Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: Canto 3: “The Status Quo”
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Chapter One
SB3.1.17
TEXT 17
sa nirgataḥ kaurava-puṇya-labdho
gajāhvayāt tīrtha-padaḥ padāni
anvākramat puṇya-cikīrṣayorvyām
adhiṣṭhito yāni sahasra-mūrtiḥ
SYNONYMS
saḥ—he (Vidura); nirgataḥ—after having quit; kaurava—the Kuru dynasty; puṇya—piety; labdhaḥ—so achieved; gaja-āhvayāt—from Hastināpura; tīrtha-padaḥ—of the Supreme Lord; padāni—pilgrimages; anvākramat—took shelter; puṇya—piety; cikīrṣayā—desiring so; urvyām—of high grade; adhiṣṭhitaḥ—situated; yāni—all those; sahasra—thousands; mūrtiḥ—forms.
TRANSLATION
By his piety, Vidura achieved the advantages of the pious Kauravas. After leaving Hastināpura, he took shelter of many places of pilgrimages, which are the Lord’s lotus feet. With a desire to gain a high order of pious life, he traveled to holy places where thousands of transcendental forms of the Lord are situated.
PURPORT
Vidura was undoubtedly a highly elevated and pious soul, otherwise he would not have taken his birth in the Kaurava family. To have high parentage, to possess wealth, to be highly learned and to have great personal beauty are all due to past pious acts. But such pious possessions are not sufficient for obtaining the grace of the Lord and being engaged in His transcendental loving service. Vidura considered himself less pious, and therefore he decided to travel to all the great places of pilgrimage in the world in order to achieve greater piety and advance nearer to the Lord. At that time, Lord Kṛṣṇa was personally present in the world, and Vidura could have at once approached Him directly, but he did not do so because he was not sufficiently freed from sin. One cannot be one hundred percent devoted to the Lord unless and until he is completely free from all effects of sin. Vidura was conscious that by the association of the diplomatic Dhṛtarāṣṭra and Duryodhana he had lost his piety and was therefore not fit to associate at once with the Lord. In Bhagavad-gītā (7.28) this is confirmed in the following verse:
yeṣāṁ tv anta-gataṁ pāpaṁ
janānāṁ puṇya-karmaṇām
te dvandva-moha-nirmuktā
bhajante māṁ dṛḍha-vratāḥ
Persons who are sinful asuras like Kaṁsa and Jarāsandha cannot think of Lord Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Absolute Truth. Only those who are pure devotees, those who follow the regulative principles of religious life as prescribed in the scriptures, are able to engage themselves in karma-yoga and then jñāna-yoga and thereafter, by pure meditation, can understand pure consciousness. When God consciousness is developed, one can take advantage of the association of pure devotees. Syān mahat-sevayā viprāḥ puṇya-tīrtha-niṣevaṇāt: one is able to associate with the Lord even during the existence of this life.
Places of pilgrimages are meant for eradicating the sins of the pilgrims, and they are distributed all over the universe just to give facility to all concerned for attaining pure existence and God realization. One should not be satisfied, however, merely by visiting the places of pilgrimage and performing one’s prescribed duties; he should be eager to meet the great souls who are already there, engaged in the service of the Lord. In each and every place of pilgrimage, the Lord is present in His various transcendental forms.
These forms are called arcā-mūrtis, or forms of the Lord which can be easily appreciated by the common man. The Lord is transcendental to our mundane senses. He cannot be seen with our present eyes, nor can He be heard with our present ears. To the degree that we have entered into the service of the Lord or to the proportion to which our lives are freed from sins, we can perceive the Lord. But even though we are not free from sins, the Lord is kind enough to allow us the facility of seeing Him in His arcā-mūrtis in the temple. The Lord is all-powerful, and therefore He is able to accept our service by presentation of His arcā form. No one, therefore, should foolishly think the arcā in the temple to be an idol. Such an arcā-mūrti is not an idol but the Lord Himself, and to the proportion to which one is free from sins, he is able to know the significance of the arcā-mūrti. The guidance of a pure devotee is therefore always required.
In the land of Bhāratavarṣa there are many hundreds and thousands of places of pilgrimage distributed all over the country, and by traditional practice the common man visits such holy places during all seasons of the year. Some of the arcā representations of the Lord situated in different places of pilgrimage are mentioned herewith. The Lord is present at Mathurā (the birthplace of Lord Kṛṣṇa) as Ādi-keśava; the Lord is present at Purī (Orissa) as Lord Jagannātha (also known as Puruṣottama); He is present at Allahabad (Prayāga) as Bindu-mādhava; at Mandara Hill He is present as Madhusūdana. In the Ānandāraṇya, He is known as Vāsudeva, Padmanābha and Janārdana; at Viṣṇukāñcī, He is known as Viṣṇu; and at Māyāpura, He is known as Hari. There are millions and billions of such arcā forms of the Lord distributed all over the universe. All these arcā-mūrtis are summarized in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta in the following words:
sarvatra prakāśa tāṅra——bhakte sukha dite
jagatera adharma nāśi’ dharma sthāpite
“The Lord has so distributed Himself all over the universe just to give pleasure to the devotees, to give the common man facility to eradicate his sins, and to establish religious principles in the world.”
SB3.1.18 TEXT 18 pureṣu puṇyopavanādri-kuñjeṣv apaṅka-toyeṣu sarit-saraḥsu ananta-liṅgaiḥ samalaṅkṛteṣu cacāra tīrthāyataneṣv ananyaḥ SYNONYMS pureṣu—holy places like Ayodhyā, Dvārakā and Mathurā; puṇya—piety; upavana—the air; adri—hill; kuñjeṣu—in the orchards; apaṅka—without sin; toyeṣu—in the water; sarit—river; saraḥsu—lakes; ananta-liṅgaiḥ—the forms of the Unlimited; samalaṅkṛteṣu—being so decorated; cacāra—executed; tīrtha—places of pilgrimage; āyataneṣu—holy lands; ananyaḥ—alone or seeing Kṛṣṇa alone.
TRANSLATION He began to travel alone, thinking only of Kṛṣṇa, through various holy places like Ayodhyā, Dvārakā and Mathurā. He traveled where the air, hill, orchard, river and lake are all pure and sinless and where the forms of the Unlimited decorate the temples. Thus he performed the pilgrim’s progress. PURPORT These arcā forms of the Lord may be considered idols by the atheists, but that does not matter for persons like Vidura or His many other servants. The forms of the Lord are mentioned here as ananta-liṅga. Such forms of the Lord have unlimited potency, the same as that of the Lord Himself. There is no difference between the potencies of the arcā and those of the personal forms of the Lord. The example of the postbox and post office may be applied here. The little postboxes distributed all over the city have the same potency as the postal system in general. The duty of the post office is to carry letters from one place to another. If one puts letters in postboxes authorized by the general post office, the function of carrying letters is performed without a doubt. Similarly, the arcā-mūrti can also deliver the same unlimited potency of the Lord as when He is personally present. Vidura, therefore, could see nothing but Kṛṣṇa in the different arcā forms, and ultimately he was able to realize Kṛṣṇa alone and nothing else.
SB3.1.19 TEXT 19 gāṁ paryaṭan medhya-vivikta-vṛttiḥ sadāpluto ’dhaḥ śayano ’vadhūtaḥ alakṣitaḥ svair avadhūta-veṣo vratāni cere hari-toṣaṇāni SYNONYMS gām—earth; paryaṭan—traversing; medhya—pure; vivikta-vṛttiḥ—independent occupation for living; sadā—always; āplutaḥ—sanctified; adhaḥ—on the earth; śayanaḥ—lying; avadhūtaḥ—without dressing (of the hair, etc.); alakṣitaḥ—without being seen; svaiḥ—alone; avadhūta-veṣaḥ—dressed like a mendicant; vratāni—vows; cere—performed; hari-toṣaṇāni—that pleased the Lord.
TRANSLATION While so traversing the earth, he simply performed duties to please the Supreme Lord Hari. His occupation was pure and independent. He was constantly sanctified by taking his bath in holy places, although he was in the dress of a mendicant and had no hair dressing nor a bed on which to lie. Thus he was always unseen by his various relatives. PURPORT The first and foremost duty of a pilgrim is to satisfy the Supreme Lord Hari. While traveling as a pilgrim, one should not be worried about pleasing society. There is no need to depend on social formalities or occupation or dress. One should remain always absorbed in the function of pleasing the Lord. Thus sanctified by thought and action, one is able to realize the Supreme Lord by the process of a pilgrim’s journey.
SB3.1.20 TEXT 20 itthaṁ vrajan bhāratam eva varṣaṁ kālena yāvad gatavān prabhāsam tāvac chaśāsa kṣitim eka cakrām ekātapatrām ajitena pārthaḥ SYNONYMS ittham—like this; vrajan—while traveling; bhāratam—India; eva—only; varṣam—the tract of land; kālena—in due course of time; yāvat—when; gatavān—visited; prabhāsam—the Prabhāsa pilgrimage site; tāvat—at that time; śaśāsa—ruled; kṣitim—the world; eka-cakrām—by one military force; eka—one; ātapatrām—flag; ajitena—by the mercy of the unconquerable Kṛṣṇa; pārthaḥ—Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira.
TRANSLATION Thus, when he was in the land of Bhāratavarṣa traveling to all the places of pilgrimage, he visited Prabhāsakṣetra. At that time Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira was the emperor and held the world under one military strength and one flag. PURPORT More than five thousand years ago, while Saint Vidura was traveling the earth as a pilgrim, India was known as Bhāratavarṣa, as it is known even today. The history of the world cannot give any systematic account for more than three thousand years into the past, but before that the whole world was under the flag and military strength of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, who was the emperor of the world. At present there are hundreds and thousands of flags flapping in the United Nations, but during the time of Vidura there was, by the grace of Ajita, Lord Kṛṣṇa, only one flag. The nations of the world are very eager to again have one state under one flag, but for this they must seek the favor of Lord Kṛṣṇa, who alone can help us become one worldwide nation.
SB3.1.21 TEXT 21 tatrātha śuśrāva suhṛd-vinaṣṭiṁ vanaṁ yathā veṇuja-vahni-saṁśrayam saṁspardhayā dagdham athānuśocan sarasvatīṁ pratyag iyāya tūṣṇīm SYNONYMS tatra— there; atha—thereafter; śuśrāva—heard; suhṛt—kinsmen; vinaṣṭim—all dead; vanam—forest; yathā—as much as; veṇuja-vahni—fire due to the bamboos; saṁśrayam—friction with one another; saṁspardhayā—by violent passion; dagdham—burnt; atha—thus; anuśocan—thinking; sarasvatīm—the River Sarasvatī; pratyak—westward; iyāya—went; tūṣṇīm—silently.
TRANSLATION At the place of pilgrimage at Prabhāsa, it came to his knowledge that all his relatives had died due to violent passion, just as an entire forest burns due to fire produced by the friction of bamboos. After this he proceeded west, where the River Sarasvatī flows. PURPORT Both the Kauravas and the Yādavas were relatives of Vidura, and Vidura heard of their extinction due to fratricidal war. The comparison of the friction of forest bamboos to that of passionate human societies is appropriate. The whole world is compared to a forest. At any moment there may be a flare-up of fire in the forest due to friction. No one goes to the forest to set it on fire, but due only to friction between bamboos, fire takes place and burns an entire forest. Similarly, in the greater forest of worldly transaction, the fire of war takes place because of the violent passion of the conditioned souls illusioned by the external energy. Such a worldly fire can be extinguished only by the water of the mercy cloud of saints, just as a forest fire can be extinguished only by rains falling from a cloud.
SB3.1.22 TEXT 22 tasyāṁ tritasyośanaso manoś ca pṛthor athāgner asitasya vāyoḥ tīrthaṁ sudāsasya gavāṁ guhasya yac chrāddhadevasya sa āsiṣeve SYNONYMS tasyām—on the bank of the River Sarasvatī; tritasya—the pilgrimage site named Trita; uśanasaḥ—the pilgrimage site named Uśanā; manoḥ ca—as also of the pilgrimage site named Manu; pṛthoḥ—that of Pṛthu; atha—thereafter; agneḥ—that of Agni; asitasya—that of Asita; vāyoḥ—that of Vāyu; tīrtham—places of pilgrimages; sudāsasya—of the name Sudāsa; gavām—that of Go; guhasya—that of Guha; yat—thereupon; śrāddhadevasya—of the name Śrāddhadeva; saḥ—Vidura; āsiṣeve—duly visited and performed the rituals.
TRANSLATION On the bank of the River Sarasvatī there were eleven places of pilgrimage, namely, (1) Trita, (2) Uśanā, (3) Manu, (4) Pṛthu, (5) Agni, (6) Asita, (7) Vāyu, (8) Sudāsa, (9) Go, (10) Guha and (11) Srāddhadeva. Vidura visited all of them and duly performed rituals. SB3.1.23 TEXT 23 anyāni ceha dvija-deva-devaiḥ kṛtāni nānāyatanāni viṣṇoḥ pratyaṅga-mukhyāṅkita-mandirāṇi yad-darśanāt kṛṣṇam anusmaranti SYNONYMS anyāni—others; ca—also; iha—here; dvija-deva—by the great sages; devaiḥ—and the demigods; kṛtāni—established by; nānā—various; āyatanāni—various forms; viṣṇoḥ—of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; prati—each and every; aṅga—part; mukhya—the chief; aṅkita—marked; mandirāṇi—temple s; yat—which; darśanāt—by seeing from a distance; kṛṣṇam—the original Personality of Godhead; anusmaranti—constantly remembers.
TRANSLATION There were also many other temples of various forms of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Viṣṇu, established by great sages and demigods. These temples were marked with the chief emblems of the Lord, and they reminded one always of the original Personality of Godhead, Lord Kṛṣṇa. PURPORT Human society is divided into four social orders of life and four spiritual divisions, applying to each and every individual person. This system is called varṇāśrama-dharma and has already been discussed in many places in this great literature. The sages, or persons who completely devoted themselves to the spiritual upliftment of the entire human society, were known as dvija-deva, the best amongst the twice-born. The denizens of superior planets, from the moon planet and upwards, were known as devas. Both the dvija-devas and the devas always establish temples of Lord Viṣṇu in His various forms, such as Govinda, Madhusūdana, Nṛsiṁha, Mādhava, Keśava, Nārāyaṇa, Padmanābha, Pārtha-sārathi and many others. The Lord expands Himself in innumerable forms, but all of them are nondifferent from one another. Lord Viṣṇu has four hands, and each hand holds a particular item—either a conchshell, wheel, club or lotus flower. Of these four emblems, the cakra, or wheel, is the chief. Lord Kṛṣṇa, being the original Viṣṇu form, has only one emblem, namely the wheel, and therefore He is sometimes called the Cakrī. The Lord’s cakra is the symbol of the power by which the Lord controls the whole manifestation. The tops of Viṣṇu temples are marked with the symbol of the wheel so that people may have the chance to see the symbol from a very long distance and at once remember Lord Kṛṣṇa. The purpose of building very high temples is to give people a chance to see them from a distant place. This system is carried on in India whenever a new temple is constructed, and it appears that it is coming down from a time before recorded history. The foolish propaganda by atheists that temples were constructed only in later days is refuted here because Vidura visited these temples at least five thousand years ago, and the temples of Viṣṇu were in existence long, long before Vidura visited them. The great sages and demigods never established statues of men or demigods, but they established temples of Viṣṇu for the benefit of common men, to raise them to the platform of God consciousness.
SB3.1.24 TEXT 24 tatas tv ativrajya surāṣṭram ṛddhaṁ sauvīra-matsyān kurujāṅgalāṁś ca kālena tāvad yamunām upetya tatroddhavaṁ bhāgavataṁ dadarśa SYNONYMS tataḥ—from there; tu—but; ativrajya—by passing over; surāṣṭram—the kingdom of Surat; ṛddham—very wealthy; sauvīra—the kingdom of Sauvīra; matsyān—the kingdom of Matsya; kurujāṅgalān—the kingdom of western India up to the Delhi province; ca—also; kālena—in course of time; tāvat—as soon as; yamunām—bank of the River Yamunā; upetya—reaching; tatra—there; uddhavam—Uddhava, one of the prominent Yadus; bhāgavatam—the great devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa; dadarśa—happened to see.
TRANSLATION Thereafter he passed through very wealthy provinces like Surat, Sauvīra and Matsya and through western India, known as Kurujāṅgala. At last he reached the bank of the Yamunā, where he happened to meet Uddhava, the great devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa. PURPORT The tract of land comprising about one hundred square miles from modern Delhi to the Mathurā district in Uttar Pradesh, including a portion of the Gurgaon district in Punjab (East India), is considered to be the topmost place of pilgrimage in all of India. This land is sacred because Lord Kṛṣṇa traveled through it many times. From the very beginning of His appearance, He was at Mathurā in the house of His maternal uncle Kaṁsa, and He was reared by His foster father Mahārāja Nanda at Vṛndāvana. There are still many devotees of the Lord lingering there in ecstasy in search of Kṛṣṇa and His childhood associates, the gopīs. It is not that such devotees meet Kṛṣṇa face to face in that tract of land, but a devotee’s eagerly searching after Kṛṣṇa is as good as his seeing Him personally. How this is so cannot be explained, but it is factually realized by those who are pure devotees of the Lord. Philosophically, one can understand that Lord Kṛṣṇa and His remembrance are on the absolute plane and that the very idea of searching for Him at Vṛndāvana in pure God consciousness gives more pleasure to the devotee than seeing Him face to face. Such devotees of the Lord see Him face to face at every moment, as confirmed in the Brahma-saṁhitā (5.38):
premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena “Those who are in ecstasy of love with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Śyāmasundara [Kṛṣṇa], see Him always in their hearts due to love and devotional service rendered to the Lord.” Both Vidura and Uddhava were such elevated devotees, and therefore they both came to the bank of the Yamunā and met each other.
SB3.1.25 TEXT 25 sa vāsudevānucaraṁ praśāntaṁ bṛhaspateḥ prāk tanayaṁ pratītam āliṅgya gāḍhaṁ praṇayena bhadraṁ svānām apṛcchad bhagavat-prajānām SYNONYMS saḥ—he, Vidura; vāsudeva—Lord Kṛṣṇa; anucaram—constant companion; praśāntam—very sober and gentle; bṛhaspateḥ—of Bṛhaspati, the learned spiritual master of the demigods; prāk—formerly; tanayam—son or disciple; pratītam—acknowledged; āliṅgya—embracing; gāḍham—very feelingly; praṇayena—in love; bhadram—auspicious; svānām—his own; apṛcchat—asked; bhagavat—of the Personality of Godhead; prajānām—family.
TRANSLATION Then, due to his great love and feeling, Vidura embraced him [Uddhava], who was a constant companion of Lord Kṛṣṇa and formerly a great student of Bṛhaspati’s. Vidura then asked him for news of the family of Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead. PURPORT Vidura was older than Uddhava, like a father, and therefore when the two met, Uddhava bowed down before Vidura, and Vidura embraced him because Uddhava was younger, like a son. Vidura’s brother Pāṇḍu was Lord Kṛṣṇa’s uncle, and Uddhava was a cousin to Lord Kṛṣṇa. According to social custom, therefore, Vidura was to be respected by Uddhava on the level of his father. Uddhava was a great scholar in logic, and he was known to be a son or disciple of Bṛhaspati, the greatly learned priest and spiritual master of the demigods. Vidura asked Uddhava about the welfare of his relatives, although he already knew that they were no longer in the world. This inquiry appears to be very queer, but Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī states that the news was shocking to Vidura, who therefore inquired again due to great curiosity. Thus his inquiry was psychological and not practical.
SB3.1.26 TEXT 26 kaccit purāṇau puruṣau svanābhya- pādmānuvṛttyeha kilāvatīrṇau āsāta urvyāḥ kuśalaṁ vidhāya kṛta-kṣaṇau kuśalaṁ śūra-gehe SYNONYMS kaccit—whether; purāṇau—the original; puruṣau—Personalities of Godhead (Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma); svanābhya—Brahmā; pādma-anuvṛttyā—by the request of the one who is born from the lotus; iha—here; kila—certainly; avatīrṇau—incarnated; āsāte—are; urvyāḥ—in the world; kuśalam—well-being; vidhāya—for doing so; kṛta-kṣaṇau—the elevators of everyone’s prosperity; kuśalam—all well; śūra-gehe—in the house of Śūrasena.
TRANSLATION [Please tell me] whether the original Personalities of Godhead, who incarnated Themselves at the request of Brahmā [who is born out of the lotus flower from the Lord] and who have increased the prosperity of the world by elevating everyone, are doing well in the house of Śūrasena. PURPORT Lord Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma are not two different Personalities of Godhead. God is one without a second, but He expands Himself in many forms without their being separate from one another. They are all plenary expansions. The immediate expansion of Lord Kṛṣṇa is Baladeva, and Brahmā, born from the lotus flower from Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, is an expansion of Baladeva. This indicates that Kṛṣṇa and Baladeva are not subjected to the regulations of the universe; on the contrary, the whole universe is under Their subjugation. They appeared at the request of Brahmā to liberate the burden of the world, and They relieved the world by many superhuman activities so that everyone became happy and prosperous. Without the grace of the Lord, no one can become happy and prosperous. Because the happiness of the family of the Lord’s devotees depends on the happiness of the Lord, Vidura first of all inquired about the well-being of the Lord.
SB3.1.27 TEXT 27 kaccit kurūṇāṁ paramaḥ suhṛn no bhāmaḥ sa āste sukham aṅga śauriḥ yo vai svasṝṇāṁ pitṛvad dadāti varān vadānyo vara-tarpaṇena SYNONYMS kaccit—whether; kurūṇām—of the Kurus; paramaḥ—greatest; suhṛt—well-wisher; naḥ—our; bhāmaḥ—brother-in-law; saḥ—he; āste—is; sukham—happy; aṅga—O Uddhava; śauriḥ—Vasudeva; yaḥ—one who; vai—certainly; svasṝṇām—of the sisters; pitṛ-vat—like a father; dadāti—gives; varān—everything desirable; vadānyaḥ—munificent; vara—wife; tarpaṇena—by pleasing.
TRANSLATION [Please tell me] whether the best friend of the Kurus, our brother-in-law Vasudeva, is doing well. He is very munificent. He is like a father to his sisters, and he is always pleasing to his wives. PURPORT Lord Kṛṣṇa’s father, Vasudeva, had sixteen wives, and one of them, named Pauravī or Rohiṇī, the mother of Baladeva, was the sister of Vidura. Vasudeva, therefore, was the husband of Vidura’s sister, and thus they were brothers-in-law. Vasudeva’s sister Kuntī was the wife of Pāṇḍu, Vidura’s elder brother, and in that sense also, Vasudeva was brother-in-law to Vidura. Kuntī was younger than Vasudeva, and it was the duty of the elder brother to treat younger sisters as daughters. Whenever anything was needed by Kuntī, it was munificently delivered by Vasudeva, due to his great love for his younger sister. Vasudeva never dissatisfied his wives, and at the same time he supplied the objects desired by his sister. He had special attention for Kuntī because she became a widow at an early age. While inquiring about Vasudeva’s welfare, Vidura remembered all about him and the family relationship.
SB3.1.28 TEXT 28 kaccid varūthādhipatir yadūnāṁ pradyumna āste sukham aṅga vīraḥ yaṁ rukmiṇī bhagavato ’bhilebhe ārādhya viprān smaram ādi-sarge SYNONYMS kaccit—whether; varūtha—of the military; adhipatiḥ—commander-in-chief; yadūnām—of the Yadus; pradyumnaḥ—the son of Kṛṣṇa named Pradyumna; āste—is; sukham—happy; aṅga—O Uddhava; vīraḥ—the great warrior; yam—whom; rukmiṇī—the wife of Kṛṣṇa named Rukmiṇī; bhagavataḥ—from the Personality of Godhead; abhilebhe—got as a prize; ārādhya—pleasing; viprān—brāhmaṇas; smaram—Cupid (Kāmadeva); ādi-sarge—in his previous life.
TRANSLATION O Uddhava, please tell me how is Pradyumna, the commander-in-chief of the Yadus, who was Cupid in a former life? Rukmiṇī bore him as her son from Lord Kṛṣṇa, by the grace of brāhmaṇas whom she pleased. PURPORT According to Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī, Smara (Cupid, or Kāmadeva) is one of the eternal associates of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Jīva Gosvāmī has explained this very elaborately in his treatise Kṛṣṇa-sandarbha.
SB3.1.29 TEXT 29 kaccit sukhaṁ sātvata-vṛṣṇi-bhoja- dāśārhakāṇām adhipaḥ sa āste yam abhyaṣiñcac chata-patra-netro nṛpāsanāśāṁ parihṛtya dūrāt SYNONYMS kaccit—whether; sukham—is all well; sātvata—the Sātvata race; vṛṣṇi—the Vṛṣṇi dynasty; bhoja—the Bhoja dynasty; dāśārhakāṇām—the Dāśārha race; adhipaḥ—King Ugrasena; saḥ—he; āste—does exist; yam—whom; abhyaṣiñcat—installed; śata-patra-netraḥ—Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa; nṛpa-āsana-āśām—hope of the royal throne; parihṛtya—giving up; dūrāt—at a distant place.
TRANSLATION O my friend, [tell me] whether Ugrasena, the King of the Sātvatas, Vṛṣṇis, Bhojas and Dāśārhas, is now doing well. He went far away from his kingdom, leaving aside all hopes of his royal throne, but Lord Kṛṣṇa again installed him. SB3.1.30 TEXT 30 kaccid dhareḥ saumya sutaḥ sadṛkṣa āste ’graṇī rathināṁ sādhu sāmbaḥ asūta yaṁ jāmbavatī vratāḍhyā devaṁ guhaṁ yo ’mbikayā dhṛto ’gre SYNONYMS kaccit—whether; hareḥ—of the Personality of Godhead; saumya—O grave one; sutaḥ—son; sadṛkṣaḥ—similar; āste—fares well; agraṇīḥ—foremost; rathinām—of the warriors; sādhu—well behaved; sāmbaḥ—Sāmba; asūta—gave birth; yam—whom; jāmbavatī—Jāmbavatī, a queen of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s; vratāḍhyā—enriched by vows; devam—the demigod; guham—of the name Kārttikeya; yaḥ—whom; ambikayā—unto the wife of Śiva; dhṛtaḥ—born; agre—in the previous birth.
TRANSLATION O gentle one, does Sāmba fare well? He exactly resembles the son of the Personality of Godhead. In a previous birth he was born as Kārttikeya in the womb of the wife of Lord Śiva, and now he has been born in the womb of Jāmbavatī, the most enriched wife of Kṛṣṇa. PURPORT Lord Śiva, one of the three qualitative incarnations of the Personality of Godhead, is the plenary expansion of the Lord. Kārttikeya, born of him, is on the level of Pradyumna, another son of Lord Kṛṣṇa. When Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa descends into the material world, all His plenary portions also appear with Him to exhibit different functions of the Lord. But for the pastimes at Vṛndāvana, all functions are performed by the Lord’s different plenary expansions. Vāsudeva is a plenary expansion of Nārāyaṇa. When the Lord appeared as Vāsudeva before Devakī and Vasudeva, He appeared in His capacity as Nārāyaṇa. Similarly, all the demigods of the heavenly kingdom appeared as associates of the Lord in the forms of Pradyumna, Sāmba, Uddhava, etc. It is learned here that Kāmadeva appeared as Pradyumna, Kārttikeya as Sāmba, and one of the Vasus as Uddhava. All of them served in their different capacities in order to enrich the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa.
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