The Birth of Lord Kṛṣṇa

COMMENTARY

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

 

|| 10.2.11-12 ||

nāmadheyāni kurvanti sthānāni ca narā bhuvi

durgeti bhadrakālīti vijayā vaiṣṇavīti ca

kumudā caṇḍikā kṛṣṇā mādhavī kanyaketi ca

māyā nārāyaṇīśānī śāradety ambiketi ca

TRANSLATION

Lord Kṛṣṇa blessed Māyādevī by saying: In different places on the surface of the earth, people will give you different names, such as Durgā, Bhadrakālī, Vijayā, Vaiṣṇavī, Kumudā, Caṇḍikā, Kṛṣṇā, Mādhavī, Kanyakā, Māyā, Nārāyaṇī, Īśānī, Śāradā and Ambikā.

COMMENTARY

kurvanti: give; “This word indicates in the future men will call you by various names. By My appearance on earth some men will become Vaiṣṇavas, and by your appearance others will become śāktas, worshipers of Durgā.”

 

|| 10.2.13 ||

garbha-saṅkarṣaṇāt taṁ vai prāhuḥ saṅkarṣaṇaṁ bhuvi

rāmeti loka-ramaṇād balabhadraṁ balocchrayāt

TRANSLATION

The son of Rohiṇī will also be celebrated as Saṅkarṣaṇa because of being sent from the womb of Devakī to the womb of Rohiṇī. He will be called Rāma because of His ability to please all the inhabitants of Gokula, and He will be known as Balabhadra because of His extensive physical strength.

COMMENTARY

“You will be called Rāma.” The word Balabhadra is a sahasup compound.

 

|| 10.2.14 ||

sandiṣṭaivaṁ bhagavatā tathety om iti tad-vacaḥ

pratigṛhya parikramya gāṁ gatā tat tathākarot

TRANSLATION

Thus instructed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Yogamāyā immediately agreed. With the Vedic mantra oṁ, she confirmed that she would do what He asked. Thus having accepted the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, she circumambulated Him and started for the place on earth known as Nanda-gokula. There she did everything just as she had been told.

COMMENTARY

tathety om: Saying tathā and then oṁ, which is repetitive, is a sign of great respect for the Lord. Having accepted Kṛṣṇa’s words, Yogamāyā circumambulated the Lord and then went to the earth (gām).

 

|| 10.2.15 ||

garbhe praṇīte devakyā rohiṇīṁ yoga-nidrayā

aho visraṁsito garbha iti paurā vicukruśuḥ

TRANSLATION

When the child of Devakī was attracted and transferred into the womb of Rohiṇī by Yogamāyā, Devakī seemed to have a miscarriage. Thus all the inhabitants of the palace loudly lamented, “Alas, Devakī has lost her child!”

COMMENTARY

visraṁsitaḥ: lost; The citizens suspected that Kaṁsa must have done some black magic to cause the “apparent” miscarriage. vicukruśuḥ: lament; The citizens of Mathurā began to lament out of affection for Devakī.

 

|| 10.2.16 ||

bhagavān api viśvātmā bhaktānām abhayaṅkaraḥ

āviveśāṁśa-bhāgena mana ānakadundubheḥ

TRANSLATION

Thus the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the Supersoul of all living entities and who vanquishes all the fear of His devotees, entered the mind of Vasudeva in full opulence.

COMMENTARY

viśvātmā: Supersoul all living entities; Kṛṣṇa is addressed as viśvātmā, the soul of the universe, because He is actually the object of prema for the whole universe. aṁśa: indicates that all the avatāras such as the puruṣāvatāras are included within Kṛṣṇa. bhāga: refers to the six opulences or all good qualities. Kṛṣṇa appeared in the mind of Vasudeva along with all His expansions and opulences. In the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (3.2.15), it says: parāvareśo mahad-aṁśa-yuktohy ajo ’pi jāto bhagavān yathāgnih, “Although the Lord is unlimited and unborn, He took birth along with his aṁśas.

 

|| 10.2.17 ||

sa bibhrat pauruṣaṁ dhāma bhrājamāno yathā raviḥ

durāsado ’tidurdharṣo bhūtānāṁ sambabhūva ha

TRANSLATION

While carrying the form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead within the core of his heart, Vasudeva bore the Lord’s transcendentally illuminating effulgence, and thus he became as bright as the sun. He was therefore very difficult to see or approach through sensory perception. Indeed, he was unapproachable and unperceivable even for such formidable men as Kaṁsa, and not only for Kaṁsa but for all living entities.

COMMENTARY

bibhrat: carried; pauruṣaṁ dhāma: spiritual effulgence of the Supreme Person; means that the Vasudeva was holding the power (dhāma) of the Lord (pauruṣam). Or it can mean Vasudeva became effulgent on seeing the appearance of the Lord within himself. According to the Viśvakośa dictionary, dhāma means body, house, ray, place, birth and influence. durāsadaḥ: difficult to look at; means that other living entities could not approach him. ati durdharṣaḥ: difficult to approach; means that Kaṁsa and others could not possibly defeat Vasudeva.

 

|| 10.2.18 ||

tato jagan-maṅgalam acyutāṁśaṁ samāhitaṁ śūra-sutena devī

dadhāra sarvātmakam ātma-bhūtaṁ kāṣṭhā yathānanda-karaṁ manastaḥ

TRANSLATION

Thereafter, accompanied by plenary expansions, the fully opulent Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is all-auspicious for the entire universe, was transferred from the mind of Vasudeva to the mind of Devakī. Devakī, having thus been initiated by Vasudeva, became beautiful by carrying Lord Kṛṣṇa, the original consciousness for everyone, the cause of all causes, within the core of her heart, just as the east becomes beautiful by carrying the rising moon.

COMMENTARY

Lord Kṛṣṇa entered Devakī from Vasudeva. This is described in this verse.

jagan maṅgalam acyutāṁśam: who is the very form of auspiciousness for the whole universe; who does not deviate; and who includes all expansions such as Nārāyaṇa and Narasiṁha. sarvātmakam ātma bhutaṁ: Sarva refers to all the devotees or to Lord Śiva. Ātma refers to mind and ka means happiness. Thus the Lord is described as He who gives happiness to the minds of all the devotees or to Lord Śiva. Ātma bhūtaṁ means He appears (bhūta) on His own, independently (ātma). The Lord appeared in Devakī’s mind without the effort that yogis exert to envision the Lord.

dadhāra manastaḥ: means Devakī held Kṛṣṇa with the mind. This phrase rules out material conception and birth. kāṣṭhā: east; A suitable example is given to support this. It was just like the eastern direction (kāṣṭhā) holding the full moon (ānandakara). It is understood that several days later Devakī could perceive Kṛṣṇa in her womb, because later in this chapter it is said, diṣṭyamba te kuksi-gataḥ paraḥ pumān, “Oh fortunate lady, the Supreme Lord has entered your womb.” (v. 41)

 

|| 10.2.19 ||

sā devakī sarva-jagan-nivāsa-nivāsa-bhūtā nitarāṁ na reje

bhojendra-gehe ’gni-śikheva ruddhā sarasvatī jñāna-khale yathā satī

TRANSLATION

Devakī then kept within herself the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the cause of all causes, the foundation of the entire cosmos, but because she was under arrest in the house of Kaṁsa, she was like the flames of a fire covered by the walls of a pot, or like a person who has knowledge but cannot distribute it to the world for the benefit of human society.

COMMENTARY

Devakī became the shelter of the shelter of all material and non-material worlds, but all people could not take advantage of that bliss-giving form. Only a few close persons could appreciate her condition.

agni-śikheva ruddhā: covered fire; In the prison house of Kaṁsa (bhojendra) Devakī was like a covered fire. When a fire is burning in a house, it does not illuminate the town, but only the objects or persons near it in the house. However when the fire becomes strong it can burn down the restricting house. In this way, Devakī would in due time destroy Kaṁsa. sarsvatī jñāna khale: knowledge not distributed; Knowledge trapped in the hearts of men who do not distribute it (literally cheaters of knowledge), does not flourish and benefit others. That knowledge will eventually destroy its restrictor, who is very sinful. In the same way, Devakī would destroy the offensive Kaṁsa.

 

|| 10.2.20 ||

tāṁ vīkṣya kaṁsaḥ prabhayājitāntarāṁ virocayantīṁ bhavanaṁ śuci-smitām

āhaiṣa me prāṇa-haro harir guhāṁ dhruvaṁ śrito yan na pureyam īdṛśī

TRANSLATION

Because the Supreme Personality of Godhead was within her womb, Devakī illuminated the entire atmosphere in the place where she was confined. Seeing her jubilant, pure and smiling, Kaṁsa thought, “The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu, who is now within her, will kill me. Devakī has never before looked so brilliant and jubilant.”

COMMENTARY

Devakī, who was holding Viṣṇu within her womb (ājitāntarāṁ), filled the room with light. She smiled out of genuine bliss (śuci smitām), not in order to deceive Kaṁsa as previously. Seeing her, Kaṁsa then addressed her. harir: Viṣṇu; Hari can mean lion. Seeing Devakī, Kaṁsa thought, “Like the lion who kills (prāṇahari) the elephant, Hari, who will take my life, has taken shelter in the womb of Devakī. Certainly this is so, because (yat) Devakī did not appear effulgent previously (pureyam).’”

 

|| 10.2.21 ||

kim adya tasmin karaṇīyam āśu me yad artha-tantro na vihanti vikramam

striyāḥ svasur gurumatyā vadho ’yaṁ yaśaḥ śriyaṁ hanty anukālam āyuḥ

TRANSLATION

Kaṁsa thought: What is my duty now? The Supreme Lord, who knows His purpose [paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām Bg. 4.8], will not give up His prowess. Devakī is a woman, she is my sister, and moreover she is now pregnant. If I kill her, my reputation, opulence and duration of life will certainly be vanquished.

COMMENTARY

In this verse Kaṁsa speaks more clearly his intentions: “What should I do about Hari in this situation (tasmin)?” Is it proper to kill Him while He is still an embryo? No, because those interested in their own welfare (artha tantra) do not destroy their own good name. If I kill Him now, my reputation of prowess will be destroyed. But if He is born and grows, and then I fight with Him, whether I am victorious or defeated my glory will remain intact. Killing a child in the womb is not an act of bravery. Therefore, such a deed will not only destroy my fame, but dharma will also get destroyed.”

 

Thus Kaṁsa rightly thinks that by killing a woman, a sister and a fetus he will vanquish his fame, power and lifespan. This temporary restriction to Kaṁsa’s evil nature was due to fear. Thus Kaṁsa reflected upon his reputation through careful discrimination.

 

|| 10.2.22 ||

sa eṣa jīvan khalu sampareto varteta yo ’tyanta-nṛśaṁsitena

dehe mṛte taṁ manujāḥ śapanti gantā tamo ’ndhaṁ tanu-mānino dhruvam

TRANSLATION

A person who is very cruel is regarded as dead even while living, for while he is living or after his death, everyone condemns him. And after the death of a person in the bodily concept of life, he is undoubtedly transferred to the hell known as Andhatama.

COMMENTARY

Kaṁsa continues his deliberation: “If I kill the child to save my life, I will spend the rest of my life in misfortune. Those who perform cruel acts are dead even while existing within the body. If I commit cruel acts and die, people will curse me, and even while living they will curse me. I will fear even while alive. They will shout in taunting voices, ‘You should go to hell for this.’ Those who are absorbed in the bodily conception of life (tanu māninah), and maintain their bodies by committing violence on others will surely go to hell.”

 

|| 10.2.23 ||

iti ghoratamād bhāvāt sannivṛttaḥ svayaṁ prabhuḥ

āste pratīkṣaṁs taj-janma harer vairānubandha-kṛt

TRANSLATION

Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Deliberating in this way, Kaṁsa, although determined to continue in enmity toward the Supreme Personality of Godhead, refrained from the vicious killing of his sister. He decided to wait until the Lord was born and then do what was needed.

 

|| 10.2.24 ||

āsīnaḥ saṁviśaṁs tiṣṭhan bhuñjānaḥ paryaṭan mahīm

cintayāno hṛṣīkeśam apaśyat tanmayaṁ jagat

TRANSLATION

While sitting on his throne or in his sitting room, while lying on his bed, or, indeed, while situated anywhere, and while eating, sleeping or walking, Kaṁsa saw only his enemy, the Supreme Lord, Hṛṣīkeśa. In other words, by thinking of his all-pervading enemy, Kaṁsa became unfavorably Kṛṣṇa conscious.

COMMENTARY

The absorption of Kaṁsa’s mind in the Lord out of fear born of hatred is described in this verse.

saṁviśaṁs: lying on a bed; means while sleeping. hṛṣīkeśam: The Lord is called Hṛṣīkeśa, one who controls all the senses. cintayāno: always thinking badly; implies that Kaṁsa was continuously thinking of Hari, so that he saw Hari wherever he looked. Such a vision gives bliss in prema, but in fear it yields extreme distress. This is the difference between a devotee and an enemy seeing the Lord.

 

|| 10.2.25 ||

brahmā bhavaś ca tatraitya munibhir nāradādibhiḥ

devaiḥ sānucaraiḥ sākaṁ gīrbhir vṛṣaṇam aiḍayan

TRANSLATION

Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva, accompanied by great sages like Nārada, Devala and Vyāsa and by other demigods like Indra, Candra and Varuṇa, invisibly approached the room of Devakī, where they all joined in offering their respectful obeisances and prayers to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who can bestow blessings upon everyone.

COMMENTARY

vṛṣaṇam: the Lord who blesses all; This word refers to Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa who, like a cloud, rains the nectar of His pastimes. Brahmā acts as the chief cultivator in the field of the fourteen worlds. bhavaś: or Śiva is like the chief peacock with his tail feathers spread, fondly dancing before the rains. nāradādibhiḥ: Nārada and others (singers) are like cātaka birds, expressing great longing for the rains of Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes. devaiḥ: demigods; The demigods are like suffering elephants surrounded by the forest fire of Kaṁsa, Jarāsandha and other demons. All these demigods came to the prison house of Kaṁsa to glorify Lord Hari.

 

|| 10.2.26 ||

satya-vrataṁ satya-paraṁ tri-satyaṁ satyasya yoniṁ nihitaṁ ca satye

satyasya satyam ṛta-satya-netraṁ satyātmakaṁ tvāṁ śaraṇaṁ prapannāḥ

TRANSLATION

The demigods prayed: O Lord, You never deviate from Your vow, which is always perfect because whatever You decide is perfectly correct and cannot be stopped by anyone. Being present in the three phases of cosmic manifestation-creation, maintenance and annihilation—You are the Supreme Truth. Indeed, unless one is completely truthful, one cannot achieve Your favor, which therefore cannot be achieved by hypocrites. You are the active principle, the real truth, in all the ingredients of creation, and therefore you are known as antaryāmī, the inner force. You are equal to everyone, and Your instructions apply for everyone, for all time. You are the beginning of all truth. Therefore, offering our obeisances, we surrender unto You. Kindly give us protection.

COMMENTARY

“You Śrī Kṛṣṇa are the only truth in this world. You are understood by devotees but not by others.” This is the meaning of the demigods’ praise.

 

“You have made a vow to protect Your devotees, and that vow is upheld at all times. Therefore everyone should take shelter of You.” This is the intention of the verse.

 

“We take shelter of You, whose vows are true.” Sakṛd eva prapanno yas, tavāsmīti ca yācate, abhayaṁ sarvadā tasmai, dadāmy etad vrataṁ mama, “If one surrenders unto Me sincerely, saying, ‘My Lord, from today I will fully surrendered unto You,’ I will always give him protection. That is My vow.” (Rāmāyaṇa, Yuddha-kāṇḍa 18.33)

 

“Unlike the temporary results obtained from the demigods, surrender to You is satya paraṁ.” Satya here means extending in all place and time, and param means the best. “We take shelter of You, who are the best in all time and space.”

 

Satyam can also refer to His name. “You are supreme and called satya.” Satye pratisthitah kṛṣṇah satyam atra pratisthitam satyat satyo hi govindas tasmat satyo hi namatah, “Kṛṣṇa is established in truth and truth is established in Kṛṣṇa.” (Udyama Parva) Govinda is more truthful than truth itself. Therefore He is called satya.” Kṛṣṇa’s intelligence, strength and all His transcendental qualities are also truth.

 

“The three śaktis of Kṛṣṇa (jnana, bala, kriya) take shelter of You. Therefore You are called tri satyam.” The Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.8 says, na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate na tat samaś cābh yadhikaś ca dṛśyate parāsya śaktir vividhaiva srūyate svābhāvikī jñāna -bala-kriyā ca, “The Supreme Personality of Godhead does not need to do anything personally, for He has such potencies that anything He wants done will be done perfectly well through the control of material nature (svābhāvikī jñāna -bala-kriyā ca ).”

satyasya yoni: The aṁśas of Kṛṣṇa are also satya. “We take shelter of You, the source of all avatāras such as Matsya, Kūrma and other eternally true forms.” nihitam: entered; “We take shelter of You who are present in satya, that is Mathurā, Vaikuṇṭha and other spiritual abodes. You are the essence of the essence, the cream of all spiritual objects, satyasya satyam.” Or the material world is one satya or real thing, but existing only temporarily. “You are the cause of the material world, but You exist in all time, eternally. Therefore You are the satya of all satyas, the truth of all truths.”

 

This is similar to the phrase in the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad (4.4.18): prāṇasya prāṇam uta cakṣuṣaś cakṣur uta śrotrasya śrotram annasyānnaṁ manaso ye mano viduḥ, “The Supreme Truth is understood to be the life air sustaining everyone’s life air, the vision of everyone’s eyes, the hearing power of the ear, and the sustenance of food itself.” In his commentary on Vedanta-sūtra, Srīla Madhvācārya has confirmed this by quoting the following statement from the Vedic śruti-mantras: satyaṁ hy evedaṁ viśvam asṛjata, “This universe, created by the Lord, is real.”

satya netra: “O, form of eternal truth! We surrender unto You who are endowed with all senses headed by the eyes. We surrender to You who are the real form of truth, satyātmakaṁ.”

 

|| 10.2.27 ||

ekāyano ’sau dvi-phalas tri-mūlaś catū-rāsaḥ pañca-vidhaḥ ṣaḍ-ātmā

sapta-tvag aṣṭa-viṭapo navākṣo daśa-cchadī dvi-khago hy ādi-vṛkṣaḥ

TRANSLATION

The body [the total body and the individual body are of the same composition] may figuratively be called “the original tree.” From this tree, which fully depends on the ground of material nature, come two kinds of fruit—the enjoyment of happiness and the suffering of distress. The cause of the tree, forming its three roots, is association with the three modes of material nature—goodness, passion and ignorance. The fruits of bodily happiness have four tastes—religiosity, economic development, sense gratification and liberation—which are experienced through five senses for acquiring knowledge in the midst of six circumstances: lamentation, illusion, old age, death, hunger and thirst. The seven layers of bark covering the tree are skin, blood, muscle, fat, bone, marrow and semen, and the eight branches of the tree are the five gross and three subtle elements—earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and false ego. The tree of the body has nine hollows—the eyes, the ears, the nostrils, the mouth, the rectum and the genitals—and ten leaves, the ten airs passing through the body. In this tree of the body there are two birds: one is the individual soul, and the other is the Supersoul.

COMMENTARY

The Lord then asks a question: “If I, who am endowed with body, senses and dhama, am satya then is the material world asatya, false?”

 

The demigods answer: “The world is true, but subject to destruction in time, whereas You are not destroyed by time. You are indestructible.” With this intention the demigods recite this verse.

ekāyanah: means that prakṛti, the material nature, is the one shelter of the tree of the material world. There are two fruits of the tree of the material world: happiness and misery. There are three roots of the tree: sattva, raja and tama, goodness, passion and ignorance. There are four rasas, namely the four varṇas and āśramas. There are five types of knowledge gathered from the five senses. There are six natural qualities (ātma) of the tree known as the six whirlpools: lamentation, illusion, old age, death, hunger and thirst. There are seven coverings of the tree: skin, flesh, blood, fat, bone, marrow and semen.

 

There are eight branches (viṭapa): the five gross elements, mind, intelligence and false ego. There are nine holes in the tree: the holes in the body such as two eyes, two nostrils, two ears, mouth, rectum and genital. There are ten leaves: the ten life airs. There are two birds in the tree, the jīva and the Lord.

 

|| 10.2.28 ||

tvam eka evāsya sataḥ prasūtis tvaṁ sannidhānaṁ tvam anugrahaś ca

tvan-māyayā saṁvṛta-cetasas tvāṁ paśyanti nānā na vipaścito ye

TRANSLATION

The efficient cause of this material world, manifested with its many varieties as the original tree, is You, O Lord. You are also the maintainer of this material world, and after annihilation You are the one in whom everything is conserved. Those who are covered by Your external energy cannot see You behind this manifestation, but theirs is not the vision of learned devotees.

COMMENTARY

“This tree arises from Your energies.” With this intention the verse is spoken. “You are the only (eka) creator of this material tree which is real (sat). You are the annihilator (sannidhānaṁ) and the maintainer (anugrha).”

 

Kṛṣṇa replied, “Oh devas! It is said that Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva are the masters of this world, so why do you say that I am the creator?”

 

The next statement of the demigods answers this question: “Those whose minds are covered by Your māyā see Brahmā and others as independent. Those whose minds are not covered see only You, and see Brahmā and others as Your expansions only.”

 

|| 10.2.29 ||

bibharṣi rūpāṇy avabodha ātmā kṣemāya lokasya carācarasya

sattvopapannāni sukhāvahāni satām abhadrāṇi muhuḥ khalānām

TRANSLATION

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

COMMENTARY

In this verse the demigods explain that Lord Kṛṣṇa has many avatāras such as Matsya and Kūrma.

avabodhah: awake; means Kṛṣṇa has a form of pure knowledge.

 

sattvopapannāni: all the incarnations of Kṛṣṇa are transcendental, pure sattva.

khalānām: They destroy the wicked and protect the devoted (satām).

 

|| 10.2.30 ||

tvayy ambujākṣākhila-sattva-dhāmni samādhināveśita-cetasaike

tvat-pāda-potena mahat-kṛtena kurvanti govatsa-padaṁ bhavābdhim

TRANSLATION

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

COMMENTARY

The previous verse spoke of the protection of the Lord. This verse describes the form of protection.

ākhila sattvam: means śuddha sattva or without material qualities.

dhāmni: cause of all existence; “The men of discrimination, who meditate on Your name, form qualities and pastimes when You appear in this world, board the boat of Your lotus feet and cross over the material ocean. For such great devotees, crossing the ocean of material existence becomes as easy as stepping over the hoof-print of a calf. They are not even aware of its existence.”

 

|| 10.2.31 ||

svayaṁ samuttīrya sudustaraṁ dyuman
bhavārṇavaṁ bhīmam adabhra-sauhṛdāḥ

bhavat-padāmbhoruha-nāvam atra te

nidhāya yātāḥ sad-anugraho bhavān

TRANSLATION

O Lord, who resemble the shining sun, You are always ready to fulfill the desire of Your devotee, and therefore You are known as a desire tree [vāñchā-kalpataru]. When ācāryas completely take shelter under Your lotus feet in order to cross the fierce ocean of nescience, they leave behind on earth the method by which they cross, and because You are very merciful to Your other devotees, You accept this method to help them.

COMMENTARY

svayaṁ: personally; indicates that the material ocean is difficult to cross for others, but no trouble at all for the devotees.

dyuman: The Lord is addressed as dyuman, the sun. This infers that those within whom the sun of Kṛṣṇa does not remain in the terrible material ocean of insurmountable darkness. “When You shine on the sunrise mountain of prema-bhakti, all darkness automatically disappears. Then easily one can cross the ocean of material existence.”

nāvam atra te nidhāya: Leaving the boat on the bank means that the devotees establish bhakti movements and then cross the ocean of material existence. By this act, others are able to cross over the ocean of repeated birth and death. Though the material influence gets completely destroyed, the devotees remain here. This is only an expression of humility in the devotees. For them, the material world is compared to the water in a calf’s hoof-print, because the water in the calf’s hoof-print is actually purifying and praiseworthy. In the same way, the devotee’s impression that he is caught in saṁsāra purifies the devotee of the disease of false identification and is therefore praiseworthy.

sad-anugraho bhavān: How are the devotees able to cross the ocean of birth and death? Because You, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, (bhavan) are merciful (anugrahah) to the devotees (sat) and not to others.

 

|| 10.2.32 ||

ye ’nye ’ravindākṣa vimukta-māninas
tvayy asta-bhāvād aviśuddha-buddhayaḥ

āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ
patanty adho ’nādṛta-yuṣmad-aṅghrayaḥ

TRANSLATION

[Someone may say that aside from devotees, who always seek shelter at the Lord’s lotus feet, there are those who are not devotees but who have accepted different processes for attaining salvation. What happens to them? In answer to this question, Lord Brahmā and the other demigods said:] O lotus-eyed Lord, although nondevotees who accept severe austerities and penances to achieve the highest position may think themselves liberated, their intelligence is impure. They fall down from their position of imagined superiority because they have no regard for Your lotus feet.

COMMENTARY

For Vaiṣṇavas, the ocean of material existence is no bigger than the water in a calf’s hoof-print. But for jñānis who do not accept the spiritual form of the Lord, the material ocean is very difficult to cross. The following scriptural statements support this conclusion: Sanat-kumāra said in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (4.22.40), kṛcchro mahāniha bhavārṇavam aplaveśāṁ, sad-varga-nakram asukhena titīrṣanti, tat tvaṁ harer bhagavato bhajanīyam aṅghriṁ, kṛtvoḍupaṁ vyasanam uttara dustarārṇam: “The ocean of nescience is very difficult to cross because it is infested with many dangerous sharks. Although those who are non-devotees undergo severe austerities and penances to cross that ocean, we recommend that you simply take shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord, which are like boats for crossing the ocean. Although the ocean is difficult to cross, by taking shelter of His lotus feet you will overcome all dangers.”

 

In the Bhagavad-gītā 12.5, Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself says, kleśo ’dhikataras teṣām, avyaktāsakta-cetasām, avyaktā hi gatir duḥkhaṁ, dehavadbhir avāpyate: “For those whose minds are attached to the unmanifested, impersonal feature of the Supreme, advancement is very troublesome. To make progress in that discipline is always difficult for those who are embodied.”

 

Nārada says, naiṣkarmyam apy acyuta-bhāva-varjitaṁ, na śobhate jñānam alam nirañjanam: “Knowledge of self-realization, even though free from all material affinity, does not look well if devoid of a conception of the Infallible [God].” (SB 1.5.12)

 

The demigods here make a similar statement: “Oh lotus-eyed Lord, those (anye) who do not accept You have no realization of Your sweetness and merciful glance. They think themselves liberated, vimukti māninah, though they are completely bound in the material world. This is different from Your devotees, who though liberated, out of humility regard themselves as conditioned.”

asta bhāvād: speculation without knowing Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet; This means because of a lack (a-sta) of affection (bhāva) for the Lord, they think Him to be illusory. As Gītā 9.11 says, avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam: “Only the fools regard Me as an ordinary person.” aviśuddha buddhayaḥ: impure intelligence; Because of such foolishness they are called aviśuddha buddhayaḥ. The jñānīs are not viśuddha, really pure, though they have purified their hearts by controlling lust and other material urges. kṛcchreṇa: However by cultivation of the knowledge generated from such painful practices such as austerity and sense control (kṛcchṛena), the jñānīs can attain liberation (paraṁ padaṁ). It should be understood however, that even the jñānīs must possess some mixed bhakti, for without that they cannot attain even liberation in this life.

 

Lord Brahmā prays, śreyaḥ-sṛtiṁ bhaktim udasya te vibho, kliśyanti ye kevala-bodha-labdhaye, “My dear Lord, devotional service unto You is the best path for self-realization. If someone gives up that path and engages in the cultivation of speculative knowledge (jñāna), he will simply undergo a troublesome process and will not achieve his desired result.” (SB 10.14.4)

patanti adaḥ: fall down; Without bhakti the goal of jñāna becomes like a mirage, and eventually the jñāni falls down into material existence again. anādṛta aṇghrayaḥ: neglecting Your lotus feet; If jñānīs have some type of bhakti, how do they fall down? They fall because they think Your lotus feet are material, and therefore do not respect them.

 

There are two types of bhakti practiced as a limb of jñāna. The jñānīs practice bhakti a little bit, because the scriptures say that jñāna cannot be perfected without the touch of bhakti. For example, some jñānīs worship the deity, but they take it is an illusory form and thus worship with disrespect. Others simply worship because of material attachment, without disrespect. The first type adopt extreme austerities, and after a long time when bhakti bestows knowledge to destroy their ignorance and establishes them on the Brahmā bhūta platform (liberated state), they stop their practices of bhakti. These jñānīs are falsely liberated (vimukti māninah). They cannot be called jīvan mukta, truly liberated souls.

 

According to Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s statement in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.14.21), bhaktyāham ekayā grāhyaḥ: “Only by executing devotional service can one appreciate Me.” Because of the absence of bhakti and the presence of offenses, the jñānīs do not attain the direct association of the Lord. Therefore, the burned up seeds of their karma again begin to sprout, and such jñānīs fall into the material world again.

 

An example of this is given in the Viṣṇu-bhakti-candrodaya concerning Ratha-yatra: “Even though a person may have burned up all his karmas with the fire of knowledge, if out of illusion he does not follow the Lord during Ratha-yatra, he will become brahma-rākṣasa.” The Vasana-bhāsya says: “Even a jīvan mukta (liberated soul) if he offends the Lord, who is full of inconceivable energies, will fall into the bondage of karma again.”

 

The bhakti of the second type of jñāni brings one to the brahma bhūta platform also, and it extinguishes both knowledge and ignorance. But bhakti does not become extinguished. That type of jñāni attains the status of jīvan mukta and achieves a direct meeting with the Lord. Such a person is described in the Bhagavad-gītā 18.54: brahma-bhūtaḥ prāsannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati, “One who is transcendentally situated at once realizes the Supreme Brahman and becomes fully joyful.” And in Bhagavad-gītā 18.55: bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ, “Only persons engaged in devotional service can factually know the transcendental position of the Lord.”

 

|| 10.2.33 ||

tathā na te mādhava tāvakāḥ kvacid
bhraśyanti mārgāt tvayi baddha-sauhṛdāḥ

tvayābhiguptā vicaranti nirbhayā

vināyakānīkapa-mūrdhasu prabho

TRANSLATION

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

COMMENTARY

“Bharata, Indradyumna and Citraketu, who were great devotees, are not criticized even though they fell. Then why do the jñānīs get criticized so heavily?” This verse answers the question. The devotees on the path of bhakti do not fall like the pretenders of liberation—what to speak of giving up the Lord’s lotus feet. Even if bhaktas fall, in that state they remain firmly attached to Your lotus feet. Though Citraketu, Bharata and Indradyumna fell and took the bodies of demons like Vṛtā and others, their prema increased a hundred fold.

 

One should see their fall-down as a cause for increasing prema. Their fall is not like the fall of the aspirants for liberation, for even in the fallen state they remain firmly attached to Your feet. They remain faithful to the Lord, thinking that their fall has been arranged by the Lord for their own benefit; for the Lord promises that His devotee will never perish. Being thus convinced of Kṛṣṇa’s protection, they tread over the heads of the demigods causing obstacles. In other words, they conquer over all obstacles. Another meaning can be that the devotees hold on their own heads the feet of the Lord which destroy all obstacles.

 

|| 10.2.34 ||

sattvaṁ viśuddhaṁ śrayate bhavān sthitau śarīriṇāṁ śreya-upāyanaṁ vapuḥ

veda-kriyā-yoga-tapaḥ-samādhibhis tavārhaṇaṁ yena janaḥ samīhate

TRANSLATION

O Lord, during the time of maintenance You manifest several incarnations, all with transcendental bodies, beyond the material modes of nature. When You appear in this way, You bestow all good fortune upon the living entities by teaching them to perform Vedic activities such as ritualistic ceremonies, mystic yoga, austerities, penances, and ultimately samādhi, ecstatic absorption in thoughts of You. Thus You are worshiped by the Vedic principles.

COMMENTARY

In verse 29 there was mention of the Lord’s pure forms appearing in the world of moving and non-moving entities. That verse says that the purpose of the Lord’s appearance is to help the devotees. In verse 30-33 the purity of bhakti has been mentioned. In verse 32, there is the hint that by attachment to the Lord’s feet the devotee also attains liberation as a secondary result. This shows that the real purpose of the Lord’s appearance in the world is to establish bhakti.

 

viśuddha: transcendental; indicates that sattva is beyond material contamination. “You accept a purely spiritual body.” “And what type of form is it?” sthitau: maintenance; “In maintaining the world, You accept a body which brings about benefit (upāyana) and supreme auspiciousness (śreya) for the living entities.” “What is that benefit?”veda kriyā yoga tapasa samādhi: Brahmacārīs study the Vedas. Grhasthas perform kriya yoga. Vanaprasthas perform austerities and sannyasis sit in samadhi.

 

ārhaṇaṁ samīhate: Men worship You through their activities in these four āśramas. Your appearance creates this benefit. If one does not accept Your spiritual form he cannot attain perfection.

 

|| 10.2.35 ||

sattvaṁ na ced dhātar idaṁ nijaṁ bhaved vijñānam ajñāna-bhidāpamārjanam

guṇa-prakāśair anumīyate bhavān prakāśate yasya ca yena vā guṇaḥ

TRANSLATION

O Lord, cause of all causes, if Your transcendental body were not beyond the modes of material nature, one could not understand the difference between matter and transcendence. Only by Your presence can one understand the transcendental nature of Your Lordship, who are the controller of material nature. Your transcendental nature is very difficult to understand unless one is influenced by the presence of Your transcendental form.

COMMENTARY

“Some people conclude that My form is material sattva guṇa.” This verse is spoken to answer this challenge.

 

idam: this; The demigods point at the womb of Devakī with an index finger and say, “Oh Lord! If this form of Yours was material sattva and not nijam sattvam or suddha sattva (beyond material contamination), then there would be an absence (mārjanam apa) of devotees realizing Your spiritual form.”

 

vijñānam: transcendental knowledge; “The realization of the devotees is the proof of the Lord’s spiritual form. What do they realize? By realizing that Your body is completely spiritual, material bondage (ajñāna) gets extinguished (bhidā).

 

“One should have no doubt about the reality of their realization. There is also more evidence about the Lord’s spiritual form. By the strong influence of Your qualities, the manifestation of Your mercy in the form of prema (guṇa prakāsaiḥ), and Your grace appearing in our minds, we must conclude that Your body is not material.”

 

prakāśate yasya guṇaḥ: reveal Your qualities; “Those qualities manifest from a person possessing spiritual nature, not from matter. It is You who have those qualities. There must be some person to manifest those qualities, for matter alone cannot do that.”

 

yena vā: by which, either; “It is by the agency of suddha sattva that these qualities must manifest, not by the agency of matter.”

 

Another meaning is this: “If Your suddha sattva body were never to manifest, then the realization which destroys ignorance would not take place. If Your body were material, then You could be inferred by the use of material intelligence (guna prakāśaih). He who possesses matter, and by whose intelligence matter manifests would be called the Lord.”

 

|| 10.2.36 ||

na nāma-rūpe guṇa-janma-karmabhir nirūpitavye tava tasya sākṣiṇaḥ

mano-vacobhyām anumeya-vartmano deva kriyāyāṁ pratiyanty athāpi hi

TRANSLATION

O Lord, Your transcendental name and form are not ascertained by those who merely speculate on the path of imagination. Your name, form and attributes can be ascertained only through devotional service.

COMMENTARY

“Not only Your form is suddha sattva but also Your name. Your transcendental name and form can be realized only by devotion. There is no other way.” Thus this verse is spoken.

guṇa: attributes; refers to Kṛṣṇa’s beautiful form and merciful glance.

karma: pastimes; refers to lifting Govardhana Hill, and artistically standing in a three-fold bending pose. janma: appearance; refers to Kṛṣṇa’s role as the son of Nanda and Vasudeva.

 

“Even by chanting Your name or meditating on Your form, the casual observer (sākṣiṇaḥ) cannot discern or realize Your sweetness, nor perceive Your qualities, birth and activities. If one fails to realize the sweetness of Your name or form, he has not attained any realization at all. It is like those afflicted with jaundice: though chewing sugar candy, they cannot taste the sweetness. Similarly, those devoid of devotion cannot realize the sweetness of Your name and form. Therefore, Your name and form must also be suddha sattva, purely spiritual.”

 

sākṣiṇaḥ: can also refer to the Supreme Lord, the supreme witness.

“Because Your name and form are part of Your spiritual nature, those pursuing the path of speculation (anumeya-vartmano) cannot know Your true form. However, if one serves You by hearing and chanting Your names with devotion (kriyāyāṁ), he will directly realize Your spiritual name and form. This can be inferred through the mind and words of the devotee.”

 

mano-vacobhyām: mind and words; “By mind (mano) the pure qualities of tolerance and humility are inferred. The word (vacobhyām) means utterances steeped in devotion, such as mano’ravindaksa didrksaye tvam. vartmanah: path; means of the person who has attained prema-bhakti.

 

|| 10.2.37 ||

śṛṇvan gṛṇan saṁsmarayaṁś ca cintayan nāmāni rūpāṇi ca maṅgalāni te

kriyāsu yas tvac-caraṇāravindayor āviṣṭa-cetā na bhavāya kalpate

TRANSLATION

Even while engaged in various activities, devotees whose minds are completely absorbed at Your lotus feet, and who constantly hear, chant, contemplate and cause others to remember Your transcendental names and forms, are always on the transcendental platform, and thus they can understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

COMMENTARY

This verse points out that practice of hearing, glorifying and remembering the name and form of the Lord is the means for realization of the Lord.

 

kriyāsu: engaged in devotional service; This word indicates that even in the midst of matters relating to one’s material body, the devotee is not affected by the material world, but remains deeply absorbed in the happiness of his realization of the Lord.

 

|| 10.2.38 ||

diṣṭyā hare ’syā bhavataḥ pado bhuvo

bhāro ’panītas tava janmaneśituḥ

diṣṭyāṅkitāṁ tvat-padakaiḥ suśobhanair
drakṣyāma gāṁ dyāṁ ca tavānukampitām

TRANSLATION

O Lord, we are fortunate because the heavy burden of the demons upon this earth is immediately removed by Your appearance. Indeed, we are certainly fortunate, for we shall be able to see upon this earth and in the heavenly planets the marks of lotus, conchshell, club and disc that adorn Your lotus feet.

COMMENTARY

In this verse the demigods hint at the Lord’s purpose of relieving the earth’s burden.

pada: place; means coming from the feet as the Śruti says, padbhyam bhumi, “The earth arose from the Lord’s feet.”

 

“The burden of the earth, which arose from Your feet, has been removed. We have understood that Kaṁsa, Jarāsandha and others have been killed just by Your appearance. padakaiḥ: lotus feet; means very tender feet, and suśobhanaih means marked with the flag and thunderbolt. Gām means earth and dyām means Svarga, heaven. “We are fortunate to see the earth and heaven mercifully marked with Your tender lotus feet.”

 

|| 10.2.39 ||

na te ’bhavasyeśa bhavasya kāraṇaṁ

vinā vinodaṁ bata tarkayāmahe

bhavo nirodhaḥ sthitir apy avidyayā

kṛtā yatas tvayy abhayāśrayātmani

TRANSLATION

O Supreme Lord, You are not an ordinary living entity appearing in this material world as a result of fruitive activities. Therefore Your appearance or birth in this world has no other cause than Your pleasure potency. Similarly, the living entities, who are part of You, have no cause for miseries like birth, death and old age, except when these living entities are conducted by Your external energy.

COMMENTARY

“We have said that You have appeared for protecting us, but that is only a pretense. You perform Your birth and activities independently for Your own purpose. Though You are unborn (abhavasya), You appear in the world. We cannot determine the cause because (yataḥ) the creation, maintenance and destruction (bhavo nirodhah sthitih) are carried out by māyā (avidyayā), which takes shelter of You (tvayi āśrayātmani).”

 

Śrī Kṛṣṇa is called abhaya or instilling fearlessness, because by remembering Him the fear of the demons like Kaṁsa disappears. Therefore there is no necessity of the Lord personally appearing to kill Kaṁsa.

 

|| 10.2.40 ||

matsyāśva-kacchapa-nṛsiṁha-varāha-haṁsa-

rājanya-vipra-vibudheṣu kṛtāvatāraḥ

tvaṁ pāsi nas tri-bhuvanaṁ ca yathādhuneśa

bhāraṁ bhuvo hara yadūttama vandanaṁ te

TRANSLATION

O supreme controller, Your Lordship previously accepted incarnations as a fish, a horse, a tortoise, Narasiṁhadeva, a boar, a swan, Lord Rāmacandra, Paraśurāma and, among the demigods, Vāmanadeva, to protect the entire world by Your mercy. Now please protect us again by Your mercy by diminishing the disturbances in this world. O Kṛṣṇa, best of the Yadus, we respectfully offer our obeisances unto You.

COMMENTARY

“Please put aside all our talks of suffering caused by our fickle minds. Previously You protected us by taking various forms, so now do the same to remove the burden of the earth. That will be the same as protecting us.”

 

Speaking thus, the demigods then touched their heads to the earth in respect.

|| 10.2.41 ||

diṣṭyāmba te kukṣi-gataḥ paraḥ pumān aṁśena sākṣād bhagavān bhavāya naḥ

mābhūd bhayaṁ bhoja-pater mumūrṣor goptā yadūnāṁ bhavitā tavātmajaḥ

 

TRANSLATION

O mother Devakī, by your good fortune and ours, the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself, with all His plenary portions, such as Baladeva, is now within your womb. Therefore you need not fear Kaṁsa, who has decided to be killed by the Lord. Your eternal son, Kṛṣṇa, will be the protector of the entire Yadu dynasty.

COMMENTARY

To console Devakī, the demigods now praise her. “Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa has appeared in your womb along with Baladeva (aṁśena).” Or it can mean, “The Lord (sākṣāt bhagavān), whose aṁśa is the paraḥ pumān, and who glances over prakṛti has appeared now in your womb.”

 

bhavāya: means for auspiciousness. “The Lord, whose part is Maha-Viṣṇu, has appeared in your womb to bestow auspiciousness on us.”

 

|| 10.2.42 ||

śrī-śuka uvāca

ity abhiṣṭūya puruṣaṁ yad-rūpam anidaṁ yathā

brahmeśānau purodhāya devāḥ pratiyayur divam

TRANSLATION

After thus offering prayers to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Viṣṇu, the Transcendence, all the demigods, with Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva before them, returned to their homes in the heavenly planets.

COMMENTARY

anidaṁ: means non-material, transcendental. purodhāya: keep in front; After praising the Lord whose form is transcendental, the demigods, thinking that Brahmā and Śiva would see some wonderful pastimes that they would miss, kept Brahmā and Śiva in front and then departed for the heavenly abodes.

 

Thus ends the commentary on the Second Chapter of the Tenth Canto of the Bhāgavatam for the pleasure of the devotees, in accordance with the previous ācāryas.

 

Chapter Three

 

|| 10.3.1-5 ||

śrī-śuka uvāca

atha sarva-guṇopetaḥ kālaḥ parama-śobhanaḥ

yarhy evājana-janmarkṣaṁ śāntarkṣa-graha-tārakam

diśaḥ prasedur gaganaṁ nirmaloḍu-gaṇodayam

mahī maṅgala-bhūyiṣṭha-pura-grāma-vrajākarā

nadyaḥ prāsanna-salilā hradā jalaruha-śriyaḥ

dvijāli-kula-sannāda-stavakā vana-rājayaḥ

vavau vāyuḥ sukha-sparśaḥ puṇya-gandhavahaḥ śuciḥ

agnayaś ca dvijātīnāṁ śāntās tatra samindhata

manāṁsy āsan prāsannāni sādhūnām asura-druhām

jāyamāne ’jane tasmin nedur dundubhayaḥ samam