, and wearing only a simple cloth, he sat on the Ganges bank facing the river.

In the meantime, all the great realized ṛṣis, maharṣis, and Vaiṣṇavas, like Nārada, Vyāsa, Agastya, Vaśiṣṭha, Atri, Parāśara, Viśvāmitra, and Paraśurāma, arrived. There was no computer system or microphone – nothing. But in a moment, they came. How did they know to come? Do you know the Caspian Sea? That is where Kaśyapa Ṛṣi came from. Vaśiṣṭha also came from such a far distance – Mongolia. Many ṛṣis, about eighty-eight thousand, came from different parts of the world in a moment. We cannot imagine how it occurred. Many sages steeped in transcendental knowledge, fruitive workers, empiric philosophers, those who perform severe austerities, and yogīs also came there and talked with each other.

Parīkṣit Mahārāja humbly asked them, “I want to know something: If a man is on his deathbed, what should he do? Suppose a man is not dying today or immediately. In that case, he will die tomorrow or the day after, or in one year, two years, four years, twenty years, fifty years, one hundred years, five hundred years, or even after one hundred thousand, five hundred thousand, or millions of years. He must [eventually] die.”

Some of us may live for one hundred years, some may live for even one hundred twenty years, but it is very rare [for a human being] to live longer than that. Still, we hear that Indra, the king of heaven, and others lived for many thousands of years, or hundreds of thousands of years, and that Brahmā, the secondary creator of this universe, lives even longer, for so many millennia. Lord Brahmā has such a long life span: 4,320,000,000 years constitute the twelve hours of his day, and the same constitutes the twelve hours of his night. There are three hundred sixty days in his year, and he lives for one hundred such years. But even so, he, too, will die. We, also, will surely die. How can we escape death? How can we be liberated, and how can we be happy?”

Some of the ṛṣis and munis (sages and great thinkers) instructed Parīkṣit to meditate on the featureless aspect of the Absolute Truth. Some recommended that he perform austerities. Others urged him to give hundreds of thousands of cows to the brāhmaṇas. Someone said, “You should take a bath in the Ganges.” In this way, the ṛṣis who had gathered there advocated many different courses of action.

Then, a young boy of sixteen years, naked, tall, and very beautiful but covered with dust, approached from a distant place. Some ladies noticed him and took him to be a madman. They scooped up handfuls of dirt and threw it at him. Some naughty boys clapped, exclaimed, “He is a mad person,” and threw stones at him. But like an elephant, he continued on his way, being unaffected. He took no revenge and exhibited no anger; he was completely carefree. He came near Parīkṣit Mahārāja.

Parīkṣit Mahārāja and the whole council of sages saw him and, folding their hands, immediately stood up. Vyāsadeva, Nārada Muni, and the ṛṣis Parāśara and Vaśiṣṭa blessed him, saying, “May auspiciousness be upon you.” Others also folded their hands like Parīkṣit Mahārāja. Parīkṣit Mahārāja came forward and welcomed Śukadeva Gosvāmī. He took and gave him a high sitting place like this [touching his raised seat]. This is called a vyāsāsana.

That vyāsāsana was not like this [slightly lifts the bolsters of his vyāsāsana]. What was it like? It was perhaps an elevated place (a mound) or constructed of wood. Nowadays, this large, opulent seat is called a vyāsāsana. But what is this? I do not think this is a vyāsāsana. What is a vyāsāsana? It is a seat on which a man like Vyāsadeva sits, and upon doing so, all the qualities of Vyāsadeva enter him. This is a vyāsāsana. Such a person can explain essential truths about Kṛṣṇa, the living entity, the deluding material potency, etc., and thus he can give Kṛṣṇa to others. Suppose there is a characterless person who is attached to money and the three W’s – wine, women, and wealth – who is entirely ignorant of all philosophical conclusions, who [for an external show] wears big, big sacred clay markings (tilaka) and holy neck beads of tulasī, brilliant saffron-coloured cloth, and carries a big daṇḍa (staff of a renunciant). If such a person sits on a golden throne, it is not a vyāsāsana. It is not. The vyāsāsana represents the qualities of a Vaiṣṇava, a realized soul like Vyāsa, who comes to preach about Kṛṣṇa everywhere and place Him in the heart of all souls.

[By placing an unqualified person on this raised seat,] we make some offence to the vyāsāsana. We should not do that. I want those sitting on the vyāsāsana to think, “I should have the quality of Vyāsa.” What is that? Bhakti, pure bhakti, with realization of the essential truths about Kṛṣṇa, the living entity, the deluding material potency, and pure devotion, and with knowledge of all of the literature that manifests the real meaning of the Vedas, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta. The vyāsāsana is only for such a person, one who cannot fall from his spiritual position. We see those who use the vyāsāsana without having such qualifications fall down after some days – head down and feet up. There is no one to save them. The vyāsāsana is such a thing that one who rightfully sits on it will never fall down. He will always serve the Divine Couple, Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa.

Parīkṣit Mahārāja gave an elevated seat to Śukadeva Gosvāmī, and with honour and humility, he asked two questions. He asked many questions, seven or eight, but they were all included in these two:

“If a man is dying just now, like  me…”  Parīkṣit Mahārāja had seven days left, but he is asking about a man who is dying immediately, in only one minute or no time at all. “What should he do? Should he hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam?”

If he has no time, then he can chant the mahā-mantra, or the holy names of Kṛṣṇa – hare kṛṣṇa hare kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa hare hare, hare rāma hare rāma rāma rāma hare hare. If he has no time for the full mahā-mantra, then ‘O Kṛṣṇa’ will do. But Kṛṣṇa’s name is somewhat crooked*: Kṛ-ṣ-ṇa. If he cannot chant ‘Kṛṣṇa,’ he should then chant ‘Rāma’ or ‘Rādhe.’ ‘Rādhe’ is superior. By hearing this, the servants of Yamarāja, the god of death, will not come to take him to the lower realms, and that is why he said in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam:

akāmaḥ sarva-kāmo vā
mokṣa-kāma udāra-dhīḥ
tīvreṇa bhakti-yogena
yajeta puruṣaṁ param

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (2.3.10)

[A person who has broader intelligence, whether he be full of all material desire, without any material desire, or desiring liberation, must by all means worship the supreme whole, the Personality of Godhead.]

etan nirvidyamānānām
icchatām akuto-bhayam
yogināṁ nṛpa nirṇītaṁ
harer nāmānukīrtanam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (2.1.11)

[O King, constant chanting of the holy name of the Lord after the ways of the great authorities is the doubtless and fearless way of success for all, including those who are free from all material desires, those who are desirous of all material enjoyment, and also those who are self-satisfied by dint of transcendental knowledge.]

At the end of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Śrī Vedavyāsa has glorified the chanting of the Lord’s holy names:

nāma-saṅkīrtanaṁ yasya
sarva-pāpa praṇāśanam
praṇāmo duḥkha-śamanas
taṁ namāmi hariṁ param

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (12.13.23)

[I offer my respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Lord, Hari, the congregational chanting of whose holy names destroy all sinful reactions, and the offering of obeisances unto whom relieves all material suffering.]

If a person has only two or three days left to live, he should hear Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes. In this way, he will attain a high destination. If he hears the name of Kṛṣṇa and Rāma at that time, then, when he again comes to this world, he will have the chance to hear conclusive truths about Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and he will chant His holy names. Knowing that Goloka Vṛndāvana, the highest planet in the spiritual sky, is the supreme destination, he will achieve love for Kṛṣṇa like that of the residents of Vraja. Like Ajāmila**, anyone can conquer death by hearing Kṛṣṇa’s name. And if he returns to this world and accepts a bona fide guru, he gradually progresses and develops faith, firm faith, a taste for devotional service and attachment. Gradually, pure spiritual emotion manifests, and finally, condensed love for God (prema) arises. After that, he will go to Goloka Vṛndāvana.

After Parīkṣit Mahārāja asked his questions, Śukadeva Gosvāmī began to recite Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. You should also know who Śukadeva Gosvāmī is. (To Puṇḍarīka dāsa) Can you explain?

Puṇḍarīka dāsa: Śrīla Gurudeva has explained the history of Parīkṣit Mahārāja and the pastime of Śukadeva Gosvāmī’s meeting with him.

We heard that five thousand years ago, when Śrī Kṛṣṇa was performing His pastimes in this material world, Śukadeva Gosvāmī was present in the form of a parrot who was very dear to Śrīmatī Rādhikā. He used to stay with Her, and She loved this parrot because he would always chant, “Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa,” in such a sweet voice that Śrīmatī Rādhikā would feel very happy. She would get him to sit on Her hand and caress him with love and affection. She would tell him to say the name ‘Kṛṣṇa,’ and the parrot would say, “Kṛṣṇa.”

Śrīmatī Rādhikā would give the parrot pomegranate seeds, beautiful sweets, and other things to eat, and the parrot became very satisfied. One day, for some reason, the parrot flew from Śrīmatī Rādhikā’s palace in Varṣāṇā to Nandagāon, where Kṛṣṇa was playing. He sat on a tree where Kṛṣṇa was performing His pastimes and began singing, “Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa.” He chanted that name because this is what he was trained to do. Hearing this sweet sound, Kṛṣṇa was attracted. He called the parrot so affectionately that he came and sat on His hand. Kṛṣṇa began teaching the parrot to say ‘Rādhe.’

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: No. Kṛṣṇa did not teach the parrot to say ‘Rādhe’ here.

(To Prema-prayojana dāsa) Do you remember? You should speak.

Prema-prayojana dāsa: Śrīmatī Rādhikā was very affectionate to Her parrot,  and as Śrīpāda Puṇḍarīka dāsa explained, one day, the parrot flew to Nandagāon from Varṣāṇā. When he got there, the parrot cried, “Oh, why was I so restless to have left Varṣāṇā?”

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: The parrot was calling, “Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa” in the same tune that Śrīmatī Rādhikā would usually sing. Kṛṣṇa thought, “Where is Rādhikā?” He was searching, but he could not see Her. He saw a parrot in a tamāla tree, saying, “Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa.” Then the parrot began to say, “I am so unfortunate. I was always in Rādhikā’s hands, playing, and She was caressing me and giving me pomegranate seeds and sometimes rice in milk. She was always nourishing me. But I am so unfortunate. I left this loving Śrīmatī Rādhikā because my nature as a bird, as an animal, is to go here and there. Now I am here.” And again he uttered, “Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa.”

Kṛṣṇa thought, “It seems that he is very near and dear to Rādhikā.” Kṛṣṇa told him, “You should again utter, ‘Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa.’ ”Then, very sweetly, in the tune sung by Rādhikā, the parrot uttered, “Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa.” He again said, “I am so unfortunate. I flew from the hands of Rādhikā and came here. I am ungrateful.” Kṛṣṇa called to him, “Come, come.” He flew into the hand of Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa told him to say ‘Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa.’

In the meantime, two sakhīs (girlfriends) of Śrīmatī Rādhikā – Lalitā and Viśākhā – came there and said, “O Kṛṣṇa, this parrot belongs to our sakhī, Śrīmatī Rādhikā. Please return him to Her.”

“If he belongs to your sakhī, you can call him,” Kṛṣṇa replied. “He can go. I have nothing to do with this parrot.”

Lalitā and Viśākhā called, “Śuka, śuka,” but the parrot did not come to them.

“How can I make him go back?” Kṛṣna asked. “If he belongs to your sakhī, then She can come and take him, or you can take him to Her, but I cannot make him go by force.”

Kṛṣṇa and Madhumaṅgala continued to play with the parrot and hear him chant, “Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa.”

Lalitā and Viśākhā went to Yaśodā, the mother of Kṛṣṇa, and pleaded with her, “Śrīmatī Rādhikā is so worried. She may give up Her life. Please take this parrot from Kṛṣṇa so we can return him to Her.”

Yaśodā said, “Don’t worry. Sit down and wait here. I am coming.” Yaśodā went to Kṛṣṇa and took His hands in hers. “You are a very naughty boy,” she said, “always playing with birds and animals. Come with me. Your father, Nanda Bābā, is waiting for You to take mahā-prasādam***,  but You are playing here and there.” She took the bird and began to drag Kṛṣṇa by His hands.

Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but He could not think of what to do! He became speechless, like an ignorant person, like a child. He was dumbfounded.

Mother Yaśodā dragged Kṛṣṇa there and said, “O sakhīs, Kṛṣṇa must now  take a bath.” She gave them the bird and said, “Please go quickly. I don’t want Kṛṣṇa to always play with birds, dogs, monkeys, and all these animals.”

In this way, the parrot was returned to Śrīmatī Rādhikā.

When Kṛṣṇa’s manifest pastimes were coming to a close, Kṛṣṇa and Śrīmatī Rādhikā instructed the parrot, “You should stay in this world. We will return to Our pastimes in the spiritual realm, but it will be destroyed if you are not in this world. You should stay here and distribute bhakti. Later, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam will manifest through you.”

[Hearing that Śrī Rādhā and Śrī Kṛṣṇa would soon return to Goloka Vṛndāvana,] the parrot became so worried, but he could not disobey Their order to remain in this world. Later, when Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes became unmanifest, and He returned to His transcendental abode, Vṛndāvana Gokula, this parrot began to fly here and there, searching for a place to hear narrations of Kṛṣṇa. Still, he could not find any such place.

By and by, he came to Mount Kailāśa, where he heard Śaṅkara (Lord Śiva) reciting that same Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam [as presented in the history of Parīkṣit Mahārāja] to his wife, Pārvatī-devī. The parrot sat in a tree that had very green leaves. In the meantime, Śaṅkara was speaking the First, Second, Third, Fourth, and Fifth Cantos. Pārvatī-devī had no interest in conclusive philosophical truths (siddhānta).**** Those who have no interest in siddhānta will sleep or play. They will have no interest in it at all. Pārvatī-devī slept, but the parrot had so much interest in hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that he imitated Pārvatī-devī’s voice and encouraged Śaṅkara to continue: “Go on, very good, very interesting. What happened after this? What happened after that?”

Śaṅkara did not doubt that Pārvatī-devī was listening. He went on reciting Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and when the Tenth Canto [which narrates Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes] was complete, he began the Eleventh Canto, which contains much siddhānta. At that time, Pārvatī-devī awoke. “Oh,” she said, “I have not heard everything,

I was sleeping. Please recite this again for me.”

Śaṅkara said, “If you were sleeping, then who encouraged me to continue by saying ‘Go on, go on, go on’?” He looked around, but he did not see any human being. He then peered very carefully at the green leaves of a tamāla tree, where he saw a parrot. No other birds or animals were there – only that one parrot. Śaṅkara exclaimed, “The parrot was imitating the voice of Pārvatī-devī! He is unqualified to hear Bhāgavatam, but he has heard everything. I must kill him because if an unqualified person hears Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, he will misuse that knowledge and make offences.”

That is why Śaṅkara wanted to punish and kill him. He took his trident and chased him. This parrot was immortal, yet [fearing for his life] he flew to the hermitage of Vyāsadeva. There, Vyāsadeva was speaking the same narration, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, to his wife, Vīṭikā. Her mouth opened in wonder – “Oh, very good!”. The parrot flew into her mouth and entered her womb.

Śaṅkara soon arrived at that place. “O Vyāsa,” he asked, “has any parrot come here?”

Vyāsadeva began to smile. “Why are you searching for a parrot?” Śaṅkara replied, “He has heard Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, although he is unqualified, and so I want to kill him.”

“What is the result of hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam?” Vyāsadeva asked.

“Anyone who hears Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam will become transcendental and immortal,” Śaṅkara answered.

“If he has heard it and has become immortal, how will you kill him?”

Śaṅkara smiled and left that place.

Thus, the parrot entered his mother’s womb, Vīṭikā, and remained there for sixteen years. Vyāsadeva petitioned him repeatedly: “Who are you, who have remained in your mother’s womb? Please come out. Don’t give your mother pain.”

Śukadeva replied, “I don’t want to enter māyā (illusion). If you can remove this māyā momentarily, I will come out.”

“Very well. I am powerful enough to do this,” Vyāsadeva replied. “You should come out.”

“Who are you?” Śukadeva asked. “I am Vyāsa.”

“I have no faith in you.”

“In whom do you have faith?”

“I have faith in Kṛṣṇa.”

“All right. I shall call Kṛṣṇa.” Vyāsadeva meditated on Kṛṣṇa and prayed to Him to appear there, to tell Śukadeva to come out.

Kṛṣṇa came immediately and said, “O boy, you should come out of your mother’s womb.”

The boy replied, “I don’t want to enter māyā. Who are you?” “I am powerful enough to protect you. I am Kṛṣṇa Himself.”

“Oh, You are Kṛṣṇa. Then You can do this.”

Kṛṣṇa said, “You should come out right now.”

If a very round and tiny mustard seed drops onto a razor’s edge, can it stay there? Whether it falls on this side or that, it will fall. [In other words, “Māyā will touch you only for the amount of time a mustard seed can balance on the edge of a razor.”]

In a moment, Kṛṣṇa removed māyā. Śukadeva came out and immediately ran into the deep, dense forest.

Vyāsadeva thought, “My son is a brahma-jñānī (one who has realized the impersonal feature of the Supreme Lord). I wanted him to hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. In this world, there is no one qualified to hear it. I wanted to explain it, but he is running away.” Vyāsa began to follow Śukadeva, calling out, “O my son, O my dear son!”

Śukadeva ignored his father’s call and continued into the forest. The trees echoed in response to the call of Vyāsadeva, “Who is a son? Who is a father? Who is a mother? Who are sons and daughters? There is only illusion. There is no relationship with any father or mother in this world. Our only father, mother, and so forth is Kṛṣṇa. These material relationships are illusory. We are all souls.”

Śukadeva Gosvāmī left all such illusory relationships behind. There is no actual relationship between two people, neither between father and mother, wife and husband, nor between daughter and son and father and mother. The only permanent relationship is with Kṛṣṇa. All others last only for some time.

Śukadeva left that place. [Pointing to Navīna-kṛṣṇa Brāhmacārī] What happened after that?

dṛṣṭvānuyāntam ṛṣim ātmajam apy anagnaṁ
devyo hriyā paridadhur na sutasya citram
tad vīkṣya pṛcchati munau jagadus tavāsti
strī-pum-bhidā na tu sutasya vivikta-dṛṣṭeḥ

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.4.5)

[While Śrī Vyāsadeva was following his son, beautiful young damsels who were bathing naked covered their bodies with cloth, although Śrī Vyāsadeva himself was not naked. But they had not done so when his son had passed. The sage inquired about this, and the young ladies replied that his son was purified and when looking at them made no distinction between male and female. But the sage made such distinctions.]

Navīna-kṛṣṇa Brahmacārī (now known as Śrīpāda Bhaktivedānta Mādhava Mahārāja): Vyāsadeva said to the girls, “My dear son went this way just now. Seeing him, you did not cover yourselves and weren’t shy. Why, upon seeing me, did all of you become so shy?”

They replied, “Your son never asked us any questions. You are asking, but he did not.”

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: “He looked upon us as if we were dry wood. He did not see male or female. But you are asking us questions.”

Navīna-kṛṣṇa Brahmacārī: “Śukadeva Gosvāmī does not care. He does not see the difference between us and dry wood. But you are asking us.”

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: “You see the difference between a male and female.”

Navīna-kṛṣṇa Brahmacārī: Vyāsadeva tried his level best, but he could not find Śukadeva, so he came back. In the meantime, some hunters came who would go to the forest every day to catch birds. They maintained their life by selling these birds, baby birds. Vyāsadeva said, “I shall give you a mantra by which you can catch more birds.”

He then narrated a verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam:

barhāpīḍaṁ naṭa-vara-vapuḥ karṇayoḥ karṇikāraṁ
bibhrad vāsaḥ kanaka-kapiśaṁ vaijayantīṁ ca mālām
randhrān veṇor adhara-sudhayāpūrayan gopa-vṛndair
vṛndāraṇyaṁ sva-pada-ramaṇaṁ prāviśad gīta-kīrtiḥ

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.21.5)

[Wearing a peacock-feather ornament upon His head, blue karṇikāra flowers on His ears, a yellow garment as brilliant as gold, and the Vaijayantī garland, Lord Kṛṣṇa exhibited His transcendental form as the greatest of dancers as He entered the forest of Vṛndāvana, beautifying it with the marks of His footprints. He filled the holes of His flute with the nectar of His lips, and the cowherd boys sang His glories.]

There are many verses in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, but this one about the beauty of Kṛṣṇa’s form is prominent.

When the hunters uttered this verse in the jungle, many parrots came into their trap. One human, completely naked [Śukadeva Gosvāmī], came to them and asked, “O my dear friends, from where did you hear this verse?”

Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī said, “Please ask whoever has taught you this verse to explain the qualities of the person described in this verse.”

The next day, the hunters returned to Śrīla Vyāsadeva, and he gave them another verse:

aho bakī yaṁ stana-kāla-kūṭaṁ
jighāṁsayāpāyayad apy asādhvī
lebhe gatiṁ dhātry-ucitāṁ tato ’nyaṁ
kaṁ vā dayāluṁ śaraṇaṁ vrajema

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (3.2.23)

[Alas, how shall I take shelter of one more merciful than He who granted the position of mother to a she-demon [Pūtanā] although she was unfaithful and she prepared deadly poison to be sucked from her breast?]

After hearing this verse, Śukadeva came to Śrīla Vedavyāsa, who then taught him the entire Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

* Because of His playful, elusive nature, Kṛṣṇa’s dear devotees sometimes refer to Him as ‘crooked’ or ‘tricky’. Since His name is non-different from Him, such descriptions also apply to His name.

** Ajāmila had been a sober brāhmaṇa, but he fell to depravity due to circumstance. As he was dying, he called out to his son, whose name was Nārāyaṇa (a name of God), and because of the holy potency of that name, he was delivered to the spiritual abode.

*** The remnants of food offered to the Supreme Lord.

**** Pārvatī-devī was thoroughly versed in all philosophical truths, but for the sake of this pastime, she appeared to be disinterested in them.

Source: Purebhakti.com

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Unless indicated differently, all verse translations and quotes are from the books by Śrīla Prabhupāda (Vedabase.com)