Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.8.31
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Los Angeles, April 23, 1973

Devotee:

gopy adade tvayi krtagasi dama tavad ya te dasasru-kalilanjana-sambhramaksam vaktram niniya bhaya-bhavanaya sthitasya sa mam vimohayati bhir api yad bibheti

”My, dear Krsna, Yasoda took up a rope to bind You when You committed an offense, and Your perturbed eyes overflooded with tears, which washed the mascara from Your eyes. And You were afraid, though fear personified is afraid of You. This sight is bewildering to me.”

Prabhupada: This is also another opulence of Krsna. Krsna is full with six kinds of opulences. So this opulence is beauty, beauty opulence. Krsna has got six opulences: all riches, all strength, all influence, all knowledge, all beauty, all renunciation. So this is the opulence of Krsna’s beauty. Krsna wants everyone…

Just like we are, we are offering obeisances to Krsna with awe and veneration. But nobody comes here to Krsna with a rope: “Krsna, You have offended. I shall bind You.” Nobody comes. That is the another prerogative of the most perfect devotee. Yes. Krsna wants that. Because He’s full of opulence… This is also another opulence. Anor aniyan mahato mahiyan. The greater than the greatest and the smaller than the smallest. That is opulence.

So Kuntidevi is thinking of Krsna’s opulence, but she did not dare to take the part of Yasoda. That is not possible. Although Kuntidevi happened to be aunt of Krsna, but she had no such privilege… This privilege is especially given to Yasodamayi. Because she’s so advanced devotee that she has got the right to chastise the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is special prerogative. So Kuntidevi was simply thinking of the privilege of Yasodamayi, that how much fortunate and how much privileged she was that she could threaten the Supreme Personality of Godhead who is feared even by the fear personified. Bhir api yad bibheti. Who is not afraid of Krsna? Everyone. But Krsna is afraid of Yasodamayi. This is the superexcellence of Krsna.

Just like Krsna’s another name is Madana-mohana. Madana means Cupid. Cupid enchants everyone. Cupid. And Krsna enchants Cupid. Therefore His name is Madana-mohana. He’s so beautiful that even Cupid is enchanted by Him. But again on the other side, Krsna, although He’s so beautiful that He enchants the Cupid, still He is enchanted by Srimati Radharani. Therefore Srimati Radharani’s name is Madana-mohana-mohini. Krsna is the enchanter of the Cupid, and Radharani is the enchanter of that enchanter. So these are very high-grade spiritual understanding in Krsna consciousness. It is not fiction or imagination, concoction. They are facts. They are facts. And every devotee can have such privileges if he is actually advanced. If you…

Don’t think that the privilege which was given to Mother Yasoda… If not exactly like that, everyone can have that privilege. If you love Krsna as your child, then you’ll have such privilege. Because the mother has got… Because mother loves the most. Nobody… In this material world, there is no comparison of mother’s love. Without any exchange. Even in this material world. Mother loves the child without any expectation of return, generally. Although in this material world it is so polluted, still sometimes mother thinks: “The child will be grown up. He will be big man. He will earn money, and I shall get it.” There is still some feelings of exchange. But while loving Krsna, there is no such feeling of exchange. That is called unalloyed love. Anyabhilasita-sunyam [BRS 1.1.11], free from all material gain.

We should not love Krsna for some material gain. It is not that: “Krsna, give us our daily bread. Then I love You. Krsna, give me this. Then I love You.” There is no such mercantile exchange. That is wanted. Krsna wants that kind of love. So here it is said that position, ya te dasa, dasa… When, as soon as Krsna saw Mother Yasoda is coming with a rope to bind Him, so He immediately became very much afraid so that tears came out. “Oh, Mother is going to bind Me.” Ya te dasasru-kalila anjana. And the ointment is being washed off. And sambhrama. And with great respect looking to the mother, with feeling appeal: “Yes, Mother, I have offended you. Kindly excuse Me.” This was the scene of Krsna. So that scene is appreciated by Kunti. And immediately His head became downward.

So this is another Krsna’s perfection, that although He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead… In Bhagavad-gita He says: mattah parataram nanyat kincid asti dhananjaya [Bg. 7.7]. “My dear Arjuna, there is no superior being above Me. I am the supermost.” Mattah parataram na anyat. There is nobody else.” That Supreme Personality of Godhead, above whom there is none, that Supreme Personality of Godhead is bowing down before Mother Yasoda. Niniya, vaktram niniya. He is accepting: “My dear Mother, yes, I am offender.” Niniya vaktram bhaya-bhavanaya, with a feeling of fearfulness. Sthitasya. Sometimes when Yasodamata, Mother Yasoda used to see that the child has become too much afraid, she also became disturbed. Because if the child is disturbed… It is a psychology. There is some mental reaction. So Mother Yasoda did not want that actually Krsna will suffer by my punishment. That was not Krsna, Mother Yasoda’s purpose. But as a mother feelingly, when she feels too much disturbance, the child is…

This system is still current in India, when the child too much disturbing, he is bound up in a place. That is very common system. So Yasoda Mother adopted it. Sa mam vimohayati. So that is the scene appreciated by pure devotees, that how much greatness is there in the Supreme Person that He is playing exactly a perfect child. When He’s playing like a child, He plays perfectly. When He plays a husband (with) 16,000 wives, He was playing perfectly as husband. When He was playing as lover of the gopis, He was playing perfectly. When He was friend of the cowherd boys, He was playing perfectly.

The cowherd boys all depend on Krsna. They, wanted to take the palm tree fruit, but there was a demon, Gardabhasura, they would not allow anyone to enter that palm tree. But the boy friends of Krsna, cowherds, they requested: “Krsna, we wanted to taste that fruit. If you can arrange…” “Yes.” Immediately Krsna arranged. Krsna and Balarama went to the forest, and the demons, they were living there in the shape of asses, and immediately they came to kick by their hind legs Krsna and Balarama. And Balarama captured one of them and immediately threw on the top of the tree and the demons dies.

So the friends also were very much obliged to Krsna. There was fire all round. They do not know anything. “Krsna.” “Yes.” Krsna is ready. Krsna immediately swallowed up the whole fire. There were so many demons attacked. Every day, all the boys, they would come back to their home and explain to their mother: “Mother, Krsna is so wonderful. You see. This happened to day.” And the mother would say: “Yes, our Krsna is wonderful.” So much. That’s all. They do not know Krsna is God, Krsna is the Supreme Person. Krsna is wonderful. That’s all. And their love increases. The more they perceive Krsna’s wonderful activities, they become more lover. “Perhaps he may be a demigod. Yes.” That is their suggestion. When Nanda Maharaja will talk amongst his friends and the friends will talk about Krsna… “Oh Nanda Maharaja, your child Krsna is wonderful. “Yes, I see that. Maybe some demigod.” That’s all. “Maybe.” That is also not certain. So the inhabitants of Vrndavana, they do not care who is God, or who is not God. That is not their business. But they want Krsna and love Krsna. That’s all.

So those who are thinking of first of all analyzing Krsna, whether He’s God, they are not first-class devotee. Those who have got spontaneous love for Krsna, they are first-class devotees. How you will analyze Krsna? He’s unlimited. It is impossible. So this business… We should not try to analyze, to know Krsna. It is impossible. We have got limited perception, limited potency of our senses, how we can study Krsna? It is not possible at all. Krsna reveals Himself, that much sufficient. Don’t try. That is not…

Neti neti. Just like the Mayavadis, they are trying to find out God, where is God, who is God. Neti, not this. They’re simply “Not this.” Their philosophy is based on “Not this.” And what it is, they do not know. The so-called scientists, also, they are trying to find out the ultimate cause, but their process is “not this.” So much. As, as much they’re advancing, they’re find: “Not this”, and what it is, they will never find. They will never find. They can say: “Not this,” but what it is, that is not possible. This is not possible.

panthas tu koti-sata-vatsara-sampragamyo vayor athapi manaso muni-pungavanam so ’pyasti yat prapada-simny avicintya-tattve govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami [Bs 5.34]

What to speak of Krsna, even this material object. They’re trying to go to the Moon planet. Actually they do not know what it is. Actually. Then why they’re coming back? If they knew it perfectly, what it is, then they would have resided there by this time. They are trying for the last twenty years. Simply they are seeing: “Not this. There is no living entities. There is no possibility of our living there.” So many “Nos.” And what is yes? No, they do not know. And this is only one planet or one star. The moon planet is taken as star.

The scientists, they say the stars are all suns, but according to our information, in the Bhagavad-gita: naksatranam aham sasi. Sasi means the moon is just like so many stars. So what is the position of the moon? Moon is bright being reflection of the sun. So according to our calculation the sun is one. But the modern scientists say that there are so many suns, the stars. We don’t agree. This is only one universe. There are many suns, innumerable, but in each and every sun, every universe there is one sun, not many. So this universe, what we are experiencing, experiencing by seeing imperfectly… We do not know. We cannot count how many stars are there, how many planets are there. It is impossible. So the material things which is before us, still we are unable to count, to understand, and what to speak of the Supreme Lord who created this universe? That is not possible.

Therefore in the Brahma-samhita it is said: panthas tu koti-sata-vatsara-sampragamyah. Panthas… Koti-sata-vatsara. The space is unlimited. Now you take your plane or sputnik or capsule… So many things they have invented. So you go on. Now go on for how many hours or days or years? No. Panthas tu koti-sata-vatsara. For millions of years, koti-sata-vatsara, go on with your speed. Panthas tu koti-sata-vatsara-sampragamyah. And how I shall go? Now on the plane which is running on the velocity of the air. Not this velocity, not this speed, 500 miles or 1000 miles per hour. No. What is the speed of air?

Svarupa Damodara: 126,000 miles per second.

Prabhupada: 96 miles per second. These are mentioned in the Vedic literature that if you go by this speed, air, 96 miles per second… So just imagine what is the speed of air. So panthas tu koti-sata-vatsara-sampragamyo vayor athapi [Bs 5.34] On the plane which is running on the speed of air. That speed, and for millions of years. Then again it is suggested not only on the speed of air but also on the speed of mind.

The mind you can, everyone, we know, what is the speed of mind. Even one ten-thousandth part of a second, you can go millions of miles. The speed of mind. You are sitting here and suppose you have seen something which is millions of miles, miles away, you can immediately, your mind can go immediately. So these two examples are given. Just see how much scientific they were. These rascals says that there was no advanced mind or advanced scientists. Then wherefrom these words are coming? The speed of air, the speed of mind. Unless they had some experiment, some knowledge. Why, how these books are written?

So panthas tu koti-sata-vatsara-sampragamyo vayor athapi manasah [Bs 5.34]. And how the speed, speedy planes are manufactured? Muni-pungavanam. By the greatest scientists and greatest thoughtful men. By, manufactured by them. So is that perfection? No. So ’pyasti yat prapada-simny avicintya-tattve. Still you shall remain in inconceivable understanding what is this creation. Still, if you are so advanced that you can run on on this speed and if you are greatest scientist and thoughtful philosopher, still you’ll remain in the same condition, unknown. Still.

So how we can study Krsna? And Krsna has created all these things. So if you cannot understand Krsna’s created things, how you can understand Krsna? This is not possible at all. It is not possible. Therefore this Vrndavana status of mind for the devotees is the perfection. They have no business to understand Krsna. They want to love Krsna, without condition. “Because Krsna is God, therefore I love.” Their mentality is not like that. Krsna is not just playing in Vrndavana as God. He is playing there as ordinary cowherds boy. But at times, He’s proving that He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. But they do not care to know it. So outside Vrndavana…

Just like Kuntidevi. Kuntidevi is not inhabitant of Vrndavana. She is inhabitant of Hastinapura, outside Vrndavana. The outside devotees, the devotees who are outside Vrndavana, they are studying the in habitants of the Vrndavana, how great they are. But the inhabitants of Vrndavana, they don’t care to know how great is Krsna. That is the difference. So our business is simply to love Krsna. The more you love Krsna, the more you become perfect. It is not that it is necessary to understand Krsna, how He has created. The things are mentioned here. Krsna is explaining Himself in the Bhagavad-gita so much. Don’t bother very much to know Krsna. That is not possible. Simply increase your unalloyed love for Krsna. That is perfection of life.

Thank you very much. (end)