VedaVyasa
Praneetha
The Mad Bhagavatam
Chapter 48
Krishna Pleases His Devotees
In this chapter Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa first visits Trivakrā (also known as Kubjā) and enjoys with her, and then He visits Akrūra. The Lord sends Akrūra to Hastināpura to satisfy the Pāṇḍavas.
After Uddhava had related to Śrī Kṛṣṇa the news of Vraja, the Lord went to the home of Trivakrā, which was decorated with diverse ornamentation conducive to sexual enjoyment. Trivakrā welcomed Kṛṣṇa with great respect, giving Him a raised seat and, together with her female companions, worshiping Him. She also offered Uddhava a seat, as befitted his position, but Uddhava simply touched the seat and sat on the floor.
Lord Kṛṣṇa then reclined on an opulent bed as the maidservant Trivakrā elaborately washed and decorated herself. Then she approached Him. Kṛṣṇa invited Trivakrā to the bed and began to enjoy with her in various ways. By embracing Lord Kṛṣṇa, Trivakrā freed herself of the torment of lust. She asked Kṛṣṇa to remain with her for some time, and the considerate Lord promised to fulfill her request in due course. He then returned with Uddhava to His residence. Apart from offering sandal paste to Kṛṣṇa, Trivakrā had never performed any pious acts, yet simply on the strength of the piety of this single act she attained the rare personal association of Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
Śrī Kṛṣṇa next went to Akrūra's house with Lord Baladeva and Uddhava. Akrūra honored the three of them by bowing down and presenting them with suitable sitting places. Then he worshiped Rāma and Kṛṣṇa, washed Their feet and poured the water on his head. Akrūra also offered Them many prayers.
Lord Kṛṣṇa was pleased with Akrūra's prayers. He told him that since he, Akrūra, was in fact Their paternal uncle, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma should be the recipients of his protection and mercy. Lord Kṛṣṇa then praised Akrūra as a saint and purifier of the sinful, and He asked him to visit Hastināpura to find out how the Pāṇḍavas, deprived of their father, were faring. Finally, the Lord returned home, taking Balarāma and Uddhava with Him.
10.48.1
(1) S'rî S'uka said: 'The Supreme Lord, the Soul of All and Seer of Everything, with understanding [for wat Uddhava had reported] wishing to please [as He had promised 10.42: 12], went to the house of the serving girl [Trivakrâ] who was troubled by lust [see 10.42: 10].
This text gives an interesting insight into the Lord's pastimes. The first line says, atha vijñnāya bhagavān: "Thus the Lord, understanding [Uddhava's report]...." The second line states that Lord Kṛṣṇa is the Soul of everything (sarvātmā) and the seer of everything (sarva-darśanaḥ). In other words, although He certainly does not depend on spoken reports from messengers, He plays the part of a human being and listens to news from a messenger — not out of need, as we would do, but in the bliss of His spiritual pastimes, exchanging love with His pure devotee. The word sarva-darśanaḥ also indicates that the Lord perfectly understood the feelings of the residents of Vraja and was perfectly reciprocating with them within their hearts. Now, in His external pastimes, He desired to bless Śrīmatī Trivakrā, who was about to be freed from the disease of material lust.
10.48.2
mahārhopaskarair āḍhyaḿ
kāmopāyopabṛḿhitam
vitāna-śayanāsanaiḥ
srag-gandhair api maṇḍitam
(2) It was rich with expensive furnishings, replete with sensual articles and was beautified with strings of pearls and banners, canopies, beds and seats as also fragrant incense, oil lamps, flower garlands and sandalwood.
the sensual accoutrements in Trivakrā's house included explicit sexual pictures. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī adds that her paraphernalia included herbal aphrodisiacs. It is not hard to guess Trivakrā's intention, yet Lord Kṛṣṇa went there to save her from material existence.
10.48.3
yathopasańgamya sakhībhir acyutaḿ
sabhājayām āsa sad-āsanādibhiḥ
(3) She, seeing Him arriving at her house, immediately rose to her feet to hurry with her female companions to welcome Acyuta properly who was respectfully greeted with an excellent seat and so on.
10.48.4
tathoddhavaḥ sādhutayābhipūjito
nyaṣīdad urvyām abhimṛśya cāsanam
viveśa lokācaritāny anuvrataḥ
(4) Uddhava also worshiped, saintly as he was, touched the seat [offered to him] and sat on the floor, and Krishna, faithful to the ways of human society, without delay laid Himself upon a luxurious bed [in the inner chambers].
According to the ācāryas, Uddhava felt reverence for his Lord and thus declined to sit on an opulent seat in His presence; rather, he touched the seat with his hand and sat on the floor. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī adds that Lord Kṛṣṇa made Himself comfortable on a bed located in the inner chambers of Trivakrā's home.
10.48.5
prasādhitātmopasasāra mādhavaḿ
(5) She by bathing, anointing, dressing up with ornaments, garlands and perfume, bethel nut and drinking fragrant fluids and so on, prepared her body and then shy and with playful smiles approached Mâdhava with tempting glances.
10.48.6
(6) Calling forward the lovely woman, who fearful of the new contact [as a virgin] was shy, seized He her two hands that were ornamented with bangles and placed He the beauty on the bed to enjoy with her whose only proof of piety had been the offering of ointment.
the words nava-sańgama-hriyā indicate that Trivakrā was in fact a virgin girl at this point. She had been a deformed hunchback, and the Lord had recently transformed her into a beautiful girl. Therefore, although clearly lusting after Śrī Kṛṣṇa, she was naturally shy and anxious.
10.48.7
sānańga-tapta-kucayor urasas tathākṣṇor
dorbhyāḿ stanāntara-gataḿ parirabhya kāntam
(7) Smelling the feet of the Unlimited Lord, embracing within her arms, between her breasts, her Lover, the Personification of All Ecstasy, wiped the pain away that because of Cupid burned in her breasts, chest and eyes, so that she could let go of her so very long standing distress.
10.48.8
ańga-rāgārpaṇenāho
durbhagedam ayācata
(8) She with having offered Him, the Master of Enlightenment, body ointment, had obtained the Controller so hard to obtain, and begged, oh how unfortunate [compare 4.9: 31], the following:
10.48.9
(9) 'Please stay here together with me for a few days o Beloved, please enjoy, I cannot bear to give up Your association, o lotus flower-eyes.'
The word ambu means "water," and ruha means "rising." Thus amburuha means "the lotus flower, which rises up from the water." Lord Kṛṣṇa is called amburuhekṣaṇa, "the lotus-eyed one." He is the source and embodiment of all beauty, and naturally Trivakrā was attracted to Him. However, the Lord's beauty is spiritual and pure, and His intention was not to gratify Himself with Trivakrā but rather to bring her to the point of pure spiritual existence, Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
10.48.10
sahoddhavena sarveśaḥ
(10) He With Respect for Others, in respect of her, [promising to come back for that purpose later,] granted her the boon of her material desire after which the Lord of All, together with Uddhava, went back to His supremely opulent residence.
10.48.11
durārdhyaḿ samārādhya
viṣṇuḿ sarveśvareśvaram
(11) He who in full worship of Vishnu, the Controller of All Controllers, who is so difficult to keep in mind, as a benediction chooses for something easy to the mind is by that way obtaining an insignificant result a person of a poor intelligence [see also 7.15: 36].
PURPORT
It is clear from the commentaries of the ācāryas that the story of Trivakrā is to be understood on two levels. On the one hand, she is understood to be a liberated soul, directly associating with the Lord and participating in His pastimes. On the other hand, her conduct is clearly meant to teach a lesson about what not to do in relation with Lord Kṛṣṇa. Since all of the Lord's pastimes are not only blissful but also didactic, there is no real contradiction in this pastime, since Trivakrā's purity and her bad example take place on two distinct levels. Arjuna is also considered a pure devotee, yet by initially disobeying Kṛṣṇa's instruction to fight, he also showed an example of what not to do. However, such "bad examples" always have happy endings in the blissful association of the Absolute Truth, Śrī Kṛṣṇa.10.48.12
kiñcic cikīrṣayan prāgād
(12) Krishna, the Master, who wanted some things to be done then with Uddhava and Râma went to the home of Akrûra with also the desire to please Akrûra.
10.48.13-14
pariṣvajyābhinandya ca
sa tair apy abhivāditaḥ
kṛtāsana-parigrahān
(13-14) When he saw Them, the greatest of all illustrious personalities from a distance, rose he joyfully with his relatives to embrace Them for a welcome. Bowed down to Krishna and Râma was he greeted by Them and was he of worship according the injunctions after They had taken their seats.
that Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa and the others approached Akrūra in a friendly attitude. At first Akrūra reciprocated that friendly mood, and then, in the course of showing them hospitality, he adopted his natural devotional attitude toward the Lord and thus offered his obeisances to Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Śrī Balarāma.
10.48.15-16
pādāvanejanīr āpo
arhaṇenāmbarair divyair
gandha-srag-bhūṣaṇottamaiḥ
arcitvā śirasānamya
praśrayāvanato 'krūraḥ
(15-16) The water he had used to wash Their feet he sprinkled over all his head, o King, after which he presented gifts, the finest clothing, sandalwood, garlands and excellent ornaments. With his head bowed down being of worship placed he His feet on his lap for a massage, and addressed he face down with humility Krishna and Râma as follows:
10.48.17
bhavadbhyām uddhṛtaḿ kṛcchrād
durantāc ca samedhitam
(17) 'To our good fortune have the two of You killed the sinful Kamsa as also his brothers and followers and has this dynasty of Yours been delivered from endless troubles and been made prosperous.
10.48.18
(18) You two are the principal persons who of the Universe are the cause and the substance apart of whom there is not a single cause or effect to be found.
After praising Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma for having saved Their dynasty, Akrūra now points out that the Lord actually has no mundane connection with any social or political institution. He is the original Personality of Godhead, performing His pastimes for the benefit of the entire universe.
10.48.19
śru ta-pratyakṣa-gocaram
(19) This universe created by You, You subsequently entered by Your own energies so that You can be perceived in many forms knowable by hearing from the scriptures and direct experience.
The grammatical agreement of śruta-pratyakṣa-gocaram, in the neuter case, with ātma-sṛṣṭam idaḿ viśvam indicates that the Supreme Lord, by entering His creation with His potencies, makes Himself perceivable within the universe. Throughout the Bhāgavatam and other authorized Vedic literatures, we often find descriptions of the Lord's simultaneous supremacy over all other things and His identity with them. We cannot reasonably draw any other conclusion from Vedic literature than the one powerfully preached by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu: acintya-bhedābheda-tattva. That is, the Absolute Truth is greater than and distinct from everything (since He is the omnipotent creator and controller of all), and simultaneously one with everything (since all that exists is the expansion of His own power).
Throughout these chapters of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, we also observe one of the unique, extraordinary features of this great work. Whether Kṛṣṇa is sending His message to the gopīs or accepting the prayers of Akrūra, there is constant philosophical discussion. Throughout the Bhāgavatam, the steady combination of fascinating pastimes with persistent spiritual philosophy is an extraordinary feature. We are allowed to glimpse and even to relish the spiritual emotions of the Lord and His liberated associates, and yet we are constantly reminded of their ontological position lest we lapse into a cheap, anthropomorphic vision. Thus it is entirely in character with the work that Akrūra, in his ecstasy, glorifies the Lord with precise philosophical prayers.
10.48.20
(20) The way indeed the earth- and other elements manifest themselves variously in species of beings mobile and immobile, do You, the Single One Self-reliant Self, the Supersoul, the same way in various forms of life appear to be manifold among them.
10.48.21
rajas-tamaḥ-sattva-guṇaiḥ sva-śaktibhiḥ
(21) You create and then destroy; You protect the universe but are by Your qualities, the personal energies, the modes of passion, ignorance and goodness or by their material activities not bound to this world; for when You are knowledge itself, what would for You then be a cause of bondage?
The phrase jñānātmanas te kva ca bandha-hetuḥ, "Since You are constituted of knowledge, what could be a cause of bondage for You?" definitely indicates the obvious, that the omniscient Supreme God is never in illusion. Therefore the impersonalistic theory that we are all God but have forgotten and are now in illusion is refuted here in the pages of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
10.48.22
dehādy-upādher anirūpitatvād
(22) Because You are not determined by the coverings of the body and so on is there no literal birth or duality to Your Self and therefore exists there no bondage for You, nor in fact any liberation [compare 10.14: 26]; and if they show is that to Your sweet will so [see e.g. 10.11: 7] so or either of our erroneous notions about You [like in 10.23: 10-11].
Here Akrūra states two reasons why the Lord appears to be covered by a material form, or to take birth like a human being. First, when Lord Kṛṣṇa executes His pastimes, His loving devotees think of Him as their beloved child, friend, lover and so on. In the ecstasy of this loving reciprocation, they do not think of Kṛṣṇa as God. For example, because of her extraordinary love for Him, mother Yaśodā worries that Kṛṣṇa will be injured in the forest. That she feels this way is the desire of the Lord, which is here indicated by the word nikāmaḥ. The second reason the Lord may appear material is indicated by the word avivekaḥ: Simply because of ignorance, a lack of discrimination, one may misunderstand the position of the Personality of Godhead. In the Eleventh Canto of the Bhāgavatam, in Lord Kṛṣṇa's discussion with Śrī Uddhava, the Lord elaborately discusses His transcendental position beyond bondage and liberation. As stated in Vedic literature, deha-dehi-vibhago yaḿ neśvare vidyate kvacit: "There is never a distinction of body and soul in the Supreme Lord." In other words, Śrī Kṛṣṇa's body is eternal, spiritual, omniscient and the reservoir of all pleasure.
10.48.23
bādhyeta pāṣaṇḍa-pathair asadbhis
(23) For the benefit of this universe was by the ancient path proclaimed of the Veda and do You assume a form in the mode of goodness at the time the path is obstructed by the wicked ones who adhere to godlessness.
10.48.24
akṣauhiṇī-śata-vadhena suretarāḿśa-
(24) You as that very same person o Master, has now descended in the home of Vasudeva with Your Own plenary portion [Balarâma] to remove from this earth here the burden of the hundreds of armies by killing their kings [see also 1.11: 34], who are expansions of the adversaries of the god-fearing [see e.g. 7.1: 40-46], and to spread the fame of the [Yadu] dynasty.
The term suretarāḿśa-rājñām indicates that the demoniac kings slain by Kṛṣṇa were in fact expansions or incarnations of the enemies of the demigods. This fact is elaborately explained in the Mahābhārata, which reveals the specific identities of the demoniac kings.
10.48.25
adyeśa no vasatayaḥ khalu bhūri-bhāgā
sa tvaḿ jagad-gurur adhokṣaja yāḥ praviṣṭaḥ
(25) Today, o Lord, is our residence indeed extremely fortunate with You, Adhokshaja, having entered; You, the Spiritual Master of the Universe, the God of all the forefathers and living beings, the humans and the gods; You as the embodiment of Him from whose feet has washed the water [of the Ganges, see 5.17] that purifies the three worlds.
Akrūra said, "My Lord, although I am a householder, today my home has become more pious than the forests where sages perform austerities. Why? Simply because You have entered my home. Indeed, You are the personification of the deities who preside over the five sacrifices a householder must perform daily to atone for unavoidable violence committed to living beings in the home. You are the spiritual truth behind all these creations, and now You have entered my home."
The five daily sacrifices enjoined for a householder are (1) sacrifice to Brahman by studying the Vedas, (2) sacrifice to the forefathers by making offerings to them, (3) sacrifice to all creatures by putting aside a portion of one's meals, (4) sacrifice to human beings by extending hospitality and (5) sacrifice to the demigods by performing fire sacrifices and so on.
10.48.26
(26) What other scholar is there but You; to whom else should we turn for shelter but to You, the well-wisher who in Your words of love for Your devotees are always true; to You who, grateful to the devoted who positive with You are of worship, gives all that is desired, even Yourself - You to whom there is never diminution or increase [see also B.G. 2: 40].
This verse describes both the Lord and His devotees as suhṛdaḥ "well-wishers." The Lord is the well-wisher of His devotee, and the devotee lovingly desires all happiness for the Lord. Even in this world, an excess of love may sometimes produce unnecessary solicitude. For example, we often observe that a mother's loving concern for her adult child is not always justified by an actual danger to the child. A grown child may be wealthy, competent and healthy, and yet the mother's loving concern continues. Similarly, a pure devotee always feels loving concern for Lord Kṛṣṇa, as exemplified by mother Yaśodā, who could only think of Kṛṣṇa as her beautiful son.
Lord Kṛṣṇa had promised Akrūra that after killing Kaḿsa He would visit his home, and now the Lord kept His promise. Akrūra recognizes this and glorifies the Lord as ṛta-giraḥ, "one who is true to His word." The Lord is kṛta-jña, grateful for whatever little worship a devotee offers, and even if the devotee forgets, the Lord does not.
10.48.27
(27) To our fortune have we here with us before our eyes You who even for the masters of yoga and the rulers of the godly are a goal hard to reach; please swiftly cut through our ties of delusion resulting from Your material energy: our children, wife, wealth, honorable friends, our home, body and so on.'
10.48.28
(28) Thus worshiped profusely by His devotee smiled Krishna the Supreme Lord at Akrûra and spoke He with words that as good as swept him of his feet.
10.48.29
(29) The Supreme Lord said: 'You, our paternal uncle and praiseworthy friend, are our spiritual master and always are We your dependents to be protected, maintained and graced.
10.48.30
(30) People like your good self are of the worshipable ones the most eminent, worthy to be served by men who desire the most saintly, highest good, for while demigods are always after their own interests, are the saintly devotees not so.
Whereas demigods may award material benefit, saintly devotees of the Lord have the power to award the real perfection of life, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Thus Lord Kṛṣṇa reinforces the respectful mood He has adopted here toward His uncle Akrūra.
10.48.31
(31) Not to deny the sacred places consisting of water or else deities made of clay and stone: they purify in the course of time, but the saints do so by being seen only once.
10.48.32
jijñāsārthaḿ pāṇḍavānāḿ
(32) Of all our well-wishers are You no doubt the very best; I want you please to go for Us to the city named to the elephant [Hastinâpura] and find out what for the sake of their welfare for the Pândavas needs to be done.
In Sanskrit the imperative "you go" may be rendered by gacchasva or gaccha. In the second of these cases, the word following gaccha, namely sva, which is taken in the vocative sense, indicates Kṛṣṇa addressing Akrūra as "Our own." This is in reference to Lord Kṛṣṇa's intimate relationship with His uncle.
10.48.33
(33) When their father died were they as young boys together with their mother in distress by the king [Dhritarâshthra] brought to his own capital city, where they thus are residing, so I've heard.
10.48.34
teṣu rājāmbikā-putro
(34) Toward the sons of his bother [Pându] was the king, the son of Ambikâ [see 9.22: 25], so wretched of mind, really not equally disposed, blind of vision as he was being under the control of his wicked sons [one hundred of them lead by Duryodhana, 9.22: 26].
10.48.35
(35) Go and learn whether he in his actions at present is good or evil so that to that knowledge we can arrange for what is to the benefit of our dear friends.'
10.48.36
sańkarṣaṇoddhavābhyāḿ vai
(36) In full instructing Akrûra with these words went the Supreme Lord, the Supreme Personality of Control, with Uddhava and Sankarshana then to His own residence.
Thus end of the Tenth Canto, Forty-eighth Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled "Kṛṣṇa Pleases His Devotees."
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