Sri Krishna Madbhagavatam
81. Lord
Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma Meet the Inhabitants of Vṛndāvana
The Samanta-pañcaka pilgrimage site is celebrated because Lord Paraśurāma performed great sacrifices there after having killed all the kṣatriyas in the world twenty-one times. Lord Paraśurāma killed all the kṣatriyas, and their accumulated blood flowed like a stream. Lord Paraśurāma dug five big lakes at Samanta-pañcaka and filled them with this blood. Lord Paraśurāma is Viṣṇu-tattva. As stated in the Īśopaniṣad, Viṣṇu-tattva cannot be contaminated by any sinful activity. Yet although Lord Paraśurāma is fully powerful and uncontaminated, in order to exhibit ideal character, He performed great sacrifices at Samanta-pañcaka to atone for His so-called sinful killing of the kṣatriyas. By His example, Lord Paraśurāma established that the killing art, although sometimes necessary, is not good. Lord Paraśurāma considered Himself culpable for the sinful killing of the kṣatriyas; therefore, how much more are we culpable for such abominable unsanctioned acts. Thus, killing of living entities is prohibited from time immemorial all over the world.
Taking advantage of the occasion of the solar eclipse, all important persons visited the holy place of pilgrimage. Some of the important personalities are mentioned as follows. Among the elderly persons there were Akrūra, Vasudeva and Ugrasena; among the younger generation there were Gada, Pradyumna, Sāmba, and many other members of the Yadu dynasty who had come there with a view to atone for sinful activities accrued in the course of discharging their respective duties. Because almost all the members of the Yadu dynasty went to Kurukṣetra, some important personalities, like Aniruddha, the son of Pradyumna, and Kṛtavarmā, the commander-in-chief of the Yadu dynasty, along with Sucandra, Śuka and Sāraṇa, remained in Dvārakā to protect the city.
All the members of the Yadu dynasty were naturally very beautiful, and yet on this occasion, when they appeared duly decorated with gold necklaces and flower garlands, dressed in valuable clothing and properly armed with their respective weapons, their natural beauty and personalities were a hundred times enhanced. The members of the Yadu dynasty came to Kurukṣetra in their gorgeously decorated chariots resembling the airplanes of the demigods, pulled by big horses that moved like the waves of the ocean, and some of them rode on sturdy, stalwart elephants that moved like the clouds in the sky. Their wives were carried on beautiful palanquins by beautiful men whose features resembled those of the Vidyādharas. The entire assembly looked as beautiful as an assembly of the demigods of heaven.
After arriving in Kurukṣetra, the members of the Yadu dynasty took their baths ceremoniously, with self-control, as enjoined in the śāstras, and they observed fasting for the whole period of the eclipse in order to nullify the reactions of their sinful activities. Since it is a Vedic custom to give in charity as much as possible during the hours of the eclipse, the members of the Yadu dynasty distributed many hundreds of cows in charity to the brāhmaṇas. All those cows were fully decorated with nice dress and ornaments. The special feature of these cows was that they had golden ankle bells and flower garlands on their necks.
All the members of the Yadu dynasty again took their baths in the lakes created by Lord Paraśurāma. After this they sumptuously fed the brāhmaṇas with first-class cooked food, all prepared in butter. According to the Vedic system, there are two classes of food. One is called raw food, and the other is called cooked food. Raw food does not include raw vegetables and raw grains, but food boiled in water; whereas cooked food is made in ghee. Capatis, dahl, rice and ordinary vegetables are called raw foods, as are fruits and salads. But purīs, kacuri, saṅgosas, sweet balls, etc., are called cooked foods. All the brāhmaṇas invited on that occasion by the members of the Yadu dynasty were fed sumptuously with cooked food.
The ceremonial functions performed by the members of the Yadu dynasty externally resembled the ritualistic performances performed by the karmīs. When a karmī performs some ritualistic ceremony, his ambition is sense gratification--good position, good wife, good house, good children or good wealth; but the ambition of the members of the Yadu dynasty was different. Their ambition was to offer perpetual faith and devotion to Kṛṣṇa. All the members of the Yadu dynasty were great devotees. As such, after many births of accumulated pious activities, they were given the chance to associate with Lord Kṛṣṇa. In going to take their baths in the place of pilgrimage at Kurukṣetra or observing the regulative principles during the solar eclipse or feeding the brāhmaṇas--in all their activities--they simply thought of devotion to Kṛṣṇa. Their ideal worshipable Lord was Kṛṣṇa, and no one else.
After feeding the brāhmaṇas, it is the custom for the host, with their permission, to accept prasādam. Thus, with the permission of the brāhmaṇas, all the members of the Yadu dynasty took lunch. Then they selected resting places underneath big, shadowy trees, and when they had taken sufficient rest, they prepared to receive visitors, among whom there were relatives and friends, as well as many subordinate kings and rulers.
There were the rulers of the Matsya Province, Uśīnara Province, Kośala Province, Vidarbha Province, Kuru Province, Sṛñjaya Province, Kāmboja Province, Kekaya Province and many other countries and provinces. Some of the rulers belonged to opposing parties, and some were friends. But above all, the visitors from Vṛndāvana were most prominent. The residents of Vṛndāvana, headed by Nanda Mahārāja, had been living in great anxiety because of separation from Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma. Taking advantage of the solar eclipse, they all came to see their life and soul, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma.
The inhabitants of Vṛndāvana were well-wishers and intimate friends of the Yadu dynasty. This meeting of the two parties after long separation was a very touching incident. Both the Yadus and the residents of Vṛndāvana felt such great pleasure in meeting and talking together that it was a unique scene. Meeting after long separation, they were all jubilant; their hearts were throbbing, and their faces appeared like freshly bloomed lotus flowers. There were drops of tears falling from their eyes, the hair on their bodies stood on end, and because of their extreme ecstasy, they were temporarily speechless. In other words, they began to dive in the ocean of happiness.
While the men were meeting in that way, the women were also meeting one another in the same manner. They were embracing each other in great friendship, smiling very mildly, and looking at one another with much affection. When they were embracing each other in their arms, the saffron and kuṅkuma spread on their breasts was exchanged from one person to another, and they all felt heavenly ecstasy. Due to such heart-to-heart embracing, torrents of tears glided down their cheeks. The juniors were offering obeisances to the elders, and the elders were offering their blessings to the juniors. They were thus welcoming one another and asking after each other's welfare. Ultimately, however, all their talk was only of Kṛṣṇa. All the neighbors and relatives were connected with Lord Kṛṣṇa's pastimes in this world, and as such Kṛṣṇa was the center of all their activities. Whatever activities they performed--social, political, religious or conventional--were transcendental.
The real elevation of human life rests on knowledge and renunciation. As stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, in the First Canto, devotional service rendered to Kṛṣṇa automatically produces perfect knowledge and renunciation. The family members of the Yadu dynasty and the cowherd men of Vṛndāvana had their minds fixed on Kṛṣṇa. That is the symptom of all knowledge, and because their minds were always engaged in Kṛṣṇa, they were automatically freed from all material activities. This stage of life is called yukta-vairāgya as enunciated by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī. Knowledge and renunciation, therefore, do not mean dry speculation and renunciation of activities. Rather, one must start speaking and acting only in relationship with Kṛṣṇa.
In this meeting at Kurukṣetra, Kuntīdevī and Vasudeva, who were sister and
brother, met after a long period of separation, along with their respective
sons and daughters-in-law, wives, children and other family members. By
talking among themselves, they soon forgot all their past miseries. Kuntīdevī
especially addressed her brother Vasudeva as follows: "My dear brother,
I am very unfortunate, because not one of my desires has ever been fulfilled;
otherwise how could it happen that although I have such a saintly brother as
you, perfect in all respects, you did not inquire from me as to how I was
passing my days in a distressed condition of life." It appears that
Kuntīdevī was remembering the miserable days when she had been banished along
with her sons through the mischievous plans of Dhṛtarāṣṭra
and Duryodhana. She continued; "My dear brother, I can understand that
when providence goes against someone, even one's nearest relatives also
forget him. In such a condition, even one's father, one's mother or one's own
children will forget him. Therefore, my dear brother, I do not accuse
you."
Vasudeva replied to his sister,
"My dear sister, do not be sorry, and do not blame me in that way. We
should always remember that we all are only toys in the hands of providence.
Everyone is under the control of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is
under His control only that all kinds of fruitive actions and the resultant
reactions take place. My dear sister, you know that we were very much
harassed by King Kaṁsa, and by his persecutions we were scattered
here and there. We were always full of anxieties. Only in the last few days
have we returned to our own places, by the grace of God."
After this conversation, Vasudeva and
Ugrasena received the kings who came to see them, and they sufficiently
welcomed them all. Seeing Lord Kṛṣṇa
present on the spot, all the visitors felt transcendental pleasure and became
very peaceful. Some of the prominent visitors were as follows: Bhīṣmadeva, Droṇācārya,
Dhṛtarāṣṭra,
Duryodhana, and Gāndhārī along with her sons; King Yudhiṣṭhira along with his wife, and the Pāṇḍavas along with Kuntī; Sṛñjaya, Vidura, Kṛpācārya,
Kuntibhoja, Virāṭa, King Nagnajit, Purujit, Drupada, Śalya, Dhṛṣṭaketu, the King of Kāśī, Damaghoṣa, Viśālākṣa,
the King of Mithilā, the King of Madras (formerly known as Madra), the King
of Kekaya, Yudhāmanyu, Suśarmā, Bāhlīka along with his sons, and many other
rulers who were subordinate to King Yudhiṣṭhira.
When they saw Lord Kṛṣṇa with His thousands of queens, they became fully
satisfied at the sight of such beauty and transcendental opulence. All who
were there personally visited Lord Balarāma and Kṛṣṇa, and being properly welcomed by the Lord they
began to glorify the members of the Yadu dynasty, especially Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma. Because he was the King of the
Bhojas, Ugrasena was considered the chief Yadu, and therefore the visitors
specifically addressed him: "Your majesty Ugrasena, King of the Bhojas,
factually the Yadus are the only persons within this world who are perfect in
all respects. All glories unto you! All glories unto you! The specific
condition of your perfection is that you are always seeing Lord Kṛṣṇa, who is sought after by many mystic yogīs
undergoing severe austerities and penances for great numbers of years. All of
you are in direct touch with Lord Kṛṣṇa
at every moment.
"All the Vedic hymns are
glorifying the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. The Ganges water is considered sanctified
because of its being the water used to wash the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa. The Vedic literatures are nothing but the injunctions
of Lord Kṛṣṇa. The purpose of the study of all the Vedas is
to know Kṛṣṇa; therefore, the words of Kṛṣṇa and the message of His pastimes are always
purifying. By the influence of time and circumstances, all the opulences of
this world had become almost completely wiped out, but since Kṛṣṇa has appeared on this planet, all auspicious
features have again appeared due to the touch of His lotus feet. Because of
His presence, all our ambitions and desires are gradually being fulfilled.
Your Majesty, King of the Bhojas, you are related with the Yadu dynasty by
matrimonial relationship, and by blood relationship also. As a result, you
are constantly in touch with Lord Kṛṣṇa,
and you have no difficulty in seeing Him at any time. Lord Kṛṣṇa moves with you, talks with you, sits with you,
rests with you, and dines with you. The Yadus appear to be always engaged in
worldly affairs which are considered to lead to the royal road to hell, but
due to the presence of Lord Kṛṣṇa,
the original Personality of Godhead in the Viṣṇu
category, who is omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent, all of you are
factually relieved from all material contamination, and are situated in the
transcendental position of liberation and Brahman existence."
When they had heard that Kṛṣṇa would be present in Kurukṣetra because of the solar eclipse, the residents
of Vṛndāvana, headed by Mahārāja Nanda, had also
decided to go there, and therefore all the members of the Yadu dynasty were
attending. King Nanda, accompanied by his cowherd men, had loaded all their
necessary paraphernalia on bullock carts, and all of the Vṛndāvana residents had come to Kurukṣetra to see their beloved sons Lord Balarāma and
Lord Kṛṣṇa. When the cowherd men of Vṛndāvana arrived in Kurukṣetra, all the members of the Yadu dynasty became
most pleased. As soon as they saw the residents of Vṛndāvana, they stood up to welcome them, and it
appeared that they had again regained their life. Both had been very eager to
meet, and when they actually came forward and met, they embraced one another
to their heart's satisfaction and remained in embrace for a considerable
time.
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As soon as Vasudeva saw Nanda Mahārāja,
he jumped and ran over to him and embraced him very affectionately. Vasudeva
began to narrate his past history--how he had been imprisoned by King Kaṁsa, how his babies had been killed, and how
immediately after Kṛṣṇa's birth he had carried Him to the place of Nanda
Mahārāja, and how Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma had been raised by Nanda Mahārāja
and his queen, Yaśodā, as their own children. Similarly, Lord Balarāma and Kṛṣṇa also embraced King Nanda and mother Yaśodā and
then offered Their respect unto their lotus feet by bowing down. Because of
Their feeling affection for Nanda and Yaśodā, both Lord Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma became choked up, and for a few
seconds They could not speak. The most fortunate King Nanda and mother Yaśodā
placed their sons on their laps and began to embrace Them to their full
satisfaction. Because of separation from Kṛṣṇa
and Balarāma, both King Nanda and Yaśodā had been merged in great distress for
a very long time. Now, after meeting Them and embracing Them, all their
sufferings were mitigated.
After this, Kṛṣṇa's mother, Devakī, and Balarāma's mother, Rohiṇī, both embraced mother Yaśodā. They said,
"Dear Queen Yaśodādevi, both you and Nanda Mahārāja have been great
friends to us, and when we remember you we are immediately overwhelmed by the
thought of your friendly activities. We are so indebted to you that even if we
were to return your benediction by giving you the opulence of the King of
heaven, it would not be enough to repay you for your friendly behavior. We
shall never forget your kindly behavior toward us. When both Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma were born, before They even saw
Their real father and mother, They were entrusted to your care, and you raised
Them as your own children, fostering Them as birds take care of their offspring
in the nest. You have nicely fed, nourished and loved Them and have performed
many auspicious religious ceremonies for Their benefit.
"Actually They are not our sons;
They belong to you. Nanda Mahārāja and yourself are the real father and mother
of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma. As long as They were under your
care They had not even a pinch of difficulty. Under your protection, They were
completely out of the way of all kinds of fear. This most affectionate care
which you have taken for Them is completely befitting your elevated position.
The most noble personalities do not discriminate between their own sons and the
sons of others, and there cannot be any personalities more noble than Nanda
Mahārāja and yourself."
As far as the gopīs of Vṛndāvana were concerned, from the very beginning of
their lives, they did not know anything beyond Kṛṣṇa.
Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma were their life and soul. The gopīs
were so attached to Kṛṣṇa that they could not even tolerate not seeing Him
momentarily when their eyelids blinked and impeded their vision. They condemned
Brahmā, the creator of the body, because he foolishly made eyelids which blinked
and checked their seeing Kṛṣṇa. Because they had
been separated from Kṛṣṇa for so many years, the gopīs, having come along
with Nanda Mahārāja and mother Yaśodā, felt intense ecstasy in seeing Kṛṣṇa. No one can even imagine how anxious the gopīs
were to see Kṛṣṇa again. As soon as Kṛṣṇa
became visible to them, they took Him inside their hearts through their eyes
and embraced Him to their full satisfaction. Even though they were embracing Kṛṣṇa only mentally, they became so ecstatic and
overwhelmed with joy that for the time being they completely forgot themselves.
The ecstatic trance which they achieved simply by mentally embracing Kṛṣṇa is impossible to achieve even for great yogīs
constantly engaged in meditation on the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Kṛṣṇa could understand that the gopīs were rapt in
ecstasy by embracing Him in their minds, and therefore, since He is present in
everyone's heart, He also reciprocated the embracing from within.
Kṛṣṇa
was sitting with mother Yaśodā and His other mothers, Devakī and Rohiṇī, but when the mothers engaged in talking, He
took the opportunity and went to a secluded place to meet the gopīs. As soon
as He approached the gopīs, the Lord began to smile, and after embracing them
and inquiring about their welfare, He began to encourage them, saying,
"My dear friends, you know that both Lord Balarāma and Myself left Vṛndāvana just to please Our relatives and family
members. Thus We were long engaged in fighting with Our enemies and were
obliged to forget you, who were so much attached to Me in love and affection.
I can understand that by this action I have been ungrateful to you, but still
I know you are faithful to Me. May I inquire if you have been thinking of Us
although We had to leave you behind? My dear gopīs, do you now dislike
remembering Me, considering Me to have been ungrateful to you? Do you take My
misbehavior with you very seriously?
"After all, you should know it
was not My intention to leave you; our separation was ordained by providence,
who after all is the supreme controller and does as he desires. He causes the
intermingling of different persons, and again disperses them as he desires.
Sometimes we see that due to the presence of clouds and strong wind, atomic
particles of dust and broken pieces of cotton are intermingled together, and
after the strong wind subsides, all the particles of dust and cotton are
again separated, scattered in different places. Similarly, the Supreme Lord
is the creator of everything. The objects which we see are different manifestations
of His energy. By His supreme will we are sometimes united and sometimes
separated. We can therefore conclude that ultimately we are absolutely
dependent on His will.
"Fortunately, you have developed
loving affection for Me, which is the only way to achieve the transcendental
position of association with Me. Any living entity who develops such
unalloyed devotional affection for Me certainly at the end goes back to home,
back to Godhead. In other words, unalloyed devotional service and affection
for Me are the cause of supreme liberation.
"My dear gopī friends, you may
know from Me that it is My energies only which are acting everywhere. Take,
for example, an earthen pot. It is nothing but a combination of earth, water,
air, fire and sky. It is always of the same physical composites, whether in
its beginning, during its existence or after its annihilation. When it is
created, the earthen pot is made of earth, water, fire, air and sky; while it
remains, it is the same in composition; and when it is broken and
annihilated, its different ingredients are conserved in different parts of
the material energy. Similarly, at the creation of this cosmic manifestation,
during its maintenance, and after its dissolution, everything is but a
different manifestation of My energy. And because the energy is not separate
from Me, it is to be concluded that I am existing in everything.
of the five elements, and the living
entity embodied in the material condition is also part and parcel of Me. The
living entity is imprisoned in the material condition on account of his false
conception of himself as the supreme enjoyer. This false ego of the living
entity is the cause of his imprisonment in material existence. As the Supreme
Absolute Truth, I am transcendental to the living entity, as well as to his
material embodiment. The two energies, material and spiritual, are both
acting under My supreme control. My dear gopīs, I request that instead of
being so afflicted, you try to accept everything with a philosophical attitude.
Then you will understand that you are always with Me and that there is no
cause of lamentation in our being separated from one another."
This important instruction of Lord Kṛṣṇa's to the gopīs can be utilized by all devotees
engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The whole philosophy is
considered on the basis of inconceivable, simultaneous oneness and
difference. In Bhagavad-gītā the Lord says that He is present everywhere in
His impersonal feature. Everything is existing in Him, but still He is not
personally present everywhere. The cosmic manifestation is nothing but a
display of Kṛṣṇa's energy, and because the energy is not
different from the energetic, nothing is different from Kṛṣṇa. When this absolute consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, is absent, we are separated from
Kṛṣṇa; but fortunately, if this Kṛṣṇa consciousness is present, then we are not
separated from Kṛṣṇa. The process of devotional service is the
revival of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and if the devotee is fortunate
enough to understand that the material energy is not separated from Kṛṣṇa, then he can utilize the material energy and
its products in the service of the Lord. But in the absence of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the forgetful living entity,
although part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa,
falsely puts himself in the position of enjoyer of the material world and,
being thus implicated in material entanglement, is forced by the material
energy to continue his material existence. This is also confirmed in the
Bhagavad-gītā. Although a living entity is forced to act by the material
energy, he falsely thinks that he is the all-in-all and the supreme enjoyer.
If the devotee knows perfectly that
the arcā-vigraha, or Deity form of Lord Kṛṣṇa
in the temple, is exactly the same sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha as Kṛṣṇa Himself, then his service to the temple Deity
becomes direct service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Similarly, the
temple itself, the temple paraphernalia and the food offered to the Deity are
also not separate from Kṛṣṇa.
One has to follow the rules and regulations prescribed by the ācāryas, and
thus, under superior guidance, Kṛṣṇa-realization
is fully possible, even in this material existence.
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The gopīs, having been instructed by Kṛṣṇa in this philosophy of simultaneous oneness and
difference, remained always in Kṛṣṇa
consciousness and thus became liberated from all material contamination. The
consciousness of the living entity who falsely presents himself as the enjoyer
of the material world is called jīva-kośa, which means imprisonment by the
false ego. Not only the gopīs but anyone who follows these instructions of Kṛṣṇa becomes immediately freed from the jīva-kośa
imprisonment. A person in full Kṛṣṇa
consciousness is always liberated from false egoism; he utilizes everything for
Kṛṣṇa's service and is not at any time separated from Kṛṣṇa.
The gopīs therefore prayed to Kṛṣṇa, "Dear Kṛṣṇa,
from Your navel emanated the original lotus flower which is the birthsite of
Brahmā, the creator. No one can estimate Your glories or Your opulence, which
therefore remain always a mystery even to the highest thoughtful men, the
masters of all yogic power. The conditioned soul fallen in the dark well of
this material existence can very easily, however, take shelter of the lotus
feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Thus his deliverance is guaranteed." The
gopīs continued: "Dear Kṛṣṇa, we are always busy
in our family affairs. We therefore request that You remain within our hearts
as the rising sun, and that will be Your greatest benediction."
The gopīs are always liberated souls,
because they are fully in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. They
only pretended to be entangled in household affairs in Vṛndāvana. In spite of their long separation, the
inhabitants of Vṛndāvana, the gopīs, were not interested in the idea
of going with Kṛṣṇa to His capital city, Dvārakā. They wanted to
remain busy in Vṛndāvana and thus feel the presence of Kṛṣṇa in every step of their lives. They immediately
invited Kṛṣṇa to come back to Vṛndāvana.
This transcendental emotional existence of the gopīs is the basic principle of
Lord Caitanya's teaching. The Ratha-yātrā Festival observed by Lord Caitanya is
the emotional process of taking Kṛṣṇa
back to Vṛndāvana. Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī refused to go with Kṛṣṇa to Dvārakā to enjoy His company in the atmosphere
of royal opulence, but wanted to enjoy His company in the original Vṛndāvana atmosphere. Lord Kṛṣṇa, being profoundly attached to the gopīs, never
goes away from Vṛndāvana, and the gopīs and other residents of Vṛndāvana remain fully satisfied in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
82.
Draupadī Meets the Queens of Kṛṣṇa
There were many visitors who came to see Kṛṣṇa,
and among them were the Pāṇḍavas, headed by King Yudhiṣṭhira.
After talking with the gopīs and bestowing upon them the greatest benediction,
Lord Kṛṣṇa came to welcome King Yudhiṣṭhira
and other relatives who had come to see Him. He first of all inquired from them
whether their situation was auspicious. Actually, there is no question of ill
fortune for anyone who sees the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa,
yet when Lord Kṛṣṇa, as a matter
of etiquette, inquired from King Yudhiṣṭhira about his welfare, the King became
very happy by such a reception and began to address the Lord thus: "My
dear Lord Kṛṣṇa, great personalities and devotees in
full Kṛṣṇa consciousness always think of Your
lotus feet and remain fully satisfied by drinking the nectar of transcendental
bliss. The nectar which they constantly drink sometimes comes out of their
mouths and is sprinkled on others as the narration of Your transcendental
activities. This nectar coming from the mouth of a devotee is so powerful that
if one is fortunate enough to have the opportunity to drink it, he immediately
becomes freed from the continuous journey of birth and death. Our material
existence is caused by our forgetfulness of Your personality, but fortunately,
the darkness of forgetfulness is immediately dissipated if one is privileged to
hear about Your glories. Therefore, my dear Lord, where is the possibility of
ill fortune for one who is constantly engaged in hearing Your glorious
activities?
"Since we are fully surrendered unto You and
have no other shelter than Your lotus feet, we are always confident of our good
fortune. My dear Lord, You are the ocean of unlimited knowledge and
transcendental bliss. The result of the action of mental concoction is to exist
in the three temporary phases of material life--wakefulness, sleep and deep
sleep. But these conditions cannot exist in Kṛṣṇa
consciousness. All such reactions are invalidated by practice of Kṛṣṇa
consciousness. You are the ultimate destination of all liberated persons. Out
of Your independent will only, You have descended on this earth by the use of
Your own internal potency, yogamāyā, and in order to reestablish the Vedic
principles of life, You have appeared just like an ordinary human being. Since
You are the Supreme Person, there cannot, therefore, be any ill luck for one
who has fully surrendered unto You."
When Lord Kṛṣṇa was busy
meeting various kinds of visitors and while they were engaged in offering
prayers to the Lord, the female members of the Kuru dynasty and the Yadu
dynasty took the opportunity of meeting with one another and engaging in talk
of Lord Kṛṣṇa's transcendental pastimes. The first
inquiry was made by Draupadī to the wives of Lord Kṛṣṇa.
She addressed them: "My dear Rukmiṇī, Bhadrā, Jāmbavatī, Satyā,
Satyabhāmā, Kālindī, Śaibya, Lakṣmaṇā, Rohiṇī
and all other wives of Lord Kṛṣṇa, will you
please let us know how Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, accepted you as His wives and married you in pursuance
of the marriage ceremonies of ordinary human beings?"
To this question, the chief of the queens, Rukmiṇīdevī,
replied, "My dear Draupadī, it was practically a settled fact that princes
like Jarāsandha and others wanted me to marry King Śiśupāla, and, as is usual,
all the princes present during the marriage ceremony were prepared with their
armor and weapons to fight with any rival who dared to stop the marriage. But
the Supreme Personality of Godhead kidnapped me the way a lion takes away a
lamb from the flock. This was not, however, a very wondrous act for Lord Kṛṣṇa,
because anyone who claims to be a very great hero or king within this world is
subordinate to the lotus feet of the Lord. All the kings touched their helmets
to the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa. My dear
Draupadī, it is my eternal desire that life after life I may be engaged in the
service of Lord Kṛṣṇa, who is the
reservoir of all pleasure and beauty. This is my only desire and ambition in
life."
After this, Satyabhāmā began to speak. She said,
"My dear Draupadī, my father was very much afflicted on the death of his
brother, Prasena, and he falsely accused Lord Kṛṣṇa
of killing his brother and stealing the Syamantaka jewel, which had actually
been taken by Jāmbavān. Lord Kṛṣṇa, in order to
establish His pure character, fought with Jāmbavān and rescued the Syamantaka
jewel, which was later delivered to my father. My father was very much ashamed
and sorry for accusing Lord Kṛṣṇa of his
brother's death. After getting back the Syamantaka jewel, he thought it wise to
rectify his mistake, so although he had promised others my hand in marriage, he
submitted the jewel and myself at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa,
and thus I was accepted as His maidservant and wife."
After this, Jāmbavatī replied to Draupadī's
question. She said, "My dear Draupadī, when Lord Kṛṣṇa
attacked my father Jāmbavān, the King of the ṛkṣas,
my father did not know that Lord Kṛṣṇa was his former
master, Lord Rāmacandra, the husband of Sītā. Not knowing the identity of Lord
Kṛṣṇa, my father remained continually
engaged in fighting with Him for twenty-seven days. After this period, when he
became very tired and fatigued, he could understand that since no one but Lord
Rāmacandra could defeat him, his opponent, Lord Kṛṣṇa,
must be the same Lord Rāmacandra. He thus came to his senses and not only
immediately returned the Syamantaka jewel, but in order to satisfy the Lord, he
presented me to Him to become His wife. In this way I was married to the Lord,
and thus my desire to remain life after life as a servitor of Kṛṣṇa
was fulfilled."
After this, Kālindī said, "My dear Draupadī, I
was engaged in great austerities and penances in order to get Lord Kṛṣṇa
as my husband. When Lord Kṛṣṇa became aware
of this fact, He very kindly came to me along with His friend Arjuna and
accepted me as His wife. Lord Kṛṣṇa then took me
away from the bank of Yamunā, and since then I have been engaged in the house
of Lord Kṛṣṇa as a sweeper. And the Lord is
treating me as His wife."
After this, Mitravindā said, "My dear
Draupadī, there was a great assembly of princes at my svayaṁvara
ceremony. Lord Kṛṣṇa was also
present in that meeting, and He accepted me as His maidservant by defeating all
the princes present there. He immediately took me away to Dvārakā, exactly as a
lion takes a deer from a pack of dogs. When I was thus taken away by Lord Kṛṣṇa,
my brothers wanted to fight with Him, and later on they were defeated. Thus my
desire to become the maidservant of Kṛṣṇa life after life
was fulfilled."
After this, Satyā addressed Draupadī in this way:
"My dear Draupadī, my father arranged for an assembly for my svayaṁvara,
[the personal selection of a husband], and in order to test the strength and
heroism of the prospective bridegrooms, my father stipulated that they each
fight with his seven ferocious bulls, which had long, serpentine horns. Many
heroic prospective bridegrooms tried to defeat the bulls, but unfortunately
they were all severely struck, and they returned to their homes as defeated
invalids. When Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa came and
fought with the bulls, they were just like playthings for Him. He captured the
bulls and roped each one of them by their nostrils. Thus they came under His
control, just like a goat's small kids come very easily under the control of
children. My father became very pleased and married me with Lord Kṛṣṇa
in great pomp, giving as my dowry many divisions of soldiers, horses, chariots
and elephants, along with hundreds of maidservants. Thus Lord Kṛṣṇa
brought me to His capital city, Dvārakā. On the way back, He was also assaulted
by many princes, but Lord Kṛṣṇa defeated all
of them, and thus I have the privilege of serving His lotus feet as a
maidservant."
After this, Bhadrā began to speak. She said,
"My dear Draupadī, Lord Kṛṣṇa is the son of
my maternal uncle. Fortunately, I became attracted to His lotus feet. When my
father understood these feelings of mine, he personally arranged for my
marriage, inviting Lord Kṛṣṇa to marry me
and giving Him in dowry one akṣauhiṇī,
or division of armed forces, along with many maidservants and other royal
paraphernalia. I do not know whether I shall be able to have the shelter of
Lord Kṛṣṇa life after life, but still I pray to
the Lord that wherever I may take my birth I may not forget my relationship
with His lotus feet."
Then Lakṣmaṇā said, "My dear Queen, many times
I have heard the great sage Nārada glorifying the pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa.
I became attracted to the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa when I heard
Nārada say that the goddess of fortune, Lakṣmī,
was also attracted to His lotus feet. Since then I have always been thinking of
Him, and thus my attraction for Him has increased. My dear Queen, my father was
very affectionate toward me. When he understood that I was attracted to Kṛṣṇa,
he devised a plan. His plan was like that devised by your father; during the
svayaṁvara, the prospective bridegrooms had
to pierce the eyes of a fish with their arrows. The difference between the
competition in your svayaṁvara and mine was that in your case the
fish was hanging openly on the ceiling, in clear view, but in my case the fish
was covered with a cloth and could only be seen by the reflection of the cloth
in a pot of water. That was the special feature of my svayaṁvara.
"The news of this device was
spread all over the world, and when the princes heard of it, they arrived at my
father's capital city from all directions, fully equipped with armor and guided
by their military instructors. Each one of them desired to win me as his wife,
and one after another they raised the bow and arrow which was left there for
piercing the fish. Many could not even join the bowstring to the two ends of
the bow, and without attempting to pierce the fish, they simply left the bow as
it was and went away. Some with great difficulty drew the string from one end
to the other, and being unable to tie the other end, they were suddenly knocked
down by the spring-like bow. My dear Queen, you will be surprised to know that
at my svayaṁvara
meeting there were many famous kings and heroes present. Heroes like
Jarāsandha, Ambaṣṭha, Śiśupāla, Bhīmasena, Duryodhana and Karṇa
were, of course, able to string the bow, but they could not pierce the fish,
because it was covered, and they could not trace it out from the reflection.
The celebrated hero of the Pāṇḍavas, Arjuna, was able to see the reflection of the
fish on the water, but although with great caution he traced out the location
of the fish and shot an arrow, he did not pierce the fish in the right spot.
His arrow at least touched the fish, and so he proved himself better than all
other princes."All the princes who had tried to pierce the target were disappointed, being baffled in their attempts, and some candidates had even left the place without making an attempt, but when at last Lord Kṛṣṇa took up the bow, He was able to tie the bowstring very easily, just as a child plays with a toy. He placed the arrow, and looking only once at the reflection of the fish in the water, He shot the arrow, and the pierced fish immediately fell down. This victory of Lord Kṛṣṇa was accomplished at noon, during the moment called abhijit, which is astronomically calculated as auspicious. At that time the vibration of 'Jaya! Jaya!' was heard all over the world, and from the sky came sounds of drums beat by the denizens of heaven. Great demigods were overwhelmed with joy and began to shower flowers on the earth.
"At that time, I entered the arena of competition, and the ankle bells on my legs were sounding very melodiously as I walked. I was nicely dressed with new silken garments, flowers were decorating my hair, and because of Lord Kṛṣṇa's victory, I was in ecstatic joy and smiling very pleasingly. I was carrying in my hands a golden necklace bedecked with jewels, which was glittered at intervals. My curling hair encircled my face, which was shining with a bright luster due to the reflection of my various rings. My eyes blinking, I first of all observed all the princes present, and when I reached my Lord I very slowly placed the golden necklace on His neck. As I have already informed you, from the very beginning my mind had been attracted by Lord Kṛṣṇa, and thus I considered the garlanding of the Lord to be my great victory. As soon as I placed my garland on the neck of the Lord, there sounded immediately the combined vibration of mṛdaṅgas, paṭahas, conchshells, drums, kettledrums and other instruments, causing a tumultuous sound, and while the music played, expert male and female dancers began to dance, and singers began to sing sweetly.
"My dear Draupadī, when I accepted Lord Kṛṣṇa as my worshipable husband, and He also accepted me as His maidservant, there was a tumultuous roaring among the disappointed princes. All of them became very agitated because of their lusty desires, but without caring for them, my husband, in His form as the four-handed Nārāyaṇa, immediately took me on His chariot, which was drawn by four excellent horses. Expecting opposition from the princes, He armored Himself and took up His bow named Śārṅga, but our celebrated driver, Dāruka, drove the beautiful chariot without a moment's delay toward the city of Dvārakā. Thus, in the presence of all the princes, I was carried away very quickly, exactly as a deer is carried away from the flock by a lion. Some of the princes, however, wanted to check our progress, and thus, equipped with proper weapons, they opposed us, just as dogs try to oppose the progressive march of a lion. At that time, due to the arrows released by the Śārṅga bow of Lord Kṛṣṇa, some of the princes were cut on their left hands, some of them lost their legs, and some lost their heads and their lives, and others fled from the battlefield.
"The
Supreme Personality of Godhead then entered the most celebrated city of the
universe, Dvārakā, and as He entered the city, He appeared like the shining
sun. The whole city of Dvārakā was profusely decorated on that occasion. There
were so many flags and festoons and gates all over Dvārakā that the sunshine
could not even enter the city. I have already told you that my father was very
much affectionate to me, so when he saw that my desire was fulfilled by getting
Lord Kṛṣṇa as my husband, in great happiness he
began to distribute to friends and relatives various kinds of gifts, such as
valuable dresses, ornaments, bedsteads and sitting carpets. Lord Kṛṣṇa is always self-sufficient, yet my
father, out of his own accord, offered my husband a dowry consisting of riches,
soldiers, elephants, chariots, horses and many rare and valuable weapons. He
presented all these to the Lord with great enthusiasm. My dear Queen, at that
time I could guess that in my previous life I must have performed some
wonderfully pious activity, and as a result I can in this life be one of the
maidservants in the house of the Supreme Personality of Godhead."
When all the
principal queens of Lord Kṛṣṇa had finished their statements, Rohiṇī, as the representative of the other
sixteen thousand queens, began to narrate the incident of their becoming wives
of Kṛṣṇa.
"My dear
Queen, when Bhaumāsura was conquering all the world, he collected wherever
possible all the beautiful daughters of the kings and kept us arrested within
his palace. When news of our imprisonment reached Lord Kṛṣṇa, He fought with Bhaumāsura and
released us. Lord Kṛṣṇa
killed Bhaumāsura and all his soldiers, and although He had no need to accept
even one wife, He nevertheless, by our request, married all sixteen thousand of
us. My dear Queen, our only qualification was that we were always thinking of
the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa,
which is the way to release oneself from the bondage of repeated birth and
death. My dear Queen Draupadī, please take it from us that we are not after any
opulence such as kingdom, empire, or a position of heavenly enjoyment. We do
not want to enjoy such material opulences, nor do we desire to achieve the
yogic perfections, nor the exalted post of Lord Brahmā. Nor do we want any of
the different kinds of liberation-- sālokya, sārṣṭi, sāmīpya or sāyujya. We are not at
all attracted by any of these opulences. Our only ambition is to bear on our
heads life after life the dust particles attached to the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa. The goddess of fortune also desires
to keep that dust on her breast, along with fragrant saffron. We simply desire
this dust, which accumulates underneath the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa as He travels on the land of Vṛndāvana as a cowherd boy. The gopīs
especially, and also the cowherd men and the aborigine tribeswomen, always
desire to become the grass and straw on the street of Vṛndāvana, to be trampled on by the lotus
feet of Kṛṣṇa.
My dear Queen, we wish to remain as such life after life, without any other
desire."
Om Tat Sat
(Continued...)
(My humble salutations H H Swami Sri Prabhupada ji, Sri Krishnalilas
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