Brahma's Prayers to Lord Krishna

This chapter relates how Brahma, immersed in the great ocean of Krsna’s sweetness mixed with respect, in the ocean of devotion and knowledge, praises Krsna with affection and asks questions. I am not afraid if the real devotees, engaged in taking the heap of jewels and thereby deriving great bliss, mock my stance of selling jewels (taking a few jewels). Meditating with determination solely upon the lotus feet of my guru, my mind desires to cross of the ocean of Brahma’s prayers.

After having attained firm devotion at the lotus feet of Krsna, realizing directly the son of the cowherd king as the source of all forms of eternity knowledge and bliss, Brahma began to praise Krsna profusely.

Most worthy of praise (idye), Vasudeva, the source of thousands of forms, praised by all from Brahma (right now) down to the grass, I praise you with verse, in order to attain you. I offer these praises to you. Or, I praise you in order to please you.

I praise you who have a body tinted like the rain cloud, with cloth the color of lightning. These phrases suggest two things: the earth gets relief from heat through the cloud of Krsna’s rain, and the cataka bird devotee gets life sustenance from the rain cloud of Krsna. You are decorated with gunja berry ornaments in your hair and flower ornaments in your ears and hair. On the top of your head is a peacock feather. This description reveals the superiority of the gunja berries of Vrndavana to the jewels of Vaikuntha. The forest garland around his neck, made of local leaves and flowers, is superior to those made of flowers of the parijata from svarga loka. By mentioning the curd rice in his hand, his stick and horn, Braham indicates the superiority of the appearance of the cowherd boy over all others. In mentioning his soft feet, he indicates that those wandering in the forest become filled with ecstasy on seeing those foot prints. Mentioning that Krsna is the son of a cowherad (pasupa anga ja), he indicates that the superior fortune of Nanda over Vasudeva.

Krsna’s objection: “Hear me Lord Brahma! You are the master of all powers in this universe, while I am but the son of a forest cowherd man. You are an ancient figure, and I am but a small boy. You are knowledgeable of all the Vedas, and endowed with the highest conduct, whereas I as a keeper of cows am ignorant, without knowledge of proper conduct, so that I even run around with some yogurt rice in my hand. You are the supreme Lord, controller of all illusion, full of bliss, whereas I am bewildered by your illusion, and wander about the forest in grief for lost calves. Thus I am not qualified for your praise.”

Fearing such objections from Krsna, Brahma began to speak, revealing his repentance for committing offense to Krsna out of ignorance. “I cannot understand (avasitum) the greatness of your body, which appears foolish, engaged in childish play, what to speak of your pastimes of kaisora age. If I cannot understand the greatness of your body, what to speak of the extent of happiness that you experience in your mind by herding the calves.

If I cannot comprehend the happiness that your cowherd friends experience, what to say of the happiness that you experience directly? If one who is controlled in mind cannot understand that happiness what to say of those with uncontrolled minds?”

In this way five levels of ignorance have been expressed. Brahma describes Krsna’s body in this way to indicate that he cannot understand him by study of scripture, austerity or yoga. He is understood only by mercy. “Your greatness is shown through your mercy to me who have committed offense to you. That mercy consists of showing your sweet form after showing forms of great power (four handed visnu forms). What is the cause of mercy? Your body is sva icchamaya, responding to the desires of the devotees, who desire to see or serve you. Because of your affection for youe devotees you show mercy. Though I am an offender, because I have a semblance of devotion, I have attained qualification for a drop of mercy.”

“But to fulfill desires and show mercy are traits of human beings also.”

“ But your body is not material (bhutamaya). Your body is spiritua: the brahma samhita says that Krsna senses can perform the functions of all other senses. When any of the Lord’s limbs (parts) appears in the material world as avatara, then it assumes all the functions of all the senses. If the Lord’s hand appears in the world, then it takes a form with all senses. Govinda however still sees with his eyes, and hears with his ears and thinks with his mind. He does not see with his hands.

You have shown me the forms of Vasudeva, (deva vapu), who previously was merciful to me by teaching the four verses of bhagavatam (mad anugrahasya). Your body, for the purpose of fulfilling your desires (iccha maya) is the source of these Vasudeva forms (sva ). Though your body fulfills your desires, it is not like our bodies, bhuta maya, but it is spiritual. The greatness of this body even I (brahma-- ka) cannot understand though I have revealed the Vedas and studied the fruit of the Vedas, Bhagavatam. I cannot even understand the greatness of your Vasudeva forms, what to speak of the greatness of the source of those forms (saksat tava), with human shape. What is the greatness of that human form? In this form Krsna realizes his true happiness, which is rare even in other avatara forms, through pastimes such as stealing yogurt, drinking the gopis’ breast milk, herding cows and acting naughty.”

Tarhi tam evea viditva atimtyum eti (Knowing Brahman one can surpass death). If that is the case, then how can an ignorant person attain liberation? This verse answers that question.

“Not making any endeavor for knowledge (udapasya ) the devotees who though, by nature, are quiet, loudly chant (sammukharitam) your glories (bhavatiya vartam) or the glories of your associates, being situated in the abode of devotees rather than traveling around to holy tirthas (sthane sthitah), and who hear topics about your name, qualities and pastimes (srutigatam), starting with body, words and mind--involving all the senses by touching the earth with head and hands, by glorifying the lord with words, by using intelligence to grasp the meaning of the subjects heard-- who pass their life in this way, without doing anything else—these devotees conquer you, though you are unconquered by anyone else in the three worlds. You are not conquered by those who attain liberation through jnana. Indeed, to cross samsara by merely hearing about you is astonishing. One portion of your topics is knowledge of Brahman, and by that they cross samsara. That is the meaning of the sruti statement ‘knowing Brahman one surpasses death.’”

“By performing one among the many methods of bhakti such as hearing and chanting, the jiva can achieve success. This is stated in the Nrsimha Purana: The devotees easily attain the Lord by worshiping with devotion using leaves, flowers fruit and water which are easily available. Then why do you make efforts for liberation?” Though this is so,

those who reject bhakti and make efforts in jnana gain only a lot of suffering. This is the intention of the verse.

“Those who reject (udasya) the path of auspiciousness (sreyah srtim), the stream of bhakti, flowing like a river of honey (commentary of sridhara swami) achieve only suffering . Sreyah also refers to all the fruits of all other processes such as jnana and karma. Bhakti is the path which gives all these fruits, and is thus called the sreyah srtim. The jnana of those who reject bhakti gives only suffering (klesala). That is like taking a huge pile of empty husks and beating it. The result of the effort is pain in the hands, and no rice.”

5.In the previous two verses, bhakti is established as the means of attaining the Lord, by negation and positive statement. In the present verse the activities of bhakti are established.

“O lord (bhuman), in this universe (iha), there are many who practice bhakti (yoginah) and they offer their activities to you, using all their senses to increase their devotion. Being fully engrossed in bhakti with faith, and disregarding varnasrama, they engage in hearing and chanting (nija karma labdhaya) only about you. By the prema bhakti which arises from hearing and chanting (kathopanitaya), they realize (vibudhya) the Lord’s form, qualities and activities, and attain eternal association of the lord in prema (param).”

The verse can also be taken as a rejection of the yoga process after having rejected jnana in the previous verses. “After practicing yoga for a long time and understanding its futility, o Lord, the yogis understand you through devotion mixed with jnana attained through offering you his activities and attain you.”

Though only pure prema bhakti gives directly realization of the sweet form of Krsna, through jnana mixed with bhakti one can attain realization of impersonal Brahman. This however is attained only after giving up jnana.

“O one who reveals his sweet form (bhuman), though this form can be attained only by prema bhakti (tathapi), your great form (mahima) without material qualities (agunasya), can be understood (vibudhum arhati).” Mahima means impersonal Brahman since the lord himself says madiyam mahimanam ca parabrahmeti sabditam (bhag. 8.24.38)and dhruva says sa brahmani sva mahimani api natha . What is the cause? A pure heart and performing ones prescribed actions. How can the heart or mind, transformations of the subtle body, realize the formless para Brahman? The heart is described as avikirya , without change. The spiritual or changeless heart (soul) perceives the changeless Brahman. But how can Brahman, without object of perception, be perceived by something else? Thus the heart is described as arupatah, without form. The heart or mechanism of perception is the same as Brahman, and therefore perceives it. Can Brahman be perceived by other means? It is only perceivable by itself. It is not perceived like ordinary objects with form through sound and touch.

“Without prema bhakti, no one can understand your transcendental form. Even those who have surpassed the material ocean, full of knowledge, cannot understand that form. If the men of this world cannot understand you, even if you are present before us, we cannot understand you. Thus it goes without saying that no one can describe your innumerable sweet qualities, what to speak of realizing those qualities.

Those qualities are eternal and spiritual, arising from your spiritual form (gunatmanah). Brahma tarka says: gunaih svarupa bhutais tu guny asau harir isvarah . the lord is possess of qualities which arise from his svarupa. But who can count (vimatum) those qualities. No one can. The avataras such as sankarsana, who descend to the earth to extuinguish the suffering of the world, can count the particles of dust, or the snowflakes, or even the particles of sunlight, but even if they count continuously, they cannot come to an end of enumerating your glories.”

There is another meaning of gunatmanah. “The lord is protector of the world consisting of three gunas. No one can come to and end of counting the qualities of you who engage in pastimes of protecting the universe. What to speak then of being able to describe your astonishing qualities which engage you in sweet pastimes such as stealing yogurt.”

Now that other processes have been rejected and bhakti accepted as the process to attain bhagavan, the process of bhakti is described. “The devotee understands that the happiness and distress that he experiences due to performing bhakti and committing aparadhas are the mercy of the Lord. It is like that father who sometimes makes his child drink milk and sometimes makes him drink bitter nima juice, and sometimes embraces and kisses him and sometimes beats him. The devotee thinks that this is the arrangement of Lord working for his benefit. ‘The lord knows and I do not know. Karma and time have no effect on the devotee, so it is his personal arrangement. By his mercy he sometimes gives me happiness and sometimes gives me distress, considering how to engage me in his service.’ Yatha caret balahitam pita svayam tathatvam evarhasi nah samihitam. ( as the father does what is beneficial for the son, so you are engaged in arrangements for my benefit.) sb. 4.20.31. The person who spends his life offering respects with body, mind and words to the lotus feet of the Lord like Prthu Maharaja, does not accept the suffering of austerities or other hardships. He becomes the dayabhak (recipient) of two results: liberation from material bondage and service to the lord ( mukti-pada). As the inheritance from the father is the livelihood for the son, so the attainment of liberation and service to the Lord maintain the life of the devotee. And while living in this world the devotee remains fixed on the path of devotion.” Bhagavatam says: drtaya iva svasanty asubhatauyadi te ‘nuvidha: the jiva’s life becomes successful by offering devotion to you. Otherwise the body is just like a bellows inhaling and exhaling air.

Only if they become Your faithful followers are those who breathe actually alive, otherwise their breathing is like that of a bellows. 10.87.18

Brahma speaks this verse to express his repentance, thinking that rather the perform devotional activities he has simply committed great offense to Krsna.

The word arya means a worthy person or one with wisdom. “Oh lord, see my anaryam, my bad conduct and foolishness. You may give suitable punishment or forgiveness, otherwise persons like me will commit further impropriety. What was the bad conduct? You are the source of all (adya), you are my father, and I have committed offense against you, when you were enjoying lunch with your friends in the forest. What was the foolishness? You have immeasurable powers (ananta). You are the soul of all souls (paramatma). Having committed offense against you with such position, I have shown my foolishness. I have shown ultimate foolishness in attempting to fool the bewilderer of all those who bewilder. I desired to see your powers by invoking my powers of illusion. But beside you, I am insignificant, just like a spark which emanates from a huge flame and tries to burn the flame.”

“Though my bad conduct is worthy of punishment and my foolishness is worthy of forgiveness, because you are all merciful, you should pardon me completely.

You do not waiver from your qualities such as mercifulness, whereas I am fallen, therefore I address you as acyuta. “one should give more mercy to the most fallen.”with this in mind you should pardon my offense.” Brahma then identifies his low qualities. “I am ignorant, like a clay doll (rajobhuvah). I think that I am separate from you.” He explains his identity as a controller. “I think I am your son (arising from your navel) with great pride (andha tamah) but I am blind in all eight eyes. But when the moon of your mercy shines upon me, my pride will be destroyed. How will forgiveness manifest? “This brahma (esa) is worthy of my mercy, because though he shows himself as master elsewhere, towards me he is a servant (nathavan).” Or the meaning can be:”Out of foolishness, he made a show of independence in front of me, but in truth brahma is dependent (nathavan) because of dependence on my energy. Therefore I should show him mercy.”

“Though you create the universe, you are not proud of that. In comparison to that, what powers do I have to be proud of ? You have as your body of the universe surrounded by prakrti ( tamas), mahat tattva, ahankara (aham), ether (kham), air and fire (cara), water (vah) and earth (bhuh), within which are situated all the planets from patala to satya loka. In that expanse, where am I, being only three hands tall? And within the pores of your skin countless universes are moving like particles of air moving through the hole of a window screen. Who can measure that greatness? Here Brahma equates mahavisnu as creator of mahat tattva with Krsna, and shows that in comparison to Krsna, he is like a small bird in comparison to Garuda.

Equating Krsna with garbhodasayi visnu, Brahma speaks “As you are mother to the universe, you are also a mother to me. Therefore you should forgive my offenses. When the child in the womb kicks the mother, the mother does not take offense. The universe which is proved true or false through argumentation, is certainly within you. Therefore I also am within you. Therefore I am like your son. Therefore you should forgive my offense.” This is similar to the phrase pitamahasya jagato mata dhata pitamaha. I am the mother, father, creator, grandfather of the universe.

“The son also comes out of the womb eventually. That is explained in this verse. During the time of dissolution of the universes in the water where all the oceans are merged, others may or may not come from you, but certainly do I not emerge from you?”

14.”You are the son of Narayana, that is true. But then who am I, O Brahma?” Brahma answers in this verse. “Are you not Narayana? O lord of all (adhisa), as the gita says (I pervade everything by one fragment of my energy), you are soul of all entities. You are paramatma for all jive, and the witness of all. This Narayana is one part of you.”

“But I am called Krsna because I am dark in color and live in Vrndavana. Visnu is called Narayana because he lies in the water (nara). So how am I Narayana?”

“ Nara means water as well as jiva. Ayana means shelter. The Lord who dwells in the water is one of your expansions. Therefore I have appeared from your womb. Just as your youthful form as Krsna and the vasudeva form are spiritual not material, so this form of Narayana also is spiritual, existing at all times and places in suddha sattva state, uninfluenced by matter. Other forms such as matsya are also of the same category.”

“Is it possible that this spiritual form arises from material water? It is not possible that this unlimited Narayana can be existing in the limited waters of garbhodaka.”

“If that form is situated in the waters then why could I not find that form after searching for a long time in the lotus stem? You may answer that you were there, in the water but I could not see you. But then how is it that I could see you through meditation, but then suddenly could not see you in meditation? Though you are in the water and seem to be limited, you hold within you the universes and are therefore unlimited. You exists in all places at all times, but by the covering of your yoga maya potency you are sometimes visible and sometimes invisible.”

16.To say that Narayana who lies on the water of the universe holds the universe within his abdomen seems like a contradiction. A pot within a house cannot hold the house within it. One may reason that the spiritual body of Narayana holds an illusory universe within it, and is situated within another real universe. But if that is so, then Brahma himself cannot be really situated in the Lord’s abdomen. In order to establish the oneness of the universe within the Lord and that outside the Lord, he first established the mayika nature of the universe within the Lord. “O subduer of maya, in order to show that the external universe also exists within your abdomen, you produced an illusion for Mother Yasoda. By the influence of your yoga maya potency your body was simultaneously within the universe and spread throughout the universe. Similarly though I am within your abdomen, I arose from your abdomen and am situated here. Thus you are still my mother.”

17.Since the external universe and that within the Lord’s belly are exactly the same, the one within his belly must be one created by the illusion of the Lord. Just as the universe (idam) within your belly which became visible, the external universe also remained visible when you showed the universal form to your mother. Was the universe exhibited within your belly a reflection of the external universe? --How can that be? The universe was there along with you. Can a reflection of a mirror be seen in a mirror? An illusory external universe was visible within your belly. As the universe visible within your belly contained you, so the external universe also contained you. Because there was not even a trace of difference between the two universes, the universe within your belly (idam) could not exist without the work of maya. Taking your mother’s realization and mine as proof, I conclude that I exist within you by your yogamaya potency. And therefore I pray, please forgive me for offense, as a mother forgives her child who kicks her while he is in the womb.

The universe you displayed within your belly and the universe displayed outside that you showed to your mother, and all the unlimited universes passing in and out of the pores of your karanodakasayi form, are all produced by your material energy and are therefore designated as mayika. This I have already understood. But today I have realized the existence of thousands upon thousands of spiritual universe formed through your inconceivably powerful svarupa sakti. What object exists independent of you in the thousands of universes that you have shown to be today? Nothing, for everything is emanating from you. You have shown to me not the material nature of the thousands of universes, but their spiritual basis. How? First, you were alone. Then, by your svarupa sakti, you expanded as all the cowherd boys and calves of Vraja. Then by yogamaya you covered all the cowherd boys and calves and revealed the countless four handed forms composed of your svarupa sakti. What type of forms were these? These forms were worshiped by all conscious entities from the blades of grass to all the Brahmas. Then you became all the universes of all the countless Brahmas. Then yogamaya, by your desire, covered all this and revealed the one form (advayam) of the pure perfect Brahman with immeasurable incomparable beauty. For my benefit you remain uncovered before my eyes through the potency of yoga maya.

Not understanding anything about your spiritual universe, the materialists think that you are simply material (mayamaya). According to the persons who think themselves learned, but are ignorant of the path of bhakti (tvat padavim), you (atma) spread yourself in matter (anatmani) by your own will (atmana), and though without form, you take a form in matter (bhasi). For creation you become Brahma (aham), for maintenance (vidhane) you become Visnu (tvam) and for destruction you become Siva (trinetrah). Though you are without form, you take a form in matter as Brahma, Visnu and Siva. Thus the form of Narayana situated in the water of maya and all the avatara forms are all composed of maya. The transitory calves and boys and four handed forms of Visnu are all maya. This is the conception of the ignorant.

20.You thus appear in various places in various avatara forms, showing your true form to prevent your devotees from being defeated by these jnanis. To defeat the non devotees (asatam) who think they are learned, and to show mercy to the devotees(satam), so they can remember your spiritual, blissful forms, qualities and pastimes, you appear in different avatara forms. For it is said “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.” 10.2.35

21.You were born as Krsna to relieve the burden of the universe, and you appeared as Rama to kill Ravana. As the white, red, black and syama avataras you institute religion. The purpose is not to defeat the false jnanis. Actually no one can fully understand where you will appear, the purpose, the time, and the number of appearances that you will make. Unlimited 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, the controller of material nature. Your transcendental nature is very difficult to understand unless one is influenced by the presence of Your transcendental form. O form spread throughout the universe (bhuman)! O bhagavan! though you spread throughout matter, you are still full of your six opulences. Though you are full of all opulence you also expand to witness everything as Paramatma. O yogesvara, because of your yogamaya, you display such powers. Who can understand Your pastimes (uti) performed throughout the three worlds (trailokyam)? Why? Where? How? When? Your form is unlimited, spread throughout the universe, full of all opulences. It is not material but everywhere in the three worlds. But how is it possible to satisfy simultaneously all your devotee at all times with pastimes? This can happen because of yogamaya. By your inconceivable energy , yogamaya carries out the work of presenting various pastimes to various worshipers at the suitable time.

To summarize: the universe is matter and the medium sized form of Krsna is suddha sattva, spiritual. That whose very essence is to have temporary existence is called asat. The world is temporary or asat. It is like a dream, transitory, but not false. It is covered with ignorance (asta dhisana). Through the sandhini sakti (nitya), hladini sakti (sukha) and samvit sakti (bodha) you possess a sat cid ananda body. From this arises maya, which gives rise to the material universe and then destroys it, and thus it appears to exist through all time. Another meaning: your form is full of mercy, wherease this universe is full of inauspiciousness. Then what is the necessity of considering this universe at all if it is false? But the world is not false (svapna a bham) Though it is full of misery because of ignorance, it appears as wonderful (sad iva) from the point of view of material pleasure.

23.Although you do have infinite forms, you are also present as one form by your inconceivable energy. You are eka atma, paramatma. The jives are many, but they can never be called one. Is paramatma formless? No, you are purusa, endowed with a specific form. “Are I not young, unlike other men who are old? As the son of Nanda I appear young, just suitably aged for your praises.”

“But this is not the actual fact. Though you are the son of Nanda, you are truly (satya) the person existing during all phases of time.”

“Am I not produced by this purusa also, like time and karma?”

“No, you are svayam jyotih, self manifesting.”

“ Am I then limited like the sun?”

“No, you are ananta, unlimited by time and space. Other avataras are also the same.”

“ I am also just one of them?”

“ No, you are the source of all these avataras, you are adyah, the source.”

“Will I not disappear at the tend of Brahma’s life also?”

“No, you are nitya, eternal. Though the universe is ancient, at the end of my life it will disappear, and therefore it is anitya. But you, in the form of Nanda’s son, exists eternally. This form is the full manifestation of Brahman, for it is said:

Yo sau saurye tisthati

Yah saksat parabrahmeti govindam saccinanda vigrahm vrndavana surabhuruhatalasinam (Gopala tapani upanisad).

Brahmno hi pratistaham (Gita),

Those who have bodies are subject to the six transformations, and are therefore disintegrating at every moment.”

“ So am I also destructible?”

“ No, you are not like that, you are indestructible, aksara.”

“Those who have bodies also are subject to happiness and distress. As a baby I had greed for the yogurt, butter and milk, of the gopis, and a boy I showed anger towards kaliya, and as youth I showed lust towards the gopis. I am tainted with material faults like others.”

“No, you are spotless (niranjana) , for your lust and other qualities are spiritual. If that is so, then I am still imperfect, because I am dependent on the gopis. No, being controlled by prema bhakti is no fault to your perfection.”

“ Is there someone else like me?”

“No, you are advaya, without compare.”

“If you say because I am advaya, I am purna brahma, then I am known through material designation or upadhi.”

“ No, you are free from all upadhi. Gopala tapani says: vidyavidyabhyam bhinna: you are free from the touch of vidya and avidya. You are amrta. The sruti says: Amrtam sasvatam brahma. Amrta here means without upadhi. Or amrta can also mean one who is beyond death.”

Even the worshippers of impersonal Brahman , if they get the good fortune of devotion to the personal form of paramatma, can attain the status of santa bhaktas. Seeing you as described above (evam vidham), as the soul of all the jivas (sakalatmanam), in a form which gives pleasure to the mind and eyes (su for sobha , atmanam), in the form of paramatama (atmatmataya), attain santa bhakti. Bhakti rasamrta sindhu says: paramatamataya krsne jata santi ratir mata. Seeing Krsna as paramatama a person attains santa rati.

How does this take place? That person who attains proper vision through study of upanisads, through the mercy of guru, sees Krsna as paramatma, and seems to cross the false ocean of material existence.

25, “So does he cross the ocean of maya or not?

“No, it is as if he crosses (iva). The universe that he crosses (bhava) has also been described as false (anrta) in the previous verse. According to the theory of vivartavad that is popular with the jnanis, the world is false. Therefore crossing such a material world is also false. Thus they have been described as seeming to cross the ocean of material existence.” In two verses this is explained. Those who are ignorant of the jiva as the source of knowledge and bliss enter into the material realm. And by knowledge gained through sankhya, varaigya, tapas and bhakti that the body is different from the soul, the ocean of material existence is destroyed. It is like the seeing the rope as a snake. By ignorance the material world continues, and by knowledge the material world ceases.

In this verse the fact that acceptance of a false world also makes liberation false is made clear. The words bondage in the world and liberation from the world which both arise from ignorance cease when a person has true knowledge of the jiva, just as the day and night taken separately from the sun have meaning, but when from the point of view of the sun, they have no meaning.

“Those who think they are knowledgeable of spiritual things (but are actually not), do not respect your form in Vraja. They are beating empty husks as previously mentioned. They think that you, who are paramatma with form, are something else (param), something material. And they search for paramatma (atma) elsewhere. What ignorance of these foolish people! The vivartavadis and parinamavadis involve themselves in discussing about the material world instead of the Perfect Lord. The form of this cit Brahman is described : sadba brahma vapur dadhat sb 3.12. 47. ( the supreme Brahman has a body.) yat tad vapor bhati vibhusanayudhair avyakta cidvyaktam adharayadvibhuh babhuva tenaiva sa vamana sb 8.14.12 (that eternal form decorated with ornaments and weapons which is invisible and spiritual, the lord reveals by his mercy. Becoming visible to his mother and father, Vamana appeared as brahmana boy, like a dramatic actor. ) satyajnananantananda matraika rasa murtaya (the form described in the srutis as satya jnana ananta, satya jnana ananda is none other than the cowherd boy. (sb 10.13.54) govindam sac cid ananda brahma vrndavana surabhuruha talasinam (govinda situated beneath the trees of vrndavana is a form of sac cit ananda) tasam madhye saksad brahma gopalapuri among the cowherd boys Krsna is directly Brahman. Gopal tapani upanisad. Being blind, ignoring these scriptural statements that show that Brahman has a body and exists in a dhama, people instead take a blind guru parampara and discuss vivartavad, so fallen they are. They are in a most lamentable condition (aho) of all lamentable conditions in my creation. Another reading of ajna janata (ignorant people) is jna janata. In this case it could be translated “what foolishness of so called learned men.”

The jnanis think that your form is an upadhi of maya. They seek out the pure form of the jiva without contamination of maya. They seek out the jiva which takes birth Among countless species (ananta bhavam) in various bodies (antarbhave). How? By rejEcting that which is material, not spiritual (atat). What is necessary to understand this spiritual jiva? In order to reject everything material, one must first reject the false conception that one is a body.

Next, the procedure is mentioned. As long as one does not reject the false idea that there is a snake present, how can a person understand that it is only a rope? Asango ‘yam purusah taking this stuti statement, the jiva thus has no connection with the gross and subtle bodies. Thus the jiva has no bodily suffering. Only by ignorance does the jiva believe he is a body. Can one know the pure jiva without rejecting everything related to the body, through knowledge that one is soul, not body? No, he cannot know the soul without rejecting.

Only by devotion to Krsna is it possible for the jiva to attain a realization of the bliss of Brahman. The jiva must discard his material coverings. Being blessed with a particle of mercy from your lotus feet, he can understand you as Brahman (mahima). Matysa says: madiyam mahimanam ca para brahmeti sabditam ….my greatness (mahima ) as para Brahman as taught by me and realized in the heart by you will be understood. Sridhara swami explains this verse as follows: you will know the supreme Brahman , having received mercy from me. To obtain a particle of mercy of the Lord means that the jnani performed mixed devotional service previously. The lord bestows mercy of bhakti yoga to that jnani who gives up avidya and vidya, who gives up jnana and accepts pure bhakti. That person who prefers jnana and gives up bhakti and enthusiastically pursues brahman, though he is guru for thousands of jnanis, and studies scripture and practices yoga for a long time, does not know the true nature of the Lord.

“O Brahma, crest jewel of all knowers of sadhya and sadhana, what is your desire after describing jnana and bhakti in your prayers?”

“ Oh Master (indicating himself as a servant)!”

“ O Brahma consider carefully and pray for the most valuable thing!”

“Yes, I have discerned the most auspicious thing of all (bhuribhaga). Whether I am born as Lord Brahma (atra bhave) or whether I am born in low species such as deer (tirascaram) for many births (with no desire for liberation, since I will lose chances to attain bhakti), whatever birth I have from the highest to lowest, I pray to take birth as one among your followers (whether advanced or neophyte).”

In the first verse of this chapter Brahma expressed the excellence of the Lord’s sweetness. In the second and thirtieth verse he praising the Lord’s power, exhibits a mixture of bhakti and jnana. In the third verse (jnane prayasam.) he concludes that bhakti is superior. In the eighth verse he shows the supremecy of pure (kevala) bhakti to Krsna. In the twenty seventh and nineteenth verse he derides kevala jnana. In the fourth and fifth verses Brahma shows the useless of kevala jnana and the success of kevala bhakti. In the twenty eighth and twenty ninth verses he discusses jnana mixed with bhakti. In the twenty fourth verse he discusses the santa bhakti and in the thirtieth verse he discusses dasya bhakti. After this, from the thirty first verse, brahma, having fallen into the ocean of Krsna’s sweetness, praises the devotees immersed in raga of vatsalya and other intimate relationships. This is the outline of Brahma’s prayers.

“As an unqualified person, I have prayed to become your devotee. It is your will to fulfill it. It is unsuitable for me to pray for the elevated stage of your devotees engaged in spontaneous attraction of vastalya and other moods. I can only praise them.” This is expressed in two verses.

“The cows and gopis of vraja are extremely fortunate. The word aho expresses extreme surprise. You with your sac cid ananda body, taking the form of the cowherd boys and the calves, have drunk the nectarean milk from their bodily breasts, with extreme bliss. With each mouthful the bliss increased (ativa muda). You could not even tolerate the time it took to milk the cows when you took the form of the calves. You took the form of the cowherd boys, otherwise it would not be possible to drink the milk of so many different mothers. And, O powerful one (vibho), you took many forms out of extreme greed, in order to drink. And among them all, you could not even miss the nectar from one breast. As they gave you such bliss, there is no doubt about their bodies also being purely sac cid ananda. And all the sacrifices from time immemorial to the present day, performed by myself, Siva and others with perfect mantras and actions, were not able to satisfy you.”

After praising the vraja vasis with ragatmika vatsalya prema, Brahma, in praising those with ragatmika sakhya prema, praises all those relishing intimate relationships with the Lord. He repeats the phrase aho bhagyam twice to indicate his extreme bliss and astonishment. The neuter case is used instead of the masculine case as a matter of traditional usage. The use of word ananda indicates Brahman described in the srutis as satyam vijanam anandam brahma. The word parama is used with it to indicate that Krsna is the basis of Brahman. The word purna indicates that Krsna is distinct from the avatara forms who are also brahma svarupa. He is the friend (mitra), but not a temporary friend, an eternal friend (sanatana) of Sridama and others (yat). From this eternal friendship it is also understood that Sridama and others are also eternal. If I make a statement “He is an excellent brahmana.” because his brahminical qualities are excellent, the persons excellence is also understood. Similarly in speaking of the eternality of the friendship, the friends are also understood to be eternal. This must be explained since the word mitra connotes simply an ordinary friend. All the inhabitants of Vraja ruled by Nanda gopa (nanda gopa vrakaukasam) down to the birds and beasts were fortunate. What then to speak of Nanda himself and his cowherd men? Who can speak of the fortune of those who became the friend of paramanda braham sanatana be described? It is indescribable. The gopas themselves say, “O Nanda, all of us of Vraja have uncontrollable attraction to your son. He also has natural affection for us. What is the cause?” (sb 10.26.13) The cause is : he is purna brahma. The inhabitants of Vraja give bliss to the form of supreme bliss, and the inhabitants become full of bliss. Brahma expresses extreme astonishment at this exchange of love (aho bhagyam).

“The inhabitants of Vraja have also made us most fortunate.” That is the intention of this verse. “What to speak of their great fortune we have also become fortunate. Who can describe it? We, the eleven deities in charge of their senses, headed by Siva (sarvadi) have become most fortunate, for their senses were the drinkers (experiencers) of Krsna’s sweetness. By their senses we have tasted the extreme sweetness (madhvamrtasavam) of the delishous intoxicant of the sound of Krsna’s ankle bells on his lotus feet.” In this way he expresses his determination to hear, touch, see, taste, smell, sing about, and massage the Lord.

There are ten senses plus mind , intelligence , false ego and citta with corresponding devatas. Of these genital and anus are rejected as lowly and the devata of the citta is Vasudeva or Krsna. Excluding these three, eleven senses and their devatas remain. We eleven sense devatas are experiencing Krsna’s sweetness through the eleven senses of the inhabitants of Vraja.”

Here something should be considered. The sun, moon, devatas, men, animals and all other entities of the spiritual world are sac cid ananda. The material sun, moon, the devatas, are imitations of the spiritual counterparts. The devatas of the material realm are specially empowered agents of the devatas of the spiritual world. The material senses cannot act alone. Only by the devatas power can the senses experience material objects. But the spiritual senses of the associates of the Lord experience the Lord’s form and sound by their own spiritual senses, not those of material devatas. But Brahma in his enthusiasm identified his powers over material intellect with the senses of the inhabitants of Vraja.

Furtheromore, the material senses experience the enjoyment of the objects of the material world and the sense devatas, being enablers of the senses, do not enjoy. However, without Brahma and others being situated in the intelligence, eye etc. the senses of even those fixed in Krsna consciousness could not experience form or smell. This is the opinion of the those knoweldgeableof the soul.

Because of eagerness to taste Krsna, Brahma and others were able to experience bliss in spite of two faulty reasons: though mere instigators of action of the senses (karta) they took on the role of being enjoyer (bhokta); and though they were the devatas of material senses, they took on the role of being devatas of spiritual senses. These are the contrary actions of prema. In Padyavali it is said: one reaches perfection by lying and criticizing. Factually, the senses of the associates of the Lord are spiritual like the Lord, so how could material devatas enter the spiritual senses?

Another meaning of the verse. Sometimes some devotees will praise their own fortune out of greediness for Krsna’s sweetness. “The good fortune of the inhabitants of Vraja is incomparable (eka). We ten devatas (ten dikpalas), are most fortunate. Why? Touching with his finger his own senses, he says: we also experience with our senses your beauty and sweetness as you leave Vraja to herd the calves.”

“I have given up my control of the universe and the quest for future liberation. But now, how can I get the dust of the feet of the inhabitants of Vraja?” Thinking thus, Brahma speaks with certainty.

“Let me have good fortune. May you be pleased to cast your merciful glance upon me. (tad bhuribhagyam) What is that good fortune? --To be born as a blade of grass in Vrndavana (iha atavyam), to be touched by the feet of your dear cowherd friends of Vraja.”

“O Brahma, give up such an unusual obsession, and pray for something more suitable to you!”

“Then let me be born at the edge of Gkula as a stone slab or piece of cloth, to take the dust from the feet of one of your menial sweepers.”

“But Brahma, what is the reason for such glorification of the inhabitants of Vraja? Do you not have shame as worshipable creator of the universe to bathe in the dust of the lowly sweeper?”

“But they have taken as their very life (jivitam) the most beautiful (bhagavan), with smile (mukha) like a jasmine (kunda) flower (mukunda). Without you they perish, because they have such unprecedented love for you. You are all in all (nikhilam), without which eating and drinking have no meaning. Even now, the srutis are searching for the dust from their feet, without success. I should be more ashamed than the Vedas with my little prayers. O lord, let that be. Previously I prayed with vaidhi bhakti. Now I pray to be immersed in the ocean nectar of raganuga bhakti, having become the loyal follower of the inhabitants of Vraja.”

“Perhaps you do not want to say if I can attain the dust of the feet of inhabitants of Vraja , but please answer one other thing that I am now asking. What reward can you give to the inhabitants of Vraja? This is the question I ask you.”

“Brahma, though you are knowledgeable of the meaning of the Vedas, you cannot understand the answer?”

“Our minds (not only mine but those of Siva the kumaras and others ) are bewildered about this. What is the state of our minds? Our minds have become bewildered trying to think (ayat) of what type of reward you could give them from anywhere or anytime, as you are the final reward of all (visvaphala), and you have already given yourself (the final reward) as their son since eternity. But if there is some other thing you have worthy of giving, you should give it to them. But there is nothing else you could give them (since you have given yourself already). Thus our minds are bewildered.”

“O Brahma, you are really ignorant of the truth. Knowing they would manifest such astonishing spontaneous devotion, I have in advance given myself to them as their son. They are satisfied with this. I am knowledgeable about what to do in the future. In this way I have defeated you.”

“O Krsna, if you talk like this, this is how I answer. You are certainly doing what is proper. But though Putana was sinful, just by imitating a devotee, she and all her family attained you personally. But the inhabitants of Vraja , who gave up all attachments such as house, wealth, friends, objects, body, mind for you, out of great affection, also attained you. The same body that you have given to the low, sinful Putana you also gave to the most exalted, jewel like inhabitants of Vraja. This is, in essence, highly improper. Acceptance of your indebtedness to them is your atonement.”

“The sannyasis will object that the inhabitants of Vraja are fallen in the net of material life in the form of attachment to sons and wife. However, what to speak of the householders of Vraja, even your ordinary devotees in other places are superior to the sannyasis. Attachment and aversion are great thieves because they steal the great treasure of great bliss from the soul. The souls are bound up in the prison of household life so that they cannot criticize the Supreme Lord after having lost their wealth. As long as people do not get the mercy of your devotees and become your followers, they remain in this position. When they become your devotees they develop attachment for bhakti and aversion to things obstructing bhakti. They become absorbed in you. These thieves, attraction and repulsion, expecting to grasp the great treasure of unlimited knowledge and bliss when they become fixed in you, give up their bad qualities and instead do good service to others. The house which was a prison by performance of pious and impious activities binding them up, becomes a means of attaining the eternal dhama through activities of serving you and singing your glories. When the jiva becomes the devotee of Krsna then the bewilderment (moha) from objects (formely wife and sons) become causes of the expression (anubhavas) of prema. How can the sannyasis compare to this? My son Sanat Kumara has said the following to show the inferiority of such people, and superiority of the devotee:

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. (4.22.40)

And the inhabitants of Vraja have even thousands of times much greater prema than these grhastha devotees. Though you are the purna brahma you show yourself as dependent upon these devotees by taking the form of their son.”

Some think that the purna brahma becoming a son in Vraja is not real, not absolute and that those devotees are in illusion. In reply to this Brahma recites this verse.

“Though you are always beyond the material influence, you always are situated within the material world, and take up forms and relationships similar to material forms and relationships of sons, but your form and relationships are not false like those of material fathers and sons. Those forms and relationships, being transcendental, are real and eternal. Though your pastimes are eternal and beyond material influence, they appear similar to material activities. Why do you need to imitate material activities? --In order to increase even further the bliss that the devotees have tasted from some of your pastimes.

As a lamp appears bright in the darkness, but is insignificant in the sunlight, or a diamond does not glitter on a white background but appears brilliant against a dark background, the pastimes do not appear so astonishing in Vaikuntha as they do when performed in the material world. Though Vraja is spiritual, just as Krsna appears like a mortal person, so Vraja also appears like part of the material world. In this place the pastimes appear most wonderful.”

“O Brahma, what you have said is absolutely true. There is no one else in the universe who can explain about my form, my Vraja devotees, my pastimes and my bhakti in front of me.”

Fearing that the Lord would request him to speak further, Brahma then speaks with shame, fear, and repentance. “I am of that category, I am te greatest fool.”

“O Bbrahma, then why have you spoken till now?”

“Speaking too much in your presence will show my foolishness.”

“O Brahma, please speak the truth.”

“My mind cannot grasp your powers by meditation. My eyes cannot grasp your form. My words cannot describe you. As I said previously, who can describe your heaps of good qualities (gunatmanas te’pi gunan vimatum). Another meaning is: I cannot grasp the powers of your mind with my senses. I cannot understand what is in your mind. (sasksat tavaiva kim uta atmasukhanubhuta 10.14.2) I cannot understand anything about your body or any of your words which are the Vedas. Thus, when you are standing before me silently, I cannot speak even a word. Thus I say, in front of you, I am really insignificant.”

39.” O Brahma, so what if you cannot understand fully my powers? Can I understand your powers? “

In order to express the fact that he can no longer answer, Brahma with shame makes the following request. “Please give the order which expresses your true thoughts ( anujanihi). Give the order to the fallen person, unqualified to remain before you another minute. As I am most fallen I will go to the suitable fallen place, Brahmaloka. O Krsna. (Here the hint of the word “krsna” is : please attract my mind to Vrndavana.) I have prayed that you make me a blade of grass in Gokula. (10.14.34) but there has been no response from you , even by so much as a glance. So what more can I do standing here? It is better that I quickly go away. Because I am an offender for having interrupted your meal on the bank of the Yamuna, I am deprived of drop of nectar of one word from your lips. With your friends and calves finish your pastimes with lively verbal exchanges and eating on the bank of the Yamuna. What indeed can I ask for in my tremulous condition.” With this intention Brahma says, “You know the power of my mind, words and body. I am not the master of the universe. You are the master, not of one universe but of all universes. This meager universe, which is your wealth, not mine, I offer to you. Give this universe to whomever you like, to whoever is qualified in your eyes.”

“If you don’t want to speak to me because I am an offender, then at least show mercy by giving the nectar of your glance. By this meal I will be able to maintain my life for the rest of the kalpa.” Expressing this feeling, Brahma offered his respects to Krsna. “You are the sun (glance with the right eye) who makes the lotuses of the Vrsni dynasty bloom (joyful) . I am the offspring of a lotus. Therefore you should show mercy and make me blossom also. You are the moon (glance with the left eye) (increaser of the ocean) , for all the inhabitants of earth, for the devas (nirjara) , birds (dvija) and cows of Vrndavana , giving them nourishment. Be merciful to me the lowest of the devas, and nourish me as well. You are the destroyer of dense darkness (sarvara hara) in the form of atheism (uddharma) (glance with both eyes), and take away the atheism in me which took the form of trying to spread illusion to you, my master, so that I will not make such mistakes again.”

“Though you killed the demons on this earth (ksiti raksasa druk), you blessed them by having them enter your body. You should then purify me also with that punishment since I am a brahma raksasa, having done away with your calves and cowherd boy friends. (The servant can live happily upon seeing either the mercy or curse of his master, but cannot live at all seeing his master disinterested. If you do not give mercy then at least curse me. ) I should satisfy Krsna whom previously I thought was acting improperly as God for happily playing with the cowherd boys with decoration of gunja seeds, clay, peacock feather and cane. I pay obeisances to you decorated (akalpam), with gunja beads and wearing arka flowers of Vrndavana, which are normally forbidden for worship. I pay obeisances to you who are worthy of my worship (arham), or are worthy to bestow mercy or withdraw it from me.”

May these prayers of lord Brahma which are capable of destroying all the influence of the material world, which are the ocean of all conclusions about devotion, remain impressed upon my heart.

41.What was desired by Brahma (abhista)? Actually he desired to attain Krsna in Vrndavana. However, he desired to be sent by the Lord to Brahma loka, his own abode, because in his responsibility as the creator of the universe, if he gave up his post, the universe would not work properly. According to the reasoning of brahma sutra “The devatas remain in this world until the end of their tenure” 3.3.14.33 Thus, after fulfilling his responsibilities in the post of Brahma, Brahma would attain his desired goal of residence in Vrndavana.

42.Krsna gave permission for Brahma to leave by his silence, for it is said “Silence means consent.” Brahma had asked permission to go in verse 39. Seeing the Lord’s silence, Brahma took that as his permission. Krsna could not break his silence because he had to perfectly play the part of the young son of the king of Vraja in the pastime of the bewilderment of Brahma. Krsna continued his act of looking for the calves and boys as described in 10.13.16. When Brahma began his prayers in this chapter, Krsna, as a young gopa anxious to find the calves, could not understand where Brahma had come from, what he was doing and what he was saying. By remaining silent, Krsna completed his act as a cowherd boy. He played the role of being ignorant of his own powers in front of Brahma who was dependent on him and thus the word “natya” (actor) is used.

However, in front of Yasoda and other devotees in intimate relationships, the ignorance that he shows for his own powers covered by the mahaprema of the inhabitants of Vraja, is not a pretense and is not described as “natya”. That ignorance is real. Krsna brought the calves absorbed in eating grass back to the same place on the bank of the river (svakam) That place was the same as before, with the cowherd boys sitting in the same positions. In that place were the same original cowherd boys (yatha purvasakham), different from the expansion cowherd boys who performed lila for one year with the Lord.

Four verses show how the power of yogamaya allowed the cowherd boys to be unaware of the missing time of one year and complete their lunch pastimes with Krsna as previously. Without their prana devata, one year became like a moment as they were covered by yogamaya. (usually in meeting Krsna a long time seems very short, but in this case separation from Krsna seemed very short—because of yogamaya).

Because it also shows a similar quality of deluding, yogamaya is compared with the potency of material maya Maya makes the jiva forget his identity (vismrt atmaka). Just as maha maya keeps the jiva in forgetfulness of his self, yogamaya made the cowherd boys forget separation from Krsna which lasted a year.

The cowherd boys spoke to Krsna who had very quickly returned with happiness (svagatam). “We thought you would take at least one ghatika to bring the calves back from so far away but you have bought them in an instant. Without you we have not eaten a morsel. Therefore please come here.”

Smiling to show his bliss, Krsna ate with the boys. Even though a year had passed the food did not show any lack of taste. “O friends, look at the skin of the snake.” In order that the boys would spread the news of the killing of aghasura, yogamaya had kept the snake there for a year under her influence. Giving up the forest pastimes, he returned home.

47.With great affection Krsna called out each of the calves names. Seeing him was a feast for the eyes of the elder gopis in vatsalya rasa.

“One snake was killed by this small child of Yasoda and Nanda, or by this small child who gives fame and bliss. He also saved us from the huge snake.”

The love for their own sons had now increased to as much as that for Krsna, which had exceeded the love for their own sons. But now their love for Krsna also increased even more. The love for someone else’s child, kept exceeding the love for their own children. King Pariksit asks concerning this fact. How is it that the love for another’s child increased beyond the love for their own child since the pastime with Lord Brahma? Usually parents have more love for their own children, even if others children have better qualities. What was the cause of contradiction to normal experience?

Sukadeva speaks. “O king! A person has more attachment for his self than for his children.” This fact will be examined first in five verses before coming to a conclusion. In ordinary dealings ones own self is the object of extreme attachment . For each body there is one soul, for that body alone and not others.

The preference for ones own self over attachment to sons, wealth or house is natural.

Fools consider the self to be the body. From their point of view this verse is spoken. The attachment of such persons for their own body (self) is more than for sons, wealth and house.

In this verse the point is made that the person conscious of his body as self also holds the soul more dear than the body when he has some temporary realization. With a slight discrimination when the attachment changes to the soul, even the bodily conscious person develops more love for soul than body. The body becomes dear because of the soul. Evidence is then given. Seeing the difficulties for the self on giving up the body, the person understands that they are not the pains of the soul, but only the body. Out of affection for the soul, he has the desire to keep the soul in that body.

Therefore one can conclude that ones own soul is more dear than others’ souls. For the benefit of ones soul, one holds other entities such as sons and objects such as house as somewhat dear.

In bringing about the conclusion, the object more dear than the self will be shown. That object is Krsna. Krsna is the soul of the universe and the soul of all the souls. Just as sons are dear out of consideration of ones own body, and just as body is dear out of consideration of ones own soul, so, the soul is dear out of consideration of the paramatma. And paramatma’s perfection is Krsna. As Gita says: by one part I maintain the whole universe. As Krsna is the most dear object, for the gopis he is more dear than their own sons. This is the conclusion. The souls do not have bhakti and their knowledge is covered by maya, but Krsna is revealed only by bhakti. Then how is it possible for the sols covered by maya to realize him? They cannot do this by showing affection to their children. But because the inhabitants of Vraja were beyond maya and full of bhakti, they had direct realization of Krsna. It was natural that they should show more affection for Krsna than their own sons. When the Lord appears in the world for the benefit of the souls, the ignorant think he has a material body like their own, a body created by maya. But that is only an appearance, not the fact. Madhsudana sarasvati also describes this. One cannot measure the glories of Narayana the supreme person whose body is full of eternity, knowledge and bliss. This Krsna, the form of knowledge and bliss, with the color of a rain cloud, glorified in the srutis, is the necklace around the neck of the women of Vraja. Or, another meaning: Paramamta is not perceived by the senses. But Krsna is perceived by all. Thus the verse says, for the auspiciousness of the universe he appears, by his causeless inconceivable mercy (mayaya). That Krsna appears in all the senses of everyone just like a person with a material body. He can be perceived by senses which are bestowed by him by his desire. He cannot be perceived by the power of the senses alone. Narayana says in bhagavatamrta: though the Lord is eternally unmanifest, he becomes visible by his own power. Otherwise who can see him? Sanata Goswami says: he becomes manifest by his own power. He is not revealed by the eye as an object of the eyes’.perception. Outside of Vrndavana, Krsna bestows his sweetness through his mercy to favorable persons and to the inimical persons he shows his form, but devoid of s sweetness for perfecting their meditation using their material senses, and as a result of their meditation, bestows liberation to extinguish their offenses. This is how he gives auspiciousness to them. As well, though he appears like an ordinary mortal before the inhabitants of Vraja with the absence of the Lord’s majesty and before the inimical persons, it is improper to call him a jiva with a material body (dehi), so therefore the verse describes him as dehi iva (appearing to be a soul with a body), for Madhvacarya has quoted from the varaha purana: in the lord there is no difference between body and soul (deha and dehi).

After considering all the objects of love such as sons, body and soul, it is concluded that Krsna is the final object of love. In this verse the word vastutah (in truth) has the sense of “but finally”. Those who know Krsna see him as the cause of all moving and non moving entities and also the effect.

How is this? Bhava means that from which things arise, and thus it means cause. The cause of all moving and non moving beings is pradhana (artha). Bhava artha means the form of that cause. Pradhana’s cause (tasya) is Krsna. Therefore what thing besides Krsna can be described? Bhavartha can also mean the atma which is the cause of the senses. The cause of the soul is Krsna. What is the use of anything else? Only he is worthy of service.

In this way the final object of love has been proved. Only by taking shelter of his lotus feet does one get liberated and finally realize him. The outstanding position of the devotee is thus made clear now. Punya here means attractive. Murari is decorated with all attractive qualities (punya yaso murareh). One who takes shelter completely (sam=samyak asrita) of the devotees (mahatpadam) of Murari, endowed with attractive qualities, who are like a boat (plavam), does not even think of how to cross the material ocean. His goal is the eternal dhama of Vrndavana or vaikuntha. (param padam). He never falls into difficulty (vipadam) as his mind is not attached to anything except the lotus feet of Krsna.

Suhrdbihs caritam (actions with his friends) refers to his playing as described in such veres as 10.12.5. Vyaktetarat means different from (itarata) vyakta (matter), in other words non material form. The form itarat dropping the syllable “a” is archaic usage. Aja uru abhi stavam means the great (uru) and thorough (abhi) verses (stava) of Brahma (aja). Anyone who hears or chants about Krsna playing with the boys, Krsna killing Aghasura, Krsna eating in the forest covered with lush grass, Krsna’s non-material form and the great, thorough prayers of Brahma has all his desires fulfilled.

King Pariksit had asked the question” O great sage, how could things done in the past have been described as being done at the present? Lord Sri Krsna performed this pastime of killing Aghasura during His kaumara age. How then, during His pauganda age (from the 5th year), could the boys have described this incident as having happened recently? (10.12.41) The answer having been completed, Sukadeva now continues to narrate the pastimes.

Krsna and Balarama spent their time secretly in Vraja (jahatuh) playing hide and seek (nilayanaih), building a bridge to Lanka and enacting pastimes of other avataras such as churning the milk ocean.