Hare Kṛṣṇa,
Śrī Parīkṣit Mahārāja said: O sage, the gopīs knew Kṛṣṇa only as their lover, not as the Supreme Absolute Truth. So how could these girls, their minds caught up in the waves of the modes of nature, free themselves from material attachment? (SB 10.29.12)
When Parīkṣit Mahārāja heard that some of the gopis, simply by concentrating on Kṛṣṇa as their paramour, became freed from all contamination of material birth and death, he said, “The gopis did not know that Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They accepted Him as a beautiful boy and considered Him to be their paramour. So how was it possible for them to get freed from the material condition just by thinking of a paramour?“
Parīkṣit Mahārāja’s question was very intelligent. He asked: If thinking of Kṛṣṇa can free one from material bondage, why doesn’t thinking of other beloveds (who are also Brahman – qualitatively same as the Supreme Lord) yield the same result? This question was raised to protect innocent people from being misled by imitators of God.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī rebuked Parīkṣit affectionately, pointing out that the answer had already been given earlier—even Kṛṣṇa’s enemies like Śiśupāla attained liberation by constantly thinking of Him. The “earlier” referred to here by Śukadeva Gosvāmī is in reference to the beginning chapters of Canto 7 where Parīkṣit Mahārāja asked Śukadeva Gosvāmī about the so-called partiality of the Lord. Parīkṣit Mahārāja’s inquiry was that the Supreme Lord took Indra’s site and killed the demons – Hiranyakasipu and Hiranyaksa. Why was the Lord partial in this case? Śukadeva Gosvāmī replied that a similar question was asked by Yudhisthira Maharaja to Narada Muni when he witnessed Sisupala immediately attaining liberation after being killed by Krsna in the rajasuya-yajna.
This discussion brings back the topic of the power of absorption that I wrote about in the second forum post. Śiśupāla was liberated when Kṛṣṇa killed him because his mind was constantly fixed on Kṛṣṇa through envy. This reveals Kṛṣṇa’s nature as Hṛṣīkeśa (the master of senses) and Adhokṣaja (beyond material perception). Kṛṣṇa’s form and body are non-different from His Supreme spiritual essence; He is imperishable, immeasurable, and free from matter. Even the Lord’s killing is an act of mercy and deliverance.
Liberation or perfection comes from absorption of consciousness in Kṛṣṇa, regardless of the emotional flavor (rasa).
“The Vraja-gopis and others worshiped Kṛṣṇa with a mood of lust (kāma); Sisupala worshiped Kṛṣṇa with a mood of anger (krodha); Kamsa, a mood of fear (bhayam); Nanda Maharaja, a mood of parental love (sneha); the self-satisfied sages, a mood of oneness (aikya); the Vrsnis, Pandavas and others, a mood of friendship (sauhrdam). In whichever mood they worshiped Sri Kṛṣṇa; they realized the respective eternal pastimes of the Lord. “(SB 10.29.15: Sārārtha-darśini)
We saw similar theme and verses in the 7th Canto where Narada Muni said:
“Therefore by enmity or by devotional service, by fear, by affection or by lusty desire — by all of these or any one of them — if a conditioned soul somehow or other concentrates his mind upon the Lord, the result is the same, for the Lord, because of His blissful position, is never affected by enmity or friendship.” (SB 7.1.26)
“Many, many persons have attained liberation simply by thinking of Kṛṣṇa with great attention and giving up sinful activities. This great attention may be due to lusty desires, inimical feelings, fear, affection or devotional service. I shall now explain how one receives Kṛṣṇa’s mercy simply by concentrating one’s mind upon Him.” (SB 7.1.30)
“My dear King Yudhiṣṭhira, the gopīs by their lusty desires, Kaṁsa by his fear, Śiśupāla and other kings by envy, the Yadus by their familial relationship with Kṛṣṇa, you Pāṇḍavas by your great affection for Kṛṣṇa, and we, the general devotees, by our devotional service, have obtained the mercy of Kṛṣṇa.” (SB 7.1.31)
The example given is that “a grassworm confined in a hole of a wall by a bee always thinks of the bee in fear and enmity and later becomes a bee simply because of such remembrance. Similarly, if the conditioned souls somehow or other think of Kṛṣṇa, who is sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha, they will become free from their sins. Whether thinking of Him as their worshipable Lord or an enemy, because of constantly thinking of Him they will regain their spiritual bodies.” (SB 7.1.28-29)
“The conclusion is that if one somehow or other becomes attached to Kṛṣṇa or attracted to Him, either because of His beauty, quality, opulence, fame, strength, renunciation or knowledge, or even through lust, anger or fear, or affection or friendship, then one’s salvation and freedom from material contamination is assured.” (Texts 12-16: Kṛṣṇa Book)
“Sukadeva Gosvami therefore assured King Pariksit that he should always rest assured that one attracted by Krsna attains liberation from material bondage because Kṛṣṇa is the transcendental master of all mystic power.” (Texts 12-16: Kṛṣṇa Book)
When will I ever attain the state of constant remembrance of Kṛṣṇa — when my mind becomes a river flowing ceaselessly toward His lotus feet, untouched by the banks of worldly distraction?
All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
Krsna Katha 