Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: O King, one day Krishna decided to take His breakfast as a picnic in the forest. Having risen early in the morning, He blew His bugle made of horn and woke all the cowherd boys and calves with its beautiful sound. Then Krishna and the boys, keeping their respective groups of calves before them, proceeded from Vrajabhūmi to the forest.
At that time, hundreds and thousands of cowherd boys came out of their respective homes in Vrajabhūmi and joined Krishna, keeping before them their hundreds and thousands of groups of calves. The boys were very beautiful, and they were equipped with lunch bags, bugles, flutes, and sticks for controlling the calves.
Along with the cowherd boys and their own groups of calves, Krishna came out with an unlimited number of calves assembled. Then all the boys began to sport in the forest in a greatly playful spirit.
In this verse the words krishna-vatsair asankhyātaih are significant. The word asankhyāta means “unlimited.” Krishna’s calves were unlimited. We may speak of hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions, billions, trillions, tens of trillions, and so on, but when we go further to speak of numbers impossible for us to count, we are speaking of unlimited numbers. Such unlimited numbers are indicated here by the word asankhyātaih. Krishna is unlimited, His potency is unlimited, His cows and calves are unlimited, and His space is unlimited. Therefore He is described in Bhagavad-gītā as Parabrahman. The word brahman means “unlimited,” and Krishna is the Supreme Unlimited, Parabrahman. Therefore, we should not consider the statements of this verse to be mythological. They are factual, but inconceivable. Krishna can accommodate an unlimited number of calves and an unlimited measurement of space. This is neither mythological nor false, but if we study Krishna’s potency with our limited knowledge, that potency will never be possible to understand. Atah śrī-krishna-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaih (Bhakti-rasāmrita-sindhu 1.2.109). Our senses cannot perceive how He could keep an unlimited number of calves and cows and have unlimited space in which to do so. But this is answered in the Brihad-bhāgavatāmrita:
Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī, in the Brihad-bhāgavatāmrita, states that since everything about Krishna is unlimited, nothing is impossible for Him. It is in this sense that we have to understand this verse.
Although all these boys were already decorated by their mothers with ornaments of kāca, guñjā, pearls and gold, when they went into the forest they further decorated themselves with fruits, green leaves, bunches of flowers, peacock feathers and soft minerals.
All the cowherd boys used to steal one another’s lunch bags. When a boy came to understand that his bag had been taken away, the other boys would throw it farther away, to a more distant place, and those standing there would throw it still farther. When the proprietor of the bag became disappointed, the other boys would laugh, the proprietor would cry, and then the bag would be returned.
This kind of playing and stealing among boys still exists even in the material world because this kind of sporting pleasure is present in the spiritual world, from which this idea of enjoyment emanates. Janmādy asya yatah (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.2). This same enjoyment is displayed by Krishna and His associates in the spiritual world, but there the enjoyment is eternal, whereas here, on the material platform, it is temporary; there the enjoyment is brahman, whereas here the enjoyment is jada. The Krishna consciousness movement is meant to train one how to transfer oneself from the jada to the Brahman, because human life is meant for this purpose. Athāto brahma jijñāsā (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.1). Krishna comes down to teach us how we can enjoy with Him on the spiritual platform, in the spiritual world. Not only does He come, but He personally displays His pastimes in Vrindāvana and attracts people to spiritual enjoyment.
Sometimes Krishna would go to a somewhat distant place to see the beauty of the forest. Then all the other boys would run to accompany Him, each one saying, “I shall be the first to run and touch Krishna! I shall touch Krishna first!” In this way they enjoyed life by repeatedly touching Krishna.
All the boys would be differently engaged. Some boys blew their flutes, and others blew bugles made of horn. Some imitated the buzzing of the bumblebees, and others imitated the voice of the cuckoo. Some boys imitated flying birds by running after the birds’ shadows on the ground, some imitated the beautiful movements and attractive postures of the swans, some sat down with the ducks, sitting silently, and others imitated the dancing of the peacocks. Some boys attracted young monkeys in the trees, some jumped into the trees, imitating the monkeys, some made faces as the monkeys were accustomed to do, and others jumped from one branch to another. Some boys went to the waterfalls and crossed over the river, jumping with the frogs, and when they saw their own reflections on the water they would laugh. They would also condemn the sounds of their own echoes. In this way, all the cowherd boys used to play with Krishna, who is the source of the Brahman effulgence for jñānīs desiring to merge into that effulgence, who is the Supreme Personality of Godhead for devotees who have accepted eternal servitorship, and who for ordinary persons is but another ordinary child. The cowherd boys, having accumulated the results of pious activities for many lives, were able to associate in this way with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. How can one explain their great fortune?
As recommended by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, tasmāt kenāpy upāyena manah krishne niveśayet (Bhakti-rasāmrita-sindhu 1.2.4). Somehow or other, whether one thinks of Krishna as an ordinary human child, as the source of the Brahman effulgence, as the origin of Paramātmā, or as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one should concentrate one’s full attention upon the lotus feet of Krishna. That is also the instruction of Bhagavad-gītā (18.66): sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekam śaranam vraja. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the easiest way of directly approaching Krishna. Īśvarah sadyo hridy avarudhyate ’tra kritibhih śuśrūshubhis tat-kshanāt (Bhāg. 1.1.2). Diverting even a little of one’s attention toward Krishna and activities in Krishna consciousness immediately enables one to achieve the highest perfection of life. This is the purpose of the Krishna consciousness movement. Lokasyājānato vidvāmś cakre sātvata-samhitām (Bhāg. 1.7.6). The secret of success is unknown to people in general, and therefore Śrīla Vyāsadeva, being compassionate toward the poor souls in this material world, especially in this Age of Kali, has given us the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Śrīmad-bhāgavatam purānam amalam yad vaishnavānām priyam (Bhāg. 12.13.18). For Vaishnavas who are somewhat advanced, or who are fully aware of the glories and potencies of the Lord, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is a beloved Vedic literature. After all, we have to change this body (tathā dehāntara-prāptih). If we do not care about Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, we do not know what the next body will be. But if one adheres to these two books — Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam — one is sure to obtain the association of Krishna in the next life (tyaktvā deham punar janma naiti mām eti so ’rjuna). Therefore, distribution of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam all over the world is a great welfare activity for theologians, philosophers, transcendentalists and yogīs (yoginām api sarveshām), as well as for people in general. Janma-lābhah parah pumsām ante nārāyana-smritih (Bhāg. 2.1.6): if we can somehow or other remember Krishna, Nārāyana, at the end of life, our life will be successful.
Yogīs may undergo severe austerities and penances for many births by practicing yama, niyama, āsana and prānāyāma, none of which are easily performed. Yet in due course of time, when these yogīs attain the perfection of controlling the mind, they will still be unable to taste even a particle of dust from the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. What then can we describe about the great fortune of the inhabitants of Vrajabhūmi, Vrindāvana, with whom the Supreme Personality of Godhead personally lived and who saw the Lord face to face?
We can simply imagine the great fortune of the inhabitants of Vrindāvana. It is impossible to describe how, after many, many births of pious activities, they have become so fortunate.
My dear King Parīkshit, thereafter there appeared a great demon named Aghāsura, whose death was being awaited even by the demigods. The demigods drank nectar every day, but still they feared this great demon and awaited his death. This demon could not tolerate the transcendental pleasure being enjoyed in the forest by the cowherd boys.
One may ask how Krishna’s pastimes could be interrupted by a demon. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Thākura answers this question by saying that although the transcendental pleasure being enjoyed by the cowherd boys could not be stopped, unless they stopped the transcendental pleasure of their various activities they could not eat their lunch. Therefore at lunchtime Aghāsura appeared by the arrangement of Yoga-māyā, so that for the time being they could stop their activities and take lunch. Changing varieties is the mother of enjoyment. The cowherd boys would continuously play, then stop, and then again enjoy in a different way. Therefore every day a demon would come and interrupt their sporting pastimes. The demon would be killed, and then the boys would engage again in their transcendental pastimes.
Aghāsura, who had been sent by Kamsa, was the younger brother of Pūtanā and Bakāsura. Therefore when he came and saw Krishna at the head of all the cowherd boys, he thought, “This Krishna has killed my sister and brother, Pūtanā and Bakāsura. Therefore, in order to please them both, I shall kill this Krishna, along with His assistants, the other cowherd boys.”
Aghāsura thought: If somehow or other I can make Krishna and His associates serve as the last offering of sesame and water for the departed souls of my brother and sister, then the inhabitants of Vrajabhūmi, for whom these boys are the life and soul, will automatically die. If there is no life, there is no need for the body; consequently, when their sons are dead, naturally all the inhabitants of Vraja will die.
After thus deciding, that crooked Aghāsura assumed the form of a huge python, as thick as a big mountain and as long as eight miles. Having assumed this wonderful python’s body, he spread his mouth like a big cave in the mountains and lay down on the road, expecting to swallow Krishna and His associates the cowherd boys.
His lower lip rested on the surface of the earth, and his upper lip was touching the clouds in the sky. The borders of his mouth resembled the sides of a big cave in a mountain, and the middle of his mouth was as dark as possible. His tongue resembled a broad traffic-way, his breath was like a warm wind, and his eyes blazed like fire.
Upon seeing this demon’s wonderful form, which resembled a great python, the boys thought that it must be a beautiful scenic spot of Vrindāvana. Thereafter, they imagined it to be similar to the mouth of a great python. In other words, the boys, unafraid, thought that it was a statue made in the shape of a great python for the enjoyment of their pastimes.
Some of the boys, upon seeing this wonderful phenomenon, thought that it was in fact a python, and they were fleeing from the spot. But others said, “Why are you fleeing? It is not possible that a python like this is staying here. This is a spot of beauty for sporting.” This is what they imagined.
The boys said: Dear friends, is this creature dead, or is it actually a living python with its mouth spread wide just to swallow us all? Kindly clear up this doubt.
The friends began to discuss among themselves the reality of the wonderful creature laying before them. Was it dead, or was it actually a living python trying to swallow them up?
Thereafter they decided: Dear friends, this is certainly an animal sitting here to swallow us all. Its upper lip resembles a cloud reddened by the sunshine, and its lower lip resembles the reddish shadows of a cloud.
On the left and right, the two depressions resembling mountain caves are the corners of its mouth, and the high mountain peaks are its teeth.
In length and breadth the animal’s tongue resembles a broad traffic-way, and the inside of its mouth is very, very dark, like a cave in a mountain.
The hot fiery wind is the breath coming out of his mouth, which is giving off the bad smell of burning flesh because of all the dead bodies he has eaten.
Then the boys said, “Has this living creature come to swallow us? If he does so, he will immediately be killed like Bakāsura, without delay.” Thus they looked at the beautiful face of Krishna, the enemy of Bakāsura, and, laughing loudly and clapping their hands, they entered the mouth of the python.
After talking about the terrible animal this way and that way, they decided to enter the demon’s mouth. They had full faith in Krishna because they had experienced how Krishna had saved them from the mouth of Bakāsura. Now, here was another asura, Aghāsura. Therefore, they wanted to enjoy the sport of entering the demon’s mouth and being saved by Krishna, the enemy of Bakāsura.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Krishna, who is situated as antaryāmī, the Supersoul, in the core of everyone’s heart, heard the boys talking among themselves about the artificial python. Unknown to them, it was actually Aghāsura, a demon who had appeared as a python. Krishna, knowing this, wanted to forbid His associates to enter the demon’s mouth.
In the meantime, while Krishna was considering how to stop them, all the cowherd boys entered the mouth of the demon. The demon, however, did not swallow them, for he was thinking of his own relatives who had been killed by Krishna and was just waiting for Krishna to enter his mouth.
Krishna saw that all the cowherd boys, who did not know anyone but Him as their Lord, had now gone out of His hand and were helpless, having entered like straws into the fire of the abdomen of Aghāsura, who was death personified. It was intolerable for Krishna to be separated from His friends the cowherd boys. Therefore, as if seeing that this had been arranged by His internal potency, Krishna was momentarily struck with wonder and unsure of what to do.
Now, what was to be done? How could both the killing of this demon and the saving of the devotees be performed simultaneously? Krishna, being unlimitedly potent, decided to wait for an intelligent means by which He could simultaneously save the boys and kill the demon. Then He entered the mouth of Aghāsura.
Krishna is known as ananta-vīrya-sarvajña because everything is known to Him. Because He knows everything perfectly well, it was not difficult for Him to find a means by which He could save the boys and at the same time kill the demon. Thus He also decided to enter the demon’s mouth.
When Krishna entered the mouth of Aghāsura, the demigods hidden behind the clouds exclaimed, “Alas! Alas!” But the friends of Aghāsura, like Kamsa and other demons, were jubilant.
When the invincible Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, heard the demigods crying “Alas! Alas!” from behind the clouds, He immediately enlarged Himself within the demon’s throat, just to save Himself and the cowherd boys, His own associates, from the demon who wished to smash them.
Such are the acts of Krishna. Paritrānāya sādhūnām vināśāya ca dushkritām (Bg. 4.8). By enlarging Himself within the throat of the demon, Krishna suffocated and killed him and at the same time saved Himself and His associates from imminent death and also saved the demigods from lamentation.
Then, because Krishna had increased the size of His body, the demon extended his own body to a very large size. Nonetheless, his breathing stopped, he suffocated, and his eyes rolled here and there and popped out. The demon’s life air, however, could not pass through any outlet, and therefore it finally burst out through a hole in the top of the demon’s head.
When all the demon’s life air had passed away through that hole in the top of his head, Krishna glanced over the dead calves and cowherd boys and brought them back to life. Then Mukunda, who can give one liberation, came out from the demon’s mouth with His friends and the calves.
From the body of the gigantic python, a glaring effulgence came out, illuminating all directions, and stayed individually in the sky until Krishna came out from the corpse’s mouth. Then, as all the demigods looked on, this effulgence entered into Krishna’s body.
Apparently the serpent named Aghāsura, because of having received association with Krishna, attained mukti by entering Krishna’s body. Entering the body of Krishna is called sāyujya-mukti, but later verses prove that Aghāsura, like Dantavakra and others, received sārūpya-mukti. This has been broadly described by Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Thākura with references from the Vaishnava-toshanī of Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī. Aghāsura attained sārūpya-mukti, being promoted to the Vaikuntha planets to live with the same four-armed bodily features as Vishnu. The explanation of how this is so may be summarized as follows.
The effulgence came out from the python’s body and became purified, attaining spiritual śuddha-sattva, freedom from material contamination, because Krishna had stayed within the serpent’s body, even after the serpent’s death. One may doubt that such a demon, full of mischievous activities, could attain the liberation of sārūpya or sāyujya, and one may be astonished about this. But Krishna is so kind that in order to drive away such doubts, He had the effulgence, the individual life of the python, wait for some time in its individuality, in the presence of all the demigods.
Krishna is the full effulgence, and every living being is part and parcel of that effulgence. As proved here, the effulgence in every living being is individual. For some time, the effulgence remained outside the demon’s body, individually, and did not mix with the whole effulgence, the brahmajyoti. The Brahman effulgence is not visible to material eyes, but to prove that every living being is individual, Krishna had this individual effulgence stay outside the demon’s body for some time, for everyone to see. Then Krishna proved that anyone killed by Him attains liberation, whether sāyujya, sārūpya, sāmīpya or whatever.
But the liberation of those who are on the transcendental platform of love and affection is vimukti, special liberation. Thus the serpent first entered the body of Krishna personally and mixed with the Brahman effulgence. This merging is called sāyujya-mukti. But from later verses we find that Aghāsura attained sārūpya-mukti. Text 38 explains that Aghāsura attained a body exactly like that of Vishnu, and the verse after that also clearly states that he attained a completely spiritual body like that of Nārāyana. Therefore in two or three places the Bhāgavatam has confirmed that Aghāsura attained sārūpya-mukti. One may then argue, How is it that he mixed with the Brahman effulgence? The answer is that as Jaya and Vijaya, after three births, again attained sārūpya-mukti and association with the Lord, Aghāsura received a similar liberation.
Thereafter, everyone being pleased, the demigods began to shower flowers from Nandana-kānana, the celestial dancing girls began to dance, and the Gandharvas, who are famous for singing, offered songs of prayer. The drummers began to beat their kettledrums, and the brāhmanas offered Vedic hymns. In this way, both in the heavens and on earth, everyone began to perform his own duties, glorifying the Lord.
Everyone has some particular duty. The śāstra has concluded (nirūpitah) that everyone should glorify the Supreme Personality of Godhead by his own qualifications. If you are a singer, always glorify the Supreme Lord by singing very nicely. If you are a musician, glorify the Supreme Lord by playing musical instruments. Svanushthitasya dharmasya samsiddhir hari-toshanam (Bhāg. 1.2.13). The perfection of life is to satisfy the Personality of Godhead. Therefore, beginning from this earth up to the celestial kingdom, everyone engaged in glorifying the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The decision of all great saintly persons is that whatever qualifications one has acquired should be utilized to glorify the Supreme Lord.
“Learned sages have definitely concluded that the infallible purpose of the advancement of knowledge, austerity, Vedic study, sacrifice, the chanting of hymns, and charity is found in the transcendental descriptions of the qualities of the Lord, who is defined in choice poetry.” (Bhāg. 1.5.22) This is the perfection of life. One should be trained how to glorify the Supreme Personality of Godhead by one’s respective qualities. Education, austerity, penance or, in the modern world, business, industry, education and so on — all should be engaged in glorifying the Lord. Then everyone in the world will be happy.
Krishna comes, therefore, to exhibit His transcendental activities so that people may have the chance to glorify Him in every respect. To understand how to glorify the Lord is actual research work. It is not that everything should be understood without God. That is condemned.
(Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya 3.11)
Without bhagavad-bhakti, without glorification of the Supreme Lord, whatever we have is simply a decoration of the dead body.
When Lord Brahmā heard the wonderful ceremony going on near his planet, accompanied by music and songs and sounds of “Jaya! Jaya!” he immediately came down to see the function. Upon seeing so much glorification of Lord Krishna, he was completely astonished.
Here the word anti means “near,” indicating that even in the higher planetary systems near Brahmaloka, like Maharloka, Janaloka and Tapoloka, the festival of glorification of Lord Krishna was going on.
O King Parīkshit, when the python-shaped body of Aghāsura dried up into merely a big skin, it became a wonderful place for the inhabitants of Vrindāvana to visit, and it remained so for a long, long time.
This incident of Krishna’s saving Himself and His associates from death and of giving deliverance to Aghāsura, who had assumed the form of a python, took place when Krishna was five years old. It was disclosed in Vrajabhūmi after one year, as if it had taken place on that very day.
The word mokshanam means “liberation.” For the associates of Krishna and for Krishna Himself, there is no question about liberation; they are already liberated, being in the spiritual world. In the material world there are birth, death, old age and disease, but in the spiritual world there are no such things because everything is eternal. As for the python, however, by the association of Krishna and His devotees, Aghāsura also achieved the same facility of eternal life. Therefore, as indicated here by the word ātmāhi-mokshanam, if the python Aghāsura could receive eternal association with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, what is to be said of those who are already associates of the Lord? Sākam vijahruh krita-punya-puñjāh (Bhāg. 10.12.11). Here is proof that God is good for everyone. Even when He kills someone, the one who is killed attains liberation. What then is to be said of those who are already in the association of the Lord?
Krishna is the cause of all causes. The causes and effects of the material world, both higher and lower, are all created by the Supreme Lord, the original controller. When Krishna appeared as the son of Nanda Mahārāja and Yaśodā, He did so by His causeless mercy. Consequently, for Him to exhibit His unlimited opulence was not at all wonderful. Indeed, He showed such great mercy that even Aghāsura, the most sinful miscreant, was elevated to being one of His associates and achieving sārūpya-mukti, which is actually impossible for materially contaminated persons to attain.
The word māyā is also used in connection with love. Out of māyā, love, a father has affection for his child. Therefore the word māyinah indicates that Krishna, out of love, appeared as the son of Nanda Mahārāja and assumed the form of a human child (manujārbha). Krishna is the cause of all causes. He is the creator of cause and effect, and He is the supreme controller. Nothing is impossible for Him. Therefore, that He enabled even a living being like Aghāsura to attain the salvation of sārūpya-mukti was not at all wonderful for Krishna. Krishna took pleasure in entering the mouth of Aghāsura in a sporting spirit along with His associates. Therefore, when Aghāsura, by that sporting association, as maintained in the spiritual world, was purified of all contamination, he attained sārūpya-mukti and vimukti by the grace of Krishna. For Krishna this was not at all wonderful.
If even only once or even by force one brings the form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead into one’s mind, one can attain the supreme salvation by the mercy of Krishna, as did Aghāsura. What then is to be said of those whose hearts the Supreme Personality of Godhead enters when He appears as an incarnation, or those who always think of the lotus feet of the Lord, who is the source of transcendental bliss for all living entities and by whom all illusion is completely removed?
The process for receiving the favor of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is described here. Yat-pāda-pankaja-palāśa-vilāsa-bhaktyā (Bhāg. 4.22.39). Simply by thinking of Krishna, one can attain Him very easily. Krishna is also described as having His lotus feet always within the hearts of His devotees (bhagavān bhakta-hridi sthitah). In the case of Aghāsura, one may argue that he was not a devotee. The answer to this is that he thought of Krishna for a moment with devotion. Bhaktyāham ekayā grāhyah. Without devotion, one cannot think of Krishna; and, conversely, whenever one thinks of Krishna, one undoubtedly has devotion. Although Aghāsura’s purpose was to kill Krishna, for a moment Aghāsura thought of Krishna with devotion, and Krishna and His associates wanted to sport within Aghāsura’s mouth. Similarly, Pūtanā wanted to kill Krishna by poisoning Him, but Krishna took her as His mother because He had accepted the milk of her breast. Svalpam apy asya dharmasya trāyate mahato bhayāt (Bg. 2.40). Especially when Krishna appears as an avatāra, anyone who thinks of Krishna in His different incarnations (rāmādi-mūrtishu kalā-niyamena tishthan), and especially in His original form as Krishna, attains salvation. There are many instances of this, and among them is Aghāsura, who attained the salvation of sārūpya-mukti. Therefore the process is satatam kīrtayanto mām yatantaś ca dridha-vratāh (Bg. 9.14). Those who are devotees always engage in glorifying Krishna. Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam: when we speak of Krishna, we refer to all His avatāras, such as Krishna, Govinda, Nārāyana, Vishnu, Lord Caitanya, Krishna-Balarāma and Śyāmasundara. One who always thinks of Krishna must attain vimukti, special salvation as the Lord’s personal associate, not necessarily in Vrindāvana, but at least in Vaikuntha. This is called sārūpya-mukti.
Śrī Sūta Gosvāmī said: O learned saints, the childhood pastimes of Śrī Krishna are very wonderful. Mahārāja Parīkshit, after hearing about those pastimes of Krishna, who had saved him in the womb of his mother, became steady in his mind and again inquired from Śukadeva Gosvāmī to hear about those pious activities.
Mahārāja Parīkshit inquired: O great sage, how could things done in the past have been described as being done at the present? Lord Śrī Krishna performed this pastime of killing Aghāsura during His kaumāra age. How then, during His pauganda age, could the boys have described this incident as having happened recently?
O greatest yogī, my spiritual master, kindly describe why this happened. I am very much curious to know about it. I think that it was nothing but another illusion due to Krishna.
Krishna has many potencies: parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Śvetāśvatara Upanishad 6.8). The description of Aghāsura was disclosed after one year. Some act of Krishna’s potency must have been involved. Therefore Mahārāja Parīkshit was very curious to know about this, and he requested Śukadeva Gosvāmī to explain it.
O my lord, my spiritual master, although we are the lowest of kshatriyas, we are glorified and benefited because we have the opportunity of always hearing from you the nectar of the pious activities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
The pious activities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead are very confidential. It is not ordinarily possible to hear such activities unless one is very, very fortunate. Parīkshit Mahārāja placed himself as kshatra-bandhavah, which means “the lowest of the kshatriyas.” The qualities of the kshatriya are described in Bhagavad-gītā, and although the general quality of the kshatriya is īśvara-bhāva, the tendency to rule, a kshatriya is not supposed to rule over a brāhmana. Thus Mahārāja Parīkshit regretted that he had wanted to rule over the brāhmanas and had therefore been cursed. He considered himself the lowest of the kshatriyas. Dānam īśvara-bhāvaś ca kshātram karma svabhāvajam (Bg. 18.43). There was no doubt that Mahārāja Parīkshit had the good qualities of a kshatriya, but as a devotee he presented himself, with submissiveness and humility, as the lowest of the kshatriyas, remembering his act of wrapping a dead serpent around the neck of a brāhmana. A student and disciple has the right to ask the guru about any confidential service, and it is the duty of the guru to explain these confidential matters to his disciple.
Sūta Gosvāmī said: O Śaunaka, greatest of saints and devotees, when Mahārāja Parīkshit inquired from Śukadeva Gosvāmī in this way, Śukadeva Gosvāmī, immediately remembering subject matters about Krishna within the core of his heart, externally lost contact with the actions of his senses. Thereafter, with great difficulty, he revived his external sensory perception and began to speak to Mahārāja Parīkshit about krishna-kathā.