Part II Ch 2

download Part II Ch 2

of 190

Transcript of Part II Ch 2

  • 7/30/2019 Part II Ch 2

    1/190

    Chapter TwoJna: Knowledge

    TEXT 1

    [qGaaePaku-Maar ovacMaaQauraetaMa iv[aNTaaE aTva v*NdavNa& GaTa" )A}a GaaevDaRNaadaE c YaQaak-aMa& Pair>a[MaNa( ))

    r-gopa-kumra uvcamthurottama virntausntv vndvana gataatra govardhandau cayath-kma paribhraman

    r-gopa-kumra uvcar Gopa-kumra said; mthuraof theMathur brhmaas; uttamaO best; virntauat Virnti-gha;sntvafter bathing; vndvanamto Vndvana; gatacame;atrahere; govardhana-dauin such places as Govardhana; caand;yath-kmamas I desired;paribhramanwandering.

    r Gopa-kumra said: O best of the Mathur brhmaas, afterbathing at Virnti-gha I came to Vndvana. Here Iwandered freely in such places as Govardhana.

    COMMENTARY: This second chapter describes the glories of Svargalokaand the other higher planets in the universe. It compares inwardmeditation on the Supreme Lord with external vision of Him, anddevotional service with liberation.

    Virnti-gha (Virma-gha) is the principal holy site in MathurCity. Pilgrims usually begin their visits to Mathur with a bath atVirma-gha.

    TEXT 2

    iPab& GaaerSa& PaUvRbaNDavESTaErl/i+aTa" )>aJaNSvJaPYaMaNaYa& idNaaiNa k-iTaicTSau%Ma( ))

    piba ca go-rasa prva-bndhavais tair alakitabhajan sva-japyam anayadinni katicit sukham

  • 7/30/2019 Part II Ch 2

    2/190

    pibandrinking; caand; go-rasamthe nectar from the cows;prvaprevious; bndhavaiwith my friends; taiby them; alakitaunnoticed; bhajanworshiping; sva-japyamthe mantra I wassupposed to chant; anayamI passed; dinnidays; katicitseveral;sukhamhappily.

    Unnoticed by my former friends, in their company I drank thenectar from the cows and happily passed a number of daysworshiping my mantra.

    COMMENTARY: Gopa-kumras former friends did not recognize him,because he was dressed like a foreigner. Thus his association withthem at this time was not very close.

    TEXT 3

    AQa SaNdXaRNaaeTk-

  • 7/30/2019 Part II Ch 2

    3/190

    mathur bhagavn yatranitya sannihito hari

    In Mathur Lord Hari is always present.

    And later in the Tenth Canto (10.44.13):puy bata vraja-bhuvo yad aya n-liga-gha pura-puruo vana-citra-mlyag playan saha-bala kvaaya ca veuvikraycati giritra-ramrcitghri

    How pious are the tracts of land in Vraja, for there the primevalPersonality of Godhead, disguising Himself with human traits, wandersabout, enacting His many pastimes! Adorned with wonderfullyvariegated forest garlands, He whose feet are worshiped by Lord iva

    and the goddess Ram vibrates His flute as He tends the cows in thecompany of Balarma. In the last line of this verse, the verb acati(He wanders) is in the present tense, indicating that when this versewas spoken by the women of Mathur City, after Ka had beenbrought there by Akrra, Ka was still present in Vraja. Theconclusion is that Kas pastimes of tending the cows and playingwith His friends in the forests of Vraja are eternal.

    Gopa-kumra, however, had not yet developed the spiritual eyes tosee Kas presence in Vraja. So he was thinking about going back toJaganntha Pur, where the Lord is always visible to everyone.Because he had not yet gained r Kas special favor, he lacked

    the taste ofvraja-bhva and wanted to go elsewhere. Even after hevisited various places of Kas pastimes in Vraja and felt somethingspecial, his realizations were somehow covered, and he felt dissatisfiedat not seeing his Lord. But eventually he will achieve the perfection ofall his desires in Vndvana, where he will remain permanently, withperfect faith and satisfaction.

    TEXT 4

    AaTaRSTa}a JaGaaQa&d]uMaae!\aNaPauNaVa[RJaNa( )

    PaiQa GaaTa$e=_PaXYa& DaMaaRcarParaNa( iJaaNa())

    rtas tatra jagannthadraum ohrn punar vrajan

    pathi gag-tae payadharmcra-parn dvijn

  • 7/30/2019 Part II Ch 2

    4/190

    rtadistressed; tatrathere;jagannthamLord Jaganntha;draumto see; ohrnto Orissa;punaagain; vrajantraveling;pathion the path; gag-taeon the shore of the Gag; apayamIsaw; dharma-crato the execution of religious duties;parndedicated; dvijnbrhmaas.

    In great anxiety I set off once more for Orissa to see LordJaganntha. And on the path along the shore of the Gag I metsome brhmaas who were fixed in their religious duties.

    COMMENTARY: Gopa-kumra was anxious to see Lord Jaganntha andalso unhappy about leaving Vraja.

    TEXT 5

    ivic}aXaaivje>YaSTae>Yaa[aEzMauTaMa( )

    SvGaaeR NaaMaaeRdeXae_iSTa devl/aek-ae_NTarq+aTa" ))

    vicitra-stra-vijebhyastebhya crauam adbhutamsvargo nmordhva-dee stideva-loko ntarkata

    vicitravarious; strain scriptures; vijebhyawho were learned;tebhyafrom them; caand; arauamI heard; adbhutamamazing; svarga nmacalled Svarga; rdhva-deein the region

    above; astithere is; devaof the demigods; lokathe world;antarkataabove the upper atmosphere.

    From those brhmaas,who were learned in various kinds ofscripture, I heard something amazingthat above the upperatmosphere there is a world of demigods called Svarga.

    COMMENTARY: Having never received a proper education, Gopa-kumradid not even know that there are upper regions of the universepopulated by superhuman civilizations. Almost everyone born in Indiahears about heaven and other wonders of the universe, because eventhe popular culture is based on the authority of the Vedic scriptures.But Gopa-kumra, in his simple life as a cowherd at Govardhana, hadheard nothing about these things. Now he met some brhmaas on theroad who were not only well versed in the rutis, smtis, epics,Puras, and philosophical texts but were glad to share what theyknew. Texts 5 through 11 describe what those brhmaas told him.

  • 7/30/2019 Part II Ch 2

    5/190

    TEXT 6

    ivMaaNaavil/i>a" [qMaai>aRYaae du"%viJaRTa" )JaraMara[aTaa[qJaGadqiXaTau" ))

    mah-sukha-mayo labhyapuyair atrottamai ktai

    yasya akro dhipo jyynbhrt r-jagad-itu

    mah-sukhawith the greatest happiness; mayafilled; labhyaobtainable;puyaiby pious persons; atrain this world; uttamai

    most excellent; ktaiby acts;yasyawhose; akraIndra; adhipathe ruler;jyynelder; bhrtthe brother; r-jagat-ituof thedivine Lord of the universe.

    That Svarga, pervaded by the greatest happiness, one canattain by the highest acts of piety in this world. Its ruler isakra [Indra], the elder brother of the Lord of the universe.

  • 7/30/2019 Part II Ch 2

    6/190

    COMMENTARY: Svargaloka is glorious because the life enjoyed there is ofsuperior quality; because only by exceptional efforts can one achieveit; and because its ruler is the great Indra. Lord Viu in His form ofVmanadeva is the younger brother of King Indra.

    TEXTS 89

    YaPYaiSTa ibl/SvGaaeR= ivZYaa&

    iviXaZYaTae ))

    yady apy asti bila-svargoviu-edy-alaktabhauma-svarga ca tad-dvpa-

    vardiu pade pade

    vicitra-rpa-r-ka-pjotsava-virjitatathpy rdhva-taro lokodivyas tbhy viiyate

    yadi apialthough; astithere is; bila-svargathe subterraneanheaven; viuby Lord Viu; ea-diAnanta ea and others;alaktaadorned; bhauma-svargathe earthly heaven; caand;tatof that region; dvpa-vara-diuofdvpas, varas, and so on;

    pade padein various locations; vicitravarious; rpain forms; r-kaof r Ka;pj-utsavawith festive worship; virjitaresplendent; tath apinonetheless; rdhva-tarahigher; lokatheworld; divyaof heaven; tbhymto both of these; viiyateissuperior.

    Of course, there are subterranean heavens, adorned with thepresence of incarnations like Lord Viu and Ananta ea, andthere are heavens on earth in various dvpas, varas,andother regions, heavens resplendent with the festive worship ofr Ka in various forms. Nonetheless, the heavenly world inthe higher realms is still superior.

    COMMENTARY: The Fifth Canto ofrmad-Bhgavatam gives informationof heavens, called Bila-svargas, below the earthly planetary systemand tells of heavens on the earthly system itself. In the subterraneanheavens, Viu is present on Sutala-loka as the doorkeeper of BaliMahrja and on Ptla-loka as ea, the superintendent of theseventh region below the earth. The word di (and so on) in the

  • 7/30/2019 Part II Ch 2

    7/190

    phrase viu-edy-alakta indicates that in the Bila-svargas thereare other appearances of Viu as well. Thus we find in i VlmkisRmyaa that r Kapila, who broke Rvaas intoxicated pride,resides on Atala-loka, and that Lord iva, as r Rudra, resides onVitala.

    According to rmad-Bhgavatam, the earthly planetary system,Bh-maala, consists of various dvpas, or islands, and theirsubdivisions, tracts of land known as varas. On these dvpas andvaras the Lord is worshiped in various incarnations. For example, onPlaka-dvpa the Supreme Lord is worshiped as Sryadeva, on Ilvta-vara as r Sakaraa, and on Bhadrva-vara as r Hayagrva.The Lord is also worshiped in the Milk Ocean and other special places.

    Yet despite this varied worship of the Lord in the earthly andsubterranean heavens, the Svargaloka in the upper part of theuniverse holds a special position. It is rdhva-tara, superior to the otherheavens and physically higher. And it is divya, the home of the very

    powerful devas. Gopa-kumra need not think about going to any otherheavenly planet.

    TEXT 10

    YaiSMaHa( [qJaGadqXaae_iSTa Saa+aadidiTaNaNdNa" )TaSYaaePaeNd]SYa vaTaaR c [qivZ

  • 7/30/2019 Part II Ch 2

    8/190

    sthpito gobhir varaupendra iti ka tvgsyanti divi devat

    Because the cows have established You as the Indra above me, the

    supreme controller, the demigods in heaven, O Ka, will call YouUpendra.

    TEXT 11

    Aa Pa+aqNd]iMaTaSTaTaae_SaaE-I@iNviNaganSauraNMaNaaejE" )

    l/Il/avcae>aq rMaYaJa&devaNa( iNaJa>a[aTa*TaYaaCYaRTae TaE" ))

    ruhya pakndram itas tato sau

    kran vinighnann asurn mano-jaill-vacobh ramayann ajasradevn nija-bhrttayrcyate tai

    ruhyamounting;paki-indramthe king of birds, Garua; ita tatahere and there; asauHis; kransporting; vinighnankilling;asurndemons; mana-jaicharming; llwith pastimes;vacobhiand with words; ramayanpleasing; ajasramcompletely;devnthe demigods; nijatheir own; bhrttayas the brother;arcyateHe is worshiped; taiby them.

    Mounting the king of birds, He goes here and there to killdemons as a sport. With His wonderful pastimes and pleasingwords He completely satisfies the demigods. They worship Himas their own brother.

    COMMENTARY: Gopa-kumra has not witnessed such wonderful pastimesof the Personality of Godhead in any of the places he has gone to thusfar. In Svargaloka he will be able to see Lord Vmana flying on Hiscarrier, Garua, traveling to display pastimes in various places.

    TEXT 12TaXaRNae JaaTaMaNaaerQaaku-l/"

    SaLPaPaUv| SvJaPa& SaMaacrNa( )SvLPaeNa k-ale/Na ivMaaNaMaaGaTa&

    MaudahMaa GaTaiiPaPaMa( ))

    tad-darane jta-manorathkula

  • 7/30/2019 Part II Ch 2

    9/190

    sakalpa-prva sva-japa samcaransv-alpena klena vimnam gatamudham ruhya gatas tri-piapam

    tatof Him; daranefor the seeing; jtadeveloped; mana-ratha

    because of the desire; kulaanxious; sakalpa-prvamwith thisintention; sva-japamthe chanting of my mantra; samcaranperforming; su-alpenavery short; klenaafter some time; vimnama celestial airplane; gatamarrived; mudwith joy; ahamI;ruhyamounting; gatawent; tri-piapamto the heavenlykingdom.

    Eager to see Him, I chanted my mantra specifically for thatpurpose. In a very short time a celestial airplane arrived. Iclimbed aboard and joyfully flew to the heavenly kingdom.

    COMMENTARY: Having an intense desire to fulfill, Gopa-kumra now feltinspired to chant with special attention, correctly following all the rulesfor worship with the mantra. And so his desire to go to Svargaloka wasquickly achieved.

    TEXT 13

    PaUv| GaaTa$=Na*PaGa*he YaSYa d*a Pa[iTaaTa& [qivZ

  • 7/30/2019 Part II Ch 2

    10/190

    There I saw the same r Viu whom earlier I had seenworshiped in the kings palace on the shore of the Gag. ThatLord, the concentrated embodiment of eternity, knowledge,and bliss, was seated on His royal thronethe attractiveshoulders of Garua. Surrounded by hosts of demigods, the

    Lord praised the very sweet music of Nradas v.COMMENTARY: It seemed to Gopa-kumra that the Deity he had seenbefore in the kings palace on earth was a very faithful image of theLord he was seeing now in person. The Lord carried the sameconchshell, disc, and other weapons in His four hands, and He had thesame yma complexion and youthful age. Yet in Svargaloka Heappeared even more beautiful and charming. And unlike the Deity onearth, here the Lord was surrounded by many demigods. Gopa-kumrarecognized Him as the eternal Truth, the embodiment of knowledgeand wonderful bliss, the Absolute Truth in its concentrated essence,

    more brilliant than the sun. As the greatest of kings, the Lord took Hisroyal seat on the shoulders of Garua and gracefully acknowledged thesongs of Nrada.

    TEXT 14

    Pa[aPYa Pa[aPYa& d]uiMa& c d*=aTa}aaTMaaNa& MaNYaMaaNa" k*-TaaQaRMa( )

    dUraUYaae d

  • 7/30/2019 Part II Ch 2

    11/190

    TEXT 15

    idya idyaGaTaae_iSa TvMa}a [qGaaePaNaNdNa )Al&/ d

  • 7/30/2019 Part II Ch 2

    12/190

    TEXT 17

    idVYaEd]RVYaESTaiPaRTaae NaNdNaa:Yae_raqNaaRiSTa Xaaek-aeraeGaae Ma*TYauGl/aRiNaraiTaRJaRra c ))

    divyair dravyais tarpito nandankhyeraye vsa prpito g praharamvke kcit tatra bhr nsti okorogo mtyur glnir rtir jar ca

    divyaiheavenly; dravyaiby items; tarpitasatisfied; nandana-khyecalled Nandana; arayein the forest; vsamresidence;prpitaobtained; agmI experienced;praharamdelight; vkeI saw; kcitany; tatrathere; bhfear; na astithere is not;okasorrow; rogadisease; mtyudeath; glnifatigue; rtipain;jarold age; caand.

    They satisfied me by offerings of heavenly pleasures and aresidence in the Nandana forest. I felt delighted. Here, I saw,there was no pain, no fear, no death, no sorrow, no disease,fatigue, or old age.

    COMMENTARY: Lord Viu told the demigods to escort Gopa-kumrarespectfully into His presence, honor Gopa-kumra with a seat, offerhim choice heavenly items, and give him a place to stay in Indras

    pleasure gardens. The demigods followed this order carefully, greetingthe cowherd boy with a cup of the nectar of immortality and varioustokens of honor.

    Gopa-kumras perception that in Svargaloka most of the constraintsof earthly life were absent was more than just a first impression; itlasted for all the time he was there.

    TEXT 18

    SaNTau va k-iTaicaezaSTaaNah& GaaJaNa( ))

    santu v katicid dostn aha gaaymi natda jagad-asyasandarana-sukha bhajan

    santuthere were; vhowever; katicita few; dofaults; tnthem; ahamI; gaaymi nadid not take into account; tdam

  • 7/30/2019 Part II Ch 2

    13/190

    such;jagat-asyaof the Lord of the universe; sandaranain seeingdirectly; sukhamhappiness; bhajanexperiencing.

    There were a few flaws in heaven, but I didnt take them intoaccount, because I felt enormous joy in freely seeing the Lord

    of the universe.COMMENTARY: Sometimes the demigods in heaven quarreled amongthemselves, but to Gopa-kumra this seemed insignificant. On earth hehad never seen the Supreme Lord so fully display His personality.

    TEXT 19

    MaheNd]eaUiTai>arSaaEPa[>au" )

    >a[aTa*TveNaerTveNa Xar

  • 7/30/2019 Part II Ch 2

    14/190

    aho dhanya atakratuyo hi r-viun dattasdhayitv nirkulam

    trai-lokyaivaryam sdya

    bhagavantam ima mudupahra-cayair divyairghyamai svaya yajet

    manasiakaravamI thought; caand; etatthis; ahooh; dhanyafortunate; atakratuIndra;yawho; hiindeed; r-viunbyr Viu; dattamgiven; sdhayitvgaining; nirkulamwithoutanxiety; trai-lokyaof the three worlds; aivaryamthe opulences;sdyasecuring; bhagavantamSupreme Lord; imamthis; mudwith joy; upahra-cayaiwith many offerings; divyaiheavenly;ghyamaibeing accepted; svayampersonally;yajethe

    worships.

    I thought to myself, Oh, how fortunate is Indra! He has gainedthe opulence of the three worlds promised him by r Viuand enjoys them without anxiety. And he has gained theSupreme Lord Himself, whom he now worships with manykinds of heavenly offerings, which the Lord graciouslyaccepts.

    COMMENTARY: The Lord had a secret plan to give Gopa-kumra a specialrole in Indras kingdom, and to attract him toward this the Lord

    arranged for Gopa-kumra to become appreciative of Indras opulence.Lord Viu had helped Indra subdue thedemons and take hold ofsovereignty. With the demonsdefeated, no serious threats to Indrasrule remained. Indra enjoys the liberty to worship Lord Viu with allthe riches at his disposal, and the Lord accepts Indras offerings withHis own hands.

    TEXT 22

    Wv& MaMaaiPa >aGavaNaYa& ik&- k*-PaiYaZYaiTa )wiTa Ta}aavSa& ku-vRNSvSaLPa& iNaJa& JaPaMa( ))

    eva mampi bhagavnaya ki kpayiyatiiti tatrvasa kurvansva-sakalpa nija japam

    evamthus; mamato me; apialso; bhagavnPersonality ofGodhead; ayamthis; kimwhether; kpayiyatiwill show His

  • 7/30/2019 Part II Ch 2

    15/190

    mercy; itithus; tatrathere; avasamI resided; kurvanperforming;sva-sakalpammaintaining the desire; nijammy;japamchanting ofthe mantra.

    I thought, Will this Personality of Godhead show me the same

    mercy? Maintaining that desire, I resided there and chantedmy japa.

    COMMENTARY: Without a clue as to how he could worship Lord Viu withthe same standard of opulence as Indra, Gopa-kumra still hopedagainst hope to be allowed to do so. He thought that since the Lord isbhagavn, the possessor of inconceivable powers, and also the mostmerciful person, somehow the Lord could make it possible. With thismeditation Gopa-kumra focused even more intensely on hisjapa.

    TEXT 23

    AQaEk-SYa MauNaqNd]SYa dUziYaTva iPa[Yaa& bl/aTa( )l/Yaa XaaPa>aqTYaa c Xa-" ku-}aaPYal/IYaTa ))

    athaikasya munndrasyadayitv priy baltlajjay pa-bhty caakra kutrpy alyata

    athathen; ekasyaof one; muni-indrasyapowerful sage; dayitvviolating the chastity;priymof the dear wife; baltforcibly;

    lajjayout of shame; paof being cursed; bhtyout of fear; caand; akraIndra; kutra apisomewhere; alyatahid.

    Then it once happened that Indra forcibly violated the dearwife of an exalted sage. And out of shame and fear of beingcursed, Indra hid somewhere.

    COMMENTARY: Gopa-kumra soon achieved his desire. As Indra hadpreviously abused the wives of Devaarm and Gautama i, now hekidnapped the wife of another sage and forced himself upon her. Andas under similar circumstances he had hidden himself in the filamentsof a lotus flower in the Mnasa-sarovara, he again found a hiding placethat no one would discover.

    TEXT 24

    dEvEriNvZYa bhuDaa Sa Na Pa[aae Yada TaTa" )AraJak-TvaTa( }aEl/aeKYaMai>a>aUTaMauPad]vE" ))

  • 7/30/2019 Part II Ch 2

    16/190

    daivair anviya bahudhsa na prpto yad tataarjakatvt trai-lokyamabhibhtam upadravai

    daivaiby the demigods; anviyabeing searched for; bahudhbymany means; sahe; nanot;prptafound;yadwhen; tatathen; arjakatvtbecause of there being no ruler; trai-lokyamthethree worlds; abhibhtamoverwhelmed; upadravaibydisturbances.

    The demigods searched for him everywhere, but were unableto find him by any means. And with no one ruling heaven,disturbances overwhelmed the three worlds.

    COMMENTARY: With Indra in hiding, the Daityas, whom he had subdued,again felt bold enough to harass the demigods.

    TEXT 25

    [qivZ

  • 7/30/2019 Part II Ch 2

    17/190

    TaTaae_idiTa& Xacq=& Jaqv& b]a

  • 7/30/2019 Part II Ch 2

    18/190

    dakdy muni-sattamapuna caiva nirudhyantevidvs tatra na muhyati

    In each and every age, O best of sages, persons like Daka come into

    being and later disappear. This does not bewilder one who is learned.And in the words ofr Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya (5.40):

    sarva-kalpeu cpy evasi-pui-vinaaya

    Thus in every day of Brahm there is creation, maintenance, anddestruction.

    TEXT 27

    SvYa& TaSYaa" Pa[>aaveaUiMaiMaMaa&

    KvicTa( ))

  • 7/30/2019 Part II Ch 2

    19/190

    atyaja ca japa svyamaktajatva-akayvismartu naiva aknomivraja-bhmim im kvacit

    atyajannot giving up; caand;japamchanting; svyammy own;akta-jatvaof being ungrateful; akayout of fear; vismartumtoforget; nanot; evaindeed; aknomiI was able; vraja-bhmimVraja-bhmi; immthis; kvacitever.

    For fear of being ungrateful, I never gave up my japa, nor for amoment was I able to forget this Vraja-bhmi.

    COMMENTARY: From Gopa-kumras point of view, the life of tendingcows in Vndvana was more attractive than any other circumstance,

    including residence in the Nandana-vana. As long as he continuedchanting his mantra, this attitude could not be covered by illusion,because the natural effect of r Madana-goplas mantra was toattract the heart to the Lords sports in Vndvana. Wanting to avoidbeing ungrateful, Gopa-kumra never stopped chanting. He mightjustify abandoning the mantra only after attaining its final goal. If hewere to stop chanting before then, he would not discover the mantrasfull benefits. Thus, to stop the chanting prematurely would amount toingratitude, for without having bothered to receive all the mantrasbenefits, how could he properly acknowledge them?

    TEXT 29

    TaC^aek-du"%ErNauTaPYaMaaNa"XauZk-aNaNaae_h& JaGadqre

  • 7/30/2019 Part II Ch 2

    20/190

    I was tormented by the pain of separation from Vraja, my facedrying up. But when the Lord of the universe noticed this, Heconsoled me again and again with His fascinating nectareanwords and the touch of His lotus hands.

    COMMENTARY: Gopa-kumra was unable to forget Vndvana, but thisconstant remembrance was painful for him.

    TEXT 30

    JYaeSaaedrSaMbNDaiMav Paal/YaTaa SvYaMa( )MataaezaaeGYaMaadaYa >auJYaTae ))

    jyeha-sodara-sambandhamiva playat svayammat-toaya mad-datta

    bhogyam dya bhujyate

    jyehaolder; sodaraof a brother; sambandhamthe relationship;ivaas if;playatobserving; svayampersonally; mat-toayafor my satisfaction; mat-dattamgiven by me; bhogyamfood; dyaaccepting; bhujyateHe would eat.

    As if obliged to keep the etiquette for dealing with an elderbrother, the Lord would directly accept and eat the food I gaveHim, just to please me.

    COMMENTARY: Gopa-kumra was sitting on Indras throne onlytemporarily, and Lord Vmana was not his real brother. Nonetheless,the Lord was happy to accept Gopa-kumras offerings in a brotherlymood.

    TEXT 31

    TaeNa ivSMa*TYa Tau"%& PaUJaYaaPaUvRv*taYaa )Pa[qaavata& l/al/YaeYa& k-iNavTa( ))

    tena vismtya tad dukhapjayprva-vttayprayan sneha-bhvttallayeya kaniha-vat

    tenathus; vismtyaforgetting; tatthat; dukhamdistress;pjaywith worship; aprvaunprecedented; vttayof a style;prayanshowing my affection; snehaloving; bhvawith a mood;

  • 7/30/2019 Part II Ch 2

    21/190

    ttamfilled; llayeyamI would pamper; kaniha-vatlike ayounger brother.

    And so I would forget my distress. I would then show myaffection by worshiping Him lovingly in an unprecedented

    style, pampering Him like my younger brother.COMMENTARY: Lord Vmana, accepting offerings from His substitutebrother, would sometimes touch Gopa-kumras hands or showaffection in other ways. In return, Gopa-kumra would touch the handsof Lord Vmana, the Lord of the universe, and embrace Him. This wasnot improper, because both their hearts were overflowing with ecstasy.

    TEXT 32

    Wv& Maa& SvaSQYaMaaPaa SvSQaaNae ku-}aicTa" )

    oPaeNd]ae vSaiTa [qMaa l/>YaeTa Sadei+aTauMa( ))

    eva m svsthyam pdyasva-sthne kutracid gataupendro vasati rmnna labhyeta sadekitum

    evamthus; mmme; svsthyamto a normal condition; pdyarestoring; sva-sthneto His own place; kutracitsomewhere; gatawent; upendraLord Upendra; vasatilived; r-mnthe husbandof the goddess of fortune; na labhyetawas not available; sad

    always; kitumto be seen.

    After restoring me to normal in this way, He would go back toHis own place somewhere else. Thus although I lived withrmn Upendra, I was not always able to see Him.

    COMMENTARY: Since Gopa-kumra was destined to enjoy even more ofthe Lords mercy elsewhere, circumstances changed so that hebecame less interested in staying in Svargaloka. Lord Vmana hadshown him various kinds of affection, protected him from false pride,allowed him to worship in grand opulence with all the riches of thethree worlds, and empowered him to preach pure devotional servicethroughout those worlds. Thus Lord Vmana had eased Gopa-kumrasdistress. But after making Gopa-kumra happy and peaceful in theseways, the Lord went elsewhere, perhaps to vetadvpa or Dhruvalokaexactly where, Gopa-kumra never knew. As the word rmn hereindicates, the Lords consort Lakm accompanied Him, and so Gopa-kumra was unable see her either. Even though the Supreme Lord isall-pervading, when He was away from Svargaloka Gopa-kumra could

  • 7/30/2019 Part II Ch 2

    22/190

    no longer see Him. The Lord would return occasionally, but for Gopa-kumra that was not enough.

    TEXT 33

    TaTaae Yaae JaaYaTae Xaaek-STaeNaNaql/acl/Pa[>auMa( )

    Acl/ai[TavaTSaLYa& d]uiMaC^eYaMaeTYa TaMa( ))

    tato yo jyate okastena nlcala-prabhumacalrita-vtsalyadraum iccheyam etya tam

    tatatherefore;yawhich;jyatewould arise; okaunhappiness; tenaby that; nlcalaof Pur;prabhumthe Lord,

    Jaganntha; acalaunwavering; ritato those who take shelter;vtsalyamwhose affection; draumto see; iccheyamwould want;etyagoing; tamHim.

    And so the distress I felt would make me want to go back tosee the Lord of Nlcala, whose affection for those who takeshelter of Him never wavers.

    COMMENTARY: Gopa-kumra naturally wanted to lessen the pain he wasfeeling. And he thought that Lord Jagannthas love for His devoteeswas more certain than Lord Vius in Svarga because in Nlcala Lord

    Jaganntha is always visible. Jagannthas mercy is as firm as MountMeru.

    TEXT 34

    Pa[adu>aURTaSYa ivZarE" )

    AaiDa" SavaeR ivl/IYaeTa PaaaTYaae_iPa TadaXaYaa ))

    prdurbhtasya vios tu

    tasya tdk-kp-bharaidhi sarvo vilyetapctyo pi tad-ay

    prdurbhtasyabecoming visible; vioof Viu; tubut; tasyaHis; tdksuch; kpof mercy; bharaiby the abundance; dhimental distress; sarvaall; vilyetawould dissolve;pctyalater; apieven; tatof Him; ayby the thought.

  • 7/30/2019 Part II Ch 2

    23/190

    Still, when Viu would again become visible, His uniquemercy in many forms would fill my heart with thoughts of Himand dissolve all my mental pain, even the pain I might feellater when I could no longer see Him.

    COMMENTARY: Gopa-kumra could not simply leave heaven to comedown to earth and Puruottama-ketra, because in Svarga he hadspecial exchanges of love with Lord Viu that with Lord Jaganntha hehad never known. Lord Viu, as Vmanadeva, accepted with His ownhands what Gopa-kumra offered in worship. And the Lord displayedexceptional sweetness, enacted various charming pastimes, and spokenectarean words to console His devotees. All this vanquished themental pain Gopa-kumra felt within from not seeing the Lord andfrom remembering Vraja-bhmi. Even the pain he might feel later atthe inevitable departure of Lord Viu would be overshadowed by the

    joy from the association he was having now. Gopa-kumra also hopedthat although Lord Viu might go away for a while, He would alwaysreturn.

    TEXT 35

    Wv& iNavSaTaa Ta}a Xa-TvMaiDaku-vRTaa )b]NSa&vTSarae idVYaae MaYaEk-ae GaiMaTa" Sau

    %Ma( ))

    eva nivasat tatra

    akratvam adhikurvatbrahman savatsaro divyomayaiko gamita sukham

    evamthus; nivasatwho was residing; tatrathere; akratvamthepost of Indra; adhikurvatadministering; brahmanO brhmaa;savatsarayear; divyaof the demigods; mayby me; ekaone; gamitaspent; sukhamhappily.

    O brhmaa, thus I lived in Svarga, ruling in the post of Indra,and happily spent one celestial year.

    COMMENTARY: Indras duties include the dispensing of rain, thepropagation of sacrifices and other Vedic rituals, and the maintenanceand protection of the three planetary systems. For one year in themeasurement of Svargalokaequal to 360 years on earthGopa-kumra carried out these responsibilities.

  • 7/30/2019 Part II Ch 2

    24/190

    TEXT 36

    Ak-SMaadaGaTaaSTa}a >a*GauMau:Yaa MahzRYa" )Paya& PaaviYaTau& YaaNTaSTaqQaaRiauiv ))

    akasmd gats tatrabhgu-mukhy maharaya

    padbhy pvayitu yntastrthi kpay bhuvi

    akasmtunexpectedly; gatcame; tatrathere; bhgu-mukhyheaded by Bhgu; mah-ayagreat sages;padbhymwiththeir feet;pvayitumto purify;yntagoing; trthithe holyplaces; kpayout of mercy; bhuvion the earth.

    Once some great sages arrived unexpectedly, headed byBhgu. Out of mercy they were on their way to purify withtheir feet the holy places on earth.

    COMMENTARY: It was difficult to tell why these sages, headed by Bhgu,Atri, Marci, Agir, Pulaha, and Pulastya, stopped at Svargaloka ontheir way to earth. Moreover, before they arrived Gopa-kumra had noteven known that such sages exist. Although Marci, not Bhgu, is theeldest of the seven sons born from the mind of Brahm, here Gopa-kumra gives the first honor to Bhgu because Bhgu is a greatVaiava and sometimes the father of the goddess Lakm. Bhgu is

    often considered an empowered representative of the Supreme Lord,and he is mentioned as such by r Ka Himself in the Bhagavad-gt (10.25). Mahar bhgur aham: Among the principal sages Iam Bhgu. In the Third Canto ofrmad-Bhgavatam (3.11.30),Maitreya Muni also mentions Bhgu as the first of sages:

    tri-loky dahyamnyakty sakaragnin

    ynty ma mahar-lokjjana bhgv-dayo rdit

    When devastation takes place due to the fire emanating from themouth of Sakaraa, the great sages, headed by Bhgu, transportthemselves from Maharloka to Janaloka, being distressed by the heatof the blazing fire that rages through the three worlds below.

    Why had these residents of a region higher than Svargaloka nowdescended to heaven? They were traveling to earth to purify the Gagand other holy places from the contamination brought about bycontact with sinful visitors. The sages wanted to sanctify the holy

  • 7/30/2019 Part II Ch 2

    25/190

    places on earth with the touch of their own feet. Even though thesages, by the power of their influential words, could have sanctified theearth without leaving Maharloka, the sight and touch of their feetwould further benefit all the inhabitants of the earth.

    TEXT 37

    SaSaM>a[Ma& SaurE" Savr*izi>aGauR

  • 7/30/2019 Part II Ch 2

    26/190

    svyaiby my companions;preritaurged; taiby them (mycompanions); apjayamI worshiped them.

    I was a new resident of Svarga, my heart distracted by thebliss of serving Lord Viu, so I failed to recognize the sages.

    But at the urging of my companions I too worshiped them.COMMENTARY: Despite occupying the post of Indra, Gopa-kumra at firstneglected to come forward to worship his venerable guests, becausehe did not know who they were. He wondered whether they were somedemigods or devaris of Svargaloka he had not seen before, or visitorsfrom some other world. Gopa-kumra explains his own ignorance bycalling himself a newcomer. Though he had already been living inSvarga for a year of the demigods, he had been too much absorbed inthe joy of devotional service to Lord Viu to become interested inlearning about anything else. Normally, devotional service bestows

    knowledge automatically, even upon devotees who are not inquisitive,but Gopa-kumras case was special. As r Nrada will explain at theend of the fifth chapter, Gopa-kumra, thanks to a special blessingfrom his spiritual master, remained forever naive about the ways of theworld.

    TEXT 39

    Ai>aNaN Xau>aaXaq=i>aRMaa| Tae_GaC^NYaQaaSau%Ma( )

    iTarae>avduPaeNd]ae_iPa MaYaa Pa*aSTadaMara" ))

    abhinandya ubhrbhirm te gacchan yath-sukhamtirobhavad upendro pimay ps tadmar

    abhinandyagreeting; ubhaauspicious; rbhiwith blessings;mmme; tethey; agacchanwent;yath-sukhamaccording totheir pleasure; tira-abhavatdisappeared; upendraLord Vmana;apialso; mayby me;pasked; tadthen; amartheimmortals of Svarga-loka.

    The sages greeted me with auspicious blessings and happilywent on their way. And at that moment Lord Upendra alsodisappeared. I then inquired from the immortals of heaven.

    COMMENTARY: Apparently the sages visiting Maharloka felt no offense atbeing neglected by the cowherd Indra, since they happily offered himtheir blessings. But they moved on, and at the same time Lord Vmana

  • 7/30/2019 Part II Ch 2

    27/190

    also disappeared. This was necessary for Gopa-kumras benefit. Infront of the Lord he would have been unable to inquire about thesages, for in the Lords presence devotional etiquette forbidsconversations that do not involve Him. And as long as Lord Vmanawas to be seen, Gopa-kumra, distracted by ecstasy, would have been

    unable to think about leaving Svargaloka.

    TEXT 40

    PaUJYaa deva Na*

  • 7/30/2019 Part II Ch 2

    28/190

    ukta gurur athbravt

    mah-abhimnibhivery proud; devaiby the demigods; matsaraby jealousy; krntaaffected; mnasaiwhose minds; lajjayoutof shame; ivaas if; nanot; tatabout them; vttaminformation;

    uktamspoken; guruour spiritual master, Bhaspati; athathen;abravtsaid.

    Jealous and proud, the demigods were embarrassed to tell me.But our guru then spoke.

    COMMENTARY: Matsara (jealousy) means intolerance of anotherpersons excellence. The demigods were jealous of the great sages andproud of their own positions, and in response to Gopa-kumrasquestions these two emotions gave rise to embarrassment and silence.The exact words used here are lajjay iva, as if ashamed, because

    these negative feelings were only a shadow of the gross envy andother such emotions felt on lower planets. Bhaspati, however, wasmore sober than the demigods. And his duty as Gopa-kumras guruwas to answer the reasonable questions of the disciple.

    TEXT 42

    [qb*hSPaiTavacATa O| Mahl/aeRk-ae raJaTae k-MaRi>a" Xau>aE" )Pa[aPYaae MahiYaaeR NaXYaeTa( }

    aEl/aeKYaPa[l/Yae_iPa Na ))

    r-bhaspatir uvcaata rdhva mahar-lokorjate karmabhi ubhai

    prpyo mahadbhir yo nayettrai-lokya-pralaye pi na

    r-bhaspati uvcar Bhaspati said; atathan this place;rdhvamhigher; maha-lokaMaharloka; rjateshines;karmabhiby activities; ubhaiauspicious;prpyaattainable;mahadbhithe best;yawhich; nayetis destroyed; trai-lokyaofthe three worlds;pralayeduring the annihilation; apieven; nanot.

    r Bhaspati said: Above this realm shines the world calledMaharloka, attainable through the best of pious works. Evenwhen the three worlds are annihilated, that world is notdestroyed.

  • 7/30/2019 Part II Ch 2

    29/190

    COMMENTARY: As difficult as it is for ordinary mortals to enter heaven,the requirements for entering Maharloka are even more stringent. Anaspirant must complete ritual sacrifices andyoga meditation of a loftystandard, uncorrupted by lower motives. Only then might he beaccepted for elevation to Maharloka, which survives the dissolution of

    the three worlds Bhr, Bhuvar, and Svar. Because most of theresidents of Maharloka are candidates for liberation, the planet existsas long as that of Lord Brahm.

    TEXT 43

    YaQaa ih k-aei$=Gaui

  • 7/30/2019 Part II Ch 2

    30/190

    tenaby that (happiness); amthese persons; sevitserved; tatrathere; nivasantilive; mah-sukhaiwith great facilities forhappiness;yaja-varamthe Lord of sacrifice;prabhumtheirmaster; sktdirectly;pjayantaworshiping;padepadeinvarious places.

    Endowed with such happiness, the Prajpatis live onMaharloka enjoying the greatest pleasures and directlyworshiping in various places the Lord of sacrifice, who is therein person as their master.

    COMMENTARY: The Prajpatis leave Maharloka only occasionally, whenthey have a specific reason to visit other planets. For worshiping theSupreme Lord with wonderful sacrifices, the Prajpatis have muchbetter resources than even those available on Svargaloka.

    TEXT 45

    [qGaaePaku-Maar ovacTaC^\uTvENd]Pade Saae iNaivREC^&

    TaMaqi+aTauMa( )PaUJYaPaUJYaEMaRhiSTaE" PaUJYaMaaNa&

    MahaPa[>auMa( ))

    r-gopa-kumra uvcatac chrutvaindra-pade sadyonirvidyaiccha tam kitum

    pjya-pjyair mahadbhis taipjyamna mah-prabhum

    r-gopa-kumrauvcar Gopa-kumra said; tatthat; rutvhearing; aindraof Indra;padein the position; sadyaimmediately;nirvidyalosing interest; aicchamI wanted; tamHim; kitumtosee;pjyafor the worshipable;pjyaiwho are worshipable;mahadbhiby the great souls; taithem;pjyamnambeingworshiped; mah-prabhumthe Supreme Lord.

    r Gopa-kumra said: Upon hearing this, I at once lost myattachment to the post of Indra and wanted to go see thatSupreme Lord being worshiped by the great souls who areworshiped by those who are worshiped.

    COMMENTARY: Gopa-kumra had seen that compared to the worship ofthe Supreme Lord on earth, the worship on Svargaloka is much morecharming and opulent. And if Maharloka is worshipable by theresidents of Svarga, the worship of the Lord on Maharloka must be still

  • 7/30/2019 Part II Ch 2

    31/190

    more glorious. To see Lord Viu being worshiped on Maharloka wascertainly worth a trip.

    TEXT 46

    TaTSaLPYa JaPa& ku-vRicradURMauiTQaTa" )VYaaeMaYaaNaeNa Ta& Pa[aae l/aek&- Ta}a VYal/aek-

    YaMa( ))

    tat sakalpya japa kurvannacird rdhvam utthitavyoma-ynena ta prptoloka tatra vyalokayam

    tatthat; sakalpyamaking the conscious intention;japamthechanting of my mantra; kurvandoing; acirtsoon; rdhvam

    upward; utthitalifted; vyoma-ynenaby a celestial airplane; tamthat;prptaobtained; lokamplanet; tatrathere; vyalokayamIsaw.

    I made this my intention and chanted my mantra. And soon acelestial airplane picked me up, and I found myself transportedto Maharloka.

    COMMENTARY: Chanting hisjapa with the conscious desire I want to seethe Lord of sacrifice on Maharloka soon brought Gopa-kumra to iBhgus abode on the Mahar planet, where the sages had returned

    after finishing their short excursion.

    TEXT 47

    }aEl/aeKYae YaTSau%& NaaiSTa vE>av& >aJaNa&TaQaa )

    iNadaeRz& Ta}a TaTSavRMaSTYaiNavaRCYaMaaXauTaTa( ))

    trai-lokye yat sukha nsti

    vaibhava bhajana tathnirdoa tatra tat sarvamasty anirvcyam u tat

    trai-lokyein the three worlds;yatwhich; sukhamhappiness; naastithere is not; vaibhavamopulence; bhajanamworship; tathsuch; nirdoamfaultless; tatrathere; tatthat; sarvamall; astithere is; anirvcyamindescribable; ueasily; tatthat.

  • 7/30/2019 Part II Ch 2

    32/190

    Such happiness, opulence, and worship of the Lord as foundnowhere in the three worldsits all there perfectly,indescribable in words.

    COMMENTARY: The residents of Maharloka never quarrel amongthemselves, never suffer mundane miseries, and never fear theannihilation at the nightfall of Brahm. On Maharloka, rivalry andquarrel are nonexistent because everyone worships the Supreme Lordwithout selfish motives and therefore material assets are always onhand without deficiency or surplus. The conditions of such a subtle,exclusive environment can hardly be described in wordsthey can beunderstood only by direct experience. Nonetheless, rla SantanaGosvm kindly gives us a rare glimpse into a world we otherwiseknow little about.

    TEXT 48

    ivTaaYaMaaNaezu MahaMa%ezu TaEr(MahizRi>a>aRi-ParE" SahXa" )

    Ma%aiGanMaDYae Pa[>auiTQaTa" Sfu-rNa(Ma%er" -I@iTa Yaj>aaGa>auk( ))

    vityamneu mah-makheu tairmaharibhir bhakti-parai sahasraamakhgni-madhye prabhur utthita sphuranmakhevara krati yaja-bhga-bhuk

    vityamneubeing performed in all detail; mah-makheugrandsacrifices; taiby those; mah-ibhigreat sages; bhakti-paraiendowed with pure devotion; sahasraaby the thousands; makha-agniof the oblation fires; madhyefrom the midst;prabhutheLord; utthitarisen; sphuranglowing; makhaof sacrifices; varathe supreme controller; kratiplayed;yaja-bhgaof sacrificialofferings; bhukthe enjoyer.

    While the great sages, endowed with pure devotion, offeredthousands of grand sacrifices, I saw the Lord of sacrifice, thesupreme controller, stand up brilliantly from amidst the firesof oblation and delight in His pastimes as the enjoyer ofsacrificial offerings.

    COMMENTARY: The form of Lord Viu appearing from the sacrificial firesmade an especially vivid impression on Gopa-kumras mind, so hebriefly describes that form in this and the following two verses. Bhguand his brothers are nikma Vaiavas who have no other master

  • 7/30/2019 Part II Ch 2

    33/190

    than Lord Viu. Therefore the Lord reciprocated their worship byappearing in person on the sacrificial altar. He was sphuran, glowingeven more brilliantly than the ritual fires.

    TEXT 49

    Sa YajMaUTas rivk-aei$=TaeJaaJaGaNMaNaaehairMahaPa[Taqk-" )

    Pa[SaaYaR hSTaa&MaaddaNaaevraNa( iPa[YaaNYaC^iTa YaaJake->Ya" ))

    sa yaja-mrt ravi-koi-tejjagan-manohri-mah-pratka

    prasrya hast carum dadnovarn priyn yacchati yjakebhya

    saHe;yaja-mrtithe personification of sacrifice; ravi-koilikemillions of suns; tejwhose radiance;jagatof the world; mana-hrienchanting; mahmighty;pratkawhose form;prasryareaching out; hastnHis hands; carumthe caru offering; dadnaaccepting; varnbenedictions;priyndesirable;yacchatigranted;yjakebhyato the sacrificers.

    That Lord, sacrifice personified, radiant as millions of suns, Hismighty form enchanting to the world, reached out His hands,accepted the caru offering, and granted the sacrificerspleasing benedictions.

    COMMENTARY: This verse paints an even more vivid picture of the Lord ofsacrifice. He is called the Lord of sacrifice because it is He who throughsacrifice receives worship. And the Vedic sacrifices, oryajas, includingtheir physical ingredients and the mantras and rules for theirperformance, emanate from Him. Holding in His hands the implementsof sacrificeincluding the srukand sruva ladlesHe appears assacrifice personified. As we find in rmad-Bhgavatam (3.13.3536)in the description of Yaja-varha, the boar incarnation of the Lord, thevarious parts of the Lords divine body symbolize all the aspects ofyaja:

    rpa tavaitan nanu dukttmandurdarana deva yad adhvartmakamchandsi yasya tvaci barhi-romasvjya di tv aghriu ctur-hotram

    O Lord, Your form is to be worshiped by performance of sacrifice, butsouls who are simply miscreants are unable to see that form. All the

  • 7/30/2019 Part II Ch 2

    34/190

    Vedic hymns, Gyatr and others, are in the touch of Your skin. In Yourbodily hairs is the kua grass, in Your eyes is the clarified butter, and inYour four legs are the four kinds of fruitive acts.

    sruk tua st sruva a nsayor

    iodare camas kara-randhrepritram sye grasane grahs tu teyac carvaa te bhagavann agni-hotram

    O Lord, in Your tongue is the sruk, in Your nostril the sruva, and inYour abdomen the plate for eating. In the holes of Your ears is the cupcalled camasa. In Your mouth is the Brahm plate, in Your throat arethe soma vessels, and in whatever You chew is the oblation to thefire.

    When Lord Viu appears on Maharloka as Yajevara, all the partsof His body are universally attractiveHis head, mouth, neck, chest,

    arms, legs, and so on. As Gopa-kumra watched, the Lord playfullyaccepted the offering ofcaru, a standard oblation of rice, barley, dl,and butter, mixed and boiled in milk. Not even Lord Vmana onSvargaloka was this attractive.

    TEXT 50

    TaXaRNaae*iM>aTaSaM>a[MaaYahzaRMaSk-arParaYa MaMa( )

    dtaae iNaJaaeiC^MahaPa[SaadSa(TaeNa SvhSTaeNa dYaad]Rvaca ))

    tad-daranojjmbhita-sambhramyaharn namaskra-parya mahyamdatto nijocchia-mah-prasdastena sva-hastena dayrdra-vc

    tatof Him; daranaby the sight; ujjmbhitainspired;sambhramyawhose awe; hartout of joy; nama-krabowingdown;paryaintent on; mahyamto me; dattagiven; nijaHisown; ucchiaof the remnants; mah-prasdathe especiallysanctifiedprasda; tenaby Him; sva-hastenawith His own hand;daywith compassion; rdradrenched; vcwith words.

    With words drenched in compassion, He gave me with His ownhand the mah-prasda of His remnants. Awestruck by thesight of Him, out of sheer joy I felt compelled to bow down.

    COMMENTARY: Seeing the Lord of sacrifice made Gopa-kumra moreeager than ever to discover how he could serve the Lord in some

  • 7/30/2019 Part II Ch 2

    35/190

    personal way. In response to this enthusiasm, Lord Yajevaraencouraged him even more by saying such things as My dear Gopa-kumra, please come here and accept My hospitality.

    TEXT 51

    APaUvRl/BDaMaaNaNd& ParMa& Pa[aPanuv&STaTa" )k-a

  • 7/30/2019 Part II Ch 2

    36/190

    I wandered here and there in the company of the greatcompassionate sages, and in every dwelling I saw the Lord ofthe universe present in the same way.

    COMMENTARY: No matter where Gopa-kumra went on Maharloka, he

    found everyone performing Vedic sacrifices, and the Lord of sacrificeappearing in order to eat the offerings.

    TEXT 53

    TaTa" k*-TaaQaRTaaiNaa& MaNvaNa" SvSYa SavRQaa )SaaNaNd& iNavSa&STa}a Pa[ae-ae_h&

    TaEMaRhizRi>a" ))

    tata ktrthat-nihmanvna svasya sarvath

    snanda nivasas tatraprokto ha tair maharibhi

    tatathen; kta-arthatof full success; nihmthe stage;manvnaconsidering; svasyaof myself; sarvathin all regards;sa-nandamhappily; nivasanresiding; tatrathere;proktaaddressed; ahamI; taiby those; mah-ibhigreat sages.

    Thinking myself fully successful in every respect, I happily tookup residence on Maharloka. Once, the great sages spoke to meas follows.

    COMMENTARY: On Maharloka,not only was Lord Yajevara visible inevery residence, but in each place His features were different. Nowthat Gopa-kumra was obtaining to his satisfaction the darana of theLord, along with a generous amount of His mercy, Gopa-kumra feltthat his life in general and his mantra-japa in particular had reachedfruition.

    TEXT 54

    [qMahzRYa Ocu">aae GaaePavEXYaPau}a TvMaeTaaek-Sv>aavJaMa( )Pa[dqYaMaaNaMaSMaai>aivRPa[Tv& Svqku-

    d]uTaMa( ))

    r-maharaya cubho gopa-vaiya-putra tvametal-loka-svabhva-jam

  • 7/30/2019 Part II Ch 2

    37/190

    pradyamnam asmbhirvipratva sv-kuru drutam

    r-mah-aya cuthe great sages said; bhoO; gopa-vaiyaof a cowherd vaiya; putrason; tvamyou; etatthis; lokafor the

    planet; svabhva-jamnatural; pradyamnambeing offered;asmbhiby us; vipratvamthe status of a brhmaa; sv-kuruplease accept; drutamright now.

    The great sages said: O son of a cowherd vaiya, we areoffering you the brahminical status natural for a resident ofthis planet. Please accept it at once.

    COMMENTARY: Some vaiyas farm and tend cows, and others dobusiness, but according to the Dharma-stras they all belong to atwice-born class. In other words, vaiyas, along with brhmaas and

    katriyas, receive Vedic initiation and education. But in Gopa-kumrassimple Govardhana village, the vaiyas didnt maintain these Vedicstandards, and so he remained illiterate and uninitiated into theBrahma-gyatr. How then, when even as a vaiya he wasnt properlyinitiated,could he become a brhmaa? It was possible because thepowerful sages were offering him that status and emphatically askinghim to accept it. They wanted him to change his external dress andbehavior to conform with the way of life on Maharloka.

    TEXT 55MahzsaUTva TvMaiPa PaUJaYa )JaGadqXaiMaMa& YajEirMaaTMaidd*i+aTaMa( ))

    maharm ekatamobhtv tvam api pjaya

    jagad-am ima yajaiciram tma-didkitam

    mah-mof the great sages; ekatamaone; bhtvbecoming; tvamyou; apialso;pjayashould worship;jagat-amLord of the universe; imamthis;yajaiwith sacrifices; ciramfora long time; tmaof your heart; didkitamthe desired goal ofsight.

    Become one of the exalted sages, so that you too may worshipwith sacrifice this Lord of the universe, who for so long hasbeen the desired goal of your heart.

  • 7/30/2019 Part II Ch 2

    38/190

    TEXT 56

    [qGaaePaku-Maar ovacTaC^\uTvaicNTaYa& b]NvEXYaTve SYaaTSau%&

    MahTa( )Pa[>aaereza& c ivPa[a

  • 7/30/2019 Part II Ch 2

    39/190

    mndyamlaxness; sytthere would be; daseen already; satgood;phaleits results.

    For these brhmaas, I thought, performing sacrifice is theonly interest in life. If I were to become one of them, surely I

    would become lax in the chanting I am duty-bound to continue.My divine guru taught me to worship this mantra, and besides,I have already seen its good results.

    COMMENTARY: The ten-syllable gopla-mantra had already proven itsefficacy by elevating Gopa-kumra to the positions of a king on earth,Indra on Svargaloka, and a resident of Maharloka.

    TEXT 58

    TaTaSTaaNaNauMaaNYaahMaNaqk*-TYa ivPa[TaaMa( )

    Ta}aavSa& SvTaae JaaTaPa[aJaaPaTYaMahaSau%E" ))

    tatas tn anumnyhamanag-ktya vipratmtatrvasa svato jta-prjpatya-mah-sukhai

    tatatherefore; tnto them; anumnyashowing respect; ahamI;anag-ktyadeclining; vipratmbrahmanhood; tatrathere;avasamI lived; svataautomatically;jtamanifest;prjpatyaofthe Prajpatis; mah-sukhaiwith the varieties of exalted happiness.

    Therefore, while showing respect to the sages, I declined thestatus of a brhmaa. But I stayed on Maharloka, enjoying theexalted pleasures that automatically appear in the world of thePrajpatis.

    TEXT 59

    Na daezaSTa}a Xaaek-ae va Xaa va k-aiPa ivTae )NaaNYa ik-ijeXaPa[qTYaE YajaeTSavaNa*Tae ))

    na dos tatra oko vak v kpi vidyatennyac ca kicid yajea-prtyai yajotsavn te

    nano; dodefects; tatrathere; okasorrow; vor; akapprehension; vor; k apiany; vidyateexists; nanot; anyat

  • 7/30/2019 Part II Ch 2

    40/190

    other; caand; kicitanything;yaja-aof the Lord of sacrifice;prtyaifor the pleasure;yaja-utsavnfestivals of sacrifice; tebeside.

    On Maharloka there were no faults, nor was there sorrow, nor

    apprehensiveness. There was nothing but festivals of sacrificefor the pleasure of the Lord of sacrifice.

    COMMENTARY: On Svargaloka Gopa-kumra detected subtle signs of lust,envy, anger, rivalry, and false pride. But on Maharloka these faultswere nonexistent. There was no sorrow from defeat by opponents orfrom any other cause. There was no fear of the destruction of the worldor fear of individual degradation. Without these distractions, theresidents of Maharloka gave themselves fully to worshiping theSupreme Lord with festive Vedic sacrifices. The residents werecompletely uninterested in mundane sense gratification.

    TEXT 60

    ik-NTau YajSaMaaaE SYaau"%MaNTaihRTae Pa[>aaE )v*tae YajaNTare caSYa Pa[adu>aaRvaTPauNa" Sau%Ma(

    ))

    kintu yaja-samptau syddukham antarhite prabhauvtte yajntare csyaprdurbhvt puna sukham

    kintuhowever;yajaof a sacrifice; samptauat the end; sytthere would be; dukhamunhappiness; antarhitewhen Hedisappeared;prabhauthe Lord; vttewhen it was started;yaja-antareanother sacrifice; caand; asyaHis;prdurbhvtby theappearance;punaagain; sukhamhappiness.

    But at the end of each sacrifice, unhappiness would arise whenthe Lord disappeared; and when the Lord reappeared at thestart of another sacrifice, happiness would begin again.

    COMMENTARY: At the end of a sacrifice Lord Yajevara would disappear,but because He was controlled by the love shown by His servants, Hewould not stay invisible for long. Still, this brief cause of discontent wasenough to plant in Gopa-kumras heart a seed of desire to find aneven better place.

    TEXT 61

  • 7/30/2019 Part II Ch 2

    41/190

    cTauYauRGaSahSYa Ta}aTYaEk-idNaSYa ih )ANTae }aEl/aeKYadaheNa JaNal/aek-ae_iDaGaMYaTae ))

    catur-yuga-sahasrasyatatratyaika-dinasya hi

    ante trai-lokya-dhenajana-loko dhigamyate

    catu-yugacycles of four ages; sahasrasyaof a thousand; tatratyaof that place; eka-dinasyaof one day; hiindeed; anteat the end;trai-lokyaof the three worlds; dhenawith the conflagration;jana-lokaJanaloka; adhigamyateis resorted to.

    At the end of one thousand cycles of agesfor that place, onedaythe conflagration of the three worlds forced us to takerefuge on Janaloka.

    COMMENTARY: Maharloka exists for the same duration as the planet ofLord Brahm, but because Maharloka is adjacent to Svarga itsinhabitants are forced to evacuate by the heat created during the fireof annihilation that burns the lower worlds. After Maharloka, Janaloka isthe next higher planetary system.

    TEXT 62

    rJaNYaaiMav JaaTaaYaa& Yaja>aaveNa Ta}a Tau )YajeXaadXaRNaeNa SYaaahSTaahTaae_iDak-" ))

    rajanym iva jtyyajbhvena tatra tu

    yajedaranena syddhas tad-dhato dhika

    rajanymnighttime; ivaas if;jtymarising;yajaof sacrifices;abhvenawith the nonperformance; tatrathere; tubut;yaja-athe Lord of sacrifice; adaranenabecause of not seeing; syttherewould be; dhaburning; tatthat; dhatathan the burning;adhikagreater.

    On Janaloka, as if it were nighttime, no sacrifices were beingperformed. And the pain of not seeing the Lord of sacrificeburned more greatly than the burning of the three worlds.

    COMMENTARY: There is no literal nighttime in self-effulgent Janaloka; butwhen Brahm goes to sleep along with Lord Garbhodaka-y Viuthe lower planets merge into one vast ocean, and throughout the

  • 7/30/2019 Part II Ch 2

    42/190

    universe both sacrificial and ordinary activities come to an end. Whenno sacrifices are performed on the planets of the sages, LordYajevara no longer appears there. And for Gopa-kumra the pain ofthe Lords absence was worse than the scorching fire of annihilationblasting from the mouth of Lord Sakaraa.

    TEXT 63

    TaTaae_+aYav$=C^aYae +ae}ae [qPauzaetaMae )AaGaTYa [qJaGaaQa& PaXYaeYaiMaiTa raecTae ))

    tato kaya-vaa-cchyeketre r-puruottamegatya r-jagannthapayeyam iti rocate

    tatathen; akayainfallible; vaaof the banyan tree; chyeinthe shade; ketreto the holy district; r-puruottamerPuruottama; gatyagoing; r-jagannthamr Jaganntha;payeyamI should see; itithus; rocatewould seem desirable.

    Then I thought it would be better to go see Lord Jaganntha inr Puruottama-ketra, in the shade of the infallible banyantree.

    COMMENTARY: Lord Jagannthas abode, Puruottama-ketra, isprotected by the shade of an indestructible banyan tree. Even when

    earth, sky, and heaven are destroyed, Jaganntha Pur remainsuntouched.

    TEXT 64

    Mahl/aeRke- GaTae_PYaaTMaJaPaad]hiSa PaUvRvTa( )SaMPaaMaaNaaC^aek-" SYaadSYaa

    >aUMaeidRd*+aYaa ))

    mahar-loke gate py tma-

    japd rahasi prva-vatsampdyamnc choka sydasy bhmer didkay

    maha-loketo Maharloka; gatewhen I would return; apifurthermore; tma-japtfrom the chanting of my mantra; rahasiinprivate;prva-vatas before; sampdyamntbeing performed;

  • 7/30/2019 Part II Ch 2

    43/190

    okasorrow; sytthere would be; asyof this; bhmeland(Vraja); didkayby the desire to see.

    When I returned to Maharloka, I chanted my japa in seclusionas before. The chanting made me morose with desire to see

    again this land of Vraja.COMMENTARY: Gopa-kumra refers to this land of Vraja because he isspeaking to the Mathur brhmaa in Vraja itself. The separation fromLord Yajevara that Gopa-kumra suffered during the partialpralayawas relatively short, but his constant remembrance of Vraja-bhmimore seriously threatened his happiness in Maharloka. He might haveforgotten his urge to go to Lord Jaganntha, but not his attraction toVraja, which was much greater.

    TEXT 65

    Pa[adu>aURTaae_Qa >aGavaiNaJYaMaaNaaedYaaiNaiDa" )

    Yada MaaMaaYaeTPa[qTYaa MaqTa& l/Il/Yaaita c ))

    prdurbhto tha bhagavnijyamno day-nidhi

    yad mm hvayet prtyman-nta llaytti ca

    prdurbhtamanifest; athathen; bhagavnthe Supreme Lord;

    ijyamnathe object of sacrificial worship; dayof mercy; nidhithe ocean;yadwhen; mmme; hvayetHe would address;prtywith love; matby me; ntambrought; llaysportingly;attiHe would eat; caand.

    But then the Supreme Lord would appear, the object ofsacrificial worship, the ocean of mercy. He would call me withlove and sportingly eat what I brought before Him.

    TEXT 66

    TadaNaqYaeTa SavaRiTaRSTaMa" SaUYaaeRdYaeYaQaa )

    ra}aaviPa Tadek-aXaabae NaeXae KvicTaaE ))

    tadnyeta sarvrtistama sryodaye yathrtrv api tad-ek-

  • 7/30/2019 Part II Ch 2

    44/190

    baddho nee kvacid gatau

    tadthen; nyetaHe would take away; sarvaall; rtidistress;tamadarkness; srya-udayethe sunrise;yathas; rtrauduringthe night; apiand; tatfor Him; ekaone; by the hope;

    baddhabound; naeI had no desire; kvacitanywhere; gataufor going.

    He would then dispel all my distress, just as the rising sundrives away darkness. Bound by the one hope of being withHim, I could go nowhere else, even at night.

    COMMENTARY: To be sure, being unable to see Lord Yajevara at nightwas painful, but Gopa-kumra was so absorbed in thought of the Lordthat he was oblivious to that pain. And during the day he forgot theurge to go elsewhere, because of the ecstasies of seeing Lord

    Yajevara, taking part in the festivals to worship Him, and obtainingHis abundant mercy. Even during Lord Brahms night, Gopa-kumrasexpectationsof soon enjoying this sight, this worship, and this mercycontinued unbroken, binding him with a chain of hopes.

    TEXT 67

    Ta}aEk-da MahaTaeJa"PauPaae idGaMbr" )PaazaiBdk-bal/a>a" k-ae_PYaaGaadURl/aek-Ta" ))

    tatraikad mah-teja-

    puja-rpo dig-ambarapca-bdika-blbhako py gd rdhva-lokata

    tatrathere; ekadone day; mah-tejaof great brilliance;pujalike a mass; rpawhose form; dikthe directions; ambarawhosedress;pca-a five or six; bdikaof years; blaas a boy; bhawhose appearance; kaapisomeone; gtarrived; rdhvahigher;lokatafrom a planet.

    Once, someone arrived from a higher planet. His formsurrounded by brilliant light, he was dressed by the directionsonly. He appeared to be a five- or six-year-old boy.

    COMMENTARY: Since the residents of Maharloka frequently travel toJanaloka, the two planets are practically a single system. The onedifference between them is that on Janaloka the fire of annihilationfrom below is far enough away that there is no need to flee. Gopa-kumra knew all this from experience. The next world for him to see

  • 7/30/2019 Part II Ch 2

    45/190

    was Tapoloka, so now he is being introduced to its greatness. Since upto this point in his narrative Gopa-kumra had never heard ofTapoloka, he here refers to it as a higher planet.

    The unknown person who suddenly arrived from the higher regionslooked like a small child and was naked. To go naked is normal for five-

    year-old children, at least in the natural Vedic culture.

    TEXT 68

    ivhaYa Yajk-MaaRia-yaeTQaaYa MahizRi>a" )Pa[

  • 7/30/2019 Part II Ch 2

    46/190

    bhavadbhiby your good selves; vand; arcitaworshiped;kathamwhy.

    After that person, as it pleased him, went away, I inquiredfrom the maharis, Who was that, and where did he come

    from? Why is it that you great souls worshiped him?COMMENTARY: The boy was so exalted that no force could impede himfrom going wherever he wanted. By his own sweet will, he left assuddenly as he had come. Seeing this puzzled Gopa-kumra. Thesages of Maharloka were worshipable for the demigods. Living in arealm above all other creatures, the sages enjoyed worshiping the Lordof sacrifice in person. Who other than the Lord could command theirrespect? And why had they interrupted their sacrifices to honor thatvisitor?

    TEXT 70

    [qMahzRYa Ocu"SaNaTku-MaarNaaMaaYa& JYaeae_SMaak&- MahtaMa" )AaTMaaraMaak-aMaaNaaMaaacaYaaeR b*hd(Va[Ta" ))

    r-maharaya cusanat-kumra-nmyajyeho smka mahat-tamatmrmpta-kmnmdycryo bhad-vrata

    r-mah-aya cuthe great sages said; sanat-kumraSanat-kumra; nmof the name; ayamhe;jyehathe eldest;asmkamof us; mahat-tamathe greatest; tma-rmaof self-contented sages; pta-kmnmwhose desires are always fulfilled;dyathe first; cryapreceptor; bhat-vrataa lifelong celibate.

    The maharis said: That person is Sanat-kumra, the eldestamong us, and the greatest. He is the first preceptor of theself-contented sages, whose desires are always fulfilled, andhe is a lifelong celibate.

    COMMENTARY: The chief residents of Maharloka are sons of Brahm, andSanat-kumra is their brother, the eldest of Brahms sons. He is betterthan the other sages because unlike most of them he never enteredfamily life, even on Brahms request. This answers the question Whowas that?

  • 7/30/2019 Part II Ch 2

    47/190

    TEXT 71

    wTa ORTare l/aeke- TaPa"Sa&je vSaTYaSaaE )>a[aTa*i>aii>arNYaE YaaeGaqNd]E" SvSaMaE" Sah ))

    ita rdhva-tare loketapa-saje vasaty asaubhrtbhis tribhir anyai cayogndrai sva-samai saha

    itathan this place; rdhva-taremuch higher; lokein the world;tapa-sajeknown as Tapas; vasatilives; asauhe; bhrtbhiwith his brothers; tribhithree; anyaiother; caand;yog-indraiwith masteryogs;sva-samaiequal to himself; sahatogether.

    He lives in the world above ours, called Tapoloka, with histhree brothers and with other great mystics who, like him, aremasters of yoga.

    COMMENTARY: Here the sages answer the question Where did he comefrom? He is not the only one of his kind, for he has three brothers justas great as heSanaka, Sanandana, and Santana. These fourbrothers live on Tapoloka, along with other great mystics, includingKavi, Havis, Antarika, Prabuddha, and Pippalyana.

    TEXT 72

    b*hd(Va[TaEk-l/>Yaae Ya" +aeMa& YaiSMaNSada Sau%Ma( )Pa[aJaaPaTYaaTSau%aTk-aei$=Gaui

  • 7/30/2019 Part II Ch 2

    48/190

    constant peace and happiness millions of times greater thanenjoyed by the progenitors of the universe.

    COMMENTARY: Bhad-vrata is the great vow of lifelong restraint fromsex. One may begin observing celibacy after years of indulgence, or

    one may practice strict celibacy as a brahmacr for the years of onesstudies and then enter regulated married life. Both kinds of celibacyare very beneficial, but only the rare person with exceptionaldetermination to refrain from all forms of sex for his entire life isallowed to become a resident of Tapoloka.

    Life on Tapoloka is all-auspicious. There is no trouble from the heatof periodic annihilations and no need to migrate to a higher region. OnTapoloka the cataclysms at the annihilation of the three worlds gounnoticed. Theyogevaras on Tapoloka enjoy undisturbed peace andsatisfaction.

    TEXT 73

    YaQaa Yajer" PaUJYaSTaQaaYa& c ivXaezTa" )Ga*hSQaaNaaiMavaSMaak&- Svk*-TYaTYaaGaTaae_iPa c

    ))

    yath yajevara pjyastathya ca vieatagha-sthnm ivsmkasva-ktya-tygato pi ca

    yathas;yaja-varathe Lord of sacrifice;pjyaworshipable;tathso; ayamhe; caalso; vieataespecially; gha-sthnmfor family men; ivalike; asmkamus; sva-ktyaprescribed ritualduties; tygatabecause of his renunciation; apiindeed; caand.

    Especially for householders like us, that person is worthy ofworship, as much as the Lord of sacrifice Himself, for he hasrenounced all material duties.

    COMMENTARY: Here the sages answer the question Why did you greatsouls worship him? Sanat-kumra is honored throughout the universebecause he is a direct representative of the Personality of Godhead.Learned authorities consider him an empowered incarnation of theLord, and he is also a preeminent Vaiava. The Prajpatis ofMaharloka especially revered him because he was their honored guestand a renounced brahmacr. The position of one who adheres tostrict celibacy is generally considered superior to that ofghasthas.But as the word iva in this verse implies, the sages of Maharloka are

  • 7/30/2019 Part II Ch 2

    49/190

    not ordinary householders. They have very little attachment to home,property, or other material things.

    TEXT 74

    [qGaaePaku-Maar ovacTaTaae_k-zRMah& ictae Ta}aahae k-Id*Xa& Sau%Ma( )wRd*Xaa" k-iTa vaNYae SYaureza& PaUJYa k-Id*Xa" ))

    r-gopa-kumra uvcatato karam aha cittetatrho kda sukhamd kati vnye syure pjya ca kda

    r-gopa-kumrauvcar Gopa-kumra said; tatathen;

    akarampondered; ahamI; cittein my mind; tatrathere (onTapoloka); ahooh; kdamwhat kind of; sukhamhappiness;dsuch persons; katihow many; vand; anyeothers; syuthere must be; emby them;pjyaworshiped; caand;kdawhat kind of person.

    r Gopa-kumra said: I then wondered, Indeed, what kind ofhappiness do they enjoy on Tapoloka? How many more arethere like him? And what kind of Lord do they worship?

    COMMENTARY: Hearing the answers of the sages was enough to inspire

    Gopa-kumra to go to Tapoloka. Even though his main interest in lifewas to see the Lord of the universe, he did not consider such a journeyinappropriate. He reasoned that if this wonderful person and the otherson his planet like him possess opulences like those of God, whateverform of God they worship must be even more wonderful and opulentthan they.

    TEXT 75

    Wv& Taa idd*+au" SaNSaMaaihTaMaNaa JaPaNa( )

    >aUTva ParMaTaeJaSvq Ta& l/aek&-veGaTaae_GaMaMa( ))

    eva t ca didku sansamhita-man japanbhtv parama-tejasvta loka vegato gamam

  • 7/30/2019 Part II Ch 2

    50/190

    evamthus; tnall of them; caand; didkueager to see; sanbeing; samhitaconcentrated; manwith mind;japanchanting;bhtvbecoming;paramavery; tejasvpowerful; tamto that;lokamworld; vegataswiftly; agamamI went.

    Eager to see all those persons for myself, I chanted my mantrawith fixed attention. Thus gaining great potency, I quicklytraveled to that world.

    COMMENTARY: Gopa-kumra wanted to see Sanat and his brothers ontheir own planet and see their worshipable Lord. He focused his mindintensely on this single aim, turning his attention inward in imitation ofSanat-kumra, whom he had seen absorbed in deep meditation. By thepower of the mantra, he soon became infused with the same subtlestrength as the Kumra brothers and was quickly able to rise to theirexalted planet.

    TEXT 76

    Ta}a d*ae MaYaa [qMaaNSaNak-ae_Qa SaNaNdNa" )ASaaE SaNaTku-Maarae_iPa cTauQaR SaNaaTaNa" ))

    tatra do may rmnsanako tha sanandanaasau sanat-kumro picaturtha ca santana

    tatrathere; daseen; mayby me; rmnsanakatheblessed Sanaka; athaand; sanandanaSanandana; asauthatsame; sanat-kumraSanat-kumra; apialso; caturthathefourth; caand; santanaSantana.

    There I saw that same Sanat-kumra, and the blessed Sanaka,and Sanandana, and the fourth brother, Santana.

    TEXT 77

    SaMMaNYaMaaNaaSTa}aTYaESTaad*XaE=rev TaeiMaQa" )Sau%Gaaeq=& ivTaNvaNaa" SaNTYaGaMYaa& ih

    Maad*XaE" ))

    sammanyamns tatratyaistdair eva te mithasukha-goh vitanvn

  • 7/30/2019 Part II Ch 2

    51/190

    santy agamy hi mdai

    sammanyamnbeing honored with reverence; tatratyaiby theresidents of that place; tdaiwho were similar to them; evaindeed; tethey; mithaamong one another; sukha-gohman

    enjoyable discussion; vitanvnconducting; santithey were;agamymincomprehensible; hicertainly; mdaito persons likeme.

    The residents of Tapoloka, who appeared similar to theKumras, were honoring the four brothers. The Kumras wereenjoying among themselves a long discussionincomprehensible to persons like me.

    COMMENTARY: The other residents of Tapoloka are also worshipable,simply because they resemble, in bodily appearance as well as

    character, the four Kumras, who are directly empowered avatras ofthe Supreme Lord. When Gopa-kumra first saw these four brothers,they were elaborately discussing among themselves matters such asthose narrated in Chapter 87 ofrmad-Bhgavatams Tenth Canto,Prayers by the Personified Vedas. Gopa-kumra understood little ofwhat they were talking about because he was uneducated aboutliberation and devotional service.

    TEXT 78

    >aGav+aaUTa( )Taeza& SaNdXaRNaata}a MahaNMaaedae MaMa

    SvTa" ))

    bhagaval-lakaa teutd nsti tathpy abhtte sandarant tatramahn modo mama svata

    bhagavatof the Personality of Godhead; lakaamthe marks; teuin them; tdksuch; na astithere were not; tath apibutnevertheless; abhtthere arose; temof them; sandarantfromseeing; tatrathere (on Tapoloka); mahngreat; modajoy; mamamy; svataspontaneously.

    Though they did not have the distinguishing attributes of God,from seeing those brothers on Tapoloka I felt an intensespontaneous joy.

  • 7/30/2019 Part II Ch 2

    52/190

    COMMENTARY: Gopa-kumra usually derived his happiness only fromseeing the Lord of the universe, but he was delighted to see theKumras because of their intimate connection with the Lord, eventhough they did not have four arms like Lord Viu or display Hisinfinite powers. Because of the greatness of Tapoloka, seeing Sanat-

    kumra and his brothers there was more blissful for Gopa-kumra thanseeing Sanat on Maharloka. In general, a situation is glorious when theplace and time are glorious, as well as the persons involved.

    TEXT 79

    YaQaaSQaaNa& Pa[YaaTaezu DYaaNaiNaezu TaeZvQad]u& >a[MaaiMa SaM>aaVYa PaUvRvGadqrMa( ))

    yath-sthna prayteudhyna-niheu tev atha

    drau bhrammi sambhvyaprva-vaj jagad-varam

    yath-sthnameach to his own place;prayteuhaving gone away;dhynain meditation; niheuabsorbed; teuthey; athathen;draumto see; bhrammiI began to wander; sambhvyasearching for;prva-vatas before;jagat-varamthe Lord of theuniverse.

    When they went off to their respective places to absorbthemselves in meditation, I started wandering, searching as

    always for the Lord of the universe.

    COMMENTARY: When the assembly ended, the Kumras and theirassociates vanished from the spot and returned to their individualplaces of meditation. Gopa-kumra, left to himself, turned his mind tohis favorite topic, the Lord of universe. He conjectured that since theLord was visible on Svargaloka and Maharloka, the Lord must be visiblehere as well. With that idea in mind, Gopa-kumra began searching.Why didnt he just ask someone where to find the Lord? He had notime to ask anything, because at first the four Kumras had beenreceiving the worship of a large crowd of sages and immediatelyafterwards everyone went back into trance.

    TEXT 80

    wTaSTaTaae Na d*=a TaMaPa*C^&TaaNMahaMauNaqNa( )

  • 7/30/2019 Part II Ch 2

    53/190

    Na Tae STauvNTa& MaaMaGa[e NaMaNTa& l/aek-YaNTYaiPa ))

    itas tato na dv tamapccha tn mah-munn

    na te stuvanta mm agrenamanta lokayanty api

    ita tatahere and there; na dvnot seeing; tamHim;apcchamI asked; tnthem; mah-munnthe great sages; nanot; tethey; stuvantamwho was offering praise; mmme; agrein front of them; namantambowing down; lokayantithey looked at;apieven.

    Not seeing Him anywhere, I tried to inquire of the great sages,but as I stood before them offering prayers and obeisances

    they did not even look at me.

    TEXT 81

    Pa[aYa" SaveR SaMaaiDaSQaa NaEik-a OR=reTaSa" )SvaTMaaraMaa" PaU

  • 7/30/2019 Part II Ch 2

    54/190

    >aGavXaRNaaXaa c MahTaq f-il/Taa Na Mae )oTaa>aUirMaNTaqv Taeza& SaSv>aavTa" ))

    bhagavad-daran camahat phalit na me

    utbhd viramantvate saga-svabhvata

    bhagavatthe Supreme Lord; daranato see; desire; caand;mahatgreat;phalitgratified; nanot; memy; utaindeed;abhtbecame; viramantceasing; ivaas if; temtheir; sagaof the association; svabhvataby the influence.

    This time my constant desire to see the Supreme Lord wasungratified,and indeed by the influence of the company of thesages it seemed to dwindle almost to nil.

    TEXT 83

    Ta}aaQaaPYavSa& Taeza& Pa[>aav>ardXaRNaaTa( )GauvaGGaaErvad( d*f-l/TvaaTYaJaHJaPaMa( ))

    tatrthpy avasa teprabhva-bhara-darantguru-vg-gauravd da-phalatvc ctyaja japam

    tatrathere; atha apistill; avasamI remained; temtheir;prabhvaof power; bharathe abundance; darantdue to seeing;guruof my spiritual master; vkfor the words; gauravtout ofrespect; dahaving seen;phalatvtthe effectiveness; caand;atyajannot abandoning;japamthe chanting of my mantra.

    Nonetheless, I stayed there for some time, attracted by thedisplay of great power. Out of respect for my gurus order, andbecause I had seen how effective my mantra was, I kept onchanting.

    COMMENTARY:The atmosphere of Tapoloka weakened Gopa-kumrasresolve to see the Lord, but still he persevered in chanting hisjapa. Hisguru had ordered him never to stop chanting, and Gopa-kumra didnot want to be ungrateful by disobeying.

    TEXT 84

  • 7/30/2019 Part II Ch 2

    55/190

    SQaaNaSv>aavJaaitaPa[SaadaNaNdTaae_iDak-Ma( )TaeNa SaMPaMaaNaeNa Saa idd*+aa ivviDaRTaa ))

    sthna-svabhva-jc citta-prasdnandato dhikam

    tena sampadyamnenas didk vivardhit

    sthnaof that place; svabhva-jtnatural to; citta-prasdaof mypeaceful heart; nandatabecause of the bliss; adhikameven more;tenathus; sampadyamnenabeing realized; sthat; didkthedesire to see; vivardhitincreased.

    Thanks to the peaceful bliss in my heart that the nature of thatplace inspired, I chanted my mantra even more attentivelythan before. Thus my desire to see the Lord actually increased.

    COMMENTARY:At first the refined atmosphere of Tapoloka seemed toaffect Gopa-kumra negatively. The pervasive mood of self-satisfactionseemed to reduce his desire to have the company of the SupremeLord. But that same peace of mind characteristic of Tapoloka graduallyhelped him improve his chanting, and then the mantra exerted its owninfluence. As ghee poured on a fire seems momentarily to extinguishthe fire but then gives it new life, the atmosphere of Tapoloka onlybriefly decreased Gopa-kumras desire to see the Lord of theuniverse.

    TEXT 85

    Sada Naql/acle/ raJaGaaQaidd*+aYaa )iYaYaaSau& Ta}a Sa&l/+Yaab]vqNMaa&

    iPaPPal/aYaNa" ))

    sad nlcale rjaj-jaganntha-didkay

    yiysu tatra salaky-bravn m pippalyana

    sadalways; nlcalein Nlcala; rjatresplendent;jagannthaLord Jaganntha; didkaywith eagerness to see;yiysumwantingto go; tatrathere; salakyanoticing; abravtspoke; mmto me;pippalyanathe sage Pippalyana.

    The sage Pippalyana noticed that I eagerly desired to go toNlcala to see Lord Jaganntha, who lives there alwaysresplendent. The sage then spoke to me.

  • 7/30/2019 Part II Ch 2

    56/190

    COMMENTARY:The thought of returning to Jaganntha Pur keptresurfacing in Gopa-kumras heart, first in Svarga, then on Maharloka,and now here on Tapoloka, for Lord Jaganntha did not manifestHimself on the planets of the demigods and sages.

    Pippalyana i, the middle son of nine self-realized sons of Lordabhadeva, observed Gopa-kumra wandering aimlessly, a sad,discouraged look on his face. r Pippalyana was practicallyomniscient, so he could easily understand the symptoms of Gopa-kumras distraction.

    TEXT 86

    [qiPaPPal/aYaNa ovacwd& MahTPad& ihTva k-QaMaNYaiYaaSaiSa )k-Qa& va >a[MaiSa d]u& d*G>Yaa& Ta& ParMaerMa( ))

    r-pippalyana uvcaida mahat pada hitvkatham anyad yiysasikatha v bhramasi draudgbhy ta paramevaram

    r-pippalyanauvcar Pippalyana said; idamthis; mahatexalted;padamplace; hitvleaving; kathamwhy; anyattoanother;yiysasiyou want to go; kathamwhy; vand; bhramasiyou are wandering; draumto see; dgbhymwith your two eyes;

    tamHim;parama-varamthe Supreme Lord.

    r Pippalyana said: Why do you want to leave this exaltedplace and go somewhere else? And why are you wanderingaround just to see the Supreme Lord with your eyes?

    COMMENTARY:In Pippalyanas opinion, the attempt to see the Supremewith ones eyes is useless, because the Lord is imperceptible to thematerial senses. Tapoloka is the planet of the greatest masters ofyoga, who have completely controlled their sex urge. And thehappiness enjoyed on Tapoloka is millions of times greater than that ofthe Prajpatis. Where else could Gopa-kumra want to go?

    TEXT 87

    SaMaaDaTSv MaNa" SvqYa& TaTaae d]+YaiSa Ta&SvTa" )

    SavR}a bihrNTa Sada Saa+aaidv iSQaTaMa( ))

  • 7/30/2019 Part II Ch 2

    57/190

    samdhatsva mana svyatato drakyasi ta svatasarvatra bahir anta casad skd iva sthitam

    samdhatsvayou should concentrate; manamind; svyamyour;tatathen; drakyasiyou will see; tamHim; svataautomatically; sarvatraeverywhere; bahioutside; antainside;caand; sadalways; sktin person; ivaas if; sthitamsituated.

    You should concentrate your mind in meditation. Then you willnaturally see the Lord everywhere, within and without, as ifalways before you in person.

    COMMENTARY:Gopa-kumra might ask why he shouldnt go where hecan directly see the Supreme Lord. But Pippalyana advises himinstead to focus his attention within. When one fully cultivatesmeditation and reaches the stage ofsamdhi, the form of the Lord willmanifest itself on its own strength, without ones separate endeavor,just as a persons face appears in a clean mirror. If Gopa-kumrafollows the recommendedyoga process, he will see the Supremewithin and without, or at least seemingly so (skd iva), since in factthe Supreme cannot be viewed with the external eyes. There is no usewandering around to find Him.

    TEXT 88

    ParMaaTMaa vaSaudev" SaidaNaNdivGa[h" )iNaTaaNTa& XaaeiDaTae ictae Sfu-rTYaez Na

    caNYaTa" ))

    paramtm vsudevasac-cid-nanda-vigrahanitnta odhite cittesphuraty ea na cnyata

    parama-tmthe Supreme Soul; vsudevaLord Vsudeva; sat-cit-nandaof eternity, knowledge, and bliss; vigrahathe embodiment;nitntamcompletely; odhitepurified; cittein a heart; sphuratimanifests; eaHe; nanot; caand; anyataotherwise.

    Lord Vsudeva, the Supreme Soul, the embodiment of eternity,knowledge, and bliss, reveals Himself in a thoroughly purifiedheart, and nowhere else.

  • 7/30/2019 Part II Ch 2

    58/190

  • 7/30/2019 Part II Ch 2

    59/190

    perception does the Lord reveal Himself in the heart. It is the mind thatthen performs the work of visualizing the Lord, though the perceiverdoes not consciously analyze, I am seeing the Personality of Godheadnot with my eyes but my mind. According to Pippalyana, onesrealization of the Supreme Lord becomes vividly concrete (su-sidhyati)

    by the power of the mind, not the eyes, which with their limited scopecan neither comprehend the limbs of the Lord all at once nor fullyrecognize His enchanting beauty.

    TEXT 90

    MaNa"Sau%e_NTa>aRviTa SaveRiNd]YaSau%& SvTa" )Ta*itaZviPa vaKc+au"[uTYaadqiNd]Yav*taYa" ))

    mana-sukhe ntar bhavatisarvendriya-sukha svata

    tad-vttiv api vk-caku-ruty-dndriya-vttaya

    manaof the mind; sukhein the happiness; antawithin; bhavatiis; sarva-indriyaof all the senses; sukhamthe happiness; svatanaturally; tatof it (the mind); vttiuwithin the functions; apiand;vkof speech; cakuvision; rutihearing; diand so on; indriyaof the senses; vttayathe functions.

    When the mind is happy, all the senses are automaticallyhappy, for the functions of the sensesspeech, vision,

    hearing, and so onare included within those of the mind.

    COMMENTARY:Gopa-kumra might prefer the tangible pleasure of seeingwith his eyes to the abstract enjoyment of the mind. But herePippalyana tells him that mental happiness extends not only to theeyes but to all ones senses. Indeed, when the mind is distressed thesenses will surely not perceive happiness, because the senses will noteven be invoked to contact their objects. The correlation betweenmental happiness and sensory happiness is natural and automatic,since all the senses are rooted in the mind. Just as the branches andleaves of a tree are nourished when the tree is watered at the root,when the mind is satisfied so too are senses, with no need for them tomake separate efforts.

    Still, Gopa-kumra might say that what the mind does when oneremembers falls short of what the organs like those of speech andvision do when one chants and sees. In other words, dont the senses,being many and varied, enjoy greater pleasure than the mind?Pippalyana answers that the functions of all the senses are includedin the functions of the mind. Chanting the Lords names, seeing His

  • 7/30/2019 Part II Ch 2

    60/190

    Deity, and all other sensory activities are made possible by the actionof the mind.

    TEXT 91

    MaNaaev*ita& ivNaa SaveRiNd]Yaa

  • 7/30/2019 Part II Ch 2

    61/190

    kadcid bhakta-vtsalydyti ced dyat do

    jna-dyaiva taj jtamabhimna para do

    kadcitsometimes; bhaktafor His devotees; vtsalytout of Hiscompassion;ytiHe becomes; cetif; dyatmvisible; dotothe eyes;jnaof knowledge; dyby the vision; evaonly; tatthis;jtamoccurs; abhimnafalse identification;paramonly;doof the eyes.

    If the Lord, out of compassion for His devotees, sometimesreveals Himself to their eyes, that vision actually occurs by thepower of the mind; one only imagines the eyes to be the seers.

    COMMENTARY:But didnt devotees like Dhruva and Prahlda see theSupreme Lord directly with their eyes? Arent those devotees famousfor having seen the Lord in person? Yes, the Lord made Himself visibleto those great devotees out of fatherly affection, to fulfill the purposeof their eyes. But in fact, Pippalyana says, the devotees beheld thoserevelations through pure consciousness, not through the physical eyes.Because the scope of our physical sight is narrow, with our eyes we areunable to perceive an object that has no limits. Why then are Dhruva,Prahlda, and others famous for having had the Lords darana? Andwhy is He famous as bhakta-vatsala, He who shows affection for Hisdevotees? It is because in each case the devotee, thejva soul,

    identifying with his own senses, presumed, I am seeing the Lorddirectly with my eyes. That those devotees thought that way isevidence that the Personality of Godhead was kind to them. And thatthe sense of sight fails to perceive what is beyond its scope does notmean that the eyes are utterly useless.

    TEXT 93

    TaSYa k-a

  • 7/30/2019 Part II Ch 2

    62/190

    the bliss; sva-yonauin its source;jyateis generated; hdiin theheart.

    And even if by the power of His mercy He becomes visible toexternal eyes, the bliss that arises from seeing Him has its

    natural source in the heart.COMMENTARY:But isnt the Supreme Lord, by His personal energies, freeto do anything He wants? Yes, but miracles are for the ultimate benefitof the conscious soul, rather than for the souls inert senses. The powerof the Lords compassion could indeed make the physical eyes able toperceive Him, if He so desired; but the fruit of that perception, thepleasure felt from it, would still come from where pleasure, pain, andanxiety are always bornthe mind.

    TEXT 94

    ANaNTar& c Ta}aEv ivl/SaNPaYaRvSYaiTa )MaNa Wv MahaPaa}a& TaTSau%Ga[h

  • 7/30/2019 Part II Ch 2

    63/190

    minister who alone in the kings entourage can be entrusted with thecare of a most precious object.

    TEXT 95

    TaTPa[SaadaedYaaavTSau%& vDaeRTa MaaNaSaMa( )TaaviDaRTauMaqXaqTa Na caNYaaiMaiNd]YaMa( ))

    tat-prasdodayd yvatsukha vardheta mnasamtvad vardhitum tana cnyad bhyam indriyam

    tatin that mind;prasdaof calmness; udaytfrom theappearance;yvatas much as; sukhampleasure; vardhetaincreases; mnasammental; tvatto that extent; vardhitumto

    increase; tais capable; nanot; caand; anyatother; bhyamexternal; indriyamsense.

    As much as the mind becomes peaceful, to that extent itspleasure grows. No external sense can feel such expandingpleasure.

    COMMENTARY:It may be argued that the mind is limited in scope, likethe other senses. That is true, but when the mind becomes cleared ofcontamination, the Lord, being satisfied, is prepared to bestow His fullmercy. The souls pure consciousness, reflected in the mind, is then

    able to sustain the image of the Supreme Lord. The external sensesare unable to do this.

    TEXT 96

    ANTaDYaaRNaeNa d*ae_iPa Saa+aad( d* wv Pa[>au" )k*-PaaivXaez& TaNauTae Pa[Maa

  • 7/30/2019 Part II Ch 2

    64/190

    When the Lord expands His special mercy, one sees the Lordwithin by meditation as if directly with the eyes. This we canunderstand from what happened to lotus-born Brahm.

    COMMENTARY:Out of respect for the sage Pippalyana, we may

    theoretically accept that one derives more happiness from meditatingon the Supreme than from trying to see Him with ones physical eyes.But isnt it also well known that by seeing the Lord directly one gainsthe special happiness of receiving benedictions from Him, speakingwith Him, and having other personal interactions? That may be true,the sage answers, but when the Lord is seen within He mercifullyprovides all those same benefits. He reveals Himself within the heartso that He can give boons, speak with His devotee, touch him, and soon. He can do this from within the heart because He is the almightyLord (prabhu), who has special energies that easily arrange for Him allthese wonderful things.

    As a concrete historical example, Pippalyana cites the case of LordBrahm. The epithet lotus-born (padma-ja) implies that whenBrahm was born he found himself sitting on a lotus. As described inthe Second Canto ofrmad-Bhgavatam, Brahm, surrounded by thedarkness of annihilation, did not know how to proceed in re-creatingthe universe. A mysterious voice then told him to meditate, and whenhe did, the Supreme revealed Himself and His abode:

    tasmai sva-loka bhagavn sabhjitasandaraym sa para na yat-paramvyapeta-saklea-vimoha-sdhvasa

    sva-davadbhir puruair abhiutam

    Very much satisfied with the penance of Lord Brahm, the Personalityof Godhead was pleased to manifest His personal abode, Vaikuha,the supreme planet above all others. That transcendental abode of theLord is adored by the self-realized persons freed from all miseries andall fear of illusory existence. (Bhgavatam 2.9.9)

    In Vaikuha, Brahm saw the Personality of Godhead Nryaa:

    dadara tatrkhila-stvat patiriya pati yaja-pati jagat-patim

    sunanda-nanda-prabalrhadibhisva-pradgrai parisevita vibhum

    bhtya-prasdbhimukha dg-savaprasanna-hsrua-locannanamkirina kualina catur-bhujaptuka vakasi lakita riy

  • 7/30/2019 Part II Ch 2

    65/190

    Lord Brahm saw in the Vaikuha planets the Personality ofGodhead, who is the Lord of the entire devotee community, the Lord ofthe goddess of fortune, the Lord of all sacrifices, and the Lord of theuniverse. The Lord was being served by His foremost immediateassociates, His loving servitors like Nanda, Sunanda, Prabala, and

    Arhaa. He was leaning favorably towards them, His very sightintoxicating and attractive, His smiling face decorated with anenchanting reddish hue, and He appeared very much satisfied. He wasdressed in yellow robes and wore earrings and a helmet on His head.He had four hands, and His chest was marked with the lines of thegoddess of fortune. (Bhgavatam 2.9.1516)

    Brahm not only saw the amazing form of the Lord but also had anintimate personal exchange with Him:

    tad-daranhlda-pariplutntarohyat-tanu prema-bharru-locana

    nanma pdmbujam asya viva-sgyat pramahasyena pathdhigamyate

    ta pryama samupasthita kavipraj-visarge nija-sanrhaambabha at-smita-oci girpriya priya prta-man kare span

    Lord Brahm, thus seeing the Personality of Godhead in His fullness,was overwhelmed with joy within his heart, and in full transcendentallove and ecstasy his eyes filled with tears. He thus bowed down before

    the Lord. That is the way of the highest perfection for the living being.And the Lord, seeing Brahm present before Him, accepted him asworthy to create living beings to be controlled as the Lord desired.Thus being very much satisfied with Brahm, the Lord shook handswith him and, slightly smiling, addressed him. (Bhgavatam 2.9.1819)

    When Lord Nryaa spoke to Brahm in a way that encouraged himto ask a boon, Brahm asked for instructions on how to create theuniverse for the conditioned living entities, and the Lord responded byimparting to him the four-verse encapsulation ofrmad-Bhgavatam.Then Lord Nryaa disappeared from Brahms sight:

    sampradiyaivam ajanojann paramehinam

    payatas tasya tad rpamtmano nyaruad dhari

  • 7/30/2019 Part II Ch 2

    66/190

    After the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, seen in Histranscendental form, instructed Brahmj, the leader of the livingentities, the Lord disappeared. (Bhgavatam 2.9.38)

    As these passages clearly show, Brahm meditated on the SupremeLord in his heart, and then the Lord mercifully appeared, offered him

    boons, spoke with him, and touched him. These events arose out ofBrahms inner meditation.The Third Canto gives a similar description:

    klena so ja puruyubhi-pravtta-yogena virha-bodhasvaya tad antar-hdaye vabhtamapayatpayata yan na prvam

    mla-gauryata-ea-bhoga-paryaka eka purua aynam

    phatapatryuta-mrdha-ratna-dyubhir hata-dhvnta-yugnta-toye

    At the end of Brahms o


Part II Ch 1

Part II Ch 1

100industriasExplicadas Part II

100industriasExplicadas Part II

Cao ch 6 part 1

Cao ch 6 part 1

Cp3 Ch v Part Ii_wind Load

Cp3 Ch v Part Ii_wind Load

ch 14 part 2

ch 14 part 2

ch 17 Part I

ch 17 Part I

Ch. 1 Part A

Ch. 1 Part A

SPA II-6 ระบบการจัดการด านยาbkh.moph.go.th/bkqc/file/SPA Part II Ch 6 Medication Management Sy.pdf · 1 spa ii-6 ระบบการจัดการด

SPA II-6 ระบบการจัดการด านยาbkh.moph.go.th/bkqc/file/SPA Part II Ch 6 Medication Management Sy.pdf · 1 spa ii-6 ระบบการจัดการด

APES Ch. 11, part 1

APES Ch. 11, part 1

DOC 9756 Part IV flyleaf CH - icscc.org.cn

DOC 9756 Part IV flyleaf CH - icscc.org.cn

ENGR 110 Ch. 1 Part 1

ENGR 110 Ch. 1 Part 1

CORBA part II

CORBA part II

Derivative Part II

Derivative Part II

Ch 2_ Part 1.pptx

Ch 2_ Part 1.pptx

Anticonvulsants Part II

Anticonvulsants Part II

Wankat Ch 2 Part 1

Wankat Ch 2 Part 1

Android Design Pattern-CH Part ii

Android Design Pattern-CH Part ii

APES Ch. 8, part 2

APES Ch. 8, part 2

Ch.6~ Popular Uses of ABC/M –Part II ( p.251~277)

Ch.6~ Popular Uses of ABC/M –Part II ( p.251~277)

Electrostatics Part II

Electrostatics Part II