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Bhagavata Saptah, Day 2
from Ekanath dasa

HH Lokanath Swami:

This topic is the topmost knowledge and is for the goswamis, those who are every minute of the day hankering to hear these pastimes of the Lord. Just as a drunkard cannot be without his alcohol, the topmost Vaisnavas cannot be without the beautiful narrations of Krsna’s pastimes. To such acaryas we offer our full obeisances.

Today, we have to follow a strict schedule. But this kind of activity should not be done while looking at the watch. The goswamis had no concept of time. They were willing to hear and chant all day long, forgoing eating and sleeping. We cannot do as they did, but we should remember them and aspire for their taste. Sometimes people take these topics very cheaply and feel they can imitate such pastimes. That is why Srila Prabhpada was not so much in favor of commercial Bhagavata kathas. Many are making a living by these kathas and we should protect ourselves from such discourses.

So, Krsna had wanted to meet the gopis. That is why He had sent the invitation. But the Lord wants to further intensify their love for Him. "Your family must be looking for you? Please turn back." Krsna is asking so many questions, but He’s not giving the gopis a chance to respond. He is playing with them. "Better you go back to your husbands."

The real husband of the gopis is Krsna. [Maharaja points to the ladies in the audience] Those husbands you left in Delhi/Noida they are not your real husbands. Your primary husband is Krsna. There is only one Purusha— Krsna. We are all prakriti. We were made for Krsna, for His enjoyment. That is our inseparable nature— to be the servant of Krsna. To please Him. For all of us, He is our original husband. The duty of each and every living entity is to surrender to that Lord, Krsna.

"Sarva dharmam parityajya...." Two requests are made here. First, that we give up all varieties of religiosity, and second, to take shelter of the Lord. Taking shelter of Krsna is the topmost dharma and this is exactly what the gopis were doing. Therefore, there is nothing abominable in their going to Krsna in the middle of the night and leaving their husbands.

Sukadeva Goswami describes these words of the Lord as "unpleasant." Usually, we hear about the sweetness of the Lord’s words, but here His speech was very unpleasant to the ears of the gopis. Their hopes were being completely shattered. It is difficult to understand these matters because they deal with pure love and we are servants of lust. All the senses of the gopis were directed toward the service of Krsna.

Gopi. "Pi" means to drink. The gopis constantly drank the nectar of Krsna with all their senses. We can also develop this kind of love by hearing. The topmost medicine for that disease of the heart, lust, is this madhurya lila.

The gopis became speechless, morose, anxious, and completely lost. They stood there, their heads bowed to the ground in complete shock. They scratched the ground with their toes. They were trembling, and tears poured from their eyes. These tears carried the kajal from their eyes and washed away the kumkum on their breasts.

Despite the unfavorable words of Krsna, the gopis remained unconditionally attached to Him. This is the love of the gopis. There is no comparison. The gopis are giving their life to the Lord, not just their money or other material assets.

[At this point, Maharaja sang Narottama dasa Thakura’s "radha-krsna prana mora jugala kisora...." and two children came on stage dressed as Radha Krsna. The bhajan very soon became a dancing kirtan and the devotees spontaneously began garlanding "Radha and Krsna" and circled them, sometimes offering sweets to their mouths.]

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Kamsa had defeated many demons and in this way gained their support. He now utilized such demons as Baka, Putana, Arista, and many more to persecute the kings of the Yadu dynasty. When he had married the daughters of Jarasandha he was given as part of the dowry the elephant, Kuvalayapida.

The demigods had prayed to the Lord to kill all the demons. So, in gathering all the demons together, Kamsa was assisting Krsna in ridding the Earth of its burden. Whoever is killed by Krsna does not return to this material world. Kamsa was sending the demons one by one to Vrndavan, but none of them returned.

Krsna arranged for Yogamaya to transfer Devaki’s seventhth child, Balarama, to the womb of Rohini in Gokul. In this way it is said that Krsna was born in Mathura and Balarama’s birthplace is Gokul. So, this seventh child reached safely to His destination, and everyone thought that Devaki had miscarried.

So now was the time for the eighth child to appear, and not only the face of Devaki but also the whole prison house became lit up. In this way Kamsa knew that Krsna was soon to take birth. First the Lord appeared in the pure heart of Vasudeva before entering the womb of Devaki. There is no need for Him to appear like this, but He does so to give parental pleasure to Vasudeva and Devaki. Krsna is not the product of man and woman. He is the source of everything. The whole world emanates from Him.

Who can give birth to the unborn?! Nobody. We all have some origin, but Krsna is the origin of all. The Lord’s body is not made out of the five material elements. His body is completely spiritual. His birth and activities are divine in nature. We are meant to try and understand His birth and activities, and when we do understand there is no rebirth for us. Those who think of Krsna as an ordinary person are first class fools. Fool No.1.

Srila Prabhupada has given us these books so that we can understand the facts. So I urge you to read these books of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. If we carefully read them and understand, we will return to Godhead, back to our home. Our actual country is Goloka. We are foreigners here in this material world.

That is why we are doing this katha, to prepare to go home. This is not our home. It is the home for terrorists. Kali yuga is ripening. Things will get worse and worse. Miseries will increase. Those without knowledge will remain here birth after birth. Lord is waiting for all of us at home. This is what ISKCON is for: for developing the consciousness of going home by thinking about and understanding the birth and activities of Krsna.

So, Krsna is about to take birth. On that night the moon rose at midnight. The moon had eagerly waited for His appearance, so that he could see His face. It should have been a half moon but by seeing the beauty of the Lord’s face, the moon fully blossomed with joy. Candra, through his pleasure, exhibited his full form.

Mother Earth was also full of joy to see that the Lord had kept His promise and come. She was trembling with ecstasy at the thought of Him placing His lotus feet on her. It is said that the Lord has two wives. One is Sri, Laxmidevi in Vaikuntha and the other is Bhumidevi. When the husband returns to his chaste wife after a long period, the wife decorates herself nicely. Similarly, to greet the Lord, Mother Earth was decorated with rivers flowing full of water, lakes beautified with lotus flowers, forests full with beautiful birds and peacocks, pleasantly blowing winds, carrying the fragrance of different sweet-smelling flowers.

When Krsna appeared Vasudeva took Him to Gokula for safety and was able to do this by the influence of Yogamaya. Doors automatically opened. Everyone fell asleep, even the dogs in the street. As it was raining, Lord Ananta Sesa, Balarama, appeared outside the door and offered His hoods as a shelter. Then they reached the shore of River Yamuna, which because of the time of year was fully flowing. She is also a queen of Krsna and another of her names is Krsnaa, because of her blueish waters. She is a great servant of the Lord and performs a big role for His enjoyment in Vraj. So, not wanting to be an obstacle, she opened up a pathway within her waters and in so doing, allowed Him deep into her heart.

The Lord had told Yogamaya that when He took birth in Mathura, she should take birth from Mother Yashoda in Gokula. Due to the labor of birth, Mother Yashoda had fallen asleep and so was not aware that she had given birth to a girl. Vasudeva came and exchanged Krsna for Yogamaya and returned to Mathura.

Tomorrow we will hear about the celebrations Nanda Maharaja arranged for the birth of his son, Krsna.

Your servant,
Ekanath dasa

© CHAKRA 16 January 2002