The following is an excerpt from Kṛṣṇa – The Lord of Sweetness, Chapter 2, First Edition by Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja

 

First of all, I offer innumerable obeisances to my gurudeva, nitya-līlā-praviṣṭa oṁ viṣṇupāda aṣṭottara-śata Śrī Śrīmad Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī Mahārāja, and again, innumerable obeisances unto the lotus feet of my śikṣā-guru, Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Mahārāja.

You all know that Svāmījī* came to the Eastern and Western countries and, within a very short time, mercifully preached everywhere the glories of Kṛṣṇa’s name and the glories of bhakti. We are amazed at how quickly he did this, from one corner of the world to the other. Yet when he left this world and entered the Lord’s pastimes in the spiritual realm, devotees in India and worldwide became weak [in their practice of bhakti] because they had no advanced Vaiṣṇava association. Lacking this association, their bhakti began to dry up.

Svāmījī saw that some of his disciples were neophyte Vaiṣṇavas and that although they wanted to progress in bhakti, they were gradually drying up [without advanced Vaiṣṇava association]. I think that he mercifully inspired me to travel. He has sown the seeds of bhakti everywhere and established a strong foundation. Otherwise, a person like me could not have done anything. You are hearing from me only by his mercy. He wrote many books so that new devotees or anyone can understand what pure devotion (bhakti) is, who the Supreme Personality of Godhead is, and how we can be happy in this life and future lives. I see that wherever I go, a strong foundation has been established by Svāmījī.

I am also so indebted to Śrīla Gaura Govinda Mahārāja. He was a pure Vaiṣṇava. He followed [the instructions of] his guru, Svāmījī, but faced so much opposition. He desired to overcome these obstacles, but so many obstacles on all sides surrounded him.

He was so bold. He strongly emphasized and impressed upon everyone the necessity of Vaiṣṇava association. That is why almost all of his disciples are now associating with us, with me. I am indebted to him, also. I know that such a Vaiṣṇava can never die. They have crossed the limitations of birth and death; they are present anywhere and everywhere. They are continuously serving their holy masters, Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa and Śrīman Mahāprabhu. They will be very happy when we preach in the same mood and sprinkle their mercy upon us.

You should firmly believe in bhakti and our disciplic succession of bona fide spiritual masters (guru-paramparā). Do not be weak. If there is no Vaiṣṇava association, you can associate with the books left by the gurus in our disciplic succession, books such as the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, and Bhagavad-gītā. But when the living representative of the Supreme Lord is present, you should try to hear from him.

We are in Malaysia for a very short time. If this preaching party travels to the Philippines as planned, we will only be here for two or three more days – tomorrow and the day after. And suppose we do not travel to the Philippines; in that case, we are in Malaysia for a few extra days.** You should listen to all these discourses and then try to practice like the gurus in our guru-paramparā (disciplic succession). Vyāsadeva heard from Nārada Ṛṣi, and Śukadeva Gosvāmī heard from Vyāsadeva, and then they practised. Our whole disciplic succession of bona fide gurus did this. Svāmījī took initiation from Śrīla Prabhupāda Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī, and he wholly followed him. We should follow our guru-paramparā, our guru. Don’t have any doubt about this.

I was going to explain the Tenth Canto of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Still, you should also know about the character of Dhruva, Prahlāda, Ajāmila, Bharata Mahārāja, and Citraketu Mahārāja [as described in the other nine cantos]. For a spiritual practitioner, the example of their character is very powerful.

Ajāmila was a wretched and characterless person. He took wine and even committed murder. There was no sin he did not commit. Yet, by uttering ‘Nārāyaṇa,’ the name of the Supreme Lord, he was purified and went to the spiritual realm, Vaikuṇṭha. There is no doubt that anyone who chants the names of the Lord – Rāma, Nārāyaṇa, Nṛsiṁha, and especially Kṛṣṇa – will develop bhakti. But he should chant these names with honour, from the very core of his heart and without any doubt. Of course, he will have to give up some things. He will have to follow four basic principles. What are they?

sūta uvāca
abhyarthitas tadā tasmai
sthānāni kalaye dadau
dyūtaṁ pānaṁ striyaḥ sūnā
yatrādharmaś catur-vidhaḥ

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.17.38)

[Sūta Gosvāmī said: Mahārāja Parīkṣit, thus being petitioned by the personality of Kali, gave him permission to reside in places where gambling, drinking, prostitution and animal slaughter were performed.]

Vrajanātha dāsa: (1) No illicit association with the opposite sex, (2) no meat-eating, fish, or eggs, (3) no intoxicants like tobacco, wine, etc., and (4) no gambling.

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: No kind of gambling. Four principles. However, following these principles is useless if you do not practice bhakti or chant and remember. [By associating with Vaiṣṇavas,] by and by, you can give up these unfavourable activities. Vaiṣṇava association is very essential.

We witness so much mercy in the character of Kṛṣṇa. Once, the Earth goddess took the form of a cow, and weeping, she went to the demigods and goddesses. “I cannot tolerate the weight of all these bogus, sinful people,” she said. “They are unaware of their eternal nature and are like demons. They do not know the religion of the soul and think, ‘We are the monarchs of all.’ ”

Who were these sinful, bogus people? Jarāsandha, Duryodhana, Aghāsura, Bakāsura, Śiśupāla, Dantavakra, Pauṇḍraka Vāsudeva, Kālayavana, and especially Kaṁsa. They were always eating, drinking, and mating – nothing else. They had no spiritual goal and did anything to be happy. They took fish, meat, and wine and did any worldly act. As a result, they began to forget that the living entity is a [spirit] soul, part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa and His eternal servant. The general populace became influenced by these persons and also became like them.

Therefore, the Earth goddess approached the demigods, weeping. The demigods and demigoddesses could not think of any solution, so all of them, along with the Earth goddess, went to Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva. They, too, could not give them any remedy. At last, Brahmā took them all to the Milk Ocean, and there he began to meditate on Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, an expansion of Kṛṣṇa.

After meditating for some time, Lord Brahmā heard something. Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu was telling him, “I know everything. My master, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, has ordered Me to give this message to you, which you should share with the other demigods: ‘Very soon, Kṛṣṇa will come to Earth and do what the Earth goddess wants done. All the bogus persons and demons who do not believe in God, in the Vedas, in the fundamental nature of the living entity, or the principles of bhakti will soon be destroyed.’ ”

“ ‘Kṛṣṇa will soon appear in the Yadu dynasty. All you demigods should also take birth in that dynasty in Vraja or Mathurā. Your wives should also take birth in the Yādava dynasty, or they should take birth as the gopīs of Vraja and serve Śrīmatī Rādhikā.’ ” Lord Brahmā repeated what he had heard from Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu to all the demigods present, and then everyone returned to their respective abodes.

Jarāsandha, Kaṁsa, Rāvaṇa, Duryodhana, and all other demons only engaged their senses in worldly pursuits. They did not believe that the living entity is a [spirit] soul, part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. They thought they could be happy solely by indulging in different material pleasures, like associating with women, acquiring wealth and reputation, and controlling others with their power.

Kṛṣṇa came to establish the process of self-realization for the age (yuga-dharma). Do you know about yuga-dharma? [Within the material creation,] there are four millenniums known as yugas: Satya-yuga, Tretā-yuga, Dvāpara-yuga, and Kali-yuga. [Each of these four yugas has a specific prescribed spiritual practice (dharma).] In Satya-yuga, all persons were very religious-minded and meditated on the Supreme Lord. There were also demons in Satya-yuga, such as Hiraṇyākṣa and Hiraṇyakaśipu, but they were rare. In Tretā-yuga, the yuga-dharma was to perform fire sacrifices, as Lord Rāmacandra did, for the welfare of the whole world. In Dvāpara-yuga, the yuga-dharma was to serve the deities in the temple. And in [the present yuga,] Kali-yuga, the yuga-dharma is the congregational chanting of the holy names of the Lord.

Kṛṣṇa came to the material world for many reasons: to establish the yuga-dharma. What was the yuga-dharma at the time of Kṛṣṇa’s appearance in Dvāpara-yuga? It was deity worship. But what is real dharma? Real dharma refers to the soul’s eternal nature or occupation. Kṛṣṇa established this by speaking the Bhagavad-gītā.

Within the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, in chapters such as Uddhava-saṁvāda, Kṛṣṇa established that the living entities’ intrinsic nature is to love God. The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the gist of all the Vedas, Upaniṣads, Purāṇas, Rāmāyaṇa, and Mahābhārata. It is the essence of all scriptures. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, it is said that Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and our highest object of worship and that Vṛndāvana, His holy abode, is non-different from Him. The method of worship of the milkmaids of Vraja, the gopīs, is the best of all methods of worship. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Himself has accepted these conclusions.

ārādhyo bhagavān vrajeśa-tanayas tad-dhāma vṛṇdāvanaṁ
ramya kaścid upāsanā vraja-vadhu-varga-vīrya kalpita
śrīmad-bhāgavatam amalaṁ purāṇaṁ premā pum-artho mahān
śrī-caitanya mahāprabhor matam idaṁ tatradaraḥ na paraḥ

Caitanya-mañjuṣā

[The Supreme Personality of Godhead, the son of Nanda Mahārāja, is to be worshipped along with His transcendental abode, Vṛndāvana. The most pleasing form of worship for the Lord is that which was performed by the gopīs of Vṛndāvaṇa. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the spotless authority on everything, and pure love of God is the ultimate goal of life for all men. These statements, for which we have the highest regard, are the opinion of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.]

Kṛṣṇa came to establish the religion of love for God, and He established it. Uddhava realized it by associating with the gopīs. Kṛṣṇa Himself said:

na pāraye ’haṁ niravadya-saṁyujāṁ
sva-sādhu-kṛtyaṁ vibudhāyuṣāpi vaḥ
yā mābhajan durjara-geha-śṛṅkhalāḥ
saṁvṛścya tad vaḥ pratiyātu sādhunā

Śrīmad–Bhāgavatam (10.32.22)

[I am not able to repay My debt for your spotless service, even within a lifetime of Brahmā. Your connection with Me is beyond reproach. You have worshipped Me, cutting off all domestic ties, which are difficult to break. Therefore please let your own glorious deeds be your compensation.]

“I can never repay the gopīs. Never.” Kṛṣṇa feels He cannot possibly repay the gopīs for their selfless service, even if He were to have hundreds of thousands of births as Indra or others with extended longevity.*** In actuality, the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam speaks of the gopīs’ – especially Śrīmatī Rādhikā’s – intrinsic love for Kṛṣṇa. Although Śrīmatī Rādhikā’s name is not directly mentioned within the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Her name is there everywhere.

Now again comes the question: How did Kṛṣṇa come to the Earth planet?

In India, the Yadu dynasty is still present today. Before Kṛṣṇa appeared in the Yadu dynasty, there was a king named Ajamīḍha. He had two wives. One was in a dynasty of those in the administrative (military) class (kṣatriyas). The other wife was in the lineage of cowherd people (gopas and gopīs). From the kṣatrayiṇī lineage came Śūrasena, and from Śūrasena came Vasudeva Mahārāja [of Mathurā]. From the gopī’s womb came Parjanya, and from Parjanya came Nanda Bābā [of Vraja]. So, Nanda Bābā and Vasudeva Mahārāja are brothers.**** One is a gopa and one’s a kṣatriya, but they are brothers.

Kaṁsa’s father, King Ugrasena, had a brother named Devaka, and Devaka had a daughter named Devakī. When Devakī had attained maturity, her marriage ceremony was performed, in which she was married to Vasudeva Mahārāja. Kaṁsa was so happy that his sister**** was going to be married. After the marriage ceremony, Kaṁsa gladly sat his sister and brother-in-law on a golden chariot, which he drove with his hands.

Kaṁsa held the reins of the chariot in his left hand and a whip in his right, and he carried a sword in his belt. His sister and brother-in-law wore a bride and bridegroom’s beautiful dress and decorations. As the chariot proceeded toward Vasudeva Mahārāja’s home, an aerial voice suddenly said, “O foolish Kaṁsa, you are ignorant. The eighth son of Devakī, whom you are now carrying on the chariot, will kill you.”

Hearing this, Kaṁsa immediately jumped down from the chariot. He dropped the horses’ reins and whip and took the sword from his belt. Taking the hair of Devakī in his left hand and raising his sword in his right, he cried, “I will kill you!” He was thinking, “If Devakī is killed, there will be no first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, or eighth son to kill me.”

This is the symptom of one who is a nāstika. What is the meaning of nāstika?

Devotees: Atheist.

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: Atheist, one who does not believe in God. Kaṁsa knew what this aerial voice spoke would come true, but he thought, “I will make this prediction false by killing Devakī.” He never thought, “If the aerial voice speaks the truth, how can I stop it?” Kaṁsa was unable to kill her, but still he said, “I will make this prediction false!” and took up his sword.

An atheist thinks, “There is no God, no controller of this world. I am the controller of this world. I can do anything I wish.” But really, he cannot.

In the meantime, Kṛṣṇa inspired Vasudeva to turn to Kaṁsa and say, “Oh, why do you want to kill her? You are very much a coward. Do you fear a lady? Only a coward can kill a woman. Any strong, noble personality would never do such a thing. Yet you want to kill not just any lady but your very dear, darling sister. You must not kill her.”

“But her eighth son will come and kill me!” Kaṁsa said. Vasudeva believed this, and he believed that Devakī would indeed have an eighth son. He was unable to make a false statement to Kaṁsa. He had strong faith [that what the aerial voice spoke must come true]. He thought, “I should be an instrument. Surely, the eighth son will come.”

Vasudeva said to Kaṁsa, “You know well that anyone who takes birth will eventually die. Even if Devakī lives for a hundred years or more, eventually, she will die. Why kill her? You know that you also will die. Why are you fearing death? Also, I have decided to give you all my sons, not only the eighth. I will give you any son that is born to us, and you can put him to death. Why kill your sister?” Kaṁsa trusted the words of Vasudeva Mahārāja because he knew that he was a very religious person and would not fail to honour his word. Kaṁsa thus set Vasudeva and Devakī free, but he kept a close watch on them.

After some time, the first son was born. Vasudeva picked him up and gave him to Mahārāja Kaṁsa, who said, “I do not fear this son. There is no sense in my sinning unnecessarily,” and set the child free.

But Vasudeva Mahārāja was not convinced. He knew that such persons could change their minds at any moment. Sometimes, they become angry, and sometimes, they take pity on others. Sometimes, they laugh, and sometimes, they are very fearful. Nothing is certain.

In the meantime, Nārada Ṛṣi came there and said, “My dear son Kaṁsa, you are a very foolish person. You know that the eighth son will be born and that the other seven sons will grow bigger and bigger and help the eighth son to kill you. Viṣṇu knows much about politics and is very tricky. He may count differently, such that the seventh child will be the eighth. We cannot say which of Vasudeva’s sons Viṣṇu will consider the first, second, third, and so on. Therefore, you should kill all of his sons.”

Why did Nārada do this? Because it would take at least ten years for the eighth son to come, which is a very long time.***** By then, Kaṁsa would have destroyed the whole world. Kaṁsa should be killed before that – very soon. Nārada desired that the sons of Devakī quickly take birth and perish so that Kṛṣṇa would soon come and kill Kaṁsa.

Nārada also said to Kaṁsa, “I have heard in a meeting of the demigods that they are making a clique to oppose you. The entire Yādava dynasty are demigods, and the wives of the demigods have become wives of the Yādavas. All will help Him to kill you.”

Kaṁsa became furious. He greatly trusted Nārada Ṛṣi. He considered him his guru and was confident he knew everything.

Nārada Ṛṣi left, and Kaṁsa called for the return of Vasudeva Mahārāja’s first son. He then killed him, smashing him into a stone. What happened after [the first] six sons of Vasudeva Mahārāja had been killed?

(To Navīna-kṛṣṇa Brahmacārī) You should say something.

Navīna-kṛṣṇa Brahmacārī (now known as Śrīpāda Mādhava Mahārāja): After Kaṁsa killed the first six sons, Devakī again became pregnant. Kṛṣṇa was to come as the eighth son of Devakī, but whenever the Supreme Lord descends to the Earth planet, His transcendental abode manifests. So first, Baladeva Prabhu, who embodies the reality of the Lord’s transcendental realm, appeared in the womb of Mother Devakī-devī as her seventh child. Simultaneously, He entered the womb of Rohiṇī-devī, another wife of Vasudeva Mahārāja, in His original, complete form. The form of Baladeva in Devakī’s womb was an expansion of that original form.

Vasudeva Mahārāja thought, “Kaṁsa is so wicked-minded. If Rohiṇī-devī remains in Mathurā and gives birth to her child here, then he could kill her offspring as well as Devakī’s. I should send her to Gokula, Vraja, where she can stay with Nanda and Yaśodā.” Vasudeva Mahārāja, therefore, arranged to send her there.

Meanwhile, about six months into the pregnancy, Kṛṣṇa ordered the personification of His internal spiritual potency, Yogamāyā-devī, to transfer the baby in the womb of Devakī-devī to the womb of Rohiṇī. Baladeva, the son of Devakī, thus merged into His complete form in the womb of Rohiṇī. Thus, the two Baladevas combined and became one.

Similarly, Kṛṣṇa simultaneously entered the womb of Devakī-devī and the womb of Mother Yaśodā. Baladeva Prabhu took birth [in Vraja, from Mother Rohiṇī’s womb] eight days before Kṛṣṇa’s birth. The day of Baladeva’s birth is called Rakṣā-bandhana or Baladeva Pūrṇimā.

Eight days after Baladeva’s birth in Vraja, Kṛṣṇa appeared in both Mathurā and Gokula Vraja. In Mathurā He appeared in a four-armed Nārāyaṇa form, sixteen years of age. He wore a crown on His head and was adorned with many ornaments. In His four hands, He held a conch shell, the Sudarśana cakra (disc), a club, and a lotus flower, respectively. On that same day, in Gokula, Kṛṣṇa took birth from the womb of Mother Yaśodā in a two-armed form.

Kṛṣṇa never took birth in Mathurā from the womb of Devakī-devī. He manifested there. A baby cannot be sixteen years old when he comes from his mother’s womb. When a normal baby takes birth, he is not wearing any ornaments and does not carry a club, conch shell, lotus, or Sudarśana cakra. It is not possible to take birth from a mother’s womb in this way. Therefore, Kṛṣṇa only appeared in Mathurā; He did not take birth. He manifested there in the form of four-armed Viṣṇu, or Nārāyaṇa.

On the same day in Vraja, however, Kṛṣṇa took birth from Mother Yaśodā’s womb. A few minutes later, Yogamāyā-devī, the personification of His spiritual potency, also took birth from that same womb. Because Mother Yaśodā was tired [from the first birth], she did not know that she had given birth to two children.

Meanwhile, in the jail of Kaṁsa, Vasudeva Mahārāja and Devakī-devī were praying to Kṛṣṇa with folded hands. Kṛṣṇa then gave them remembrance of their previous births, in which they were Kaśyapa and Aditi, who had performed severe austerities. And before that, they were Pṛśni and Sutapā, who had also performed much austerity. They had satisfied Lord Viṣṇu by all these austerities, and He appeared before them. Viṣṇu told them to ask for a benediction, and they said, “We want a son exactly like You.”

Viṣṇu replied, “It is mentioned in scripture:

na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate
na tat-samaś cābhyadhikaś ca dṛśyate
parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate
svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca

Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad (6.8)

[The Supreme Lord has nothing to do, and no one is found to be equal to or greater than Him, for everything is done naturally and systematically by His multifarious energies.]

“Because you have asked for the benediction of having a son exactly like Me, and because no one is equal to Me, I will have to come as your son personally.”

Kṛṣṇa in His four-armed form thus appeared before Vasudeva and Devakī in Kaṁsa’s jail in Mathurā. He summoned the influence of Yogamāyā, and at once, a parental mood came into the heart of Vasudeva and Devakī  [overcoming their mood of awe and reverence]. They prayed to Him,

śrī-śuka uvāca
ity uktvāsīd dharis tūṣṇīṁ
bhagavān ātma-māyayā
pitroḥ sampaśyatoḥ sadyo
babhūva prākṛtaḥ śiśuḥ

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.3.46)

[Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: After thus instructing His father and mother, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, remained silent. In their presence, by His internal energy, He then transformed Himself into a small human child. (In other words, He transformed Himself into His original form: kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam.)]

“Babhūva prākṛtaḥ śiśuḥ – please be like a worldly child so that we can protect You”.

Kṛṣṇa ordered Vasudeva, “Take Me to Gokula, Vraja.” Previously, Vasudeva Mahārāja had said to Kaṁsa, “I promise that I will give you all of my sons.” But when Kṛṣṇa Himself appeared as his son and ordered Vasudeva to take Him to Gokula, Vasudeva Mahārāja did just that, thereby breaking his promise to Kaṁsa. We may ask, “Is such dishonest behaviour religious?” Kṛṣṇa has said,

man-nimittaṁ kṛtaṁ pāpam
api dharmāya kalpate
mām anādṛtya dharmo ’pi
pāpaṁ syāt mat-prabhāvataḥ

Padma Purāṇa, quoted in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa (10.263)

[Even if one is performing religious activities, if he has no attachment to Me and no desire to serve Me, these religious activities are pāpa or sin. On the other hand, if one performs seemingly sinful activities by My command or for My sake, that can be considered dharma.]

“Man-nimittaṁ kṛtaṁ pāpaṁ api dharmāya kalpate.” This means that if a person performs any sinful activity, not for his benefit but for Kṛṣṇa’s or because Kṛṣṇa has ordered him to, then that is true religion. It is the best religion because Kṛṣṇa is Truth. The demigods are praying to Kṛṣṇa:

satya-vrataṁ satya-paraṁ tri-satyaṁ
satyasya yoniṁ nihitaṁ ca satye
satyasya satyam ṛta-satya-netraṁ
satyātmakaṁ tvāṁ śaraṇaṁ prapannāḥ

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.2.26)

[The demigods prayed: O Lord, You never deviate from Your vow, which is always perfect because whatever You decide is perfectly correct and cannot be stopped by anyone. Being present in the three phases of cosmic manifestation — creation, maintenance and annihilation — You are the Supreme Truth. Indeed, unless one is completely truthful, one cannot achieve Your favour, which therefore cannot be achieved by hypocrites. You are the active principle, the real truth, in all the ingredients of creation, and therefore You are known as antaryāmī, the inner force. You are equal to everyone, and Your instructions apply for everyone, for all time. You are the beginning of all truth. Therefore, offering our obeisances, we surrender unto You. Kindly give us protection.]

Therefore [when Kṛṣṇa was in the womb of Devakī], the demigods prayed to Him, “You are Truth, past, present, and future. You are the embodiment of Truth.”

Obeying Kṛṣṇa’s order, Vasudeva Mahārāja took Kṛṣṇa to Gokula. As he approached the river Yamunā, he saw that the Yamunā was flooding. “How can I carry this boy across?” he thought. “It is not possible.”

While he was considering what to do, Yogamāyā-devī appeared there in the form of a jackal and swam across the Yamunā River.

When Vasudeva saw this, he thought, “Oh, there is not much water. If a jackal can effortlessly cross, then I can also.”

Vasudeva Mahārāja picked up baby Kṛṣṇa and entered the Yamunā. Heavy rain continued to pour, and bright flashes of lightning lit up the night sky. Baladeva Prabhu, in the form of Anantadeva, the giant transcendental snake with thousands of hoods, covered Vasudeva Mahārāja and baby Kṛṣṇa with His hoods, protecting them from the torrential rainfall. Due to the influence of Yogamāyā-devī, Vasudeva Mahārāja was not aware of Anantadeva’s protective presence above him.

As Vasudeva was crossing the river Yamunā, the water level rose higher and higher because Yamunā-devī was very eager to touch the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. At first, Vasudeva Mahārāja carried Kṛṣṇa in his arms, but after some time, he placed Kṛṣṇa on his head. Just as Vasudeva Mahārāja was about to disappear under the water’s surface, Kṛṣṇa thought, “Oh, this is very hard for My father,” and He touched Yamunā-devī with His feet. Yamunā-devī became satisfied, and her waters receded, allowing Vasudeva and Kṛṣṇa to cross easily. Upon reaching the other side of the river Yamunā, Vasudeva Mahārāja immediately took Kṛṣṇa to Gokula to stay.

Meanwhile, in Gokula, two children had just been born from the womb of Mother Yaśodā: one boy (Kṛṣṇa) and one girl (Yogamāyā). But when Vasudeva Mahārāja arrived at the home of Yaśodā and Nanda Bābā in Gokula, he was unaware that Yaśodā had given birth to two children. By the influence of Yogamāyā, he saw only the baby girl. Following the order Kṛṣṇa had given him in Mathurā, Vasudeva placed his baby boy, Kṛṣṇa, the son of Devakī, in the home of Nanda Bābā and Yaśodā in Gokula. He thought, “I am keeping my son here.” As he left, he picked up the newborn baby girl, Yogamāyā, and returned with her to Kaṁsa’s jail in Mathurā. Upon reaching Kaṁsa’s prison, the locked jail door again opened automatically, as it had done when Vasudeva had left the jail.

Kṛṣṇa, the son of Vasudeva and Devakī, is an expansion of that Kṛṣṇa who took birth from the womb of Mother Yaśodā in Vraja. When Vasudeva brought his son to Gokula and placed Him in the house of Nanda Bābā, his son merged into that Kṛṣṇa who is the son of Nanda and Yaśodā, but no one could perceive this. Mother Yaśodā also did not know that Vasudeva Mahārāja had taken her newborn baby daughter, Yogamāyā, and left his son with her. No one was conscious of this incident.

That morning in Mathurā, as baby Yogamāyā was crying, all the watchmen informed Kaṁsa that the eighth child of Vasudeva and Devakī had taken birth the night before. Kaṁsa was sleeping, but he immediately awoke and came there. Devakī-devī tried her best to hide that baby girl, who was not her daughter and protect her from Kaṁsa.

She pleaded with Kaṁsa, “O brother! This is not a boy; it is a girl. The aerial voice said that it would be the eighth son who would kill you, so don’t kill her. I have one suggestion: I can marry my daughter to your son, and then she will be your daughter-in-law, but don’t kill this baby girl.”

Kaṁsa had no compassion for Vasudeva and Devakī. With the desire to smash the baby girl against a rock, he tried to snatch her from Devakī’s lap, but she somehow slipped from his grasp and flew into the sky, assuming an eight-armed form. “O, you foolish Kaṁsa,” she cried. “How can you kill me? Your killer has already taken birth elsewhere!”

Kaṁsa was astonished. He realized, “This baby girl, who just ascended into the sky, has revealed her true form. Indeed, she is my worshipable deity, Durgā-devī (the goddess of the material energy).” Kaṁsa strongly believed that his worshipful deity could never tell any lie and thought, “Surely my killer has already taken birth somewhere else.”

Kaṁsa immediately called an assembly and told those present the whole story. “My worshippable deity has declared that my killer has already taken birth, so how can we kill my killer?” He arranged another meeting with Pūtanā, Aghāsura, Bakāsura, and all the other demons. They concluded that they would kill any babies who had taken birth in the last eight to ten days. Pūtanā made a special vow: “I shall take the main responsibility for this.”

Hare Kṛṣṇa.

vāñchā-kalpa-tarubhyaś ca
kṛpā-sindhubhya eva ca
patitānāṁ pāvanebhyo
vaiṣṇavebhyo namo namaḥ

[I offer praṇāma again and again to the Vaiṣṇavas, who are the saviours of the fallen, who are just like wish-fulfilling desire-trees, and who are oceans of mercy.]

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja (To Prema-prayojana dāsa): Can you explain this point more clearly? Speak about Kṛṣṇa’s appearance in the jail in Mathurā and His birth in Gokula.

(To the assembly of devotees) You should try to understand this. This subject is very important. We know that Kṛṣṇa has appeared in Mathurā, in the jail of Kaṁsa. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, all these facts have been written, but they may not be clear.

Prema-prayojana dāsa: According to the general conception, people think that Kṛṣṇa was born in Mathurā. If we go to Mathurā, we will see many signs pointing to Kṛṣṇa’s birthplace. Everyone considers Mathurā to be Kṛṣṇa’s birthplace and that Vasudeva carried Him to Gokula. But in the scriptures, there are many statements:

kṛṣṇo ’nyo yadu-sambhūto
yaḥ pūrṇaḥ so ’sty ataḥ paraḥ
vṛndāvanaṁ parityajya
sa kvacin naiva gacchati

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Antya-līlā 1.67)

[‘The Kṛṣṇa known as Yadu-kumāra is Vāsudeva Kṛṣṇa. He is different from the Kṛṣṇa who is the son of Nanda Mahārāja. Yadu-kumāra Kṛṣṇa manifests His pastimes in the cities of Mathurā and Dvārakā, but Kṛṣṇa the son of Nanda Mahārāja never at any time leaves Vṛndāvana.’]

Kṛṣṇa never takes one step outside of Vṛndāvana. But, if Kṛṣṇa is always in Vṛndāvana and never leaves, how can it be that He was born in Mathurā? Kṛṣṇo ’nyo yadu-sambhūto. We should know that the son of Vasudeva and Devakī and the son of Yaśodā and Nanda Bābā are not the same. The son of Yaśodā and Nanda Bābā is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa in His original form.

The son of Vasudeva and Devakī is called Vāsudeva Kṛṣṇa, and He is an expansion of Yaśodā-nandana Kṛṣṇa (Kṛṣṇa, the son of Yaśodā), who is the original form of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, Vāsudeva Kṛṣṇa, who appeared in Kaṁsa’s prison cell to Vasudeva and Devakī, was the expansion of Kṛṣṇa, the son of Yaśodā.

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: Is there any difference between an expansion of Kṛṣṇa and the root [original] Kṛṣṇa?

Prema-prayojana  dāsa: In the Brahma-saṁhitā it is stated,

advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam
ādyaṁ purāṇa-puruṣaṁ nava-yauvanaṁ ca
vedeṣu durlabham adurlabham ātma-bhaktau
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā (5.33)

[I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is inaccessible to the Vedas, but obtainable by pure unalloyed devotion of the soul, who is without a second, who is not subject to decay, is without a beginning, whose form is endless, who is the beginning, and the eternal puruṣa; yet He is a person possessing the beauty of blooming youth.]

“Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam – all forms of the Lord are one.” By authentic philosophical conclusions, by established truths, They are all one. This is called viṣṇu-tattva.

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: You should not say that Kṛṣṇa, the son of Nanda and Yaśodā, and Kṛṣṇa the son of Vasudeva and Devakī are different. If you say this, everyone will criticise you.

Prema-prayojana dāsa: It is not that They are different; They are one. “Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam – all the unlimited forms of Viṣṇu are one.” To use the word ‘difference’ is not right here, as Śrīla Gurudeva has corrected me. The actual word is vaiśiṣṭya (speciality). There is some speciality in each form.

siddhāntatas tv abhede ’pi
śrīśa-kṛṣṇa-svarūpayoḥ
rasenotkṛṣyate kṛṣṇa-
rūpam eṣā rasa-sthitiḥ

Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.59)

[‘According to transcendental realization, there is no difference between the forms of Nārāyaṇa and Kṛṣṇa. Yet in Kṛṣṇa there is a special transcendental attraction due to the conjugal mellow, and consequently He surpasses Nārāyaṇa. This is the conclusion of transcendental mellows.’]

According to established philosophical conclusions, all viṣṇu-tattva, plenary manifestations of the Supreme Lord, are one. But suppose one views each manifestation of Viṣṇu from the perspective of transcendental mellows. In that case, one will see that Vrajendra-nandana Śyāmasundara Kṛṣṇa (the beautiful, dark-complexioned son of the king of Vraja) is the full embodiment of all mellows of transcendental love. Each [form] has a speciality, but this Kṛṣṇa, who is the embodiment of all loving mellows, is known by such names as Vrajendra-nandana, Śyāmasundara, Rādhānātha, Gopīnātha, Gopījana-vallabha, and Rādhā-kānta.

According to the perspective of established conclusions, Kṛṣṇa’s expansion is non-different from Him. Still, according to the consideration of transcendental mellows and relationships, Kṛṣṇa, the son of Vasudeva and Devakī, is not equal to Kṛṣṇa, the son of Nanda and Yaśodā.

At precisely the same time that Vāsudeva Kṛṣṇa appeared in the jail of Kaṁsa in Mathurā, Vrajendra-nandana Kṛṣṇa was born in a natural way from the womb of Mother Yaśodā in Gokula. Therefore, even though ordinary people say that Mathurā is the birthplace of Kṛṣṇa, He was not born there; He only appeared there, and His true birthplace is Gokula.

Vāsudeva Kṛṣṇa appeared in the prison cell, but [Yaśodā-nandana] Kṛṣṇa was born in Gokula. Another reason we know Kṛṣṇa was born in Gokula is because the next day, the ceremony in which the umbilical cord was cut took place there. This can only take place if there is natural childbirth. This is the actual proof. Therefore, this is one of the specialities that differentiates Vrajendra-nandana Śyāmasundara Kṛṣṇa from Vāsudeva Kṛṣṇa.

In the pastimes of Vāsudeva Kṛṣṇa, there is much aiśvarya. Aiśvarya is generally understood to mean ‘opulence,’ but the real meaning of aiśvarya is the Supreme Lord’s performance of any activity that a human being or demigod cannot perform. If it surpasses the limitations of human beings and demigods, then that pastime is called an aiśvarya pastime. Kṛṣṇa in Vraja is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and His pastimes are saturated in sweetness. [Even though Kṛṣṇa in Vraja possesses all aiśvarya, His pastimes in Vraja are not considered aiśvarya pastimes.] Instead, they are called naravata-līlā, or pastimes that resemble the activities of ordinary human beings.

When Vāsudeva Kṛṣṇa appeared in the prison cell [in His four-armed, fully ornamented Nārāyaṇa form], Vrajendra-nandana Śyāmasundara Kṛṣṇa was born from the womb of Mother Yaśodā in Gokula. After Kṛṣṇa’s appearance in Mathurā, Vasudeva Mahārāja prayed to Him, and by the influence of Yogamāyā, a parental mood entered his heart: “Please become like an ordinary child so that we can protect You.” That Vāsudeva Kṛṣṇa, who had appeared in a large Viṣṇu form, then became like a tiny baby. Vasudeva Mahārāja was overwhelmed, feeling, “O my son,” and picked Him up. As soon as Vasudeva picked up his son, the shackles fell from around his wrists, the chains binding his legs released and fell to his feet, and all the prison doors opened.

There is a teaching in this. What is that teaching? If we approach the Supreme Lord with a specific mood and relationship – “O my son,” “O my friend,” or “O my beloved,” then, very quickly, all the bondage of material existence will fall away. Picking up baby Vāsudeva Kṛṣṇa, Vasudeva Mahārāja carried Him out of Kaṁsa’s dungeon and headed toward the river Yamunā.

When Vasudeva arrived at Yamunā, it was flooded because of the intense rainfall, making crossing dangerous. He did not know how to proceed or how he would cross. Still, he was determined to carry out the order of Vāsudeva Kṛṣṇa, who had told him, “Please take Me to Gokula and exchange Me with the daughter of Mother Yaśodā.”

At that time, a jackal appeared and began crossing the river. Vasudeva thought, “Maybe I actually can cross.”

There is a teaching in this, also: When we try to advance in our Kṛṣṇa consciousness, many, many obstacles will come, but if we are very determined to carry out the order of guru and Kṛṣṇa, then by their mercy, some guidance will manifest and help us cross beyond those obstacles.

As Vasudeva Mahārāja crossed the river, Anantadeva came behind him with His many hoods and sheltered him. In the same way, if a person is determined to carry out the order of guru and Kṛṣṇa, we should know that guru-tattva, in the form of Anantadeva and that person’s gurudeva, are with him at every moment, protecting him from many difficulties and obstacles.

When Vasudeva arrived in Gokula, he approached Vrajendra-nandana Śyāmasundara and Yogamāyā, who had been born at the same time. It is understood that Mother Yaśodā had given birth to twins, one boy and one girl. The boy was the original Kṛṣṇa, and the girl was Yogamāyā-devī. Vasudeva Mahārāja did not see the original Kṛṣṇa. He merely came and placed his child, Vāsudeva Kṛṣṇa, on the bed, and this Vāsudeva Kṛṣṇa merged into the body of the original Supreme Personality of Godhead, Yaśodā-nandana Kṛṣṇa. He then picked up the newborn baby girl, Yogamāyā-devī, and carried her back to Mathurā.

vāñchā-kalpa-tarubhyaś ca
kṛpā-sindhubhya eva ca
patitānāṁ pāvanebhyo
vaiṣṇavebhyo namo namaḥ

[I offer praṇāma again and again to the Vaiṣṇavas, who are the saviours of the fallen, who are just like wish-fulfilling desire-trees, and who are oceans of mercy.]

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja (To a nearby devotee): Can you say the name of the father and mother of Kṛṣṇa?

Devotee: Nanda Mahārāja and Yaśodā.

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: Not Vasudeva?

Devotee: No…

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: This is wrong. You should reconcile this because He was also Vasudeva and Devakī’s son. If you do not, then the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam will be considered incorrect.

Govinda-bhakata Brahmacārī (now known as Śrīpāda Bhaktivedānta Āśrama Mahārāja): In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is stated that Kṛṣṇa is the son of Devakī. We accept this statement from the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam as a fact. But then, how can we understand the statements of Prema-prayojana Prabhu and Navīna-kṛṣṇa Prabhu that Kṛṣṇa is the son of Mother Yaśodā? He is the son of both Mother Yaśodā and Devakī-devī.

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: The question arises whether or not Devakī had any pregnancy. Was there anyone in her womb?

Govinda-bhakata Brahmacārī: Yes.

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja: Who was in her womb? Was it not Kṛṣṇa? Devakī had a child in her womb for eight months. How did that child get there? In this world, a child comes into the womb from husband to wife, but in this instance, there was no such process. Vasudeva Mahārāja recited a mantra: oṁ namo bhāgavate vāsudevāya. By this mantra, Kṛṣṇa entered the womb of Devakī. Vasudeva spoke the mantra in the ear of Devakī, just as gurudeva gives a mantra to his disciple, by which Kṛṣṇa comes in our ‘womb,’ our heart. In the same way, by Vasudeva Mahārāja speaking this mantra, Kṛṣṇa came as transcendental sound. Kṛṣṇa is the same as transcendental sound.

He entered the womb of Devakī. But who was He? He was nārāyaṇa-tattva. Lord Nārāyaṇa had given a benediction to Devakī and Vasudeva in their previous life as Kaśyapa and Aditi and also in their prior births as Pṛśni and Sutapā. Kaśyapa and Aditi had wanted a son like Him. Like whom? Like four-armed Nārāyaṇa. Nārāyaṇa appeared and said, “There is no one equal to Me, and so I, Myself, will have to enter your womb.”

That very Nārāyaṇa, the expansion of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vrajendra-nandana, entered the womb of Devakī-devī. That is why Vāsudeva Kṛṣṇa, four-armed Kṛṣṇa, appeared from her womb. Nārāyaṇa never comes from a womb; He always resides in the heart. From this womb, four-armed Kṛṣṇa appeared, and He is Vāsudeva, nārāyaṇa-tattva, the expansion of [Vrajendra-nandana] Kṛṣṇa. According to the perspective of established truth, They are the same. Yet, there are specialities in each of Them.

Who was in the womb of Mother Yaśodā? In their previous birth, Yaśodā and Nanda Bābā were Droṇa and Dharā. In that life, they performed many austerities and worshipped Brahmā [the creator of the material universe]. Brahmā is a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, and he knew that Kṛṣṇa is the eternal son of Nanda and Yaśodā. While in a trance, Brahmā saw that very soon, Kṛṣṇa would enter the womb of Yaśodā. Brahmā gave a benediction to Droṇa and Dharā: “You will possess so much [parental] love and affection for Kṛṣṇa that He will enter your womb as your son.”

Therefore, Kṛṣṇa Himself, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who possesses all sweetness and all majesty and opulence, entered the womb of Mother Yaśodā. Kṛṣṇa appeared in Mathurā and took birth in Gokula on the same day, at the very same time – at midnight on the eighth day of the lunar cycle in the month of Bhādra (August-September). In Mathurā, He appeared in a four-armed form, as a sixteen-year-old boy, with four hands, holding Sudarśana cakra, a club, lotus, and conch, but in Gokula, He was born with two arms like an ordinary baby – no hair or ornaments, nothing.

When Vasudeva Mahārāja took his baby boy across the Yamunā to the house of Nanda Bābā, the boy merged into the two-armed Kṛṣṇa. When Kṛṣṇa appeared in the jail of Kaṁsa, there was no link, no umbilical cord connecting Devakī and her son, Vāsudeva Kṛṣṇa. But there, in Nanda Bābā’s house in Vraja, there was a link between Kṛṣṇa and His mother (Yaśodā). In the morning, an expert lady came and cut the umbilical cord. Many brāhmaṇa priests came and began to recite mantras. A bath was given to Kṛṣṇa. So many things were done there in Vraja, just as when any lady gives birth to a child. All procedures were performed. But in Mathurā, nothing was done. Do you understand?

Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, came from the womb of Yaśodā. Based on established truth (tattva), both Kṛṣṇa, the son of Devakī and Vasudeva and Kṛṣṇa, the son of Yaśodā and Nanda Bābā, are the same. Still, from the perspective of transcendental mellow and the perspective of potency, Kṛṣṇa, the son of Yaśodā and Nanda Bābā, is superior. How is He superior?

A son will sit on his mother’s lap, but when he becomes older and mature, he is given in marriage to a woman and becomes her husband. He is still the same person, but when he was a little boy, he thought, “She is my mother, and I am her son.” When he is married, what does he think? “I am this woman’s husband,” and His wife thinks, “He is my beloved husband.” She cannot think of him as her son.

When Kṛṣṇa is a baby, He is like a son. When He grows older, He is the object of all rasas (transcendental relationships) and reciprocates with devotees according to the various gradations of their love. Vrajendra-nandana Kṛṣṇa is the object of all rasas, but Vāsudeva Kṛṣṇa can never be. He can only be the object of affection for those who relate to Him with moods of neutrality, servitude, partial parental affection, and partial friendship, but not those with a mood of amorous affection. Therefore, Vāsudeva Kṛṣṇa and Vrajendra-nandana Kṛṣṇa each have Their specialities. You should know that Kṛṣṇa is partly the son of Vasudeva and Devakī, but He is entirely the son of Nanda and Yaśodā.

This is naimittika-līlā. Do you know the meaning of naimittika-līlā? Naimittika means ‘occasional.’

Kṛṣṇa’s eightfold daily pastimes, such as cowherding, his friendship with the cowherd boys, and rāsa-līlā, are all nitya-līlā (eternal pastimes).

In Kṛṣṇa’s eternal pastimes in the spiritual world, Kṛṣṇa never takes birth from the womb of Yaśodā, but all think that He has. But here in this world, Kṛṣṇa performs naimittika-līlā. The killing of Kaṁsa, Aghāsura, Bakāsura, and all these demons is naimittika–līlā; they are not eternal pastimes. In Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes in the spiritual world, there is a mood that these pastimes have taken place, that Kaṁsa is there, but the actual form of Kaṁsa is not there. Kaṁsa can never enter Kṛṣṇa’s transcendental pastimes in the spiritual world, but there may be a mood or conception that he is present.

All Vrajavāsīs think, “Kṛṣṇa has gone to Mathurā and killed Kaṁsa. Now He has returned from Mathurā.” This is due to Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes in this world. Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes related to killing Kaṁsa, His appearance before Devakī, and His birth from the womb of Yaśodā are seen only in His pastimes in this world, not in the spiritual world.

All the Vrajavāsīs understand that Kṛṣṇa was born just one month, two months, six years, or nine years ago, but the actual pastime did not take place.

When you do bhajana (genuine internal service and worship) and mature, you will cross this infant stage of being a neophyte devotee and attain the stage of an intermediate devotee. Then you will realize something about what we have spoken about. When you attain the stage of being a devotee on the topmost platform, you will realize more. Finally, when you give up this body and go to the transcendental world, you can realize all these things. Before this, you should know all philosophical conclusions and try to believe in them.

* ‘Svāmījī’ was Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja’s affectionate address for Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Mahārāja, Śrīla Prabhupāda, who brought the Kṛṣṇa Consciousness movement to the Western world. ‘Svāmījī’ is based on his sannyāsa name, ‘Svāmī’. Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja began to call him this in the 1950s, when Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Mahārāja took sannyāsa.

** The Philippines tour was later cancelled, and Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja stayed in Malaysia for a total of seven days.

*** When Kṛṣṇa enacts human-like pastimes, He forgets He is God, the creator of Indra and others who live for a long time.

**** In Indian culture, a cousin is often called one’s brother or sister.

***** The pastimes of the Supreme Lord exist beyond material logic.

janma karma ca me divyam
evaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ
tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma
naiti mām eti so ’rjuna

Bhagavad-gītā (4.9)

[One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.]

Source: Purebhakti.com

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