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KB 1970-2-27 / Lord Krsna and Balarama Meet the Inhabitants of
Vrndavana
27 / Lord Krsna and Balarama Meet the Inhabitants of Vrndavana
Once upon a time while Lord Krsna and Balarama were living
peacefully in Their great city of Dvaraka, there was the rare
occasion of a full solar eclipse, such as takes place at the
end of every kalpa, or day of Brahma. At the end of every kalpa
the sun is covered by a great cloud, and incessant rain covers
the lower planetary systems up to Svargaloka. By astronomical
calculation, people were informed about this great eclipse
prior to its taking place, and therefore everyone, both men and
women, decided to assemble at the holy place in Kuruksetra
known as Samanta-pancaka.
The Samanta-pancaka pilgrimage site is celebrated because Lord
Parasurama performed great sacrifices there after having
killed all the ksatriyas in the world twenty-one times.
Lord Parasurama killed all the ksatriyas, and their accumulated
blood flowed like a stream. Lord Parasurama dug five big lakes
at Samanta-pancaka and filled them with this blood. Lord
Parasurama is Visnu-tattva. As stated in the Isopanisad, Visnu-
tattva cannot be contaminated by any sinful activity. Yet
although Lord Parasurama is fully powerful and uncontaminated,
in order to exhibit ideal character, He performed great
sacrifices at Samanta-pancaka to atone for His so-called sinful
killing of the ksatriyas. By His example, Lord Parasurama
established that the killing art, although sometimes necessary,
is not good. Lord Parasurama considered Himself culpable for
the sinful killing of the ksatriyas; therefore, how much more
are we culpable for such abominable unsanctioned acts.
Thus, killing of living entities is
prohibited from time immemorial all over the world.
Taking advantage of the occasion of the solar eclipse, all
important persons visited the
holy place of pilgrimage. Some of the important personalities
are mentioned as follows. Among the elderly persons there were
Akrura, Vasudeva and Ugrasena; among the younger generation
there were Gada, Pradyumna, Samba, and many other members of
the Yadu dynasty who had come there with a view to atone for
sinful activities accrued in the course of discharging their
respective duties. Because almost all the members of the Yadu
dynasty went to Kuruksetra, some important personalities, like
Aniruddha, the son of Pradyumna, and Krtavarma, the commander-
in-chief of the Yadu dynasty, along with Sucandra, Suka and
Sarana, remained in Dvaraka to protect the city.
All the members of the Yadu dynasty were naturally very
beautiful, and yet on this occasion, when they appeared duly
decorated with gold necklaces and flower garlands, dressed in
valuable clothing and properly armed with their respective
weapons, their natural beauty and personalities were a hundred
times enhanced. The members of the Yadu dynasty came to
Kuruksetra in their gorgeously decorated chariots resembling
the airplanes of the demigods, pulled
by big horses that moved like the waves of the ocean, and some
of them rode on sturdy, stalwart elephants that moved like
the clouds in the sky. Their wives were carried on beautiful
palanquins by beautiful men whose features resembled those of
the Vidyadharas. The entire assembly looked as beautiful as an
assembly of the demigods of heaven.
After arriving in Kuruksetra, the members of the Yadu dynasty
took their baths ceremoniously, with self-control, as enjoined
in the sastras, and they observed fasting for the whole period
of the eclipse in order to nullify the reactions of their
sinful activities. Since it is a Vedic custom to give in
charity as much as possible during the hours of the eclipse,
the members of the Yadu dynasty distributed many hundreds of
cows in charity to the brahmanas. All those cows were fully
decorated with nice dress and ornaments. The special feature of
these cows was that they had golden ankle bells and flower
garlands on their necks.
All the members of the Yadu dynasty again
took their baths in the lakes created by Lord Parasurama. After
this they sumptuously fed the brahmanas with first-class cooked
food, all prepared in butter. According to the Vedic system,
there are two classes of food. One is called raw food, and the
other is called cooked food. Raw food does not include raw
vegetables and raw grains, but food boiled in water; whereas
cooked food is made in ghee. Capatis, dahl, rice and ordinary
vegetables are called raw foods, as are fruits and salads. But
puris, kacuri, sangosas, sweet balls, etc., are called
cooked foods. All the brahmanas invited on that occasion by the
members of the Yadu dynasty were fed sumptuously with cooked
food.
The ceremonial functions performed by the members of the Yadu
dynasty externally resembled the ritualistic performances
performed by the karmis. When a karmi performs some ritualistic
ceremony, his ambition is sense gratification -- good position,
good wife, good house, good children or good wealth; but the
ambition of the members of the Yadu dynasty was different.
Their ambition was to offer perpetual faith and devotion
to Krsna. All the members of the Yadu dynasty were great
devotees. As such, after many births of accumulated pious
activities, they were given the chance to associate with Lord
Krsna. In going to take their baths in the place of pilgrimage
at Kuruksetra or observing the regulative principles during
the solar eclipse or feeding the brahmanas -- in all their
activities -- they simply thought of devotion to Krsna. Their
ideal worshipable Lord was Krsna, and no one else.
After feeding the brahmanas, it is the custom for the
host, with their permission, to accept prasadam. Thus, with the
permission of the brahmanas, all the members of the Yadu
dynasty took lunch. Then they selected resting places
underneath big, shadowy trees, and when they had taken
sufficient rest, they prepared to receive visitors, among whom
there were relatives and friends, as well as many subordinate
kings and rulers. There were the rulers of the Matsya Province,
Usinara Province, Kosala Province, Vidarbha Province, Kuru
Province, Srnjaya Province, Kamboja Province, Kekaya Province
and many other countries and provinces. Some of the
rulers belonged to opposing parties, and some were friends. But
above all, the visitors from Vrndavana were most prominent. The
residents of Vrndavana, headed by Nanda Maharaja, had been
living in great anxiety because of separation from Krsna and
Balarama. Taking advantage of the solar eclipse, they all came
to see their life and soul, Krsna and Balarama.
The inhabitants of Vrndavana were well-wishers and intimate
friends of the Yadu dynasty. This meeting of the two parties
after long separation was a very touching incident. Both the
Yadus and the residents of Vrndavana felt such great pleasure
in meeting and talking together that it was a unique scene.
Meeting after long separation, they were all jubilant; their
hearts were throbbing, and their faces appeared like
freshly bloomed lotus flowers. There were drops of tears
falling from their eyes, the hair on their bodies stood on end,
and because of their extreme ecstasy, they were temporarily
speechless. In other words, they began to dive in the ocean
of happiness.
While the men were meeting in that way, the women were also
meeting one another in the same manner. They were embracing
each other in great friendship, smiling very mildly, and
looking at one another with much affection. When they were
embracing each other in their arms, the saffron and kunkuma
spread on their breasts was exchanged from one person to
another, and they all felt heavenly ecstasy. Due to such heart-
to-heart embracing, torrents of tears glided down their cheeks.
The juniors were offering obeisances to the elders, and the
elders were offering their blessings to the juniors. They were
thus welcoming one another and asking after each other's
welfare. Ultimately, however, all their talk was only of Krsna.
All the neighbors and relatives were connected with Lord Krsna'
s pastimes in this world, and as such Krsna was the center of
all their activities. Whatever activities they performed --
social, political, religious or conventional -- were
transcendental.
The real elevation of human life rests on knowledge and
renunciation. As stated in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, in the First
Canto, devotional service rendered to
Krsna automatically produces perfect knowledge and renunciation.
The family members of the Yadu dynasty and the cowherd men of
Vrndavana had their minds fixed on Krsna. That is the symptom
of all knowledge, and because their minds were always
engaged in Krsna, they were automatically freed from all
material activities. This stage of life is called yukta-
vairagya as enunciated by Srila Rupa Gosvami. Knowledge and
renunciation, therefore, do not mean dry speculation and
renunciation of activities. Rather, one must start speaking and
acting only in relationship with Krsna.
In this meeting at Kuruksetra, Kuntidevi and Vasudeva, who were
sister and brother, met after a long period of separation,
along with their respective sons and daughters-in-law, wives,
children and other family members. By talking among themselves,
they soon forgot all their past miseries. Kuntidevi especially
addressed her brother Vasudeva as follows: "My dear brother, I
am very unfortunate, because not one of my desires has ever
been fulfilled; otherwise how could it happen that although I
have such a saintly brother as you, perfect in all respects,
you did not inquire from me as to how I was passing my days in
a distressed condition of life." It appears that Kuntidevi was
remembering the miserable days when she had been banished along
with her sons through the mischievous plans of Dhrtarastra and
Duryodhana. She continued; "My dear brother, I can understand
that when providence goes against someone, even one's nearest
relatives also forget him. In such a condition, even one's
father, one's mother or one's own children will forget him.
Therefore, my dear brother, I do not accuse you."
Vasudeva replied to his sister, "My dear sister, do not be
sorry, and do not blame me in that way. We should always
remember that we all are only toys in the hands of
providence. Everyone is under the control of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. It is under His control only that all
kinds of fruitive actions and the resultant reactions take
place. My dear sister, you know that we were very much harassed
by King Kamsa, and by his persecutions we were scattered here
and there. We were always full of anxieties. Only in the last
few days have we returned to our own places, by the grace of
God."
After this conversation, Vasudeva and Ugrasena received the
kings who came to see them, and they sufficiently welcomed them
all. Seeing Lord Krsna present on the spot, all the visitors
felt transcendental pleasure and became very peaceful. Some of
the prominent visitors were as follows: Bhismadeva, Dronacarya,
Dhrtarastra, Duryodhana, and Gandhari along with her sons; King
Yudhisthira along with his wife, and the Pandavas along with
Kunti; Srnjaya, Vidura, Krpacarya, Kuntibhoja,
Virata, King Nagnajit, Purujit, Drupada, Salya,
Dhrstaketu, the King of Kasi, Damaghosa, Visalaksa, the King of
Mithila, the King of Madras (formerly known as Madra), the King
of Kekaya, Yudhamanyu, Susarma, Bahlika along with his sons,
and many other rulers who were subordinate to King Yudhisthira.
When they saw Lord Krsna with His thousands of queens,
they became fully satisfied at the sight of such beauty and
transcendental opulence. All who were there personally visited
Lord Balarama and Krsna, and being properly welcomed by the
Lord they began to glorify the members of the Yadu dynasty,
especially Krsna and Balarama. Because he was the King of
the Bhojas, Ugrasena was considered the chief Yadu, and
therefore the visitors specifically addressed him: "Your
majesty Ugrasena, King of the Bhojas, factually the Yadus are
the only persons within this world who are perfect in all
respects. All glories unto you! All glories unto you! The
specific condition of your perfection is that you are always
seeing Lord Krsna, who is sought after by many mystic yogis
undergoing severe austerities and penances for great numbers of
years. All of you are in direct touch with Lord Krsna at every
moment.
"All the Vedic hymns are glorifying the Supreme Personality
of Godhead, Krsna. The Ganges water is considered sanctified
because of its being the water used to wash the lotus feet of
Lord Krsna. The Vedic literatures are nothing but the
injunctions of Lord Krsna. The purpose of the study of all the
Vedas is to know Krsna; therefore, the words of Krsna and the
message of His pastimes are always purifying. By the influence
of time and circumstances, all the opulences of this world had
become almost completely wiped out, but since Krsna has
appeared on this planet, all auspicious features have again
appeared due to the touch of His lotus feet. Because of His
presence, all our ambitions and desires are gradually being
fulfilled. Your Majesty, King of the Bhojas, you are related
with the Yadu dynasty by matrimonial relationship, and by blood
relationship also. As a result, you are constantly in
touch with Lord Krsna, and you have no difficulty in seeing Him
at any time. Lord Krsna moves with you, talks
with you, sits with you, rests with you, and dines with you.
The Yadus appear to be always engaged in worldly affairs which
are considered to lead to the royal road to hell, but due to
the presence of Lord Krsna, the original Personality of Godhead
in the Visnu category, who is omniscient, omnipresent and
omnipotent, all of you are factually relieved from all material
contamination, and are situated in the transcendental position
of liberation and Brahman existence."
When they had
heard that Krsna would be present in Kuruksetra because of the
solar eclipse, the residents of Vrndavana, headed by
Maharaja Nanda, had also decided to go there, and
therefore all the members of the Yadu dynasty were
attending. King Nanda, accompanied by his cowherd men, had
loaded all their necessary paraphernalia on bullock carts, and
all of the Vrndavana residents had come to Kuruksetra to see
their beloved sons Lord Balarama and Lord Krsna. When the
cowherd men of Vrndavana arrived in Kuruksetra, all the members
of the Yadu dynasty became most pleased. As soon as they saw
the residents of Vrndavana, they stood up to welcome them, and
it appeared that they had again regained their life. Both
had been very eager to meet, and
when they actually came forward and met, they embraced one
another to their heart's satisfaction and remained in embrace
for a considerable time.
As soon as Vasudeva saw Nanda Maharaja, he jumped and
ran over to him and embraced him very affectionately. Vasudeva
began to narrate his past history -- how he had been
imprisoned by King Kamsa, how his babies had been killed, and
how immediately after Krsna's birth he had carried Him to the
place of Nanda Maharaja, and how Krsna and Balarama had been
raised by Nanda Maharaja and his queen, Yasoda, as their own
children. Similarly, Lord Balarama and Krsna also embraced King
Nanda and mother Yasoda and then offered Their respect
unto their lotus feet by bowing down. Because of Their feeling
affection for Nanda and Yasoda, both Lord Krsna and Balarama
became choked up, and for a few seconds They could not speak.
The most fortunate King Nanda and mother Yasoda placed their
sons on their laps and began to embrace Them to their full
satisfaction. Because of separation from Krsna and Balarama,
both King Nanda and Yasoda had been merged in great distress
for a very long time. Now, after meeting Them and embracing
Them, all their sufferings were mitigated.
After this, Krsna's mother, Devaki, and Balarama's mother,
Rohini, both embraced mother Yasoda. They said, "Dear Queen
Yasodadevi, both you and Nanda Maharaja have been great friends
to us, and when we remember you we are immediately overwhelmed
by the thought of your friendly activities. We are so indebted
to you that even if we were to return your benediction by
giving you the opulence of the King of heaven, it would not be
enough to repay you for your friendly behavior. We shall never
forget your kindly behavior toward us. When both Krsna and
Balarama were born, before They even saw Their real father and
mother, They were entrusted to your care, and you raised Them
as your own children, fostering Them as birds take care of
their offspring in the nest. You have nicely fed, nourished and
loved Them and have performed many auspicious religious
ceremonies for Their benefit.
"Actually They are not our sons; They belong to you. Nanda
Maharaja and yourself are the real father and mother of Krsna
and Balarama. As long as They were under your care They had not
even a pinch of difficulty. Under your protection, They were
completely out of the way of all kinds of fear. This most
affectionate care which you have taken for Them is completely
befitting your elevated position. The most noble personalities
do not discriminate between their own sons and the sons of
others, and there cannot be any personalities more noble than
Nanda Maharaja and yourself."
As far as the gopis of Vrndavana were concerned, from the very
beginning of their lives, they did not know anything beyond
Krsna. Krsna and Balarama were their life and soul. The gopis
were so attached to Krsna that they could not even tolerate not
seeing Him momentarily when their eyelids blinked and
impeded their vision. They condemned Brahma, the creator of the
body, because he foolishly made eyelids which blinked and
checked their seeing Krsna. Because they had been separated
from Krsna for so many years, the gopis, having come along with
Nanda Maharaja and mother Yasoda, felt intense ecstasy in
seeing Krsna. No one can even imagine how anxious the gopis
were to see Krsna again. As soon as Krsna became visible to
them, they took Him inside their hearts through their eyes and
embraced Him to their full satisfaction. Even though they were
embracing Krsna only mentally, they became so ecstatic and
overwhelmed with joy that for the time being they completely
forgot themselves. The ecstatic trance which they achieved
simply by mentally embracing Krsna is impossible to achieve
even for great yogis constantly engaged in meditation on the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. Krsna could understand that the
gopis were rapt in ecstasy by embracing Him in their minds, and
therefore, since He is present in everyone's heart, He also
reciprocated the embracing from within.
Krsna was sitting with mother Yasoda and His other mothers,
Devaki and Rohini, but when the mothers engaged in talking, He
took the opportunity and went to a secluded place to meet the
gopis. As soon as He approached the gopis, the Lord began to
smile, and after embracing them and inquiring about their
welfare, He began to encourage them, saying, "My dear friends,
you know that both Lord Balarama and Myself left Vrndavana just
to please Our relatives and family members. Thus We were long
engaged in fighting with Our enemies and were obliged to forget
you, who were so much attached to Me in love and affection. I
can understand that by this action I have been ungrateful to
you, but still I know you are faithful to Me. May I
inquire if you have been thinking of Us although We had to
leave you behind? My dear gopis, do you now dislike remembering
Me, considering Me to have been ungrateful to you? Do you take
My misbehavior with you very seriously?
"After all, you should know it was not My intention to
leave you; our separation was ordained by providence, who after
all is the supreme controller and does as he desires. He causes
the intermingling of different persons, and again disperses
them as he desires. Sometimes we see that due to the
presence of clouds and strong wind, atomic particles
of dust and broken pieces of cotton are intermingled together,
and after the strong wind subsides, all the particles
of dust and cotton are again separated, scattered in
different places. Similarly, the Supreme Lord is the creator of
everything. The objects which we see are different
manifestations of His energy. By His supreme will we are
sometimes united and sometimes separated. We can therefore
conclude that ultimately we are absolutely dependent on His
will.
"Fortunately, you have developed loving affection for Me, which
is the only way to achieve the transcendental position of
association with Me. Any living entity who develops such
unalloyed devotional affection for Me certainly at the end goes
back to home, back to Godhead. In other words, unalloyed
devotional service and affection for Me are the cause of
supreme liberation.
"My dear gopi friends, you may know from Me that it is My
energies only which are acting everywhere. Take, for example,
an earthen pot. It is nothing but a combination of earth, water,
air, fire and sky. It is always of the same physical
composites, whether in its beginning, during its existence or
after its annihilation. When it is created, the earthen pot is
made of earth, water, fire, air and sky; while it remains, it
is the same in composition; and when it is broken and
annihilated, its different ingredients are conserved in
different parts of the material energy. Similarly, at the
creation of this cosmic manifestation, during its maintenance,
and after its dissolution, everything is but a different
manifestation of My energy. And because the energy is not
separate from Me, it is to be concluded that I am existing in
everything.
"In the same way, the body of a living being is nothing but a
composition of the five elements, and the living entity
embodied in the material condition is also part and parcel of
Me. The living entity is imprisoned in the material condition
on account of his false conception of himself as the supreme
enjoyer. This false ego of the living entity is the cause of
his imprisonment in material existence. As the Supreme Absolute
Truth, I am transcendental to the living entity, as well as to
his material embodiment. The two energies, material and
spiritual, are both acting under My supreme control. My dear
gopis, I request that instead of being so afflicted, you try to
accept everything with a philosophical attitude. Then you will
understand that you are always with Me and that there is no
cause of lamentation in our being separated from one another."
This important instruction of Lord Krsna's to the gopis can be
utilized by all devotees engaged in Krsna consciousness. The
whole philosophy is considered on the basis of inconceivable,
simultaneous oneness and difference. In Bhagavad-gita the
Lord says that He is present everywhere in His impersonal
feature. Everything is existing in Him, but still He is not
personally present everywhere. The cosmic manifestation is
nothing but a display of Krsna's energy, and because the energy
is not different from the energetic, nothing is different from
Krsna. When this absolute consciousness, Krsna consciousness,
is absent, we are separated from Krsna; but fortunately, if
this Krsna consciousness is present, then we are not separated
from Krsna. The process of devotional service is the revival of
Krsna consciousness, and if the devotee is fortunate enough to
understand that the material energy is not separated from Krsna,
then he can utilize the material energy and its products in
the service of the Lord. But in the absence of Krsna
consciousness, the forgetful living entity, although part and
parcel of Krsna, falsely puts himself in the position of
enjoyer of the material world and, being thus implicated in
material entanglement, is forced by the material energy to
continue his material existence. This is also confirmed in the
Bhagavad-gita. Although a living entity is forced to act by the
material energy, he falsely thinks that he is the all-in-all
and the supreme enjoyer.
If the devotee knows perfectly that the arca-vigraha, or Deity
form of Lord Krsna in the temple, is exactly the same sac-cid-
ananda-vigraha as Krsna Himself, then his service to
the temple Deity becomes direct service to the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. Similarly, the temple itself, the
temple paraphernalia and the food offered to the Deity are also
not separate from Krsna. One has to follow the rules and
regulations prescribed by the acaryas, and thus, under superior
guidance, Krsna-realization is fully possible, even in this
material existence.
The gopis, having been instructed by Krsna in this philosophy
of simultaneous oneness and difference, remained always in
Krsna consciousness and thus became liberated from all material
contamination. The consciousness of the living entity who
falsely presents himself as the enjoyer of the material world
is called jiva-kosa, which means imprisonment by the false ego.
Not only the gopis but anyone who follows these instructions of
Krsna becomes immediately freed from the jiva-kosa imprisonment.
A person in full Krsna consciousness is always liberated from
false egoism; he utilizes everything for Krsna's service and is
not at any time separated from Krsna.
The gopis therefore prayed to Krsna, "Dear Krsna, from Your
navel emanated the original lotus flower which is the
birthsite of Brahma, the creator. No one can estimate Your
glories or Your opulence, which therefore remain always a
mystery even to the highest thoughtful men, the masters of all
yogic power. The conditioned soul fallen in the dark
well of this material existence can very easily, however, take
shelter of the lotus feet of Lord Krsna. Thus his deliverance
is guaranteed." The gopis continued: "Dear Krsna, we are always
busy in our family affairs. We therefore request that You
remain within our hearts as the rising sun, and that will be
Your greatest benediction."
The gopis are always
liberated souls, because
they are fully in Krsna consciousness. They only pretended to
be entangled in household affairs in Vrndavana. In spite
of their long separation,
the
inhabitants of Vrndavana, the gopis, were not interested in the
idea of going with Krsna to His capital city, Dvaraka. They
wanted to remain busy in Vrndavana and thus feel the presence
of Krsna in every step of their lives. They immediately invited
Krsna to come back to Vrndavana. This transcendental emotional
existence of the gopis is the basic principle of Lord Caitanya'
s teaching. The Ratha-yatra Festival observed by Lord Caitanya
is the emotional process of taking Krsna back to Vrndavana.
Srimati Radharani refused to go with Krsna to Dvaraka to enjoy
His company in the atmosphere of royal opulence, but wanted
to enjoy His company in the original Vrndavana atmosphere. Lord
Krsna, being profoundly attached to the gopis, never goes away
from Vrndavana, and the gopis and other residents of Vrndavana
remain fully satisfied in Krsna consciousness.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Second Volume,
Twenty-seventh Chapter, of Krsna, "Lord Krsna and Balarama Meet
the Inhabitants of Vrndavana."
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KB 82: Lord Krsna and Balarama Meet the Inhabitants of
Vrndavana
CHAPTER EIGHTY–TWO
Lord Krsna and Balarama Meet the Inhabitants of Vrndavana
Once upon a time while Lord Krsna and Balarama were living
peacefully in Their great city of Dvaraka, there was the rare
occasion of a full solar eclipse, such as takes place at the
end of every kalpa, or day of Brahma. At the end of every kalpa
the sun is covered by a great cloud, and incessant rain covers
the lower planetary systems up to Svargaloka. By astronomical
calculation, people were informed about this great eclipse
prior to its taking place, and therefore everyone, both men and
women, decided to assemble at the holy place in Kuruksetra
known as Samanta-pancaka.
The Samanta-pancaka pilgrimage site is celebrated because Lord
Parasurama performed great sacrifices there after killing
all the ksatriyas in the world twenty-one times. When
Lord Parasurama killed all the ksatriyas, their accumulated
blood flowed like a stream. Lord Parasurama dug five big lakes
at Samanta-pancaka and filled them with this blood. Lord
Parasurama is visnu-tattva. As stated in the Isopanisad, visnu-
tattva cannot be contaminated by any sinful activity. Yet
although Lord Parasurama is fully powerful and uncontaminated,
in order to exhibit ideal character He performed great
sacrifices at Samanta-pancaka to atone for His so-called sinful
killing of the ksatriyas. By His example, Lord Parasurama
established that the killing art, although sometimes necessary,
is not good. Lord Parasurama considered Himself culpable for
the sinful killing of the ksatriyas; therefore, how much more
culpable are we for such abominable, unsanctioned acts!
Thus, from time immemorial the killing of living entities is
prohibited all over the world.
Taking advantage of the occasion of the solar eclipse, all
important persons from all parts of Bharata-varsa visited the
holy place of pilgrimage. Some of the important personalities
are mentioned as follows. Among the elderly persons were
Akrura, Vasudeva and Ugrasena, and among the younger generation
were Gada, Pradyumna, Samba and many other members of
the Yadu dynasty who had come there with a view to atone for
sinful activities accrued in the course of discharging their
respective duties. Because almost all the members of the Yadu
dynasty went to Kuruksetra, some important personalities, like
Aniruddha, the son of Pradyumna, and Krtavarma, the commander
in chief of the Yadu dynasty, along with Sucandra, Suka and
Sarana, remained in Dvaraka to protect the city.
All the members of the Yadu dynasty were naturally very
beautiful, yet on this occasion, when they appeared duly
decorated with gold necklaces and flower garlands, dressed in
valuable clothing and properly armed with their respective
weapons, their natural beauty and personalities were a hundred
times enhanced. The members of the Yadu dynasty came to
Kuruksetra in their gorgeously decorated chariots, which
resembled the airplanes of the demigods and which were pulled
by big horses that moved like the waves of the ocean.
Some Yadus rode on sturdy, stalwart elephants that moved like
the clouds in the sky. Their wives were carried on beautiful
palanquins by beautiful men whose features resembled those of
the Vidyadharas. The entire assembly looked as beautiful as an
assembly of the demigods of heaven.
After arriving in Kuruksetra, the members of the Yadu dynasty
took their baths ceremoniously, with self-control, as enjoined
in the sastras, and they observed fasting for the whole period
of the eclipse in order to nullify the reactions of their
sinful activities. Since it is a Vedic custom to give in
charity as much as possible during the hours of the eclipse,
the members of the Yadu dynasty distributed many hundreds of
cows in charity to the brahmanas. All those cows were fully
decorated with nice dress and ornaments. The special feature of
these cows was that they had golden ankle bells and flower
garlands on their necks.
After the eclipse, all the members of the Yadu dynasty again
took their baths in the lakes created by Lord Parasurama. Then
they sumptuously fed the brahmanas with first-class cooked
food, all prepared in butter. According to the Vedic system,
there are two classes of food. One is called raw food, and the
other is called cooked food. "Raw food" does not indicate raw
vegetables and raw grains but food boiled in water, whereas
cooked food is made in ghee. Capatis, dal, rice and ordinary
vegetables are called raw foods, as are fruits and salads. But
puris, kachoris, samosas, sweet balls and so on are called
cooked foods. All the brahmanas invited on that occasion by the
members of the Yadu dynasty were fed sumptuously with cooked
food.
The ceremonial functions performed by the members of the Yadu
dynasty externally resembled the ritualistic ceremonies
performed by the karmis. When a karmi performs some ritualistic
ceremony, his ambition is sense gratification -- good position,
good wife, good house, good children or good wealth -- but the
ambition of the members of the Yadu dynasty was different.
Their ambition was to offer Krsna perpetual devotion
with faith. All the members of the Yadu dynasty were great
devotees. As such, after many births of accumulated pious
activities, they were given the chance to associate with Lord
Krsna. In going to take their baths in the place of pilgrimage
at Kuruksetra, in observing the regulative principles during
the solar eclipse, or in feeding the brahmanas -- in all their
activities -- they simply thought of devotion to Krsna. Their
ideal worshipable Lord was Krsna, and no one else.
After the brahmanas are fed, it is the custom for the
host, with their permission, to accept prasadam. Thus, with the
permission of the brahmanas, all the members of the Yadu
dynasty took lunch. Then they selected resting places
underneath big shady trees, and when they had taken
sufficient rest, they prepared to receive visitors, among whom
were relatives and friends, as well as many subordinate
kings and rulers. There were the rulers of Matsya Province,
Usinara Province, Kosala Province, Vidarbha Province, Kuru
Province, Srnjaya Province, Kamboja Province, Kekaya Province,
Madras Province, Kunti Province, Anarta Province, Kerala
Province and many other countries and provinces. Some of the
rulers belonged to opposing parties, and some were friends. But
above all, the visitors from Vrndavana were most prominent. The
residents of Vrndavana, headed by Nanda Maharaja, had been
living in great anxiety because of separation from Krsna and
Balarama. Taking advantage of the solar eclipse, they all came
to see their life and soul, Krsna and Balarama.
The inhabitants of Vrndavana were well-wishers and intimate
friends of the Yadu dynasty. This meeting of the two parties
after long separation was a very touching incident. All the
Yadus and the residents of Vrndavana felt such great pleasure
in meeting and talking together that it was a unique scene.
Meeting after long separation, they were all jubilant; their
hearts throbbed, and their faces appeared like
freshly bloomed lotus flowers. Drops of tears
fell from their eyes, the hair on their bodies stood on end,
and because of their extreme ecstasy, they were temporarily
speechless. In other words, they dove into the ocean
of happiness.
While the men were meeting in that way, the women also
met one another in the same manner. They embraced one
another in great friendship, smiling very mildly, and
looked at one another with much affection. When they were
embracing one another in their arms, the saffron and kunkuma
spread on their breasts was exchanged from one person to
another, and they all felt heavenly ecstasy. Due to such heart-
to-heart embracing, torrents of tears glided down their cheeks.
The juniors were offering obeisances to the elders, and the
elders were offering their blessings to the juniors. They
thus welcomed one another and asked after one another's
welfare. Ultimately, however, all their talk was only of Krsna.
All the neighbors and relatives were connected with Lord Krsna'
s pastimes in this world, and as such Krsna was the center of
all their activities. Whatever activities they performed --
social, political, religious or conventional -- were
transcendental.
The real elevation of human life rests on knowledge and
renunciation. As stated in the First
Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam, devotional service rendered to
Krsna automatically produces perfect knowledge and renunciation.
The family members of the Yadu dynasty and the cowherds of
Vrndavana had their minds fixed on Krsna. That is the symptom
of perfect knowledge. And because their minds were always
engaged in Krsna, they were automatically freed from all
material activities. This stage of life is called yukta-
vairagya, as enunciated by Srila Rupa Gosvami. Knowledge and
renunciation, therefore, do not mean dry speculation and
renunciation of activities. Rather, one must start speaking and
acting only in relationship with Krsna.
In this meeting at Kuruksetra, Kuntidevi and Vasudeva, who were
sister and brother, met after a long separation,
along with their respective sons and daughters-in-law,
children and other family members. By talking among themselves,
they soon forgot all their past miseries. Kuntidevi especially
addressed her brother Vasudeva as follows: "My dear brother, I
am very unfortunate because not one of my desires has ever
been fulfilled; otherwise how could it happen that although I
have such a saintly brother as you, perfect in all respects,
you did not inquire from me as to how I was passing my days in
a distressed condition of life?" It appears that Kuntidevi was
remembering the miserable days when she had been banished
with her sons through the mischievous plans of Dhrtarastra and
Duryodhana. She continued: "My dear brother, I can understand
that when providence goes against someone, even one's nearest
relatives forget him. In such a condition, even one's
father, one's mother or one's own children will forget him.
Therefore, my dear brother, I do not accuse you."
Vasudeva replied to his sister, "My dear sister, do not be
sorry, and do not blame me in that way. We should always
remember that we are all only toys in the hands of
providence. Everyone is under the control of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. It is under His control only that all
kinds of fruitive actions and their reactions take
place. My dear sister, you know that we were very much harassed
by King Kamsa, and by his persecutions we were scattered here
and there. We were always full of anxieties. Only in the last
few days have we returned to our own places, by the grace of
God."
After this conversation, Vasudeva and Ugrasena received the
kings who came to see them, and they warmly welcomed them
all. Seeing Lord Krsna present on the spot, all the visitors
felt transcendental pleasure and became very peaceful. Some of
the prominent visitors were as follows: Bhismadeva, Dronacarya,
Dhrtarastra, Duryodhana, Gandhari along with her sons, King
Yudhisthira along with his wife, and the Pandavas along with
Kunti, as well as Sanjaya, Vidura, Krpacarya, Kuntibhoja,
Virata, Bhismaka, King Nagnajit, Purujit, Drupada, Salya,
Dhrstaketu, the King of Kasi, Damaghosa, Visalaksa, the King of
Mithila, the King of Madras (formerly known as Madra), the King
of Kekaya, Yudhamanyu, Susarma, Bahlika along with his sons,
and many other rulers subordinate to King Yudhisthira.
When the visitors saw Lord Krsna with His thousands of queens,
they were fully satisfied at the sight of such beauty and
transcendental opulence. All who were there personally visited
Lord Balarama and Krsna, and being properly welcomed by Them,
they began to glorify the members of the Yadu dynasty,
especially Krsna and Balarama. Because Ugrasena was the King of
the Bhojas, he was considered the chief Yadu, and
therefore the visitors specifically addressed him: "Your
Majesty Ugrasena, King of the Bhojas, factually the Yadus are
the only persons within this world who are perfect in all
respects. All glories unto you! All glories unto you! The
specific condition of your perfection is that you always
see Lord Krsna, who is sought by many mystic yogis
undergoing severe austerities and penances for great numbers of
years. All of you are in direct touch with Lord Krsna at every
moment.
"All the Vedic hymns glorify the Supreme Personality
of Godhead, Krsna. The Ganges water is considered sanctified
because of its being the water used to wash the lotus feet of
Lord Krsna. The Vedic scriptures are nothing but the
injunctions of Lord Krsna. The purpose of the study of all the
Vedas is to know Krsna; therefore, the words of Krsna and the
message of His pastimes are always purifying. By the influence
of time and circumstances, all the opulences of this world were
almost completely wiped out, but since Krsna has
appeared on this planet, all auspicious features have again
appeared due to the touch of His lotus feet. Because of His
presence, all our ambitions and desires are gradually being
fulfilled. Your Majesty, King of the Bhojas, you are related
with the Yadu dynasty by matrimonial relationship, and by blood
relationship also. As a result, you are constantly associating
with Lord Krsna, and you have no difficulty in seeing Him
or touching Him at any time. Lord Krsna moves with you, talks
with you, sits with you, rests with you, and dines with you.
The Yadus appear to be always engaged in worldly affairs, which
are considered to be the royal road to hell, but due to
the presence of Lord Krsna, the original Personality of Godhead
in the Visnu category, who is omniscient, omnipresent and
omnipotent, all of you are factually relieved from all material
contamination and are situated in the transcendental position
of liberation and Brahman existence."
When Nanda Maharaja and the other residents of Vrndavana had
heard that Krsna would be present in Kuruksetra because of the
solar eclipse and that all the members
of the Yadu dynasty would also be there, they
had immediately prepared to go
there. King Nanda, accompanied by his cowherd men, had
loaded all their necessary paraphernalia on bullock carts, and
all of the Vrndavana residents had come to Kuruksetra to see
their beloved sons Lord Balarama and Lord Krsna. When the
cowherd men of Vrndavana arrived in Kuruksetra, all the members
of the Yadu dynasty were most pleased. As soon as they saw
the residents of Vrndavana, they stood up to welcome them and
appeared to have regained their life. All the
Yadus and Vrndavana residents had been very eager to meet, and
when they actually came forward and met, they embraced one
another to their hearts' satisfaction and remained in embrace
for a considerable time.
As soon as Vasudeva saw Nanda Maharaja, Vasudeva jumped up and
ran over to him and embraced him very affectionately. Vasudeva
began to narrate his own past history -- how he had been
imprisoned by King Kamsa, how his babies had been killed,
how immediately after Krsna's birth he had carried Krsna to the
place of Nanda Maharaja, and how Krsna and Balarama had been
raised by Nanda Maharaja and his queen, Yasoda, as their own
children. Similarly, Lord Balarama and Krsna also embraced King
Nanda and Mother Yasoda, and then They offered Their respect
unto their lotus feet by bowing down. Because of Their feeling
affection for Nanda and Yasoda, Lord Krsna and Balarama
became choked up, and for a few seconds They could not speak.
The most fortunate King Nanda and Mother Yasoda placed their
sons on their laps and began to embrace Them to their full
satisfaction. Because of separation from Krsna and Balarama,
King Nanda and Yasoda had been merged in great distress
for a very long time. Now, after meeting Them and embracing
Them, all their sufferings were mitigated.
After this, Krsna's mother, Devaki, and Balarama's mother,
Rohini, both embraced Mother Yasoda. They said, "Dear Queen
Yasodadevi, you and Nanda Maharaja have been great friends
to us, and when we remember you we are immediately overwhelmed
by the thought of your friendly activities. We are so indebted
to you that even if we were to return your benediction by
giving you the opulence of the King of heaven, it would not be
enough to repay you for your friendly behavior. We shall never
forget your kindly behavior toward us. When Krsna and
Balarama were born, before They even saw Their real father and
mother, They were entrusted to your care, and you raised Them
as your own children, fostering Them as birds take care of
their offspring in the nest. You have nicely fed, nourished and
loved Them and have performed many auspicious religious
ceremonies for Their benefit.
"Actually They are not our sons; They belong to you. Nanda
Maharaja and you are the real father and mother of Krsna
and Balarama. As long as They were under your care They had not
even a pinch of difficulty. Under your protection, They were
completely out of the way of all kinds of fear. This most
affectionate care which you have taken for Them is completely
befitting your elevated position. The most noble personalities
do not discriminate between their own sons and the sons of
others, and there cannot be any personalities more noble than
Nanda Maharaja and you."
As far as the gopis of Vrndavana were concerned, from the very
beginning of their lives they did not know anything beyond
Krsna. Krsna and Balarama were their life and soul. The gopis
were so attached to Krsna that they could not tolerate not
seeing Him even momentarily when their eyelids blinked and
impeded their vision. They condemned Brahma, the creator of the
body, because he foolishly made eyelids which blinked and
checked their seeing Krsna. Because they had been separated
from Krsna for so many years, the gopis, having come along with
Nanda Maharaja and Mother Yasoda, felt intense ecstasy upon
seeing Krsna. No one can even imagine how eager the gopis
were to see Krsna again. As soon as Krsna became visible to
them, they took Him inside their hearts through their eyes and
embraced Him to their full satisfaction. Even though they were
embracing Krsna only mentally, they became so ecstatic and
overwhelmed with joy that for the time being they completely
forgot themselves. The ecstatic trance they achieved
simply by mentally embracing Krsna is impossible to achieve
even for great yogis constantly engaged in meditation on the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. Krsna could understand that the
gopis were rapt in ecstasy by embracing Him in their minds, and
therefore, since He is present in everyone's heart, He
reciprocated the embracing from within.
Krsna was sitting with Mother Yasoda and His other mothers,
Devaki and Rohini, but when the mothers engaged in talking, He
took the opportunity and went to a secluded place to meet the
gopis. As soon as He approached the gopis, the Lord smiled
, and after embracing them and inquiring about their
welfare, He began to encourage them, saying, "My dear friends,
you know that Lord Balarama and I left Vrndavana just
to please Our relatives and family members. Thus We were long
engaged in fighting with Our enemies and were obliged to forget
you, who were so much attached to Me in love and affection. I
can understand that I have been ungrateful to
you, but still I know that you are faithful to Me. May I
inquire if you have been thinking of Us, although We had to
leave you behind? My dear gopis, do you now dislike remembering
Me, considering Me to have been ungrateful to you? Do you take
My misbehavior with you very seriously?
"After all, you should know that it was not My intention to
leave you; our separation was ordained by Providence, who after
all is the supreme controller and does as He desires. He causes
the intermingling of different persons, and again disperses
them as He desires. Sometimes we see that a strong
wind will mingle together clouds, atomic particles
of dust or broken pieces of cotton,
and after the strong wind subsides, all the clouds, particles
of dust and pieces of cotton are again separated, scattered in
different places. Similarly, the Supreme Lord is the creator of
everything. The objects we see are different
manifestations of His energy. By His supreme will we are
sometimes united and sometimes separated. We can therefore
conclude that ultimately we are absolutely dependent on His
will.
"Fortunately, you have developed loving affection for Me, which
is the only way to achieve the transcendental position of
association with Me. Any living entity who develops such
unalloyed devotional affection for Me certainly at the end goes
back home, back to Godhead. In other words, unalloyed
devotional service and affection for Me are the cause of
supreme liberation.
"My dear gopi friends, you may know from Me that it is My
energies only which are acting everywhere. Take, for example,
an earthen pot. It is nothing but a combination of earth, water,
air, fire and sky. It is always of the same physical
composition, whether in its beginning, during its existence or
after its annihilation. When it is created, the earthen pot is
made of earth, water, fire, air and sky, while it remains it
is the same in composition, and when it is broken and
annihilated its different ingredients are conserved in
different parts of the material energy. Similarly, at the
creation of this cosmic manifestation, during its maintenance
and after its dissolution, everything is but a different
manifestation of My energy. And because the energy is not
separate from Me, it is to be concluded that I am existing in
everything.
"In the same way, the body of a living being is nothing but a
composition of the five elements, and the living entity
embodied in the material condition is also part and parcel of
Me. The living entity is imprisoned in the material condition
on account of his false conception of himself as the supreme
enjoyer. This false ego of the living entity is the cause of
his imprisonment in material existence. As the Supreme Absolute
Truth, I am transcendental to the living entity, as well as to
his material embodiment. The two energies, material and
spiritual, both act under My supreme control. My dear
gopis, I request that instead of being afflicted, you try to
accept everything with a philosophical attitude. Then you will
understand that you are always with Me and that there is no
cause of lamentation in our being separated from one another."
This important instruction by Lord Krsna to the gopis can be
utilized by all devotees engaged in Krsna consciousness. The
whole philosophy is considered on the basis of inconceivable,
simultaneous oneness and difference. In the Bhagavad-gita the
Lord says that He is present everywhere in His impersonal
feature. Everything exists in Him, but still He is not
personally present everywhere. The cosmic manifestation is
nothing but a display of Krsna's energy, and because the energy
is not different from the energetic, nothing is different from
Krsna. When this absolute consciousness, Krsna consciousness,
is absent, we are separated from Krsna; but, fortunately, if
this Krsna consciousness is present, then we are not separated
from Krsna. The process of devotional service is the revival of
Krsna consciousness, and if the devotee is fortunate enough to
understand that the material energy is not separate from Krsna,
then he can utilize the material energy and its products in
the service of the Lord. But in the absence of Krsna
consciousness, the forgetful living entity, although part and
parcel of Krsna, falsely puts himself in the position of
enjoyer of the material world and, being thus implicated in
material entanglement, is forced by the material energy to
continue his material existence. This is confirmed in the
Bhagavad-gita. Although a living entity is forced to act by the
material energy, he falsely thinks that he is the all-in-all
and the supreme enjoyer.
If the devotee knows perfectly that the arca-vigraha, or Deity
form of Lord Krsna in the temple, is exactly the same sac-cid-
ananda-vigraha [Bs. 5.1] as Krsna Himself, then his service to
the temple Deity becomes direct service to the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. Similarly, the temple itself, the
temple paraphernalia and the food offered to the Deity are also
not separate from Krsna. One has to follow the rules and
regulations prescribed by the acaryas, and thus, under superior
guidance, Krsna-realization is fully possible, even in this
material existence.
The gopis, having been instructed by Krsna in this philosophy
of simultaneous oneness and difference, remained always in
Krsna consciousness and thus became liberated from all material
contamination. The consciousness of the living entity who
falsely presents himself as the enjoyer of the material world
is called jiva-kosa, which means imprisonment by the false ego.
Not only the gopis but anyone who follows these instructions of
Krsna is immediately freed from the jiva-kosa imprisonment.
A person in full Krsna consciousness is always liberated from
false egoism; he utilizes everything for Krsna's service and is
not at any time separated from Krsna.
The gopis therefore prayed to Krsna, "Dear Krsna, from Your
navel emanated the original lotus flower, which is the
birthsite of Brahma, the creator. No one can estimate Your
glories or Your opulence, which therefore remain always a
mystery even to the highest thoughtful men, the masters of all
yogic power. However, the conditioned soul fallen in the dark
well of this material existence can very easily take
shelter of Your lotus feet. Thus his deliverance
is guaranteed."
The gopis continued: "Dear Krsna, we are always busy in our
family affairs. We therefore request that You remain within our
hearts as the rising sun. That will be Your greatest
benediction." The gopis are always liberated souls because
they are fully in Krsna consciousness. They only pretended to
be entangled in household affairs in Vrndavana. Because
of their separation from Krsna, He might have asked them
to return with Him to His capital city, Dvaraka. But the
inhabitants of Vrndavana, the gopis, were not interested in the
idea of going with Krsna to Dvaraka. They
wanted to remain busy in Vrndavana and thus feel the presence
of Krsna in every step of their lives. They immediately invited
Krsna to come back to Vrndavana. This transcendental emotional
existence of the gopis is the basic principle of Lord Caitanya'
s teaching. The Ratha-yatra festival observed by Lord Caitanya
is the emotional process of taking Krsna back to Vrndavana.
Srimati Radharani refused to go with Krsna to Dvaraka to enjoy
His company in the atmosphere of royal opulence, for She wanted
to enjoy His company in the original Vrndavana atmosphere. Lord
Krsna, being profoundly attached to the gopis, never goes away
from Vrndavana, and the gopis and other residents of Vrndavana
remain fully satisfied in Krsna consciousness.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Eighty
-second Chapter of Krsna, "Lord Krsna and Balarama Meet
the Inhabitants of Vrndavana."
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