The cowherd boys said: O Rāma, Rāma, mighty-armed one! O Krishna, chastiser of the wicked! We are being harassed by hunger, and You should do something about it.
The cowherd boys jokingly implied that since Śrī Krishna is the subduer of all bad things, the Lord should subdue their hunger by arranging for them to eat. In this statement by the cowherd boys, we observe the intimate loving friendship they enjoyed with the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Thus entreated by the cowherd boys, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the son of Devakī, replied as follows, desiring to please certain of His devotees who were brāhmanas’ wives.
[Lord Krishna said:] Please go to the sacrificial arena where a group of brāhmanas, learned in the Vedic injunctions, are now performing the Āngirasa sacrifice to gain promotion to heaven.
When you go there, My dear cowherd boys, simply request some food. Declare to them the name of My elder brother, the Supreme Lord Balarāma, and also My name, and explain that you have been sent by Us.
Lord Krishna encouraged His boyfriends to request charity without being embarrassed. In case the boys felt they had no right to personally approach such respectable brāhmanas, the Lord told them to mention the names of Balarāma and Krishna, the holy names of God.
Thus instructed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the cowherd boys went there and submitted their request. They stood before the brāhmanas with palms joined in supplication and then fell flat on the ground to offer respect.
[The cowherd boys said:] O earthly gods, please hear us. We cowherd boys are executing the orders of Krishna, and we have been sent here by Balarāma. We wish all good for you. Please acknowledge our arrival.
The term bhūmi-devāh, “gods on earth,” refers here to the brāhmanas, who are supposed to closely represent the will of the Supreme Lord. The philosophy of Krishna consciousness is not a primitive polytheistic doctrine holding that human beings on the earth are gods. Rather, it is a science that traces the descent of authority from the Absolute Truth Himself, Śrī Krishna. The authority and power of God naturally extend along with the extension of His creation, and on the earth the Lord’s will and authority are represented by purified, enlightened men called brāhmanas.
This account will illustrate that the ritualistic brāhmanas approached by the cowherd boys were not at all properly enlightened and thus could not appreciate the position of Krishna and Balarāma or that of Their intimate associates. In fact, this pastime exposes the pretentious position of so-called brāhmanas who are not faithful devotees of the Supreme Lord.
Lord Rāma and Lord Acyuta are tending Their cows not far from here. They are hungry and want you to give Them some of your food. Therefore, O brāhmanas, O best of the knowers of religion, if you have faith please give some food to Them.
The cowherd boys doubted the generosity of the brāhmanas, and thus they used the word bubhukshitau, meaning that Krishna and Balarāma were hungry. The boys expected the brāhmanas to know the Vedic injunction annasya kshuditam pātram: “Anyone who is hungry is a fit candidate for receiving food in charity.” But if the brāhmanas would not recognize the authority of Krishna and Balarāma, their title dvija would be taken to mean merely “born from two parents” (dvi — from two, ja — born) rather than “twice-born.” When the brāhmanas did not respond to the cowherd boys’ initial request, the boys addressed the brāhmanas, with a slight trace of sarcasm, as dharma-vit-tamāh, “O best of the knowers of religion.”
Except during the interval between the initiation of the performer of a sacrifice and the actual sacrifice of the animal, O most pure brāhmanas, it is not contaminating for even the initiated to partake of food, at least in sacrifices other than the Sautrāmani.
The cowherd boys anticipated the possible objection from the brāhmanas that they couldn’t give the boys any food because they themselves had not yet eaten, and that a priest initiated to perform a sacrifice should not eat. Therefore the boys humbly informed the brāhmanas about various technicalities of ritualistic sacrifice. The cowherd boys were not unaware of the formalities of Vedic culture, but their real intention was simply to render loving service to Lord Krishna.
The brāhmanas heard this supplication from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, yet they refused to pay heed. Indeed, they were full of petty desires and entangled in elaborate rituals. Though presuming themselves advanced in Vedic learning, they were actually inexperienced fools.
These childish brāhmanas were full of petty desires, such as the desire to attain to material heaven, and therefore they could not recognize the golden transcendental opportunity offered them by the arrival of Krishna’s personal boyfriends. Presently, throughout the world, people are madly pursuing material advancement and thus cannot hear the message of the Supreme Lord Krishna that is being broadcast through the missionary activities of the Krishna consciousness movement. Times have hardly changed, and proud, materialistic priests are still prevalent on the earth.
Although the ingredients of sacrificial performance — the place, time, particular paraphernalia, mantras, rituals, priests, fires, demigods, performer, offering and the as yet unseen beneficial results — are all simply aspects of His opulences, the brāhmanas saw Lord Krishna as an ordinary human because of their perverted intelligence. They failed to recognize that He is the Supreme Absolute Truth, the directly manifest Personality of Godhead, whom the material senses cannot ordinarily perceive. Thus bewildered by their false identification with the mortal body, they did not show Him proper respect.
The ritualistic brāhmanas could not understand why the sacrificial food should be offered to Lord Krishna, whom they considered an ordinary human being. Just as a person with rose-colored glasses sees the entire world as rose-colored, a conditioned soul with mundane vision sees even God Himself as mundane and thus loses the opportunity to go back home, back to Godhead.
When the brāhmanas failed to reply even with a simple yes or no, O chastiser of the enemy [Parīkshit], the cowherd boys returned disappointed to Krishna and Rāma and reported this to Them.
Hearing what had happened, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Lord of the universe, simply laughed. Then He again addressed the cowherd boys, showing them the way men act in this world.
By laughing, Lord Krishna indicated to the cowherd boys that they need not be angry at the ritualistic brāhmanas but should understand that one who begs will often be refused.
[Lord Krishna said:] Tell the wives of the brāhmanas that I have come here with Lord Sankarshana. They will certainly give you all the food you want, for they are most affectionate toward Me and, indeed, with their intelligence reside in Me alone.
While physically the wives of the brāhmanas remained at home, within their minds they resided in the Supreme Lord Krishna because of intense affection for Him. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Thākura explains that the reason Lord Krishna did not have the cowherd boys tell the brāhmanas’ wives He was hungry is that He knew this would severely distress these devoted ladies. Simply out of affection for Lord Krishna, however, the wives would be happy to give all the food requested of them. They would not heed their husbands’ prohibitions, since they resided within the Lord through their transcendental intelligence.
The cowherd boys then went to the house where the brāhmanas’ wives were staying. There the boys saw those chaste ladies sitting, nicely decorated with fine ornaments. Bowing down to the brāhmana ladies, the boys addressed them in all humility.
[The cowherd boys said:] Obeisances unto you, O wives of the learned brāhmanas. Kindly hear our words. We have been sent here by Lord Krishna, who is passing by not far from here.
He has come a long way with the cowherd boys and Lord Balarāma, tending the cows. Now He is hungry, so some food should be given for Him and His companions.
The wives of the brāhmanas were always eager to see Krishna, for their minds had been enchanted by descriptions of Him. Thus as soon as they heard that He had come, they became very excited.
Taking along in large vessels the four kinds of foods, full of fine tastes and aromas, all the ladies went forth to meet their beloved, just as rivers flow toward the sea.
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Thākura explains that the wives of the brāhmanas experienced conjugal feelings toward Krishna, as if He were their paramour; thus they could not be checked as they rushed to see Him.
Although their husbands, brothers, sons and other relatives tried to forbid them from going, their hope of seeing Krishna, cultivated by extensive hearing of His transcendental qualities, won out. Along the river Yamunā, within a garden decorated with buds of aśoka trees, they caught sight of Him strolling along in the company of the cowherd boys and His elder brother, Balarāma.
His complexion was dark blue and His garment golden. Wearing a peacock feather, colored minerals, sprigs of flower buds, and a garland of forest flowers and leaves, He was dressed just like a dramatic dancer. He rested one hand upon the shoulder of a friend and with the other twirled a lotus. Lilies graced His ears, His hair hung down over His cheeks, and His lotuslike face was smiling.
O ruler of men, for a long time those brāhmana ladies had heard about Krishna, their beloved, and His glories had become the constant ornaments of their ears. Indeed, their minds were always absorbed in Him. Through the apertures of their eyes they now forced Him to enter within their hearts, and then they embraced Him within for a long time. In this way they finally gave up the pain of separation from Him, just as sages give up the anxiety of false ego by embracing their innermost consciousness.
Lord Krishna, who witnesses the thoughts of all creatures, understood how those ladies had abandoned all worldly hopes and come there simply to see Him. Thus He addressed them as follows with a smile upon His face.
[Lord Krishna said:] Welcome, O most fortunate ladies. Please sit down and make yourselves comfortable. What can I do for you? That you have come here to see Me is most appropriate.
Just as Śrī Krishna welcomed the gopīs who came to dance with Him at night, He similarly welcomed the brāhmanas’ wives, whose pure love for Him was proved by their overcoming many hindrances to see the Lord. The word upapannam indicates that although these ladies had rejected their husbands’ orders, their behavior was not at all inappropriate, since their husbands had obviously tried to obstruct their loving service to Lord Krishna.
Certainly expert personalities, who can see their own true interest, render unmotivated and uninterrupted devotional service directly unto Me, for I am most dear to the soul.
The Supreme Lord informed the brāhmanas’ wives that not only they but all people who recognize their true self-interest take to the spiritual process of loving service to the Lord. Lord Krishna is ātma-priya, the real object of love for everyone. Although each individual has his own taste and freedom, ultimately every living being is a spiritual spark of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; thus everyone’s primary loving attraction is constitutionally meant for Lord Śrī Krishna. Loving service to the Lord should be ahaitukī, without personal motive, and avyavahitā, unobstructed by mental speculation, selfish desire or any quirk of time and circumstance.
It is only by contact with the self that one’s vital breath, intelligence, mind, friends, body, wife, children, wealth and so on are dear. Therefore what object can possibly be more dear than one’s own self?
The word yat-samparkāt in this verse refers to contact with the individual self and ultimately with the Supreme Self, the Lord, who is the origin of the individual living being. By developing Krishna consciousness, one automatically becomes self-realized, and thus one’s vital strength, intelligence, mind, relatives, body, family and wealth all become enhanced and brilliant by the central influence of Krishna consciousness. This happens because Krishna consciousness is the optimum efficient conjunction of the individual self, who is pure consciousness, with the Supreme Self and supreme consciousness, Krishna.
You should thus return to the sacrificial arena, because your husbands, the learned brāhmanas, are householders and need your assistance to finish their respective sacrifices.
The wives of the brāhmanas replied: O almighty one, please do not speak such cruel words. Rather, You should fulfill Your promise that You always reciprocate with Your devotees in kind. Now that we have attained Your lotus feet, we simply wish to remain here in the forest so we may carry upon our heads the garlands of tulasī leaves that fall from Your lotus feet. We are ready to give up all material relationships.
Here the brāhmanas’ wives are saying something similar to what the gopīs say at the beginning of the rāsa dance (Bhāg. 10.29.31), when Lord Krishna tells them to go home as well. Like this verse, the gopīs’ statement begins with the words maivam vibho ’rhati bhavān gaditum nri-śamsam.
Nigama refers to the Vedic literature, which states that one who surrenders at the lotus feet of the Lord does not return to this material world. Thus the brāhmanas’ wives appealed to the Lord that since they had surrendered to Him, it was unfair for Him to order them to return to their materialistic husbands.
According to Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Thākura, Lord Krishna might have pointed out to the brāhmanas’ wives, “You young ladies are members of the aristocratic brāhmana community, so how can you surrender at the feet of a mere cowherd boy?”
To this the ladies might have replied, “Since we have already surrendered at Your lotus feet, and since we desire to become Your servants, we are obviously not maintaining a false identification as members of the so-called brāhmana community. You can easily ascertain this from our words.”
Lord Krishna might have replied, “I am a cowherd boy, and My proper maidservants and girlfriends are the cowherd girls, the gopīs.”
The wives might have answered, “True, let them be so. Let them shine forth if You are embarrassed in front of Your relatives to make brāhmana ladies Your maidservants. We certainly don’t want to embarrass You. We will not go to Your village but will rather remain in Vrindāvana, like presiding deities of the forest. We simply desire to perfect our lives by even a slight trace of connection with You.”
Thus by the spiritual insight of Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Thākura, we learn that the brāhmanas’ wives offered to remain at a distance and simply take the tulasī leaves that would fall from the lotus feet of Krishna or be crushed by the feet of His girlfriends when He would embrace them.
The ladies offered to carry these tulasī leaves upon their heads. Thus renouncing the desire to become Krishna’s intimate girlfriends or maidservants (a position they knew was difficult to achieve), the young brāhmana ladies begged to remain in Vrindāvana forest. If the Lord had then asked “Then what will your family members say?” they would have replied “We have already transcended our so-called relatives because we are seeing You, the Supreme Lord, face to face.”
Our husbands, fathers, sons, brothers, other relatives and friends will no longer take us back, and how could anyone else be willing to give us shelter? Therefore, since we have thrown ourselves at Your lotus feet and have no other destination, please, O chastiser of enemies, grant our desire.
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Thākura comments as follows: “From their very youth the brāhmanas’ wives had heard about Lord Krishna’s beauty, qualities and sweetness from the womenfolk of Vrindāvana village, and also from the flower ladies, the betel-nut sellers and others. Consequently they always felt ecstatic love for Krishna and were indifferent to their household duties. Their husbands, seeing them as deviant, doubted them and avoided dealing with them as far as possible. Now the wives of the brāhmanas were ready to formally reject their so-called families and neighbors, and out of great agitation they were crying and placing their heads upon Lord Krishna’s lotus feet, offering obeisances. In this way, with choking voices, they spoke the above verse. They begged that Lord Krishna bestow upon them the benediction that He be their only destination, that He, the chastiser of enemies, subdue all their enemies — those difficulties obstructing them from attaining the Lord.”
The wives of the brāhmanas simply wanted to serve Lord Krishna, and this is pure Krishna consciousness in ecstatic love of Godhead.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead replied: Rest assured that your husbands will not be inimical toward you, nor will your fathers, brothers, sons, other relatives or the general populace. I will personally advise them of the situation. Indeed, even the demigods will express their approval.
For you to remain in My bodily association would certainly not please people in this world, nor would it be the best way for you to increase your love for Me. Rather, you should fix your minds on Me, and very soon you will achieve Me.
The Lord pointed out that people in general would not appreciate a loving affair between Lord Krishna, who superficially was appearing as a cowherd boy, and the wives from the brāhmana community. Also, the brāhmana ladies’ own devotion and love would increase most efficiently in separation. In other words, it would be best all around if they continued to fix their minds on Lord Krishna and thus went on with the process they had been practicing throughout their lives. The Lord and His bona fide representative, the spiritual master, expertly engage the Lord’s devotees in different types of service so that all of them can quickly return to His lotus feet.
It is by hearing about Me, seeing My Deity form, meditating upon Me and chanting My names and glories that love for Me develops, not by physical proximity. Therefore please go back to your homes.
Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Thus instructed, the wives of the brāhmanas returned to the place of sacrifice. The brāhmanas did not find any fault with their wives, and together with them they finished the sacrifice.
The wives of the brāhmanas obeyed Lord Krishna’s order and returned to the sacrificial arena of their husbands, whereas the gopīs, although ordered by Krishna to go home, remained in the forest to dance with Him through the full-moon night. Both the gopīs and the brāhmanas’ wives achieved pure love of Godhead.
One of the ladies had been forcibly kept back by her husband. When she heard the others describe the Supreme Lord Krishna, she embraced Him within her heart and gave up her material body, the basis of bondage to material activity.
The lady described here was especially devoted to Lord Krishna. Upon giving up her material body, she immediately attained a spiritual body and left the sacrificial arena to join the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Govinda, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, fed the cowherd boys with that food of four varieties. Then the all-powerful Lord Himself partook of the preparations.
Thus the Supreme Lord, appearing like a human being to perform His pastimes, imitated the ways of human society. He enjoyed pleasing His cows, cowherd boyfriends and cowherd girlfriends with His beauty, words and actions.
The brāhmanas then came to their senses and began to feel great remorse. They thought, “We have sinned, for we have denied the request of the two Lords of the universe, who deceptively appeared as ordinary human beings.”
Lord Krishna and Lord Balarāma did not try to deceive the brāhmanas: They straightforwardly requested food from them. Rather, the brāhmanas deceived themselves, as indicated by the Sanskrit word nri-vidambayoh, which means that Krishna and Balarāma are bewildering for an ordinary human being who considers Them also to be human. Still, because the wives of the brāhmanas were great devotees of the Lord, the foolish brāhmanas received spiritual benefit and finally came to their senses.
Taking note of their wives’ pure, transcendental devotion for Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and seeing their own lack of devotion, the brāhmanas felt most sorrowful and began to condemn themselves.
[The brāhmanas said:] To hell with our threefold birth, our vow of celibacy and our extensive learning! To hell with our aristocratic background and our expertise in the rituals of sacrifice! These are all condemned because we were inimical to the transcendental Personality of Godhead.
As explained in the definitions above, the words tri-vrid janma, or “threefold birth,” refer to 1) physical birth, 2) brahminical initiation and 3) initiation into the performance of Vedic sacrifice. Everything is useless if one is ignorant of the Absolute Truth, the Supreme Lord Krishna.
The illusory potency of the Supreme Lord certainly bewilders even the great mystics, what to speak of us. As brāhmanas we are supposed to be the spiritual masters of all classes of men, yet we have been bewildered about our own real interest.
Just see the unlimited love these women have developed for Lord Krishna, the spiritual master of the entire universe! This love has broken for them the very bonds of death — their attachment to family life.
Superficially, the husbands, fathers, fathers-in-law and so on were the ladies’ gurus, or teachers. Yet the women had become perfect in Krishna consciousness, whereas the men had fallen into the darkness of ignorance.
According to Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Thākura, upon returning home the ladies showed transcendental ecstatic symptoms, such as trembling of the body, shedding of tears, standing of the bodily hairs on end, discoloration of the complexion, crying out “O pleasure of my life, O Krishna!” with faltering words, and so forth.
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī goes on to state that while one may object that it is not fitting for a woman to love anyone other than her husband, here the husbands themselves point out that they are gurus only in imitation of the Supreme Lord, who is jagad-guru, the universal teacher and spiritual master. The husbands noted that the women, having perfected their transcendental attachment for Krishna, did not have even a trace of attachment left for home, husband, children and so forth. Therefore from that day on the husbands accepted those ladies as their worshipable spiritual masters and no longer thought of them as their wives or property.
These women have never undergone the purificatory rites of the twice-born classes, nor have they lived as brahmacārīs in the āśrama of a spiritual master, nor have they executed austerities, speculated on the nature of the self, followed the formalities of cleanliness or engaged in pious rituals. Nevertheless, they have firm devotion for Lord Krishna, whose glories are chanted by the exalted hymns of the Vedas and who is the supreme master of all masters of mystic power. We, on the other hand, have no such devotion for the Lord, although we have executed all these processes.
According to Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī, the husbands were not aware that their wives had occasionally associated with residents of Vrindāvana, such as the flower ladies, and had heard about the beauty and qualities of Krishna. The brāhmanas were astonished at their wives’ loving devotion for Lord Krishna, not realizing that this devotion had developed as a result of hearing and chanting about the Lord in the association of His pure devotees.
Indeed, infatuated as we are with our household affairs, we have deviated completely from the real aim of our life. But now just see how the Lord, through the words of these simple cowherd boys, has reminded us of the ultimate destination of all true transcendentalists.
Otherwise, why would the supreme controller — whose every desire is already fulfilled and who is the master of liberation and all other transcendental benedictions — enact this pretense with us, who are always to be controlled by Him?
Although Lord Krishna is the Absolute Truth, He humbly sent His cowherd boyfriends to beg food from the brāhmanas. In so doing, He exposed the brāhmanas’ foolish arrogance and established the glories of His own transcendental beauty by attracting their very wives to surrender at His lotus feet.
Hoping for the touch of His lotus feet, the goddess of fortune perpetually worships Him alone, leaving aside all others and renouncing her pride and fickleness. That He begs is certainly astonishing to everyone.
The supreme master of the goddess of fortune herself obviously does not have to beg for food, as pointed out here by the brāhmanas, who are finally manifesting real spiritual intelligence.
All the aspects of sacrifice — the auspicious place and time, the various items of paraphernalia, the Vedic hymns, the prescribed rituals, the priests and sacrificial fires, the demigods, the patron of the sacrifice, the sacrificial offering and the pious results obtained — all are simply manifestations of His opulences. Yet even though we had heard that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vishnu, the Lord of all mystic controllers, had taken birth in the Yadu dynasty, we were so foolish that we could not recognize Śrī Krishna to be none other than Him.
Let us offer our obeisances unto Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. His intelligence is never bewildered, whereas we, confused by His power of illusion, are simply wandering about on the paths of fruitive work.
We were bewildered by Lord Krishna’s illusory potency and thus could not understand His influence as the original Personality of Godhead. Now we hope He will kindly forgive our offense.
Thus reflecting on the sin they had committed by neglecting Lord Krishna, they became very eager to see Him. But being afraid of King Kamsa, they did not dare go to Vraja.
Realizing their offense against Lord Krishna, and finally appreciating His almighty position, the brāhmanas naturally wanted to rush to Vraja and surrender at the lotus feet of the Lord. But they were afraid that Kamsa would certainly kill them when his spies reported that they had gone to Krishna. The brāhmanas’ wives were absorbed in ecstatic Krishna consciousness and thus went to Krishna anyway, just as the gopīs, simply to dance with the Lord, traveled in the dead of night through a forest inhabited by wild animals. But the brāhmanas were not on such an advanced platform of Krishna consciousness and thus, overcome by fear of Kamsa, could not see the Lord face to face.