Hare Krsna,

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura wrote in one of his publications (Prakrta-rasa Sata-dusini):

anartha na gele name guna bujha jaya na
anartha na gele name krsna-seva haya na

If anarthas are not removed, then the Holy Name will never produce knowledge of the divine qualities of Krsna. If anarthas are not destroyed by the chanting of the Holy Name, one can never engage in service to Krsna.

In Caitanya-siksamrta and Krsna-samhita of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura the main anarthas to devotional service have been described in relation to their appearance as demons killed by Krsna and Balarama.

Dhenukasura symbolizes ignorance and the ass-like gross discrimination that exists based on caste, color, creed, or social status. He represents a lack of awareness about one’s true spiritual identity, the sacred nature of the Holy Name, and the essence of Krsna.

In Krsna’s pastimes, Dhenukasura is unable to enjoy the sweet fruits from the palm tree and actively prevents others from doing so as well. Similarly, some people, like Dhenukasura, are unable to understand or appreciate the deeper spiritual teachings in the writings of past spiritual masters. These individuals, who are fixated on rigid rules and bound by discriminatory thinking, cannot make real spiritual progress.

Without understanding the deeper connection with Krsna, one’s spiritual journey remains superficial, much like the work of an ordinary person seeking material rewards. Only when the “ass-like” mentality, represented by Dhenukasura, is overcome, can one truly advance in the path of Krsna consciousness.

Those who wish to serve Krsna with pure devotion in the mood of Vraja must work to eliminate the various anarthas (undesirable tendencies) that have taken shelter in our hearts. Some of these obstacles can be removed through the devotee’s own efforts and purity, while others are destroyed by Krsna’s mercy.

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura explains that the anarthas symbolized by Dhenukasura and Pralamba are removed by Baladeva (Balarama). When a devotee prays with humility, asking Krsna to cleanse their heart of these anarthas—represented by the demons Krsna defeated—Krsna will surely grant this request. However, some obstacles, symbolized by the demons killed by Baladeva, require personal effort to overcome.

A devotee can remove these challenges through their own introspection and disciplined practice while remaining under the shelter of their spiritual duties.

My dear Parīkṣit, that Lord Balarāma killed Dhenukāsura is not such a wonderful thing, considering that He is the unlimited Personality of Godhead, the controller of the entire universe. Indeed, the entire cosmos rests upon Him just as a woven cloth rests upon its own horizontal and vertical threads. (SB 10.15.35)

What is magnificent to hear after Lord Balarama killed Dhenukasara is the aftereffect.

The earth then appeared beautifully covered with heaps of fruits and with the dead bodies of the demons, which were entangled in the broken tops of the palm trees. Indeed, the earth shone like the sky decorated with clouds. (SB 10.15.38)

This means that when the anarthas are uprooted from our heart by the mercy of Krsna and Balarama, our heart will become very beautiful and pure. It will become a perfect place to set up an altar where the Radha, Krsna and Balarama (along with their associates) can come and eternally reside. We will then obtain the true realization of and service to the Holy Name.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

The friendship between Krsna, Balarama and the cowherd boys are transcendental and unique. Devotees who are correctly situated in a transcendental relationship with Kṛṣṇa are attracted by loving features, not by a godless display of opulences. Krsna’s friends and parents never want Kṛṣṇa to show His opulences. They are so immersed in pure love that they do not even know that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In their loving exchange they forget that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Lord. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is stated that the boys who play with Kṛṣṇa are all highly pious souls, and after many, many births they are able to play with Kṛṣṇa. Such boys do not know that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They take Him as a personal friend.

In SB 10.12.11, Sukadeva Goswami says, “Here is the Supreme Person, who is considered the impersonal Brahman by great sages, the Supreme Personality of Godhead by devotees, and a product of material nature by ordinary men. Now these boys, who have performed many, many pious activities in their past lives, are playing with that Supreme Personality of Godhead.” 

Krsna also loves this kind of relationship. In CC Adi Chapter 4, it is mentioned that Krsna thinks, “All the universe is filled with the conception of My majesty, but love weakened by that sense of majesty does not satisfy Me. If one regards Me as the Supreme Lord and himself as a subordinate, I do not become subservient to his love, nor can it control Me. In whatever transcendental mellow My devotee worships Me, I reciprocate with him. That is My natural behavior.”

Krsna further says, “If one cherishes pure loving devotion to Me, thinking of Me as his son, his friend or his beloved, regarding himself as great and considering Me his equal or inferior, I become subordinate to him…My friends climb on My shoulders in pure friendship, saying, ‘What kind of big man are You? You and I are equal.”

Therefore, the cowherd boys playing with Krsna and Balarama, making fun with each other, imitating the sounds vibrations of the different kinds of birds, running away with the animals as if from fear, wrestling among themselves, dancing and singing bring tremendous joy to Krsna, Balarama and friends themselves. Even the friends’ request Krsna and Balarama to kill the demon Dhenukasura to taste the tala fruits is not for their own sense gratification. Rather they want the Lords to taste the fruits.  They spoke out of prema, not with greed for the tala fruits and not for killing the demon. They spoke to please their dear friends Krsna and Balarama. The nature of prema is to sometimes request dear things.

What does this pastime and the dealing of the cowherd boys with Krsna and Balarama teach us? That just like the cowherd boys, Krsna is our eternal friend. It’s just that we haven’t fully realized it yet. Without considering Krsna as our eternal friend, we have no hope. Our solace, our consolation in life, is that ultimately we are under the care of such a loving friend as Krsna. With Krsna behind us, what do we have to worry about? One of the six limbs of surrender is the conviction that Krsna will give us protection.

This sentiment is expressed by Bhaktivinoda Thakura in his Saranagati:

raksa koribo tuhun niscaya jani pana korobun hama yamuna pani

Fearless and confident of your protection, I shall drink the waters of the Yamuna, whether they are poisoned or not. I am your property. You must take care of me; You can’t leave me.

kaliya-dokha korobi binasa sodhobi nadi-jala badobi asa bhakativinoda tuwa gokula-dhana rakhobi kesava! korato jatana

Although the Kaliya serpent’s venom has poisoned the Yamuna’s waters, I know that poison will not act. Your presence will cleanse the waters and so increase our confidence in your protection. Bhaktivinoda is now the property of Gokula, your holy abode, O Kesava. Kindly protect him with care.

If we are still not convinced that Ktsna is our eternal friend and the best well-wisher, we should continue chanting the Holy Name with sincerity. Gradually the ignorance in our hearts will be destroyed and we will gradually come to realize our eternal relationship with Krsna.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

This is a profoundly beautiful meditation topic, where choosing a starting point feels almost impossible. Vṛndāvana is imbued with countless layers of sweetness and charm, evoking a spectrum of emotions whenever we read or hear about it—let alone contemplate the experience of actually living there.

One striking realization is how Kṛṣṇa lovingly reciprocates with every living entity, especially the residents of Vṛndāvana. These residents include not only the human devotees but also the trees, flowers, grass, bushes, earth, Yamunā, mountains, and animals such as peacocks, deer, and bees. Each is uniquely touched by His divine presence, adding to the wonder of this sacred abode.

We read in Brahma-Samhita (Text 29):

“I worship that transcendental seat, known as Svetadvipa where as loving consorts the Laksmis in
their unalloyed spiritual essence practice the amorous service of the Supreme Lord Krishna as their
only lover; where every tree is a transcendental purpose tree; where the soil is the purpose gem, all
water is nectar, every word is a song, every gait is a dance, the flute is the favorite attendant, effulgence is full of transcendental bliss and the supreme spiritual entities are all enjoyable and tasty, where numberless milk cows always emit transcendental oceans of milk; where there is eternal existence of transcendental time, who is ever present and without past or future and hence is not subject to the quality of passing away even for the space of half a moment. That realm is known as Goloka only to a very few self-realized souls in this world.”

I am awestruck by the extraordinary good fortune of the transcendental residents of Vṛndāvana. They are blessed to receive the touch and glance of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma. The grass and shrubs are fortunate to feel the touch of Their divine feet. The earth itself is graced with the sacred impressions left by Their extraordinary footsteps and those of the cows, which adorn her like precious ornaments.

The trees and creepers are blessed as Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma lovingly touch them while picking fruits, flowers, and leaves for Their playful ornaments. The Yamunā River and mountains like Govardhana are sanctified by the contact of Their lotus feet. Even birds such as peacocks and animals like deer, standing at a distance, are enveloped in Their mercy through the tender glance of Their compassionate eyes.

There are moments when I wonder if I am too insignificant to attract Kṛṣṇa’s merciful glance. Do my humble services even merit mention before the magnificent offerings rendered by His countless pure devotees? Yet, this lesson—and the pastimes it reveals—gives me a glimmer of hope. No service is ever insignificant in the eyes of the Lord.

Kṛṣṇa’s attention is drawn to every living entity, no matter how small or seemingly inconsequential. He is captivated by bhakti, the sincere devotion we offer, and He reciprocates accordingly. In Vṛndāvana, we see that every tree, fruit, bee, and animal glorifies the Lord in its unique way. There exists a transcendental competition, a divine exchange of love, where the Lord glorifies His devotees just as they glorify Him. This mutual celebration of devotion is a testament to His boundless compassion and love.

“My dear brother, You are superior to all of us, and Your lotus feet are worshiped by the demigods. Just see how these trees, full with fruits, have bent down to worship Your lotus feet… I think the drones that are buzzing all around You must have been Your devotees in their past lives. They cannot leave Your company because no one can be a better, more affectionate master than You… Just see how the peacocks in great ecstasy are dancing before You. The deer, whose behavior is just like the gopīs, are welcoming You with the same affection. And the cuckoos who are residing in this forest are receiving You with great joy because they consider that Your appearance is so auspicious in their home. Even though they are trees and animals, these residents of Vṛndāvana are glorifying You. They are prepared to welcome You to their best capacity, as is the practice of great souls in receiving another great soul at home. As for the land, it is so pious and fortunate that the footprints of Your lotus feet are marking its body.” (Krsna book 1-19)

Another realization is how deeply attractive and pleasing the Lord finds the sincere chanting of His Holy Name. If Kṛṣṇa is easily pleased by the residents of Vṛndāvana, why wouldn’t He be equally pleased by the suffering residents of the material world who chant and glorify His name, form, qualities, pastimes, and abode? After all, the Holy Name is non-different from the Lord Himself.

A final reflection is on the perfect harmony and purity of the original, transcendental Vṛndāvana. In contrast, modern world reflects the degradation of human society, where sinfulness has led to polluted waters and dangerously contaminated air. Similarly, while modern agribusiness offers an abundance of food in supermarkets, it has also caused the death of family farms, polluted groundwater, eroded precious topsoil, and created countless other environmental issues.

We should earnestly aspire to return to our eternal home and reside in the beautiful forests of Vṛndāvana, living in harmony with its pure, transcendental inhabitants and engaging in loving service to the Lord.

Thus expressing His satisfaction with the beautiful forest of Vṛndāvana and its inhabitants, Lord Kṛṣṇa enjoyed tending the cows and other animals with His friends on the banks of the river Yamunā below Govardhana Hill. (SB 10.15.9)

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

As I was going through the lesson on how Krsna consciousness (the Lord’s lotus feet) is the transcendental boat that can help one cross over the material ocean of birth and death, I am reminded of Ajamila’s story. Ajamila was considered a greatly sinful man but was liberated when four order carriers of Viṣṇu came to rescue him from the hands of the order carriers of Yamarāja. He was trained by his parents to become a perfect brāhmaṇa by studying the Vedas and following the regulative principles, but because of his past, this youthful brāhmaṇa was somehow attracted by a prostitute, and because of her association he became most fallen and abandoned all regulative principles. Ajāmila begot in the womb of the prostitute ten sons, the last of whom was called Nārāyaṇa. At the time of Ajāmila’s death, when the order carriers of Yamarāja came to take him, he loudly called the name Nārāyaṇa in fear because he was attached to his youngest son. Thus he remembered the original Nārāyaṇa, Lord Viṣṇu. Although he did not chant the holy name of Nārāyaṇa completely offenselessly, it acted nevertheless. As soon as he chanted the holy name of Nārāyaṇa, the order carriers of Lord Viṣṇu immediately appeared on the scene. A discussion ensued between the order carriers of Lord Viṣṇu and those of Yamarāja, and by hearing that discussion Ajāmila was liberated. (SB 6^th Canto).

“One who chants the holy name of the Lord is immediately freed from the reactions of unlimited sins, even if he chants indirectly [to indicate something else], jokingly, for musical entertainment, or even neglectfully. This is accepted by all the learned scholars of the scriptures.” (SB 6.2.14)

This is the power of devotional service. Even by performing it half-heartedly one quickly becomes eligible for liberation as can be seen from the story of Ajamila.

“In this endeavor there is no loss or diminution, and a little advancement on this path can protect one from the most dangerous type of fear.” (BG 2.40)

The advantage of Kali Yuga is the special concession granted for the immense benefits of chanting the Holy Name.

My dear King, although Kali-yuga is an ocean of faults, there is still one good quality about this age: Simply by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, one can become free from material bondage and be promoted to the transcendental kingdom. (SB 12.3.51)

“”The essence of all Vedic knowledge—comprehending the three kinds of Vedic activity (karma-kāṇḍa, jñāna-kāṇḍa and upāsanā-kāṇḍa), the chandas, or Vedic hymns, and the processes for satisfying the demigods—is included in the eight syllables Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa. This is the reality of all Vedānta. The chanting of the holy name is the only means to cross the ocean of nescience.” Similarly, the Kali-santaraṇa Upaniṣad states, “Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare—these sixteen names composed of thirty-two syllables are the only means to counteract the evil effects of Kali-yuga. In all the Vedas it is seen that to cross the ocean of nescience there is no alternative to the chanting of the holy name.” (CC Adi 7.76 Purport)

We studied in the previous lesson that Krsna is the final (and should be the ONLY) object of our love. His names, qualities, pastimes, etc. are so charming and pleasing to chant and hear that this is the only food for the soul. This is what the deprived soul craves for. One who takes complete shelter of Krsna’s lotus feet can get liberated and realize Him.

“The boat of Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet gives shelter to the great devotees who have taken complete shelter. For these devotees the ocean of the material world becomes like the water in a calf’s hoof-print that can be crossed without any great effort. Their goal is the supreme transcendental abode of Vaikuntha or Sri Vrndavana. Great devotees never fall into difficulty because their minds are not attached to anything except the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa.” (SVT on SB 10.14.58)

For those who have accepted the boat of the lotus feet of the Lord, who is the shelter of the cosmic manifestation and is famous as Murāri, the enemy of the Mura demon, the ocean of the material world is like the water contained in a calf’s hoof-print. Their goal is paraṁ padam, Vaikuṇṭha, the place where there are no material miseries, not the place where there is danger at every step. (SB 10.14.58)

The people in this vast ocean of birth and death are being blown about by the winds of material dualities. As they flounder in the perilous waters of sense indulgence, with no boat to help them, they are sorely distressed by the need to protect their sons, daughters, and wives. Only the boat that is Lord Viṣṇu can save them. (Mukunda Mala Stotra 11)

May I dive deeply into the ocean of the Holy Name, which is non-different from the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa. May it grant me the strength to cross over the ocean of birth and death, riding on the boat of His divine lotus feet.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

This topic about the Vraja-vasis loving Krsna more than their own children is a philosophically deep subject matter. It needs a proper understanding of the body, soul, Supersoul and the Supreme Lord Krsna. We also need a proper understanding of the constitutional position of the living entity with respect to the Supreme Lord.

The basic and lowest level of consciousness is identification with the body. There are people who are extremely undiscriminating, thinking the body to be the self. They take the self (body) as most dear. By identifying the self with the body, the body becomes dearest. The attachment of such people for their own body is more than for their sons, wealth and house. We see people who are so addicted to drinking that they will resort to doing anything to satisfy their urge to drink. They will neglect their family and try to siphon off money from family budget to satisfy their needs.

SB 10.14.52: Indeed, for persons who think the body is the self, O best of kings, those things whose importance lies only in their relationship to the body are never as dear as the body itself.

The wise person sees the body as the possession of the self, and not as dear. The body does not last long. It dies. When one becomes afflicted by disease, the desire to love in the body becomes weaker. By discriminating a person understands that the body is not the self and thus it is no longer dear.

When a little knowledge has developed, one can understand that he is not the body but the spirit soul. For those who understand that they are atma, not the body, there is affection for the atma.

“When a person who thinks “I am this body” becomes a little wise, he begins to understand, “I am not this body. Rather, this body is mine.” At that time the soul becomes dear to him. Then the material body is not as dear as the soul to him. This means the body is only dear because it has a relationship with the soul.” (SVT commentary on SB 10.14.53)

SB 10.14.53-54: If a person comes to the stage of considering the body “mine” instead of “me,” he will certainly not consider the body as dear as his own self. After all, even as the body is growing old and useless, one’s desire to continue living remains strong. Therefore it is his own self that is most dear to every embodied living being, and it is simply for the satisfaction of this self that the whole material creation of moving and nonmoving entities exists.

The highest understanding is that Krsna is the soul of all living entities; He is the Paramatma. He is the only object of our love.

“When one sees the truth, he realizes that the individual spirit soul is only an intermediate object of love. The final, highest object of love is Sri Kṛṣṇa alone.” (SVT commentary on SB 10.14.55)

Thus, there are different degrees of love. First a person loves his body as he sees the self as the body. Accordingly, he loves his children and other persons because they bring pleasure to his own material body. Next degree is when a person loves his material body because it brings pleasure to himself, the spirit soul. A higher degree is when a person loves his true self, his spiritual identity, because he brings pleasure to the Supersoul. The highest degree is when loves Krsna directly. He is directly realized as the highest cause in which all things reside. He is the reservoir of all pleasure; the active principle in everything (movable and immovable).” (Excerpts from SVT commentary on SB 10.14.55)

A logical question would be how we can love the Supreme Lord when He is not directly visible to our mundane senses.

“How can the conditioned souls, who have no love and devotion for Kṛṣṇa, and whose knowledge is covered by māyā, directly perceive Lord Kṛṣṇa, who is revealed only by bhakti?” (SVT commentary on SB 10.14.55)

The answer is that Kṛṣṇa appears by His causeless and inconceivable mercy to be an ordinary conditioned soul and to benefit the living entities in the material world. Though Kṛṣṇa is eternally unmanifest, He becomes visible by His own desire. He has appeared in this world as Krsna to destroy the suffering of the world and give it the highest bliss. There is no difference between His body and soul. Due to the covering of maya, conditioned living entities are not able to perceive the Lord. Without the covering, one will have affection for the Lord. That covering, however, is completely destroyed by bhakti. By the intensity of bhakti, one develops intensity of prema. The people of Vraja have the most intense prema because of their special intense mode of worship. This shows they are completely on the liberated platform and beyond the mundane conception of “I” and “mine”. All they know is Krsna and how to serve Him for His complete pleasure.

SB 10.14.55: You should know Kṛṣṇa to be the original Soul of all living entities. For the benefit of the whole universe, He has, out of His causeless mercy, appeared as an ordinary human being. He has done this by the strength of His internal potency.

Therefore, we should try to chant the Holy Name with intensity and love so that the covering of ignorance is completely destroyed, and we can safely progress on our journey to attain Krsna prema.

“In essence, those who think the body is the self are not good. Those who understand the atma (soul) are good. Those who understand the Lord are better. Those who have affection for Krsna alone are the best. Thus you are the best king (Pariksit Maharaja)” (Sanatana Goswami’s commentary on SB 10.14.52 in Brhad Vaisnava Tosani)

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

[Note: I have tried to put together another simple chart to better understand the concepts discussed in this lesson]

Hare Krsna,

Silence is golden. Lord Krsna’s silence to Lord Brahma’s prayers in Krsna-lila leads to a golden benediction for Brahma in the Caitanya-lila.

I was about to ask in one of the forum posts the connection between Lord Brahma’s prayers and his appearance as Haridas Thakura. I knew I had heard it before; just wasn’t sure in which scripture the mystery was revealed. Thank you, dear teachers, for sharing the section from Sri Navadvipa Mahatmya.

My first thought after studying this lesson is one of amazement. Why is Krsna not reciprocating to Lord Brahma’s beautiful prayers of glorification? Why is Krsna silent? Thankfully Srila Visvanath Chakravarti Thakura revealed the mystery. He writes, “Kṛṣṇa remained silent through the entirety of Brahmā’s prayers. Seeing the Lord’s silence, Brahma took that as His permission to depart. Kṛṣṇa could not break His silence because He was playing exactly like an innocent young cowherd boy, the son of the king of Vraja, in the pastime of bewildering Brahma. Thus, Kṛṣṇa’s silence here was deliberate.” (Srila VCT commentary to 10.14.42)

Krsna did not want to be disturbed from His effort to find His lost cowherd friends and calves. This is the special arrangement of yoga-maya to keep Krsna ignorant of His own powers and opulences. Just as children are least concerned with anything other than their absorption in their games with their playmates, Krsna too didn’t have time to ponder on Brahma’s prayers. He remained busy looking for His lost friends/. When Brahma, seeing Krsna remaining silent throughout his prayers, decided to leave, Krsna remained silent indicating He gave Brahma permission to leave.

My second thought is one of hope. Krsna’s silence inspired Lord Brahma to perform intense austerities to gain the Lord’s mercy – if not in this yuga, in another yuga – and eventually to taste Krsna-prema. He knew that Mahaprabhu would appear in the future to bestow what no incarnation of the Lord has ever bestowed before – pure love of Godhead.

CC Adi 1.4: May the Supreme Lord who is known as the son of Śrīmatī Śacī-devī be transcendentally situated in the innermost chambers of your heart. Resplendent with the radiance of molten gold, He has appeared in the Age of Kali by His causeless mercy to bestow what no incarnation has ever offered before: the most sublime and radiant mellow of devotional service, the mellow of conjugal love.

When Gauracandra mercifully appeared to him, Brahma prayed that he be allowed to become the Lord’s associate when He manifests His pastimes. And what benediction that Lord Gauracandra bestow upon Brahma: pure taste for the Holy Name.

“When my pastimes become visible on earth, you will take birth in a yavana’s house. Your name will be Haridāsa Ṭhākura, and you will be famous for your humility and will be completely free from all pride. You will chant three hundred thousand names a day, and when you pass from this world you will be seeing me. And at the end of the second one hundred trillion years of your life, you will attain Navadvīpa‑dhāma and be absorbed in eternal rasa.” (Excerpts from Sri Navadvipa-dhama mahatmya)

This blessing by the Lord includes every benediction a devotee can hope for. Humility, pridelessness, engaging in kirtaniya-sada-harih, seeing the Lord at the time of leaving the body, attainment of Krsna-prema, and the Lord’s eternal abode of Navavdipa-dhama.

Wow! I am so inspired! What more can a devotee ask for! No wonder, Gauranga Mahaprabhu is considered the most munificent and charitably disposed according to Srila Rupa Goswami.

namo mahā-vadānyāya
kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te
kṛṣṇāya kṛṣṇa-caitanya-
nāmne gaura-tviṣe namaḥ

O most munificent incarnation! You are Kṛṣṇa Himself appearing as Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu. You have assumed the golden color of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, and You are widely distributing pure love of Kṛṣṇa. We offer our respectful obeisances unto You. (CC Madhya 19.53)

We offer our respectful obeisances unto that merciful Supreme Personality of Godhead who has converted all three worlds, which were maddened by ignorance, and saved them from their diseased condition by making them mad with the nectar from the treasure-house of love of God. Let us take full shelter of that Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, whose activities are wonderful. (Govinda-līlāmṛta (1.2))

Therefore, I consider this pastime one of hope-giving. It inspires me to think that no matter what a big offender I may be, there is hope that the Lord will ignore my offenses and bestow His merciful glance one day. It inspires me to think that even though the Lord may not reciprocate immediately to my chanting, hearing and service, He will definitely reciprocate one day. And even if everything seems hopeless, my ultimate hope will always be Lord Caitanya. And even if Lord Caitanya does not reciprocate, I can always take shelter of Lord Nityananda who doesn’t turn away anyone – no matter how fallen one is. And the personality who has appeared in Lord Nityananda’s mood is HDG and our beloved acarya – Srila Prabhupada who will always remain our well-wisher.

It is nice to conclude this forum post with remembrance of Srila Prabhupada whose disappearance we observed yesterday.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

This pastime of Lord Brahma stealing Krsna’s cowherd friends and calves is one of the most beautiful demonstrations of bringing someone under full humility and surrender to the Supreme Lord, Krsna. The Lord has given every living entity free-will by which one can exercise it to either surrender to Him or revolt against Him. The Lord does not enforce subjugation to Him by force. The Lord convinces us through His various lilas to make us sincerely humble and surrender unto Him. Brahma Vimohana lila is one such pastime.

It is fair to say that Brahma had no power to steal Krsna’s friends. Even though Brahma is the ultimate person in this world, he has a material body but the residents of Vraja had pure spiritual bodies. The Lord, by the arrangement of yoga-maya, made the cowherd boys and calves disappear.

If we have any tinge of pride left in us, the Lord will take them away through some means. I somehow think that Brahma had some pride left in him. He is the creator of the universe and has a very exalted position. It is expected that some pride may have developed in him for being the first created being. Or he may have thought that He knows the Supreme Lord, his Master, closely. However, after seeing Krsna’s mystic opulence, Brahma finally acknowledges that it is beyond his words, body and mind to understand Krsna’s opulences. His mind has no power to understand the Lord’s opulences, his eyes cannot grasp the Lord’s transcendental form, and his words cannot describe the Lord. And what to speak of the happiness the Lord feels within Himself? He realizes that just because he created this universe does not mean that he is its master. The Lord is the master, not only of this one universe but of all universes.

All these realizations made Lord Brahma so humble that he has no hesitation to accept that he is a greatest fool. His speaking too much is simply a sign of his foolishness. Brahma had developed enough humility to realize that he had become an offender by interrupting Krsna’s lunch-pastime with His friends on the bank of the Yamuna. He wants to return immediately to resume his administrative duties.

However humbled Brahma had enough intelligence to realize that Krsna’s Vrindaban pastimes are the sweetest and highest. And so, he beseeched the Lord to accept him as his surrendered servant and give him eternal residence in Vrindavana.

There are excellent lessons for us to learn from Brahma’s conduct and prayers. Firstly, there should be no tinge place of pride in us when we perform our bhakti. Being Kali yuga jivas, we may tend to become proud to be a devotee of the Lord. We may become proud with knowledge of the philosophy of Krsna, or we may become proud with our services. We may think we are indispensable; no one can do better service than us. But when we compare ourselves to Lord Brahma who is the master of the universe, we can see how insignificant we are in every respect. Our intelligence and power are no match to Lord Brahma’s. So, if Brahma could realize his insignificance in front of the Lord, who are we as compared to him?

Therefore, surrendering to the Lord is the most intelligent thing to do. Whether we do it now or later, we will have to surrender at some point. As they say, by hook or by crook. If we want to enter into Krsna’s Vrindavan pastimes, we must be very humble as Brahma realized. The door to the gate to the Lord’s abode is very small like the eye of a needed. We must make ourselves very small to be able to pass through that gate. We must be humble enough and ready to apologize for many offenses we have committed against the Lord and His devotees through many lifetimes. Our humility must touch the Lord’s heart to attract His mercy. Our humility must beg the Lord to forgive us and make us qualified to accept us as His insignificant surrendered servants.

I love where it says “the word kṛṣṇa means “O Lord, please attract my mind and heart to Vrndavana.”” This is another inspiration to chant the Lord’s Holy Name with humility and pray to Him to attract our mind and heart to Vrindavana.

Brahmā says, “Everything in Vraja, including even Your ornaments and even the lowly ārka tree are objects of my worship. O Lord who can be merciful or merciless, who can grant me auspiciousness or trouble, I offer my respectful obeisances to You.” (SVT commentary on SB 10.14.40)

Finally,

“Thus, it is understood that after fulfilling his responsibilities in the post of Brahma, Brahma would attain his desired goal of residence in Vrndavana.”

I am extremely anxious to know how Lord Brahma’s desire is eventually fulfilled.

Meanwhile Lord Brahma’s prayers have enough inspiration for me to meditate upon and get deeper into my sadhana.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Viswanath Chakravarti Thakura!

Hare Krsna,

The individual spirit soul is part and parcel of the Supreme Soul. The Supreme Soul is sac-cid-ananda – full of eternity, knowledge and bliss. But due to its contact with material energy since time immemorial, the living entity thinks he is the material body and forgets that He is spiritually same as the Supreme Lord. Because the living entity wanted to forget his relationship with Krsna, he has been cast into this material ocean of avidya (ignorance). The conditioned souls or living entities who come to the material world to enjoy sense gratification, are covered in the beginning by five different conditions.

SB 3.20.18: First of all, Brahmā created from his shadow the coverings of ignorance of the conditioned souls. They are five in number and are called tāmisra, andha-tāmisra, tamas, moha and mahā-moha.

These five types of ignorance are anger (tāmisra), considering death to be the ultimate end (andha-tāmisra), ignorance of the spirit soul (tamas), illusion that one is the body (moha), and mad after material enjoyment (mahā-moha). In short, avidya (ignorance) is to regard – (a) a temporary entity as permanent, (b) an impure object as pure, (c) misery as happiness, and (d) what is not the self as self. (Yoga-sutram 2.5)

And when one is deeply conditioned by these multiple layers of ignorance, one loses the ability to distinguish reality from illusion. If one is not aware of what reality is, he would also not know what to search for or where to find reality. Lord Brahma’s prayers elucidate this point.

“Just see the foolishness of those ignorant persons who consider You to be some separated manifestation of illusion and who consider the self, which is actually You, to be something else, the material body. Such fools conclude that the supreme soul is to be searched for somewhere outside Your supreme personality.” (SB 10.14.27)

The common example given is mistaking a rope for a snake.

“Actually, when one mistakes a rope for a snake, the existence of the snake is only within the mind. The existence of māyā, similarly, is only within the mind. Māyā is nothing but ignorance of Your personality. When one forgets Your personality, that is the conditioned state of māyā. Therefore one who is fixed upon You both internally and externally is not illusioned.” (Krsna book, Chapter 14 Text 27-28)

What is the remedy to come out of this ignorance? Only bhakti or devotional service unto the Supreme Lord. This is obtained by the mercy of a pure devotee of the Lord.

“If, by the association of Your devotees, a person comes to the knowledge that Lord Kṛṣṇa is the original Supersoul, then it is possible for him to cross over the ocean of material ignorance… If one understands You, therefore, through Your personal teachings, as stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, or through the teachings of Your pure devotees, as stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and all other Vedic literatures – if one realizes that You are the ultimate goal of understanding – he need no longer fear this material existence.” (Krsna book, Chapter 14 Text 24-25)

So-called liberation and bondage have no meaning for a person who is already engaged in Your devotional service, just as a rope is not fearful to a person who knows that it is not a snake. A devotee knows that this material world belongs to You, and he therefore engages everything in Your transcendental loving service. Thus there is no bondage for him. (Krsna book, Chapter 14 Text 26)

Therefore, scriptures like Srimad Bhagavatam are extremely important literature that can bestow the light of truth and true knowledge to drive away ignorance.

SB 1.1.2: Completely rejecting all religious activities which are materially motivated, this Bhāgavata Purāṇa propounds the highest truth, which is understandable by those devotees who are fully pure in heart. The highest truth is reality distinguished from illusion for the welfare of all. Such truth uproots the threefold miseries. This beautiful Bhāgavatam, compiled by the great sage Vyāsadeva [in his maturity], is sufficient in itself for God realization. What is the need of any other scripture? As soon as one attentively and submissively hears the message of Bhāgavatam, by this culture of knowledge the Supreme Lord is established within his heart.

Speaking about the search for reality, it also reminds me of the Catuh-sloki verses that Lord Krsna spoke to Lord Brahma at the beginning of creation. We discussed these verses in detail during our study of 2^nd Canto.

SB 2.9.33: Brahmā, it is I, the Personality of Godhead, who was existing before the creation, when there was nothing but Myself. Nor was there the material nature, the cause of this creation. That which you see now is also I, the Personality of Godhead, and after annihilation what remains will also be I, the Personality of Godhead.

SB 2.9.34: O Brahmā, whatever appears to be of any value, if it is without relation to Me, has no reality. Know it as My illusory energy, that reflection which appears to be in darkness.

SB 2.9.35: O Brahmā, please know that the universal elements enter into the cosmos and at the same time do not enter into the cosmos; similarly, I Myself also exist within everything created, and at the same time I am outside of everything.

SB 2.9.36: A person who is searching after the Supreme Absolute Truth, the Personality of Godhead, must certainly search for it up to this, in all circumstances, in all space and time, and both directly and indirectly.

This is why we pray –

om ajnana-timirandhasya jnananjana-salakaya
caksur unmilitam yena tasmai sri-gurave namah

I was born in the darkest ignorance, and my spiritual master opened my eyes with the torch of knowledge. I offer my respectful obeisances unto him.

By taking shelter of Lord Caitanya, Lord Nityananda and Their gifts of the Holy Name, the five kinds of ignorance can be eradicated, thus giving us the ability and knowledge to search for reality.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

Lord Krsna famously declared in BG 4.9, “One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.”

I very much relished the beautiful conversation between Lord Krsna and Lord Brahma in Srila Visvanath Chakravarti Thakura’s commentary on SB 10.14.23. If we can understand and internalize this philosophical discussion, we can humbly state that we know, to some extent, the Supreme Lord’s transcendental appearance and activities. This will make us eligible to cross the ocean of birth and death as Krsna promised in BG 4.9.

For the sake of my own purification and understanding, I would like to reproduce the conversation in a tabular format for ease of reading.

Lord Krsna’s Question	Lord Brahma’s Response	Philosophical Conclusion
	Although You do have infinite forms, You are also present in one transcendental form by Your inconceivable energy. You are the one Supreme Soul, and at the same You expand Yourself as the Supersoul to enter every living being.	The Supreme Lord and His energies are inconceivable. Acintya bheda-abedha tattva: the Supreme Lord is simultaneously one with and different from His creation.
But the Supersoul has no form. He is not a person. After all, the word ‘person’ generally refers to a being that has a form. You say I am a person. Am I a young person?	No, You are the oldest.	BG 8.9: One should meditate upon the Supreme Person as the one who knows everything, as He who is the oldest, who is the controller, who is smaller than the smallest, who is the maintainer of everything, who is beyond all material conception, who is inconceivable, and who is always a person. He is luminous like the sun, and He is transcendental, beyond this material nature.
I am the son of Nanda Baba and I am a young boy of Vraja. It is not right to say that I am the oldest.	“It is true that You are the son of Nanda, but it is also true that You exist eternally in all three phases of time. Therefore You are the oldest person.	aradhyo bhagavan vrajesa-tanayas tad-dhama vrndavanam   It is the conclusive opinion of Lord Chaitanya that the most worshipable form of the Lord is that of Sri Krishna, the son of Nanda Maharaja. Vrindavan-dhäma is the topmost worshipable abode.
The supreme person you describe is the creator of time, karma and everything else. How is it possible that I am He?	Please do not argue. You are self-effulgent.	SB 3.26.3: The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the Supreme Soul, and He has no beginning. He is transcendental to the material modes of nature and beyond the existence of this material world. He is perceivable everywhere because He is self-effulgent, and by His self-effulgent luster the entire creation is maintained.
Am I like the sun, limited within a certain area of space?	No, You are limitless, not restricted by time and space. Your other avataras are also the same.	BG 7.26: O Arjuna, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, I know everything that has happened in the past, all that is happening in the present, and all things that are yet to come. I also know all living entities; but Me no one knows.
The Supreme has many incarnations, so am I just one of them?	You are the source of all avataras; the root of all incarnations.	SB 1.3.28: All of the above-mentioned incarnations are either plenary portions or portions of the plenary portions of the Lord, but Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the original Personality of Godhead.
In the next lifetime of Brahmā will I again incarnate in this form?	No, You are nitya, eternal. Although the universe is ancient, real and eternal, at the end of my lifetime it is no longer manifested in the same form. Because it will disappear, therefore it is anitya, temporary. On the other hand, You will remain eternally in this form as the son of Nanda. Therefore Your form is eternal and unchanging because You are the original Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Vedic literatures confirm this by saying: “Lord Kṛṣṇa is the same Supreme Personality Personality of Godhead who formerly appeared in the Sūrya-vaṁśa [as Lord Rama].” The Gopāla-tāpanī Upaniṣad states: “Lord Kṛṣṇa, whose form is eternal and full of knowledge and bliss, and who sits under a kalpa-vṛkṣa tree in Vṛndāvana forest, is the original Supreme Personality of Godhead.” You Yourself affirm in the Bhagavad-gītā (14.27): ‘I am the basis of the impersonal Brahman.	Brahma Samhita 5.1: Kṛṣṇa who is known as Govinda is the Supreme Godhead. He has an eternal blissful spiritual body. He is the origin of all. He has no other origin and He is the prime cause of all causes.
But those who have bodies are subject to the six transformations,  and are therefore disintegrating at every moment. How is it possible that I am like that?	No, You are not like that. You are unchanging and indestructible.	CC Madhya 21.51: Beyond the river Virajā is the spiritual nature, which is indestructible, eternal, inexhaustible and unlimited. It is the supreme abode, consisting of three fourths of the Lord’s opulences. It is known as paravyoma, the spiritual sky.
Those who have bodies also are subject to happiness and distress.	You are always full of bliss.	Brahma Samhita 5.1: Kṛṣṇa who is known as Govinda is the Supreme Godhead. He has an eternal blissful spiritual body. He is the origin of all. He has no other origin and He is the prime cause of all causes.
But as a child I was greedy to drink My mother’s breast milk and steal the gopīs’ butter and yogurt. As a boy I showed anger toward Kāliya and a host of others. In My teenage years I was lusty to enjoy with the gopīs. Therefore I am impure, and contaminated by lust and a host of other vices.	That is not true. You are spotless. Your so-called lust and other qualities are all pure and spiritual.	SB 1.7.34 Purport: The Lord is Transcendence, and thus He is absolute in any stage. His anger is not like the anger of a conditioned living being within the modes of qualitative material nature.
Still, I am dependent on the gopīs and many others. Because I need them, therefore I am not perfect and complete.	You are perfect and complete. Your being controlled by the prema of Your devotees does not negate Your perfection and completeness.	Sri Isopanisad Invocation: The Personality of Godhead is perfect and complete, and because He is completely perfect, all emanations from Him, such as this phenomenal world, are perfectly equipped as complete wholes. Whatever is produced of the Complete Whole is also complete in itself. Because He is the Complete Whole, even though so many complete units emanate from Him, He remains the complete balance.
Is there someone else like Me?	No one else is like You; You are beyond comparison.
Very well then, because there is no one else like Me, I am therefore the original Supreme Personality of Godhead. Still, many people think I am simply a transformation of transcendental knowledge.	You are not a transformation of transcendental knowledge. The Gopāla-tāpanī Upaniṣad (2.24) states: ‘The Supreme Personality of Godhead is beyond both knowledge and ignorance.’ This is so because You are beyond all limiting designations.	In the Śruti-śāstra it is said: amṛtaṁ śāśvataṁ brahma, ‘The Supreme Personality of Godhead is eternal. He is far beyond any limiting designation.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

Srila Prabhupada mentioned in one of his lectures that according to Srila Jiva Goswami unless we accept the principle that Kṛṣṇa, or God, has got inconceivable power, acintya-śakti, we cannot understand. If we put Kṛṣṇa within the jurisdiction of our limited understanding, that is not understanding of Kṛṣṇa. Manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye (BG 7.3). That inconceivable power is also within us. We do not know. So many things are happening. (SP Lecture – BG 2.23-24, London)

Lord Brahma has come to realize Krsna’s inconceivable energy in a painstaking way through the stealing of Krsna’s calves and friends. I must say this is another Krsna’s inconceivable display of His energy – making Lord Brahma an instrument to display His inconceivable for our benefit. He instructs us now to waste our valuable human life to understand Krsna and His various energies scientifically. It is simply impossible for a limited and conditioned living entity to understand the unlimited.

Mother Yasoda say the universe within Krsna’s transcendental mouth while simultaneously they were both outside that universe.

“In order to establish the oneness of the universe within the Lord and that outside the Lord, Brahma speaks this verse. “O supreme controller of illusion! In order to show that the external universe also exists within Your abdomen, You produced an illusion for mother Yasoda. By the influence of Your yogamaya potency You appeared within this universe and simultaneously exhibited all the universes within Your body. Similarly though I am within Your abdomen, I arose from Your abdomen and am situated here. Thus You are still my mother.” (Srila VCT commentary of SB 10.14.16)

Lord Brahma is bewildered that just as the entire universe, including the Supreme Lord, was exhibited within His abdomen, so it is now manifested here externally in the same exact form. How could such things happen unless arranged by His inconceivable energy?

Even if we look around us, we will see countless inconceivable energy of the Supreme Lord. Natural phenomena such as the law of gravity or weightlessness are acintya-śakti, inconceivable energies. How can innumerable universes float in the outer space whereas a mere object falls down to earth due to the gravitational force? Just inconceivable!

Best recourse is to simply surrender to the Supreme Lord after developing sufficient faith in His inconceivable energies. Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead because His energies are inconceivable. Otherwise, how could someone be considered God if each and every aspect of His energy could be conceived and deciphered by mere mortals? The concept of unlimitedness and inconceivability is inherent in the Absolute Truth. These qualities make Him the Absolute Truth.  

Talking about the Lord’s inconceivable energy, there is a beautiful story about Narada Muni and his encounter with a cobbler and a brahmana. The link is here for anyone wanting to revisit the story. This pastime illustrates the essence of true faith. It’s not about blindly believing but having a reasonable trust in the divine, which also includes trust in His inconceivable energies.

Faith story: Narada Muni, The Cobbler and The Brahmana

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!