Chapter Eight
Prayers by Queen Kunti and Pariksit Saved
TEXT 1
TEXT
suta uvaca
atha te samparetanam
svanam udakam icchatam
datum sakrsna gangayam
puraskrtya yayuh striyah
SYNONYMS
sutah uvaca--Suta said; atha--thus; te--the Pandavas; samparetanam--of the dead; svanam--of the relatives; udakam--water; icchatam--willing to have; datum--to deliver; sa-krsnah--along with Draupadi; gangayam--on the Ganges; puraskrtya--putting in the front; yayuh--went; striyah--the women.
TRANSLATION
Suta Gosvami said: Thereafter the Pandavas, desiring to deliver water to the dead relatives who had desired it, went to the Ganges with Draupadi. The ladies walked in front.
PURPORT
To date it is the custom in Hindu society to go to the Ganges or any other sacred river to take bath when death occurs in the family. Each of the family members pours out a potful of the Ganges water for the departed soul and walks in a procession, with the ladies in the front. The Pandavas also followed the rules more than five thousand years ago. Lord Krsna, being a cousin of the Pandavas, was also amongst the family members.
TEXT 2
TEXT
te niniyodakam sarve
vilapya ca bhrsam punah
apluta hari-padabja-
rajah-puta-sarij-jale
SYNONYMS
te--all of them; niniya--having offered; udakam--water; sarve--every one of them; vilapya--having lamented; ca--and; bhrsam--sufficiently; punah--again; aplutah--took bath; hari-padabja--the lotus feet of the Lord; rajah--dust; puta--purified; sarit--of the Ganges; jale--in the water.
TRANSLATION
Having lamented over them and sufficiently offered Ganges water, they bathed in the Ganges, whose water is sanctified due to being mixed with the dust of the lotus feet of the Lord.
TEXT 3
TEXT
tatrasinam kuru-patim
dhrtarastram sahanujam
gandharim putra-sokartam
prtham krsnam ca madhavah
SYNONYMS
tatra--there; asinam--sitting; kuru-patim--the King of the Kurus; dhrtarastram--Dhrtarastra; saha-anujam--with his younger brothers; gandharim--Gandhari; putra--son; soka-artam--overtaken by bereavement; prtham--Kunti; krsnam--Draupadi; ca--also; madhavah--Lord Sri Krsna.
TRANSLATION
There sat the King of the Kurus, Maharaja Yudhisthira, along with his younger brothers and Dhrtarastra, Gandhari, Kunti and Draupadi, all overwhelmed with grief. Lord Krsna was also there.
PURPORT
The Battle of Kuruksetra was fought between family members, and thus all affected persons were also family members like Maharaja Yudhisthira and brothers, Kunti, Draupadi, Subhadra, Dhrtarastra, Gandhari and her daughters-in-law, etc. All the principal dead bodies were in some way or other related with each other, and therefore the family grief was combined. Lord Krsna was also one of them as a cousin of the Pandavas and nephew of Kunti, as well as brother of Subhadra, etc. The Lord, therefore, was equally sympathetic toward all of them, and therefore he began to pacify them befittingly.
TEXT 4
TEXT
santvayam asa munibhir
hata-bandhun sucarpitan
bhutesu kalasya gatim
darsayan na pratikriyam
SYNONYMS
santvayam asa--pacified; munibhih--along with the munis present there; hata-bandhun--those who lost their friends and relatives; sucarpitan--all shocked and affected; bhutesu--unto the living beings; kalasya--of the supreme law of the Almighty; gatim--reactions; darsayan--demonstrated; na--no; pratikriyam--remedial measures.
TRANSLATION
Citing the stringent laws of the Almighty and their reactions upon living beings, Lord Sri Krsna and the munis began to pacify those who were shocked and affected.
PURPORT
The stringent laws of nature, under the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, cannot be altered by any living entity. The living entities are eternally under the subjugation of the almighty Lord. The Lord makes all the laws and orders, and these laws and orders are generally called dharma or religion. No one can create any religious formula. Bona fide religion is to abide by the orders of the Lord. The Lord's orders are clearly declared in the Bhagavad-gita. Everyone should follow Him only or His orders, and that will make all happy, both materially and spiritually. As long as we are in the material world, our duty is to follow the orders of the Lord, and if by the grace of the Lord we are liberated from the clutches of the material world, then in our liberated stage also we can render transcendental loving service unto the Lord. In our material stage we can see neither ourselves nor the Lord for want of spiritual vision. But when we are liberated from material affection and are situated in our original spiritual form we can see both ourselves and the Lord face to face. Mukti means to be reinstated in one's original spiritual status after giving up the material conception of life. Therefore, human life is specifically meant for qualifying ourselves for this spiritual liberty. Unfortunately, under the influence of illusory material energy, we accept this spot-life of only a few years as our permanent existence and thus become illusioned by possessing so-called country, home, land, children, wife, community, wealth, etc., which are false representations created by maya (illusion). And under the dictation of maya, we fight with one another to protect these false possessions. By cultivating spiritual knowledge, we can realize that we have nothing to do with all this material paraphernalia. Then at once we become free from material attachment. This clearance of the misgivings of material existence at once takes place by association with the Lord's devotees, who are able to inject the transcendental sound into the depths of the bewildered heart and thus make one practically liberated from all lamentation and illusion. That is a summary of the pacifying measures for those affected by the reaction of stringent material laws, exhibited in the forms of birth, death, old age and disease, which are insoluble factors of material existence. The victims of war, namely, the family members of the Kurus, were lamenting the problems of death, and the Lord pacified them on the basis of knowledge.
TEXT 5
TEXT
sadhayitvajata-satroh
svam rajyam kitavair hrtam
ghatayitvasato rajnah
kaca-sparsa-ksatayusah
SYNONYMS
sadhayitva--having executed; ajata-satroh--of one who has no enemy; svam rajyam--own kingdom; kitavaih--by the clever (Duryodhana and party); hrtam--usurped; ghatayitva--having killed; asatah--the unscrupulous; rajnah--of the queen's; kaca--bunch of hair; sparsa--roughly handled; ksata--decreased; ayusah--by the duration of life.
TRANSLATION
The clever Duryodhana and his party cunningly usurped the kingdom of Yudhisthira, who had no enemy. By the grace of the Lord, the recovery was executed, and the unscrupulous kings who joined with Duryodhana were killed by Him. Others also died, their duration of life having decreased for their rough handling of the hair of Queen Draupadi.
PURPORT
In the glorious days, or before the advent of the age of Kali, the brahmanas, the cows, the women, the children and the old men were properly given protection.
1. The protection of the brahmanas maintains the institution of varna and asrama, the most scientific culture for attainment of spiritual life.
2. The protection of cows maintains the most miraculous form of food, i.e., milk for maintaining the finer tissues of the brain for understanding higher aims of life.
3. The protection of women maintains the chastity of society, by which we can get a good generation for peace, tranquillity and progress of life.
4. The protection of children gives the human form of life its best chance to prepare the way of liberty from material bondage. Such protection of children begins from the very day of begetting a child by the purificatory process of garbhadhana-samskara, the beginning of pure life.
5. The protection of the old men gives them a chance to prepare themselves for better life after death.
This complete outlook is based on factors leading to successful humanity as against the civilization of polished cats and dogs. The killing of the above-mentioned innocent creatures is totally forbidden because even by insulting them one loses one's duration of life. In the age of Kali they are not properly protected, and therefore the duration of life of the present generation has shortened considerably. In the Bhagavad-gita it is stated that when the women become unchaste for want of proper protection, there are unwanted children called varna-sankara. To insult a chaste woman means to bring about disaster in the duration of life. Duhsasana, a brother of Duryodhana, insulted Draupadi, an ideal chaste lady, and therefore the miscreants died untimely. These are some of the stringent laws of the Lord mentioned above.
TEXT 6
TEXT
yajayitvasvamedhais tam
tribhir uttama-kalpakaih
tad-yasah pavanam diksu
sata-manyor ivatanot
SYNONYMS
yajayitva--by performing; asvamedhaih--yajna in which a horse is sacrificed; tam--him (King Yudhisthira); tribhih--three; uttama--best; kalpakaih--supplied with proper ingredients and performed by able priests; tat--that; yasah--fame; pavanam--virtuous; diksu--all directions; sata-manyoh--Indra, who performed one hundred such sacrifices; iva--like; atanot--spread.
TRANSLATION
Lord Sri Krsna caused three well-performed Asvamedha-yajnas [horse sacrifices] to be conducted by Maharaja Yudhisthira and thus caused his virtuous fame to be glorified in all directions, like that of Indra, who had performed one hundred such sacrifices.
PURPORT
This is something like the preface to the performances of Asvamedha-yajna by Maharaja Yudhisthira. The comparison of Maharaja Yudhisthira to the King of heaven is significant. The King of heaven is thousands and thousands of times greater than Maharaja Yudhisthira in opulence, yet the fame of Maharaja Yudhisthira was not less. The reason is that Maharaja Yudhisthira was a pure devotee of the Lord, and by His grace only was King Yudhisthira on the level of the King of heaven, even though he performed only three yajnas whereas the King of heaven performed hundreds. That is the prerogative of the devotee of the Lord. The Lord is equal to everyone, but a devotee of the Lord is more glorified because he is always in touch with the all-great. The sun rays are equally distributed, but still there are some places which are always dark. This is not due to the sun but to the receptive power. Similarly, those who are cent percent devotees of the Lord get the full-fledged mercy of the Lord, which is always equally distributed everywhere.
TEXT 7
TEXT
amantrya pandu-putrams ca
saineyoddhava-samyutah
dvaipayanadibhir vipraih
pujitaih pratipujitah
SYNONYMS
amantrya--inviting; pandu-putran--all the sons of Pandu; ca--also; saineya--Satyaki; uddhava--Uddhava; samyutah--accompanied; dvaipayana-adibhih--by the rsis like Vedavyasa; vipraih--by the brahmanas; pujitaih--being worshiped; pratipujitah--the Lord also reciprocated equally.
TRANSLATION
Lord Sri Krsna then prepared for His departure. He invited the sons of Pandu, after having been worshiped by the brahmanas, headed by Srila Vyasadeva. The Lord also reciprocated greetings.
PURPORT
Apparently Lord Sri Krsna was a ksatriya and was not worshipable by the brahmanas. But the brahmanas present there, headed by Srila Vyasadeva, all knew Him to be the Personality of Godhead, and therefore they worshiped Him. The Lord reciprocated the greetings just to honor the social order that a ksatriya is obedient to the orders of the brahmanas. Although Lord Sri Krsna was always offered the respects due the Supreme Lord from all responsible quarters, the Lord never deviated from the customary usages between the four orders of society. The Lord purposely observed all these social customs so that others would follow Him in the future.
TEXT 8
TEXT
gantum krtamatir brahman
dvarakam ratham asthitah
upalebhe 'bhidhavantim
uttaram bhaya-vihvalam
SYNONYMS
gantum--just desiring to start; krtamatih--having decided; brahman--O brahmana; dvarakam--towards Dvaraka; ratham--on the chariot; asthitah--seated; upalebhe--saw; abhidhavantim--coming hurriedly; uttaram--Uttara; bhaya-vihvalam--being afraid.
TRANSLATION
As soon as He seated Himself on the chariot to start for Dvaraka, He saw Uttara hurrying toward Him in fear.
PURPORT
All the members of the family of the Pandavas were completely dependent on the protection of the Lord, and therefore the Lord protected all of them in all circumstances. The Lord protects everyone, but one who depends completely upon Him is especially looked after by the Lord. The father is more attentive to the little son who is exclusively dependent on the father.
TEXT 9
TEXT
uttarovaca
pahi pahi maha-yogin
deva-deva jagat-pate
nanyam tvad abhayam pasye
yatra mrtyuh parasparam
SYNONYMS
uttara uvaca--Uttara said; pahi pahi--protect, protect; maha-yogin--the greatest mystic; deva-deva--the worshipable of the worshiped; jagat-pate--O Lord of the universe; na--not; anyam--anyone else; tvat--than You; abhayam--fearlessness; pasye--do I see; yatra--where there is; mrtyuh--death; parasparam--in the world of duality.
TRANSLATION
Uttara said: O Lord of lords, Lord of the universe! You are the greatest of mystics. Please protect me, for there is no one else who can save me from the clutches of death in this world of duality.
PURPORT
This material world is the world of duality, in contrast with the oneness of the absolute realm. The world of duality is composed of matter and spirit, whereas the absolute world is complete spirit without any tinge of the material qualities. In the dual world everyone is falsely trying to become the master of the world, whereas in the absolute world the Lord is the absolute Lord, and all others are His absolute servitors. In the world of duality everyone is envious of all others, and death is inevitable due to the dual existence of matter and spirit. The Lord is the only shelter of fearlessness for the surrendered soul. One cannot save himself from the cruel hands of death in the material world without having surrendered himself at the lotus feet of the Lord.
TEXT 10
TEXT
abhidravati mam isa
saras taptayaso vibho
kamam dahatu mam natha
ma me garbho nipatyatam
SYNONYMS
abhidravati--coming towards; mam--me; isa--O Lord; sarah--the arrow; tapta--fiery; ayasah--iron; vibho--O great one; kamam--desire; dahatu--let it burn; mam--me; natha--O protector; ma--not; me--my; garbhah--embryo; nipatyatam--be aborted.
TRANSLATION
O my Lord, You are all-powerful. A fiery iron arrow is coming towards me fast. My Lord, let it burn me personally, if You so desire, but please do not let it burn and abort my embryo. Please do me this favor, my Lord.
PURPORT
This incident took place after the death of Abhimanyu, the husband of Uttara. Abhimanyu's widow, Uttara, should have followed the path of her husband, but because she was pregnant, and Maharaja Pariksit, a great devotee of the Lord, was lying in embryo, she was responsible for his protection. The mother of a child has a great responsibility in giving all protection to the child, and therefore Uttara was not ashamed to express this frankly before Lord Krsna. Uttara was the daughter of a great king, the wife of a great hero, and student of a great devotee, and later she was the mother of a good king also. She was fortunate in every respect.
TEXT 11
TEXT
suta uvaca
upadharya vacas tasya
bhagavan bhakta-vatsalah
apandavam idam kartum
drauner astram abudhyata
SYNONYMS
sutah uvaca--Suta Gosvami said; upadharya--by hearing her patiently; vacah--words; tasyah--her; bhagavan--the Personality of Godhead; bhakta-vatsalah--He who is very much affectionate towards His devotees; apandavam--without the existence of the Pandavas' descendants; idam--this; kartum--to do it; drauneh--of the son of Dronacarya; astram--weapon; abudhyata--understood.
TRANSLATION
Suta Gosvami said: Having patiently heard her words, Lord Sri Krsna, who is always very affectionate to His devotees, could at once understand that Asvatthama, the son of Dronacarya, had thrown the brahmastra to finish the last life in the Pandava family.
PURPORT
The Lord is impartial in every respect, but still He is inclined towards His devotees because there is a great necessity of this for everyone's wellbeing. The Pandava family was a family of devotees, and therefore the Lord wanted them to rule the world. That was the reason He vanquished the rule of the company of Duryodhana and established the rule of Maharaja Yudhisthira. Therefore, He also wanted to protect Maharaja Pariksit, who was lying in embryo. He did not like the idea that the world should be without the Pandavas, the ideal family of devotees.
TEXT 12
TEXT
tarhy evatha muni-srestha
pandavah panca sayakan
atmano 'bhimukhan diptan
alaksyastrany upadaduh
SYNONYMS
tarhi--then; eva--also; atha--therefore; muni-srestha--O chief amongst the munis; pandavah--all the sons of Pandu; panca--five; sayakan--weapons; atmanah--own selves; abhimukhan--towards; diptan--glaring; alaksya--seeing it; astrani--weapons; upadaduh--took up.
TRANSLATION
O foremost among the great thinkers [munis] [Saunaka], seeing the glaring brahmastra proceeding towards them, the Pandavas took up their five respective weapons.
PURPORT
The brahmastras are finer than the nuclear weapons. Asvatthama discharged the brahmastra simply to kill the Pandavas, namely the five brothers headed by Maharaja Yudhisthira and their only grandson, who was lying within the womb of Uttara. Therefore the brahmastra, more effective and finer than the atomic weapons, was not as blind as the atomic bombs. When the atomic bombs are discharged they do not discriminate between the target and others. Mainly the atomic bombs do harm to the innocent because there is no control. The brahmastra is not like that. It marks out the target and proceeds accordingly without harming the innocent.
TEXT 13
TEXT
vyasanam viksya tat tesam
ananya-visayatmanam
sudarsanena svastrena
svanam raksam vyadhad vibhuh
SYNONYMS
vyasanam--great danger; viksya--having observed; tat--that; tesam--their; ananya--no other; visaya--means; atmanam--thus inclined; sudarsanena--by the wheel of Sri Krsna; sva-astrena--by the weapon; svanam--of His own devotees; raksam--protection; vyadhat--did it; vibhuh--the Almighty.
TRANSLATION
The almighty Personality of Godhead, Sri Krsna, having observed that a great danger was befalling His unalloyed devotees, who were fully surrendered souls, at once took up His Sudarsana disc to protect them.
PURPORT
The brahmastra, the supreme weapon released by Asvatthama, was something similar to the nuclear weapon but with more radiation and heat. This brahmastra is the product of a more subtle science, being the product of a finer sound, a mantra recorded in the Vedas. Another advantage of this weapon is that it is not blind like the nuclear weapon because it can be directed only to the target and nothing else. Asvatthama released the weapon just to finish all the male members of Pandu's family; therefore in one sense it was more dangerous than the atomic bombs because it could penetrate even the most protected place and would never miss the target. Knowing all this, Lord Sri Krsna at once took up His personal weapon to protect His devotees, who did not know anyone other than Krsna. In the Bhagavad-gita the Lord has clearly promised that His devotees are never to be vanquished. And He behaves according to the quality or degree of the devotional service rendered by the devotees. Here the word ananya-visayatmanam is significant. The Pandavas were cent percent dependent on the protection of the Lord, although they were all great warriors themselves. But the Lord neglects even the greatest warriors and also vanquishes them in no time. When the Lord saw that there was no time for the Pandavas to counteract the brahmastra of Asvatthama, He took up His weapon even at the risk of breaking His own vow. Although the Battle of Kuruksetra was almost finished, still, according to His vow, He should not have taken up His own weapon. But the emergency was more important than the vow. He is better known as the bhakta-vatsala, or the lover of His devotee, and thus He preferred to continue as bhakta-vatsala than to be a worldly moralist who never breaks his solemn vow.
TEXT 14
TEXT
antahsthah sarva-bhutanam
atma yogesvaro harih
sva-mayayavrnod garbham
vairatyah kuru-tantave
SYNONYMS
antahsthah--being within; sarva--all; bhutanam--of the living beings; atma--soul; yoga-isvarah--the Lord of all mysticism; harih--the Supreme Lord; sva-mayaya--by the personal energy; avrnot--covered; garbham--embryo; vairatyah--of Uttara; kuru-tantave--for the progeny of Maharaja Kuru.
TRANSLATION
The Lord of supreme mysticism, Sri Krsna, resides within everyone's heart as the Paramatma. As such, just to protect the progeny of the Kuru dynasty, He covered the embryo of Uttara by His personal energy.
PURPORT
The Lord of supreme mysticism can simultaneously reside within everyone's heart, or even within the atoms, by His Paramatma feature, His plenary portion. Therefore, from within the body of Uttara He covered the embryo to save Maharaja Pariksit and protect the progeny of Maharaja Kuru, of whom King Pandu was also a descendant. Both the sons of Dhrtarastra and those of Pandu belonged to the same dynasty of Maharaja Kuru; therefore both of them were generally known as Kurus. But when there were differences between the two families, the sons of Dhrtarastra were known as Kurus whereas the sons of Pandu were known as Pandavas. Since the sons and grandsons of Dhrtarastra were all killed in the Battle of Kuruksetra, the last son of the dynasty is designated as the son of the Kurus.
TEXT 15
TEXT
yadyapy astram brahma-siras
tv amogham capratikriyam
vaisnavam teja asadya
samasamyad bhrgudvaha
SYNONYMS
yadyapi--although; astram--weapon; brahma-sirah--supreme; tu--but; amogham--without check; ca--and; apratikriyam--not to be counteracted; vaisnavam--in relation with Visnu; tejah--strength; asadya--being confronted with; samasamyat--was neutralized; bhrgu-udvaha--O glory of the family of Bhrgu.
TRANSLATION
O Saunaka, although the supreme brahmastra weapon released by Asvatthama was irresistible and without check or counteraction, it was neutralized and foiled when confronted by the strength of Visnu [Lord Krsna].
PURPORT
In the Bhagavad-gita it is said that the brahmajyoti, or the glowing transcendental effulgence, is resting on Lord Sri Krsna. In other words, the glowing effulgence known as brahma-tejas is nothing but the rays of the Lord, just as the sun rays are rays of the sun disc. So this Brahma weapon also, although materially irresistible, could not surpass the supreme strength of the Lord. The weapon called brahmastra, released by Asvatthama, was neutralized and foiled by Lord Sri Krsna by His own energy; that is to say, He did not wait for any other's help because He is absolute.
TEXT 16
TEXT
ma mamstha hy etad ascaryam
sarvascaryamaye 'cyute
ya idam mayaya devya
srjaty avati hanty ajah
SYNONYMS
ma--do not; mamsthah--think; hi--certainly; etat--all these; ascaryam--wonderful; sarva--all; ascarya-maye--in the all-mysterious; acyute--the infallible; yah--one who; idam--this (creation); mayaya--by His energy; devya--transcendental; srjati--creates; avati--maintains; hanti--annihilates; ajah--unborn.
TRANSLATION
O brahmanas, do not think this to be especially wonderful in the activities of the mysterious and infallible Personality of Godhead. By His own transcendental energy, He maintains and annihilates all material things, although He Himself is unborn.
PURPORT
The activities of the Lord are always inconceivable to the tiny brain of the living entities. Nothing is impossible for the Supreme Lord, but all His actions are wonderful for us, and thus He is always beyond the range of our conceivable limits. The Lord is the all-powerful, all-perfect Personality of Godhead. The Lord is cent percent perfect, whereas others, namely Narayana, Brahma, Siva, the demigods and all other living beings, possess only different percentages of such perfection. No one is equal to or greater than Him. He is unrivaled.
TEXT 17
TEXT
brahma-tejo-vinirmuktair
atmajaih saha krsnaya
prayanabhimukham krsnam
idam aha prtha sati
SYNONYMS
brahma-tejah--the radiation of the brahmastra; vinirmuktaih--being saved from; atma-jaih--along with her sons; saha--with; krsnaya--Draupadi; prayana--outgoing; abhimukham--towards; krsnam--unto Lord Krsna; idam--this; aha--said; prtha--Kunti; sati--chaste, devoted to the Lord.
TRANSLATION
Thus saved from the radiation of the brahmastra, Kunti, the chaste devotee of the Lord, and her five sons and Draupadi addressed Lord Krsna as He started for home.
PURPORT
Kunti is described herein as sati, or chaste, due to her unalloyed devotion to Lord Sri Krsna. Her mind will now be expressed in the following prayers for Lord Krsna. A chaste devotee of the Lord does not look to others, namely any other living being or demigod, even for deliverance from danger. That was all along the characteristic of the whole family of the Pandavas. They knew nothing except Krsna, and therefore the Lord was also always ready to help them in all respects and in all circumstances. That is the transcendental nature of the Lord. He reciprocates the dependence of the devotee. One should not, therefore, look for help from imperfect living beings or demigods, but one should look for all help from Lord Krsna, who is competent to save His devotees. Such a chaste devotee also never asks the Lord for help, but the Lord, out of His own accord, is always anxious to render it.
TEXT 18
TEXT
kunty uvaca
namasye purusam tvadyam
isvaram prakrteh param
alaksyam sarva-bhutanam
antar bahir avasthitam
SYNONYMS
kunti uvaca--Srimati Kunti said; namasye--let me bow down; purusam--the Supreme Person; tva--You; adyam--the original; isvaram--the controller; prakrteh--of the material cosmos; param--beyond; alaksyam--the invisible; sarva--all; bhutanam--of living beings; antah--within; bahih--without; avasthitam--existing.
TRANSLATION
Srimati Kunti said: O Krsna, I offer my obeisances unto You because You are the original personality and are unaffected by the qualities of the material world. You are existing both within and without everything, yet You are invisible to all.
PURPORT
Srimati Kuntidevi was quite aware that Krsna is the original Personality of Godhead, although He was playing the part of her nephew. Such an enlightened lady could not commit a mistake by offering obeisances unto her nephew. Therefore, she addressed Him as the original purusa beyond the material cosmos. Although all living entities are also transcendental, they are neither original nor infallible. The living entities are apt to fall down under the clutches of material nature, but the Lord is never like that. In the Vedas, therefore, He is described as the chief among all living entities (nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam). Then again He is addressed as isvara, or the controller. The living entities or the demigods like Candra and Surya are also to some extent isvara, but none of them is the supreme isvara, or the ultimate controller. He is the paramesvara, or the Supersoul. He is both within and without. Although He was present before Srimati Kunti as her nephew, He was also within her and everyone else. In the Bhagavad-gita (15.15) the Lord says, "I am situated in everyone's heart, and only due to Me one remembers, forgets and is cognizant, etc. Through all the Vedas I am to be known because I am the compiler of the Vedas, and I am the teacher of the Vedanta." Queen Kunti affirms that the Lord, although both within and without all living beings, is still invisible. The Lord is, so to speak, a puzzle for the common man. Queen Kunti experienced personally that Lord Krsna was present before her, yet He entered within the womb of Uttara to save her embryo from the attack of Asvatthama's brahmastra. Kunti herself was puzzled about whether Sri Krsna is all-pervasive or localized. In fact, He is both, but He reserves the right of not being exposed to persons who are not surrendered souls. This checking curtain is called the maya energy of the Supreme Lord, and it controls the limited vision of the rebellious soul. It is explained as follows.
TEXT 19
TEXT
maya-javanikacchannam
ajnadhoksajam avyayam
na laksyase mudha-drsa
nato natyadharo yatha
SYNONYMS
maya--deluding; javanika--curtain; acchannam--covered by; ajna--ignorant; adhoksajam--beyond the range of material conception (transcendental); avyayam--irreproachable; na--not; laksyase--observed; mudha-drsa--by the foolish observer; natah--artist; natya-dharah--dressed as a player; yatha--as.
TRANSLATION
Being beyond the range of limited sense perception, You are the eternally irreproachable factor covered by the curtain of deluding energy. You are invisible to the foolish observer, exactly as an actor dressed as a player is not recognized.
PURPORT
In the Bhagavad-gita Lord Sri Krsna affirms that less intelligent persons mistake Him to be an ordinary man like us, and thus they deride Him. The same is confirmed herein by Queen Kunti. The less intelligent persons are those who rebel against the authority of the Lord. Such persons are known as asuras. The asuras cannot recognize the Lord's authority. When the Lord Himself appears amongst us, as Rama, Nrsimha, Varaha or in His original form as Krsna, He performs many wonderful acts which are humanly impossible. As we shall find in the Tenth Canto of this great literature, Lord Sri Krsna exhibited His humanly impossible activities even from the days of His lying on the lap of His mother. He killed the Putana witch, although she smeared her breast with poison just to kill the Lord. The Lord sucked her breast like a natural baby, and He sucked out her very life also. Similarly, He lifted the Govardhana Hill, just as a boy picks up a frog's umbrella, and stood several days continuously just to give protection to the residents of Vrndavana. These are some of the superhuman activities of the Lord described in the authoritative Vedic literatures like the Puranas, Itihasas (histories) and Upanisads. He has delivered wonderful instructions in the shape of the Bhagavad-gita. He has shown marvelous capacities as a hero, as a householder, as a teacher and as a renouncer. He is accepted as the Supreme Personality of Godhead by such authoritative personalities as Vyasa, Devala, Asita, Narada, Madhva, Sankara, Ramanuja, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Jiva Gosvami, Visvanatha Cakravarti, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati and all other authorities of the line. He Himself has declared as much in many places of the authentic literatures. And yet there is a class of men with demoniac mentality who are always reluctant to accept the Lord as the Supreme Absolute Truth. This is partially due to their poor fund of knowledge and partially due to their stubborn obstinacy, which results from various misdeeds in the past and present. Such persons could not recognize Lord Sri Krsna even when He was present before them. Another difficulty is that those who depend more on their imperfect senses cannot realize Him as the Supreme Lord. Such persons are like the modern scientist. They want to know everything by their experimental knowledge. But it is not possible to know the Supreme Person by imperfect experimental knowledge. He is described herein as adhoksaja, or beyond the range of experimental knowledge. All our senses are imperfect. We claim to observe everything and anything, but we must admit that we can observe things under certain material conditions only, which are also beyond our control. The Lord is beyond the observation of sense perception. Queen Kunti accepts this deficiency of the conditioned soul, especially of the woman class, who are less intelligent. For less intelligent men there must be such things as temples, mosques or churches so that they may begin to recognize the authority of the Lord and hear about Him from authorities in such holy places. For less intelligent men, this beginning of spiritual life is essential, and only foolish men decry the establishment of such places of worship, which are required to raise the standard of spiritual attributes for the mass of people. For less intelligent persons, bowing down before the authority of the Lord, as generally done in the temples, mosques or churches, is as beneficial as it is for the advanced devotees to meditate upon Him by active service.
TEXT 20
TEXT
tatha paramahamsanam
muninam amalatmanam
bhakti-yoga-vidhanartham
katham pasyema hi striyah
SYNONYMS
tatha--besides that; paramahamsanam--of the advanced transcendentalists; muninam--of the great philosophers or mental speculators; amala-atmanam--those whose minds are competent to discern between spirit and matter; bhakti-yoga--the science of devotional service; vidhana-artham--for executing; katham--how; pasyema--can observe; hi--certainly; striyah--women.
TRANSLATION
You Yourself descend to propagate the transcendental science of devotional service unto the hearts of the advanced transcendentalists and mental speculators, who are purified by being able to discriminate between matter and spirit. How, then, can we women know You perfectly?
PURPORT
Even the greatest philosophical speculators cannot have access to the region of the Lord. It is said in the Upanisads that the Supreme Truth, the Absolute Personality of Godhead, is beyond the range of the thinking power of the greatest philosopher. He is unknowable by great learning or by the greatest brain. He is knowable only by one who has His mercy. Others may go on thinking about Him for years together, yet He is unknowable. This very fact is corroborated by the Queen, who is playing the part of an innocent woman. Women in general are unable to speculate like philosophers, but they are blessed by the Lord because they believe at once in the superiority and almightiness of the Lord, and thus they offer obeisances without reservation. The Lord is so kind that He does not show special favor only to one who is a great philosopher. He knows the sincerity of purpose. For this reason only, women generally assemble in great number in any sort of religious function. In every country and in every sect of religion it appears that the women are more interested than the men. This simplicity of acceptance of the Lord's authority is more effective than showy insincere religious fervor.
TEXT 21
TEXT
krsnaya vasudevaya
devaki-nandanaya ca
nanda-gopa-kumaraya
govindaya namo namah
SYNONYMS
krsnaya--the Supreme Lord; vasudevaya--unto the son of Vasudeva; devaki-nandanaya--unto the son of Devaki; ca--and; nanda-gopa--Nanda and the cowherd men; kumaraya--unto their son; govindaya--unto the Personality of Godhead, who enlivens the cows and the senses; namah--respectful obeisances; namah--obeisances.
TRANSLATION
Let me therefore offer my respectful obeisances unto the Lord, who has become the son of Vasudeva, the pleasure of Devaki, the boy of Nanda and the other cowherd men of Vrndavana, and the enlivener of the cows and the senses.
PURPORT
The Lord, being thus unapproachable by any material assets, out of unbounded and causeless mercy descends on the earth as He is in order to show His special mercy upon His unalloyed devotees and to diminish the upsurges of the demoniac persons. Queen Kunti specifically adores the incarnation or descent of Lord Krsna above all other incarnations because in this particular incarnation He is more approachable. In the Rama incarnation He remained a king's son from His very childhood, but in the incarnation of Krsna, although He was the son of a king, He at once left the shelter of His real father and mother (King Vasudeva and Queen Devaki) just after His appearance and went to the lap of Yasodamayi to play the part of an ordinary cowherd boy in the blessed Vrajabhumi, which is very sanctified because of His childhood pastimes. Therefore Lord Krsna is more merciful than Lord Rama. He was undoubtedly very kind to Kunti's brother Vasudeva and the family. Had He not become the son of Vasudeva and Devaki, Queen Kunti could not claim Him to be her nephew and thus address Krsna in parental affection. But Nanda and Yasoda are more fortunate because they could relish the Lord's childhood pastimes, which are more attractive than all other pastimes. There is no parallel to His childhood pastimes as exhibited at Vrajabhumi, which are the prototypes of His eternal affairs in the original Krsnaloka described as the cintamani-dhama in the Brahma-samhita. Lord Sri Krsna descended Himself at Vrajabhumi with all His transcendental entourage and paraphernalia. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu therefore confirmed that no one is as fortunate as the residents of Vrajabhumi, and specifically the cowherd girls, who dedicated their everything for the satisfaction of the Lord. His pastimes with Nanda and Yasoda and His pastimes with the cowherd men and especially with the cowherd boys and the cows have caused Him to be known as Govinda. Lord Krsna as Govinda is more inclined to the brahmanas and the cows, indicating thereby that human prosperity depends more on these two items, namely brahminical culture and cow protection. Lord Krsna is never satisfied where these are lacking.
TEXT 22
TEXT
namah pankaja-nabhaya
namah pankaja-maline
namah pankaja-netraya
namas te pankajanghraye
SYNONYMS
namah--all respectful obeisances; pankaja-nabhaya--unto the Lord who has a specific depression resembling a lotus flower in the center of His abdomen; namah--obeisances; pankaja-maline--one who is always decorated with a garland of lotus flowers; namah--obeisances; pankaja-netraya--one whose glance is as cooling as a lotus flower; namah te--respectful obeisances unto You; pankaja-anghraye--unto You, the soles of whose feet are engraved with lotus flowers (and who are therefore said to possess lotus feet).
TRANSLATION
My respectful obeisances are unto You, O Lord, whose abdomen is marked with a depression like a lotus flower, who are always decorated with garlands of lotus flowers, whose glance is as cool as the lotus and whose feet are engraved with lotuses.
PURPORT
Here are some of the specific symbolical marks on the spiritual body of the Personality of Godhead which distinguish His body from the bodies of all others. They are all special features of the body of the Lord. The Lord may appear as one of us, but He is always distinct by His specific bodily features. Srimati Kunti claims herself unfit to see the Lord because of her being a woman. This is claimed because women, sudras (the laborer class) and the dvija-bandhus, or the wretched descendants of the higher three classes, are unfit by intelligence to understand transcendental subject matter concerning the spiritual name, fame, attributes, forms, etc., of the Supreme Absolute Truth. Such persons, although they are unfit to enter into the spiritual affairs of the Lord, can see Him as the arca-vigraha, who descends on the material world just to distribute favors to the fallen souls, including the above-mentioned women, sudras and dvija-bandhus. Because such fallen souls cannot see anything beyond matter, the Lord condescends to enter into each and every one of the innumerable universes as the Garbhodakasayi Visnu, who grows a lotus stem from the lotuslike depression in the center of His transcendental abdomen, and thus Brahma, the first living being in the universe, is born. Therefore, the Lord is known as the Pankajanabhi. The Pankajanabhi Lord accepts the arca-vigraha (His transcendental form) in different elements, namely a form within the mind, a form made of wood, a form made of earth, a form made of metal, a form made of jewel, a form made of paint, a form drawn on sand, etc. All such forms of the Lord are always decorated with garlands of lotus flowers, and there should be a soothing atmosphere in the temple of worship to attract the burning attention of the nondevotees always engaged in material wranglings. The meditators worship a form within the mind. Therefore, the Lord is merciful even to the women, sudras and dvija-bandhus, provided they agree to visit the temple of worship in different forms made for them. Such temple visitors are not idolaters, as alleged by some men with a poor fund of knowledge. All the great acaryas established such temples of worship in all places just to favor the less intelligent, and one should not pose himself as transcending the stage of temple worship while one is actually in the category of the sudras and the women or less. One should begin to see the Lord from His lotus feet, gradually rising to the thighs, waist, chest and face. One should not try to look at the face of the Lord without being accustomed to seeing the lotus feet of the Lord. Srimati Kunti, because of her being the aunt of the Lord, did not begin to see the Lord from the lotus feet because the Lord might feel ashamed, and thus Kuntidevi, just to save a painful situation for the Lord, began to see the Lord just above His lotus feet, i.e., from the waist of the Lord, gradually rising to the face, and then down to the lotus feet. In the round, everything there is in order.
TEXT 23
TEXT
yatha hrsikesa khalena devaki
kamsena ruddhaticiram sucarpita
vimocitaham ca sahatmaja vibho
tvayaiva nathena muhur vipad-ganat
SYNONYMS
yatha--as it were; hrsikesa--the master of the senses; khalena--by the envious; devaki--Devaki (the mother of Sri Krsna); kamsena--by King Kamsa; ruddha--imprisoned; ati-ciram--for a long time; suca-arpita--distressed; vimocita--released; aham ca--also myself; saha-atma-ja--along with my children; vibho--O great one; tvaya eva--by Your Lordship; nathena--as the protector; muhuh--constantly; vipat-ganat--from a series of dangers.
TRANSLATION
O Hrsikesa, master of the senses and Lord of lords, You have released Your mother, Devaki, who was long imprisoned and distressed by the envious King Kamsa, and me and my children from a series of constant dangers.
PURPORT
Devaki, the mother of Krsna and sister of King Kamsa, was put into prison along with her husband, Vasudeva, because the envious King was afraid of being killed by Devaki's eighth son (Krsna). He killed all the sons of Devaki who were born before Krsna, but Krsna escaped the danger of child-slaughter because He was transferred to the house of Nanda Maharaja, Lord Krsna's foster father. Kuntidevi, along with her children, was also saved from a series of dangers. But Kuntidevi was shown far more favor because Lord Krsna did not save the other children of Devaki, whereas He saved the children of Kuntidevi. This was done because Devaki's husband, Vasudeva, was living, whereas Kuntidevi was a widow, and there was none to help her except Krsna. The conclusion is that Krsna endows more favor to a devotee who is in greater dangers. Sometimes He puts His pure devotees in such dangers because in that condition of helplessness the devotee becomes more attached to the Lord. The more the attachment is there for the Lord, the more success is there for the devotee.
TEXT 24
TEXT
visan mahagneh purusada-darsanad
asat-sabhaya vana-vasa-krcchratah
mrdhe mrdhe 'neka-maharathastrato
drauny-astratas casma hare 'bhiraksitah
SYNONYMS
visat--from poison; maha-agneh--from the great fire; purusa-ada--the man-eaters; darsanat--by combating; asat--vicious; sabhayah--assembly; vana-vasa--exiled to the forest; krcchratah--sufferings; mrdhe mrdhe--again and again in battle; aneka--many; maha-ratha--great generals; astratah--weapons; drauni--the son of Dronacarya; astratah--from the weapon of; ca--and; asma--indicating past tense; hare--O my Lord; abhiraksitah--protected completely.
TRANSLATION
My dear Krsna, Your Lordship has protected us from a poisoned cake, from a great fire, from cannibals, from the vicious assembly, from sufferings during our exile in the forest and from the battle where great generals fought. And now You have saved us from the weapon of Asvatthama.
PURPORT
The list of dangerous encounters is submitted herein. Devaki was once put into difficulty by her envious brother, otherwise she was well. But Kuntidevi and her sons were put into one difficulty after another for years and years together. They were put into trouble by Duryodhana and his party due to the kingdom, and each and every time the sons of Kunti were saved by the Lord. Once Bhima was administered poison in a cake, once they were put into the house made of shellac and set afire, and once Draupadi was dragged out, and attempts were made to insult her by stripping her naked in the vicious assembly of the Kurus. The Lord saved Draupadi by supplying an immeasurable length of cloth, and Duryodhana's party failed to see her naked. Similarly, when they were exiled in the forest, Bhima had to fight with the man-eater demon Hidimba Raksasa, but the Lord saved him. So it was not finished there. After all these tribulations, there was the great Battle of Kuruksetra, and Arjuna had to meet such great generals as Drona, Bhisma and Karna, all powerful fighters. And at last, even when everything was done away with, there was the brahmastra released by the son of Dronacarya to kill the child within the womb of Uttara, and so the Lord saved the only surviving descendant of the Kurus, Maharaja Pariksit.
TEXT 25
TEXT
vipadah santu tah sasvat
tatra tatra jagad-guro
bhavato darsanam yat syad
apunar bhava-darsanam
SYNONYMS
vipadah--calamities; santu--let there be; tah--all; sasvat--again and again; tatra--there; tatra--and there; jagat-guro--O Lord of the universe; bhavatah--Your; darsanam--meeting; yat--that which; syat--is; apunah--not again; bhava-darsanam--seeing repetition of birth and death.
TRANSLATION
I wish that all those calamities would happen again and again so that we could see You again and again, for seeing You means that we will no longer see repeated births and deaths.
PURPORT
Generally the distressed, the needy, the intelligent and the inquisitive, who have performed some pious activities, worship or begin to worship the Lord. Others, who are thriving on misdeeds only, regardless of status, cannot approach the Supreme due to being misled by the illusory energy. Therefore, for a pious person, if there is some calamity there is no other alternative than to take shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord. Constantly remembering the lotus feet of the Lord means preparing for liberation from birth and death. Therefore, even though there are so-called calamities, they are welcome because they give us an opportunity to remember the Lord, which means liberation.
One who has taken shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord, which are accepted as the most suitable boat for crossing the ocean of nescience, can achieve liberation as easily as one leaps over the holes made by the hoofs of a calf. Such persons are meant to reside in the abode of the Lord, and they have nothing to do with a place where there is danger in every step.
This material world is certified by the Lord in the Bhagavad-gita as a dangerous place full of calamities. Less intelligent persons prepare plans to adjust to those calamities without knowing that the nature of this place is itself full of calamities. They have no information of the abode of the Lord, which is full of bliss and without trace of calamity. The duty of the sane person, therefore, is to be undisturbed by worldly calamities, which are sure to happen in all circumstances. Suffering all sorts of unavoidable misfortunes, one should make progress in spiritual realization because that is the mission of human life. The spirit soul is transcendental to all material calamities; therefore, the so-called calamities are called false. A man may see a tiger swallowing him in a dream, and he may cry for this calamity. Actually there is no tiger and there is no suffering; it is simply a case of dreams. In the same way, all calamities of life are said to be dreams. If someone is lucky enough to get in contact with the Lord by devotional service, it is all gain. Contact with the Lord by any one of the nine devotional services is always a forward step on the path going back to Godhead.
TEXT 26
TEXT
janmaisvarya-sruta-sribhir
edhamana-madah puman
naivarhaty abhidhatum vai
tvam akincana-gocaram
SYNONYMS
janma--birth; aisvarya--opulence; sruta--education; sribhih--by the possession of beauty; edhamana--progressively increasing; madah--intoxication; puman--the human being; na--never; eva--ever; arhati--deserves; abhidhatum--to address in feeling; vai--certainly; tvam--You; akincana-gocaram--one who is approached easily by the materially exhausted man.
TRANSLATION
My Lord, Your Lordship can easily be approached, but only by those who are materially exhausted. One who is on the path of [material] progress, trying to improve himself with respectable parentage, great opulence, high education and bodily beauty, cannot approach You with sincere feeling.
PURPORT
Being materially advanced means taking birth in an aristocratic family and possessing great wealth, an education and attractive personal beauty. All materialistic men are mad after possessing all these material opulences, and this is known as the advancement of material civilization. But the result is that by possessing all these material assets one becomes artificially puffed up, intoxicated by such temporary possessions. Consequently, such materially puffed up persons are incapable of uttering the holy name of the Lord by addressing Him feelingly, "O Govinda, O Krsna." It is said in the sastras that by once uttering the holy name of the Lord, the sinner gets rid of a quantity of sins that he is unable to commit. Such is the power of uttering the holy name of the Lord. There is not the least exaggeration in this statement. Actually the Lord's holy name has such powerful potency. But there is a quality to such utterances also. It depends on the quality of feeling. A helpless man can feelingly utter the holy name of the Lord, whereas a man who utters the same holy name in great material satisfaction cannot be so sincere. A materially puffed up person may utter the holy name of the Lord occasionally, but he is incapable of uttering the name in quality. Therefore, the four principles of material advancement, namely (1) high parentage, (2) good wealth, (3) high education and (4) attractive beauty, are, so to speak, disqualifications for progress on the path of spiritual advancement. The material covering of the pure spirit soul is an external feature, as much as fever is an external feature of the unhealthy body. The general process is to decrease the degree of the fever and not to aggravate it by maltreatment. Sometimes it is seen that spiritually advanced persons become materially impoverished. This is no discouragement. On the other hand, such impoverishment is a good sign as much as the falling of temperature is a good sign. The principle of life should be to decrease the degree of material intoxication which leads one to be more and more illusioned about the aim of life. Grossly illusioned persons are quite unfit for entrance into the kingdom of God.
TEXT 27
TEXT
namo 'kincana-vittaya
nivrtta-guna-vrttaye
atmaramaya santaya
kaivalya-pataye namah
SYNONYMS
namah--all obeisances unto You; akincana-vittaya--unto the property of the materially impoverished; nivrtta--completely transcendental to the actions of the material modes; guna--material modes; vrttaye--affection; atma-aramaya--one who is self-satisfied; santaya--the most gentle; kaivalya-pataye--unto the master of the monists; namah--bowing down.
TRANSLATION
My obeisances are unto You, who are the property of the materially impoverished. You have nothing to do with the actions and reactions of the material modes of nature. You are self-satisfied, and therefore You are the most gentle and are master of the monists.
PURPORT
A living being is finished as soon as there is nothing to possess. Therefore a living being cannot be, in the real sense of the term, a renouncer. A living being renounces something for gaining something more valuable. A student sacrifices his childish proclivities to gain better education. A servant gives up his job for a better job. Similarly, a devotee renounces the material world not for nothing but for something tangible in spiritual value. Srila Rupa Gosvami, Sanatana Gosvami and Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami and others gave up their worldly pomp and prosperity for the sake of the service of the Lord. They were big men in the worldly sense. The Gosvamis were ministers in the government service of Bengal, and Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami was the son of a big zamindar of his time. But they left everything to gain something superior to what they previously possessed. The devotees are generally without material prosperity, but they have a very secret treasure-house in the lotus feet of the Lord. There is a nice story about Srila Sanatana Gosvami. He had a touchstone with him, and this stone was left in a pile of refuse. A needy man took it, but later on wondered why the valuable stone was kept in such a neglected place. He therefore asked him for the most valuable thing, and then he was given the holy name of the Lord. Akincana means one who has nothing to give materially. A factual devotee, or mahatma, does not give anything material to anyone because he has already left all material assets. He can, however, deliver the supreme asset, namely the Personality of Godhead, because He is the only property of a factual devotee. The touchstone of Sanatana Gosvami, which was thrown in the rubbish, was not the property of the Gosvami, otherwise it would not have been kept in such a place. This specific example is given for the neophyte devotees just to convince them that material hankerings and spiritual advancement go ill together. Unless one is able to see everything as spiritual in relation with the Supreme Lord, one must always distinguish between spirit and matter. A spiritual master like Srila Sanatana Gosvami, although personally able to see everything as spiritual, set this example for us only because we have no such spiritual vision.
Advancement of material vision or material civilization is a great stumbling block for spiritual advancement. Such material advancement entangles the living being in the bondage of a material body followed by all sorts of material miseries. Such material advancement is called anartha, or things not wanted. Actually this is so. In the present context of material advancement one uses lipstick at a cost of fifty cents, and there are so many unwanted things which are all products of the material conception of life. By diverting attention to so many unwanted things, human energy is spoiled without achievement of spiritual realization, the prime necessity of human life. The attempt to reach the moon is another example of spoiling energy because even if the moon is reached, the problems of life will not be solved. The devotees of the Lord are called akincanas because they have practically no material assets. Such material assets are all products of the three modes of material nature. They foil spiritual energy, and thus the less we possess such products of material nature, the more we have a good chance for spiritual progress.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead has no direct connection with material activities. All His acts and deeds, which are exhibited even in this material world, are spiritual and without affection for the modes of material nature. In the Bhagavad-gita the Lord says that all His acts, even His appearance and disappearance in and out of the material world, are transcendental, and one who knows this perfectly shall not take his birth again in this material world, but will go back to Godhead.
The material disease is due to hankering after and lording it over material nature. This hankering is due to an interaction of the three modes of nature, and neither the Lord nor the devotees have attachment for such false enjoyment. Therefore, the Lord and the devotees are called nivrtta-guna-vrtti. The perfect nivrtta-guna-vrtti is the Supreme Lord because He never becomes attracted by the modes of material nature, whereas the living beings have such a tendency. Some of them are entrapped by the illusory attraction of material nature.
Because the Lord is the property of the devotees, and the devotees are the property of the Lord reciprocally, the devotees are certainly transcendental to the modes of material nature. That is a natural conclusion. Such unalloyed devotees are distinct from the mixed devotees who approach the Lord for mitigation of miseries and poverty or because of inquisitiveness and speculation. The unalloyed devotees and the Lord are transcendentally attached to one another. For others, the Lord has nothing to reciprocate, and therefore He is called atmarama, self-satisfied. Self-satisfied as He is, He is the master of all monists who seek to merge into the existence of the Lord. Such monists merge within the personal effulgence of the Lord called the brahmajyoti, but the devotees enter into the transcendental pastimes of the Lord, which are never to be misunderstood as material.
TEXT 28
TEXT
manye tvam kalam isanam
anadi-nidhanam vibhum
samam carantam sarvatra
bhutanam yan mithah kalih
SYNONYMS
manye--I consider; tvam--Your Lordship; kalam--the eternal time; isanam--the Supreme Lord; anadi-nidhanam--without beginning and end; vibhum--all-pervading; samam--equally merciful; carantam--distributing; sarvatra--everywhere; bhutanam--of the living beings; yat mithah--by intercourse; kalih--dissension.
TRANSLATION
My Lord, I consider Your Lordship to be eternal time, the supreme controller, without beginning and end, the all-pervasive one. In distributing Your mercy, You are equal to everyone. The dissensions between living beings are due to social intercourse.
PURPORT
Kuntidevi knew that Krsna was neither her nephew nor an ordinary family member of her paternal house. She knew perfectly well that Krsna is the primeval Lord who lives in everyone's heart as the Supersoul, Paramatma. Another name of the Paramatma feature of the Lord is kala, or eternal time. Eternal time is the witness of all our actions, good and bad, and thus resultant reactions are destined by Him. It is no use saying that we do not know why and for what we are suffering. We may forget the misdeed for which we may suffer at this present moment, but we must remember that Paramatma is our constant companion, and therefore He knows everything, past, present and future. And because the Paramatma feature of Lord Krsna destines all actions and reactions, He is the supreme controller also. Without His sanction not a blade of grass can move. The living beings are given as much freedom as they deserve, and misuse of that freedom is the cause of suffering. The devotees of the Lord do not misuse their freedom, and therefore they are the good sons of the Lord. Others, who misuse freedom, are put into miseries destined by the eternal kala. The kala offers the conditioned souls both happiness and miseries. It is all predestined by eternal time. As we have miseries uncalled-for, so we may have happiness also without being asked, for they are all predestined by kala. No one is therefore either an enemy or friend of the Lord. Everyone is suffering and enjoying the result of his own destiny. This destiny is made by the living beings in course of social intercourse. Everyone here wants to lord it over the material nature, and thus everyone creates his own destiny under the supervision of the Supreme Lord. He is all-pervading and therefore He can see everyone's activities. And because the Lord has no beginning or end, He is known also as the eternal time, kala.
TEXT 29
TEXT