Hare Kṛṣṇa,

This lesson offers a beautiful meditation on the various groups of gopīs and how each attained the supreme fortune of participating in Kṛṣṇa’s rāsa-līlā. It is especially inspiring to learn that some of these gopīs are sādhana-siddha, which gives hope to ordinary sādhakas like us — that through sincere practice, we too can aspire for the exalted goal of associating with Kṛṣṇa.

Following my usual approach whenever a visual aid can enhance understanding, I have developed a concise chart depicting the fourfold classification of the gopīs as presented in the Padma Purāṇa: 

“It is understood that some of the gopīs are personified Vedic literatures, while others are reborn sages, daughters of cowherds, or demigod maidens. But by no means, my dear King, are any of them ordinary humans.”

My key takeaway from reflecting on the most sought-after position of the gopīs is the immense power of absorption. This theme feels especially relevant during this sacred month of Kārtika, as we strive to deepen our absorption in Kṛṣṇa’s holy name, form, qualities, pastimes, abode, and associates. The significance of this absorption is beautifully woven throughout the lesson. Again and again, the lesson reveals how this divine absorption is both the essence and perfection of devotion.

This level of absorption not only burns all sinful reactions but also brings us closer to Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet.

“Their severe painful yearnings caused by their not being able to see Krsna freed them from all sinful reactions, and their ecstasy of transcendental love for Krsna in His absence was transcendental to all their reactions of material pious activities.” (Texts 4-9: Kṛṣṇa Book)

“The conditioned soul is subjected to birth and death, either by pious or sinful activities, but the gopis who began to meditate on Krsna transcended both positions and became purified and thus elevated to the status of the gopis already expanded by His pleasure potency.” (Texts 4-9: Kṛṣṇa Book)

“All the gopis who concentrated their minds on Krsna in the spirit of paramour love became fully uncontaminated from all the fruitive reactions of material nature, and some of them immediately gave up their material bodies developed under the three modes of material nature.” (Texts 4-9: Kṛṣṇa Book)

Absorption, which I have come to realize, is one of the most powerful instruments of purification. This understanding has deepened for me only recently, especially after encountering the same theme in the Seventh Canto. There, Śrī Nārada Muni, in his dialogue with Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, is quoted by Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī in a series of verses that beautifully illustrate the transformative power of absorption.

“Therefore by enmity or by devotional service, by fear, by affection or by lusty desire — by all of these or any one of them — if a conditioned soul somehow or other concentrates his mind upon the Lord, the result is the same, for the Lord, because of His blissful position, is never affected by enmity or friendship.” (SB 7.1.26)

“Many, many persons have attained liberation simply by thinking of Kṛṣṇa with great attention and giving up sinful activities. This great attention may be due to lusty desires, inimical feelings, fear, affection or devotional service. I shall now explain how one receives Kṛṣṇa’s mercy simply by concentrating one’s mind upon Him.” (SB 7.1.30)

“My dear King Yudhiṣṭhira, the gopīs by their lusty desires, Kaṁsa by his fear, Śiśupāla and other kings by envy, the Yadus by their familial relationship with Kṛṣṇa, you Pāṇḍavas by your great affection for Kṛṣṇa, and we, the general devotees, by our devotional service, have obtained the mercy of Kṛṣṇa.” (SB 7.1.31)

The example given is that “a grassworm confined in a hole of a wall by a bee always thinks of the bee in fear and enmity and later becomes a bee simply because of such remembrance. Similarly, if the conditioned souls somehow or other think of Kṛṣṇa, who is sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha, they will become free from their sins. Whether thinking of Him as their worshipable Lord or an enemy, because of constantly thinking of Him they will regain their spiritual bodies.” (SB 7.1.28-29)

Srila Prabhupada explains in his purport, “Nanda Mahārāja and mother Yaśodā were fully absorbed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness because of affection. When the mind is somehow or other fully absorbed in Kṛṣṇa, the material part is very soon vanquished, and the spiritual part — attraction to Kṛṣṇa — becomes manifest. This indirectly confirms that if one thinks of Kṛṣṇa enviously, simply because of thinking of Kṛṣṇa he becomes free from all sinful reactions and thus becomes a pure devotee.”  (SB 7.1.30 Purport)

This is also reflected in this lesson where the sages in the Daṇḍaka forest desired to enjoy Lord Hari (Kṛṣṇa).

“By means of their lusty attraction they became freed from the ocean of material existence, and coincidentally they got the association of Hari in conjugal love.” (Sārārtha-darśini: SB 10.29.9)

Even if we are unable to attain the gopīs’ level of absorption, we should at least cultivate an intense longing for it — if not in this life, then in some future birth, by Kṛṣṇa’s mercy.

Some of the gopis hankered intensely for the intimate physical association of Kṛṣṇa—a hankering they acquired by associating with the advanced gopīs. Becoming worthy recipients of the mercy of the perfected gopīs, they assumed spiritual bodies fit to be enjoyed by Kṛṣṇa.

The lesson closes with a tender prayer — a gentle ray of hope for all aspiring devotees.

“Alas, alas, O only friend of our life! O ocean of artistic skills within the Vṛndāvana forest! Please let us become your girlfriends in some future life, because at this time we cannot see Your lotus-like face with our eyes. So be it; we shall look upon You with our minds.” (Sārārtha-darśini: SB 10.29.9)

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Kṛṣṇa,

Through the 29th chapter, The Rāsa Dance: Introduction, I am trying to correlate the Rāsa-related terms we studied in Lesson 1. I must admit that my understanding of these terms has deepened. In particular, I now have a clearer grasp of the concepts of vibhāva—ālambana and uddīpana.

I was first introduced to these terms during our study of Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta many years ago (even though I could not grasp the concepts fully), but it is always enlightening to revisit them in the context of Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes.

In this forum post, my intention is to further explore and understand the concepts of ālambana and uddīpana by relating them to Kṛṣṇa’s Rāsa dance.

It is beneficial to revisit the definitions of ālambana and uddīpana from Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu.

In the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (2.1.14), vibhāva is described as: “The cause bringing about the tasting of love for Kṛṣṇa is called vibhāva. Vibhāva is divided into two categories – ālambana (support) and uddīpana (awakening).“

In the Agni Purāṇa it is stated: “That which causes love for Kṛṣṇa to appear is called vibhāva. That has two divisions – ālambana [in which love appears] and uddīpana [by which love appears].“

In the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (2.1.16), the following is stated about ālambana: “The object of love is Kṛṣṇa, and the container of that love is the devotee of Kṛṣṇa. Both of them are called by the learned scholars ālambana – the foundations.“

Similarly, uddīpana is described: “Those things which awaken ecstatic love are called uddīpana.“

Mainly this awakening is made possible by the qualities and activities of Kṛṣṇa, as well as by His mode of decoration and the way His hair is arranged.

“Kṛṣṇa’s smile, the fragrance of His transcendental body, His flute, bugle, ankle bells, conchshell, the marks on His feet, His place of residence, His favorite plant [tulasī], His devotees, and the observance of fasts and vows connected to His devotion all awaken the symptoms of ecstatic love.”

In the Rāsa dance, both the ālambana and uddīpana are visibly present.

“Even though Kṛṣṇa is bhagavān, full in six varieties of opulences, He turned His mind toward enjoying because of the time, place and persons, which are three uddipanas to excite to rasa. The time was the full moon night of autumn (śārada-purnima). The place was the forest of Vrndavana, and the persons were the lovely damsels of Vraja. All three served to enflame the passion of enjoyment by their supreme capacity to attract Kṛṣṇa’s mind with their sweetness.” (SB 10.29.1 Sārārtha-darśini)

The attraction of the autumn night ignited in Kṛṣṇa the desire to enjoy with His own senses the sweet sounds of the gopis’ voices, their beauty and fine fragrance, tenderness, cleverness and skill in dancing and playing music. Kṛṣṇa also wanted the gopis to relish with their own ears and other senses the sweet sound of His voice.

The unseasonal blossoming of jasmine (mallikāḥ) flowers and the opening of lotus flowers at night acted as uddīpana and made Vrndavana very attractive.

Finally the attractiveness of the Vraja-gopis acted as further stimulus to uddīpana so much that Sri Kṛṣṇa got ready to enjoy those nights. The Vraja-gopis had such an incredible degree of kṛṣṇa-prema that the Supreme Lord Himself, although already fulfilled in all possible pleasures, was thinking of enjoying with them.

In addition, the rising of the moon played an additional stimulator (uddipana) of conjugal feelings. It served Kṛṣṇa and the gopis by illuminating their pleasure pastimes with its brilliant light.  Sri Kṛṣṇa became absorbed in remembering the gopis’ faces upon seeing that moon. 

Finally the ālambana. Kṛṣṇa’s form is the ālambana.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada

Hare Kṛṣṇa,

I find the concept of bhakti-rasa to be a difficult topic to understand. How can I understand something that I have not experienced directly? I think it is only Srila Rupa Goswami who, by the mercy and empowerment of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, has properly explained the science of bhakti-rasa. Other acaryas may have also explained the bhakti-rasa terms but I am not very familiar with their writings. I am only familiar with Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu and Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi.

Rasa, by itself, is a difficult term to explain.

“”The word rasa, used in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, is understood by different persons differently because the exact English equivalent is very difficult to find. But as we have seen our spiritual master translate this word rasa into “mellow,” we shall follow in his footsteps and also translate the word in that way.”

“The particular loving mood or attitude relished in the exchange of love with the Supreme Personality of Godhead is called rasa, or mellow. The different types of rasa, when combined together, help one to taste the mellow of devotional service in the highest degree of transcendental ecstasy. Such a position, although entirely transcendental to our experience, will be explained in this section as far as possible, following in the footsteps of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī.” (The Nectar of Devotion (Chapter 20))

After hearing various classes and studying various writings on bhakti-rasa, I realize that so-called happiness is not the ultimate hankering of a spirit soul. Yes, each one of us is looking for happiness. But what we are actually searching for in the guise of happiness is ‘rasa’. Ananda (bliss) is the by-product of rasa.

Taittiriya-upanisad (2.7.1) says:

raso vai saḥ, rasam hy evāyam labdhvānandī bhavati

In his purport to Bg 14.27, Srila Prabhupada gives the translation of “raso vai saḥ, rasam hy evāyam labdhvānandī bhavati” as “When one understands the Personality of Godhead, the reservoir of pleasure, Kṛṣṇa, he actually becomes transcendentally blissful.”

In SB 5.19.20 he gives the translation of “eṣa hy evānandayati. yadā hy evaiṣa etasmin na dṛśye ‘nātmye anirukte ‘nilayane ‘bhayam pratiṣṭhām vindate ‘tha so ‘bhayam gato bhavati” as “A living entity becomes established in spiritual, blissful life when he fully understands that his happiness depends on spiritual self-realization, which is the basic principle of ānanda (bliss), and when he is eternally situated in the service of the Lord, who has no other lord above Him.”

In preface to the Nectar of Devotion, Srila Prabhupada writes, “Adoption of bhakti-rasa, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, will immediately bring one to an auspicious life free from anxieties and will bless one with transcendental existence, thus minimizing the value of liberation. Bhakti-rasa itself is sufficient to produce a feeling of liberation because it attracts the attention of the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa.”

I still struggle to understand the various technical aspects of rasa such as vibhava, anubhāva, sāttvika-bhāva, and vyabhicārī bhava and sthāyī bhava. I have somewhat limited understanding of sthāyī bhava; that it is a permanent mood inherent with our relationships with Krsna. Sthāyī bhava is not present in material relationship; it is completely transcendental. Because it is covered, we do not know what our sthāyī bhava actually is.

Till these terms become clear to me, I take solace from the simple instruction that hearing and chanting will lead us open the doors to our sthāyī bhava. It is inherently present within our hearts; it just needs to be awakened.

Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (2.1.4-5): “Love for Kṛṣṇa, Keśava, as previously described, reaches the supreme state of being composed of mellows when its ingredients are fulfilled. By means of vibhāva, anubhāva, sāttvika and vyabhicārī, hearing and chanting are activated, and the devotee is able to taste love for Kṛṣṇa. Then attachment for Kṛṣṇa, or permanent ecstasy (sthāyi-bhāva), becomes the mellow of devotional service (bhakti-rasa).”

nitya-siddha kṛṣṇa-prema ‘sādhya’ kabhu naya
śravaṇādi-śuddha-citte karaye udaya

“Pure love for Kṛṣṇa is eternally established in the hearts of the living entities. It is not something to be gained from another source. When the heart is purified by hearing and chanting, this love naturally awakens.”  (CC Madhya 22.107)

All glories to Srila Prabhupada

Hare Kṛṣṇa,

This is another sweet pastime of the Lord where He engaged Nanda Maharaja (just like the lifting of Govardhana Hill pastime) to reveal yet another feature of His abode.

“Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is always anxious to give information to the conditioned soul that there is a spiritual sky far, far beyond this material sky, transcendental to the innumerable universes created within the total material energy.” (Krsna; 28)

Devotees sometimes go through phases of self-doubt. What will be their destination after death? Will their lifetime of performing bhakti bear fruit? Will they ever attain salvation (as in going back home, back to Godhead)? What does it mean when scriptures reveal that there is gradation of the spiritual realms in terms of its sweetness? For example, there is a beautiful verse in the Nectar of Instruction Text 9:

“The holy place known as Mathurä is spiritually superior to Vaikuëöha, the transcendental world, because the Lord appeared there. Superior to Mathurä-puré is the transcendental forest of Våndävana because of Kåñëa’s räsa-lélä pastimes. And superior to the forest of Våndävana is Govardhana Hill, for it was raised by the divine hand of Çré Kåñëa and was the site of His various loving pastimes. And, above all, the superexcellent Çré Rädhä-kuëòa stands supreme, for it is overflooded with the ambrosial nectarean prema of the Lord of Gokula, Çré Kåñëa. Where, then, is that intelligent person who is unwilling to serve this divine Rädhä-kuëòa, which is situated at the foot of Govardhana Hill?”

The Vrajavasis also had similar questions.

“The friends of Nanda Maharaja, all the cowherd men, became eager to know if Krsna were actually the Supreme Personality and if He were going to give them all salvation. When they were all thus consulting among themselves, Krsna understood their minds, and in order to assure them of their destiny in the spiritual kingdom, He showed them the spiritual sky.” (Krsna; 28)

There is general human tendency to think that the grass is always greener on the other side. Similarly, it could be possible to think that there could be better places than Vrndavana. However, it must be noted that the Vrajavasis are eternally liberated residents of Śrī Vṛndāvana. Therefore, their thinking is not like the thinking of conditioned souls. Krsna, being omnipotent and omniscient, understood the mind of the Vrajavasis perfectly and therefore enacted this pastime.

“When My father saw the opulence of Varuna, which is only material, he then considered this Vrndavana, which is the quintessence of Vaikuntha, to be inferior to the planet of Varuna. It is just like the fool, who upon seeing the form and luster of an inferior pearl, considers a valuable first-class pearl to be inferior. Thus the cowherd men see themselves inferior to Varuna, and think attaining liberation and residence in Vaikuntha is greater than the unique sweetness they relish in loving Me as their son.“ (Sārārtha-darśini; SB 10.28.13)

“Thus deeply considering the situation, the all-merciful Supreme Personality of Godhead Hari revealed to the cowherd men His abode, which is beyond material darkness.” (SB 10.28.14)

Only Kṛṣṇa, out of His infinite compassion (maha-karuniko) for the Vrajavasis, could separate the cowherd men from Vrndavana for a few moments and show them His own attractively charming spiritual planet, Kṛṣṇaloka. Kṛṣṇa did this to show them that the sweetness of Vrndavana was superior to Brahman and Vaikuntha. 

Nanda Mahārāja and the other cowherd men felt the greatest happiness when they saw that transcendental abode. They were especially amazed to see Kṛṣṇa Himself there, surrounded by the personified Vedas, who were offering Him prayers. (SB 10.28.17)

In the description of this pastime, two important sentences by Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura stood out for me.

“The cowherd men see themselves inferior to Varuna and think attaining liberation and residence in Vaikuntha is greater than the unique sweetness they relish in loving Me as their son.“ and

“The form of Bhagavan Sri Kṛṣṇa is much sweeter than the impersonal Brahman effulgence.”

This shows that Sri Kṛṣṇa is perfect, complete and sweetness personified. The sweetness experienced in serving Him is higher than the so-called sweetness of attaining liberation. Since He is non-different from His abode, His abode Vrndavana is also complete in sweetness.

The question is, how can we conditioned souls experience this sweetness of Kṛṣṇa? It is only through chanting His Holy Name.

“The holy name of Kṛṣṇa is transcendentally blissful. It bestows all spiritual benedictions, for it is Kṛṣṇa Himself, the reservoir of all pleasure. Kṛṣṇa’s name is complete, and it is the form of all transcendental mellows. It is not a material name under any condition, and it is no less powerful than Kṛṣṇa Himself. Since Kṛṣṇa’s name is not contaminated by the material qualities, there is no question of its being involved with māyā. Kṛṣṇa’s name is always liberated and spiritual; it is never conditioned by the laws of material nature. This is because the name of Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa Himself are identical.

The holy name of Kṛṣṇa, His body and His pastimes cannot be understood by the blunt material senses. They are manifested independently.

Kṛṣṇa’s holy name, transcendental qualities and transcendental pastimes are all equal to Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself. They are all spiritual and full of bliss.

Therefore material senses cannot appreciate Kṛṣṇa’s holy name, form, qualities and pastimes. When a conditioned soul is awakened to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and renders service by using his tongue to chant the Lord’s holy name and taste the remnants of the Lord’s food, the tongue is purified, and one gradually comes to understand who Kṛṣṇa really is.”

(CC Madhya 17.133-136)

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Kṛṣṇa,

There are some wonderful lessons from this chapter applicable to our devotional life.

1. Nanda Maharaja duly performing Ekādaśī  vow shows that even eternally perfect devotees (nitya-siddhas) perform activities that are recommended in the scriptures and conducive to one’s bhakti.  One of the 64 limbs of sadhana bhakti listed in Bhakti-Rasamrta Sindhu by Srila Rupa Goswami is Observing Ekādaśī-Janmastami and other sacred days (which are favorable to the Lord) by observing fast. Srila Prabhupada writes in Nectar of Devotion (Chapter 7) that “The basic principle is not just to fast but to increase one’s faith and love for Govinda, or Kṛṣṇa. The real reason for observing fasting on Ekādaśī is to minimize the demands of the body and to engage our time in the service of the Lord by chanting or performing similar service. The best thing to do on fasting days is to remember the pastimes of Govinda and to hear His holy name constantly.” Nanda baba was not observing Ekadasi as a ritual but to increase his devotion for Kṛṣṇa.

• Taking shelter of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa is the best principle. Whatever life and death situations we find ourselves in, we must have the faith that Kṛṣṇa is the ultimate protector. In fact, having the conviction that Kṛṣṇa will give protection is one of the six characteristics of sarangati (complete self-surrender to the Lord). A devotee should not think that he is being protected by a demigod. He should depend only on Kṛṣṇa, considering Him the only protector. The devotee must be firmly convinced that within the three worlds he has no protector or maintainer other than Kṛṣṇa. This is what we learn from Nanda Maharaja’s kidnapping by the servants of Varuna. Seeing Nanda Maharaja disappearing in the water of Kalindi (Yamuna), the cowherd men called out to Kṛṣṇa in distress. This is the natural reaction of a devotee in distress. Time and again in Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes we see the Vrajavasis seeking Kṛṣṇa’s protection when in trouble or danger.

“Kṛṣṇa is called svanam-abhaya-dah, “relieving the fear of His associates” because by freeing Nanda from Varuna’s clutches, Kṛṣṇa relieved the fear of His relatives.” (Sārārtha-darśini, 10.28.3)

• The real and ultimate success of human life is to be able to see the Lord directly. Material possessions, wealth, fame, erudition, high birth, accomplishments, etc. do not make one successful. Varuna is one of the demigods with all opulences but still he considered himself materially defeated. He considered his life completely successful by seeing Kṛṣṇa.

Varuna said, “All the thousands of bodies which I have received till now have been useless because in all those lives I did not see You. Today my body has become successful…Today I have understood what is most valuable. Though I possess all varieties of jewels, until now I have not obtained such a jewel as You. Those who worship Your lotus feet can cross the ocean of material existence. How fortunate I am to attain Your darsana without any effort.” (Sārārtha-darśini, 10.28.5)

This mood is also reflected by Mother Kunti. In one of her prayers to Kṛṣṇa, she prays “I wish that all those calamities would happen again and again so that we could see You again and again, for seeing You means that we will no longer see repeated births and deaths.” (SB 1.8.25)

Srila Prabhupada explains in the purport, “For a pious person, if there is some calamity there is no other alternative than to take shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord. Constantly remembering the lotus feet of the Lord means preparing for liberation from birth and death. Therefore, even though there are so-called calamities, they are welcome because they give us an opportunity to remember the Lord, which means liberation…If someone is lucky enough to get in contact with the Lord by devotional service, it is all gain. Contact with the Lord by any one of the nine devotional services is always a forward step on the path going back to Godhead.” (SB 1.8.25)

Lastly, this is my own realization and not backed up by scriptures. The kidnapping of His father by Varuṇa is another pastime orchestrated by Kṛṣṇa to show special mercy to Varuna by giving him direct darshan. This pastime has some resemblance to the pastime where Lord Mahā-Viṣṇu kidnaps a brahmana’s son so that he could have an opportunity to see Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna.  Mahā-Viṣṇu said, “I brought the brāhmaṇa’s sons here because I wanted to see the two of you, My expansions, who have descended to the earth to save the principles of religion. As soon as you finish killing the demons who burden the earth, quickly come back here to Me.” (SB 10.89.58)

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Kṛṣṇa,

Kṛṣṇa has a sweet way of dealing with His devotees who ‘cross the line’ sometimes. We tend to think materially that Krsna is angry. But being a purely transcendental personality, Krsna has no anger. His dealing with Indra is sweet even though Indra has committed a great offense.

Compared to Lord Brahma’s offense, Indra’s offenses are extremely severe. Brahmā tried to test Kṛṣṇa by stealing calves and cowherd boys, confused by Kṛṣṇa’s display of human-like behavior. Brahmā had no intention to trouble the Vrajavāsīs; he just wanted to see how Kṛṣṇa could perform wonderful and powerful pastimes. He wanted to test Kṛṣṇa’s power by his own power, because he was astonished at Kṛṣṇa’s liberating Aghasura. Eventually Brahmā realizes the vastness of Kṛṣṇa’s potencies and his own insignificance.

On the other hand, Indra became furious when the Vrajavāsīs worshiped Govardhana instead of him. He attempted to destroy Vraja with the Samvartaka clouds. This is a great offense. Kṛṣṇa may forgive the offenses against Him but not the offenses committed to His dear devotees. We have seen a great example in King Ambarisa and Durvash Muni. Here, Indra actually tried to harm and destroy the Vrajavāsīs along with their cows, lands, and property.

But Kṛṣṇa’s magmanimity is greater than Indra’s impudence. He can correct someone by His sweetness.

Kṛṣṇa said, “O king of the demigods! I see that you have unprecedented affection for Me. You have come to show mercy to Me, who have offended you by stopping your worship.” (Sārārtha-darśini; SB 10.27.2)

Naturally Indra becomes ashamed and fearful. Indra recited prayers out of fear. Lord Brahmā recited prayers out of awe, reverence and wonder. He sought forgiveness too. At the end, Brahmā becomes silent and contemplative, fully embracing dāsya and the glories of spontaneous devotion. Indra’s tone of prayers is more focused on remorse and fear. I will be very bold to state that I found Indra’s prayers not being completely sincere. On one hand, he had to audacity to show false pride being intoxicated by his empowered power. He abused the power that has been temporarily bestowed upon him by the Supreme Lord. On the other hand, he plays the ‘emotion card’ by praying that Krsna should show mercy upon him as He is the most father and guru.

Even Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura tends to agree. He says, “This prayer is not offered with a completely pure heart, because Indra is exhibiting humility in order to save himself. Indra mentions this in the seventh verse. Later in the tenth canto we find that when Sri Kṛṣṇa once took a pārijāta flower from heaven, foolish Indra again reacted violently against the Lord.” (Sārārtha-darśini; SB 10.27.8)

“Although Lord Kṛṣṇa protected the residents of Vraja by lifting Govardhana Hill, He had not yet punished Indra himself, and Indra feared that at any moment Śrī Kṛṣṇa might call the son of Vivasvān, Yamarāja, who punishes impudent persons who defy the laws of God.

Indra was quite fearful and thus begged the Lord’s forgiveness on the plea that he could be purified only by Kṛṣṇa’s mercy — that he was too stubborn to learn a good lesson through mere punishment.

In fact, despite Indra’s humility in this case, his heart was not completely purified. Later on in this canto we find that when Lord Kṛṣṇa once took a pārijāta flower from Indra’s kingdom, poor Indra again reacted violently against the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Thus, we should aspire to go back to our eternal home in the kingdom of Kṛṣṇa, and should not become entangled in the imperfect life of the material gods.” (SB 10.27.8 Purport)

“Indra hoped that Lord Kṛṣṇa would count him among the devotees and not the demons, although considering Indra’s actions one might doubt where his loyalties actually lay. Indra was aware of this possible doubt and thus, as we find in the next verse, he tried his best to surrender to the Supreme Lord.” (SB 10.27.9 Purport)

Indra prayed, “Obeisances unto You, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the great Soul, who are all-pervading and who reside in the hearts of all. My obeisances unto You, Kṛṣṇa, the chief of the Yadu dynasty.” (SB 10.27.10)

Good thing is that Indra accepted his mistakes and showed maturity to surrender and beg forgiveness even though it is out of fear of punishment. Contrite and embarrassed, Indra feels ashamed of his pride and abuse of power. His tone is apologetic but less philosophical (compared to Lord Brahma’s prayers).

[We will see in the next lesson how Krsna responds to Indra’s prayers.]

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Kṛṣṇa,

With Kṛṣṇa performing one powerful activity after another (atypical of a small boy), it is natural for the Vrajavasis to be astonished despite how much love and affection they have for Him. For devotees who are completely absorbed in prema for the Lord, does witnessing such activities decrease their prema and instead increase their awe and reverence for Him? Is this another test of Vrajavasis’ prema by Kṛṣṇa? Before the lifting of the Govardhana Hill pastime, they had witnessed other powerful superhuman activities but may not have thought about His powers. They were too absorbed in their love for Him. But now seeing a seven-year old Kṛṣṇa holding Govardhana Hill with just one hand for seven days and nights cast doubts in their mind? They are wondering – is He a God, demigod, a demon, a Yaksa, a Gandharva, or just another child endowed with supernatural powers?

“How could this seven-year-old boy playfully hold up the great hill Govardhana with one hand, just as a mighty elephant holds up a lotus flower?” (SB 10.26.3)

“As a mere infant who had hardly yet opened His eyes, He drank the breast milk of the powerful demoness Pūtanā and then sucked out her very life air as well, just as the force of time sucks out the youth of one’s body. As a three-month old, baby Kṛṣṇa kicked a cart upside down by the tip of his foot. As a one-year old, Kṛṣṇa killed the demon Tṛṇāvarta who appeared as a whirlwind. He grabbed the demon’s neck, causing him great pain, and thus killed him. As a slightly older child, Krsna dragged the mortar between a pair of arjuna trees and pulled them down. At other times, He killed the demons Bakāsura, Vatsasura, and Dhenukasura. He arranged Pralambasura to be killed by Balarama, saved Vraja’s cowherd boys and their animals from a forest fire, and chastised the most poisonous serpent, Kāliya”? (Paraphrased from SB 10.26.3-12)

Who wouldn’t be astonished by the immense unbelievable powers displayed by a mere child?

“Dear Nanda, how is it that we and all the other residents of Vraja cannot give up our constant affection for your son? And how is it that He is so spontaneously attracted to us? On the one hand this boy is only seven years old, and on the other we see that He has lifted the great hill Govardhana. Therefore, O King of Vraja, a doubt about your son arises within us.” (SB 10.26.13-14)

Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura provided one perspective of Vrajavasis’ doubts. The Vrajavasis provided the wonderful activities of the child as evidence to prove that Kṛṣṇa is God. Because of His powers and His being the shelter and object of their prema, He cannot be a child. They are all unanimous in proposing to Nanda Maharaja that this child is other than an ordinary child. Even then the love and affection between Krsna and the Vrajavasis do not diminish. In normal circumstances, one’s love for someone becomes covered with awe and reverence (or even some sort of fear) if the other person’s extraordinary powers are revealed. For example, the child of James Bond may have grown up thinking that his dad is simply powerful. He is unlike other dads. He can do everything, drive cars superfast, fly airplanes, jump from cliff, fight bad people, come out of dangerous situations easily, and so on. But on coming to know one day that his dad is a highly trained spy working for the government, the child’s amazement would diminish and would be replaced by some element of fear. The Vrajavasis’s predicament is similar. Thus, they approached Nanda Maharaja to resolve their doubts about Krsna’s identity and source of power.

Nanda Maharaja informed the cowherds using Garga Muni’s words, which he understood to mean that Krsna was a child but has some extraordinary qualities similar to the Lord. Garga Muni informed Nanda Maharaja that his child possessed qualities equal to Nārāyaṇa.  He should not become indifferent to protecting Him by becoming astonished.

“Therefore, O Nanda Mahārāja, this child of yours is as good as Nārāyaṇa. In His transcendental qualities, opulence, name, fame and influence, He is exactly like Nārāyaṇa. Thus you should not be astonished by His activities.” (SB 10.26.22)

Conveying the same message of Garga Muni to Vrajavasis, Nanda Maharaja requested that though they had seen Kṛṣṇa’s phenomenal powers, they should not give up their affection and should continue to give blessings to Him daily.

“Because of Kṛṣṇa’s wonderful activities you should not think of Him as God. You should make Him the object of your compassion by blessing Him to live a long life. You should not be indifferent to Him.” Nanda Maharaja then repeated Garga’s statement, ‘Protect Him well.’ By removing the cowherd men’s bewilderment, Nanda Maharaja removed their doubts.” (Sārārtha-darśini, SB 10.26.22)

Citing Visnu Purana, Srila Jiva Goswami, in his Laghu Vaisnava Tosani, reveals an interesting dialogue between Krsna and the cowherds:

“When Indra had gone, the cowherds, on seeing that Kṛṣṇa had lifted Govardhana Hill, spoke affectionately to Kṛṣṇa who removes all calamity.

O Lord, we are most fortunate since you have saved us and the cows from the greatest danger by lifting the hill. Your play as a child is unequalled but being a cowherd is to be condemned. O child! How can your attractive actions be described? You subdued Kāliya in the water and killed Dhenuka. You lifted Govardhana. Now we have doubts in our minds. We swear at the feet of the Lord, O Kṛṣṇa of unlimited prowess! It is true. We cannot consider that you are human on seeing such powers. All of Vraja, including women and children, have affection for you, O Keśava! Even the devatās cannot perform such acts. Since you have such powers as a child, it is not proper to stay among us. O unlimited Kṛṣṇa! These thoughts give rise to doubt. Are you a devatā, a demon, a Yakṣa, or a Gandharva? Thinking about this we conclude that you are our friend. We offer respects to you. (Viṣṇu Purāṇa 5.13.1–8)

When the cowherds spoke in this way, wise Kṛṣṇa was silent for a moment and then spoke with affectionate anger. O cowherds! If you are not ashamed of having a relationship with me, or if I am praiseworthy, then why think about this at all? If you have affection for me and if I am praised by you, you should think of me as the closest friend. I am not a devatā, Gandharva, Yakṣa or demon. I have been born as your friend. You should not think otherwise.
(Viṣṇu Purāṇa 5.13.9–12)

Just as all of you, having great prowess, think of me in the same way, I should not be disrespected. I am your relative and friend. If I am worthy of your praise, as a friend and have powers like a devatā, what is the use of thinking too much about this, if you are merciful to me?
(Viṣṇu Purāṇa Hari-vaṁśa 2.20.11, 13)

As devotees who are hearing this pastime, how should we process this  and apply to ourselves?

We should follow Kṛṣṇa’s advice to the cowherds by thinking of Him as our closest friend. Of course we are not on the level of Vrajavasis’s prema; but still, we can consider Kṛṣṇa as our dearest friend. In that mood, we should perform devotional service to Him so that He is pleased with us.

Sukadeva Goswami summarizes the mood perfectly for us. He said, “O King Pariksit! May that Kṛṣṇa who lifted Govardhana and protected the Vrajavasis from the disturbances caused by hunger, hail and rain arising from Indra’s wrath, and who expertly initiated the worship of Govardhana to cut down the demigods’ pride, be pleased with us. In the same way may He who protects you from the lightning bolt curse of Srngi’s anger with the essence of the Vedas in the form of this Bhagavata, who is expert at starting the sacrifice of listening to the Bhagavatam, and who destroyed the pride of the brahmanas devoid of bhakti, be pleased with us… May “the Lord of the cows”, who destroyed Indra’s false pride, be pleased with you, me and all the assembled listeners.” (Sārārtha-darśini, SB 10.26.25)

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

Both Kāliya-līlā and Govardhana-līlā both reveal Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s loving relationship with the residents of Vṛndāvana, yet in very different moods and layers. The comparison can be made at multiple levels.

1. Type of Danger: The Kāliya-līlā demonstrated the poison of false ego and envy as personified by the serpent Kaliya.

“The serpent Kāliya said: Our very birth as a snake has made us envious, ignorant and constantly angry. O my Lord, it is so difficult for people to give up their conditioned nature, by which they identify with that which is unreal.” (SB 10.16.56)

Govardhana-līlā demonstrated the false pride of Indra.

“By My mystic power I will completely counteract this disturbance caused by Indra. Demigods like Indra are proud of their opulence, and out of foolishness they falsely consider themselves the Lord of the universe. I will now destroy such ignorance.” (SB 10.25.16)

• Mood of Vrajavasis: In Kāliya-līlā,  the Vrajavasis were in deep anxiety and worried for Krsna. The cowherd boys, gopīs, and especially Mother Yaśodā are overwhelmed with anxiety and love, fearing for Kṛṣṇa’s life. Their vatsalya became intense and pure.

“When the members of the cowherd community, who had accepted Kṛṣṇa as their dearmost friend, saw Him enveloped in the snake’s coils, motionless, they were greatly disturbed. They had offered Kṛṣṇa everything — their very selves, their families, their wealth, wives and all pleasures. At the sight of the Lord in the clutches of the Kāliya snake, their intelligence became deranged by grief, lamentation and fear, and thus they fell to the ground.” (SB 10.16.10)

In Govardhana-līlā, the Vrajavasis were overwhelmed with ecstatic love for Kṛṣṇa while at the same time they sought His protection. They were tormented by torrents of rain poured  upon them by Indra. The cows and other animals, shivering from the excessive rain and wind, and the cowherd men and ladies, pained by the cold, all approached Lord Govinda for shelter.

“[The cowherd men and women addressed the Lord:] Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, O most fortunate one, please deliver the cows from the wrath of Indra! O Lord, You are so affectionate to Your devotees. Please save us also. (SB 10.25.13)

• Krsna’s Role: In Kāliya-līlā, Kṛṣṇa played the role of deliverer from danger. He desired to purify both the river Yamuna (from Kāliya’s poison) and Kaliya himself (from the poison of pride, deceit, tendency to harm others, and cruelty).

“Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, seeing that the Yamunā River had been contaminated by the black snake Kāliya, desired to purify the river, and thus the Lord banished him from it.” (SB 10.16.1)

 In Govardhana-līlā, Kṛṣṇa is the joyful protector and center of Vrajavasis’ devotion.

“I must therefore protect the cowherd community by My transcendental potency, for I am their shelter, I am their master, and indeed they are My own family. After all, I have taken a vow to protect My devotees.” (SB 10.25.18)

• Emphasis: In Kāliya-līlā, the emphasis was to purify the negativity of Kāliya and purify the Yamuna. Hearing this pastime also purifies the hearts of the listeners of all impurities and sinful reactions.

“If one bathes in this place of My pastimes and offers the water of this lake to the demigods and other worshipable personalities, or if one observes a fast and duly worships and remembers Me, he is sure to become free from all sinful reactions.” (SB 10.16.62)

In Govardhana-līlā, the emphasis is on minimizing demigod worship and performing all sacrifices to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Kṛṣṇa (and Visnu-tattva) and everything directly related to Him (like Govardhan Hill).  

“Therefore may a sacrifice for the pleasure of the cows, the brāhmaṇas and Govardhana Hill begin! With all the paraphernalia collected for worshiping Indra, let this sacrifice be performed instead.” (SB 10.24.25)

• Key Teachings:  Kāliya-līlā teaches surrender through fear (like Kaliya) and helpless love (as in the case of the wives of Kāliya). Kāliya-līlā also highlighted the pain of separation of the Vrajavasis which further deepened their affection for Krsna. The mood of the Vrajavasis was, “How can we protect and save Kṛṣṇa from the poisonous coils of Kāliya?”

“All the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana, including the children, women and elderly persons, thought of Kṛṣṇa just as a cow thinks of her helpless young calf, and thus these poor, suffering people rushed out of the village, intent upon finding Him.” (SB 10.16.16)

Govardhana-līlā shows us the sweetness of love in union, where Kṛṣṇa is everyone’s shelter and the object of collective ānanda (joy). In this lila, the mood of the Vrajavasis was, “How can Kṛṣṇa protect us from the torrential rains sent by Indra?”

“All the residents of Vṛndāvana were overwhelmed with ecstatic love, and they came forward and greeted Śrī Kṛṣṇa according to their individual relationships with Him — some embracing Him, others bowing down to Him, and so forth…. The cowherd girls returned to their homes, singing joyfully about the lifting of Govardhana Hill and other glorious deeds performed by Lord Kṛṣṇa, who had so deeply touched their hearts.” (SB 10.25.29 & 35)

In both the pastimes, Kṛṣṇa shows heroism by subduing the serpent Kāliya and pride of Indra. But the underlying tone in both is to relieve the distress of His devotees and increase their prema for Him. In Govardhana-līlā, each devotee sees their relationship with Him deepened—mothers see His strength and feel awe, friends cheer His heroic act, and the gopīs melt in love seeing His beauty and grace.

Also in both the pastimes, Kṛṣṇa applies the principle of ‘Kill the sin, but not the sinner.’ He doesn’t punish Indra and Kāliya harshly. He rids Indra of his false pride and Kaliya of his false ego and envy.

In the Kāliya-līlā, Kṛṣṇa demonstrates His power to purify and redeem. The Govardhana-līlā highlights Kṛṣṇa’s supremacy over demigods like Indra and His intimate care for His devotees.​ These pastimes teach us about surrender, the futility of pride, and the boundless compassion of Krsna. They invite devotees to reflect on the nature of their own devotion and surrender and the protective embrace of the Lord.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

This pastime of Kṛṣṇa lifting Govardhana Hill has a profound lesson for humanity. The Vrajavasis faced the wrath of Indra for not offering the annual sacrifice to him. It was not an ordinary course of events that followed.

“Ordered by King Indra, all the dangerous clouds appeared above Vṛndāvana and began to pour water incessantly, with all their strength and power. There was constant lightning and thunder, blowing of severe wind and incessant falling of rain. The rainfall seemed to fall like piercing sharp arrows. By pouring water as thick as pillars, without cessation, the clouds gradually filled all the lands in Vṛndāvana with water, and there was no visible distinction between higher and lower land. The situation was very dangerous, especially for the animals. The rainfall was accompanied by great winds, and every living creature in Vṛndāvana began to tremble from the severe cold.” (Texts 8-23: Kṛṣṇa Book)

How did the Vrajavasis react? Firstly, they did not blame Kṛṣṇa for advising them to stop Indra-yajna. Nanda Maharaja could have said, “I told you so, Kṛṣṇa! Indra would be upset and there could be repercussions. Because of you we have to undergo this calamity.” This is typically the behavior in the material world. We like to resort to blame game immediately without attempting to see the positives. This world is always full of blame and counter-blame. We are so prone to fault-finding; it has become our second nature. We have lost the qualities of compassion, understanding, tolerance, patience, and cooperation. Cooperating with each other despite disagreements. Instead of trying to make things work when they fail, we waste time trying to shift the blame on others.

But what did the Vrajavasis do? With all humility, they approached Govinda (Kṛṣṇa) to take shelter at His lotus feet. Even the cows, with their calves, bowed down their heads and approached the Supreme Personality of Godhead to take shelter of His lotus feet. The Vrajavasis prayed, “Dear Kṛṣṇa, You are all-powerful, and You are very affectionate to Your devotees. Now please protect us who have been much harassed by angry Indra.” (Texts 8-23: Kṛṣṇa Book)

Kṛṣṇa is very much pleased with them for this utmost level of surrender. He considered, “I shall give protection to My pure devotees in Vṛndāvana, who are at present completely at My mercy and whom I have taken completely under My protection. I will save them by My mystic power.” (Texts 8-23: Kṛṣṇa Book)

The lesson is that Kṛṣṇa will not disappoint His devotees if they surrender unto Him completely and unconditionally. Devotees must always depend on Kṛṣṇa for protection without taking help of lesser demigods who have tendencies to become angry or envious like Indra. This reveals Kṛṣṇa’s unlimited powers in protecting His devotees and His affection for the miserable. If we too can take shelter of Kṛṣṇa and stop blaming others or defending ourselves in everyday life, it will do a world of good to our spiritual advancement.

There is also a hidden meaning to Kṛṣṇa lifting the Govardhana Hill. According to Srila Sanatana Goswami in Sri Brhad Vaisnava Tosani, “All of this was arranged by the will of the Lord in order to enact the pastime of lifting Govardhana to increase the prema of the people of Vraja and to show that the cause was Indra’s pride. Otherwise the cows and people of Vraja could never suffer.” (Sri Brhad Vaisnava Tosani, Text 25.11)

This pastime also has a lesson for us showing us the power of chanting the Holy Name. The Vrajavasis cried, “Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, O most fortunate one, please deliver the cows from the wrath of Indra! O Lord, You are so affectionate to Your devotees. Please save us also.” They were calling out the name of Kṛṣṇa in distress like a child crying for his mother.  They repeated Kṛṣṇa’s name in order to attract Him to their suffering. We know that all suffering is destroyed merely by uttering the Holy Name. When one cries out for the Lord, the Lord immediately reciprocates. This is how we should be chanting the Holy Name. Every utterance of the Holy Name should be a call of distress. This will immediately attract the attention of Kṛṣṇa. But alas, I am so far away from that state of chanting!

The end result of chanting the Holy Name of Govardhandhari is always bliss.

This is explained in the Viṣṇu Purāṇa: “Sri Kṛṣṇa held up the mountain while His praises were chanted by the Vrajavasis, all of whom now had the opportunity to dwell together with Him, and who glanced at Him with joyful and amazed eyes. Thus the cowherd men and women were all elated, and out of loving affection they opened their eyes wide.” (Sārārtha-darśini 10.25.23)

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!