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KB 1970-2-19 / The Deliverance of Sisupala
19 / The Deliverance of Sisupala
King Yudhisthira became very happy after hearing the details of
the Jarasandha episode, and he spoke as follows: "My dear Krsna,
O eternal form of bliss and knowledge, all the exalted
directors of the affairs of this material world, including Lord
Brahma, Lord Siva and King Indra, are always anxious to receive
and carry out orders from You, and whenever they are fortunate
enough to receive such orders, they immediately take them and
keep them in their hearts. O Krsna, You are unlimited, and
although we sometimes think of ourselves as royal kings and
rulers of the world and become puffed up over our paltry
positions, we are very poor in heart. Actually, we are fit to
be punished by You, but the wonder is that instead of punishing
us, You so kindly and mercifully accept our orders and carry
them out properly. Others are very surprised that Your
Lordship can play the part of an ordinary human, but we
can understand that You are performing these activities just
like a dramatic artist. Your real position is always exalted,
exactly like that of the sun, which always remains at the same
temperature both during the time of its rising and the
time of its setting. Although we feel the difference in
temperature between the rising and the setting sun, the
temperature of the sun never changes. You are always
transcendentally equipoised, and thus You are neither pleased
nor disturbed by any condition of material affairs. You are the
Supreme Brahman, the Personality of Godhead, and for You there
are no relativities. My dear Madhava, You are never defeated by
anyone. Material distinctions -- 'This is me.' 'This is you.' '
This is mine.' 'This is yours.' -- are all conspicuous by dint
of their absence in You. Such distinctions are visible in the
lives of everyone, even the animals, but those who are pure
devotees are freed from these false distinctions. Since these
distinctions are absent in Your devotees, they cannot possibly
be present in You."
After satisfying Krsna in this way, King Yudhisthira arranged
to perform the Rajasuya sacrifice. He invited all the qualified
brahmanas and sages to take part and appointed them to
different positions as priests in charge of the sacrificial
arena. He invited the most expert brahmanas and sages, whose
names are as follows: Krsna-dvaipayana Vyasadeva, Bharadvaja,
Sumantu, Gautama, Asita, Vasistha, Cyavana, Kanva, Maitreya,
Kavasa, Trita, Visvamitra, Vamadeva, Sumati, Jaimini, Kratu,
Paila, Parasara, Garga, Vaisampayana, Atharva, Kasyapa, Dhaumya,
Parasurama, Sukracarya, Asuri, Vitihotra, Madhucchanda,
Virasena and Akrtavrana. Besides all these brahmanas and sages,
he invited such respectable old men as Dronacarya, Bhisma (the
grandfather of the Kurus), Krpacarya, and Dhrtarastra. He also
invited all the sons of Dhrtarastra, headed by Duryodhana, and
the great devotee Vidura was also invited. Kings from
different parts of the world, along with their ministers and
secretaries, were also invited to see the great sacrifice
performed by King Yudhisthira, and the citizens, comprising
learned brahmanas, chivalrous ksatriyas, well-to-do vaisyas,
and faithful sudras, all visited the ceremony.
The brahmana priests and sages in charge of the sacrificial
ceremony constructed the sacrificial arena as usual with a plow
of gold, and they initiated King Yudhisthira as the performer
of the great sacrifice, in accordance with Vedic rituals. Long
years ago, when Varuna performed a similar sacrifice,
all the sacrificial utensils were made of gold. Similarly,
in the Rajasuya sacrifice of King Yudhisthira, all the utensils
required for the sacrifice were golden.
In order to participate
in the great sacrifice performed by King Yudhisthira, all the
exalted demigods like Lord Brahma, Lord Siva, and Indra
the King of heaven, accompanied by their associates, as well as
the predominating deities of higher planetary systems
like Gandharvaloka, Siddhaloka, Janoloka, Tapoloka,
Nagaloka, Yaksaloka, Raksasaloka, Paksiloka and Caranaloka, as
well as famous kings and their queens, were all present by the
invitation of King Yudhisthira. All the respectable sages,
kings and demigods who assembled there unanimously agreed
that King Yudhisthira was quite competent to take
the responsibility of performing the Rajasuya sacrifice; no one
was in disagreement on this fact. All of them knew
thoroughly the position of King Yudhisthira; because he was a
great devotee of Lord Krsna, no accomplishment was
extraordinary for him. The learned brahmanas and priests saw to
it that the sacrifice by Maharaja Yudhisthira was performed in
exactly the same way as in bygone ages by the
demigod Varuna. According to the Vedic system, whenever there
is an arrangement for sacrifice, the members participating in
the sacrifice are offered the juice of the soma plant. The
juice of the soma plant is a kind of life-giving beverage. On
the day of extracting the soma juice, King Yudhisthira very
respectfully received the special priest who had been engaged
to detect any mistake in the formalities of sacrificial
procedures. The idea is that the Vedic mantras must be
enunciated perfectly and chanted with the proper accent; if the
priests who are engaged in this business commit any mistake,
the checker or referee priest immediately corrects the
procedure, and thus the ritualistic performances are perfectly
executed. Unless it is perfectly executed, a sacrifice cannot
yield the desired result. In this age of Kali there is no such
learned brahmana or priest available; therefore, all such
sacrifices are forbidden. The only sacrifice recommended in the
sastras is the chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra.
Another important procedure is that the most exalted
personality in the assembly of such a sacrificial ceremony is
first offered worship. After all arrangements were made for
Yudhisthira's sacrifice, the next consideration was who should
be worshiped first in the ceremony. This particular ceremony is
called Agrapuja. Agra means first, and puja means
worship. This Agrapuja is similar to election of the
president. In the sacrificial assembly, all the members were
very exalted. Some proposed to elect one person as the perfect
candidate for accepting Agrapuja, and others proposed
someone else.
When the matter remained undecided, Sahadeva began to speak in
favor of Lord Krsna. He said, "Lord Krsna, the best amongst the
members of the Yadu dynasty and the protector of His devotees,
is the most exalted personality in this assembly. Therefore I
think that He should without any objection be offered the honor
of being worshiped first. Although demigods such as Lord Brahma,
Lord Siva, Indra, the King of heavenly planets, and many other
exalted personalities are present in this assembly, no one can
be equal to or greater than Krsna in terms of time, space,
riches, strength, reputation, wisdom, renunciation or any other
consideration. Anything which is considered opulent is
present originally in Krsna. As an individual soul is the basic
principle of the growth of his material body, similarly Krsna
is the Supersoul of this cosmic manifestation. All kinds of
Vedic ritualistic ceremonies, such as the performance of
sacrifices, the offering of oblations in the fire, the
chanting of the Vedic hymns and the practice of mystic yoga --
all are meant for realizing Krsna. Whether one follows the path
of fruitive activities or the path of philosophical speculation,
the ultimate destination is Krsna; all bona fide methods of
self-realization are meant for understanding Krsna. Ladies and
gentlemen, it is superfluous to speak about Krsna, because
every one of you exalted personalities know the Supreme
Brahman, Lord Krsna, for whom there are no material differences
between body and soul, between energy and the energetic, or
between one part of the body and another. Since everyone is a
part and parcel of Krsna, there is no qualitative difference
between Krsna and all living entities. Everything is an
emanation of Krsna's energies, the material and spiritual
energies. Krsna's energies are like the heat and light of the
fire; there is no difference between the quality of heat and
light and the fire itself.
"Also, Krsna can do anything He likes with any part of His body.
We can execute a particular action with the help of a
particular part of our body, but He can do anything and
everything with any part of His body. And because His
transcendental body is full of knowledge and bliss in eternity,
He doesn't undergo the six kinds of material changes -- birth,
existence, growth, fruitive action, dwindling and vanishing.
Unforced by any external energy, He is the supreme cause of the
creation, maintenance and dissolution of everything that be. By
the grace of Krsna only, everyone is engaged in the practice of
religiousness, the development of economic conditions, the
satisfaction of the senses and, ultimately, the achievement of
liberation from material bondage. These four principles of
progressive life can be executed by the mercy of Krsna only. He
should therefore be offered the first worship of this great
sacrifice, and no one should disagree. As by watering the
root, the watering of the branches,
twigs, leaves and flowers is automatically accomplished, or as
by supplying food to the stomach, the nutrition and
metabolism of all parts of the body are automatically
established, so by offering the first worship to Krsna,
everyone present in this meeting -- including the great
demigods -- will be satisfied. If anyone is charitably disposed,
it will be very good for him to give in charity only to Krsna,
who is the Supersoul of everyone, regardless of his particular
body or individual personality. Krsna is present as the
Supersoul in every living being, and if we can satisfy Him,
then automatically every living being becomes
satisfied."
Sahadeva was fortunate to know of the glories of Krsna, and
after describing them in brief, he stopped speaking. After this
speech was delivered, all the members present in that great
sacrificial assembly applauded, confirming his words
continuously by saying, "Everything that you have said is
completely perfect. Everything that you have said is completely
perfect." King Yudhisthira, after hearing the confirmation of
all present, especially of the brahmanas and learned sages,
worshiped Lord Krsna according to the regulative principles of
the Vedic injunctions. First of all, King Yudhisthira -- along
with his brothers, wives, children, other relatives and
ministers -- washed the lotus feet of Lord Krsna and sprinkled
the water on their heads. After this, Lord Krsna was offered
various kinds of silken garments of yellow color, and
heaps of jewelry and ornaments were presented before
Him for His use.
King Yudhisthira felt such ecstasy by honoring Krsna, who was
his only lovable object, that tears glided down from his eyes,
and although he wanted to, he could not see Lord
Krsna very well. Lord Krsna was thus worshiped by King
Yudhisthira. At that time all the members present in that
assembly stood up with folded hands and began to chant, "Jaya!
Jaya! Namah! Namah! " When all joined together to offer their
respectful obeisances to Krsna, there were showers of
flowers from the sky.
In that meeting, King Sisupala was also present. He was an
avowed enemy of Krsna for many reasons, especially because of
Krsna's having stolen Rukmini from the marriage
ceremony; therefore, he could not tolerate such honor to
Krsna and glorification of His qualities. Instead of being
happy to hear the glories of the Lord, he became very angry.
When everyone offered respect to Krsna by standing up, Sisupala
remained in his seat, but when he became angry at Krsna's
being honored, Sisupala stood up suddenly, and, raising his
hand, began to speak very strongly and fearlessly against Lord
Krsna. He spoke in such a way that Lord Krsna could hear him
very distinctly.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I can appreciate now the statement of
the Vedas that, after all, time is the predominating factor. In
spite of all endeavors to the contrary, the time element
executes its own plan without opposition. For example, one may
try his best to live, but when the time for death comes, no one
can check it. I see here that although there are many stalwart
personalities present in this assembly, the influence of
time is so strong that they have been misled by the statement
of a boy who has foolishly spoken about Krsna. There are many
learned sages and elderly persons present, but still they
have accepted the statement of a foolish boy. This means that
by the influence of time, even the intelligence of such honored
persons as are present in this meeting can be misdirected. I
fully agree with the respectable persons present here that they
are competent enough to select the personality who can be first
worshiped, but I cannot agree with the statement of a boy
like Sahadeva, who has spoken so highly about Krsna and has
recommended that Krsna is fit to accept the first worship in
the sacrifice. I can see that in this meeting there are many
personalities who have undergone great austerities, who are
highly learned, and who have performed many penances. By their
knowledge and direction, they can deliver many persons who are
suffering from the pangs of material existence. There are great
rsis here whose knowledge has no bounds, as well as many self-
realized persons and brahmanas also, and therefore I think that
any one of them could have been selected for the first worship
because they are worshipable even by the great demigods, kings
and emperors. I cannot understand how you could have selected
this cowherd boy, Krsna, and have left aside all these other
great personalities. I think Krsna to be no better than a crow -
- how can He be fit to accept the first worship in this great
sacrifice?
"We cannot even ascertain as yet to which caste this Krsna
belongs or what His actual occupational duty is." Actually,
Krsna does not belong to any caste, nor does He have to perform
any occupational duty. It is stated in the Vedas that the
Supreme Lord has nothing to do as His prescribed duty. Whatever
has to be done on His behalf is executed by His different
energies.
Sisupala continued: "Krsna does not belong to a high family. He
is so independent that no one knows His principles of religious
life. It appears that He is outside the jurisdiction of
all religious principles. He always acts independently, not
caring for the Vedic injunctions and regulative principles.
Therefore He is devoid of all good qualities." Sisupala
indirectly praised Krsna by saying that He is not within the
jurisdiction of Vedic injunction. This is true because He is
the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That He has no
qualities means that Krsna has no material
qualities, and because He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
He acts independently, not caring for conventions or social or
religious principles.
Sisupala continued: "Under these circumstances, how can He be
fit to accept the first worship in the sacrifice? Krsna is so
foolish that He has left Mathura, which is inhabited by highly
elevated persons following the Vedic culture, and He has taken
shelter in the ocean, where there is not even talk of the Vedas.
Instead of living openly, He has constructed a fort within the
water and is living in an atmosphere where there is no
discussion of Vedic knowledge. And whenever He comes out of the
fort, He simply harasses the citizens like a dacoit, thief or
rogue."
Sisupala went crazy because of Krsna's being elected the
supreme first-worshiped person in that meeting, and he spoke
so irresponsibly that it appeared that he had lost all his good
fortune. Being overcast with misfortune, Sisupala continued to
insult Krsna further, and Lord Krsna patiently heard him
without protest. Just as a lion does not care when a flock of
jackals howl, Lord Krsna remained silent and unprovoked. Krsna
did not reply to even a single accusation made by Sisupala, but
all the members present in the meeting, except a few who
agreed with Sisupala, became very agitated because it is
the duty of any respectable person not to tolerate blasphemy
against God or His devotee. Some of them, who thought that they
could not properly take action against Sisupala, left the
assembly in protest, covering their ears with their hands in
order not to hear further accusations. Thus they left the
meeting condemning the action of Sisupala. It is the Vedic
injunction that whenever there is blasphemy of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, one must immediately leave. If he does
not do so, he becomes bereft of his pious activities and is
degraded to the lower condition of life.
All the kings present, belonging to the Kuru dynasty, Matsya
dynasty, Kekaya dynasty and Srnjaya dynasty, became very angry
and immediately took up their swords and shields to kill
Sisupala. Sisupala was so foolish that he did not become even
slightly agitated, although all the kings present were ready to
kill him. He did not care to think of the pros and cons
of his foolish talking, and when he saw
that all the kings were ready to kill him, instead of stopping,
he stood to fight with them and took up his sword and shield.
When Lord Krsna saw that they were going to engage in fighting
in the arena of the auspicious Rajasuya yajna, He personally
pacified them. Out of His causeless mercy He Himself decided to
kill Sisupala. When Sisupala was abusing the kings who were
about to attack him, Lord Krsna took up His disc, which was as
sharp as the blade of a razor, and immediately separated
the head of Sisupala from his body.
When Sisupala was thus killed, a great roar and howl went up
from the crowd of that assembly. Taking advantage of that
disturbance, the few kings who were supporters of Sisupala
quickly left the assembly out of fear for their lives. But
despite all this, the fortunate Sisupala's spirit soul
immediately merged into the body of Lord Krsna in the presence
of all members, exactly as a burning meteor falls to the
surface of the globe. Sisupala's soul's merging
into the transcendental body of Krsna reminds us of the story
of Jaya and Vijaya, who fell to the material world from the
Vaikuntha planets upon being cursed by the four Kumaras. For
their return to the Vaikuntha world, it was arranged that both
Jaya and Vijaya, for three consecutive births would act as
deadly enemies of the Lord, and at the end of these lives
they would again return to the Vaikuntha world and serve the
Lord as His associates.
Although Sisupala acted as the enemy of Krsna, he was not for a
single moment out of Krsna consciousness. He was always
absorbed in thought of Krsna, and thus he got first the
salvation of sayujya-mukti, merging into the existence of the
Supreme, and finally became reinstated in his original
position of personal service. The Bhagavad-gita corroborates
the fact that if one is absorbed in the thought of the
Supreme Lord at the time of death, he immediately enters the
kingdom of God after quitting his material body. After the
salvation of Sisupala, King Yudhisthira rewarded all the
members present in the sacrificial assembly. He sufficiently
remunerated the priests and the learned sages for their
engagement in the execution of the sacrifice, and after
performing all this routine work, he took his bath. This bath
at the end of the sacrifice is also technical. It is called the
avabhrtha bath.
Lord Krsna thus enabled the performance of the Rajasuya yajna
arranged by King Yudhisthira to be successfully completed, and,
being requested by His cousins and relatives, He remained in
Hastinapura for a few months more. Although King Yudhisthira
and his brothers were not willing to have Lord Krsna
leave Hastinapura, Krsna arranged to take permission from the
King to return to Dvaraka, and thus He returned home along with
His queens and ministers.
The story of the fall of Jaya and Vijaya from the Vaikuntha
planets to the material world is described in the Seventh Canto
of Srimad-Bhagavatam. The killing of Sisupala has a direct link
with that narration of Jaya and Vijaya, but the most important
instruction that we get from this incident is that the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, being absolute, can give salvation to
everyone, whether one acts as His enemy or as His friend. It is
therefore a misconception that the Lord acts with someone in
relationship of a friend and with someone else in the
relationship of an enemy. His being an enemy or friend is
always on the absolute platform. There is no material
distinction.
After King Yudhisthira took his bath after the
sacrifice and stood in the midst of all the learned sages
and brahmanas, he seemed exactly like the King of heaven and
thus looked very beautiful. King Yudhisthira sufficiently
rewarded all the demigods who participated in the yajna, and
being greatly satisfied, all of them left praising the King's
activities and glorifying Lord Krsna.
When Sukadeva Gosvami was narrating these incidents of
Krsna's killing Sisupala and describing the successful
execution of the Rajasuya yajna by Maharaja Yudhisthira, he
pointed out also that after the successful termination of
the yajna there was only one person who was not happy. He
was Duryodhana. Duryodhana by nature was very envious because
of his sinful life, and he appeared in the dynasty of the Kurus
as a chronic disease personified in order to destroy the
whole family.
Sukadeva Gosvami assured Maharaja Pariksit that the pastimes of
Lord Krsna -- the killing of Sisupala and Jarasandha and the
releasing of the imprisoned kings -- are all transcendental
vibrations, and anyone who hears these narrations from the
authorized persons will be immediately freed from all the
reactions of the sinful activities of his life.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Second
Volume, Ninteenth Chapter of Krsna, "The Deliverance of
Sisupala."
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KB 74: The Deliverance of Sisupala
CHAPTER SEVENTY–FOUR
The Deliverance of Sisupala
King Yudhisthira became very happy after hearing the details of
the Jarasandha episode, and he spoke as follows: "My dear Krsna,
O eternal form of bliss and knowledge, all the exalted
directors of the affairs of this material world, including Lord
Brahma, Lord Siva and King Indra, are always eager to receive
and carry out orders from You, and whenever they are fortunate
enough to receive such orders, they immediately take them and
keep them on their heads. O Krsna, You are unlimited, and
although we sometimes think of ourselves as royal kings and
rulers of the world and become puffed up over our paltry
positions, we are very poor in heart. Actually, we are fit to
be punished by You, but the wonder is that instead of punishing
us You so kindly and mercifully accept our orders and carry
them out properly. We are all very much surprised that Your
Lordship can play the part of an ordinary human being, but we
can understand that You are performing these activities just
like a dramatic artist. Your real position is always exalted,
exactly like that of the sun, which always remains at the same
temperature during both the time of its rising and the
time of its setting. Although we feel the difference in
temperature between the rising and the setting sun, the
temperature of the sun never changes. You are always
transcendentally equipoised, neither pleased
nor disturbed by any condition of material affairs. You are the
Supreme Brahman, the Personality of Godhead, and for You there
are no relativities. My dear Madhava, You are never defeated by
anyone. Material distinctions -- ‘This is me,' ‘This is you,' ‘
This is mine,' ‘This is yours' -- are all conspicuous by dint
of their absence in You. Such distinctions are visible in the
lives of everyone, even the animals, but pure
devotees are freed from these false distinctions. Since these
distinctions are absent in Your devotees, they cannot possibly
be present in You."
After satisfying Krsna in this way, King Yudhisthira arranged
to perform the Rajasuya sacrifice. He invited all the qualified
brahmanas and sages to take part and appointed them to
different positions as priests in charge of the sacrificial
arena. He invited the most expert brahmanas and sages, whose
names are as follows: Krsna-dvaipayana Vyasadeva, Bharadvaja,
Sumantu, Gautama, Asita, Vasistha, Cyavana, Kanva, Maitreya,
Kavasa, Trita, Visvamitra, Vamadeva, Sumati, Jaimini, Kratu,
Paila, Parasara, Garga, Vaisampayana, Atharva, Kasyapa, Dhaumya,
Parasurama, Sukracarya, Asuri, Vitihotra, Madhucchanda,
Virasena and Akrtavrana. Besides all these brahmanas and sages,
he invited such respectable old men as Dronacarya, Bhisma (the
grandfather of the Kurus), Krpacarya and Dhrtarastra. He also
invited all the sons of Dhrtarastra, headed by Duryodhana, and
also the great devotee Vidura. Kings from
different parts of the world, along with their ministers and
secretaries, were also invited to see the great sacrifice
performed by King Yudhisthira, and the citizens, comprising
learned brahmanas, chivalrous ksatriyas, well-to-do vaisyas
and faithful sudras, all visited the ceremony.
The brahmana priests and sages in charge of the sacrificial
ceremony constructed the sacrificial arena as usual with a plow
of gold, and they initiated King Yudhisthira as the performer
of the great sacrifice, in accordance with Vedic rituals. Long
years earlier, when Varuna had performed a similar sacrifice,
all the sacrificial utensils had been made of gold. Similarly,
in the Rajasuya sacrifice of King Yudhisthira, all the utensils
required for the sacrifice were golden.
Present by the invitation of King Yudhisthira to participate
in the great sacrifice were all the
exalted demigods, including Lord Brahma, Lord Siva and Indra,
the King of heaven, accompanied by their associates, as well as
the predominating deities of the higher planetary systems,
including Gandharvaloka, Siddhaloka, Janaloka, Tapoloka,
Nagaloka, Yaksaloka, Raksasaloka, Paksiloka and Caranaloka, as
well as famous kings and their queens
. All the respectable sages,
kings and demigods who assembled there agreed
unanimously that King Yudhisthira was quite competent to take
the responsibility of performing the Rajasuya sacrifice; no one
was in disagreement on this fact. Everyone thoroughly knew
the position of King Yudhisthira; because he was a
great devotee of Lord Krsna, no accomplishment was
extraordinary for him. The learned brahmanas and priests saw to
it that the sacrifice by Maharaja Yudhisthira was performed in
exactly the same way as it had been in bygone ages by the
demigod Varuna. According to the Vedic system, whenever there
is an arrangement for sacrifice, the members participating
are offered the juice of the soma plant,
which is a kind of life-giving beverage. On
the day for extracting the soma juice, King Yudhisthira very
respectfully received the special priest who had been engaged
to detect any mistake in the formalities of the sacrificial
procedure. The idea is that the Vedic mantras must be
enunciated perfectly and chanted with the proper accent; if the
priests who are engaged in this business commit any mistake,
the checker, or referee priest, immediately corrects the
procedure, and thus the ritualistic performances are perfectly
executed. Unless perfectly executed, a sacrifice cannot
yield the desired result. In this Age of Kali there is no such
learned brahmana or priest available; therefore, all such
sacrifices are forbidden. The only sacrifice recommended in the
sastras is the chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra.
Another important procedure is that the most exalted
personality in the assembly of such a sacrificial ceremony is
first offered worship. After all arrangements were made for
Yudhisthira's sacrifice, the next consideration was who should
be worshiped first in the ceremony. This particular ceremony is
called Agra-puja. Agra means "first," and puja means "
worship." This Agra-puja is similar to the election of a
president. In the sacrificial assembly, all the members were
very exalted. Some proposed to elect one person as the perfect
candidate for accepting Agra-puja, and others proposed
someone else.
When the matter remained undecided, Sahadeva began to speak in
favor of Lord Krsna. He said, "Lord Krsna, the best amongst the
members of the Yadu dynasty and the protector of His devotees,
is the most exalted personality in this assembly. Therefore I
think that He should without any objection be offered the honor
of being worshiped first. Although demigods such as Lord Brahma,
Lord Siva, Indra and many other
exalted personalities are present in this assembly, no one can
be equal to or greater than Krsna in terms of time, space,
riches, strength, reputation, wisdom, renunciation or any other
consideration. Anything considered an opulence is
fully present in Krsna. As an individual soul is the basic
principle of the growth of his material body, Krsna
is the Supersoul of this cosmic manifestation. All
Vedic ritualistic ceremonies, such as the performance of
sacrifices, the offering of oblations into the fire, the
chanting of the Vedic hymns and the practice of mystic yoga,
are meant for realizing Krsna. Whether one follows the path
of fruitive activities or the path of philosophical speculation,
the ultimate destination is Krsna; all bona fide methods of
self-realization are meant for understanding Krsna. Ladies and
gentlemen, it is superfluous to speak about Krsna, because
every one of you exalted personalities knows the Supreme
Brahman, Lord Krsna, for whom there are no material differences
between body and soul, between energy and the energetic, or
between one part of the body and another. Since everyone is
part and parcel of Krsna, there is no qualitative difference
between Krsna and all living entities. Everything is an
emanation of Krsna's energies, material and spiritual
. Krsna's energies are like the heat and light of
fire; there is no difference between the qualities of heat and
light and the fire itself.
"Also, Krsna can do anything He likes with any part of His body.
We can execute a particular action with the help of a
particular part of our body, but He can do anything and
everything with any part of His body. And because His
transcendental body is full of knowledge and bliss in eternity,
He doesn't undergo the six kinds of material changes -- birth,
existence, growth, production, dwindling and vanishing.
Unforced by any external energy, He is the supreme cause of the
creation, maintenance and dissolution of everything that be. By
the grace of Krsna only, everyone is engaged in the practice of
religion, the development of economic conditions, the
satisfaction of the senses and, ultimately, the achievement of
liberation from material bondage. These four principles of
progressive life can be executed by the mercy of Krsna only. He
should therefore be offered the first worship in this great
sacrifice, and no one should disagree. Just as by watering the
root of a tree one automatically waters the branches,
twigs, leaves and flowers, or as
by supplying food to the stomach one
automatically nourishes all parts of the body
, so by offering the first worship to Krsna we shall
satisfy everyone present in this meeting, including the great
demigods. If anyone is charitably disposed,
it will be very good for him to give charity only to Krsna,
who is the Supersoul of everyone, regardless of his particular
body or individual personality. Krsna is present as the
Supersoul in every living being, and if we can satisfy Him,
then every living being will automatically be
satisfied."
Sahadeva was fortunate to know of the glories of Krsna, and
after describing them in brief, he stopped speaking. After this
speech, all the members present in that great
sacrificial assembly applauded, confirming his words
continuously by saying, "Everything you have said is
completely perfect. Everything you have said is completely
perfect." King Yudhisthira, after hearing the confirmation by
all present, especially by the brahmanas and learned sages,
worshiped Lord Krsna according to the regulative principles of
the Vedic injunctions. First of all, King Yudhisthira, along
with his brothers, wives, children, other relatives and
ministers, washed the lotus feet of Lord Krsna and sprinkled
the water on their heads. After this, he offered Lord Krsna
various kinds of yellow silken garments and
presented heaps of jewelry and ornaments before
Him for His use.
King Yudhisthira felt such ecstasy by honoring Krsna,
his only lovable object, that tears glided down from his eyes,
and although he wanted to see Lord Krsna, he could not see Him
very well. When Lord Krsna was thus worshiped by King
Yudhisthira, all the members present in the
assembly stood up with folded hands and began to chant, "Jaya!
Jaya! Namah! Namah!" All joined together to offer their
respectful obeisances to Krsna, and there were showers of
flowers from the sky.
In that meeting, King Sisupala was also present. He was an
avowed enemy of Krsna for many reasons, especially because of
Krsna's having stolen Rukmini from his intended marriage
ceremony. Therefore, he could not tolerate such honoring of
Krsna and glorification of His qualities. Instead of being
happy to hear the glories of the Lord, he became very angry.
When everyone offered respect to Krsna by standing up, Sisupala
remained in his seat, but as he became angrier at Krsna's
being honored, he stood up suddenly, raised his
hand and spoke very strongly and fearlessly against Lord
Krsna in such a way that Lord Krsna could hear him
distinctly.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I can appreciate now the statement of
the Vedas that, after all, time is the predominating factor. In
spite of all endeavors to the contrary, the time element
executes its own plan without opposition. For example, one may
try his best to live, but when the time for death comes, no one
can check it. I see here that although many stalwart
personalities are present in this assembly, the influence of
time is so strong that they have been misled by the statement
of a boy who has foolishly spoken about Krsna. Many
learned sages and elder persons are present, but still they
have accepted the statement of a foolish boy. This means that
by the influence of time even the intelligence of such honored
persons as those present in this meeting can be misdirected. I
fully agree with the respectable persons present here that they
are competent to select the personality who can be
worshiped first, but I cannot agree with the statement of a boy
like Sahadeva, who has spoken so highly about Krsna and has
recommended that Krsna is fit to accept the first worship in
the sacrifice. I can see that in this meeting there are many
personalities who have undergone great austerities, who are
highly learned, and who have performed many penances. By their
knowledge and direction, they can deliver many persons who are
suffering from the pangs of material existence. There are great
rsis here whose knowledge has no bounds, as well as many self-
realized persons and brahmanas also, and therefore I think that
any one of them could have been selected for the first worship
because they are worshipable even by the great demigods, kings
and emperors. I cannot understand how you have selected
this cowherd boy, Krsna, and have left aside all these
great personalities. I think Krsna to be no better than a crow -
- how can He be fit to accept the first worship in this great
sacrifice?
"We cannot even ascertain which caste this Krsna
belongs to or what His actual occupational duty is." Actually,
Krsna does not belong to any caste, nor does He have to perform
any occupational duty. It is stated in the Vedas that the
Supreme Lord has nothing to do as His prescribed duty. Whatever
has to be done on His behalf is executed by His different
energies.
Sisupala continued: "Krsna does not belong to a high family. He
is so independent that no one knows His principles of religious
life. Indeed, it appears that He is outside the jurisdiction of
all religious principles. He always acts independently, not
caring for the Vedic injunctions and regulative principles.
Therefore He is devoid of all good qualities." Sisupala
indirectly praised Krsna by saying that He is not within the
jurisdiction of Vedic injunctions. This is true because He is
the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That He has "no good
qualities" (gunaih hinah) means that Krsna has no material
qualities, and because He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
He acts independently, not caring for conventions in social or
religious principles.
Sisupala continued: "Under these circumstances, how can He be
fit to accept the first worship in the sacrifice? Krsna is so
foolish that He has left Mathura, which is inhabited by highly
elevated persons following the Vedic culture, and has taken
shelter in the ocean, where there is not even talk of the Vedas.
Instead of living openly, He has constructed a fort within the
water and is living in a place where there is no
discussion of Vedic knowledge. And whenever He comes out of the
fort, He simply harasses the citizens like a dacoit, thief or
rogue."
Sisupala went crazy because of Krsna's being elected the
supreme, first-worshiped person in that meeting, and he spoke
so irresponsibly that it appeared he had lost all his good
fortune. Being overcast with misfortune, Sisupala continued to
insult Krsna, and Lord Krsna patiently heard him
without protest. Just as a lion does not care when a flock of
jackals howl, Lord Krsna remained silent and unprovoked. Krsna
did not reply to even a single accusation made by Sisupala, but
all the members present in the meeting, except for a few who
agreed with Sisupala, were very much agitated because it is
the duty of any respectable person not to tolerate blasphemy
against God or His devotee. Some of them, who thought that they
could not properly take action against Sisupala, left the
assembly in protest, covering their ears with their hands in
order not to hear further accusations. Thus they left the
meeting, condemning the action of Sisupala. It is the Vedic
injunction that whenever there is blasphemy of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, one must immediately leave. If he does
not do so, he becomes bereft of his pious activities and is
degraded to a lower condition of life.
All the kings present, belonging to the Kuru dynasty, Matsya
dynasty, Kekaya dynasty and Srnjaya dynasty, were very angry
and immediately took up their swords and shields to kill
Sisupala, who was so foolish that he was not even
slightly agitated, although all the kings present were ready to
kill him. Sisupala did not care to think of the pros and cons
of his foolish talking, and instead of stopping when he saw
that all the kings were ready to kill him,
he stood to fight with them and took up his sword and shield.
When Lord Krsna saw that they were going to fight
in the arena of the auspicious Rajasuya-yajna, He personally
pacified them. Out of His causeless mercy He Himself decided to
kill Sisupala. When Sisupala was abusing the kings who were
about to attack him, Lord Krsna took up His disc, as
sharp as the blade of a razor, and immediately separated
Sisupala's head from his body.
When Sisupala was thus killed, a great roar and howl went up
from the crowd. Taking advantage of that
disturbance, the few kings who were supporters of Sisupala
quickly left the assembly out of fear for their lives. Then
the fortunate Sisupala's spirit soul
immediately merged into the body of Lord Krsna in the presence
of all, exactly as a burning meteor falls to the
surface of the globe. The merging of Sisupala's soul
into the transcendental body of Krsna reminds us of the story
of Jaya and Vijaya, who fell to the material world from the
Vaikuntha planets upon being cursed by the four Kumaras. For
their return to the Vaikuntha world, it was arranged that both
Jaya and Vijaya, for three consecutive births, would act as
deadly enemies of the Lord, and that at the end of these lives
they would return to the Vaikuntha world and serve the
Lord as His associates.
Although Sisupala acted as the enemy of Krsna, he was not for a
single moment out of Krsna consciousness. He was always
absorbed in thought of Krsna, and thus he first got the
salvation of sayujya-mukti, merging into the existence of the
Supreme, and was finally reinstated in his original
position of personal service. The Bhagavad-gita corroborates
the fact that one who is absorbed in the thought of the
Supreme Lord at the time of death immediately enters the
kingdom of God after quitting his material body
.
After the salvation of Sisupala, King Yudhisthira rewarded all
the members present in the sacrificial assembly. He generously
remunerated the priests and learned sages for their engagement
in the execution of the sacrifice, and after performing all
this routine work, he took his bath. This bath at the end of
the sacrifice is also technical. It is called the avabhrtha
bath.
Lord Krsna thus enabled the performance of the Rajasuya-yajna
arranged by King Yudhisthira to be successfully completed, and,
being requested by His cousins and relatives, He remained in
Hastinapura for a few months more. Although King Yudhisthira
and his brothers were unwilling to have Lord Krsna
leave Hastinapura, Krsna arranged to take permission from the
King to return to Dvaraka, and thus He returned home along with
His queens and ministers.
The story of the fall of Jaya and Vijaya from the Vaikuntha
planets to the material world is described in the Seventh Canto
of Srimad-Bhagavatam. The killing of Sisupala has a direct link
with that narration of Jaya and Vijaya, but the most important
instruction we get from this incident is that the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, being absolute, can give salvation to
everyone, whether one acts as His enemy or as His friend. It is
therefore a misconception that the Lord acts with someone in
relationship of friend and with someone else in the
relationship of enemy. His being an enemy or friend is
always on the absolute platform. There is no material
distinction.
After King Yudhisthira took his bath at the conclusion of
the sacrifice and stood in the midst of all the learned sages
and brahmanas, he seemed exactly like the King of heaven and
thus looked very beautiful. King Yudhisthira generously
rewarded all the demigods who participated in the yajna, and,
being greatly satisfied, all of them left, praising the King's
activities and glorifying Lord Krsna.
When Sukadeva Gosvami narrated these incidents of
Krsna's killing Sisupala and described the successful
execution of the Rajasuya-yajna by Maharaja Yudhisthira, he
also pointed out that after the successful termination of
the yajna only one person was unhappy. He
was Duryodhana. Duryodhana by nature was very envious because
of his sinful life, and he appeared in the dynasty of the Kurus
like a chronic disease personified to destroy the
whole family.
Sukadeva Gosvami assured Maharaja Pariksit that the pastimes of
Lord Krsna -- the killing of Sisupala and Jarasandha and the
releasing of the imprisoned kings -- are all transcendental
vibrations, and that anyone who hears these narrations from
authorized persons will immediately be freed from all the
reactions of the sinful activities of his life.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Seventy-fourth
Chapter of Krsna, "The Deliverance of
Sisupala."
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