Sri Krishna Madbhagavatam
46. Delivery of the Message of Kṛṣṇa to the Gopīs
When
the gopīs saw Uddhava, they observed that his features almost exactly resembled
the features of Kṛṣṇa, and they could understand that he was a great devotee of Kṛṣṇa's. His hands were very long, and his eyes were
just like the petals of the lotus flower. He was dressed in yellow colored
garments and wore a garland of lotus flowers. His face was very beautiful.
Having achieved the liberation of sārūpya and having the same bodily features
as the Lord, Uddhava looked almost like Kṛṣṇa. In Kṛṣṇa's absence, the gopīs had been coming dutifully to visit mother
Yaśodā's house early in the morning. They knew that Nanda Mahārāja and mother
Yaśodā were always griefstricken, and they had made it their first duty to come
and pay their respects to the most exalted elderly personalities of Vṛndāvana. Seeing the friends of Kṛṣṇa, Nanda and Yaśodā would remember Kṛṣṇa Himself and be satisfied, and the gopīs also
would be pleased by seeing Nanda and Yaśodā.
When
the gopīs saw that Uddhava was representing Kṛṣṇa even in his bodily features, they thought that he must be a soul
completely surrendered unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They began to
contemplate, "Who is this boy who looks just like Kṛṣṇa? He has the same eyes like lotus petals, the same
raised nose and beautiful face, and he is smiling in the same way. In all
respects he is resembling Kṛṣṇa, Śyāmasundara, the beautiful dark boy. He is even dressed
exactly like Kṛṣṇa. Where has this boy come from? Who is the fortunate girl who has
him for her husband?" Thus they all talked among themselves. They were
very anxious to know about him, and because they were simply unsophisticated
village girls, they surrounded Uddhava.
When
the gopīs understood that Uddhava had a message from Kṛṣṇa, they became very happy and called him to a
secluded place to sit down. They wanted to talk with him very freely and did
not want to be embarrassed before unknown persons. They began to welcome him
with polite words, in great submissiveness. "We know that you are a most
confidential associate of Kṛṣṇa and that He has therefore sent you to Vṛndāvana to give solace to His father and mother. We
can understand that family affection is very strong. Even great sages who have
taken to the renounced order of life cannot give up family members. Kṛṣṇa has therefore sent you to His father and mother;
otherwise He has no further business in Vṛndāvana. He is now in town. What does He have to know about Vṛndāvana Village or the cows' pasturing grounds?
These things are not at all useful for Kṛṣṇa because He is now a man in the city.
"Surely
He has nothing to do with persons who do not happen to be His family members.
Why should one bother about those who are outside the family, especially and
specifically those who are attached as the wives of others. Kṛṣṇa
is interested in them as long as there is a need of gratification, like the
bumblebees who have interest in the flowers as long as they want to take the
honey out of them. It is very natural and psychological that a prostitute does
not care for her paramour as soon as he loses his money. Similarly, when the
citizens find that a government is incapable of giving them full protection,
they leave the country. A student, after finishing his education, gives up his
relationship with the teacher and the school. A rich man, after taking his
reward from his worshiper, gives him up. When the fruit season is over, the
birds are no longer interested in the tree. Just after eating in the house of a
lord, the guest gives up his relationship with the host. After a forest fire,
when there is a scarcity of green grass, the deer and other animals give up the
forest. And so a man, after enjoying his girl friend, gives up his connection
with her." In this way, all the gopīs began to indirectly accuse Kṛṣṇa
by citing so many similes.
Uddhava
understood that the gopīs of Vṛndāvana were all simply absorbed in the thought of Kṛṣṇa and His childhood activities. While talking about
Kṛṣṇa with Uddhava, they forgot all about
their household business. They even forgot about themselves as their interest
in Kṛṣṇa increased more and more.
One
of the gopīs, namely Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, was so much absorbed in thoughts of Kṛṣṇa by dint of Her personal touch with Him that She
actually began to talk with a bumblebee which was flying there and trying to
touch Her lotus feet. While another gopī was talking with Kṛṣṇa's messenger Uddhava, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī took that bumblebee to be a messenger from Kṛṣṇa and began to talk with it as follows.
"Bumblebee, you are accustomed to drinking honey from the flowers, and
therefore you have preferred to be a messenger of Kṛṣṇa, who is of the same nature as you. I have seen on
your moustaches the red powder of kuṅkuma, which was smeared on the flower garland of Kṛṣṇa while He was pressing the breast of some other
girl who is My competitor. You are feeling very proud by touching that flower,
and your moustaches have become reddish. You have come here carrying a message
for Me. You are anxious to touch My feet. But My dear bumblebee, let me warn
you--don't touch Me! I don't want any messages from your unreliable master. You
are the unreliable servant of an unreliable master." It may be that
Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī purposely addressed that bumblebee sarcastically in order to
criticize the messenger Uddhava. Indirectly, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī saw Uddhava as not only resembling Kṛṣṇa's bodily features but as being equal to Kṛṣṇa. In this way She indicated that Uddhava was as
unreliable as Kṛṣṇa Himself. Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī wanted to give specific reasons why She was dissatisfied with Kṛṣṇa and His messengers.
She
addressed the bumblebee, "Your master Kṛṣṇa is exactly of your quality. You sit down on a flower, and after
taking a little honey you immediately fly away and sit in another flower and
taste. You're just like your master Kṛṣṇa. He gave us the chance of tasting the touch of His lips and then
left altogether. I know also that the goddess of fortune, Lakṣmī, who is always in the midst of the lotus flower,
is constantly engaged in Kṛṣṇa's service. But I do not know why she has become so captivated by
Kṛṣṇa. She is attached to Him, although she
knows His actual character. As far as we are concerned, we are more intelligent
than that goddess of fortune. We are not going to be cheated anymore by Kṛṣṇa or His messengers."
According
to expert opinion, Lakṣmī, the goddess of fortune is a subordinate expansion of Śrīmatī
Rādhārāṇī. As Kṛṣṇa has numerous expansions of Viṣṇu-mūrtis, so His pleasure potency, Rādhārāṇī, also has innumerable expansions of goddesses of
fortune. Therefore the goddess of fortune, Lakṣmījī, is always anxious to be elevated to the position of the
gopīs
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Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī continued: "You foolish
bumblebee, you are trying to satisfy Me and get a reward by singing the
glories of Kṛṣṇa, but it is a useless attempt. We are bereft of all our
possessions. We are away from our homes and families. We know very well about
Kṛṣṇa. We know even more than you. So
whatever you make up about Him will be old stories to us. Kṛṣṇa is now in the city and is better
known as the friend of Arjuna. He now has many new girl friends, and they are
no doubt very happy in association with Him. Because the lusty burning
sensation of their breasts has been satisfied by Kṛṣṇa, they are now happy. If you go
there and glorify Kṛṣṇa, they may be pleased to reward you. You are just trying to
pacify Me by your behavior as a flatterer, and therefore you have put your
head under My feet. But I know the trick which you are trying to play. I know
that you are a messenger coming from a great trickster, Kṛṣṇa. Therefore please leave Me.
"I can understand that you are
very expert in reuniting two opposing parties, but at the same time you must
know that I cannot place My reliance upon you, nor upon your master Kṛṣṇa. We left our families, husbands,
children and relatives only for Kṛṣṇa, and yet He did not feel any
obligation in exchange. He has left us for lost. Do you think we can place
our faith in Him again? We know that Kṛṣṇa cannot be long without the
association of young women. That is His nature. He is finding difficulty in
Mathurā because He is no longer in the village among innocent cowherd girls.
He is in the aristocratic society and must be feeling difficulty in making
friendships with the young girls. Perhaps you have come here to canvass again
or to take us there. But why should Kṛṣṇa expect us to return there? He is
greatly qualified to entice all other girls, not only in Vṛndāvana or Mathurā, but all over the
universe. His wonderfully enchanting smile is so attractive and the movement
of His eyebrows so beautiful that He can call for any woman from the
heavenly, middle or plutonic planets. Mahā-Lakṣmī, the greatest of all goddesses of fortune, also hankers to
render Him some service. In comparison to all these women of the universe,
what are we? We are very insignificant.
"Kṛṣṇa advertises Himself as very
magnanimous, and He is praised by great saints. His qualifications could be
perfectly utilized if He would only show us mercy because we are downtrodden
and neglected by Him. You poor messenger, you are only a less intelligent
servant. You do not know much about Kṛṣṇa, how ungrateful and hardhearted He
has been, not only in this life, but in His previous lives also. We have all
heard this from our grandmother, Paurṇamāsī. She has informed us that Kṛṣṇa was born in a kṣatriya family previous to this birth
and was known as Rāmacandra. In that birth, instead of killing Vāli, an enemy
of His friend, in the manner of a kṣatriya, He killed him just like a hunter. A hunter takes a
secure hiding place and then kills an animal without facing it. So Lord
Rāmacandra, as a kṣatriya, should have fought with Vāli face to face, but
instigated by His friend, He killed him from behind a tree. Thus He deviated
from the religious principles of a kṣatriya. Also, He was so attracted by the beauty of Sītā that He
converted Śūrpaṇakhā, the sister of Rāvaṇa, into an ugly woman by cutting off her nose and ears. Śūrpaṇakhā proposed an intimate
relationship with Him, and as a kṣatriya, He should have satisfied her. But He was so selfish that
He could not forget Sītādevī and converted Śūrpaṇakhā into an ugly woman. Before that
birth as a kṣatriya, He took His birth as a brāhmaṇa boy known as Vāmanadeva and asked
charity from Bali Mahārāja. Bali Mahārāja was so magnanimous that he gave Him
whatever he had, yet Kṛṣṇa as Vāmanadeva ungratefully arrested him just like a crow and
pushed him down to the Pātāla kingdom. We know all about Kṛṣṇa and how ungrateful He is. But here
is the difficulty: in spite of His being so cruel and hardhearted, it is very
difficult for us to give up talking about Him. Not only are we unable to give
up this talk, but great sages and saintly persons are also engaged in talking
about Him. We gopīs of Vṛndāvana do not want to make any more friendships with this
blackish boy, but we do not know how we shall be able to give up remembering
and talking about His activities."
Since Kṛṣṇa is absolute, His so-called unkind
activities are as relishable as His kind activities. Saintly persons and
great devotees like the gopīs cannot give up Kṛṣṇa in any circumstances. Lord Caitanya
therefore prayed, "Kṛṣṇa, You are free and independent in all respects. You can either
embrace Me or crush Me under Your feet--whatever You like. You may make Me
brokenhearted by not letting Me see You throughout my whole life, but You are
my only object of love."
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"In My opinion," Śrīmatī
Rādhārāṇī continued, "one should not hear
about Kṛṣṇa, because as soon as a drop of the
nectar of His transcendental activities is poured into the ear, one immediately
rises above the platform of duality, attraction and rejection. Being completely
freed from the attraction of material attachment, one gives up the attachment
for this material world, family, home, wife, children and everything which is
materially dear to every person. Being dispossessed of all material
acquisition, one makes his relatives and himself unhappy. Then he wanders in
search of Kṛṣṇa, either as a human being or in other
species of life, even as a bird. It is very difficult to actually understand Kṛṣṇa, His name, His quality, His form, His pastimes,
His paraphernalia and His entourage."
Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī continued to speak to the black messenger of Kṛṣṇa. "Please do not talk any more about Kṛṣṇa. It is better to talk about something else. We
are already doomed, like the black-spotted she-deer in the forest who are
enchanted by the sweet musical vibration of the hunter. In the same way, we
have been enchanted by the sweet words of Kṛṣṇa, and again and again we are thinking of the rays of the nails of
His toes. We are becoming more and more lustful for His association; therefore,
I request you not to talk of Kṛṣṇa anymore."
This talk of Rādhārāṇī with the bumblebee messenger and Her accusing Kṛṣṇa, and, at the same time, Her inability to give up
talking about Him, are symptoms of the topmost transcendental ecstasy, called
mahābhāva. The ecstatic mahābhāva manifestation is possible only in the persons
of Rādhārāṇī and Her associates. Great ācāryas
like Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī and Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākur have analyzed these mahābhāva speeches of
Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, and they have described the different sentiments such as udghūrṇā, bewilderment, and jalpapratijalpa, talking in
different ways. In Rādhārāṇī is found the science of ujjala, or the brightest jewel or love
of God. While Rādhārāṇī was talking with the bee and the bee was flying hither and
thither, it all of a sudden disappeared from Her sight. She was in full
mourning due to separation from Kṛṣṇa and was feeling ecstasy by talking with the bee. But as soon as
the bee disappeared, She became almost mad, thinking that the messenger-bee
might have returned to Kṛṣṇa to inform Him all about Her talking against Him. "Kṛṣṇa must have been very sorry to hear it," She
thought. In this way She was very much overwhelmed with another type of
ecstasy.
In the meantime, the bee, flying hither
and thither, appeared before Her again. She thought, "Kṛṣṇa is still kind to Me. In spite of the messenger
carrying disruptive messages, He is so kind that He has again sent the bee to
take Me to Him." Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī was very careful this time not to say anything against Kṛṣṇa. "My dear friend, I welcome you," She
said. "Kṛṣṇa is so kind that He has again sent you. Kṛṣṇa is so kind and affectionate to Me that He has
sent you back, fortunately, in spite of your carrying My message against Him.
My dear friend, you can ask from Me whatever you want. I shall give you
anything because you are so kind upon Me. You have come to take Me to Kṛṣṇa because He is not able to come here. He is
surrounded by new girl friends in Mathurā. But you are a tiny creature. How can
you take Me there? How will you be able to help Me in meeting Kṛṣṇa while He is taking rest there along with the
goddess of fortune and embracing her to His chest? Never mind. Let us forget
all these things about My going there or sending you. Please let Me know how Kṛṣṇa is faring in Mathurā. Tell Me if He still
remembers His foster father, Nanda Mahārāja, His affectionate mother, Yaśodā,
His cowherd friends and His poor friends like us, the gopīs. I am sure that He
must sometimes sing about us. We served Him just like maidservants, without any
payment. Is there any possibility that Kṛṣṇa will again come back and place His arms around us? His limbs are
always fragrant with the aguru scent. Please put all these inquiries to Kṛṣṇa."
Uddhava was standing near, and he heard
Rādhārāṇī talking in this way, as if She had
become almost mad after Kṛṣṇa. He was exceedingly surprised at how the gopīs were accustomed
to think of Kṛṣṇa constantly in that topmost ecstasy of mahābhāva love. He had
brought a message in writing from Kṛṣṇa, and now he wanted to present it before the gopīs, just to
pacify them. He said, "My dear gopīs, your mission of human life is now
successful. You are all wonderful devotees of the Supreme Personality of
Godhead; therefore you are eligible to be worshiped by all kinds of people. You
are worshipable throughout the three worlds because your minds are wonderfully
absorbed in the thought of Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa. He is the goal of all kinds of pious activities and ritualistic
performances, such as giving in charity, rigidly following the austerity of
vows, undergoing severe penances and igniting the fire of sacrifice. He is the
purpose behind the chanting of different mantras, the reading of the Vedas,
controlling the senses and concentrating the mind in meditation. These are some
of the many different processes for self-realization and attainment of
perfection of life. But actually they are only meant for realizing Kṛṣṇa and dovetailing oneself in the transcendental
loving service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead." This is the last
instruction of Bhagavad-gītā also; although there are descriptions of different
kinds of processes of self-realization, at the end Kṛṣṇa recommended one should give up everything and
simply surrender unto Him. All other processes are meant for teaching one how
to surrender ultimately unto the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. The Bhagavad-gītā also says that this surrendering process is
completed by a sincere person executing the processes of self-realization in
wisdom and austerity after many births.
Since the perfection of such austerity
was completely manifested in the life of the gopīs, Uddhava was fully satisfied
upon seeing their transcendental position. He continued to say: "My dear
gopīs, the mentality which you have developed in relationship with Kṛṣṇa is very, very difficult to attain, even for great
sages and saintly persons. You have attained the highest perfectional stage of
life. It is a great boon for you that you have fixed your mind upon Kṛṣṇa and have decided to have Kṛṣṇa only, giving up your family, home, relatives,
husbands and children for the sake of the Supreme Personality. Because your
mind is now fully absorbed in Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Soul, universal love has automatically developed in
you. I think myself very fortunate that I have been favored, by your grace, to
see you in this situation."
When Uddhava said that he had a message
from Kṛṣṇa, the gopīs were more interested in
hearing the message than in hearing about their exalted position. They did not
very much like being praised for their high position. They showed their anxiety
to hear the message which Uddhava had brought from Kṛṣṇa. Uddhava said, "My dear gopīs, I am
especially deputed to carry this message to you, who are such great and gentle
devotees. Kṛṣṇa has specifically sent me to you
because I am His most confidential servitor."
The written message which Uddhava
brought from Kṛṣṇa was not delivered to the gopīs by Uddhava, but he personally
read it before them. The message was very gravely written, so that not only the
gopīs, but all empiric philosophers might understand how pure love of God is
intrinsically integrated with all the different energies of the Supreme Lord.
From Vedic information it is understood that the Supreme Lord has
multi-energies, parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate. Also, the gopīs were such
intimate personal friends of Kṛṣṇa that while He was writing the message for them, He was much
moved and could not write distinctly. Uddhava, as the student of Bṛhaspati, had very sharp intelligence, so instead of
handing over the written message, he thought it wise to read it personally and
explain it to them.
Uddhava continued: "These are the
words from the Personality of Godhead. 'My dear gopīs, My dear friends, please
know that separation between ourselves is impossible at any time, at any place
or under any circumstances, because I am all-pervading.'"
This all-pervasiveness of Kṛṣṇa is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā, both in the
Ninth and Seventh chapters. Kṛṣṇa is all-pervasive in His impersonal feature; everything is
resting in Him, but He is not personally present everywhere. In the Seventh
Chapter also, it is stated that the five gross elements, earth, water, fire,
air and sky, and the three subtle elements, mind, intelligence, and ego, are
all His inferior energies. But there is another, superior energy, which is
called the living entity. The living entities are also directly part and parcel
of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Kṛṣṇa is the source of both the material and spiritual
energies. He is always intermingled with everything as cause and effect. Not
only the gopīs, but all living entities are always inseparably connected with Kṛṣṇa in all circumstances. The gopīs, however, are
perfectly and thoroughly in cooperation in their relationship with Kṛṣṇa, whereas the living entities under the spell of
māyā are forgetful of Kṛṣṇa. They think themselves as separate identities having no
connection with Kṛṣṇa.
Love of Kṛṣṇa, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, is therefore the perfectional stage of real
knowledge in understanding things as they are. Our minds can never be vacant.
The mind is constantly occupied with some kind of thought, and the subject
matter of such thought cannot be outside the eight elements of Kṛṣṇa's energy. One who knows this philosophical aspect
of all thoughts is actually a wise man, and he surrenders unto Kṛṣṇa. The gopīs are the typical example of this
perfectional stage of knowledge. They are not simple mental speculators. Their
minds are always in Kṛṣṇa. The mind is nothing but the energy of Kṛṣṇa. Actually, any person who can think, feel, act
and will cannot be separated from Kṛṣṇa. But the stage in which he can understand his eternal
relationship is called Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The diseased condition in which he cannot
understand his eternal relationship with Kṛṣṇa is the contaminated stage, or māyā. Since the gopīs are on the
platform of pure transcendental knowledge, their minds are always filled with Kṛṣṇa consciousness. For example, as there is no
separation between fire and air, so there is no separation between Kṛṣṇa and the living entities. When the living entities
forget Kṛṣṇa, they are not in their normal
condition. As for the gopīs, because they are always thinking of Kṛṣṇa they are on the absolute stage of perfection in
knowledge. The so-called empiric philosophers sometimes think that the path of
bhakti is meant for the less intelligent, but unless the so-called man of
knowledge comes to the platform of bhakti, his knowledge is certainly impure
and imperfect. Actually, the stage of perfecting one's eteranl relationship
with Kṛṣṇa is love in separation. But that is
also illusory because there is no separation. The gopīs were never seperated
from Kṛṣṇa. Even from the philosophical point of
view, there was no separation.
The cosmic manifestation is also not
separate from Kṛṣṇa. "Nothing is separate from Me; the whole cosmic
manifestation is resting on Me and is not separate from Me. Before the
creation, I was existing." This is confirmed in the Vedic literature:
before creation, there was only Nārāyaṇa. There were no Brahmā and no Śiva as assistants. The whole
cosmic manifestation is manipulated by the three modes of material nature.
Brahmā is the incarnation of the quality of passion. It is said that Brahmā
created this universe, but Brahmā is the secondary creator; the original
creator is Nārāyaṇa. This is also confirmed by Śaṅkarācārya: nārāyaṇaḥ paro ’vyaktāt. "Nārāyaṇa is transcendental, beyond this cosmic creation."
If we simply study our own bodies, we can understand how a living entity is always aloof from this bodily encagement. Every action of the body is taking place by the interaction of the three modes of material nature. We can see at every moment many changes taking place in bodies, but the spirit soul is aloof from all changes. One can neither create nor annihilate nor interfere with the actions of material nature. The living entity is therefore entrapped by the material body and is conditioned in three stages, namely while awake, asleep and unconscious. The mind is acting through all the three conditions of life; the living entity in his sleeping or dreaming condition sees something as real, and in his awake condition he sees the same thing as unreal. It is concluded, therefore, that under certain circumstances he accepts something as real, and under other circumstances he accepts the very same thing as unreal. These matters are the subject matter of study for the empiric philosopher or the sāṅkhya-yogi. In order to come to the right conclusion, sāṅkhya-yogīs undergo severe austerities and penances. They practice control of the senses and renunciation.
All these different ways of determining the ultimate goal of life are compared to rivers. Kṛṣṇa is the ocean. As the rivers flow down toward the ocean, all attempts for knowledge flow toward Kṛṣṇa. After many, many births of endeavor, when one actually comes to Kṛṣṇa, he attains the perfectional stage. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā: "All are pursuing the path of realizing Me, but those who have adopted courses without any bhakti find their endeavor very troublesome." Kleśo ’dhikataras teṣām: Kṛṣṇa cannot be understood unless one comes to the point of bhakti.
Three paths are enunciated in the Gītā: karma-yoga, jñāna-yoga and bhakti-yoga. Those who are too addicted to fruitive activities are advised to perform actions which will bring them to bhakti. Those who are addicted to the frustration of empiric philosophy are also advised to realize bhakti. Karma-yoga is different from ordinary karma, and jñāna-yoga is different from jñāna. Ultimately, as stated by the Lord in the Bhagavad-gītā, bhaktya māṁ abhijānāti: only through execution of devotional service can one understand Kṛṣṇa. The perfectional stage of devotional service was achieved by the gopīs because they did not care to know anything but Kṛṣṇa. It is confirmed in the Vedas, yasmin eva vijñāte sarvam eva vijñātam bhavanti. This means that simply by knowing Kṛṣṇa all other knowledge is automatically acquired.
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Kṛṣṇa continued: "Transcendental
knowledge of the Absolute is no longer necessary for you. You were accustomed
to love Me from the very beginning of your lives." Knowledge of the
Absolute Truth is specifically required for persons who want liberation from
material existence. But one who has attained love for Kṛṣṇa is already on the platform of
liberation. As stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, anyone engaged in unalloyed
devotional service is to be considered situated on the transcendental
platform of liberation. The gopīs were not actually feeling any pangs of
material existence, but they were feeling the separation of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa therefore said, "My dear
gopīs, in order to increase your superexcellent love for Me, I have purposely
separated Myself from you. I have done this so that you may be in constant
meditation on Me."
The gopīs are in the perfectional
stage of meditation. The yogīs are generally more fond of meditation than the
execution of devotional service to the Lord, but they do not know that the
perfectional stage of devotion is the attainment of the perfection of the
yoga system. This constant meditation on Kṛṣṇa by the gopīs is confirmed in the
Bhagavad-gītā to be the topmost yoga. Kṛṣṇa knew very well the psychology of
women. When a woman's beloved is away, she thinks of him meditatively, and He
is present before her. Kṛṣṇa wanted to teach through the behavior of the gopīs. One who is
constantly in trance like the gopīs surely attains the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa.
Lord Caitanya taught people in
general the method of vipralambha, which is the method of rendering service
unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the feeling of separation. The six
Gosvāmīs also taught worship of Kṛṣṇa in the feeling of the gopīs in
separation. The prayers of Śrīnivāsa Ācārya about the Gosvāmīs explain these
matters very clearly. Śrīnivāsa Ācārya said that the Gosvāmīs were always absorbed
in the ocean of transcendental feelings in the mood of the gopīs. When they
lived in Vṛndāvana they were searching for Kṛṣṇa, crying, "Where is Kṛṣṇa? Where are the gopīs? Where are
You, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī?" They never said, "We have now seen Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, and therefore our mission is
fulfilled." Their mission remained always unfulfilled; they never met
Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. At the time of the rāsa dance, those gopīs who could not join
the rāsa-līlā with Kṛṣṇa gave up their bodies simply by thinking of Him. Absorption in
Kṛṣṇa consciousness by feeling separation
is thus the quickest method for attainment of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. By the personal statement of Kṛṣṇa, the gopīs were convinced about the
strength of feelings of separation. They were actually experiencing the
supernatural method of Kṛṣṇa worship and were much relieved and happy to understand it.
They began to speak as follows:
"We have heard that King Kaṁsa, who was always a source of trouble for the Yadu dynasty, has
now been killed. This is good news for us. We hope, therefore, that the
members of the Yadu dynasty are very happy in the association of Kṛṣṇa, who can fulfill all the desires of
His devotees. My dear Uddhava, kindly let us know whether Kṛṣṇa sometimes thinks of us while in the
midst of highly enlightened society girls in Mathurā. We know that the women
and girls in Mathurā are not village women. They are enlightened and
beautiful. Their bashful smiling glances and other feminine features must be
very pleasing to Kṛṣṇa. We know very well that Kṛṣṇa is always fond of the behavior of
beautiful women. It seems, therefore, that He has been entrapped by the women
of Mathurā. My dear Uddhava, will you kindly let us know if Kṛṣṇa sometimes remembers us while He is
in the midst of other women?"
Another gopī inquired: "Does He
remember that night in the midst of kumadini flowers and moonlight, when Vṛndāvana became exceedingly beautiful?
Kṛṣṇa was dancing with us, and the
atmosphere was surcharged with the sound of foot bells. We exchanged pleasing
conversation then. Does He remember that particular night? We remember that
night, and we feel separation. Separation from Kṛṣṇa makes us agitated, as if there were
fire in our bodies. He proposed to come back to Vṛndāvana to extinguish the fire, just
as a cloud appears in the sky to extinguish the forest fire by its
downpour."
Another gopī said, "Kṛṣṇa has killed His enemy, and He has
victoriously achieved the kingdom of Kaṁsa. Maybe He is married with a king's daughter by this time and
living very happily among His kinsmen and friends. Therefore, why should He
come to this village of Vṛndāvana?"
Another gopī said, "Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, the husband of the goddess of fortune, and He is self-sufficient. He
has no business either with us, the girls in the Vṛndāvana forest, or with the city
girls in Mathurā. He is the great Supersoul; He has nothing to do with any of
us, either here or there."
Another gopī said, "It is an
unreasonable hope for us to expect Kṛṣṇa to come back to Vṛndāvana. We should try instead to be
happy in disappointment. Even Piṅgalā, the great prostitute, said that disappointment is the
greatest pleasure. We all know these things, but it is very difficult for us
to give up the expectation of Kṛṣṇa's coming back again. Who can forget
a solitary conversation with Kṛṣṇa, on whose breast the goddess of fortune always remains, in
spite of Kṛṣṇa's not desiring her? My dear
Uddhava, Vṛndāvana is the land of rivers,
forests and cows. Here the vibration of the flute is heard, and Kṛṣṇa, along with His elder brother, Śrī
Balarāma, enjoyed the atmosphere in our company. Thus the environment of Vṛndāvana is constantly reminding us of
Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma. The impression of His
footprints is on the land of Vṛndāvana, which is the residential place of the goddess of
fortune, but such signs cannot help us to get Kṛṣṇa."
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The gopīs further expressed that Vṛndāvana was still full of all opulence and good
fortune; there was no scarcity or want in Vṛndāvana as far as material necessities were concerned, but in
spite of such opulence they could not forget Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma.
"We are constantly remembering
various attractive features of beautiful Kṛṣṇa, His walking, His smiling and His joking words. We have all
become lost by the dealings of Kṛṣṇa, and it is impossible for us to forget Him. We are always
praying for Him, exclaiming, 'Dear Lord, dear husband of the goddess of
fortune, dear Lord of Vṛndāvana and deliverer of the distressed devotees! We are now
fallen and merged into an ocean of distress. Please, therefore, come back again
to Vṛndāvana and deliver us from this
pitiable condition.'"
Uddhava
minutely studied the transcendental abnormal condition of the gopīs in their
separation from Kṛṣṇa, and he thought it wise to repeat all the pastimes of Śrī Kṛṣṇa over and over again. Materialistic persons are
always in a burning condition on account of the blazing fire of material
miseries. The gopīs also were burning in a transcendental blazing fire due to
separation from Kṛṣṇa. The blazing fire which was exasperating the gopīs, however, is
different from the fire of the material world. The gopīs constantly want the
association of Kṛṣṇa, whereas the materialistic person wants the advantage of
material comforts.
It
is stated by Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākur that Kṛṣṇa saved the cowherd boys from the blazing forest fire within a
second, while their eyes were closed. Similarly, Uddhava advised the gopīs that
they could be saved from the fire of separation by closing their eyes and meditating
on the activities of Kṛṣṇa from the very beginning of their association with Him. From the
outside, the gopīs could visualize all the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa by hearing the descriptions of Uddhava, and from
inside they could remember those pastimes. From the instruction of Uddhava, the
gopīs could understand that Kṛṣṇa was not separate from them. As they were constantly thinking of
Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa was also thinking of them constantly while at Mathurā.
Uddhava's
messages and instructions saved the gopīs from immediate death, and the gopīs
acknowledged the benediction from Uddhava. Uddhava practically acted as the
preceptor spiritual master of the gopīs, and they in return they worshiped him
as they would worship Kṛṣṇa. It is recommended in authoritative scriptures that the
spiritual master should be worshiped on the level of the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, because of his being His very confidential servitor, and it is
accepted by great authorities that the spiritual master is the external
manifestation of Kṛṣṇa. The gopīs were relieved from their transcendental burning
condition by realizing that Kṛṣṇa was with them. Internally, they remembered His association
within their hearts, and externally Uddhava helped them to appreciate Kṛṣṇa by conclusive instructions.
The
Supreme Personality of Godhead is described in the scriptures as adhokṣaja, which indicates that He is beyond the
perception of all material senses. Although He is beyond the perception of
material senses, He is present in everyone's heart. At the same time, He is
present everywhere by His all-pervasive feature of Brahman. All three
transcendental features of the Absolute Truth (Bhagavān the Personality of
Godhead, Paramātmā the localized Supersoul, and the all-pervasive Brahman) can
be realized simply by studying the condition of the gopīs in their meeting with
Uddhava, as described by the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
It
is said by Śrīnivāsa Ācārya that the six Gosvāmīs were always merged in
thoughts of the activities of the gopīs. Caitanya Mahāprabhu has also
recommended the gopīs' method of worship of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
as superexcellent. Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī has also recommended that anyone who
hears from the right source about the dealings of the gopīs with Kṛṣṇa and who follows the instructions will be elevated
to the topmost position of devotional service and will be able to give up the
lust of material enjoyment.
All
the gopīs were solaced by the instruction of Uddhava, and they requested him to
stay in Vṛndāvana for a few days more. Uddhava
agreed to their proposal and stayed with them not only for a few days, but for
a few months. He always kept them engaged in thinking of the transcendental
message of Kṛṣṇa and His pastimes, and the gopīs were
feeling as if they were experiencing direct association with Kṛṣṇa. While Uddhava remained in Vṛndāvana, the inhabitants enjoyed his association.
As they discussed the activities of Kṛṣṇa, the days passed just like moments. Vṛndāvana's natural atmosphere, with the presence of
the River Yamunā, its nice orchards of trees decorated with various fruits,
Govardhana Hill, caves, blooming flowers--all combined to inspire Uddhava to
narrate Kṛṣṇa's pastimes. The inhabitants enjoyed
Uddhava's association in the same way as they enjoyed the association of Kṛṣṇa.
Uddhava
was attracted by the attitude of the gopīs because they were completely
attached to Kṛṣṇa, and Uddhava was inspired by the gopīs' anxiety for Kṛṣṇa. He began to offer them his respectful obeisances
and composed songs in praise of their transcendental qualities as follows:
"Among all the living entities who have accepted the human form of life,
the gopīs are superexcellently successful in their mission. Their thought is
thoroughly absorbed in the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. Great sages and saintly persons are also trying to be absorbed
in meditation upon the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, who is Mukunda Himself, the giver of liberation, but the gopīs,
having lovingly accepted the Lord, are automatically accustomed to this habit.
They do not depend on any yogic practice. The conclusion is that one who has
attained the gopīs' condition of life does not have to take birth as Lord
Brahmā or be born in a brāhmaṇa family or be initiated as a brāhmaṇa."
Śrī
Uddhava confirmed the statement of Bhagavad-gītā spoken by Lord Kṛṣṇa; one who takes shelter of Him for the right
purpose, be he a śūdra or lower, will attain the highest goal of life. The
gopīs have set the standard of devotion for the whole world. By following in
the footsteps of the gopīs by constantly thinking of Kṛṣṇa, one can attain the highest perfectional stage of
spiritual life. The gopīs were not born of any highly cultured family; they
were born of cowherd men, and yet they developed the highest love of Kṛṣṇa. For self-realization or God realization there is
no need to take birth in a high family. The only thing needed is ecstatic
development of love of God. In achieving perfection in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, no other qualification is required
than to be constantly engaged in the loving service of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is the supreme nectar, the reservoir of all pleasure. The effect
of taking up Kṛṣṇa consciousness is just like that of drinking nectar; with or
without one's knowledge, it will act. The active principle of Kṛṣṇa consciousness will manifest itself everywhere; it
does not matter how and where one has taken his birth. Kṛṣṇa will bestow His benediction upon anyone who takes
to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, without any doubt. The
supreme benediction attained by the gopīs in spite of their being born in the
family of cowherd men was never attained even by the goddess of fortune
herself, and certainly not by the denizens of heaven, though their bodily forms
are like lotuses. The gopīs are so fortunate that during rāsa-līlā Kṛṣṇa personally embraced them with His arms. Kṛṣṇa kissed them face to face. Certainly it is not
possible for any women in the three worlds to achieve this except the gopīs.
The gopīs were so much attracted to Kṛṣṇa that when they heard the vibration of His flute, they instantly left their families, children, honor and feminine bashfulness and ran towards the place where Kṛṣṇa was standing. They did not consider whether they were passing over the road or through the jungles. Imperceptibly, the dust of their feet was bestowed on small grasses and herbs of Vṛndāvana. Not daring to place the dust of the gopīs' feet on his own head, Uddhava aspired to have a future birth in the position of a clump of grass and herbs. He would then be able to have the dust of the gopīs' feet.
Uddhava appreciated the extraordinary fortune of the gopīs, who relieved themselves of all kinds of material contamination by placing on their high, beautiful breasts the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, which are not only worshiped by the goddess of fortune, but by such exalted demigods as Brahmā and Lord Śiva, and which are meditated on by great yogīs within their hearts. Thus Uddhava desired to be able to constantly pray to be honored by the dust of the gopīs' lotus feet. The gopīs' chanting of the transcendental pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa has become celebrated all over the three worlds.
After living in Vṛndāvana for some days, Uddhava desired to go back to Kṛṣṇa, and he begged permission to leave from Nanda Mahārāja and Yaśodā. He had a farewell meeting with the gopīs, and taking permission of them also, he mounted his chariot to start for Mathurā.
When Uddhava was about to leave, all the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana, headed by Mahārāja Nanda and Yaśodā, came to bid him good-bye and presented him with various kinds of valuable goods secured in Vṛndāvana. They expressed their feelings with tears in their eyes due to intense attachment for Kṛṣṇa. All of them desired benediction from Uddhava. They desired always to remember the glorious activities of Kṛṣṇa and wanted their minds to be always fixed upon His lotus feet, their words always engaged in glorifying Kṛṣṇa, and their bodies always engaged in bowing down and constantly remembering Him. This prayer of the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana is the superexcellent type of self-realization. The method is very simple: to fix the mind always on the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, to talk always of Kṛṣṇa without passing on to any other subject matter, and to engage the body in Kṛṣṇa's service constantly. Specifically in this human form of life, one should engage his life, his resources, words and intelligence for the service of the Lord. Such kinds of activities only can elevate a human being to the highest level of perfection. This is the verdict of all authorities.
The inhabitants of Vṛndāvana said: "By the will of the supreme authority and according to the results of our own work, we may take our birth anywhere. It doesn't matter where we are born, but our only prayer is that we may simply be engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness." A pure devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa never desires to be promoted to the heavenly planets, or even to Vaikuṇṭha or Goloka Vṛndāvana, because he has no desire for his own personal satisfaction. A pure devotee regards both heaven and hell to be on an equal level. Without Kṛṣṇa, heaven is hell; and with Kṛṣṇa, hell is heaven. When Uddhava had sufficiently honored the worship of the pure devotees of Vṛndāvana, he returned to Mathurā and to his master, Kṛṣṇa. After offering respects by bowing down before Lord Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, he began to describe the wonderful devotional life of the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana. He presented all of the gifts given by the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana to Vasudeva, the father of Kṛṣṇa, and Ugrasena, the grandfather of Kṛṣṇa.
47. Kṛṣṇa Pleases His
Devotees
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For days together, Kṛṣṇa heard from Uddhava all the details
of his visit to Vṛndāvana, of the condition of His father and mother, and of the
gopīs and the cowherd boys. Lord Kṛṣṇa was fully satisfied that Uddhava
was able to solace them by his instruction and by the message delivered to
them.
Lord Kṛṣṇa then decided to go to the house of
Kubjā, the hunchback woman who had pleased Him by offering Him sandalwood
when He was entering the city of Mathurā. As stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, Kṛṣṇa always tries to please His
devotees, and the devotees try to please Kṛṣṇa. As the devotees always think of Kṛṣṇa within their hearts, so Kṛṣṇa also thinks of His devotees within
Himself. When Kubjā was converted into a beautiful society girl, she wanted Kṛṣṇa to come to her place so that she
could try to receive and worship Him in her own way. Society girls generally
try to satisfy their clients by offering their bodies to the men to enjoy.
But this society girl, Kubjā, was actually captivated by a lust to satisfy
her senses with Kṛṣṇa. When Kṛṣṇa desired to go to the house of Kubjā, He certainly had no
desire for sense gratification. By supplying the sandalwood pulp to Kṛṣṇa, Kubjā had already satisfied His
senses. On the plea of her sense gratification, He decided to go to her
house, not actually for sense gratification, but to turn her into a pure
devotee. Kṛṣṇa is always served by many thousands
of goddesses of fortune; therefore He has no need to satisfy His senses by
going to a society girl. But as He is kind to everyone, He decided to go
there. It is said that the moon does not withhold its shining from the
courtyard of a crooked person. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa's transcendental mercy is never
denied to anyone, whether one has rendered service unto Him through lust,
anger, fear or pure love. In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta it is stated that if one wants to
serve Kṛṣṇa and at the same time wants to
satisfy his own lusty desires, Kṛṣṇa will handle it so that the devotee
forgets his lusty desire and becomes fully purified and constantly engaged in
the service of the Lord.
In order to fulfill His past promise,
Kṛṣṇa, along with Uddhava, went to the
house of Kubjā. When Kṛṣṇa reached her house, He saw that it was completely decorated in
a way to excite the lusty desires of a man. This suggests that there were
many nude pictures, on top of which were canopies and flags embroidered with
pearl necklaces, along with comfortable beds and cushioned chairs. The rooms
were provided with flower garlands and were nicely scented with incense and
sprinkled with scented water. And the rooms were illuminated by nice lamps.
When Kubjā saw that Lord Kṛṣṇa had come to her house in order to
fulfill His promised visit, she immediately got up from the chair to receive
Him. Accompanied by her many girl friends, she began to talk with Him with
great respect and honor. After offering Him a nice place to sit, she worshiped
Lord Kṛṣṇa in a manner just suitable to her
position. Uddhava was similarly received by Kubjā and her girl friends, but
he was not on an equal level with Kṛṣṇa, and he simply sat down on the
floor.
Without wasting time, as one does in
such situations, Kṛṣṇa entered the bedroom of Kubjā. In the meantime, Kubjā took her
bath and smeared her body with sandalwood pulp. She dressed herself with nice
garments, valuable jewelry, ornaments and flower garlands. Chewing betel nut
and other intoxicating eatables and spraying herself with scents, she
appeared before Kṛṣṇa. Her smiling glance and moving eyes were full of feminine
bashfulness as she stood gracefully before Lord Kṛṣṇa, who is known as Mādhava, the
husband of the goddess of fortune. When Kṛṣṇa saw that Kubjā was hesitating to
come before Him, He immediately caught hold of her hand, which was decorated
with bangles. With great affection, He dragged her beside Him and made her
sit by His side. Simply by having previously supplied pulp of sandalwood to
the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa, Kubjā became free from all sinful reactions and eligible to
enjoy with Him. She then took Kṛṣṇa's lotus feet and placed them on her
breasts, which were burning with the blazing fire of lust. By smelling the
fragrance of Kṛṣṇa's lotus feet, she immediately became relieved of all lusty
desires. She was thus allowed to embrace Kṛṣṇa with her two arms and thus mitigate
her long-cherished desire to have Kṛṣṇa as a visitor in her house.
It is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā
that without being freed of all material sinful reactions, one cannot be
engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. Simply by supplying
sandalwood pulp to Kṛṣṇa, Kubjā was thus rewarded. She was not trained to worship Kṛṣṇa in any other way; therefore she
wanted to satisfy Him by her profession. It is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā
that the Lord can be worshiped even by one's profession, if it is sincerely
offered for the pleasure of the Lord. Kubjā then told Kṛṣṇa, "My dear friend, kindly
remain with me at least for a few days. Enjoy with me, You and Your
lotus-eyed friend. I cannot leave You immediately. Please grant my
request."
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As stated in the Vedic versions, the
Supreme Personality of Godhead has multi-potencies. According to expert
opinion, Kubjā represents the puruṣa-śakti potency of Kṛṣṇa, just as Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī represents His cit-śakti potency. Although she requested Kṛṣṇa to remain with her for some days, Kṛṣṇa politely impressed upon her that it was not
possible for Him to stay. Kṛṣṇa visits this material world occasionally, whereas His connection
with the spiritual world is eternal. Kṛṣṇa is always present either in the Vaikuṇṭha planets or in the Goloka Vṛndāvana planet. The technical term for His presence
in the spiritual world is prakaṭa-līlā.
After satisfying Kubjā with sweet
words, Kṛṣṇa returned to His place along with
Uddhava. There is a warning in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that Kṛṣṇa is not very easily worshiped because He is the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, the chief among the Viṣṇu-tattvas. To worship Kṛṣṇa or have association with Him is not a very easy
job. Specifically, there is a warning for devotees who are attracted to Kṛṣṇa through conjugal love; it is not good for them to
desire to have sense gratification by direct association with Kṛṣṇa. Actually, the activities of sense gratification
are material. In the spiritual world there are symptoms like kissing and
embracing, but there is no sense-gratificatory process as it exists in the
material world. This warning is specifically for those known as sahajiyā, who
take it for granted that Kṛṣṇa is an ordinary human being. They desire to enjoy sex life with
Him in a perverted way. In a spiritual relationship, sense gratification is
most insignificant. Anyone who desires a relationship of perverted sense
gratification with Kṛṣṇa must be considered to be less intelligent. His mentality
requires to be reformed.
After a while, Kṛṣṇa fulfilled His promise to visit Akrūra at his
house. Akrūra was in relationship with Kṛṣṇa as His servitor, and Kṛṣṇa wanted to get some service from him.
He went there accompanied by both Lord Balarāma and Uddhava. When Kṛṣṇa, Balarāma and Uddhava were
approaching the house of Akrūra, Akrūra came forward, embraced Uddhava and
offered respectful obeisances, bowing down before Lord Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma. Kṛṣṇa, Balarāma and Uddhava offered him
obeisances in turn and were offered appropriate sitting places by Akrūra. When
all were comfortably seated, Akrūra washed their feet and sprinkled the water
on his head. Then he offered nice flowers and sandalwood pulp in regular
worship. All three of them became very satisfied by the behavior of Akrūra.
Akrūra then bowed down before Kṛṣṇa, putting his head on the ground. Then, keeping Kṛṣṇa's lotus feet on his lap, Akrūra began
to gently massage them. When Akrūra was fully satisfied in the presence of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, his eyes became filled
with tears of love for Kṛṣṇa, and he began to offer his prayers as follows.
"My dear Lord Kṛṣṇa, it is very kind of You to have killed Kaṁsa and his associates. You have delivered the whole
family of the Yadu dynasty from the greatest calamity. Your saving of the great
Yadu dynasty will always be remembered by them. My dear Lord Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, You are the original personality
from whom everything has emanated. You are the original cause of all causes.
You have inconceivable energy, and You are all-pervasive. But for Yourself,
there is no other cause and effect, gross or subtle. You are the Supreme
Brahman realized by the study of the Vedas. By Your inconceivable energy, You
are actually visible before us. You create this cosmic manifestation by Your
own potencies, and You enter into it Yourself. As the five material elements,
earth, water, fire, air, and sky, are distributed in everything manifested by
different kinds of bodies, so You alone enter into different varieties of
bodies, created by Your own energy. You enter the body as the individual soul
as well as independently as the Supersoul. The material body is created by Your
inferior energy. The living entities, individual souls, are part and parcel of
You, and the Supersoul is Your localized representation. This material body,
the living entity and the Supersoul constitute an individual living being, but
originally they are all different energies of the one Supreme Lord.
"In the material world, You are
creating, maintaining and dissolving the whole manifestation by interaction of
three qualities, namely goodness, passion and ignorance. You are not implicated
by the activities of those material qualities because Your supreme knowledge is
never overcome, as is the case with the individual living entity."
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As the Supreme Lord enters into this
material creation and thus the creation, maintenance and destruction are
going on in their due course, so the part and parcel living entity enters the
material elements and has his material body created for him. The difference
between the living entity and the Lord is that the living entity is part and
parcel of the Supreme Lord and has the tendency to be overcome by the
interactions of material qualities. Kṛṣṇa, the Parambrahman or the Supreme
Brahman, being always situated in full knowledge, is never overcome by such
activities. Therefore Kṛṣṇa's name is Acyuta, meaning He who never falls down. Kṛṣṇa's knowledge of spiritual identity
is never overcome by material action, whereas the identity of the minute part
and parcel living entities is prone to be overcome by material action. The
individual living entities are eternally part and parcel of God. As minute sparks
of the original fire, Kṛṣṇa, they have the tendeny to become extinguished.
Akrūra continued: "The less
intelligent class of men misunderstand Your transcendental form to be also
made of material energy. That concept is not at all applicable to You.
Actually, You are all spiritual, and there is no difference between You and
Your body. Because of this, there is no question of Your being conditioned or
liberated. You are ever-liberated in any condition of life. As stated in the
Bhagavad-gītā, 'Only the fools and rascals consider You to be an ordinary
man.' To consider Your Lordship to be one of us, conditioned by the material
nature, is a mistake due to our imperfect knowledge. When people deviate from
the original knowledge of the Vedas, they try to identify the ordinary living
entities with Your Lordship. Your Lordship has appeared on this earth in Your
original form in order to reestablish the real knowledge that the living
entities are neither one with nor equal to the Supreme God. My dear Lord, You
are always situated in uncontaminated goodness (śuddha-sattva). Your
appearance is necessary to reestablish actual Vedic knowledge, as opposed to
the atheistic philosophy which tries to establish that God and the living
entities are one and the same. My dear Lord Kṛṣṇa, this time You have appeared in the
home of Vasudeva as His son, along with Your plenary expansion, Śrī Balarāma.
Your mission is to kill all the atheistic royal families, along with their
huge military strength. You have advented Yourself to minimize the overburden
of the world, and in order to fulfill this mission, You have glorified the
dynasty of Yadu, appearing in the family as one of its members.
"My dear Lord, today my home has
become purified by Your presence. I have become the most fortunate person in
the world. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is worshipable by all
different kinds of demigods, Pitṛs, living entities, kings and emperors, and who is the Supersoul
of everything, has come into my home. The water of His lotus feet is
purifying the three worlds, and now He has kindly come to my place. Who is
there in the three worlds among factually learned men who will not take
shelter of Your lotus feet and surrender unto You? Who, knowing well that no
one can be as affectionate as You are to Your devotees, is so foolish that he
will decline to become Your devotee? Throughout the Vedic literature it is
declared that You are the dearmost friend of every living entity. This is
confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā: suhṛdām sarva-bhūtānām. You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
completely capable of fulfilling the desires of Your devotees. You are the
real friend of everyone. In spite of giving Yourself to Your devotees, You
are never depleted of Your original potency. Your potency neither decreases
nor increases in volume.
"My dear Lord, it is very
difficult for even the great mystic yogīs and demigods to ascertain Your
movement. You cannot be approached by them, and yet out of Your causeless
mercy You have kindly consented to come to my home. This is the most
auspicious moment in the journey of my material existence. By Your grace
only, I can just understand that my home, my wife, my children and my worldly
possessions are all different bonds to material existence. Please cut the
knot and save me from this entanglement of false society, friendship and
love."
Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa was very pleased by Akrūra's
offering of prayers. His smile was captivating Akrūra more and more. The Lord
replied to him as follows: "My dear Akrūra, in spite of your submissiveness,
I consider you to be My superior, on the level with My father and teacher and
most well-wishing friend. You are, therefore, worshipable by Me, and since
you are My uncle, I am always to be protected by you. I desire to be
maintained by you because I am one of your own children. Apart from this
filial relationship, you are always to be worshiped. Anyone who desires good
fortune must offer his respectful obeisances unto personalities like you. You
are more than the demigods. People go to worship the demigods when they are
in need of some sense gratification; the demigods offer benediction to their
devotees after being worshiped by them. But a devotee like Akrūra is always
ready to offer the greatest benediction to the people. A saintly person or
devotee is free to offer benediction to everyone, whereas the demigods can
offer benediction only after being worshiped. One can take advantage of the
place of pilgrimage only after going there. By worshiping the particular
demigod, it takes a long time for fulfillment of the desire; but saintly
persons like you, My dear Akrūra, can immediately fulfill all the desires of
the devotees. My dear Akrūra, you are always Our friend and well-wisher. You
are always ready to act for Our welfare. Kindly, therefore, go to Hastināpura
and see what arrangement has been made for the Pāṇḍavas."
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Kṛṣṇa was very anxious to know about the sons of Pāṇḍu, because at a very young age, they had lost their
father. Being very friendly to His devotees, Kṛṣṇa was anxious to know about them, and therefore He deputed Akrūra
to go to Hastināpura and get information of the real situation. Kṛṣṇa continued to say, "I have heard that after
the death of King Pāṇḍu his young sons, Yudhiṣṭhira, Bhīma, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva, along with their widowed
mother, have come under the charge of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, who is to look after them as their guardian. But I have also
heard that Dhṛtarāṣṭra is not only blind from birth, but also blind in his affection
for his cruel son, Duryodhana. The five Pāṇḍavas are the sons of King Pāṇḍu, but Dhṛtarāṣṭra, due to his plans and designs, is not favorably disposed
towards the Pāṇḍavas. Kindly go there and study how Dhṛtarāṣṭra is dealing with the Pāṇḍavas. On receipt of your report, I shall consider how to favor the
Pāṇḍavas." In this way the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, ordered Akrūra to go to Hastināpura, and then He returned home,
accompanied by Balarāma and Uddhava.
Om Tat Sat
(Continued...)
(My humble salutations H H Swami Sri Prabhupada ji, Sri Krishnalilas
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