Chapter Three from the book Secret Truths of the Bhāgavatam, 2nd edition by Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja

 

Yesterday, I explained that we should try to hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from superior, self-realised rasika Vaiṣṇavas. This is written throughout Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta. Śrī Caitanya caritāmṛta states: “yāha, bhāgavata paḍa vaiṣṇavera sthāne – if you want to understand Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, you must approach a self-realised Vaiṣṇava and hear from him” (Antya-līlā 5.131). What is the meaning? Paḍa means ‘read.’ If you want to read Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, you should first go to any superior rasika Vaiṣṇava and hear and learn from him how to read it. It is imperative to know the process. After hearing, you can read and realise any śāstra.

It has also been written that those with no high-class association cannot understand the meaning of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. In India, Māyāvādī sannyāsīs who are highly learned in Sanskrit speak and give lectures in Sanskrit. They know the many meanings of each word, its verbal roots, and so on. But why have they become Māyāvādīs? Because they cannot truly understand Bhāgavatam at all. They also explain the books of Jīva Gosvāmī and others, but they do not understand them. This is why it has been said:

ahaṁ vedmi śuko vetti
vyāso vetti na vetti vā
bhaktyā bhāgavataṁ grāhyaṁ
na buddhyā na ca ṭīkayā

Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya-līlā 24.313)

[“Lord Śiva said: ‘I may know; Śukadeva Gosvāmī, the son of Vyāsadeva, may know; and Vyāsadeva may know or may not know Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. On the whole, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the spotless Purāṇa, can be learned only through devotional service, not by material intelligence, speculative methods or imaginary commentaries.’ ”]

Śaṅkara has spoken this verse. Who is Śaṅkara? Mahādeva (Śiva). Vaiṣṇavānāṁ yathā śambhuḥ. He is the supreme Vaiṣṇava, the ādi (original) Vaiṣṇava. He says, “ahaṁ vedmi – I know the meaning of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.” “Śuko vetti – and Śuka knows.” “Vyāso vetti na vetti vā – there is some doubt whether or not Vyāsa knows it.”

Vyāsadeva wrote Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and he saw it in a trance, but Śaṅkara says it is uncertain whether or not he knows it. Actually, Vyāsadeva knows half. How? He is in the category of Kṛṣṇa, and therefore, he is śaktimān-tattva, meaning that he is the object of prema. Śaṅkara, on the other hand, is the āśraya, the abode of prema. He is in the line of Śrīmatī Rādhikā (the embodiment of āśraya-tattva). In kṛṣṇa-līlā, Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī is the parrot of Śrīmatī Rādhikā, and therefore, he is also in Her line or category. Anyone who is in the line of Rādhikā can know Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, but Kṛṣṇa Himself cannot know it. That is why He came here to this world, to learn in the form of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Viśakhā, in the form of Rāmānanda Rāya, initiated Śrī Caitanya Mahaprabhu into knowledge of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. After that, in Gambhīrā, in the mood of Rādhikā, He tasted Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is nothing but the internal, intrinsic mood of Rādhikā. It is the glorification of Rādhikā, not the glorification of Kṛṣṇa.

vande nanda-vraja-strīṇāṁ
pāda-reṇum abhīkṣṇaśaḥ
yāsāṁ hari-kathodgītaṁ
punāti bhuvana-trayam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.47.63)

[“I repeatedly offer my respects to the dust from the feet of the women of Nanda Mahārāja’s cowherd village. When these gopīs loudly chant the glories of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the vibration purifies the three worlds.”]

Śaṅkara is therefore correct when he says: “vyāso vetti na vetti vā – there is some doubt whether or not Vyāsa knows it.” Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.2.12) also states: śruto ’nupaṭhito dhyāta ādṛto vānumoditaḥ. One should hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. He can remember something about it if he is not accustomed to such hearing. If he cannot even do that, he can give his approval: “Oh, to hear Bhāgavatam is very good.” He acknowledges that. Even in doing this, a strong impression is made, which acts as sukṛti (spiritual merit that leads to bhakti). It has therefore been said:

śrīmad-bhāgavataṁ purāṇam amalaṁ yad vaiṣṇavānāṁ priyaṁ
yasmin pāramahaṁsyam ekam amalaṁ jñānaṁ paraṁ gīyate
tatra jñāna-virāga-bhakti-sahitaṁ naiṣkarmyam āviskṛtaṁ
tac chṛṇvan su-paṭhan vicāraṇa-paro bhaktyā vimucyen naraḥ

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (12.13.18)

[“Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the spotless Purāṇa. It is most dear to the Vaiṣṇavas because it describes the pure and supreme knowledge of the paramahaṁsas. This Bhāgavatam reveals the means for becoming free from all material work, together with the processes of transcendental knowledge, renunciation and devotion. Anyone who seriously tries to understand Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, who properly hears and chants it with devotion, becomes completely liberated.”]

If anyone hears the Bhāgavatam with śraddhā from superiors who are explaining its deep meanings, who are very elevated in bhakti, and who have surrendered themselves to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, then the words of Bhāgavatam, which are Kṛṣṇa Himself, will enter his heart and be realised. This is the process of hearing.

vikrīḍitaṁ vraja-vadhūbhir idaṁ ca viṣṇoḥ
śraddhānvito ’nuśṛṇuyād atha varṇayed yaḥ
bhaktiṁ parāṁ bhagavati pratilabhya kāmaṁ
hṛd-rogam āśv apahinoty acireṇa dhīraḥ

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.33.39)

[“Anyone who faithfully hears or describes the Lord’s playful affairs with the young gopīs of Vṛndāvana will attain the Lord’s pure devotional service. Thus he will quickly become sober and conquer lust, the disease of the heart.”]

If one hears Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam according to this process and then reads it with śraddhā, all the words will come to him; they will reveal themselves, and he will become self-realised. If one does not have very much association with exalted Vaiṣṇavas, he should still read; there is no alternative. But he should surrender to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. This is called su-paṭhan vicāraṇa-paro. He should think, “How deep the meaning is. O words of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, you are transcendental. Please reveal yourselves. Manifest your mercy in my heart so I may realise all these truths.” This is the process.

I know many highly learned and scholarly devotees of Śrīla Svāmī Mahārāja who have taken the renounced order. They could remember many Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam ślokas, from beginning to end, along with their many meanings. But when Śrīla Svāmī Mahārāja departed from this world, they left sannyāsa, their reading of Bhāgavatam, and everything else. This is not the process. If we want to enter deeply into Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, we must read, but it will help us only if we are reading following the [proper] process. If we are lucky enough to have good association, and in that association, any superior Vaiṣṇavas are explaining Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, we should not lose time. We must try to utilise it. If we do not have the physical association of such pure devotees, we can study by following the instructions we have heard from them.

We should be free from the false ego of thinking, “We will understand Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam by our endeavour.” You can read by yourself, but in this process, be very humble and offer yourself in śaraṇāgati (surrender) to the Bhāgavatam.

We have explained why the first nine cantos were spoken. Then comes the Tenth Canto. A platform is required for hearing the Tenth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. We must know what this [material] world is. We can learn this by hearing the dialogue between Kapiladeva and Devahūti. It is necessary to realise what this world is and what this body is. This body is composed of stool, urine, and many other bad things. We cannot purify ourselves simply by taking a bath because the body is always full of these things. It can be purified only by chanting the holy names. Even after taking a bath, we utter:

om apavitraḥ pavitro vā
sarvāvasthāṁ gato ’pi vā
yaḥ smaret puṇḍarīkākṣaṁ
sa bahyābhyantara-śuciḥ

Garuḍa Purāṇa

[“Whether one is contaminated, pure, or has passed through all conditions and stages of life, if one remembers the lotus-eyed Lord, Puṇḍarīkākṣa, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, one becomes pure both externally and internally.”]

Therefore, even after taking a bath, one should do ācamana and recite the names of Kṛṣṇa. From another perspective, we are always pure, whether or not we do something to attain perfection. We are pure in heart and soul because we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa and have the potential to serve Him. We can try to serve Kṛṣṇa like Dhruva Mahārāja did. No harm. However, Dhruva Mahārāja was unable to attain pure bhakti due to his worldly desires. Prahlāda Mahārāja had no desires; he was a mahā-bhāgavata. By hearing, we can try to become like him. Although many problems came his way, he remained unaffected by them. He remained aloof from all difficulties and was never disturbed. If you become like him, you can always remember and chant Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Otherwise, you will be disturbed.

You can also read the chapters about Bhārata Mahārāja and Citraketu Mahārāja to learn all these truths. Do not be as attached to your children and wife as Citraketu Mahārāja was in his first life. What happened to Citraketu? He finally left everything and received transcendental knowledge from Nārada and Aṅgirā Ṛṣi.

Follow all these teachings. Material relationships can never make you happy. Never. So do not be anxious. Remain in whatever situation you are in, somehow or other maintain your life, and always remember and chant ‘Kṛṣṇa.’

Now, quickly, I am coming to the Tenth Canto. Śrī Parīkṣit Mahārāja said to Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī, “You have told me everything up to the Ninth Canto, but I am not yet satisfied. I am so hungry for this hari-kathā.”

nivṛtta-tarṣair upagīyamānād
bhavauṣadhāc chrotra-mano-’bhirāmāt
ka uttamaśloka-guṇānuvādāt
pumān virajyeta vinā paśughnāt

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.1.4)

[“Glorification of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is performed in the paramparā system, that is, it is conveyed from the spiritual master to disciple. Such glorification is relished by those no longer interested in the false, temporary glorification of this cosmic manifestation. Descriptions of the Lord are the right medicine for the conditioned soul undergoing repeated birth and death. Therefore, who will cease hearing such glorification of the Lord except a butcher or one who is killing his own self?”]

Only very wretched animals and those who are slaughterers of animals can avoid hearing hari-kathā from superior speakers like Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī. In kṛṣṇa-līlā, Śukadeva Gosvāmī was a very dear parrot of Śrīmatī Rādhikā. He had no contact with māyā, even in the womb of his mother. Soon after his birth, he was admitted into the school of Vyāsadeva, and there, he studied Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from beginning to end. After this, he explained Bhāgavatam in the assembly of Śrīla Parīkṣit Mahārāja. Here he says, nivṛtta-tarṣair upagīyamānād. If a speaker of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam has no worldly desires, no worldly problems, and no attachment, like Śukadeva Gosvāmī or anyone in his line, one should not lose the opportunity to hear from him.

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is for three kinds of persons. It is for those who want to fulfil worldly desires, those who want mukti (liberation) or who are already liberated, and those who are bhaktas – ultimately, rasika-bhaktas. The explanation of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam should be heard from that class of speaker for all kinds of devotees. Nivṛtta-tarṣair upagīyamānād. What is the meaning of upagīyamānād? It is the opposite of gāyamānāt [‘they are singing’]. Upagīyamānād means ‘one who has first heard from his guru, a rasika Vaiṣṇava, and then speaks [describes or sings] it.’ An example of this is Sūta Gosvāmī Ugraśravā. He attended the assembly of Śukadeva Gosvāmī and heard Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from him while Parīkṣit Mahārāja was hearing it. He first heard everything, and then he did gīyamānāt. One first engages in śravaṇaṁ (hearing), and then, when he perfects that, he begins kīrtanaṁ (speaking). At that time, his speaking becomes avyarthāmāha-auṣadhi* (the infallible medicine). It will not go in vain.

Those who were in the assembly of Parīkṣit Mahārāja and Śukadeva Gosvāmī, those who were junior, and also those who were senior – the kaniṣṭha-adhikārīs and the madhyama-adhikārīs – all advanced in their stage of bhakti. Those about to be liberated were liberated, and those without love and affection received love and affection. In this way, everyone developed.

Nivṛtta-tarṣair upagīyamānād bhavauṣadhāc chrotra-mano’bhirāmāt [descriptions of the Lord are the right medicine for the conditioned soul undergoing the disease (roga) of repeated birth and death]. What is the disease of this world? What is the main disease from which all diseases come? The root of all disease is forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇa. This is called avidyā, ignorance of kṛṣṇa-tattva and ignorance of love and devotion to Him. This avidyā disappears very quickly. Those who do not listen [to hari-kathā] with great honour and strong faith are like butchers who kill themselves and others. In this world, many are butchers.

I gave several reasons, ten or more, for Kṛṣṇa’s descent to this world. In the jail of Kaṁsa, He appeared from the womb of Devakī via the mind of Vasudeva Mahārāja.** At the same time, in Vṛndāvana, He took birth like a normal baby, connected to His mother, Yaśodā, by an umbilical cord. Both appearances are true.

Kṛṣṇa appeared to Devakī in His catur-bhuja (four-armed) form as a very beautiful teenage boy of about sixteen, with long wavy hair and golden and jewelled ornaments. At the same time, at midnight, He took birth from the womb of Yaśodā, just as a baby does, weeping, “kyaaah-kyaaah-kyaaah.”

Śukadeva Gosvāmī has said that Kṛṣṇa is the son of Vasudeva and Devakī. But to whom did he tell this? To all the Mathurāvāsīs. If Śukadeva had been in Vṛndāvana, however, what would he have said? None of the Vṛndāvana residents would have believed him if he had said Kṛṣṇa is the son of Vasudeva and Devakī. They had already seen that Kṛṣṇa had come from the womb of Yaśodā. There was an umbilical cord that was cut in their presence. How would they believe Śukadeva Gosvāmī or Akrūra or Uddhava or anyone else? They would never believe them. If you are a Mathurāvāsī, then you may maintain the belief that Kṛṣṇa is the son of Devakī and Vasudeva; no harm. But if you want to become a Vrajavāsī, even a creeper, a bird, or an animal of Vṛndāvana, then you will have to believe that Kṛṣṇa is the son of Yaśodā, never the son of Devakī and Vasudeva. Both are true according to their own perspectives. Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī has explained so many times that the Mathurāvāsīs are devotees of high calibre, and the devotees of Vṛndāvana are as well. But who is superior, the Mathurāvāsīs like Uddhava and Akrūra, or the Vrajavāsīs like Śrīmatī Rādhikā, Lalitā, Viśākhā, Yaśodā and Nanda Bābā? The Vrajavāsīs. Therefore, we should believe their words the most.

Sometimes, Mathurāvāsīs tell lies. Kṛṣṇa Himself has said that Mathurāvāsīs are liars. In the Bhagavad-gītā, He told Arjuna, “You should promise that I cannot neglect any of My devotees. If I make this promise, it may be that I will change because I am a Mathurāvāsī. But if you make this promise, I must keep it.” In this way, Kṛṣṇa admits that the Mathurāvāsīs tell lies. Those who say that Kṛṣṇa is the son of Vasudeva and Devakī are liars; their words are not true. Who [which Kṛṣṇa] fought in the Mahābhārata war? It was not Vrajendra-nandana Kṛṣṇa; it was Vāsudeva Kṛṣṇa. On the other hand, if Yaśodā Maiyā tells Kṛṣṇa, “You are my son,” there is no doubt about it. First, you should believe this.

It was only for beginners that Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Mahārāja wrote somewhere in his Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that Kṛṣṇa is the son of Vasudeva, and He was given to Nanda and Yaśodā only for them to support and nourish Him as their foster child, but this is not true. You should have a firm belief in this. Try to be a Vrajavāsī. If you are hearing this class, then try to be a Vrajavāsī. First have this faith, then you can realise Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. This is the basis. Kṛṣṇa has so many opulences and all kinds of potencies; He especially has six kinds of opulences. When He is in Nanda Bābā’s house as Vrajendra-nandana, He has all opulence and all power, more than He has in Dvārakā and Mathurā. But Vrajendra-nandana’s opulence and power are covered by very sweet mādhurya. Only high-class devotees can realise all these truths. Try to have the heart of the Vrajavāsīs.

Those sleeping [in these classes] will not obtain all these understandings. Please try to sit properly. Otherwise, you will sleep and miss my class, and then you will become a Mathurāvāsī; not even a Mathurāvāsī, you will become a Dvārakāvāsī or a Vaikunṭḥavāsī. If you do not hear attentively, perhaps the evils of others will enter your heart and take root there. Do not be inattentive.

This is the first understanding: Kṛṣṇa is Vrajendra-nandana. The second is that Vrajendra-nandana is very merciful.

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?”]

When Kṛṣṇa was about two and a half to three years old in Gokula, He performed many beautiful pastimes. Once, Kaṁsa sent a demon named Śakaṭāsura to kill Kṛṣṇa. The demon thought, “I am so intelligent. I will not go there in a particular form; I will go there as air.” He entered a bullock cart and wanted to push the cart down onto Kṛṣṇa [who was lying underneath it] and crush Him. But Kṛṣṇa is not an ordinary boy. He playfully touched Śakaṭāsura with His toenails, and the demon was killed at once. What is the meaning behind this pastime? If a person is very learned, if he has read Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, all the Vedas, the Upaniṣads, and all other scriptures, he may still be like a demon if he does not serve Kṛṣṇa with love and affection. Actually, all Māyāvādīs are like Śakaṭāsura, as are all in their line. They are experts in quoting the scriptures; they can explain so many meanings of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and when they speak, all are charmed. But ultimately, they say, “We are that same brahma.” They are all like Śakaṭāsura, and therefore, Kṛṣṇa kills them by any trick and purifies their hearts. We must be careful not to be like them.

Do you know the demon Tṛṇāvarta? What is the meaning, or essence, of the pastime of Kṛṣṇa’s killing Tṛṇāvarta? What are the dhūla (dust) and tṛṇa (straw) thrown about by Tṛṇāvarta? It is the logic that is opposed to bhakti, logic that is against love and affection, arguments that are full of māyāvāda, smārta-vāda, impersonalism, and so on. Kṛṣṇa can destroy all these arguments. We should not hear the logic of all these demons. During Kṛṣṇa’s time, there were only a few demons in this world. But nowadays, there are hundreds and thousands of demons everywhere. By using ‘logic,’ they speak against bhakti, so we should be careful not to hear from them.

One should understand how one can control Kṛṣṇa and bind Him in one’s heart. It is for this purpose that Kṛṣṇa manifests dāmodara-līlā. Yaśodā wanted to bind Him. “Oh, Kṛṣṇa has done something bad,” she thought. “His nature is that of a thief, going here and there and stealing butter and everything else.”

Once, Yaśodā asked Him, “Have You taken [eaten clay]?”

Kṛṣṇa replied, “Oh, I have not taken.”

Yaśodā Maiyā said, “What is in Your mouth? I want to see.” What did she see there? She saw everything was in Kṛṣṇa’s mouth, including all the worlds. She saw Kṛṣṇa’s universal form, along with hundreds and thousands of Viṣṇus and Brahmās. What did she think? “Oh, perhaps I am dreaming. Or maybe a ghost has come and is in Kṛṣṇa’s mouth.” She did not know which. She took water and washed her face. “Am I in a dream, or am I in reality?” Then [that vision completely disappeared and] she saw nothing. She never thought that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

When Kṛṣṇa showed His universal form to Arjuna, Arjuna folded his hands and prayed, “O Kṛṣṇa, I have committed so many offences. I have called You a ‘friend,’ but You are not really a ‘friend.’ You are the Supreme Creator, the Creator of creators of creators. You are īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ anādir ādir govindaḥ sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam. In the future, I will not call You ‘friend.’ I married Your sister, and by that, I became such an aparādhī [by seeing Kṛṣṇa as an ordinary brother-in-law]. I am not qualified to do this. I have given You many instructions, like, ‘Bring my chariot and place it in the middle of both armies.’ I will never do this in the future. Please excuse me.” Later, Kṛṣṇa made His universal form disappear and called for Yogamāyā. Under the influence of Yogamāyā, Arjuna says, “O friend, come on, come on. We should fight against these armies.”

Devakī and Vasudeva sometimes thought, “Kṛṣṇa is my son,” but then they saw how easily He leapt up onto the high throne, very easily grabbed Kaṁsa, threw him to the ground, jumped on him, and killed him. Actually, Kaṁsa had already killed himself [through his activities]. Kṛṣṇa only jumped on him. Kṛṣṇa did nothing to kill Kaṁsa because Kaṁsa was already dead.

Vasudeva and Devakī were present there. Everyone was present. Kaṁsa had brought them there to say to them, “You should see how I kill your son.” Nanda Bābā was there with all the gopas. Kaṁsa’s father, Ugrasena, was also brought there, and Akrūra was there with so many others. Kaṁsa wanted to kill Kṛṣṇa in the presence of all to show them, “I am so superior.” But quickly, with no effort, Kṛṣṇa jumped on Kaṁsa, and Kaṁsa died. Kṛṣṇa said, “What can I do? I simply jumped on him, and he died. What can be done?”

Devakī and Vasudeva then prayed to Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa was bowing down at the feet of Devakī and Baladeva at the feet of Vasudeva Mahārāja. But Devakī and Vasudeva prayed, “Oh, we know who You are. You are nārāyaṇa-tattva Himself.” Kṛṣṇa began to weep at the feet of Devakī, and Baladeva wept at the feet of Vasudeva Mahārāja. They even sat on Their parents’ laps, but Devakī’s and Vasudeva’s devotion remained in the mood of awe and reverence. Yaśodā had also seen exhibitions of Kṛṣṇa’s opulences, but she never thought Him to be the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Never. This is the difference between Mathurā and Vṛndāvana, and therefore, Yaśodā is superior to the Mathurāvāsīs.

In Gokula, Kṛṣṇa was bound around the waist by Mother Yaśodā. Kṛṣṇa loves the devotees, and the devotees love Him. If the devotees’ love for Kṛṣṇa is superior to His love for them, then He may be bound, or controlled, by them; otherwise not.

How can you control Kṛṣṇa? It is only possible by being fully under the guidance of Mother Yaśodā or Subala, Śrīdāma, and Madhumaṅgala or by being under the guidance of the beloved gopīs, especially those gopīs who can bind Kṛṣṇa and easily control Him. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu came to sprinkle this kind of love.

Why, at first, was Yaśodā not able to bind Kṛṣṇa? The rope was always short by two fingers. All the ropes were joined with knots and became one or two miles long. The measurement of Kṛṣṇa’s waist was only that of twelve fingers, and around it hung a golden chain given to Him by Mother Yaśodā. His waist did not expand, but still, the rope was not sufficiently long to fully go around it even once; it was always two fingers too short.

The two fingers represent two things. The first is the endeavour of the bhaktas to do bhakti. If we want to bind Kṛṣṇa by our own intelligence and our own efforts, we cannot. We cannot have His darśana, His mercy, or control Him. The second principle, therefore, is Kṛṣṇa’s mercy. We cannot bind Kṛṣṇa merely through our endeavour. We must first become śaraṇāgata, surrendered, totally surrendered. At our present stage, we are not actually surrendering. We say, “Gurudeva, today I have surrendered to you. But the lock and key [to myself] remain with me.” In this way, we have surrendered in word only. This will not do. We will have to surrender completely. How do we surrender? You can go to Arjuna, or you can go to the Vrajavāsīs, who are completely surrendered. And if you want to surrender even more, you will go to the gopīs. They will explain the process of surrender.

As Yaśodā was trying to bind Kṛṣṇa, He thought, “If Mother binds Me, how will I be able to play with the boys? Śrīdāma and Subala are waiting for Me, along with all the cows.”

What were they waiting for? They had pain in their udders, but they could not give milk to their offspring, the calves. Only if Kṛṣṇa came would they give milk. In this way, Kṛṣṇa thought, “If Maiyā binds Me, I cannot go. It will be better if she does not bind Me.” Therefore, Yogamāyā came at once, and this miracle took place.

Kṛṣṇa’s waist was small, and the ropes became longer and longer, but they would not go around His waist even once. Yaśodā Maiyā was trying to bind Him, but she felt, “I have been trying from the beginning of the morning, and now it is twelve, but still I cannot bind Him.” She took shelter of her Ṭhākurajī and prayed, “O Nārāyaṇa, O Ṭhākurajī, if I do not bind my son, then all the Vrajavāsīs will laugh at me.” The colour in her face changed, and tears were about to fall from her eyes. Sweating, she considered that she would not be able to bind Him.

Although she fully believed that she could not bind Him, still she vowed, “I will bind You. I may try for one, two, or three days, or my whole life, but I will not give up. I must bind You.” Weeping, she took shelter of Nārāyaṇa. When Kṛṣṇa saw her tears, He immediately became merciful. Yogamāyā left, and Mother Yaśodā very easily tied Kṛṣṇa with the rope she used to bind her hair.

If we follow the gopīs or Nanda Bābā, Yaśodā, Śrīdāma, and Subala, all of whom are in Vraja, we can bind Kṛṣṇa. This love and affection belong to āśraya-tattva, the abode of love. The Vrajavāsīs are all abodes of that love.

There was a fruit seller who lived in Mathurā. She had heard from some persons coming to Mathurā from Gokula that a very beautiful and charming child of about two years old, the son of Nanda and Yaśodā, lived in Gokula. She wanted to have darśana of Him, so she took some fruits in her basket and went to Nanda-bhavana (the home of Nanda Mahārāja). There she called, “Oh, phala lo, phala lo, take fruits, take fruits.”

In Mathurā and Vṛndāvana, there were many fruit sellers everywhere, and she would also sell fruits that way. But when she came to Nanda-bhavana, sometimes Kṛṣṇa was sleeping, sometimes He was playing here and there, and sometimes He was in the lap of Yaśodā, drinking breast milk. Therefore, she never had a chance to see Him. One day, she said, “Today I will go and not return until I have had His darśana.” She made a vow to ‘do or die.’ The objective in life was fixed. We should also try to make a vow like this. Having made this promise, she called out, “Phala lo, phala lo.” Gradually, she forgot to say this and instead called, “Govinda lo, Govinda lo, take Govinda, take Govinda. Dāmodara lo, take Dāmodara, Mādhava lo, take Mādhava. Govinda Dāmodara Mādhaveti.”

The easiest way to see Kṛṣṇa is to perform nāma-saṅkīrtana. The fruit seller adopted this process, as did the gopīs. When Kṛṣṇa disappeared from the rāsa dance, they sang His names so that He would come back. Like other fruit sellers, this lady skillfully carried her basket on her head, never touching it with her hands. She could even dance easily without it falling from her head. In this way, from morning until twelve, she looked for Kṛṣṇa.

At last, she became tired and sat down at the door of Nanda-bhavana. “How will I see Kṛṣṇa?” she thought. At this time, Kṛṣṇa took some corn, wheat, and other grains from the storehouse. He was quite naked, wearing only a gold chain with tinkling bells around His waist, the sweet sound of which sometimes charmed even Himself. He picked up some grains, but as He walked over to the fruit seller, the grains fell through His fingers; only two or three remained. With very greedy eyes, Kṛṣṇa looked toward the sweet golden, yellow and reddish fruit – bananas, mangos, grapes, kadamba, and many others.  “Oh, give Me fruits, give Me fruits,” He told her. The fruit seller looked at Him and became completely charmed.

“I will give them to You if You sit on my lap and call me ‘Mother.’”

This was a very big problem for Kṛṣṇa. “If I am seen sitting on her lap and addressing her as Mother,” He thought, “everyone will laugh. What should I do?” He quickly looked here and there to see if anyone was watching. When He saw that there were no witnesses, then quickly, for a moment, He sat on the lap of that fruit seller and said, “O Mother, give Me fruits,” and then jumped off. The fruit seller happily gave Him fruits.

“What do You want?” she asked.

He replied, “I want this, and I want that.”

At first, He held out His hands, and then, as He took more and more fruit, He held both arms close to His chest. She gave Him two, three, four, five fruits and more until His arms were filled.

Looking here and there and dancing, He then went to His mother and put all the fruits in her veil.

“Oh, where have You brought the fruits from?” she asked Him, quickly distributing them. Although hundreds of gopīs came and took those sweet fruits, the supply never diminished. It was unlimited.

And what became of that fruit seller? She simply sat there, deep in thought. Kṛṣṇa had stolen her heart; without her heart, she could only be absorbed in remembering Him. After some time, someone asked her, “Why are you here? What are you doing?” Somehow, she remembered her duties. She took her basket and started for her home in Mathurā. Midway, near where the Yamunā was flowing, she wondered, “Why is my basket so heavy?” When she removed it from her head, she saw it was full of diamonds and other jewels. She was astonished. She put it back on her head but threw it into the Yamunā. She did not need the jewels at all. What became of her, no one knows. In the eyes of the world, she had become completely mad.

Do you know what became of her? She became greater than Devahūti. She was not concerned about whether her veil was on her head or off, whether she was naked, or what her condition was. She was always in a trance. She entered a state even greater than a trance. Kṛṣṇa immediately took her body, her outer shell, and gave her a greater position than He gave Pūtanā, sending her to Goloka Vṛndāvana to serve Him there. Kṛṣṇa is so kind. She had no special relationship with Kṛṣṇa; her bhakti was like śānta-rasa, the mood of neutrality, which is devoid of a service mood. Still, thinking her to be like a mother, Kṛṣṇa had called her ‘Mother’ and given her a position far superior to Pūtanā, Kubjā, and others. He is very merciful. Try to realise all these truths quickly. If your bhakti is very high, then in one birth, you can achieve a destination like this. Pūtanā went to Goloka, but the fruit seller lady went to Vṛndāvana, which is superior.

Kṛṣṇa then came from Gokula to Vṛndāvana and performed so many pastimes there. First, along with Baladeva Prabhu, He killed Dhenukāsura. Actually, Baladeva Prabhu killed him. What is the essence of this story? Symbolically, ‘donkey’ has so many meanings. First of all, donkeys are quite ignorant. Second, they are so lusty that although the hind legs of the she-donkey always kick the donkey, he is so ignorant that he never gives up trying to enjoy her. Who can save you from this? Only gurudeva [who is a manifestation of] Baladeva Prabhu. You should always know that all qualified and bona fide gurus are the prakāśa (manifestations) of Nityānanda Prabhu or Baladeva Prabhu. Those who are not realised like this are not qualified gurus, and they cannot save you from these donkeys. Nityānanda Prabhu and Baladeva Prabhu are the same tattva, but Nityānanda Prabhu is the most merciful. Just as Mahāprabhu is more merciful than Kṛṣṇa, Nityānanda Prabhu is more merciful than Baladeva Prabhu. They are the same; there is no difference between Them at all. There is only a difference in the degree of Their mercy.

Therefore, if we take shelter of a guru in the line of Nityānanda Prabhu or Baladeva Prabhu, he can save us from lust and ignorance. It is very, very, very hard to become free from lust. Kṛṣṇa has created male and female in all species, and it is very rare and very hard to become free from this hṛdā-roga, disease of the heart. You can give up your children, wealth, reputation, and everything else, but it is very difficult to give up the desire for praise. Moreover, it is even more difficult to renounce lust because it is in the heart. Only Baladeva Prabhu can release us from this; therefore, He quickly killed that demon.

Many brahmacārīs engaged by Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Mahārāja had been performing devotional service for several years. But when he departed from this world, most of them became lusty and married again. This lust even entered sannyāsīs who were serving and worshipping the Deities, reading Bhāgavatam and engaged in extensive preaching. It controlled them, and they were driven from this devotional line. Therefore, you should be very careful. This is not the first time you have taken on the shape of a human and married. I think you have done these hundreds of thousands of times, or more. When you realise this fact, you will at once become like Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī, Śrīman Mahāprabhu, Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, and all others like them. You must follow this process if you want to go where they are. Someday, you will have to be like them. Even if you are in married life, you will have to be like the Pāṇḍavas, like Śrīnivāsa Ācārya and others, and like the gopas and gopīs. All of them were attached to Kṛṣṇa, not to anyone else. This is the essence of all instruction.

After the pastime of killing Dhenukāsura, Kṛṣṇa performed the pastime of brahmā-vimohana-līlā. Brahmā saw that Aghāsura had been liberated and had merged into the effulgence coming from the toes of Kṛṣṇa. He was actually liberated. Although he seemed to have merged into Kṛṣṇa, he could not actually merge. Jaya and Vijaya, in the shape of Śiśupāla and Dantavakra, were also liberated, and they also seemed to merge into Kṛṣṇa’s body, but in reality, they became Jaya and Vijaya. Then, when Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes were completed, they went to Vaikuṇṭha along with Nārāyaṇa [who, along with all other incarnations, was within Kṛṣṇa’s body and had come with Him to this world].

Similarly, it only seemed that Aghāsura merged with Kṛṣṇa. Brahmā somehow saw this and became very happy. He thought, “Oh, Kṛṣṇa is so merciful. He appears like a boy, and he performs sweet pastimes. I want to see more pastimes, so I should do something by which I can see them.” If Brahmā had prayed to Kṛṣṇa, he would have followed the correct process, but he never did. He was thinking about how, through his own efforts, he could induce Kṛṣṇa to perform more pastimes. He thought, “I should do something so that Kṛṣṇa will play. I should steal away all the cowherd boys and all the calves.” Where did these thoughts come from? They came through the influence of Yogamāyā-devī. It was Kṛṣṇa’s wish at that time.

Kṛṣṇa had been thinking, “Hundreds and thousands of gopīs want Me to be their son. They want to keep Me in their lap and give Me their breast milk. They all want this. I will have to fulfil their desire because I have made a promise to this effect: ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham (Bhagavad-gītā 4.11). I must become their son.” Also, hundreds and thousands of cows – the nine hundred thousand of Nanda Bābā’s cows, the eleven hundred thousand cows of Vṛṣabhānu Mahārāja, and countless numbers of others – wanted Kṛṣṇa to become their calves. Kṛṣṇa is a desire tree, and He also wanted to become the calves of all the cows.

In Vṛndāvana, Gokula, Nandagāon, and everywhere, all the young girls thought, “Kṛṣṇa should be our husband; He should be our beloved.”

They all wanted this, so He also had to fulfil their desire. For these reasons, He decided, “It is a good time [to descend],” and at once He sent for His internal potency, Yogamāyā. Actually, there was no need to send for her because she is always with Him. She knew His wish and at once managed everything. Brahmā stole the cowherd boys and calves and kept them in a cave. Brahmā then went to his abode for only a moment and quickly returned. In this world, though, that moment lasted for one year.

What happened before Brahmā returned? Baladeva Prabhu thought, “Oh, I see a very strange thing. All the gopīs used to have so much more love and affection for Kṛṣṇa than for their sons. But now I see they have an equal love for Kṛṣṇa and their sons. I also see that the cows now have much more affection for their elder sons than for their new calves. Why? What is the cause?” Baladeva then understood everything. “Kṛṣṇa is very wonderful,” He thought. He smiled and said, “O Kṛṣṇa, what is this? I see that You have become all the boys and elder calves. Your stomach was not filled up by taking the milk of only Śrīmatī Yaśodā, Your mother, so You became hundreds of thousands of cowherd boys. When Your stomach was still not filled, You became all the elder calves. These cowherd boys are You Yourself; they are not the original cowherd boys. Why have You done this? [You have taken their forms] to marry all the gopīs. You have married them all.”

Gargācārya had previously told the Vrajavāsīs, “This year is very good, an auspicious year. You should promise all your daughters in marriage, even those who are still in the wombs of their mothers, vowing in a mood of friendship [with others Vrajavāsīs who would soon have a child], ‘If a son is born from your womb, and if my child is a daughter, they will marry.’ You should make a promise like this.”

In this way, all the gopīs were married. By a trick, all the gopīs who married that year were married to Kṛṣṇa. Only Rādhikā was not married, and this was also a trick of Yogamāyā. Vṛṣabhanu Mahārāja had been told during that year that it was an unfavourable year for marriage arrangements. Rādhikā was later married to Abhimanyu. She was not married to him, but rather Her manifestation was married. Who is Abhimanyu? He is also a manifestation of Kṛṣṇa. So Her shadow was married to His shadow. Because Rādhā is none other than the potency of Kṛṣṇa, She cannot be separated from Him. She is one with Him. To enjoy pastimes, They become two, but otherwise, They are one. Both appear as one in the form of Śrīman Mahāprabhu, and when They are two, They are Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. They are one soul in two bodies. Through pure devotion, you can realise all these things. This is the essence of the brahmā-vimohana-līlā. Kṛṣṇa can accomplish many tasks in one activity.

Those who in their previous lives were the golden statues of Sītā, those who were previously the Vedic mantras, those who were the ṛṣis of Daṇḍakāraṇya, and all the girls of Ayodhyā Purī and Janaka  Purī – all became gopīs, either in groups, yauthikī, or alone, ayauthikī. They all came to Vṛndāvana and observed kātyāyanī-vrata for one month. But [upon the completion of this vrata], who came before them? Why couldn’t Kātyāyanī come? If they were worshipping Kātyāyanī, Kātyāyanī should have come. But she never came. Kṛṣṇa Himself came, and He gave His benediction to them.

Kṛṣṇa desires that those who want to be like the gopīs should give up all worldly considerations. For the happiness of Kṛṣṇa, we can give them up. This body is like a garment. As you may know, Devahūti and others, like Śukadeva Gosvāmī, did not need to cover themselves with another garment. We are ignorant. We will have to transcend bodily considerations. We should keep nothing for ourselves; we should give everything to Kṛṣṇa. Then we can come to that realm.

Now, quickly, we will come to the topic of rāsa-līlā, and after that, I will come to the objective of my hari-kathā here. Why did Kṛṣṇa leave Vṛndāvana? Everyone wants to be in a place where there is much love and affection. We know that in Vṛndāvana, the love and affection for Kṛṣṇa is superior to anywhere else. There is also love in Mathurā, but not like in Vṛndāvana. Then why did Kṛṣṇa leave Vṛndāvana? And after leaving, He should have returned from time to time to meet with the Vrajavāsīs, but He never returned. Why? He wanted to console the gopīs. Why could He not personally come to console them? Instead, He sent His messenger, Uddhava. Why did He send him? Kṛṣṇa has so much opulence, and He is so powerful. Why did He not invite all the gopīs, along with Nanda Bābā and Yaśodā, to Mathurā or Dvārakā? If He could take all the Yādavas from Mathurā to Dvārakā in one night, why could He not bring all the gopīs, Nanda Bābā, Yaśodā, the cows, and everyone and everything else in Vraja, and live with them in Mathurā or Dvārakā? Was there a scarcity of space in Dvārakā because an ocean surrounds it? Is this why He did not take them there? There was so much room in Dvārakā, so why could the gopīs and Nanda Bābā not reside there? We will try to solve these questions in tomorrow’s class.

* Vyartha means ‘useless’ or ‘futile.’ Avyartha means ‘it will not go in vain.’ Maha means ‘infallible.’ Auṣadhi means ‘medicine.’ So avyarthāmāha-ausadi means ‘the infallible medicine, which does not go in vain.’

** In the jail of Kaṁsa, He was transferred from Vasudeva’s mind to Devakī’s and from her mind to her womb. He thus appeared from the womb of Devakī.

Source: Purebhakti.com

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