Canto Ten / CHAPTER EIGHT

Lord Krishna Shows the Universal Form Within His Mouth

As factually stated by Nanda Mahārāja, Garga Muni, being a devotee, had no needs. Similarly, when Krishna comes He has no needs, for He is pūrna, ātmārāma. Nonetheless, He descends to this material world to protect the devotees and vanquish miscreants (paritrānāya sādhūnām vināśāya ca dushkritām). This is the mission of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and devotees also have the same mission. One who executes this mission of para-upakāra, performing welfare activities for people in general, is recognized by Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as being very, very dear to Him (na ca tasmān manushyeshu kaścin me priya-krittamah). Similarly, Caitanya Mahāprabhu has advised this para-upakāra, and He has especially advised the inhabitants of India:

“One who has taken his birth as a human being in the land of India [Bhārata-varsha] should make his life successful and work for the benefit of all other people.” (Cc. Ādi 9.41) On the whole, the duty of a pure Vaishnava devotee is to act for the welfare of others.

Nanda Mahārāja could understand that Garga Muni had come for this purpose and that his own duty now was to act according to Garga Muni’s advice. Thus he said, “Please tell me what is my duty.” This should be the attitude of everyone, especially the householder. The varnāśrama society is organized into eight divisions: brāhmana, kshatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, brahmacarya, grihastha, vānaprastha and sannyāsa. Nanda Mahārāja represented himself as grihinām, a householder. A brahmacārī factually has no needs, but grihīs, householders, are engaged in sense gratification. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (2.44), bhogaiśvarya-prasaktānām tayāpahrita-cetasām. Everyone has come to this material world for sense gratification, and the position of those who are too attached to sense gratification and who therefore accept the grihastha-āśrama is very precarious. Since everyone in this material world is searching for sense gratification, grihasthas are required to be trained as mahat, great mahātmās. Therefore Nanda Mahārāja specifically used the word mahad-vicalanam. Garga Muni had no interest to serve by going to Nanda Mahārāja, but Nanda Mahārāja, as a grihastha, was always perfectly ready to receive instructions from a mahātmā to gain the real benefit in life. Thus he was ready to execute Garga Muni’s order.

The word “destiny” is now defined. Unintelligent persons who do not understand the meaning of life are just like animals. Animals do not know the past, present and future of life, nor are they able to understand it. But a human being can understand this, if he is sober. Therefore, as stated in Bhagavad-gītā (2.13), dhīras tatra na muhyati: a sober person is not bewildered. The simple truth is that although life is eternal, in this material world one changes from one body to another. Foolish people, especially in this age, do not understand this simple truth. Krishna says:

“As the embodied soul continually passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. The self-realized soul is not bewildered by such a change.” (Bg. 2.13) Krishna, the greatest authority, says that the body will change. And as soon as the body changes, one’s whole program of work changes also. Today I am a human being or a great personality, but with a little deviation from nature’s law, I shall have to accept a different type of body. Today I am a human being, but tomorrow I may become a dog, and then whatever activities I have performed in this life will be a failure. This simple truth is now rarely understood, but one who is a dhīra can understand this. Those in this material world for material enjoyment should know that because their present position will cease to exist, they must be careful in how they act. This is also stated by Rishabhadeva. Na sādhu manye yata ātmano ’yam asann api kleśada āsa dehah (Bhāg. 5.5.4). Although this body is temporary, as long as we have to live in this body we must suffer. Whether one has a short life or a long life, one must suffer the threefold miseries of material life. Therefore any gentleman, dhīra, must be interested in jyotisha, astrology.

Nanda Mahārāja was trying to take advantage of the opportunity afforded by Garga Muni’s presence, for Garga Muni was a great authority in this knowledge of astrology, by which one can see the unseen events of past, present and future. It is the duty of a father to understand the astrological position of his children and do what is needed for their happiness. Now, taking advantage of the opportunity afforded by the presence of Garga Muni, Nanda Mahārāja suggested that Garga Muni prepare a horoscope for Nanda’s two sons, Krishna and Balarāma.

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, says in Bhagavad-gītā (4.13), cātur-varnyam mayā srishtam guna-karma-vibhāgaśah: the four varnas — brāhmana, kshatriya, vaiśya and śūdra — must be present in society. The brāhmanas are required for the guidance of the whole society. If there is no such institution as varnāśrama-dharma and if human society has no such guide as the brāhmana, human society will be hellish. In Kali-yuga, especially at the present moment, there is no such thing as a real brāhmana, and therefore society is in a chaotic condition. Formerly there were qualified brāhmanas, but at present, although there are certainly persons who think themselves brāhmanas, they actually have no ability to guide society. The Krishna consciousness movement is therefore very much eager to reintroduce the varnāśrama system into human society so that those who are bewildered or less intelligent will be able to take guidance from qualified brāhmanas.

Brāhmana means Vaishnava. After one becomes a brāhmana, the next stage of development in human society is to become a Vaishnava. People in general must be guided to the destination or goal of life, and therefore they must understand Vishnu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The whole system of Vedic knowledge is based on this principle, but people have lost the clue (na te viduh svārtha-gatim hi vishnum), and they are simply pursuing sense gratification, with the risk of gliding down to a lower grade of life (mrityu-samsāra-vartmani). It doesn’t matter whether one is born a brāhmana or not. No one is born a brāhmana; everyone is born a śūdra. But by the guidance of a brāhmana and by samskāra, one can become dvija, twice-born, and then gradually become a brāhmana. Brāhmanism is not a system meant to create a monopoly for a particular class of men. Everyone should be educated so as to become a brāhmana. At least there must be an opportunity to allow everyone to attain the destination of life. Regardless of whether one is born in a brāhmana family, a kshatriya family or a śūdra family, one may be guided by a proper brāhmana and be promoted to the highest platform of being a Vaishnava. Thus the Krishna consciousness movement affords an opportunity to develop the right destiny for human society. Nanda Mahārāja took advantage of the opportunity of Garga Muni’s presence by requesting him to perform the necessary reformatory activities for his sons to guide Them toward the destination of life.

Garga Muni indirectly disclosed that Krishna was the son of Devakī, not of Yaśodā. Since Kamsa was already searching for Krishna, if the purificatory process were undertaken by Garga Muni, Kamsa might be informed, and that would create a catastrophe. It may be argued that although Garga Muni was the priest of the Yadu dynasty, Nanda Mahārāja also belonged to that dynasty. Nanda Mahārāja, however, was not acting as a kshatriya. Therefore Garga Muni said, “If I act as your priest, this will confirm that Krishna is the son of Devakī.”

Kamsa knew very well that Yoga-māyā was, after all, the maidservant of Krishna and Vishnu and that although Yoga-māyā had appeared as the daughter of Devakī, she might have been forbidden to disclose this fact. Actually this was what had happened. Garga Muni argued very soberly that his taking part in performing the reformatory process for Krishna would give rise to many doubts, so that Kamsa might take very severe steps to kill the child. Kamsa had already sent many demons to attempt to kill this child, but none of them had survived. If Garga Muni were to perform the purificatory process, Kamsa’s suspicions would be fully confirmed, and he would take very severe steps. Garga Muni gave this warning to Nanda Mahārāja.

Nanda Mahārāja did not like the idea of avoiding the purificatory process. Despite the many obstacles, he wanted to take advantage of Garga Muni’s presence and do what was needed. The purificatory process is essential specifically for brāhmanas, kshatriyas and vaiśyas. Therefore, since Nanda Mahārāja presented himself as a vaiśya, this process of purification was essential. Formerly, such institutional activities were compulsory. Cātur-varnyam mayā srishtam guna-karma-vibhāgaśah (Bg. 4.13). Without these activities of purification, the society would be considered a society of animals. To take advantage of Garga Muni’s presence, Nanda Mahārāja wanted to perform the nāma-karana ceremonies, even secretly, without any gorgeous arrangements. Therefore, the opportunity for purification should be regarded as the essential duty of human society. In Kali-yuga, however, people have forgotten the essence. Mandāh sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyā hy upadrutāh (Bhāg. 1.1.10). In this age, people are all bad and unfortunate, and they do not accept Vedic instructions to make their life successful. Nanda Mahārāja, however, did not want to neglect anything. To keep intact a happy society advanced in spiritual knowledge, he took full advantage of Garga Muni’s presence to do what was necessary. How degraded society has become within five thousand years. Mandāh sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyāh. The human life is obtained after many, many millions of births, and it is intended for purification. Previously, a father was eager to give all kinds of help to elevate his children, but at present, because of being misguided, people are prepared even to kill to avoid the responsibility of raising children.

Baladeva was actually the son of Devakī, but He was transferred from Devakī’s womb to that of Rohinī. This fact was not disclosed. According to a statement in the Hari-vamśa:

Garga Muni did disclose to Nanda Mahārāja that Balarāma would be known as Sankarshana because of uniting two families — the yadu-vamśa and the vamśa of Nanda Mahārāja — one of which was known as kshatriya and the other as vaiśya. Both families had the same original forefather, the only difference being that Nanda Mahārāja was born of a vaiśya wife whereas Vasudeva was born of a kshatriya wife. Later, Nanda Mahārāja married a vaiśya wife, and Vasudeva married a kshatriya wife. So although the families of Nanda Mahārāja and Vasudeva both came from the same father, they were divided as kshatriya and vaiśya. Now Baladeva united them, and therefore He was known as Sankarshana.

Partially explaining the position of Lord Krishna and partially covering the facts, Garga Muni indicated, “Your son is a great personality, and He can change the color of His body in different ages.” The word grihnatah indicates that Krishna is free to make His choice. In other words, He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and may therefore do whatever He desires. In Vedic literature the different colors assumed by the Personality of Godhead in different millenniums are stated, and therefore when Garga Muni said, “Your son has assumed these colors,” he indirectly said, “He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” Because of Kamsa’s atrocities, Garga Muni tried to avoid disclosing this fact, but he indirectly informed Nanda Mahārāja that Krishna, his son, was the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

It may be noted that Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī, in his book Krama-sandarbha, has enunciated the purport of this verse. In every millennium, Krishna appears in a different form, either as white, red or yellow, but this time He personally appeared in His original, blackish form and, as predicted by Garga Muni, exhibited the power of Nārāyana. Because in this form the Supreme Personality of Godhead exhibits Himself fully, His name is Śrī Krishna, the all-attractive.

Factually, Krishna is the source of all avatāras, and therefore all the different features of the different avatāras are present in Krishna. When Krishna incarnates, all the features of other incarnations are already present within Him. Other incarnations are partial representations of Krishna, who is the full-fledged incarnation of the Supreme Being. It is to be understood that the Supreme Being, whether appearing as śukla, rakta or pīta (white, red or yellow), is the same person. When He appears in different incarnations, He appears in different colors, just like the sunshine, which contains seven colors. Sometimes the colors of sunshine are represented separately; otherwise the sunshine is observed mainly as bright light. The different avatāras, such as the manvantara-avatāras, līlā-avatāras and daśa-avatāras, are all included in the krishna-avatāra. When Krishna appears, all the avatāras appear with Him. As described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.3.26):

The avatāras incessantly appear, like incessantly flowing water. No one can count how many waves there are in flowing water, and similarly there is no limitation of the avatāras. And Krishna is the full representation of all avatāras because He is the source of all avatāras. Krishna is amśī, whereas others are amśa, part of Krishna. All living entities, including us, are amśas (mamaivāmśo jīva-loke jīva-bhūtah sanātanah). These amśas are of different magnitude. Human beings (who are minute amśas) and the demigods, vishnu-tattva and all other living beings are all part of the Supreme. Nityo nityānām cetanaś cetanānām (Katha Upanishad 2.2.13). Krishna is the full representation of all living entities, and when Krishna is present, all avatāras are included in Him.

The Eleventh Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam describes the incarnations for each yuga in chronological order. The Bhāgavatam says, krite śuklaś catur-bāhuh, tretāyām rakta-varno’sau, dvāpare bhagavān śyāmah and krishna-varnam tvishākrishnam. We actually see that in Kali-yuga, Bhagavān has appeared in pīta-varna, or a yellow color, as Gaurasundara, although the Bhāgavatam speaks of krishna-varnam. To adjust all these statements, one should understand that although in some yugas some of the colors are prominent, in every yuga, whenever Krishna appears, all the colors are present. Krishna-varnam tvishākrishnam: although Caitanya Mahāprabhu appears without krishna, or a blackish color, He is understood to be Krishna Himself. Idānīm krishnatām gatah. The same original Krishna who appears in different varnas has now appeared. The word āsan indicates that He is always present. Whenever the Supreme Personality of Godhead appears in His full feature, He is understood to be krishna-varnam, although He appears in different colors. Prahlāda Mahārāja states that Caitanya Mahāprabhu is channa; that is, although He is Krishna, He is covered by a yellow color. Thus the Gaudīya Vaishnavas accept the conclusion that although Caitanya Mahāprabhu appeared in pīta color, He is Krishna.

(Bhāg. 11.5.32)

Garga Muni indirectly disclosed, “This child was originally born as the son of Vasudeva, although He is acting as your child. Generally He is your child, but sometimes He is the son of Vasudeva.”

Bahūni: the Lord has many names. Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam ādyam purāna-purusham nava-yauvanam ca. As stated in the Brahma-samhitā (5.33), the Lord is one, but He has many forms and many names. It was not that because Garga Muni gave the child the name Krishna, that was His only name. He has other names, such as Bhaktavatsala, Giridhārī, Govinda and Gopāla. If we analyze the nirukti, or semantic derivation, of the word “Krishna,” we find that na signifies that He stops the repetition of birth and death, and krish means sattārtha, or “existence.” (Krishna is the whole of existence.) Also, krish means “attraction,” and na means ānanda, or “bliss.” Krishna is known as Mukunda because He wants to give everyone spiritual, eternal, blissful life. Unfortunately, because of the living entity’s little independence, the living entity wants to “deprogram” the program of Krishna. This is the material disease. Nonetheless, because Krishna wants to give transcendental bliss to the living entities, He appears in various forms. Therefore He is called Krishna. Because Garga Muni was an astrologer, he knew what others did not know. Yet Krishna has so many names that even Garga Muni did not know them all. It is to be concluded that Krishna, according to His transcendental activities, has many names and many forms.

For the cowherd men and the cows, Krishna is the supreme friend. Therefore He is worshiped by the prayer namo brahmanya-devāya go-brāhmana-hitāya ca. His pastimes in Gokula, His dhāma, are always favorable to the brāhmanas and the cows. His first business is to give all comfort to the cows and the brāhmanas. In fact, comfort for the brāhmanas is secondary, and comfort for the cows is His first concern. Because of His presence, all people would overcome all difficulties and always be situated in transcendental bliss.

Indra is the king of the universe. Demons, thieves and rogues always disturb Indra (indrāri-vyākulam lokam), but when indrāris, the enemies of Indra, become prominent, Krishna appears. Krishnas tu bhagavān svayam/ indrāri-vyākulam lokam mridayanti yuge yuge (Bhāg. 1.3.28).

In this verse, the word nārāyana-samah is significant. Nārāyana has no equal. He is asamordhva: no one is equal to Him, and no one is greater than He is. As stated in śāstra:

One who equates Nārāyana even with great exalted demigods like Lord Śiva or Lord Brahmā is a pāshandī, an agnostic. No one can equal Nārāyana. Nonetheless, Garga Muni used the word sama, meaning “equal,” because he wanted to treat Krishna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead who had become Nanda Mahārāja’s son. Garga Muni wanted to impress upon the mind of Nanda Mahārāja, “Your worshipable Deity, Nārāyana, is so pleased with you that He has sent you a son almost equal to Him in qualifications. Therefore you may designate your son with a similar name, such as Mukunda or Madhusūdana. But you must always remember that whenever you want to do something very good, there will be many hindrances. Therefore you should raise and protect this child with great care. If you can protect this child very cautiously, as Nārāyana always protects you, the child will be as good as Nārāyana.” Garga Muni also indicated that although the child was exaltedly qualified like Nārāyana, He would enjoy more than Nārāyana as rāsa-vihārī, the central enjoyer of the rāsa dance. As stated in the Brahma-samhitā, lakshmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyamānam: He would be served by many gopīs, who would all be as good as the goddess of fortune.

Krishna is the Supersoul, and Nanda Mahārāja is the individual soul. By the instructions of Garga Muni, both of them were blessed. Nanda Mahārāja was thinking of Krishna’s safety from the hands of demons like Pūtanā and Śakatāsura, and because he possessed such a son, he thought of himself as most fortunate.

One brāhmana devotee says:

“Let others, fearing material existence, worship the Vedas, the Vedic supplementary Purānas and the Mahābhārata, but I shall worship Nanda Mahārāja, in whose courtyard the Supreme Brahman is crawling.” For a highly exalted devotee, kaivalya, merging into the existence of the Supreme, appears no better than hell (narakāyate). But here one can simply think of the crawling of Krishna and Balarāma in the courtyard of Nanda Mahārāja and always merge in transcendental happiness. As long as one is absorbed in thoughts of krishna-līlā, especially Krishna’s childhood pastimes, as Parīkshit Mahārāja desired to be, one is always merged in actual kaivalya. Therefore Vyāsadeva compiled Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Lokasyājānato vidvāmś cakre sātvata-samhitām (Bhāg. 1.7.6). Vyāsadeva compiled Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, under the instruction of Nārada, so that anyone can take advantage of this literature, think of Krishna’s pastimes and always be liberated.

When Krishna and Balarāma were crawling about Vrajabhūmi, They were enchanted by the sound of ankle bells. Thus They sometimes followed other people, who would enjoy the crawling of Krishna and Balarāma and exclaim, “Oh, see how Krishna and Balarāma are crawling!” Upon hearing this, Krishna and Balarāma could understand that these were not Their mothers They were following, and They would return to Their actual mothers. Thus the crawling of Krishna and Balarāma was enjoyed by the people of the neighborhood, as well as by mother Yaśodā and Rohinī and the two children Themselves.

As the mothers cared for their respective babies, by the arrangement of Yoga-māyā the babies thought, “Here is My mother,” and the mothers thought, “Here is my son.” Because of affection, milk naturally flowed from the mothers’ breasts, and the babies drank it. When the mothers saw small teeth coming in, they would count them and be happy, and when the babies saw Their mothers allowing Them to drink their breast milk, the babies also felt transcendental pleasure. As this transcendental affection continued between Rohinī and Balarāma and Yaśodā and Krishna, they all enjoyed transcendental bliss.

While crawling in curiosity, Krishna and Balarāma would sometimes catch the ends of the tails of calves. The calves, feeling that someone had caught them, would begin to flee here and there, and the babies would hold on very tightly, being afraid of how the calves were moving. The calves, seeing that the babies were holding them tightly, would also become afraid. Then the ladies would come to rescue the babies and gladly laugh. This was their enjoyment.

All these pastimes of Krishna, and the great enjoyment exhibited by the mothers, are transcendental; nothing about them is material. They are described in the Brahma-samhitā as ānanda-cinmaya-rasa. In the spiritual world there is anxiety, there is crying, and there are other feelings similar to those of the material world, but because the reality of these feelings is in the transcendental world, of which this world is only an imitation, mother Yaśodā and Rohinī enjoyed them transcendentally.

Instead of crawling with Their knees, the babies could now stand up by holding on to something and walk little by little, without difficulty, by the strength of Their legs.

The word saha-rāmah, meaning “along with Balarāma,” is significant in this verse. In such transcendental pastimes, Krishna is the chief hero, and Balarāma provides additional help.

Krishna’s activities are always very attractive to devotees. Therefore the neighbors, who were friends of mother Yaśodā, informed mother Yaśodā of whatever they saw Krishna doing in the neighborhood. Mother Yaśodā, just to hear about the activities of her son, stopped her household duties and enjoyed the information given by the neighborhood friends.

The narration of Krishna’s naughty childhood activities would be presented to mother Yaśodā in the form of complaints. Sometimes Krishna would enter the house of a neighbor, and if He found no one there, He would release the calves before the time for the cows to be milked. The calves are actually supposed to be released when their mothers are milked, but Krishna would release them before that time, and naturally the calves would drink all the milk from their mothers. When the cowherd men saw this, they would chase Krishna and try to catch Him, saying, “Here is Krishna doing mischief,” but He would flee and enter another house, where He would again devise some means to steal butter and curd. Then the cowherd men would again try to capture Him, saying, “Here is the butter thief. Better capture Him!” And they would be angry. But Krishna would simply smile, and they would forget everything. Sometimes, in their presence, He would begin eating the curd and butter. There was no need for Krishna to eat butter, since His belly was always full, but He would try to eat it, or else He would break the pots and distribute the contents to the monkeys. In this way, Krishna was always engaged in mischief-making. If in any house He could not find any butter or curd to steal, He would go into a room and agitate the small children sleeping there by pinching them, and when they cried He would go away.

Formerly, in every household, yogurt and butter were kept for use in emergencies. But Krishna and Balarāma would pile up planks so that They could reach the pots and would then pick holes in the pots with Their hands so that the contents would leak out and They could drink it. This was another means for stealing butter and milk. When the butter and milk were kept in a dark room, Krishna and Balarāma would go there and make the place bright with the valuable jewels on Their bodies. On the whole, Krishna and Balarāma engaged in stealing butter and milk from the neighborhood houses in many ways.

Krishna’s business in the neighborhood was not only to steal but sometimes to pass stool and urine in a neat, clean house. When caught by the master of the house, Krishna would chastise him, saying, “You are a thief.” Aside from being a thief in His childhood affairs, Krishna acted as an expert thief when He was young by attracting young girls and enjoying them in the rāsa dance. This is Krishna’s business. He is also violent, as the killer of many demons. Although mundane people like nonviolence and other such brilliant qualities, God, the Absolute Truth, being always the same, is good in any activities, even so-called immoral activities like stealing, killing and violence. Krishna is always pure, and He is always the Supreme Absolute Truth. Krishna may do anything supposedly abominable in material life, yet still He is attractive. Therefore His name is Krishna, meaning “all-attractive.” This is the platform on which transcendental loving affairs and service are exchanged. Because of the features of Krishna’s face, the mothers were so attracted that they could not chastise Him. Instead of chastising Him, they smiled and enjoyed hearing of Krishna’s activities. Thus the gopīs remained satisfied, and Krishna enjoyed their happiness. Therefore another name of Krishna is Gopī-jana-vallabha because He invented such activities to please the gopīs.

Here is another of Krishna’s transcendental activities invented to please the gopīs. First a complaint was lodged with mother Yaśodā about Krishna’s stealing, but mother Yaśodā did not chastise Him. Now, in an attempt to awaken mother Yaśodā’s anger so that she would chastise Krishna, another complaint was invented — that Krishna had eaten earth.

Mother Yaśodā was agitated by Krishna’s restless misbehavior. Her house was full of sweetmeats. Why then should the restless boy eat dirt in a solitary place? Krishna replied, “My dear mother, they have plotted together and lodged a complaint against Me so that you will punish Me. My elder brother, Balarāma, has joined them. Actually, I have not done this. Take My words as true. Do not be angry and chastise Me.”

Krishna presented Himself as an innocent child to increase the transcendental ecstasy of maternal affection. As described in the śāstra, tādana-bhayān mithyoktir vātsalya-rasa-poshikā. This means that sometimes a small child speaks lies. For example, he may have stolen something or eaten something and yet deny that he has done so. We ordinarily see this in the material world, but in relation to Krishna it is different; such activities are meant to endow the devotee with transcendental ecstasy. The Supreme Personality of Godhead was playing as a liar and accusing all the other devotees of being liars. As stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.12.11), krita-punya-puñjāh: a devotee may attain such an ecstatic position after many, many births of devotional service. Persons who have amassed the results of a vast amount of pious activities can attain the stage of associating with Krishna and playing with Him like ordinary playmates. One should not consider these transactions of transcendental service to be untruthful accusations. One should never accuse such devotees of being ordinary boys speaking lies, for they attained this stage of associating with Krishna by great austerities (tapasā brahmacaryena śamena ca damena ca).

Without disturbing the ecstasy of His mother’s affection, Krishna opened His mouth and displayed His own natural opulences. When a person is given varieties of food, there may be a hundred and one varieties, but if one likes ordinary śāka, spinach, he prefers to eat that. Similarly, although Krishna was full of opulences, now, by the order of mother Yaśodā, He opened wide His mouth like a human child and did not neglect the transcendental humor of maternal affection.

All the cosmic manifestations that exist on the gross and subtle elements, as well as the means of their agitation, the three gunas, the living entity, creation, maintenance, annihilation and everything going on in the external energy of the Lord — all this comes from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Govinda. Everything is within the control of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is also confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (9.10). Mayādhyakshena prakritih sūyate sa-carācaram: everything in the material nature (prakriti) works under His control. Because all these manifestations come from Govinda, they could all be visible within the mouth of Govinda. Quite astonished, mother Yaśodā was afraid because of intense maternal affection. She could not believe that within the mouth of her son such things could appear. Yet she saw them, and therefore she was struck with fear and wonder.

When mother Yaśodā saw this wonderful manifestation within the mouth of her child, she began to argue within herself about whether it was a dream. Then she considered, “I am not dreaming, because my eyes are open. I am actually seeing what is happening. I am not sleeping, nor am I dreaming. Then maybe this is an illusion created by devamāyā. But that is also not possible. What business would the demigods have showing such things to me? I am an insignificant woman with no connection with the demigods. Why should they take the trouble to put me into devamāyā? That also is not possible.” Then mother Yaśodā considered whether the vision might be due to bewilderment: “I am fit in health; I am not diseased. Why should there be any bewilderment? It is not possible that my brain is deranged, since I am ordinarily quite fit to think. Then this vision must be due to some mystic power of my son, as predicted by Garga Muni.” Thus she finally concluded that the vision was due to her son’s activities, and nothing else.

One simply has to realize the greatness of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One should not try to understand Him by any material means, subtle or gross. Mother Yaśodā, being a simple woman, could not find out the real cause of the vision; therefore, out of maternal affection, she simply offered obeisances unto the Supreme Lord to protect her child. She could do nothing but offer obeisances to the Lord. It is said, acintyāh khalu ye bhāvā na tāms tarkena yojayet (Mahābhārata, Bhīshma parva 5.22). One should not try to understand the supreme cause by argument or reasoning. When we are beset by some problem for which we can find no reason, there is no alternative than to surrender to the Supreme Lord and offer Him our respectful obeisances. Then our position will be secure. This was the means adopted in this instance also by mother Yaśodā. Whatever happens, the original cause is the Supreme Personality of Godhead (sarva-kārana-kāranam). When the immediate cause cannot be ascertained, let us simply offer our obeisances at the lotus feet of the Lord. Mother Yaśodā concluded that the wonderful things she saw within the mouth of her child were due to Him, although she could not clearly ascertain the cause. Therefore when a devotee cannot ascertain the cause of suffering, he concludes:

(Bhāg. 10.14.8)

The devotee accepts that it is due to his own past misdeeds that the Supreme Personality of Godhead has caused him some small amount of suffering. Thus he offers obeisances to the Lord again and again. Such a devotee is called mukti-pade sa dāya-bhāk; that is, he is guaranteed his liberation from this material world. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (2.14):

We should know that material suffering due to the material body will come and go. Therefore we must tolerate the suffering and proceed with discharging our duty as ordained by our spiritual master.

Following in the footsteps of mother Yaśodā, everyone should follow this mentality of renunciation. Whatever wealth, opulence or whatever else we may possess belongs not to us but to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the ultimate shelter of everyone and the ultimate owner of everything. As stated by the Lord Himself in Bhagavad-gītā (5.29):

“The sages, knowing Me as the ultimate purpose of all sacrifices and austerities, the Supreme Lord of all planets and demigods and the benefactor and well-wisher of all living entities, attain peace from the pangs of material miseries.”

We should not be proud of our possessions. As expressed by mother Yaśodā herein, “I am not the owner of possessions, the opulent wife of Nanda Mahārāja. The estate, the possessions, the cows and calves and the subjects like the gopīs and cowherd men are all given to me.” One should give up thinking of “my possessions, my son and my husband” (janasya moho ’yam aham mameti). Nothing belongs to anyone but the Supreme Lord. Only because of illusion do we wrongly think, “I am existing” or “Everything belongs to me.” Thus mother Yaśodā completely surrendered unto the Supreme Lord. For the moment, she was rather disappointed, thinking, “My endeavors to protect my son by charity and other auspicious activities are useless. The Supreme Lord has given me many things, but unless He takes charge of everything, there is no assurance of protection. I must therefore ultimately seek shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” As stated by Prahlāda Mahārāja (Bhāg. 7.9.19), bālasya neha śaranam pitarau nrisimha: a father and mother cannot ultimately take care of their children. Ato griha-kshetra-sutāpta-vittair janasya moho ’yam aham mameti (Bhāg. 5.5.8). One’s land, home, wealth and all of one’s possessions belong to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, although we wrongly think, “I am this” and “These things are mine.”

Although mother Yaśodā understood the whole philosophy of life, at the next moment she was overwhelmed by affection for her son by the influence of Yoga-māyā. Unless she took care of her son Krishna, she thought, how could He be protected? She could not think otherwise, and thus she forgot all her philosophical speculations. This forgetfulness is described by Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Thākura as being inspired by the influence of Yoga-māyā (mohana-sādharmyān māyām). Materialistic persons are captivated by Mahā-māyā, whereas devotees, by the arrangement of the spiritual energy, are captivated by Yoga-māyā.

Mother Yaśodā regarded the vision of the universal form within Krishna’s mouth as an arrangement of Yoga-māyā, like a dream. As one forgets everything after a dream, mother Yaśodā immediately forgot the entire incident. As her natural feeling of affection increased, she decided to herself, “Now let this incident be forgotten. I do not mind. Here is my son. Let me kiss Him.”

As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (15.15) by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, the purpose of studying the Vedas is to understand Him (vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyah). Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu explained to Sanātana Gosvāmī that there are three purposes in the Vedas. One is to understand our relationship with Krishna (sambandha), another is to act according to that relationship (abhidheya), and the third is to reach the ultimate goal (prayojana). The word prayojana means “necessities,” and the ultimate necessity is explained by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Premā pum-artho mahān: the greatest necessity for a human being is the achievement of love for the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Here we see that mother Yaśodā is on the highest stage of necessity, for she is completely absorbed in love for Krishna.

In the beginning, the Vedic purpose is pursued in three ways (trayī) — by karma-kānda, jñāna-kānda and upāsanā-kānda. When one reaches the complete, perfect stage of upāsanā-kānda, one comes to worship Nārāyana, or Lord Vishnu. When Pārvatī asked Lord Mahādeva, Lord Śiva, what is the best method of upāsanā, or worship, Lord Śiva answered, ārādhanānām sarveshām vishnor ārādhanam param. Vishnūpāsanā, or vishnv-ārādhana, worship of Lord Vishnu, is the highest stage of perfection, as realized by Devakī. But here mother Yaśodā performs no upāsanā, for she has developed transcendental ecstatic love for Krishna. Therefore her position is better than that of Devakī. In order to show this, Śrīla Vyāsadeva enunciates this verse, trayyā copanishadbhih etc.

When a human being enters into the study of the Vedas to obtain vidyā, knowledge, he begins to take part in human civilization. Then he advances further to study the Upanishads and gain brahma-jñāna, impersonal realization of the Absolute Truth, and then he advances still further, to sānkhya-yoga, in order to understand the supreme controller, who is indicated in Bhagavad-gītā (param brahma param dhāma pavitram paramam bhavān/ purusham śāśvatam). When one understands that purusha, the supreme controller, to be Paramātmā, one is engaged in the method of yoga (dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā paśyanti yam yoginah). But mother Yaśodā has surpassed all these stages. She has come to the platform of loving Krishna as her beloved child, and therefore she is accepted to be on the highest stage of spiritual realization. The Absolute Truth is realized in three features (brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate), but she is in such ecstasy that she does not care to understand what is Brahman, what is Paramātmā or what is Bhagavān. Bhagavān has personally descended to become her beloved child. Therefore there is no comparison to mother Yaśodā’s good fortune, as declared by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu (ramyā kācid upāsanā vrajavadhū-vargena yā kalpitā). The Absolute Truth, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, may be realized in different stages. As the Lord says in Bhagavad-gītā (4.11):

“As men surrender unto Me, I reward them accordingly. Everyone follows My path in all respects, O son of Prithā.” One may be a karmī, a jñānī, a yogī and then a bhakta or prema-bhakta. But the ultimate stage of realization is prema-bhakti, as actually demonstrated by mother Yaśodā.

As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (7.16), catur-vidhā bhajante mām janāh sukritino ’rjuna. Without sukriti, or pious activities, no one can come to the shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Lord is approached by four kinds of pious men (ārto jijñāsur arthārthī jñānī ca), but here we see that Nanda Mahārāja and Yaśodā surpassed all of them. Therefore Parīkshit Mahārāja naturally inquired, “What kind of pious activities did they perform in their past lives by which they achieved such a stage of perfection?” Of course, Nanda Mahārāja and Yaśodā are accepted as the father and mother of Krishna, yet mother Yaśodā was more fortunate than Nanda Mahārāja, Krishna’s father, because Nanda Mahārāja was sometimes separated from Krishna whereas Yaśodā, Krishna’s mother, was not separated from Krishna at any moment. From Krishna’s babyhood to His childhood and from His childhood to His youth, mother Yaśodā was always in association with Krishna. Even when Krishna was grown up, He would go to Vrindāvana and sit on the lap of mother Yaśodā. Therefore there is no comparison to the fortune of mother Yaśodā, and Parīkshit Mahārāja naturally inquired, yaśodā ca mahā-bhāgā.

Krishna actually took birth from the womb of Devakī, but just after His birth He was transferred to the home of mother Yaśodā. Devakī could not even have Krishna suck her breast. Therefore Parīkshit Mahārāja was astonished. How had mother Yaśodā and Nanda Mahārāja become so fortunate that they enjoyed the complete childhood pastimes of Krishna, which are still glorified by saintly persons? What had they done in the past by which they were elevated to such an exalted position?

As stated in the Brahma-samhitā (5.37):

When Krishna descends anywhere, He is accompanied by His own associates. These associates are not ordinary living beings. Krishna’s pastimes are eternal, and when He descends, He comes with His associates. Therefore Nanda and mother Yaśodā are the eternal father and mother of Krishna. This means that whenever Krishna descends, Nanda and Yaśodā, as well as Vasudeva and Devakī, also descend as the Lord’s father and mother. Their personalities are expansions of Krishna’s personal body; they are not ordinary living beings. Mahārāja Parīkshit knew this, but he was curious to know from Śukadeva Gosvāmī whether it is possible for an ordinary human being to come to this stage by sādhana-siddhi. There are two kinds of perfection — nitya-siddhi and sādhana-siddhi. A nitya-siddha is one who is eternally Krishna’s associate, an expansion of Krishna’s personal body, whereas a sādhana-siddha is an ordinary human being who, by executing pious activities and following regulative principles of devotional service, also comes to that stage. Thus the purpose of Mahārāja Parīkshit’s inquiry was to determine whether an ordinary human being can attain the position of mother Yaśodā and Nanda Mahārāja. Śukadeva Gosvāmī answered this question as follows.

This statement by Drona clearly indicates that Drona and Dharā are the eternal father and mother of Krishna. Whenever there is a necessity of Krishna’s appearance, Drona and Dharā appear first, and then Krishna appears. Krishna says in Bhagavad-gītā that His birth is not ordinary (janma karma ca me divyam).

“Although I am unborn and My transcendental body never deteriorates, and although I am the Lord of all sentient beings, I still appear in every millennium in My original transcendental form.” (Bg. 4.6) Before Krishna’s appearance, Drona and Dharā appear in order to become His father and mother. It is they who appear as Nanda Mahārāja and his wife, Yaśodā. In other words, it is not possible for a sādhana-siddha living being to become the father or mother of Krishna, for Krishna’s father and mother are already designated. But by following the principles exhibited by Nanda Mahārāja and Yaśodā and their associates, the inhabitants of Vrindāvana, ordinary living beings may attain such affection as exhibited by Nanda and Yaśodā.

When Drona and Dharā were requested to beget children, they chose to come to this world to have the Supreme Personality of Godhead as their son, Krishna. Krishna’s appearance means paritrānāya sādhūnām vināśāya ca dushkritām — the devotees are protected, and the miscreants are vanquished. Whenever Krishna comes, He distributes the highest goal of life, devotional service. He appears as Caitanya Mahāprabhu for the same purpose because unless one comes to devotional service, one cannot be delivered from the miseries of the material world (duhkhālayam aśāśvatam), where the living beings struggle for existence. The Lord says in Bhagavad-gītā (15.7):

“The living entities in this conditioned world are My eternal, fragmental parts. Because of conditioned life, they are struggling very hard with the six senses, which include the mind.” The living entities are struggling to become happy, but unless they take to the bhakti cult, their happiness is not possible. Krishna clearly says:

“Those who are not faithful on the path of devotional service cannot attain Me, O conqueror of foes, but return to birth and death in this material world.” (Bg. 9.3)

Foolish persons do not know how risky life is here if one does not follow the instructions of Krishna. The Krishna consciousness movement, therefore, has been started so that by practicing Krishna consciousness one can avoid the risky life of this material existence. There is no question of accepting or not accepting Krishna consciousness. It is not optional; it is compulsory. If we do not take to Krishna consciousness, our life is very risky. Everything is explained in Bhagavad-gītā. Therefore, to learn how to become free from the miserable condition of material existence, Bhagavad-gītā As It Is is the preliminary study. Then, if one understands Bhagavad-gītā, one can proceed to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and if one advances further, one may study Caitanya-caritāmrita. We are therefore presenting these invaluable books to the whole world so that people may study them and be happy, being delivered from miserable conditional life.

Because whenever Krishna appears on this earth He superficially needs a father and mother, Drona and Dharā, His eternal father and mother, appeared on earth before Krishna as Nanda Mahārāja and Yaśodā. In contrast to Sutapā and Priśni, they did not undergo severe penances and austerities to become the father and mother of Krishna. This is the difference between nitya-siddha and sādhana-siddha.

Although when the Supreme Personality of Godhead stole the butter, curd and milk of the neighboring gopas and gopīs, this teasing superficially seemed troublesome, in fact it was an exchange of affection in the ecstasy of devotional service. The more the gopas and gopīs exchanged feelings with the Lord, the more their devotional service increased. Sometimes we may superficially see that a devotee is in difficulty because of being engaged in devotional service, but the fact is different. When a devotee suffers for Krishna, that suffering is transcendental enjoyment. Unless one becomes a devotee, this cannot be understood. When Krishna exhibited His childhood pastimes, not only did Nanda Mahārāja and Yaśodā increase their devotional affection, but those in their association also increased in devotional service. In other words, persons who follow the activities of Vrindāvana will also develop devotional service in the highest perfection.