For many reasons, this beautiful son of yours sometimes appeared previously as the son of Vasudeva. Therefore, those who are learned sometimes call this child Vāsudeva.

TRANSLATION

Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: O Mahārāja Parīkṣit, the priest of the Yadu dynasty, namely Gargamuni, who was highly elevated in austerity and penance, was then inspired by Vasudeva to go see Nanda Mahārāja at his home.

COMMENTARY

This chapter describes Kṛṣṇa’s name giving ceremony, His crawling and stealing butter, His eating dirt and displaying the universal form. After telling how Kṛṣṇa killed a series of demons up to Tṛṇāvarta, Śukadeva remembered Kṛṣṇa’s name giving ceremony, which took place before the killing of Tṛṇāvarta, and then narrated the story.

 

|| 10.8.2 ||

taṁ dṛṣṭvā parama-prītaḥ pratyutthāya kṛtāñjaliḥ

ānarcādhokṣaja-dhiyā praṇipāta-puraḥsaram

TRANSLATION

When Nanda Mahārāja saw Gargamuni present at his home, Nanda was so pleased that he stood up to receive him with folded hands. Although seeing Gargamuni with his eyes, Nanda Mahārāja could appreciate that Gargamuni was adhokṣaja; that is, he was not an ordinary person seen by material senses.

|| 10.8.3 ||

sūpaviṣṭaṁ kṛtātithyaṁ girā sūnṛtayā munim

nandayitvābravīd brahman pūrṇasya karavāma kim

TRANSLATION

When Gargamuni had been properly received as a guest and was very comfortably seated, Nanda Mahārāja submitted with gentle and submissive words: Dear sir, because you are a devotee, you are full in everything. Yet my duty is to serve you. Kindly order me. What can I do for you?

COMMENTARY

Nanda Mahārāja said, “Since you are complete and fully satisfied within yourself, what service can we possibly render to you? We can do nothing.” Or taking the word kim as a question, the sentence can mean, “Do you want something, though you are perfect within yourself? Please tell us and we will try to do that.”

 

If we take the first meaning, then Gargamuni would answer, “Coming to your house is pointless.” If we take the second sentence, then Gargamuni would reply, “Since I am perfect, what can you do for me.” But one should not think in this way. In both cases coming to Nanda’s house is not pointless, for welcoming a saintly person in a house is very valuable. One can see in the scriptures how Sanat-kumāra came to Pṛthu’s house, and Vāmana came to Bali’s house to bestow their mercy. In this mood Nanda speaks verse three.

 

|| 10.8.4 ||

mahad-vicalanaṁ nṝṇāṁ gṛhiṇāṁ dīna-cetasām

niḥśreyasāya bhagavān kalpate nānyathā kvacit

TRANSLATION

O my lord, O great devotee, persons like you move from one place to another not for their own interests but for the sake of poor-hearted gṛhasthas [householders]. Otherwise they have no interest in going from one place to another.

COMMENTARY

When great saints leave their āśramas and travel outside they bring the highest fortune to the householders. Such mercy is beneficial and necessary for the gṛhasthas on earth but not for the brahmacārīs or the demigods. Gṛhasthas who are humble and think themselves lower than the grass (dīna-cetasām) can receive mercy from the wandering mendicants. But proud, hard-hearted gṛhasthas with crooked mentalities can never receive mercy from the saints.

 

|| 10.8.5 ||

jyotiṣām ayanaṁ sākṣād yat taj jñānam atīndriyam

praṇītaṁ bhavatā yena pumān veda parāvaram

TRANSLATION

O great saintly person, you have compiled the astrological knowledge by which one can understand past and present unseen things. By the strength of this knowledge, any human being can understand what he has done in his past life and how it affects his present life. This is known to you.

COMMENTARY

In this verse Nanda Mahārāja begins to intimate his desire to Gargamuni about the nāma karaṇa (name giving ceremony) of his son. Nanda Mahārāja said, “Not only do you know the treatise (ayanaṁ) about the planets (jyotiṣām) from which (yat) one can get knowledge beyond gross sense perception, but you have compiled (praṇīta) it as well. By astrology one can know the past (avara) and future (para) of any human being. By examining the charts of this son born to me in my old age, and seeing the lines on His hands and feet please tell all the auspicious and inauspicious events of the child’s future.”

 

|| 10.8.6 ||

tvaṁ hi brahmā-vidāṁ śreṣṭhaḥ saṁskārān kartum arhasi

bālayor anayor nṝṇāṁ janmanā brāhmaṇo guruḥ

TRANSLATION

My lord, you are the best of the brāhmaṇas, especially because you are fully aware of the jyotiḥ-śāstra, the astrological science. Therefore you are naturally the spiritual master of every human being. This being so, since you have kindly come to my house, kindly execute the reformatory activities for my two sons.

COMMENTARY

Nanda Mahārāja continued, “Such a great personality coming to my house is just for my benefit. The benefit is twofold: for the present life and the future life. Of the two, I am now requesting you to deliver the auspiciousness of this present life.” Thus Nanda Mahārāja begins to speak: “You are not only the best among astrologers, but you are also the best among those who know God. You are most qualified to perform the necessary saṁskāras (purificatory rites) because you are expert in telling the future and in chanting mantras.”

 

Gargamuni says, “But these functions should be done by the guru.”

 

Nanda Mahārāja replies, “Just by their birth the brāhmaṇas are the spiritual masters for all human beings.”

 

|| 10.8.7 ||

śrī-garga uvāca

yadūnām aham ācāryaḥ khyātaś ca bhuvi sarvadā

sutaṁ mayā saṁskṛtaṁ te manyate devakī-sutam

TRANSLATION

Gargamuni said: My dear Nanda Mahārāja, I am the priestly guide of the Yadu dynasty. This is known everywhere. Therefore, if I perform the purificatory process for your sons, Kaṁsa will consider Them the sons of Devakī.

COMMENTARY

Garga speaks to advise that the saṁskāras must be done secretly because of danger to himself and Nanda from Kaṁsa: “Nanda Mahārāja, you are actually a member of the Yadu dynasty, but you are not known as a Yadu because you are not a kṣatriya. However, I am well known as the priest of the Yadus. Therefore, if I don’t do this ceremony secretly there will be a lot of doubts.”

 

|| 10.8.8-9 ||

kaṁsaḥ pāpa-matiḥ sakhyaṁ tava cānakadundubheḥ

devakyā aṣṭamo garbho na strī bhavitum arhati

iti sañcintayañ chrutvā devakyā dārikā-vacaḥ

api hantā gatāśaṅkas tarhi tan no ’nayo bhavet

TRANSLATION

Kaṁsa is both a great diplomat and a very sinful man. Therefore, having heard from Yogamāyā, the daughter of Devakī, that the child who will kill him has already been born somewhere else, having heard that the eighth pregnancy of Devakī could not bring forth a female child, and having understood your friendship with Vasudeva, Kaṁsa, upon hearing that the purificatory process has been performed by me, the priest of the Yadu dynasty, may certainly consider all these points and suspect that Kṛṣṇa is the son of Devakī and Vasudeva. Then he might take steps to kill Kṛṣṇa. That would be a catastrophe.

COMMENTARY

Gargamuni continued, “Everyone everywhere will think this. Especially Kaṁsa will pursue this matter.”

 

Nanda Mahārāja replied, “But will Kaṁsa, being a brahmāvādī, actually kill you?”

Garga: “Yes, because Kaṁsa is a sinful person (pāpamatiḥ) he will kill people like us. He will certainly do it. Because he has already committed violence against your friend (sakhyaṁ) Vasudeva, he will do the same to you. His demoniac intelligence will begin to act.

 

“When Kaṁsa heard the words of Devakī’s daughter, he thought: ‘It is not possible that the eighth child of Devakī is a girl. My enemy Viṣṇu has certainly been born to Devakī, but by the arrangement of Vasudeva, He was taken to the house of his friend Nanda. My worshipable deity Durgā, who has taken the role of Devakī’s daughter, said that He who will kill me has already taken birth somewhere. Having ambiguously stated that Viṣṇu was not born to Devakī, but somewhere else, Durgā has hinted to me that I should search everywhere and quickly kill Him.’

 

“While thinking in this way and engrossed in looking for his enemy, Kaṁsa, upon hearing about my performance of the nāma karaṇa, may conclude that Vasudeva’s son is in Nanda’s house, and he will come here to kill the child. This will then be a great fault on my part.”

 

|| 10.8.10 ||

śrī-nanda uvāca

alakṣito ’smin rahasi māmakair api go-vraje

kuru dvijāti-saṁskāraṁ svasti-vācana-pūrvakam

TRANSLATION

Nanda Mahārāja said: My dear great sage, if you think that your performing this process of purification will make Kaṁsa suspicious, then secretly chant the Vedic hymns and perform the purifying process of second birth here in the cow shed of my house, without the knowledge of anyone else, even my relatives, for this process of purification is essential.

COMMENTARY

“By good fortune you have come to my house. When will I again receive such an ācārya as you? Today we will do only what is minimally required by the śāstras, and have all the other festivities with music done on another day.” Thinking in this way, Nanda speaks this verse.

māmakair: indicates that not even Nanda’s brothers should know.

 

go vraja: the cow pen is a pure place, and therefore it does not need cleaning. rahasi: means that they will not allow entrance for the workers who usually come into the sheds to take the cows for pasturing. dvijāti: indicates that Balarāma was a kṣatriya and Kṛṣṇa a vaiśya, so both were eligible for the nāma karaṇa saṁskāras. svasti vācana: means that the punyayaha, svasti and riddhi mantras should be recited three times. They must be recited before all auspicious rituals.

 

|| 10.8.11 ||

śrī-śuka uvāca

evaṁ samprārthito vipraḥ sva-cikīrṣitam eva tat

cakāra nāma-karaṇaṁ gūḍho rahasi bālayoḥ

TRANSLATION

Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: Having thus been especially requested by Nanda Mahārāja to do that which he already desired to do, Gargamuni performed the name-giving ceremony for Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma in a solitary place.

 

|| 10.8.12 ||

śrī-garga uvāca

ayaṁ hi rohiṇī-putro ramayan suhṛdo guṇaiḥ

ākhyāsyate rāma iti balādhikyād balaṁ viduḥ

yadūnām apṛthag-bhāvāt saṅkarṣaṇam uśanty api

TRANSLATION

Gargamuni said: This child, the son of Rohiṇī, will give all happiness to His relatives and friends by His transcendental qualities. Therefore He will be known as Rāma. And because He will manifest extraordinary bodily strength, He will also be known as Bala. Moreover, because He unites two families—Vasudeva’s family and the family of Nanda Mahārāja—He will be known as Saṅkarṣaṇa.

COMMENTARY

Gargamuni speaks, “O Nanda, because your linage and Vasudeva’s are the same, and because Balarāma will unite your two families, He will be called Saṅkarṣaṇa.”

 

The Hari-vaṁśa says, “Amongst all the Yadus, you [Nanda Mahārāja] are most dear to me.” Garga did not reveal here that Balarāma was transferred (ākarṣaṇa) from the womb of Devakī to Rohiṇī, and thus given the name Saṅkarṣaṇa for that reason.

 

|| 10.8.13 ||

āsan varṇās trayo hy asya gṛhṇato ’nuyugaṁ tanūḥ

śuklo raktas tathā pīta idānīṁ kṛṣṇatāṁ gataḥ

TRANSLATION

Your son Kṛṣṇa appears as an incarnation in every millennium. In the past, He assumed three different colors—white, red and yellow—and now He has appeared in a blackish color. [In another Dvāpara-yuga, He appeared (as Lord Rāmacandra) in the color of śuka, a parrot.] All such incarnations have now assembled in Kṛṣṇa.]

COMMENTARY

In this verse Garga tells Nanda that his son is a mahāpurusa, great personality. “Your son appears in every yuga and has assumed three different colors: red, white and yellow.”

gṛhṇato: indicates that Kṛṣṇa accepts by His own will. “Now (idānīṁ) at the end of Dvāpara-yuga, He has taken the form of Kṛṣṇa.’’ That is what Garga wants to convey to Nanda.

 

The actual meaning however is hidden. Pointing his finger at Nanda’s son, Gargamuni indicates that the white, red and yellow color forms are Kṛṣṇa’s parts or aṁśas, and now He has appeared in His full form as the avatāri, the source of all avatāras (kṛṣṇatam gatah). Or the sentence can mean: “The white, red and yellow forms, indicating all the manvantara-avatāras, līlā-avatāras and purusa-avatāras, are all included in the Kṛṣṇa (kṛṣṇatam gatah). The original form of the Lord has now appeared with all the aṁśas within Himself.”

 

The Eleventh Canto of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam states that the Lord comes in Satya-yuga in a white color, a red color in Tretā-yuga, a blackish color in Dvāpara-yuga, and a black color in Kali-yuga. Specific colors and names are linked to specific yugas. Taking that statement into account, then does the yellow color mentioned in this verse belong to an avatāra or not? One should not say that because the word āsan means past tense for three avatāras, that yellow can refer to a fourth avatāra appearing in Dvāpara-yuga. We could claim that the word śyāma in the Eleventh Canto should read pīta, or that pīta (yellow) in the present verse should mean śyāma by taking the word apīta (not yellow) from the sandhi of tatha and apīta (not yellow or pale), with the meaning of śyāma in the present verse, But then there is still the problem of the three colored forms, white, red and black.

 

The word tanūḥ is in plural, not singular or dual. Kṛṣṇa appears in three successive yugas. He also appears in Dvāpara-yuga out of order, because according to the Eleventh Canto, Kṛṣṇa should be in Kali-yuga. To have the three colors of avatāras appearing in each of the previous two yugas, and Kṛṣṇa appearing in Dvāpara-yuga, is also not an acceptable proposal. Nor can one claim that idānīm should mean the first part of Kali-yuga, and that Kṛṣṇa appears in Kali-yuga (in agreement with Canto Eleven). It is a well known that Kṛṣṇa appeared at the end of Dvāpara-yuga. According to the Bhāgavatam (1.18.6), Kali-yuga began the very day and moment Śrī Kṛṣṇa left the earth planet.

 

The explanation of the verse above (10.8.13) is as follows: The two words yatha and tatha occur as a pair. Whether they both appear or only one appears, the other must be understood. In this case, the sentence should read: Just as (yatha) now (idānīm) in Dvāpara-yuga the source of all the avatāras appears, and attracts all living entities with His beautiful blackish color (Kṛṣṇata). In Kali-yuga (tatha) as well, during the first part, all the avatāras appear within Him when He takes a yellow form. Idānīm, now, is taken in a slightly broad span, from the end of Dvāpara to the first part of Kali-yuga to apply to the appearance of both avatārīs, namely Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Śrī Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

 

That may be so but did the person with a black color, who is now receiving His nāma karaṇa, appear in a black form before? Does the word idānīm now indicate something new and temporary? The black avatāra is not a temporary phenomenon because He existed before, and now He is making another appearance. Not only the black avatāra, however, all the avatāras existed before. But they are making their appearance now. Therefore the past tense is used (asa). Just as the three colors appeared previously in the yugas, now they manifest. Pointing with his finger, Gargamuni says, “This son of yours (asya) is anuyugam tanu, He who accepts all the avatāra forms yuga after yuga.”

 

Sūta Gosvāmī has stated that the avatāras are countless (avatāra hy asankheya). In the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (10.14.21), Lord Brahmā says: kva vā kathaṁ vā kali vā, “O Lord, how do You accept these unlimited forms?” As this is so, in the twenty-eighth yuga cycle during Dvāpara and Kali-yuga, the avatāri appears in black and yellow forms. At this time, the śyama and kṛṣṇa yuga avatāras appear within the forms of the avatāris.

 

The Lord’s yellow form is mentioned in the Viṣṇu-sahasra-nāma, which appears in Chapter 189 of the Dāna-dharma-parva of Mahābhārata: suvarṇa-varṇo hemāṅgo varāṅgas candanāṅgadī, “In His early pastimes, the Supreme Lord appears as a householder with a golden complexion. His limbs are beautiful, and His body, smeared with the pulp of sandalwood, seems like molten gold.” It further states: sannyāsa-kṛc chamaḥ sānto niṣṭhā-sānti-parāyaṇaḥ, “In His later pastimes, the Supreme Lord accepts the sannyāsā order, and He is equipoised and peaceful. He is the highest abode of peace and devotion, for He silences the impersonalist nondevotees.”

 

Though this is mentioned in Mahābhārata, it is not stated clearly in other places in the śāstra. The reason is that this is a secret matter. Prahlāda Mahārāja states this in an indirect way in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (7.9.38): channaḥ kalau yad abhavas tri-yugo ’tha sa tvam, “Because the Lord appears in a hidden way in Kali-yuga, He is addressed as Triyuga.” The Lord is hidden because He covers His color and mood with other colors and moods so that contempo-rary people cannot recognize Him. The reason for this invisibility is that Kṛṣṇa desired to know the sweetness of Rādhikā’s prema by assuming Rādhā’s body, and taking up Her emotions and color. Although Śrīmatī Rādhikā is the most hidden and secret of all, the Gaudiya Vaiṣṇavas know this very well.

 

It is stated in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (11.5.31-32): nānā-tantra-vidhānena kalāv api tathā śṛṇu...kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣākṛṣṇaṁ;“Now listen to the śāstric rules for worshiping the Lord in Kali-yuga. Although His complexion is not blackish, He is Kṛṣṇa Himself. Intelligent people worship the Lord by loudly chanting His holy names.” The hidden meaning of this pramāṇa (evidence) which appears in the discussion of yugāvatāras is proved as previously in an esoteric way. There are two meanings to this verse (11.5.31): kalāv apī can mean in all Kali-yugas. Or it can mean the particular Kali-yuga during the twenty-eight cycle in Brahmā’s day. King Parīkṣit was already attentive, but nevertheless Śukadeva further attracts his attention by saying tathā śṛṇu, “just hear me.” Because Śukadeva is going to explain the secret meaning of the avatāra described in the scriptures, he tells King Parīksit to pay close attention. In Kali-yuga, the tantras (supplementary Vedic scriptures) are the predominant proof, therefore, Śukadeva refers to them, nānā-tantra-vidhānena.

 

Considering the Bhāgavatam verse (11.5.32): kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣākṛṣṇaṁ, it is seen that whenever the Lord appears in Kali-yuga (once in the day of Brahmā), He appears with a dark (śyāma) complexion. But His transcendental body is not black like a member of the lower class (śūdra). Rather Kṛṣṇa’s transcendental body radiates a superbly beautiful effulgence (tviṣā) which is ākṛṣṇaṁ, brighter than a mound of blue sapphires.

 

A second meaning of the above verse: In the Kali-yuga appearing in the twenty-eighth yuga cycle, the Supreme Lord is of the category (varṇa) of Kṛṣṇa but His effulgence is akṛṣṇa or pīta (yellow). Why yellow? Because in the description of the yugāvatāras, the colors white, red and blackish were previously mentioned. The only color left is pīta, yellow. Therefore kṛṣṇa and pīta combine in one body; inside kṛṣṇa varṇa (the category of Kṛṣṇa) and externally pīta varṇa. Or kṛṣṇa varṇa can mean one who described (varṇana) the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa. The meaning of the rest of the verse (11.5.32) sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam... is clear and the same covered nature described there applies to both interpretations.

 

|| 10.8.14 ||

prāg ayaṁ vasudevasya kvacij jātas tavātmajaḥ

vāsudeva iti śrīmān abhijñāḥ sampracakṣate

TRANSLATION