VedaVyasa
Praneetha
The Mad Bhagavatam
10.89.26-27
karhicit keśavāntike
(26-27) Arjuna who some day because of Kes'ava was in the vicinity happened to hear about it when the ninth child of the brahmin died. He said: 'O brahmin, isn't there someone out here to wield the bow at the place where you are living? Truly these fallen nobles act as brahmins attending a sacrifice!
10.89.28
dhana-dārātmajāpṛktā
(28) There where brahmins have to lament the loss of wives, children and wealth, are the ones dressed up as kings but actors living for their own material interest.
10.89.29
rakṣiṣye dīnayor iha
anistīrṇa-pratijño 'gniḿ
(29) O great lord, I'll protect the offspring of the two of you so miserable in this matter. And if I fail to fulfill my promise will I enter the fire to put an end to my sins [compare B.G. 2: 34].'
Chivalrous Arjuna could not tolerate the shame of being unable to fulfill his promise. As Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad-gītā (2.34), sambhāvitasya cākīrtir maraṇād atiricyate: "For a respected person, dishonor is worse than death."
10.89.30-31
sańkarṣaṇo vāsudevaḥ
pradyumno dhanvināḿ varaḥ
aniruddho 'prati-ratho
duṣkaraḿ jagad-īśvaraiḥ
(30-31) The brahmin said: 'Since neither Sankarshana, Vâsudeva, Pradyumna the greatest archer, nor Aniruddha the incomparable chariot fighter, were able to save [my sons], why for heaven's sake do you then so naively intend to do what is even impossible to the [catur-vyûha] lords of the universe? That sounds pretty incredible to us.'
10.89.32
nāhaḿ sańkarṣaṇo brahman
na kṛṣṇaḥ kārṣṇir eva ca
(32) S'rî Arjuna said: 'I'm not Sankarshana o brahmin, nor Krishna or even a descendant. I for true am the one named Arjuna with the Gândîva as his bow!
10.89.33
(33) Do not belittle my prowess o brahmin, it satisfied the three-eyed one [S'iva]. I, defeating death in battle, will bring back your children o master!'
10.89.34
(34) The learned one thus convinced by Arjuna, o tormentor of the enemies, went home, satisfied about what he heard about the prowess of the son of Prithâ.
10.89.35
ity āhārjunam āturaḥ
(35) The time his wife was about to deliver again, said the most elevated brahmin distraught to Arjuna: 'Please save my child from dying!'
10.89.36
sa upaspṛśya śucy ambho
namaskṛtya maheśvaram
divyāny astrāṇi saḿsmṛtya
(36) He, touching pure water offered the mighty Lord [S'iva] his obeisances and strung the bowstring of his Gândîva with [the mantras of] his weapons kept in mind.
The ācāryas point out that since the brāhmaṇa had disrespected Lord Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna tactfully offered his obeisances instead to Lord Śiva, who had taught Arjuna how to use the mantras of the Pāśupāta weapon.
10.89.37
nyaruṇat sūtikāgāraḿ
śarair nānāstra-yojitaiḥ
(37) He upwards, downwards and sideways fenced in the house of delivery with arrows charged with the mantras and thus created a cage of arrows.
10.89.38
(38) When therafter the infant of the brahmin's wife was born, disappeared it, after crying for some time, suddenly into the sky complete with its body.
10.89.39
tadāha vipro vijayaḿ
mauḍhyaḿ paśyata me yo 'haḿ
(39) The learned one then with Krishna being present said to Arjuna in derision: 'Just see what a fool I am, I who trusted such a boasting impotent eunuch!
10.89.40
na pradyumno nāniruddho
(40) When nor Arjuna, nor Aniruddha, nor Râma, nor Krishna were able to prevent this, who else would then be capable to offer protection in a situation like this?
10.89.41
daivopasṛṣṭaḿ yo mauḍhyād
(41) Damn that Arjuna with his false words, damn the bow of that braggart, who so dumb, delusioned thought to bring back those who were taken by fate!'
10.89.42
(42) As the wise brahmin was thus cursing him, resorted Arjuna to a mystic incantation and went he straight to the heavenly city of Samyamanî where the great Yamarâja lives.
10.89.43-44
viprāpatyam acakṣāṇas
dhiṣṇyāny anyāny udāyudhaḥ
(43-44) Not finding the brahmin's child went he, with his weapons ready, from there to the cities of Indra, Agni, Nirriti [the god of death subordinate to Yamarâja], Soma [the moon-god], Vâyu and Varuna and then to other regions from the subterranean one up to the top of heaven. Failing to obtain from them the son of the twice-born one, was he, about to enter the fire as he had promised, opposed by Krishna who tried to stop him.
10.89.45
māvajñātmānam ātmanā
(45) 'I'll show you the sons of the twice-born one, please do not deprecate yourself, men like this [now so critical with us] are going to bring the spotless fame of the both of us.'
10.89.46
arjunena saheśvaraḥ
(46) The Supreme Lord, the Divine Controller, thus conferring mounted together with Arjuna his chariot and set off in the western direction.
10.89.47
lokālokaḿ tathātītya
(47) Passing over the seven continents with their seven seas and seven mountain ranges crossed he the border that separated the worlds from outer space and entered He the vast darkness [see also 5.1: 31-33].
In Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrīla Prabhupāda notes, "Kṛṣṇa passed over all these planets and reached the covering of the universe. This covering is described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam as great darkness. This material world as a whole is described as dark. In the opening space there is sunlight, and therefore it is illuminated, but in the covering, because of the absence of sunlight, it is naturally dark."
10.89.48-49
babhūvur bharatarṣabha
mahā-yogeśvareśvaraḥ
sahasrāditya-sańkāśaḿ
(48-49) There in the darkness lost the horses S'aibya, Sugrîva, Meghapushpa and Balâhaka [see also 10.53*] their way, o best of the Bharatas, and thus was by the Supreme Lord, the Great Master of All Yoga Masters, considering their plight His personal cakra that shines like a thousand suns sent ahead to lead the chariot.
Lord Kṛṣṇa's horses had descended from Vaikuṇṭha to participate in His earthly pastimes. Since the Lord Himself was pretending to be a finite human being, His steeds now acted confused to enhance the drama of the situation for all who would one day hear this pastime.
10.89.50
(50) The Sudars'ana disc that with its extremely intensive effulgence as fast as the mind was speeding ahead, cut itself through the immense dense and fearsome darkness of the manifestation like an arrow of Lord Râmacandra shot away at an army.
10.89.51
(51) Following the path of the cakra beyond that darkness beheld Arjuna the all-pervasive, endlessly expanding, transcendental light, that hurt so that he closed both his eyes [see also 10.28: 14-15].
After breaking through each of the eight concentric shells of the universe, the Sudarśana disc led Lord Kṛṣṇa's chariot into the limitless, self-effulgent atmosphere of the spiritual sky. This journey by Lord Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna to Vaikuṇṭha is also narrated in Śrī Hari-vaḿśa, where the Lord is quoted as telling His companion,
brahma-tejo-mayaḿ divyaḿ
"The divine expanse of Brahman effulgence you have seen is none other than Myself, O best of the Bhāratas. It is My own eternal effulgence."
prakṛtiḥ sā mama parā
vyaktāvyaktā sanātanī
"It comprises My eternal, spiritual energy, both manifest and unmanifest. The foremost yoga experts of this world enter within it and become liberated."sā sāńkhyānāḿ gatiḥ pārtha
"It is the supreme goal of the followers of Sāńkhya, O Pārtha, as well as that of the yogīs and ascetics. It is the Supreme Absolute Truth, manifesting the varieties of the entire created cosmos. You should understand this brahma-jyoti, O Bhārata, to be My concentrated personal effulgence."
10.89.52
balīyasaijad-bṛhad-ūrmi-bhūṣaṇam
(52) From there entered they a body of water that was moved by a mighty wind into a splendor of huge waves. Therein was situated a verily wondrous abode that supremely radiated with columns that shone bright with thousands of inlaid gems.
10.89.53
vibhrājamānaḿ dvi-guṇekṣaṇolbaṇaḿ
(53) There resided the huge serpent of Ananta that, amazing with His thousands of heads that radiated with the gems upon the hoods and the twice as many frightening eyes, with His dark blue necks and tongues resembled the white mountain [of Kailâsa].
10.89.54-56
mahānubhāvaḿ puruṣottamottamam
pralamba-cārv-aṣṭa-bhujaḿ sa-kaustubhaḿ
sunanda-nanda-pramukhaiḥ sva-pārṣadaiś
cakrādibhir mūrti-dharair nijāyudhaiḥ
(54-56) On that serpent saw he comfortably seated the almighty, highest authority of the Personality Supreme to all Personalities of Godhead looking like a dense raincloud, with beautiful yellow garments, a pleasing attractive face and broad eyes. To His eight handsome long arms, the Kaustubha jewel, the S'rîvatsa mark and framed by a garland of forest flowers, reflected the thousands of scattered locks the brilliance of His earrings and the clusters of large jewels in His crown. As the Chief of the Rulers of the Universe was He served by His personal associates headed by Nanda and Sunanda, His cakra and His other weapons that manifested their personal forms, [the consorts of] His energies for prosperity, beauty, fame and material creation [resp. Pushthi, S'rî, Kîrti and Ajâ] and the complete of His mystic powers [siddhis].
"the Lord has innumerable energies, and they were also standing there personified. The most important among them were as follows: Puṣṭi, the energy for nourishment; Śrī, the energy of beauty; Kīrti, the energy of reputation; and Ajā, the energy of material creation. All these energies are invested in the administrators of the material world, namely Lord Brahmā, Lord Śiva and Lord Viṣṇu, and in the kings of the heavenly planets, Indra, Candra, Varuṇa and the sungod. In other words, all these demigods, being empowered by the Lord with certain energies, engage in the transcendental loving service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead."
10.89.57
jiṣṇuś ca tad-darśana-jāta-sādhvasaḥ
tāv āha bhūmā parameṣṭhināḿ prabhur
(57) Acyuta paid homage to Himself in His Unlimited Form as did also Arjuna who was amazed by the sight [of Mahâ-Vishnu]. Then addressed the Almighty Lord and Master of the Rulers of the Universe with a smile and an invigorating voice the two of them who had their palms joined.
Just as Lord Kṛṣṇa offered obeisances to His own Deity during the worship of Govardhana Hill, so now also He paid homage to His Viṣṇu expansion for the purpose of playing out His pastimes. The Lord is ananta, possessed of countless manifestations, and this eight-armed form is among them. He is acyuta, "never falling from His position," in the sense that He never stops engaging in His humanlike pastimes as a cowherd boy of Vṛndāvana. Thus to safeguard the special sanctity of His humanlike pastimes as Kṛṣṇa, He offered obeisances to His own plenary expansion.
Lord Mahā-Viṣṇu appeared before Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna as bhūmā, the supremely opulent one, and as parameṣṭhināḿ prabhuḥ, the Lord of multitudes of Brahmās ruling over millions of universes. With solemn authority He spoke in such a way as to bewilder Arjuna, in obedience to Śrī Kṛṣṇa's intention. His smile hinted at His private thoughts, which Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī has revealed for our benefit: "My dear Kṛṣṇa, by Your desire I will describe My superiority, even though I am Your expansion. At the same time, however, I will subtly imply in My statements the supreme position of Your beauty, character and power and the fact that You are the source from which I emanate. Just see how clever I am — that in front of Arjuna I am confidentially divulging My true identity as nondifferent from You."
10.89.58
dvijātmajā me yuvayor didṛkṣuṇā
kalāvatīrṇāv avaner bharāsurān
hatveha bhūyas tvarayetam anti me
(58) 'I brought the sons of the twice-born one over here with the desire to see the two of you, who as My expansions have descended. Turn, after killing the ones of darkness who burden the earth, quickly back to My presence [see 2.2: 24-27 and 2.6: 26].
, the secret import of these words spoken for Arjuna's edification is as follows: "You two, who have descended along with your kalās, your personal energies, should kindly return to Me after killing the demons who burden the earth. Please quickly send these demons here to Me for the sake of their liberation." It is stated in Śrī Hari-vaḿśa and in the Second Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that the path of gradual liberation passes through the intermediate station of Lord Mahā-Viṣṇu's abode, outside the eighth shell of the universe.
10.89.59
(59) Even though of the two of you all desires are fulfilled, o best of all persons, should you, as the sages Nara and Nârâyana did, be engaged for the sake of the common man to uphold the dharma.'
10.89.60-61
(60-61) The two Krishnas [see also B.G. 10: 37] thus instructed by the Supreme Lord of the Highest Abode, said 'om' bowing down to the Almighty and took the sons of the twice-born to return elated to their own places, the same way as they came. They handed over to the brahmin the sons who had the same bodies and the same age [as they had when they were lost].
10.89.62
mene kṛṣṇānukampitam
(62) Having seen the abode of Vishnu was Arjuna deeply moved. He concluded that whatever special powers living beings might have, were all manifestations of Krishna's mercy.
He thought, "Just see! Even though I am a mere mortal, by Kṛṣṇa's mercy I have seen the Supreme Godhead, the root cause of everything." Then, after a moment, he thought again, "But why did Lord Viṣṇu say that he took away the brāhmaṇa's children out of a desire to see Kṛṣṇa? Why would the Supreme Personality of Godhead hanker to see His own expansion? This might be the effect of some peculiar temporary circumstance, but since He said didṛkṣuṇā instead of didṛkṣatā — where the specific suffix -ṣuṇā carries the sense of a permanent characteristic, not a temporary one — it has to be concluded that He has always been wanting to see Kṛṣṇa and myself. Even granted that this is so, why couldn't He simply see Kṛṣṇa at Dvārakā? After all, Lord Mahā-Viṣṇu is the all-pervading creator of the universe, which He holds like an āmalaka fruit in His hand. Is it that He could not see Kṛṣṇa in Dvārakā because Kṛṣṇa does not allow anyone to see Him without His special sanction?
"And why, also, would Lord Mahā-Viṣṇu, the compassionate master of all brāhmaṇas, have repeatedly tormented an elevated brāhmaṇa, year after year? He must have acted in this unusual way only because He could not give up His extreme eagerness to see Kṛṣṇa. All right, He may have acted improperly for that reason, but why couldn't He have sent a servant to kidnap the brāhmaṇa's sons? Why did He Himself have to come to Dvārakā? Was stealing them out of Lord Kṛṣṇa's capital so difficult that no one but Viṣṇu Himself could hope to accomplish it? I can understand that He intended to cause so much distress to a brāhmaṇa of Lord Kṛṣṇa's city that Kṛṣṇa would be unable to tolerate it; then He would grant Lord Viṣṇu His audience. Lord Viṣṇu inspired the distressed brāhmaṇa to pour out his complaints to Kṛṣṇa in person. Thus it is clear that Śrī Kṛṣṇa's status of Godhood is superior to Lord Mahā-Viṣṇu's."
Having thought in this way, Arjuna was totally amazed. He asked Lord Kṛṣṇa whether these were actually the facts of the matter, and the Lord replied, as related in the Hari-vaḿśa,
mad-darśanārthaḿ te bālā
viprārtham eṣyate kṛṣṇo
"It was to see Me that He, the Supreme Soul, stole the children. He believed, 'Only on a brāhmaṇa's behalf will Kṛṣṇa come to see Me, not otherwise.' "Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī states that Lord Kṛṣṇa further told Arjuna, "I did not go there, however, for the brāhmaṇa's sake; I went there, My friend, just to save your life. If it had been for the brāhmaṇa's sake that I traveled to Vaikuṇṭha, I would have done so after his first child was abducted."
According to Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī, although this pastime occurred before the Battle of Kurukṣetra, it is recounted here at the end of the Tenth Canto under the general heading of the supremacy of Lord Kṛṣṇa's glories.
10.89.63
itīdṛśāny anekāni
vīryāṇīha pradarśayan
(63) He, Krishna, performing many heroic acts like these in this world, enjoyed the sensual pleasures [see also 1.11: 35-39] and was of worship with the most invigorating sacrifices [e.g. in 10.24 and 10.74 & 75].
10.89.64
pravavarṣākhilān kāmān
prajāsu brāhmaṇādiṣu
(64) Beginning with His brahmins, rained the Supreme Lord from within His Supremacy, just like Indra does, at the right time down upon His subjects all that was desired.
10.89.65
ghāṭayitvārjunādibhiḥ
(65) With His having killed all the kings who turned against the dharma and having engaged Arjuna and others therein, paved He the way for the son of Dharma [Yudhishthhira] to carry out the principles of religion [see also 1.14 & 15].'
Thus end of the Tenth Canto, Eighty-ninth Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled "Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna Retrieve a Brāhmaṇa's Sons."
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