Remembrance of Lord Kṛṣṇa

In the Second Chapter Uddhava, his face washed in tears because of disturbance due to prema, describes the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa in Vraja until the rāsa dance. Uddhava, fainting because of increased prema in separation from Kṛṣṇa, spoke without being able to reply to the questions of Vidura. By this he shows his condition. He began to remember the Lord when his fainting was broken by the loud questions of Vidura.

Playing as a boy of five years, he worshipped a five year old form of Kṛṣṇa using articles of worship he had made. Though his mother called him for breakfast, he did not want to eat since he had not completed his worship.

Even though years passed (kale) he did not age, being under the influence of service to Kṛṣṇa. Another meaning is “Under the influence of service performed at the proper time, he did not age.” The word kāle should not be taken to mean “with time,” since that would mean that Uddhava was influenced by time. It would contradict the statement tatra pravayaso ’py āsan yuvāno ’ti-balaujasaḥ: even the most elderly inhabitants of the city appeared youthful, full of strength and vitality. (SB 10.45.19)

This verse describes his remembrance of Kṛṣṇa. When he recovered from fainting by the questions of Vidura, Uddhava, exclaimed, “Oh! I have been separated from by master!” He remained silent for forty-eight minutes (muhūrtam) because of relishing the nectar of Kṛṣṇa’s beauty attained by meeting the Lord directly through remembrance of his lotus feet. He became submerged in the sweetness of prema (bhakti-yogena) which appeared when the pain of separation from Kṛṣṇa increased (tivreṇa). This made him forget his previous pain (sādhu—peaceful). He remained in this blissful state (nirvṛtaḥ).

This verse describes the symptoms of Uddhava’s bliss. Pulakodbhinna-sarvāḍgaḥ means that his whole body was filled with sprouting hairs, like sprouts of trees or shrubs. He also became stunned. Tears flowed from his closed eyes. Vidura (tena) understood that Uddhava had become successful because he had attained prema, as indicated by his symptoms, and because of that prema, he was absorbed (samplutaḥ) completely in melting of his heart (sneha) for the Lord. First he was absorbed in prema, and then he was absorbed in sneha, the next stage of pure love.1

From the world of the Lord (bhagaval-lokāt), from Dvārakā filled with eternal pastimes, attained by his intense prema, he returned to external consciousness (nṛlokam) again, attracted by the questions of Vidura. A second time his trance was broken. He became amazed (utsmayan) by remembering the skill with which Kṛṣṇa performed acts such as relieving the world of its burden. Or he burst into a smile by the soothing advice given by the Lord who had said, “O Uddhava! Please return to answer the questions of Vidura.”

First Uddhava brings out the philosophical conclusion in order to pacify Vidura, who was overcome with grief. By his own external appearance he conveys the unfortunate condition of all those afflicted by the pain of separation from Kṛṣṇa. When Kṛṣṇa, like the sun, has set, how can I speak of the welfare of us, his friends whom you asked about, in houses swallowed by the darkness of lamentation, taking the form of a huge snake? While in a particular place one sees the setting of the sun deity along with his associates and his charier within the zodiac, in other places people see the sun rising, and at positions of forenoon and noon. Similarly when Kṛṣṇa who immerses the universe in his sweet pastimes is seen to disappear from one universe along with his devotees in Gokula, Mathurā and Dvārakā, he is seen to appear in other universes performing pastimes such as birth, rāsa dance, killing Kaṁsa, and marrying Rukmiṇī. The rising, noontime and setting of the sun are not actually different forms of the sun, since they are appearances only. However, Kṛṣṇa’s birth and other actions are not apparent but real since they are all eternal. This is the difference. It has been shown that all of the pastimes of the Lord are eternal in the First Canto, and in the Tenth Canto this is again shown with evidence. Just as in a country affected by the setting sun, dark appears, the lotuses wither, the cakravāka birds lament and thieves, dacoits, Rākṣasas and ghosts become joyful, when Kṛṣṇa disappears from one universe, the world is devoured by the snake of lamentation, the righteous people wither, the devotees lament, the devatās in charge of religion become unsettled and the irreligious people rejoice. This is indicated by Uddhava’s statement about being devoured by the snake.

Having shown the unfortunate condition of the superior persons of this world without the Lord, out of bewilderment of prema, he criticizes those persons, from seeing his own awareness of the Lords’ great powers which has suddenly arisen from his feeling of great separation, and not seeing that awareness of the Lord’s powers in the Lord’s associates in Dvārakā. These inhabitants of Dvārakā (ayam lokaḥ) who appear in my heart are unfortunate, though they have very close relationship to him by family ties (yadavaḥ nitarām api). Though they live with him, they do not know the Lord, being bewildered by his sweetness. But I am unfortunate because, though I know Kṛṣṇa as the Lord, I did not live together with him at this moment. It is like the fish in the water who on seeing the moon which is situated in the Milk Ocean, think of it as another fish like them, but very attractive. They do not recognize the moon as a devatā, with rays of nectar, who is lord of the night. Similarly the Yādavas recognize Kṛṣṇa’s sweetness, and not his great powers. Saddened by that thought, I call them unfortunate. Actually however, they have great fortune, because it will be explained in the Tenth Canto that those who are aware of Kṛṣṇa’s sweetness are greater than those who are aware of his powers. Na viduḥ is in the present tense to indicate to Vidura that the Yādavas about whom Vidura is inquiring are eternal associates of the Lord and are even now performing pastimes with the Lord. If they were not presently living with the Lord, they would not know him at all. But Uddhava says they do not know him as the Lord while living with him in the present. However, you who ask and I who am asked, being deprived of living with the Lord (since we remain while they have disappeared to join the aprakaṭa pastimes), we alone are unfortunate, and we alone should lament.

“The inhabitants of Dvārakā were not devoid of knowledge of the Lord’s powers as were the inhabitants of Gokula who experienced only sweetness in pure prema. How then can Uddhava say that they did not know the Lord’s powers?” This verse explains.

Because they had great intelligence (puru-prauòhā) they knew what was in Kṛṣṇa’s heart, what to speak of the sweetness of his form. But in spite of that, they did not know his powers. They enjoyed with him individually, in sitting, resting and other activities (ekārāmāḥ). They thought of Kṛṣṇa, who was present as their eternal master and the best person among themselves, as Paramātmā in all beings (bhūtāvāsam). The śruti says eko devaḥ sarva-bhūteṣu gūòhaḥ: the one lord is residing within all beings. (Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad) But they did not know Kṛṣṇa as Svayam Bhagavān, as the source of Nārāyaṇa. That is the meaning when Uddhava said that they did not know the Lord. In this world it is proper that some know Kṛṣṇa as Bhagavān and some do not. That is not criticized. Criticized are those who are intermediate, those who half know Bhagavān.

Those devotees living in the material world suffer in separation from the Lord, and the Yādavas, eternally in his association, are happy in his association. These two types of persons are fortunate since they have devotion. Others, not being devotees, have hellish existence. That is explained in this verse. Those touched by the Lord’s māyā, thinking themselves learned, and those who take shelter of evil mentality, completely different from the real conclusions, the demons, say that Kṛṣṇa gave up his body and went to Vaikuṇṭha. They say that Kṛṣṇa along with his dynasty was destroyed by the curse of a brāhmaṇa, since he committed unjustified violence against great kings like Dhṛtarāṣṭra and Jarāsandha. However the intelligence of the devotee who has absorbed his mind (uptātmanaḥ) in Paramātmā is not bewildered by such critical words. Rather, he is absorbed in Kṛṣṇa’s sweetness. Those who are bewildered by such words deserve hell.

The view of the devotees is correct. What is that? This verse answers. The Lord, showing his form (sva-bimbam) to men, made them taste his sweetness, and ignoring the fact that their eyes were unsatisfied (avitṛpta-dṛśām), took his form, covered it from their eyes, and suddenly disappeared. (He did not give up a material body). Genitive case (avitṛpta-dṛśāṁ nṛnām) is used to show disregard. The word yaḥ is not related to a correlative saḥ in a following verse. It is like yad in the sentence sādhu candramasi puṣkaraiḥ krṭaṁ mīlitaṁ yad abhirāmatādhikaḥ.

It is suggested in this verse that the Lord thought that those who were greedy for him even without his disappearance would taste his sweetness more profoundly by separation. “But this will make the Lord someone who takes back what he has given.” This is answered in the last line. The eyes of all people (loka-locanam) are situated in him. He gave his form to men so that he could attract all their eyes, not to give them a spiritual benediction and then take it away like a thief. This verse also suggests vyāja-stuti, criticism acting as praise for his attractive features. When Kṛṣṇa appeared on earth, he made everyone blind by attracting their eyes, rather than protecting them!

“Since the Lord has unlimited sweetness what harm would it do him if he were to let everyone taste it for a long time? What would be the fault, since he is the ocean of mercy? His disappearance creates misfortune for all people.”

The answer is given in the words atapta-tapasām. The expression is used to indicate a common man’s view. They had not performed austerity, but they had attained his great mercy. Detachment from matter is not a cause of great attraction for the Lord. Thus the real cause is suggested by the phrase avitṛpta-dṛśām. The phrase avitṛpta-dṛśām, “having unsatisfied eyes” has the following meaning. When one sees the Lord, after attaining great mercy, then one is never satisfied even by seeing him many times: atrodite bhavej jātu na tṛptir darśanādiṣu. (Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi 14.79) This is a symptom of the stage of sneha. Therefore, taking his form, he disappeared.

And by this statement, the idea that the Lord gave up his body is also defeated. In the following two verses also, the argument that Kṛṣṇa gave up a material form and assumed a spiritual form is defeated by the words describing his form. The phrases “showing his form” and “disappearing” also merely indicate that people cannot see the form. As well those phrases indicate that the Lord performs these actions by his will. Those that argue that Kṛṣṇa is dependent on karma are defeated. The statements of Uddhava, rather than those of opposed to the Lord, should be taken as authoritative to defeat the ideas of the materialists presented in the previous verse. His statement, like the statement kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam, should be taken as conclusive. Thus Bhāgavatam becomes full of flavor and pleasing for the listener.

“When he made his form disappear, did he go to Vaikuṇṭha?” How could he take that form suitable for human pastimes (martya-līlaupayikam) to Vaikuṇṭha? This means that even now, as previously, he is residing in Dvārakā. But one should not think that the Lord has some fault because he has human pastimes. On the contrary, the human pastimes are superior to the Vaikuṇṭha pastimes. He accepted a form suitable for human pastimes in order to show the full capacity (balam) of his yoga-māyā, his spiritual energy arising from his svarūpa. He does not establish this form by hiding sweetness or power, but by depositing all his powers in this human form. Such capacity is not displayed even in Vaikuṇṭha. Though it is said that the Lord accepted this form, his form is inseparable from himself. No time of accepting that form is indicated. In the following statement gṛhitā is used in a similar way. Actually māyā eternally accepts the guṇas.

attvaṁ rajas tama iti nirguṇasya guṇās trayaḥ

sthiti-sarga-nirodheṣu gṛhītā māyayā vibhoḥ

The three guṇas of sattva, rajas and tamas, belonging to the Lord without guṇas, are accepted by the māyā of the Lord for creation, maintenance and destruction. SB 2.5.18

Intelligence makes distinctions in the Lord even though the Lord cannot be distinguished in parts. Thus gṛhītam simply means “he revealed” according to Bhagavat-sandarbha.

Another meaning is as follows. In order to show that human form, the Lord accepted the strength of his yoga-māyā for accomplishing pastimes such as marrying sixteen thousand queens, which would astonish even Kṛṣṇa’s expansion, the Lord of Vaikuṇṭha (svasya). “This human form with such qualities astonishes even me, what to speak of astonishing the associates of the lord in Vaikuṇṭha, who can se all the forms and qualities of all the avatāras!”

This form is the supreme position (paraṁ padam) of complete auspiciousness (saubhagardheḥ). Even the lord of Vaikuṇṭha desires to see this form:

dvijātmajā me yuvayor didṛkṣuṇā mayopanītā bhuvi dharma-guptaye

I have brought the brāhmaṇa’s sons here because I wanted to see the two of you, who have descended to the earth to save the principles of religion. SB 10.89.58

His limbs are ornaments (enhancers) of ornaments. This indicates Kṛṣṇa’s supreme beauty.

In this verse Uddhava reminds Vidura, “You have directly witnessed the great auspiciousness of Kṛṣṇa.” All people within the three worlds including Brahmā and Indra considered that today in this universe the skill of the creator in constructing the recent, variegated world had all been nullified by seeing the beauty of Kṛṣṇa’s limbs. There is now disgust with the creations of the blossoming blue lotus, lamp black ointment, the blue sapphire and the rain cloud. Seeing the beauty of his face, what is the use of the moon and the lotus?

“But from your mouth we hear that Vaikuṇṭha Nārāyaṇa came and appeared in Vasudeva’s house, that the ancient Lord took a black and white hair, that Kṛṣṇa expands from Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, that he expands from Nara-nārāyaṇa or Vāmana, and we also hear that Kṛṣṇa, with human pastimes, is situated in Dvārakā and other places as the highest form. What is the real truth?”

Kṛṣṇa is the lord of the Nārāyaṇa forms (para) beyond prakṛti, is the lord of Brahmā and others (avara), who is Svayam Bhagavān, and is endowed with forms such as Mahā-viṣṇu creator of mahat-tattva (mahad) and aṁśas like Matsya, Kūrma, Nṛhari, Nara-nārāyaṇa, and Vāmana. When the devotees are afflicted by the demons, Kṛṣṇa, whose mind is full of compassion (anukampitātmā, appears in this world, though he is unborn, without material birth. According to the śruti the Lord is called mahat. Mahāntaṁ vibhumātmānam matvā dhīras na śocati: knowing the Lord as the producer of mahat-tattva, the wise person does not lament. (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.22) He is just like fire, which being eternally present as one of the five basic elements, appears when jewels or stones are rubbed. This means that he is eternally present in his abodes such as Mathurā. When his devotees in Mathurā like Vasudeva and Ugrasena are afflicted, by his kṛpā-śakti, which is like the friction that produces fire, the Lord becomes visible. Rising like the sun in the eastern direction (Devakī) on Sunrise Mountain (Mathurā) h,e extinguishes the evil persons similar to darkness and satisfies the lotuses (religious persons) and cakravāka birds (devotees in longing) who have been tormented by the darkness, and establishes the rules of dharma. Then he disappears on the Sunset Mountain (Prabhāsa). In this way the example of the sun is a suitable comparison with Kṛṣṇa’s appearance and disappearance. It clearly shows how the Lord is present in his abode and makes his appearance. He is not Nārāyaṇa coming from Vaikuṇṭha, or Kṣīrodakaśāyī coming from the Milk Ocean or Nara-nārāyaṇa or Vāmana coming from their abodes to make an appearance in this world. Though all these forms have their eternal abodes, when Kṛṣṇa appears he comes with all these aṁśas (mahad-aṁśa-yuktaḥ) since they merge within Kṛṣṇa, the Lord of them all (parāvareśaḥ). Thus all doubts are resolved. This is in accordance with the statements of the sages.

I have revealed the truth to you as I have understood it. However, I could not understand this difficult subject before, even though I asked learned people. Thus previously I was full of grief. That is explained in this verse. How is it possible for a person without birth to take birth? There should be no grief if what appears to be a birth is actually only an imitation of birth and is not actual birth. It should be understood that Uddhava intends to show that Kṛṣṇa has both actual birth and an appearance of a birth. His birth in the prison of Kaṁsa gives me pain. This actually means it previously gave me pain. The present tense is often used to express times near to the present. Because his birth pastime even in degraded circumstance should create the greatest joy in his mother, father, friends, and other devotees, why did he as the independent lord not do anything about this? He is naturally full of bliss but why is he known to stay in Vraja out of fear of enemies? The word iva is used to express the fact that he should not have been afraid of Kaṁsa while living in Vraja. Then he fled from Mathurā. Though he has unlimited strength he fled from Kālayavana and others out of fear. Bhīṣma has said:

na hy asya karhicid rājan pumān veda vidhitsitam

yad vijijñāsayā yuktā muhyanti kavayo ’pi hi

O King, no one can know the plan of Kṛṣṇa. Even though great philosophers inquire exhaustively, they are bewildered. SB 1.9.16

However, when I asked the Lord in private he enlightened me. Now my lamentation has gone.

When I remember Kṛṣṇa’s activities my heart produced by karma becomes afflicted. He consoles his parents for his offense. “O father! O mother! Be pleased with the two of us!” The genitive stands for the dual case. We were greatly fearful of Kaṁsa. If this statement is true, it is a contradiction to his position as the Lord, and if it is false, how can the Lord speak untrue words? Thus previously I was in grief. How can I forget his humility conforming to convention, which nourished his sweetness, even though he is the highest form of the Lord? His conduct pierces my heart like an arrow. This is the lamentation of Uddhava.

“Those who are not the Lord can also act like this. It is your faith only that he is the Lord.” Three verses answer this doubt. By the quivering buds of his brows (bhrū-viṭapena), which were death personified (kṛtāntena), he removed the burden of the earth. Viśva-koṣa says that viṭapa means a bud, a shrub, or a branch.

Who did not have direct experience of his powers as the Supreme Lord? Though Śiśupāla hated the Lord, the Lord showed unparalleled mercy to him. Yām stands for yasyai.

Having described Kṛṣṇa’s mercy which gives liberation to those who hated him, Uddhava now describes his mercy in giving prema to others who were neutral. In mentioning that they drank with their eyes, Uddhava laments his one position. “They were fortunate, and I am unfortunate, because by drinking the form of the Lord with their eyes, they attained the Lord.”

In two verses Uddhava laments how he could forget the sweetness of the Lord, his willingness to come under the control of his devotees. Though he is the master of Brahmā and other devatās and the master of Viṣṇu forms as well, he becomes the servant of Ugrasena.

He has no equal what to speak of a superior (asāmyātiśayaḥ). What is the reason? He is the lord of the three puruṣāvatāras, and the lord of cic-cakti, jīva-śakti and māyā-śakti. All his desires are fulfilled by Lakṣmī and his rulership with his expansions, his devotees, śaktis, pastimes, powers and sweetness. His feet are praised (edita) by ten million crowns of long lasting protectors of the directions, by Brahmās acting as creators in ten million universes, by Viṣṇus protecting the universes and by Śivas destroying the universes, and by Śeṣas holding up the universes. The sound of the crowns when they offer respects is the praise.

This verse describes Kṛṣṇa as a servant of Ugrasena. O Vidura (aḍga)! Standing in from of Ugrasena seated (niṣaṇṇam) on the king’s throne, Kṛṣṇa informed him, “O king of kings (deva), please establish me in your service.”

Remembering Kṛṣṇa’s sweet mercy to those who wanted to harm him when he first appeared in the world, Uddhava laments. Even though Pūtanā who pretended to have sentiments of a mother gave him poison to kill him, she attained a position in Goloka similar to the nurses of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa has two real nurses named Ambikā and Kalimbā. Though Pūtanā only had the dress of a devotee, she attained love suitable to a devotee. Though she hated the Lord, he made her a special example. This incident shows Kṛṣṇa’s quality of giving liberation and bhakti to even those who hate him.

Uddhava’s lamentation is here shown as not the final conclusion. Uddhava considers the demons whose hearts were filled with anger (samrambha) to be devotees because when they died they attained direct vision of the Lord and attained his lotus feet. We on the other hand have not attained this. We will die without seeing Kṛṣṇa (since he has disappeared) and thus will not attain his abode. They saw Garuòa (tārkṣya-putram), son of Kaśyapa, coming towards them (āpatantam) with the Lord, holder of the cakra (sunābhāyudham) on his shoulders.

In order to answer Vidura’s questions, Uddhava had to tell him about the disappearance of Kṛṣṇa. Now he attempts to explain this sad pastime along with the joyous pastimes. He was born in the prison (bandhane) of Kaṁsa. He desired to give happiness (śam) to the earth (asyāḥ) at the request of Brahmā (ajena).

He was brought (itaḥ) by his father to Vraja. He lived there for eleven years (samāḥ). He is described as a covered flame because he performed his bālya, paugaṇòa and kaiśora pastimes there, unknown to Kaṁsa and others. Or he can be called a covered flame because he covered his qualities as supreme lord with sweetness.

The forests had trees (aḍghri-pa) filled with chirping birds (dvija).

Kṛṣṇa displayed crying like a child without the typical symptoms of tears (rudan iva). In front of the elder women he would seem to cry, stubbornly asking for things that should be given to him, and then when he got them he would smile and laugh. When fierce demons came to Vraja, Kṛṣṇa appeared just like a young lion who, though afraid of fierce animals in the forest, threatens them by showing his bravery. This caused anxiety in his parents who had affection for him.

Some time later, he gave up herding calves and while herding a wealth of cows who were the abode of beauty (lakṣmyāḥ niketam)—being white, blue, green, yellow and grey along with white bulls, he played with the cowherd boys.

He killed (vyanudat) the demons sent by Kaṁsa as if they were toys, lions made of leaves.

He revived the cowherds and cows who had fainted on drinking the poison water and made them drink the water, which was now free of poison (prakrṭi-sthitam).

Go-savena means worship of the cows in place of sacrifice to Indra. The word ca indicates that not only did Kṛṣṇa desire to use the accumulated (uru-bhārasya) wealth properly, but he desired also to break the pride of Indra.

O Vidura (bhadra)! When Indra, being deprived of sacrifice, in anger began to pour rain (varṣati indre) Kṛṣṇa saved the people of Vraja by playfully using a mountain (gotra) as a large umbrella (ātapatra).

Brining joy to the face of Rādhā by rubbing away her perspiration with his hand, making her think that she alone was his lover, Kṛṣṇa, beautiful as the full moon, singing softly, ornamenting the whole group of gopīs, enjoyed rāsa-līlā with them.

Rajanī-mukham means evening. Thus one meaning is “considering the suitability of the evening lit by the rays of the autumn moon.” However it has another meaning: he make joyful (mānayan) the face of his independent lover (rajanī-mukham) known svādhina-bhartṛkā, which was made bright by removing her perspiration, using hands of the male lover, like the full moon (śarac-chasi-karaiḥ). She became joyful, thinking “I alone am with Kṛṣṇa.” Ornamenting the whole group of women (with his presence) during enjoyment of the rāsa-līlā (maṇdala-maṇòanaḥ) he enjoyed that pastime.

Thus ends the commentary on Second Chapter of the Third Canto of the Bhāgavatam for the pleasure of the devotees, in accordance with the previous ācāryas.