Sri Brhad-bhagavatamrta Conclusion—Text 133

Giriraj Swami: Mercy. And he kept finding devotees who had received more mercy from the Lord. And thus he went higher and higher through the ranks of the devotees until finally he came to the conclusion that the residents of Vrindavan, especially the cowherd damsels there, had received the maximum mercy. So here is the conclusion of Sri Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta,

TEXT 133

svayaṃ prayāgasya daśāśvamedha-tīrthādike dvāravatī-parānte
sambhāṣitānāṃ viṣaye bhramitvā pūrṇārthatāṃ śrīmad-anugraheṇa
viprādīnāṃ śrotu-kāmo munīndro harṣāt kṛṣṇasyānanād eva sākṣāt
evaṃ mātaḥ prārthayāmāsa hṛdyaṃ tasmin ramyodāra-siṃhe varaṃ prāk

TRANSLATION

From Daśāśvamedha-tīrtha in Prayāga to Dvārakā, Nārada had wandered. And he had spoken with devotees—the brāhmaṇa at Prayāga and all the others—who by the Lord’s divine grace had each achieved perfection. Feeling great pleasure, Nārada, the king of sages, now wanted to hear of this perfection directly from Lord Kṛṣṇa’s own mouth. Dear mother, Lord Kṛṣṇa is the all-attractive lion among generous benefactors. Now, therefore, Nārada begged from Him the first blessing he wished to receive.

COMMENTARY

Narada already knew about Krishna’s mercy, but he wanted to hear Krishna describe it in His own words. Pure Vaishnavas never lose interest in hearing such topics. Narada had spoken with many devotees, beginning with the brahman leader of the devotee in Prayag and ending with Uddhava in Dvaraka. From each he had heard the same story that someone else not the devotee speaking was favored by Krishna. For a reader for no taste for śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ, this simple repetitious plot might be boring. Vaishnavas however are perpetually fascinated by the endless variety of Krishna’s reciprocation with His devotees. Narada was particularly curious about how the devotees he had met, even though they were very greatly in material status, had perfected their life in all respect. All of them from the Prayag brahman, and the southern king, up to Indra, Brahma, Shiva, and Prahlada, Hanuman and Uddhava had achieved remarkable success in performing religious duties, and acquiring exalted means for enjoyment, and this entangling themselves from illusion, and perfecting the transcendental art of serving the supreme person. All of them their achieved their manifold success only by one cause—Krishna’s grace. 

Narada had long been curious to better understand how Krishna distributes His mercy, and now he was eager to inquire from Krishna directly. 

TEXT 135

śrī-kṛṣṇa-candra kasyāpi tṛptir astu kadāpi na
bhavato’nugrahe bhaktau premṇi cānanda-bhājane

TRANSLATION

Narada said, “Sri Krishna Chandra, please grant that no one will ever feel he has enough of Your mercy, Your devotional service or pure love for You, the reservoir of ecstasy. 

COMMENTARY

Narada wants to be assured by Krishna that no matter how much of Krishna’s favor a devotee may receive, the devotee will never become self-satisfied or complacent. Rather he will always think himself unworthy of the mercy, and in need of more and more. Narada mentions Krishna’s mercy—bhakti-yoga and prema, all three together even though they become manifest in a causal sequence, not all at once. Krishna’s mercy leads to bhakti, which develops into prema. What Narada implies is that Vaishnavas on various levels of devotional progress have different needs. A neophyte needs special mercy from Krishna, and His devotees to begin the process of bhakti-yoga, an intermediate sādhaka needs ample opportunities for practicing his personal bhajana, and a mature devotee driven by his strong urge needs to taste kṛṣṇa-prema. Let the impersonalists be satisfied by their theoretical self-realization. Narada and his followers never have enough of the ever increasing ecstasy of discovering their relationships with Krishna. 

COMMENT

So the commentary here is actually written by Srila Sanatana Gosvami himself, [Unintelligible 00:07:34–35]. And here in his commentary he makes a contrast between the impersonalist and the devotees. The impersonalists imagine that they can be satisfied in brahman, but the devotees never feel satisfied that they have enough of Krishna’s mercy or enough of Krishna’s service. And therefore whatever status they are in, they always want more mercy so that they can do more service. Of course, devotees are fully satisfied in the sense that they are fully satisfied by Krishna’s service and they don’t have any desire outside Krishna’s service. But they are never satisfied that they have enough of Krishna’s service. They always want to serve Krishna more. 

TEXT 136

śrī-bhagavān uvāca—
vidagdha-nikarācārya ko nāmāyaṃ varo mataḥ
svabhāvo mat-kṛpā-bhakti-premṇāṃ vyakto’yam eva yat

TRANSLATION

The Supreme Lord said, “Oh preceptor of all clever scholars. What kind of benediction is this? My mercy, my devotional service and ecstatic love for me all have this nature that should simply be obvious.

COMMENTARY

To Krishna is sounded ironic that Narada was asking for something that is already an established fact. Since Narada knows everything he must have had some hidden motive, and indeed this was so. He wanted to hear Krishna himself extol the glories of prema-bhakti. 

TEXT 137–138

prayāga-tīrtham ārabhya bhrāmaṃ bhrāmam itas tataḥ
atrāgatya ca ye dṛṣṭāḥ śrutāś ca bhavatā mune
sarve samasta-sarvārthā jagan-nistārakāś ca te
mat-kṛpā-viṣayāḥ kiñcit tāratamyaṃ śritāḥ param

TRANSLATION

Oh sage, each of the devotees you saw and heard about in your wanderings here and there from Prayag tirtha to Dvaraka is perfect in all respect. Each of them can deliver the entire world and each has truly received my mercy. There exists between them only degrees of perfection. 

COMMENTARY

In each of the places Narada has visited from Prayag to Dvaraka, he had met pure devotees who personified the transcendental virtues of bhakti. And he had learned about others like the residents of Vaikuntha, and Sri Nanda Vraja. By the strength of the Krishna’s mercy, each of these devotees were situated in perfection and able to elevate others to perfection. This does not mean however that their love for Krishna lacked individual distinction. Pure devotional service is by nature full of variety. So no two devotees are exactly alike. A formal ranking among Krishna’s devotees does not exist. But still they show some differences in excellence. Ultimately Srimati Radharani and her companion gopīs are the most excellent devotees. The other pure Vaishnavas acknowledge the supremacy of Srimati Radharani, without envy, being satisfied with the unlimited happiness of serving Krishna, in their own individual ways. 

The Second part of Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta—Glories of the Goloka will conclusively demonstrate that every pure devotee of Krishna enjoys full satisfaction in His own loving exchanges with Krishna.

COMMENT

So, Srila Prabhupada has explained the same principle to us, that on the absolute platform there is no difference in the position of one servant of Krishna and the other. All are liberated and all are perfect. Furthermore, each one is satisfied in his own or her own particular relationship with Krishna, and would not change his own or her own position for any other. But still from the external point of view, one can analyze as Srila Sanatana Gosvami and Srila Rupa Gosvami have that there are degrees of excellence. And that dāsya-rasa is in one sense higher than śānta-rasa, and similarly sākhya-rasa is still higher than vātsalya-rasa, and finally mādhurya-rasa. But such distinctions are not calculated by the devotees on the absolute platform themselves. They are just full of love for Krishna, and full of appreciation for all the other devotees. But when a learned scholar makes a comparative analysis from our position here, so that we can understand better there are degrees of excellence. And thus Srimati Radharani and her associates are considered the most excellent of all the Lord’s devotees. Although the devotees themselves are fully satisfied in their own perfection and relationship with the Lord. 

Devotee: [Unintelligible 00:14:54- 00:15:05]

Giriraj Swami: He is satisfied with all of his pure devotees. He may get more pleasure from his affairs with the gopīs, or residents of Vrindavan. But at the same time, he is satisfied with all of his devotees, and all of their service to him. What would be the position of kṛṣṇa-līlā if there was no Yasoda? There has to varieties of relationships even for the pastimes of the gopīs to be fully relishable. There has to be relationships with parents, with friends, with servants and so on. So they all combine to give the perfect and complete pleasure to Krishna. 

So Narada has asked Krishna for the benediction that no devotee should be satisfied by Krishna’s mercy, or Krishna’s service, or his love for Krishna. And Krishna replies that the very nature of my mercy, the very nature of bhakti, and the very nature of prema are such that the devotee always want more. So what is the meaning for asking of such a benediction. You must have some other purpose in mind. So Lord Krishna continues. 

TEXT 139

tathāpi teṣām eko’pi na tṛpyati kathañcana
tad gṛhāṇa varān anyān matto’bhīṣṭatarān varān

TRANSLATION

None of these devotees are ever satisfied. please therefore ask from me some other, more satisfying benediction. 

COMMENTARY

Other than the vrajavāsīs, no one is closer to Krishna than the Pandavas and the Yadus. They are so fortunate that Krishna lives with them in close intimacy and they are able to share this fortune with their entire families. Nevertheless, they are also dissatisfied, thinking themselves unworthy, lacking in pure devotion and surrender, as Krishna here indicates this is simply peculiar nature of prema-bhakti.

TEXT 140

śrī-parīkṣid uvāca—
nartitvā nārado harṣād bhaikṣyavat sad-vara-dvayam
yācamāno jagādedaṃ taṃ vadānya-śiromaṇim

TRANSLATION

Sri Parikshit said, “Narada danced in sheer joy, and like a mendicant asking alms, he begged from Krishna two excellent boon. Speaking to the Lord, the crest jewel of charitable person, this is what Narada said. 

COMMENTARY

Narada was delighted to hear Krishna confirm that all the Vaishnavas he had visited had fully receive Krishna’s mercy. And that despite such good fortune, these humble devotees are never satisfied with themselves. He danced for a short time, and then approached Krishna for two specific blessings. Like a beggar, folding his hand in supplication and holding out his cloth to ask charity from a rich man, Narada praised Krishna so that Krishna will be inclined to grant his request. 

TEXT 141

srī-nārada uvāca—
sva-dānātṛpta vṛtto’ham idānīṃ sa-phala-śramaḥ
tvan-mahā-karuṇā-pātra-jana-vijñānam āptavān

TRANSLATION

Sri Narada said, “Oh Lord, never satisfy with your own charity, I have now achiever my goal, my labors have borne fruit for I now understand in a practical way who the objects of your greatest mercy are.

COMMENTARY

Närada had taken the trouble to journey from the earth to Brahmaloka and back, and earlier in his life he had exerted himself in scriptural studies and austere meditation. Now he feels assured that all these efforts were worthwhile, for with his own eyes he has seen the truth of what is told in the Vedic scriptures. Most valuably, he has heard from Krishna and His devotees in Dvärakä about the super excellence of the Vraja gopīs.

TEXT 142

ayam eva varaḥ prāpto’nugrahaś cottamo mataḥ
yāce tathāpy udārendra hārdaṃ kiñcic cirantanam

TRANSLATION

This is the only benediction I need obtain, and for me it is the greatest mercy. But still, O king among those who give charity, I have one long cherished desire.

COMMENTARY

Since Krishna insists on being generous, Närada wants to request a few wonderful benedictions. Although the desire Närada is about to express has been sitting in his heart for some time, Krishna should not worry that it might be impossible to fulfill. Närada reminds Krishna that Krishna is, after all, the most competent of all who give charity and therefore no benediction is beyond His ability to grant.

TEXT 143

pāyaṃ pāyaṃ vraja-jana-gaṇa-prema-vāpī-marāla śrīman-nāmāmṛtam avirataṃ gokulābdhy-utthitaṃ te
tat-tad-veśācarita-nikarojjṛmbhitaṃ miṣṭa-miṣṭaṃ sarvāṃl lokān jagati ramayan matta-ceṣṭo bhramāṇi

TRANSLATION

O swan gliding in the lakes of the vrajavāsīs’ love, I wish that I may wander everywhere always chanting, drinking the nectar of Your names. Those most sweet names arise from the ocean of Gokula and spread the glories of Your infinitely varied dress and ways of acting. As I wander, behaving like a madman, may I distribute joy to everyone in all the worlds. 

COMMENTARY

An emperor swan likes to visit various lakes, where he swims about and enjoys at liberty, unimpeded by lesser birds. And Krishna finds His delight in the hearts of His surrendered devotees, each heart a unique treasure house of manifold ecstasies and loving dedication. Närada wants to serve Krishna as an exemplary Parivrajakacarya preaching the glories of Hari-nāmāmṛta throughout the universe. By chanting Krishna’s names, Närada will enjoy the highest pleasure and also share that pleasure with everyone else. The bliss of hari-nāma will inspire such joy in Närada and his followers in disciplic succession that they will become like intoxicated madmen, laughing, crying, dancing, singing, and sometimes showing all ecstatic symptoms at once. Thus these devotees will forget their bodily needs and worldly duties. The names Krishna acquires in Gokula are sweeter than the names He acquires anywhere else, including even such names as Vishnu, Narayana, Narasimha, Ramachandra, Mathuranatha, and Yadavendra. The names of Krishna in Gokula Vrindavana describe qualities of His that cannot be found in any other abode. Only in Vrajabhumi does Krishna place a peacock feather in His hair, gunja ornaments on His ears, and garlands of kadamba flowers around His neck. Only in Vraja does He perform such pastimes as drinking the life air of Pūtanā and breaking the cart in which the demon sakata was hiding. Only there is He called by such sweet names as Nanda-nandana, Yasoda vātsalya, Gopika-manohara, and Vraja-janananda.

TEXT 144

tvadīyās tāḥ krīḍāḥ sakṛd api bhuvo vāpi vacasā hṛdā śrutyāṅgair vā spṛśati kṛta-dhīḥ kaścid api yaḥ
sa nityaṃ śrī-gopī-kuca-kalasa-kāśmīra-vilasat-tvadīyāṅghri-dvandve kalayatutarāṃ prema-bhajanam

TRANSLATION

Whether by speaking, thinking, hearing, or physical contact, if any person in this world comes in touch even once with these pastimes of Yours and is convinced of their importance, may he be endowed eternally with the power to worship Your feet in pure love, feel resplendent with the saffron dust from the pitcher-like breasts of the blessed gopīs. 

COMMENTARY

Narada now submits his second request. He wants to be assured by the Lord’s personal promise that anyone in the future who directly or indirectly experiences the transcendental nectar of Krishna’s Vrindavana pastimes will be blessed to relish the taste of pure love of God. When he says kaçcid api (“anyone at all”), Narada means that prerequisites as to caste or any other qualifications, material or spiritual, should be put aside; because Krishna’s glories and Krishna’s devotees are all-merciful, simply coming in contact with them should automatically make even the most uncivilized, wretched person pious and fortunate. Remembrance of Krishna naturally arises in the heart of one who meets a pure devotee of Krishna and hears from him about Krishna’s pastimes. The only qualification the hearer of kṛṣṇa-kathā needs is that he be krita-dhe eager to hear and ready to trust the authority of Krishna’s representatives who speak His message. Equipped with this one quality of confident determination to hear with faith, a Vaishnava can remember Krishna vividly by listening to accounts of His pastimes and visiting the places where He performed them. As mentioned earlier, the gopīs told Uddhava when they met him in Vridavana: 

saric-chaila-vanoddeśā
gāvo veṇu-ravā ime
saṅkarṣaṇa-sahāyena
kṛṣṇenācaritāḥ prabhu

punaḥ punaḥ smārayanti
nanda-gopa-sutaṁ bata
śrī-niketais tat-padakair
vismartuṁ naiva śaknumaḥ

“Dear Uddhava Prabhu, when Krishna was here in the company of Saṅkarṣaṇa, He enjoyed all these rivers, hills, forests, cows, and flute sounds. All these remind us constantly of Nanda’s son. Indeed, because we see Krishna’s footprints, which are marked with divine symbols, we can never forget Him.” (Bhāgavatam 10.47.49–50) 

Remembrance of Krishna is awakened not only by hearing His glories and the glories of His land Vrindavana but also by direct physical contact. Vaishnavas can physically touch Krishna’s glories in the form of the book Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, they can hear about Sri Vrindavana dhāma from the Bhāgavatam, and then, if fortunate enough, they can come to Vrindavana to bathe in the dust on which Krishna and His dearmost devotees have walked. 

TEXT 145

śrī-parīkṣid uvāca—
tataḥ śrī-hasta-kamalaṃ prasārya paramādarāt
evam astv iti sānandaṃ gopīnāthena bhāṣitam

TRANSLATION

Sri Parīkṣit said: Lord Gopinatha then extended His divine lotus hand and with great respect for Narada blissfully said, “So be it.”

COMMENTARY

Krishna extended His right hand, the hand normally used to offer benedictions. Narada wanted explicit verification from Krishna; therefore Krishna showed His consent in such a way that no one could fail to understand. When Krishna enjoys His pastimes as Gopinatha, the lover of the gopīs, He reveals the most confidential desires of His heart, and in this same mood as Gopinatha He happily accepted Narada’s two requests.

COMMENT

So we are almost at the end. 

TEXT 146

tato mahā-parānandārṇave magno munir bhṛśam
gāyan nṛtyan bahu-vidhaṃ kṛṣṇaṃ cakre sunirvṛtam

TRANSLATION

The sage was suddenly plunged into a vast ocean of supreme bliss. He sang and danced in various ways, thus delighting Lord Krishna.

COMMENTARY

Only an ecstatic devotee, by the unique power of prema-bhakti, can give pleasure to Lord Krishna. Krishna is full in His own ecstasy, so an ordinary person, anxious and miserable as he is, can ever presume to do anything that can please the Lord.

TEXT 147

bubhuje bhagavadbhyāṃ sa paramānnaṃ sa-pānakam
devakī-rohiṇī-dṛṣṭaṃ rukmiṇyā pariveṣitam

TRANSLATION

Närada then partook of excellent food and drink with the two Lords, as Devaki and Rohini’s supervised and Rukmini served. 

COMMENT

Who are the two Lords? Yes, Krishna and Balarama.

COMMENTARY

Invited by Balarama and Krishna to take lunch with Them, Narada was served excellent sweet rice and other delicious dishes and various refreshing drinks. Since Rukmini was the first of Krishna’s queens, she claimed the right to serve the meal. She went around to each of the three people eating and repeatedly offered a small portion of whatever they wanted.

COMMENT

So we learned the proper way to serve. There is one more. Two more. 

TEXT 148

uddhavena smāryamāṇaṃ vījitaṃ satyabhāmayā
anyābhir mahiṣībhiś ca rañjitaṃ tat-tad-īhayā

TRANSLATION

Uddhava suggested to Narada what was best to eat, Satyabhama fanned him, and the other queens pleased him with various kinds of service. 

COMMENTARY

Uddhava went around commenting, “You haven’t tried this. This other preparation is your favorite. Take some of this, and some of that.” Since the weather was quite hot, Krishna’s beloved Satyabhama personally fanned the two Lords and the exalted sage. The other queens, headed by Jambavati, busied themselves doing everything they could to make the meal a pleasure. They poured cool water from brimming pitchers, eloquently praised the food, fanned the bodies of Krishna, Balarama, and Narada from all sides, and kept the room fragrant by burning aguru and other incense.

TEXT

ācānto lepito gandhair mālābhir maṇḍito muniḥ
alaṅkārair bahu-vidhair arcitaś ca murāriṇā

TRANSLATION

After the sage finished eating and washed his mouth, Lord Krishna worshiped him, anointing him with fragrant oils and adorning him with flower garlands and varied ornaments.

Narada then took leave of Madhava, Lord Krishna, and went to Prayaga, thinking, “Let me bestow perfection on the sages who have waited so long for me to return.”

Granthraj Sri Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta ki jaya!

Srila Sanatana Gosvami ki jaya!

Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!

Nitai-Gaura premānande.

COMMENT

Do you know how many they cooked for? Maybe we should fall otherwise they might get, get yes. 

Devotee: You described earlier how the Vaishnava does not become complacent by feeling fallen, inadequate thereby desiring the mercy and service of devotees. But Queen Kunti prayed that she may fall into difficulties, and dangers so that she may remember Krishna. But someone who is fallen actually is easy for them to pray very intensely, “Krishna help me, please give me your mercy. Let me serve you.” But how do we keep the intensity of desire? We can’t pray to Krishna, “Please let me be fallen, so that I can desire your mercy such strongly.” How do we avoid that complacency, when one is actually fallen, in external sense?

Giriraj Swami: Well, anyone who is complacent is on the material platform. So even if he is fulfilling the external requirements of chanting the sixteen rounds, and following the regulative principles, he actually is somewhat fallen, because he is on the material platform. If he is on the spiritual platform, he would always want to do more, he would always feel that twenty-four hours in a day is not enough. And he would want to sleep less, or eat less, or somehow or the other get more mercy to be able to do more service. And of course there, preaching comes to the picture, because we may not at the stage where doing more service means chanting more rounds, or reading more books, or writing more books, or having longer periods of trance-meditation. So for us one need to do more, well take the shape of wanting to do more to spread Krishna consciousness. And Srila Prabhupada set the example and I will not say the principle, but the goṣṭhyānandī in any case gives more pleasure to Krishna, than a bhajanānandī. So yes, one should want to do more, if he feels complacent, thinking that he is not fallen, well he has fallen in a way. Even like a brahman he is content that he is in the mode of goodness, following the principles and chanting his mantras, so on. But a devotee never feels complacent, and if he does, he should be concerned about.

Devotee: [Unintelligible 00:42:21-40]

Giriraj Swami: Yes, it is the nature of bhakti. When one is on material platform, he is called bhakta-priya, which means almost a devotee. In other words, he is bhakta-priya or kaniṣṭhādhikārī. So he may be proud of what he is doing, and he may become complacent by what he is doing, but he is not yet a devotee. He is bhakta-priya, almost a devotee, because he cannot advance more, unless he gets the association of actual devotees, of at least a madhyamādhikārī. And because of the injunctions that forbids intimate association with non-devotees, they can’t be called non-devotees. Otherwise they will never get the chance for the association, they need to make more advancement. So they are called bhakta-priya, which means almost devotees. Still they are on the material platform, basically of the mentality of someone on the material platform. But they are making the effort to at least externally perform the various limbs of devotional service. and then by associating with more advanced devotees, they can actually come to the spiritual platform. And when they are on the spiritual platform, they will never feel that they are doing enough. It is a matter of taste; if one lacks taste, “Okay did sixteen rounds, okay that is enough. I am doing alright.” But if one has taste, “Oh, if I had a thousand tongues, and a million ears then maybe I could begin to chant. How can I chant with one tongue, and two ears? So if one does not really have taste, it means he is on the material platform. But still he is doing his duty, and making his efforts to follow. But the process of liberation means that one develops more taste, and then when one has more taste, he wants to do more naturally.

Devotee: There are so many books written by the Gosvamis. Now we see the devotees are making some of these books available—Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta was [Unintelligible 00:46:00–00:46:18]

Giriraj Swami: Srila Prabhupada did say to do the books of the Gosvamis and among the books of the Gosvamis someone more important for us. So Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta, you read what Srila Prabhupada said about Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta. It was also the first book of the Gosvamis. And then Sat Sandarbha, the one that Gopiprana dhana Prabhu is working on now. How important it is! But he did say the books of the Gosvamis.