The young gopīs took the greatest pleasure in seeing Govinda come home, since for them even a moment without His association seemed like a hundred ages.

Chapter Nineteen

Swallowing the Forest Fire

 

|| 10.19.1 ||

śrī-śuka uvāca

krīḍāsakteṣu gopeṣu tad-gāvo dūra-cāriṇīḥ

svairaṁ carantyo viviśus tṛṇa-lobhena gahvaram

TRANSLATION

Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: While the cowherd boys were completely absorbed in playing, their cows wandered far away. They hungered for more grass, and with no one to watch them they entered a dense forest.

COMMENTARY

This chapter describes how Kṛṣṇa saved the cowherd boys from a great fire in the Muñjāraṇya forest while their eyes were closed. Upon opening their eyes, they found themselves at the base of the Bhāṇḍīra banyan tree. While the boys were absorbed in playing, the cows wandered far away (dūracāriṇī) into a dense forest, driven by their greed for more grass.

 

|| 10.19.2 ||

ajā gāvo mahiṣyaś ca nirviśantyo vanād vanam

īṣīkāṭavīṁ nirviviśuḥ krandantyo dāva-tarṣitāḥ

TRANSLATION

Passing from one part of the great forest to another, the goats, cows and buffalo eventually entered an area overgrown with sharp canes. The heat of a nearby forest fire made them thirsty, and they cried out in distress.

COMMENTARY

The cows, buffalos and goats roamed from one forest to another until they came to grove of reeds (īṣīkā). The heat of a nearby forest fire made them thirsty.

 

|| 10.19.3 ||

te ’paśyantaḥ paśūn gopāḥ kṛṣṇa-rāmādayas tadā

jātānutāpā na vidur vicinvanto gavāṁ gatim

TRANSLATION

Not seeing the cows before them, Kṛṣṇa, Rāma and Their cowherd friends suddenly felt repentant for having neglected them. The boys searched all around, but could not discover where they had gone.

COMMENTARY

Not seeing the cows, the boys felt very repentant (jātānutāpā). Their love for the cows covered their knowledge, so they did not know where the animals had gone.

 

|| 10.19.4 ||

tṛṇais tat-khura-dac-chinnair goṣ-padair aṅkitair gavām

mārgam anvagaman sarve naṣṭājīvyā vicetasaḥ

TRANSLATION

Then the boys began tracing out the cows’ path by noting their hoofprints and the blades of grass the cows had broken with their hooves and teeth. All the cowherd boys were in great anxiety because they had lost their source of livelihood.

COMMENTARY

They followed the path of the cows by noting their hoofprints and the grass torn by their teeth. The boys were in great anxiety because they had lost their means of livelihood.

 

|| 10.19.5 ||

muñjāṭavyāṁ bhraṣṭa-mārgaṁ krandamānaṁ sva-godhanam

samprāpya tṛṣitāḥ śrāntās tatas te sannyavartayan

TRANSLATION

Within the Muñjā forest the cowherd boys finally found their valuable cows, who had lost their way and were crying. Then the boys, thirsty and tired, herded the cows onto the path back home.

COMMENTARY

Finding the crying cows and other lost animals in a thicket of reeds, they herded them onto the path home.

 

|| 10.19.6 ||

tā āhūtā bhagavatā megha-gambhīrayā girā

sva-nāmnāṁ ninadaṁ śrutvā pratineduḥ praharṣitāḥ

TRANSLATION

The Supreme Personality of Godhead called out to the animals in a voice that resounded like a rumbling cloud. Hearing the sound of their own names, the cows were overjoyed and called out to the Lord in reply.

COMMENTARY

This verse describes how Kṛṣṇa rescued the cows. When Kṛṣṇa looked at each cow and called out their individual names, they responded by mooing.

 

|| 10.19.7 ||

tataḥ samantād dava-dhūmaketur yadṛcchayābhūt kṣaya-kṛd vanaukasām

samīritaḥ sārathinolbaṇolmukair vilelihānaḥ sthira-jaṅgamān mahān

TRANSLATION

Suddenly a great forest fire appeared on all sides, threatening to destroy all the forest creatures. Like a chariot driver, the wind swept the fire onward, and terrible sparks shot in all directions. Indeed, the great fire extended its tongues of flame toward all moving and nonmoving creatures.

COMMENTARY

Just as Kṛṣṇa, Balarāma and the cowherd boys were about to take their cows back home, a terrible forest fire (dava-dhūmaketu) raged out of control and surrounded them. It is said that this fire was actually a friend of Pralamba. Like a chariot driver (sārathini), the wind whipped the fire into fierce flames.

 

|| 10.19.8 ||

tam āpatantaṁ parito davāgniṁ gopāś ca gāvaḥ prasamīkṣya bhītāḥ

ūcuś ca kṛṣṇaṁ sa-balaṁ prapannā yathā hariṁ mṛtyu-bhayārditā janāḥ

TRANSLATION

As the cows and cowherd boys stared at the forest fire attacking them on all sides, they became fearful. The boys then approached Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma for shelter, just as those who are disturbed by fear of death approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The boys addressed Them as follows.

COMMENTARY

Remembering that Garga Muni had said, “This boy will protect you from all dangers,” the cowherd boys asked Kṛṣṇa why this was happening. The phrase gopāś ca gāva (cowherds and cows) can also be read as gopas sma gāva (the cowherds and certainly the cows), and as gopas sa gāva (the cowherd boys with cows).

 

|| 10.19.9 ||

kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa mahā-vīra he rāmāmogha vikrama

dāvāgninā dahyamānān prapannāṁs trātum arhathaḥ

TRANSLATION

[The cowherd boys said:] O Kṛṣṇa ! Kṛṣṇa! Most powerful one ! O Rāma! You whose prowess never fails! Please save Your devotees, who are about to be burned by this forest fire and have come to take shelter of You!

 

|| 10.19.10 ||

nūnaṁ tvad-bāndhavāḥ kṛṣṇa na cārhanty avasāditum

vayaṁ hi sarva-dharma-jña tvan-nāthās tvat-parāyaṇāḥ

TRANSLATION

Kṛṣṇa! Certainly Your own friends shouldn’t be destroyed. O knower of the nature of all things, we have accepted You as our Lord, and we are souls surrendered unto You!

COMMENTARY

The boys said, “Kṛṣṇa! You should not act so that Your friends experience suffering (avasaditum) like other people.”

 

|| 10.19.11 ||

śrī-śuka uvāca

vaco niśamya kṛpaṇaṁ bandhūnāṁ bhagavān hariḥ

nimīlayata mā bhaiṣṭa  locanānīty abhāṣata

TRANSLATION

Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Hearing these pitiful words from His friends, the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa told them, “Just close your eyes and do not be afraid.”

COMMENTARY

Kṛṣṇa thought, “The boys should not see Me swallowing the fire. It should be done without anyone seeing. Since My friends are so hot and tired, I should place them under the cool shade of the beautiful Bhāṇḍīra tree.” After considering in this way Kṛṣṇa said, “Just close your eyes and don’t be afraid.”

 

The cowherd boys replied, “You must be joking! How can we escape from the forest fire just by closing our eyes?”

 

Kṛṣṇa said, “Do not fear. Today I will use another means to protect you.”

 

|| 10.19.12 ||

tatheti mīlitākṣeṣu bhagavān agnim ulbaṇam

pītvā mukhena tān kṛcchrād yogādhīśo vyamocayat

TRANSLATION

“All right,” the boys replied, and immediately closed their eyes. Then the Supreme Lord, the master of all mystic power, opened His mouth and swallowed the terrible fire, saving His friends from danger.

COMMENTARY

One boy said, “Listen friends! Kṛṣṇa knows everything about the powers of jewels and mantras to remove the effects of poison and fire. But these methods are not effective in the presence of others. Therefore, if we close our eyes then Kṛṣṇa will be alone. That is why He is telling us to close our eyes.” Hearing this, the boys agreed and then closed their eyes.

 

The word bhagavān here indicates that Kṛṣṇa was full of all great powers. Thus though the fire was fierce, He was confident He could swallow it.

 

There is a story that Kṛṣṇa was very thirsty at this time. Therefore, the forest fire, being both afraid and incapable of going against the will of Kṛṣṇa, turned into a very cool and tasty drink. The fire became a small drop on Kṛṣṇa’s tender hand, and then as yogādhīśaḥ (the supreme controller of all mystic power) He drank it.

 

Some say that yogamāyā appeared at this time and she herself took it from Kṛṣṇa’s hand and swallowed it, but this interpretation gives sorrow to the truthful devotee. In the word yogādhīśo, yoga refers to yogamāyā and ādīśa means the master. Therefore Kṛṣṇa, the master of yogamāyā, swallowed the fire in His mouth.

 

Mukhena (with His mouth) can also mean method. By what method did Kṛṣṇa swallow the fire? Since Kṛṣṇa is yogādhīsa, He used the method of yoga and employed His aiśvarya-śakti to swallow the fire. The word (kṛcchrāt) indicates the boys were suffering from intense fatigue, hunger and thirst. Kṛṣṇa delivered them from these difficulties by immediately bringing them under the cooling shelter of the Bhāṇḍīra tree.

 

|| 10.19.13 ||

tataś ca te ’kṣīṇy unmīlya punar bhāṇḍīram āpitāḥ

niśamya vismitā āsann ātmānaṁ gāś ca mocitāḥ

TRANSLATION

The cowherd boys opened their eyes and were amazed to find not only that they and the cows had been saved from the terrible fire but that they had all been brought back to the Bhāṇḍīra tree.

COMMENTARY

Then Kṛṣṇa said, “O friends! You can open your eyes now. I have prevented the fire.” The boys were astonished to see how they and the cows had been saved from the terrible fire.

 

|| 10.19.14 ||

kṛṣṇasya yoga-vīryaṁ tad yoga-māyānubhāvitam

dāvāgner ātmanaḥ kṣemaṁ vīkṣya te menire ’maram

TRANSLATION

When the cowherd boys saw that they had been saved from the forest fire by the Lord’s mystic power, which is manifested by His internal potency, they began to think that Kṛṣṇa must be a demigod.

COMMENTARY

This verse shows that though the cowherd boys had seen Kṛṣṇa’s amazing power, that awareness could not cover the sweetness of their sakhya-prema (ecstatic loving friendship), as was the case of Arjuna and others. Yogavīrya means the power to attain or achieve extraordinary things. The miracle of getting saved from the fire was caused by Kṛṣṇa’s yogamāyā-śakti. After seeing Kṛṣṇa’s supernatural power, the cowherd boys thought Kṛṣṇa might be a demigod (amara), since He had done something impossible for a human being. Nevertheless, the boys considered, “Because we are Kṛṣṇa’s friends we are on the same level with Him, therefore, we must also be demigods.” Thinking like this, Kṛṣṇa’s cowherd friends became overwhelmed with bliss.

 

|| 10.19.15 ||

gāḥ sannivartya sāyāhne saha-rāmo janārdanaḥ

veṇuṁ viraṇayan goṣṭham agād gopair abhiṣṭutaḥ

TRANSLATION

It was now late in the afternoon, and Lord Kṛṣṇa, accompanied by Balarāma, turned the cows back toward home. Playing His flute in a special way, Kṛṣṇa returned to the cowherd village in the company of His cowherd friends, who chanted His glories.

COMMENTARY

Janārdana suggests two things. Ardana means pain and request. Kṛṣṇa caused pain (ardana) to the residents (jana) of the forest when He decided to return home. Being anxious to meet the residents (jana) of Vraja, Kṛṣṇa made the desire to request (ardana) Him to come home arise in their hearts. Janārdana, who pained the forest dwellers by leaving them, and who caused the Vrajavāsīs to request His return, entered the village playing a special tune on His celebrated flute.

 

|| 10.19.16 ||

gopīnāṁ paramānanda āsīd govinda-darśane

kṣaṇaṁ yuga-śatam iva yāsāṁ yena vinābhavat

TRANSLATION