Fifty
centuries ago Lord Krishna came, to protect His devotees and rid the world of
demonic politicians. Now Krishna has come in another form – Srimad Bhagavatam
(“The beautiful story of the Supreme Personality of Godhead”), translation
and commentary by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
For
many years HDG A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada prepared a multi-volume
English translation of the Srimad Bhagavatam, a monumental Sanskrit work
known as “the ripened fruit of Vedic literature.” The reason Srimad
Bhagavatam has such a special significance is that it describes Lord Krishna
fully up to His Original form as a cowherd boy in the Holy Land of Vrndavana.
There He plays on His flute, steals butter from His mother’s churning pot, and
charms His dear friends with His irresistible personality. With eyes like lotus
petals and a complexion like a dark bluish cloud, He possesses an ever-fresh
beauty that defies description. Other Vedic literatures give only a small hint
of Lord Krishna’s own intimate, spiritual abode, but in the Srimad
Bhagavatam – and especially in the Tenth Canto – Krishna personally
appears and reveals His supremely attractive and most confidential pastimes.
Srila
Prabhupada’s presentation of Srimad Bhagavatam differs from others
because he is a pure devotee of Lord Krishna and whoever hears or reads his
writings submissively experience a change of heart, and the hearer’s
self-defeating disposition to enjoy this material world slackens. His long
forgotten natural love for Krishna awakens, and he develops an attraction for
hearing more and more about the Lord.
Unfortunately,
those who receive the message of the Bhagavatam from someone other than
an expert spiritual master – a pure devotee of Lord Krishna in the disciplic
succession from Lord Krishna Himself – generally misinterpret the Lord’s
pastimes described in the Tenth Canto. Instead of becoming purified by hearing
of the Lord’s spiritual loving affairs with His devotees, such careless
interpreters, casual readers, and mental speculators offend the Lord, and their
spiritual advancement is checked.
The
conclusion therefore is that one must learn the book Bhagavatam from the
person bhagavata, one whose very life embodies the teachings of the Bhagavatam.
If one hears about the Lord in this authorized way, his feelings for the loving
devotional service to Lord Krishna the Supreme Personality of Godhead, awakens
within his heart and extinguishes the fire of material suffering. Ultimately,
the sincere student of the Srimad-Bhagavatam realizes his original,
transcendental relationship with the Lord and, upon giving up his body at death,
enters into Lord Krishna’s eternal pastimes in the spiritual world.
What follows is
an except from the third Chapter of the tenth canto of Srimad Bhagavatam
by Srila Prabhupada.
The
Advent of Lord Krishna
At the
auspicious time for the appearance of the Lord, the entire universe was
surcharged with all the qualities of goodness, beauty, and peace. The
constellation Rohini appeared, as did stars like Asvini. The sun, the moon, and
the other stars and planet were very peaceful. All the directions appeared
extremely pleasing, and the beautiful stars twinkled in the cloudless sky.
Decorated with
towns, villages, mines, and pasturing grounds, the earth seemed all-auspicious.
The rivers flowed with clear water, and the lakes and vast reservoirs, full of
lilies and lotuses, were extraordinarily beautiful. In the trees and green
plants, which were full of flowers and leaves, pleasing to the eyes, birds like
cuckoos and swarms of bees began chanting with sweet voices for the sake of the
demigods. A pure breeze began to blow, pleasing the sense of the hearer’s
touch and bearing the aroma of flowers, and when the brahmanas who were engaged
in ritualistic ceremonies ignited their fires according to Vedic principles, the
fires burned steadily, undisturbed by the breeze.
Thus when
the birthless Lord Visnu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, was about to
appear, the saints and brahmanas who had always been disturbed by demons like
Kamsa and his men, felt peace within the core of their hearts, and kettledrums
simultaneously vibrated from the upper planetary system. The Kinnaras and
Gandharvas, inhabitants of the heavenly planets, began to sing auspicious songs;
the Siddhas and Caranas offered auspicious prayers; and the Vidyadharis, along
with the Apsaras, began to dance in jubilation.
The
demigods and great saintly persons showered flowers in a joyous mood, and clouds
gathered in the sky and very mildly thundered, making sounds like those of the
ocean’s waves. Then the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Visnu, who is situated
in the core of everyone’s heart, appeared from the heart of Devaki in the
dense darkness of night, like the full moon rising on the eastern horizon,
because Devaki was of the same category as Sri Krishna.
As stated
in the Brahma Samhita 5.37, ananda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhavitabhis, His entourage
is of the same spiritual category. His mother, His father, His friends, the
expansions of Krishna, as well as His Dhama etc., are all of the same spiritual
nature so Devaki is also of the same spiritual category as Sri Krishna.
An
objection may be raised that since Lord Krishna appeared on the eight day of the
waning moon, there could no rising of full moon. In answer to this it may be
said that Lord Krishna appeared in the dynasty which is in the hierarchy of the
moon; therefore, although the moon was incomplete on that night, because of the
Lord’s appearance in the dynasty wherein the moon is himself the original
person, moon was in an over joyous condition, so by the grace of Krishna he
could appear as full moon. To welcome the Supreme Lord the waning moon became a
full moon in jubilation.
Those who
are not in full knowledge that the appearance and disappearance of the Lord are
transcendental (janma karma ca me divyam) are sometimes surprised that
the Supreme Personality of Godhead can take birth like an ordinary child.
Actually, however, the Lord’s birth is never ordinary. The Supreme Personality
of Godhead is already situated within the core of everyone’s heart as antaryami,
the Supersoul. Thus because He was present in full potency in Devaki’s heart,
He was also able to appear outside her body.
In the Srimad-Bhagavatam
(1.9.42), Bhisma, a great authority to be followed by devotees, says that
the Supreme Personality of Godhead is situated in the core of everyone’s
heart, just as the sun may be on everyone’s head. Yet although the sun may be
on the heads of millions and millions of people, this does not mean that the sun
is variously situated. Similarly, because the Supreme Personality of Godhead has
inconceivable potencies, He can be within everyone’s heart and yet not be
variously situated. Ekatvam anupasyatah (Isopanisad 7). The Lord
is one, but He can appear in everyone’s heart by His inconceivable potency.
Thus although the Lord was within the heart of Devaki, He appeared as her child.
According to the Visnu Purana, therefore, the Lord appeared like the sun
(anugrahasya). The Brahma-samhita (5.35) confirms that the Lord is
situated even within the atom (andantara-stha-paramanu-cayantarastham).
He is situated in Matura, in Vaikuntha and in the core of the heart. Therefore
one should clearly understand that He did not live like an ordinary child in the
heart or the womb of Devaki. Nor did He appear like an ordinary human child,
although He seemed to do so in order to bewilder asuras (demons) like Kamsa. The
asuras wrongly think that Krishna took birth like an ordinary child and passed
away from this world like an ordinary man. Persons in knowledge of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead reject such asuric conceptions. Ajo pi sann avyaatma
bhutanam isvaro pi san (Bg. 4.6). As stated in Bhagavad-Gita, the Lord is aja,
unborn and He is the supreme controller of everything. Nonetheless, He appeared
as the child of Devaki. This verse described the inconceivable potency of the
Lord, who appeared like the full moon. Understanding the special significance of
the appearance of the Supreme Godhead, one should never regard Him as having
taken birth like an ordinary child.
Vasudeva,
then saw the new born child, who had very wonderful lotus like eyes, and who
bore in His four hands the four weapons sankha, cakra, gada, padma (conch
shell, disc, club, and lotus). On His chest was the mark of Srivatsa and on His
neck the brilliant Kaustubha gem. Dressed in yellow, His body blackish like a
dense cloud, His scattered hair fully grown, and His helmet and earrings
sparkling uncommonly with the valuable gem, Vaidurya, the child decorated with a
brilliant belt, armlets, bangles, and other ornaments appeared wonderful.
When
Vasudeva saw his extraordinary son, his eyes were struck with wonder. In
transcendental jubilation, he mentally collected ten thousand cows and
distributed them among the brahmanas as a transcendental festival.
Vasudeva
could understand this child was the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Narayana.
Having concluded this without a doubt, he became fearless. Bowing down with
folded hands and concentrated attention, he began to offer prayers to his child,
who was illuminating His birthplace by His natural influence.
Vasudeva
prayed, “ O my Lord, proprietor of all creation, you have now appeared in my
house, desiring to give protection to the world. I am sure that You will kill
all the armies that are moving all over the world under the leadership of
politicians who are dressed as ksatriya rulers but who are factually all demons.
They must be killed by You for the protection of innocent people.”
[Krishna
appears in the world of two purposes, paritranaya sadhunam vinasaya ca
duskrtam: to protect the innocent, religious devotees of the Lord and to
annihilate all the uneducated, uncultured asuras who necessarily bark like dogs
and fight among themselves for political power. It is said, kali-kale
nama-rupe krsna avatara. The Hare Krishna movement is also an incarnation of
Krishna in the form of the holy name (nama-rupe). Every one of us who is
actually afraid of the asuric rulers and politicians must welcome this
incarnation Krishna: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/
Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Then we will surly be protected from
the harassment of asuric rules. At the present moment these rules are so
powerful that by hook or by crook they capture the highest posts in government
and harass countless number of peoples on the plea of national security or some
emergency. Then again, one asura
defeats another asura, but the public
continues to suffer. Therefore the entire world is in a precarious condition,
and the only hope is this Hare Krishna movement.
Lord
Nrsimhadeva appeared when Prahalada was excessively harassed by his asuric
father. Because of such asuric fathers-that is, the ruling politicians–it is
very difficult to press forward the Hare Krishna movement, but because Krishna
has appeared in his holy name through this movement, we can hope that these
asuric fathers will be annihilated and the kingdom of God will be established
all over the world. The entire world is now full of many asura
in the guise of politicians, gurus, sadhus,
yogis and incarnations, who are misleading the general public away from Krishna
consciousness, which can offer true benefit to human society.]
Vasudeva
continued “O my Lord, Lord of the demigods, after hearing the prophecy that
you would take birth in our home and kill him, this uncivilized Kamsa killed so
many of your elder brothers. As soon as he hears from his lieutenants that you
have appeared, he will immediately come with weapons to kill you.”
[Kamsa has here
been described as asabhya meaning
“uncivilized” or “most heinous” because he killed the many children of
his sister, when he heard the prophecy that he would be killed by her eight son,
this uncivilized man, Kamsa, was immediately ready to kill his innocent sister
on the occasion of here marriage. An uncivilized man can do anything for the
satisfaction of his sense. He can kill children, he can kill cows, he can kill brahmanas,
he can kill old men; he has no mercy for anyone. According to Vedic
civilization, cows, women, children, old men and brahmanas should be excused
even if they are at fault. But asuras,
uncivilized men, do not care about that. At The present moment the killing of
cows and killing of children are going on unrestrictedly, and therefore the
civilization is not at all human, and those who are conducting the condemned
civilization are uncivilized asuras.
Such uncivilized
men are not in favour of the Krishna consciousness movement. As public officers
they declare without hesitation that the chanting of the Hare Krishna movement
is a nuisance, although the Bhagavad-Gita
clearly says, Satatam kirtayanto mam
yatantas’ ca dhrda-vratah. According to this verse, it is the duty of mahatmas
to chant the Hare Krishna mantra and try to spread it all over the world to the
best of their ability. Unfortunately, society is in such an uncivilized state
that there are so-called mahatamas who
are prepared to kill cows and children and stop the Hare Krishna movement. Such
uncivilized activities, like those of history, were actually demonstrated in
connection with the Hare Krishna movement’s Bombay center, Hare Krishna Land.
As Kamsa was not expected to kill the beautiful child of Devaki and Vasudeva,
the uncivilized society, although unhappy about the advancement of Krishna
consciousness movement, cannot be expected to stop it. Yet we may face many
difficulties in many different ways. Although Krishna cannot be killed, Vasudeva,
as the father of Krishna, was trembling because in affection he thought that
Kamsa would immediately come and kill his son similarly, although the Krishna
consciousness movement and Krishna are not different and no asuras
can check it, we are afraid that any moment the asuras
can stop it in any part of the world.]
Thereafter,
exactly when Vasudeva, being inspired by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, was
about to take the newborn child from the delivery room, Yogamaya, the Lord’s
spiritual energy, took birth as the daughter of Yasoda, the wife of Maharaja
Nanda.
By the influence
of Yogamaya, all the doorkeepers fell fast asleep, their sense unable to work,
and the other inhabitants of the house also fell deeply asleep. When the sun
rises, the darkness automatically disappears; similarly, when Vasudeva
approached the closed doors, which were strongly pinned with iron and locked
with iron chains, they opened automatically. Since the clouds in the sky were
mildly thundering and showering, Ananta-naga, an expansion of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, followed Vasudeva, beginning from the door, with hoods
expanded to protect Vasudeva and transcendental child.
Because of
constant rain sent by the demigod Indra, the river Yamuna was filled with deep
water, foaming about with fiercely whirling waves. But as the great Indian Ocean
had given formerly given way to Lord Ramchandra by allowing him to construct a
bridge, so the River Yamuna gave way to Vasuedeva and allowed him to cross.
When Vasudeva
reached the house of Nanda Maharaj, he saw that all the cowherd men were fast
asleep. Thus he placed his son on Yasoda’s bed, picked up her daughter (an
expansion of Yagoamaya) and then returned to the prison house of Kamsa. Vasudeva
then placed the female child on the bed of Devaki, bound his legs with iron
shackles, and thus remained there as before. Exhausted by the labor of
childbirth, Yasoda was overwhelmed with sleep and unable to understand what kind
of child had been born.