Hare Krsna,

Although apparently simple storyline, the pastime of baby Krsna reciprocating with a fruit vendor has a meaning. This pastime teaches us that if someone gives something to the Lord, he is not the loser; he is the gainer by a million times.

SB 10.11.11: While Kṛṣṇa was going to the fruit vendor very hastily, most of the grains He was holding fell. Nonetheless, the fruit vendor filled Kṛṣṇa’s hands with fruits, and her fruit basket was immediately filled with jewels and gold.

At first, I was wondering why the fruit vendor settled for a raw deal. She could have asked for any benediction she wanted (just like Manigriva and Nalakuvera). Why is she happy with some material gifts such as gold and jewels that even a demigod can bestow? She hadn’t she asked for eternal devotional service or Krsna prema? While reading up our acarya commentaries, Srila Viswanath Chakravarty Thakura removed by doubt.

He writes: “Being greedy for the fruits. Kåñëa somehow managed to hold them all in His small hands by the influence of His aiçvarya-çakti. In return, the Pulinda woman received all types of wealth including the treasure of Kåñëa-prema from Çré Kåñëa, who possesses the power to bestow all fruits.” (Sarartha-Darsini)

So the fruit vendor did indeed receive Krsna-prema. I am so relieved to hear that!

The moral of the story is that we should try to please Krsna under all circumstances. Note that I mentioned ‘try to’. What about actually pleasing Krsna, even our endeavor to please Him pleases Him greatly. The success of any endeavor or occupation is that we please Krsna and Krsna is pleased by our devotion. This has a direct practical application in our daily lives. We may not be able to chant the Holy Name attentively always. But our sincere attempt to try to be attentive while chanting and hearing also pleases Krsna. Krsna is happy with our sincerity, intent and devotion. This is why He is also known as bhāva-grāhī janārdana.

“When Vāmanadeva appeared before Bali Mahārāja, Bali Mahārāja immediately wanted to offer Him respectful obeisances, but he was unable to do so because of the presence of Śukrācārya and other demoniac associates. The Lord is so merciful, however, that although Bali Mahārāja did not actually offer obeisances but only endeavored to do so within his mind, the Supreme Personality of Godhead blessed him with more mercy than even the demigods could ever expect. As confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (BG 2.40), svalpam apy asya dharmasya trāyate mahato bhayāt: “Even a little advancement on this path can protect one from the most dangerous type of fear.” The Supreme Personality of Godhead is known as bhāva-grāhī janārdana because He takes only the essence of a devotee’s attitude. If a devotee sincerely surrenders, the Lord, as the Supersoul in everyone’s heart, immediately understands this. Thus even though, externally, a devotee may not render full service, if he is internally sincere and serious the Lord welcomes his service nonetheless. Thus the Lord is known as bhāva-grāhī janārdana because He takes the essence of one’s devotional mentality.” (SB 8.23.2 Purport)

Krsna doesn’t care about what we have done or who we are, because ultimately we are all eternal souls. If we simply offer a little love to Krsna, He reciprocates with an ocean of infinite love. Srila Prabhupada explains if we take one sincere step towards Krsna, Krsna is willing to run thousands of steps towards us.

Meditating on ‘fruit’, I am reminded of Lord Caitanya’s specific pastime where He appeared to distribute the fruit of love of Godhead. Mahaprabhu compared fruits to love of Godhead. He says that He is the only gardener, and that it would certainly be a very laborious task to pick the fruits and distribute them alone.

CC Adi 9.37-40: I am the only gardener. If I do not distribute these fruits, what shall I do with them? How many fruits can I alone eat? By the transcendental desire of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, water has been sprinkled all over the tree, and thus there are innumerable fruits of love of Godhead. Distribute this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement all over the world. Let people eat these fruits and ultimately become free from old age and death. If the fruits are distributed all over the world, My reputation as a pious man will be known everywhere, and thus all people will glorify My name with great pleasure.

CC Adi 9.48-50: The fruit of love of God is so delicious that wherever a devotee distributes it, those who relish the fruit, anywhere in the world, immediately become intoxicated. The fruit of love of Godhead distributed by Caitanya Mahāprabhu is such a great intoxicant that anyone who eats it, filling his belly, immediately becomes maddened by it, and automatically he chants, dances, laughs and enjoys. When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the great gardener, sees that people are chanting, dancing and laughing and that some of them are rolling on the floor and some are making loud humming sounds, He smiles with great pleasure.

The only price Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda ask for this fruit of love of Godhead is little faith.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

I am so inspired by these two verses that I sincerely attempted to write a devotional poem based on these verses and overall pastime.

Henceforward, may all our words describe Your pastimes, may our ears engage in aural reception of Your glories, may our hands, legs and other senses engage in actions pleasing to You, and may our minds always think of Your lotus feet. May our heads offer our obeisances to everything within this world, because all things are also Your different forms, and may our eyes see the forms of Vaiṣṇavas, who are nondifferent from You. (SB 10.10.38)

O Nalakūvara and Maṇigrīva, now you may both return home. Since you desire to be always absorbed in My devotional service, your desire to develop love and affection for Me will be fulfilled, and now you will never fall from that platform.  (SB 10.10.42)

(In the Prison of Samsara)

What value holds this fleeting life,

Ensnared by the deeds of fruitive strife,

Imprisoned in a cell of maya’s weave,

Where the three modes of nature deceive,

Chained by birth, death, age, and disease,

Under illusion’s veil, I feign to be free.

(Krsna’s Divine Freedom)

Krsna, bound to the mortar by gopīs’ love,

Yet roams the realms of heavens above,

In their pure affection, He finds no bind,

Still, in divine freedom, He’s unconfined.

(The Blessing of a Sādhu’s Chastisement)

Better I face a sādhu’s stern rebuke,

Whose curse is a blessing, a divine fluke,

For in a sādhu’s sight, liberation lies,

And the soul, unchained, to freedom flies.

(Devotional Aspirations)

May I yearn always to be bound,

To Krsna’s lotus feet, so profound,

By the ropes of His Holy Name,

In His service, to find my eternal flame.

May my words be His glorification,

My ears attend to His divine narration,

May my body, senses, and soul,

In actions pleasing to Him, find their goal.

May my normal state be devotional service pure,

My movements be holy pilgrimages sure,

May my mind dwell on His lotus feet,

And my thoughts in His remembrance meet.

(Eternal Devotion)

May my devotion be as steadfast and true,

Bound to Krsna, in all I do,

With a heart that yearns and a soul that strives,

To serve Him eternally, for as long as I live.

May the blessings of sages, the grace of the Lord,

Guide my path, be my eternal reward,

In humility and love, may I always find,

The sweet embrace of the Divine.

(Humble Obeisances)

May my head bow in humble obeisance,

To Krsna, my life’s eternal essence.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

A few important principles stand out in this lesson.

1. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krsna, can be attained or seen only by the mercy of His pure devotees. One may not even be on the platform of devotional service but a pure devotee’s causeless mercy can do all wonders. We have seen the examples of Nalakuvera/Manigriva and Mrgari.

“Nalakūvara and Maṇigrīva actually had nothing to do with devotional service or seeing the Supreme Personality of Godhead face to face, for this is not an ordinary opportunity. It is not that because one is very rich or learned or was born in an aristocratic family one will be able to see the Supreme Personality of Godhead face to face. This is impossible. But in this case, because Nārada Muni desired that Nalakūvara and Maṇigrīva see Vāsudeva face to face, the Supreme Personality of Godhead wanted to fulfill the words of His very dear devotee Nārada Muni. If one seeks the favor of a devotee instead of directly asking favors from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one is very easily successful… Thus without the favor of a devotee, one cannot directly approach Kṛṣṇa, what to speak of engaging in His service. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura therefore sings, chāḍiyā vaiṣṇava-sevā nistāra pāyeche kebā: unless one becomes a servant of a pure devotee, one cannot be delivered from the material condition of life. In our Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava society, following in the footsteps of Rūpa Gosvāmī, our first business is to seek shelter of a bona fide spiritual master (ādau gurv-āśrayaḥ).” (SB 10.10.23 P)

• It is impossible to understand Krsna with our material senses and intelligence. One can understand Him only by executing devotional service. bhaktyā mām abhijānāti. 

“Kṛṣṇa’s name, attributes and form are Absolute Truth, existing before the creation. Therefore, how can those who are created — that is, those entrapped in bodies created of material elements — understand Kṛṣṇa perfectly? This is not possible. But, sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ: Kṛṣṇa reveals Himself to those engaged in devotional service… Therefore, the best course by which to know Him is to engage oneself in pure devotional activities. The more one advances in devotional activities, the more one can understand Him as He is.”

• We need empowerment to offer suitable prayers to the Supreme Lord. Dhruva Maharaja could offer beautiful prayers to the Lord only after the Lord touched the conch shell on his forehead. Here too we see Nalakuvera and Manigriva offering prayers to the Lord by the mercy of Narada Muni. I personally liked their last prayer. It beautifully sums up our devotional goals and aspirations. This is also the essence of bhakti yoga and Krsna consciousness.

Henceforward, may all our words describe Your pastimes, may our ears engage in aural reception of Your glories, may our hands, legs and other senses engage in actions pleasing to You, and may our minds always think of Your lotus feet. May our heads offer our obeisances to everything within this world, because all things are also Your different forms, and may our eyes see the forms of Vaiṣṇavas, who are nondifferent from You. (SB 10.10.38)

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,                                                          

A particular line in Srila Prabhupada’s purport to SB 10.10.13 caught my attention and also sums up the reason why Narada Muni cursed the sons of Kuvera. Srila Prabhupada writes, “Nārada Muni wanted to bring Nalakūvara and Maṇigrīva to the platform of devotional service through poverty, and thus he cursed them. Such is the mercy of a Vaiṣṇava. Unless one is brought to the Vaiṣṇava platform, one cannot be a good man.”

As I am meditating on this aspect, I am amazed what an extraordinary preacher Narada Muni is. If needed, he can take the unconventional route to bring someone to the platform of devotional service. We all know the pastime of Narada Muni and Mrgari, a hunter. Once, Narada Muni was passing through the jungle and felt very compassionate towards the animals who were half-dead and half-killed by the hunter. Narada Muni, being a Vaisnava, was very kind to all living entities. Therefore, he went to the hunter whose name was Mrgari. But the Mrgari was under the impression that “This saintly person is coming to me for some deerskin.” And he said, “Sir, don’t interfere in my business. If you want deerskin I shall give you. Please get out of my activities for the present.” Narada Muni said that “I have not come here to ask for deerskin, but I simply ask you that if you want to kill the animals, you kill them fully. Why are you half-killing them?” The hunter said, “What is the difference between killing whole and killing half?” For which, Narada Muni replied that “If you kill the animal totally,it is less sinful than if you kill them half.” The hunter said that “Well, right from my childhood, I have been taught to do this by my father. I do not know what is sinful, or what is pious.” (Paraphrased from CC Madhya 22)

Come to think of it. For an institution like ISKCON that strictly prohibits animal killing and meat eating, Narada Muni’s advice to kill the animal “fully” would be considered blasphemous if the statement is take out of context. Which Vaisnava would openly support animal killing? But being a pure devotee and extremely compassionate to fallen souls, Narada Muni has a deeper plan. His idea is to somehow stop Mrgari from committing more sinful activities so that he could make some spiritual advancement. It’s similar to a doctor advising a chain smoker to reduce his smoking to not more than 10 cigarettes a day in the beginning. Gradually he will guide the patient to give up smoking altogether.

Similarly, Narada Muni cursing Nalakūvara and Maṇigrīva to become poor is to stop their false pride and obsession with excessive wealth. As is repeatedly mentioned in this chapter, excessive wealth is not favorable to cultivation of devotional service. It just inflates the false ego to the extent that one ends up considering himself a God.

Therefore, saintly persons voluntarily accepts a state of poverty just to become free from material false prestige. If one is very much proud of his material position, putting him into poverty is the best way to rectify his foolishness. When a person is poverty-stricken, naturally his false pride in aristocracy, wealth, education and beauty is smashed. Thus corrected, he is in the right position for liberation. (SB 10.10.15 Purport)

Our very dear Srila Prabhupada had a unique experience with poverty. There came a time in his life when he lost everything – family, business, wealth, etc.

In Srila Prabhupada’s own words, “When I was reading this verse, that yasyāham anugṛhnāmi hariṣye tad dhanaṁ śanaiḥ (SB 10.88.8), Kṛṣṇa said that “When I show somebody My special favor, I take away all his money,” I became shuddered: “So Kṛṣṇa will take my all money? If He is spe…” (laughs) And actually that happened. He took my all money, all family, all friends and everything. (laughs) And He asked me, “Go to America. You’ll get many money, much money, many friends. You go ahead. Come here.” Yes. That was His intention. And I was sticking to limited money, limited friends, limited society. This is special favor.” ((Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati’s Disappearance Day Lecture, Los Angeles, December 13, 1973)

śrī-bhagavān uvāca

yasyāham anugṛhṇāmi

hariṣye tad-dhanaṁ śanaiḥ

tato ‘dhanaṁ tyajanty asya

svajanā duḥkha-duḥkhitam

“The Personality of Godhead said: If I especially favor someone, I gradually deprive him of his wealth. Then the relatives and friends of such a poverty-stricken man abandon him. In this way he suffers one distress after another.”

(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.88.8)

“I think it is good to remain financially poor because always we shall be able to pray Krishna, asking His help to execute His service. If all of a sudden we become very strong financially, Maya may dictate us for sense enjoyment, and we may fall a prey to her tactics. Therefore to remain poor is one of the qualifications for advancing in Krishna Consciousness.”

(Srila Prabhupada Letter, June 14, 1968)

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

On seeing that Nalakūvara and Maṇigrīva were intoxicated by excessive wealth and pride, desiring to give a curse to destroy their wealth, Sri Narada Muni criticizes wealth in five verses (SB 10.10.8-12).

In a world where material opulence is often equated with success and happiness, the story of Nalakūvara and Maṇigrīva serves as a poignant reminder of the pitfalls of possessing excessive wealth. The two demigods, sons of the treasurer of the demigods, Kuvera, were granted immense prosperity and privilege. Yet, their story illustrates how abundance can lead to arrogance, indulgence, and ultimately, downfall.

Excessive wealth has a seductive allure, promising power, pleasure, and prestige. Nalakūvara and Maṇigrīva, born into opulence, enjoyed a life of luxury and abundance. Their father’s material opulences knew no bounds, and they themselves were blessed with every comfort and indulgence. However, rather than cultivate gratitude and humility, they became ensnared by the trappings of their wealth. Intoxicated by wine, consumed by desire, they wandered into the garden of Lord Śiva, seeking pleasure and distraction.

This pastime echoes a timeless truth: wealth, when misused, can breed arrogance and moral decay. Nalakūvara and Maṇigrīva, blinded by their privilege, lost touch with reality. They reveled in their own excesses, heedless of the consequences. In their pursuit of pleasure, they disregarded the sanctity of their surroundings, desecrating the sacred space of Lord Śiva’s abode. Their actions serve as a cautionary tale, a reminder that unchecked wealth can lead to moral bankruptcy and spiritual impoverishment.

Moreover, excessive wealth often fosters a sense of entitlement and detachment from others. Nalakūvara and Maṇigrīva, insulated by their riches, became disconnected from the suffering of those around them. They indulged in their own pleasures, oblivious to the needs of others. Their story highlights the dangers of isolation and selfishness that can accompany wealth. When one’s focus is solely on personal gratification, empathy, and compassion wither away, leaving behind a hollow shell of existence.

Furthermore, excessive wealth can foster a false sense of security and immortality. Nalakūvara and Maṇigrīva, intoxicated by their own power and privilege, believed themselves invincible. They reveled in their physical pleasures, heedless of the transient nature of life. However, their story serves as a stark reminder of the impermanence of earthly riches. Like all material possessions, wealth is fleeting, subject to the whims of fate and fortune. In the end, it offers no true refuge from the inevitability of mortality.

Pride in excessive wealth is a product of the mode of passion, which further leads to more material entanglement. If one has pride in wealth, one becomes most bewildered, and it becomes a great cause of lust and anger. Lord Krsna criticizes these two bad qualities in Bhagavad Gita.

“It is lust only, Arjuna, which is born of contact with the material mode of passion and later transformed into wrath, and which is the all-devouring sinful enemy of this world.” (BG 3.37)

“Therefore human life is meant for subduing the modes of passion and ignorance and advancing in the mode of goodness. This is culture: one must subdue the modes of passion and ignorance. In the mode of passion, when one is falsely proud of wealth, one engages his wealth only for three things, namely wine, women and gambling. We can actually see, especially in this age, that those who have unnecessary riches simply try to enjoy these three things.” (SB 10.10.8 Purport)

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

During the Kartik month last year, I was asked to serve morning Srimad Bhagavatam class at the temple and the topic was anything to Lord Damodara. I was given the liberty to choose my own verse (usually the temple assigns us a topic to speak on). I chose a verse from Srimad Bhagavatam (10^th Canto 9^th Chapter – our present study lesson) to speak on. I started preparation for the class a few days in advance and focused especially on Lord Damodara’s pastimes. However as my preparation/meditation was getting deeper with each passing day, I suddenly had a divine realization. I remember saying to myself, “Wait a minute! This damodara-lila is not only about little Krsna (Lord Damodara). This is actually about Mother Yasoda. Through the damodara pastime, Krsna is not glorifying His childhood pastimes. He is actually wants to show how glorious Mother Yasoda is.” I then had to change my presentation materials at the last minute and eventually spoke about Mother Yasoda and the special mercy bestowed upon her. The verse I finally chose to speak on was SB 10.9.20

“Neither Lord Brahmā, nor Lord Śiva, nor even the goddess of fortune, who is always the better half of the Supreme Lord, can obtain from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the deliverer from this material world, such mercy as received by mother Yaśodā.”

Srila Prabhupada explains beautifully in the purport that “although everyone is bhṛtya and although Kṛṣṇa has the quality of becoming subordinate to His bhṛtya, the position of mother Yaśodā is the greatest. Lord Brahmā is bhṛtya, a servant of Kṛṣṇa, and he is ādi-kavi, the original creator of this universe (tene brahma hṛdā ya ādi-kavaye). Nonetheless, even he could not obtain such mercy as mother Yaśodā. As for Lord Śiva, he is the topmost Vaiṣṇava (vaiṣṇavānāṁ yathā śambhuḥ). What to speak of Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva, the goddess of fortune, Lakṣmī, is the Lord’s constant companion in service, since she always associates with His body. But even she could not get such mercy.”

To Mahārāja Parīkṣit’s question on how Mother Yasoda (and Nanda Maharaja) obtained such a great opportunity, the opportunity to be the affectionate father and mother of Kṛṣṇa, Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura answers that “Mother Yasoda is in the supermost exalted position because she alone obtained such extraordinary mercy from the Lord. It is wrong to think that Yasoda is a sadhana siddha, who got a boon from Brahma in her previous lifetime as Dhara. The prema of Yasoda cannot be attained as a result of Brahma’s boon, for Brahma himself prays to become a blade of grass in Vraja. Indeed, Brahma is counted in a much, much lower class.”

An often-asked question is if Yasoda is the mother of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then why is the common understanding that Devaki is the Lord’s mother? Srila Prabhupada explains that love of Devaki was jnanamayi, mixed with knowledge of the Lord’s opulence, whereas the love of Yasoda was kevala, completely pure, free of such feelings of reverence, and hence superior. In reciprocation of such love, Krsna appeared to both devotees, but differently. To one He was God, to the other cowherd boy.

Srila Prabhupada also adds, “Although Devakī is not on the Vṛndāvana platform, she is near the Vṛndāvana platform. On the Vṛndāvana platform the mother of Kṛṣṇa is mother Yaśodā, and on the Mathurā and Dvārakā platform the mother of Kṛṣṇa is Devakī. In Mathurā and Dvārakā the love for the Lord is mixed with appreciation of His opulence, but in Vṛndāvana the opulence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is not exhibited.” (Purport to SB 10.3.31)

Mother Yaśodā did not care to understand who Kṛṣṇa was and how His power spreads everywhere. This is an example of pure love for Kṛṣṇa. How then could Yasoda bind Him? The answer is given: Kṛṣṇa was bound by the uncommon motherly love of Yasoda who thought of Him as her son (matvā ātmajam). Though Kṛṣṇa is all powerful, by His inconceivable energy He allows Himself to be controlled by love and bound by His beloveds. Kṛṣṇa is called avyaktam (unmanifested) because under the control of love He conceals His powers and appears like a human being (martya liṅgam), even though He is beyond material sense perception (adhokṣajam). The power of Yasoda’s love bound up the Lord, who is the aggregate of all consciousness, just as one binds an ordinary child (prākṛtam). (Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura commentary on SB 10.9.14)

All glories to Mother Yasoda!

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

“While churning the butter, mother Yaśodā was singing about the childhood activities of Kṛṣṇa. It was formerly a custom that if one wanted to remember something constantly, he would transform it into poetry or have this done by a professional poet. It appears that mother Yaśodā did not want to forget Kṛṣṇa’s activities at any time. Therefore she poeticized all of Kṛṣṇa’s childhood activities, such as the killing of Pūtanā, Aghāsura, Śakaṭāsura and Tṛṇāvarta, and while churning the butter, she sang about these activities in poetical form. This should be the practice of persons eager to remain Kṛṣṇa conscious twenty-four hours a day. This incident shows how Kṛṣṇa conscious mother Yaśodā was. To stay in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we should follow such persons.” (SB 10.9.1-2 Purport)

The last line from the above purport by Srila Prabhupada “To stay in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we should follow such persons” caught my attention. This reminds me of the eight instruction of Nectar of Instruction:

“The essence of all advice is that one should utilize one’s full time—twenty-four hours a day—in nicely chanting and remembering the Lord’s divine name, transcendental form, qualities and eternal pastimes, thereby gradually engaging one’s tongue and mind. In this way one should reside in Vraja [Goloka Vṛndāvana dhāma] and serve Kṛṣṇa under the guidance of devotees. One should follow in the footsteps of the Lord’s beloved devotees, who are deeply attached to His devotional service.”

The principle enunciated in above is that in the purified stage of development service, when a desire to serve Krsna like one of the Vraja-vasis has taken hold within a devotee’s heart, then that devotee should hear about that Vraja-vasis’s mood of devotion, their service to Krsna, their bodily features, and other excellences. In this regard, Srila Prabhupada quotes in NoI 8,

“A devotee should always reside in the transcendental realm of Vraja and always engage in kṛṣṇaṁ smaran janaṁ cāsya preṣṭham, the remembrance of Śrī Kṛṣṇa and His beloved associates. By following in the footsteps of such associates and by entering under their eternal guidance, one can acquire an intense desire to serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead.”

Again Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī states in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.295):

“In the transcendental realm of Vraja [Vraja-dhāma] one should serve the Supreme Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, with a feeling similar to that of His associates, and one should place himself under the direct guidance of a particular associate of Kṛṣṇa and should follow in his footsteps. This method is applicable both in the stage of sādhana [spiritual practices executed while in the stage of bondage] and in the stage of sādhya [God realization], when one is a siddha-puruṣa, or a spiritually perfect soul.”

The above instruction is quite far out for me. I still do not have any inkling of an idea whether I have the required qualification to follow in the footsteps of any particular Vraja-vasis. Nevertheless, this is a wonderful spiritual roadmap to have – especially when I chant the Holy Name of the Lord.

“Caitanya-caritāmṛta advises those who are neophytes to give up all kinds of motivated desires and simply engage in the regulative devotional service of the Lord according to the directions of scripture. In this way a neophyte can gradually develop attachment for Kṛṣṇa’s name, fame, form, qualities and so forth. When one has developed such attachment, he can spontaneously serve the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa even without following the regulative principles. This stage is called rāga-bhakti, or devotional service in spontaneous love. At that stage the devotee can follow in the footsteps of one of the eternal associates of Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana. This is called rāgānuga-bhakti.” (NoI 8 purport)

Long story short, it is better for a neophyte like me to sincerely continue with the  current sadhana practice of hearing, chanting and remembering Krsna while strictly following the four regulative principles.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

It is so beautiful to hear about the narration of the good fortune of Drona and Dhara that the Supreme Lord Himself appeared as their child.

SB 10.8.49: Droṇa and Dharā said: Please permit us to be born on the planet earth so that after our appearance, the Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead, the supreme controller and master of all planets, will also appear and spread devotional service, the ultimate goal of life, so that those born in this material world may very easily be delivered from the miserable condition of materialistic life by accepting this devotional service.

SB 10.8.50: When Brahmā said, “Yes, let it be so,” the most fortune Droṇa, who was equal to Bhagavān, appeared in Vrajapura, Vṛndāvana, as the most famous Nanda Mahārāja, and his wife, Dharā, appeared as mother Yaśodā.

However, the philosophical question that plagued me is whether Nanda and Yasoda actually did become Lord Krsna’s parents by achieving the blessing of Brahma. No doubt, Nanda and Yasoda are more fortunate and exalted than the demigod Brahma. This is confirmed in the Ninth Chapter of the Tenth Canto of Srimad Bhagavatam , where we find the description of the glories of mother Yasoda’s maternal love for Krsna, how Lord Krsna is completely under the control of Mother Yasoda, and how she bound Him with ropes. Mother Yasoda obtained greater mercy from Lord Krsna than even Brahma, Siva or Laksmi could even attained. This is described in the following verse, Srimad Bhagavatam 10.9.20:

“Neither Lord Brahmā, nor Lord Śiva, nor even the goddess of fortune, who is always the better half of the Supreme Lord, can obtain from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the deliverer from this material world, such mercy as received by mother Yaśodā.”

The exalted demigod Brahma is the original spiritual master of the devotees of the Lord. This is confirmed in SB 2.9.5:

“Lord Brahmā, the first spiritual master, supreme in the universe, could not trace out the source of his lotus seat, and while thinking of creating the material world, he could not understand the proper direction for such creative work, nor could he find out the process for such creation.”

Lord Siva is still more exalted. This is described in SB 12.13.16

“Just as the Gaṅgā is the greatest of all rivers, Lord Acyuta the supreme among deities and Lord Śambhu [Śiva] the greatest of Vaiṣṇavas, so Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the greatest of all Purāṇas.”

It is clear that Brahma and Siva are exalted demigods. So, the question is, did Drona and Dhara really become Krsna’s parents because of Brahma’s blessings? SB 10.9.20 (quoted above) clearly says that Brahma himself is not able to attain the good fortune obtained by Drona and Dhara. How can Brahma give as a gift what other great devotees and he himself are unable to attain? Brahma himself says this in the following prayer (SB 10.14.34):

“My dear Lord, I am therefore not interested in either material opulences or liberation. I am most humbly praying at Your lotus feet for You to please give me any sort of birth within this Vrndavana forest so that I may be able to be favored by the dust of the feet of some devotees of Vrndavana. Even if I am given the chance to grow just as the humble grass in this land, that will be a glorious birth for me. But if I am not so fortunate to take birth within the forest of Vrndavana, I beg to be allowed to take birth outside the immediate area of Vrndavana so that when the devotees go out they will walk over me. Even that would be a great fortune for me. I am just aspiring for a birth in which I will be smeared by the dust of the devotees’ feet.“

The truth is that Drona and Dhara are partial expansions (amsa-avatara) of Nanda and Yasoda, Krsna’s eternal parents in the spiritual world. They descended to this material world, just as the Lord Himself did in order to display His pastimes on earth. Srila Prabhupada confirms this as below:

“When Kṛṣṇa descends anywhere, He is accompanied by His own associates. These associates are not ordinary living beings. Kṛṣṇa’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 Kṛṣṇa. This means that whenever Kṛṣṇa descends, Nanda and Yaśodā, as well as Vasudeva and Devakī, also descend as the Lord’s father and mother. Their personalities are expansions of Kṛṣṇa’s personal body; they are not ordinary living beings.” (SB 10.8.48 P)

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

This pastime of Krsna showing the universal form within His mouth to Mother Yasoda is both sweet and philosophically deep. Many questions arose as I was reading and re-reading this pastime. Why did Krsna interrupt Mother Yasoda’s vatsalya-bhava with this minor interruption (of showing the universal form)? Did He have a desire to be scolded by His mother to derive special happiness from her affection? Did Krsna actually eat dirt or pretended to eat dirt? Did Krsna show the universal form to distract Mother Yasoda from scolding Him? I am not sure. There are many angles to understand Krsna’s pastime from.

It becomes easier to understand the pastimes of Krsna through the eyes of a pure devotee, Srila Prabhupada. It is also important to keep Krsna at the center of everything -including analysis of this pastime. Also the paribhasa sutra of kṛṣṇa-lila is a great guidance in this context.

[Thank you, dear teachers, for including Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura’s commentary at the right places. This enhances our understanding.]

The paribhasa sutra of this lila is the verse:

The glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead are studied through the three Vedas, the Upaniṣads, the literature of Sāṅkhya-yoga, and other Vaiṣṇava literature, yet mother Yaśodā considered that Supreme Person her ordinary child. (SB 10.8.45)

In Bhagavad Gita we have seen that Arjuna was overcome with fear after seeing Krsna’s universal form. He became disturbed and started offering eloquent prayers to the Lord.

O King, after hearing these words from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the trembling Arjuna offered obeisances with folded hands again and again. He fearfully spoke to Lord Kṛṣṇa in a faltering voice. (BG 11.35)

Contrast this with Mother Yasoda’s reaction. Initially she was also overwhelmed with Krsna’s aisvarya-sakti (awe and reference). But then her vatsalya-prema took over and she again thought of the Lord as her son. Srila Prabhupada explains beautifully that “Yasoda’s love remained unrestricted in spite of seeing Kṛṣṇa’s powers and hearing about the Lord’s powers from the scriptures such as the three Vedas which glorify Kṛṣṇa as the yajna purusa. Without regard for time or place, mother Yasoda considered the all-powerful Lord, who is glorified directly and indirectly in the scriptures, as an ordinary child.” (SB 10.8.45 P)

Yasoda thought, “By the mercy of our powerful family deity Lord Narayana, who has been satisfied with the austerities and worship executed by Nanda and me, and who has been satisfied with the many austerities of Parjanya, I have been given this son, who the karmis glorify as the Absolute Truth propounded in the scriptures. People accept this because of Gargamuni’s statement that Kṛṣṇa is equal in quality to Narayana, and because of the stories of Kṛṣṇa’s killing gigantic demons like Putana and others. Therefore, everyone believes my son is Narayana. But actually He is just my child. If He does not see me for a moment, He becomes very disturbed. I also become disturbed when separated a moment from Him. Our experience is our proof.” (SB 10.8.45 P)

And this is exactly what Krsna desires. He wants His devotees to bind Him with their pure love without any tinge of awe and reverence of His opulence.

“By such childhood pastimes as this He is drowning the inhabitants of Gokula in pools of ecstasy, and is revealing to those devotees who are absorbed in knowledge of His supreme majesty and opulence that He is only conquered by devotees whose pure love is imbued with intimacy and is free from all conceptions of awe and reverence. With great joy, I again offer my obeisances to Lord Damodara hundreds and hundreds of times.” (Damodarastaka 3)

Krsna, being a bhakta vatsalya, also reciprocates accordingly.

“Just as Kṛṣṇa gives results to the karmis who worship Him, He reciprocated with Yasoda’s maternal affection. But Kṛṣṇa could not respond fully to the amount of affection offered by Yasoda. Remaining a debtor, Kṛṣṇa was content to be dependent on Yasoda’s mercy and control and cry for her milk.” (SB 10.8.45 P)

Therefore, “the Lord’s quality of bhakta vatsalya is greater than any of His other spiritual qualities such as purity, mercy or truthfulness. As Kṛṣṇa’s telling a lie springs from this it is not a fault. Rather it is the crown jewel of all great qualities.” (SB 10.8.35 P)

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

Krsna and Balarama’s childhood pastimes are sweetest. They are the source of all transcendental bliss. I was counting the number of times Srila Prabhupada quoted ‘transcendental’ in his purports of this lesson (SB 10.8.21-31). It appears fourteen times. He mentions ‘transcendental happiness’, ‘transcendental bliss’, ‘transcendental happiness’, ‘ transcendental affection’, ‘ transcendental ecstasy’, ‘transcendental pastimes’, ‘transcendental world,’ ‘transcendental child,’ ‘transcendental loving affairs.’ No doubt, Srila Prabhupada was in transcendental bliss when writing his purports.

I was wondering how it would feel to actually experience transcendental bliss. Since I am still very much under the three modes of material nature, the flickering happiness that I experience in this conditioned world cannot be compared to the transcendental bliss that the cowherd men and women of Vraja experienced with little Krsna and Balarama. We, human beings, have a natural affection for small and sweet things – small babies, small pets and animals, etc. Even in this material world, parents derive great joy and bliss from the innocent activities of their babies. They enjoy seeing their babies crawl, uttering their first word, appearance of first teeth, trying to stand on their legs, and so on. How much more so is the transcendental bliss experienced by Mother Yasoda and Rohini who have as their child the sweetest babies of all of creation – Krsna and Balarama!

For me even to imagine how Krsna and Balarama must have crawled with their small hands and feet gives me great joy. What to speak of the joy experienced by the residents of Vraja who actually saw Krsna and Balarama crawl!! How sweet it would be to see Them running after the sounds of ankle bless! What a funny sight would it be to see Them catching the ends of the calves’ tails and being dragged everywhere! Can we even imagine how Krsna and Balarama must have looked with their bodies mixed with muddy earth, cow dung and urine?

I very much appreciate why the anonymous brahmana wrote:

śrutim apare smṛtim itare bhāratam anye bhajantu bhava-bhītāḥ
aham iha nandaṁ vande yasyālinde paraṁ brahma

“Let others, fearing material existence, worship the Vedas, the Vedic supplementary Purāṇas and the Mahābhārata, but I shall worship Nanda Mahārāja, in whose courtyard the Supreme Brahman is crawling.”

Krsna and Balarama’s childhood pastimes at Gokula are in particular very sweet, and more easily understood by the ordinary people in general. Their pastimes of stealing butter and yogurt from the houses of the cowherd ladies, and then feeding that same stolen butter and yogurt to Their friends and monkeys, or Them letting loose the gopis’ calves so they would drink all the cow’s milk, or They slaying so many demons, are just some of many childhood pastimes that can be appreciated by people of all ages. Just by hearing, narrating, and remembering these pastimes one can cross over the vast ocean of material nescience.

“Therefore Vyāsadeva compiled Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Lokasyājānato vidvāṁś cakre sātvata-saṁhitām (Bhāg. 1.7.6). Vyāsadeva compiled Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, under the instruction of Nārada, so that anyone can take advantage of this literature, think of Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes and always be liberated.” (SB 10.8.21 Purport)

These sweet pastimes of Krsna make Him all-attractive.

“Kṛṣṇa is always pure, and He is always the Supreme Absolute Truth. Kṛṣṇa may do anything supposedly abominable in material life, yet still He is attractive. Therefore His name is Kṛṣṇa, meaning “all-attractive.” This is the platform on which transcendental loving affairs and service are exchanged. Because of the features of Kṛṣṇa’s face, the mothers were so attracted that they could not chastise Him. Instead of chastising Him, they smiled and enjoyed hearing of Kṛṣṇa’s activities. Thus the gopīs remained satisfied, and Kṛṣṇa enjoyed their happiness. Therefore another name of Kṛṣṇa is Gopī-jana-vallabha because He invented such activities to please the gopīs.” (SB 10.8.31 Purport)

Krsna’s Kaumara lila is what makes Damodarastakam so sweet to meditate upon during Kartik. After reading this lesson I can appreciate why Satyavrata Muni said,

“O Lord, although You are able to give all kinds of benedictions, I do not pray to You for the boon of impersonal liberation, nor the highest liberation of eternal life in Vaikuntha, nor any other boon [which may be obtained by executing the nine processes of bhakti]. O Lord, I simply wish that this form of Yours as Bala Gopala in Vrindavana may ever be manifest in my heart, for what is the use to me of any other boon besides this?” (Damodarastakam 4)

May my conditioned and restless mind also get spontaneously attracted to the sweet childhood pastimes of Krsna and Balarama!!

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!