Krishna Rescues Nanda Maharaja

The twenty eighth chapter describes the stealing of Nanda by Varuna and Varuna’s prayers to Krsna. Hearing what had happened from the mouth of Nanda, the cowherd men were very surprised. Because of this Krsna showed them vaikuntha. Sukadeva narrates this pastime because, in telling the story of Krsna forgiving Indra for his offense, he remembered how Krsna also forgave Varuna for his offense.

One of Varuna’s asuric servants brought Nanda Maharaja to Varuna, because he, out of ignorance, speculated that Nanda had entered the water at an inauspicious time. He was wrong, however, since Nanda entered the water according to the rules of scripture. This is explained later (ajnata mamakena mudhena).

Other cowherd men had accompanied Nanda Maharaja as guards when he went to take his bath at night. Though Krsna was sleeping on his bed of flowers far off, he heard the cowherd men shouting “Krsna, Rama!” The word upa srtuya indicates that he heard from close by, because Krsna pervades all places, and in this way is close to everyone, very near. He could understand that his father had been taken by Varuna. Quickly approaching the cowherd men, he asked where his father had sunk in the water. Finding the place, he jumped from the bank into the river, and approached Varuna (tad antikam). He is called svanam abhaya dah (relieving the fear of his associates), because later, by taking his father from Varuna and returning, he relieved the fear of his relatives.

“All the thousands of bodies which I have received till now have been useless because in all those lives I did not see you. Today my body has become successful.” That is the indication of the word nibhrta (ni for nitaram complete or successful and bhrta for accepting a body). “Today I have understood what is most valuable. Though I possess all jewels, I have not obtained such a jewel as you yet. Those who worship your lotus feet cross the ocean of material life (adhvan--path). I have without effort attained your darsana. How fortunate I am.”

“You are approached by the three paths of bhakti, jnana and yoga. I pay my respects to you as bhagavan, brahman and paramatma. Those who say that these realizations are tinged with maya are mistaken. These realizations are not touched by maya, which creates various things (loka srsti vikalpana).”

“Why are you embarrassing me by praising me like this?”

In answer Varuna says, “I have really offended you.” With this mood he speaks this verse. “That one can enter into the water before the sunrise if a little of the dvadasi alone remains is permitted by those knowledgeable of bhakti scriptures. One of my servants, not knowing this, took your father away and committed a great offense. The offense of my servant is also my offense. This fool does not know what is to be done (a karyavedin). Your father, brought by my servant, is here.”

Pointing with his hands, he showed Nanda seated on a jeweled throne, worshiped by Varuna himself. His father was engaged in remembering his own worshipable deity Krsna.

“You are the ocean of forgiveness, but because I am the ocean of offense, you can punish me suitably if you wish.”

He returned home with Nanda. It is understood that he returned before the sun had yet risen.

Nanda saw the great opulence (mahodayam) of Varuna which was astonishing to the senses, and the respect given to Krsna by Varuna and other devas protecting the planet (loka palas). Tesam is a plural form indicating not only Varuna but others as well. Nanda being astonished, spoke to the cowherd men. After breaking the fast before the dvadasi tithi ended, and sitting comfortably, he began to speak.

The cowherd men, understanding that Krsna was the Supreme Lord, eagerly began to wonder if Krsna would take them to that place which is the goal of those who worship him (svagatim), beyond the material realm (suksmam), to Brahman and vaikuntha.

“O Nanda! Previously you explained that Garga had said that Krsna was like Narayana, but not that he was identical to Narayana. Now you have concluded that he is God by directly seeing Varuna praising him. We think he should fulfill the desires of your friends in this material world, because your son—who is also the son of our brother, the son of our sister, the son of our daughter--is the Supreme Lord. We have affection for him, and he has affection for us.

Krsna then said, “O cowherd men, please take whatever you desire from the Supreme Lord. ”

One of them said, “We should take liberation.”

Another said, “Let us be residents of Vaikuntha.” Every cowherd man had a different desire. But there would be no weakening of their relationship with Krsna because of seeing him as God. That was the case of Vasudeva (father) and Arjuna however. Vasudeva said, “You two are not my sons, but the Supreme Lord. Today, I surrender to your lotus feet.” Arjuna said, “Please forgive me for whatever I spoke, thinking of you as a friend.”

Thus understanding the desires of his relatives (svanam), Krsna who had knowledge of all realizations the happiness of Brahman, of Vaikuntha and Vraja bhumi (akhila drk), began to think in order to fulfill their desires. Though usually he covers or withdraws his majesty according to the degree of prema, in this case by the inspiration of the lila sakti, he had knowledge of all his forms simultaneously. Krsna thought, “Though these cowherd men actually understand that Brahman and Vaikuntha are insignificant because of tasting sweetness of Krsna prema, I will give them realization of Brahman and Vaikuntha happiness, in order to fulfil the desires they manifest while they play the roles of unintelligent humans.”

“Through lack of knowledge of their soul (avidya), through desires and through karma, my father and the inhabitants of Vraja (janah) have become confused in this world (etasmin), about the higher (deva) forms with their great happiness and power, and lower (man, animal and bird) forms with their distress and weakness. This confusion arises only because they think themselves ordinary people for the purpose of humanlike pastimes. In this role, they do not know their own exalted positions of appearing in Vraja (svam gatim), which is rarely achieved by others.

“When my father saw the opulence of Varuna, which is material, he then considered this Vrndavana to be lower than the planet of Varuna, even though it is the essence of Vaikuntha, just like a foolish person on seeing an inferior pearl, will be astonished at its form and luster, and think the valuable pearl to be inferior. Thus the cowherd men think themselves lower than Varuna and think of liberation and vaikuntha as higher than the great sweetness they taste in offering their love to me as their son. Liberation and Vaikuntha are both dependent on me, I am not dependent on them. But it is seen in some circumstances that I am dependent on prema. Though it is evident to all, they do not recognize it.

“Thus some people realize of the happiness of Brahman in liberation. But Brahma Samhita says : “This brahman is the effulgence of my body.” “This Brahman is without limit, beyond maya.” I say in Gita “I am the basis of Brahman.” Matsya says “My greatness is called the para Brahman.” Thus Brahman is my all pervading, formless light beyond material perception, but I am also eternally present in various sweet forms which are relished by senses anointed with prema.

“As for Vaikuntha, as the Padma purana says, ‘The area of Mathura is superior to Vaikuntha.’ Within Mathura is Vrndavana, the eternal abode of Krsna, which is not affected by even the final destruction of the material world.Thus, Gopala Tapani Upanisad says, ‘ Of the seven cities on bhur loka, Gopala Puri is the very form of Brahman.’ ‘Gopala Puri exists on this earth just as a lotus floats on a lake.’ .” Brhat vamana purana says ‘When the universe becomes invisible at the time of devastation, only the infinite, eternal, non-material Vaikuntha remains, spreading its rays of blissful Brahman.”

Thus though Vrndavana is superior to both Brahman and Vaikuntha, the cowherd men desired to attain the experience of mukti and vaikuntha only because they had not seen them with their eyes. “Therefore I will reveal these to them now directly.”

This verse cannot be translated as follows: “The vrajavasis wandering in various wombs higher and lower by ignorance, lust and karma, do not know about liberation and vaikuntha which will be given by me.” The inhabitants of vraja are nitya siddha and in love with Krsna in various relationships of love, and are not affected by ignorance, lust or karma. Bhagavatam says, “Those gopis who regarded Krsna as their son could no longer be subject to the ignorance of material life.” Brahma says, “Wwhat can you give to these inhabitants of Vraja who do not accept a position of liberation or even vaikuntha even if you offer it.” One should also see the logical explanations given after the killing of Putana.

Thinking (sancintya) “I will show the superiority of Vrndavana by giving them realization of Brahman and Vaikuntha,” he showed them Brahman (svam) and vaikunthan (lokam). Separating the cowherd men from Vrndavana for a few moments, he showed them Brahman and Vaikuntha. He did this because he was most merciful. That is, he wanted to show them that the sweetness of Vrndavana was superior to Brahman and Vaikuntha.

However, if they achieved Brahman realization with sayujya or merging, then it would be impossible for them to come out of it. How would it be possible for them to taste again the sweetness of Vrndavana? Because the lord is vibhu (all powerful), he could do take them out of sayujya mukti and Vaikuntha, which are both beyohd matter (tamasah param).

Satyam means all pervading. Jnanam means nonmaterial. Anantam means without limit. Sanatanam means nitya siddha.. This place the jnanis (munah) who transcend the gunas see in samadhi. Though the Vrndavana seen by the people situated on earth also has the same nature, as it is brahmananda svarupa, its extreme sweetness only is revealed, not its aisvarya aspect, because of the covering maya while being situated within the material world. Maya is like a clay vessel hiding the light of a lamp (brahama jyoti) within it. Thus Krsna showed the brahmajyoti which is beyond the material world, not that manifested within this earth planet.

The form of bhagavan however is much more sweet than the brahmasvarupa. This is confirmed by the realization of atma ramas such as Sukadeva. Though the form of bhagavan is also all pervading, it appeared limited, in a form of medium size; though free from the six transformations, it seems to undergo birth, maturity and decline; and though free from the faults of disturbance etc., he seems to undergo hunger and thirst, sweat, fear, illusion and to receive blows in battle. This is because he has unlimited inconceivable energies. Similarly, Vrndavana, like the body of the lord which spreads itself through millions of universes (as seen by Brahma), is also limited. The Lord says, “This Vrndavana spread over five yojana is like my body.” And though devoid of material disturbance according to the scriptures in such statements as “one should remember the moving and nonmoving entities of Vrdnavana which is free from the six disturbances,” it is the astonishing shelter of men, animals birds and trees which have hunger, thirst, birth, old age, want and dissolution.

Krsna gave them realization of Brahman, in which there is no particular awareness, as if immersing them in a lake (hradam). He then pulled them out of that realization by his remarkable powers and let them see vaikuntha (lokam). This is stated in the second canto of bhagavatam (2.7.31): he let them see the Gokula in Vaikuntha. As the materialist is taken from the lake of matter to realization of Brahman, so the cowherd men were taken from the lake of Brahman realization to realization of Vaikuntha. Krsna delivered them from the dangerous, destructive sayujya to the blissful Vaikuntha. The realization of Vaikuntha with prema is superior to the realization of happiness in Brahman with no prema. But superior to the realization of happiness in Vaikuntha with prema is the realization of happiness in Gokula with prema. To this Vaikuntha previously Akrura had gone, or in this Vaikuntha previously Akrura saw his Lord.

“Previously” indicates that it was previous to the conversation between Sukadeva and Pariksit, though in the narrative it occurs later.

Seeing maha vaikuntha the cowherd men were filled with the highest bliss. This is because the experience of Vrndavana in Goloka of Vaikuntha was similar to the Vrndavana on earth. It is just like a millionaire who having lost all his wealth becomes full of bliss on finding some clue to the wealth. But then they began searching for Krsna, with the lotus face covered with drops of perspiration, worshipable by millions of their life airs. Seeing him, they were astonished to see him being praised by the meters of verse personified. “Where have these effulgent beings praising Krsna come from? They are unknown to us, but we cannot ask them who they are. Though seeing us, he does not show his boyish manners and come towards us. He does not embrace us with his two arms. And we are restrained from approaching him and taking him on our laps. Today he has forgotten hunger and thirst. How can his mother live without feeding him?” In this way they were astonished.

Yogamaya sent by the lila sakti then brought them back to earthly Vrndavana. Rupa Goswami has explained this fact in a verse in Stavamala: “May you be protected by Mukunda who in order to teach the cowherd men that there is no place as sweet as earthly Vrndavana, showed them effortlessly Vaikuntha, and then brought them back to earthly Gokula.”