I submit my eulogium unto you, Oh praiseworthy Lord (in the form of) the child of the cowherd Nanda-The Lord whose personality is dark-blue like a rainy cloud, in complexion; (who is) clad in silken garments refulgent like lightning; whose sublimely charming face appears glorious with ornaments of Gunja seeds and a crest of peacock feathers; (who is) adorned with wreaths of sylvain foliage and flowers; whose splendid beauty is enhanced with a morsel of food (in the left hand), a cane and a horn (under left arm-pit) and flute and other emblems and whose feet are soft and tender. Even though I am (god) Brahma (the creator of the world), I am not really competent to comprehend even with. my mind concentrated (inwardly) this corporeal form of yours which you have revealed to me for showering your Grace on me¹-a form you assumed at your sweet will (or as desired by your devotees) but is not composed of elements (gross or subtle). Much less can I comprehend directly you who (being transcendental to gunas) are absolute bliss of The Self.
Oh Lord! Unconquerable as you are in the three worlds, you appear conquered by those (devotees) who giving up all efforts in attaining knowledge, lead their life reverentially paying their respects with their body, speech and mind, to your stories (spontaneously recounted by the righteous), as they come to their ears without leaving their homes (but by remaining in the company of those pious devotees). (What is the propriety in exerting knowledge ?) Nothing else but sheer exertions only like those who engage themselves in pounding merely the outer husk of grains (which contains no grains and as such yield no food-grains at all by this labour of pounding), is the resultant lot of those who, neglecting the path of devotion which is the fountainhead of all blessings in the form of material prosperity here ‘and liberation from Samsara hereafter, undergo troubles to attain mere knowledge only, Oh Omnipresent Lord!
Oh Infinite Lord! In days of old, in this (very) world, a number of yogins (who failed to attain spiritual wisdom by the path of yoga) dedicated all their desires and activities. unto you, and obtained the knowledge of their self only through devotion awakened in them by the resignation of their activities and desires (to you), and by virtue of listening to your stories, and thus they easily attained to your Supreme Nature (Godhead), Oh Acyuta. It is, however, possible, Oh Almighty Lord, to comprehend your glory properly by the pure-souled ones (who have thoroughly controlled their senses) through their personal realization of the self, who is above modifications and transcends all forms, for it is self-illuminating (and as such is beyond objective perception in ‘this-that relation’) and not by any other way.
Has anyone ever been able even to calculate (and estimate) your attributes when you are verily their actual support and controller-especially when you have incarnated for the well-being of the universe by manifesting innumerable qualities? Nobody, even if he be so exceptionally competent and clever as to count minutely all the particles of the (dust on the) earth, or the dew-drops in the sky, or the luminous particles in the rays of the sun, in a span of many births.He who, eagerly and anxiously waiting for your compassion and grace, experiences (in a detached manner), the fruits of his (past) actions and leads a life of complete reverential submission unto you, in thought word and deed, becomes a partner in the State of Liberation (as if it is his ancestral property).
Oh Almighty Lord! Look at this wicked foolhardiness. of mine. Extremely insignificant as I am (before you of whom I am born) like a flame of fire emanating from (the universe consuming) conflagration, I, with a view to see the exhibition of my magnificent grandeur, tried to cover (delude) even you with my maya when you are the Infinite, Eternal, Supreme Self, the Deluder of the deluders.Hence, Oh Imperishable Lord, be pleased to forgive me who am born of rajas and therefore steeped in ignorance. Under the false notion that I am the real Supreme Ruler independent of you, I became blind by my arrogant ignorance of being the real birthless creator of the universe. Therefore this person (I, Brahma) may please be regarded as deserving your grace (pity) as he (I) has a protector in you.
What am I after all, but an insignificant being in vested with a body of seven spans (according to my humble measure), and confined in a momentary perishable small pot like egg called the world, covered with the sheaths of tamas i.e. Prakriti (Primordial matter), mahat (cosmic intelligence), ahankara (cosmic ego), elements like the ether, air, fire, water and earth? How infinitely great is your glory? The pores (of the skin) of whose body are like ventilators through which. innumerable egg-like universes (each as big as mine) flow in and out like atoms. How can I stand any comparison with you? (Being extremely insignificant, compassion may kindly be shown to me of your own accord (Sanatana Gosvȧmi’s Bṛhat Tosani).
Oh Lord, transcendental to sense perception !¹ Does the raising of feet by the foetus become an offence against the mother? (No. On the contrary the mother is happy to feel that the child in her is alive and kicking. Hence whatever has been committed by me, does not constitute an offence). Is there anything described as being existent or nonexistent outside your bowels? It behoves you to forgive all my offences with a motherly affection, as you have announced yourself to be the father, mother and protector of the universe. The traditional scriptural statement that Brahma, the unborn god, was verily born of (lit. sprang from) the stalk of the lotus forming the umbilical cord of the navel of Nārāyaṇa lying on the cosmic waters of the deluge, caused by commingling all the seas, at the end of the three worlds, is not false. Am I not thus born of you Oh Lord?
Are you not Narayana? Yes, you are Nárayana in as much as you are the soul of all embodied creatures, who thus form your dwelling place (and nära means the aggregate of living beings). You are Näräyapa as you are the Lord who presides over and promotes life in all beings, and being the witness to the entire universe, you alone know them all. You are the Narayana-the Deity that abides in (and thus are the basis) of all the twenty-four principles evolved out of Nara, as well as waters-your abode for reposing, which is the evolute of Nara who is also your part. Even your reposing on water is also not true, but your mayd, as your form is indiscernible. Your form is beyond accurate determination or ascertainment, for. If your form which is the basic support of the world, reposed on cosmic waters in reality, how is it that I could not see it at that time when I tried for one hundred years to explore through the lotus-stalk out of which I came, (the source of my birth), Oh Lord of inconceivable power. Or why was it that it became clearly visible to me in my heart when I performed severe penance and why was it that it instantly disappeared.
It is here only in this incarnation (as Krsna) that you have clearly demonstrated the illusory nature of this entire external universe to your mother, by manifesting it completely in your abdomen, Oh dispeller of Maya. Just as this entire universe including yourself appears present in your bowels, it is also manifested the same way even outside your bowels. Is this (double manifestation) possible except through your deluding potency. Has not the illusive nature of this universe, with the exception of your own self, been demonstrated to me by you even today?-At first (before I stole away the calves and the cowherd boys from Vraja) you were one. Then you assumed the forms of all your friends and calves from Vraja. You then revealed yourself in as many four-armed forms which were worshipped by all as well as by me. Then you became as many universes. You still remain the sole same Infinite Brahman without any second.
To persons who are ignorant of your real nature,” you, the all-pervading Lord abide in Prakriti and you spread your Maya at your free will, and appear (though one as many) as if you are myself (i.e. god Brahma) at the creation of the Universe, as yourself i.e. Vishņu for its protection, and as the three-eyed god Śiva, at the time of the dissolution of the universe. Oh Creator and Controller of the Universe! Unborn as you are, you incarnate among gods (e.g. Vamana), sages (e.g. Vyasa), as well as among men (e.g. Rama and Krsna), sub-human beings (e.g. beasts as in the Boar incarnation) and aquatic animals (the Fish and Tortoise incarnations) for subduing the pride of the wicked, and showering grace on the righteous and saintly people, Oh Lord!
Oh Supreme Lord! The receptacle of infinite. powers (like knowledge, power, energy etc.)! The In-dweller in the hearts of all! Who knows (or is capable of knowing) the nature, time, place, extent of your sportive acts in which. you indulge, after spreading out (exhibiting) your Yogic (deluding) Potency, in these three worlds, Oh Master of Yoga. Hence, though this entire world which is of unreal nature like dream-experience, devoid of intelligence and full of endless, innumerable miseries, appears and disappears in You who are infinite, eternal bliss and knowledge incarnate, and through Māyā it seems to be real and possessing your characteristics,
You are the only one Self (atman) abiding in the bodies of living beings, the ancient-most, real, self-refulgent, infinite, first and foremost, eternal, imperishable person of unobstructed blissfulness, untainted (by any blemish or Mäyä), perfect, without any second, free from limitations and immortal. Those who, through correct spanisadic mystic vision obtained from the sun-like spiritual preceptors, properly comprehend you as being of the above description, as the self abiding in all beings, and as their own soul, easily cross this ocean of Samsara (metem-psychosis) which is (as a matter of fact) unreal. In the case of those who do not comprehend the atman (The Self) in its essential nature, the entire world or Sarhsdra is created due to this lack of understanding. But through realization and enlightenment (about his nature) the samsara disappears again, as the appearance and disappearance of the body of a serpent (super-imposed through ignorance) on a rope (does before and after realization of the real nature of the rope).
The bondage of samsara and Liberation from it, are terms which, as a matter of fact, are instituted through ignorance. They are not separate entities distinct from the reality characterised by truth and knowledge. When considered against the background of the absolute transcendental Paramatman of eternal consciousness, they cease to have separate existence, as do the day and night in the (sphere of the) sun. How pitiable is the ignorance of these ignorant people that they consider you, their real self, as other (different from themselves), and their body as their very self. And thus they think that their real self is to be searched for outside in external objects. Oh Infinite Lord! Righteous people really seek you within the body (which is composed of matter and the spirit), by discarding that which is ‘Not-that’ (non-self). Can pious men of accurate judgement arrive at that correct conclusion, that the rope lying near (which was mistaken for a serpent) is certainly a rope, unless they have negated the wrong super imposition of a serpent over that rope (through ignorance).
It is, however, he (your devotee) who is blest with the slightest grace of the pair of your lotus-like feet, who understands the real nature of the glory and power of the Lord, and not a person who is searching for it for a long time (but has not been favoured with your Grace), Oh Lord! 30. Oh Protector (of the universe)! May I be blessed with that great luck, whereby in this very life (of Brahma) or in any other birth, even in sub-human beings, I shall be one of your devotees, and serve your foliage-like tender feet? . Oh! How highly blessed are the cows and women of Vraja, the nectarine milk from whose udders and breasts is sucked with extreme delight (and satisfaction) by you in the form of calves and (cowherd) boys, Oh ! Omnipresent Lord, to whom even sacred sacrifices have not been able to give gratification (to that extent) even till today.
How surprisingly admirable (and enviable) is the good luck of Nanda and the cowherds of Vraja, that they have a friend in you, the eternal perfect Brahman, the embodiment of the highest bliss. As it is simply beyond the capacity of anyone to describe it let the greatness of the fortune of these cowherds be kept aside for the time being. But we eleven-god Siva and others (the presiding deities of sense-organs) are exceptionally fortunate, for, through the cups in the form of the sense-organs (of these cowherds), we constantly drink the exhilarating and inebriating sweet nectar-like honey of your lotus-feet, How much more blessed are the cowherds of Vraja who can enjoy your personal charms through all their senses, if our single organ medium is so enchanting!.
It will be an exceedingly high fortune to be born in any species (even as humble grass) here, in this forest (of Vṛndavana), especially in Gokula, where one may have the (good luck) of bathing (from head to foot, all over the body) in the dust of the feet of any one (of the devoted inhabitants) from Gokula; for their entire life is the Lord Mukunda Himself, the dust of whose feet is still sought after by the Vedas. As Pūtană merely through her assumption of the guise of the good (pretending motherly affection to you) was brought to your region along with the members of her family, our mind is baffled in trying to guess what fruit other than yourself, the highest possible reward in the world, you can confer on these residents of Vraja whose homes, wealth, friends, beloved relatives, their selves, sons, life and mind are completely dedicated to you (and are meant for you), Oh Lord.
Oh Lord Kṛṣṇa! So long as people do not become yours (your votaries), passions like desire, hatred etc. act as thieves (to deprive them of their merits or spiritual wealth) and the house serves as a prison and infatuation works as fetters. 37. Oh Lord! Even though you are transcendental to the world and as such have nothing to do with the worldly life, you play your role in this (worldly) life for enhancing the rapturous joy of people who have submitted to you for resort. I have nothing to say about those who (pose that they) know you. Let them. In fact, they are deluded in thinking that way. But as far as I am concerned, your glory is beyond the ken of my mind, body (senses) and speech. Oh Kṛṣṇa! Be pleased to grant me leave (to depart). You know everything, Oh Omniscient Lord. You are the protector of the world. This world and this person (both of which I wrongly regarded as mine) are now offered to you.
My respectful obeisance to the end of this Kalpa (the duration of my life) to you, Oh Lord Kṛṣṇa who cause delight to the lotus (in the form) of Vrsni clan, who bring flow tide to the sea in the form (i.e. enhance the prosperity) of the earth, gods, Brahmanas and the cows; the dispeller of the darkness of the pseudo-religious hypocrites, the destroyer of the demons on the earth and adorable to gods (right) from the sun.
After offering his hymn in praise of the Supreme Lord in this way, god Brahmå (the creator of the Universe) circumambulated him thrice (out of respect), and bowing down to his feet, he returned to his region which is adorable to and desired by all. The Lord granted permission to god Brahma who was born of him (and was therefore pardoned for his audacity to test the Lord). He brought back the (original) calves to the sandy bank of his choice (for the common dinner with the cow herd boys in that picnic) where his companions were (already waiting) as before. Though the children were separated from Krsna, the very lord of their life, for one complete year, they thought it to be only half a moment due to the effect of the illusive power of Krsna,.What do they not forget in this world when the mind is infatuated with the Måyå Potency of the Lord? The whole world under its deluding influence often forgets itself.
His companions greeted Krsna, “Welcome for your speedy return. Not a single morsel has been eaten by us (during your absence). Have a hearty meal.” Laughing (loudly at the welcome) Krsna, the Lord of sense organs, had his meal with the cowherd boys. He showed them the skin of the boa-constrictor, and returned to Vraja from the forest. With person attractively decorated with peacock feathers, flowers and variegated mineral colours and exultant at the fanfare of the transporting sounds of flutes whistles of leaves and horns that were loudly blown, and shouting at the calves while tending them, Kṛṣṇa whose looks brought delight to the eyes of the cowherd women, entered Vraja, while his companions singing his hallowing glory, followed him. The children sang in Vraja: “By this child, the delight of Yośoda, a big serpent was killed today and we were saved from it”.
In this way, both Krishna and Balarama passed their childhood at Vraja, in child-like sports such as hide-and-seek, playful construction of dams, jumping like monkeys from one branch of a tree to another.
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Categories: Bhagwat Puran, Krishna Avataar, Lord Krishna
Nice article