PART TWO r-goloka-mhtmya The Glories of Goloka

Chapter One Vairgya: Renunciation TEXT 1 [qJaNaMaeJaYa ovac SaTYa& SaC^avGaaRQaRSaar" Sa* dul/R>a" ) GaU!" SvMaa}ae iPa}aa Mae k*-Z<aPa[eM<aa Pa[kaiXaTa" )) r-janamejaya uvca satya sac-chstra-vargrthasra saghya durlabha gha sva-mtre pitr me ka-prem prakita r-janamejaya uvcar Janamejaya said; satyamtruly; sat transcendental; stra-vargaof all scriptures; arthaof the meaning; srathe essence; saghyahaving been collected; durlabha rare; ghaconfidential; sva-mtreto his own mother; pitrby the father; memy; ka-premwith love for Ka; prakita revealed. r Janamejaya said: Truly, my father gleaned the essential meaning of all eternal scriptures, and with great love for Ka he revealed to his mother that rare confidential truth. COMMENTARY: rla Santana Gosvm begins his commentary on the second part of r Bhad-bhgavatmta by offering his homage to Lord Caitanya Mahprabhu. rla Santana writes, By taking shelter of Lord Caitanyas gemlike beauty, even a dull person like me can be inspired to dance wonderfully. This second part of r Bhadbhgavatmta reveals the glories of the highest spiritual planet, Goloka, where pure devotees who have received the essence of r Kas mercy enjoy the infinite ecstasy of playing with Ka forever. To prepare us for hearing the superexcellent glories of Goloka, Kas personal abode, the seven chapters in Part One of Bhadbhgavatmta were meant for gradually removing all obstructing misconceptions.

To hear more of the discourse between Uttar and her son, Parkit, his son Janamejaya asks Jaimini a question. Jaimini was Janamejayas spiritual master, and to please him Janamejaya praises what he has heard thus far. In Part One of Bhad-bhgavatmta, Parkit left aside everything superfluous and spoke to his mother the essence of rmadBhgavatam, the best of revealed scriptures. This rare accomplishment required that he understand many scriptures, many sources of pure knowledge, and carefully ascertain their confidential purport regarding unalloyed devotional service to the Supreme Lord. By the word satyam, King Janamejaya confirms that he accepts everything spoken in the first part as authoritative and true. TEXT 2 [qMaaGavTaaM>aaeiDaPaqYaUziMadMaaiPabNa( ) Na Ta*PYaaiMa MauiNa[e TvNMau %aM>aaeJavaiSaTaMa( )) rmad-bhgavatmbhodhipyam idam piban na tpymi muni-reha tvan-mukhmbhoja-vsitam rmat-bhgavataof rmad-Bhgavatam; ambha-dhiof the ocean; pyamnectar; idamthis; pibandeeply drinking; na tpymiI am not satiated; muni-rehaO best of sages; tvat your; mukha-ambha-jaby the lotus mouth; vsitamscented. O best of sages, I cannot drink enough of this nectarean ocean of rmad-Bhgavatam, its fragrance enhanced by contact with your lotus mouth. COMMENTARY: Although Janamejaya Mahrja has already tasted perfect nectar in Part One, he still wants to taste more. The Bhgavatam and other scriptures that reveal the secrets of pure devotional service are rmat, full of beauty and riches. These exceptional scriptures are like boundless oceans, for the scriptures are vast not only in size but also in the scope of their ideas. Just as the Ocean of Milk is the greatest ocean, rmad-Bhgavatam is the greatest devotional scripture, unfathomably deep. In the narration of Nradas search for the greatest object of r Kas mercy, Janamejaya has enthusiastically drunk the exquisitely sweet nectar of the Bhgavatam. Nonetheless, his thirst is not yet quenched. Because Jaimini has mixed into this nectar the attractive fragrance

emanating from his own lotus mouth, Janamejayas thirst to hear has become so much stimulated that he cannot hear enough. TEXT 3 TaNMaaTaaPau}aYaaeivRNSa&vad" k-QYaTaa& TaYaae" ) SauDaaSaarMaYaae_NYaae_iPa k*Z<aPaadaBJalu/BDaYaae" )) tan mt-putrayor vidvan savda kathyat tayo sudh-sra-mayo nyo pi ka-pdbja-lubdhayo tattherefore; mt-putrayoof the mother and son; vidvanO learned one; savdadiscussion; kathyatmplease narrate; tayo of the two of them; sudhof nectar; sra-mayaimbued with the essence; anyaother; apialso; kaof Ka; pda-abjafor the lotus feet; lubdhayowho were greedy. Therefore, O learned one, please tell me what other nectarean topics were discussed by the mother and son, who were greedy to enjoy the taste of Kas lotus feet. COMMENTARY: Although the topics discussed by Uttar and Parkit involve privileged knowledge meant only for pure devotees of the Lord, Jaimini i is also vidvn, a competent knower of those secrets. TEXT 4 [qJaEiMaiNavac NaETaTSvXai-Taae raJaNvu-& jaTau& c XaKYaTae ) SavRjaNaa& c dujeRYa& b]aNau>aivNaaMaiPa )) r-jaiminir uvca naitat sva-aktito rjan vaktu jtu ca akyate sarva-jn ca durjeya brahmnubhavinm api r-jaimini uvcar Jaimini said; nanot; etatthis; sva-aktita by ones strength; rjanO king; vaktumto speak; jtumto understand; caand; akyateis possible; sarva-jnmfor the knowers of everything; caand; durjeyamdifficult to comprehend;

brahma-anubhavinmwho directly experience the Absolute Truth; apieven. r Jaimini said: O king, to understand or speak about these topics by ones own strength is impossible. Even all-knowing sages who directly perceive the Absolute Truth find them difficult to comprehend. COMMENTARY: The essence of the science of pure devotion to Ka is beyond the power of words to explain or the mind to comprehend. Even mystics who can see past, present, and future, and even liberated souls, whose minds are attuned to perceiving transcendental reality, fail to understand the glories of Goloka revealed in the nectar ocean of rmad-Bhgavatam. Much more exalted than the spiritual reality of impersonal Brahman is the ultimate reality shared by the Personality of Godhead and His devotees. TEXT 5 k*-Z<a>ai-rSaaM>aaeDae" Pa[SaadaadraYa<ae" ) Parqi+adutaraPaaeR iNaivae_[aEzMaSaa )) ka-bhakti-rasmbhodhe prasdd bdaryae parkid-uttar-prve nivio rauam ajas ka-bhaktiof Kas pure devotional service; rasa-ambhodhe who is an ocean of the rasas; prasdtby the mercy; bdaryae of Bdaryai (ukadeva Gosvm); parkit-uttarof Parkit and Uttar; prveat the side; niviasitting; arauamI heard; ajasdirectly. But Bdaryai is an ocean of the rasas of ka-bhakti, and by his mercy I sat near Parkit and Uttar and directly heard their conversation. COMMENTARY: If, as Jaimini says, Ka and His devotional service are beyond the mind and words, how was Jaimini himself able to speak the sublime first part of r Bhad-bhgavatmta? Jaimini answers that ukadeva Gosvm, the son of Bdaryaa, empowered him. Jaimini was expert in many departments of Vedic knowledge and had deep realization of the Absolute Truth. But he was unable to understand and describe Kas glories on the strength of these qualifications alone; rather, he was empowered by the favor of the exalted Vaiava ukadeva. Knowing that Jaimini was the only person fit to repeat the

conversation between Parkit and his mother, ukadeva arranged for Jaimini to sit in a place next to them so he could hear the Bhgavatmta. Since Jaimini heard it and was empowered by ukadeva to understand it properly, the book has the potency to capture the serious attention of its readers. And because of having been transmitted by the mercy of exalted devotees, r Bhadbhgavatmta should be accepted as authentic revealed scripture. TEXT 6 Par& GaaePYaMaiPa iGDae iXaZYae vaCYaiMaiTa [uiTa" ) TaC^\UYaTaa& Maha>aaGa Gaael/aekMaihMaaDauNaa )) para gopyam api snigdhe iye vcyam iti ruti tac chryat mah-bhga goloka-mahimdhun parammost; gopyamsecret; apieven; snigdheloyal; iyeto a disciple; vcyammay be spoken; itithus; rutirevealed scripture; tattherefore; ryatmplease hear; mah-bhgaO most fortunate one; goloka-mahimthe glories of Goloka; adhunnow. The Vedas say that to a loyal disciple one may speak even the most confidential secret. Therefore, O most fortunate one, now please hear the glories of Goloka. COMMENTARY: Although what Janamejaya asked Jaimini is confidential, Jaimini is willing to speak because Janamejaya is fit to hear. This is implied by the epithet mah-bhga, O most fortunate one. In Part One, Jaimini described the glories of the most intimate devotees of the Supreme Lord, and now he will describe the glories of Goloka, the place dearest to the Lord. Because this description glorifies the Lord and His devotees, it is fitting for the Bhgavatmta. TEXT 7 [qk*-Z<ak-<aaSaarPaa}aiNaDaaRrSaTk-QaaMa( ) [uTva>aUTParMaaNaNdPaU<aaR Tav iPaTaaMahq )) r-ka-karu-sraptra-nirdhra-sat-kathm rutvbht paramnanda-

pr tava pitmah r-kaof r Ka; karu-sraof the essence of the mercy; ptraof the recipient; nirdhraabout the determination; sat-kathm the sacred narration; rutvhaving heard; abhtwas; paramanandawith the highest bliss; prfilled; tavayour; pitmah paternal grandmother. After your grandmother heard the sacred narration about the search for the person most favored by the essence of Lord Kas mercy, she was filled with the highest bliss. TEXTS 89 Taad*G>ai-ivXaezSYa GaaePaqk-aNTaPadaBJaYaae" ) [aeTau& f-l/ivXaez& TaaeGaSQaaNa& c SataMaMa( )) vEku-<#=adiPa MaNvaNaa ivMa*XaNTaq id SvYaMa( ) TaaNaak-l/YaNTaq Saa PaPa[C^ [qParqi+aTaMa( )) tdg-bhakti-vieasya gop-knta-padbjayo rotu phala-viea tad bhoga-sthna ca sat-tamam vaikuhd api manvn vimant hdi svayam tac cnkalayant s papraccha r-parkitam tdkof such; bhakti-vieasyaexceptional devotion; gop-knta of the lover of the gops; pada-abjayoto the lotus feet; rotumto hear; phala-vieamthe special fruit; tatof that; bhoga-sthnam the place of enjoyment; caand; sat-tamamsuperior; vaikuhtto Vaikuha; apieven; manvnconsidering; vimantwondering; hdiin her heart; svayamon her own; tatthat; caand; ankalayantunable to conclude; sshe; papracchaasked; rparkitamr Parkit. Exceptional devotion to the lotus feet of the Lord, the lover of the gops, has a special fruit, and Uttar was eager to hear about that fruit, and about the place where it is enjoyed, which she thought must be higher than even Vaikuha. Wondering within her heart about these topics, unable to conclude anything on her own, she inquired from r Parkit.

COMMENTARY: Mother Uttar was uncertain about the identity of the place of r Kas intimate pleasure pastimes, which she supposed must be more excellent than the majestic kingdom of God, Vaikuha. Confident of her sons ability to resolve her doubt, she unhesitatingly submitted to him this question.

TEXT 10 [qMadutaraevac k-aiMaNaa& Pau<Yak-TaR<aa& }aEl/aeKYa& Ga*ih<aa& PadMa( ) AGa*ha<aa& c TaSYaae| iSQaTa& l/aek-cTauYaMa( )) rmad-uttarovca kmin puya-kart trai-lokya ghi padam agh ca tasyordhva sthita loka-catuayam rmat-uttar uvcarmat Uttar said; kminmwho have material desires; puya-kartmand who perform auspicious duties; trai-lokyamthe three worlds; ghimfor householders; padam the abode; aghmfor those who have renounced their homes; ca and; tasyathan that; rdhvamhigher; sthitamlocated; lokacatuayamthe four worlds. rmat Uttar said: By performing auspicious duties, householders with material desires can achieve the three worlds, and persons who have renounced their homes can reach the four worlds still beyond those. COMMENTARY: Uttar has some doubts about the identity of the personal abode of r Gopntha, but she does understand that the devotees whose love is focused on Gopnthas lotus feet deserve to be elevated to the most excellent destination, a place better than all others. To express this understanding to her son and properly establish the context for her inquiry, she speaks eleven verses (texts 10 through 20) describing the various destinations of different grades of progressive souls. First she mentions the destinations of persons involved in material work, who are divided into two categoriesthe attached and unattached. Auspicious duties are those prescribed by the Vedas; they include duties performed as regular obligations (nitya-karma), duties stipulated for exceptional circumstances (naimittika-karma), and duties performed as optional work for the fulfillment of personal desires

(kmya-karma). The performers of these material activities are generally in the ghastha-rama, family men with many desires. The destinations for such regulated enjoyers of the fruits of work are within the three planetary systems Bhr, Bhuvar, and Svar. The karms being described by Uttar are not ordinary modern materialists; rather, these karms satisfy their material desires through the auspicious ritual duties of the Vedas. By virtue of strict celibacy, the perpetual brahmacrs, the vnaprasthas, and the sannyss are qualified to reach the four highest material planets, namely Mahar and the three planets beyond itJanas, Tapas, and Satya. As stated by r ukadeva Gosvm in the Second Canto of rmad-Bhgavatam (2.6.20): pds trayo bahi csann aprajn ya ram antas tri-lokys tv aparo gha-medho bhad-vrata The three realms beyond Mahar [namely Janas, Tapas, and Satya] are especially meant for those who will never be reborn. Others, who are attached to family life and who do not strictly follow celibacy vows, must live within the three lower worlds [Bhr, Bhuvar, and Svar]. In other words, those who vow never to create offspring are granted for their subtle enjoyment the worlds beyond the three systems Bhr, Bhuvar, and Svar. Everyone else is entangled in household life; instead of adhering to the great vow of celibacy, they remain addicted to sex. Householders who are free from material desires and whose only ambition is to execute their prescribed duties can also reach the higher planets of Mahar and beyond, and those who sufficiently purify their consciousness can even attain liberation. As Lord Rudra says in the Fourth Canto of rmad-Bhgavatam (4.24.29): sva-dharma-niha ata-janmabhi pumn viricatm eti tata para hi mm avykta bhgavato tha vaiava pada yathha vibudh kaltyaye A person who executes his occupational duty properly for one hundred births becomes qualified to occupy the post of Brahm, and if he becomes more qualified he can approach me. But a person directly surrendered to Lord Ka, or Viu, in unalloyed devotional service is at once promoted to the spiritual planets. I and other demigods attain those planets after the destruction of the material world.

TEXT 11 >aaeGaaNTae Mauhurav*itaMaeTae SaveR Pa[YaaiNTa ih ) MahraidGaTaa" ke-icNMauCYaNTae b]<aa Sah )) bhognte muhur vttim ete sarve praynti hi mahar-di-gat kecin mucyante brahma saha bhogaof enjoyment; anteat the end; muhuagain; vttim rebirth in the lower worlds; etethese; sarveall; prayntithey obtain; hicertainly; maha-diMahar and beyond; gatwho have reached; kecitsome; mucyanteare liberated; brahma saha along with Brahm. But when their enjoyment ends, all these persons must return to this mundane earth. Only a select few of those who have reached the planets of Mahar and beyond are liberated along with Brahm. COMMENTARY: Materially ambitious people must accept repeated births. Among them, persons dedicated exclusively to prescribed Vedic duties can achieve liberation when they finish enjoying the results of their good works. For persons whose renunciation is incomplete, one path of gradual liberation is to enjoy subtle pleasures on the Mahar, Janas, Tapas, and Satya planets for a long time and then become liberated along with Lord Brahm when the universe is finally destroyed. Another gradual path, described in the Upaniads and Vednta-stra, is known as Arcir-di. On this path the progressing candidate travels one last time through the higher regions of the universe, enjoying in each of several intermediate stages in bodies more and more subtle, until he attains liberation. Karms who do not progress toward liberation enjoy heavenly pleasures temporarily and then come back down to material endeavors on lower planets. As r Ka says in the Bhagavad-gt (9.2021): trai-vidy m soma-p pta-pp yajair iv svar-gati prrthayante te puyam sdya surendra-lokam ananti divyn divi deva-bhogn te ta bhuktv svarga-loka vila ke puye martya-loka vianti eva tray-dharmam anuprapann

gatgata kma-km labhante Those who study the Vedas and drink the soma juice, seeking the heavenly planets, worship Me indirectly. Purified of sinful reactions, they take birth on the pious, heavenly planet of Indra, where they enjoy godly delights. When they have thus enjoyed vast heavenly sense pleasure and the results of their pious activities are exhausted, they return to this mortal planet again. Thus those who seek sense enjoyment by adhering to the principles of the three Vedas achieve only repeated birth and death. Mere elevation to the highest planets in the universe cannot assure one liberation from birth and death. One must give up all material desires. As r Ka states in Bhagavad-gt (8.16), -brahmabhuvanl lok / punar-vartino rjuna: From the highest planet in the material world down to the lowest, all are places of misery wherein repeated birth and death take place. Only persons fully dedicated to selfless work can join Lord Brahm in attaining liberation: brahma saha te sarve samprpte pratisacare parasynte kttmna pravianti para padam The fully successful transcendentalists enter the supreme abode along with Brahm during the final annihilation at the end of Brahms life. TEXT 12 ke-icT-Mae<a MauCYaNTae >aaeGaaN>auaicRraidzu ) l/>aNTae YaTaYa" Saae Maui&- jaNaPara ih Yae )) kecit kramea mucyante bhogn bhuktvrcir-diu labhante yataya sadyo mukti jna-par hi ye kecitsome; krameain stages; mucyantebecome liberated; bhognpleasures; bhuktvenjoying; arci-diuin the realms of fire and so on; labhanteattain; yatayaascetics; sadyaquickly; muktimliberation; jna-pardevoted to spiritual knowledge; hi certainly; yewho.

Some persons enjoy pleasures in upper regions like the realm of fire and attain liberation gradually, in stages. And ascetics fully devoted to spiritual knowledge quickly obtain liberation. COMMENTARY: Expert practitioners of yoga can follow the Arcir-di path. The first destination on this path is Arcis, or the region ruled by the god of fire. Beyond Arcis are other regions, such as the circle of iumra. In the Second Canto of rmad-Bhgavatam (2.2.2431) r ukadeva Gosvm elaborates on the yogs progress on the Arcir-di path: vaivnara yti vihyas gata suumay brahma-pathena oci vidhta-kalko tha harer udastt prayti cakra npa aiumram O king, when a mystic passes over the Milky Way by the illuminating Suum to reach the highest planet, Brahmaloka, he goes first to Vaivnara, the planet of the deity of fire, wherein he becomes completely cleansed of all contaminations, and thereafter he still goes higher, to the circle of iumra, to relate with Lord Hari, the Personality of Godhead. tad viva-nbhi tv ativartya vior ayas virajentmanaika namaskta brahma-vidm upaiti kalpyuo yad vibudh ramante This iumra is the pivot for the turning of the complete universe, and it is called the navel of Viu [Garbhodaka-y Viu]. The yog alone goes beyond this circle of iumra and attains the planet [Maharloka] where purified saints like Bhgu enjoy a duration of life of 4,300,000,000 solar years. That planet is worshipable even for the saints who are transcendentally situated. atho anantasya mukhnalena dandahyamna sa nirkya vivam niryti siddhevara-jua-dhiya yad dvai-parrdhya tad u pramehyam At the time of the devastation of the universe, a flame of fire emanates from the mouth of Ananta. The yog sees all the planets of the universe burning to ashes, and thus he leaves for Satyaloka by airplanes used by the great purified souls. The duration of life in Satyaloka is calculated to be 15,480,000,000,000 years. na yatra oko na jar na mtyur

nrtir na codvega te kutacit yac cit tato da kpaynida-vid duranta-dukha-prabhavnudarant On that planet of Satyaloka, there is neither bereavement nor old age nor death. There is no pain of any kind, and therefore there are no anxieties, save that sometimes there is a feeling of compassion for those unaware of the process of devotional service, who are subjected to unsurpassable miseries in the material world. tato viea pratipadya nirbhayas tentmanpo nala-mrtir atvaran jyotir-mayo vyum upetya kle vyv-tman kha bhad tma-ligam After reaching Satyaloka, the devotee is specifically able to be incorporated fearlessly by the subtle body in an identity similar to that of the gross body, and one after another he gradually attains stages of existence from earthly to watery, to fiery, glowing and airy, until he reaches the ethereal stage. ghrena gandha rasanena vai rasa rpa ca dy vasana tvacaiva rotrea copetya nabho-guatva prena cktim upaiti yog The devotee thus surpasses the subtle objects of different senses like aroma by smelling, the palate by tasting, vision by seeing forms, touch by contacting, the vibrations of the ear by ethereal identification, and the sense organs by material activities. sa bhta-skmendriya-sannikara mano-maya deva-maya vikryam sasdya gaty saha tena yti vijna-tattva gua-sannirodham The devotee, thus surpassing the gross and the subtle forms of coverings, enters the plane of egoism. There he merges the material modes of nature [ignorance and passion] in that point of neutralization and thus reaches egoism in goodness. After this, all egoism is merged in the mahat-tattva, and he comes to the point of pure self-realization. tentmantmnam upaiti ntam nandam nanda-mayo vasne et gati bhgavat gato ya sa vai punar neha viajjate ga

Only the purified soul can attain the perfection of associating with the Personality of Godhead in complete bliss and satisfaction in his constitutional state. Whoever is able to reach such devotional perfection is never again attracted by the material world, and he never returns. This is the gradual way of liberation. Parama-hasas, however, are liberated immediately at the end of their current life. TEXT 13 >a-a >aGavTaae Yae Tau Sak-aMaa" SveC^Yaai %l/aNa( ) >auaNaa" Sau%>aaeGaa&STae ivXaua YaaiNTa TaTPadMa( )) bhakt bhagavato ye tu sa-km svecchaykhiln bhujn sukha-bhogs te viuddh ynti tat-padam bhaktdevotees; bhagavataof the Personality of Godhead; ye who; tubut; sa-kmwith material desires; sva-icchaywillfully; akhilnall; bhujnindulging in; sukhaenjoyable; bhog pleasures; tethey; viuddhfully purified; yntigo; tatto that; padamabode. But even the devotees of the Personality of Godhead who still have material desires can enjoy the pleasures they wish and then become fully purified and go to the Lords abode. COMMENTARY: Vaiava devotees are more elevated than nondevotee parama-hasas. Even a devotee burdened by material desires is in a better position than an impersonalist free from such desires. Still, just as both karms and jns are distinguished in terms of their relative freedom from ulterior desires, so also are bhaktas. Most karms and jns can approach perfection only gradually; only a few paramahasa-jns achieve immediate liberation. Similarly, though all Vaiavas are sure candidates for ultimate perfection, the sakmabhaktas, those whose devotion to the Personality of Godhead is mixed with desires to control and enjoy, must first become purified. Still, although sakma-bhaktas need further purification to qualify for entry into the kingdom of God, they should never be considered subject to the laws of material nature like the karms and jns. As stated here, sakma-bhaktas live happily in this world, free from material restraints (svecchay). They are at liberty to visit all the

regions of this world, including the highest planets, beginning with Mahar, they can reach the subtlest stages on the Arcir-di path, and they can attain the Vaikuha realms within this universe like vetadvpa and Rampriya. Avoiding frustration from the deficiencies and miseries that taint every material situation, sakma-bhaktas find happiness in this world (sukha-bhogn). rla Santana Gosvm uses the word bhujn (enjoying) in a form of the present tense to indicate that even while Vaiavas are finishing up their last enjoyment of the material world the power of the Lords devotional service purifies them enough to demolish all obstacles in their hearts. Their material business finished, they then achieve the Supreme Lords eternal abode. TEXT 14 vEku-<#&= dul/R>a& MauE-" SaaNd]aNaNdicdaTMakMa( ) iNaZk-aMaa Yae Tau Ta-a l/>aNTae Sa Wv TaTa( )) vaikuha durlabha muktai sndrnanda-cid-tmakam nikm ye tu tad-bhakt labhante sadya eva tat vaikuhamVaikuha; durlabhamdifficult to be achieved; muktai by liberated souls; sndraconcentrated; nandaof ecstasy; cit and pure consciousness; tmakamconsisting; nikmfree from selfish desires; yewho; tubut; tatof Him; bhaktthe devotees; labhantereach; sadyaquickly; evaindeed; tatthat. That abode, Vaikuha, is made of concentrated ecstasy and pure consciousness. Even for liberated souls it is difficult to attain. But the Lords devotees who are free from selfish desires reach it at once. COMMENTARY: Mother Uttar now tells her son, Parkit, what she understands about the transcendental nature of Vaikuha. Parkit has heard similar general descriptions of the Vaikuha atmosphere from ukadeva Gosvm in the Second and Tenth Cantos of rmadBhgavatam: na yatra klo nimi para prabhu kuto nu dev jagat ya ire na yatra sattva na rajas tama ca na vai vikro na mahn pradhnam

para pada vaiavam mananti tad yan neti netty atad-utsiskava visjya daurtmyam ananya-sauhd hdopaguhyrha-pada pade pade What to speak of the celestial demigods empowered to rule over mundane creatures, in that transcendental state there is no supremacy of devastating time, which controls even the demigods themselves. Nor is there the mode of material goodness, nor passion, nor ignorance, nor even the false ego, nor the material Causal Ocean, nor the material nature. The transcendentalists desire to avoid everything godless, for they know that supreme situation in which everything is related with the Supreme Lord Viu. Therefore a pure devotee in absolute harmony with the Lord does not create perplexities, but worships the lotus feet of the Lord at every moment, taking them into his heart. (Bhgavatam 2.2.1718) tasmai sva-loka bhagavn sabhjita sandaraym sa para na yat-param vyapeta-saklea-vimoha-sdhvasa sva-davadbhir puruair abhiutam pravartate yatra rajas tamas tayo sattva ca mira na ca kla-vikrama na yatra my kim utpare harer anuvrat yatra sursurrcit Very much satisfied with the penance of Lord Brahm, the Personality of Godhead was pleased to manifest His personal abode, Vaikuha, the supreme planet above all others. That transcendental abode of the Lord is adored by all self-realized persons freed from all miseries and fear of illusory existence. In the spiritual world there is neither the mode of passion, nor the mode of ignorance, nor a mixture of both, nor is there adulterated goodness, nor the influence of time or My itself. Only the pure devotees of the Lord, who are worshiped both by demigods and by demons, reside in the spiritual world as the Lords associates. (Bhgavatam 2.9.910) iti sacintya bhagavn mah-kruiko hari daraym sa loka sva gopn tamasa param satya jnam ananta yad brahma-jyoti santanam yad dhi payanti munayo

gupye samhit After deeply considering, the all-merciful Supreme Personality of Godhead Hari revealed to the cowherd men His abode, which is beyond material darkness. Lord Ka revealed the indestructible spiritual effulgence, which is unlimited, conscious, and eternal. Sages see that spiritual existence in trance, when their consciousness is free of the modes of material nature. (Bhgavatam 10.28.1415) Now, in texts 14 through 19, Uttar similarly explains in a general way the transcendental existence of Vaikuha. The Lords impersonal effulgence faintly reflects the spiritual atmosphere of Vaikuha, which is the fullest manifestation of the Absolute Truth. Having reestablished a personal relationship with the Lord, pure Vaiavas attain Vaikuha. Impersonalists, however, at best attain the brahmajyoti effulgence, where they realize their eternal existence without knowing their relationship with the Lord or the ecstatic pleasure that comes from serving Him in that relationship. In other words, the Vaikuha atmosphere is a super-intensified version of the brahma-jyoti sky, and thus the life enjoyed by the Lords devotees in Vaikuha is much more wonderful than the comparatively insignificant pleasure of merging into the brahma-jyoti. TEXT= 15 Ta}a [qk*-Z<aPaadaBJaSaa+aaTSaevaSau%& Sada ) bhuDaaNau>avNTaSTae rMaNTae iDa*-TaaMa*TaMa( )) tatra r-ka-pdbjaskt-sev-sukha sad bahudhnubhavantas te ramante dhik-ktmtam tatrathere; r-kaof r Ka; pda-abjaat the lotus feet; sktdirect; sevof service; sukhamthe happiness; sad always; bahudhin many ways; anubhavantaexperiencing; te they; ramanteenjoy; dhik-ktacondemned in which; amtamthe nectar of immortality. The pure devotees living in Vaikuha enjoy forever in varied ways the happiness of directly serving r Kas lotus feet. In comparison, the nectar of liberation appears condemned. COMMENTARY: For the residents of Vaikuha, God is not a distant abstraction. They see Him always and serve Him directly. For them that service is never tedious or degrading, but is always sheer enjoyment.

TEXT 16 jaNa>a-aSTau TaeZveke- Xau>a-a" Pare_Pare )) Pa[eMa>a-a" Pare/ Pa[eMaPara" Pa[eMaaTaura" Pare )) jna-bhakts tu tev eke uddha-bhakt pare pare prema-bhakt pare premapar premtur pare jna-bhaktdevotees attached to knowledge; tubut; teu among them; ekesome; uddha-bhaktpure devotees; pare others; aparestill others; prema-bhaktdevotees in love of God; pareothers; prema-pardevotees exclusively dedicated to love of God; prema-turdevotees painfully obsessed by love of God; pare others. Among the Supreme Lords devotees, some are devotees attached to knowledge, and others are pure. Still others are situated in love of God, others are immersed in love of God, and yet others are painfully overwhelmed by love of God. COMMENTARY: Vaiavas develop their love of God to different extents and thus in any given lifetime attain different destinations. Jnabhaktas cultivate devotional service mixed with the pursuit of knowledge. Their interests focus on subjects such as the greatness of devotion to the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord. For them devotional service consists of activities within the ninefold practice of sdhanabhakti. An example of such a Vaiava is Lord abhadevas son Bharata Mahrja. Next, uddha-bhaktas want only devotional service to the Personality of Godhead, without any mixture of fruitive work, knowledge, or renunciation. Ambara Mahrja is a typical uddhabhakta. Prema-bhaktas like r Hanumn are endowed with mature ecstatic love. They perpetually serve the Lord with full-hearted enthusiasm, being interested only in the loving affection, intimate association, and opportunities for service that they find at the lotus feet of their beloved supreme master. Still other devotees are premapara-bhaktas, like rmn Arjuna and his brothers. They are not interested in the process of bhakti itself, but only in prema, ecstatic love. By the causeless mercy of the Lord, entirely pure prema of the highest quality has arisen in their hearts, binding them by ropes of eagerness to see the Lord and enjoy friendly talks and other intimate dealings with Him. Finally, premtura-bhaktas, such as the Ydavas, headed by rmn Uddhava, are overwhelmed by the incessant bliss

of prema and the intense desire to relish all the transformations of that prema and its related ecstasies. Although everyone in Vaikuha has prema, we must recognize different degrees of prema. The natural perfection of uddha-bhakti is prema-bhakti, which is higher because devotees who have reached prema have special qualities not found in those who have attained only uddha-bhakti. And beyond prema-bhakti, the prema-para devotees are more elevated, and the premtura devotees still more. TEXT 17 TaarTaMYavTaaMaeza& f-le/ SaaMYa& Na YauJYaTae ) TaarTaMYa& Tau vEku-<#e= k-Qai$=Tae Na ih )) tratamyavatm e phale smya na yujyate tratamya tu vaikuhe kathacid ghaate na hi tratamya-vatmon different levels; temof these; phalein results; smyamsameness; na yujyateis not appropriate; tratamyamhierarchy; tuhowever; vaikuhein Vaikuha; kathacitin any way; ghaate nadoes not take place; hicertainly. Since the levels of these devotees are various, it seems unfitting that the results they achieve be the same. But in Vaikuha no hierarchies exist at all. COMMENTARY: Without higher and higher levels of enjoyment and realization of the greatness of God, the five different levels of bhakti would be incomplete. To award the same results to devotees of differing levels of attraction would not befit the perfect and allcompassionate Personality of Godhead. And how could all the Lords devotees be satisfied by only one kind of reciprocation? Thus there is a need for hierarchy in the varieties of devotion and the corresponding moods in which the Lord reciprocates. In Vaikuha, however, such a hierarchy is impossible to find, because the atmosphere of that place is purely spiritual. TEXT 18 PaYaRvSYaiTa SaaPYaSaaMaqPYaadaE c TauLYaTaa ) Na [UYaTae Par& Pa[aPYa& vEku-<#=adiDak&- ikYaTa( ))

paryavasyati srpyasmpydau ca tulyat na ryate para prpya vaikuhd adhika kiyat paryavasyatithe result comes; srpyain the perfection of having a form like the Supreme Lords; smpyain the perfection of living in close proximity to the Supreme Lord; dauand so on; caand; tulyatequality; na ryateis not heard of; paramanother; prpyamgoal to be attained; vaikuhtthan Vaikuha; adhikam higher; kiyatat all. It follows that among devotees in Vaikuha there is equality even in the special Vaikuha perfections, such as living near the Supreme Lord or attaining a form like His. And a goal higher than Vaikuha is unheard of. COMMENTARY: Someone might think that even though all devotees in Vaikuha share equally in the bliss of serving the Personality of Godhead, some hierarchy of greater and lesser engagements can be discerned. Indeed, it seems that in Vaikuha the Lords pastimes of supreme rulership and opulence are manifest more fully to some devotees than to others, just as in the material world the Lord is more intimately revealed to devotees who worship Him by brahma-satra (the sacrifice of transcendental knowledge) than to those who worship Him at the grosser level of karma-satra (mere ritual sacrifice). In Vaikuha some devotees, such as those stationed as doorkeepers at the boundaries of the Lords kingdom, seem to be relative outsiders compared to devotees who have more intimate services, such as massaging the Lords lotus feet. Ultimately, however, in Vaikuha all these varieties of devotional service are equal, displaying but minor variations in the mood of dsya-rasa in reverence. The many kinds of Vaikuha perfection are equal manifestations of the same basic servitude. Those perfections include srpya (having a transcendental body with four arms and other features like the Lords) and smpya (living close to the Lord as one of His associates or servants). There are also other such perfections. Those others, implied in this verse by the ending -dau in the word smpydau, are attainments such as being posted as commander of the Lords army or as a personal servant massaging the Lords feet or dressing His hair. The perfection of syujya, merging into the existence of God, is prized by impersonalists but is not found in Vaikuha. Rather than a devotional perfection, syujya is a form of impersonal liberation. Even demons who hate the Personality of Godhead are sometimes given syujya as a reward for constantly meditating on the Lord as an

enemy. But anyone who has tasted devotional service to the Supreme Lord rejects syujya. Someone might ask, But cant a devotee in Vaikuha achieve some special perfection by virtue of being exceptionally qualified? No, this verse replies. Since Vaikuha is a place in which all desires are fulfilled, nothing there beyond the perfections already easily available remains to be achieved. TEXT 19 TaTPa[deXaivXaezezu SvSv>aavivXaezTa" ) SvSviPa[YaivXaezaPTYaa SaveRzaMaSTau va Sau%Ma( )) tat-pradea-vieeu sva-svabhva-vieata sva-sva-priya-viepty sarvem astu v sukham tatof that (Vaikuha); pradea-vieeuin particular regions; svasvabhvaaccording to their natures; vieataindividual; sva-svapriyadear to each one; vieaindividual; aptyby their achievements; sarvemof all; astu vof course there is; sukham happiness. Of course, all the devotees in each distinct region of Vaikuha are completely happy, for they have all achieved what by their own specific natures they desire. COMMENTARY: Granting that devotees in select parts of Vaikuha are empowered to enjoy special privileges according to their unique devotional moods, there may still remain doubt about where the most confidential devotees of the Lord reside. Within the realm of Vaikuha a few special places do exist, such as Ayodhy and Dvrak, where more intimate forms of pure devotional service are manifest. For each replica abode of the Lord on earth there is an original abode in Vaikuha. As stated in scripture, y yath bhuvi vartante puryo bhagavata priy ts tath santi vaikuhe tat-tal-llrtham dt On this earth there are many sacred cities dear to the Personality of Godhead, and all of them also exist in Vaikuha, where they are revered for their importance in the Lords various pastimes.

Mother Uttar is speaking as if the liberated devotees of Vaikuha represent all five varieties of Vaiavasjna-bhaktas, uddhabhaktas, prema-bhaktas, prema-para-bhaktas, and premtura-bhaktas. In fact, however, she speaks without much conviction, because as far as she understands, the devotees of Vaikuha are not divided into such categories. TEXT 20 Para& k-aa& GaTa& Tatad]SaJaaTaqYaTaaeicTaMa( ) AQaaiPa raSak*-taad*G>a-aNaaMaSTau k-a GaiTa" )) par kh gata tat-tadrasa-jtyatocitam athpi rsa-kt-tdgbhaktnm astu k gati parmultimate; khmlimit; gatamattained; tat-tateach individually; rasaof transcendental reciprocation; jtyataccording to the mode; ucitamsuitable; atha apinonetheless; rsa-ktof the performer of the rsa dance (Ka); tdksuch; bhaktnmof the devotees; astuthere should be; kwhat; gatidestination. They have all attained the ultimate limit of happiness, each in his own kind of ecstatic reciprocation with the Lord. But what place is destined for the exceptional devotees of the performer of the rsa dance? COMMENTARY: Well, someone might ask, if there is a hierarchy of greater and lesser devotees in Vaikuha, then only some of them are fully happy. Is that proper? Arent devotees of the Supreme Lord, especially those who have attained Vaikuha, greater than mere liberated souls? Dont they enjoy the highest happiness, above that of liberation? The current verse clears this doubt. All the residents of Vaikuha enjoy incomparable happiness, but some gradation of happiness still exists because each devotee relishes a mixture of ecstasies that make up his individual devotional mood, or rasa. It is natural, therefore, that according to a devotees sthyi-bhva, the predominating mood of his ecstatic rasa, he receive a particular degree and kind of happiness. Nonetheless, each devotee thinks that his happiness is perfect and complete, because it exactly suits his personality. Having acknowledged this, Mother Uttar next expresses her own doubt about the devotees of Ka, whose spontaneous love for the Lord is greater than all other varieties of prema. In Vaikuha is there

a special place where those devotees can enjoy the supreme happiness they deserve? Within Uttars question are the following implications: The uddhabhaktas, in their worship of the Supreme Lord, enjoy greater ecstasy than the jna-bhaktas. But although the devotees in Vaikuha find themselves in a hierarchy that would normally cause envy, quarrel, and other kinds of conflict, those devotees are free from jealousy and other faults, which are the root causes of pain and lamentation. Without this purity they could not reside in Vaikuha. Being affectionately attached to one another in sublime prema, they all feel ever-increasing happiness in their worship of the Lord. As already mentioned, the uddha-bhaktas, whose devotion to the Lord does not depend on the pleasure of life in Vaikuha, are higher than the more conditional jna-bhaktas. That being so, what about the status of devotees still more elevated? What about the Lords best servants, the prema-bhaktas, who are indifferent to all possible selfish concerns? What about the Lords supreme friends, the prema-parabhaktas, who receive His unconditional special favor? And what about His closest loved ones, the premtura-bhaktas, who are bound by the most intimate relationships with the Lord and who live only for His satisfaction? What special place can be found in Vaikuha for those superexcellent devotees? The Skanda Pura explains that exceptional regions do exist in Vaikuha. As mentioned before, Vaikuha has transcendental cities such as Ayodhy and Dvrak, and like their counterparts on earth they are filled with the Supreme Lords personal associates and paraphernalia. In those supreme places the Lord is always present in His most attractive forms. Thus, for example, in the Ayodhy region of Vaikuha devotees of the standard of Hanumn constantly see the Lord of the Raghus, Lord Rmacandra, attended by r St, Lakmaa, and the rest of His entourage. Those devotees continue to enjoy the happiness of being His servants, just as they did while present with the Lord during His pastimes on earth, and their ambitions are fulfilled in every conceivable way. Similarly, in the Dvrak of Vaikuha devotees like r Yudhihira and his family worship Ka as the darling son of Devak, the friend of Arjuna, the younger brother of Balarma, the beloved of Rukmi and Satyabhm. The Pavas continue to serve Ka in their own homes with the same friendship as during His avatra. And also in Dvrak the Ydavas, including exalted souls like Uddhava, worship and serve Ka as their own master, regarding Him as more valuable than their wealth, their power, and their very lives. In the endless manifold transformations of pure love, the Ydavas, their inner and outer consciousness surcharged with bliss, enjoy as much happiness as they desire.

In Vaikuha these devotees enjoy life just as they did when present with their most dear Lord on the earth, where they enjoyed the supreme good fortune of serving His lotus feet, receiving His mercy, relishing pure love for Him, and sharing in His pastimes. That the Supreme Lords earthly and Vaikuha pastimes have these features in common does not diminish the greatness of the spiritual world, because whether in the material or the spiritual world, all the Lords devotees are objects of His infinite compassion. Even if devotees occupy higher and lower positions, the differences pale beside the inconceivably desirable, overwhelming ecstasies of pure love of God. Still, we should recognize a natural hierarchy in the varieties of devotional service. Because jna-bhaktas harbor some attachment to knowledge, the pure ecstasies of prema do not develop in their hearts, even while they live in Vaikuha. The transcendental happiness they deserve is confined mostly to their mental activities. uddha-bhaktas enjoy a greater happiness, which enlivens all their senses through hearing and chanting about the Lord, remembering Him, and so on. And prema-bhaktas feel even greater happiness through all their internal and external senses, because while seeing the Lord and serving Him in various ways they constantly meditate on Him with love. Prema-para-bhaktas cherish yet a higher standard of happiness, which they taste in their friendly dealings with the Lord, in their talking freely with Him, and in their intense moods of separation and meeting. That transcendental happiness floods their entire being. And premtura-bhaktas know the ultimate extreme of happiness; they are immersed in the unending and most intense loving expectation of seeing the Lord, sharing pastimes with Him, and exchanging countless intimate dealings with Him. Every fiber of their existence is surcharged with such happiness, which always exceeds their greatest expectations. Therefore, since various levels of sdhana bring various degrees of perfection, it is undeniable that in Vaikuha, where happiness reaches its ultimate limits, some devotees enjoy more happiness and some less. And in the final issue, those who practice the highest mode of the Lords devotional service achieve one last extreme of perfection, the ecstasy known only by those whose love focuses exclusively on the lotus feet of the divine paramour of the gops. Relative to this, the position of all other devotees is inferior. The nature of Vaikuha, the spiritual kingdom, is such that each devotee, regardless of his mood of devotion, feels that in pursuing the tendencies of his heart in his own relationship with the Lord the happiness he tastes is unsurpassable. Still, Uttar wants to know what special destination awaits the Lords most exceptional devotees, those overflowing with spontaneous love for the lotus feet of r Nanda-kiora.

TEXT 21 Yae SavRNaErPae+Yae<a raDaadaSYaeC^v" ParMa( ) SaqTaRYaiNTa TaaMa Taad*XaiPa[YaTaaMaYaa" )) ye sarva-nairapekyea rdh-dsyecchava param sakrtayanti tan-nma tda-priyat-may yewho; sarvato everything; nairapekyeawith indifference; rdh-dsyaservitude to r Rdh; icchavadesiring; param only; sakrtayantithey chant; tatHis; nmaname; tdasuch; priyatwith love; mayfull. They chant His names and are full of unique love for Him. Indifferent to everything else, they want only to become servants of r Rdh. COMMENTARY: The devotees of r Rdh, who is the dearmost beloved of Lord Madana-gopla, are not impersonalists void of desires. They are fully confident that if r Rdhik accepts them as Her servants, everything they desire will be achieved, and more. The privilege of serving r Rdh is the rarest goal of life, and it is fitting that this privilege be attainable only by executing the most excellent of sdhanas. That is to say, one can please Her Divine Grace only by the sacrifice of purely chanting the names of r Rsa-rasika, the hero of the rsa dance. In sweet voices the servants of r Rdh always melodiously and loudly chant Kas names. Such devotees are worthy to engage in such elevated service because their hearts are filled with the supreme variety of spontaneous ecstatic love for Ka. TEXT 22 ANYaezaiMav Taeza& c Pa[aPYa& ced( Ta*PYaiTa ) Ahae NaNdYaXaaedadeNaR Sahe Taad*Xaq=& GaiTaMa( )) anyem iva te ca prpya ced hn na tpyati aho nanda-yaodder na sahe td gatim anyemof others; ivalike; temtheir; caand; prpyamthe object of attainment; cetif; htmy heart; na tpyatiwill not be

satisfied; ahooh; nanda-yaod-deof Nanda, Yaod, and others; na saheI cannot tolerate; tdmsuch; gatima destination. If those special devotees attain only the same perfection as others, my heart will be left discontent. For such devotees as Nanda and Yaod to reach only the same destinationto me the very thought is intolerable. COMMENTARY: Someone might propose that r Mathur-pur, like Ayodhy and Dvrak, may be located in Vaikuha. The devotees of Rdh and Ka may thus have their Vaikuha Gokula where they can enjoy pastimes with the Lord and feel happiness greater than that of the Ydavas, just as the Ydavas enjoy happiness greater than that of the Pavas. Uttar, however, is not satisfied with this proposal. She cannot tolerate having the devotees of Gokula categorized with other, ordinary Vaiavas. TEXT 23 ivivDaaNaa& MaihMNaa& ih Ya}a k-aa" Para" Para" ) k-ae$=INaa& PaYaRvSYaiNTa SaMaud]e SairTaae YaQaa )) vividhn mahimn hi yatra kh par par kon paryavasyanti samudre sarito yath vividhnmof various; mahimnmexcellences; hiindeed; yatra in whom; khthe limits; par parmost extreme; konm millions; paryavasyantiaccumulate; samudrein the ocean; sarita rivers; yathas. Varied and countless excellences flow into those devotees, like rivers into the ocean. COMMENTARY: All varieties of perfection are fully manifest in the devotees of Gokula. Those devotees are perfectly beautiful, charming, and graceful, and they are endowed with the valuable assets of religious duty, economic development, sense gratification, renunciation, knowledge, realization, devotion, and pure love of God. All these perfections are present within them to the utmost degree possible for finite living beings. Whenever r Bhad-bhgavatmta depicts the glories of devotees lesser than the residents of Gokula, its purpose is to highlight the greater glories of the Gokula-vss and demonstrate that all varieties of excellence flow ultimately into the

residents of Gokula, just as the waters of all rivers flow at last into the ocean. TEXT 24 TadQaRMauicTa& SQaaNaMaek&- vEku-<#=Ta" ParMa( ) APaei+aTaMavXYa& SYaataTPa[k-aXYaaerSv MaaMa( )) tad-artham ucita sthnam eka vaikuhata param apekitam avaya syt tat prakyoddharasva mm tat-arthamfor that reason; ucitamappropriate; sthnamplace; ekamone; vaikuhata parambeyond Vaikuha; apekitam expected; avayamcertainly; sytthere should be; tatthat; prakyaby revealing; uddharasvaplease deliver; mmme. Therefore a suitable place must surely exist for them, beyond Vaikuha. Please reveal it to me and rescue me. COMMENTARY: In this verse Mother Uttar sums up her inquiry. She reasons that there must be some place even greater than Vaikuha, a place suitable for the enjoyment of devotees like r Nanda and Yaod. That place should have certain qualifications. It should be devoid of thought that the Lord is the supreme all-powerful controller (in other words, it should be free from awe and reverence). It should be untainted by flaws that impede the growth of ecstatic love. It should be invisible to those who are addicted to dry knowledge. And it should be approachable only by those dearmost servants of the Lord who delight in being caught under the sway of a prema untasted in this world or any other. That place should be the quintessence of attractiveness, a place fully enriched with the unique, indescribable bliss of transcendental rasa. It should be sweeter than the sweet, superior to the superior, describable only by great saints who forever relish the taste of r Kas lotus feet, saints like Nrada, for surely he must sing the glories of that place with his v. Such a unique place must certainly exist, Uttar thinks, but because it is most confidential and I am not very intelligent I am unable to ascertain its identity. Therefore, lost in an ocean of sadness, in waves of doubt, in deep currents of confusion, she asks her son, Parkit, to reveal that place to her by describing it in words. By doing this he will lift her out of the ocean of sorrow. Of course, the blessed district of Mathur, the best of all places, is already manifest on earth and can most certainly provide r Nanda

and others the exceptional happiness of taking part in the Lords wonderful pastimes. But Uttar has doubts because that Mathur is within the material world. Thus she is asking whether another transcendental location exists for the pastimes of Ka and His favorite devotees. To external vision the modern residents of the earthly Mathur seem subject to the bodily transformations of disease, old age, and death and so appear entangled in mundane illusion. Unlike the Lords abode in Vaikuha, the Mathur on earth does not seem to award immediate perfection to everyone who merely steps into it. So Uttar doubts whether the earthly Mathur is in fact the ultimate goal of human endeavor. And she suspects that at the time of the universal annihilation or of the partial annihilation of the three middle planetary systems, the district of Mathur may disappear. This question raised by Mother Uttar, although subtle and therefore difficult, will gradually be answered by Parkit through the story of Gopa-kumra. First Parkit will describe r Goloka in the spiritual world as the destination of Kas most intimate devotees, and then he will speak about the pleasure pastimes Ka performs both there and in the Mathur on earth. Although the earthly Mathur is located within the material realm, it remains untouched by the influence of illusion, just as the Supreme Lord Himself, His devotees, and His pastimes remain unaffected by illusion when they descend to the material world. As r Nrada Muni will state later in r Bhadbhgavatmta (2.5.55): nn-vidhs tasya paricchad ye nmni ll priya-bhmaya ca satyni nityny akhilni tadvad ekny anekni ca tni viddhi All the paraphernalia of the Lords service, including His names, His pastimes, and His favorite abodes, assume various forms. You should understand that just as each of these forms is eternally real, each is simultaneously one and many. Yogamy, the spiritual energy of the Lord, arranges for the presentday residents of Mathur to appear to undergo material transformations. The Lords spiritual energy does this to delude the nondevotees and satisfy the Lords devotees, just as she prevents nondevotees from feeling ecstasy even after having personal audience of the Lord, the embodiment of highest bliss. This subject will be explained later, in the narration of Gopa-kumras sojourn in Tapoloka. That the glories of earthly Mathur are hidden from ordinary eyes indicates the greatness of that abode. Indeed, the earthly Mathur and its glories are eternal; they are not destroyed even when the universe is annihilated. Devotees who think that Mathur may in the future disappear are mistaken, because in fact Mathur is beyond

destruction, even by the Lords ultimate divine weapon, the Sudarana disc, which is the governing force underlying material time, the destroyer of the worlds. All the same, Mother Uttar is asking about some other supreme place because the greatness of earthly Mathur is not at once perceived and because many people have not heard about the wonderful activities the Personality of Godhead displays there. In fact the glories of the earthly Mathur in some ways surpass those of the spiritual planet Goloka, and r Bhad-bhgavatmta, therefore, will describe how Gopa-kumra, after realizing the glories of Goloka, learned about this from r Nrada. The original Personality of Godhead r Ka descends to Mathur in this world with all His beauty and other attributes to exhibit unprecedented playful activities. And when the entire universe or the three middle planetary systems are destroyed, the earthly Mathur becomes invisible and merges back into r Goloka. In other words, Mathur is not destroyed; it remains unchanged, above the wheel of time. But because the Lords pastimes are then no longer perceivable in Mathur on earth, it seems that the Personality of Godhead continues to enjoy Himself only in the corresponding spiritual realm, Goloka. And so r Goloka is considered the ultimate destination of spiritual endeavor. r Nrada may sometimes ascribe to Mathur on earth glories even greater than those of Goloka, but that is not contradictory. Since the two places are in essence nondifferent, whatever is said about one of them is true of the other. TEXT 25 [qJaEiMaiNavac MaaTaurev& MaharMYaPa[neNaaNaiNdTa" SauTa" ) Taa& NaTva Saa[uraeMaaMaare>ae Pa[iTa>aaizTauMa( )) r-jaiminir uvca mtur eva mah-ramyapranennandita suta t natv sru-romcam rebhe pratibhitum r-jaimini uvcar Jaimini said; mtuof his mother; evam thus; mah-ramyamost pleasing; pranenaby the inquiry; nanditadelighted; sutathe son; tmto her; natvbowing down; sa-aruwith tears; roma-acamand bodily hairs standing on end; rebhebegan; pratibhitumto reply. r Jaimini said: Delighted by this most pleasing inquiry from Mother Uttar, her son, Parkit, bowed down to her and

began his reply. Tears poured from his eyes, and his bodily hairs stood on end. COMMENTARY: Parkit will begin his reply by complimenting his mother for her excellent question and by offering respects to his worshipable Lord. TEXT 26 [qParqi+aduvac [qk*-Z<aJaqivTae MaaTaSTadqYaivrhaSahe ) TavEv YaaeGYa" Pa[nae_Ya& Na k*-Taae Ya kE-Na )) r-parkid uvca r-ka-jvite mtas tadya-virahsahe tavaiva yogya prano ya na kto ya ca kaicana r-parkit uvcar Parkit said; r-kafor r Ka; jvite whose existence; mtamy dear mother; tadyaof Him; viraha the separation; asahewho cannot tolerate; tavayour; evaindeed; yogyapraiseworthy; pranaquestion; ayamthis; nanot; kta made before; yawhich; caand; kaicanaby any persons. r Parkit said: My dear mother, for you, who live only for r Ka, separation from Him is intolerable. This question of yours is most praiseworthy. No one has ever asked this question before. COMMENTARY: Parkit wishes to encourage his mother so that her mind will easily focus on what he is about to say. He calls her r-kajvit, which means either one who lives only for r Ka or one whom r Ka brought back to life, the second meaning alluding to Kas saving the life of Uttar by stopping the brahmstra of Avatthm. Uttar is known for having suffered greatly in separation from Ka. As Sta Gosvm described in the First Canto of rmadBhgavatam (1.10.910): subhadr draupad kunt vira-tanay tath gndhr dhtarra ca yuyutsur gautamo yamau vkodara ca dhaumya ca striyo matsya-sutdaya

na sehire vimuhyanto viraha rga-dhanvana Subhadr, Draupad, Kunt, Uttar, and Gndhr, and Dhtarra, Yuyutsu, Kpcrya, and Nakula and Sahadeva, and Bhmasena and Dhaumya, and ladies such as the daughter of Matsya all nearly fainted because it was impossible for them to bear separation from Lord Ka. King Vira, the father of Uttar, was adopted along with his sister, Satyavat, by a fisherman (Matsya). Since Vira was also called Matsya, the name Matsya-sut (daughter of a fisherman) can indicate either Satyavat or her niece Uttar. If we take the second of these alternatives, Uttar is mentioned twice in these two verses, indicating that she hankered for Ka in separation even more intensely than the others. Therefore it is quite appropriate for her to ask so confidentially about Kas devotional service. Tavaiva yogya prana means The only relevant question is yours [tava eva]. Few other persons would have had the proper devotional attitude to ask such a question. TEXT 27 iNaJaiPa[YaSa%SYaa}a [qSau>ad]aPaTaerhMa( ) YaeNa PaaE}aTaYaa Ga>aeR Tav SaNMa l/iM>aTa" )) nija-priya-sakhasytra r-subhadr-pater aham yena pautratay garbhe tava saj-janma lambhita nijaown; priya-sakhasyaof His dear friend (Arjuna); atrahere; rsubhadr-pateof the husband of r Subhadr; ahamI; yenaby whom; pautratayas a grandson; garbhein the womb; tavayour; sat-janmathe auspicious birth; lambhitaobtained. Ka Himself granted me the fortunate privilege to be born here from your womb as a grandson of His dear friend Arjuna, the husband of r Subhadr. COMMENTARY: Parkit realizes that only by the special mercy of r Ka will he be able to answer his mothers question, and accordingly he offers his homage to Ka. In texts 27 through 31 he first describes the favors Ka showed him throughout his life. In this verse the word atra (here) has several related meanings: Parkit was born in the holy land of Bhrata-vara, in its most pious central region, in the human species, in a dynasty of great katriyas,

and from the womb of Uttar as the grandson of Kas friend Arjuna. His birth was sat, auspicious, because it was connected with Ka. Ka protected Parkits unborn body from being destroyed by the weapon of Avatthm. And Parkits grandmother was Subhadr, Kas sister, not any other of Arjunas wives. TEXT 28 Ga>aaRNTare c Da*Tac-GadeNa YaeNa b]aTaae_hMaivTa" SaihTaae >avTYaa ) baLYae Narezu iNaJaPaParq+a<a& c NaqTaae Mauhu" ParMa>aaGavTaaeicTa& YaTa( )) garbhntare ca dhta-cakra-gadena yena brahmstrato ham avita sahito bhavaty blye nareu nija-rpa-parkaa ca nto muhu parama-bhgavatocita yat garbha-antarewithin the womb; caand; dhtaholding; cakra disc; gadenaand club; yenaby whom; brahma-astratafrom the brahmstra weapon; ahamI; avitaprotected; sahitatogether with; bhavatyyour good self; blyein childhood; nareuamong men; nija-rpafor His form; parkaamto the searching; caand; ntaled; muhurepeatedly; parama-bhgavataof topmost Vaiavas; ucitamworthy; yatwhich. To protect both me and you from the brahmstra weapon, Ka appeared within your womb holding His disc and club. In my childhood He led me to search constantly among men for His own form, a meditation worthy of the most exalted Vaiavas. COMMENTARY: When Lord Ka entered the womb of Uttar to protect her child, He assumed His four-armed form and used both His disc and His club to dispel the brahmstra. This pastime is described in the First and Tenth Cantos of rmad-Bhgavatam: katajka gad-pim tmana sarvato diam paribhramantam ulkbh bhrmayanta gad muhu With four long, beautiful arms, earrings of fiery gold, eyes blood red with fury, and His club constantly encircling Him like a shooting star, the Lord whirled about the child. (Bhgavatam 1.12.9)

drauy-astra-vipluam ida mad-aga santna-bja kuru-pavnm jugopa kuki gata tta-cakro mtu ca me ya araa gaty Because my mother surrendered unto Lord Kas lotus feet, the Lord, Sudarana cakra in hand, entered her womb and saved my body, the body of the last remaining descendant of the Kurus and the Pavas, which was almost destroyed by the fiery weapon of Avatthm. (Bhgavatam 10.1.6) The sight of the Lords beautiful form within his mothers womb greatly impressed the unborn Parkit: aguha-mtram amala sphurat-puraa-maulinam apvya-darana yma taid vsasam acyutam rmad-drgha-catur-bhu tapta-kcana-kualam The Lord was only thumb high, but He was all transcendental. He had a beautiful, blackish, infallible body, and He wore a dress of lightning yellow and a helmet of blazing gold. The Lord was enriched with four hands and with earrings of molten gold. Thus He was seen by the child. (Bhgavatam 1.12.89) All through his childhood, Parkit tried to find the same Lord he had seen in the womb. Whenever he saw a similar-looking person he would ask himself, Is this the same one? rmad-Bhgavatam (1.12.30) describes the origin of his name: sa ea loke vikhyta parkid iti yat prabhu prva dam anudhyyan parketa narev iha He would become famous in the world as Parkit [examiner] because he would come to examine all human beings in his search for that personality whom he saw before his birth. Thus he would come to constantly contemplate the Lord. In this way, even in early childhood Parkit always meditated on the all-attractive form of r Ka. TEXT 29 YaeNaaNauvTas MahTaa& Gau<aE" k*-Taae iv:YaaiPaTaae_h& k-il/iNaGa[he<a )

SaMPaa raJYai[YaMauTaa& TaTaae iNaveRidTaae >aUSaurXaaPadaPaNaaTa( )) yennuvart mahat guai kto vikhypito ha kali-nigrahea sampdya rjya-riyam adbhut tato nirvedito bhsura-pa-dpant yenaby which; anuvartattended; mahatmof great saints; guaiwith the qualities; ktamade; vikhypitafamous; aham I; kali-nigraheaby subduing Kali; sampdyagaining; rjya-riyam royal opulence; adbhutmwonderful; tatasubsequently; nirveditamade to renounce; bhsurathrough the agency of a brhmaa; paof a curse; dpantby the causing to give. By Him I was endowed with the qualities of great saints and made famous for subduing Kali. By faithfully following Him I gained wonderful royal opulences. Then, through a brhmaas curse, He made me renounce everything. COMMENTARY: By r Kas blessings, Parkit had many saintly qualities, like selfless care for the people, respect for brahminical authority, and strict adherence to his promises. These qualities he inherited from his ancestors, who were pious kings. As the brhmaa astrologers told Yudhihira Mahrja at the time of Parkits birth: prtha prajvit skd ikvkur iva mnava brahmaya satya-sandha ca rmo darathir yath O son of Pth, this child will be exactly like King Ikvku, son of Manu, in maintaining all those who are born. And in following the brahminical principles, especially in being true to his promise, he will be exactly like Rma, the Personality of Godhead, the son of Mahrja Daaratha. ea dt araya ca yath hy aunara ibi yao-vitanit svn dauyantir iva yajvanm This child will be a munificent donor of charity and protector of the surrendered, like the famous King ibi of the Unara country. And he will expand the name and fame of his family like Bharata, the son of Mahrja Duyanta.

dhanvinm agrar ea tulya crjunayor dvayo huta iva durdhara samudra iva dustara Amongst great bowmen, he will be as good as the two Arjunas [Pava Arjuna and Krtavrya Arjuna]. He will be as irresistible as fire and as unsurpassable as the ocean. mgendra iva vikrnto nievyo himavn iva titikur vasudhevsau sahiu pitarv iva He will be as strong as a lion, and as worthy a shelter as the Himlaya Mountains. He will be forbearing like the earth, and as tolerant as his parents. pitmaha-sama smye prasde giriopama raya sarva-bhtn yath devo ramraya In equanimity of mind he will be like his grandfather Yudhihira or Brahm. He will be munificent like iva, the lord of the Kailsa Hill. And he will be the resort of everyone, like the Supreme Personality of Godhead Nryaa, who is even the shelter of the goddess of fortune. sarva-sad-gua-mhtmye ea kam anuvrata rantideva ivodro yaytir iva dhrmika The child will be almost as good as Lord r Ka by following in His footsteps. In magnanimity he will become as great as King Rantideva, and in religion like Mahrja Yayti. dhty bali-sama ke prahrda iva sad-graha He will be like Bali Mahrja in patience and a staunch devotee of Lord Ka like Prahlda Mahrja. (Bhgavatam 1.12.1925) While on a victory tour of his kingdom, Parkit came to Kuruketra, on the shore of the east-flowing Sarasvat, and there confronted Kali, the personification of the modern age. Kali, in the form of a dra, was

committing violence against a cow and a bull, who were actually the goddess Earth and personified Religion. Parkit subdued Kali, and thus for the duration of his own reign he limited the spread of Kalis influence. For this accomplishment he became world-famous. By Kas grace Parkits rule was a source of amazement to everyone. The kingdom was free from disturbance and abundant in wealth. But Parkit lost interest in his royal opulence in a moment, when cursed by gi, the son of the sage amka. The brhmaas son cursed the king thus: iti laghita-maryda takaka saptame hani dakyati sma kulgra codito me tata-druham On the seventh day from today a snake-bird will bite that most wretched member of the dynasty because of his having broken the laws of etiquette by insulting my father. (Bhgavatam 1.18.37) Parkit understood, however, that this curse was also Kas arrangement for his benefit; otherwise, the king would never have committed such an offense against a pure sage,or the young son of the sage would never have cursed the king, or Ka would have empowered the king to neutralize the curse. The immediate effect of the curse was to awaken Parkits sense of renunciation: tasyaiva me ghasya parvareo vysakta-cittasya ghev abhkam nirveda-mlo dvija-pa-rpo yatra prasakto bhayam u dhatte The Supreme Personality of Godhead, the controller of both the transcendental and mundane worlds, has graciously overtaken me in the form of a brhmaas curse. Because of my being too much attached to family life, the Lord, in order to save me, has appeared before me in such a way that only out of fear I will detach myself from the world. (Bhgavatam 1.19.14) Because Parkit was engrossed in household obligations, he considered himself sinful. But he was grateful that r Ka, just to draw him close, appeared to him in the form of the brhmaas curse. When an attached person in family life receives such a curse, he naturally becomes frightened. This is auspicious for the conditioned soul because fear can help inspire renunciation and in renunciation Ka can be achieved. Therefore Ka arranged for the brhmaa boy to curse Parkit. TEXT 30

TaiC^ZYaPae<a c MaiTPa[Ya& Ta& Sa&[aVYa XaaPa& iNal/YaaNDakU-PaaTa( ) [qvaSaudeveNa ivk*-ZYa NaqTa" Pa[aYaaePaveXaaYa MaiTa& uNaaMa( )) tac-chiya-rpea ca mat-priya ta sarvya pa nilayndha-kpt r-vsudevena vikya nta pryopaveya mati dyu-nadym tatof him (the brhmaa sage amka); iya-rpeain the form of a disciple (his son gi); caand; matto me; priyamdear; tam that; sarvyabeing made to hear; pamthe curse; nilayaof home; andha-kptout of the blind well; r-vsudevenaby r Vsudeva (Ka); vikyabeing pulled; ntabeing led; pryaupaveyato fast till death; matimto the decision; dyu-nadymby the river of heaven (r Gag). When I heard of that curse, I took it as most welcome. r Vsudeva, in the form of a brhmaas disciple, was dragging me out of the blind well of family life and guiding me to choose to fast till death on the shore of the celestial Gag. COMMENTARY: By another fortunate circumstance, someone informed Parkit that he was cursed to die in seven days. Had Parkit remained unaware of this news, he would never have gone to the bank of the Gag to fast in preparation for death. Although Parkit has poetically described the brhmaas curse as a cause of fear, the truth is that when Parkit learned of the curse he was unfearing and even pleased. He was already hoping for such a reaction to his offense. Thus he says here, mat-priya tam: I took it as most welcome. In the last chapter of the First Canto of rmad-Bhgavatam (1.19.2), just before hearing of the curse, Parkit expressed his mind: dhruva tato me kta-deva-heland duratyaya vyasana nti-drght tad astu kma hy agha-niktya me yath na kury punar evam addh Due to neglecting the injunctions of the Supreme Lord, I must certainly expect some difficulty to overcome me in the near future. I now desire without reservation that the calamity come directly upon me at once, for in this way I may be freed of the sinful reaction and not commit such an offense again. He wanted the reaction to come immediately, without delay (nti-drght). And he wanted the

punishment to fall directly on himself (addh), rather than on one of his sons or someone else. Here Parkit calls his family life a blind well, a well from which he was incapable of lifting himself. r Ka very kindly pulled him out of that well and brought him to the shore of the celestial river Gag. Ka, as Lord Vsudeva, the presiding Deity of consciousness, also attracted Parkits mind to the idea of fasting from food and drink until death. Because the Lord personally took control of him, Parkit did not remain in his palace and try to counteract the curse by performing yaja (sacrifice) and pryacitta (atonement for an accidental fall into sinful activity). Ka is Vsudeva, the Supersoul of all, and He is the son of r Vasudeva, who is a reservoir of supreme compassion and gentleness. Therefore it was only natural for Ka to favor His dear devotee Parkit by arranging such a circumstance. TEXT 31 MauNaqNd]GaaeaMauPadeXYa Tatv& Xauk-aTMaNaa YaeNa >aYa& iNarSYa ) Pa[Maae c SviPa[YaSadaNaaTa( k-QaaMa*Ta& SaMPa[iTa c Pa[PaaYYae )) munndra-gohym upadeya tattva uktman yena bhaya nirasya pramodya ca sva-priya-saga-dnt kathmta samprati ca prapyye muni-indraof most eminent sages; gohymin the assembly; upadeyabeing taught; tattvamthe Supreme Truth; uka-tman in the form of ukadeva; yenaby whom; bhayamfear; nirasya being dispelled; pramodyabeing delighted; caand; sva-priyaof His dear devotees; sagaof the association; dntby the gift; kathamtamthe nectar of His topics; sampratinow; caand; prapyye I shall help you drink. In the assembly of most eminent sages, the Lord dispelled my fear by explaining the truth through ukadeva. And the Lord delighted me by granting the association of His dear devotees. Now I shall help you drink the nectar of topics about the Lord. COMMENTARY: Many eminent sages like Vasiha, Parara, Vysa, and Nrada assembled to witness Parkits passing away. The word gohym, which sometimes means in a discussion, indicates that first there was some debate among the sages, as described in r Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya (3.2021):

tena te devat-tattva p vdn vitenire nn-stra-vido vipr mitha sdhana-daai harir daiva ivo daiva bhskaro daivam ity uta kla eva svabhvas tu karmaiveti pthag jagu Having been asked the truth about the Supreme Lord, the sages, who were expert in many scriptures, expounded a number of different theories. Each sage tried to refute the validity of what the others recommended for spiritual practice. They made various opposing claims: Hari is the Supreme Lord. iva is the Supreme Lord. The sun is the Supreme Lord. Time is the Supreme. Mans nature is supreme. Karma is supreme. The word gohym can also mean in the assembly. Taken that way, it indicates that what ukadeva told Parkit was irrefutably authoritative because the greatest sages of the universe unanimously approved it. The philosophical disagreements ended with the arrival of ukadeva. Through ukadeva, the son of Vysa, Ka Himself imparted to Parkit the essential spiritual instructions of rmadBhgavatam. ukadeva enlightened Parkit in two ways. By teaching the factual nature of the body and the soul, he removed Parkits fear his fear of the bite of the snake-bird Takaka and of the cycle of birth and death. And by teaching about transcendental topics such as the glories of devotional service to the Personality of Godhead, ukadeva filled Parkit with joy. By the time Parkit spoke this verse to his mother, his divine spiritual master had already gone away, and the time for death had arrived. But Ka continued to favor Parkit by again blessing him with the association of a saintly Vaiava, namely his own mother. Parkit therefore says to her, Now let me serve you hari-kathmta, the excellent nectarean topics of the Lord. To be able to drink harikathmta in the company of the Lords beloved devotees is the most desirable achievement in life. TEXT 32 k*-Z<a& Pa[<aMYa iNaPaaiDak*-Paak-r& TaMa( Sa&vDYaR ivPa[vcNaadrTaae Ga*hqTa& ) SvSYaaNTak-al/iMadMaek-MaNaa b]uve Tae Pa[naetar& Sak-l/vEZ<avXaaSaarMa( ))

ka praamya nirupdhi-kpkara tam savardhya vipra-vacandarato ghta svasynta-klam idam eka-man bruve te pranottara sakala-vaiava-stra-sram kamto Ka; praamyapaying my obeisances; nirupdhi unconditional; kpof mercy; karamthe reservoir; tamto Him; savardhyabeing postponed; vipraof the brhmaa; vacanafor the words; darataout of respect; ghtamaccepted; svasyamy; antaof the demise; klamthe time; idamthis; eka-manwith one-pointed attention; bruveI shall speak; teyou; pranato the question; uttaramthe answer; sakalaof all; vaiava-stra Vaiava scriptures; sramthe essence. I bow down to Him, r Ka, the reservoir of causeless mercy. Out of respect for the words of the brhmaa, I have accepted the appointed time for my demise. That time being momentarily delayed, I shall answer your question with onepointed attention by describing the essence of all Vaiava scriptures. COMMENTARY: Someone might think it inappropriate for a saintly person like Parkit Mahrja to advertise his own good qualities. Anticipating such a doubt, Parkit explains that everything praiseworthy he has said about himself is due only to the causeless mercy of Ka. Ka is the source of all undeserved mercy; if we see a generous person act kindly to someone undeserving, that kindness is but a small portion from the original, infinite repository of causeless mercy. Thus, Parkit submits, even though I am the most fallen and unworthy soul, devoid of good qualities, many excellences have appeared in me, and these are nothing other than excellences of Ka. My speaking praise of myself, therefore, is faultless. These moments are supposed to be the last of King Parkits life, but somehow they are being extended so that he has time to satisfy his mother, who wants to hear the essence of the nectar of rmadBhgavatam. Parkit thus intends to give full attention to his answer, even at the cost of the yogic meditation he should perform while preparing for death. TEXT 33 [uiTaSMa*TaqNaa& vaKYaaiNa Saa+aataaTPaYaRTaae_PYahMa( ) VYaa:YaaYa baeDaiYaTvETatva& SaNTaaeziYaTau& +aMa" ))

ruti-smtn vkyni skt ttparyato py aham vykhyya bodhayitvaitat tv santoayitu kama rutiof rutis; smtnmand of smtis; vkynithe statements; sktliterally; ttparyataby the implication of their purports; api also; ahamI; vykhyyaby explaining; bodhayitvmaking you understand; etatthis; tvmyou; santoayitumto satisfy; kama am capable. I could satisfy your request by explaining to you the statements of the rutis and smtis, both in their literal meaning and in their implications. COMMENTARY: One way to answer his mothers inquiry would be to systematically explain the authoritative philosophical statements of revealed scriptures. To do this, he would carefully have to discern which scriptural passages should be accepted literally and which need to be interpreted conditionally or figuratively to agree with what has already been established as real. TEXT 34 TaQaaiPa SvGaurae" Pa[a& Pa[SaadaTSa&XaYaiC^dMa( ) A}aeiTahaSaMaadaE Tae VYa-aQa| k-QaYaaMYaMauMa( )) tathpi sva-guro prpta prasdt saaya-cchidam atretihsam dau te vyaktrtha kathaymy amum tath apinonetheless; sva-guroof my spiritual master; prptam obtained; prasdtby the mercy; saayadoubts; chidamwhich destroys; atrataking this opportunity; itihsama history; dau first; teyour; vyakta-arthamfor the clarification; kathaymiI shall tell; amumthis. But I prefer to clarify this subject for you by first relating a history I learned by the mercy of my spiritual master. This narration will dispel your doubts. COMMENTARY: Vysa never formally initiated his son ukadeva Gosvm, and ukadeva never formally initiated his student Parkit.

Nonetheless, the entire tradition of hearing rmad-Bhgavatam in the transcendental bhgavata line of disciplic succession rests on the foundation of the relationship between ukadeva and Parkit as guru and disciple. Parkit will recount in his own words the essence of what he heard from his guru, taking care to present the literal facts in the most straightforward way. He does not want his mother to suffer any confusion or doubt. TEXT 35 ivPa[ae iNaiZk-Na" k-iTPaura Pa[aGJYaaeiTaze Paure ) vSajaTaXaaaQaaeR bhud]iv<ak-aMYaYaa )) vipro nikicana kacit pur prgjyotie pure vasann ajta-strrtho bahu-dravia-kmyay vipraa brhmaa; nikicanapoor; kacitcertain; purlong ago; prgjyotie purein the city of Prgjyotia; vasanwas living; ajtanot knowing; stra-arthathe meaning of the scriptures; bahu-draviaafter much wealth; kmyayhankering. Long ago in the city of Prgjyotia there lived a poor brhmaa. He was ignorant of the teachings of scripture, and he hankered after abundant wealth. TEXTS 3637 Ta}aTYadevq=& k-aMaa:Yaa& [YaaNauidNa& >aJaNa( ) TaSYaa" Sak-aXaatauaYaa" SvPane MaN}a& dXaa+arMa( )) le/>ae MadNaGaaePaal/cr<aaM>aaeJadEvTaMa( ) TayaNaaidivDaaNaa!y& Saa+aaidv MahaiNaiDaMa( )) tatratya-dev kmkhy raddhaynu-dina bhajan tasy sakt tuy svapne mantra dakaram lebhe madana-goplacarambhoja-daivatam tad-dhyndi-vidhnhya

skd iva mah-nidhim tatratyaof that place; devmthe goddess; kma-khym Kmkhy; raddhayfaithfully; anu-dinamevery day; bhajan worshiping; tasy saktfrom her; tuywho was satisfied; svapnein a dream; mantramthe mantra; daa-akaramof ten syllables; lebhehe received; madana-goplaof Madana-gopla; caraa-ambhojathe lotus feet; daivatamwhose object of worship; tatof that; dhyna-difor the meditation and so on; vidhnawith the prescriptions; hyamincluded; sktdirectly; ivaas if; mah-nidhima great treasure. Every day he would faithfully worship Kmkhy, the goddess of that place. And when she became satisfied he received from her in a dream the ten-syllable mantra for worshiping the lotus feet of Madana-gopla. The goddess also gave him instructions on how to meditate upon the mantra and perform various details of practice. The mantra manifested itself before him like a valuable treasure-chest opened right before his eyes. COMMENTARY: This brhmaa lived in the northeast of India, in what is now the state of Assam. His city, Prgjyotia, had been the capital of Bhaumsura during the time of the advent of Lord Ka. The brhmaa had never studied the scriptures properly and had never heard a basic explanation of their message from authorized teachers. That such an unfortunate fool achieved his ambitions proves the potency of the mantra he received. The ten-syllable gopla-mantra is defined in esoteric terms in the book Krama-dpik, an old Vaiava tantra by Keava crya. Vedic and tantric mantras should be chanted only by qualified persons who have received them through proper initiation. Therefore, when books discuss these mantras, special efforts are made to disguise the exact syllables of the mantra. Sometimes a few syllables are changed or inverted in the description, or sometimes, as in the Krama-dpiks presentation of this gopla-mantra, the explanation is impossible to understand by those who are unfamiliar with the cryptic code being used. Thus Krama-dpik (2.5) describes the ten-syllable goplamantra as follows: rg sottara-danta ro vmki-yug-dvityo ra, l aurir blo balnuja-dvayam athkara-catukam. The holder of the bow arga, the upper teeth, then ra, and the second letter conjoined with the goddess Vnk, then the bearer of the trident, and auri, and Bla, and twice the younger brother of Bala, and four more syllables. The Deity worshiped by this mantra is r Madana-gopla, who happens to be the worshipable Deity of rla Santana Gosvm. Kmkhy Dev gave the brhmaa not only the mantra but also the

method for meditating on the mantras Deity; and, as implied by the word di (and so on), she also told him how to touch his body to sanctify it with the syllables of the mantra and how to worship the Deity through various means, including appropriate hand gestures. How was the brhmaas attention attracted away from his worship of Dev? The gopla-mantra made such a vivid impression on him that he completely forgot his other religious activities. TEXT 38 deVYaadeXaeNa Ta& MaN}a& ivive- SaTaTa& JaPaNa( ) DaNaeC^aYaa iNav*taae_>aU=e>ae c id iNav*RiTaMa( )) devy-deena ta mantra vivikte satata japan dhanecchy nivtto bhl lebhe ca hdi nirvtim devof the goddess; deenaon the order; tamthat; mantram mantra; viviktein a private place; satatamconstantly; japan chanting; dhanafor wealth; icchyfrom the desire; nivtta detached; abhthe became; lebhehe obtained; caand; hdiin his heart; nirvtimsatisfaction. On the order of the goddess, he chanted the mantra constantly to himself in a secluded place. Gradually he gave up his desire for wealth, and his heart became satisfied. COMMENTARY: The brhmaa was so foolish that he ignored the advice of the goddess and dismissed the mantra as the false creation of a dream. She then appeared to him in a second dream to repeat her instructions. TEXT 39 vSTauTatvaNai>ajae_NYaTSa ik-iTPaarl/aEik-k-Ma( ) SaaDaNa& ik-l/ SaaDYa& c vTaRMaaNaMaMaNYaTa )) vastu-tattvnabhijo nyat sa kicit pra-laukikam sdhana kila sdhya ca vartamnam amanyata

vastu-tattvaof the real facts; anabhijaignorant; anyatother; sa he; kicitsomething; pra-laukikamin the next world; sdhanam the means; kilaindeed; sdhyamthe goal; caand; vartamnam existing; amanyatathought. Ignorant of the real facts, he thought that something other than this mantra must be his means of success in the next life and something else must be his final goal. COMMENTARY: Lacking discrimination, the brhmaa was unable to recognize the value of the mantra relative to other things in his life; his judgment of what to accept and what to reject was impaired. But by the grace of the mantra, his mind, previously uninterested in the next life, now began to turn in that direction. The goddess had withheld from him knowledge about the full power of this mantra, and so he was imagining other goals and means of success. But as we shall see later in this narration, the effectiveness of the gopla-mantra, even when knowledge about it is lacking, is evidence of its great potency. The mantra bestows all benefits even when chanted without faith or understanding. TEXT 40 Ga*haidk&- PairTYaJYa >a[Ma&STaqQaeRzu i>a+aYaa ) GaTaae iNavaRhYaNdeh& GaaSaaGarSaMaMa( )) ghdika parityajya bhramas trtheu bhikay gato nirvhayan deha gag-sgara-sagamam gha-dikamhis home and so on; parityajyaleaving; bhraman wandering; trtheuamong various pilgrimage places; bhikayby begging; gatahe went; nirvhayanmaintaining; dehamhis body; gag-sgaraof the river Gag and the ocean; sagamamto the meeting place. He left his home and other connections and began wandering among pilgrimage places, maintaining his bodily needs by begging. And thus he traveled to the place where the Gag meets the ocean. COMMENTARY: The brhmaas chanting gradually increasing its effect, he soon gave up sinful activities and needless sense gratification and took up a renounced life.

TEXT 41 ivPa[aNa( GaaTa$e=_PaXYaTSavRivaivXaardaNa( ) SvDaMaaRcariNarTaaNPa[aYaXaae Ga*ih<aae bhUNa( )) viprn gag-tae payat sarva-vidy-viradn sva-dharmcra-niratn pryao ghio bahn viprnbrhmaas; gag-taeon the shore of the Gag; apayat he saw; sarva-vidyin all fields of knowledge; viradnproficient; sva-dharma-crain their prescribed duties; niratnfixed; pryaa for the most part; ghiafamily men; bahnmany. There on the shore of the Gag he saw many brhmaas, mostly family men, who were expert in all fields of knowledge and devoted to performing their prescribed duties. COMMENTARY: Since the trtha he was visiting, Gag-sgara, was in southern Bengal at the confluence of the Gag and the sea, the brhmaas he met were Bengalis. They were expert in the fourteen Vedic departments of learning enumerated in the Viu Pura (3.6.27): agni ved catvro mms nyya-vistara dharma-stra pura ca vidy hy et caturdaa The four Vedas, their six supplements, the Puras, the Dharmastras, the Mms interpretation of the Vedas, and the elaborate science of Nyya logicthese are the fourteen departments of learning. TEXT 42 TaEvR<YaRMaaNaMaacar& iNaTYaNaEiMaitak-aidk-Ma( ) AavXYak&- TaQaa k-aMYa& SvGa| Xau[av TaTf-l/Ma( )) tair varyamnam cra nitya-naimittikdikam vayaka tath kmya svarga urva tat-phalam

taiby them; varyamnambeing described; cramproper behavior; nityaregular duties; naimittikaoccasional duties; dikam and so on; vayakamobligatory; tathand; kmyamoptional, for the fulfillment of personal desires; svargamheaven; urvahe heard; tatof these; phalamthe fruit. He heard them describe regular and occasional duties one is obliged to perform, optional duties for particular desires, and the fruit of these actsattainment of heaven. COMMENTARY: Brhmaas initiated into the Vedic rituals are expected to perform certain sacrifices regularly as a matter of duty, sacrifices like the Agnihotra yaja, which must be done twice every day, at sunrise and sunset. Such brhmaas may also be obliged to execute other rituals because of special circumstances in their lives, when, for example, they must perform the rddha memorial on the anniversary of an elders death. Besides these obligatory nitya and naimittika duties, a brhmaa may also elect to undertake certain sacrifices and vows, called kmya rituals, to fulfill personal ambitions. Thus there are three kinds of duties for Vedic brhmaas. The brhmaa from Prgjyotia-pura may have heard the local brhmaas of Gag-sgara thus glorify the principles of dharma: cra-prabhavo dharmo dharmasya prabhur acyuta Dharma arises from proper behavior, and the Lord of dharma is the infallible Personality of Godhead. sad-cravat pus jitau lokv ubhv api A person who possesses good behavior has conquered both this world and the next. The local brhmaas may have also glorified heaven as the fruit of dharma with such words as these: yan na dukhena sambhinna na ca grastam anantaram abhilopanta ca sukha tat svarga-vsinm The happiness of the residents of heaven is untainted, it is never consumed by misery, and it comes to them just as they desire. (Vdrtha of Gaddhara Bhaa)

TEXT 43 NaaNaaSaLPavaKYaE TadNauaNaiNaTaaMa( ) d*=a Ta}aaeidTa[" Pa[v*ta" iXai+aTa" Sa TaE" )) nn-sakalpa-vkyai ca tad-anuhna-nihatm dv tatrodita-raddha pravtta ikita sa tai nnvarious; sakalpa-vkyaiwith statements of firm intention; ca and; tatof these (vows); anuhnafor the performance; nihatmthe determination; dvseeing; tatrain this; udita arose; raddhahis faith; pravttabecame engaged; ikita taught; sahe; taiby them. From the various words they spoke to express their determined vows, he saw how firm the brhmaas were in their intentions to perform these duties. His faith aroused, he began to follow this process according to their instructions. COMMENTARY: The brhmaa not only heard the glories of dharma in theory but saw exemplars practicing what they preached. He heard them declare their intentions (sakalpas) to perform such duties as bathing daily in the Gag and then watched as they diligently carried these duties out. Although in all his life he had received no useful spiritual education, these brhmaas were now carefully teaching him the principles of dharma according to their understanding. TEXT 44 deVYaajadrTaae MaN}aMaiPa iNaTYa& rhae JaPaNa( ) TaTPa[>aava le/>ae_NTa" SaNTaaez& Taezu k-MaRSau )) devy-jdarato mantram api nitya raho japan tat-prabhvn na lebhe nta santoa teu karmasu devof the goddess; jfor the order; darataout of respect; mantramhis mantra; apistill; nityamregularly; rahain private; japanchanting quietly; tatof it; prabhvtby the influence; na lebhehe did not obtain; antainner; santoamsatisfaction; teu their; karmasuin the ritual activities.

Out of respect for the goddesss order, he regularly continued to chant his mantra quietly in private. And by the influence of the mantra, he felt no inner satisfaction from those rituals. COMMENTARY: Attraction to worshiping the Supreme Lord defeats attraction to lesser religious practices. TEXT 45 Sa iNaivR GaTa" k-aXaq=& ddXaR bhudeXaJaaNa( ) YaiTaPa[aYaaHJaNaa&STa}aaETaVYaa:YaaivvaidNa" )) sa nirvidya gata k dadara bahu-dea-jn yati-pry jans tatrdvaita-vykhy-vivdina sahe; nirvidyabecoming uninterested; gatawent; kmto Vras; dadarahe saw; bahu-dea-jnborn in many different regions; yatirenounced sannyss; prynmostly; jannpeople; tatrathere; advaitaof strict monism; vykhyof the interpretation; vivdinaproponents. He therefore lost interest and went to K, where he saw people from many different regions, especially sannyss propounding the theory of monism. TEXT 46 iver& Pa[<aMYaadaE GaTva Pa[iTaMa#&= YaTaqNa( ) NaTva SaM>aaZYa iv[aMa& Taeza& PaaeR ck-ar Sa" )) vivevara praamydau gatv prati-maha yatn natv sambhya virma te prve cakra sa viva-varamto Lord Vivevara; praamyaoffering obeisances; daufirst; gatvgoing; prati-mahamto each rama; yatnto the sannyss; natvbowing down; sambhyahaving discussions; virmamrest; temof them; prvein the company; cakra took; sahe.

He first offered his obeisances to Lord Vivevara and then visited the various ramas, where he bowed down to the sannyss, had discussions with them, and rested in their company. COMMENTARY: As the deity Vivevara, Lord iva presides over his sacred abode of K, also known in Sanskrit as Vras and popularly as Benares. TEXT 47 vadezu XaubuqNaa& Taeza& Paai<aTal/SQavTa( )) Maae+a& baeDaYaTaa& vaKYaE" Saar& MaeNae Sa TaNMaTaMa( )) vdeu uddha-buddhn te pi-tala-stha-vat moka bodhayat vkyai sra mene sa tan-matam vdeuin philosophical talks; uddha-buddhnmwhose intelligence was pure; temof them; pi-talain the palm of ones hand; stha-vatas if held; mokamliberation; bodhayatmwho were explaining; vkyaiby the words; sramessential; mene considered; sahe; tattheir; matamopinions. The intelligence of these sannyss was pure, or at least it seemed so from their philosophical talks. Their words described liberation as something readily available, as if held in the palm of ones hand, and this inspired him to accept their opinions as perfect. TEXTS 4849 Xa*<vivrTa& NYaaSaMaae+aaeTk-zRParai<a Sa" ) Tae>Yaae vedaNTavaKYaaiNa Mai<ak-<Yaa| SaMaacrNa( )) aNa& iver& PaXYa&STaeza& Sae_Pa[YaaSaTa" ) iMae>aaeGaaN>auaNa" SaNNYaaSa& kTauRiMavaNa( )) vann avirata nysamokotkara-pari sa tebhyo vednta-vkyni maikary samcaran

snna vivevara payas te sage praysata miea-bhogn bhujna sannysa kartum iavn vanhearing; aviratamwithout cease; nysato renunciation; mokaof liberation; utkaraand to the excellence; pari dedicated; sahe; tebhyafrom them; vednta-vkyni statements of Vednta; maikarymat the holy site Maikarik; samcaranperforming; snnamhis ritual bath; vivevaramLord Vivevara; payanseeing; temof them; sagein the association; apraysataeffortlessly; miapalatable; iato his taste; bhognfood; bhujnapartaking of; sannysamthe renounced order of life; kartumto take up; iavnhe began to desire. He would constantly hear from them the statements of Vednta that glorify renunciation and liberation. He would bathe at Maikarik-gha and have darana of Lord Vivevara, and, without having to work for his meals, he would enjoy tasty food to his liking in the company of the sannyss. He thus developed the desire to become a sannys himself. TEXT 50 SvJaPYa& GaaErvaeVYaaSTaQaaNTa"Sau%l/a>aTa" ) ATYaJaek-da SvPane_PaXYataNMaN}adevTaaMa( )) sva-japya gauravd devys tathnta-sukha-lbhata atyajann ekad svapne payat tan-mantra-devatm sva-japyamthe chanting of his mantra; gauravtout of respect; devyfor the goddess; tathand; antainner; sukhapleasure; lbhatabecause of obtaining; atyajannot giving up; ekadone day; svapnein a dream; apayathe saw; tat-mantraof that mantra; devatmthe Deity. Still, out of respect for the goddess, and because it gave him pleasure within, he never gave up chanting his mantra. And one day he saw the Deity of his mantra in a dream.

COMMENTARY: The Prgjyotia-pura brhmaas faith was damaged by the impersonal propaganda he heard in K, which replaced his hope to meet the Lord of the universe with a false hope to merge into oneness. Nonetheless, he went on with his mantra-japa because he held the goddess Kmkhy in awe and was unwilling to violate her order. Despite his weakened faith in the mantra, it continued to exert its transcendental influence. His heart could derive no substantial contentment from the promises of the Vednta texts, because he spontaneously felt more gratification from chanting Lord Goplas mantra. Perhaps the brhmaas attraction to liberation could never have been dispelled had r Gopla, the Deity of his mantra, not personally appeared in his dream. Or perhaps his hope for liberation would have dissipated anyway by the power of the mantra. In any case, his heart changed. TEXT 51 TaNMaharMYaTaak*-" ParMaaNaNdGaaecr" ) TaPaaNYaPa[v*taaE ih Na le/>ae Sa MaNaaebl/Ma( )) tan-mah-ramyatka paramnanda-gocara taj-japnya-pravttau hi na lebhe sa mano-balam tatof Him (r Gopla); mahgreat; ramyatby the charm; kaattracted; parama-nandathe greatest ecstasy; gocara experiencing; tatof that (mantra); japathan the chanting; anya other; pravttaufor engagements; hiindeed; na lebhedid not obtain; sahe; manamental; balamstrength. The charm of r Gopla attracted him and gave him the greatest ecstasy. And thereafter he could no longer find the mental strength to engage in anything other than chanting his mantra. COMMENTARY: He no longer felt any enthusiasm for sannysa or liberation, what to speak of sacred baths and other rituals. TEXT 52 wiTak-TaRVYaTaaMaU!ae dqNa" SaNSvPanMaaGaTa" ) TaYaa deVYaa SahaGaTYa Ta}aaid" iXaveNa Sa" )) iti-kartavyat-mho

dna san svapnam gata tay devy sahgatya tatrdia ivena sa iti-kartavyatabout specifically what he should do to fulfill his duties; mhaconfused; dnadepressed; sanbecoming; svapnama dream; gatahe experienced; tayher; devy sahaalong with the goddess; gatyawho came; tatrathere; diainstructed; ivenaby Lord iva; sahe. Confused about what he should do, he became depressed. Then, in another dream, Lord iva came to him, along with the goddess, to instruct him. COMMENTARY: His heart was drawn to Lord Gopla, but his mind was in a dilemma: Should I take sannysa and strive for liberation, or should I just chant my mantra? Such is the likely result of fellowship with impersonalists: ones determination becomes fickle, and one cannot choose the right thing to do. In this third appearance in the brhmaas dreams, the goddess Kmkhy brought along her husband, the lord of K, to make her case. TEXT 53 Maa MaU%R ku- SaNNYaaSa& d]uTa& [qMaQaura& Va[Ja ) Ta}a v*NdavNae_vXYa& PaU<aaRQaRSTv& >aivZYaiSa )) m mrkha kuru sannysa druta r-mathur vraja tatra vndvane vaya prrthas tva bhaviyasi mdo not; mrkhaO foolish one; kurutake; sannysamthe renounced order; drutamimmediately; r-mathurmto r Mathur; vrajago; tatrathere; vndvanein the Vndvana forest; avayamnecessarily; pra-arthafulfilled in all ambitions; tvam you; bhaviyasiwill become. [Lord iva said:] Foolish man, dont take sannysa! Go at once to r Mathur. There in the Vndvana forest you will surely fulfill all your desires. TEXT 54

SaaeTk-<#=ae MaQaura& GaNTau& MauhuSTaa& kITaRYa&STaTa" ) Sa TaeXaidXa& GaC^NPa[YaaGa& Pa[aPa vTMaRiNa )) sotkaho mathur gantu muhus t krtayas tata sa tad-dea-dia gacchan prayga prpa vartmani sa-utkahawith eagerness; mathurmto Mathur; gantumto go; muhurepeatedly; tmthat (Mathur); krtayanglorifying; tatathen; sahe; tat-deaof that district; diamin the direction; gacchangoing; praygamat Prayga; prpaarrived; vartmanion the way. Eager to go to Mathur, the brhmaa set off toward that district, all the while chanting its glories. On the way he came to Prayga. COMMENTARY: The brhmaa headed west, repeatedly chanting, Mathur! Mathur! TEXT 55 TaiSMaSaNMaaDavPaadPae Gaai[Ta[qYaMauNaaMaNaaeje ) aNaaYa MaagaaeziSa TaqQaRraJae Pa[aaNSa SaaDaUHXaTaXaae ddXaR )) tasmil lasan-mdhava-pda-padme gagrita-r-yamun-manoje snnya mghoasi trtha-rje prptn sa sdh atao dadara tasminthere; lasatshining; mdhavaof Lord Mdhava; pdapadmeat the lotus feet; gag-ritasheltered in the Gag; ryamunat the divine Yamun; mana-jecharming; snnyafor taking a bath; mghain the month of Mgha (January-February); asiat dawn; trtha-rjeat the king of holy places; prptnwho had come; sahe; sdhnspiritual persons; ataaby the hundreds; dadarasaw. There at the king of holy places, by the charming Yamun within the Gag, he found hundreds of saints who had gathered near the effulgent lotus feet of Lord Mdhava to bathe at dawn in the month of Mgha.

COMMENTARY: Prayga is called the king of trthas because there one discovers ones hearts devotion for the Personality of Godhead. At Prayga the Gag and Yamun unite, and downstream from their confluence the Yamun is considered present on one side of the Gag. This is the Yamun within the Gag. Gag and Yamun are not only physically united at Praygathey also share an intimate bond of love for Ka. TEXT 56 Taeza& SadaGaqTaNaiTaSTavaidi>a" [qivZ<auPaUJaaeTSavMaE+aTaai>aTa" ) TaaMaSaqTaRNavaNaTaRNaE" Pa[eM<aaTaRNaadE idTaE Xaaei>aTaMa( )) te sad-gta-nati-stavdibhi r-viu-pjotsavam aikatbhita tan-nma-sakrtana-vdya-nartanai premrta-ndai ruditai ca obhitam temof them; sadconstant; gtawith singing; natioffering of obeisances; stava-dibhiprayers and so on; r-viur Viu; pjof worshiping; utsavama festival; aikatahe saw; abhitaall around; tatHis; nma-sakrtanawith chanting of the holy names; vdyamusic; nartanaiand dancing; premin pure love; rtandaiwith plaintive cries; ruditaiwith sobbing; caand; obhitam splendid. On every side he saw them conducting a great festival of worship for r Viu, with expressions of joyous devotion like constant singing, offering of obeisances, and recitation of prayers. The festival was splendid, with loud congregational chanting of the Lords names, along with music, dancing, sobbing, and plaintive cries of love. COMMENTARY: In addition to what the verse mentions, the brhmaa saw the elaborate arrangements for feeding and worshiping the Lord in His Deity form. This same Deity, Bindu Mdhava, was seen by Lord Caitanya Mahprabhu when He visited Prayga. TEXT 57 Saae_buDaae ivSMaYa& Pa[aae vEZ<avaNPa*C^iTa SMa TaaNa( )

he GaaYak-a viNdNaae re d<@vTPaaiTaNaae >auiv )) so budho vismaya prpto vaiavn pcchati sma tn he gyak vandino re daa-vat ptino bhuvi sahe; abudhainnocent; vismayamamazement; prpta obtained; vaiavnthe Vaiavas; pcchati smaasked; tnthem; he gyakO singers; vandina reO offerers of prayers; daa-vat like rods; ptinaO you who are falling; bhuvion the ground. Innocent, ignorant, and amazed, he said to those Vaiavas, Excuse me, you singers, you reciters of prayers, and you who are falling on the ground like rods. COMMENTARY: Never before having seen such behavior or even heard of it, the brhmaa didnt know what to think. He was unaware of Vaiava etiquette and unable to distinguish the Vaiavas from ordinary stage performers and court reciters, people not worthy of any special respect. And so he naively interrupted the sakrtana and addressed the Vaiavas according to their external behavior, not seeing their internal spiritual status.

TEXTS 5859 >aae vadk-a NaTaRk-a re raMak*-Z<aeiTavaidNa" ) raedk-a rMYaiTal/k-aaMaal/aDara Nara" )) >avTaEk&- +a<a& SvSQaa Na k-ael/ahl/MahRQa ) vdTaed& ivDad(e ik&- k&- vacRYaQa SaadrMa( )) bho vdak nartak re rma-keti-vdina rodak ramya-tilak cru-ml-dhar nar bhavataika kaa svasth na kolhalam arhatha vadateda vidhaddhve ki ka vrcayatha sdaram bho vdakO chanters; nartak reO dancers; rmaRma; kaKa; itithus; vdinaO you who are saying; rodak you who are crying; ramyacharming; tilakwhose auspicious marks on the forehead; crubeautiful; mlgarlands; dhar

wearing; narmen; bhavatyou; ekamone; kaamfor a moment; svasthbecoming calm; nanot; kolhalamcommotion; arhathayou should make; vadataplease tell; idamthis; vidhaddhveyou are performing; kimwhat; kamwhom; vor; arcayathayou are worshiping; sa-daramwith respect. My dear musicians, dear chanters and dancers, loudly weeping and crying out Rma Ka, you men adorned with beautiful tilaka and garlands, please calm down for a moment and stop making such a racket! What is this ceremony you are observing? Whom are you so reverently worshiping? COMMENTARY: He mistook some of the Vaiavas for ordinary musicians, dancers, and chanters of mundane slogans, but at least he admired the beauty of their viu-tilaka, which resembled in form a temple of Viu. Since he was unaware of the transcendental value of the sound of the Supreme Lords names sung loudly in public congregation, he judged the sakrtana to be needless noise. He assumed that these people had meaningful work to do and wondered why they were neglecting their duties to indulge in frivolity. Or, as he suggested in his questions, he thought this might be some strange kind of ritual duty or even the unusual worship of some deity. TEXT 60 TaC^\uTvaePahSaiNTa SMa ke-icta& ke-icdb]uvNa( ) re MaU! TaUZ<aq=& iTaeiTa ke-_PYaUcudsNavTSal/a" )) tac chrutvopahasanti sma kecit ta kecid abruvan re mha t tiheti ke py cur dna-vatsal tatthat; rutvhearing; upahasanti smalaughed; kecitsome; tamhim; kecitsome; abruvansaid; re mhaO fool; tm quiet; tiharemain; itithus; ke apiothers; apiand; cusaid; dna-vatsalcompassionate to unfortunate persons. Some of the Vaiavas simply laughed at hearing this. Others told him, You fool, just be quiet! Yet others, compassionate to fallen souls, said to him something else. COMMENTARY: Some participants in the sakrtana festival who were newcomers to devotional service began ridiculing the brhmaa: Oh, you are the best of sages, the most learned scholar! Yes, you are right, we are all out of our wits, and this noise is a public nuisance. Some of

the intermediate sdhakas in the group were angered by his comments. Others, the fully self-realized devotees in the assembly, showed him the same compassion they felt for all living beings. As real friends of the conditioned souls, they frankly told him what he needed to hear. TEXT 61 [qvEZ<ava Ocu" AYae ivPa[Ja JaaNaaiSa Na ik-iTa MaU!Daq" ) ivZ<au>a-aNPauNaMav& SaMbaeDaYa Na JaLPa c )) r-vaiav cu aye vipra-ja jnsi na kicid bata mha-dh viu-bhaktn punar maiva sambodhaya na jalpa ca r-vaiav cuthe holy Vaiavas said; ayehey; vipra-jaO you who were born a brhmaa; jnsi nayou do not understand; kicitanything; bataindeed; mhabewildered; dhwhose intelligence; viu-bhaktndevotees of Viu; punaagain; mdo not; evamlike this; sambodhayaaddress; nado not; jalpaspeak loosely; caand. The holy Vaiavas said: Hey, foolish son of a brhmaa, dont you know anything? Dont ever again address Vius devotees like that and speak such nonsense to them! COMMENTARY: The parama-hasas were obviously disappointed that despite his birth in a brhmaa family he was such a fool. Out of kindness they advised him to refrain from treating Vaiavas like materialistic people; he should never again ask them to stop making noise as if they were ordinary singers and reciters. TEXT 62 >aGavNTaiMaMae ivZ<au& iNaTYa& vYaMauPaaSMahe ) GauraeGa*RhqTadq+aak-a YaQaaMaN}a& YaQaaiviDa )) bhagavantam ime viu nitya vayam upsmahe guror ghta-dkk yath-mantra yath-vidhi

bhagavantamthe Supreme Lord; imethese persons; vium Viu; nityamalways; vayamwe; upsmaheworship; gurofrom the spiritual master; ghta-dkkhaving taken initiation; yath according to; mantramour mantras; yathaccording to; vidhi our methods. Initiated by our gurus, we always worship the Supreme Lord Viu with the mantras and methods they have given us. COMMENTARY: What distinguished the sakrtana devotees from the Prgjyotia-pura brhmaa was that they had accepted Vaiava initiation from authorized cryas and were practicing devotional service according to the instructions of their spiritual masters. Because the brhmaa lacked the mercy of a pure devotee, his chanting of the gopla-mantra was bearing undeveloped results instead of mature fruit. Real spiritual knowledge had eluded him. TEXT 63 [qNa*iSa&hTaNau& ke-icd]gauNaaQa& TaQaaPare ) Wke- GaaePaal/iMaTYaev& NaaNaaPa& iJaaetaMa )) r-nsiha-tanu kecid raghuntha tathpare eke goplam ity eva nn-rpa dvijottama r-nsihaof r Nsiha; tanumin the form; kecitsome; raghunthamLord Rmacandra; tathalso; apareothers; eke some; goplamr Gopla; itithus; evamin this way; nn-rpam in various forms; dvija-uttamaO best of the brhmaas. O best of brhmaas, we are worshiping the Lord in various forms. Some of us worship Him in His feature as Nsiha, some as Lord Raghuntha, and others as r Gopla. COMMENTARY: Having been initiated into various viu-mantras, the Vaiavas were worshiping the Lord in various expansions, including four-armed Nryaa and His avatras Matsya, Krma, Varha, and Vmana. TEXT 64 [qParqi+aduvac

TaTaae_SaaE l/iTaae ivPa[ae_Pa*C^TSaPa[[Ya& Mauda ) ku-Taae vSaiTa k-Id*k( Sa ik&- vaQa| daTauMaqr" )) r-parkid uvca tato sau lajjito vipro pcchat sa-praraya mud kuto vasati kdk sa ki vrtha dtum vara r-parkit uvcar Parkit said; tatathen; asauhe; lajjita ashamed; viprathe brhmaa; apcchatasked; sa-prarayam with humility; mudwith pleasure; kutawhere; vasatilives; kdklike what; saHe; kimwhat; vand; arthambenefit; dtumof giving; varacapable. r Parkit said: Ashamed, the brhmaa then asked, with great humility but with joy, Where does this Lord live? What is He like? What boons is He able to grant? COMMENTARY: This Lord the devotees called Viu was unknown to the brhmaa, who was curious whether the Lord lived in a village, a city, or somewhere else. What god, human, or animal did His form resemble? What special powers did He have, and what wealth could He give to His devotees? TEXT 65 [qvEZ<ava Ocu" Sada SavR}a vSaiTa bihaNTa Sa Pa[>au" ) k-i Sad*XaSTaeNa k-QaiiTae KvicTa( )) r-vaiav cu sad sarvatra vasati bahi cnta ca sa prabhu kacin na sadas tena kathacid vidyate kvacit r-vaiav cuthe holy Vaiavas said; sadalways; sarvatra everywhere; vasatilives; bahioutside; caand; antainside; caand; saHe; prabhuthe Lord; kacit nano one; sada comparable; tenawith Him; kathacitin any respect; vidyate exists; kvacitanywhere.

The holy Vaiavas said: He is the supreme master, and He always lives everywhere, both within and without. No one anywhere compares with Him in any respect. COMMENTARY: In the material world, all things are limited in time, space, and substance. A person in a particular body, for example, has only a certain life span. Before and after, he is absent from that body. His bodily existence occupies but a small space within the universe; he may move from one place to another, but only within strict limits. And his identity is separate from that of any other person or thing. Lord Viu, however, is not an ordinary person limited in these or other ways. He pervades all time and space, and all other individual people and things are also part of Him. This answers the question Where does He live? In reply to the question What is He like? the Vaiavas say that He is incomparable. No ones beauty or other personal qualities are equal to His, neither within this material world nor outside it. TEXT 66 SavaRNTaraTMaa JaGadqrerae Ya" SaidaNaNdgaNaae MaNaaerMa" ) vEku-<#=l/aeke- Pa[k-$=" Sada vSaed( Ya" Saevke->Ya" SvMaiPa Pa[YaC^iTa )) sarvntar-tm jagad-varevaro ya sac-cid-nanda-ghano mano-rama vaikuha-loke prakaa sad vased ya sevakebhya svam api prayacchati sarvaof all beings; anta-tmthe inner self; jagatof the universe; vara-varathe Lord of all lords; yawho; sat-citnandaof eternity, knowledge, and bliss; ghanathe full embodiment; mana-ramaattracting the mind; vaikuha-lokein the world of Vaikuha; prakaavisible; sadalways; vaset dwells; yawho; sevakebhyato His servants; svamHimself; api even; prayacchatigives. He is the Supersoul within the heart of every living being, the Lord of all lords of the universe, the all-attractive concentrated embodiment of eternity, knowledge, and bliss. He dwells in the world of Vaikuha, where He can always be seen. And to His servants He gives His very self. COMMENTARY: Ignorant of the many aspects of the Supreme Lords personality, the brhmaa might doubt how one could devote oneself

to a person who has no particular identity or location. Here the Vaiavas assure the brhmaa that the Lord does have His own manifold identities and locations. He is the Supersoul both of the entire universe and of each individual living being. Thus His greatness manifests itself within and without. He is the ruler of all lords of the many universes; whatever powers and assets other rulers possess He has also, but in quantity without limit. He is the Supreme Absolute Truth in person, and His primary location is Vaikuha. Even though as the indwelling Supersoul He is hidden, His opulences are fully visible in His form as the Lord of Vaikuha, whom His devotees can see to their hearts delight. His beauty, charm, and countless other transcendental qualities are all-attractive. And in answer to the question What can He give? the answer is His own self. By this the Vaiavas imply that He can easily bestow pure devotion and eternal residence in Vaikuha, what to speak of the four goals of material life. As expressed by the prefix pra- in the verb prayacchati, He liberally gives all this plus Himself, which further implies that He and His servants share a flood of boundless ecstasy. TEXT 67 [uiTaSMa*iTaSTaUYaMaaNa" ke-NaaSYa MaihMaaeCYaTaaMa( ) Tad}a vaCYaMaaNaaiNa Paura<aaiNa Mauhu" Xa*<au )) ruti-smti-styamna kensya mahimocyatm tad atra vcyamnni purni muhu u rutiby the original revealed scriptures; smtiand by their supplements; styamnaglorified; kenaby whom; asyaHis; mahimthe greatness; ucyatmcan be described; tattherefore; atrahere; vcyamnniwhich are being spoken; purnithe Puras; muhuprofusely; uplease hear. The rutis and smtis glorify Him. Who can describe His greatness? But while you are here, please listen to the profuse histories spoken about Him from the Puras. COMMENTARY: This holy pilgrimage site Prayga, the king of trthas, is a most suitable place for hearing the glories of the Supreme Lord from the authoritative histories recorded in the Puras.

TEXT 68 MaaDav& NaMa cal/aeKYa Pa[iTaPa& JaGaTPa[>aae" ) TaTaae_icraidd& Sav| Par& c jaSYaiSa SvYaMa( )) mdhava nama clokya pratirpa jagat-prabho tato cird ida sarva para ca jsyasi svayam mdhavamto Lord Mdhava; namaplease bow down; caand; lokyalooking at; pratirpamthe direct manifestation; jagatprabhoof the Lord of the universe; tatathus; acirtin a short time; idamthis; sarvamall; parammore; caand; jsyasiyou will understand; svayamyourself. Just bow down to Lord Mdhava and behold Him, the direct manifestation of the Lord of the universe. And soon you will understand for yourself all this and much more. COMMENTARY: The Lord of Vaikuha can be seen directly in His image as Mdhava, the presiding Deity of Davamedha-gha at Prayga. In the short time the Vaiavas were speaking to the Prgjyotia-pura brhmaa, they could only hint at the glories of Lord Viu, but if the brhmaa were to follow their advice by listening to the Puras, bowing down to Lord Mdhava, and meditating on the Deitys beautiful form, more realization would automatically be revealed within his heart. TEXT 69 [qParqi+aduvac TaTa" [qMaaDav& vq+Ya NaMa&STaiSMaNVYac Sa" ) SaaPYa& SvJaPae icNTYaMaaNadevSYa ik-Na )) r-parkid uvca tata r-mdhava vkya namas tasmin vyacaa sa srpya sva-jape cintyamna-devasya kicana r-parkit uvcar Parkit said; tatathus; r-mdhavamat r Mdhava; vkyalooking; namanbowing down; tasminwithin Him; vyacaasaw; sahe; srpyamsimilarity in appearance; sva-japein the chanting of his mantra; cintyamnabeing meditated on; devasyawith the Deity; kicanasome.

r Parkit said: Thus, while looking at r Mdhava and bowing down to Him, the brhmaa noticed some resemblance between r Mdhava and the Lord on whom he meditated while chanting his mantra. COMMENTARY: Just as the Vaiavas had predicted, by associating with Lord Mdhava the brhmaa began to realize transcendental knowledge. He noticed that certain features of the Deity, like the shape of His mouth and eyes, were similar to the features of the Lord whom he sometimes envisioned while chanting his mantra. TEXT 70 Ta}a ik-iTPaura<a& Sa Xa*<aaeiTa Sah vEZ<avE" ) TaErCYaRMaaNaa ivivDaa ivZ<auMaUTas PaXYaiTa )) tatra kicit pura sa oti saha vaiavai tair arcyamn vividh viu-mrt ca payati tatrathere; kicitsome; puramPuras; sahe; otiheard; saha vaiavaialong with the Vaiavas; taiby them; arcyamnworshiped; vividhvarious; viu-mrtDeities of Viu; caand; payatisaw. There at Davamedha-gha he heard some passages from the Puras in the company of the Vaiavas, and he saw various Deities of Viu they worshiped. COMMENTARY: In the presence of Lord Mdhava he listened to discussions on such portions of the Puras as the Mgha-mhtmya of r Padma Pura (Uttara-khaa), which praises bathing at Prayga in the month of Mgha. By hearing in the company of pure devotees, he became affected by their strong faith and ecstatic mood. TEXT 71 TaQaaiPa Pa[TYai>ajeYa& TaSYa Na SYaadceTaSa" ) Maevae JaGadqXaae_Ya& MaaDavae_iPa SaTaa& Pa[>au" )) tathpi pratyabhijeya tasya na syd acetasa

mad-devo jagad-o ya mdhavo pi sat prabhu tath apinonetheless; pratyabhijrecognition; iyamthis; tasya by him; na sytthere was not; acetasawho was ignorant; matdevamy Lord; jagat-aruler of the universe; ayamthis; mdhavaLord Mdhava; apialso; satmof the saintly devotees; prabhuthe master. Nonetheless he remained ignorant, unable to recognize that his own worshipable Deity was the same Lord Mdhava, the ruler of the universe and master of the saintly devotees. COMMENTARY: Anyone with good discrimination would have been able to deduce from the similarities between Lord Mdhava and Lord Gopla that the Deity of the brhmaas mantra was the very same Lord of the universe appearing at Davamedha-gha. The brhmaa, however, was too foolish. TEXT 72 wd& Sa ivMa*XaTYaezaMauPaaSYaae JaGadqr" ) Sa Wv MaaDavaYa& MaYaaNYa" kae_PYauPaaSYaTae )) ida sa vimaty em upsyo jagad-vara sa eva mdhava cya maynya ko py upsyate idamthis; sahe; vimatithought; emof them; upsyathe object of worship; jagat-varathe Lord of the universe; saHe; evaonly; mdhavaMdhava; caand; ayamthis; mayby me; anyaanother; ka apisomeone; upsyateis being worshiped. He continued to think that this Mdhava, the Lord of the universe, was the object of worship for these Vaiavas, and that his object of worship was someone else. COMMENTARY: The brhmaa had enough trust in the words of the Vaiavas to be convinced that the Deity of Mdhava was indeed the Supreme Lord, but he hadnt accepted enough of their mercy to understand that all along he had been worshiping the same Lord with his mantra.

TEXT 73 Xac-GadaPaiv>aUizTacTau>auRJa" ) Na MaevSTaTa" k-SMaaTPa[TaqYaeTa Sa MaaDav" )) akha-cakra-gad-padmavibhita-catur-bhuja na mad-devas tata kasmt pratyeta sa mdhava akhawith a conchshell; cakradisc; gadclub; padmaand lotus; vibhitadecorated; catu-bhujahaving four hands; nanot; mat my; devaDeity; tatatherefore; kasmtwhy; pratyeta should be perceived; saHe; mdhavaas Lord Mdhava. Lord Mdhava has four arms, he thought, and is decorated with a conchshell, disc, club, and lotus. This is not my Deity. Why should my Lord look like this? COMMENTARY: The Pacartras describe the form of Lord Mdhava among the twenty-four vyha expansions of Nryaa. Gad-akhacakra-padmn bibhran mdhava ucyate: When the Lord is holding His club, conchshell, disc, and lotus [in that order, clockwise, from His lower right hand], He is called Mdhava. TEXT 74 NaaYa& NaraDaRiSa&haDaRPaDaarq c MaTPa[>au" ) Na vaMaNaae_PYaSaaE MaqNakU-MaRkael/aidPavaNa( )) nya narrdha-sihrdharpa-dhr ca mat-prabhu na vmano py asau mnakrma-koldi-rpavn nanot; ayamthis; nara-ardhaof half man; siha-ardhahalf lion; rpa-dhrtaking the form; caand; matmy; prabhuLord; na nor; vmanaa dwarf; apieither; asauHe; mnaof a fish; krma a turtle; kolaa boar; diand so on; rpa-vnhaving the form. My Lord doesnt appear as half man, half lion. He doesnt become a dwarf or take the forms of a fish, a turtle, a hog, and the like.

TEXT 75 NaaiPa k-aed<@Paai<a" SYaad]agavae raJal/+a<a" ) ke-zaideza& PaUJYaeNa GaaePaale/NaaSTau va Sad*k( )) npi kodaa-pi syd rghavo rja-lakaa kecid e pjyena goplenstu v sadk na apinor; kodaaa bow; piin whose hand; sytis; rghavathe Lord of the Raghus; rja-lakaamarked with the signs of a king; kecitby some; emof these persons; pjyena who is worshiped; goplenawith Gopla; astu vHe may be; sadk similar. Nor does He become the Lord of the Raghus, with the signs of a king and a bow in His hand. But maybe my Deity does somewhat resemble the Gopla worshiped by some of these devotees. COMMENTARY: The brhmaa could not identify the Deity of His mantra with Lord Rmacandra, who appeared as a great king with the royal symbols of throne, cmaras, and white umbrella. TEXT 76 MaNYae_QaaiPa MadqYaae_Ya& Na >aveGadqr" ) NaaiSTa Ta+a<a& MaagaMaahaTMYaadaE [uTa& ih YaTa( )) manye thpi madyo ya na bhavej jagad-vara nsti tal-lakaa mghamhtmydau ruta hi yat manyeI think; atha apistill; madyamy; ayamthis; na bhavet cannot be; jagat-varathe Lord of the universe; na astithere are not; tatof Him; lakaamthe characteristics; mgha-mhtmyain the descriptions of the glories of the month of Mgha; dauand elsewhere; rutamheard from scripture; hicertainly; yatwhich. Still, I cannot imagine that my Deity is the Lord of the universe. My Deity doesnt have the characteristics I have

heard described in The Glorification of the Month of Mgha and other scriptural texts. COMMENTARY: Lord Mdhava of Prayga is described in the story of Devadyuti, which is included in the Mgha-mhtmya of the Padma Pura (Uttara-khaa 128.202, 129.44): ta dv garurha pratyagra-jalada-cchavim catur-bhu vilka sarvlakra-bhitam He saw the Lord seated on Garua. The Lords complexion was the color of a new rain cloud. He had four arms and broad eyes, and He was decorated with all kinds of ornaments. brahmdaya sur sarve yogina sanakdaya tv skt-kartum icchanti siddh ca kapildaya Brahm and the other demigods, Sanaka and the other yogs, and Kapila and the other perfected mystics want to see You in person. The current verse says that the brhmaa heard from mghamhtmydau, the Mgha-mhtmya and other texts. Those other texts may have included the section of r Skanda Pura that glorifies Prayga-trtha. TEXT 77 GaaePaa>aRvGa" Sai%i>avRNae Sa Gaa v&XaqMau%ae r+aiTa vNYa>aUz<a" ) GaaePaaNaavGaRivl/aSal/MPa$=ae DaMa| SaTaa& l/YaTaqTarae YaQaa )) goprbha-vargai sakhibhir vane sa g va-mukho rakati vanya-bhaa gopgan-varga-vilsa-lampao dharma sat laghayattaro yath gopa-arbhaof cowherd boys; vargaiwith groups; sakhibhiwho are His friends; vanein the forest; saHe; gcows; vaa flute; mukhaat His mouth; rakatitends; vanya-bhaa decorated with forest ornaments; gopa-aganof cowherd girls; varga with the groups; vilsasports; lampaagreedy to enjoy;

dharmamthe religious principles; satmof saintly persons; laghayatiHe transgresses; itaraan ordinary person; yathlike. With His many cowherd friends, my Lord takes care of the cows in the forest. He holds a flute to His mouth and is decorated with forest ornaments. Just like an ordinary person, He transgresses the religious principles of saints, being always greedy to enjoy amorous pastimes with all the cowherd girls. COMMENTARY: Arguing on the strength of the evidence he has gathered about his Gopla from meditating on the mantra, the brhmaa here tries to prove that the Deity of his own mantra cannot be the Lord of the universe. The brhmaas worshipable Gopla is always in the forest with His friends, busy taking care of His cows. His flute is usually near His mouth because He very much likes playing on it. He also likes to decorate Himself with forest items like peacock feathers, garlands of kadamba flowers, red oxide tilaka for His forehead, and rings of guja berries for His ears. Like a wayward materialist, He violates the laws of cultured behavior by consorting with other mens wives and behaving in other socially forbidden ways, none of which suits the character of the Supreme Lord of the universe. Even if in some features the brhmaas Gopla resembles the Gopla worshiped by some of the local Vaiavasthe Nryaa expansion called Goplathat Gopla Nryaa cannot be the same person. Lord Nryaa could hardly go wandering in the forest tending cows, nor habitually break the principles of religion. TEXT 78 deVYaa" Pa[>aavadaNaNdMaSYaaPYaaraDaNae l/>ae ) Ta Jaa& k-daPYaeNaMaeTaNMaN}aJaPa& Na c )) devy prabhvd nandam asypy rdhane labhe tan na jahy kadpy enam etan-mantra-japa na ca devyof the goddess; prabhvtby the power; nandambliss; asyaHis; apiand; rdhanein the worship; labheI obtain; tat therefore; na jahymI shall not abandon; kad apiever; enam Him; etat-mantraof this mantra; japamthe chanting; na canor. By the power of the goddess I have felt bliss in worshiping Him. Therefore I shall never abandon Him or my chanting of His mantra.

COMMENTARY: Vaiavas may question how one can realize ecstasy in worshiping anyone other than the Supreme Lord, but the brhmaa counters that it is possible by the potency of the goddess Kmkhy. Since she ordered him to always chant this mantra and since he feels such pleasure in chanting, why should he give it up? TEXT 79 Wv& Sa PaUvRvNMaN}a& Ta& JaPaiJaRNae iNaJaMa( ) dev& Saa+aaidve+aeTa SaTaa& SaPa[>aavTa" )) eva sa prva-van mantra ta japan nirjane nijam deva skd iveketa sat saga-prabhvata evamthus; sahe; prva-vatas before; mantrammantra; tam that; japanchanting; nirjanein seclusion; nijamhis own; devam Lord; sktin person; ivaas if; ketahe would see; satmof the saintly Vaiavas; sagaof the association; prabhvataby the power. Thus the brhmaa continued chanting his mantra in seclusion as before. And by the power of the saintly company of the Vaiavas, he would see his Lord, as if directly in person. COMMENTARY: Since the ignorant brhmaa lacked the instructions and blessings of a pure devotee spiritual master, he had not yet developed true knowledge and faith. But still he was reaping the benefits of sdhu-saga in Prayga. Even without the support of guru and stra, he was making some advancement by associating favorably with Vaiavas. He kept chanting the ten-syllable gopla-mantra, renowned among all mantras as the most excellent, and as his heart became more and more cleansed he entered into an intense meditation in which he saw His Lord as vividly as if the Lord were physically present. TEXT 80 vSTauSv>aavadaNaNdMaU^aRMaaPanaeiTa k-ihRicTa( ) VYauTQaaYa JaPak-al/aPaGaMaMaal/+Ya XaaeciTa )) vastu-svabhvd nandamrchm pnoti karhicit vyutthya japa-klpagamam lakya ocati

vastuof the object; svabhvtbecause of the nature; nandafrom ecstasy; mrchmfainting; pnotihe experienced; karhicit sometimes; vyutthyastanding up; japafor chanting; klaof the time; apagamamthe expiration; lakyanoticing; ocatihe would lament. Because of the nature of the object of his meditation, he sometimes fainted in ecstasy, and when he woke up and noticed that the time for chanting his mantra had past would lament. COMMENTARY: Sometimes the ecstasy of his meditation made all the external functions of his senses stop, as if he had achieved samdhi. This symptom was but a superficial reflection of the advanced conditions of bhva and prema. It arose not from mature understanding of the object of meditation but from the transcendental influence of the object Himself. TEXT 81 oPad]vae_Ya& k-ae Mae_NauJaaTaae ivganae MahaiNkl/ ) Na SaMaaae JaPaae Mae_TaNaae ra}aqYaMaaGaTaa )) upadravo ya ko me nujto vighno mahn kila na sampto japo me dyatano rtryam gat upadravadisturbance; ayamthis; kawhat; mefor me; anujtaarisen; vighnaobstruction; mahngreat; kilaindeed; nanot; samptafinished; japachanting; memy; adyatana for today; rtrnight; iyamthis; gatcome. What is the cause of this disturbance? Now I am in great trouble! Night has fallen before I could finish todays chanting. COMMENTARY: That night had come before he could finish his chanting was an upadrava, or cause of pain, as well as a vighna, an obstruction to fulfilling his vow to chant a prescribed number of mantras daily. TEXT 82

ik&- iNad]ai>a>avae_Ya& Mae ik&>aUTaai>a>avae_Qa va ) Ahae Mau"Sv>aavae YaC^aek-SQaaNae_iPa TSau %Ma( )) ki nidrbhibhavo ya me ki bhtbhibhavo tha v aho mad-dusvabhvo yac choka-sthne pi ht-sukham kimwhether; nidrby sleep; abhibhavabeing overcome; ayam this; memy; kimwhether; bhtaby a ghost; abhibhavabeing overcome; atha vor; ahooh; matmy; du-svabhvabad nature; yatwhich; okaof sadness; sthnein a situation; api even; htin the heart; sukhamhappiness. Have I fallen asleep? Or become haunted by a ghost? Oh, I am so wicked that even when I have reason to be sad I feel happiness in my heart! COMMENTARY: Trying to answer his own question about the cause of the problem, the brhmaa guessed that he might have fallen asleep. But since he didnt feel tired, he guessed again that something else might have happened, like having been attacked by a ghost. TEXT 83 Wk-da Tau TaQaEvaSaaE Xaaeck*-Ta>aaeJaNa" ) iNad]a<aae MaaDaveNaed& SaMaaid" SaSaaNTvNaMa( )) ekad tu tathaivsau ocann akta-bhojana nidro mdhaveneda samdia sa-sntvanam ekadone day; tuhowever; tath evain this same way; asauhe; ocanlamenting; akta-bhojananot having eaten; nidra sleepy; mdhavenaby Lord Mdhava; idamthis; samdia instructed; sahe; sntvanamconsolation. One day, however, while lamenting in this way, as he began to feel drowsy from fasting he saw Lord Mdhava, who consoled him and gave him this instruction:

COMMENTARY: Once again the brhmaa had fallen into a trance of ecstasy and upon waking had become upset with himself. This time he felt so discouraged that he finished the day without eating, which made him feel sleepy. Lord Mdhava, the Deity of Davamedhatrtha, then appeared to him in this sleeplike state and said something like this: Why are you lamenting for no good reason? And why are you causing distress to Me, your worshipable Deity? I assure you that all your ambitions will soon be fulfilled. TEXT 84 ivPa[ iverSYaaNauSMar vaKYaMauMaaPaTae" ) YaMauNaaTaqrMaaGaeR<a TaC^\qv*NdavNa& Va[Ja )) vipra vivevarasynusmara vkyam um-pate yamun-tra-mrgea tac chr-vndvana vraja vipraO brhmaa; vivevarasyaof Vivevara; anusmarajust remember; vkyamthe words; um-patethe husband of Um; yamunof the Yamun; traalong the shore; mrgeaby the path; tatto that; r-vndvanamr Vndvana; vrajago. Dear brhmaa, please remember the words of Vivevara, the husband of Um. Go by the path along the shore of the Yamun to r Vndvana. COMMENTARY: While reminding the brhmaa of Lord Vivevaras instruction, Lord Gopla repeated it from His own mouth and in His own words, thus making it His direct order also. Apart from this, Vivevara (Lord iva) is the husband of the goddess Kmkhy, the spiritual authority who gave the brhmaa his mantra, so the brhmaa should not neglect the instruction. TEXT 85 Ta}aaSaaDaar<a& hz| l/PSYaSae MaTPa[SaadTa" ) ivl/Mb& PaiQa ku-}aaiPa Maa ku-Zv k-QaNa )) tatrsdhraa hara lapsyase mat-prasdata vilamba pathi kutrpi m kuruva kathacana

tatrathere; asdhraamextraordinary; harampleasure; lapsyaseyou will obtain; matMy; prasdataby the mercy; vilambamdelay; pathion the road; kutra apianywhere; m kuruvado not do; kathacanafor any reason. By My mercy, there you will obtain extraordinary pleasure. Go, and dont delay anywhere on the road for any reason. COMMENTARY: The pleasure to be had in r Vndvana is incomparable, superior to all four kinds of success in worldly endeavorreligiosity, economic development, sense gratification, and liberation. The brhmaa should be undistracted while on the road to Vndvana. He shouldnt stray from devotional service onto the side roads of jna and karma. Lord Mdhava here advises the brhmaa that good fortune will arise by His mercy alone, the Lords mercy, not that of anyone else. But that mercy of Lord Mdhava will appear especially in certain places, at certain times, and in certain company. TEXT 86 TaTa" Sa Pa[aTaTQaaYa " SaNPa[iSQaTa" -MaaTa( ) [qMaNMaDauPaurq=& Pa[a" aTaae iv[aiNTaTaqQaRke- )) tata sa prtar utthya ha san prasthita kramt rman-madhu-pur prpta snto virnti-trthake tatathus; sahe; prtaearly in the morning; utthyaarising; hahappy; sanfeeling; prasthitahe set out; kramt gradually; rmatblessed; madhu-purmat Mathur; prpta arrived; sntabathed; virnti-trthakeat Virnti-trtha. Thus the brhmaa arose early in the morning and happily set out on his journey. Gradually he came to blessed Madhupur and bathed at Virnti-trtha. COMMENTARY: Obeying the Lords order, the brhmaa at once started for Vndvana. And when he entered the holy dhma, he came first to Mathur City. Following the standard custom of pilgrims, he first visited the bathing place on the Yamun known as Virnti-trtha (Virmagha). TEXT 87

GaTaae v*NdavNa& Ta}a DYaaYaMaaNa& iNaJae JaPae ) Ta& Ta& Pairk-r& Pa[aYaae vq+Yaa>aq+<a& NaNaNd Sa" )) gato vndvana tatra dhyyamna nije jape ta ta parikara pryo vkybhka nananda sa gatagone; vndvanamto Vndvana; tatrathere; dhyyamnambeing meditated upon; nijehis own; japein the chanting; tam tamthe various; parikaramentourage and paraphernalia; pryathe greater part; vkyaseeing; abhkam constantly; nanandarejoiced; sahe. He went on to Vndvana and there felt enlivened at every moment, for while chanting his mantra he saw in meditation most of the companions and surroundings from Kas pastimes. COMMENTARY: He saw Kas supremely beautiful cows, cowherds, kadamba trees, and so on, which, although famous, are beyond the power of unqualified people to describe. TEXT 88 TaiSMaNa( Gaae>aUizTae_PaXYaNk-MaPaqTaSTaTaae >a[MaNa( ) ke-XaqTaqQaRSYa PaUvRSYaa& idiXa Xau[av raedNaMa( )) tasmin go-bhite payan kam aptas tato bhraman ke-trthasya prvasy dii urva rodanam tasminin that place; go-bhitedecorated with cows; apayannot seeing; kam apianyone; ita tatahere and there; bhraman wandering; ke-trthasyaof Ke-trtha; prvasymeastern; dii on the side; urvahe heard; rodanamcrying. He wandered here and there in that cow-adorned land, without meeting any people. But at one place on the eastern side of Ke-trtha, he heard someone crying.

COMMENTARY: At the holy place where Ka had once killed the horse demon, Ke, the brhmaa met the first human being he was to encounter in Vndvana. This sacred place Ke-trtha is described in the Mathur-mhtmya of the Varha Pura (152.3031): gag ata-gu prokt mthure mama maale yamun virut devi ntra kry vicra tasy ata-gu prokt yatra ke niptita key ata-gu prokt yatra viramito hari One hundred times more sacred than the Gag, O goddess Earth, is the Yamun in My own abode, Mathur. No one need doubt this. More sacred than Mathur by a hundred times is the place on the Yamun where the Ke demon fell, and one hundred times more sacred than that Ke-trtha is the spot nearby where Ka rested after the demon was killed. TEXT 89 TaiG>aaGa& GaTa" Pa[eM<aa NaaMaSaqTaRNaEYauRTaMa( ) Tadak-<YaR MauhuSTa}a Ta& MaNauZYaMaMaaGaRYaTa( )) tad-dig-bhga gata prem nma-sakrtanair yutam tad karya muhus tatra ta manuyam amrgayat tatin that; dik-bhgamdirection; gatagoing; premin pure love; nma-sakrtanaiwith the sounds of nma-sakrtana; yutam joined; tatthat; karyahearing; muhuconstantly; tatra there; tamthat; manuyamfor the person; amrgayathe looked. Heading in the direction of that sound, he heard it mingled with constant nma-sakrtana performed in pure love. And so he looked for the person chanting. COMMENTARY: From a distance he recognized only the sound of crying, but as he approached he heard the names of the Supreme Lord being sweetly chanted with great affection, with syllables drawn out long and

melodious, by someone whose heart seemed completely softened by love of God. He became intent upon finding the person chanting. TEXT 90 gaNaaNDak-arar<YaaNTa" Saae_PaXYaNk-iduNMau%" ) iNaDaaRYaR Tad(iNaSQaaNa& YaMauNaaTaqrMaVa[JaTa( )) ghanndhakrraynta so payan kacid unmukha nirdhrya tad-dhvani-sthna yamun-tram avrajat ghanadense; andhakrawith darkness; arayaa forest; anta within; sahe; apayannot seeing; kacitanyone; unmukha eagerly turning toward; nirdhryanoticing; tatof that; dhvani sound; sthnamthe place; yamun-tramto the bank of the Yamun; avrajathe went. He entered a dense, dark forest where he couldnt see anyone. But he discerned the place from which the sound came, and he eagerly went there, to the bank of the Yamun. COMMENTARY: So thick was the forest that the leaves of the trees left no space for the light of the sun to enter. The brhmaa saw no one but could still hear the sound of nma-sakrtana, which drew him further on. TEXT 91 Ta}a NaqPaiNaku-aNTaGaaeRPaveXaPairC^dMa( ) ik-Xaaer& Sauku-Maara& SauNdr& TaMaudE+aTa )) tatra npa-nikujntar gopa-vea-paricchadam kiora su-kumrga sundara tam udaikata tatrathere; npaof kadamba trees; nikuja-antain a grove; gopa of a cowherd; veawhose dress; paricchadamand paraphernalia; kiorama young man; su-kumravery tender; agamwhose body; sundaramhandsome; tamhim; udaikatahe saw.

There, in a grove of kadamba trees, he found a handsome young man whose body was very tender, with the dress and accouterments of a cowherd. COMMENTARY: The person the brhmaa discovered was dressed like a cowherd boy, with a flute, buffalo horn, and herding stick and with a peacock feather on his head. Every part of his body appeared auspicious. TEXT 92 iNaJaedevTaa>a[aNTYaa GaaePaale/iTa MahaMauda ) SaMaaYaNPa[<aaMaaYa PaPaaTa >auiv d<@vTa( )) nijea-devat-bhrnty gopleti mah-mud samhvayan pramya papta bhuvi daa-vat nijafor his own; ia-devatworshipable Deity; bhrntybecause of mistaking; goplaO Gopla!; itithus; mah-mudwith great joy; samhvayancalling out; pramyafor offering respects; papta he fell; bhuvito the ground; daa-vatlike a rod. Mistaking this person for his worshipable Deity, the brhmaa joyfully called out O Gopla! and fell to the ground like a rod to offer respects. COMMENTARY: Because the cowherd sitting before the brhmaa was dressed and ornamented just like Madana-gopla, the brhmaa thought that this was the Deity in person. The brhmaa wanted to offer a fitting salutation, so he at once fell flat on the ground and with spontaneous enthusiasm sweetly called out, O Gopla! The offering of these three syllables go-p-la was his way of properly honoring the Lord. TEXTS 9394 TaTaae JaaTabihd*Ri" Sa SavRjiXaraeMai<a" ) jaTva Ta& MaaQaur& ivPa[& kaMaa:YaadeXavaiSaNaMa( )) [qMaNMadNaGaaePaal/aePaaSak&- c SaMaaGaTaMa( ) iNa"Sa*TYa ku-aduTQaaPYa NaTvail/&GYa NYaveXaYaTa( ))

tato jta-bahir-di sa sarva-ja-iromai jtv ta mthura vipra kmkhy-dea-vsinam rman-madana-goplopsaka ca samgatam nistya kujd utthpya natvligya nyaveayat tatathen; jtaappearing; bahi-dihis external consciousness; sahe; sarva-jaof knowers of everything; iramaithe crest jewel; jtvknowing; tamhim; mthuramof Mathur; viprama brhmaa; kmkhy-deain the land of the goddess Kmkhy; vsinama resident; rmat-madana-goplaof rmn Madana-gopla; upsakama worshiper; caand; samgatamarrived; nistyacoming out; kujtfrom the grove; utthpyastanding up to show respect; natvbowing down; ligya embracing him; nyaveayathe made the brhmaa sit down. This young man was the crest jewel of those who know everything. As he regained external consciousness, he recognized his visitor as a Mathur brhmaa living in the district of the goddess Kmkhy and worshiping rmn Madana-gopla. The young cowherd stood up and came out of the grove, bowed down to the brhmaa and embraced him, and made him sit down. COMMENTARY: The cowherd knew without being told that his guest was a brhmaa who had traveled to Vndvana from a long distance. More specifically he knew that his visitor was the child of a brhmaa family of Mathur who had moved to the Kmarp district in Assam to worship the presiding goddess Kmkhy. Furthermore, the young cowherd knew that this brhmaa was now worshiping the lotus feet of rmn Madana-gopla and had come for some special purpose of the Lords. Actually, r Rdh-dev had ordered the cowherd to go to the grove that morning. So he bowed down to his guest, raised him from the ground, embraced him, and invited him to sit down. TEXT 95 AQaaiTaQYaeNa SaNTaaeZYa ivaSaaeTPaadNaaYa Sa" ) ik-itaeNaaNau>aUTa& YayYaaMaaSa SaiSMaTaMa( )) athtithyena santoya

vivsotpdanya sa kicit tennubhta yad vyajaym sa sa-smitam athathen; tithyenawith hospitality; santoyasatisfying him; vivsahis confidence; utpdanyafor generating; sahe; kicit something; tenaby him; anubhtamexperienced; yatwhich; vyajaym sarevealed; sa-smitamwith a smile. To further gain the brhmaas confidence, the cowherd pleased him with hospitality and then smiled and revealed something about the brhmaas life. COMMENTARY: The young cowherd, Gopa-kumra, greeted his brhmaa guest in a manner befitting the time and place and then briefly recounted what had happened in the brhmaas life, beginning with his worship of the goddess Kmkhy and leading up to his coming to this place on the shore of the Yamun. The cowherd expertly revealed things hidden in the brhmaas heart that no one else could have known. Why did he do this? He wanted to win the brhmaas trust so that the brhmaa would believe what he was about to be told. Otherwise, the brhmaa might be skeptical about Gopa-kumras fantastic story. TEXT 96 bud(a GaaePaku-Maar& Ta& l/BevaTMaiPa[Ya& Mauda ) ivSTaae_k-QaYataiSMaNSvv*ta& b]a<aae_i%l/Ma( )) buddhv gopa-kumra ta labdhvevtma-priya mud vivasto kathayat tasmin sva-vtta brhmao khilam buddhvrecognizing; gopa-kumrama young cowherd boy; tam him; labdhvaccepting; ivaas if; tma-priyama dear friend; mud happily; vivastatrusting; akathayathe recounted; tasminto him (the cowherd); sva-vttamhis own story; brhmaathe brhmaa; akhilamentire. The brhmaa now understood that this was a young cowherd boy and accepted him as if the boy were a dear friend. Happily trusting him, the brhmaa then recounted his own entire life story.

COMMENTARY: When the brhmaa understood that this was not his worshipable Lord but a cowherd with all good qualities, the brhmaa relaxed. TEXT 97 Sak-aPaR<YaiMad& caSaaE Pa[i[Ta" PauNarb]vqTa( ) Ta& SavRjvr& MaTva SataMa& GaaePaNaNdNaMa( )) sa-krpayam ida csau prarita punar abravt ta sarva-ja-vara matv sat-tama gopa-nandanam sa-krpayamwith humility; idamthe following; caand; asauhe (the brhmaa); praritasubmissive; punafurther; abravtsaid; tamto him (the cowherd); sarva-jaof knowers of everything; varam the best; matvconsidering him; sat-tamamthe most saintly; gopa-nandanamyoung child of the cowherds. Then with great humility, considering this young child of the cowherds the best of wise men and a great saint, the brhmaa submissively added an inquiry. TEXT 98 [qb]a<a ovac [uTva bhuivDa& SaaDYa& SaaDaNa& c TaTaSTaTa" ) Pa[aPYa& k*-TYa& c iNa<aeRTau& Na ik-iC^KYaTae MaYaa )) r-brhmaa uvca rutv bahu-vidha sdhya sdhana ca tatas tata prpya ktya ca niretu na kicic chakyate may r-brhmaa uvcathe brhmaa said; rutvhaving heard; bahu-vidhamof various kinds; sdhyamgoals; sdhanammethods of achievement; caand; tata tatafrom various sources; prpyam what is to be attained; ktyamwhat is to be done; caand; niretumto determine; nanot; kicitanything; akyatecan be done; mayby me.

The brhmaa said: From various sources I have heard of various goals and various methods to achieve them, but still I cannot definitely decide what goal I should strive for and what I should do to reach it. COMMENTARY: On the bank of the Gag, at K and elsewhere, the brhmaa had heard various kinds of spiritual advice. He had heard in one place that heaven is the ultimate goal of life, and in another that liberation from the cycle of birth and death is the goal. And as for means of success he had heard claims that karma was the means, or jna, or other methods. No wonder he was confused. TEXT 99 Ya deVYaajYaa ik-idNauiTaaiMa iNaTYaXa" ) TaSYaaiPa ik&- f-l&/ Ta k-TaMaTk-MaR vei Na )) yac ca devy-jay kicid anutihmi nityaa tasypi ki phala tac ca katamat karma vedmi na yatwhat; caand; devof the goddess; jayby the order; kicit something; anutihmiI perform; nityaaregularly; tasyaof that; apieven; kimwhat; phalamresult; tatthat; caand; katamatof which kind; karmaactivity; vedmi naI do not know. Whatever the goddess ordered me, I regularly do. But I have no idea about the results of those duties, or even what kind of acts they are. COMMENTARY: If the brhmaa did not know what the goal of his endeavor was and how he might achieve it, why was he continuing to chant his mantra? He was doing so because he had respect for the order of the goddess Kmkhy. The little she had asked him to do, namely chant this mantra, was not much compared to the complex duties of householders and sannyss that he had learned about from others. He continued chanting out of reverence for the goddess, not because he understood the essence of what he was doing. He was even unaware whether this chanting belonged to the category of ritual duties, cultivation of knowledge, or devotional service. Therefore, he thought, since his practice was not based on definite knowledge and faith, it had no real value for his spiritual advancement. TEXT 100

TaeNaed& ivf-l&/ JaNMa MaNvaNa" k-aMaYae Ma*iTaMa( ) Par& JaqvaiMa k*-PaYaa iXavYaaeMaaRDavSYa c )) teneda viphala janma manvna kmaye mtim para jvmi kpay ivayor mdhavasya ca tenatherefore; idamthis; viphalamfruitless; janmalife; manvnaconsidering; kmayeI long for; mtimdeath; param only; jvmiI live; kpayby the mercy; ivayoof Lord iva and his wife; mdhavasyaof Lord Mdhava; caand. I therefore think my life worthless, and I simply want to die. I continue to live only by the mercy of Lord Mdhava, and Lord iva and his wife. COMMENTARY: It was at Prayga that the brhmaa had reached this point of crisis in his spiritual life. There also, however, he had received the grace of Lord Viu in the form of r Mdhava and of Lord Vivevara and his wife Kmkhy-dev, who had all appeared in dreams to give him guidance. TEXT 101 TaYaEva}aa SavRj& dYaalu/& Tva& SvdevvTa( ) Pa[aPYa " Pa[Saae_iSMa k*-Pa<a& Maa& SaMaur )) tayaivtrdya sarva-ja daylu tv sva-deva-vat prpya ha prasanno smi kpaa m samuddhara tayby that (mercy); evaonly; atrahere; adyatoday; sarva-jam all-knowing; daylumcompassionate; tvmyou; sva-deva-vat just like my worshipable Deity; prpyaobtaining; hahappy; prasannasatisfied; asmiI am; kpaamwretched; mmme; samuddharaplease deliver. Only by their mercy have I met you here today, a compassionate and all-knowing person. You are just like my worshipable Deity, and I am very happy and satisfied to meet you. Now please deliver this wretched soul.

COMMENTARY: At Prayga the brhmaa received the mercy of r Mdhava, Vivevara, and Kmkhy-dev, but only in Vndvana could he understand the inestimable value of that mercy. Now he is confident that Gopa-kumra is as good as Lord Madana-gopla; in other words, Gopa-kumras transcendental instructions can easily lift him out of the ocean of his doubts and out of the vast ocean of material existence. TEXT 102 [qParqi+aduvac iNaXaMYa Saadr& TaSYa vcNa& Sa VYaicNTaYaTa( ) WTaSYa k*-Tak*-TYaSYa JaaTaa PaU<aaRQaRTaa ik-l/ )) r-parkid uvca niamya sdara tasya vacana sa vyacintayat etasya kta-ktyasya jt prrthat kila r-parkit uvcar Parkit said; niamyahearing; sa-daram with respect; tasyahis; vacanamwords; sahe; vyacintayat thought; etasyaof this person; kta-ktyasyawho has done everything he needs to do; jthas arisen; pra-arthatcomplete success in life; kilaindeed. r Parkit said: Respectfully having heard the brhmaas words, the young cowherd thought, This person has done everything he needs to do. Indeed, his life is a complete success. COMMENTARY: The word dara is usually understood to mean respect, but it can also mean affection. With respect for the brhmaas status as a Mathur brhmaa and with special affinity for him as a fellow worshiper of r Madana-gopla, Gopa-kumra heard him out. Texts 102 through 108 describe Gopa-kumras thoughtful concern for the brhmaa. TEXT 103 ke-vl&/ TaTPadaM>aaeJaSaa+aadq+aaviXaZYaTae ) TaPae_hRiTa NaaSai&- ik-NTau TaaMak-ITaRNae )) kevala tat-padmbhojaskd-kvaiyate

taj-jape rhati nsakti kintu tan-nma-krtane kevalamonly; tatHis; pada-ambhojaof the lotus feet; skt directly; kseeing; avaiyateremains; tatHis; japein the quiet chanting of the mantra; arhatihe requires; nanot; saktim attachment; kinturather; tatHis; nma-krtanein the nmasakrtana. All that remains for him to achieve is to see directly the lotus feet of the Lord. He needs to become attached not so much to the solitary chanting of the Lords mantra but to the sakrtana of His names. COMMENTARY: When received by Pacartric initiation in a Vaiava sampradya, viu-mantras deliver the chanter from illusion and provide him liberation and entrance into the divine life of devotional service. But the highest standard of pure love of God is obtainable not by the pcartrika-vidhi but by the bhgavata-vidhi of nmasakrtana, worship of Kas names without material motives. The Prgjyotia-pura brhmaa had been chanting the ten-syllable Gopla mantra for some time with good effect, but only after he heard the uddha-nma from Gopa-kumra was he able to chant the same names of Lord Gopla in the perfect consciousness of sakrtana. Offenseless sakrtana with concentrated attention naturally develops into spontaneous attraction to Ka and His loving service. TEXTS 104105 [qMaNMadNaGaaePaal/PaadaBJaaePaaSaNaaTParMa( ) NaaMaSaqTaRNaPa[aYaaaH^aTaqTaf-l/Pa[daTa( )) TaIl/aSQal/Paal/INaa& [aSaNdXaRNaadrE" ) SaMPaaMaaNaaNa( iNaTara& ik-iaSTYaev SaaDaNaMa( )) rman-madana-goplapdbjopsant param nma-sakrtana-pryd vchtta-phala-pradt tal-ll-sthala-pln raddh-sandarandarai sampdyamnn nitar kicin nsty eva sdhanam

rmat-madana-goplaof rmn Madana-gopla; pda-abjaof the lotus feet; upsantthan the worship; paramhigher; nmasakrtana-prytconsisting primarily of nma-sakrtana; vchattabeyond expectations; phalafruits; pradtwhich bestows; tat His; llof the pastimes; sthala-plnmof the many places; raddhwith faith; sandaranaseeing; daraiwith respect; sampdyamntbeing accomplished; nitarmfully; kicitany; na astithere is not; evaat all; sdhanammethod of practice. Certainly no means of perfection is superior to the worship of rmn Madana-goplas lotus feet. That worship yields results far beyond what one could expect. It should be performed mainly through nma-sakrtana, along with reverence and affection for the many places of r Goplas pastimes, places one should regularly visit. COMMENTARY: How then had the brhmaa already made so much spiritual advancement? He had done so by worshiping r Ka, although irregularly. He had been worshiping without the complete faith and understanding that come only from the special mercy of Kas pure devotees. But any contact with Ka, the supreme goal of all existence, assures absolute perfection, and so also does any contact with His names, for hearing and chanting His names is the supreme method for attaining ka-prema. Even offensive chanting of Kas names, if continued long enough, will free one from disqualifications, and even nmbhsa, offenseless chanting without real attachment, will quickly lead to liberation and the rise of transcendental attachment and taste. Thus for spiritual upliftment there is no better practice than worship of the divine lotus feet of Lord Madana-gopla. In this verse the Lords feet are described as rmn, indicating that they fully possess all types of wealth and splendor. They have the potency to satisfy all the heartfelt desires of a devotee and to delight him in ways unanticipated by his conscious, and even subconscious, desires. The principal activity of this worship is sakrtana, chanting out loud in melodious song the Lords names, like Ka, Govinda and Gopla. r Parkit further suggests that the effects of hari-nmasakrtana are enhanced by visiting the sacred places in Vraja-bhmi where Ka enjoyed pastimes with His gopas and gops. As much as other obligations in devotional service allow, Vaiavas should wander about these places and see them with their own eyes. If they do this with love and respect, their nma-bhajana will soon bear fruit. TEXT 106 SaaTaPa[eMak-aaSMaaTauvRGaRiv@Mbk-aTa( )

TaTPaadaBJavXaqk-aradNYaTSaaDYa& Na ik-Na )) sajta-premakc csmc catur-varga-viambakt tat-pdbja-va-krd anyat sdhya na kicana sajtamanifest; premaktin which there is pure love; caand; asmtthan that; catu-vargathe four goals of life; viambakt which ridicules; tatHis; pda-abjathe lotus feet; va-krtwhich brings under control; anyatother; sdhyamgoal; na kicananone at all. And there is no better goal than this very worship, in which pure love of God appears, mocking the four lesser aims of life and bringing the Lords lotus feet under ones control. COMMENTARY: Religiosity, economic development, sense gratification, and liberation appear insignificant in comparison to ka-prema. Only prema-bhakti can bring the Personality of Godhead under control: rkkari ca s (Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu 1.1.17) TEXT 107 wiTa baeDaiYaTau& caSYa SavRSa&XaYaNaaedNaMa( ) Svv*taMaev iNai%l&/ NaUNa& Pa[ak( Pa[iTaPaadYae )) iti bodhayitu csya sarva-saaya-nodanam sva-vttam eva nikhila nna prk pratipdaye itithus; bodhayitumto bring him to the realization; caand; asya his; sarvaall; saayadoubts; nodanamwhich will dispel; svamy own; vttamhistory; evaindeed; nikhilamcomplete; nnam certainly; prkfirst; pratipdayeI should present. To bring him to this realization, first I must tell him my own history in full. That will clear away all his doubts. COMMENTARY: The brhmaa needs to be informed that Ka is the goal of his endeavors and that nma-sakrtana is the means to achieve Ka. But if Gopa-kumra were to say this from the start, the brhmaa, his mind ruled by doubts and misconceptions, might not grasp the full import of the advice. Therefore, to win the brhmaas trust, Gopa-kumra first needs to describe his own experiences,

beginning from when he also received the same gopla-mantra and continuing up to the present moment. That will drive away the brhmaas doubts and wrong ideas. It will also allow the brhmaa to drink the nectar of r-bhagavat-kath, which will render his heart pure enough to assimilate the transcendental knowledge he requires. In fact, that knowledge should then manifest itself automatically, even without needing to be explicitly stated. TEXT 108 SvYaMaev SvMaahaTMYa& k-QYaTae Ya TaTSaTaaMa( ) SaMMaTa& SYaataQaaPYaSYa NaaNYaa:YaaNaaiTa& >aveTa( )) svayam eva sva-mhtmya kathyate yan na tat satm sammata syt tathpy asya nnykhynd dhita bhavet svayamby oneself; evaindeed; svaof oneself; mhtmyamthe glorification; kathyateis spoken; yatwhen; nanot; tatthat; satmby saintly persons; sammatamapproved; sytgenerally is; tath apinevertheless; asyahis; nanot; anyaof something else; khyntby the narration; hitambenefit; bhavetwill come about. Describing ones own glories is disapproved by spiritual authorities. But nothing else I could say will bring about his good fortune. COMMENTARY: As the saying goes, sva-praas dhruvo mtyu: Selfpraise is as good as death. All the same, Gopa-kumra understands that nothing but his own story will dispel the brhmaas doubts and give him tattva-jna. Because Gopa-kumra used his mystic power to describe the brhmaas past, the brhmaa is already inclined to believe him. So Gopa-kumra should not hesitate to tell his own story and thereby make the brhmaa fortunate, since his own story is very similar to that of the brhmaa and will drive away all his doubts. r Rdhs order will then be quickly carried out, and what would ordinarily have been a breach of etiquette will be perfectly acceptable behavior. TEXT 109 Wv& iviNaiTYa MahaNau>aavae GaaePaaTMaJaae_SaavvDaaPYa ivPa[Ma( )

AaTMaaNau>aUTa& GaidTau& Pa[v*ta" PaaErai<ak-ae Yad*iz" Paura<aMa( )) eva vinicitya mahnubhvo goptmajo sv avadhpya vipram tmnubhta gaditu pravtta pauriko yadvad i puram evamthus; vinicityamaking up his mind; mah-anubhvathe great, thoughtful devotee; gopa-tma-jason of the cowherds; asau he; avadhpyacalling the attention; vipramof the brhmaa; tmaby himself; anubhtamwhat was experienced; gaditumto speak of; pravttabegan; paurikaof the Puras; yadvatas; ia sage; purama Pura. Thus the saintly son of the cowherds made up his mind. He asked the brhmaa for his attention and began to speak about his own life, just as a sage versed in the Puras would speak an epic. COMMENTARY: Gopa-kumra spoke with great authority; although he was just a young herdsman, anyone listening to him would think he was an ancient speaker of the Puras like Romaharaa Sta or his son Ugrarav, or a seer of Vedic mantras like the i Vmadeva. His narration was as authoritative as the Puras and fully in accord with all stras. The sage Devala has defined the characteristics of a i: rdhva-rets tapasy ugro niyat ca sayam pnugrahayo akta satya-sandho bhaved i A i is one whose semen flows upward, who is fierce in observing austere vows, who eats moderately, controls his senses, is able to curse and bless, and adheres firmly to the truth. TEXT 110 [qGaaePaku-Maar ovac A}aeiTahaSaa bhvae ivNTae_QaaiPa k-QYaTae ) Svv*taMaevaNauSMa*TYa MaaehadaviPa SaTaMa( )) r-gopa-kumra uvca atretihs bahavo vidyante thpi kathyate

sva-vttam evnusmtya mohdv api sagatam r-gopa-kumra uvcar Gopa-kumra said; atrahere; itihs historical accounts; bahavamany; vidyantethere are; atha api nonetheless; kathyateis going to be told; sva-vttammy own story; evaonly; anusmtyarecollecting; mohaduring fits of ecstasy; dauand so on; apialso; sagatamwhat occurred. r Gopa-kumra said: There are many relevant historical accounts, but I am going to tell you my own story, including recollections of what occurred at times when I was bewildered by ecstasy and other distractions. COMMENTARY: There are many ancient historical accounts about what certain people did and said to one another that may be useful in explaining how to determine the best goal of life and the means to achieve it. These accounts are called Itihsas: dharmrtha-kma-mokm upadea-samanvitam prva-vtta-kath-yuktam itihsa pracakate A text that consists of narrations of past events and includes instructions about religiosity, economic development, sense gratification, and liberation is called an Itihsa. Gopa-kumras plan, however, is to tell his own history instead. Of all forms of evidence for establishing the truth, experience from ones own life is the strongest. Thus when Gopa-kumra frankly reveals the events of his life, the brhmaa should be persuaded of the higher truth that Gopa-kumra has grasped. On occasion Gopa-kumra was unaware of what was going on around him because the overflowing of his love for the Supreme Lord disturbed his external perception. Even so, by virtue of his advanced self-realization he can now recollect even the details of events of which he was unconscious when they occurred. Many of these personal events are also too confidential to discuss freely in public, and Gopakumra may be somewhat embarrassed to mention them. He feels obliged, however, to do everything he can to help enlighten the brhmaa. As Gopa-kumra will tell the brhmaa in the last chapter of this book: paya yac ctmanas tasya tadynm api dhruvam vtta parama-gopya tat

sarva te kathita may Just see. I have told you everything that happened to me, and everything done by the Lord and His devotees, even that which is extremely confidential.. (Bhad-bhgavatmta 2.7.4) TEXT 111 GaaePaal/v*taevXYaSYa GaaevDaRNaiNavaiSaNa" ) Pau}aae_hMaqd*Xaae bal/" Paura GaaarYaiJaa" )) gopla-vtter vaiyasya govardhana-nivsina putro ham do bla pur g crayan nij goplaas a cowherd; vttewho made his living; vaiyasyaof a vaiya; govardhana-nivsinaa resident of Govardhana; putraa son; ahamI; dasuch; blaa young boy; purin the past; gcows; crayantending; nijmy own. I am a son of a vaiya of Govardhana who made his living as a cowherd. As a young boy of that community, I used to tend my own cows. TEXT 112 TaiSMaNa( GaaevDaRNae k*-Z<aaTaqre v*NdavNae_}a c) MaaQaure Ma<@le/ balE/" SaMa& ivPa[vr iSQaTa" )) tasmin govardhane ktre vndvane tra ca mthure maale blai sama vipra-vara sthita tasminat that place; govardhaneGovardhana; kof the Yamun; treon the banks; vndvanein the forest of Vndvana; atrahere; caand; mthure maalein the Mathur District; blai with boys; samamtogether; vipra-varaO best of brhmaas; sthitaremaining. O best of learned brhmaas, I stayed in the company of other boys there at Govardhana, here in Vndvana, on the banks of

the Yamun, and at various other places in the district of Mathur. COMMENTARY: Now Gopa-kumra begins his story, which will continue till the end of the sixth chapter. He was born in a vaiya community, in a family of cowherds. Many scriptures, including rmad-Bhgavatam (10.24.21), describe that vaiyas may engage in four occupations: trade, banking, farming, and cow protection (ki-vijya-go-rak kusdam). As this history unfolds, we shall find that although a long time has passed since Gopa-kumra was an innocent boy at Govardhana, he has not aged at all. As he explains later, this was due to a blessing given him by his spiritual master: tvam etasya prabhvea cira-jv bhavnv-aham dg-goprbha-rpa ca tat-phalpty-arha-mnasa By the potency of this mantra, may you live a long time, may you always have the form of a cowherd boy, and may you develop the right mentality for tasting the mantras fruit. (Bhad-bhgavatmta 2.1.191) Gopa-kumras tending a herd of his own cows means that his family was relatively well-to-do and independent. In the course of doing this work, he wandered over the area within the twenty-yojana circumference of Mathur-maala. Among the places he used for cow herding, his special favorites were Govardhana, the forest of Vndvana, and the shores of the Yamun. Sometimes he went to other locations in the dhma, like Mahvana, but according to one transcendental opinion Vraja-bhmi consists of nothing but Govardhana, Vndvana, and the Yamun, since these three places pervade the entire dhma. In any case, there is no place outside Vrajadhma where a cowherd can get real benefit from his occupation. Gopa-kumra addresses his new student by saying O best of learned brhmaas because the student hails from the brhmaa community of Mathur. TEXT 113 vNaMaDYae c PaXYaaMaae iNaTYaMaek&iJaaetaMaMa( ) idVYaMaUiTa| ivr-ya!y& PaYaR$=NTaiMaTaSTaTa" )) vana-madhye ca paymo nityam eka dvijottamam

divya-mrti virakty-hya paryaantam itas tata vanaof the forest; madhyein the mist; caand; paymawe would see; nityamregularly; ekamone; dvija-uttamamfirst-class brhmaa; divyadivine; mrtimwhose bodily appearance; virakti with renunciation; hyamendowed; paryaantamwandering; ita tatahere and there. In the forest we regularly saw a certain first-class brhmaa wandering from place to place. He was very renounced, and his body appeared like that of a god. COMMENTARY: This person the boys frequently saw was in truth the best of brhmaas. His body was golden and very beautiful. TEXT 114 k-ITaRYaNTa& Mauhu" k*-Z<a& JaPaDYaaNarTa& KvicTa( ) Na*TYaNTa& KvaiPa GaaYaNTa& KvaiPa haSaPar& KvicTa( )) krtayanta muhu ka japa-dhyna-rata kvacit ntyanta kvpi gyanta kvpi hsa-para kvacit krtayantamchanting the glories; muhualways; kamof Ka; japain chanting his mantra; dhynaand meditation; ratam absorbed; kvacitsometimes; ntyantamdancing; kva api sometimes; gyantamsinging; kva apisometimes; hsato laughter; paramgiving his attention; kvacitsometimes. He was always chanting the glories of Ka. Sometimes he sang and sometimes danced. Sometimes, absorbed in meditation, he chanted his mantra to himself, and sometimes he gave himself over to laughter. COMMENTARY: The outstanding characteristic of this brhmaa was that he always vibrated Kas glories, either with the two-syllable name Ka or with other names of the Personality of Godhead. He would sing these names sweetly in various ways. He sometimes appeared withdrawn into his private japa and dhyna, which he dutifully performed daily even though he was already perfect in chanting the Lords holy names. As the tantras prescribe, even a person who has

perfected the chanting of his mantra should continue to perform regular worship through japa and dhyna to show gratitude to his spiritual benefactors: siddha-mantro pi pttm tri-sandhya devam arcayet niyamenaika-sandhya v japed aottara atam Even if one has perfected his mantra and is completely pure in heart, he should still worship the Lord at the three junctures of the day by the method prescribed. Or at least at one of these three times he should do this worship, and 108 times he should chant japa of his mantra. When the brhmaa seemed withdrawn, intent on his prescribed chanting and meditation, in fact his outward senses were inactive not because he was controlling them out of duty but because ecstatic love was swelling up within him.. TEXT 115 iv-aeXaNTa& KvicUMaaE S%l/NTa& KvaiPa MatavTa( ) lu/#=NTa& >auiv ku-}aaiPa dNTa& KvicdukE-" )) vikroanta kvacid bhmau skhalanta kvpi matta-vat luhanta bhuvi kutrpi rudanta kvacid uccakai vikroantamshouting; kvacitsometimes; bhmauon the ground; skhalantamstumbling; kva apisometimes; matta-vatlike a madman; luhantamrolling; bhuvion the ground; kutra apiin some places; rudantamsobbing; kvacitsometimes; uccakai loudly. Sometimes he shouted, or loudly sobbed, or stumbled and fell to the ground, or rolled about on the ground like a madman. TEXT 116 ivSa&j& PaiTaTa& KvaiPa eZMal/al/a[uDaarYaa ) PaYaNTa& Gava& vTMaRrJaa&iSa Ma*TavTKvicTa( )) visaja patita kvpi lema-llru-dhray pakayanta gav vartma-

rajsi mta-vat kvacit visajamunconscious; patitamfallen down; kva apisometimes; lemaof his mucus; llasaliva; aruand tears; dhraywith the flood; pakayantamturning into mud; gavmof the cows; vartma on the path; rajsithe dust; mta-vatlike a corpse; kvacit sometimes. Sometimes he fell unconscious and lay still like a corpse, the flood of his mucus, saliva, and tears turning the dust on the cow path into mud. COMMENTARY: Because the brhmaa was practicing such intense chanting of the Lords names, he would sometimes feel joy so immense that he would lose outward consciousness. Sometimes he would collapse without wetting the ground as described here, and then he would appear to have died. TEXT 117 k-aETauke-Na vYa& bal/a YaaMaae_Mau& vqi+aTau& Sada ) Sa Tau GaaePaku-Maaraae l/Ba NaMaiTa >ai-Ta" )) kautukena vaya bl ymo mu vkitu sad sa tu gopa-kumrn no labdhv namati bhaktita kautukenacuriously; vayamwe; blboys; ymawould come; amumat him; vkitumto look; sadalways; sahe; tubut; gopa-kumrnyoung cowherd boys; naus; labdhvobtaining; namatiwould bow down; bhaktitawith devotion. Out of curiosity we cowherd boys would often come look at him. But when he saw us in front of him he would bow down to us with devotion. COMMENTARY: He apparently had great respect for the boys, despite their having no special respect for him. TEXT 118 Gaa!MaaiZYaiTa Pa[eM<aa SavaRezu SacuMbNaMa( )

PairTYau-& Na Xa-aeiTa Maad*XaaNa( iPa[YabNDauvTa( )) gham liyati prem sarvgeu sa-cumbanam parityaktu na aknoti mdn priya-bandhu-vat ghamdeeply; liyatihe would embrace; premwith love; sarvaon all; ageulimbs; sa-cumbanamwith kissing; parityaktum to give up; na aknotihe was not able; mdnthe likes of us; priya-bandhu-vatas if his best friends. He would heartily embrace us and affectionately cover us with kisses, as if we were his best friends. He was unable to give up our company. COMMENTARY: Immersed in ka-prema, this brhmaa was attracted to these village boys because they resembled young Ka and His cowherd friends. Priya-bandhu has several meanings: best friends, close relatives, most dear devotees of the Lord, and the Supreme Lord, who is dear to His devotees. TEXT 119 MaYaa GaaerSadaNaaidSaevYaaSaaE Pa[SaaidTa" ) Wk-da YaMauNaaTaqre Pa[aPYaail/&GYa JaGaad MaaMa( )) may go-rasa-dndisevaysau prasdita ekad yamun-tre prpyligya jagda mm mayby me; go-rasaof milk products; dnawith gifts; diand so on; sevayby the service; asauhe; prasditapleased; ekad one day; yamun-treon the shore of the Yamun; prpyameeting; ligyaembracing; jagdahe said; mmto me. He was pleased with my services like giving gifts of milk products. One day, meeting me on the shore of the Yamun, he embraced me and spoke in this way: COMMENTARY: Gopa-kumra gave his new friend presents of milk, yogurt, and other milk products and would also carry his waterpot and

follow him around. This kind of voluntary service pleased the great soul, who became disposed to give the boy his mercy. TEXT 120 vTSa Tv& Sak-l/a>aqiSaiiMaC^iSa ceidMaMa( ) Pa[Saad& JaGadqXaSYa aTva ke-XYaa& Ga*ha<a MaTa( )) vatsa tva sakalbhasiddhim icchasi ced imam prasda jagad-asya sntv key gha mat vatsadear child; tvamyou; sakalaall; abhaof desires; siddhimthe fulfillment; icchasiyou want; cetif; imamthis; prasdammercy; jagat-asyaof the Lord of the universe; sntv taking a bath; keymat Ke-gha; ghaplease take it; mat from me. My dear child, if you want to fulfill all your desires, please bathe at Ke-gha and then accept from Me this mercy of the Lord of the universe. COMMENTARY: Normally we consider the mercy of the Supreme Lord something intangible, but the saintly brhmaa called it this mercy as if it were a tangible object in front of them. He told Gopa-kumra Just take it from me as if literally placing it in his hands. TEXT 121 WvMaeTa& >avNMaN}a& aTaaYaaePaiddeXa Mae ) PaU<aRk-aMaae_NaPae+Yaae_iPa Sa dYaalu/iXaraeMai<a" )) evam eta bhavan-mantra sntyopadidea me pra-kmo napekyo pi sa daylu-iromai evamthus; etamthis; bhavat-mantramyour mantra; sntya who had bathed; upadideahe imparted; meto me; pra-kma fully satisfied in himself; anapekyaindifferent; apialthough; sa he; dayluof compassionate persons; ira-maithe crest jewel.

Thus, after I bathed, he imparted to me the same mantra you are chanting. Although he was fully satisfied in himself and indifferent to material things, he was the crest jewel of all compassionate souls. COMMENTARY: Since Gopa-kumra and his student have been initiated into the same mantra, their relationship should become very friendly. When Gopa-kumra got his mantra he should not have thought that this was his gurus way of reciprocating the gifts of buttermilk and yogurt. His guru, being fully self-satisfied, did not need the service. Only out of infinite compassion for the fallen souls did the guru show Gopa-kumra his mercy. TEXT 122 PaUJaaiviDa& iXa+aiYaTau& DYaeYaMauarYaHJaPae ) Pa[eMaaku-l/ae GaTaae Maaeh& diNvrih<aqv Sa" )) pj-vidhi ikayitu dhyeyam uccraya jape premkulo gato moha rudan virahiva sa pjof worshiping; vidhimthe method; ikayitumto instruct; dhyeyamthe object of meditation; uccrayanuttering; japein the chanting; premain pure love; kulaagitated; gata mohamhe became bewildered; rudancrying; virahia woman separated from her lover; ivaas if; sahe. He was about to explain the method of worshiping with the mantra, but as soon as he mentioned the object of meditation he was overcome by pure love of God, became confused, and started crying like a woman separated from her lover. COMMENTARY: Gopa-kumras guru had the instructions for properly using the mantra just on the tip of his tongue. He was about to tell Gopa-kumra how to touch the body with the syllables of the mantra, how to meditate systematically on the meaning of the mantra, and all the other details for reciting the mantra in worship. But as soon as he started to describe the beautiful form of rmn Madana-gopla a sudden ecstasy caught hold of him, and, crying like a lovesick woman remembering her distant beloved, he lost his train of thought. TEXT 123

Sa&ja& Pa[aae_Qa ik-i Pa[u& Xa-ae MaYaa i>aYaa ) oTQaaYa ivMaNaSk-ae_GaaTKvaiPa Pa[a" PauNaNaR Sa" )) saj prpto tha kicin na prau akto may bhiy utthya vimanasko gt kvpi prpta punar na sa sajmnormal consciousness; prptaobtaining; athathen; kicit anything; nanot; praumto ask; aktawas possible; may by me; bhiyout of fear; utthyastanding up; vimanaska distressed; agthe went; kva apisomewhere; prptafound; punaagain; nanot; sahe. When he regained normal consciousness I was afraid to ask him anything. He stood up and went away, distressed. And after that he was nowhere to be found. COMMENTARY: Having just received initiation, Gopa-kumra felt deep reverence for his spiritual master, and without first being spoken to he dared not say anything. He feared he might have done something offensive to upset his guru and thought that if he said anything wrong his guru might start crying again. Why didnt the saintly brhmaa give the missing instructions unasked? In his ecstatic mood he was unhappy and distracted, so he went away saying nothing more. And because he had no fixed residence he was not to be found again. TEXT 124 MaYaa Tau ik-iMad& l/BDa& ik-MaSYa f-l/Maev va ) MaN}a" k-Qa& SaaDaNaqYa wiTa jaTa& Na ik-Na )) may tu kim ida labdha kim asya phalam eva v mantra katha sdhanya iti jta na kicana mayby me; tubut; kimwhat; idamthis; labdhamreceived; kimwhat; asyaof it; phalamthe fruit; evaeven; vor; mantra the mantra; kathamhow; sdhanyato be perfected; itithus; jtamknown; nanot; kicanaat all. I had no idea what this mantra was that I had received, what fruit its chanting would bear, or even how the mantra was to be practiced.

COMMENTARY: Gopa-kumra did not even know the name of this tensyllable mantra. Was the mantra meant to be sung out loud? Or chanted quietly? Or was it a mantra at all? If it was powerful, when chanted perfectly what fruit would it bear? His guru had told him that the mantra would fulfill all his desires, but that was vague. Until now Gopa-kumra had never thought seriously about his ultimate desires and goals. TEXT 125 TaaKYaGaaErve<aEv MaN}a& Ta& ke-vl&/ Mau%e ) ke-NaaPYal/i+aTaae_Ja& JaPaeYa& k-aETauk-aidv )) tad-vkya-gauraveaiva mantra ta kevala mukhe kenpy alakito jasra japeya kautukd iva tathis; vkyafor the words; gauraveaout of respect; evaonly; mantramthe mantra; tamit; kevalamonly; mukhein my mouth; kena apiby anyone; alakitanot seen; ajasramconstantly; japeyamI would chant; kautuktout of curiosity; ivaas if. Simply out of respect for the brhmaas words, I constantly murmured this mantra in secluded places, unseen by others. I chanted it just out of curiosity. COMMENTARY: Gopa-kumra, aware of his ignorance of the true nature of the mantra, was embarrassed to chant it in public. But it certainly fascinated him. TEXT 126 TaNMahaPauzSYaEv Pa[>aavataad*XaeNa c ) JaPaeNa ictaXauiMaeR Ta}a [aPYaJaaYaTa )) tan-mah-puruasyaiva prabhvt tdena ca japena citta-uddhir me tatra raddhpy ajyata tatof that; mah-puruasyagreat person; evaonly; prabhvtby the influence; tdenaby such; caeven; japenachanting; citta

of the mind; uddhipurification; memy; tatrain it; raddh faith; apialso; ajyatadeveloped. By the influence of that great person, even such aimless chanting purified my mind, and I developed faith in the mantra. COMMENTARY: Without scientific knowledge of its practice and significance, the young sdhaka Gopa-kumra could hardly have solid faith in the mantra. He was not firmly convinced of its efficacy, nor was he affectionately attracted to it. Nonetheless, his naive chanting purified his mind of lust, envy, and greed. TEXT 127 TaaKYa& caNauSaNDaaYa JaGadqrSaaDak-Ma( ) Ta& MaN}a& MaNYaMaaNaae_h& TauZYaHJaPaParae_>avMa( )) tad-vkya cnusandhya jagad-vara-sdhakam ta mantra manyamno ha tuya japa-paro bhavam tathis; vkyamwords; caand; anusandhyacontemplating; jagat-varathe Lord of the universe; sdhakamthe means of achieving; tamthat; mantrammantra; manyamnaconsidering; ahamI; tuyanfeeling satisfied; japain chanting the mantra; paraabsorbed; abhavamI became. Contemplating my gurus words, I understood the mantra to be the means for achieving the Lord of the universe. Thus I became satisfied and absorbed in chanting . COMMENTARY: Gopa-kumras guru had told him, Accept the Supreme Lords mercy. Remembering this, Gopa-kumra concluded that the mantra was meant for obtaining the favor of the Supreme Lord. This was a satisfying reason to take enthusiastically to the chanting. TEXT 128 k-Id*Xaae JaGadqXaae_SaaE k-da va d*XYaTaa& MaYaa ) Tadek-l/al/Saae ihTva Ga*hadqHJaavqMaGaaMa( )) kdo jagad-o sau

kad v dyat may tad-eka-llaso hitv ghd jhnavm agm kdalike what; jagat-aLord of the universe; asauthis; kad when; vand; dyatmHe might be seen; mayby me; tat that; ekaonly; llasamy aspiration; hitvabandoning; gha-dn home and so on; jhnavmto the Gag; agmI went. I became eager to know who this Lord of the universe was and when I might be able to see Him. With this as my only aspiration I abandoned my home and other attachments and went to the bank of the Gag. COMMENTARY: Wanting to identify the Lord of the universe, Gopa-kumra compared Him to familiar people and things. But he could find no clue in the place where he had been brought up, so he left home to wander in search of the Lord. TEXT 129 dUraC^iNa& [uTva TaTPad& Pauil/Na& GaTa" ) ivPa[& vq+YaaNaMa& Ta}a Xaal/Ga[aMaiXal/acRk-Ma( )) drc chakha-dhvani rutv tat-pada pulina gata vipra vkynama tatra lagrma-ilrcakam drtfrom a distance; akhaof a conchshell; dhvanimthe sound; rutvhearing; tatof that; padamto the location; pulinama bank of the river; gataI went; viprama brhmaa; vkyaseeing; anamamI bowed down; tatrathere; lagrma-ilthe lagrmail; arcakamwho was worshiping. Hearing the distant sound of a conchshell being blown, I followed that sound to its origin on a sandy bank of the river. There I saw a learned brhmaa worshiping a lagrma-il, and I bowed down. TEXT 130 ik-iMaMa& YaJaiSa SvaiMaiiTa Pa*ae MaYaa hSaNa( ) Saae_vdiTk&- Na JaaNaaiSa bal/aYa& JaGadqr" ))

kim ima yajasi svminn iti po may hasan so vadat ki na jnsi blya jagad-vara kimwhat; imamthis; yajasiyou are worshiping; svminO master; itithus; paasked; mayby me; hasanlaughing; sahe; avadatsaid; kimwhether; na jnsiyou do not know; bladear boy; ayamthis; jagat-varathe Lord of the universe. I asked him, Master, what are you worshiping? Laughing, he replied, Dear boy, dont you know that this is the Lord of the universe? COMMENTARY: The worshiper was surprised that anyone, even a child, wouldnt know that r lagrma is a direct incarnation of the Lord of the universe. TEXT 131 TaC^\uTvah& SauSaMPa[aae iNaiDa& l/Bev iNaDaRNa" ) Na& va baNDavae bNDau& ParMaa& MaudMaavaNa( )) tac chrutvha su-samprpto nidhi labdhveva nirdhana naa v bndhavo bandhu param mudam ptavn tatthat; rutvhearing; ahamI; su-samprptawelcoming; nidhima treasure; labdhvobtaining; ivalike; nirdhanaa poor man; naamlost; vor; bndhavaa family member; bandhum his relative; parammsupreme; mudamhappiness; ptavnI obtained. Hearing this I felt unlimited happiness, like a poor man finding a welcome treasure, or a family man reuniting with a long-lost relative. TEXT 132 JaGadqXa& Mauhu" PaXYaNd<@vC^\YaaNaMaMa( ) Paadaedk&- SaiNaMaaRLYa& ivPa[SYa k*PaYaaPanuvMa( ))

jagad-a muhu payan daa-vac chraddhaynamam pdodaka sa-nirmlya viprasya kpaypnuvam jagat-amat the Lord of the universe; muhufor a long time; payanlooking; daa-vatlike a rod; raddhaywith faith; anamamI bowed down; pdafrom His feet; udakamthe water; sanirmlyamalong with remnants of His food; viprasyaof the brhmaa; kpayby the mercy; pnuvamI obtained. I gazed for a long time at the Lord of the universe and with faith bowed down to Him, my whole body flat on the ground like a rod. By the brhmaas mercy I received some water that had washed the Lords feet, and some remnants of offerings to Him. COMMENTARY: With newborn faith and affection for the Lord in His lagrma form, Gopa-kumra happily accepted the Lords caramta, along with remnants of tulas leaves and other items earlier offered to the Lord. TEXT 133 oTaeNa Ga*h& GaNTau&= k-r<@e TaeNa XaaiYaTaMa( ) JaGadqXa& ivl/aeKYaaTaaeR VYal/Pa& SaaMaqd*XaMa( )) udyatena gha gantu karae tena yitam jagad-a vilokyrto vyalapa ssram dam udyatenawho was preparing; ghamto his home; gantumto go; karaein a box; tenaby him; yitamlaid to rest; jagat-am the Lord of the universe; vilokyaseeing; rtamentally pained; vyalapamI complained; sa-asramtearfully; damlike this. Then the brhmaa, preparing to return home, lay the Lord of the universe to rest in a box. Pained to see this, I tearfully complained in this way: TEXT 134

ha ha Da*Ta" k-r<@aNTarSQaaNae ParMaer" ) ik-MaPYaSaaE Na ca>au iNad]a Tau +auDaYaa k-QaMa( )) h h dhta karantar asthne paramevara kim apy asau na cbhukta nidr tu kudhay katham h halas, alas; dhtaput; karaa-antainside a box; asthne in an unsuitable place; parama-varathe Supreme Lord; kim api even though; asauHe; nanot; caand; abhuktahas eaten; nidrsleep; tubut; kudhaybecause of hunger; kathamhow. My God, you are putting the Supreme Lord into a boxsuch an unfit place! And He hasnt even eaten! How will He sleep if He is hungry? COMMENTARY: Gopa-kumra thought the little box an ill-chosen place for the Lord of the universe. Told that being placed in such a box is what is done with the Deity after worship to Him is finished, Gopa-kumra replied that he had not seen the brhmaa make an offering of food substantial enough to satisfy the Lords appetite and that the Lord should not be forced to sleep without first being fed. TEXT 135 Pa[k*-TYaEv Na JaaNaaiMa MaaQaurb]a<aaetaMa ) ASMaail/+a<a" k-iTKvaPYaiSTa JaGadqr" )) praktyaiva na jnmi mthura-brhmaottama asmd vilakaa kacit kvpy asti jagad-vara praktyby my conditioned nature; evaindeed; na jnmiI did not understand; mthurafrom Mathur; brhmaa-uttamaO first-class brhmaa; asmtfrom this (world); vilakaadifferent; kacit someone; kva apisomewhere; astithere is; jagat-varathe Lord of the universe. O excellent brhmaa from Mathur, because of my material conditioning I was unaware that the Lord of the universe is different from everyone and everything in this world.

COMMENTARY: Gopa-kumra was ignorant of the Supreme Persons transcendental nature. The Lord can enjoy Himself everywhere simultaneously by expanding into an infinite number of forms. There is no reason to worry that He will go hungry because of one devotees neglect. He may seem to be a small stone trapped in a box, but in fact the Lord is unlimited. TEXT 136 wTYak*-i}aMaSaNTaaPa& ivl/aPaaTaurMab]vqTa( ) b]a<a" SaaNTaiYaTva Maa& h]q<aviNaYaaiNvTa" )) ity aktrima-santpa vilpturam abravt brhmaa sntayitv m hra-vad vinaynvita itithus; aktrimanot artificial; santpamwhose suffering; vilpa by lamentation; turamwho was agitated; abravtsaid; brhmaa the brhmaa; sntayitvconsoling; mmme; hra-vatshyly; vinaya-anvitafull of humility. As I complained and suffered in my uncontrived lamentation, the brhmaa tried to console me. Full of humility, he shyly spoke. COMMENTARY: The saintly brhmaa was ashamed of being too poor to feed even a human guest, what to speak of the Supreme Lord. And in fact the place where he had now performed his worship simply had no facilities for cooking. But the humility the brhmaa felt was not caused by any external circumstance; it was a natural ecstasy of his individual type of love of God. TEXT 137 NavvEZ<av ik&- k-Tau| dird]" Xau-Yaa& ParMa( ) APaRYaaiMa Sv>aaeGYa& ih JaGadqXaaYa ke-vl/Ma( )) nava-vaiava ki kartu daridra aknuy param arpaymi sva-bhogya hi jagad-ya kevalam nava-vaiavaO new Vaiava; kimwhat; kartumto do; daridra a poor man; aknuymI can; parammore; arpaymiI offer; sva-

bhogyamthe meals prepared for myself; hiindeed; jagat-yato the Lord of the universe; kevalamonly. O new Vaiava, he said, what more can this poor man do? I can offer to the Lord of the universe only the meals I prepare for myself. COMMENTARY: The brhmaa who lived near the Gag thought, If this cowherd boy has never seen a brhmaa like me worshiping lagrma-il, he must be new to spiritual life. TEXTS 138139 Yaid PaUJaaeTSav& TaSYa vE>av& c idd*+aSae ) TadETaeXaraJaSYa ivZ<auPaUJaaNauraiGa<a" )) MahaSaaDaae" Paurq=& Yaaih vTaRMaaNaMadUrTa" ) Ta}a Saa+aaTSaMaq+aSv dudRXa| JaGadqrMa( )) yadi pjotsava tasya vaibhava ca didkase tadaitad-dea-rjasya viu-pjnurgia mah-sdho pur yhi vartamnam adrata tatra skt samkasva durdara jagad-varam yadiif; pjof worship; utsavama great festival; tasyaHis; vaibhavamopulence; caand; didkaseyou are eager to see; tad then; etatthis; dea-rjasyaof the ruler of the country; viu-pj to the worship of Lord Viu; anurgiawho has loving attraction; mah-sdhovery saintly; purmto the capital city; yhigo; vartamnampresent; adratanot far away; tatrathere; skt directly; samkasvajust see; durdaramvery difficult to see; jagatvaramthe Lord of the universe. If you are eager to see the Lords opulence and a great festival of His worship, please go to the capital city of this countrys very saintly ruler. He is attached to the worship of Lord Viu in great love. You will find his city not far away, and there you can behold the Lord of the universe, who is so difficult to see. COMMENTARY: The king of this district on the shore of the Gag was a sincere Vaiava, which made him a greater saint than any karm,

jn, or ordinary yog. He worshiped the Deity of Lord Viu with festive opulence. If Gopa-kumra liked, he could go to the capital and see for himself this kings wonderful worship. He could see the Lords beauty, the rich offerings made to the Lord, and His luxurious sleeping quarters. The opulences of the kings Deity were much more readily visible than those of the poor brhmaas lagrma-il. TEXT 140 TPaUrk&- MahaNaNd& SavRQaaNau>aivZYaiSa wdaNaqMaeTYa Maehe >au&+v ivZ<auiNaveidTaMa( ht-praka mahnanda sarvathnubhaviyasi idnm etya mad-gehe bhukva viu-niveditam htyour heart; prakamwhich will fill; mah-nandamgreat ecstasy; sarvathin all respects; anubhaviyasiyou will experience; idnmnow; etyacoming; matmy; gehein the house; bhukva please eat; viu-niveditamthe remnants of food offered to Lord Viu. You will feel great ecstasy, fulfilling all your hearts desires. But for now please come have lunch in my house from the remnants of what has been offered to Lord Viu. COMMENTARY: Gopa-kumra will certainly feel bliss if he witnesses the opulence of the Viu Deity in the royal city, hears the songs and prayers recited for the pleasure of the Lord, and tastes the remnants of food offered to the Lord. The brhmaa admits that devotees who have pure love for the Lord prefer to see Him worshiped with suitable opulence, opulence that he, a poor man, cannot provide for his own Deity. Gopa-kumra should therefore at once go to the capital, but before he goes he should have lunch at the brhmaas house, where he can taste what little rice and other items have been offered this morning to the brhmaas lagrma Deity. TEXT 141 TaacaNaiNdTaae_GaTva +auiDaTaae_iPa Tadal/YaMa( ) Ta& Pa[<aMYa TaduivTMaRNaa Taa& PaurqMaGaaMa( )) tad-vcnandito gatv

kudhito pi tad-layam ta praamya tad-uddiavartman t purm agm tathis; vcby the words; nanditadelighted; agatvnot going; kudhitahungry; apialthough; tathis; layamto the house; tamto him; praamyabowing down; tatby him; uddia indicated; vartmanalong the road; tmto that; purmcity; agm I went. Delighted by the brhmaas words, I offered him my obeisances and without stopping at his house (even though hungry), I set off for the capital by the road he pointed out. COMMENTARY: Gopa-kumra repeatedly prostrated himself before the brhmaa with great devotion. He did this partly to beg pardon for declining the brhmaas invitation and partly to beg blessings for an auspicious journey. TEXT 142 ANTa"Paure devku-le/ JaGadqXaacRNaiNaMa( ) APaUv| TauMaul&/ dUraC^\uTvaPa*C^MaMau& JaNaaNa( )) anta-pure deva-kule jagad-rcana-dhvanim aprva tumula drc chrutvpccham amu jann anta-pureinside the inner city; deva-kulein a temple; jagat-a of the Lord of the universe; arcanaof the worship of the Lord; dhvanimthe sound; aprvamunprecedented; tumulama tumult; drtfrom a distance; rutvhearing; apcchamI asked; amum about this; jannfrom some people. Within the inner precincts of the city, from a distance I heard the sound of temple worship of the Lord of the universe. I had never heard such a tumult, so I asked about it from people nearby. COMMENTARY: The noise Gopa-kumra heard came from the Lords rati ceremony in the royal temple, where many devotees were chanting and playing musical instruments. The sound impressed Gopa-kumra as very wonderful.

TEXT 143 ivjaYa Ta}a JaGadqrMaqi+aTau& Ta& ke-NaaPYavairTaGaiTa" SaJav& Pa[ivXYa ) XaairPaJaGadaivl/SaTk-raBJa& [qMaTau>auRJaMaPaXYaMah& SaMa+aMa( )) vijya tatra jagad-varam kitu ta kenpy avrita-gati sa-java praviya akhri-pakaja-gad-vilasat-karbja rmac-catur-bhujam apayam aha samakam vijyabeing informed; tatrathere; jagat-varamthe Lord of the universe; kitumto see; tamHim; kena apiby anyone; avrita not stopped; gatimy movement; sa-javamquickly; praviya entering; akhawith conchshell; aridisc; pakajalotus; gadand club; vilasatresplendent; kara-abjamwhose lotus hands; rmat beautiful; catu-bhujamwith four arms; apayamsaw; ahamI; samakamin front of me. Learning that the Lord of the universe was being worshiped, I wanted to see Him. As I approached, no one stopped me, so I quickly entered the temple, where in front of me I beheld the beautiful four-armed form of the Lord, His hands resplendent with a conchshell, disc, lotus, and club. COMMENTARY: The guards at the door of the temple neither questioned Gopa-kumra nor blocked his entrance, so he eagerly ran inside. There he saw the Deity of Viu, whose beauty and opulence more than fulfilled the brhmaas predictions, and Gopa-kumras own expectations. The four arms of the Lord resembled the bodies of mighty serpents. TEXT 144 SavaRSauNdrTar& NavMaegak-aiNTa& k-aEXaeYaPaqTavSaNa& vNaMaal/Yaa!yMa( ) SaaEv<aR>aUz<aMav<YaRik-XaaerMaUiTa| PaU<aeRNduv-MaMa*TaiSMaTaMaBJaNae}aMa( )) sarvga-sundaratara nava-megha-knti kaueya-pta-vasana vana-mlayhyam sauvara-bhaam avarya-kiora-mrti prendu-vaktram amta-smitam abja-netram

sarvaall; agawith His limbs; sundara-tarammost beautiful; nava new; meghaof a rain cloud; kntimwhose complexion; kaueya of silk; ptayellow; vasanamwhose garment; vana-mlaywith a flower garland; hyamrichly adorned; sauvaraof gold; bhaam with ornaments; avaryaindescribable; kiorayouthful; mrtim whose personal form; prafull; indulike the moon; vaktram whose face; amtanectarean; smitamwhose smile; abja resembling lotuses; netramwhose eyes. All the parts of His body were exquisitely attractive, and His complexion resembled a new rain cloud. Words can hardly describe his youthful body, dressed in yellow silk, ornamented with gold, and garlanded with forest flowers that increased His beauty. His face, with its sweet nectarean smile and lotuslike eyes, appeared like the full moon. COMMENTARY: Beginning from His eyes and mouth, every part of Lord Vius body was enchanting. Gopa-kumra could only compare His beauty to that of the most beautiful things he knewa rain cloud, the moon, and lotus flowers. TEXT 145 SaMPaUiJaTa& ivivDadul/R>avSTauvGa" SaevaNauz-Paircark-v*NdJauMa( ) Na*TYaaidk&- c PaurTaae_Nau>avNTaMaaraTa( iTaNTaMaaSaNavre SauPairC^daEgaMa( )) sampjita vividha-durlabha-vastu-vargai sevnuakta-paricraka-vnda-juam ntydika ca purato nubhavantam rt tihantam sana-vare su-paricchadaugham sampjitamworshiped; vividhavarious; durlabharare; vastuvargaiwith things; sevto His service; anuaktawho were fondly attached; paricraka-vndaby many servants; juamjoined; ntya-dikamdancing and so on; caand; puratabefore Him; anubhavantamperceiving; rtfrom some distance; tihantam standing; sanaon a seat; vareexcellent; su-paricchadaof excellent paraphernalia; oghamhaving a great amount. While many attendants, fondly attached to serving Him, worshiped Him with various rare items, He stood on an excellent throne and from a distance watched the dancing and other entertainment presented before Him. Every sort of wonderful paraphernalia was being engaged for His pleasure.

COMMENTARY: As the most precious items to be found were presented to the Lord, one after another, His personal attendants waved cmara fans intently and offered Him betel nut and other refreshments. In the midst of all this, He stood on His throne instead of coming forward to meet the crowd and acknowledged the entertainment going on further away by watching with unblinking eyes. TEXT 146 ParMaaNaNdPaU<aaeR_h& Pa[<aMaNd<@vNMauhu" ) VYaicNTaYaiMad& SvSYaaPaXYaMa idd*i+aTaMa( )) paramnanda-pro ha praaman daa-van muhu vyacintayam ida svasypayam adya didkitam parama-nandawith supreme bliss; prafilled; ahamI; praamanbowing down; daa-vatlike a rod; muhurepeatedly; vyacintayamI thought; idamthis; svasyamy; apayamI have seen; adyatoday; didkitamwhat I always wanted to see. Filled with supreme bliss, I repeatedly fell flat on the ground. Today, I thought, I have seen what I always wanted to see. TEXT 147 SaMPa[aae JaNMaSaaf-LYa& Na GaiMaZYaaMYaTa" KvicTa( ) vEZ<avaNaa& c k*-PaYaa Ta}aEv NYavSa& Sau%Ma( )) samprpto janma-sphalya na gamiymy ata kvacit vaiavn ca kpay tatraiva nyavasa sukham samprptaobtained; janmaof my birth; sphalyamthe success; na gamiymiI shall not go; atafrom here; kvacitever; vaiavnmof the Vaiavas; caand; kpayby the mercy; tatra there; evaonly; nyavasamI resided; sukhamhappily. Now my life is a success. I shall never go away from this place. And so, by the mercy of the Vaiavas, I began to live there happily.

COMMENTARY: Gopa-kumra had left his family and friends to wander in search of his worshipable Lord and now had found Him. Although as a penniless beggar from a foreign country Gopa-kumra could hardly expect to be allowed to stay in the neighborhood of the royal palace and dine on the remnants of the kings Deity, the local Vaiavas were kind to him. They brought him mah-prasda and did everything possible to encourage and protect him. TEXT 148 >auaNaae ivZ<auNaEve& PaXYaNPaUJaaMahaeTSavMa( ) Xa*<vNPaUJaaidMaahaTMYa& YaaNMaN}a& rhae JaPaNa( )) bhujno viu-naivedya payan pj-mahotsavam van pjdi-mhtmya yatnn mantra raho japan bhujnaeating; viu-naivedyamremnants of food offered to Viu; payanseeing; pjof His worship; mah-utsavamthe great festivals; vanhearing; pj-diof His worship and so on; mhtmyamglories; yatntcarefully; mantrammy mantra; raha in private; japanchanting. I would eat remnants of food offered to Lord Viu, witness the great festivals of His worship, and hear the glories of His worship and more, all the while carefully chanting my mantra in private. COMMENTARY: While residing with the Vaiavas who served the Deity of Lord Viu, Gopa-kumra heard from them the glories of worship of Viu, as described in various Puras and other scriptures. He heard that worshiping Viu is the highest activity for human beings, and he heard specific instructions about various aspects of His worship. He also heard about the glories of Lord Vius prasda: abhir msopavsais tu yat phala parikrtitam vior naivedya-sikthnna bhujat tat kalau yuge

All the benefits ascribed to the vow of fasting for six months are gained in Kali-yuga by those who eat food mixed with the remnants of Lord Viu. From all these instructions, however, Gopa-kumra did not receive a complete, systematic spiritual education. No one told him, for example, about such basic matters as the existence of higher planets, like the Svarga of Lord Indra. The Vaiavas were unaware that Gopa-kumra, despite his saintly qualities, had never had any training. Thus he remained naive about the complexities of the material world. TEXT 149 ASYaaSTau Va[Ja>aUMae" [qGaaeRPa-I@aSau%& c TaTa( ) k-daicdiPa Mae b]Na( dYaaaPaSaPaRiTa )) asys tu vraja-bhme rr gopa-kr-sukha ca tat kadcid api me brahman hdayn npasarpati asyof this; tubut; vraja-bhmeVraja-bhmi; rthe beauty; gopaas a cowherd; krof playing; sukhamthe happiness; ca and; tatthat; kadcit evaever; memy; brahmanO brhmaa; hdaytfrom the heart; na apasarpatiwould not go away. Yet my heart, O brhmaa, never forgot the beauty of this Vraja-bhmi and the joy of playing here as a cowherd. COMMENTARY: Gopa-kumras indelible recollections of Vraja-dhma, far from being just sentimental, were a sign that by chanting his mantra he was reaping transcendental results. The public opulence of Lord Vius worship did not attract him more than the simple happiness of wandering about the fields of Vraja. While sleeping or awake, he could not forget Vraja. Even while he took part in Lord Vius festivals, thoughts of Vraja-bhmi lingered in his mind. TEXT 150 Wv& idNaaiNa k-iTaicTSaaNaNd& Ta}a iTaTa" ) Taad*KPaUJaaivDaaNae Mae ParMaa l/al/SaaJaiNa )) eva dinni katicit snanda tatra tihata tdk-pj-vidhne me

param llasjani evamin this way; dinnidays; katicitsome; sa-nandam blissfully; tatrathere; tihatawho remained; tdksuch; pj of worship; vidhnein the method; memy; paramgreat; llas eagerness; ajaniwas born. Remaining thus for some days in that place, I developed great eagerness to engage in that method of worship. COMMENTARY: Gopa-kumra was eager to reciprocate in a personal way with the Lord of the universe, and the opulent worship in Vius temple seemed such a way. TEXT 151 AQaaPau}a" Sa raJaa Maa&= vEdeiXak-MaiPa iPa[YaaTa( ) SauXaql&/ vq+Ya Pau}aTve Pairk-LPYaaicraNMa*Ta" )) athputra sa rj m vaideikam api priyt su-la vkya putratve parikalpycirn mta athathen; aputrasonless; sahe; rjthe king; mmme; vaideikama foreigner; apialthough; priytout of affection; sulamof good character; vkyaseeing; putratveas his son; parikalpyaadopting; acirtsoon; mtadied. The king of that country was sonless. And despite my being a foreigner, he noted my good character, and he developed affection for me. But soon after finally adopting me as his son, he died. TEXT 152 MaYaa c l/Ba Tad]aJYa& ivZ<auPaUJaa MaudaiDak-a ) Pa[viTaRTaa TadE >aaeJYaNTae SaaDavae_NvhMa( )) may ca labdhv tad-rjya viu-pj muddhik pravartit tad-annai ca bhojyante sdhavo nv-aham

mayby me; caand; labdhvbeing obtained; tathis; rjyam kingdom; viu-pjthe worship of Viu; mudwith delight; adhikmore; pravartitpromoted; tatfrom that; annaiwith the food; caand; bhojyantewere fed; sdhavasaintly persons; anuahamdaily. After inheriting his kingdom, I made even more elaborate the joyful worship of Lord Viu. Every day, saintly persons were fed with remnants of food from this worship. COMMENTARY: Simple soul that he was, Gopa-kumra accepted his material elevation as a chance to increase his devotional service. As king he saw to it that Lord Vius worship was improved and that the Lords mercy was distributed as widely as possible. TEXT 153 SvYa& c KvicdaSai-Mak*-Tva PaUvRvSaNa( ) JaPa& iNavaRhYaN>aue Pa[Saada& Pa[>aae" ParMa( )) svaya ca kvacid saktim aktv prva-vad vasan japa nirvhayan bhuje prasdnna prabho param svayammyself; caand; kvacitat any time; saktimattachment; aktvnot forming; prva-vatas before; vasanliving; japamthe quiet chanting of my mantra; nirvhayancarrying out; bhujeI ate; prasda-annamthe remnants of food; prabhoof the Lord; param only. And always unattached to royal opulence, I continued living just as before. I quietly chanted my mantra and ate only remnants of food left by the Lord as His mercy. COMMENTARY: Gopa-kumras mantra protected him from being corrupted by royal power. Thus he was undistracted by sovereignty and wealth. Retaining his unassuming simplicity, he went on chanting his mantra, satisfied with the gratification that his senses enjoyed from honoring Lord Vius prasda. TEXT 154 rajae_SYa Pairvare>Ya" Pa[ada& raJYa& iv>aJYa TaTa( )

TaQaaiPa raJYaSaMbNDaauu"%& Mae bhuDaaeveTa( )) rjo sya parivrebhya prd rjya vibhajya tat tathpi rjya-sambandhd dukha me bahudhodbhavet rjaof the king; asyahis; parivrebhyato the family members and servants; prdmI gave; rjyamthe responsibilities of the kingdom; vibhajyadividing; tatit; tath apinonetheless; rjya with the kingdom; sambandhtbecause of my connection; dukham unhappiness; memy; bahudhin various ways; udbhavetwould arise. I divided the affairs of the kingdom and handed them over to the relatives and entourage of the deceased king. But still I suffered in various ways due to my connection with the kingdom. COMMENTARY: To avoid being blamed for neglecting the kingdom while absorbed in private meditation, Gopa-kumra delegated the practical affairs of ruling to the previous kings friends, ministers, in-laws, and immediate family. He gave them the authority to make day-to-day decisions. Nonetheless, various anxieties connected with the kingdom continued to be thrust upon him, and so a crisis gradually arose. Discriminating Vaiavas may be better off uninvolved in the management of kingdoms. TEXT 155 k-daiPa Parra\aq" k-daic-viTaRNa" ) ivivDaadeXaSaNdaehPaal/NaeNaaSvTaN}aTaa )) kadpi para-rrd bh kadcic cakravartina vividhdea-sandohaplanensvatantrat kad apisometimes; paraother; rrtfrom kingdoms; bh fear; kadcitsometimes; cakravartinafrom the emperor; vividha of various kinds; deaof commands; sandohathe abundance; planenabecause of having to obey; asvatantratlack of freedom.

Sometimes I feared neighboring kingdoms, and at other times the emperor. Having to obey his various and abundant commands stifled my freedom. COMMENTARY: Every king has enemies, including the unhappy citizens of his own state as well as the rulers of rival kingdoms. If he is the vassal of a greater king, he must follow the overlords whims and cannot act independently.Gopa-kumra felt all these anxieties. TEXT 156 JaGadqrNaEve& SPa*MaNYaeNa ke-NaicTa( ) NaqTa& bihvaR SaiNdGDaae Na >aue k-ae_iPa SaNa" )) jagad-vara-naivedya spam anyena kenacit nta bahir v sandigdho na bhukte ko pi saj-jana jagat-varaof the Supreme Lord; naivedyamthe remnants of food; spamtouched; anyena kenacitby anyone else; ntamcarried; bahioutside; vor; sandigdhadoubted; na bhuktedoes not eat; ka apiany; sat-janarespectable person. If the Supreme Lords remnants were touched by an outsider, or carried outside the temple, or if for any other reason a doubt arose about the purity of the remnants, no respectable person would eat them. COMMENTARY: Gopa-kumra certainly should have tolerated any trouble arising from serving the Lord, but the serious obstructions that appeared in Gopa-kumras devotional service provoked him much more than the petty complications of royal politics. The brhmaas of this region were very strict about the food they accepted. They would not accept Lord Vius prasda if it had been touched by anyone other than appointed servants of the Deity or taken outside the sacred area of the temple. These brhmaas cited the tradition of cultured behavior as evidence to support their scruples: their predecessors had never accepted prasda that had in these ways been contaminated. Real brhmaas and Vaiavas, however, become unhappy to see such behavior; for them it is difficult to live in a place where such disrespect of the Supreme Lords prasda is promoted. Furthermore, their opinion on this matter is supported in scriptures such as r Bhad-viu Pura:

naivedya jagad-asya anna-pndika ca yat bhakybhakya-vicras tu nsti tad-bhakae dvija brahma-van nirvikra hi yath vius tathaiva tat vicra ye prakurvanti bhakae tad dvijtaya kuha-vydhi-samyukt putra-dra-vivarjit niraya ynti te vipr yasmn nvartate puna O twice-born, one should never question whether remnants of food and drink offered to the Lord of the universe are fit or unfit to eat. One should never make such distinctions. The prasda of the Lord is as incorruptible as the Vedic mantras and Lord Viu Himself. Those who consider whether the Lords prasda is eatable or uneatable will suffer leprosy. They will lose their children and wives, O brhmaa, and go to hell, never to return. TEXT 157 MaMaRXaLYaeNa cETaeNa iNaveRdae Mae MahaNa>aUTa( ) NaeXae idd*i+aTa& Saa+aaTPa[a& TYau-& c TaTPa[>auMa( )) marma-alyena caitena nirvedo me mahn abht nee didkita skt prpta tyaktu ca tat-prabhum marmain a vital point of the body; alyenaby the dart; caand; etenathis; nirvedadisgust; memy; mahngreat; abhtarose; na eI did not want; didkitamwhom I had wanted to see; skt directly; prptamobtained; tyaktumto leave; caand; tatthat; prabhumLord. Such darts, shot into my vital points, made me want to give everything up. But I had no desire to leave the Lord, whom I had long hankered to see and whose personal contact I had now obtained.

COMMENTARY: To see the leaders of society refusing Vius prasda was more painful to Gopa-kumra than the wounds of well-aimed arrows. One who is cut at a major juncture of the subtle channels carrying pra feels excruciating pain. But the pain of having to watch and tolerate apardhas in the service of Lord Viu was more painful for Gopa-kumra than such a wound. He lost whatever enthusiasm he had for continuing his involvement with ruling the kingdom, but he could not leave Lord Viu. TEXT 158 WTaiSMaNaev SaMaYae Ta}a di+a<adeXaTa" ) SaMaaGaTaE" SaaDauvrE" k-iQaTa& TaEiQaRkE-irdMa( )) etasmin eva samaye tatra dakia-deata samgatai sdhu-varai kathita tairthikair idam etasminat this; evavery; samayetime; tatrathere; dakiadeatafrom the southern country; samgataiwho had arrived; sdhuby saints; varaivenerable; kathitamsaid; tairthikaiwho were on pilgrimage; idamthis. Just then, some venerable saints from the south arrived on pilgrimage and told me this: COMMENTARY: The saintly pilgrims were Vaiavas from Jaganntha Pur. For a while they had left that holy dhma to see Lord Vius Deities and devotees elsewhere, mostly in the various trthas. TEXT 159 dab] JaGaaQaae= >aGavaNPauzaetaMae ) +ae}ae Naql/acle/ +aara<aRvTaqre ivraJaTae )) dru-brahma jagan-ntho bhagavn puruottame ketre nlcale krrava-tre virjate dru-brahmathe Absolute Truth in wood; jagan-nthaJaganntha, the Lord of the universe; bhagavnthe Personality of Godhead; puruottame ketrein the holy district Puruottama; nla-acaleon

the blue mountain; kra-aravaof the salt ocean; treon the shore; virjateis present. At Puruottama-ketra, on the blue mountain on the shore of the salt ocean, Jaganntha, the Lord of the universe, the Personality of Godhead, is present as the Absolute Truth manifest in wood. COMMENTARY: Within the holy dhma called Puruottama on the shore of the salt ocean is a district called Nlcala, and there the Supreme Personality of Godhead is present as Lord Jaganntha. He is called dru-brahma because He is the Absolute Truth in wood (dru), and because He destroys (drat) the miseries of material existence. He is described in a number of Puras. For example, in the Padma Pura: samudrasyottare tre ste r-puruottame prnanda-maya brahma dru-vyja-arra-bht At r Puruottama, on the northern shore of the ocean, resides the Supreme Absolute Truth. Full of perfect ecstasy, He has assumed a transcendental body that appears wooden. And in the Bhad-viu Pura: nldrau cotkale dee ketre r-puruottame druy ste cid-nando jagannthkhya-mrtin In the land of Orissa, on the blue mountain at r Puruottamaketra, the ecstatic and all-spiritual Lord is present in wood in His form known as Jaganntha. TEXT 160 Mahaiv>aUiTaMaaNa( raJYaMaaETk-l&/ Paal/YaNSvYaMa( ) VYaYaiJaMaahaTMYa& Sada Saevk-vTSal/" )) mah-vibhtimn rjyam autkala playan svayam vyajayan nija-mhtmya sad sevaka-vatsala

mahgreat; vibhti-mnthe possessor of opulences; rjyamthe kingdom; autkalamof Utkala; playanruling; svayamHimself; vyajayanexhibiting; nijaHis own; mhtmyamglories; sad always; sevakafor His servants; vatsalaconcerned like a parent. With infinite opulence, that Lord Himself rules the kingdom of Utkala. He displays His unique glories and always takes affectionate care of His devotees. COMMENTARY: Utkala is another name for Orissa. Lord Jaganntha Himself rules this kingdom by issuing various commands and guidelines for the citizens conduct of business and personal affairs. As the Tattva-ymala states: bhrate cotkale dee bh-svarge puruottame dru-rp jaganntho bhaktnm abhaya-prada nara-cem updya ste mokaika-kraka In the Utkala kingdom in Bhrata-vara lies the earthly heaven of Puruottama. There Lord Jaganntha appears in a wooden form. Taking up humanlike activities, He bestows fearlessness on His devotees. He is the only giver of liberation. Lord Jaganntha displays His own glories, such as His kind compassion on unfortunate souls. Especially affectionate to His servants, He never takes their offenses seriously. TEXT 161 TaSYaa& PaaicTa& l/+MYaa SvYa& >au-a dYaalu/Naa ) dta& TaeNa Sv>ae->Yaae l/>YaTae devdul/R>aMa( )) tasynna pcita lakmy svaya bhuktv daylun datta tena sva-bhaktebhyo labhyate deva-durlabham tasyaHis; annamfood; pcitamcooked; lakmyby His consort, the goddess of fortune; svayamHimself; bhuktvhaving eaten; daylunthe all-merciful; dattamis given; tenaby Him; svabhaktebhyato His devotees; labhyateis obtained; devaby the demigods; durlabhamrarely obtained.

After eating food cooked for Him by His consort Lakm, the all-merciful Lord distributes to His devotees His own remnants, which are available in Nlcala even though by demigods they are rarely obtained. COMMENTARY: The remnants from the plate of Lord Viu are extremely difficult to obtain. But in Nlcala, after the goddess Lakm personally cooks for Lord Jaganntha, the Lord eats each preparation and then freely distributes His remnants to His devotees. Being allmerciful, Lord Jaganntha sees to it Himself that all His devotees obtain His prasda. When everything cooked for the Lord is offered before Him in many clay pots, sometimes He eats only a little of each preparation, and sometimes He eats everything and then miraculously refills the pots. TEXT 162 MahaPa[SaadSa&j& c TaTSPa*& YaeNa ke-NaicTa( ) Ya}a ku-}aaiPa va NaqTaMaivcare<a >auJYaTae )) mah-prasda-saja ca tat spa yena kenacit yatra kutrpi v ntam avicrea bhujyate mah-prasda-sajamcalled mah-prasda; caand; tatthat; spamtouched; yena kenacitby anyone; yatra kutra api anywhere; vor; ntambrought; avicreawithout discrimination; bhujyateis eaten. That food is called His mah-prasda. Be it touched by anyone or brought anywhere, without discriminating the devotees eat it. COMMENTARY: The mah-prasda of Lord Jaganntha is unique. Because it has been touched by His nectarean lips, it can never be contaminated, even if touched by an unseeable or untouchable person or carried to an unclean place. No decent person ever refuses to eat Lord Jagannthas mah-prasda, or complains that it might not be pure, or that the time is improper to accept it. It is said: yad anna pcayet lakmr bhokt ca puruottama spspa na mantavya yath vius tathaiva tat

The food that Lakm cooks and Lord Puruottama eats should be accepted without consideration of its being touched or untouched by anyone. It is as pure as Lord Viu Himself. The Skanda Pura (Vaiava-khaa 2.38.16) adds: cira-stham api sauka nta v dra-deata yathyathopabhukta sat sarva-pppanodanam Even if Lord Jagannthas prasda has completely dried up from sitting for a long time or has been carried to a far distant place, if eaten in the proper spirit it will surely drive away all ones sins. According to the Bhaviya Pura: antya-varair hna-varai sakara-prabhavair api spa jagat-pater anna bhukta sarvgha-nanam Even if the food eaten by the Lord of the universe has been touched by outcastes, by those with no caste, or by those born in mixed castes, still it has the power to destroy all sins. In the words of the Tattva-ymala: nsti tatraiva rjendra spspa-vivecanam yasya saspa-mtrea ynty amedhy pavitratm O best of kings, one should never be concerned whether someone has touched Lord Jagannthas prasda. If persons unfit to take part in Vedic sacrifices simply touch this prasda, they become completely sanctified. And according to the Garua Pura: na kla-niyamo vipr vrate cndryae yath prpta-mtrea bhujta yadcchen mokam tmana O brhmaa, there are no restrictions about when to accept this prasda as there are in the observance of vows like Cndryaa. Whenever one receives Lord Jagannthas prasda one should eat it at once if one wants to attain liberation of the soul.

TEXT 163 Ahae TaT+ae}aMaahaTMYa& GadR>aae_iPa cTau>auRJa" ) Ya}a Pa[veXaMaa}ae<a Na k-SYaaiPa PauNa>aRv" )) aho tat-ketra-mhtmya gardabho pi catur-bhuja yatra pravea-mtrea na kasypi punar-bhava ahooh; tat-ketraof that holy district; mhtmyamthe greatness; gardabhaa donkey; apieven; catu-bhujafour-armed; yatra there; praveaby entering; mtreasimply; nanot; kasya apiof anyone; puna-bhavarebirth. Oh, that holy ketra is so great that even the donkeys living there have four arms! Anyone who simply enters that district will never take birth again. COMMENTARY: Some may doubt the claim that Lord Jagannthas prasda is so special. Those doubters should be informed that Lord Jagannthas abode is even more special. Even lowly animals like donkeys who live there are four-armed, for they have automatically achieved the perfection of srpya, having bodily features just like the Lords. This is stated by Lord Brahm in the Brahma Pura: aho ketrasya mhtmya samantd daa yojanam divi-h yatra payanti sarvn eva catur-bhuj Just see how great is this holy abode! The demigods in heaven see that in this ketra, for ten yojanas on all sides, everyone has four arms. r Veda-vysa says in the Garua Pura: yatra sthit jan sarve akha-cakrbja-paya dyante divi dev ca mohayanti muhur muhu Everyone living there appears with hands holding a conchshell, disc, and lotus. The demigods in heaven are constantly bewildered to see this.

And r Nrada says in the Bahvca-pariia: catur-bhuj jan sarve dyante yan-nivsina All the residents there are seen to have four arms. Furthermore, simply by setting foot in Puruottama-ketra, any living being coming from anywhere is freed from having to take another birth. This is confirmed by r Veda-vysa in the same Bahvca-pariia: sparand eva tat ketra n mukti-pradyakam yatra skt para brahma bhti drava-llay api janma-atai sgrair duritcra-tatpara ketre smin saga-mtrea jyate viun saha This holy ketra, where the Supreme Truth is present in His pastime of having a wooden form, bestows liberation upon all men who simply touch it. Even if someone has been dedicated to sinful behavior for many hundreds of lives, by merely coming into contact with this ketra he will take birth in the company of Lord Viu. TEXT 164 Pa[fu-Pau<@rqk-a+ae TaiSMaevei+aTae JaNae" ) f-l&/ SYaadevMa[aEzMaaYa| PaUvRMa[uTaMa( )) praphulla-puarkke tasminn evekite jane phala syd evam arauam carya prvam arutam praphullafully blossomed; puarkalike lotuses; akewhose eyes; tasminHim; evajust; kitebeing seen; janeof life; phalamthe ultimate goal; sytthere is; evamthus; arauamI heard; caryamwonders; prvambefore; arutamnot heard. A mere glimpse of Him, whose eyes are like lotuses in full bloom, grants the ultimate goal of life. Such wonders I heard, which I had never heard before.

COMMENTARY: The Personality of Godhead may be visible elsewhere in other Deity forms, as indeed He is on the shore of the Gag in the kingdom where Gopa-kumra was now living. But the beauty of Lord Jaganntha is unique. So exquisitely charming is His beauty that by seeing Him merely once one feels relief from all miseries. That a glimpse of Lord Jaganntha is enough to perfect ones life is stated by r Nrada in his talks with r Prahlda in the Padma Pura: ravadyair upyair ya kathacid dyate maha nldri-ikhare bhti sarva-ckua-gocara tam eva paramtmna ye prapayanti mnav te ynti bhavana vio ki punar ye bhavda The glories of the Lord, which are partly perceived by methods like hearing, are openly visible on the peak of the blue mountain. Any human being who sees that Supreme Being will go to the abode of Viu, what to speak of a great soul like you. As Gopa-kumra heard from his visitors these glories of Puruottama-ketra, and more, wonder arose in his heart because he had never before heard anything like them. Although the form of the Lord that Gopa-kumra was worshiping was the same Personality of Godhead, Lord r Jaganntha is the origin of all such incarnations of the Lord. From seeing the source of all incarnations, especially at such an exceptional place as Puruottama-ketra, one can gain greater benefit than from seeing a mere incarnation. Gopa-kumra had not heard such facts about the Lord in all the days he had been worshiping Lord Viu on the shore of the Gag, nor had he developed firm attachment to worshiping the Lords Deity. That this was the combined influence of his divine spiritual master and the divine Personality of Godhead will be explained more clearly later in this narration. We shall see how Gopa-kumras guru and Gopakumras worshipable Lord continually exert their influence on his step-by-step spiritual progress. TEXT 165 Taid*+aai>a>aUTaae_h& Sav| SaNTYaJYa TaT+a<ae ) SaqTaRYaHJaGaaQaMaaE!\deXaidXa& i[Ta" )) tad-didkbhibhto ha sarva santyajya tat-kae

sakrtaya jaganntham auhra-dea-dia rita tatHim; didkby desire to see; abhibhtaovercome; ahamI; sarvameverything; santyajyaabandoning; tat-kaeat that moment; sakrtayanglorifying; jagannthamLord Jaganntha; auhra-deaof Orissa; diamthe direction; ritaI took to. Overcome by desire to see Lord Jaganntha, in a moment I abandoned everything and set off in the direction of Orissa, chanting Lord Jagannthas glories. COMMENTARY: Gopa-kumra was so inspired by the glories of Lord Jaganntha and the Lords ketra that he gave up all external and internal affinity to the kingdom and everything related to it. He at once began his journey to Jaganntha Pur, heading off in the general direction of Orissa. While on the road he constantly chanted the four syllables of Lord Jagannthas name. TEXT 166 TaT+ae}aMaicraTPa[aSTa}aTYaaNd<@vMaNa( ) ANTa"Paur& Pa[ivae_h& Taeza& k-<aYaa SaTaaMa( )) tat ketram acirt prptas tatratyn daa-van naman anta-pura pravio ha te karuay satm tatthat; ketramholy district; acirtquickly; prptareached; tatratynto those who dwell there; daa-vatlike a rod; naman bowing down; anta-puramthe inner city; praviaentered; aham I; temof those; karuayby the mercy; satmsaintly persons. I quickly reached that holy district of the Lord. Bowing down to all the residents, by the mercy of those saintly persons I was able to enter the temple grounds. COMMENTARY: Since Gopa-kumra was a foreigner and no one knew what his business was, his sudden appearance on the temple grounds might have aroused suspicion. The pure Vaiavas of Puruottamaketra, however, welcomed him kindly; they recognized that he had come to receive Lord Jagannthas mercy. TEXT 167

dUraddiXaR PauzaetaMav-cNd]ae >a[aJaiXaal/NaYaNaae Mai<aPau<@\>aal/" ) iGDaa>a[k-aiNTar<aaDardqirMYaae _XaezPa[Saadivk-SaiTSMaTaciNd]k-a!y" )) drd adari puruottama-vaktra-candro bhrjad-vila-nayano mai-pura-bhla snigdhbhra-kntir arudhara-dpti-ramyo ea-prasda-vikasat-smita-candrikhya drtfrom a distance; adariwas seen; puruottamaof Lord Jaganntha; vaktrathe face; candralike the moon; bhrjat shining; vilabroad; nayanawhose eyes; maimade of gems; puratilaka; bhlaon whose forehead; snigdhafull of rain; abhralike a cloud; kntiwhose effulgence; aruadawn-colored; adharawhose lips; dptiwhich effulgence; ramyaattractive; aeaunlimited; prasdasatisfaction; vikasatradiating; smitaof His smile; candrikwith the moonbeams; hyaadorned. From a distance I saw the moonlike face of Lord Puruottama, His broad eyes shining brilliantly, His forehead decorated with tilaka made of gems. His complexion glowed like a cloud full of rain, and the effulgence of His dawn-colored lips was allattractive. Moonbeams of unlimited satisfaction emanated from His smile, adding to His beauty. COMMENTARY: The round face of Lord Jaganntha is easily recognizable, even from a distance. It gives joy to everyone, just like the full moon. Gopa-kumra had been meditating on the general features of the Lords face even before seeing Him and now could see the details of the Lords beauty for the first time. TEXT 168 Ta}aaGa[Taae GaNTauMaNaa NaeXae Pa[eM<aa hTaae vePaQaui>aiNaR" ) raeMaai>aae_[uivlu/d*i" STaM>a& SauPa<aRSYa k-Qaida" )) tatrgrato gantu-man ca nee prem hato vepathubhir niruddha romca-bhinno ru-vilupta-di stambha suparasya kathacid pta tatrathere; agratabefore Him; gantu-manintending to come; caand; na eI was not able; premby ecstatic love; hata

struck; vepathubhiby trembling in my body; niruddhaimpeded; roma-acaby hair standing on end; bhinnadistinguished; aruby tears; viluptaobstructed; dimy vision; stambhamthe column; suparasyaof Garua; kathacitsomehow; ptareached. Struck by the ecstasy of pure love and impeded by trembling in my body, I was unable to go forward despite my desire. But somehow I reached Garuas column, my hair standing on end, my vision clouded by tears. COMMENTARY: Gopa-kumra was eager to enter Lord Jagannthas temple but had difficulty proceeding, because his mind was overwhelmed by love and his body by the ecstasy of jya, being stunned. Unconscious of his own movements, only by the Lords mercy did Gopa-kumra reach the column on which Garua sits before Lord Jagannthas altar. TEXTS 169170 idVYaaMbral/r<aGaavl/I VYaa& MaNaael/aecNahzRvDaRNaMa( ) iSa&haSaNaSYaaePair l/Il/Yaa iSQaTa& >au-a Maha>aaeGaGa<aaNMaNaaehraNa( )) Pa[<aaMaNa*TYaSTauiTavaGaqTa Para&STau SaPa[eMa ivl/aek-YaNTaMa( ) MahaMaihMNaa& PadMaq+aMaa<aae _PaTa& JaGaaQaMah& ivMau )) divymbarlakaraa-srag-valvypta mano-locana-hara-vardhanam sihsanasyopari llay sthita bhuktv mah-bhoga-gan mano-harn prama-ntya-stuti-vdya-gtapars tu sa-prema vilokayantam mah-mahimn padam kamo pata jaganntham aha vimuhya divyadivine; ambaragarments; alakaraajewelry; srakof garlands; valand a series; vyptamwho was covered; manaof the mind; locanaof the eyes; harathe pleasure; vardhanamwho was increasing; siha-sanasyaa lion throne; upariupon; llay playfully; sthitamsituated; bhuktveating; mahwonderful; bhoga-ganvarieties of food; mana-harnattractive; prama in bowing down; ntyadancing; stutioffering prayers; vdya playing music; gtaand singing; parnthose who were busily

engaged; tuand; sa-premawith love; vilokayantamwatching; mah-mahimnmof supreme splendor; padamthe locus; kamaseeing; apatamfell; jagannthamLord Jaganntha; ahamI; vimuhyafainting. I saw Lord Jaganntha, bedecked with jewelry, divine garments, and flower garlands. The sight of Him increased the pleasure of my eyes and mind. As He sat playfully on His lion throne, He ate the wonderful varieties of attractive food being offered to Him. With love He watched His devotees busily singing, dancing, playing music, offering prayers, and bowing down to Him. Seeing that supremely splendorous pageant bewildered me, and I fainted and fell to the floor. COMMENTARY: From his vantage point near the Garua-stambha, Gopakumra could see the details of Lord Jagannthas beauty even more clearly. It proved too much for him to experience all at once. TEXT 171 Sa&ja& l/Ba SaMauNMaqLYa l/aecNae l/aekYaNPauNa" ) oNMata wv Ta& DaTau| SaveGaae_DaavMaGa[Ta" )) saj labdhv samunmlya locane lokayan puna unmatta iva ta dhartu sa-vego dhvam agrata sajmconsciousness; labdhvobtaining; samunmlyaopening completely; locanemy eyes; lokayangazing; punaagain; unmattaa madman; ivaas if; tamHim; dhartumto catch hold of; sa-vegaquickly; adhvamI ran; agrataforward. I came to my senses, opened my eyes, and gazed upon Him again. Like a madman I ran forward quickly to catch hold of Him. TEXT 172 icraid*i+aTaae d*ae JaqivTa& JaqivTa& MaYaa ) Pa[aae_ JaGadqXaae_Ya& iNaJaPa[>auiriTa b]uvNa( )) cird didkito do jvita jvita may

prpto dya jagad-o ya nija-prabhur iti bruvan cirtafter a long time; didkitadesired to be seen; daseen; jvitammy life; jvitamis a real life; mayby me; prpta achieved; adyatoday; jagat-aLord of the universe; ayamthis; nijamy own; prabhumaster; itithus; bruvansaying. I cried out, Now I am seeing what for so long I have wanted to see. From today my life is a real life. I have obtained the Lord of the universe, my master! COMMENTARY: Previously Gopa-kumra had never felt fully alive, but now, after seeing Lord Jaganntha, he considered himself delivered from the living death of material existence. Repeating himself out of sheer joy, he declared that now he had not only seen the Lord of the universe but come into intimate contact with Him. In Lord Jaganntha he perceived for the first time all the characteristics of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. TEXT 173 Save}agaaTa& Pa[iTahairi>aSTada iNavairTaae JaaTaivcarl/iTa" ) Pa[>aae" k*-Paa& TaaMaNauMaaNYa iNaGaRTaae MahaPa[SaadaMaQaaPanv& bih" )) sa-vetra-ghta pratihribhis tad nivrito jta-vicra-lajjita prabho kp tm anumnya nirgato mah-prasdnnam athpnava bahi sa-vetra-ghtamwith blows of sticks; pratihribhiby the guards; tadthen; nivritaprevented; jtaawakened; vicraby my discrimination; lajjitaembarrassed; prabhoof the Lord; kpm mercy; tmthat; anumnyareasoning; nirgatahaving exited; mah-prasda-annammah-prasda remnants; athathen; pnavamI received; bahioutside. Just then the guards struck me with their sticks and stopped me. Realizing what I had done I felt embarrassed. This is the Lords mercy, I reasoned, and went outside, where I received remnants of His mah-prasda. COMMENTARY: Being struck by the sticks of the doorkeepers brought Gopa-kumra out of his trance. He thought, Here I am, an insignificant

foreigner, behaving with such impudence! What am I doing? But despite some physical pain, Gopa-kumra was not at all unhappy. He was still overjoyed to be in the realm of Lord Jaganntha. The Lord was kind enough to arrange for the guards to stop him, because had he embraced Lord Jaganntha as he had intended, he would have committed a serious offense. Calming himself down, Gopa-kumra went outside, where a compassionate person gave him mah-prasda from the Lord. TEXTS 174175 Tau-a SaTvr& b]N>aGavNMaiNdr& PauNa" ) Pa[ivXYaaYaRJaaTa& YaNMaYaa d*& Mauda& PadMa( )) id k-Tau| Na XaKYaTae TaTk-Qa& i-YaTaa& Mau%e ) Wv& Ta}a idva PaU<a| iSQaTvaNaNdae_Nau>aUYaTae )) tad bhuktv satvara brahman bhagavan-mandira puna praviycarya-jta yan may da mud padam hdi kartu na akyate tat katha kriyat mukhe eva tatra div pra sthitvnando nubhyate tatthat; bhuktveating; satvaramimmediately; brahmanO brhmaa; bhagavatof the Supreme Lord; mandiramthe temple; punaagain; praviyaentering; caryathe wonders; jtamall; yatwhich; mayby me; damseen; mudmof all kinds of happiness; padamthe reservoir; hdiin the heart; kartumto do; na akyateit is not possible; tatso; kathamhow; kriyatmit can be done; mukhein the mouth; evamthus; tatrathere; divthe day; pramentire; sthitvstanding; nandaecstasy; anubhyatewas experienced. O brhmaa, after eating that mah-prasda I quickly reentered the Lords temple. From the wonders I then saw, I felt a reservoir of happiness I am unable to understand in my heart, let alone describe with my mouth. I simply stood there all day, relishing bliss. COMMENTARY: Gopa-kumras heart could not assimilate everything he was relishingone amazing thing after another without stop, and each wonder inconceivable. How, then, could he properly describe what he

saw? The power of speech is usually slower and more limited than the power of the mind. TEXT 176 ra}aaE MahaeTSave v*tae b*hC^*arSaM>ave ) iNaGaRMYaTae Tau iNav*Rtae PauZPaail/MahaeTSave )) rtrau mahotsave vtte bhac-chgra-sambhave nirgamyate tu nirvtte pupjali-mahotsave rtrauat night; mah-utsavewhen a great festival; vtteoccurred; bhat-graopulent ornamentation; sambhavewhich involved; nirgamyatehad to leave; tubut; nirvttewhen completed; pupaajaliwith offerings of palmfuls of flowers; mah-utsavethe great ceremony. At night there was a great festival, with the Lord dressed and ornamented in elaborate splendor. But finally, after a great ceremony with offerings of palmfuls of flowers, it was time to leave the temple. TEXT 177 NaeTQa& jaTa" SaTaa& Sae k-al/ae NavNavaeTSavE" ) TadEvaSYaa Va[Ja>auv"= Xaaek-ae Mae iNarGaaidv )) nettha jta sat sage klo nava-navotsavai tadaivsy vraja-bhuva oko me niragd iva nanot; itthamin this way; jtanoticed; satmof saintly devotees; sagein the company; klatime; nava-navaever new; utsavaiwith festivals; tadthen; evaindeed; asyfrom this; vraja-bhuvaland of Vraja; okasorrow; memy; niragtwent away; ivaas if. As I thus enjoyed ever-new festivals in the company of saintly devotees, time passed unnoticed. I seemed to forget the sorrow of my separation from this land of Vraja.

COMMENTARY: The pain Gopa-kumra had been feeling from being outside Vraja subsided in the presence of Lord Jaganntha, but it was never uprooted completely from his heart. TEXT 178 [qJaGaaQadevSYa Saevke-zu k*-PaaetaMaa ) ivivDaaja c SavR}a [UYaTae_PYaNau>aUYaTae )) r-jaganntha-devasya sevakeu kpottam vividhj ca sarvatra ryate py anubhyate r-jaganntha-devasyaof r Jaganntha-deva; sevakeuon the servants; kpthe mercy; uttamsupreme; vividhavarious; j His commands; caand; sarvatraeverywhere; ryatewere heard of; apiand; anubhyatewere directly experienced. Everywhere, I heard about and saw for myself the most exalted mercy of Lord r Jaganntha on His servants and perceived the various commands He gave them. COMMENTARY: In reciprocating with His devotees, Lord Jaganntha often went out of His way to fulfill their various desires and would issue commands so as to give them opportunities for service. Gopa-kumra not only heard about this mercy from numerous sources but saw examples of it with his own eyes. TEXT 179 NaaNYaiTk-MaiPa raeceTa JaGaaQaSYa dXaRNaaTa( ) Paura<aTaae_SYa MaahaTMYaXau[UzaiPa iNavTaRTae )) nnyat kim api roceta jagannthasya darant purato sya mhtmyaurpi nivartate nanot; anyatother; kim apianything; rocetawould attract; jagannthasyaof Lord Jaganntha; darantthan the sight; puratafrom the Puras; asyaHis; mhtmyaabout the glories; urthe desire to hear; apieven; nivartateceased.

Nothing other than the sight of Lord Jaganntha attracted me. I even lost interest in hearing about His glories from the Puras. COMMENTARY: At first Gopa-kumra was quite interested in the recitations by Puric experts in the temple, in which the glories of Lord Jaganntha were read from the Brahma Pura and other scriptures. But as he became more and more attracted to the beauty of Lord Jagannthas lotus face, he could no longer pay attention to those recitations. That is one reason he remained ignorant about such basic facts as the existence of the heavenly planets. TEXT 180 Xaarqr& MaaNaSa& va SYaaiTk-iu"%& k-dacNa ) Ta [qPau<@rqk-a+ae d*e Saae ivNaXYaiTa )) rra mnasa v syt kicid dukha kadcana tac ca r-puarkke de sadyo vinayati rrambodily; mnasammental; vor; sytif there might be; kicitsome; dukhamdistress; kadcanasometimes; tatthat; ca and; r-puarka-akeof the divine lotus-eyed Lord; deat the sight; sadyaat once; vinayatiwould disappear. And even if I sometimes underwent some physical or mental distress, as soon as I saw the lotus-eyed Lord the pain disappeared. COMMENTARY: It is to be expected that any embodied soul will often be distracted from the ecstasy of seeing Lord Jagannthas lotus face by unavoidable physical and mental disturbances. Diseases constantly threaten the bodies of conditioned souls, and all kinds of desires and vexations constantly pass through their minds. Gopa-kumra also felt these natural disturbances, but they at once disappeared whenever he came before Lord Jaganntha. The bliss he felt from seeing the Lord made him forget his troubles and gradually diminished them almost to nil. TEXT 181 f-l&/ l/BDa& JaPaSYaeiTa MaTvaedaSae SMa Ta}a c ) Wv& icridNa& Ta}a NYavSa& ParMaE" Sau%E" ))

phala labdha japasyeti matvodse sma tatra ca eva cira-dina tatra nyavasa paramai sukhai phalamthe result; labdhamattained; japasyaof my chanting; iti thus; matvthinking; udse smaI became indifferent; tatrato it; caand; evamthus; cira-dinamfor many days; tatrathere; nyavasamI resided; paramaiperfect; sukhaiwith all kinds of happiness. Thus, thinking I had attained the final result of my chanting, I became indifferent even to chanting. For many days I lived in the city of Lord Jaganntha in such perfect happiness. TEXT 182 AQa TaSYaaNTarq<aaYaa& SaevaYaa& kihRicTPa[>aae" ) JaaTaa icMaeR TaaPaae_iPa TaSYaa Aga$=NaaNMahaNa( )) atha tasyntary sevy karhicit prabho jt rucir me tpo pi tasy aghaann mahn athathen; tasyaHis; ntarymof the intimate servants; sevymin service; karhicitat some time; prabhoof the Lord; jtdeveloped; rucitaste; memy; tpadiscomfort; apialso; tasyof that; aghaantbecause of the nonfulfillment; mahn great. Then I began to feel the urge for more intimate service to the Lord. But this desire also brought me great pain because it remained unfulfilled. COMMENTARY: Just living in Jaganntha Pur was a source of great bliss, but Gopa-kumra began to feel attracted to the even greater bliss of rendering personal service to Lord Jaganntha. This urge, first felt as a vague discomfort, gradually became a conscious desire. Gopa-kumra wanted to enter the inner rooms of the temple and approach the Lord as one of His personal attendants. One might wonder whether this desire was no more practical than wanting to touch the moon with

ones hand, but Gopa-kumra refers to Lord Jaganntha as prabhu, indicating that the Lord can do anything. TEXTS 183184 Ya-vTas Ta}aTYa" Sa Pa[>aaeMauR:YaSaevk-" ) [qMau%& vqi+aTau& +ae}ae Yada YaaiTa MahaeTSave )) SaNaaePad]vaeaNa>aadaE vairTae_PYaQa ) Maad*Xaae_ik-Naa" SvEr& Pa[>au& d]u& Na XauYau" )) ya cakravart tatratya sa prabhor mukhya-sevaka r-mukha vkitu ketre yad yti mahotsave saj-janopadravodynabhagdau vrite py atha mdo kican svaira prabhu drau na aknuyu yawho; cakravartthe great king; tatratyaof that place; sa he; prabhoof the Lord; mukhyathe chief; sevakaservant; rmukhamHis transcendental face; vkitumto see; ketreto the holy city; yadwhen; ytihe would come; mah-utsaveduring a festival; sat-janato respectable gentlemen; upadravadisturbance; udynato gardens; bhagadamage; dauand so on; vritebeing prevented; apieven; athathen; mdalike me; akican unimportant people; svairamfreely; prabhumthe Lord; draumto see; na aknuyuwere not able. On special festival days the Lords chief servant, the mighty king who ruled that country, came to the holy city to see the Lords transcendental face. To prevent problems like disturbances to respectable people and damage to the Lords gardens, unimportant people like me were then forbidden to freely see the Lord. COMMENTARY: By the special mercy of Lord Jaganntha, the king of Pur at that time was a cakravart, an overlord of several other kings. By the privilege of his royal position he was officially the principal worshiper of the Lord. His capital was elsewhere, but for major festivals like the Ratha-ytr he would come to r Jaganntha Pur. On those occasions common people like Gopa-kumra, without status and entourage, would be restricted from freely coming to see the Lord. This

prohibition was not offensive on the part of the king, who was a saintly devotee, because it was necessary to protect the Lords property and service. If everyone were allowed into the temple while the king was present, he and the respectable people with him would have difficulty taking darana, and the Lords flower gardens could be damaged or His ponds polluted by unruly mobs. At the very least, the Lords privacy would be threatened if too many people were allowed to converge on the temple. Thus the poor people in the city had to tolerate having their movements restricted, and then too they were harassed by the presence of the kings large army, with its elephants, chariots, horsemen, and infantry soldiers. TEXT 185 WvMauUTad]aeGaae_d]a+a& SvGauMaek-da ) [qJaGaaQadevaGa[e ParMaPa[eMaivl/Ma( )) evam udbhta-hd-rogo drka sva-gurum ekad r-jaganntha-devgre parama-prema-vihvalam evamin this way; udbhtahaving appeared; htof the heart; rogadisease; adrkamI saw; sva-gurummy guru; ekadone day; r-jaganntha-devaof r Jaganntha-deva; agrein front; paramasupreme; premaby ecstatic love; vihvalamoverwhelmed. One day when I thus felt sick at heart, I saw my spiritual master standing in front of r Jaganntha-deva, overwhelmed by the highest ecstatic love of God. COMMENTARY: Somehow the same great soul who had given Gopakumra his mantra in r Vndvana was now in Pur, taking darana of Lord Jaganntha. TEXT 186 Na Sa SaM>aaizTau& Xa-ae MaYaa TaihR GaTa" KvicTa( ) Al/i+aTaae JaGaaQa[qMau%ak*-ceTaSaa )) na sa sambhitu akto may tarhi gata kvacit alakito jaganntha-

r-mukhka-cetas nanot; sahe; sambhitumto speak with; aktapossible; mayby me; tarhithen; gatagone away; kvacitsomewhere; alakitaunnoticed; jagannthaof Lord Jaganntha; r-mukhaby the beautiful face; kaattracted; cetaswhose mind. But before I could speak with him, he left to go somewhere, and my mind was so attracted to the beautiful face of Lord Jaganntha that I didnt notice which way my guru went. COMMENTARY: Gopa-kumra made a serious mistake by neglecting to follow his guru and meet him, but it was not offensive because he had innocently fallen victim to Lord Jagannthas beauty. TEXT 187 wTaSTaTaae_Ma*GYaTaaSaaE idNae_NYaiSMa&STa$e=_MbuDae" ) NaaMaSaqTaRNaaNaNdENa*RTYaBDaae MaYaEk-l/" )) itas tato mgyatsau dine nyasmis tae mbudhe nma-sakrtannandair ntyal labdho mayaikala ita tatahere and there; amgyatawas searched for; asauhe; dineon the day; anyasminother; taeon the shore; ambu-dhe of the ocean; nma-sakrtanaof nma-sakrtana; nandaiin the varieties of bliss; ntyandancing; labdhafound; mayby me; ekalaalone. After searching here and there, the next day I found him on the shore of the ocean, dancing alone in the ecstasies of nmasakrtana. TEXT 188 d<@vTPa[<aMaNTa& Maa& d*=aXaqvaRdPaUvRk-Ma( ) AaiZYaajaPaYaaMaaSa SavRjae_NauGa[haiddMa( )) daa-vat praamanta m dvr-vda-prvakam liyjpaym sa sarva-jo nugrahd idam

daa-vatlike a rod; praamantamwho was bowing down; mm me; dvseeing; -vda-prvakamafter giving his blessings; liyaembracing; jpaym sahe told; sarva-jathe knower of everything; anugrahtout of mercy; idamthis. Seeing me prostrating myself like a rod on the ground, my allknowing master gave me his blessings. Then he embraced me and mercifully told me this: COMMENTARY: If Gopa-kumras guru knew everything, then surely he knew, without being told, the desires Gopa-kumra held in his heart. TEXT 189 YaTSaLPYa >aae vTSa iNaJa& MaN}a& JaiPaZYaiSa ) TaTPa[>aave<a TaTSav| vaH^aTaqTa& c SaeTSYaiTa )) yad yat sakalpya bho vatsa nija mantra japiyasi tat-prabhvea tat sarva vchtta ca setsyati yat yatwhatever; sakalpyaintending; bho vatsamy dear boy; nijamyour own; mantrammantra; japiyasiyou will chant; tatprabhveaby its power; tatthat; sarvamall; vchyour desire; attamwhat exceeds; caand; setsyatiyou will achieve. My dear boy, whatever you desire while chanting your mantra, by its power you will fully achieve. Indeed, you will attain more than you desire. COMMENTARY: Before performing any religious ritual, including the chanting of mantras, one should solemnly formulate ones sakalpa (intention), either verbally or mentally. In most Vedic sacrifices one can expect ones sakalpa to be fulfilled only in the indefinite future, most likely in the next life. But by the blessing of his guru, Gopakumras specific sakalpas would all be quickly realized, as we shall see as his story continues. TEXT 190 [qJaGaaQadevSYa SaevaPa& c ivi TaMa( ) Wv& MaTva c ivSYa Na k-daicPa& TYaJae" )) r-jaganntha-devasya

sev-rpa ca viddhi tam eva matv ca vivasya na kadcij japa tyaje r-jaganntha-devasyaof r Jaganntha-deva; sevof the service; rpama form; caand; viddhiplease know; tamthis; evamthus; matvunderstanding; caand; vivasyabeing confident; na kadcitnever; japamyour chanting; tyajeyou should give up. This chanting, please understand, is another form of service to Lord r Jaganntha. Have faith in this and never give up your japa. COMMENTARY: Even if Gopa-kumra has no other desire than to render personal service to Lord Jaganntha, he is here told to understand that chanting his mantra is intimate service to the Lord. Gopa-kumra may not have seen this for himself, but he should accept it out of confidence in the words of his guru. Aware of Gopa-kumras intense desire to serve Jaganntha, the all-knowing guru also perceives that Gopa-kumra is neglecting his mantra and so is helping him achieve his desire by correcting his neglect. TEXT 191 TvMaeTaSYa Pa[>aave<a icrJaqvq >avaNvhMa( ) wRd*GGaaePaa>aRPa TaTf-l/aPTYahRMaaNaSa" )) tvam etasya prabhvea cira-jv bhavnv-aham dg-goprbha-rpa ca tat-phalpty-arha-mnasa tvamyou; etasyaof this (mantra); prabhveaby the potency; cira-jvlong-lived; bhavamay be; anu-ahamalways; dksuch; gopa-arbhaof a cowherd boy; rpahaving the form; caand; tat of this (chanting); phalaof the fruit; ptifor realizing; arha suitable; mnasamentality. By the potency of this mantra, may you live a long time, may you always have the form of a cowherd boy, and may you develop the right mentality for tasting the mantras fruit. COMMENTARY: To help Gopa-kumra take advantage of the benediction that his mantra will fulfill all his desires, his guru gives him three more blessings. First, Gopa-kumra will live long enough to enjoy whatever

he may desire, even if that involves traveling to higher planets, where life is much longer than on earth. Second, he will avoid old age and its ailments, staying always a young cowherd boy. In other words, throughout his life he will keep the same age and dress he has now, regardless of where he goes, be it Lord Brahms planet or Vaikuha. Third, his mind will not become confused or agitated by the immediate fulfillment of his desires, because the mantra will keep his intelligence fixed on the final goalto see with his own eyes Lord Madana-gopla and join in the Lords sporting pastimes. And as a side result of this third benediction, even when Gopa-kumra achieves the posts of an emperor and of Lord Indra he will remain ignorant of the planets he has not yet seenSvargaloka, Maharloka, and so on. This so-called ignorance will help him progress toward ultimate happiness, as r Nrada will later explain at the end of Chapter Five. TEXT 192 Maa& d]+YaiSa k-daPYa}a v*Ndar<Yae k-dacNa ) Wv& Sa MaaMaNaujaPYa ku-}aaiPa SahSaaGaMaTa( )) m drakyasi kadpy atra vndraye kadcana eva sa mm anujpya kutrpi sahasgamat mmme; drakyasiyou will see; kad apisometimes; atrahere; vndrayein Vndvana; kadcanasometimes; evamthus; sa he; mmto me; anujpyagiving instructions; kutra api somewhere; sahassuddenly; agamathe went. Sometimes you will see me here, and sometimes in Vndvana. Having thus instructed me, my guru suddenly left to go elsewhere. COMMENTARY: Gopa-kumra has still not received complete instructions on how to chant his mantra, but in his gurus opinion the time and place are not proper for divulging that information. Instead, the guru promises that Gopa-kumra will meet him again a few more times. If Gopa-kumra were to be given complete information about his sdhana, he might reach perfection quickly, but as fate would have it, he must first do some traveling around the universe. TEXT 193

TaiYaaeGaeNa dqNa" SaHa( [qJaGaaQaMaqi+aTauMa( ) GaTa" XaaiNTaMah& Pa[aae Ya& cak-rv& JaPae )) tad-viyogena dna san r-jaganntham kitum gata ntim aha prpto yatna ckarava jape tatfrom him; viyogenabecause of the separation; dna miserable; sanbecoming; r-jagannthamr Jaganntha; kitumto see; gatawent; ntimpeace; ahamI; prpta obtained; yatnameffort; caand; akaravamI made; japein chanting my mantra. Separated from my guru I felt very much aggrieved, but when I went to see Lord Jaganntha I regained my peace of mind and made a great endeavor to chant my japa. COMMENTARY: The unfortunate can become free of distress simply by taking shelter of r Jaganntha-deva; they need not resort to any other remedy. And if they fail to see Lord Jaganntha, they can expect neither relief from suffering nor real happiness. TEXTS 194195 YadaSYaa dXaRNaaeTk-<#=a Va[Ja>aUMaer>aUtaraMa( ) Tada Tau [qJaGaaQaMaihMNaa Sfu-=riTa SMa Mae )) TaT+ae}aaePavNa[e<aq v*Ndar<YaTaYaa<aRv" ) YaMauNaaTveNa Naql/aid]=>aaGaae GaaevDaRNaaTMaNaa )) yadsy daranotkah vraja-bhmer abht-tarm tad tu r-jagannthamahimn sphurati sma me tat-ketropavana-re vndrayatayrava yamuntvena nldribhgo govardhantman yadwhen; asythis; daranato see; utkahintense eagerness; vraja-bhmeVraja-bhmi; abht-tarmbecame very much; tadthen; tuhowever; r-jagannthaof r Jaganntha;

mahimnby the glories; sphurati smawould become manifest; me to me; tatof that; ketraholy abode; upavanaof gardens; re the series; vndrayatayappearing as the Vndvana forest; aravathe sea; yamuntvenaas being the Yamun; nldriof Nldri Hill; bhgathe slope; govardhana-tmanas Govardhana. Whenever my eagerness to see Vraja-bhmi became intense, on the strength of r Jagannthas glories the many gardens of His abode would appear to me as Vndvana, its sea as the Yamun, and the slope of Nldri Hill as Govardhana. COMMENTARY: The first result Gopa-kumra noticed after reviving the serious chanting of his mantra was that he saw certain special opulences of Lord Jaganntha. In particular, he became aware of various ways in which Lord Jagannthas abode, Puruottama-ketra, is nondifferent from Kas abode, Vraja-bhmi. Lord Jagannthas various pleasure gardens reminded Gopa-kumra of the Vndvana forest, the shore of the salt ocean reminded him of the Yamun River, and the portion of Nldri Hill near the western side of Lord Jagannthas temple reminded him of Govardhana. Thus he was not as miserable as he would have been had he not been able to see Kas abode. TEXT 196 Wv& vSaNSau%& Ta}a >aGavXaRNaadNau ) GauPaadajYaa iNaTYa& JaPaaiMa SveiSaYae )) eva vasan sukha tatra bhagavad-darand anu guru-pdjay nitya japmi svea-siddhaye evamin this way; vasanliving; sukhamhappily; tatrathere; bhagavat-darant anuafter taking darana of the Lord; guru-pda of my worshipable guru; jayon the order; nityamevery day; japmiI chanted my mantra; sva-iaof my desire; siddhayefor the achievement. In this way I continued living there happily. Every day after taking darana of the Lord, I chanted my mantra, following the order of my worshipable guru and hoping to achieve my desired perfection. COMMENTARY: Each morning, after visiting Lord Jaganntha in His temple, Gopa-kumra would return to his residence and sit in a quiet

place to chant his mantra. He was meditating on the specific sakalpa of being allowed to join the temple service of Jaganntha. As this verse indicates, he was no longer so obsessed with seeing Lord Jaganntha that he neglected his mantra, and he was beginning to develop both genuine devotion for his spiritual master and faith in the transcendental goal of life. TEXT 197 AQa TaiSMaNMaharaJae k-al&/ Pa[ae_SYa SaUNauNaa ) JYaeeNaaiTaivre-Na raJYaMaqk*-Ta& Na TaTa( )) atha tasmin mah-rje kla prpte sya snun jyehenti-viraktena rjyam ag-kta na tat athathen; tasminthat; mah-rjeking; klamthe time of his demise; prptareaching; asyahis; snunby the son; jyehena eldest; ati-viraktenawho was very renounced; rjyamthe kingdom; ag-ktamaccepted; nanot; tatthat. Then the king of Pur passed away, and his eldest son, who was very renounced, refused to accept the kingdom. COMMENTARY: Gopa-kumras guru had promised that the mantra would readily fulfill all of Gopa-kumras desires, and now the first of those desires was about to be realized. Texts 197 through 202 describe how Gopa-kumra became king of Pur and was able to enter Lord Jagannthas intimate service. The crown prince declined the throne because he wanted only to continue taking darana of Lord Jagannthas lotus face; he did not even want the privileged services granted to the king. TEXT 198 Ta}aai>aiz-" Pa*SYaaNaujYaa JaGadqiXaTau" ) SaMParq+Ya MaharaJaicaiNa SaicvErhMa( )) tatrbhiikta pasynujay jagad-itu samparkya mah-rjacihnni sacivair aham tatrathere; abhiiktaanointed; pasyawho was asked; anujaywith the permission; jagat-ituof the Lord of the

universe; samparkyaobserving; mah-rjaof a great king; cihnnithe signs; sacivaiby the ministers; ahamI. The ministers consulted the Lord of the universe and took His command, and after observing in me the signs of a mahrja they anointed me king. COMMENTARY: Assembled before Lord Jaganntha, the ministers humbly submitted, The eldest prince is so attached to seeing Your lotus face that he has no interest in ruling. And as a matter of principle, none of the younger princes should assume the throne as long as the eldest is alive. None of the kings other family members display the character of a great ruler. But if no one becomes king, law and order in the country cannot be maintained even for a short time. Please tell us whom we should place on the throne. In reply Lord Jaganntha commanded them, One of My devotees, a young cowherd born at r Govardhana, has come here. You should crown him. Or else He told them, Crown whomever you find has the signs of a mahrja. In this way the Supreme Lord, the compassionate friend of the wretched, the most clever maker of all arrangements, ordered the ministers to look for a person with kingly symptoms, symptoms they duly found in Gopa-kumra. Thus neither the princes nor others had an opportunity to become envious of him. Some of the marks of royalty are mentioned in reference to Emperor Bharata, the son of akuntal, in rmad-Bhgavatam (9.20.24). Cakra dakia-haste sya/ padma-koo sya pdayo: He had the mark of Lord Kas disc on the palm of his right hand and the mark of a lotus whorl on the soles of his feet. TEXT 199 ivivDaa viDaRTaaSTaSYa MaYaa PaUJaa MahaeTSava" ) ivXaezTaae MahaYaa}aa adXaa}aaiPa Gaui<@ca )) vividh vardhits tasya may pj mahotsav vieato mah-ytr dvdatrpi guic vividhvarious; vardhitimproved; tasyaHis; mayby me; pjceremonies of worship; mah-utsavand festivals; vieata especially; mah-ytrthe major festivals; dvdaatwelve; atra among them; apialso; guicthe Guic festival.

I tried to improve the worship and various festivals of Lord Jaganntha in Pur, especially His twelve major festivals, most important among them the Guic Ratha-ytr. COMMENTARY: In each of the twelve months, beginning with Phlguna, Lord Jaganntha enjoys a major festival in His temple, such as His swing festival, candana festival, bathing festival, Ratha-ytr, and damanaka, the festival of breaking the damanaka tree. As King of Pur, Gopa-kumra increased the opulence of all these celebrations. He gave the most attention to improving Lord Jagannthas Rathaytr to the Guic temple. TEXT 200 Pa*iQaVYaa" SaaDav" SaveR iMail/Taa Ya}a vGaRXa" ) Pa[eM<aaeNMataa wve+YaNTae Na*TYaGaqTaaidTaTPara" )) pthivy sdhava sarve milit yatra vargaa premonmatt ivekyante ntya-gtdi-tatpar pthivyof the world; sdhavasaintly persons; sarveall; milit gathered; yatraduring which; vargaain groups; premwith pure love of God; unmattinsane; ivaas if; kyantethey would be seen; ntyain dancing; gta-disinging and so on; tat-par absorbed. For these festivals, saintly persons gathered in groups from around the world. Absorbed in dancing, singing, and so on, they appeared as if insane with love of God. COMMENTARY: The sdhus who visited Puruottama-ketra belonged to many different sampradyas, but they would all assemble happily, in their own sakrtana groups, for Lord Jagannthas festivals. TEXT 201 raJYa& raJaaePa>aaeGYa& c JaGaaQaPadaBJaYaae" ) SaMaPYaaRik-NaTveNa Saeva& ku-veR iNaJaeC^Yaa )) rjya rjopabhogya ca jaganntha-padbjayo samarpykicanatvena

sev kurve nijecchay rjyamthe kingdom; rjaroyal; upabhogyamfacilities for enjoyment; caand; jagannthaof Lord Jaganntha; pada-abjayo at the lotus feet; samarpyaoffering; akicanatvenain the mood of having no possessions; sevmservice; kurveI did; nija-icchayas I liked. I offered the kingdom, with all its royal enjoyments, at the lotus feet of Jaganntha. In a completely dependent mood, I took my pleasure in simply serving the Lord. COMMENTARY: Even as King of Pur, Gopa-kumra retained his innocence. He remained simple-hearted, as he had always been; but because he was the ultimate authority among the servants of Lord Jaganntha, he could serve the Lord whenever and however he wanted. TEXT 202 iNaJaE" iPa[YaTaMaEiNaRTYaSaevkE-" Sah Sa Pa[>au" ) NaMaRGaaeq& ivTaNauTae Pa[eMa-I@a& c kihRicTa( )) nijai priya-tamair nityasevakai saha sa prabhu narma-goh vitanute prema-kr ca karhicit nijaiHis own; priya-tamaidearest; nityapermanent; sevakai the servants; sahaalong with; saHe; prabhuthe Lord; narmagohmconfidential talks; vitanutewould exhibit; prema-krm loving pastimes; caand; karhicitsometimes. With His dearest permanent servants, the Lord enjoyed confidential talks and sometimes displayed intimate loving pastimes. COMMENTARY: Now wanting Gopa-kumra to make another change in his life, Lord Jaganntha arranged for a seed of discontent to be planted in his heart. Texts 202 through 205 thus describe how Gopa-kumra began to feel jealous of the hereditary Orissan servants of Jaganntha, to whom the Lord extended special privileges. TEXT 203

Yada va l/Il/Yaa SQaa<au>aav& >aJaiTa k-aETauk-I ) Pa[q<aNTYaQaaiPa SaaYaaRSTae TaIl/aNauSaair<a" )) yad v llay sthubhva bhajati kautuk pranty athpi scarys te tal-llnusria yadwhen; vor; llayas His pastime; sthuof being immobile; bhvamthe mood; bhajatiHe would assume; kautuk playful; prantiwere delighted; atha apinonetheless; sa-cary amazed; tethey; tatsuch; llof the pastimes; anusria following in the mood. Or even when the playful Lord Jaganntha stood still as His pastime, His closest devotees gave themselves to His intimate mood, amazed at His greatness and delighted in love. COMMENTARY: In the private company of the Orissan pjrs, Lord Jaganntha would sometimes talk and engage in various personal exchanges. But even when He remained motionless and silent on the altar, those most intimate devotees still had very special relationships with Him. The Lord is not a lifeless log; He only pretends to be like that. Every chance He gets, He indulges in all sorts of sports and tricks with His devotees. The pjrs were astonished to see how Lord Jaganntha at one moment acts like a naughty child and the next poses as an immobile Deity. But rather than become morose when Jaganntha was not active and speaking to them, the pjrs were happy to go along with whatever pastime the Lord was playing at the moment, be it active or passive. TEXT 204 MaMaaiPa Ta}a Ta}aaXaa SYaadQaaGaNTaukae_SMYahMa( ) Tadek-iNaae NaaiPa SYaa& k-Qa& TataTPa[Saad>aak( )) mampi tatra tatr syd athgantuko smy aham tad-eka-niho npi sy katha tat-tat-prasda-bhk mamamy; apithough; tatra tatrafor those (special reciprocations); hope; sytthere would be; athahowever; gantukarecently arrived; asmiam; ahamI; tatto Him; ekanihaexclusively devoted; nanot; apialso; symcan I be;

kathamhow; tat-tatin those particular forms; prasdaof the mercy; bhka recipient. I also wanted to join in those special pastimes, but being just a newcomer, without exclusive devotion to Lord Jaganntha, how could I receive His mercy in those special ways? COMMENTARY: Gopa-kumra thought himself unfit even to desire to join in Lord Jagannthas intimate talks and pastimes with His servants. In fact, he thought that the very desire arose in his heart from jealousy. No wonder, therefore, he felt distressed. He had only recently entered Jagannthas service and was not one of the hereditary pjrs. Nor did he have fixed, unalloyed devotion to the Lord of Nlcala, because his heart was still attracted to r Vndvana forest and the other places of Kas pastimes in Vraja-bhmi. TEXT 205 TaQaaPYauTk-l/>a-aNaa& TataTSaaE>aaGYa>aavNaE" ) SaNYaMaaNaYaa TatadaXaYaaiDa" ik-l/aeveTa( )) tathpy utkala-bhaktn tat-tat-saubhgya-bhvanai sajanyamnay tat-tadaydhi kilodbhavet tath apieven so; utkala-bhaktnmof the Orissan devotees; tattatthat varied; saubhgyaof good fortune; bhvanaiby my thoughts; sajanyamnaywhich appeared; tat-tatvarious; ay by the desires; dhimental pain; kilaindeed; udbhavetwould arise. Even so, I went through anguish when I thought of the kinds of good fortune the Orissan devotees enjoyed and when I reflected in various ways on my desire to be like those devotees. TEXT 206 NaaMaSaqTaRNaSTaae}aGaqTaaiNa >aGavTPaur" ) [UYaMaa<aaiNa duNviNTa MaQauraSMaark-ai<a MaaMa( )) nma-sakrtana-stotra-

gtni bhagavat-pura ryamni dunvanti mathur-smraki mm nma-sakrtanacongregational chanting of the Lords names; stotra prayers; gtniand songs; bhagavat-purain front of the Lord; ryamnibeing heard; dunvantiwould disturb; mathurof Mathur; smrakicauses of remembering; mmme. When I heard the songs, prayers, and congregational chanting of the Lords names in front of Lord Jaganntha, I was disturbed because they reminded me of Mathur. COMMENTARY: In the presence of Lord Jaganntha, devotees would chant names of the Lord like Mathur-ntha, Vndvana-candra, and Govardhanoddhraa. They would recite ancient prayers from the Puras and prayers by modern authors. They would sing properly composed songs, with suitable melody and rhythm. Hearing those auspicious sounds troubled Gopa-kumras mind because they made him more vividly remember Mathur and started him thinking about going back. TEXT 207 SaaDauSabl/aTva d*e raJaqvl/aecNae ) SavR" Xaaek-ae ivl/IYaeTa Na SYaaiGaiMaza KvicTa( )) sdhu-saga-bald gatv de rjva-locane sarva oko vilyeta na syj jigami kvacit sdhu-sagaof the association of saintly devotees; balton the strength; gatvgoing; debeing seen; rjva-locanethe lotuseyed Lord; sarvaall; okasorrow; vilyetawould dissipate; na sytthere would not be; jigamidesire to go; kvacitanywhere. Blessed by the strength of my closeness with saintly devotees, I was able to go see the lotus-eyed Lord, and whenever I went to see Him all my sorrow would dissolve. Thus I never wanted to go anywhere else. TEXT 208 TaQaaiPa MaMa SaaMa]aJYaSaMPakeR-<a id SvTa" )

>aGavXaRNaaNaNd" SaMYax( NaaedeiTa PaUvRvTa( )) tathpi mama smrjyasamparkea hdi svata bhagavad-darannanda samya nodeti prva-vat tath apinonetheless; mamamy; smrjyawith ruling the kingdom; samparkeabecause of the connection; hdiin my heart; svataspontaneously; bhagavatof the Lord; daranafrom seeing; nandaecstasy; samyakcomplete; na udetiwould not arise; prva-vatlike before. But because of my involvement with ruling the kingdom, my heart could never feel the complete spontaneous ecstasy it used to feel from seeing the Lord. COMMENTARY: By the mercy of the great devotees of Pur, Gopa-kumra got repeated darana of the all-blissful Lord Jaganntha, and every visit destroyed his sorrow. Only by the powerful mercy of the devotees was he able to relish the beauty of the Lord; on the strength of his own spiritual accomplishments alone he would never have overcome his distress. Yet his happiness was never as full as before, because he was entangled in the management of the kingdom. Despite having officially offered the kingdom at the feet of Lord Jaganntha, he was still burdened by the many anxieties of a king. TEXT 209 Yaa}aaMahaeTSava&ahMaav*Taae raJaMa<@lE/" ) Sau%& k-l/iYaTau& NaeXae SveC^Yaa bhuDaa >aJaNa( )) ytr-mahotsav cham vto rja-maalai sukha kalayitu nee svecchay bahudh bhajan ytrat the Ratha-ytr; mah-utsavnand big festivals; caand; ahamI; vtasurrounded; rja-maalaiby the royal entourage; sukhamfreely; kalayitumto spend the time; na eI was not able; sva-icchayaccording to my free desire; bahudhin various ways; bhajanworshiping. At the Ratha-ytr and other big festivals, I was surrounded by my royal entourage and unable to spend time enjoying the

occasions. And I could no longer worship Lord Jaganntha according to my own desire in the various ways I had before. COMMENTARY: As king, Gopa-kumra had opportunities to sweep the road in front of Lord Jagannthas cart, wipe the Lords face, and offer betel nut to His mouth, but the pleasure he felt from these services was constrained by the presence of the crowds. TEXT 210 rajae_PaTYaeZvMaaTYaezu bNDauZviPa SaMaPYaR TaMa( ) raJYa>aar& SvYa& Pa[aGvdudaSaqNaTaYaa iSQaTa" )) rjo patyev amtyeu bandhuv api samarpya tam rjya-bhra svaya prg-vad udsnatay sthita rjaof the king; apatyeuamong the children; amtyeu ministers; bandhuurelatives; apialso; samarpyaoffering; tam that; rjyaof ruling the kingdom; bhramthe burden; svayam alone; prk-vatas before; udsnatayas uninvolved; sthita situated. So I handed over the burden of ruling the kingdom to the sons, ministers, and relatives of the previous king, and as before I became uninvolved and aloof. COMMENTARY: At last he abdicated the throne. TEXT 211 Sau%& rhae JaPa& ku-vRHJaGaaQaPadaBJaYaae" ) SaMaqPae SveC^Yaa SaevaMaacrvSa& TaTa" )) sukha raho japa kurva jaganntha-padbjayo sampe svecchay sevm carann avasa tata sukhamhappily; rahain private; japamthe chanting of my mantra; kurvanperforming; jagannthaof Lord Jaganntha; padaabjayothe lotus feet; sampenearby; sva-icchayas I liked;

sevmservice; caranperforming; avasamI resided; tatafrom that time. I continued living nearby, happily chanting my mantra in private and offering service at the lotus feet of Lord Jaganntha as I liked. TEXT 212 TaQaaiPa l/aek-SaMMaaNaadrTaSTaad*Xa& Sau%Ma( ) Na l/>aeYa iviNaivR<<aMaNaaSTa}aa>av& iSQaTaaE )) tathpi loka-sammndaratas tda sukham na labheya vinirviamans tatrbhava sthitau tath apistill; lokafrom the populace; sammnabecause of the honor; darataand respect; tdamsuch; sukhamhappiness; na labheyaI could not obtain; vinirviauninterested; manin my mind; tatrathere; abhavamI became; sthitauin remaining. But because of the honor and respect I received from the populace, I could no longer feel happiness in Pur. And so I lost interest in staying there. COMMENTARY: Gopa-kumra tried to refuse formal worship from his former subjects, but even when they obliged him, dispensing with formalities, they still treated him with great respect. TEXT 213 GaNTau& v*NdavNa& Pa[aTarajaQa| PaurTa" Pa[>aae" ) GaTa" [qMaNMau%& PaXYaNSav| TaiSMaraMYahae )) gantu vndvana prtar jrtha purata prabho gata rman-mukha payan sarva tad vismarmy aho gantumto go; vndvanamto Vndvana; prtaearly in the morning; j-arthamin order to ask permission; puratain front; prabhoof Lord Jaganntha; gatahaving gone; rmat-mukham His beautiful face; payanseeing; sarvamall; tatthat; vismarmi I would forget; ahooh.

Early in the morning, I went before Lord Jaganntha to ask His permission to leave for Vndvana; but oh, when I saw His beautiful face I forgot all my plans. COMMENTARY: Gopa-kumra reasoned like this: The Lord of the universe, for whose sake I left Vraja-bhmi, I have obtained directly here. How is it right for me to abandon Him, and how can I find the power to do such a thing? And even if the same Lord wants to bring me back to His favorite playground Vndvana to show me some special mercy, I still cannot go away from here without first getting His express permission. But when Gopa-kumra went before Lord Jaganntha in the temple, as soon as he saw the Lords divine face he forgot everythinghis mental pain, the remembrance of Vndvana that caused the pain, and his intention to ask the Lords permission to go. This pattern occurred day after day. TEXT 214 Wv& Sa&vTSare JaaTae MaYaa Ta}aEk-da [uTaMa( ) MaQauraYaa" Pa[aYaaTae>Yaae_}aTYav*ta& ivXaezTa" )) eva savatsare jte may tatraikad rutam mathury prytebhyo tratya-vtta vieata evamthus; savatsarea year; jtehaving passed; mayby me; tatrathere; ekadonce; rutamheard; mathuryfrom Mathur; prytebhyafrom persons who had come; atratyaof this place; vttamnews; vieatain detail. Thus one year passed, and then one day I heard some detailed news of Mathur from visitors who had come from there. COMMENTARY: Gopa-kumra heard these visitors describe the splendor of the cows, cowherds, birds, trees, forest animals, and other residents of such neighborhoods as r Vndvana and Govardhana. TEXT 215 Xaaek-du"%aTaur& ra}aaE XaYaaNa& Maa& MahaPa[>au" ) wdMaajaPaYaaMaaSa Pardu"%eNa k-aTar" ))

oka-dukhtura rtrau ayna m mah-prabhu idam jpaym sa para-dukhena ktara okaby sorrow; dukhaand pain; turamtormented; rtrauat night; aynamwho was lying in bed; mmme; mah-prabhuthe Supreme Lord Jaganntha; idamthis; jpaym saordered; para of others; dukhenaby the suffering; ktarawho is distressed. That night as I was lying in bed, tormented by sorrow and pain, the Supreme Lord Jaganntha, who is pained by the suffering of others, gave me the following command. TEXT 216 >aae GaaePaNaNdNa +ae}aiMad& MaMa YaQaa iPa[YaMa( ) TaQaa [qMaQaura_QaaSaaE JaNMa>aUiMaivRXaezTa" )) bho gopa-nandana ketram ida mama yath priyam tath r-mathur thsau janma-bhmir vieata bho gopa-nandanaO son of a cowherd; ketramholy city; idam this; mamaMy; yathas; priyamdear; tathso; r-mathur r Mathur; athathus; asauthis; janma-bhmibirthplace; vieataespecially. As dear as this holy city is to Me, O son of a cowherd, My birthplace, r Mathur, is even more dear. COMMENTARY: By calling His devotee gopa-nandana, Lord Jaganntha subtly hints that it is fitting for him to live in Vraja-bhmi. TEXT 217 baLYal/Il/aSQal/Ii>a Taai>aSTaai>arl/*Taa ) iNavSaaiMa YaQaa}aah& TaQaa Ta}aaiPa iv>a[MaNa( )) blya-ll-sthalbhi ca tbhis tbhir alakt

nivasmi yathtrha tath tatrpi vibhraman blya-llof childhood pastimes; sthalbhiwith sites; caand; tbhivarious; alaktdecorated; nivasmilive; yathas; atra here; ahamI; tathso; tatrathere; apialso; vibhraman wandering. Mathur is adorned with the various sites of My childhood pastimes. Just as I always live here in Pur, wandering about everywhere, so do I live in Mathur. COMMENTARY: Mathur is even more dear to the Personality of Godhead than Puruottama-ketra because in Mathur He displayed His birth and childhood pastimes. Childhood technically means the years before maturity, which are divided into the three phases called kaumra, paugaa, and kaiora. Many scriptural statements describe human life as passing through birth, youth, and old age. For example: janma blya tata sarvo jantu prpnoti yauvanam avyhataiva bhavati tato nu-divasa jar Every creature is born, is then a child, and then a youth. And if his life is not interrupted prematurely, he daily approaches old age. Gopa-kumra might object that here in Pur the Lord is visible whereas in Mathur He is not. But Lord Jaganntha here answers that He certainly lives in Mathur, wandering about and enjoying with His devotees. TEXT 218 Sada dael/aYaMaaNaaTMaa k-Qa& TadNauTaPYaSae ) Ta}aEv GaC^ k-ale/ Maa& Tad]UPa& d]+YaiSa Da]uvMa( )) sad dolyamntm katha tad anutapyase tatraiva gaccha kle m tad-rpa drakyasi dhruvam sadconstantly; dolyamnaequivocating; tmyour mind; kathamwhy; tattherefore; anutapyasedo you lament; tatra there; evaonly; gacchago; klein due course of time; mmMe;

tat-rpamin that form; drakyasiyou will see; dhruvamwith certainty. Why constantly lament, wavering between one decision and another? Just go to Mathur, and in time you will surely see Me in the form you desire. COMMENTARY: The form of the Lord that Gopa-kumra cherished in his meditation was that of r Madana-gopla-deva. Lord Jaganntha assured Gopa-kumra, You will see Me in that form at the proper time in Mathur-bhmi. Thereafter, you will never again suffer sorrow or discontent. TEXT 219 AajaMaal/a& Pa[aTaradaYa PaUJaa ivPa[EvaRSae Mae SaMaaGaTYa dtaaMa( ) k-<#e= bd(a Pa[iSQaTaae vq+Ya c&NaTvaQaaae MaaQaur& deXaMaeTaMa( )) j-ml prtar dya pjviprair vse me samgatya dattm kahe baddhv prasthito vkya cakra natvthpto mthura deam etam jindicating the order; mlma garland; prtain the early morning; dyareceiving; pj-vipraiby the brhmaas who worshiped the Lord; vseat the residence; memy; samgatyawho came; dattmgiven; kaheon my neck; baddhvplacing it; prasthitadeparted; vkyaseeing; cakramthe disc; natv bowing down; athathen; ptareached; mthuramof Mathur; deamthe land; etamthis. Early that morning at my residence I received a flower garland from some pjr brhmaas, indicating the Lords command. I placed the garland on my neck and departed, bowing down to the cakra on top of the temple as I saw it for the last time. And in that way I came to this land of Mathur. COMMENTARY: Just in case Gopa-kumra might judge his dream false, Lord Jaganntha sent a garland from His morning pj as a sign of His approval. This confirmed that the Lord wanted him to go to Mathur. Lord Jaganntha appeared on earth mainly to display His pastime of accepting formal worship in His temple, and His brhmaa pjrs shared in this pastime. The Lord ordered His pjrs to take the garland off His neck and bring it to Gopa-kumra. And rather than go

to the temple to see the Lords lotus face, Gopa-kumra left at once for Mathur. THUS ENDS THE FIRST CHAPTER OF PART TWO OF RLA SANTANA GOSVMS BHAD-BHGAVATMTA, ENTITLED VAIRGYA: RENUNCIATION.