Hare Krsna,

Going through the demigods’s prayers from verse 26 to 33, I can see how their mood towards the Supreme Lord changes. In the first part of the prayers, they glorified the Supreme Lord’s opulence and power. They prayed that Krsna is the cause of all causes – that He is always truthful to His perfect vows, He is the Supreme Absolute Truth, He is present in all three phases of cosmic manifestation; He is the truth of all truths, and so on. They, therefore, fully surrender unto Him. (SB 10.2.26). The demigods next compared the material body to a tree on which the two birds are the soul and the Supersoul (27). They prayed that Krsna is the original source of this universe, its maintainer, and its shelter after annihilation. Those whose minds are covered by maya cannot see Him unlike the devotees. Thus, the demigods’ prayers are acknowledgement of the Supreme Lord Krsna’s supreme position.

In the next part of the prayers (verse 29-33), the demigods glorify the Lord’s supreme merciful nature. They pray that Krsna is the supreme protector. He incarnates in this world in different forms such as Kurma, Varaha, Rama, etc. to bring all good fortune to all living entities, please the pious devotees and annihilate the non-devotees.

SB 10.2.29: O Lord, You are always in full knowledge, and to bring all good fortune to all living entities, You appear in different incarnations, all of them transcendental to the material creation. When You appear in these incarnations, You are pleasing to the pious and religious devotees, but for nondevotees You are the annihilator.

Next the demigods pray that Krsna is so merciful to the suffering living entities that He provides His lotus feet as the boat to cross the material ocean. By meditating on His name, form, qualities and pastimes, one boards the boat of His lotus feet to cross the material ocean. By this simple process, one can cross the material ocean easily just as one steps over a calf’s footprint.

SB 10.2.30: O lotus-eyed Lord, by concentrating one’s meditation on Your lotus feet, which are the reservoir of all existence, and by accepting those lotus feet as the boat by which to cross the ocean of nescience, one follows in the footsteps of mahājanas [great saints, sages and devotees]. By this simple process, one can cross the ocean of nescience as easily as one steps over the hoofprint of a calf.

Not only Krsna but also the acaryas who have surrendered fully to Him are equally merciful to us. They not only cross the material ocean by using the lotus feet of the Lord as a boat, they also leave behind the process (or boat) for us to cross over.

The devotees definitely seek the Lord’s shelter, but what about those who have accepted different processes to attain salvation. The sad answer is that they fall down from their position because they have no regard for the Lord’s lotus feet. This is basically the fate of those who lack devotion.

But what if a devotee falls down? The demigods assure us here that even those devotees may sometimes fall down, they do not fall like non-devotees. Even if they fall from bhakti but remain firmly attached to His lotus feet, Krsna will protect them. Thus, they can fearlessly surpass all opponents and obstacles, and continue to make further progress in bhakti.

There is a similar assurance by Krsna in BG 9.30 and 9.31:

“Even if one commits the most abominable actions, if he is engaged in devotional service, he is to be considered saintly because he is properly situated. He quickly becomes righteous and attains lasting peace. O son of Kuntī, declare it boldly that My devotee never perishes.”

Though Bharata, Indradymna and Citraketu fell to the bodies of a deer, elephant and demon respectively, they – (i) remained faithful to the Lord, (ii) they thought that their fall has been arranged by the Lord for their own benefit, (iii) their prema for the Lord increased a hundred fold.

This is why I find verse 33 to be extremely hope giving.

SB 10.2.33: “O Mādhava, Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord of the goddess of fortune, if devotees completely in love with You sometimes fall from the path of devotion, they do not fall like nondevotees, for You still protect them. Thus they fearlessly traverse the heads of their opponents and continue to progress in devotional service.”

As long as we faithfully chant the mahamantra (the Holy Name of the Lord), sincerely follow the regulative principles, associate with Srila Prabhupada through his books and stay in the association of good devotees, there is hope of rescue even if we fall down accidentally. The demigods are mercifully praying to the Lord for our deliverance, the Lord Himself wants to take us out of this suffering material world, and the acaryas are there to guide and provide us shelter. What then is there to be hopeless about? All we need is faith and surrender unto the lotus feet of Krsna.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

One thing that stands out for me from the prayers by the demigods is of that fearful nature. Most of the time the demigods pray to the Supreme Lord for protection. This is the case elsewhere in Srimad Bhagavatam too. In the first prayer (SB 10.2.26), the demigods pray “Therefore, offering our obeisances, we surrender unto You. Kindly give us protection.”

Demigods are, in general, intelligent species. More intelligent than human beings. I am, therefore, surprised why they always pray for protection and not for pure devotional service. As we can see from their prayers, they understand the tattva (philosophical conclusions) of the Supreme Truth very well. They understand that Krsna is the cause of all causes. They pray that the Supreme Lord is

1. Always truthful to His perfect vows
2. The Supreme Absolute Truth
3. Present in all the three phases of cosmos (creation, maintenance & annihilation)
4. Cause of all relative truths
5. The inner force within all elements
6. The truth of all truths
7. The origin of all pleasing truths
8. Everything pertaining to His is Truth

Since the demigods themselves approach the Supreme Lord for protection and surrender, it must be asked why common human beings pray to the demigods. Therefore Krsna says in BG 7.23 that “Men of small intelligence worship the demigods, and their fruits are limited and temporary.”

“Worship of demigods may be useful for a limited time, but the result is antavat, perishable. This material world is impermanent, the demigods are impermanent, and the benedictions derived from the demigods are also impermanent, whereas the living entity is eternal (nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13)). Every living entity, therefore, must search for eternal happiness, not temporary happiness. The words satyaṁ paraṁ dhīmahi indicate that one should search for the Absolute Truth, not the relative truth.” (SB 10.2.26 Purport)

Therefore Lord Krsna’s final declaration in Bhagavad Gita is so deep and conclusive.

“Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.” (BG 18.66)

This is Krsna’s vow that He will give all protection at all times. That Krsna always fulfills his vow is declared by the demigods themselves in this section of the prayers. They prayed: “O Lord, You never deviate from Your vow, which is always perfect because whatever You decide is perfectly correct and cannot be stopped by anyone.”

“If one surrenders unto Me sincerely, saying, ‘My Lord, from today I will fully surrendered unto You,’ I will always give him protection. That is My vow.” (Rämäyaëa, Yuddha-käëòa 18.33)

This is a matter of great reassurance and comfort for us. Krsna is always there for us, looking after us, and ensuring our well-being and spiritual progress. If we decide to take one step towards Him, He takes ten steps towards us. The protection given by the Supreme Personality of Godhead cannot be compared to the protection given by the demigods.

Therefore devotional service unto the Supreme Lord Sri Krsna is “the universal remedy.” From all angles of vision, therefore, in all circumstances, if one fully surrenders unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, there is no question of one’s struggling for existence.

BG 9.22: “For those who worship Me with devotion, meditating on My transcendental form, I carry to them what they lack and preserve what they have.”

“Because the pure devotee engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness in devotional service of the Supreme Lord achieves eternal blissful existence that is full of knowledge, his achievements and those of the common worshiper of the demigods are different. The Supreme Lord is unlimited; His favor is unlimited; His mercy is unlimited. Therefore the mercy of the Supreme Lord upon His pure devotees is unlimited.” (BG 7.23 Purport)

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

Any proper definition of bhakti always mentions two aspects – accepting anything that is favorable to bhakti and rejecting everything unfavorable to bhakti. Ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā. Ānukūlyasya saṅkalpaḥ. prātikūlyasya varjanam.

Even the vows that we take during initiation have these two aspects – chanting at least sixteen good rounds of Hare Krsna mahamantra (anukulyasya sankalpa). Following the four regulative principles (the don’ts) – These are rejecting things that are unfavorable to cultivation of devotional service.

“Devotional service means to prosecute Kṛṣṇa conscious activities which are favorable to the transcendental pleasure of the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa, and any activities which are not favorable to the transcendental favor of the Lord cannot be accepted as devotional service. For example, great demons like Rāvaṇa, Kaṁsa and Hiraṇyakaśipu were always thinking of Kṛṣṇa, but they were thinking of Him as their enemy. This sort of thinking cannot be accepted as bhakti or Kṛṣṇa consciousness.” (Nectar of Devotion)

The impersonalists sometimes misunderstand devotional service in such a way that they divide Kṛṣṇa from His paraphernalia and pastimes. For example, the Bhagavad-gītā is spoken on the battlefield of Kurukṣetra, and the impersonalists say that although Kṛṣṇa is of interest, the battlefield of Kurukṣetra isn’t. They claim that Kuruksetra does not exist physically; it refers to a place within us where there is constant battle between good and evil. Another example is to think of Krsna as impersonal and formless. Sometimes ignorant people foolishly think bhakti is serving Krsna alone without serving his associates and paraphernalia. If we look deeply within and around us, we will see many things that are done in the name of Krsna bhakti but in actuality they are not.

Therefore Srila Rupa Goswami, in his definition of pure bhakti, mentions that pure devotional service (or Krsna consciousness) must be devoid of all material desires and philosophical speculations.  Any desire except for the service of the Lord is called material desire. And philosophical speculation refers to the sort of speculation which ultimately arrives at a conclusion of voidism or impersonalism. These conclusions are unfavorable to Krsna consciousness.

In Nectar of Instruction, Srila Rupa Goswami lists six favorable and six unfavorable principles of Krsna consciousness.

“There are six principles favorable to the execution of pure devotional service: (1) being enthusiastic, (2) endeavoring with confidence, (3) being patient, (4) acting according to regulative principles [such as śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇam – hearing, chanting and remembering Kṛṣṇa], (5) abandoning the association of nondevotees, and (6) following in the footsteps of the previous ācāryas. These six principles undoubtedly assure the complete success of pure devotional service.” (Nectar of Instruction 3)

“One’s devotional service is spoiled when he becomes too entangled in the following six activities: (1) eating more than necessary or collecting more funds than required; (2) over-endeavoring for mundane things that are very difficult to obtain; (3) talking unnecessarily about mundane subject matters; (4) practicing the scriptural rules and regulations only for the sake of following them and not for the sake of spiritual advancement, or rejecting the rules and regulations of the scriptures and working independently or whimsically; (5) associating with worldly-minded persons who are not interested in Kṛṣṇa consciousness; and (6) being greedy for mundane achievements.” (Nectar of Instruction 2)

The attraction of the gopīs for Kṛṣṇa and the affection of the members of the Yadu dynasty are both accepted as spontaneous, or rāgānugā. The attraction of Kaṁsa to Kṛṣṇa in fear and the attraction of Śiśupāla in envy are not accepted as devotional service, however, because their attitudes are not favorable. Devotional service should be executed only in a favorable frame of mind.

Actually, what is favorable and unfavorable to devotional service is a deep topic and needs lots of reflection. Something that may look favorable is actually not favorable. Fasting on Ekadashi is favorable; fasting for political reasons is unfavorable. Worshiping demigods is unfavorable; worshipping demigods as agents of the Supreme Lord is favorable. Many forms of so-called renunciation are also not favorable to Krishna conscious devotional service. Running Krsna’s temple to propagate bhakti is favorable; running Krsna’s temple as a commercial establishment is unfavorable. There are so many nuances to this topic. Whenever we have doubt on what constitutes favorable vs. unfavorable bhakti, the safest course is to take the guidance of guru, sadhu and sastras.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

Once a devotee asked Srila Prabhupada how one may recognize yoga-maya. Below is his response to the question.

Srila Prabhupada: Yogamāyā? Yogamāyā means that which connects you. Yoga means connection. When you are being gradually advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that is the action of yogamāyā. And when you are gradually forgetting Kṛṣṇa, that is the action of mahāmāyā. Māyā is acting upon you. The one is dragging you, and one is pushing you opposite way. Yogamāyā. So, just like the example, that you are always under the laws of government. You cannot deny. If you say, “I don’t agree to abide by the laws of government,” that is not possible. But when you are a criminal, you are under the police laws, and when you are gentleman, you are under the civil laws. The laws are there. In any situation, you have to obey the laws of the government. If you remain as a civilized citizen, then you are always protected by civil law. But as soon as you are against the state, the criminal law will act upon you. So the criminal activities of law is mahāmāyā, threefold miseries, always. Always putting in some sort of misery. And the civil department of Kṛṣṇa, ānandāmbudhi-vardhanam. You simply go on increasing the, I mean to say, depth of the ocean of joy. Ānandambudhi-vardhanam. That is the difference, yogamāyā and mahāmāyā. Yogamāyā is… Yogamāyā, the original yogamāyā, is Kṛṣṇa’s internal potency. That is Rādhārāṇī. And mahāmāyā is external potency, Durgā. This Durgā is explained in Brahma-saṁhitā, sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktir ekā chāyeva yasya bhuvanāni bibharti durgā (Bs. 5.44). Durgā is the superintending goddess of this whole material world. Everything is going on under his, under her control. Prakṛti, prakṛti is energy. Energy is accepted as feminine. Just like these materialistic persons, they are also working under some energy. What is that energy? The sex life. That’s all. They’re troubling so much: “Oh, at night I’ll have sex life.” That’s all. That is the energy. Yan maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukhaṁ hi tuccham (SB 7.9.45). Their life is based on the sex. That’s all. Everyone is working so hard, culminating in sex. That’s all. This is material life. So energy. The material energy means sex. So that is energy. If a person who is working in the factory, if you stop sex, he cannot work. And when he’s unable to enjoy sex life, then he takes intoxication. This is material life. So energy must be there. Here in the material world the energy is sex, and in the spiritual world the energy is love. Here the love is misrepresented in sex. That is not love; that is lust. Love is only possible with Kṛṣṇa, nowhere else. Nowhere else love is possible. That is misrepresentation of love. That is lust. So love and lust. Love is yogamāyā, and lust is mahāmāyā. That’s all. (from Lecture Seattle, October 18, 1968)

In essence, maha-maya and yoga-maya are two faces of the same goddess. She influences all aspects of our life.

Maha-maya, the goddess of material energy, activates the unlimited worlds and keeps the jiva souls bound in the shackles of passion and ignorance. She is very subtle yet extremely powerful. So perfect is the illusion she casts over the conditioned souls that not a single person even wants to escape from the prison-house of material existence. We are so attached to our chains and bondage that we feel no desire for true freedom. This is quite a contrast from the prison houses created by man, where someone always attempts to break free.  How powerful the goddess of the material energy is and how bewildering is her spell! 

Maha-maya separates the living entity from the Lord’s shelter by deluding him into thinking that he is the independent enjoyer, controller, and proprietor. However, as the expansion of the goddess of bhakti who reigns over the spiritual sky, Mayadevi ultimately desires our deliverance from material clutches. She is both our imprisoner and our well-wisher.

Her counterpart, Yoga-maya, the spiritual potency of the Lord, facilitates the union between the individual souls and Krishna.  Both maha-maya and yoga-maya serve Krishna and govern jivas according to their desires and are in truth different faces of the same person.

The face we see is determined by the lens we look through, which could be exploitative or devotional according to our attitude. If that lens is the crystal-clear glass of being the humble servant of the servant, then everything and everyone will reveal the ultimate feature of the Lord’s internal energy and yoga-maya will make the arrangements for us to reconcile with Him and return to His shelter.

By their example, the great souls teach us how we must interact with one another and with the whole environment in order to evoke the divine nature, yoga-maya, to reveal herself as she is. Until we are deeply steeped in an attitude of humility, we need to realize material nature (maha-maya) for what she is. We must respect the concept of the inferior (material) nature as the response of Durga, Mother Parvati, to our rebellious mentality, manifested by our desires to enjoy, control, and exploit.

We need to practice here and now how to rectify this mentality. By interacting with everything as being essentially and inherently divine, we acknowledge that the inferior nature has a divine face and our respect for her grows. We will gradually perceive yoga-maya’s enlightening aspect taking precedence over her inferior, deluding feature.

Assuming the role of mother, she prepares us for going back to the land where there is no false ego, no sense of proprietorship, and where service is the predominant mentality directing the lives and activities of both the Lord and His servants.

(Source: Writings of HH Varsana Swami)

There is a lot to say and write about yoga-maya. However, I do not want to go too far ahead as we will increasingly witness yoga-maya’s divine play in Krsna’s sweet pastimes with Vrajavasis.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

My meditation topic has been on Bhavauṣadhāt which means “from the universal remedy.” This word reminded me of a famous verse from Mukunda Mala Stotra sung by King Kulasekhara.

Vyamoha-prasamausadham muni-mano-vrtti-pravrtty-ausadham

daityendrarti-karausadham tri-bhuvane sanjivanaikausadham

bhaktatyanta-hitausadham bhava-bhaya-pradhvamsanaikausadham

sreyak-prapti-karausadham piba manah sri-krsna-divyausadham

Translation: O mind, please drink the transcendental medicine of Sri Krsna’s glories. It is the perfect medicine for curing the disease of bewilderment, for inspiring sages to engage their minds in meditation, and for tormenting the mighty Daitya demons. It alone is the medicine for restoring the three worlds to life and for bestowing unlimited blessings on the Supreme Lord’s devotees. Indeed, it is the only medicine that can destroy one’s fear of material existence and lead one to the attainment of the supreme good.

As you see in the Sanskrit verse, the word ‘ausadham’ is repeated eight times. It says that the glories of Lord Krsna are the best medicine for curing the disease of bewilderment, great object of meditation for the sages, tormenting the demons, restoring the real life of the three worlds. It bestows unlimited blessings, destroys fear and leads to the highest goal.

This verse is similar to the first verse of Sri Siksastakam where it is mentioned that the chanting of the Holy Name also bestows the highest benefit.

“Glory to the Sri-Krsna-Sankirtana, which cleanses the heart of all the dust accumulated for years and extinguishes the fire of conditional life, of repeated birth and death. This sankirtana movement is the prime benediction for humanity at large because it spreads the rays of the benediction moon. It is the life of all transcendental knowledge. It increases the ocean of transcendental bliss, and it enables us to fully taste the nectar for which we are always anxious.”

Bhava means “material ocean of repeated birth and death.” Ausadham means “medicine.” The medicine of Krsna-katha. The glories of Krsna-katha can easily help the conditioned suffering souls to cross over the ocean of repeated birth and death. It’s a bit inconceivable to think that hearing the glories of Krsna can relieve us from all material sufferings. However, on pondering deeply, we can see that a simple medication can relieve us from pain and sickness even though we may not exactly know the ingredients of the medicine or how exactly it works within the body. Therefore, if a material medication can cure us, why would the spiritual medicine of Krsna-katha? The process of bhakti yoga is fully transcendental and inconceivable to a large extent.

An example can explain this point better. Before coming to Krsna consciousness, we had lots of bad habits and vices. We used to drink tea and coffee, consume fish and meat, and drink alcohol. We had little control over our tongue and mind. Lust, anger, and greed tormented us. However, by chanting the Holy Name, we gradually gave up these bad habits. This means that the Holy Name acts as a perfect medicine. Something that we struggled to give up came very easily with the Holy Name. Inconceivably the transcendental sound enters through the hole of the ears into our heart and purifies us.

In essence, chanting the holy name and glorifying the Supreme Lord are the universal remedy for all the miseries of materialistic life. The transcendental sound vibration of Lord Hari acts equally on everyone – those who are liberated, those who are trying to be liberated, and those entangled in sense gratification.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

I can draw a parallel between Narada instigating Kamsa to kill Devaki’s babies and Krsna instructing Arjuna to kill the enemy soldiers and Kauravas on the battlefield of Kuruksetra, The Lord’s plans are inconceivable. He can get wonderful acts done by his pure devotees.

Krsna tells Arjuna: “Droṇa, Bhīṣma, Jayadratha, Karṇa and the other great warriors have already been destroyed by Me. Therefore, kill them and do not be disturbed. Simply fight, and you will vanquish your enemies in battle.” (BG 11.34)

Srila Prabhupada explains in the purport that every plan is made by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but He is so kind and merciful to His devotees that He wants to give the credit to His devotees who carry out His plan according to His desire.

Similarly here, it is Krsna’s plan through Narada to deliver the six sons of Marici (reborn again through Devaki) as soon as possible. Therefore, the so-called ‘horrible acts of violence by Kamsa’ are only from a material standpoint. From a transcendental standpoint, every action is loaded with divine plan and mercy.

In Brhad Vaisnava Tosani (Srila Sanatana Goswami’s commentary of the 10^th Canto), Srila Sanatana Goswami explains that Narada had all knowledge and thus knew that Kamsa had become peaceful, thinking that the Lord would not appear. The Lord would not go to Gokula since He was satisfied with Vasudeva and Devaki. Pastimes like killing Putana would not take place. This was Narada’s thinking.

This pastime also indicates Narada’s most merciful nature. He was acting for the benefit of the world by hastening the appearance of the Lord through speaking with Kamsa. This is described in Hari-vamsa.

This incident is similar to the Supreme Lord acting through Srngi to curse Pariksit Maharaja to die in seven days. This would quickly hasten the appearance of Srimad Bhagavatam delivered through the nectarian lips of Sukadeva Goswami to Pariksit Maharaja.

This is like fast-forwarding a movie to get to our favorite part. Similarly Narada is fast-forwarding the advent of Sri Krsna so that we can enter into His sweet Vrndavana pastimes quickly.

The Lord appears to accomplish many missions at the same time.

BG 4.8: To deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I Myself appear, millennium after millennium.

Here Narada is acting as an instrument of the Lord to annihilate the miscreants (Kamsa and other demons) first so that this mission is out of the way before the Lord can engage in sweet pastimes with His devotees.

Overall, I see Narada’s extreme compassion and causeless mercy for the conditioned souls. He is assisting in the plan of the Lord to spread Krsna consciousness in the material world for our deliverance and pave the way for us to go back home, back to Godhead. The whole purpose of the mission of incarnations is to arouse Kṛṣṇa consciousness everywhere. Narada instigating Kamsa to kill the babies is just one event in the grand scheme of things. This is similar to Jagai and Madhai’s encounter with Nityananda prabhu before Lord Caitanya’s showering of His causeless mercy to these two brothers, and subsequently to all of us. We just need to surrender to the Lord’s desire and plan.Tthe mission is the same – to lead people to God consciousness and obedience to the principles of religion. Sometimes the Lord descends personally, and sometimes He sends His bona fide representative in the form of His son, or servant, or Himself in some disguised form. In this case, it is Sri Narada acting as a representative of the Lord to deal with Kamsa.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

The personality of Subhadra devi is truly an enigma in the scriptures. Even though she is very well-known as the sister of Lord Jagannath and Lord Baladeva, not much is written or mentioned explicitly about her in the scriptures. Therefore, it is hard to reconcile various versions that exist about her.

SB 10.1.56: Each year thereafter, in due course of time, Devakī, the mother of God and all the demigods, gave birth to a child. Thus she bore eight sons, one after another, and a daughter named Subhadrā.

My research is based on the following premise. We know Subhadra as Krsna’s sister who is born simultaneously with Krsna in Gokula in the house of Nanda Maharaja. There is Krsna’s sister who marries Arjuna in Dvaraka. There is also Krsna’s sister who stands between Krsna and Balarama on the altar in Jagannatha Puri. Finally, there is Subhadra popularly known as yoga-maya. Are all these the same personality?

Question 1: Is Subhadra yoga-maya?

Subhadra is yoga-maya is mentioned at couple of places.

In SB 10.2 (Prayers by the Demigods for Lord Kṛṣṇa in the Womb), there is the following conversation between the Personality of Godhead, Viśvātmā, the Supreme Soul of everyone and Yoga-maya:

SB 10.2.7-9: O My potency, who are worshipable for the entire world and whose nature is to bestow good fortune upon all living entities, go to Vraja, where there live many cowherd men and their wives. In that very beautiful land, where many cows reside, Rohiṇī, the wife of Vasudeva, is living at the home of Nanda Mahārāja. Other wives of Vasudeva are also living there incognito because of fear of Kaṁsa. Please go there. Within the womb of Devakī is My partial plenary expansion known as Saṅkarṣaṇa or Śeṣa. Without difficulty, transfer Him into the womb of Rohiṇī. O all-auspicious Yoga-māyā, I shall then appear with My full six opulences as the son of Devakī, and you will appear as the daughter of mother Yaśodā, the queen of Mahārāja Nanda.”

Srila Prabhupada writes in the purport: “By the blessings of Kṛṣṇa, Yoga-māyā became the daughter of mother Yaśodā, but by the supreme will she was not able to enjoy the parental love of her father and mother…By the blessings of Kṛṣṇa, Yoga-māyā was able to achieve the reputation of being the daughter of mother Yaśodā, who also became famous by the blessings of Kṛṣṇa. Yaśodā means “one who gives fame.”

At least this is confirmed that Subhadra devi is indeed Yoga-maya.

Question 2: If Subhadra is Yoga-maya, who is Maha-maya?

In one of the letters, Srila Prabhupada wrote: “Subhadra is yogamaya. The spiritual energy is called yogamaya. And she has 16 different expansions. Out of these 16 expansions, Subhadra is one. The mahamaya of the material energy is also expansion of the energy of yogamaya; and both yogamaya and mahamaya are equally important to Krishna as much as any government department is equally important for functioning of the government.” (Letter to Madhusudana – Montreal 29th July 1968)

Yoga-maya turns into Maha-maya is confirmed in the following commentary by Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura in his Sarartha-Darsini commentary on SB 10.2.10:

“Your aàça, material mäyä, will be taken by Vasudeva to cheat Kaàsa. You will be worshiped in various forms in Vindhyäcala and other places. All men will worship these forms because you are the supreme (varam) goddess (éçvarém) of those who have all types of material desires.”

When Subhadra reaches Mathura and lands up in Kamsa’s hands, she turns into Maha-maya.

Question 3: Is Subhadra the daughter of Yasoda and Nanda, or Devaki and Vasudeva?

Both Srila Prabhupada and Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura confirm in their commentaries on SB 10.1.56 that Subhadra is the daughter of Yasoda and Nanda.

“kanyäà: daughter; Subhadrä is the daughter.” – Sarartha-Darsini SVT commentary on SB 10.1.56

It seems clear that the daughter born to Yasoda was indeed Yogamaya, but that the female child that Vasudeva took to the palace dungeon of Kamsa was Mahamaya, the external potency of Krsna.

Now here is a contradiction. There are other places where Subhadra is considered to be born of Vasudeva and Rohini.

Hari-vamsa says as follows: Vasudeva begot his eldest son Rama (Balarama) in Rohini; and their other sons are: Sarana, Satha, Durdama, Damana, Svabhra, Pindaraka, and Usinara; O descendant of Kuru, they also had a daughter by the name of Citra, who is renowned by the name of Subhadra. (1.35.5-6)

Mahabharata says as follows: This is my sister, O Partha, and born of the same mother as Sarana (this refers to Rohini, the mother of Sarana). May you be blessed. She is the favorite daughter of my father. (Adi-parva 221.17)

Hari-vamsa mentions Krsna’s sister as being Subhadra and Mahabharata mentions Krsna’s sister as being born of Rohini. Both these references are to Krsna’s sister born in Mathura to Vasudeva and Rohini who later married Arjuna in Dvaraka, not to the twin of Krsna born to Yasoda and later taken to the dungeon of Kamsa.

Therefore it is unclear whose daughter is Subhadra.

Question 4: What’s the final conclusion on Subhadra?

From previous acaryas we have quotes regarding Subhadra, some stating that she is Yogamaya, some that she is Mahamaya and some that she is bhakti-svarupa. The exercise is in how to harmonize the statements of different acaryas. Some quotes from A.C. Bhaktivedanta Svami Prabhupada are as follows:

Subhadra is Yogamaya, The spiritual energy is called Yogamaya. And she had 16 different expansions. Out of these 16 expansions, Subhadra is one. The Mahamaya of the material energy is also expansion of the energy of Yogamaya; and both Yogamaya and Mahamaya are equally important to Krsna as much as any government department is equally important for functioning the government. (Letter to Madhusudana – Montreal 29th July 1968)

Regarding your question about Subhadra and Durga, they are not at all the same. Durga’s other name is Bhadra, not Subhadra, and Durga’s activities are within the material world. Subhadra does not work as Durga. Subhadra is internal energy, and Durga is external energy. As energy they have a relationship as much as we are energies of Krsna, but the energies are working in different capacities. (Letter to Hamsaduta – LA, 9th Feb.1969)

“Regarding your question, ‘Is Subhadra, Lord Krsna’s sister, the same as Durga or Maya?’ the answer is that originally Krsna’s energy is one; that is spiritual energy. But according to different functions, the Maya is represented differently. In the material world the energy is called Bhadra, and in the spiritual world the same Maya is called Subhadra. The only distinction is ‘su’ and without ‘su’. ‘Su’ means auspicious. So in the spiritual world the same Maya works auspiciously, and in the material world the same Maya works inauspiciously. (Letter to Upendra – LA, 5th July 1969)

In Sri Brhad Bhagavatamrta of Srila Sanatana Goswami, Gopīpāranadhana prabhu says that the daughter of Yasoda is Subhadra – this is not in Sanatan Goswami’s commentary. It should be Maya instead. Subhadra is the only daughter of Vasudeva and Rohini instead.

SBB 2.3.28: “Or if you want devotion to Visnu, still you should be kind and worship me, the giver of devotion, for I am His maid-servant, His sister, and the embodiment of His energy.”

Gopīpāranadhana prabhu: Pure devotees do not care for liberation, but still they respect Prakrti for other reasons. She is Lord Visnu’s humble servant and sister, born as Subhadra from the womb of Yasoda, and she helps Lord Visnu’s devotees make progress in devotional service. Although Maya is not identical with Lord Visnu’s internal energy, she is the expansion of that energy, embodied in the external elements. Thus she is non-different from the original energy, just as a person’s shadow is non-different from the person.

In 1872 Sri Bhaktivinoda Thakura wrote an essay for a newspaper in Cuttack, Orissa about the Deities of Jagannatha, Subhadra and Baladeva as they are manifest in the temple at Jagannatha Puri. The essay is titled, “The Temple of Jagannath at Puri”.

Link: https://www.bvmlu.org/SBTP/ttojap.html

He wrote: “We have several times entered the shrine of Jagannatha, and, approaching the sandal bolts, have observed in the middle room an elevated seat on which stand four different forms viz. Jagannatha, Balaram, Subhadra and Sudarsan. According to the Vedanta, God is without a second, but He has infinite energies and attributes which are not fully known to man. But then man perceives only three energies in God, because he has no other corresponding sides to understand the other powers. From one of the energies proceeds matter in all its different forms and properties and this energy is styled Maya Shakti of God. From the second energy proceeds all spiritual creation, in all its relations and phases. This power is entitled the Jiva Shakti of God. The third energy perceivable by man is the energy of Will, which is called Cit Shakti. God moving in creation is what is meant by this infinite energy.

Jagannatha is the emblem of God having no other form than the eyes and the hands. They mean to show that God sees and knows and creates. Balarama is the source of Jiva Shakti of God; Subhudra, the Maya Shakti; and Sudarshana is the energy of Will.”

In summary, there are various opinions on the ontological position of Subhadra. Srila Prabhupada says she is Yogamaya. Srila Bhaktivinoda says she is Mahamaya. Regardless of the ontological position of Subhadra, the key takeaway is that she is nourisher of our bhakti. I would go with Srila Sanatana Goswami’s commentary as the final conclusion.

Srila Sanatana Goswami says in SBB 2.3.28: “You should worship me, considering me to be the maidservant of Visnu and subservient to Him. Or, worship me because I am His sister, having taken birth from the womb of Yasoda. Or, worship me as the embodiment of His energy. In these ways, I alone grant and nourish bhakti to Visnu. Although the illusory potency Mäyä and the potency of Visnu that increases bhakti are mutually exclusive, nevertheless, because the illusory potency is the shadow of Visnu’s energy, the two have been described as one.”

Final conclusion is ultimately the internal energy of Krsna is one, which manifests as many according to the Lord’s will and the requirement of His lila (acintya-bhedabheda). It has also been noted that the use of the word ’yoga-maya’ in the vocabulary of the acaryas is interchangeable with the word ‘maha-maya’. Accordingly, the sister of Krsna is one-energy manifesting as different personalities (Yogamaya, Mahamaya and bhakti-svarupa) according to the required service.

Question 5: Who did she marry? Did she have children?

Regarding the question about who Subhadra married and whether she had children, I will go with what is well-known as mentioned in the 86 chapter of 10^th Canto. Arjuna kidnapped Subhadra (with Krsna’s approval and Balarama’s disapproval) and eventually married her. They had a son Abhimanyu who married Uttara. They gave birth to Pariksit Maharaja by whose mercy we are relishing Srimad Bhagavatam today.

I eagerly look forward to the findings of other devotees in this forum. Thank you!

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

I would say there are two main factors why different people react after hearing transcendental wisdom. One factor is the particular mode of material nature that binds the people. Another factor is envy. There could be other factors too.

In Bhagavad Gita Lord Krsna tells Arjuna: My dear Arjuna, because you are never envious of Me, I shall impart to you this most confidential knowledge and realization, knowing which you shall be relieved of the miseries of material existence. (BG 9.1)

Because Arjuna is not envious, Kṛṣṇa spoke the special knowledge to him. Arjuna was able to receive the transcendental wisdom in right mood, spirit, and surrender.

Kamsa, on the other hand, was very envious of Krsna. Kaṁsa was a condemned personality in the Bhoja dynasty because he was envious and sinful (SB 10.1.35). He was so cruel and envious that he was shamelessly ready to kill his sister Devaki. (SB 10.1.36)

Because such envious people are averse to Krsna and His instructions, the Lord perpetually cast them into the ocean of material existence, into various demoniac species of life. Krsna also says in BG: Those miscreants who are grossly foolish, who are lowest among mankind, whose knowledge is stolen by illusion, and who partake of the atheistic nature of demons do not surrender unto Me. (BG 7.15)

On the other hand, the devotees who have faith in Krsna and His teachings reach to the transcendental wisdom differently. They are willing to surrender immediately; Ktsna also reciprocates with them lovingly.

BG 9.13: O son of Pṛthā, those who are not deluded, the great souls, are under the protection of the divine nature. They are fully engaged in devotional service because they know Me as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, original and inexhaustible.

Similarly, the three modes of material nature also play a big part in how different people react to transcendental wisdom. The mode of ignorance covers one’s knowledge and binds him to madness. For such people, knowledge means the satisfaction of bodily demands. It is more or less like the knowledge of the ordinary animals: the knowledge of eating, sleeping, defending, and mating. Such knowledge is described here as the product of the mode of darkness. Kamsa was more interested in protecting his body and its bodily possessions such as kingdom, power, wealth, fame, control, etc. As such people are not open to receiving transcendental knowledge.

Reflecting deeply, the difference is the understanding the difference between body and soul. Those who are in mode of goodness, who accept that they are spiritual souls – eternal part and parcel of Krsna – are more favorable to react positively to transcendental wisdom. On the other hand, those people like Kamsa, Duryodhana, etc. who are grossly under the illusory bodily consciousness react negatively to transcendental wisdom because they feel threatened by the apparent lose of ‘I’ and ‘Mine.

Therefore, when both Vasudeva and Krsna presented the philosophy that ‘For one who has taken his birth, death is certain; and for one who is dead, birth is certain (BG 2.28)’ to Kamsa and Arjuna respectively, each one of them reacted differently. Arjuna was willing to surrender to Krsna and be an instrument in the Lord’s mission. Kamsa, on the other hand, was revolting and ready to kill his own sister.

BG 17.18: Bewildered by false ego, strength, pride, lust and anger, the demons become envious of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is situated in their own bodies and in the bodies of others, and blaspheme against the real religion.

BG 17.24: One should therefore understand what is duty and what is not duty by the regulations of the scriptures. Knowing such rules and regulations, one should act so that he may gradually be elevated.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

The Supreme Lord speaks through His pure devotees. The living entities hear the instructions of the Lord through His pure devotees.

The Lord’s pure devotees are the transparent via medium between the Lord and the conditioned souls like us whose senses are still not purified enough to hear or see the Lord.

Those who engage in Deity worship chant a beautiful prayer for purification, blessing and invocation. om tad visno paramam padam sada pasyanti suraya diviva caksuratatam:

“Just as the sun’s rays in the sky are extended to the mundane vision, so in the same way the wise and learned devotees always see the supreme abode of Lord Vishnu. Because those highly praiseworthy and spiritually awake brahmanas are able to see the spiritual world, they are also able to reveal that supreme abode of Lord Vishnu.” (Rig Veda 1.22.20)

If we extend this principle, the pure devotees not only reveal the supreme abode of the Lord to us but also reveal the Lord’s instructions to us. In this chapter (SB 10.1), we see how the Supreme Lord reveals His orders to Brahma. Two beautiful things stand out in the conduct of the Lord. First, He is already aware of the distress on earth. Secondly, He already has a plan how to rectify the disturbing situation on earth. Thirdly, even though He is supremely independent, He still orders the demigods, through Brahma, to appear through His plenary portions as sons and grandsons in the family of the Yadus so that they could act as instruments and associates in His mission on earth. How merciful the Lord is! Even in Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krsna asked Arjuna to be an instrument in the fight.

“Therefore get up. Prepare to fight and win glory. Conquer your enemies and enjoy a flourishing kingdom. They are already put to death by My arrangement, and you, O Savyasācī, can be but an instrument in the fight.” (BG 11.33)

Not only that, Krsna also clearly tells Arjuna that He is making him the first receiver of a new paramparā (disciplic succession) because the old succession was broken. It was the Lord’s wish, therefore, to establish another paramparā in the same line of thought that was coming down from the sun-god to others, and it was His wish that His teaching be distributed anew by Arjuna. Lord informs Arjuna that this system of yoga, the Bhagavad-gītā, was first spoken to the sun-god, and the sun-god explained it to Manu, and Manu explained it to Ikṣvāku, and in that way, by disciplic succession, one speaker after another, this yoga system has been coming down. But in the course of time it has become lost. Consequently the Lord has to speak it again, this time to Arjuna on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra. (BG 4.1-3)

The sweet Lord wants all of us to return home, back to Godhead through the process of devotional service – the chief limb of which is to chant the Holy Name of the Lord. The Lord revealed this through His pure devotees such as the Six Goswamis, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Thakur and our very dear Srila Prabhupada. These bonafide acaryas know the desire of the Supreme Lord and therefore are empowered to guide us correctly.

Therefore, it is important that we strictly follow the disciplic succession we belong to. Just as we need GPS to drive somewhere unfamiliar, similarly we need GPS to go back to Krsna. Here GPS means Guru Parampara System. Gurus’ instructions for us are non-different than Krsna’s because they do not concoct anything. Like sincere and honest postmen, they deliver the Lord’s message and blessings to us ‘AS IT IS’.

It must also be noted that hearing the Lord’s instructions is more important than seeing Him directly. In material realm, we give a great importance to seeing. As they say, seeing is believing. But in transcendental realm, hearing IS seeing. Brahma did not personally see Lord Visnu but could hear His orders. Srila Prabhupada gives a relevant example of this age: telephones. Modern science gives us telephones and cellphones by which one can hear sound vibrations from a distant place. In fact, we derive great joy from speaking to a loved one over phone even though we are physically a great distance apart. Imagine how much joy and bliss we will derive when we hear the Lord’s words through his telephones – His bonafide representatives.

It is my personal realization that whenever I submitted very pressing questions or decision choices to the Lord, I got His confirmation or answers through His devotees. I would pray to the Lord with some doubts or queries. Out of nowhere some devotee would bring up that topic (either in a group setting or directly to me) and answer my question. It even happened when I wanted confirmation about choosing a spiritual master. The Lord revealed through one of His devotees. There were so many such instances. Of course, there were moments when I received chastisement (or punishment) for some mistakes through the devotees. I see all this as the Lord’s desire to correct me like a loving father does to his child.

This is why faith is very important. Faith that the Lord hears our distress and desires our well-being; faith in the Lord’s plan for us; Faith in His devotee. Hence the first stage of devotional service is sraddha – faith. Adau sraddha. It all starts with faith.

All we have to do is surrender to the sweet Lord and His devotees with the faith that they will decide or instruct the best for us.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

The word “purification” is a deep subject matter. The mundane understanding of purification is at a gross bodily level, and therefore cleanliness is considered the same as purification. However for devotees on the path of attaining complete Krsna consciousness, purification is a journey and not just an activity that we perform each day (like taking a bath).

Srila Prabhupada in his purport to SB 3.6.34 brilliantly explains the essence of purification.

“All the conditioned souls are impure due to contact with the material energy in three modes of nature. Therefore it is necessary that they purify themselves under the guidance of the bona fide spiritual master, who not only is a brāhmaṇa by qualification but must also be a Vaiṣṇava. The only self-purifying process mentioned herein is to worship the Lord under the recognized method — under the guidance of the bona fide spiritual master. That is the natural way of purification, and no other method is recommended as bona fide. The other methods of purification may be helpful to come to this stage of life, but ultimately one has to come to this last point before he attains actual perfection.”

Purification of existence means, and includes purification of body and senses (eating, sleeping, mating and defending), mind, intelligence, speech and consciousness. Therefore, the whole process of devotional service is to accelerate the process of purification.

I could write an essay on purification. But to get to the essence, my realization of perfect purification is a state where one can engage in hearing Krsna-katha with perfect attention. Undeviated attention to such an extent that nothing can disturb our concentration. Taking my personal example, I can hardly concentrate for more than a few minutes. My body and mind are just too restless. I am unable to sit in a place for a long time; the body and mind keep throwing distractions at me; the body disturbs me with thirst, hunger, and lethargy; the mind brings up unwanted thoughts, worries, memories, desires, and mental speculation. The intelligence keeps disturbing with discriminating thoughts of what is right and what is wrong. Pure consciousness is covered with material desires, unwanted desires for liberation from pains and worldly miseries; and past karmic impressions. These are all symptoms of gross and subtle contaminations due to which we are unable to hear in rapt attention.

I remember a particular purport of Srila Prabhupada even today since I first read it. It is imprinted permanently in my mind and heart. Here it goes:

“Simple hearing is not all; one must realize the text with proper attention. The word niviṣṭa means that Sūta Gosvāmī drank the juice of Bhāgavatam through his ears. That is the real process of receiving Bhāgavatam. One should hear with rapt attention from the real person, and then he can at once realize the presence of Lord Kṛṣṇa in every page. The secret of knowing Bhāgavatam is mentioned here. No one can give rapt attention who is not pure in mind. No one can be pure in mind who is not pure in action. No one can be pure in action who is not pure in eating, sleeping, fearing, and mating. But somehow or other if someone hears with rapt attention from the right person, at the very beginning one can assuredly see Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa in person in the pages of Bhāgavatam.” (SB 1.3.44 Purport).

Simply brilliant!! In one stroke, Srila Prabhupada gave us a clue how to become perfectly purified. Knowing it will be too much of a struggle to tackle purification at multiple levels (gross body, subtle body, consciousness, etc.) when we are too materially conditioned, he sums up the purificatory process in just one step – just hear from a self-realized bonafide source.

This is perfectly emulated by Pariksit Maharaja when he tell Sukadeva Goswami:

SB 10.1.13: Because of my vow on the verge of death, I have given up even drinking water, yet because I am drinking the nectar of topics about Kṛṣṇa, which is flowing from the lotus mouth of your Lordship, my hunger and thirst, which are extremely difficult to bear, cannot hinder me.

This, is to, is the characteristic and symptom of one who is completely purified. A completely purified person acts perfectly on the platform of the spirit soul. The best food for the soul is hari-katha because conszitutionally the soul is an eternal servant of Lord Hari. Therefore only the name, form, qualities, and pastimes of Lord Hari can satisfy the spiritual thirst and hunger of the soul.

“But unless one hears kṛṣṇa-kathā from a realized soul like Śukadeva Gosvāmī, one cannot relish the nectar of kṛṣṇa-kathā, which puts an end to all material fatigue, and enjoy the blissful life of transcendental existence. In relation to the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, we actually see that those who have tasted the nectar of kṛṣṇa-kathā lose all material desires…” (SB 10.1.13 Purport)

In this Age of Kali, the process of purification withing bringing in the chanting of the Holy Name of the Lord. Chanting of the Holy Name is the perfect purification process suggested by none other than the Supreme Lord in His form as Lord Caitanya.

“Let there be all victory for the chanting of the Holy Name of Lord Hari, Lord Krishna, which can cleanse the mirror of the heart and stop the miseries of the blazing fire of material existence. That chanting is the waxing moon which spreads the white lotus of good fortune for all living entities. It is the life and soul of all education. The chanting of the Holy Name of Krishna expands the blissful ocean of transcendental life. It gives a cooling effect to everyone and enables one to taste full nectar at every step.” (Siksastaka 1)

Chanting of the Holy Name is both cause and effect. It is the cause of all purification, and it is the result of all purification. The Holy Name is the best method of purification and once purified, one can chant the Holy Name without offenses ultimately leading to Krsna-prema.

Therefore, using our ears and tongue to hear Krsna-katha and chant the Holy Name respectively, we can achieve all purification. And once completely purified, we can engage in Hari-katha in rapt attention like Pariksit Maharaja.

SB 10.1.16: The Ganges, emanating from the toe of Lord Viṣṇu, purifies the three worlds, the upper, middle and lower planetary systems. Similarly, when one asks questions about the pastimes and characteristics of Lord Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa, three varieties of men are purified: the speaker or preacher, he who inquires, and the people in general who listen.

The topics of Hari purify the speaker, the inquirer, and the listener in descending order. Hari-katha is most purifying for the speaker, then the inquirer and then the listener.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!