Infallible Kṛṣṇa, the Lord of the devotees, will soon return to Vraja to satisfy His parents.

COMMENTARY

Kṛṣṇa’s father Nanda Mahārāja, having thus controlled himself by the strength of his gravity, was now able to honor Uddhava properly as guest, to look at him directly, to recognize him, inquire about his well-being, and to speak about Kṛṣṇa’s godly qualities.

 

Kṛṣṇa’s mother Yaśodā, however, who was drowning in the whirlpools of the ocean of unsteadiness, could not offer any hospitality to Uddhava. This is expressed in this verse. From the very day that Kṛṣṇa had left for Mathurā, tears fell continuously from Yaśodā’s eyes and milk dripped from her breasts. Even though she was being counseled by hundreds of women and men, Yaśodā would just say, “I don’t want to see anything except the face of my son.” At every moment, Yaśodā kept her eyes closed and cried constantly drenching her clothing. Thus she could not recognize Uddhava, treat him with parental affection, ask him any questions or give him any message for her son. Her breasts (payodharā) flowed profusely with milk out of affection for her son. Payodharā also means cloud. Yaśodā was like a cloud showering the rain of tears and milk.

 

|| 10.46.29 ||

tayor itthaṁ bhagavati kṛṣṇe nanda-yaśodayoḥ

vīkṣyānurāgaṁ paramaṁ nandam āhoddhavo mudā

TRANSLATION

Uddhava then joyfully addressed Nanda Mahārāja, having clearly seen the supreme loving attraction he and Yaśodā felt for Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

COMMENTARY

Although Uddhava was already familiar with high levels of prema, now he clearly observed (vīksya) Nanda and Yaśodā’s intense loving attraction for Kṛṣṇa. Seeing that both in quantity and quality their love was superior to that of Vasudeva and Devakī, Uddhava became filled with bliss and thought, “Now my life has become successful, having seen such love.” Thus Uddhava was joyful even at seeing their anguish, which was actually another form of loving ecstasy.

 

|| 10.46.30 ||

śrī-uddhava uvāca

yuvāṁ ślāghyatamau nūnaṁ dehinām iha māna-da

nārāyaṇe ’khila-gurau yat kṛtā matir īdṛśī

TRANSLATION

Śrī Uddhava said: O respectful Nanda, certainly you and mother Yaśodā are the most praiseworthy persons in the entire world, since you have developed such a loving attitude toward Lord Nārāyaṇa, the spiritual master of all living beings.

COMMENTARY

Uddhava said, “Among all praiseworthy devotees in this world, Vasudeva and Devakī are especially so, but you two are most praiseworthy because of the superiority of your prema.” Nanda already said in verse twenty-three that he knew that Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma were gods. Knowing that Nanda appreciated Kṛṣṇa’s lordly aspect, Uddhava describes Kṛṣṇa in this verse as Nārāyaṇa, the guru of everyone. He does this to emphasize Kṛṣṇa’s power, and to sympathize with Nanda and Yaśodā’s sentiments.

 

|| 10.46.31 ||

etau hi viśvasya ca bīja-yonī rāmo mukundaḥ puruṣaḥ pradhānam

anvīya bhūteṣu vilakṣaṇasya jñānasya ceśāta imau purāṇau

TRANSLATION

These two Lords, Mukunda and Balarāma, are each the seed and womb of the universe, the creator and His creative potency. They enter the hearts of living beings and control their conditioned awareness. They are the primeval Supreme.

COMMENTARY

In this verse Uddhava describes how Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma are Nārāyaṇa and the spiritual masters of everyone. As the Lord (aṁśī) and His expansions (aṁśa) are nondifferent, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma (etau), though appearing as two entities, are actually one. This is confirmed by Akrūra who said, bahu-mūrty-eka-mūrtikam, “Kṛṣṇa, though of one form, appears as many.”(SB 10.40.7)

 

Uddhava said, “Both of Them are the seed and the womb of the universe, both of Them assume the forms of the immediate and ingredient cause, and both are the puruṣa and the pradhāna, since the potency and the potent are essentially one.”

 

This is as stated in the (SB 11.24.19):

 

prakṛtir yasyopādānam ādhāraḥ puruṣaḥ paraḥ

sato ’bhivyañjakaḥ kālo brahma tat tritayaṁ tv aham

 

“The material universe may be considered real, having nature as its original ingredient and final state. Lord Mahā-Viṣṇu is the resting place of nature, which becomes manifest by the power of time. Thus nature, the almighty Viṣṇu and time are not different from Me, the Supreme Absolute Truth.”

 

Uddhava said, “Entering as the indwelling Supersoul within all beings, They control the living entity, whose knowledge is separate. They mercifully grant knowledge of the Personality of Godhead (bhagavān) to the devotees and knowledge of Brahman (vilakṣaṇasya-jñānasya) to the jñānis.”

 

This point is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā (10.10):

 

teṣām satata-yuktānām, bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam,

dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ taṁ, yena mām upayānti te

 

“To those who are constantly devoted to serving Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me.”

 

And in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (8.24.38):

madīyaṁ mahimānaṁ ca paraṁ brahmeti śabditam

vetsyasy anugṛhītaṁ me sampraśnair vivṛtaṁ hṛdi

 

“You will be thoroughly advised and favored by Me, and because of your inquiries, everything about My glories, which are known as paraṁ brahma, will be manifest within your heart. Thus you will know everything about Me.”

 

The word ca implies that Kṛṣṇa also gives mundane knowledge of how to attain heaven (Svargaloka), and other material destinations to the karmīs.

 

|| 10.46.32-33 ||

yasmin janaḥ prāṇa-viyoga-kāle kṣanaṁ samāveśya mano ’viśuddham

nirhṛtya karmāśayam āśu yāti parāṁ gatiṁ brahma-mayo ’rka-varṇaḥ

tasmin bhavantāv akhilātma-hetau nārāyaṇe kāraṇa-martya-mūrtau

bhāvaṁ vidhattāṁ nitarāṁ mahātman kiṁ vāvaśiṣṭaṁ yuvayoḥ su-kṛtyam

TRANSLATION

Anyone, even a person in an impure state, who absorbs his mind in Him for just a moment at the time of death burns up all traces of sinful reactions and immediately attains the supreme transcendental destination in a pure, spiritual form as effulgent as the sun. You two have rendered exceptional loving service to Him, Lord Nārāyaṇa, the Supersoul of all and the cause of all existence, the great soul who, although the original cause of everything, has a humanlike form. What pious deeds could still be required of you?

COMMENTARY

Uddhava said, “After burning up (nirhṛtya) all traces of karma, one goes to Vaikuṇṭha (parāṁ gatim) in a pure spiritual body (brahma-mayaḥ), bright as the sun (arka-varṇaḥ). You two have rendered devotion to Nārāyaṇa, who is the soul of all and the cause of all causes, even though He appeared in the form of a human. For you, therefore, what activities remain to be done?”

 

The word su-kṛtyam (required pious activity) indicates that for Nanda and Yaśodā nothing remains to be done. But for Kṛṣṇa there remains the work of consoling and pacifying them, and being obedient to them.

 

|| 10.46.34 ||

āgamiṣyaty adīrgheṇa kālena vrajam acyutaḥ

priyaṁ vidhāsyate pitror bhagavān sātvatāṁ patiḥ

TRANSLATION