Sri Krishna Madbhagavatam
Introduction
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While attempting to write this book,
Kṛṣṇa, let me first offer my respectful obeisances
unto my spiritual master, Om Viṣṇupāda
108 Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Mahārāja Prabhupāda. Then
let me offer my respectful obeisances to the ocean of mercy, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He is the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa
Himself, appearing in the role of a devotee just to distribute the highest
principles of devotional service. Lord Caitanya began His preaching from the
country known as Gauḍadeśa (West Bengal). And as I belong to the
Madhva-Gauḍīya-sampradāya, I must therefore offer my
respectful obeisances to our disciplic succession. This Madhva-Gauḍīya-sampradāya is also known as Brahma-sampradāya
because the disciplic succession originally began from Brahmā. Brahmā
instructed the sage Nārada, Nārada instructed Vyāsadeva, and Vyāsadeva
instructed Madhva Muni or Madhvācārya. Mādhavendra Purī, the originator of
the Madhva-Gauḍīya-sampradāya, belonged to the Madhvācārya
disciplic succession; he had many renowned disciples both in the sannyāsa
(renounced) and household orders of life, disciples such as Nityānanda
Prabhu, Advaita Prabhu and Īśvara Purī. Īśvara Purī happened to be the
spiritual master of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. So let us offer our respectful
obeisances to Īśvara Purī, Nityānanda Prabhu, Śrī Advaita Ācārya Prabhu,
Śrīvāsa Paṇḍit and Śrī Gadādhara Paṇḍit. Next, let us offer our respectful obeisances
to Svarūpa-Dāmodara, who acted as the private secretary to Lord Caitanya
Mahāprabhu; and let us offer our respectful obeisances to Śrī Vāsudeva Datta
and the constant attendant of Lord Caitanya, Śrī Govinda, and the constant
friend of Lord Caitanya, Mukunda, and also to Murāri Gupta. And let us offer
our respectful obeisances to the six Gosvāmīs of Vṛndāvana, Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī, Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī,
Śrī Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, Śrī Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī and Śrī Raghunātha
Dāsa Gosvāmī.
When the Lord descends, the incarnation emanates from Viṣṇu. Mahā-Viṣṇu is the original cause of material creation, and from Him Garbhodakaśāyi-Viṣṇu expands, and then Kṣīrodakaśāyī-Viṣṇu. Generally, all the incarnations appearing within this material universe are plenary expansions from Kṣīrodakaśāyi-Viṣṇu. Therefore, the business of minimizing the overload of sinful activities on this earth does not belong to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa Himself. But when Kṛṣṇa appears, all the Viṣṇu expansions also join with Him. Kṛṣṇa's different expansions, namely Nārāyaṇa, the quadruple expansion of Vāsudeva, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Pradyumna and Aniruddha, as well as the partial plenary expansion of Matsya or the incarnation of fish, and other yuga-avatāras (incarnations for the millennium), and the manvantara-avatāras, the incarnations of Manus--all combine together and appear with the body of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Kṛṣṇa is the complete whole, and all plenary expansions and incarnations always live with Him. When Kṛṣṇa appeared, Lord Viṣṇu was also with Him. Kṛṣṇa actually appears to demonstrate His Vṛndāvana pastimes and to attract the fortunate conditioned souls and invite them back home, back to Godhead. The killing of the demons was simultaneous to His Vṛndāvana activities and was carried out only by the Viṣṇu portion of Kṛṣṇa. In the Bhagavad-gītā, Eighth Chapter, 20th verse, it is stated that there is another eternal nature, the spiritual sky, which is transcendental to this manifested and nonmanifested matter. The manifested world can be seen in the form of many stars and planetary systems, such as the sun, moon, etc., but beyond this there is a nonmanifested portion which is not approachable to anyone in this body. And beyond that nonmanifested matter there is the spiritual kingdom. That kingdom is described in the Bhagavad-gītā as supreme and eternal. It is never annihilated. This material nature is subjected to repeated creation and annihilation. But that part, the spiritual nature, remains as it is, eternally. The supreme abode of the Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, is also described in the Brahmā-saṁhitā as the abode of cintāmaṇi. That abode of Lord Kṛṣṇa known as Goloka Vṛndāvana is full of palaces made of touchstone. There the trees are called desire trees, and the cows are called surabhi. The Lord is served there by hundreds and thousands of goddesses of fortune. His name is Govinda, the Primeval Lord, and He is the cause of all causes. There the Lord plays His flute, His eyes are like lotus petals, and the color of His body is like that of a beautiful cloud. On His head is a peacock feather. He is so attractive that He excels thousands of Cupids. Lord Kṛṣṇa gives only a little hint in the Gītā of His personal abode which is the supermost planet in the spiritual kingdom. But in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Kṛṣṇa actually appears with all His paraphernalia and demonstrates His activities in Vṛndāvana, then at Mathurā, and then at Dvārakā. The subject matter of this book will gradually reveal all these activities.
The family in which Kṛṣṇa appeared is called the Yadu dynasty. This Yadu
dynasty belongs to the family descending from Soma, the god in the moon
planet. There are two different kṣatriya
families of the royal order, one descending from the king of the moon planet
and the other descending from the king of the sun planet. Whenever the
Supreme Personality of Godhead appears, He generally appears in a kṣatriya family because He has to establish
religious principles or the life of righteousness. The kṣatriya family is the protector of the human race,
according to the Vedic system. When the Supreme Personality of Godhead appeared
as Lord Rāmacandra, He appeared in the family descending from the sun-god,
known as Raghu-vaṁśa; and when He appeared as Lord Kṛṣṇa, He did so in the family of Yadu-vaṁśa. There is a long list of the kings of the
Yadu-vaṁśa in the Ninth Canto, 24th Chapter, of
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. All of them were great powerful kings. Kṛṣṇa's father's name was Vasudeva, son of Śūrasena,
descending from the Yadu dynasty. Actually, the Supreme Personality of
Godhead does not belong to any dynasty of this material world, but the family
in which the Supreme Personality of Godhead appears becomes famous, by His
grace. For example, sandalwood is produced in the states of Malaya.
Sandalwood has its own qualifications apart from Malaya, but because,
accidentally, this wood is mainly produced in the states of Malaya, it is
known as Malayan sandalwood. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa
the Supreme Personality of Godhead belongs to everyone, but just as the sun
rises from the east, although there are other directions from which it could
rise, so, by His own choice, the Lord appears in a particular family, and
that family becomes famous.
When Kṛṣṇa
appears, all His plenary expansions also appear with Him. Kṛṣṇa appeared along with Balarāma (Baladeva), who is
known as His elder brother. Balarāma is the origin of Saṅkarṣaṇa, of the quadruple expansion. Balarāma is also
the plenary expansion of Kṛṣṇa.
In this book, the attempt will be made to show how Kṛṣṇa appeared in the family of the Yadu dynasty and
how He displayed His transcendental characteristics. This is very vividly
described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam--specifically, the Tenth Canto--and the
basis of this book will be Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
The pastimes of the Lord are
generally heard and relished by liberated souls. Those who are conditioned
souls are interested in reading fictional stories of the material activities
of some common man. Narrations describing the transcendental activities of
the Lord are found in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and other Purāṇas. But, the conditioned souls still prefer to
study ordinary narrations. They are not so interested in studying the
narrations of the pastimes of the Lord, Kṛṣṇa.
And yet, the descriptions of the pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa are so attractive that they are relishable for
all classes of men. There are three classes of men in this world. One class
consists of liberated souls, another consists of those who are trying to be
liberated, and the third consists of materialistic men. Whether one is
liberated or is trying to be liberated, or is even grossly materialistic, the
pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa are worth studying.
Liberated souls have no interest in
materialistic activities. The impersonalist theory that after liberation one
becomes inactive and needs hear nothing does not prove that a liberated
person is actually inactive. A living soul cannot be inactive. He is either
active in the conditioned state or in the liberated state. A diseased person,
for example, is also active, but his activities are all painful. The same
person, when freed from the diseased condition, is still active, but in the
healthy condition the activities are full of pleasure. Similarly, the
impersonalists manage to get freed from the diseased conditional activities,
but they have no information of activities in the healthy condition. Those
who are actually liberated and in full knowledge take to hearing the
activities of Kṛṣṇa; such engagement is pure spiritual activity.
It is essential for persons who are
actually liberated to hear about the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa. That is the supreme relishable subject matter
for one in the liberated state. Also, if persons who are trying to be
liberated hear such narrations as Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, then
their path of liberation becomes very clear. Bhagavad-gītā is the preliminary
study of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. By studying the Gītā, one becomes fully conscious
of the position of Lord Kṛṣṇa;
and when he is situated at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa,
he understands the narrations of Kṛṣṇa
as described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Lord Caitanya has therefore advised
His followers that their business is to propagate Kṛṣṇa-kathā.
Kṛṣṇa-kathā
means narrations about Kṛṣṇa.
There are two Kṛṣṇa-kathās: narrations spoken by Kṛṣṇa and narrations spoken about Kṛṣṇa. Bhagavad-gītā is the narration or the
philosophy or the science of God, spoken by Kṛṣṇa
Himself. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the narration about the activities and
transcendental pastimes of Kṛṣṇa.
Both are Kṛṣṇa-kathā. It is the order of Lord Caitanya that Kṛṣṇa-kathā should be spread all over the world,
because if the conditioned souls, suffering under the pangs of material
existence, take to Kṛṣṇa-kathā, then their path of liberation will be
open and clear. The purpose of presenting this book is primarily to induce
people to understand Kṛṣṇa or Kṛṣṇa-kathā,
because thereby they can become freed from material bondage.
This Kṛṣṇa-kathā
will also be very much appealing to the most materialistic persons because Kṛṣṇa's pastimes with the gopīs (cowherd girls) are
exactly like the loving affairs between young girls and boys within this
material world. Actually, the sex feeling found in human society is not
unnatural because this same sex feeling is there in the original Personality
of Godhead. The pleasure potency is called Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. The attraction of loving affairs on the basis
of sex feeling is the original feature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
and we, the conditioned souls, being part and parcel of the Supreme, have
such feelings also, but they are experienced within a perverted, minute
condition. Therefore, when those who are after sex life in this material
world hear about Kṛṣṇa's pastimes with the gopīs, they will relish
transcendental pleasure, although it appears to be materialistic. The
advantage will be that they will gradually be elevated to the spiritual platform.
In the Bhāgavatam it is stated that if one hears the pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa with the gopīs from authorities with
submission, then he will be promoted to the platform of transcendental loving
service to the Lord, and the material disease of lust within his heart will
be completely vanquished. In other words, it will counteract the material sex
life.
Kṛṣṇa
will be appealing to the liberated souls and to persons who are trying to be
liberated, as well as to the gross, conditioned materialist. According to the
statement of Mahārāja Parīkṣit, who heard about
Kṛṣṇa from Śukadeva Gosvāmī, Kṛṣṇa-kathā is equally applicable to every human
being, in whatever condition of life he is in. Everyone will appreciate it to
the highest magnitude. But Mahārāja Parīkṣit
also warned that persons who are simply engaged in killing animals and in
killing themselves may not be very much attracted to Kṛṣṇa-kathā. In other words, ordinary persons who are
following the regulative moral principles of scriptures, no matter in what
condition they are found, will certainly be attracted, but not persons who
are killing themselves. The exact word used in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is
paśughna, which means killing animals or killing oneself. Persons who are not
self-realized and who are not interested in spiritual realization are killing
themselves; they are committing suicide. Because this human form of life is
especially meant for self-realization, by neglecting this important part of
his activities, one simply wastes his time like the animals. So he is
paśughna. The other meaning of the word refers to those who are actually
killing animals. This means persons who are animal eaters (even dog eaters),
and they are all engaged in killing animals in so many ways, such as hunting,
opening slaughterhouses, etc. Such persons cannot be interested in Kṛṣṇa-kathā.
Mahārāja Parīkṣit very much appreciated Kṛṣṇa's activities for many other reasons. Not only
was his grandfather saved by Kṛṣṇa,
but he himself also was saved by Kṛṣṇa.
At the end of the battle of Kurukṣetra,
all the members of the Kuru dynasty, both the sons and grandsons on the side
of Dhṛtarāṣṭra,
as well as those on the side of the Pāṇḍavas,
died in the fighting. Except the five Pāṇḍava
brothers, everyone died on the battlefield of Kurukṣetra. Mahārāja Parīkṣit was at that time within the womb of his
mother. His father, Abhimanyu, the son of Arjuna, also died on the
battlefield of Kurukṣetra, and so Mahārāja Parīkṣit was a posthumous child. When he was in the
womb of his mother, a brahmāstra weapon was released by Aśvatthāmā to kill
the child. When Parīkṣit Mahārāja's mother, Uttarā, approached Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa,
seeing the danger of abortion, entered her womb as the Supersoul and saved
Mahārāja Parīkṣit. Mahārāja Parīkṣit's
other name is Viṣṇurāta because he was saved by Lord Viṣṇu Himself while still within the womb.
Thus everyone, in any condition of
life, should be interested in hearing about Kṛṣṇa
and His activities because He is the Supreme Absolute Truth, the Personality
of Godhead. He is all-pervading; He is living within everyone's heart, and He
is living as His universal form. And yet, as described in the Bhagavad-gītā,
He appears as He is in the human society just to invite everyone to His
transcendental abode, back to home, back to Godhead. Everyone should be
interested in knowing about Kṛṣṇa,
and this book is presented with this purpose: that people may know about Kṛṣṇa and be perfectly benefited in this human form
of life.
In the Ninth Canto of
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Śrī Baladeva is described as the son of Rohiṇī, a wife of Vasudeva. Vasudeva, the father of Kṛṣṇa, had sixteen wives, and one of them was Rohiṇī, the mother of Balarāma. But Balarāma is also
described as the son of Devakī, so how could He be the son of both Devakī and
Rohiṇī? This was one of the questions put by Mahārāja
Parīkṣit to Śukadeva Gosvāmī, and it will be answered
in due course. Mahārāja Parīkṣit also asked
Śukadeva Gosvāmī why Śrī Kṛṣṇa,
just after His appearance as the son of Vasudeva, was immediately carried to
the house of Nanda Mahārāja in Vṛndāvana,
Gokula. He also wanted to know what the activities of Lord Kṛṣṇa were while He was in Vṛndāvana and while He was in Mathurā. Besides
that, he was especially inquisitive to know why Kṛṣṇa killed His maternal uncle, Kaṁsa. Kaṁsa,
being the brother of His mother, was a very intimate superior to Kṛṣṇa, so how was it that He killed Kaṁsa? Also, he asked how many years Lord Kṛṣṇa remained in human society, how many years He
reigned over the kingdom of Dvārakā, and how many wives He accepted there. A
kṣatriya king is generally accustomed to accept
more than one wife; therefore Mahārāja Parīkṣit
also inquired about His number of wives. The subject matter of this book is
Śukadeva Gosvāmī's answering of these and other questions asked by Mahārāja
Parīkṣit.
The position of Mahārāja Parīkṣit and Śukadeva Gosvāmī is unique. Mahārāja Parīkṣit is the right person to hear about the
transcendental pastimes of Kṛṣṇa,
and Śukadeva Gosvāmī is the right person to describe them. If such a
fortunate combination is made possible, then Kṛṣṇa-kathā
immediately becomes revealed, and people may benefit to the highest possible
degree from such a conversation.
This narration was presented by
Śukadeva Gosvāmī when Mahārāja Parīkṣit
was prepared to give up his body, fasting on the bank of the Ganges. In order
to assure Śukadeva Gosvāmī that by hearing Kṛṣṇa-kathā
he would not feel tired, Mahārāja Parīkṣit
expressed himself very frankly: "Hunger and thirst may give trouble to
ordinary persons or to me, but the topics of Kṛṣṇa
are so nice that one can continue to hear about them without feeling tired
because such hearing situates one in the transcendental position." It is
understood that one must be very fortunate to hear about Kṛṣṇa-kathā seriously, like Mahārāja Parīkṣit. He was especially intent on the subject
matter because he was expecting death at any moment. Every one of us should
be conscious of death at every moment. This life is not at all assured; at
any time one can die. It does not matter whether one is a young man or an old
man. So before death takes place, we must be fully Kṛṣṇa conscious.
At the point of his death, King Parīkṣit was hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from Śukadeva
Gosvāmī. When King Parīkṣit expressed his
untiring desire to hear about Kṛṣṇa,
Śukadeva Gosvāmī was very pleased. Śukadeva was the greatest of all Bhāgavata
reciters, and thus he began to speak about Kṛṣṇa's
pastimes, which destroy all inauspiciousness in this age of Kali. Śukadeva
Gosvāmī thanked the King for his eagerness to hear about Kṛṣṇa, and he encouraged him by saying, "My dear
King, your intelligence is very keen because you are so eager to hear about
the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa." He informed Mahārāja Parīkṣit that hearing and chanting of the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa are so auspicious that the processes purifies
the three varieties of men involved: he who recites the transcendental topics
of Kṛṣṇa, he who hears such topics, and he who inquires
about Him. These pastimes are just like the Ganges water which flows from the
toe of Lord Viṣṇu: they purify the three worlds, the upper,
middle and lower planetary systems.
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Kṛṣṇa!
Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa!
Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa!
Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa!
he
Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa! he Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa! rakṣa mām Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa! pāhi mām Rāma! Rāghava! Rāma! Rāghava! Rāma! Rāghava! rakṣa mām Kṛṣṇa! Keśava! Kṛṣṇa! Keśava! Kṛṣṇa! Keśava! pāhi mām Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya 7.96) |
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1. Advent of Lord Kṛṣṇa
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Once the world was overburdened by
the unnecessary defense force of different kings, who were actually demons,
but were posing themselves as the royal order. At that time, the whole world
became perturbed, and the predominating deity of this earth, known as Bhūmi,
went to see Lord Brahmā to tell of her calamities due to the demoniac kings.
Bhūmi assumed the shape of a cow and presented herself before Lord Brahmā
with tears in her eyes. She was bereaved and was weeping just to invoke the
Lord's compassion. She related the calamitous position of the earth, and
after hearing this, Lord Brahmā became much aggrieved, and he at once started
for the ocean of milk, where Lord Viṣṇu
resides. Lord Brahmā was accompanied by all the demigods headed by Lord Śiva,
and Bhūmi also followed. Arriving on the shore of the milk ocean, Lord Brahmā
began to pacify the Lord Viṣṇu
who formerly saved the earthly planet by assuming the transcendental form of
a boar.
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In the Vedic mantras, there is a
particular type of prayer called Puruṣa-sūkta.
Generally, the demigods offer their obeisances unto Viṣṇu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, by chanting
the Puruṣa-sūkta. It is understood herein that the
predominating deity of every planet can see the supreme lord of this universe,
Brahmā, whenever there is some disturbance in his planet. And Brahmā can
approach the Supreme Lord Viṣṇu, not by seeing Him
directly, but by standing on the shore of the ocean of milk. There is a planet
within this universe called Śvetadvīpa, and on that planet there is an ocean of
milk. It is understood from various Vedic literatures that just as there is the
ocean of salt water within this planet, there are various kinds of oceans in
other planets. Somewhere there is an ocean of milk, somewhere there is an ocean
of oil, and somewhere there is an ocean of liquor and many other types of
oceans. Puruṣa-sūkta is the standard prayer which the demigods
recite to appease the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṣīrodakaśāyī-Viṣṇu.
Because He is lying on the ocean of milk, He is called Kṣīrodakaśāyī-Viṣṇu.
He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, through whom all the incarnations
within this universe appear.
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After all the demigods offered the
Puruṣa-sūkta prayer to the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, they apparently heard no response. Then Lord Brahmā personally sat
in meditation, and there was a message-transmission from Lord Viṣṇu to Brahmā. Brahmā then broadcast the message to
the demigods. That is the system of receiving Vedic knowledge. The Vedic knowledge
is received first by Brahmā from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, through
the medium of the heart. As stated in the beginning of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam,
tene brahma hṛdā: the transcendental knowledge of the Vedas was
transmitted to Lord Brahmā through the heart. Here also, in the same way,
only Brahmā could understand the message transmitted by Lord Viṣṇu, and he broadcast it to the demigods for their
immediate action. The message was: the Supreme Personality of Godhead will
appear on the earth very soon along with His supreme powerful potencies, and
as long as He remains on the earth planet to execute His mission of
annihilating the demons and establishing the devotees, the demigods should
also remain there to assist Him. They should all immediately take birth in
the family of the Yadu dynasty, wherein the Lord will also appear in due
course of time.
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The Supreme Personality of Godhead
Himself, Kṛṣṇa, personally appeared as the son of Vasudeva.
Before He appeared, all the demigods, along with their wives, appeared in
different pious families in the world just to assist the Lord in executing His
mission. The exact word used here is tatpriyārtham, which means the demigods
should appear on the earth in order to please the Lord. In other words, any
living entity who lives only to satisfy the Lord is a demigod. The demigods
were further informed that the plenary portion of Lord Kṛṣṇa, Ananta, who is maintaining the universal planets
by extending His millions of hoods, would also appear on earth before Lord Kṛṣṇa's appearance. They were also informed that the
external potency of Viṣṇu (māyā), with whom all the conditioned souls are
enamored, would also appear just to execute the purpose of the Supreme Lord.
After instructing and pacifying all the
demigods, as well as Bhūmi, with sweet words, Lord Brahmā, the father of all
prajāpatis, or progenitors of universal population, departed for his own abode,
the highest material planet, called Brahmaloka.
The leader of the Yadu dynasty, King
Śūrasena, was ruling over the country known as Mathurā (the district of
Mathurā), as well as the district known as Śūrasena. On account of the rule of
King Śūrasena, Mathurā became the capital city of all the kings of the Yadus.
Mathurā was also made the capital of the kings of the Yadu dynasty because the
Yadus were a very pious family and knew that Mathurā is the place where Lord
Śrī Kṛṣṇa lives eternally, just as He also lives in
Dvārakā.
Once upon a time, Vasudeva, the son of
Śūrasena, just after marrying Devakī, was going home on his chariot with his
newly wedded wife. The father of Devakī, known as Devaka, had contributed a
sufficient dowry because he was very affectionate toward his daughter. He had
contributed hundreds of chariots completely decorated with gold equipment. At
that time, Kaṁsa, the son of Ugrasena, in order to please his
sister, Devakī, had voluntarily taken the reins of the horses of Vasudeva's
chariot and was driving. According to the custom of the Vedic civilization,
when a girl is married, the brother takes the sister and brother-in-law to
their home. Because the newly married girl may feel too much separation from
her father's family, the brother goes with her until she reaches her
father-in-law's house. The full dowry contributed by Devaka was as follows: 400
elephants fully decorated with golden garlands, 15,000 decorated horses, and
1800 chariots. He also arranged for two hundred beautiful girls to follow his
daughter. The kṣatriya system of marriage, still current in India,
dictates that when a kṣatriya is married, a few dozen of the bride's young
girlfriends (in addition to the bride) go to the house of the king. The
followers of the queen are called maidservants, but actually they act as
friends of the queen. This practice is prevalent from time immemorial,
traceable at least to the time before the advent of Lord Kṛṣṇa 5,000 years ago. So Vasudeva brought home another
two hundred beautiful girls along with his wife.
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While the bride and bridegroom were
passing along on the chariot, there were different kinds of musical
instruments playing to indicate the auspicious moment. There were
conchshells, bugles, drums and kettledrums; combined together, they were
vibrating a nice concert. The procession was passing very pleasingly, and Kaṁsa was driving the chariot, when suddenly there
was a miraculous sound vibrated from the sky which especially announced to Kaṁsa: "Kaṁsa:
you are such a fool. You are driving the chariot of your sister and your
brother-in-law, but you do not know that the eighth child of this sister will
kill you."
Kaṁsa
was the son of Ugrasena, of the Bhoja dynasty. It is said that Kaṁsa was the most demonic of all the Bhoja dynasty
kings. Immediately after hearing the prophecy from the sky, he caught hold of
Devakī's hair and was just about to kill her with his sword. Vasudeva was
astonished at Kaṁsa's behavior, and in order to pacify the cruel,
shameless brother-in-law, he began to speak as follows, with great reason and
evidence. He said, "My dear brother-in-law Kaṁsa, you are the most famous king of the Bhoja
dynasty, and people know that you are the greatest warrior and a valiant
king. How is it that you are so infuriated that you are prepared to kill a
woman who is your own sister at this auspicious time of her marriage? Why
should you be so much afraid of death? Death is already born along with your
birth. From the very day you took your birth, you began to die. Suppose you
are twenty-five years old; that means you have already died twenty-five
years. Every moment, every second, you are dying. Why then should you be so
much afraid of death? Final death is inevitable. You may die either today or
in a hundred years; you cannot avoid death. Why should you be so much afraid?
Actually, death means annihilation of the present body. As soon as the
present body stops functioning and mixes with the five elements of material nature,
the living entity within the body accepts another body, according to his
present action and reaction. It is just as when a man walks on the street; he
puts forward his foot, and when he is confident that his foot is situated on
sound ground, he lifts the other foot. In this way, one after another, the
body changes and the soul transmigrates. See how the plantworms change from
one twig to another so carefully! Similarly, the living entity changes his
body as soon as the higher authorities decide on his next body. As long as a
living entity is conditioned within this material world, he must take
material bodies one after another. His next particular body is offered by the
laws of nature, according to the actions and reactions of this life.
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"This body is exactly like one of the bodies which we always
see in dreams. During our dream of sleep, we create so many bodies according to
mental creation. We have seen gold and we have also seen a mountain, so in a
dream we can see a golden mountain by combining the two ideas. Sometimes in
dreams, we see that we have a body which is flying in the sky, and at that time
we completely forget our present body. Similarly, these bodies are changing.
When you have one body, you forget the past body. During a dream, we may make
contact with so many new kinds of bodies, but when we are awake we forget them
all. And actually these material bodies are the creations of our mental
activities. But at the present moment we do not recollect our past bodies.
"The nature of the mind is
flickering. Sometimes it accepts something, and immediately it rejects the same
thing. Accepting and rejecting is the process of the mind in contact with the
five objects of sense gratification: form, taste, smell, sound, and touch. In
its speculative way, the mind comes in touch with the objects of sense
gratification, and when the living entity desires a particular type of body, he
gets it. Therefore, the body is an offering by the laws of material nature. The
living entity accepts a body and comes out again into the material world to
enjoy or suffer according to the construction of the body. Unless we have a
particular type of body, we cannot enjoy or suffer according to our mental
proclivities inherited from the previous life. The particular type of body is
actually offered to us according to our mental condition at the time of death.
"The luminous planets like the
sun, moon or the stars reflect themselves in different types of reservoirs,
like water, oil or ghee. The reflection moves according to the movement of the
reservoir. The reflection of the moon is on the water, and the moving water
makes the moon also appear to be moving, but actually the moon is not moving.
Similarly, by mental concoction, the living entity attains different kinds of
bodies, although actually he has no connection with such bodies. But on account
of illusion, being enchanted by the influence of māyā, the living entity thinks
that he belongs to a particular type of body. That is the way of conditioned
life. Suppose a living entity is now in a human form of body. He thinks that he
belongs to the human community, or a particular country or particular place. He
identifies himself in that way and unnecessarily prepares for another body
which is not required by him. Such desires and mental concoctions are the cause
of different types of body. The covering influence of material nature is so
strong that the living entity is satisfied in whatever body he gets, and he
identifies with that body with great pleasure. Therefore, I beg to request you
not to be overwhelmed by the dictation of your mind and body."
Vasudeva thus requested Kaṁsa not to be envious of his newly married sister.
One should not be envious of anyone, because envy is the cause of fear both in
this world and in the next when one is before Yamarāja (the lord of punishment
after death). Vasudeva appealed to Kaṁsa
on behalf of Devakī, stating that she was his younger sister. He also appealed
at an auspicious moment, at the time of marriage. A younger sister or brother
are supposed to be protected as one's children. "The position is overall
so delicate," Vasudeva reasoned, "that if you kill her, it will go
against your high reputation."
Vasudeva tried to pacify Kaṁsa by good instruction as well as by philosophical
discrimination, but Kaṁsa was not to be pacified because his association
was demoniac. Because of his demoniac associations, he was always a demon,
although born in a very high royal family. A demon never cares for any good
instruction. He is just like a determined thief: one can give him moral
instruction, but it will not be effective. Similarly, those who are demoniac or
atheistic by nature can hardly assimilate any good instruction, however
authorized it may be. That is the difference between demigod and demon. Those who
can accept good instruction and try to live their lives in that way are called
demigods, and those who are unable to take such good instruction are called
demons. Failing in his attempt to pacify Kaṁsa,
Vasudeva wondered how he would protect his wife Devakī. When there is imminent
danger, an intelligent person should try to avoid the dangerous position as far
as possible. But if, in spite of endeavoring by all intelligence, one fails to
avoid the dangerous position, there is no fault on his part. One should try his
best to execute his duties, but if the attempt fails, he is not at fault.
Vasudeva thought of his wife as
follows: "For the present let me save the life of Devakī, then later on,
if there are children, I shall see how to save them." He further thought,
"If in the future I get a child who can kill Kaṁsa--just as Kaṁsa
is thinking--then both Devakī and the child will be saved because the law of
Providence is inconceivable. But now, some way or other, let me save the life
of Devakī."
There is no certainty how a living
entity contacts a certain type of body, just as there is no certainty how the
blazing fire comes in contact with a certain type of wood in the forest. When
there is a forest fire, it is experienced that the blazing fire sometimes leaps
over one tree and catches another by the influence of the wind. Similarly, a
living entity may be very careful and fearful in the matter of executing his
duties, but it is still very difficult for him to know what type of body he is
going to get in the next life. Mahārāja Bharata was very faithfully executing
the duties of self-realization, but by chance he contacted temporary affection
for a deer, and he had to accept his next life in the body of a deer.
Vasudeva, after deliberating on how to
save his wife, began to speak to Kaṁsa
with great respect, although Kaṁsa was the most
sinful man. Sometimes it happens that a most virtuous person like Vasudeva has
to flatter a person like Kaṁsa, a most vicious
person. That is the way of all diplomatic transactions. Although Vasudeva was
deeply aggrieved, he presented himself outwardly as cheerful. He addressed the
shameless Kaṁsa in that way because he was so atrocious.
Vasudeva said to Kaṁsa, "My dear brother-in-law, please consider
that you have no danger from your sister. You are awaiting some danger because
you have heard a prophetic voice in the sky. But the danger is to come from the
sons of your sister, who are not present now. And who knows? There may or may
not be sons in the future. Considering all this, you are safe for the present.
Nor is there cause of fear from your sister. If there are any sons born of her,
I promise that I shall present all of them to you for necessary action."
Kaṁsa
knew the value of Vasudeva's word of honor, and he was convinced by his
argument. For the time being, he desisted from the heinous killing of his
sister. Thus Vasudeva was pleased and praised the decision of Kaṁsa. In this way, he returned to his home.
After due course of time, Vasudeva and
Devakī gave birth to eight male children, as well as one daughter. When the
first son was born, Vasudeva kept his word of honor and immediately brought the
child before Kaṁsa. It is said that Vasudeva was very much elevated
and famous for his word of honor, and he wanted to maintain this fame. Although
it was very painful for Vasudeva to hand over the newly born child, Kaṁsa was very glad to receive him. But he became a
little compassionate with the behavior of Vasudeva. This event is very
exemplary. For a great soul like Vasudeva, there is nothing considered to be
painful in the course of discharging one's duty. A learned person like Vasudeva
carries out his duties without hesitation. On the other hand, a demon like Kaṁsa never hesitates in committing any abominable
action. It is said, therefore, that a saintly person can tolerate all kinds of
miserable conditions of life, a learned man can discharge his duties without
awaiting favorable circumstances, a heinous person like Kaṁsa can act in any sinful way, and a devotee can
sacrifice everything to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Kaṁsa
became satisfied by the action of Vasudeva. He was surprised to see Vasudeva
keeping his promise, and being compassionate upon him and pleased, he began to
speak as follows: "My dear Vasudeva, you need not present this child to
me. I am not in danger from this child. I have heard that the eighth child born
of you and Devakī will kill me. Why should I accept this child unnecessarily?
You can take him back."
When Vasudeva was returning home with
his first-born child, although he was pleased by the behavior of Kaṁsa, he could not believe in him because he knew
that Kaṁsa was uncontrolled. An atheistic person cannot be
firm in his word of honor. One who cannot control the senses cannot be steady
in his determination. The great politician, Cāṇakya
Paṇḍit, said, "Never put your trust in a diplomat
or in a woman." Those who are addicted to unrestricted sense gratification
can never be truthful, nor can they be trusted with any faith.
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At that time the great sage Nārada
came to Kaṁsa. He was informed of Kaṁsa's becoming compassionate to Vasudeva and
returning his first-born child. Nārada was very anxious to accelerate the
descent of Lord Kṛṣṇa as soon as possible. He therefore informed Kaṁsa that personalities like Nanda Mahārāja and all
the cowherd men and girls and the wives of the cowherd men in Vṛndāvana, and, on the other side, Vasudeva, his
father Śūrasena and all his relatives born in the family of Vṛṣṇi of the Yadu Dynasty, were preparing for the
appearance of the Lord. Nārada warned Kaṁsa
to be careful of the friends and well-wishers and all the demigods taking
birth in those families. Kaṁsa and his friends
and advisors were all demons. Demons are always afraid of demigods. After
being thus informed by Nārada about the appearance of the demigods in
different families, Kaṁsa at once became alert. He understood that since
the demigods had already appeared, Lord Viṣṇu
must be coming soon. He at once arrested both his brother-in-law Vasudeva and
Devakī and put them behind prison bars.
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Within the prison, shackled in iron
chains, Vasudeva and Devakī gave birth to a male child year after year, and Kaṁsa, thinking each of the babies to be the
incarnation of Viṣṇu, killed them one after another. He was
particularly afraid of the eighth child, but after the visit of Nārada, he came
to the conclusion that any child might be Kṛṣṇa.
Therefore it was better to kill all the babies who took birth of Devakī and
Vasudeva.
This action of Kaṁsa is not very difficult to understand. There are
many instances in the history of the world of persons in the royal order who
have killed father, brother, or a whole family and friends for the satisfaction
of their ambitions. There is nothing astonishing about this, for the demoniac
can kill anyone for their nefarious ambitions.
Kaṁsa
was made aware of his previous birth by the grace of Nārada. He learned that in
his previous birth he was a demon of the name Kālanemi and that he was killed
by Viṣṇu. Having taken his birth in the Bhoja family, he
decided to become the deadly enemy of the Yadu dynasty; Kṛṣṇa was going to take birth in that family, and Kaṁsa was very much afraid that he would be killed by
Kṛṣṇa, just as he was killed in his last birth.
He first of all imprisoned his father
Ugrasena because he was the chief king among the Yadu, Bhoja, and Andhaka
dynasties, and he also occupied the kingdom of Śūrasena, Vasudeva's father. He
declared himself the king of all such places.
Om
Tat Sat
(Continued...)
(My humble salutations H H Swami Sri Prabhupada ji, Sri Krishnalilas
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