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KB 1970-1-2 / Prayers by the Demigods for Lord Krsna in the
Womb
2 / Prayers by the Demigods for Lord Krsna in the Womb
King Kamsa not only occupied the kingdoms of the Yadu, Bhoja,
and Andhaka dynasties and the kingdom of Surasena, but he also
made alliances with all the other demoniac kings, as follows:
the demon Pralamba, demon Baka, demon Canura, demon Trnavarta,
demon Aghasura, demon Mustika, demon Arista, demon Dvivida,
demon Putana, demon Kesi and demon Dhenuka. At that time,
Jarasandha was the king of Magadha province (known at present
as Behar state). Thus by his diplomatic policy, Kamsa
consolidated the most powerful kingdom of his time, under the
protection of Jarasandha. He made further alliances with such
kings as Banasura and Bhaumasura, until he was the strongest.
Then he began to behave most inimically towards the Yadu
dynasty into which Krsna was to take His birth.
Being harassed by Kamsa, the kings of the Yadu, Bhoja and
Andhaka dynasties began to take shelter in different states
such as the state of the Kurus, the state of the Pancalas and
the states known as Kekaya, Salva, Vidarbha, Nisadha, Videha
and Kosala. Kamsa broke the solidarity of the Yadu Kingdom, as
well as the Bhoja and Andhaka. He made his position the most
solid within the vast tract of land known at that time as
Bharatavarsa.
When Kamsa killed the six babies of Devaki and
Vasudeva one after another, many friends and relatives of
Kamsa approached him and requested him to discontinue these
heinous activities. But all of them became worshipers of Kamsa.
When Devaki became pregnant for the seventh time, a plenary
expansion of Krsna known as Ananta appeared within her womb.
Devaki was overwhelmed both with jubilation and
lamentation. She was joyful, for she could understand that
Lord Visnu had taken shelter within her womb, but at the same
time she was sorry that as soon as her child would come out,
Kamsa would kill Him. At that time, the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, Krsna, being compassionate upon the fearful condition
of the Yadus, due to atrocities committed by Kamsa,
ordered the appearance of His Yogamaya, or His internal
potency. Krsna is the Lord of the universe, but He is
especially the Lord of the Yadu dynasty.
This Yogamaya is the principal potency of the Personality of
Godhead. In the Vedas it is stated that the Lord, the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, has multipotencies. Parasya saktir
vividhaiva sruyate. All the
different potencies are acting externally and internally, and
Yogamaya is the chief of all potencies. He ordered the
appearance of Yogamaya in the land of Vrajabhumi, in Vrndavana,
which is always decorated and full with beautiful cows. In
Vrndavana, Rohini, one of the wives of Vasudeva, was residing
at the house of King Nanda and Queen Yasoda. Not only Rohini,
but many others in the Yadu dynasty were scattered all over
the country due to their fear of the atrocities of Kamsa. Some
of them were even living in the caves of the mountains.
The Lord thus informed Yogamaya: "Under the imprisonment of
Kamsa are Devaki and Vasudeva, and at the present moment, My
plenary expansion, Sesa, is within the womb of Devaki. You can
arrange the transfer of Sesa from the womb of Devaki to the
womb of Rohini. After this arrangement, I am personally going
to appear in the womb of Devaki with My full potencies. Then I
shall appear as the son of Devaki and Vasudeva. And you shall
appear as the daughter of Nanda and Yasoda in Vrndavana.
"Since you will appear as My contemporary sister,
people within the world will worship you with all kinds of
valuable presentations: incense, candles, flowers and
offerings of sacrifice. You shall quickly satisfy their
desires for sense gratificiation. People who are after
materialistic affection will worship you under the different
forms of your expansions, which will be named Durga,
Bhadrakali, Vijaya, Vaisnavi, Kumuda, Candika, Krsna, Madhavi,
Kanyaka, Maya, Narayani, Isani, Sarada and Ambika."
Krsna and Yogamaya appeared as brother and sister -- the
Supreme Powerful and the supreme power. Although there is no
clear distinction between the Powerful and the power, power is
always subordinate to the Powerful. Those who are
materialistic are worshipers of the power, but those who are
transcendentalists are worshipers of the Powerful. Krsna is
the Supreme Powerful, and Durga is the supreme power within
the material world. Actually people in the Vedic culture
worship both the Powerful and the power. There are many
hundreds of thousands of temples of Visnu and Devi, and
sometimes they are worshiped simultaneously. The worshiper of
the power, Durga, or the external energy of Krsna, may achieve
all kinds of material success very easily, but anyone who
wants to be elevated transcendentally must engage in
worshiping the Powerful in Krsna consciousness.
The Lord also declared to Yogamaya that His plenary
expansion, Ananta Sesa, was within the womb of Devaki. On
account of being forcibly attracted to the womb of Rohini, He
will be known as Sankarsana and would be the source of all
spiritual power or bala, by which one could be able to attain
the highest bliss of life which is called ramana. Therefore
the plenary portion Ananta would be known after His appearance
either as Sankarsana or Balarama.
In the Upanisads it is stated, Nayam atma bala hinena labhya.
The purport is that one cannot attain the Supreme or any
form of self-realization without being sufficiently
favored by Balarama. Bala does not mean physical strength. No
one can attain spiritual perfection by physical strength. One
must have the spiritual strength which is infused by Balarama
or Sankarsana. Ananta or Sesa is the power
which sustains all the planets in their different positions.
Materially this sustaining power is known as the law of
gravitation, but actually it is the display of the potency of
Sankarsana. Balarama or Sankarsana is
spiritual power, or the original spiritual master. Therefore
Lord Nityananda Prabhu, who is also the incarnation of
Balarama, is the original spiritual master. And the spiritual
master is the representative of Balarama, the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, who supplies spiritual
strength. In the Caitanya-caritamrta it is confirmed that the
spiritual master is the manifestation of the mercy of Krsna.
When Yogamaya was thus ordered by the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, she circumambulated the Lord and then appeared
within this material world according to His order. When
the Supreme Powerful
Personality of Godhead transferred Lord Sesa from the womb of
Devaki to the womb of Rohini, both of them were
under the spell of Yogamaya, which is also called yoga-
nidra. When this was done, people understood that Devaki's
seventh pregnancy was a miscarriage. Thus although
Balarama appeared as the son of Devaki, He was transferred to
the womb of Rohini to appear as her son. After this
arrangement, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, who is
always ready to place His full potencies in His unalloyed
devotees, entered as the Lord of
the whole creation within the mind of Vasudeva.
It is understood in this connection that Lord Krsna first of
all situated Himself in the unalloyed heart of
Devaki. He was not put
into the womb of Devaki by seminal discharge. The Supreme
Personality of Godhead, by His inconceivable potency, can
appear in any way. It is not necessary for Him to appear in
the ordinary way by seminal injection within the womb of a
woman.
When Vasudeva was sustaining the form of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead within his heart, he appeared just like
the glowing sun whose shining rays are always unbearable and
scorching to the common man. The form of the Lord situated in
the pure unalloyed heart of Vasudeva is not different from the
original form of Krsna. The appearance of the form of Krsna
anywhere, and specifically within the heart, is called dhama.
Dhama does not only refer to Krsna's form, but His name,
His form, His quality and His paraphernalia. Everything
becomes manifest simultaneously.
Thus the eternal form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
with full potencies was transferred from the mind of Vasudeva
to the mind of Devaki, exactly as the setting sun's rays are
transferred to the full moon rising in the east.
Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, entered the
body of Devaki from the body of Vasudeva. He was
beyond the conditions of the ordinary living
entity. When Krsna is there, it is to be understood that all
His plenary expansions, such as Narayana, and incarnations
like Lord Nrsimha, Varaha, etc., are with Him, and they
are not subject to the conditions of material existence.
In this way, Devaki became the residence of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead who is one without a second and the
cause of all creation. Devaki became the residence of the
Absolute Truth, but because she was within the house
of Kamsa, she looked just like a suppressed fire, or like
misused education. When fire is covered by the walls of a pot
or is kept in a jug, the illuminating rays of the fire cannot
be very much appreciated. Similarly, misused knowledge, which
does not benefit the people in general, is not very much
appreciated. So Devaki was kept within the prison walls of
Kamsa's palace, and no one could see her transcendental
beauty which resulted from her conceiving the Supreme
Personality of Godhead.
Kamsa, however, saw the transcendental beauty of his sister
Devaki, and he at once concluded that the Supreme Personality
of Godhead had taken shelter in her womb. She had never before
looked so wonderfully beautiful. He could distinctly
understand that there was something wonderful within the womb
of Devaki. In this way, Kamsa became perturbed. He was
sure that the Supreme Personality of Godhead would kill
him in the future and that He had now come. Kamsa began to
think: "What is to be done with Devaki? Surely she has Visnu
or Krsna within her womb, so it is certain that Krsna has come
to execute the mission of the demigods. And even if I
immediately kill Devaki, His mission cannot be frustrated."
Kamsa knew very well that no one can frustrate the purpose of
Visnu. Any intelligent man can understand that the laws of God
cannot be violated. His purpose will be served in spite of all
impediments offered by the demons. Kamsa thought: "If I kill
Devaki at the present moment, Visnu will enforce His supreme
will more vehemently. To kill Devaki just now would be a most
abominable act. No one desires to kill his reputation, even in
an awkward situation; if I kill Devaki now, my reputation will
be spoiled. Devaki is a woman, and she is under my shelter;
she is pregnant, and if I kill her, immediately all my
reputation, the result of pious activities and duration
of life, will be finished."
He also further deliberated: "A person who is too cruel, even
in this lifetime is as good as dead. No
one likes a cruel person during his lifetime, and after his
death, people curse him. On account of his self-identification
with the body, he must be degraded and pushed into the darkest
region of hell." Kamsa thus meditated on all the pros and cons
of killing Devaki at that time.
Kamsa finally decided not to kill Devaki right away but to
wait for the inevitable future. But his mind became absorbed
in animosity against the Personality of Godhead. He patiently
waited for the deliverance of the child, expecting to kill Him,
as he had done previously with the other babies of Devaki.
Thus being merged in the ocean of animosity against the
Personality of Godhead, he began to think of Krsna and Visnu
while sitting, while sleeping, while walking, while eating,
while working -- in all the situations of his life. His mind
became so much absorbed with the thought of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead that indirectly he could see only Krsna
or Visnu around him. Unfortunately, although his mind was so
absorbed in the thought of Visnu, he is not recognized as a
devotee because he was thinking of Krsna as an enemy. The
state of mind of a great devotee is also to be always absorbed
in Krsna, but a devotee thinks of Him favorably, not
unfavorably. To think of Krsna favorably is Krsna
consciousness, but to think of Krsna unfavorably is not Krsna
consciousness.
At this time Lord Brahma and Lord Siva, accompanied by great
sages like Narada and followed by many other demigods,
invisibly appeared in the house of Kamsa. They began to pray
for the Supreme Personality of Godhead in select prayers
which are very pleasing to the devotees and which award
fulfillment of their desires. The first words they spoke
acclaimed that the Lord is true to His vow. As stated in the
Bhagavad-gita, Krsna descends in this material world just to
protect the pious and destroy the impious. That is His vow.
The demigods could understand that the Lord had taken His
residence within the womb of Devaki in order to fulfill this
vow. The demigods were very glad that the Lord was appearing
to fulfill His mission, and they addressed Him as
satyam param, or the Supreme Absolute Truth.
Everyone is searching after the truth.
That is the philosophical way of life. The demigods give
information that the Supreme Absolute Truth is Krsna. One who
becomes fully Krsna conscious can attain the Absolute Truth.
Krsna is the Absolute Truth. Relative truth is
not truth in all the three phases of eternal time. Time is
divided into past, present and future. Krsna is Truth always,
past, present and future. In the material world everything
is being controlled by supreme time, in the course of past,
present and future. But before the creation, Krsna was
existing, and when there is creation, everything is resting in
Krsna, and when this creation is finished, Krsna will remain.
Therefore, He is Absolute Truth in all circumstances. If
there is any truth within this material world, it emanates
from the Supreme Truth, Krsna. If there is any opulence within
this material world, the cause of the opulence is Krsna. If
there is any reputation within this material world, the cause
of the reputation is Krsna. If there is any strength within
this material world, the cause of such strength is Krsna. If
there is any wisdom and education within this material world,
the cause of such wisdom and education is Krsna. Therefore
Krsna is the source of all relative truths.
This material world is composed of five principal elements:
earth, water, fire, air and ether, and all such elements are
emanations from Krsna. The material scientists accept these
primary five elements as the cause of the material
manifestation, but the elements in their gross and subtle
states are produced by Krsna. The living entities who are
working within this material world are also products of His
marginal potency. In the Seventh Chapter of the Bhagavad-gita,
it is clearly stated that the whole manifestation is a
combination of two kinds of energies of Krsna, the superior
energy and the inferior energy. The living entities are the
superior energy, and the dead material elements are His
inferior energy. In its dormant stage, everything remains in
Krsna.
The demigods continued to offer their respectful prayers unto
the supreme form of the Personality of Godhead, Krsna, by
analytical study of the material manifestation. What is this
material manifestation? It is just like a tree. A tree stands
on the ground. Similarly, the tree of the material
manifestation is standing on the ground of material nature.
This material manifestation is compared with a tree because a
tree is ultimately cut off in due course of time. A tree is
called vrksa. Vrksa means that thing which will be ultimately
cut off. Therefore, this tree of the material manifestation
cannot be accepted as the Ultimate Truth. The influence
of time is on the material manifestation, but
Krsna's body is eternal. He existed before the material
manifestation, He is existing while the material manifestation
is continuing, and when it will be dissolved, He will continue
to exist.
The Katha Upanisad also cites this example of the tree of
material manifestation standing on the ground of material
nature. This tree has two kinds of fruits, distress and
happiness. Those who are living on the tree of the body are
just like two birds. One bird is the localized aspect of Krsna
known as the Paramatma, and the other bird is the living
entity. The living entity is eating the fruits of this
material manifestation. Sometimes he eats the fruit of
happiness, and sometimes he eats the fruit of distress. But
the other bird is not interested in eating the fruit of
distress or happiness because he is self-satisfied. The Katha
Upanisad states that one bird on the tree of the body is
eating the fruits, and the other bird is simply witnessing.
The roots of this tree extend in three directions. That means
the root of the tree is the three modes of material
nature: goodness, passion and ignorance. Just as the tree's
root expands, so, by association of the modes of material
nature (goodness, passion and ignorance), one expands his
duration of material existence. The taste of the fruits are
of four kinds: religiosity, economic development, sense
gratification and ultimately, liberation. According to the
different associations in the three modes of material nature,
the living entities are tasting different kinds of religiosity,
different kinds of economic development, different kinds of
sense gratification and different kinds of liberation.
Practically all material work is performed in ignorance, but
because there are three qualities, sometimes the quality of
ignorance is covered with goodness or passion. The taste of
these material fruits is accepted through five senses. The
five sense organs through which knowledge is acquired are
subjected to six kinds of whips: lamentation, illusion,
infirmity, death, hunger and thirst. This material body, or
the material manifestation, is covered by seven layers: skin,
muscle, flesh, marrow, bone, fat and semina. The branches of
the tree are eight: earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind,
intelligence and ego. There are nine gates in this body: the
two eyes, two nostrils, two ears, one mouth, one genital, one
rectum. And there are ten kinds of internal air passing within
the body: prana, apana, udana, vyana, samana, etc. The two
birds seated in this tree, as explained above, are the living
entity and the localized Supreme Personality of Godhead.
The root cause of the material manifestation described here is
the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Supreme Personality of
Godhead expands Himself and takes charge of the three
qualities of the material world. Visnu takes charge of the
modes of goodness, Brahma takes charge of the modes of passion,
and Lord Siva takes charge of the modes of ignorance. Brahma,
by the modes of passion, creates this manifestation, Lord
Visnu maintains this manifestation by the modes of goodness,
and Lord Siva annihilates it by the modes of ignorance. The
whole creation ultimately rests in the Supreme Lord. He is the
cause of creation, maintenance and dissolution. And when the
whole manifestation is dissolved, in its subtle form as the
energy of the Lord, it rests within the body of the Supreme
Lord.
"At the present," the demigods prayed, "the Supreme Lord Krsna
is appearing just for the maintenance of this manifestation."
Actually the Supreme Cause is one, but
, being deluded by the three modes of material nature,
less intelligent persons see that the material world is
manifested through different causes. Those who are intelligent
can see that the cause is one, Krsna. As it is stated in the
Brahma-samhita: sarva-karana-
karanam. Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
is the cause of all causes. Brahma is the deputed agent for
creation, Visnu is the expansion of Krsna for maintenance, and
Lord Siva is the expansion of Krsna for dissolution.
"Our dear Lord," the demigods prayed, "it is very difficult to
understand Your eternal form of personality. People in general
are unable to understand Your actual form; therefore You are
personally descending to exhibit Your original eternal form.
Somehow people can understand the different incarnations of
Your Lordship, but they are puzzled to understand the eternal
form of Krsna with two hands, moving among human beings
exactly like one of them. This eternal form of Your Lordship
is ever increasing in transcendental pleasure for the
devotees. But for the nondevotees, this form is very dangerous.
" As stated in the Bhagavad-gita, Krsna is very pleasing to
the sadhu. It is said, paritranaya sadhunam. But
this form is very dangerous for the demons because Krsna also
descends to kill the demons. He is, therefore, simultaneously
pleasing to the devotees and dangerous to the demons.
"Our dear lotus-eyed Lord, You are the source of pure goodness.
There are many great sages who simply by samadhi, or
transcendentally meditating upon Your lotus feet and thus
being absorbed in Your thought, have easily transformed the
great ocean of nescience created by the material nature to
no more than water in a calf's hoofprint." The purpose of
meditation is to focus the mind upon the Personality of
Godhead, beginning from His lotus feet. Simply by meditation
on the lotus feet of the Lord, great sages cross over this
vast ocean of material existence without difficulty.
"O self-illuminated one, the great saintly persons who have
crossed over the ocean of nescience, by the help of the
transcendental boat of Your lotus feet, have not taken away
that boat. It is still lying on this side." The demigods are
using a nice simile. If one takes a boat to cross over a river,
the boat also goes with one to the other side of the river.
And so when one reaches the destination, how can the same boat
be available to those who are still on the other side? To
answer this difficulty, the demigods say in their prayer that
the boat is not taken away. The
devotees still remaining on the other side are able to pass
over the ocean of material nature because the pure devotees do
not take the boat with them when they cross over. When one
simply approaches the boat, the whole ocean of material
nescience is reduced to the size of water in a calf's
hoofprint. Therefore, the devotees do not need to take a
boat to the other side; they simply cross the ocean
immediately. Because the great saintly persons are
compassionate toward all conditioned souls, the boat is still
lying at the lotus feet of the Lord. One can meditate upon
His feet at any time, and by so doing, one
can cross over the great ocean of material existence.
Meditation means concentration upon the lotus feet of the Lord.
Lotus feet indicate the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Those
who are impersonalists do not recognize the lotus feet
of the Lord, and therefore their object of meditation is
something impersonal. The demigods express their mature
verdict that persons who are interested in meditating on
something void or impersonal cannot cross over the ocean of
nescience. Such persons are simply imagining that they have
become liberated. "O lotus-eyed Lord! Their intelligence is
contaminated because they fail to meditate upon the lotus feet
of Your Lordship." As a result of this neglectful activity,
the impersonalists fall down again into the material way of
conditioned life, although they may temporarily rise up to the
point of impersonal realization. Impersonalists, after
undergoing severe austerities and penances, merge themselves
into the Brahman effulgence or impersonal Brahman existence.
But their minds are not free from material contamination; they
have simply tried to negate the material ways of thinking.
That does not mean that they have become liberated. Thus they
fall down. In the Bhagavad-gita it is stated that the
impersonalist has to undergo great tribulation in realizing
the ultimate goal. At the beginning of the Srimad-Bhagavatam,
it is also stated that without devotional service to the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, one cannot achieve liberation
from the bondage of fruitive activities. The statement of Lord
Krsna is there in the Bhagavad-gita, and in the Srimad-
Bhagavatam the statement of the great sage Narada is there,
and here also the demigods confirm it. "Persons who have not
taken to devotional service are understood to have come short
of the ultimate purpose of knowledge and are not favored by
Your grace." The impersonalists simply think that they are
liberated, but actually they have no feeling for the
Personality of Godhead. They think that when Krsna comes into
the material world, he accepts a material body. They therefore
overlook the transcendental body of Krsna. This is also
confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita: Avajananti mam mudhah. In
spite of conquering material lust and rising up to the point
of liberation, the impersonalists fall down. If they are
engaged just in knowing things for the sake of knowledge and
do not take to the devotional service of the Lord, they cannot
achieve the desired result. Their achievement is the trouble
they take, and that is all. It is clearly stated in the
Bhagavad-gita that to realize Brahman identification is not
all. Brahman identification may help one become joyful without
material attachment or detachment and to achieve the platform
of equanimity, but after this stage, one has to take to
devotional service. When one takes to devotional service after
being elevated to the platform of Brahman realization, he is
then admitted into the spiritual kingdom for permanent
residence in association with the Supreme Personality of
Godhead. That is the result of devotional service. Those who
are devotees of the Supreme Personality of Godhead never fall
down like the impersonalists. Even if the devotees fall down,
they remain affectionately attached to their Lordship. They
can meet all kinds of obstacles on the path of devotional
service, and freely, without any fear, they can surmount such
obstacles. Because of their surrender, they are certain that
Krsna will always protect them. As it is promised by Krsna in
the Bhagavad-gita: "My devotees are never vanquished."
"Our dear Lord, You have appeared in
Your original unalloyed form, the eternal form of goodness,
for the welfare of all living entities within this material
world. Taking advantage of Your appearance, all of them can
now very easily understand the nature and form of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. Persons who belong to the four
divisions of the social order (the brahmacaris, the grhasthas,
the vanaprasthas and the sannyasis) can all take advantage of
Your appearance.
"Dear Lord, husband of the goddess of fortune, devotees who
are dovetailed in Your service do not fall down from their
high position like the impersonalists. Being protected by You,
the devotees are able to traverse over the heads of many of
maya's commanders-in-chief, who can always put stumbling
blocks on the path of liberation. My dear Lord, You appear
in Your transcendental form for the benefit of the
living entities so that they can see You face to face and
offer their worshipful sacrifices by ritualistic performance
of the Vedas, mystic meditation and devotional service as
recommended in the scriptures. Dear Lord, if You did not
appear in Your eternal transcendental form, full of bliss and
knowledge -- which can eradicate all kinds of
speculative ignorance about Your position -- then all people
would simply speculate about You according to their respective
modes of material nature."
The appearance of Krsna is the answer to all imaginative
iconography of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Everyone
imagines the form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
according to his mode of material nature. In the Brahma-
samhita it is said that the Lord is the oldest person.
Therefore a section of religionists imagine that God must be
very old, and therefore they depict a form of the Lord like a
very old man. But in the same Brahma-samhita, that is
contradicted; although He is the oldest of all living entities,
He has His eternal form as a fresh youth. The exact words
used in this connection in the Srimad-Bhagavatam are vijnanam
ajnanabhid apamarjanam. Vijnanam means transcendental
knowledge of the Supreme Personality. Vijnanam is
also experienced knowledge. Transcendental knowledge has to be
accepted by the descending process of disciplic succession as
Brahma presents the knowledge of Krsna in the Brahma-samhita.
Brahma-samhita is vijnanam as realized by Brahma's
transcendental experience, and in that way he presented the
form and the pastimes of Krsna in the transcendental abode.
Ajnanabhid means that which can
match all kinds of speculation. In ignorance, people are
imagining the form of the Lord; sometimes He has no form and
sometimes He has form, according to their different
imaginations. But the presentation of Krsna in the Brahma-
samhita is vijnanam -- scientific, experienced knowledge given
by Lord Brahma and accepted by Lord Caitanya. There is no
doubt about it. Sri Krsna's form, Sri Krsna's flute, Krsna's
color -- everything is reality. Here it is said that this
vijnanam is always defeating all kinds of speculative
knowledge. "Therefore, without Your appearing as Krsna, as You
are, neither ajnanabhid (
nescience of speculative knowledge) nor vijnanam would be
realized. Ajnanabhid apamarjanam -- by Your appearance
the speculative knowledge of ignorance will be
vanquished and the real experienced knowledge of
authorities like Lord Brahma will be established. Men
influenced by the three modes of material nature imagine their
own God according to the modes of material nature. In this way
God is presented in various ways, but Your appearance will
establish what the real form of God is."
The highest blunder committed by the impersonalist is to
think that when the incarnation of God comes, He accepts the
form of matter in the modes of goodness. Actually the form of
Krsna or Narayana is transcendental to any material idea. Even
the greatest impersonalist, Sankaracarya, has admitted that
narayanah paro 'vyaktat: the material creation is caused by
the avyakta impersonal manifestation of matter or the
nonphenomenal total reservation of matter, and Krsna is
transcendental to that material conception. That is expressed
in the Srimad-Bhagavatam as suddha-sattva, or transcendental
. He does not belong to the material mode of goodness,
and He is above the position of material goodness. He belongs
to the transcendental eternal status of bliss and knowledge.
"Dear Lord, when You appear in Your different incarnations,
You take different names and forms according to different
situations. Lord Krsna is Your name because You are all
attractive; You are called Syamasundara because of Your
transcendental beauty. Syama means blackish, yet they
say that You are more beautiful than thousands of Cupids.
Kandarpa-koti-kamaniya. Although You appear in a
color which is compared to the blackish cloud, because You are
transcendental Absolute, Your beauty is many
many times more attractive than the delicate body of Cupid.
Sometimes You are called Giridhari because You lifted the hill
known as Govardhana. You are sometimes called Nandanandana or
Vasudeva or Devakinandana because You appear as the son of
Maharaja Nanda or Devaki or Vasudeva. Impersonalists think
that Your many names or forms are according to a
particular type of work and quality because they accept You
from the position of a material observer.
"Our dear Lord, the way of understanding is not to study Your
absolute nature, form and activities by mental speculation.
One must engage himself in devotional service; then one can
understand Your absolute nature, transcendental form,
name and quality. Actually only a person who has a little
taste for the service of Your lotus feet can understand Your
transcendental nature or form and quality. Others may go on
speculating for millions of years, but it is not possible for
them to understand even a single part of Your actual position."
In other words, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna,
cannot be understood by the nondevotees because there is a
curtain of Yogamaya which covers Krsna's actual features. As
confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita, naham prakasah sarvasya.
The Lord says, "I am not exposed to anyone and everyone.
" When Krsna came, He was actually present on the battlefield
of Kuruksetra, and everyone saw Him. But not everyone could
understand that He was the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Still, everyone who died in His presence attained complete
liberation from material bondage and was transferred to the
spiritual world.
"O Lord, the impersonalists or nondevotees cannot understand
that Your name is identical with Your form." Since the Lord is
absolute, there is no difference between His name and His
actual form. In the material world there is a difference
between form and name. The mango fruit is different from the
name of the mango. One cannot taste the mango fruit simply by
chanting, "Mango, mango, mango." But the devotee who knows
that there is no difference between the name and the form of
the Lord chants Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare,
Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare and realizes
that he is always in Krsna's company.
For persons who are not very advanced in absolute knowledge of
the Supreme, Lord Krsna exhibits His transcendental pastimes.
They can simply think of the pastimes of the Lord and
get the full benefit. Since there is no difference between the
transcendental name and form of the Lord, there is no
difference between the transcendental pastimes and the form of
the Lord. For those who are less intelligent (like women,
laborers or the mercantile class), the great sage Vyasadeva
wrote Mahabharata. In the Mahabharata, Krsna is present in
His different activities. Mahabharata is history, and
simply by studying, hearing and memorizing the transcendental
activities of Krsna, the less intelligent can also gradually
rise to the standard of pure devotees.
The pure devotees, who are always absorbed in the thought of
the transcendental lotus feet of Krsna and who are always
engaged in devotional service in full Krsna consciousness, are
never to be considered to be in the material world. Sri Rupa
Gosvami has explained that those who are always engaged in
Krsna consciousness, by body, mind and activities, are to be
considered liberated even within this body. This is also
confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita: those who are engaged in the
devotional service of the Lord have already transcended the
material position.
Krsna appears to give a chance both to the
devotees and nondevotees for realization of the ultimate
goal of life. The devotees get the direct chance to see Him
and worship Him. Those who are not on that platform get the
chance to become acquainted with His activities and thus
become elevated to the same position.
"O dear Lord," the demigods continued, "You are unborn;
therefore we do not find any reason for Your appearance other
than for Your pleasurable pastimes." Although the reason for
the appearance of the Lord is stated in the Bhagavad-gita (He
descends just to give protection to the devotee and vanquish
the nondevotee), actually He descends for His pleasure-
meeting with the devotees, not really to vanquish the
nondevotees. The nondevotees can be vanquished simply by
material nature. "The action and reaction of the
external enregy of material nature (creation, maintenance and
annihilation) are being carried on automatically. But simply
by taking shelter of Your holy name --
because Your holy name and Your personality are
nondifferent -- the devotees are sufficiently protected." The
protection of the devotees and the annihilation of the
nondevotees are actually not the business of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead when He descends. They are just for
His transcendental pleasure. There cannot be any other reason
for His appearance.
"Our dear Lord, You are appearing as the best of the Yadu
dynasty, and we are offering our respectful humble obeisances
unto Your lotus feet. Before this appearance, You also
appeared as the fish incarnation, the horse incarnation,
the tortoise incarnation,
the swan incarnation,
as King Ramacandra, as Parasurama, and as many other
incarnations. You appeared just to protect the devotees, and
we request You in Your present appearance as the Supreme
Personality of Godhead Himself to give us similar protection
all over the three worlds and remove all obstacles for the
peaceful execution of our lives.
"Dear mother Devaki, within your womb is the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, appearing along with all His plenary
extensions. He is the original Personality of Godhead
appearing for our welfare. Therefore you should not be afraid
of your brother, the King of Bhoja. Your son Lord Krsna, who
is the original Personality of Godhead, will appear for the
protection of the pious Yadu dynasty. The Lord is appearing
not only alone but accompanied by His immediate plenary
portion, Balarama."
Devaki was very much afraid of her brother Kamsa because he
had already killed so many of her children. She used to remain
very anxious about Krsna. In the Visnu Purana it is stated
that in order to pacify Devaki, all the demigods, along with
their wives, used to always visit her to encourage her not to
be afraid that her son would be killed by Kamsa. Krsna, who
was within her womb, was to appear not only to diminish the
burden of the world but specifically to protect the interest
of the Yadu dynasty, and certainly to protect Devaki and
Vasudeva.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Second Chapter of
Krsna, "Prayers by the Demigods for Lord Krsna in the Womb."
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KB 2: Prayers by the Demigods for Lord Krsna in the
Womb
CHAPTER TWO
Prayers by the Demigods for Lord Krsna in the Womb
King Kamsa not only occupied the kingdoms of the Yadu, Bhoja
and Andhaka dynasties and the kingdom of Surasena, but he also
made alliances with all the other demoniac kings, as follows:
the demon Pralamba, demon Baka, demon Canura, demon Trnavarta,
demon Aghasura, demon Mustika, demon Arista, demon Dvivida,
demon Putana, demon Kesi and demon Dhenuka. At that time,
Jarasandha was the king of Magadha Province (known at present
as Bihar State). Thus by his diplomatic policy, Kamsa
consolidated the most powerful kingdom of his time, under the
protection of Jarasandha. He made further alliances with such
kings as Banasura and Bhaumasura, until he was the strongest.
Then he began to behave most inimically toward the Yadu
dynasty, into which Krsna was to take His birth.
Being harassed by Kamsa, the kings of the Yadu, Bhoja and
Andhaka dynasties took shelter in different states,
such as the state of the Kurus, the state of the Pancalas and
the states known as Kekaya, Salva, Vidarbha, Nisadha, Videha
and Kosala. Kamsa broke the solidarity of the Yadu kingdom, as
well as the Bhoja and Andhaka. He made his position the most
solid within the vast tract of land known at that time as
Bharata-varsa.
When Kamsa was killing the six babies of Devaki and
Vasudeva one after another, many friends and relatives of
Kamsa approached him and requested him to discontinue these
heinous activities. But all of them became worshipers of Kamsa.
When Devaki became pregnant for the seventh time, a plenary
expansion of Krsna known as Ananta appeared within her womb.
Devaki was overwhelmed with both jubilation and
lamentation. She was joyful, for she could understand that
Lord Visnu had taken shelter within her womb, but at the same
time she was sorry that as soon as her child would come out,
Kamsa would kill Him. At that time the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, Krsna, being compassionate upon the Yadus,
who were fearful due to the atrocities committed by Kamsa,
ordered the appearance of Yogamaya, His internal
potency. Krsna is the Lord of the universe, but He is
especially the Lord of the Yadu dynasty.
Yogamaya is the principal potency of the Personality of
Godhead. In the Vedas it is stated that the Lord, the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, has multipotencies: parasya saktir
vividhaiva sruyate [Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport]. All the
different potencies are acting externally and internally, and
Yogamaya is the chief of all potencies. The Lord ordered the
appearance of Yogamaya in the land of Vrajabhumi, in Vrndavana,
which is always decorated and full with beautiful cows. In
Vrndavana, Rohini, one of the wives of Vasudeva, was residing
at the house of King Nanda and Queen Yasoda. Not only Rohini
but many others in the Yadu dynasty were scattered all over
the country due to their fear of the atrocities of Kamsa. Some
of them were even living in the caves of the mountains.
The Lord thus informed Yogamaya: "Under the imprisonment of
Kamsa are Devaki and Vasudeva, and at the present moment My
plenary expansion Sesa is within the womb of Devaki. You can
arrange the transfer of Sesa from the womb of Devaki to the
womb of Rohini. After this arrangement, I am personally going
to appear in the womb of Devaki with My full potencies. Then I
shall appear as the son of Devaki and Vasudeva. And you shall
appear as the daughter of Nanda and Yasoda in Vrndavana.
"Since you will appear as My contemporary sister, and since
you will quickly satisfy desires for sense gratification,
people within the world will worship you with all kinds of
valuable presentations: incense, candles, flowers and
offerings of sacrifice.
People who are after
materialistic perfection will worship you under the different
forms of your expansions, which will be named Durga,
Bhadrakali, Vijaya, Vaisnavi, Kumuda, Candika, Krsna, Madhavi,
Kanyaka, Maya, Narayani, Isani, Sarada and Ambika."
Krsna and Yogamaya appeared as brother and sister -- the
Supreme Powerful and the supreme power. Although there is no
clear distinction between the Powerful and the power, power is
always subordinate to the Powerful. Those who are
materialistic are worshipers of the power, but those who are
transcendentalists are worshipers of the Powerful. Krsna is
the Supreme Powerful, and Durga is the supreme power within
the material world. Actually people in the Vedic culture
worship both the Powerful and the power. There are many
hundreds and thousands of temples of Visnu and Devi, and
sometimes they are worshiped simultaneously. The worshiper of
the power, Durga, or the external energy of Krsna, may achieve
all kinds of material success very easily, but anyone who
wants to be elevated transcendentally must engage in
worshiping the Powerful in Krsna consciousness.
The Lord also declared to Yogamaya, "My plenary
expansion Ananta Sesa is within the womb of Devaki. On
account of being forcibly attracted to the womb of Rohini, He
will be known as Sankarsana and will be the source of all
spiritual power, or bala, by which one can attain
the highest bliss of life, which is called ramana. Therefore
the plenary portion Ananta will be known after His appearance
either as Sankarsana or as Balarama."
In the Upanisads it is stated, nayam atma bala-hinena labhyah.
The purport is that one cannot attain the supreme
platform of self-realization without being sufficiently
favored by Balarama. Bala does not mean physical strength. No
one can attain spiritual perfection by physical strength. One
must have the spiritual strength which is infused by Balarama,
or Sankarsana. Ananta, or Sesa, is the source of the power
which sustains all the planets in their different positions.
Materially this sustaining power is known as the law of
gravitation, but actually it is a display of the potency of
Sankarsana. Balarama, or Sankarsana, is the source of
spiritual power, or the original spiritual master. Therefore
Lord Nityananda Prabhu, who is also the incarnation of
Balarama, is the original spiritual master. And the spiritual
master is the representative of Balarama, the form of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead who supplies spiritual
strength. In the Caitanya-caritamrta it is confirmed that the
spiritual master is the manifestation of the mercy of Krsna.
Thus ordered by the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, Yogamaya circumambulated the Lord and then appeared
within this material world according to His order. When
Yogamaya, the supreme power of the supremely powerful
Personality of Godhead, transferred Lord Sesa from the womb of
Devaki to the womb of Rohini, both Devaki and Rohini were
under Yogamaya's spell, which is called yoga-
nidra. When this was done, people thought that Devaki's
seventh pregnancy had been a miscarriage. Thus although
Balarama appeared as the son of Devaki, He was transferred to
the womb of Rohini to appear as her son. After this
arrangement, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, who is
always ready to protect His unalloyed
devotees, entered within the mind of Vasudeva as the Lord of
the whole creation, with full inconceivable potencies.
It is understood in this connection that Lord Krsna first of
all situated Himself in the unalloyed heart of Vasudeva and
was then transferred to the heart of Devaki. He was not put
into the womb of Devaki by seminal discharge. The Supreme
Personality of Godhead, by His inconceivable potency, can
appear in any way. It is not necessary for Him to appear in
the ordinary way, by seminal injection within the womb of a
woman.
When Vasudeva was sustaining the form of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead within his heart, he appeared just like
the glowing sun, whose shining rays are always unbearable and
scorching to the common man. The form of the Lord situated in
the pure unalloyed heart of Vasudeva is not different from the
original form of Krsna. The appearance of the form of Krsna
anywhere, and specifically within the heart, is called dhama.
Dhama refers not only to Krsna's form but also to
His name, His qualities and His paraphernalia. Everything
becomes manifest simultaneously.
Thus the eternal form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
with full potencies was transferred from the mind of Vasudeva
to the mind of Devaki, exactly as the setting sun's rays are
transferred to the full moon rising in the east.
Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, thus entered the
body of Devaki from the body of Vasudeva without being
subject to any of the conditions of an ordinary living
entity. Since Krsna was there, it is to be understood that all
His plenary expansions, such as Narayana, and incarnations
like Lord Nrsimha and Varaha, were with Him, and They
also were not subject to the conditions of material existence.
In this way, Devaki became the residence of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, who is one without a second and the
cause of all creation. Devaki became the residence of the
Absolute Truth, but because she was confined within the house
of Kamsa, she looked just like a suppressed fire, or like
misused education. When fire is
kept in a jug, the illuminating rays of the fire cannot
be very much appreciated. Similarly, misused knowledge, which
does not benefit the people in general, is not very much
appreciated. So Devaki was kept within the prison walls of
Kamsa's palace, and no one could see her transcendental beauty,
which resulted from her conceiving the Supreme Personality of
Godhead.
Kamsa, however, saw the transcendental beauty of his sister
Devaki, and he at once concluded that the Supreme Personality
of Godhead had taken shelter in her womb. She had never before
looked so wonderfully beautiful. He could distinctly
understand that there was something wonderful within the womb
of Devaki. In this way, Kamsa became perturbed because he was
sure that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who would kill
him in the future, had now come. Kamsa began to
think, "What is to be done with Devaki? Surely she has Visnu
or Krsna within her womb, so it is certain that Krsna has come
to execute the mission of the demigods. And even if I
immediately kill Devaki, His mission cannot be frustrated."
Kamsa knew very well that no one can frustrate the purpose of
Visnu. Any intelligent man can understand that the laws of God
cannot be violated. His purpose will be served in spite of all
impediments offered by the demons. Kamsa thought, "If I kill
Devaki at the present moment, Visnu will enforce His supreme
will more vehemently. To kill Devaki just now would be a most
abominable act. No one desires to kill his reputation, even in
an awkward situation; if I kill Devaki now, my reputation will
be spoiled. Devaki is a woman, and she is under my shelter;
she is pregnant, and if I kill her, immediately my
reputation, the results of my pious activities and my duration
of life will all be finished."
He further deliberated, "A person who is too cruel
is as good as dead, even in this lifetime. No
one likes a cruel person during his lifetime, and after his
death, people curse him. On account of his self-identification
with the body, he must be degraded and pushed into the darkest
region of hell." Kamsa thus meditated on all the pros and cons
of killing Devaki at that time.
Kamsa finally decided not to kill Devaki right away but to
wait for the inevitable future. But his mind became absorbed
in animosity against the Personality of Godhead. He patiently
waited for the delivery of the child, expecting to kill Him,
as he had done previously with the other babies of Devaki.
Thus being merged in the ocean of animosity against the
Personality of Godhead, he began to think of Krsna or Visnu
while sitting, while sleeping, while walking, while eating,
while working -- in all the situations of his life. His mind
became so much absorbed with the thought of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead that indirectly he could see only Krsna
or Visnu around him. Unfortunately, although his mind was so
absorbed in the thought of Visnu, he is not recognized as a
devotee because he was thinking of Krsna as an enemy. The
state of mind of a great devotee is also to be always absorbed
in Krsna, but a devotee thinks of Him favorably, not
unfavorably. To think of Krsna favorably is Krsna
consciousness, but to think of Krsna unfavorably is not Krsna
consciousness.
At this time Lord Brahma and Lord Siva, accompanied by great
sages like Narada and followed by many other demigods,
invisibly appeared in the house of Kamsa. They began to pray
to the Supreme Personality of Godhead in select verses,
which are very pleasing to the devotees and which award
fulfillment of their desires. The first words they spoke
acclaimed that the Lord is true to His vow. As stated in the
Bhagavad-gita, Krsna descends to this material world just to
protect the pious and destroy the impious. That is His vow.
The demigods could understand that the Lord had taken His
residence within the womb of Devaki to fulfill His
vow, and they were very glad that the Lord was appearing
in order to fulfill His mission
.
Then the demigods addressed the Lord as satyam param, or the
Supreme Absolute Truth. Everyone is searching after the truth.
That is the philosophical way of life. The demigods give
information that the Supreme Absolute Truth is Krsna. One who
becomes fully Krsna conscious can attain the Absolute Truth.
Krsna is the Absolute Truth because, unlike relative truth, He
is Truth in all the three phases of eternal time. Time is
divided into past, present and future. Krsna is Truth always -
- past, present and future. In the material world everything
is being controlled by supreme time, in the course of past,
present and future. But before the creation, Krsna was
existing, and when there is creation, everything is resting in
Krsna, and when this creation is finished, Krsna will remain.
Therefore, He is the Absolute Truth in all circumstances. If
there is any truth within this material world, it emanates
from the Supreme Truth, Krsna. If there is any opulence within
this material world, the cause of the opulence is Krsna. If
there is any reputation within this material world, the cause
of the reputation is Krsna. If there is any strength within
this material world, the cause of such strength is Krsna. If
there is any wisdom and education within this material world,
the cause of such wisdom and education is Krsna. Therefore
Krsna is the source of all relative truths.
This material world is composed of five principal elements --
earth, water, fire, air and ether -- and all such elements are
emanations from Krsna. The material scientists accept these
five primary elements as the cause of the material
manifestation, but the elements in their gross and subtle
states are produced by Krsna. The living entities who are
working within this material world are products of His
marginal potency. In the Seventh Chapter of the Bhagavad-gita,
it is clearly stated that the whole manifestation is a
combination of two kinds of energies of Krsna, the superior
energy and the inferior energy. The living entities are the
superior energy, and the dead material elements are His
inferior energy. In its dormant stage, everything remains in
Krsna.
The demigods continued to offer their respectful prayers unto
the supreme form of the Personality of Godhead, Krsna, by
analytical study of the material manifestation. What is this
material manifestation? It is just like a tree. A tree stands
on the ground. Similarly, the tree of the material
manifestation is standing on the ground of material nature.
This material manifestation is compared to a tree because a
tree is ultimately cut off in due course of time. A tree is
called vrksa. Vrksa means that thing which will be ultimately
cut off. Therefore, this tree of the material manifestation
cannot be accepted as the Ultimate Truth,
because it is influenced by time. But
Krsna's body is eternal: He existed before the material
manifestation, He is existing while the material manifestation
is continuing, and when it will be dissolved, He will continue
to exist. Therefore only Krsna can be accepted as the Absolute
Truth.
The Katha Upanisad also cites this example of the tree of the
material manifestation standing on the ground of material
nature. This tree has two kinds of fruits, distress and
happiness. Those who are living in the tree of the body are
just like two birds. One bird is the localized aspect of Krsna
known as the Paramatma, and the other bird is the living
entity. The living entity is eating the fruits of this
material manifestation. Sometimes he eats the fruit of
happiness, and sometimes he eats the fruit of distress. But
the other bird is not interested in eating the fruit of
distress or happiness because he is self-satisfied. The Katha
Upanisad states that one bird on the tree of the body is
eating the fruits, and the other bird is simply witnessing.
The roots of this tree extend in three directions. This means
that the root of the tree is the three modes of material
nature: goodness, passion and ignorance. Just as the tree's
root expands, so, by association of the modes of material
nature (goodness, passion and ignorance), one expands his
duration of material existence. The tastes of the fruits are
of four kinds: religiosity, economic development, sense
gratification and, ultimately, liberation. According to the
different associations in the three modes of material nature,
the living entities are tasting different kinds of religiosity,
different kinds of economic development, different kinds of
sense gratification and different kinds of liberation.
Practically all material work is performed in ignorance, but
because there are three qualities, sometimes the quality of
ignorance is covered with goodness or passion. The taste of
these material fruits is accepted through five senses. The
five sense organs through which knowledge is acquired are
subjected to six kinds of whips: lamentation, illusion,
infirmity, death, hunger and thirst. This material body, or
the material manifestation, is covered by seven layers:
muscle, blood, marrow, bone, fat and semen. The branches of
the tree are eight: earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind,
intelligence and ego. There are nine gates in this body: the
two eyes, two nostrils, two ears, one mouth, one genital, one
rectum. And there are ten kinds of internal air passing within
the body: prana, apana, udana, vyana, samana, etc. The two
birds seated in this tree, as explained above, are the living
entity and the localized Supreme Personality of Godhead,
Paramatma.
The root cause of the material manifestation described here is
the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Supreme Personality of
Godhead expands Himself to take charge of the three
qualities of the material world. Visnu takes charge of the
mode of goodness, Brahma takes charge of the mode of passion,
and Lord Siva takes charge of the mode of ignorance. Brahma,
by the mode of passion, creates this manifestation, Lord
Visnu maintains this manifestation by the mode of goodness,
and Lord Siva annihilates it by the mode of ignorance. The
whole creation ultimately rests in the Supreme Lord. He is the
cause of creation, maintenance and dissolution, and when the
whole manifestation is dissolved, in its subtle form as His
energy it rests within His body
.
"At present," the demigods prayed, "the Supreme Lord Krsna
is appearing just for the maintenance of this manifestation.
Actually the Supreme Cause is one, but less intelligent
persons, being deluded by the three modes of material nature,
see that the material world is
manifested through different causes. Those who are intelligent
can see that the cause is one, Krsna." As it is stated in the
Brahma-samhita, isvarah paramah krsnah . . . sarva-karana-
karanam [Bs. 5.1]. "Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
is the cause of all causes." Brahma is the deputed agent for
creation, Visnu is the expansion of Krsna for maintenance, and
Lord Siva is the expansion of Krsna for dissolution.
"Our dear Lord," the demigods prayed, "it is very difficult to
understand Your eternal form or personality. People in general
are unable to understand Your actual form; therefore You are
personally descending to exhibit Your original eternal form.
Somehow people can understand the different incarnations of
Your Lordship, but they are puzzled to understand the eternal
form of Krsna with two hands, moving among human beings
exactly like one of them. This eternal form of Your Lordship
gives ever-increasing transcendental pleasure to the
devotees, but for the nondevotees this form is very dangerous.
" As stated in the Bhagavad-gita, Krsna is very pleasing to
the sadhus (paritranaya sadhunam) [Bg. 4.8]. But
this form is very dangerous for the demons because Krsna also
descends to kill the demons. He is, therefore, simultaneously
pleasing to the devotees and dangerous to the demons.
"Our dear lotus-eyed Lord, You are the source of pure goodness.
There are many great sages who simply by samadhi, or
transcendentally meditating upon Your lotus feet and thus
being absorbed in Your thought, have easily transformed the
great ocean of nescience created by the material nature into
no more than the water in a calf's hoofprint." The purpose of
meditation is to focus the mind upon the Personality of
Godhead, beginning from His lotus feet. Simply by meditation
on the lotus feet of the Lord, great sages cross over this
vast ocean of material existence without difficulty.
"O self-illuminated one, the great saintly persons who have
crossed over the ocean of nescience by the help of the
transcendental boat of Your lotus feet have not taken away
that boat. It is still lying on this side."
If one takes a boat to cross over a river,
the boat also goes with one to the other side of the river.
And so when one reaches the destination, how can the same boat
be available to those who are still on this side? To
answer this difficulty, the demigods say in their prayer that
the boat of the Lord's lotus feet is not taken away. The
devotees still remaining on this side are able to pass
over the ocean of material nature because the pure devotees do
not take the boat with them when they cross over. When one
simply approaches the boat, the whole ocean of material
nescience is reduced to the size of the water in a calf's
hoofprint. Therefore, the devotees do not need to take the
boat to the other side: they simply cross the ocean
immediately. Because the great saintly persons are
compassionate toward all conditioned souls, the boat is still
lying on this side. In other words, one can meditate upon
the lotus feet of the Lord at any time, and by so doing one
can cross over the great ocean of material existence.
Meditation means concentration upon the lotus feet of the Lord.
Lotus feet indicate the Supreme Personality of Godhead. But
those who are impersonalists do not recognize the lotus feet
of the Lord, and therefore their object of meditation is
something impersonal. The demigods express their mature
verdict that persons who are interested in meditating on
something void or impersonal cannot cross over the ocean of
nescience. Such persons are simply imagining that they have
become liberated. "O lotus-eyed Lord! Their intelligence is
contaminated because they fail to meditate upon the lotus feet
of Your Lordship. As a result of this neglectful activity,
the impersonalists fall down again into the material way of
conditioned life, although they may temporarily rise to the
point of impersonal realization." Impersonalists
undergo severe austerities and penances to merge themselves
into the Brahman effulgence, or impersonal Brahman existence.
But their minds are not free from material contamination; they
have simply tried to negate the material ways of thinking.
That does not mean that they have become liberated. Thus they
fall down.
In the Bhagavad-gita it is stated that the impersonalist has
to undergo great tribulation in realizing his ultimate goal.
At the beginning of Srimad-Bhagavatam it is also stated that
without devotional service to the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, one cannot achieve liberation from the bondage of
fruitive activities. The statement of Lord Krsna is there in
the Bhagavad-gita, and in Srimad-Bhagavatam the statement of
the great sage Narada is there, and here also the demigods
confirm it. "Persons who have not taken to devotional service
are understood to have come short of the ultimate purpose of
knowledge and are not favored by Your grace." The
impersonalists simply think that they are liberated, but
actually they have no feeling for the Personality of Godhead.
They think that when Krsna comes into the material world He
accepts a material body. They therefore overlook the
transcendental body of Krsna. This is confirmed in the
Bhagavad-gita: avajananti mam mudhah [Bg. 9.11]. In spite of
conquering material lust and rising to the point of liberation,
the impersonalists fall down. If they are engaged just in
knowing things for the sake of knowledge and do not take to
the devotional service of the Lord, they cannot achieve the
desired result. Their achievement is the trouble they take,
and that is all.
It is clearly stated in the Bhagavad-gita that to realize
Brahman identification is not all. Brahman identification may
help one become joyful without material attachment or
detachment and to achieve the platform of equanimity, but
after this stage one has to take to devotional service. When
one takes to devotional service after being elevated to the
platform of Brahman realization, he is then admitted into the
spiritual kingdom for permanent residence in association with
the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is the result of
devotional service. Those who are devotees of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead never fall down like the impersonalists.
Even if the devotees fall down, they remain affectionately
attached to their Lord. They can meet all kinds of obstacles
on the path of devotional service, and freely, without any
fear, they can surmount such obstacles. Because of their
surrender, they are certain that Krsna will always protect
them. As it is promised by Krsna in the Bhagavad-gita, "My
devotees are never vanquished."
"Our dear Lord," the demigods continued, "You have appeared in
Your original unalloyed form, the eternal form of goodness,
for the welfare of all living entities within this material
world. Taking advantage of Your appearance, all of them can
now very easily understand the nature and form of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. Persons who belong to the four
divisions of the social order (the brahmacaris, grhasthas,
vanaprasthas and sannyasis) can all take advantage of
Your appearance.
"Dear Lord, husband of the goddess of fortune, devotees who
are dovetailed in Your service do not fall down from their
high position like the impersonalists. Being protected by You,
the devotees are able to traverse over the heads of many of
Maya's commanders in chief, who can always put stumbling
blocks on the path of liberation. Dear Lord, You appear
in Your eternal transcendental form for the benefit of the
living entities so that they can see You face to face and
offer their worshipful sacrifices by ritualistic performance
of the Vedas, mystic meditation and devotional service as
recommended in the scriptures. Dear Lord, if You did not
appear in Your eternal transcendental form, full of bliss and
knowledge -- a form which can eradicate all kinds of
speculative ignorance about Your position -- then all people
would simply speculate about You according to their respective
modes of material nature."
The appearance of Krsna is the answer to all imaginative
iconography of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Everyone
imagines the form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
according to his mode of material nature. In the Brahma-
samhita it is said that the Lord is the oldest person.
Therefore a section of religionists imagine that God must be
very old, and therefore they depict a form of the Lord like a
very old man. But in the same Brahma-samhita, that is
contradicted: although He is the oldest of all living entities,
He has His eternal form as a fresh youth. The exact words
used in this connection in Srimad-Bhagavatam are vijnanam
ajnana-bhidapamarjanam. Vijnanam means transcendental
knowledge of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Vijnanam is
also experienced knowledge. Transcendental knowledge has to be
accepted by the descending process of disciplic succession, as
Brahma presents the knowledge of Krsna in the Brahma-samhita.
The Brahma-samhita is vijnanam as realized by Brahma's
transcendental experience, and in that way he presented the
form and the pastimes of Krsna in the transcendental abode.
This knowledge is ajnana-bhidapamarjanam, that which can
smash all kinds of speculation in ignorance. People are
imagining the form of the Lord: sometimes He has no form and
sometimes He has form, according to their different
imaginations. But the presentation of Krsna in the Brahma-
samhita is vijnanam -- scientific, experienced knowledge given
by Lord Brahma and accepted by Lord Caitanya. There is no
doubt about it. Krsna's form, Krsna's flute, Krsna's
color -- everything is reality. Here it is said that this
vijnanam is always defeating all kinds of speculative
knowledge. "Therefore, without Your appearing as Krsna, as You
are, neither ajnana-bhidapamarjanam (destruction of the
nescience of speculative knowledge) nor vijnanam would be
realized. In other words, Your appearance
will vanquish the ignorance of speculative
knowledge and establish the real experienced knowledge of
authorities like Lord Brahma. Men
influenced by the three modes of material nature imagine their
own God according to the modes of material nature. In this way
God is presented in various ways, but Your appearance will
establish what the real form of God is."
The highest blunder committed by the impersonalists is to
think that when the incarnation of God comes He accepts the
form of matter in the mode of goodness. Actually, the form of
Krsna or Narayana is transcendental to any material idea. Even
the greatest impersonalist, Sankaracarya, has admitted,
narayanah paro 'vyaktat: the material creation is caused by
the avyakta (impersonal) manifestation of matter, or the
nonphenomenal total reservoir of matter, but Krsna is
transcendental to that material conception. That is expressed
in Srimad-Bhagavatam as suddha-sattva, or transcendental
goodness. He does not belong to the material mode of goodness,
and He is above the position of material goodness. He belongs
to the transcendental, eternal status of bliss and knowledge.
"Dear Lord, when You appear in Your different incarnations,
You take different names and forms according to different
situations. Lord Krsna is Your name because You are all-
attractive; You are called Syamasundara because of Your
transcendental beauty. Syama means ‘blackish,' yet it is
said that You are more beautiful than thousands of Cupids (
kandarpa-koti-kamaniya). Although You appear in a color
which is compared to the blackish cloud, because You are
the Transcendental Absolute, Your beauty is many,
many times more attractive than the delicate body of Cupid.
Sometimes You are called Giridhari because You lifted the hill
known as Govardhana. You are sometimes called Nandanandana or
Vasudeva or Devakinandana because You appear as the son of
Maharaja Nanda or Vasudeva or Devaki. Impersonalists think
that Your many names or forms are given according to a
particular type of work and quality because they accept You
from the position of a material observer.
"Our dear Lord, the way of understanding is not to study Your
absolute nature, form and activities by mental speculation.
One must engage himself in devotional service; then one can
understand Your absolute nature and Your transcendental form,
name and qualities. Actually, only a person who has a little
taste for the service of Your lotus feet can understand Your
transcendental nature or form and qualities. Others may go on
speculating for millions of years, but it is not possible for
them to understand even a single part of Your actual position."
In other words, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna,
cannot be understood by the nondevotees because there is a
curtain of Yogamaya which covers Krsna's actual features. As
confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita, naham prakasah sarvasya [Bg. 7.
25]. The Lord says, "I am not exposed to anyone and everyone."
When Krsna came, He was actually present on the Battlefield of
Kuruksetra, and everyone saw Him. But not everyone could
understand that He was the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Still, everyone who died in His presence attained complete
liberation from material bondage and was transferred to the
spiritual world.
"O Lord, the impersonalists or nondevotees cannot understand
that Your name is identical with Your form." Since the Lord is
absolute, there is no difference between His name and His
actual form. In the material world there is a difference
between form and name. The mango fruit is different from the
name of the mango. One cannot taste the mango fruit simply by
chanting "mango, mango, mango." But the devotee who knows
that there is no difference between the name and the form of
the Lord chants Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare
Hare / Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare and
realizes that he is always in Krsna's company.
For persons who are not very advanced in absolute knowledge of
the Supreme, Lord Krsna exhibits His transcendental pastimes.
Such persons can simply think of the pastimes of the Lord and
get full benefit. Since there is no difference between the
transcendental name and form of the Lord, there is no
difference between the transcendental pastimes and the form of
the Lord. For those who are less intelligent (like women,
laborers or the mercantile class), the great sage Vyasadeva
wrote the Mahabharata. In the Mahabharata Krsna is present in
His different activities. The Mahabharata is history, and
simply by studying, hearing and memorizing the transcendental
activities of Krsna, the less intelligent can also gradually
rise to the standard of pure devotees.
The pure devotees, who are always absorbed in the thought of
the transcendental lotus feet of Krsna and who are always
engaged in devotional service in full Krsna consciousness, are
never to be considered to be in the material world. Srila Rupa
Gosvami has explained that those who are always engaged in
Krsna consciousness with body, mind and activities are to be
considered liberated even within this body. This is
confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita: those who are engaged in the
devotional service of the Lord have already transcended the
material position.
Krsna appears in order to give a chance to both the
devotees and the nondevotees for realization of the ultimate
goal of life. The devotees get the direct chance to see Him
and worship Him. Those who are not on that platform get the
chance to become acquainted with His activities and thus
become elevated to the same position.
"Our dear Lord, O supreme controller, when You appear on earth,
all the demons like Kamsa and Jarasandha will be vanquished,
and all good fortune will be ushered into the world. When You
walk on the globe, Your lotus feet will impress on the ground
the marks of Your soles, such as the flag, the trident and the
thunderbolt. Thus You will grace both the earth and us on the
heavenly planets who shall see those marks.
"O dear Lord," the demigods continued, "You are unborn;
therefore we do not find any reason for Your appearance other
than for Your pleasurable pastimes." Although the reason for
the appearance of the Lord is stated in the Bhagavad-gita (He
descends just to give protection to the devotees and vanquish
the nondevotees), actually He descends for His pleasure-
meeting with the devotees, not really to vanquish the
nondevotees. The nondevotees can be vanquished simply by one
kick of material nature. "The actions and reactions of
material nature (creation, maintenance and
annihilation) are being carried out automatically. But simply
by taking shelter of Your holy name, the devotees are fully
protected, because Your holy name and Your personality are
nondifferent." The
protection of the devotees and the annihilation of the
nondevotees are actually not the business of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. When He descends, it is just for
His transcendental pleasure. There cannot be any other reason
for His appearance.
"Our dear Lord, You are appearing as the best of the Yadu
dynasty, and we are offering our respectful humble obeisances
unto Your lotus feet. Before this appearance, You also
appeared as the fish incarnation, as the horse incarnation, as
the tortoise incarnation, as the half-man, half-lion
incarnation, as the boar incarnation, as the swan incarnation,
as King Ramacandra, as Parasurama and as many other
incarnations. You appeared just to protect the devotees, and
we request You in Your present appearance as the Supreme
Personality of Godhead Himself to give us similar protection
all over the three worlds and remove all obstacles for the
peaceful execution of our lives.
"Dear Mother Devaki, within your womb is the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, appearing along with all His plenary
extensions. He is the original Personality of Godhead,
appearing for our welfare. Therefore you should not be afraid
of your brother, the King of Bhoja. Your son Lord Krsna, who
is the original Personality of Godhead, will appear for the
protection of the pious Yadu dynasty. The Lord is appearing
not alone but accompanied by His immediate plenary
portion, Baladeva."
Devaki was very much afraid of her brother Kamsa because he
had already killed so many of her children. So she was
very anxious about Krsna. In the Visnu Purana it is stated
that in order to pacify Devaki, all the demigods, along with
their wives, used to visit her to encourage her not to
be afraid that her son would be killed by Kamsa. Krsna, who
was within her womb, was to appear not only to diminish the
burden of the world but specifically to protect the interests
of the Yadu dynasty, and certainly to protect Devaki and
Vasudeva. It is understood that Krsna had been transferred
from the mind of Vasudeva to the mind of Devaki, and from
there to her womb. Thus all the demigods worshiped Devaki, the
mother of Krsna.
After thus worshiping the transcendental form of the Lord, all
the demigods, with Lord Brahma and Lord Siva placed in front,
departed for their heavenly abodes.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Second Chapter of
Krsna, "Prayers by the Demigods for Lord Krsna in the Womb."
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