VedaVyasa
Praneetha
The Mad Bhagavatam
Chapter 19
Again Swallowing a Forest Fire
This chapter describes how Lord Kṛṣṇa saved the cows and the cowherd boys from a great fire in the Muñjāraṇya forest.
One day the cowherd boys became absorbed in sporting and allowed the cows to wander into a dense forest. Suddenly a forest fire blazed up, and to escape its flames the cows took refuge in a grove of sharp canes. When the cowherd boys missed their animals, they went searching for them, following their hoofprints and the trail of blades of grass and other plants they had trampled or had broken with their teeth. Finally the boys found the cows and removed them from the cane forest, but by that time the forest fire had grown strong and was threatening both the boys and the cows. Thus the cowherd boys took shelter of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the master of all mystic power, who told them to close their eyes. They did so, and in a moment He had swallowed up the fierce forest fire and brought them all back to the Bhāṇḍīra tree mentioned in the last chapter. Seeing this wonderful display of mystic potency, the cowherd boys thought Kṛṣṇa must be a demigod, and they began to praise Him. Then they all returned home.
10.19.1
krīḍāsakteṣu gopeṣu
svairaḿ carantyo viviśus
(1) S'rî S'uka said: 'With the gopas being absorbed in their games wandered their cows far off and entered they, grazing on their own, hungry for grass the thickets.
10.19.2
nirviśantyo vanād vanam
īṣīkāṭavīḿ nirviviśuḥ
krandantyo dāva-tarṣitāḥ
(2) The goats, cows and buffalo going from one part of the forest to the other entered a cane-forest and complained loudly being thirsty of the heat.
10.19.3
jātānutāpā na vidur
(3) The gopas led by Krishna and Râma not seeing the animals then regretted it not to have kept an eye on them and searched out the cows their trail.
10.19.4
naṣṭājīvyā vicetasaḥ
(4) All anxious about the loss of their livelihood followed they the hoofprints of the cows on the path from the blades of grass broken by the hooves and the teeth of the cows.
10.19.5
krandamānaḿ sva-godhanam
samprāpya tṛṣitāḥ śrāntās
tatas te sannyavartayan
(5) In the Muñjâ forest they found their cows and other animals who, having lost their way, were tired crying of thirst, whereupon they all turned back.
10.19.6
(6) They, when they heard the sound of their names shouted by the Supreme Lord with a voice aloud as the rumbling clouds, answered overjoyed.
10.19.7
yadṛcchayābhūt kṣaya-kṛd vanaukasām
samīritaḥ sārathinolbaṇolmukair
(7) Then all of a sudden, appeared on all sides a huge and terrible conflagration that licking threatened all beings in the forest moving and non-moving with a gruesome storm of sparks driven by their charioteer, the wind.
Just as Kṛṣṇa, Balarāma and the cowherd boys were about to take their cows back home, the forest fire previously mentioned raged out of control and surrounded all of them.
10.19.8
tam āpatantaḿ parito davāgniḿ
gopāś ca gāvaḥ prasamīkṣya bhītāḥ
ūcuś ca kṛṣṇaḿ sa-balaḿ prapannā
(8) That forest fire falling upon them from all sides made the gopas and the cows, looking about in fear, address Krishna and His strength Balarâma for shelter, the way all people troubled by the fear of death seek the Supreme Personality:
10.19.9
he rāmāmogha vikrama
dāvāgninā dahyamānān
(9) 'Krishna, o Krishna, o Greatest Hero, o Râma of a never failing power, please save us who are of surrender from being scorched by the forest fire.
10.19.10
nūnaḿ tvad-bāndhavāḥ kṛṣṇa
na cārhanty avasāditum
tvan-nāthās tvat-parāyaṇāḥ
(10) We Your friends, o Krishna, having You, the perfect knower of all nature for our Lord, surely can never deserve it to be let down in case we suffer?!'
10.19.11
vaco niśamya kṛpaṇaḿ
locanānīty abhāṣata
(11) S'rî S'uka said: 'The Supreme Lord Hari hearing the pitiable words of His friends thus said: 'don't be afraid, just close your eyes'.
This verse clearly reveals the simple, sublime relationship between Kṛṣṇa and His pure devotees. The Absolute Truth, the supreme almighty Lord, is actually a young, blissful cowherd boy named Kṛṣṇa. God is youthful, and His mentality is playful. When He saw that His beloved friends were terrified of the forest fire, He simply told them to close their eyes and not be afraid. Then Lord Kṛṣṇa acted, as described in the next verse.
10.19.12
tatheti mīlitākṣeṣu
yogādhīśo vyamocayat
(12) 'All right', they said and having closed their eyes delivered the Supreme Lord, the Controller of Yoga, them from the danger by taking the terrible fire in with His mouth.
The cowherd boys were suffering from extreme fatigue, hunger and thirst, and were about to be consumed by a horrible forest fire. All this is indicated here by the word kṛcchrāt.
10.19.13
(13) And when they then opened their eyes again were they amazed that, with themselves and the cows being saved, they had been transported to Bhândîra [the banyan, see 10.18: 22, that was ten miles away so one says].
10.19.14
yoga-māyānubhāvitam
(14) Witnessing the deliverance of themselves from the burning forest as a consequence of the yogic power of Krishna His internal control over the deluding material energy, thought they of Him as being an immortal.
The cowherd boys of Vṛndāvana simply loved Kṛṣṇa as their only friend and exclusive object of devotion. To increase their ecstasy, Kṛṣṇa displayed to them His mystic potency and saved them from a terrible forest fire.
The cowherd boys could never give up their ecstatic loving friendship with Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, rather than considering Kṛṣṇa to be God, after they saw His extraordinary power they thought that perhaps He was a demigod. But since Lord Kṛṣṇa was their beloved friend, they were on the same level with Him, and thus they thought that they too must be demigods. In this way Kṛṣṇa's cowherd friends became overwhelmed with ecstasy.
10.19.15
gāḥ sannivartya sāyāhne
saha-rāmo janārdanaḥ
agād gopair abhiṣṭutaḥ
(15) Krishna who together with Râma and the cows on their way sounded His flute while He was praised by the gopas, returned late that afternoon to the cowherd village.
10.19.16
(16) The young cowherd girls were exited to the greatest state of bliss to see Govinda present again, because it for them seemed to take a hundred ages to be without Him for but a moment.'
After saving the cowherd boys from the blazing forest fire, Kṛṣṇa saved the cowherd girls from the blazing fire of separation from Him. The gopīs, headed by Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, have the greatest love for Kṛṣṇa, and even a single moment's separation from Him seems like millions of years to them. The gopīs are the greatest devotees of God, and their specific pastimes with Kṛṣṇa will be described later in this work.
Thus end of the Tenth Canto, Nineteenth Chapter of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled "Swallowing the Forest Fire."
Canto 10
Chapter 20
The Rainy Season and Autumn in Vrindâvana
To enhance the description of Lord Kṛṣṇa's pastimes, Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī describes in this chapter the beauty of Vṛndāvana during autumn and the rainy season. In the course of his presentation he gives various charming instructions in metaphorical terms.
10.20.1
(1) S'rî S'uka said: 'The cowherd boys described to the ladies [of Gokula] the amazing actions of the two by whom they were delivered from the forest fire and Pralamba had been killed.
10.20.2
(2) The elder gopas and gopîs also surprised to hear that considered both Krishna and Râma messengers of God who had come to Vraja.
10.20.3
vidyotamāna-paridhir
visphūrjita-nabhas-talā
(3) Then with flashes of lightening at the horizon and rumbling skies commenced the rains that give life to all living beings.
10.20.4
(4) The sky covered by dense, dark clouds accompanied by lightening and thunder was, with its diffuse light, like the spirit soul that is manifest with its material qualities.
Lightning is compared to the mode of goodness, thunder to the mode of passion, and clouds to the mode of ignorance. Thus the cloudy sky at the onset of the rainy season is analogous to the pure spirit soul when he becomes disturbed by the modes of nature, for at that time he is covered and his original brilliant nature is only dimly reflected through the haze of the material qualities.
10.20.5
(5) For eight months had the sun with its rays drunk the wealth of the earth in the form of water and now had the time arrived proper for its release.
The ācāryas compare the sun's evaporating the earth's wealth of water to a king's collecting taxes. In Volume One, Chapter Twenty, of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrīla Prabhupāda explains this analogy as follows: "Clouds are accumulated water drawn from the land by the sunshine. Continually for eight months the sun evaporates all kinds of water from the surface of the globe, and this water is accumulated in the shape of clouds, which are distributed as water when there is need. Similarly, a government exacts various taxes from the citizens, which the citizens are able to pay by their different material activities: agriculture, trade and industry. Thus the government can also exact taxes in the form of income tax and sales tax. This is compared to the sun drawing water from the earth. When there is again need of water on the surface of the globe, the same sunshine converts the water into clouds and distributes it all over the globe. Similarly, the taxes collected by the government must be distributed to the people as educational work, public work, sanitation work and so on. This is essential for a good government. The government should not simply exact taxes for useless squandering; the tax collection should be utilized for the public welfare of the state."
0.20.6
taḍidvanto mahā-meghāś
(6) Great clouds full of lightening agitated by the fierce winds released, just like the persons of mercy in this world, indeed their gratification of all life.
Just as great, compassionate personalities sometimes give their lives or wealth for the happiness of society, the rain clouds poured down their rain upon the parched earth. Although the clouds were thus dissipated, they freely provided rainfall for the happiness of the earth.
In Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrīla Prabhupāda comments as follows on this verse: "During the rainy season, there are strong winds blustering all over the country and carrying clouds from one place to another to distribute water. When water is urgently needed after the summer season, the clouds are just like a rich man who, in times of need, distributes his money even by exhausting his whole treasury. So the clouds exhaust themselves by distributing water all over the surface of the globe.
"Then Mahārāja Daśaratha, the father of Lord Rāmacandra, used to fight with his enemies, it was said that he approached them just like a farmer uprooting unnecessary plants and trees. And when there was need of giving charity, he used to distribute money exactly as the cloud distributes rain. The distribution of rain by clouds is so sumptuous that it is compared to the distribution of wealth by a great, munificent person. The clouds' downpour is so sufficient that the rains even fall on rocks and hills and on the oceans and seas, where there is no need for water. A cloud is like a charitable person who opens his treasury for distribution and does not discriminate whether the charity is needed or not. He gives in charity openhandedly."
Metaphorically speaking, the lightning in rain clouds is the light by which they see the distressed condition of the earth, and the blowing winds are their heavy breathing, such as that found in a distressed person. Distressed to see the condition of the earth, the clouds tremble in the wind like a compassionate person. Thus they pour down their rain.
10.20.7
āsīd varṣīyasī mahī
yathaiva kāmya-tapasas
(7) Dried of the heat was the earth, sprinkled by the divine, fully replenished just like the sensually motivated body of someone of penance is after obtaining the fruits of that practice.
In Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrīla Prabhupāda comments on this verse as follows: "Before the rainfall, the whole surface of the globe becomes almost depleted of all kinds of energies and appears very lean. After the rainfall, the whole surface of the earth becomes green with vegetation and appears very healthy and strong. Here, a comparison is made to the person undergoing austerities for fulfillment of a material desire. The flourishing condition of the earth after a rainy season is compared to the fulfillment of material desires. Sometimes, when a country is subjugated by an undesirable government, persons and parties undergo severe penances and austerities to get control of the government, and when they attain control they flourish by giving themselves generous salaries. This also is like the flourishing of the earth in the rainy season. Actually, one should undergo severe austerities and penances only to achieve spiritual happiness. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is recommended that tapasya, or austerities, should be accepted only for realizing the Supreme Lord. By accepting austerity in devotional service, one regains his spiritual life, and as soon as one regains his spiritual life, he enjoys unlimited spiritual bliss. But if someone undertakes austerities and penances for some material gain, then, as stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, the results are temporary and are desired only by persons of less intelligence. "
10.20.8
(8) Of the darkness could in the evening twilight the glowworm shine but not the luminaries just like in Kali-yuga of the sins the heresies are shining and certainly not the Vedas.
"During the rainy season, in the evening there are many glowworms visible about the tops of trees, hither and thither, and they glitter just like lights. But the luminaries of the sky, the stars and the moon, are not visible. Similarly, in the age of Kali, persons who are atheists or miscreants become very prominently visible, whereas persons who are actually following the Vedic principles for spiritual emancipation are practically obscured. This age, Kali-yuga, is compared to the cloudy season of the living entities. In this age, real knowledge is covered by the influence of the material advancement of civilization. The cheap mental speculators, atheists and manufacturers of so-called religious principles become prominent like the glowworms, whereas persons strictly following the Vedic principles, or scriptural injunctions, become covered by the clouds of this age.
"People should learn to take advantage of the actual luminaries of the sky — the sun, moon and stars — instead of the glowworms' light. Actually, the glowworms cannot give any light in the darkness of night. As clouds sometimes clear, even in the rainy season, and the moon, stars and sun become visible, so even in this Kali-yuga there are sometimes advantages. The Vedic movement of Lord Caitanya — the distribution of the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra — is understood in this way. People seriously anxious to find real life should take advantage of this movement instead of looking toward the so-called light of mental speculators and atheists."
10.20.9
maṇḍukāḥ sasṛjur giraḥ
brāhmaṇā niyamātyaye
(9) Hearing the resounding of the rain clouds emitted the frogs, who before sat silent, their sounds just like the ones of Brahmâ sound their voices after their morning routines [see niyama].
"After the first rainfall, when there is a thundering sound in the clouds, all the frogs begin to croak, like students suddenly engaged in reading their studies. Students are generally supposed to rise early in the morning. They do not usually arise of their own accord, however, but only when there is a bell sounded in the temple or in the cultural institution. By the order of the spiritual master they immediately rise, and after finishing their morning duties they sit down to study the Vedas or chant Vedic mantras. Similarly, everyone is sleeping in the darkness of Kali-yuga, but when there is a great ācārya, by his calling only everyone takes to the study of the Vedas to acquire actual knowledge."
10.20.10
kṣudra-nadyo 'nuśuṣyatīḥ
puḿso yathāsvatantrasya
(10) The rivers that had dried up next, from first being insignificant streams, strayed from their courses just like it happens with the body, the property and the means of a person who is controlled by his senses.
"During the rainy season, many small ponds, lakes and rivulets become filled with water; otherwise the rest of the year they remain dry. Similarly, materialistic persons are dry, but sometimes, when they are in a so-called opulent position, with a home or children or a little bank balance, they appear to be flourishing, but immediately afterwards they become dry again, like the small rivulets and ponds. The poet Vidyāpati said that in the society of friends, family, children, wife and so on, there is certainly some pleasure, but that pleasure is compared to a drop of water in the desert. Everyone is hankering after happiness, just as in the desert everyone is hankering after water. If in the desert there is a drop of water, the water is there, of course, but the benefit from that drop of water is very insignificant. In our materialistic way of life, we are hankering after an ocean of happiness, but in the form of society, friends and mundane love we are getting no more than a drop of water. Our satisfaction is never achieved, as the small rivulets, lakes and ponds are never filled with water in the dry season."
10.20.11
ucchilīndhra-kṛta-cchāyā
(11) Emerald of the green of newly grown grass, reddish of indragopa insects and affording the mushrooms shelter, manifested the earth herself like a person who suddenly became rich.
10.20.12
daivādhīnam ajānatām
(12) The fields rich with grains gave the farmers joy but made others feel sorry [not to have things by grace, others] who being falsely proud do not understand the will of God.
It is common for people living in large cities to become miserable and disgusted when there is ample rainfall. They do not understand or have forgotten that the rain is nourishing the crops they will eat. Although they certainly enjoy eating, they do not appreciate that with the rain the Supreme Lord is feeding not only human beings but also plants, animals and the earth itself.
Modern, sophisticated people often look down their noses at those engaged in agricultural work. In fact, in American slang, a simple, unintelligent person is sometimes called "a farmer." There are also government agencies that restrict agricultural production because certain capitalists fear the effect on market prices. Because of various artificial and manipulative practices in modern governments, we find widespread food shortages throughout the world — even in the United States, among the poverty-stricken — and at the same time we find the governments paying farmers not to plant crops. Sometimes these governments throw huge amounts of food into the ocean. Thus the administration of the arrogant and ignorant, those who are too proud to obey the laws of God or too ignorant to recognize them, will always cause frustration among the people, whereas a God conscious government will provide abundance and happiness for all.
10.20.13
(13) The creatures of the water and the land, all new of the water in recourse, took on attractive forms like people do when they render service to the Lord."We have practical experience of this with our students in the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. Before becoming students, they were dirty-looking, although they had naturally beautiful personal features; but due to having no information of Kṛṣṇa consciousness they appeared very dirty and wretched. Since they have taken to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, their health has improved, and by following the rules and regulations they have increased their bodily luster. When they are dressed with saffron-colored cloth, with tilaka on their foreheads and beads in their hands and on their necks, they look exactly as if they have come directly from Vaikuṇṭha."
10.20.14
saridbhiḥ sańgataḥ sindhuś
cukṣobha śvasanormimān
(14) The rivers with turbulence meeting with the ocean created waves blown up by the wind, just like the mind driven by desire gives reactions with an immature yogi bound to the material qualities.
10.20.15
girayo varṣa-dhārābhir
abhibhūyamānā vyasanair
yathādhokṣaja-cetasaḥ
(15) The mountains besieged by clouds filled with rain stood undaunted under their attack, just like the minds of the ones dedicated to the Lord in the Beyond are undaunted when they meet with trouble.
When splashed by torrents of rain, the mountains are not shaken; rather, they are cleansed of dirt and become resplendent and beautiful. Similarly, an advanced devotee of the Supreme Lord is not shaken from his devotional program by disturbing conditions, which instead cleanse his heart of the dust of attachment to this world. Thus the devotee becomes beautiful and resplendent by tolerating difficult conditions. In fact, a devotee accepts all reverses in life as the mercy of Lord Kṛṣṇa, realizing that all suffering is due to the sufferer's own previous misdeeds.
10.20.16
tṛṇaiś channā hy asaḿskṛtāḥ
nābhyasyamānāḥ śrutayo
(16) The roads no longer used faded away grown over by grass, just like written texts do which, not studied by the brahmins, wither away under the influence of time.
10.20.17
vidyutaś cala-sauhṛdāḥ
puruṣeṣu guṇiṣv iva
(17) The lightening in the clouds that are the friends of all the world did, fickle in its friendship, not keep its position, just like a lusty woman can't being fickle with virtuous men.
"During the rainy season, lightning appears in one group of clouds and then immediately in another group of clouds. This phenomenon is compared to a lusty woman who does not fix her mind on one man. A cloud is compared to a qualified person because it pours rain and gives sustenance to many people; a man who is qualified similarly gives sustenance to many living creatures, such as family members or many workers in business. Unfortunately, his whole life can be disturbed by a wife who divorces him; when the husband is disturbed, the whole family is ruined, the children are dispersed or the business is closed, and everything is affected. It is therefore recommended that a woman desiring to advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness peacefully live with a husband and that the couple not separate under any condition. The husband and wife should control sex indulgence and concentrate their minds on Kṛṣṇa consciousness so their life may be successful. After all, in the material world a man requires a woman, and a woman requires a man. When they are combined, they should live peacefully in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and should not be restless like the lightning flashing from one group of clouds to another."
10.20.18
nirguṇaḿ ca guṇiny abhāt
(18) When the [rain-]bow of the great Indra unstringed but clearly defined appeared in the sky was it as if the Supreme Personality Free from the Modes had appeared within the manifest of nature that is ruled by the modes.
"Sometimes, in addition to the roaring thunder of the clouds, there is an appearance of a rainbow, which stands as a bow without a string. Usually, a bow stays in the curved position because it is tied at its two ends by the bowstring; but in the rainbow there is no such string, and yet it rests in the sky so beautifully. Similarly, when the Supreme Personality of Godhead descends to this material world, He appears just like an ordinary human being, but He is not resting on any material condition. In the Bhagavad-gītā, the Lord says that He appears by His internal potency, which is free from the bondage of the external potency. What is bondage for the ordinary creature is freedom for the Personality of Godhead."
10.20.19
(19) The moon was not shining because its light had been covered by clouds that radiated [thereof], the same way a living being shines from within while its lustre is being covered by false ego.
The analogy given here is excellent. During the rainy season we cannot see the moon in the sky, because the moon is covered by clouds. These clouds, however, are radiant with the glow of the moon's own rays. Similarly, in our conditioned, material existence we cannot directly perceive the soul, because our consciousness is covered by the false ego, which is the false identification with the material world and the material body. Yet it is the soul's own consciousness that illumines the false ego.
As the Gītā describes, the energy of the soul is consciousness, and when this consciousness manifests through the screen of false ego, it appears as dull, material consciousness, in which there is no direct vision of the soul or God. In the material world, even great philosophers ultimately resort to hazy ambiguities when speaking about the Absolute Truth, just as the cloudy sky manifests only in a dull and indirect way the iridescent light of the moon.
In material life, our false ego is often enthusiastic, hopeful and apparently aware of various material affairs, and such consciousness encourages us to push on in material existence. But in truth we are merely experiencing the dull reflection of our original, pure consciousness, which is Kṛṣṇa consciousness — direct perception of the soul and God. Not realizing that the false ego merely hampers and dulls our real, spiritual consciousness, which is fully enlightened and blissful, we mistakenly think that material consciousness is full of knowledge and happiness. This is comparable to thinking that the luminous clouds are lighting up the night sky, while in fact it is the moonshine that illumines the sky, and the clouds that merely dull and hamper the moonshine. The clouds appear luminous because they are filtering and impeding the brilliant rays of the moon. Similarly, at times material consciousness appears pleasurable or enlightened because it is screening or filtering the original, blissful and enlightened consciousness coming directly from the soul. If we can understand the ingenious analogy given in this verse, we can easily advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
10.20.20
meghāgamotsavā hṛṣṭāḥ
pratyanandañ chikhaṇḍinaḥ
yathācyuta-janāgame
(20) Because of the arrival of the clouds cried the peacocks joyously in celebration, the same way people in distress rejoice and within their homes find happiness when the devotees of Acyuta arrive.
After the dry summer season, the peacocks become jubilant with the arrival of the first thundering rain clouds, and thus they dance in great happiness. Śrīla Prabhupāda comments, "We have practical experience that many of our students were dry and morose previous to their coming to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, but having come in contact with devotees they are now dancing like jubilant peacocks."
10.20.21
pītvāpaḥ pādapāḥ padbhir
yathā kāmānusevayā
(21) The trees having drunk the water through their feet assumed various bodily features [like blossoms, leaves and sprouts] like it happens when, previously emaciated and fatigued of austerities, one may [finally] delight in the object of one's desire.
The word pāda means foot, and pā means drinking. Trees are called pādapa because they drink through their roots, which are likened to feet. Upon drinking the newly fallen rainwater, the trees in Vṛndāvana began to manifest new leaves, sprouts and blossoms, and they thus enjoyed new growth. Similarly, materialistic persons often perform severe austerities to acquire the object of their desire. For example, politicians in America undergo grueling austerities while traveling about the countryside campaigning for election. Businessmen also will often deny personal comfort to make their business successful. Such austere persons, upon acquiring the fruits of their austerity, again become healthy and satisfied, like trees eagerly drinking rainwater after enduring the austerity of a dry, hot summer.
10.20.22
nyūṣur ańgāpi sārasāḥ
(22) The cranes stayed at the banks of the restless lakes, my best, much like citizens feverishly keep themselves busy in their homes with a mind perturbed.
During the rainy season there are often mud slides around the shores of lakes, and thorny hushes, stones and other debris sometimes accumulate there. Despite all these inconveniences, ducks and cranes continue meandering around the lakeshores. Similarly, innumerable painful occurrences are always disturbing family life, but a materialistic man never even considers leaving his family in the hands of his grown sons and going away for spiritual improvement. He regards such an idea as shocking and uncivilized, because he is completely ignorant of the Absolute Truth and his relationship to that Truth.
10.20.23
jalaughair nirabhidyanta
setavo varṣatīśvare
pāṣaṇḍinām asad-vādair
(23) When Indra showers his rains break of the floodwater the irrigation dikes just as the false theories of the heretics in Kali-yuga breach with the path of the Vedas.
10.20.24
bhūtebhyaś cāmṛtaḿ ghanāḥ
yathāśiṣo viś-patayaḥ
(24) The clouds driven by the winds released their nectarean water over all living beings like kings from time to time, encouraged by the brahmins, do with their donations in charity.
"In the rainy season, the clouds, tossed by the wind, deliver water that is welcomed like nectar. When the Vedic followers, the brāhmaṇas, inspire rich men like kings and the wealthy mercantile community to give charity in the performance of great sacrifices, the distribution of such wealth is also nectarean. The four sections of human society, namely the brāhmaṇas, the kṣatriyas, the vaiśyas and the śūdras, are meant to live peacefully in a cooperative mood; this is possible when they are guided by expert Vedic brāhmaṇas who perform sacrifices and distribute wealth equally."
10.20.25
go-gopālair vṛto rantuḿ
(25) Thus was that most resplendent forest with its ripe dates and jambu fruits, around which the cows and boys were crowding, entered by the Lord and Balarâma in order to play there.
10.20.26
dhenavo manda-gāminya
yayur bhagavatāhūtā
(26) The cows because of their so very heavy udders moving slowly came quickly upon being called by the Lord, being wet at their udders out of their love.
"The cows, being fed by new grasses, became very healthy, and their milk bags were all very full. When Lord Kṛṣṇa called them by name, they immediately came to Him out of affection, and in their joyful condition the milk flowed from their bags."
10.20.27
vanaukasaḥ pramuditā
(27) Sometimes when it rained entered the Supreme Lord a hollow tree or a cave and enjoyed He it to eat the roots and fruits.10.20.28
guhāyāḿ cābhivarṣati
(28) He observed the joyful girls living in the forest with its trees dripping sweet sap and the waterfalls of the mountain resounding from the nearby caves.
that during the rainy season bulbs and roots are very tender and palatable, and Lord Kṛṣṇa would eat them along with wild fruits found in the forest. Lord Kṛṣṇa and His young boyfriends would sit in the hollow of a tree or within a cave and enjoy pastimes while waiting for the rain to stop.
10.20.29
dadhy-odanaḿ samānītaḿ
śilāyāḿ salilāntike
sambhojanīyair bubhuje
gopaiḥ sańkarṣaṇānvitaḥ
(29) The yogurt-rice brought from home He in the company of Sankarshana ate together with the boys sharing on a stone near the water.
10.20.30-31
śādvalopari saḿviśya
carvato mīlitekṣaṇān
ātma-śakty-upabṛḿhitām
(30 -31) On a grass patch sat the bulls, ruminating with their eyes closed, with the calves and the cows tired because of the weight of their milkbags. To see the riches of the rainy season, that had expanded from His internal potency, always gave the Supreme Lord pleasure and made Him offer His respects.
The lush beauty of the rainy season in Vṛndāvana is meant to enhance the pleasure pastimes of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Thus, to set the scene for the Lord's loving affairs, His internal potency makes all the arrangements described in this chapter.
10.20.32
svacchāmbv-aparuṣānilā
(32) With the two of Râma and Kes'ava dwelling this way in Vraja manifested the season of fall itself in full with a cloudless sky, the clearest water and a gentle wind.
10.20.33
śaradā nīrajotpattyā
(33) In autumn the lotuses regenerated and regained the bodies of water their original state [of purity], the way the minds of the fallen are restored by the practice of devotional service.
10.20.34
śaraj jahārāśramiṇāḿ
kṛṣṇe bhaktir yathāśubham
(34) Just like devotion for Lord Krishna with all the status groups [âs'ramas] clears all inauspiciousness, cleared the autumn season the turbid water, the muddy condition of the earth, the crowding of the animals [in their pens] and the cloudy sky.
Every human being must perform the prescribed duties corresponding to one of the four spiritual orders of life. These divisions are 1) celibate student life, brahmacarya; 2) married life, gṛhastha; 3) retired life, vānaprastha; and 4) renounced life, sannyāsa. A brahmacārī must perform many menial duties during his student life, but as he becomes advanced in loving service to Kṛṣṇa, his superiors recognize his spiritual status and elevate him to higher duties. The innumerable obligations performed on behalf of wife and children constantly harass a householder, but as he becomes advanced in loving service to Kṛṣṇa, he is automatically elevated by the laws of nature to more enjoyable, spiritual occupations, and he somehow minimizes material duties.
Those in the vānaprastha, or retired, order of life also perform many duties, and these can also be replaced by ecstatic loving service to Kṛṣṇa. Similarly, renounced life has many natural difficulties, not the least of which is that sannyāsīs, or renounced men, are inclined to meditate on the impersonal aspect of the Absolute Truth. As stated in the Bhagavad-gītā (12.5), kleśo 'dhikataras teṣām avyaktāsakta-cetasām: "For those whose minds are attached to the unmanifested, impersonal feature of the Lord, advancement is exceedingly painful." But as soon as a sannyāsī takes to preaching the glories of Kṛṣṇa in every town and village, his life becomes a blissful sequence of beautiful spiritual realizations.
In the autumn season the sky returns to its natural blue color. The vanishing of the clouds is like the vanishing of troublesome duties in brahmacārī life. Just after summer comes the rainy season, when the animals sometimes become disturbed by the torrential storms and thus huddle together. But the autumn season signals the time for the animals to go to their respective areas and live more peacefully. This represents a householder's becoming free from the harassment of family duties and being able to devote more of his time to spiritual responsibilities, which are the real goal of life both for himself and his family. The removal of the muddy layer on the earth is like the removal of the inconveniences of vānaprastha life, and the purification of the water is like the sanctification of sannyāsa life by one's preaching the glories of Kṛṣṇa without sex desir
10.20.35
munayo mukta-kilbiṣāḥ
(35) The clouds having given all they had shone forth with an effulgence as pure as of sages who, having given up on all desires, are pacified being freed from all propensities.
When the clouds are filled with water, they are dark and cover the sun's rays, just as the material mind of an impure man covers the soul shining within. But when the clouds pour down their rain, they become white and then brilliantly reflect the shining sun, just as a man who gives up all material desires and sinful propensities becomes purified and then brilliantly reflects his own soul and the Supreme Soul within.
10.20.36
girayo mumucus toyaḿ
(36) Then the mountains released their pure water and then they did not so, just as the nectar of spiritual knowledge only at times is bestowed by the jñânis [the spiritual philosophers].
The first part of this chapter described the rainy season, and the second part has been dealing with the autumn season, which begins when the rain stops. During the rainy season water always flows from the mountains, but during the autumn the water sometimes flows and sometimes does not. Similarly, great saintly teachers sometimes speak expansively on spiritual knowledge, and sometimes they are silent. The self-realized soul is closely in touch with the Supreme Soul, and according to His desires a competent spiritual scientist may or may not describe the Absolute Truth, depending on the specific circumstances.
10.20.37
naivāvidan kṣīyamāṇaḿ
(37) Those moving in the shallow water [the fish] were not appreciative of the water getting less [after the rains] just like foolish people in a family setting do not appreciate the day by day diminishing of their life span.
After the rainy season the water gradually goes down, but stupid fish do not understand this; thus they are often stranded on the lakeshores and riverbanks. Similarly, those infatuated with family life do not understand that the remainder of their life is constantly decreasing; thus they fail to perfect their Kṛṣṇa consciousness and are stranded in the cycle of birth and death.
10.20.38
kuṭumby avijitendriyaḥ
(38) They, moving in the shallow water, as a consequence of the autumn sun experienced hardship just like a man destitute experiences misery when he without the control over his senses is absorbed in his family life.
Although, as described in the previous verse, unintelligent fish are not aware of the diminishing water, one may think these fish are still happy according to the old proverb "Ignorance is bliss." But even the ignorant fish are scorched by the autumn sun. Similarly, although an attached family man may consider his ignorance of spiritual life blissful, he is constantly disturbed by the problems of family life, and, indeed, his uncontrolled senses lead him into a situation of unrelieved anguish.
10.20.39
śarīrādiṣv anātmasu
(39) Gradually the land had to give up its mud and had the plants to give up their unripe condition, just like the sober ones have to give up on the egotism and possessiveness of being focussed on the non-spiritual of the material body and what belongs to it.
10.20.40
ātmany uparate samyań
munir vyuparatāgamaḥ
(40) The waters became motionless as did the ocean quiet with the arrival of fall, just as when the self desisting, of a sage completely forsaking, gives up the sacred work [see also avadhûta and 7.13].
10.20.41
kedārebhyas tv apo 'gṛhṇan
(41) With sturdy irrigation dikes contained the farmers the water of the rice fields the same way yogis stop the stream of consciousness which reaches outside through the senses.
"In autumn, farmers save the water within the fields by building strong walls so that the water contained within the field cannot run out. There is hardly any hope for new rainfall; therefore they want to save whatever is in the field. Similarly, a person who is actually advanced in self-realization protects his energy by controlling the senses. It is advised that after the age of fifty, one should retire from family life and conserve the energy of the body for utilization in the advancement of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Unless one is able to control the senses and engage them in the transcendental loving service of Mukunda, there is no possibility of salvation."
10.20.42
śarad-arkāḿśu-jāḿs tāpān
bhūtānām uḍupo 'harat
dehābhimāna-jaḿ bodho
(42) The suffering of all creatures because of the rays of the autumn sun was taken away by the moon like the suffering, based on the false identification with the body or with [the missing of] Mukunda - as the ladies of Vraja do -, is driven away by wisdom.
10.20.43
(43) The cloudless sky in the fall shone brilliantly clear and starry just like the mind endowed with goodness does directly experiencing the purport of the Vedas.
10.20.44
(44) The moon and the stars shone forth in the sphere of the sky unbroken alike the master of the Yadus, Krishna, did walking the earth surrounded by the circle of the Vrishnis [see family-tree].
10.20.45
janās tāpaḿ jahur gopyo
(45) Embracing the wind not too cold and not too hot from the flower-filled forest could the people forget the hardship, but not so the gopîs whose hearts were stolen by Krishna
10.20.46
puṣpiṇyaḥ śaradābhavan
(46) The cows, the doe, the she-birds and the women found their fertility in autumn just like deeds in service of the Supreme Lord are followed by their respective mates, the good results.
"On the arrival of the autumn season, all the cows, deer, birds and females in general become pregnant, because in that season generally all the husbands become impelled by sex desire. This is exactly like the transcendentalists who, by the grace of the Supreme Lord, are bestowed with the benediction of their destinations in life. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī has instructed in his Upadeśāmṛta that one should perform devotional service with great enthusiasm. patience and conviction and should follow the rules and regulations, keep oneself clean from material contamination and stay in the association of devotees. By following these principles, one is sure to achieve the desired result of devotional service. For he who patiently follows the regulative principles of devotional service, the time will come when he will achieve the result, as the wives reap results by becoming pregnant."
10.20.47
udahṛṣyan vārijāni
sūryotthāne kumud vinā
(47) O King, the lotuses bloomed abundantly with the rising of the sun except for the night-blooming kumut lotus, the same way as the populace, except for the thieves, blossoms without fear with a [righteous] king.
10.20.48
pura-grāmeṣv āgrayaṇair
indriyaiś ca mahotsavaiḥ
(48) In the towns and villages with harvest rituals and other mundane celebrations and great festivals, shone the earth ripe with her grains, as an expansion of Him being rich with the two [of Krishna and Balarâma] who were so completely the Lord Supreme.
The word āgrayaṇaiḥ refers to a particular authorized Vedic sacrifice, and the word indriyaiḥ refers to folk ceremonies that have somewhat worldly objectives.
Śrīla Prabhupāda comments as follows: "During autumn, the fields become filled with ripened grains. At that time, the people become happy over the harvest and observe various ceremonies, such as Navānna — the offering of new grains to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The new grains are first offered to the Deities in various temples, and all are invited to take sweet rice made with these new grains. There are other religious ceremonies and methods of worship, particularly in Bengal, where the greatest of all such ceremonies is held, called Durgā-pūjā."
10.20.49
nirgamyārthān prapedire
(49) Like the ones perfected finding their subsistence [or form aspired] when the time is ripe, could the merchants, the renunciates, the kings and the initiates, [who before were] checked by the rains, [now] venture to achieve their goals.'
"In Vṛndāvana the autumn season was very beautiful then because of the presence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma. The mercantile community, the royal order and the great sages were free to move to achieve their desired benedictions. Similarly, the transcendentalists, when freed from the encagement of the material body, also achieved their desired goal. During the rainy season, the mercantile community cannot move from one place to another and so do not get their desired profit. Nor can the royal order go from one place to another to collect taxes from the people. As for saintly persons who must travel to preach transcendental knowledge, they also are restrained by the rainy season. But during the autumn, all of them leave their confines. In the case of the transcendentalist, be he a jñānī, a yogī or a devotee, because of the material body he cannot actually enjoy spiritual achievement. But as soon as he gives up the body, or after death, the jñānī merges into the spiritual effulgence of the Supreme Lord, the yogī transfers himself to the various higher planets, and the devotee goes to the planet of the Supreme Lord, Goloka Vṛndāvana, or the Vaikuṇṭhas, and thus enjoys his eternal spiritual life."
Thus end of the Tenth Canto, Twentieth Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled "The Rainy Season and Autumn in Vṛndāvana."
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