89. Summary Description of Lord Krsna's Pastimes

35 / Summary Description of Lord Kåñëa's Pastimes
After returning from the spiritual kingdom, which he was able to visit personally along with Kåñëa, Arjuna was very much astonished. He thought to himself that although he was only an ordinary living entity, by the grace of Kåñëa it had been possible for him to see personally the spiritual world. Not only had he seen the spiritual world, but he had also personally seen the original Mahä-Viñëu, the cause of the material creation. It is said that Kåñëa never goes out of Våndävana. Våndävanaà parityajya na pädam ekaà gacchati. Kåñëa is supreme in Mathurä, He is more supreme in Dvärakä, and He is most supreme in Våndävana. Kåñëa's pastimes in Dvärakä are displayed by His Väsudeva portion, yet there is no difference between the Väsudeva portion manifested in Mathurä and Dvärakä and the original manifestation of Kåñëa at Våndävana. In the beginning of this book we have discussed that when Kåñëa appears, all His incarnations, plenary portions and portions of the plenary portions come with Him. Thus some of His different pastimes are manifested not by the original Kåñëa Himself but by His different portions and plenary portions of incarnation. Arjuna was therefore puzzled about how Kåñëa went to see the Käraëärëavaçäyé Viñëu in the spiritual world. This is fully discussed in the commentaries of Çréla Viçvanätha Cakravarté Öhäkur.
It is understood from the speech of Mahä-Viñëu that He was very anxious to see Kåñëa. It may be said, however, that since Mahä-Viñëu took away the brähmaëa's sons, He certainly must have gone to Dvärakä to do so. Therefore, why did He not see Kåñëa there? A possible answer is that Kåñëa cannot be seen even by the Mahä-Viñëu who is lying in the Causal Ocean of the spiritual world, unless Kåñëa gives His permission. Thus Mahä-Viñëu took away the brähmaëa's sons one after another just after their births so that Kåñëa would come personally to retrieve them, and then Mahä-Viñëu would be able to see Him there. If that is so, the next question is this: Why would Mahä-Viñëu come to Dvärakä personally if He were not able to see Kåñëa? Why did He not send some of His associates to take away the sons of the brähmaëa? A possible answer is that it is very difficult to put any of the citizens of Dvärakä into trouble in the presence of Kåñëa. Therefore, it was not possible for any of Mahä-Viñëu's associates to take away the brähmaëa's sons, and thus He personally came to take them.
Another question may also be raised: The Lord is known as brahmaëya-deva, the worshipable Deity of the brähmaëas, so why was He inclined to put a brähmaëa into such a terrible condition of lamentation over one son after another until the ninth son was taken away? The answer is that Lord Mahä-Viñëu was so anxious to see Kåñëa that He did not hesitate even to give trouble to a brähmaëa. Although giving trouble to a brähmaëa is a forbidden act, Lord Viñëu was prepared to do anything in order to see Kåñëa--He was so anxious to see Him. After losing each of his sons, the brähmaëa would come to the gate of the palace and accuse the King of not being able to give the brähmaëas protection and of thus being unfit to sit on the royal throne. It was Mahä-Viñëu's plan that the brähmaëa would accuse the kñatriyas and Kåñëa, and Kåñëa would be obliged to come see Him to take back the brähmaëa's sons.
Still another question may be raised: If Mahä-Viñëu cannot see Kåñëa, then how was Kåñëa obliged to come before Him after all to take back the sons of the brähmaëa? The answer is that Lord Kåñëa went to see Lord Mahä-Viñëu not exactly to take away the sons of the brähmaëa but only for Arjuna's sake. His friendship with Arjuna was so intimate that when Arjuna prepared himself to die by entering the fire, Kåñëa wanted to give him complete protection. Arjuna, however, would not desist from entering the fire unless the sons of the brähmaëa were brought back. Therefore Kåñëa promised him, "I will bring back the brähmaëa's sons. Do not try to commit suicide."
If Lord Kåñëa were going to see Lord Viñëu only to reclaim the sons of the brähmaëa, then He would not have waited until the ninth son was taken. But when the ninth son was taken away by Lord Mahä-Viñëu and Arjuna was therefore ready to enter the fire because his promise was going to prove false, that serious situation made Lord Kåñëa decide to go with Arjuna to see Mahä-Viñëu. It is said that Arjuna is an empowered incarnation of Nara-Näräyaëa. He is even sometimes called Nara-Näräyaëa. The Nara-Näräyaëa incarnation is also one of Lord Viñëu's plenary expansions. Therefore, when Kåñëa and Arjuna went to see Lord Viñëu, it is to be understood that Arjuna visited in His Nara-Näräyaëa capacity, just as Kåñëa, when He displayed His pastimes in Dvärakä, acted in His Väsudeva capacity.
After visiting the spiritual world, Arjuna concluded that whatever opulence anyone can show within the material or spiritual worlds is all a gift of Lord Kåñëa. Lord Kåñëa is manifested in various forms, as viñëu-tattva and jéva-tattva, or, in other words, as säàça and vibhinnäàça. Viñëu-tattva is known as säàça, and jéva-tattva is known as vibhinnäàça. He can, therefore, display Himself by His different transcendental pastimes, either in the portion of säàça or vibhinnäàça, as He likes, but still He remains the original Supreme Personality of Godhead.
The concluding portion of Kåñëa's pastimes is found in the Ninetieth Chapter of the Tenth Canto of Çrémad-Bhägavatam, and in this chapter Çukadeva Gosvämé wanted to explain how Kåñëa lived happily at Dvärakä with all opulences. Kåñëa's opulence of strength has already been displayed in His different pastimes, and now it will be shown how His residence at Dvärakä displayed His opulences of wealth and beauty. In this material world, which is only a perverted reflection of the spiritual world, the opulences of wealth and beauty are considered to be the highest of all opulences. Therefore, while Kåñëa stayed on this planet as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, His opulences of wealth and beauty had no comparison within the three worlds. Kåñëa enjoyed sixteen thousand beautiful wives, and it is most significant that He lived at Dvärakä as the only husband of these hundreds and thousands of beautiful women. It is specifically stated in this connection that He was the only husband of sixteen thousand wives. It is, of course, not unheard of in the history of the world that a powerful king would keep many hundreds of queens, but although such a king might be the only husband of so many wives, he could not enjoy all of them at one time. Kåñëa, however, enjoyed all of His sixteen thousand wives simultaneously.
Although it may be said that yogés also can expand their bodies into many forms, the yogis’ expansion and Lord Kåñëa's expansion are not one and the same. Kåñëa is therefore sometimes called yogeçvara, the master of all yogés. In the Vedic literature we find that the yogé Saubhari Muni expanded himself into eight. But that expansion was like a television expansion. The television image is manifested in millions of expansions, but those expansions cannot act differently; they are simply reflections of the original and can only act exactly as the original does. Kåñëa's expansion is not material like the expansion of the television or the yogé. When Närada visited the different palaces of Kåñëa, he saw that Kåñëa, in His different expansions, was variously engaged in each and every palace of the queens.
It is also said that Kåñëa lived at Dvärakä as the husband of the goddess of fortune. Queen Rukmiëé is the goddess of fortune, and all the other queens are her expansions. So Kåñëa, the chief of the Våñëi dynasty, enjoyed with the goddess of fortune in full opulence. The queens of Kåñëa are described as permanently youthful and beautiful. Although Kåñëa had grandchildren and great-grandchildren, neither Kåñëa nor His queens looked older than sixteen or twenty years of age. The young queens were so beautiful that when they moved they appeared like lightning moving in the sky. They were always dressed with excellent ornaments and garments and were always engaged in sportive activities like dancing, singing or playing ball on the roofs of the palaces. The dancing and tennis playing of girls in the material world appear to be perverted reflections of the original pastimes of the original Personality of Godhead, Kåñëa, and His wives.
The roads and streets of the city of Dvärakä were always crowded with elephants, horses, chariots and infantry soldiers. When elephants are engaged in service, they are given liquor to drink, and it is said that the elephants in Dvärakä were given so much liquor that they would sprinkle a great quantity of it on the road and still would walk on the streets intoxicated. The infantry soldiers passing on the streets were profusely decorated with golden ornaments, and horses and golden chariots plied along the streets. In all directions of Dvärakä City, wherever one would turn his eyes he would find green parks and gardens, and each of them was filled with trees and plants laden with fruits and flowers. Because there were so many nice trees of fruits and flowers, all the sweetly chirping birds and buzzing bumblebees joined together to make sweet vibrations. The city of Dvärakä thus fully displayed all opulences. The heroes in the dynasty of Yadu used to think themselves the most fortunate residents of the city, and actually they enjoyed all transcendental facilities.
All the sixteen thousand palaces of Kåñëa's queens were situated in this beautiful city of Dvärakä, and Lord Kåñëa, the supreme eternal enjoyer of all these facilities, expanded Himself into sixteen thousand forms and simultaneously engaged in different family affairs in those sixteen thousand palaces. In each and every one of the palaces there were nicely decorated gardens and lakes. The crystal-clear water of the lakes contained many blooming lotus flowers of different colors like blue, yellow, white and red, and the saffron powder from the lotus flowers was blown all around by the breeze. All the lakes were full of beautiful swans, ducks and cranes, crying occasionally with melodious sounds. Lord Çré Kåñëa sometimes entered those lakes, or sometimes the rivers, with His wives and enjoyed swimming pastimes with them in full jubilation. Sometimes the wives of Lord Kåñëa, who were all goddesses of fortune, would embrace the Lord in the midst of the water while swimming or taking bath, and the red vermilion of kuìkuma decorating the beauty of their breasts would adorn the chest of the Lord with a reddish color.
The impersonalists would not dare believe that in the spiritual world there are such varieties of enjoyment, but in order to demonstrate the factual, ever-blissful enjoyment in the spiritual world, Lord Kåñëa descended on this planet and showed that the spiritual world is not devoid of such pleasurable facilities of life. The only difference is that in the spiritual world such facilities are eternal, never-ending occurrences, whereas in the material world they are simply impermanent perverted reflections. When Lord Kåñëa was engaged in such enjoyment, the Gandharvas and professional musicians would glorify Him with melodious musical concerts, accompanied by mådaìgas, drums, kettledrums, stringed instruments and brass bugles, and the whole atmosphere would change into a greatly festive celebration. In a festive mood, the wives of the Lord would sometimes sprinkle water on the Lord's body with a syringe-like instrument, and the Lord would similarly wet the bodies of the queens. When Kåñëa and the queens engaged themselves in these pastimes, it seemed as if the heavenly king, Yakñaräja, were engaged in such pastimes with his many wives. (Yakñaräja is also known as Kuvera and is considered to be the treasurer of the heavenly kingdom.) When the wives of Lord Kåñëa thus became wet, their breasts and thighs would increase in beauty a thousand times, and their long hair would fall down to decorate those parts of their bodies. The beautiful flowers which were placed in their hair would fall, and the queens, being seemingly harassed by the Lord's throwing water at them, would approach Him on the plea of snatching the syringe-like instrument, and this attempt would create a situation wherein the Lord could embrace them as they willingly approached Him. Upon being embraced, the wives of the Lord would feel on their mouths a clear indication of conjugal love, and this would create an atmosphere of spiritual bliss. When the garland on the neck of the Lord then touched the breasts of the queens, their whole bodies became covered with saffron yellow. Being engaged in their celestial pastimes, the queens forgot themselves, and their loosened hair appeared like the beautiful waves of a river. When the queens sprinkled water on the body of Kåñëa or He sprinkled water on the bodies of the queens, the whole situation appeared just like an elephant enjoying in a lake with many she-elephants.
After enjoying fully amongst themselves, the queens and Lord Kåñëa would come out of the water, and their wet garments, which were very valuable, would be given up by them to be taken away by the professional singers and dancers. These singers and dancers had no other means of subsistence than the rewards of valuable garments and ornaments left by the queens and kings on such occasions. The whole system of society was so well planned that all the members of society in their different positions as brähmaëas, kñatriyas, vaiçyas, and çüdras had no difficulty in earning their livelihood. There was no competition among the divisions of society. The original conception of the caste system was so planned that one group of men engaged in a particular type of occupation would not compete with another group of men engaged in a different occupation.
In this way, Lord Kåñëa used to enjoy the company of His sixteen thousand wives. Devotees of the Lord who want to love the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the mellow of conjugal love are elevated to the position of becoming wives of Kåñëa, and Kåñëa also keeps them always attached to Him by His kind behavior. Kåñëa's behavior with His wives, His movements, His talking with them, His smiling, His embracing, and similar other activities just like a loving husband kept them always very much attached to Him. That is the highest perfection of life. If someone remains always attached to Kåñëa, it is to be understood that he is liberated, and his life is successful. With any devotee who loves Kåñëa with his heart and soul, Kåñëa reciprocates in such a way that the devotee caannot remain unattached to Him. The reciprocal dealings of Kåñëa and His devotees are so attractive that a devotee cannot think of any subject matter other than Kåñëa.
For all the queens, Kåñëa only was their worshipable objective. They were always absorbed in thought of Kåñëa, the lotus-eyed and beautifully blackish Personality of Godhead. Sometimes, in thought of Kåñëa, they remained silent, and in great ecstasy of bhäva and anubhäva they sometimes spoke as if in delirium. Sometimes, even in the presence of Lord Kåñëa, they vividly described the pastimes they had enjoyed in the lake or in the river with Him. Some of such talk may be described here.
One of the queens said to the bird kuraré, "My dear kuraré, now it is very late at night. Everyone is sleeping. The whole world is now calm and peaceful. At this time, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is sleeping, although His knowledge is undisturbed by any circumstance. Then why are you not sleeping? Why are you lamenting like this throughout the whole night? My dear friend, is it that you are also attracted by the lotus eyes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and by His sweet smiling and attractive words, exactly as I am? Do those dealings of the Supreme Personality of Godhead pinch your heart as they do mine?
"Hello cakraväké. Why have you closed your eyes? Are you searching after your husband, who might have gone to foreign countries? Why are you lamenting so pitiably? Alas, it appears that you are very much aggrieved. Or is it a fact that you are also willing to become an eternal servitor of the Supreme Personality of Godhead? I think that you are anxious to put a garland on the lotus feet of the Lord and then place it on your hair.
"O my dear ocean, why are you roaring all day and night? Don't you like to sleep? I think you have been attacked by insomnia, or, if I am not wrong, my dear Çyämasundara has tactfully taken away your gravity and power of forbearance which are your natural qualifications. Is it a fact that for this reason you are suffering from insomnia like me? Yes, I admit that there is no remedy for this disease.
"My dear moon-god, I think you have been attacked by a severe type of tuberculosis. For this reason, you are becoming thinner and thinner day by day. O my lord, you are now so weak that your thin rays cannot dissipate the darkness of night. Or is it a fact that, just as I have, you also have been stunned by the mysteriously sweet words of my Lord Çyämasundara? Is it a fact that it is because of this severe anxiety that you are so grave?
"O breeze from the Himalayas, what have I done to you that you are so intent on teasing me by awakening my lust to meet Kåñëa? Do you not know that I have already been injured by the crooked policy of the Personality of Godhead? My dear Himalayan breeze, please know that I have already been stricken. There is no need to injure me more and more.
"My dear beautiful cloud, the color of your beautiful body exactly resembles my dearmost Çyämasundara's bodily hue. I think, therefore, that you are very dear to my Lord, the chief of the dynasty of the Yadus, and because you are so dear to Him, you are, exactly as I am, absorbed in meditation. I can appreciate that your heart is full of anxiety for Çyämasundara. You appear to be excessively eager to see Him, and I see that for this reason only, there are drops of tears gliding down from your eyes, just as there are from mine. My dear black cloud, we must admit frankly that to establish an intimate relationship with Çyämasundara means to purchase unnecessary anxieties while we are otherwise comfortable at home."
Generally the cuckoo sounds its cooing vibration at the end of night or early in the morning. When the queens heard the cooing of the cuckoo at the end of night, they said, "Dear cuckoo, your voice is very sweet. As soon as you vibrate your sweet voice, we immediately remember Çyämasundara because your voice exactly resembles His. We must frankly admit that your voice is imbued with nectar, and it is so invigorating that it is competent to bring back life to those who are almost dead in separation from their dearmost friend. So we are very much obliged to you. Please let us know how we can welcome you or how we can do something for you."
The queens continued talking like that, and they addressed the mountain as follows: "Dear mountain, you are very generous. By your gravitation only, the whole crust of this earth is properly maintained, and because you are discharging your duties very faithfully, you do not know how to move. Because you are so grave, you do not move hither and thither, nor do you say anything. Rather, you always appear to be in a thoughtful mood. It may be that you are always thinking of a very grave and important subject matter, but we can guess very clearly what you are thinking of. We are sure that you are thinking of placing the lotus feet of Çyämasundara on your raised peaks, as we want to place His lotus feet on our raised breasts.
"Dear dry rivers, we know that because this is the summer season, all your beds are dry and you have no water. Because all your water has now been dried up, you are no longer beautified by blooming lotus flowers. At the present moment, you appear to be very lean and thin, so we can understand that your position is exactly like ours. We have lost everything due to being separated from Çyämasundara, and we no longer hear His pleasing words. Our hearts no longer work properly, and therefore we also have become very lean and thin. We think, therefore, that you are just like us. You have turned lean and thin because you are not getting any water from your husband, the ocean, through the clouds." The example given herewith by the queens is very appropriate. The river beds become dry when the ocean no longer supplies water through the clouds. The ocean is supposed to be the husband of the river and therefore is supposed to support her. Unless a woman is supported by her husband with the necessities of life, she also becomes as dry as a dry river.
One queen addressed a swan as follows. "My dear swan, please come here, come here. You are welcome. Please sit down and take some milk. My dear swan, can you tell me if you have any message from Çyämasundara? I take you to be a messenger from Him. If you have any such news, please tell me. Our Çyämasundara is always very independent. He never comes under the control of anyone. We have all failed to control Him, and therefore we ask you, is He keeping Himself well? I may inform you that Çyämasundara is very fickle. His friendship is always temporary; it breaks even by slight agitation. But would you kindly explain why He is so unkind to me? Formerly He said that I alone am His dearmost wife. Does He remember this assurance? Anyway, you are welcome. Please sit down. But I cannot accept your entreaty to go to Çyämasundara. When He does not care for me, why should I be mad after Him? I am very sorry to let you know that you have become the messenger of a poor-hearted soul. You are asking me to go to Him, but I am not going. What is that? You talk of His coming to me? Does He desire to come here to fulfill my long expectation for Him? All right. You can bring Him here. But don't bring with Him His most beloved goddess of fortune. Do you think that He cannot be separated from the goddess of fortune even for a moment? Could He not come here alone, without Lakñmé? His behavior is very displeasing. Does it mean that without Lakñmé, Çyämasundara cannot be happy? Can't He be happy with any other wife? Does it mean that the goddess of fortune has the ocean of love for Him, and none of us can compare to her?"
All the wives of Lord Kåñëa were completely absorbed in thought of Him. Kåñëa is known as yogeçvara, the master of all yogés, and all the wives of Kåñëa at Dvärakä used to keep this yogeçvara within their hearts. Instead of trying to be master of all yogic mystic powers, it is better if one simply keeps the supreme yogeçvara, Kåñëa, within his heart. Thus one's life can become perfect, and one can very easily be transferred to the kingdom of God. It is to be understood that all the queens of Kåñëa who lived with Him at Dvärakä were in their previous lives very greatly exalted devotees who wanted to establish a relationship with Kåñëa in conjugal love. Thus they were given the chance to become His wives and enjoy a constant loving relationship with Him. Ultimately, they were all transferred to the Vaikuëöha planets.
The Supreme Absolute Truth Personality of Godhead is never impersonal. All the Vedic literatures glorify the transcendental performance of His various personal activities and pastimes. It is said that in the Vedas and in the Ramäyäëa, only the activities of the Lord are described. Everywhere in the Vedic literature, His glories are sung. As soon as soft-hearted people such as women hear those transcendental pastimes of Lord Kåñëa, they immediately become attracted to Him. Soft-hearted women and girls are therefore very easily drawn to the Kåñëa consciousness movement. One who is thus drawn to the Kåñëa consciousness movement and tries to keep himself in constant touch with such consciousness certainly gets the supreme salvation, going back to Kåñëa at Goloka Våndävana. If simply by developing Kåñëa consciousness one can be transferred to the spiritual world, one can simply imagine how blissful and blessed were the queens of Lord Kåñëa, who talked with Him personally and who saw Lord Kåñëa eye to eye. No one can properly describe the fortune of the wives of Lord Kåñëa. They took care of Him personally by rendering various transcendental services like bathing Him, feeding Him, pleasing Him and serving Him. Thus no one's austerities can compare to the service of the queens at Dvärakä.
Çukadeva Gosvämé informed Mahäräja Parékñit that for self-realization the austerities and penances performed by the queens at Dvärakä have no comparison. The objective of self-realization is one: Kåñëa. Therefore, although the dealings of the queens with Kåñëa appear just like ordinary dealings between husband and wife, the principal point to be observed is the queens' attachment for Kåñëa. The entire process of austerity and penance is meant to detach one from the material world and to enhance one's attachment to Kåñëa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Kåñëa is the shelter of all persons advancing in self-realization. As an ideal householder, He lived with His wives and performed the Vedic rituals just to show less intelligent persons that the Supreme Lord is never impersonal. Kåñëa lived with wives and children in all opulence, exactly like an ordinary conditioned soul, just to exemplify to those souls who are actually conditioned that one may enter into the circle of family life as long as Kåñëa is the center. For example, the members of the Yadu dynasty lived in the family of Kåñëa, and Kåñëa was the center of all their activities.
Renunciation is not as important as enhancing one's attachment to Kåñëa. The Kåñëa consciousness movement is especially meant for this purpose. We are preaching on the principle that it does not matter whether a man is a sannyäsé or gåhastha. One simply has to increase his attachment for Kåñëa, and then his life is successful. Following in the footsteps of Lord Çré Kåñëa, one can live with his family members or within the society or nation, not for the purpose of indulging in sense gratification but to realize Kåñëa by advancing in attachment for Him. There are four principles of elevation from conditional life to the life of liberation, which are technically known as dharma, artha, käma and mokña (religion, economic development, sense gratification and liberation). If one lives a family life following in the footsteps of Lord Kåñëa's family members, one can achieve all four of these principles of success simultaneously by making Kåñëa the center of all activities.
It is already known to us that Kåñëa had 16,108 wives. All these wives were exalted liberated souls, and among them Queen Rukmiëé was the chief. After Rukmiëé there were seven other principal wives, and the names of the sons of these eight principal queens have already been mentioned. Besides these eight queens, Lord Kåñëa had ten sons by each of the other queens. Thus all together Kåñëa's children numbered 16,108 times ten. One should not be astonished to hear that Kåñëa had so many sons. One should always remember that Kåñëa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and that He has unlimited potencies. He claims all living entities as His sons, so even if he had sixteen million sons attached to Him personally, there would be no cause for astonishment.
Among Kåñëa's greatly powerful sons, eighteen sons were mahä-rathas. The mahä-rathas could fight alone against many thousands of soldiers, charioteers, cavalry and elephants. The reputations of these eighteen sons are very widespread and are described in almost all the Vedic literatures. The eighteen mahä-ratha sons are listed as Pradyumna, Aniruddha, Déptimän, Bhänu, Sämba, Madhu, Båhadbhänu, Citrabhänu, Våka, Aruëa, Puñkara, Vedabähu, Çrutadeva, Sunandana, Citrabähu, Virüpa, Kavi and Nyagrodha. Of these eighteen mahä-ratha sons of Kåñëa, Pradyumna is considered to be the foremost. Pradyumna happened to be the eldest son of Queen Rukmiëé, and he inherited all the qualities of his great father, Lord Kåñëa. He married the daughter of his maternal uncle, Rukmé, and Aniruddha, the son of Pradyumna, was born from that marriage. Aniruddha was so powerful that he could fight against ten thousand elephants. He married the granddaughter of Rukmé, the brother of his grandmother, Rukmiëé. Because the relationship between these cousins was distant, such a marriage was not uncommon. Aniruddha's son was Vajra. When the whole Yadu dynasty was destroyed by the curse of a brähmaëa, only Vajra survived. Vajra had one son, whose name was Pratibähu. The son of Pratibähu was named Subähu, the son of Subähu was named Çäntasena, and the son of Çäntasena was Çatasena.
It is stated by Çukadeva Gosvämé that all the members of the Yadu dynasty had many children. Just as Kåñëa had many sons, grandsons and great-grandsons, so each one of the kings named herewith also had similar family extensions. Not only did all of them have many children, but all were extraordinarily rich and opulent. None of them were weak or short-lived, and above all, all the members of the Yadu dynasty were staunch devotees of the brahminical culture. It is the duty of the kñatriya kings to maintain the brahminical culture and to protect the qualified brähmaëas, and all these kings discharged their duties very rightly. The members of the Yadu dynasty were so numerous that it would be very difficult to describe them all even if one had a duration of life of many thousands of years. Çréla Çukadeva Gosvämé informed Mahäräja Parékñit that he had heard from reliable sources that simply to teach the children of the Yadu dynasty, there were as many as 38,800,000 tutors or äcäryas. If so many teachers were needed to educate their children, one can simply imagine how vast was the number of family members. As for their military strength, it is said that King Ugrasena alone had ten quadrillion soldiers as personal bodyguards.
Before the advent of Lord Kåñëa within this universe, there were many battles between the demons and the demigods. Many demons died in the fighting, and they all were given the chance to take birth in high royal families on this earth. Because of their royal exalted posts, all these demons became very much puffed up, and their only business was to harass their subjects. Lord Kåñëa appeared on this planet just at the end of Dväpara-yuga in order to annihilate all these demoniac kings. As it is said in the Bhagavad-gétä, pariträëäya sädhünäà véëäçäya ca duñkåtäm: The Lord comes to protect the devotees and to annihilate the miscreants. Some of the demigods were also asked to appear on this earth to assist in the transcendental pastimes of Lord Kåñëa. When Kåñëa appeared, He came in the association of His eternal servitors, but the demigods also were requested to come down to assist Him, and thus all of them took their births in the Yadu dynasty. The Yadu dynasty had 101 clans in different parts of the country. All the members of these different clans respected Lord Kåñëa in a manner befitting His divine position, and all of them were His devotees heart and soul. Thus all the members of the Yadu dynasty were very opulent, happy and prosperous, and they had no anxieties. Because of their implicit faith in and devotion to Lord Kåñëa, they were never defeated by any other kings. Their love of Kåñëa was so intense that in their regular activities--in sitting, sleeping, traveling, talking, sporting, cleansing and bathing--they were simply absorbed in thoughts of Kåñëa and paid no attention to bodily necessities. That is the symptom of a pure devotee of Lord Kåñëa. Just as when a man is fully absorbed in some particular thought, he sometimes forgets his other bodily activities, so the members of the Yadu dynasty acted automatically for their bodily necessities, but their actual attention was always fixed on Kåñëa. Their bodily activities were performed mechanically, but their minds were always absorbed in Kåñëa consciousness.
Çréla Çukadeva Gosvämé has concluded the Ninetieth Chapter of the Tenth Canto of Çrémad-Bhägavatam by pointing out five particular excellences of Lord Kåñëa. The first excellence is that before Lord Kåñëa's appearance in the Yadu family, the River Ganges was known as the purest of all things; even impure things could be purified simply by touching the water of the Ganges. This superexcellent power of the Ganges water was due to its having emanated from the toe of Lord Viñëu. But when Lord Kåñëa, the Supreme Viñëu, appeared in the family of the Yadu dynasty, He traveled personally throughout the kingdom of the Yadus, and by His intimate association with the Yadu dynasty, the whole family not only became very famous but also became more effective in purifying others than the water of the Ganges.
The next excellence of Lord Kåñëa's appearance was that although apparently He gave protection to the devotees and annihilated the demons, both the devotees and the demons achieved the same result. Lord Kåñëa is the bestower of five kinds of liberation, of which säyujya-mukti, or the liberation of becoming one with the Supreme, was given to the demons like Kaàsa, whereas the gopés were given the chance to associate with Him personally. The gopés kept their individuality to enjoy the company of Lord Kåñëa, but Kaàsa was accepted into His impersonal brahmajyoti. In other words, both the demons and the gopés were spiritually liberated, but because the demons were enemies and the gopés were friends, the demons were killed and the gopés were protected.
The third excellence of Lord Kåñëa's appearance was that the goddess of fortune, who is worshiped by demigods like Lord Brahmä, Indra and Candra, remained always engaged in the service of the Lord, even though the Lord gave more preference to the gopés. Lakñméjé, the goddess of fortune, tried her best to be on an equal level with the gopés, but she was not successful. Nevertheless, she remained faithful to Kåñëa, although generally she does not remain at one place even if worshiped by demigods like Lord Brahmä.
The fourth excellence of Lord Kåñëa's appearance concerns the glories of His name. It is stated in the Vedic literature that by chanting the different names of Lord Viñëu a thousand times, one may be bestowed with the same benefits as by thrice chanting the holy name of Lord Räma. And by chanting the holy name of Lord Kåñëa only once, one receives the same benefit. In other words, of all the holy names of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, including Viñëu and Räma, the holy name of Kåñëa is the most powerful. The Vedic literature therefore specifically stresses the chanting of the holy name of Kåñëa: Hare Kåñëa, Hare Kåñëa, Kåñëa Kåñëa, Hare Hare/ Hare Räma, Hare Räma, Räma Räma, Hare Hare. Lord Caitanya introduced this chanting of the holy name of Kåñëa in this age, thus making liberation more easily obtainable than in other ages. In other words, Lord Kåñëa is more excellent than His other incarnations, although all of them are equally the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
The fifth excellence of Lord Kåñëa's appearance is that He established the most excellent of all religious principles by His one statement in the Bhagavad-gétä that simply by surrendering unto Him, one can discharge all the principles of religious rites. In the Vedic literature there are twenty kinds of religious principles mentioned, and each of them is described in different çästras. But Lord Kåñëa is so kind to the fallen conditioned souls of this age that He personally appeared and asked everyone to give up all kinds of religious rites and simply surrender unto Him. It is said that this age of Kali is three-fourths devoid of religious principles. Hardly one fourth of the principles of religion are still observed in this age. But by the mercy of Lord Kåñëa, this vacancy of Kali-yuga has not only been completely filled, but the religious process has been made so easy that simply by rendering transcendental loving service unto Lord Kåñëa by chanting His holy names, Hare Kåñëa, Hare Kåñëa, Kåñëa Kåñëa, Hare Hare/ Hare Räma, Hare Räma, Räma Räma, Hare Hare, one can achieve the highest result of religion, namely, being transferred to the highest planet within the spiritual world, Goloka Våndävana. One can thus immediately estimate the benefit of Lord Kåñëa's appearance and can understand that His giving relief to the people of the world by His appearance was not at all extraordinary.
Çréla Çukadeva Gosvämé thus concludes his description of the superexalted position of Lord Kåñëa by glorifying Him in the following way: "O Lord Kåñëa, all glories unto You. You are present in everyone's heart as Paramätmä. Therefore You are known as Jananiväsa, one who lives in everyone's heart." As confirmed in the Bhagavad-gétä, éçvaraù sarva-bhütänaà håd-deçe 'rjuna tiñöhati: The Supreme Lord in His Paramätmä feature lives within everyone's heart. This does not mean, however, that Kåñëa has no separate existence as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Mäyävädé philosophers accept the all-pervading feature of Parabrahman, but when Parabrahman, or the Supreme Lord, appears, they think that He appears under the control of material nature. Because Lord Kåñëa appeared as the son of Devaké, the Mäyävädé philosophers accept Kåñëa to be an ordinary living entity who takes birth within this material world. Therefore Çukadeva Gosvämé warns them that devaké-janma-väda, which means that although Kåñëa is famous as the son of Devaké, actually He is the Supersoul or the all-pervading Supreme Personality of Godhead. The devotees, however, take this word devaké-janma-väda in a different way. The devotees understand that actually Kåñëa was the son of mother Yaçodä. Although Kåñëa first of all appeared as the son of Devaké, He immediately transferred Himself to the lap of mother Yaçodä, and His childhood pastimes were blissfully enjoyed by mother Yaçodä and Nanda Mahäräja. This fact was also admitted by Vasudeva himself when he met Nanda Mahäräja and Yaçodä at Kurukñetra. He admitted that Kåñëa and Balaräma were actually the sons of mother Yaçodä and Nanda Mahäräja. Vasudeva and Devaké were only Their official father and mother. Their actual father and mother were Nanda and Yaçodä. Therefore Çukadeva Gosvämé addressed Lord Kåñëa as devaké-janma-väda.
Çukadeva Gosvämé then glorifies the Lord as one who is honored by the yadu-vara-pariñat, the assembly house of the Yadu dynasty, and as the killer of different kinds of demons. Kåñëa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, could have killed all the demons by employing His different material energies, but He wanted to kill them personally in order to give them salvation. There was no need of Kåñëa's coming to this material world to kill the demons. Simply by His willing, many hundreds and thousands of demons could have been killed without His personal endeavor. But actually He descended for His pure devotees, to play as a child with mother Yaçodä and Nanda Mahäräja and to give pleasure to the inhabitants of Dvärakä. By killing the demons and by giving protection to the devotees, Lord Kåñëa established the real religious principle, which is simply love of God. By following the factual religious principles of love of God, even the living entities known as sthira-cara were also delivered of all material contamination and were transferred to the spiritual kingdom. Sthira means the trees and plants, which cannot move, and cara means the moving animals, specifically the cows. When Kåñëa was present, He delivered all the trees, monkeys and other plants and animals who happened to see Him and serve Him both in Våndävana and in Dvärakä.
Lord Kåñëa is especially glorified for His giving pleasure to the gopés and the queens of Dvärakä. Çukadeva Gosvämé glorifies Lord Kåñëa for His enchanting smile, by which He enchanted not only the gopés at Våndävana but also the queens at Dvärakä. The exact word used in this connection is vardhayan kämadevam. In Våndävana as the boy friend of many gopés and in Dvärakä as the husband of many queens, Kåñëa increased their lusty desires to enjoy with Him. For God realization or self-realization, one generally has to undergo severe austerities and penances for many, many thousands of years, and then it may be possible to realize God. But the gopés and the queens of Dvärakä, simply by enhancing their lusty desires to enjoy Kåñëa as their boy friend or husband, received the highest type of salvation.
This behavior of Lord Kåñëa with the gopés and queens is unique in the history of self-realization. Usually people understand that for self-realization one has to go to the forest or to the mountains and undergo severe austerities and penances. But the gopés and the queens, simply by being attached to Kåñëa in conjugal love and enjoying His company in a so-called sensuous life full of luxury and opulence, achieved the highest salvation, which is impossible to be achieved even by great sages and saintly persons. Similarly, demons such as Kaàsa, Dantavakra, Çiçupäla, etc., also got the highest benefit of being transferred to the spiritual world.
In the beginning of Çrémad-Bhägavatam, Çréla Vyäsadeva offered his respectful obeisances to the Supreme Truth, Väsudeva, Kåñëa. After that he taught his son, Çukadeva Gosvämé, to preach Çrémad-Bhägavatam. It is in this connection that Çukadeva Gosvämé glorifies the Lord as jayati. Following in the footsteps of Çréla Vyäsadeva, Çukadeva Gosvämé and all the äcäryas in disciplic succession, the whole population of the world should glorify Lord Kåñëa, and for their best interest they should take to this Kåñëa consciousness movement. The process is easy and helpful. It is simply to chant the mahämantra, Hare Kåñëa, Hare Kåñëa, Kåñëa Kåñëa, Hare Hare/ Hare Räma, Hare Räma, Räma Räma, Hare Hare. Lord Caitanya has therefore recommended that one should be callous to the material ups and downs. Material life is temporary, and so the ups and downs of life may come and go. When they come, one should be as tolerant as a tree and as humble and meek as the straw in the street, but certainly he must engage himself in Kåñëa consciousness by chanting Hare Kåñëa, Hare Kåñëa, Kåñëa Kåñëa, Hare Hare.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kåñëa, the Supersoul of all living entities, out of His causeless mercy comes down and manifests His different transcendental pastimes in different incarnations. Hearing the attractive pastimes of Lord Kåñëa's different incarnations is a chance for liberation for the conditioned soul, and the most fascinating and pleasing activities of Lord Kåñëa Himself are still more attractive because Lord Kåñëa personally is all-attractive.
Following in the holy footsteps of Çréla Çukadeva Gosvämé, we have tried to present this book Kåñëa for being read and heard by the conditioned souls of this age. By hearing the pastimes of Lord Kåñëa, one is sure and certain to get salvation and be transferred back home, back to Godhead. It is recommended by Çukadeva Gosvämé that as we hear the transcendental pastimes and activities of the Lord, we gradually cut the knots of material contamination. Therefore, regardless of what one is, if one wants the association of Lord Kåñëa in the transcendental kingdom of God for eternity in blissful existence, one must hear about the pastimes of Lord Kåñëa and chant the mahämantra, Hare Kåñëa, Hare Kåñëa, Kåñëa Kåñëa, Hare Hare/ Hare Räma, Hare Räma, Räma Räma, Hare Hare.
The transcendental pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Kåñëa are so powerful that simply by hearing, reading and memorizing this book Kåñëa, one is sure to be transferred to the spiritual world, which is ordinarily very difficult to achieve. The description of the pastimes of Lord Kåñëa is so attractive that automatically it gives us an impetus to study repeatedly, and the more we study the pastimes of the Lord, the more we become attached to Him. This very attachment to Kåñëa makes one eligible to be transferred to His abode, Goloka Våndävana. As we have learned from the previous chapter, to cross over the material world is to cross over the stringent laws of material nature. The stringent laws of material nature cannot check the progress of one who is attracted by the spiritual nature. This is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gétä by the Lord Himself: although the stringent laws of material nature are very difficult to overcome, if anyone surrenders unto the Lord, he can very easily cross over nescience. There is, however, no influence of material nature in the spiritual world. As we have learned from the Second Canto of Çrémad-Bhägavatam, the ruling power of the demigods and the influence of material nature are conspicuous by their absence in the spiritual world.
Çréla Çukadeva Gosvämé has therefore advised Mahäräja Parékñit in the beginning of the Second Canto that every conditioned soul should engage himself in hearing and chanting the transcendental pastimes of the Lord. Çréla Çukadeva Gosvämé also informed King Parékñit that previously many other kings and emperors went to the jungle to prosecute severe austerities and penances in order to go back home, back to Godhead. In India, it is still a practice that many advanced transcendentalists give up their family lives and go to Våndävana to live there alone and completely engage in hearing and chanting of the holy pastimes of the Lord. This system is recommended in the Çrémad-Bhägavatam, and the six Gosvämés of Våndävana followed it, but at the present moment many karmés and pseudo-devotees have overcrowded the holy place of Våndävana just to imitate this process recommended by Çukadeva Gosvämé. It is said that many kings and emperors formerly went to the forest for this purpose, but Çréla Bhaktisiddhänta Sarasvaté Öhäkur Gosvämé Mahäräja does not recommend that one take up this solitary life in Våndävana prematurely.
One who goes prematurely to Våndävana to live in pursuance of the instructions of Çukadeva Gosvämé again falls a victim to mäyä, even while residing in Våndävana. To check such unauthorized residence in Våndävana, Çréla Bhaktisiddhänta Sarasvaté Öhäkur has sung a nice song in this connection, the purport of which is as follows: "My dear mind, why are you so proud of being a Vaiñëava? Your solitary worship and chanting of the holy name of the Lord are based on a desire for cheap popularity, and therefore your chanting of the holy name is only a pretension. Such an ambition for a cheap reputation can be compared to the stool of a hog because such popularity is another extension of the influence of mäyä." One may go to Våndävana for cheap popularity, and instead of being absorbed in Kåñëa consciousness, one may always think of money and women, which are simply temporary sources of happiness. It is better that one engage whatever money and women he may have in his possession in the service of the Lord because sense enjoyment is not for the conditioned soul.
The master of the senses is Håñékeça, Lord Kåñëa. Therefore, the senses should always be engaged in His service. As for material reputation, there were many demons like Rävaëa who wanted to go against the laws of material nature, but they all failed. One should therefore not take to the demoniac activity of claiming to be a Vaiñëava just for false prestige, without performing service to the Lord. But when one engages oneself in the devotional service of the Lord, automatically the Vaiñëava reputation comes to him. There is no need to be envious of the devotees who are engaged in preaching the glories of the Lord. We have practical experience of being advised by the so-called bäbäjés in Våndävana that there is no need to preach and that it is better to live in Våndävana in a solitary place and chant the holy name. Such bäbäjés do not know that if one is engaged in preaching work or in glorifying the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the good reputation of a preacher automatically follows one. One should not, therefore, prematurely give up the honest life of a householder to lead a life of debauchery in Våndävana. Çréla Çukadeva Gosvämé's recommendation to leave home and go to the forest in search of Kåñëa is not for immature persons. Mahäräja Parékñit was mature. Even in his householder life, or from the very beginning of his life, he worshiped Lord Kåñëa's mürti. In his childhood he worshiped the Deity of Lord Kåñëa, and later, although he was a householder, he was always detached, and therefore when he got the notice of his death, he immediately gave up all connection with household life and sat down on the bank of the Ganges to hear Çrémad-Bhägavatam in the association of devotees.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Ninetieth Chapter of Kåñëa, "Summary Description of Lord Kåñëa's Pastimes."

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