Sri Krishna Madbhagavatam
88. The
Superexcellent Power of Kṛṣṇa
Long, long ago,
there was an assembly of great sages on the bank of the river Sarasvatī, and
they performed a great sacrifice of the name Satrayajña. In such assemblies,
the great sages present usually discuss Vedic subject matters and philosophical
topics, and in this particular meeting the following question was raised: The
three predominating deities of this material world, namely, Lord Brahmā, Lord
Viṣṇu and Lord Śiva, are directing all the
affairs of the this cosmos, but who among them is the Supreme? After much
discussion on this question, the great sage named Bhṛgu, who is the son of Lord Brahmā, was
deputed to test all three predominating deities and report to the assembly as
to who is the greatest.
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Being thus deputed, the great sage Bhṛgumuni first of all went to his father's residence
in Brahmāloka. The three deities are the controllers of the three material
qualities, namely the qualities of goodness, passion and ignorance. The plan
decided upon by the sages was for Bhṛgu
to test which of the predominating deities possesses the quality of goodness
in full. Therefore, when Bhṛgumuni reached his
father, Lord Brahmā, because he wanted to test whether he had the quality of
goodness, he purposely did not offer his respects to his father either by
offering obeisances or by offering prayers. It is the duty of a son or a
disciple to offer respects and recite suitable prayers when he approaches his
father or spiritual master. But Bhṛgumuni
purposely failed to offer respects, just to see Lord Brahmā's reaction to
this negligence. Lord Brahmā was very angry at his son's impudency, and he
showed signs which definitely proved this to be so. He was even prepared to
condemn Bhṛgu by cursing him, but because Bhṛgu was his son, Lord Brahmā controlled his anger
with his great intelligence. This means that although the quality of passion
was prominent in Lord Brahmā, he had the power to control it. Lord Brahmā's
anger and his controlling his anger are likened to fire and water. Water is
produced from fire, but fire can be extinguished with water. Similarly,
although Lord Brahmā was very angry due to his quality of passion, he could
still control his passion because Bhṛgumuni
was his son.
After testing Lord Brahmā, Bhṛgumuni went directly to the planet Kailāsa, where
Lord Śiva resides. Bhṛgumuni happened to be Lord Śiva's brother.
Therefore, as soon as Bhṛgumuni approached,
Lord Śiva was very glad and personally rose to embrace him. But when Lord
Śiva approached, Bhṛgumuni refused to embrace him. "My dear
brother," he said, "you are always very impure. Because you smear
your body with ashes, you are not very clean. Please do not touch me."
When Bhṛgumuni refused to embrace his brother, saying
that Lord Śiva was very impure, the latter became very angry with him. It is
said that an offense can be committed either with the body, with the mind or
by speech. Bhṛgumuni's first offense, committed towards Lord
Brahmā, was an offense with the mind. His second offense, committed towards
Lord Śiva by insulting him, criticizing him for unclean habits, was an offense
by speech. Because the quality of ignorance is prominent in Lord Śiva, when
he heard Bhṛgu's insult, his eyes immediately became red with
anger. With uncontrollable rage, he took up his trident and prepared to kill
Bhṛgumuni. At that time, Lord Śiva's wife, Pārvatī,
was present. Her personality is a mixture of the three qualities, and
therefore she is called Triguṇamayī. In this
case, she saved the situation by evoking Lord Śiva's quality of goodness. She
fell down at the feet of her husband, and with her sweet words she talked him
out of killing Bhṛgumuni.
After being saved from the anger of
Lord Śiva, Bhṛgumuni went directly to the planet Śvetadvīpa,
where Lord Viṣṇu was lying on a bed of flowers, accompanied by
His wife, the goddess of fortune, who was engaged in massaging His lotus
feet. There Bhṛgumuni purposely committed the greatest sin by
offending Lord Viṣṇu by his bodily activities. The first offense
committed by Bhṛgumuni was mental, the second offense was vocal,
and the third offense was corporal. These different offenses are
progressively greater in degree. An offense committed within the mind is a
positive offense, the same offense, committed verbally is comparatively more
grave, and when committed by bodily action it is superlative in offensiveness.
So Bhṛgumuni committed the greatest offense by touching
the chest of the Lord with his foot in the presence of the goddess of
fortune. Of course, Lord Viṣṇu
is all-merciful. He did not become angry at the activities of Bhṛgumuni because Bhṛgumuni
was a great brāhmaṇa. A brāhmaṇa
is to be excused even if he sometimes commits an offense, and Lord Viṣṇu set the example. Yet it is said that from the
time of this incident, the goddess of fortune, Lakṣmī, has not been very favorably disposed towards
the brāhmaṇas, and therefore, because the goddess of fortune
withholds her benedictions from them, the brāhmaṇas are generally very poor. Bhṛgumuni's touching the chest of Lord Viṣṇu with his foot was certainly a great offense,
but Lord Viṣṇu is so great that He did not care. The so-called
brāhmaṇas of the Kali-yuga are sometimes very proud that
they can touch the chest of Lord Viṣṇu
with their feet. But when Bhṛgumuni touched the
chest of Lord Viṣṇu with his feet, it was different because
although it was the greatest offense, Lord Viṣṇu,
being greatly magnanimous, did not take it very seriously.
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Instead of being angry or cursing Bhṛgumuni, Lord Viṣṇu
immediately got up from His bed along with His wife, the goddess of fortune,
and offered respectful obeisances to the brāhmaṇa.
He addressed Bhṛgumuni as follows: "My dear brāhmaṇa, it is a great blessing for Me that you have come
here. Please, therefore, sit down on this cushion for a few minutes. My dear
brāhmaṇa, I am very sorry that when you first entered I could
not receive you properly. It was a great offense on My part, and I beg you to
pardon Me. You are so pure and great that the water which washes your feet can
purify even the places of pilgrimage. Therefore, I request you to purify the
Vaikuṇṭha planet where I live with My associates. My dear
father, O great sage, I know that your feet are very soft, like a lotus flower,
and that My chest is as hard as a thunderbolt. I am therefore afraid that you
may have felt some pain by touching My chest with your feet. Let Me therefore
touch your feet to relieve the pain you have suffered." Lord Viṣṇu then began to massage the feet of Bhṛgumuni.
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The Lord continued to address Bhṛgumuni. "My dear lord," He said,
"My chest has now become sanctified because of the touch of your feet,
and I am now assured that the goddess of fortune, Lakṣmī, will be very glad to live there
perpetually." Another name for Lakṣmī
is Cañcalā. She does not stay in one place for a long time. Therefore, we see
that a rich man's family sometimes becomes poor after a few generations, and
sometimes we see that a poor man's family becomes very rich. Lakṣmī, the goddess of fortune, is Cañcalā in this
material world, whereas in the Vaikuṇṭha
planets she eternally lives at the lotus feet of the Lord. Because Lakṣmī is famous as Cañcalā, Lord Nārāyaṇa indicated that she might not have been living
perpetually by His chest, but because His chest had been touched by the feet
of Bhṛgumuni, it was now sanctified, and there was no
chance that the goddess of fortune would leave. Bhṛgumuni, however, could understand his position
and that of the Lord, and he was struck with wonder at the behavior of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. Because of his gratitude, his voice choked
up, and he was unable to reply to the words of the Lord. Tears glided from
his eyes, and he could not say anything. He simply stood silently before the
Lord.
After testing Lord Brahmā, Lord Śiva
and Lord Viṣṇu, Bhṛgumuni
returned to the assembly of great sages on the bank of the river Sarasvatī
and described his experience. After hearing him with great attention, the
sages concluded that of all the predominating deities, certainly Viṣṇu is situated in the mode of goodness in the
highest degree. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, these great sages are described as
brahma-vādinām. Brahmā-vādinām means those who talk about the Absolute Truth
but have not yet come to a conclusion. Generally brahma-vādī refers to the
impersonalists or to those who are students of the Vedas. It is to be
understood, therefore, that all the gathered sages were serious students of
Vedic literature, but had not come to definite conclusions as to who is the
Supreme Absolute Personality of Godhead.
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The sages thus concluded that by following the principles of vaiṣṇava-dharma, one becomes actually perfect. But if one follows all the religious principles of a particular sect and does not become advanced in understanding the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu, all such labor of love is fruitless. To execute religious principles means to come to the platform of perfect knowledge. If one comes to the platform of perfect knowledge, then he will be disinterested in material affairs. Perfect knowledge means to know one's own self and to know the Supreme Self. The Supreme Self and the individual self, although one in quality, are different in quantity. This analytical understanding of knowledge is perfect. Simply to understand, "I am not matter; I am spirit," is not perfect knowledge. The real religious principle is devotional service, or bhakti. This is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā. Lord Kṛṣṇa says, "Give up all other religious principles and simply surrender unto Me." Therefore, the term dharma applies only to the vaiṣṇava-dharma or bhagavad-dharma, following which all other good qualities and advancements in life are automatically achieved.
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The highest perfectional knowledge is
to know the Supreme Lord. He cannot be understood by any process of religion
other than devotional service; therefore, the immediate result of perfect
knowledge is achieved by executing devotional service. After attainment of
knowledge, one becomes disinterested in the material world. This is not
because of dry philosophical speculation. The devotees become disinterested in
the material world, not simply because of theoretical understanding, but
practical experience. When a devotee realizes the effect of association with
the Supreme Lord, he naturally hates the association of so-called society,
friendship and love. This detachment is not dry, but is due to achieving a
higher status of life by relishing transcendental mellows. It is further
stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that after attainment of such knowledge and
detachment from material sense gratification, one's advancement in the eight
opulences attained by mystic yoga practice, namely the aṇimā, laghimā and prāpti siddhis, etc., are also
achieved without separate effort. The perfect example is Mahārāja Ambarīṣa. He was not a mystic yogī but he was a great
devotee, yet in a disagreement with Mahārāja Ambarīṣa, the great mystic Durvāsā was defeated in the
presence of his devotional attitude. In other words, a devotee does not need
to practice the mystic yoga system to achieve power. The power is behind him
by the grace of the Lord, just as when a small child is surrendered to a
powerful father, all the powers of the father are behind him.
When a person becomes famous as a
devotee of the Lord, his reputation is never to be extinguished. Lord
Caitanya, when discoursing with Rāmānanda Rāya, questioned, "What is the
greatest fame?" Rāmānanda Rāya replied that to be known as a pure
devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa is the perfect fame. The conclusion, therefore,
is that Viṣṇu-dharma, or the religion of devotional service
unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is meant for persons who are
thoughtful. By proper utilization of thoughtfulness, one comes to the stage
of thinking of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. By thinking of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, one becomes free from the contamination of the faulty
association of the material world, and thus one becomes peaceful. The world
is in a disturbed condition because of a scarcity of such peaceful devotees
in human society. Unless one is a devotee, one cannot be equal to all living entities.
A devotee is equally disposed towards the animals, the human beings and all
living entities because he sees every living entity as a part and parcel of
the Supreme Lord. In the Īśopaniṣad
it is clearly stated that one who has come to the stage of seeing all living
beings equally does not hate anyone or favor anyone. The devotee does not
hanker to possess more than he requires. Devotees are therefore akiñcana; in
any condition of life a devotee is satisfied. It is said that a devotee is
evenminded whether he is in hell or in heaven. A devotee is callous to all
subjects other than his engagement in devotional service. This mode of life
is the highest perfectional stage, from which one can be elevated to the
spiritual world, back home, back to Godhead. The devotees of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead are especially attracted by the highest material
quality, goodness, and the qualified brāhmaṇa
is the symbolic representation of this goodness. Therefore, a devotee is
attached to the brahminical stage of life. He is not very much interested in
passion or ignorance, although these qualities also emanate from the Supreme
Lord, Viṣṇu. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam the devotees are
described as nipuṇa-buddhayaḥ,
which means that they are the most intelligent class of men. Uninfluenced by
attachment or hatred, the devotee lives very peacefully and is not agitated
by the influence of passion and ignorance.
It may be questioned here why a
devotee should be attached to the quality of goodness in the material world
if he is transcendental to all material qualities. The answer is that there
are different kinds of people existing in the modes of material nature. Those
who are in the mode of ignorance are called rākṣasas,
those in the mode of passion are called asuras, and those in the mode of
goodness are called suras, or demigods. Under the direction of the Supreme
Lord, these three classes of men are created by material nature, but those
who are in the mode of goodness have a greater chance to be elevated to the
spiritual world, back home, back to Godhead.
Thus all the sages who assembled on
the bank of the river Sarasvatī to try to determine who is the supreme
predominating Deity became freed from all doubts about Viṣṇu worship. All of them thereafter engaged in
devotional service, and thus they achieved the desired result and went back
to Godhead.
Those who are actually anxious to be
liberated from material entanglement would do better to accept at once the
conclusion given by Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī in the beginning of the
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. It is said there that hearing the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is
extremely conducive to liberation because it is spoken by Śukadeva Gosvāmī.
The same fact is again confirmed by Sūta Gosvāmī: if anyone who is traveling
aimlessly within this material world cares to hear the nectarean words spoken
by Śukadeva Gosvāmī, certainly he will come to the right conclusion; simply
by discharging devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead he
will be able to stop the fatigue of migrating from one material body to
another perpetually. In other words, by proper hearing one will become fixed
in loving devotional service to Viṣṇu.
He will certainly be able to get relief from this material journey of life,
and the process is very simple. One has to give aural reception to the sweet
words spoken by Śukadeva Gosvāmī in the form of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
Another conclusion is that we should
never consider the demigods, even Lord Śiva and Lord Brahmā, to be on an
equal level with Lord Viṣṇu.
If we do this, then according to Padma Purāṇa,
we immediately become atheists. In the Vedic literature known as Harivaṁśa it is also stated that only the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu,
is to be worshiped. The Hare Kṛṣṇa
mahāmantra, or any such Viṣṇu
mantra, is always to be chanted. In the Second Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam,
Lord Brahmā says, "Both Lord Śiva and myself are engaged by the Supreme
Personality of Godhead to act in different capacities under His
direction." In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta
it is also stated that the only master is Kṛṣṇa,
and everyone in all categories of life are servants of Kṛṣṇa only.
In the Bhagavad-gītā it is confirmed
by the Lord that there is no truth superior to Kṛṣṇa. Śukadeva Gosvāmī also, in order to draw
attention to the fact that among all Viṣṇu-tattva
forms, Lord Kṛṣṇa is one hundred percent the Supreme Personality
of Godhead, narrated the story of an incident which took place when Lord Kṛṣṇa was present.
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Once upon a time, a brāhmaṇa's wife gave birth to a child. Unfortunately, however,
just after being born and touching the ground, the child immediately died. The
brāhmaṇa father took the dead child and went directly to
Dvārakā to the palace of the king. The brāhmaṇa
was very upset because of the untimely death of the child in the presence of
his young father and mother. Thus his mind became very disturbed. Formerly,
when there were responsible kings, up to the time of Dvāpara-yuga, when Lord Kṛṣṇa was present, the king was liable to be blamed for
the untimely death of a child in the presence of his parents. Similarly, such
responsibility was there during the time of Lord Rāmacandra. As we have
explained in the First Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the king was so responsible
for the comforts of the citizens that he was to see that there was not even
excessive heat or cold. Although there was no fault on the part of the king,
the brāhmaṇa whose child had died immediately went to the
palace door and began to accuse the king as follows.
"The present king, Ugrasena, is
envious of the brāhmaṇas!" The exact word used in this connection is
brāhma-dviṣaḥ. One who is envious
of the Vedas or one who is envious of a qualified brāhmaṇa or the brāhmana caste is called brahma-dvit. So
the King was accused of being brahma-dvit. He was also accused of being śaṭha-dhī, falsely intelligent. The executive head of
a state must be very intelligent to see to the comforts of the citizens, but,
according to the brāhmaṇa the king was not at all intelligent, although he
was occupying the royal throne. Therefore he also called him lubdha, which
means greedy. In other words, a king or an executive head of state should not
occupy the exalted post of presidency or kingship if he is greedy and
self-interested. But it is natural that an executive head becomes self-interested
when he is attached to material enjoyment. Therefore, another word used here is
viṣayātmanaḥ.
The brāhmaṇa also accused the king of being kṣatra-bandhu, which refers to a person born in the
family of kṣatriyas or the royal order who is without the qualifications
of a royal personality. A king should protect brahminical culture and should be
very alert to the welfare of his citizens; he should not be greedy due to
attachment to material enjoyment. If a person with no qualifications represents
himself as a kṣatriya of the royal order, he is not called a kṣatriya, but a kṣatra-bandhu.
Similarly, if a person is born of a brāhmaṇa
father but has no brahminical qualification, he is called brahma-bandhu or
dvija-bandhu. This means that a brāhmaṇa
or a kṣatriya is not accepted simply by birth. One has to
qualify himself for the particular position; only then is he accepted as a
brāhmaṇa or a kṣatriya.
Thus the brāhmaṇa accused the king that his newly born baby was
dead due to the disqualifications of the king. The brāhmaṇa took it most unnaturally, and therefore he held
the king to be responsible. We also find in Vedic history that if a kṣatriya king was irresponsible, sometimes a
consulting board of brāhmaṇas maintained by the
monarchy would dethrone him. Considering all these points, it appears that the
post of monarch in the Vedic civilization is a very responsible one.
The brāhmaṇa therefore said, "No one should offer
respects or worship to a king whose only business is envy. Such a king spends
his time either hunting and killing animals in the forest or killing citizens
for criminal acts. He has no self-control and possesses bad character. If such
a king is worshiped or honored by the citizens, the citizens will never be
happy. They will always remain poor, full of anxieties and aggrievement, and
always unhappy." Although in modern politics the post of monarch is
abolished, the president is not held responsible for the comforts of the
citizens. In this age of Kali, the executive head of a state somehow or other
gets votes and is elected to an exalted post, but the condition of the citizens
continues to be full of anxiety, distress, unhappiness, and dissatisfaction.
The brāhmaṇa's second child was also born dead, and the third
also. He had nine children, and each of them was born dead, and each time he
came to the gate of the palace to accuse the King. When the brāhmaṇa came to accuse the King of Dvārakā for the ninth
time, Arjuna happened to be present with Kṛṣṇa.
On hearing that a brāhmaṇa was accusing the King of not properly protecting
him, Arjuna became inquisitive and approached the brāhmaṇa. He said, "My dear brāhmaṇa, why do you say that there are no proper kṣatriyas to protect the citizens of your country? Is
there not even someone who can pretend to be a kṣatriya,
who can carry a bow and arrow at least to make a show of protection? Do you
think that all the royal personalities in this country simply engage in
performing sacrifices with the brāhmaṇas
but have no chivalrous power?" Thus Arjuna indicated that kṣatriyas should not sit back comfortably and engage
only in performing Vedic rituals. Rather, they must be very chivalrous in
protecting the citizens. Brāhmaṇas, being engaged in
spiritual activities, are not expected to do anything which requires physical
endeavor. Therefore, they need to be protected by the kṣatriyas so that they will not be disturbed in the
execution of their higher occupational duties.
"If the brāhmaṇas feel unwanted separation from their wives and
children," Arjuna continued, "and the kṣatriya
kings do not take care of them, then such kṣatriyas
are to be considered no more than stage players. In dramatic performances in
the theater, an actor may play the part of a king, but no one expects any
benefits from such a make-believe king. Similarly, if the king or the executive
head of a state cannot give protection to the head of the social structure, he
is considered merely a bluffer. Such executive heads simply live for their own
livelihood while occupying exalted posts as chiefs of state. My lord, I promise
that I shall give protection to your children, and if I am unable to do so,
then I shall enter into blazing fire so that the sinful contamination which has
infected me will be counteracted."
Upon hearing Arjuna speak in this way,
the brāhmaṇa replied, "My dear Arjuna, Lord Balarāma is
present, but He could not give protection to my children. Lord Kṛṣṇa is also present, but He also could not give them
protection. There are also many other heroes, such as Pradyumna and Aniruddha,
carrying bows and arrows, but they could not protect my children." The
brāhmaṇa directly hinted that Arjuna could not do that
which was impossible for the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He felt that
Arjuna was promising something beyond his power. The brāhmaṇa said, "I consider your promise to be like
that of an inexperienced child. I cannot put my faith in your promise."
Arjuna then understood that the brāhmaṇa had lost all faith in the kṣatriya kings. Therefore, to encourage him, Arjuna
spoke as if criticizing even his friend, Lord Kṛṣṇa.
While Lord Kṛṣṇa and others were listening, he specifically
attacked Kṛṣṇa by saying, "My dear brāhmaṇa, I am neither Saṅkarṣaṇa nor Kṛṣṇa nor one of Kṛṣṇa's
sons like Pradyumna or Aniruddha. My name is Arjuna, and I carry the bow known
as Gāṇḍīva. You cannot insult me because I have satisfied
even Lord Śiva by my prowess when we were both hunting in the forest. I had a
fight with Lord Śiva, who appeared before me as a hunter, and when I satisfied
him by my prowess, he gave me the weapon known as paśupatāstra. Do not doubt my
chivalry. I shall bring back your sons even if I have to fight with death
personified." When the brāhmaṇa
was assured by Arjuna in such exalted words, he somehow or other was convinced,
and thus he returned home.
When the brāhmaṇa's wife was to give birth to another child, the
brāhmaṇa began to chant, "My dear Arjuna please come
now and save my child." After hearing him, Arjuna immediately prepared
himself by touching sanctified water and uttering holy mantras to protect his
bows and arrows from danger. He specifically took the arrow which was presented
to him by Lord Śiva, and while going out, he began to remember Lord Śiva and
his great favor. In this way, he appeared in front of the maternity home, equipped
with his bow, known as Gāṇḍīva, and with various other weapons.
It appears that Arjuna did not leave
Dvārakā because he had to fulfill his promise to the brāhmaṇa. He was called at night when the brāhmaṇa's wife was to give birth to the child. While
going to the maternity home to attend to the delivery case of the brāhmaṇa's wife, Arjuna remembered Lord Śiva, and not his
friend Kṛṣṇa; he thought that since Kṛṣṇa could not give protection to the brāhmaṇa, it was better to take shelter of Lord Śiva. This
is another instance of how a person takes shelter of the demigods. This is
explained in the Bhagavad-gītā: kāmais tais tair hṛta-jñānāḥ:
a person who loses his intelligence because of greediness and lust forgets the
Supreme Personality of Godhead and takes shelter of the demigods. Of course,
Arjuna was not an ordinary living entity, but because of his friendly dealings
with Kṛṣṇa, he thought that Kṛṣṇa
was unable to give protection to the brāhmaṇa
and that he would do better to remember Lord Śiva. Later on it was proved that
Arjuna's taking shelter of Lord Śiva instead of Kṛṣṇa
was not at all successful. Arjuna, however, did his best by chanting different
mantras, and he took up his bow to guard the maternity home from all
directions.
The brāhmaṇa's wife delivered a male child, and as usual the
child began to cry. But suddenly, within a few minutes, both the child and
Arjuna's arrows disappeared in the sky. It appeared that the brāhmaṇa's house was near Kṛṣṇa's
residence and that Lord Kṛṣṇa was enjoying everything that was taking place
apparently in defiance of His authority. It was He who played the trick of
taking away the brāhmaṇa's baby as well as the arrows, including the one
given by Lord Śiva, of which Arjuna was so proud. Tad bhavati alpamedhasām:
less intelligent men take shelter of the demigods due to bewilderment and are
satisfied with the benefits they award.
In the presence of Lord Kṛṣṇa and others, the brāhmaṇa began to accuse Arjuna: "Everyone see my
foolishness! I put my faith in the words of Arjuna, who is impotent and who is
expert only in false promises. How foolish I was to believe Arjuna. He promised
to protect my child when even Pradyumna, Aniruddha, Lord Balarāma and Lord Kṛṣṇa failed. If such great personalities could not
protect my child, then who can do so? I therefore condemn Arjuna for his false
promise, and I also condemn his celebrated bow Gāṇḍīva
and his impudency in declaring himself greater than Lord Balarāma, Lord Kṛṣṇa, Pradyumna and Aniruddha. No one can save my
child, for he has already been transferred to another planet. Due to sheer
foolishness only, Arjuna thought that he could bring back my child from another
planet."
Thus condemned by the brāhmaṇa, Arjuna empowered himself with a mystic yoga
perfection so that he could travel to any planet to find the brāhmaṇa's baby. It seems that Arjuna had mastered the
mystic yogic power by which yogīs can travel to any planet they desire. He
first of all went to the planet known as Yamaloka, where the superintendent of
death, Yamarāja, lives. There he searched for the brāhmaṇa's baby, but he was unable to find him. He then
immediately went to the planet where the King of heaven, Indra, lives. When he
was unable to find the baby there, he went to the planets of the fire demigods,
Nairṛti, and then to the moon planet. Then he went to
Vāyu and to Varuṇaloka. When he was unable to find the baby in those
planets, he went down to the Rasātala planet, the lowest of the planetary
systems. After traveling to all these different planets, he finally went to
Brahmaloka, where even the mystic yogīs cannot go. By the grace of Lord Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna had that power, and he went above the
heavenly planets to Brahmaloka. When he was unable to find the baby even after
searching all possible planets, he then attempted to throw himself into a fire,
as he had promised the brāhmaṇa if unable to bring
back his baby. Lord Kṛṣṇa, however, was very kind toward Arjuna because
Arjuna happened to be the most intimate friend of the Lord. Lord Kṛṣṇa persuaded Arjuna not to enter the fire in
disgrace. Kṛṣṇa indicated that since Arjuna was His friend, if he
were to enter the fire in hopelessness, indirectly it would be a blemish on
Him. Lord Kṛṣṇa therefore checked Arjuna, assuring him that He
would find the baby. He told Arjuna, "Do not foolishly commit
suicide."
After addressing Arjuna in this way,
Lord Kṛṣṇa called for His transcendental chariot. He mounted
it along with Arjuna and began to proceed north. Lord Kṛṣṇa, the all-powerful Personality of Godhead, could
have brought the child back without effort, but we should always remember that
He was playing the part of a human being. As a human being has to endeavor to
achieve certain results, so Lord Kṛṣṇa,
like an ordinary human being, or like His friend Arjuna, left Dvārakā to bring
back the brāhmaṇa's baby. By appearing in human society and
exhibiting His pastimes as a human being, Kṛṣṇa
definitely showed that there was not a single personality greater than He.
"God is great." That is the definition of the Supreme Personality of
Godhead. So at least within this material world, while He was present, Kṛṣṇa proved that there was no greater personality
within the universe.
Seated on His chariot with Arjuna, Kṛṣṇa began to proceed north, crossing over many
planetary systems. These are described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam as sapta-dvīpa.
Dvīpa means island. All these planets are sometimes described in the Vedic
literature as dvipas. The planet on which we are living is called Jambūdvīpa.
Outer space is taken as a great ocean of air, and within that great ocean of
air there are many islands, which are the different planets. In each and every
planet there are oceans also. In some of the planets, the oceans are of salt
water, and in some of them there are oceans of milk. In others there are oceans
of liquor, and in others there are oceans of ghee or oil. There are different
kinds of mountains also. Each and every planet has a different type of
atmosphere.
Kṛṣṇa
passed over all these planets and reached the covering of the universe. This
covering is described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam as great darkness. This material
world as a whole is described as dark. In the open space there is sunlight, and
therefore it is illuminated, but in the covering, because of the absence of
sunlight, it is naturally dark. When Kṛṣṇa
approached the covering layer of this universe, the four horses which were
drawing His chariot--Śaibya, Sugrīva, Meghapuṣpa
and Balāhaka--all appeared to hesitate to enter the darkness. This hesitation
is also a part of the pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa
because the horses of Kṛṣṇa are not ordinary. It is not possible for ordinary
horses to go all over the universe and then enter into its outer covering
layers. As Kṛṣṇa is transcendental, similarly His chariot and His
horses and everything about Him are also transcendental, beyond the qualities
of this material world. We should always remember that Kṛṣṇa was playing the part of an ordinary human being,
and His horses also, by the will of Kṛṣṇa,
played the parts of ordinary horses in hesitating to enter the darkness.
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Kṛṣṇa
is known as Yogeśvara, as is stated in the last portion of Bhagavad-gītā.
Yogeśvara hariḥ: all mystic powers are under His control. In our
experience, we can see many human beings who have yogic mystic power.
Sometimes they perform very wonderful acts, but Kṛṣṇa is understood to be the master of all mystic
power. Therefore, when He saw that His horses were hesitant to proceed into
the darkness, He immediately released His disc, known as the Sudarśana cakra,
which illuminated the sky a thousand times brighter than sunlight. The
darkness of the covering of the universe is also a creation of Kṛṣṇa's, and the Sudarśana cakra is Kṛṣṇa's constant companion. Thus the darkness was
penetrated by His keeping the Sudarśana cakra in front. The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
states that the Sudarśana cakra penetrated the darkness just as an arrow
released from the Śārṅga bow of Lord Rāmacandra penetrated the army of
Rāvaṇa. Su means very nice, and darsana means
observation; by the grace of Lord Kṛṣṇa's
disc, Sudarśana, everything can be seen very nicely, and nothing can remain
in darkness. Thus Lord Kṛṣṇa
and Arjuna crossed over the great region of darkness covering the material
universes.
Arjuna then saw the effulgence of
light known as the brahmajyoti. The brahmajyoti is situated outside the
covering of the material universes, and because it cannot be seen with our
present eyes, this brahmajyoti is sometimes called avyakta. This spiritual
effulgence is the ultimate destination of the impersonalists known as
Vedāntists. The brahmajyoti is also described as anantapāram, unlimited and
unfathomed. When Lord Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna reached this region of the
brahmajyoti, Arjuna could not tolerate the glaring effulgence, and he closed
his eyes. Lord Kṛṣṇa's and Arjuna's reaching the brahmajyoti region
is described in Harivaṁśa. In that portion of the Vedic literature, Kṛṣṇa informed Arjuna, "My dear Arjuna, the
glaring effulgence, the transcendental light which you are seeing, is My
bodily rays. O chief of the descendants of Bharata, this brahmajyoti is
Myself." As the sun disc and the sunshine cannot be separated, similarly
Kṛṣṇa and His bodily rays, the brahmajyoti, cannot be
separated. Thus Kṛṣṇa claimed that the brahmajyoti is He Himself.
This is clearly stated in the Harivaṁśa,
when Kṛṣṇa says, "ahaṁ
saḥ." The brahmajyoti is a combination of the
minute particles known as spiritual sparks, or the living entities known as
citkana. The Vedic word so'ham, or "I am the brahmajyoti," can also
be applied to the living entities, who can also claim to belong to the
brahmajyoti. In the Harivaṁśa, Kṛṣṇa further explains, "This brahmajyoti is an
expansion of My spiritual energy."
Kṛṣṇa
told Arjuna, "The brahmajyoti is beyond the region of My external
energy, known as māyā-śakti." When one is situated within this material
world, it is not possible for him to experience this Brahman effulgence.
Therefore, in the material world this effulgence is not manifested, whereas
in the spiritual world, it is manifested. That is the purport of the words
vyakta-avyakta. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said avyakto ’vyaktāt sanātanaḥ: both these energies are eternally manifested.
After this, Lord Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna entered a vast extensive spiritual
water. This spiritual water is called the Kāraṇārṇava Ocean or Virajā which means that this ocean
is the origin of the creation of the material world. In the Mṛtyuñjaya Tantra, a Vedic literature, there is a
vivid description of this Kāraṇa
Ocean, or Virajā. It is stated there that the highest planetary system within
the material world is Satyaloka, or Brahmaloka. Beyond that there are
Rudraloka and Mahā-Viṣṇuloka. Regarding this Mahā-Viṣṇuloka, it is stated in the Brahma-saṁhitā, yaḥ
kāraṇārṇava-jale
bhajati sma yoga: "Lord Mahā-Viṣṇu
is lying in the Kāraṇa Ocean. When He exhales, innumerable universes
come into existence, and when He inhales, innumerable universes enter within
Him." In this way, the material creation is generated and again
withdrawn. When Lord Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna entered the water, it appeared that
there was a strong hurricane of transcendental effulgence brewing, and the
water of the Kāraṇa Ocean was greatly agitated. By the grace of
Lord Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna had the unique experience of being able
to see the very beautiful Kāraṇa
Ocean.
Accompanied by Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna saw a large palace within the water.
There were many thousands of pillars and columns made of valuable jewels, and
the glaring effulgence of those columns was so beautiful that Arjuna became
charmed by it. Within that palace, Arjuna and Kṛṣṇa
saw the gigantic form of Anantadeva, who is also known as Śeṣa. Lord Anantadeva or Śeṣanāga was in the form of a great serpent with
thousands of hoods, and each one of them was decorated with valuable,
effulgent jewels, which were beautifully dazzling. Each of Anantadeva's hoods
had two eyes which appeared very fearful. His body was as white as the mountaintop
of Kailāsa, which is always covered by snow. His neck was bluish, as were His
tongues. Thus Arjuna saw the Śeṣanāga
form, and he also saw that on the very soft, white body of Śeṣanāga, Lord Mahā-Viṣṇu
was lying very comfortably. He appeared to be all-pervading and very
powerful, and Arjuna could understand that the Supreme Personality of Godhead
in that form is known as Puruṣottama. He is known
as Puruṣottama, the best, or the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, because from this form emanates another form of Viṣṇu, which is known as Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu within the material world. The Mahā-Viṣṇu form of the Lord, Puruṣottama, is beyond the material world. He is also
known as Uttama. Tama means darkness, and ut means above, transcendental;
therefore, Uttama means above the darkest region of the material world.
Arjuna saw that the bodily color of Puruṣottama,
Mahā-Viṣṇu, was as dark as a new cloud in the rainy
season; He was dressed in very nice yellow clothing, His face was always
beautifully smiling, and His eyes, which were like lotus petals, were very
attractive. Lord Mahā-Viṣṇu's
helmet was bedecked with valuable jewels, and His beautiful earrings enhanced
the beauty of the curling hair on His head. Lord Mahā-Viṣṇu had eight arms, all very long, reaching to His
knees. His neck was decorated with the Kaustubha jewel, and His chest was
marked with the symbol of śrīvatsa, which means the resting place of the
goddess of fortune. The Lord wore a garland of lotus flowers down to His
knees. This long garland is known as a vaijayantī garland.
The Lord was surrounded by His
personal associates Nanda and Sunanda, and the personified Sudarśana disc was
also standing by Him. As is stated in the Vedas, the Lord has innumerable
energies, and they were also standing there personified. The most important
among them were as follows: puṣṭi,
the energy for nourishment, śrī, the energy of beauty, kīrti, the energy of
reputation, and ajā, the energy of material creation. All these energies are
invested in the administrators of the material world, namely Lord Brahmā,
Lord Śiva and Lord Viṣṇu, and in the kings of the heavenly planets,
Indra, Candra, Varuṇa and the sun-god. In other words, all these
demigods, being empowered by the Lord with certain energies, engage in the
transcendental loving service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The
Mahā-Viṣṇu feature is an expansion of Kṛṣṇa's body. It is also confirmed in the Brahma-saṁhitā that Mahā-Viṣṇu
is a portion of a plenary expansion of Kṛṣṇa.
All such expansions are nondifferent from the Personality of Godhead, but
since Kṛṣṇa appeared within this material world to manifest
His pastimes as a human being, He and Arjuna immediately offered their
respects to Lord Mahā-Viṣṇu
by bowing down before Him. It is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that Lord Kṛṣṇa offered respect to Mahā-Viṣṇu; this means that He offered obeisances unto Him
only because Lord Mahā-Viṣṇu
is nondifferent from He Himself. This offering of obeisances by Kṛṣṇa to Mahā-Viṣṇu
is not, however, the form of worship known as ahaṅgraha-upāsanā, which is sometimes recommended for
persons who are trying to elevate themselves to the spiritual world by
performing the sacrifice of knowledge. This is also stated in the
Bhagavad-gītā: jñāna-yajñena cāpy ante yajanto mām upāsate.
Although there was no necessity for Kṛṣṇa to offer obeisances, because He is the master
teacher, He taught Arjuna just how respect should be offered to Lord Mahā-Viṣṇu. Arjuna, however, became very much afraid upon
seeing the gigantic form of everything, distinct from the material
experience. Seeing Kṛṣṇa offering obeisances to Lord Mahā-Viṣṇu, he immediately followed Him and stood before
the Lord with folded hands. After this, the gigantic form of Mahā-Viṣṇu, greatly pleased, smiled pleasingly and spoke
as follows.
"My dear Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna, I was very anxious to see you both,
and therefore I arranged to take away the babies of the brāhmaṇa and keep them here. I have been expecting to
see you both at this palace. You have appeared in the material world as My
incarnations in order to minimize the force of the demoniac persons who
burden the world. Now after killing all these unwanted demons, you will
please again come back to Me. Both of you are incarnations of the great sage
Nara-Nārāyaṇa. Although you are both complete in yourselves,
to protect the devotees and to annihilate the demons and especially to
establish religious principles in the world so that peace and tranquility may
continue, you are teaching the basic principles of factual religion so that the
people of the world may follow you and thereby be peaceful and
prosperous."
Both Lord Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna then offered their obeisances to
Lord Mahā-Viṣṇu, and taking back the brāhmaṇa's children, they returned to Dvārakā via the
same route by which they had entered the spiritual world. All the children of
the brāhmaṇa had duly grown up. After returning to Dvārakā,
Lord Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna delivered to the brāhmaṇa all of his sons.
Arjuna, however, was struck with
great wonder after visiting the transcendental world by the grace of Lord Kṛṣṇa. And by the grace of Kṛṣṇa he could understand that whatever opulence
there may be within this material world is an emanation from Him. Any opulent
position a person may have within this material world is due to Kṛṣṇa's mercy. One should therefore always be in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, in complete gratefulness to Lord
Kṛṣṇa, because whatever one may possess is all His
mercy.
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Om Tat Sat
(Continued...)
(My humble salutations H H Swami Sri Prabhupada ji, Sri Krishnalilas
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