|
1
2
3
3
4
5
5
6
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
8
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
10
11
11
11
11
11
11
11
11
11
11
11
11
11
11
11
11
11
11
11
12
13
13
13
13
13
13
13
13
13
14
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
16
17
17
17
17
17
17
17
17
17
17
17
17
17
17
17
17
17
17
17
17
17
17
17
17
18
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
20
21
21
21
21
21
21
21
21
21
21
21
21
21
21
21
21
21
21
22
23
23
23
23
23
23
23
23
23
23
24
25
25
25
25
25
25
25
25
25
25
25
25
25
25
25
25
26
27
27
27
27
27
27
27
27
27
27
27
27
27
27
27
27
27
27
27
27
27
27
27
27
27
27
27
28
29
29
29
29
29
29
29
29
29
29
29
29
29
29
29
29
29
29
29
29
29
30
31
31
31
31
31
31
31
31
31
31
31
31
31
31
31
31
31
31
31
31
32
33
33
33
33
33
33
33
33
33
33
33
33
33
33
33
33
33
34
35
35
35
35
35
35
35
35
36
37
37
37
37
37
37
37
37
37
37
38
39
39
39
39
39
39
39
39
39
39
39
39
39
39
39
39
40
41
41
41
41
41
41
41
41
41
41
41
41
41
41
41
41
41
41
41
42
43
43
43
44
|
KB 1970-2-14 / The Great Sage Narada Visits the Different Homes
of Lord Krsna
14 / The Great Sage Narada Visits the Different Homes of Lord
Krsna
The great sage Narada heard that Lord Krsna had married
16,000 wives after He had killed the demon Narakasura,
sometimes called Bhaumasura. Narada became astonished that
Lord Krsna had expanded Himself into 16,000 forms
and married these wives simultaneously in different palaces.
Being inquisitive as to how Krsna was managing His household
affairs with so many wives, Narada desired to see these
pastimes and so set out to visit Krsna's different homes. When
Narada arrived in Dvaraka, he saw that the gardens and parks
were full of various flowers of different colors and orchards
that were overloaded with a variety of fruits. Beautiful
birds were chirping, and peacocks were delightfully crowing.
There were tanks and ponds full of blue and red lotus flowers,
and some of these sites were filled with varieties of lilies.
The lakes were full of nice swans and cranes whose voices
resounded everywhere. In the city there were as
many as 900,000 great palaces built of first-class marble with
gates and doors made of silver. The posts of the houses and
palaces were bedecked with jewels such as touchstone, sapphires
and emeralds, and the floors gave off a beautiful luster. The
highways, lanes, streets, crossings and marketplaces were all
beautifully decorated. The whole city was full of residential
homes, assembly houses, and temples, all of different
architectural beauty. All of this made Dvaraka a glowing city.
The big avenues, crossings, lanes, streets, and also the
thresholds of every residential house, were very clean. On both
sides of every path there were bushes, and at regular intervals
there were large trees that shaded the avenues so that the
sunshine would not bother the passersby.
In this greatly beautiful city of Dvaraka, Lord Krsna, the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, had many residential quarters.
The great kings and princes of the world used to visit these
palaces just to worship Him. The architectural plans were made
personally by Visvakarma, the engineer of the demigods, and in
the construction of the palaces he exhibited all of his talents
and ingenuity. These residential quarters numbered more than
16,000, and a different queen of Lord Krsna resided
in each of them. The great sage Narada entered one of these
houses and saw that the pillars were made of coral and the
ceilings were bedecked with jewels. The walls as well as the
arches between the pillars glowed from the decorations of
different kinds of sapphires. Throughout the palace there were
many canopies made by Visvakarma that were decorated with
strings of pearls. The chairs and other furniture were made of
ivory, bedecked with gold and diamonds, and jeweled lamps
dissipated the darkness within the palace. There was so much
incense and flavored gum burning that the scented fumes were
coming out of the windows. The peacocks sitting on the steps
became illusioned by the fumes, mistaking them for clouds, and
began dancing jubilantly. There were many maidservants, all of
whom were decorated with gold necklaces, bangles and beautiful
saris. There were also many male servants, who were
nicely dressed in cloaks and turbans and jeweled earrings.
Beautiful as they were, the servants were all engaged in
different household duties.
Narada saw that Lord Krsna was sitting with Rukminidevi, the
mistress of that particular palace, who was bearing the rod
of a camara whisk. Even though there were many thousands of
maidservants who were equally beautiful and qualified, and who
were of the same age, Rukminidevi personally was engaged in
fanning Lord Krsna. Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
worshiped even by Narada, but still, as soon as He saw
Narada enter the palace, Krsna got down immediately from
Rukmini's bedstead and stood up to honor him. Lord Krsna is the
teacher of the whole world, and in order to instruct everyone
how to respect a saintly person like Narada Muni, Krsna bowed
down, touching His helmet to the ground. Not only did Krsna bow
down, but He also touched the feet of Narada and with folded
hands requested him to sit on His chair. Lord Krsna is the
Supreme Personality worshiped by all devotees. He is the most
worshiped spiritual master of everyone. The Ganges water
which emanates from His feet sanctifies the three worlds. All
qualified brahmanas worship Him, and therefore He is called
brahmanya-deva.
Brahmanya means one who fully possesses the brahminical
qualifications, which are said to be as follows: truthfulness,
self-control, purity, mastery of the senses, simplicity, full
knowledge by practical application, and engagement in
devotional service. Lord Krsna personally possesses all these
qualities, and He is worshiped by persons who themselves
possess such qualities. There are thousands and millions of
names of Lord Krsna -- Visnu-sahasra-nama -- and all of them
are given to Him because of His transcendental qualities.
Lord Krsna in Dvaraka enjoyed the pastimes of a perfect human
being. When, therefore, He washed the feet of the sage
Narada and took the water on His head, Narada did not object,
knowing well that the Lord did so to teach everyone how to
respect saintly persons. The Supreme Personality of Godhead,
Krsna, who is the original Narayana and eternal friend of all
living entities, thus worshiped the sage Narada according to
Vedic regulative principles. Welcoming him with sweet
nectarean words, He addressed Narada as bhagavan, or one who is
self-sufficient, possessing all kinds of knowledge,
renunciation, strength, fame, beauty, and similar other
opulences. He particularly asked Narada, "What can I do
in your service?"
Narada replied, "My dear Lord, this kind of behavior by Your
Lordship is not at all astonishing because You are the Supreme
Personality of Godhead and master of all species of living
entities. You are the supreme friend of all living entities,
but at the same time You are the supreme chastiser of the
miscreants and the envious. I know that Your Lordship has
descended on this earth for the proper maintenance of the whole
universe. Your appearance, therefore, is not forced by any
other agency. By Your sweet will only, You agree to appear and
disappear. It is my great fortune that I have been able to see
Your lotus feet today. Anyone who becomes attached to Your
lotus feet is elevated to the supreme position of neutrality
and is uncontaminated by the material modes of nature. My Lord,
You are unlimited; there is no limit to Your opulences.
Great demigods like Lord Brahma and Lord Siva are always busy
placing You within their hearts and meditating upon You. The
conditioned souls who have now been put into the blind well of
material existence can get out of this eternal captivity only
by accepting Your lotus feet. Thus, You are the only shelter of
all conditioned souls. My dear Lord, You have very kindly asked
what You can do for me. In answer to this I simply request that
I may not forget Your lotus feet at any time. I do not care
where I may be, but I pray that I may be allowed to
constantly remember Your lotus feet."
The benediction which the sage Narada asked from the
Lord is the ideal prayer of all pure
devotees. A pure devotee never asks for any kind of material or
spiritual benediction from the Lord, but his only prayer is
that he may not forget the lotus feet of the Lord in any
condition of life. A pure devotee does not care whether he is
put in heaven or hell; he is satisfied anywhere, provided he
can constantly remember the lotus feet of the Lord. Lord
Caitanya also taught this same process of prayer in His
Siksastaka, in which He clearly stated that all He wanted was
devotional service, birth after birth. A pure devotee does not
even want to stop the repetition of birth and death. To a pure
devotee, it does not matter whether he has to take birth again
in the various species of life. His only ambition is that he
may not forget the lotus feet of the Lord in any condition of
life.
After departing from the palace of Rukmini, Naradaji wanted to
see the activities of Lord Krsna's internal potency,
yogamaya; thus he entered the palace of another queen. There he
saw Lord Krsna engaged in playing chess, along with His dear
wife and Uddhava. The Lord immediately got up from His
seat and invited Narada Muni to sit on His personal seat.
The Lord again worshiped him with as much paraphernalia for
reception as He had in the palace of Rukmini. After
worshiping him properly, Lord Krsna acted as if He did not know
what had happened in the palace of Rukmini. He therefore told
Narada, "My dear sage, when Your Holiness comes here, you are
full in yourself. Although We are householders and are always
in need, you don't require anyone's help because you are self-
satisfied. Under the circumstances, what reception can We offer
you, and what can We possibly give you? Yet, since Your
Holiness is a brahmana, it is Our duty to offer you something
as far as possible. Therefore, I beg your pleasure to
order Me. What can I do for you?"
Naradaji knew everything about the pastimes of the Lord, so
without any further discussion, he simply left the palace
silently, in great astonishment over the Lord's activities. He
then entered another palace. This time Naradaji saw that Lord
Krsna was engaged as an affectionate father petting His small
children. From there he entered another palace and saw Lord
Krsna preparing to take His bath. In this way, Saint Narada
entered each and every one of the sixteen thousand residential
palaces of the queens of Lord Krsna, and in each of them he
found Krsna engaged in different ways.
In one place he found Krsna engaged in offering oblations to
the sacrificial fire and performing the ritualistic ceremonies
of the Vedas as enjoined for householders. In another palace,
Krsna was found performing the panca-yajna sacrifice,
which is compulsory for a householder. This yajna is also known
as panca-suna. Knowingly or unknowingly, everyone, specifically
the householder, is committing five kinds of sinful
activities. When we receive water from a water pitcher, we kill
many germs that are in it. Similarly, when we use a grinding
machine or take foodstuff, we kill many germs. When sweeping a
floor or igniting a fire we kill many germs, and when we walk
on the street we kill many ants and other insects. Consciously
or unconsciously, in all our different activities, we are
killing. Therefore, it is incumbent upon every householder to
perform the panca-suna sacrifice to rid himself of the
reactions to such sinful activities.
In one palace Lord Krsna was found engaged in feeding
brahmanas after performing ritualistic yajnas. In another
palace, Narada found Krsna engaged in silently chanting the
Gayatri mantra, and in a third he found Him practicing fighting
with a sword and shield. In some palaces Lord Krsna was found
riding on horses or elephants or chariots and wandering hither
and thither. Elsewhere He was found lying down on His bedstead
taking rest, and somewhere else He was found sitting in His
chair, being praised by the prayers of His different devotees.
In some of the palaces He was found consulting with ministers
like Uddhava and others on important matters of business. In
one palace He was found surrounded by many young society girls,
enjoying in a swimming pool. In another palace He was found
engaged in giving well-decorated cows in charity to the
brahmanas, and in another palace He was found hearing the
narrations of the Puranas or histories, such as the
Mahabharata, which are supplementary literatures for
disseminating Vedic knowledge to common people by narrating
important instances in the history of the universe. Somewhere
Lord Krsna was found enjoying the company of a particular wife
by exchanging joking words with her. Somewhere else He was
found engaged along with His wife in religious ritualistic
functions. Since it is necessary for householders to increase
their financial assets for various expenditures, Krsna was
found somewhere engaged in matters of economic development.
Somewhere else He was found enjoying family life according to
the regulative principles of the sastras.
In one palace He was found sitting in meditation as if He were
concentrating His mind on the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
who is beyond these material universes. Meditation, as
recommended in authorized scripture, is meant for concentrating
one's mind on the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Visnu. Lord
Krsna is Himself the original Visnu, but because He played the
part of a human being, He taught us definitely by His personal
behavior what is meant by meditation. Somewhere Lord Krsna was
found satisfying elderly superiors by supplying them things
which they needed. Somewhere else Naradaji found that Lord
Krsna was engaged in discussing topics of fighting, and
somewhere else in making peace with enemies. Somewhere Lord
Krsna was found discussing the ultimate auspicious activity for
the entire human society with His elder brother Lord Balarama.
Narada saw Lord Krsna engaged in getting His sons and daughters
married with suitable brides and bridegrooms in due course of
time, and the marriage ceremonies were being performed with
great pomp. In one palace He was found bidding farewell
to His daughters, and in another He was found receiving a
daughter-in-law. People throughout the whole city were
astonished to see such pomp and ceremonies.
Somewhere the Lord was seen engaged in performing different
types of sacrifices to satisfy the demigods, who are only His
qualitative expansions. Somewhere He was seen engaged in public
welfare activities, establishing deep wells for water
supply, rest houses and gardens for unknown guests, and great
monasteries and temples for saintly persons. These are some of
the duties enjoined in the Vedas for householders for
fulfillment of their material desires. Somewhere Krsna was
found as a ksatriya king engaged in hunting animals in the
forest and riding on very beautiful sindhi horses. According
to Vedic regulations, the ksatriyas were allowed to kill
prescribed animals on certain occasions, either to maintain
peace in the forests or to offer the animals in the sacrificial
fire. Ksatriyas are allowed to practice this killing art
because they have to kill their enemies mercilessly to maintain
peace in society. In one situation the great sage Narada saw
Lord Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead and master of
mystic powers, acting as a spy by changing His usual dress in
order to understand the motives of different citizens in the
city and within the palaces.
Saint Narada saw all these activities of the Lord, who is the
Supersoul of all living entities but who played the role of an
ordinary human being in order to manifest the activities of His
internal potency. He was smiling within himself and he
began to address the Lord as follows: "My dear Lord of
all mystic powers, object of the meditation of great mystics,
the extent of Your mystic power is certainly inconceivable,
even to mystics like Lord Brahma and Lord Siva. But by Your
mercy, because of my being always engaged in the transcendental
loving service of Your lotus feet, Your Lordship has very
kindly revealed to me the actions of Your internal potency. My
dear Lord, You are worshipable by all, and demigods and
predominating deities of all fourteen planetary systems are
completely aware of Your transcendental fame. Now please give
me Your blessings so that I may be able to travel all over the
universes singing the glories of Your transcendental activities.
"
The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Krsna, replied to
Narada as follows: "My dear Narada, O sage among the demigods,
you know that I am the supreme instructor and perfect follower
of all religious principles, as well as the supreme enforcer of
such principles. I am therefore personally executing such
religious principles in order to teach the whole world how to
act. My dear son, it is My desire that you not be bewildered by
such demonstrations of My internal energy."
The Supreme Personality of Godhead was engaged in His so-called
household affairs in order to teach people how one can sanctify
one's household life although he may be attached to the
imprisonment of material existence. Actually, one is obliged to
continue the term of material existence because of household
life. But the Lord, being very kind upon householders,
demonstrated the path of sanctifying ordinary household life.
Because Krsna is the center of all activities, a
Krsna conscious householder's life is transcendental to Vedic
injunctions and is automatically sanctified.
Thus Narada saw one single Krsna living in sixteen thousand
palaces by His plenary expansions. Due to His inconceivable
energy, He was visible in each and every
individual queen's palace. Lord Krsna has unlimited power, and
Narada's astonishment was boundless upon observing again and
again the demonstration of Lord Krsna's internal energy. Lord
Krsna behaved by His personal example as if He were very much
attached to the four principles of civilized life, namely
religiousness, economic development, sense gratification and
salvation. These four principles of material existence are
necessary for the spiritual advancement of human society, and
although Lord Krsna had no need to do so, He exhibited His
household activities so that people might follow in His
footsteps for their own interest. Lord Krsna satisfied the sage
Narada in every way. Narada was very much pleased by seeing the
Lord's activities in Dvaraka, and thus he departed.
In narrating the activities of Lord Krsna in Dvaraka, Sukadeva
Gosvami explained to King Pariksit how Lord Krsna, the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, descends on this material universe by
the agency of His internal potency and personally exhibits the
principles which, if followed, can lead one to achieve the
ultimate goal of life. All the queens in Dvaraka, more than
sixteen thousand in number, engaged their feminine attractive
features in the transcendental service of the Lord by smiling
and serving, and the Lord was pleased to behave with them
exactly as a perfect husband enjoying household life. One
should know definitely that such pastimes cannot be performed
by anyone but Lord Sri Krsna. Lord Sri Krsna is the original
cause of the creation, maintenance and dissolution of the whole
cosmic manifestation. Anyone who attentively hears the
narrations of the Lord's pastimes in Dvaraka or supports a
preacher of the Krsna consciousness movement will certainly
find it very easy to traverse the path of liberation and taste
the nectar of the lotus feet of Lord Krsna. And thus he will be
engaged in His devotional service.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Second Volume,
Fourteenth Chapter, of Krsna, "The Great Sage Narada Visits the
Different Homes of Lord Krsna."
|
|
1
2
3
3
4
5
6
7
7
8
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
10
11
11
11
11
11
11
11
11
11
11
11
11
11
11
11
11
11
11
11
11
11
11
11
11
11
11
12
13
13
13
13
13
13
13
13
13
13
13
13
13
13
13
13
13
13
13
14
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
16
17
17
17
17
17
17
17
17
17
17
17
17
17
18
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
20
21
21
21
21
21
21
21
21
21
21
21
21
21
21
21
22
23
23
23
23
23
23
23
23
23
23
23
23
23
23
23
23
23
23
24
25
25
25
25
25
25
25
25
25
25
26
27
27
27
27
27
27
27
27
27
27
27
27
27
27
27
27
28
29
29
29
29
29
29
29
29
29
29
29
29
29
29
29
29
29
29
29
29
29
29
29
29
29
29
29
30
31
31
31
31
31
31
31
31
31
31
31
31
31
31
31
31
31
31
31
31
31
32
33
33
33
33
33
33
33
33
33
33
33
33
33
33
33
33
33
33
33
33
34
35
35
35
35
35
35
35
35
35
35
35
35
35
35
35
35
35
36
37
37
37
37
37
37
37
37
38
39
39
39
39
39
39
39
39
39
39
40
41
41
41
41
41
41
41
41
41
41
41
41
41
41
41
41
42
43
43
43
43
43
43
43
43
43
43
43
43
43
43
43
43
43
43
43
44
45
45
45
46
|
KB 69: The Great Sage Narada Visits the Different Homes
of Lord Krsna
CHAPTER SIXTY–NINE
The Great Sage Narada Visits the Different Homes of Lord
Krsna
When the great sage Narada heard that Lord Krsna had married
sixteen thousand wives after He had killed the demon Narakasura,
sometimes called Bhaumasura, he was astonished that
Lord Krsna had expanded Himself into sixteen thousand forms
and married these wives simultaneously in different palaces.
Being inquisitive as to how Krsna was managing His household
affairs with so many wives, Narada, desiring to see these
pastimes, set out to visit Krsna's different homes. When
Narada arrived in Dvaraka, he saw gardens and parks
full of various flowers of different colors, and also
orchards overloaded with a variety of fruits. Beautiful
birds were chirping, and peacocks crowed delightfully.
There were ponds full of blue and red lotus flowers,
and some of these ponds were filled with varieties of lilies.
The lakes were full of nice swans and cranes, and the voices
of these birds resounded everywhere. In the city there were as
many as 900,000 great palaces built of first-class marble, with
gates and doors made of silver. The pillars of the houses and
palaces were bedecked with jewels such as touchstone, sapphire
and emerald, and the floors gave off a beautiful luster. The
highways, lanes, streets, crossings and marketplaces were all
beautifully decorated. The whole city was full of residential
homes, assembly houses and temples, all of different
architectural beauty. All of this made Dvaraka a glowing city.
The big avenues, crossings, lanes and streets, and also the
thresholds of every residential house, were very clean. On both
sides of every path there were bushes, and at regular intervals
there were large trees that shaded the avenues so that the
sunshine would not bother the passersby.
In this greatly beautiful city of Dvaraka, Lord Krsna, the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, had many residential quarters.
The great kings and princes of the world used to visit these
palaces just to worship Him. The architectural plans were made
personally by Visvakarma, the engineer of the demigods, and in
the construction of the palaces he exhibited all of his talents
and ingenuity. These residential quarters numbered more than
sixteen thousand, and a different queen of Lord Krsna's resided
in each of them. The great sage Narada entered one of these
houses and saw that the pillars were made of coral and the
ceilings were bedecked with jewels. The walls as well as the
arches between the pillars glowed from the decorations of
different kinds of sapphires. Throughout the palace were
many canopies made by Visvakarma that were decorated with
strings of pearls. The chairs and other furniture were made of
ivory and bedecked with gold and diamonds, and jeweled lamps
dissipated the darkness within the palace. There was so much
incense and fragrant gum burning that the scented fumes were
coming out of the windows. The peacocks sitting on the steps
became illusioned by the fumes, mistaking them for clouds, and
began dancing jubilantly. There were many maidservants, all of
whom were decorated with gold necklaces, bangles and beautiful
saris. There were also many menservants,
nicely dressed in cloaks and turbans and jeweled earrings.
Beautiful as they were, the servants were all engaged in
different household duties.
Narada saw that Lord Krsna was sitting with Rukminidevi, the
mistress of that particular palace, who was holding the handle
of a camara whisk. Even though there were many thousands of
maidservants equally beautiful and qualified and
of the same age, Rukminidevi personally was engaged in
fanning Lord Krsna. Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
worshiped even by Narada, yet as soon as Krsna saw
Narada enter the palace, He got down immediately from
Rukmini's bedstead and stood up to honor him. Lord Krsna is the
teacher of the whole world, and in order to instruct everyone
how to respect a saintly person like Narada Muni, He bowed
down, touching His helmet to the ground. Not only did Krsna bow
down, but He also touched the feet of Narada and with folded
hands requested him to sit on His chair. Lord Krsna is the
Supreme Personality, worshiped by all devotees. He is the most
worshipable spiritual master of everyone. The Ganges water,
which emanates from His feet, sanctifies the three worlds. All
qualified brahmanas worship Him, and therefore He is called
brahmanya-deva.
Brahmanya means one who fully possesses the brahminical
qualifications, which are said to be as follows: truthfulness,
self-control, purity, mastery of the senses, simplicity, full
knowledge by practical application, and engagement in
devotional service. Lord Krsna possesses all these
qualities, and He is worshiped by persons who themselves
possess such qualities. There are thousands and millions of
names of Lord Krsna -- Visnu-sahasra-nama -- and all of them
are given to Him because of His transcendental qualities.
Lord Krsna in Dvaraka enjoyed the pastimes of a perfect human
being. Therefore, when He washed the feet of the sage
Narada and took the water on His head, Narada did not object,
knowing well that the Lord did so to teach everyone how to
respect saintly persons. The Supreme Personality of Godhead,
Krsna, who is the original Narayana and eternal friend of all
living entities, thus worshiped the sage Narada according to
Vedic regulative principles. Welcoming him with sweet,
nectarean words, He addressed Narada as bhagavan, or one who is
self-sufficient, possessing all knowledge,
renunciation, strength, fame, beauty and other,
similar opulences. He particularly asked Narada, "What can I do
in your service?"
Narada replied, "My dear Lord, this kind of behavior by Your
Lordship is not at all astonishing, for You are the Supreme
Personality of Godhead and master of all species of living
entities. You are the supreme friend of all living entities,
but at the same time You are the supreme chastiser of the
miscreants and the envious. I know that Your Lordship has
descended to this earth for the proper maintenance of the whole
universe. Your appearance, therefore, is not forced by any
other agency. By Your sweet will only, You agree to appear and
disappear. It is my great fortune that I have been able to see
Your lotus feet today. Anyone who becomes attached to Your
lotus feet is elevated to the supreme position of neutrality
and is uncontaminated by the material modes of nature. My Lord,
You are unlimited -- there is no limit to Your opulences.
Great demigods like Lord Brahma and Lord Siva are always busy
placing You within their hearts and meditating upon You. The
conditioned souls, who have now been put into the blind well of
material existence, can get out of this eternal captivity only
by accepting Your lotus feet. Thus, You are the only shelter of
all conditioned souls. My dear Lord, You have very kindly asked
what You can do for me. In answer to this I simply request that
I may not forget Your lotus feet at any time. I do not care
where I may be, but I pray that I constantly be allowed to
remember Your lotus feet."
By asking this benediction from the Lord,
the sage Narada showed the ideal prayer of all pure devotees.
A pure devotee never asks for any kind of material or spiritual
benediction from the Lord; his only prayer is that he may
not forget the lotus feet of the Lord in any condition of life.
A pure devotee does not care whether he is put into heaven or
hell; he is satisfied anywhere, provided he can constantly
remember the lotus feet of the Lord. Lord Caitanya taught
this same process of prayer in His Siksastaka, in which He
clearly stated that all He wanted was devotional service, birth
after birth. A pure devotee does not even want to stop the
repetition of birth and death. To a pure devotee, it does not
matter whether he has to take birth again in the various
species of life. His only ambition is that he not forget
the lotus feet of the Lord in any condition of life.
After departing from the palace of Rukmini, Naradaji wanted to
see further activities of Lord Krsna's internal potency,
yogamaya; thus he entered the palace of another queen. There he
saw Lord Krsna engaged in playing chess with His dear
wife and Uddhava. The Lord immediately got up from His personal
seat and invited Narada Muni to sit there.
The Lord again worshiped him with as much paraphernalia for
reception as He had used in the palace of Rukmini. After
worshiping him properly, Lord Krsna acted as if He did not know
what had happened in the palace of Rukmini. He therefore told
Narada, "My dear sage, when Your Holiness comes here, you are
full in yourself. Although We are householders and are always
in need, you don't require anyone's help, for you are self-
satisfied. Under the circumstances, what reception can We offer
you, and what can We possibly give you? Yet, since Your
Holiness is a brahmana, it is Our duty to offer you something
as far as possible. Therefore, I beg you to please
order Me. What can I do for you?"
Naradaji knew everything about the pastimes of the Lord, so
without further discussion he simply left the palace
silently, in great astonishment over the Lord's activities. He
then entered another palace. This time Naradaji saw that Lord
Krsna was engaged as an affectionate father petting His small
children. From there he entered another palace and saw Lord
Krsna preparing to take His bath. In this way, Saint Narada
entered each and every one of the sixteen thousand residential
palaces of the queens of Lord Krsna, and in each of them he
found Krsna engaged in different ways.
In one palace he found Krsna offering oblations to
the sacrificial fire and performing the ritualistic ceremonies
of the Vedas as enjoined for householders. In another palace
he found Krsna performing the panca-yajna sacrifice,
which is compulsory for a householder. This yajna is also known
as panca-suna. Knowingly or unknowingly, everyone, especially
the householder, commits five kinds of sinful
activities. When we receive water from a water pitcher, we kill
many germs that are in it. Similarly, when we use a grinding
machine or eat food, we kill many germs. When sweeping a
floor or igniting a fire we kill many germs, and when we walk
on the street we kill many ants and other insects. Consciously
or unconsciously, in all our different activities, we are
killing. Therefore, it is incumbent upon every householder to
perform the panca-suna sacrifice to rid himself of the
reactions to such sinful activities.
In one palace Narada found Lord Krsna feeding
brahmanas after performing ritualistic yajnas. In another
palace Narada found Krsna silently chanting the
Gayatri mantra, and in a third he found Him practicing fighting
with a sword and shield. In some palaces Lord Krsna was found
riding on horses, elephants or chariots and wandering hither
and thither. Elsewhere He was found lying down on His bedstead
taking rest, and somewhere else He was found sitting in His
chair, being praised by the prayers of His different devotees.
In some of the palaces He was found consulting with ministers
like Uddhava on important matters of business. In
one palace He was found surrounded by many young society girls,
enjoying in a swimming pool. In another palace He was found
giving well-decorated cows in charity to the
brahmanas, and in another palace He was found hearing the
narrations of the Puranas and of histories such as the
Mahabharata, which are supplementary scriptures for
disseminating Vedic knowledge to common people by narrating
important instances in the history of the universe. Somewhere
Lord Krsna was found enjoying the company of a particular wife
by exchanging joking words with her. Somewhere else He was
found engaged with His wife in religious ritualistic
functions. Since it is necessary for householders to increase
their financial assets for various expenditures, Krsna was
found somewhere engaged in matters of economic development.
Somewhere else He was found enjoying family life according to
the regulative principles of the sastras.
In one palace He was found sitting in meditation as if
concentrating His mind on the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
who is beyond these material universes. Meditation, as
recommended in authorized scripture, is meant for concentrating
one's mind on the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Visnu. Lord
Krsna is Himself the original Visnu, but because He played the
part of a human being, He taught us definitely by His personal
behavior what is meant by meditation. Somewhere Lord Krsna was
found satisfying elderly superiors by supplying them things
they needed. Somewhere else Naradaji found that Lord
Krsna was engaged in discussing topics of fighting, and
somewhere else in making peace with enemies. Somewhere Lord
Krsna was found discussing the ultimate auspicious activity for
the entire human society with His elder brother, Lord Balarama.
Narada saw Lord Krsna engaged in getting His sons and daughters
married with suitable brides and bridegrooms in due course of
time, and the marriage ceremonies were being performed with
great pomp. In one palace the Lord was found bidding farewell
to His daughters, and in another He was found receiving a
daughter-in-law. People throughout the whole city were
astonished to see such pomp and ceremonies.
Somewhere the Lord was seen performing different
types of sacrifices to satisfy the demigods, who are only His
qualitative expansions. Somewhere He was seen engaged in public
welfare activities, establishing deep wells for the water
supply, rest houses and gardens for unknown guests, and great
monasteries and temples for saintly persons. These are some of
the duties enjoined in the Vedas for householders for
fulfillment of their material desires. Somewhere Krsna was
found as a ksatriya king engaged in hunting animals in the
forest and riding on a very beautiful Sindhi horse. According
to Vedic regulations, the ksatriyas were allowed to kill
prescribed animals on certain occasions, either to maintain
peace in the forests or to offer the animals in the sacrificial
fire. Ksatriyas are allowed to practice this killing art
because they have to kill their enemies mercilessly to maintain
peace in society. In one situation the great sage Narada saw
Lord Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead and master of
mystic powers, acting as a spy by changing His usual dress in
order to understand the motives of different citizens in the
city and the palaces.
Saint Narada saw all these activities of the Lord, who is the
Supersoul of all living entities but who played the role of an
ordinary human being to manifest the activities of His
internal potency. Smiling within himself,
Narada addressed the Lord as follows: "My dear Lord of
all mystic powers, object of the meditation of great mystics,
the extent of Your mystic power is certainly inconceivable,
even to mystics like Lord Brahma and Lord Siva. But by Your
mercy, because of my being always engaged in the transcendental
loving service of Your lotus feet, Your Lordship has very
kindly revealed to me the actions of Your internal potency. My
dear Lord, You are worshipable by all, and demigods and
predominating deities of all fourteen planetary systems are
completely aware of Your transcendental fame. Now please give
me Your blessings so that I may be able to travel all over the
universes singing the glories of Your transcendental activities.
"
The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Krsna, replied to
Narada as follows: "My dear Narada, O sage among the demigods,
you know that I am the supreme instructor and perfect follower
of all religious principles, as well as the supreme enforcer of
such principles. I am therefore personally executing such
religious principles in order to teach the whole world how to
act. My dear son, it is My desire that you not be bewildered by
such demonstrations of My internal energy."
The Supreme Personality of Godhead was engaged in His so-called
household affairs in order to teach people how one can sanctify
one's household life although one may be attached to the
imprisonment of material existence. Actually, one is obliged to
continue the term of material existence because of household
life. But the Lord, being very kind upon householders,
demonstrated the path of sanctifying ordinary household life.
Because Krsna is the center of all activities, the life of a
Krsna conscious householder is transcendental to Vedic
injunctions and is automatically sanctified.
Thus Narada saw one single Krsna living in sixteen thousand
palaces by His plenary expansions. Due to His inconceivable
energy, He was visible in the palace of each and every
individual queen. Lord Krsna has unlimited power, and
Narada's astonishment was boundless upon observing again and
again the demonstration of Lord Krsna's internal energy. Lord
Krsna behaved by His personal example as if He were very much
attached to the four principles of civilized life, namely
religion, economic development, sense gratification and
salvation. These four principles of material existence are
necessary for the spiritual advancement of human society, and
although Lord Krsna had no need to do so, He exhibited His
household activities so that people might follow in His
footsteps for their own interest. Lord Krsna satisfied the sage
Narada in every way. Narada was very much pleased by seeing the
Lord's activities in Dvaraka, and thus he departed.
In narrating the activities of Lord Krsna in Dvaraka, Sukadeva
Gosvami explained to King Pariksit how Lord Krsna, the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, descends to this material universe by
the agency of His internal potency and personally exhibits the
principles which, if followed, can lead one to achieve the
ultimate goal of life. All the queens in Dvaraka, more than
sixteen thousand in number, engaged their feminine attractive
features in the transcendental service of the Lord by smiling
and serving, and the Lord was pleased to behave with them
exactly like a perfect husband enjoying household life. One
should know definitely that such pastimes cannot be performed
by anyone but Lord Sri Krsna, who is the original
cause of the creation, maintenance and dissolution of the whole
cosmic manifestation. Anyone who attentively hears the
narrations of the Lord's pastimes in Dvaraka or supports a
preacher of the Krsna consciousness movement will certainly
find it very easy to traverse the path of liberation and taste
the nectar of the lotus feet of Lord Krsna. And thus he will be
engaged in Lord Krsna's devotional service.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Sixty-ninth
Chapter of Krsna, "The Great Sage Narada Visits the
Different Homes of Lord Krsna."
|