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KB 1970-1-23 / Delivering the Wives of the Brahmanas Who
Performed Sacrifices
23 / Delivering the Wives of the Brahmanas Who Performed
Sacrifices
The morning passed, and the cowherd boys were very hungry
because they had not eaten breakfast. They immediately
approached Krsna and Balarama and said, "Dear Krsna and
Balarama, You are both all-powerful; You can kill many, many
demons, but today we are much afflicted with hunger, and this
is disturbing us. Please arrange for something that will
mitigate our hunger."
Requested in this way by Their friends, Lord Krsna and Balarama
immediately showed compassion on certain wives of
brahmanas who were performing sacrifices. These wives were
great devotees of the Lord, and Krsna took this opportunity to
bless them. He said, "My dear friends, please go to the house
of the brahmanas nearby. They are now engaged in performing
Vedic sacrifices known as angirasa, for they desire elevation
to heavenly planets. All of you please go to them." Then
Lord Krsna warned His friends, "These brahmanas are not
Vaisnavas. They cannot even chant Our names, Krsna and
Balarama. They are very busy in chanting the Vedic hymns,
although the purpose of Vedic knowledge is to find Me. But
because they are not attracted by the names of Krsna and
Balarama, you had better not ask them for anything in My name.
Better ask for some charity in the name of Balarama."
Charity is generally given to high class brahmanas, but Krsna
and Balarama did not appear in a brahmana family. Balarama was
known as the son of Vasudeva, a ksatriya, and Krsna was known
in Vrndavana as the son of Nanda Maharaja, who was a vaisya.
Neither belonged to the brahmana community. Therefore, Krsna
considered that the brahmanas engaged in performing sacrifices
might not be induced to give charity to a ksatriya and vaisya. "
But at least if you utter the name of Balarama, they may prefer
to give in charity to a ksatriya, rather than to Me, because I
am only a vaisya."
Being thus ordered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, all
the boys went to the brahmanas and began to ask for some
charity. They approached them with folded hands and fell down
on the ground to offer respect. "O earthly gods, kindly hear
us who are ordered by Lord Krsna and Balarama. We hope you
know Them both very well, and we wish you all good fortune.
Krsna and Balarama are tending cows nearby, and we have
accompanied Them. We have come to ask for some food from you.
You are all brahmanas and knowers of religious principles, and
if you think that you should give us charity, then give us some
food and we shall all eat along with Krsna and Balarama. You
are the most respectable brahmanas within the human society,
and you are expected to know all the principles of religious
procedure."
Although the boys were village boys and were not expected to be
learned in all the Vedic principles of religious ritual, they
hinted that because of their association with Krsna and
Balarama, they knew all those principles. When
the Supreme Personality
of Godhead Krsna and Balarama, asked for food, the
boys would immediately deliver it without hesitation
because it is stated in the Bhagavad-gita that one should
perform yajna (sacrifices) only for the satisfaction of Visnu.
The boys continued, "Lord Visnu as Krsna and Balarama is
standing waiting, and you should immediately deliver whatever
food you have in your stock." They also explained to the
brahmanas how foodstuffs are to be accepted
. Generally, the Vaisnavas, or pure devotees of
the Lord, do not take part in ordinary sacrificial performances.
But they know very well the ceremonials called diksa,
pasusamtha sautramnya. One is permitted to take
food after the procedure of diksa and before the animal
sacrificial ceremony and the Sautramani, or ceremony in which
liquors are also offered. The boys said, "We can take your food
at the present stage of your ceremony, for now it will not be
prohibitory. So you can deliver us the foodstuff."
Although the companions of Lord Krsna and Balarama were simple
cowherd boys, they were in a position to dictate even to the
high class brahmanas engaged in the Vedic rituals of sacrifices.
But the smarta brahmanas, who were simply sacrificial-minded,
could not understand the dictation of the transcendental
devotees of the Lord. They could not even appreciate the
begging of the Supreme Lord, Krsna and Balarama. Although they
heard all the arguments on behalf of Krsna and Balarama, they
did not care for them, and they refused to speak to the boys.
Despite being highly elevated in the knowledge of Vedic
sacrificial rites, all such nondevotee brahmanas, although they
think of themselves as very highly elevated, are ignorant,
foolish persons. All their activities are useless because they
do not know the purpose of the Vedas, as it is explained in the
Bhagavad-gita: to understand Krsna. In spite of their
advancement in Vedic knowledge and rituals, they do not
understand Krsna; therefore their knowledge of the Vedas is
superficial. Lord Caitanya, therefore, gave His valuable
opinion that a person does not have to be born in a
brahmana family; if he knows Krsna or the science of Krsna
consciousness, he is more than a brahmana, and he is quite fit
to become spiritual master.
There are various details to be observed in the performance of
sacrifices, and they are known as collectively as desa. They
are as follows: kala means the time, prthak dravya, the
different detailed paraphernalia, mantra, hymns, tantra,
scriptural evidences, agni, fire, rtvij, learned performers of
sacrifices, devata, the demigods, vajamana, the performer of
the sacrifices, kratu, the sacrifice itself, and dharma, the
procedures. All these are for satisfying Krsna. It is confirmed
that He is the actual enjoyer of all
sacrifices because He is directly the Supreme Personality of
Godhead and the Supreme Absolute Truth, beyond the conception
or speculation of material senses. He is present just like
an ordinary human boy. But for persons who identify themselves
with this body, it is very difficult to understand Him. The
brahmanas were very interested in the comforts of this
material body and in elevation to the higher planetary
residences called svarga-vasa. They were therefore completely
unable to understand the position of Krsna.
When the boys saw that the brahmanas would not speak to them
, they became very
disappointed. They then returned to Lord Krsna and Balarama and
explained everything that had happened. After hearing their
statements, the Supreme Personality began to smile. He
told them that they should not be sorry for being refused by
the brahmanas because that is the way of begging. He convinced
them that while one is engaged in collecting or begging,
one should not think that he will be successful everywhere. He
may be unsuccessful in some places, but that should not be
cause for disappointment. Lord Krsna then asked all the boys to
go again, but this time to the wives of those brahmanas engaged
in sacrifices. He also informed them that these wives were
great devotees. "They are always absorbed in thinking of Us. Go
there and ask for some food in My name and the name of Balarama,
and I am sure that they will deliver you as much food as you
desire."
Carrying out Krsna's order, the boys immediately went to the
wives of the brahmanas. They found the wives sitting inside
their house. They were very beautifully decorated
with ornaments. After offering them all respectful obeisances,
the boys said, "Dear mothers, please accept our humble
obeisances and hear our statement. May we inform you that Lord
Krsna and Balarama are nearby. They have come here with the
cows, and you may know also that we have come here under Their
instructions. All of us are very hungry; therefore, we have
come to you for some food. Please give us something to eat for
Krsna, Balarama and ourselves."
Immediately upon hearing this, the wives of the brahmanas
became anxious for Krsna and Balarama. These reactions were
spontaneous. They did not have to be convinced of the
importance of Krsna and Balarama; immediately upon hearing
Their names, they became very anxious to see Them. Being
advanced by thinking of Krsna constantly, they were performing
the greatest form of mystic meditation. All the wives then
became very busily engaged in filling up different pots with
nice foodstuff. Due to the performance of the sacrifice, the
various food was all very palatable. After collecting a feast,
they prepared to go to Krsna, their most lovable object,
exactly in the way rivers flow to the sea.
For a long time the wives had been anxious to see Krsna.
However, when they were preparing to leave home to go see Him,
their husbands, fathers, sons and relatives asked them not to
go. But the wives did not comply. When a devotee is called by
the attraction of Krsna, he does not care for bodily ties. The
women entered the forest of Vrndavana on the bank of the Yamuna,
which was verdant with vegetation and newly grown vines and
flowers. Within that forest, they saw Krsna and Balarama
engaged in tending the cows, along with Their very affectionate
boy friends.
The brahmanas' wives saw Krsna putting on
a garment glittering like gold. He wore a
nice garland of forest flowers and a peacock feather on His
head. He was also painted with the minerals found in Vrndavana,
and He looked exactly like a dancing actor on a theatrical
stage. They saw Him keeping one hand on the shoulder of His
friend, and in His other hand, He was holding a lotus flower.
His ears were decorated with lilies, He wore marks of tilaka,
and He was smiling charmingly. With their very eyes, the wives
of the brahmanas saw the Supreme Personality of Godhead, of
whom they had heard so much, who was so dear to them, and in
whom their minds were always absorbed. Now they saw Him eye to
eye and face to face, and Krsna entered within their hearts
through their eyes.
They began to embrace Krsna to their hearts'
content, and the distress of separation was mitigated
immediately. They were just like great sages who, by their
advancement of knowledge, merge into the existence of the
Supreme. As the Supersoul living in everyone's heart, Lord
Krsna could understand their minds; they had come to Him
despite all the protests of their relatives, fathers, husbands,
brothers, and all the duties of household affairs.
They came just to see Him who was their life and soul. They
were actually following Krsna's instruction in the Bhagavad-
gita: one should surrender to Him, giving up all varieties of
occupational and religious duties. The wives of the brahmanas
actually carried out the instruction of the Bhagavad-gita in
total. He therefore began to speak to them, smiling very
magnificently. It should be noted in this connection that when
Krsna entered into the wives' hearts and when they embraced Him
and felt the transcendental bliss of being merged with Him, the
Supreme Lord Krsna did not lose His identity, nor did the
individual wives lose theirs. The individuality of both the
Lord and the wives remained, yet they felt oneness in existence.
When a lover submits to his lover without any pinch of
personal consideration, that is called oneness. Lord Caitanya
has taught us this feeling of oneness in His Siksastaka: Krsna
may act freely, doing whatever He likes, but the devotee should
always be in oneness or in agreement with His desires. That
oneness was exhibited by the wives of the brahmanas in their
love for Krsna.
Krsna welcomed them with the following words: "My dear wives of
the brahmanas, you are all very fortunate and welcomed
here. Please let Me know what can I do for you. Your coming
here, neglecting all the restrictions and hindrances
of relatives, fathers, brothers and husbands, in order to see
Me, is completely befitting. One who does this actually knows
his self interest, because rendering transcendental loving
service unto Me, without motive or restriction, is actually
auspicious for the living entities."
Lord Krsna here confirms that the highest perfectional
stage of the conditioned soul is surrender
to Him. One must give up all other
responsibilities. This complete surrender unto the Supreme
Personality of Godhead is the most auspicious path for the
conditioned soul because the Supreme Lord is the supreme
objective of love. Everyone is loving Krsna ultimately, but
realization is according to the advancement of his knowledge.
One comes to understand that his self is
the spirit soul, and the spirit soul is nothing but a part
and parcel of the Supreme Lord; therefore the Supreme Lord
is the ultimate goal of love, and thus one should
surrender unto Him. This surrender is considered auspicious for
the conditioned soul. Our life, property, home, wife, children,
house, country, society and all paraphernalia which are very
dear to us are expansions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
He is the central object of love because He gives us all bliss,
expanding Himself in so many ways according to our different
situations, namely bodily, mental or spiritual.
"My dear wives of the brahmanas," Krsna said. "You can now
return to your homes. Engage yourselves in sacrificial
activities and be engaged in the service of your husbands and
household affairs so that your husbands will be pleased with
you, and the sacrifice which they have begun will be properly
executed. After all, your husbands are householders, and
without your help how can they execute their prescribed duties?"
The wives of the brahmanas replied, "Dear Lord, this sort of
instruction does not befit You. Your eternal promise is that
You will always protect Your devotees, and now You must fulfill
this promise. Anyone who comes and surrenders unto You never
goes back to the conditioned life of material existence. We
expect that You will now fulfill Your promise. We have
surrendered unto Your lotus feet, which are covered by the
tulasi leaves, so we have no more desire to
return to the company of our so-called
relatives, friends, and society and give up the shelter of Your
lotus feet. And what shall we do, returning home? Our
husbands, brothers, fathers, sons, mothers and our friends do
not expect to see us because we have already
left them all. Therefore we have no shelter to return to.
Please, therefore, do not ask us to return home, but arrange
for our stay under Your lotus feet so that we can eternally
live under Your protection."
The Supreme Personality of Godhead replied, "My dear wives
, rest assured that your husbands will not neglect
you on your return, nor will your brothers, sons, or fathers
refuse to accept you. Because you are My pure devotees, not
only your relatives but also people in general, as well as the
demigods, will be satisfied with you." Krsna is situated as the
Supersoul in everyone's heart. So if someone becomes a pure
devotee of Lord Krsna, he immediately becomes pleasing to
everyone. The pure devotee of Lord Krsna is never inimical to
anyone. A sane person cannot be an enemy of a pure
devotee. "Transcendental love for Me does not depend upon
bodily connection," Krsna said further, "but anyone whose mind
is always absorbed in Me will surely, very soon, come to Me for
My eternal association."
After being instructed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
all the wives again returned home to their respective husbands.
Pleased to see their wives back home, the brahmanas
executed the performances of sacrifices
by sitting together, as it is enjoined in the sastras.
According to Vedic principle, religious rituals must be
executed by the husband and wife together. When the brahmanas'
wives returned, the sacrifice was duly and nicely executed. One
of the brahmanas' wives, however, who was forcibly checked
from going to see Krsna, began to remember Him as she heard of
His bodily features. Being completely absorbed in His thought,
she gave up her material body conditioned by the laws of nature.
Sri Govinda,
the ever-joyful Personality of Godhead, revealed His
transcendental pastimes, appearing just like an ordinary
human being, and enjoyed the food offered by the wives
of the brahmanas. In this way, He attracted common persons
to Krsna consciousness. He attracted to His words and beauty
all the cows, cowherd boys and damsels in
Vrndavana.
After the return of their wives from Krsna, the brahmanas
engaged in the performance of sacrifices began to regret their
sinful activities in refusing food to the Supreme Personality
of Godhead. They could finally understand their mistake;
engaged in the performance of Vedic rituals, they had neglected
the Supreme Personality of Godhead who had appeared just like
an ordinary human being and asked for some food. They began to
condemn themselves after seeing the faith and devotion of their
wives. They regretted very much that, although their wives were
elevated to the platform of pure devotional service, they
themselves could not understand even a little bit of how to
love and offer transcendental loving service to the Supreme
Soul. They began to talk among themselves. "To hell with our
being born brahmanas! To hell with our learning all Vedic
literatures! To hell with our performing great sacrifices and
observing all the rules and regulations! To hell with our
family! To hell with our expert service in performing the
rituals exactly to the description of scriptures!
To hell with it all, for we have not developed transcendental
loving service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is
beyond the speculation of the mind, body and senses."
The learned brahmanas, expert in Vedic ritualistic performances,
were properly regretful, because without developing
Krsna consciousness, all discharge of religious duties
is simply a waste of time and energy. They continued to talk
among themselves; "The external energy of Krsna is so strong
that it can create illusion to overcome even the greatest
mystic yogi. Although we expert brahmanas are considered to be
the teachers of all other sections of human society, we also
have been illusioned by the external energy. Just see how
fortunate these women are who have so devotedly dedicated
their lives to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna. They
could easily give up their family connection,
which is so difficult to do. Family life
is just like a dark well for the continuation of material
miseries."
Women in general, being very simple in heart, can very
easily take to Krsna consciousness, and when they develop love
of Krsna they can easily get liberation from the clutches of
maya, which is very difficult for even so-called intelligent
and learned men to surpass. According to Vedic injunction,
women are not allowed to undergo the purificatory process of
initiation by the sacred thread, nor are they allowed to live
as brahmacarini in the asrama of the spiritual master; nor are
they advised to undergo the strict disciplinary procedure; nor
are they very much expert in discussing philosophy or self-
realization. And by nature they are not very pure; nor are they
very much attached to auspicious activities. "But how
wonderful it is that they have developed transcendental
love for Krsna, the Lord of all mystic yogis!" the brahmanas
exlaimed. "They have surpassed all of us in firm faith and
devotion unto Krsna. Being too attached to the materialistic
way of life, although we are considered to be masters in all
purificatory processes, we did not actually know what the
goal is
. Even though we were reminded of Krsna and Balarama
by the cowherd boys, we disregarded Them. We think now
that it was simply a trick
of mercy upon us by the Supreme Personality of Godhead that
He sent His friends to beg foodstuff from us. Otherwise, He had
no need to send them. He could have satisfied their hunger then
and there just by willing to do so."
If someone denies Krsna's self-sufficiency on hearing that He
was tending the cows for livelihood, or if someone doubts
His not being in need of the foodstuff, thinking that He was
actually hungry, then one should understand that the
goddess of fortune is always engaged in His service. In this
way the goddess can break her faulty habit of restlessness. In
Vedic literatures like Brahma-samhita it is stated that
Krsna is served in His abode with great respect by not only one
goddess of fortune but many thousands. Therefore it is simply
illusion for one to think that Krsna begged food from the
brahmanas. It was actually a trick to show them the mercy of
accepting Him in pure
devotional service
. The Vedic ceremonial paraphernalia, the suitable
place, suitable time, different grades of articles for
performing ritualistic ceremonies, the Vedic hymns, the
priest who is able to perform such
sacrifice, the fire and the demigods, the performer of the
sacrifice and the religious principles are all meant for
understanding Krsna, for Krsna is the Supreme Personality of
Godhead. He is the Supreme Lord Visnu, and the Lord of all
mystic yogis.
"Because He has appeared as a child in the dynasty of the Yadus,
we were so foolish that we could not understand that He is the
Supreme Personality of Godhead," the brahmanas said. "But on
the other hand, we are very proud because we have such exalted
wives who have developed pure transcendental service of the
Lord without being shackled by our rigid position. Let us
therefore offer our respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet
of Lord Krsna, under whose illusory energy, called maya, we are
absorbed in fruitive activities. We therefore pray to the Lord
to be kind enough to excuse us because we are simply captivated
by His external energy. We transgressed His order without
knowing His transcendental glories."
The brahmanas repented for their sinful activities. They wanted
to go personally to offer their obeisances unto Him, but being
afraid of Kamsa, they could not go
. In other words, it is very difficult for one to surrender
fully unto the Personality of Godhead without being purified by
devotional service. The example of the learned brahmanas and
their wives is vivid. The wives of the brahmanas, because they
were infused by pure devotional service, did not care for any
kind of opposition. They immediately went to Krsna. But
although the brahmanas had come to know the
supremacy of the Lord and were repenting, they were still
afraid of King Kamsa because they were too addicted to
fruitive activities.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Twenty-third Chapter
of Krsna, "Delivering the Wives of the Brahmanas Who Performed
Sacrifices."
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KB 23: Delivering the Wives of the Brahmanas Who
Performed Sacrifices
CHAPTER TWENTY–THREE
Delivering the Wives of the Brahmanas Who Performed
Sacrifices
The morning passed, and the cowherd boys were very hungry
because they had not eaten breakfast. They immediately
approached Krsna and Balarama and said, "Dear Krsna and
Balarama, You are both all-powerful; You can kill many, many
demons, but today we are much afflicted with hunger, and this
is disturbing us. Please arrange for something that will
mitigate our hunger."
Requested in this way by Their friends, Lord Krsna and Balarama
arranged to show compassion to certain wives of
brahmanas who were performing sacrifices. These wives were
great devotees of the Lord, and Krsna took this opportunity to
bless them. He said, "My dear friends, please go to the house
of the brahmanas nearby. They are now engaged in performing the
Vedic sacrifice known as Angirasa, for they desire elevation
to the heavenly planets. All of you please go to them." Then
Lord Krsna warned His friends, "These brahmanas are not
Vaisnavas. They cannot even chant Our names, ‘Krsna' and ‘
Balarama.' They are very busy in chanting the Vedic hymns,
although the purpose of Vedic knowledge is to find Me. But
because they are not attracted by the names of Krsna and
Balarama, you had better not ask them for anything in My name.
Better ask for some charity in the name of Balarama."
Charity is generally given to high-class brahmanas, but Krsna
and Balarama did not appear in a brahmana family. Balarama was
known as the son of Vasudeva, a ksatriya, and Krsna was known
in Vrndavana as the son of Nanda Maharaja, who was a vaisya.
Neither belonged to the brahmana community. Therefore, Krsna
considered that the brahmanas engaged in performing sacrifices
might not be induced to give charity to a ksatriya and vaisya. "
But at least if you utter the name of Balarama, they may prefer
to give in charity to a ksatriya rather than to Me, because I
am only a vaisya."
Being thus ordered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, all
the boys went to the brahmanas and began to ask for some
charity. They approached them with folded hands and fell down
on the ground to offer respect. "O earthly gods, kindly hear us,
who are ordered by Lord Krsna and Balarama. We hope you know
Them both very well, and we wish you all good fortune. Krsna
and Balarama are tending cows nearby, and we have accompanied
Them. We have come to ask for some food from you. You are all
brahmanas and knowers of religious principles, and if you think
that you should give us charity, then give us some food, and we
shall all eat along with Krsna and Balarama. You are the most
respectable brahmanas within the human society, and you are
expected to know all the principles of religious procedure."
Although the boys were village boys and were not expected to be
learned in all the Vedic principles of religious ritual, they
hinted that because of their association with Krsna and
Balarama, they knew all those principles. By addressing the
brahmanas as "knowers of all religious principles," the boys
expressed the point of view that when the Supreme Personality
of Godhead, Krsna and Balarama, were asking for food, the
brahmanas should immediately deliver some without hesitation
because, as stated in the Bhagavad-gita, one should
perform yajna (sacrifices) only for the satisfaction of Visnu.
The boys continued: "Lord Visnu as Krsna and Balarama is
standing waiting, and you should immediately deliver whatever
food you have in your stock." They also explained to the
brahmanas when food is to be accepted and when it is not
to be accepted. Generally, the Vaisnavas, or pure devotees of
the Lord, do not take part in ordinary sacrificial performances.
But they know very well the ceremonials called diksa,
pasu-samstha and sautramani. One is permitted to take
food after the procedure of diksa and before the animal
sacrificial ceremony and the sautramani, or ceremony in which
liquors are also offered. The boys said, "We can take your food
at the present stage of your ceremony, for now it will not be
prohibited. So you can deliver us the food."
Although the companions of Lord Krsna and Balarama were simple
cowherd boys, they were in a position to dictate even to the
high-class brahmanas engaged in the Vedic rituals of sacrifice.
But the smarta-brahmanas, who were simply sacrificial-minded,
could not understand the dictation of the transcendental
devotees of the Lord. They could not even appreciate the
begging of the Supreme Lord, Krsna and Balarama. Although they
heard all the arguments on behalf of Krsna and Balarama, they
did not care for them, and they refused to speak to the boys.
Despite being highly elevated in the knowledge of Vedic
sacrificial rites, all such nondevotee brahmanas, although they
think of themselves as very highly elevated, are ignorant,
foolish persons. All their activities are childish because they
do not know the purpose of the Vedas, as it is explained in the
Bhagavad-gita: to understand Krsna. In spite of their
advancement in Vedic knowledge and rituals, they do not
understand Krsna; therefore their knowledge of the Vedas is
useless. Lord Caitanya, therefore, gave His valuable
opinion that although a person may not be born in a
brahmana family, if he knows Krsna or the science of Krsna
consciousness he is more than a brahmana, and he is quite fit
to become a spiritual master.
There are various details to be observed in the performance of
sacrifices. They are known as desa,
place; kala, time; prthag-dravya, the
different detailed paraphernalia; mantra, hymns; tantra,
scriptural evidences; agni, fire; rtvik, learned performers of
sacrifices; devata, the demigods; yajamana, the performer of
the sacrifices; kratu, the sacrifice itself; and dharma, the
procedures. All these are for satisfying Krsna. It is confirmed
in the Bhagavad-gita that He is the actual enjoyer of all
sacrifices because He is directly the Supreme Personality of
Godhead and the Supreme Absolute Truth, beyond the conception
or speculation of the material senses. He is present just like
an ordinary human boy, but for persons who identify themselves
with the body, it is very difficult to understand Him. The
brahmanas were very much interested in the comforts of the
material body and in elevation to the higher planetary
residences called svarga-vasa. They were therefore completely
unable to understand the position of Krsna.
When the boys saw that the brahmanas would not reply to them
even with a simple yes or no, they became very much
disappointed. They then returned to Lord Krsna and Balarama and
explained everything that had happened. After hearing their
statements, the Supreme Personality of Godhead smiled. He
told them that they should not be sorry for being refused by
the brahmanas, because that is the way of begging. He convinced
them that one who is engaged in collecting or begging
should not think that he will be successful everywhere. He
may be unsuccessful in some places, but that should not be
cause for disappointment. Lord Krsna then asked all the boys to
go again, but this time to the wives of those brahmanas engaged
in sacrifices. He also informed them that these wives were
great devotees. "They are always absorbed in thinking of Us. Go
there and ask for some food in My name and the name of Balarama,
and I am sure that they will deliver you as much food as you
desire."
Carrying out Krsna's order, the boys immediately went to the
wives of the brahmanas. They found the wives sitting inside
the brahmanas' house. They were very beautifully decorated
with ornaments. After offering them all respectful obeisances,
the boys said, "Dear mothers, please accept our humble
obeisances and hear our statement. May we inform you that Lord
Krsna and Balarama are nearby. They have come here with the
cows, and you may know also that we have come here under Their
instructions. All of us are very hungry; therefore, we have
come to you for some food. Please give us something to eat for
Krsna, Balarama and ourselves."
Immediately upon hearing this, the wives of the brahmanas
became anxious for Krsna and Balarama. These reactions were
spontaneous. They did not have to be convinced of the
importance of Krsna and Balarama; immediately upon hearing
Their names, they became very eager to see Them. Being
advanced by thinking of Krsna constantly, they were performing
the greatest form of mystic meditation. All the wives then
became very busily engaged in filling up different pots with
nice food. Due to the performance of the sacrifice, the
various foods were all very palatable. After collecting a feast,
they prepared to go to Krsna, their most beloved object,
exactly in the way rivers flow to the sea.
For a long time the wives had been eager to see Krsna.
However, when they were preparing to leave home to go see Him,
their husbands, fathers, sons and relatives asked them not to
go. But the wives did not comply. When a devotee is called by
the attraction of Krsna, he does not care for bodily ties. The
women entered the forest of Vrndavana on the bank of the Yamuna,
which was verdant with vegetation and newly grown vines and
flowers. Within that forest they saw Krsna and Balarama
engaged in tending the cows along with Their very affectionate
boyfriends.
The brahmanas' wives saw Krsna with a blackish complexion,
wearing a garment that glittered like gold. He wore a
nice garland of forest flowers and a peacock feather on His
head. He was also painted with the minerals found in Vrndavana,
and He looked exactly like a dancing actor on a theatrical
stage. They saw Him resting one hand on the shoulder of His
friend, and in His other hand He was holding a lotus flower.
His ears were decorated with lilies, He wore marks of tilaka,
and He was smiling charmingly. With their very eyes the wives
of the brahmanas saw the Supreme Personality of Godhead, of
whom they had heard so much, who was so dear to them, and in
whom their minds were always absorbed. Now they saw Him eye to
eye and face to face, and Krsna entered within their hearts
through their eyes.
Within themselves they began to embrace Krsna to their hearts'
content, and the distress of separation was mitigated
immediately. They were just like great sages who, by their
advancement of knowledge, merge into the existence of the
Supreme. As the Supersoul living in everyone's heart, Lord
Krsna could understand their minds; they had come to Him
despite all the protests of their relatives, fathers, husbands
and brothers, and despite all the duties of household affairs.
They came just to see Him, who was their life and soul. They
were exactly following Krsna's instruction in the Bhagavad-
gita: one should surrender to Him, giving up all varieties of
occupational and religious duties.
He therefore began to speak to them, smiling very
magnificently. It should be noted in this connection that when
Krsna entered into the wives' hearts and when they embraced Him
and felt the transcendental bliss of being merged with Him, the
Supreme Lord Krsna did not lose His identity, nor did the
individual wives lose theirs. The individuality of both the
Lord and the wives remained, yet they felt oneness in existence.
When a lover submits to his lover without any pinch of
personal consideration, that is called oneness. Lord Caitanya
has taught us this feeling of oneness in His Siksastaka: Krsna
may act freely, doing whatever He likes, but the devotee should
always be in oneness or in agreement with His desires. That
oneness was exhibited by the wives of the brahmanas in their
love for Krsna.
Krsna welcomed them with the following words: "My dear wives of
the brahmanas, you are all very fortunate and are welcome
here. Please let Me know what I can do for you. Your coming
here to see Me, neglecting all the restrictions and hindrances
of relatives, fathers, brothers and husbands,
is completely befitting. One who does this actually knows
his self-interest, because rendering transcendental loving
service unto Me, without motive or restriction, is actually
auspicious for the living entities."
Lord Krsna here confirms that the conditioned soul
can reach the highest perfectional stage by
surrendering to Him. One must give up all other
responsibilities. This complete surrender unto the Supreme
Personality of Godhead is the most auspicious path for the
conditioned soul because the Supreme Lord is the supreme
objective of love. Everyone is loving his
self according to the advancement of his knowledge.
Ultimately, when a person comes to understand that his self is
the spirit soul and that the spirit soul is nothing but a part
and parcel of the Supreme Lord, he recognizes the Supreme Lord
as the ultimate goal of love and then surrenders
unto Him. This surrender is considered auspicious for
the conditioned soul. Our life, property, home, wife, children,
house, country, society and all paraphernalia which are very
dear to us are expansions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
He is the central object of love because He gives us all bliss,
expanding Himself in so many ways according to our different
situations, namely bodily, mental or spiritual.
"My dear wives of the brahmanas," Krsna said, "you can now
return to your homes. Engage yourselves in sacrificial
activities and in the service of your husbands and
household affairs so that your husbands will be pleased with
you and the sacrifice which they have begun will be properly
executed. After all, your husbands are householders, and
without your help how can they execute their prescribed duties?"
The wives of the brahmanas replied, "Dear Lord, this sort of
instruction does not befit You. Your eternal promise is that
You will always protect Your devotees, and now You must fulfill
this promise. Anyone who comes and surrenders unto You never
goes back to the conditioned life of material existence. We
expect that You will now fulfill Your promise. We have
surrendered unto Your lotus feet, which are covered by
tulasi leaves, so we have no desire to give up the shelter
of Your lotus feet and return to the company of our so-called
relatives, friends and society
. And what shall we do if we return home? Our
husbands, brothers, fathers, sons, mothers and friends will
no longer accept us at home because we have already
left them all. Therefore we have no shelter to return to.
Please, therefore, do not ask us to return home, but arrange
for our stay under Your lotus feet so that we can eternally
live under Your protection."
The Supreme Personality of Godhead replied, "My dear wives of
the brahmanas, rest assured that your husbands will not neglect
you on your return, nor will your brothers, sons or fathers
refuse to accept you. Because you are My pure devotees, not
only your relatives but also people in general, as well as the
demigods, will be satisfied with you." Krsna is situated as the
Supersoul in everyone's heart. So someone who becomes a pure
devotee of Lord Krsna immediately becomes pleasing to
everyone. The pure devotee of Lord Krsna is never inimical to
anyone, nor can any sane person be an enemy of a pure
devotee. "Transcendental love for Me does not depend upon
bodily connection," Krsna said further, "but anyone whose mind
is always absorbed in Me will surely very soon come to Me for
My eternal association."
After being instructed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
all the wives returned home to their respective husbands.
Pleased to see their wives back home, the brahmanas sat
together with them and executed the performances of sacrifices
, as enjoined in the sastras.
According to Vedic principle, religious rituals must be
executed by the husband and wife together. When the brahmanas'
wives returned, the sacrifice was duly and nicely executed. One
of the brahmanas' wives, however, who had been forcibly checked
from going to see Krsna, began to remember Him as she heard of
His bodily features. Being completely absorbed in His thought,
she gave up her material body conditioned by the laws of nature.
After the departure of the brahmanas' wives, Sri Govinda and
His cowherd boyfriends enjoyed the food they had offered. In
this way the ever-joyful Personality of Godhead exhibited His
transcendental pastimes in the guise of an ordinary
human being in order to
attract the common people
to Krsna consciousness. With His words and beauty
He attracted all the cows, cowherd boys and damsels in
Vrndavana. All of them together enjoyed the pastimes of the
Lord.
After the return of their wives from Krsna, the brahmanas
engaged in the performance of sacrifices began to regret their
sinful activities in refusing food to the Supreme Personality
of Godhead. They could finally understand their mistake;
engaged in the performance of Vedic rituals, they had neglected
the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who had appeared just like
an ordinary human being and asked for some food. They began to
condemn themselves after seeing the faith and devotion of their
wives. They regretted very much that, although their wives were
elevated to the platform of pure devotional service, they
themselves could not understand even a little bit of how to
love and offer transcendental loving service to the Supreme
Soul. They began to talk among themselves: "To hell with our
being born brahmanas! To hell with our learning all the Vedic
literatures! To hell with our performing great sacrifices and
observing all the rules and regulations! To hell with our
family! To hell with our expert service in performing the
rituals exactly according to the description of the scriptures!
To hell with it all, for we have not developed transcendental
loving service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is
beyond the speculation of the mind, body and senses."
The learned brahmanas, expert in Vedic ritualistic performances,
were properly regretful, because if one does not
develop Krsna consciousness, all discharge of religious duties
is simply a waste of time and energy. They continued to talk
among themselves: "The external energy of Krsna is so strong
that it can create illusion to overcome even the greatest
mystic yogi. Although we expert brahmanas are considered to be
the teachers of all other sections of human society, we also
have been illusioned by the external energy. Just see how
fortunate these women are! They have so devotedly dedicated
their lives to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, that
they could easily do what is ordinarily so
difficult: they gave up their family connections, which
are just like a dark well for the continuation of material
miseries." Women in general, being very simple at heart, can
very easily take to Krsna consciousness, and when they develop
love of Krsna they can easily get liberation from the clutches
of maya, which are very difficult for even so-called
intelligent and learned men to surpass.
The brahmanas
continued: "According to Vedic injunction,
women are not allowed to undergo the purificatory process of
initiation by the sacred thread, nor are they allowed to live
as brahmacarinis in the asrama of the spiritual master, nor are
they advised to undergo the strict disciplinary procedures, nor
are they very expert in discussing the philosophy of self-
realization. And by nature they are not very pure, nor are they
very much attached to auspicious activities. Therefore, how
wonderful it is that these women have developed transcendental
love for Krsna, the Lord of all mystic yogis!
They have surpassed all of us in firm faith and
devotion unto Krsna. Although
we are considered to be masters in all
purificatory processes, we did not actually know what their
goal is because we are too much attached to the materialistic
way of life. Even though we were reminded of Krsna and Balarama
by the cowherd boys, we disregarded Them. We now think
that the Supreme Personality of Godhead simply played a trick
of mercy on us by sending
His friends to beg food from us. Otherwise, He had
no need to send them. He could have satisfied their hunger then
and there just by willing to do so."
If someone denies Krsna's self-sufficiency on hearing that He
was tending the cows for His livelihood, or if someone doubts
His not being in need of the food, thinking that He was
actually hungry, then such a person should understand that the
goddess of fortune is always engaged in His service. In this
way the goddess can break her faulty habit of restlessness. In
Vedic literatures like the Brahma-samhita it is stated that
Krsna is served in His abode with great respect by not only one
goddess of fortune but many thousands. Therefore it is simply
illusion for one to think that Krsna begged food from the
brahmanas. It was actually a trick to show them mercy by
teaching them that they should accept Him in pure
devotional service instead of engaging in ritualistic
ceremonies. The Vedic ceremonial paraphernalia, the suitable
place, the suitable time, the different grades of articles for
performing the ritualistic ceremonies, the Vedic hymns, the
process of sacrifice, the priest who is able to perform the
sacrifice, the fire, the demigods, the performer of the
sacrifice and the religious principles are all meant for
understanding Krsna, for Krsna is the Supreme Personality of
Godhead. He is the Supreme Lord Visnu and the Lord of all
mystic yogis.
"Because He has appeared as a child in the dynasty of the Yadus,
we were so foolish that we could not understand that He is the
Supreme Personality of Godhead," the brahmanas said. "But on
the other hand, we are very proud because we have such exalted
wives who have developed pure transcendental service of the
Lord without being shackled by our rigid opposition. Let us
therefore offer our respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet
of Lord Krsna, under whose illusory energy, called maya, we are
absorbed in fruitive activities. We therefore pray to the Lord
to be kind enough to excuse us because we are simply captivated
by His external energy. We transgressed His order without
knowing His transcendental glories."
The brahmanas repented their sinful activities. They wanted
to go personally to offer their obeisances unto Him, but being
afraid of Kamsa, they could not go to Krsna and surrender unto
Him. In other words, it is very difficult for one to surrender
fully unto the Personality of Godhead without being purified by
devotional service. The example of the learned brahmanas and
their wives is vivid. The wives of the brahmanas, because they
were inspired by pure devotional service, did not care for any
kind of opposition. They immediately went to Krsna. But
the brahmanas, although they had come to know the
supremacy of the Lord and were repenting, were still
afraid of King Kamsa because they were too much addicted to
fruitive activities.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Twenty-third Chapter
of Krsna, "Delivering the Wives of the Brahmanas Who Performed
Sacrifices."
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