BY: SUN STAFF
Jun 22, CANADA (SUN) —
Sri Krsna-sandarbha
by Srila Jiva Goswami
Sarva-samvadini Comment - Part 2
“A properly initiated devotee who continually chants this Krsna-mantra with a controlled mind will certainly see this form of Lord Hari as a cowherd boy. Of this there is no doubt.”
11 The revelation of the eternal form of Sri Krsna is also described in the following statement of the Gopala-tapani Upanisad (1.29):
“Brahma replied: I continually glorified the Lord and meditated upon Him for millions of years, and at last I was able to understand the transcendental form of the Lord as Sri Krsna, in the dress of a cowherd boy.”*
12 That the form of Krsna is eternal and eternally remains in the spiritual abode of Vrndavana is confirmed in the following verse from the introduction (mangalacaranam) of the Brhan-naradiya Purana:
“I offer my respectful obeisances to Lord Krsna, who is like a transcendental palace that delights the goddess of fortune, Srimati Radharani. Lord Krsna eternally remains in the spiritual abode known as Vrndavana.”
13 That the form of Sri Krsna is eternally manifested is also confirmed in the following verse from the Dvaraka-mahatmya section of the Skanda Purana, where Prahlada Maharaja tells Bali Maharaja:
“Accompanied by Queen Rukmini, Lord Krsna eternally remains in the palaces of Dvaraka.”
14 That the form of Sri Krsna is eternal is also confirmed in the following verse in the Karttika-mahatmya of the Padma Purana:
“O Lord Hari, who eternally stays with Sri Radha, I have carefully followed the rules and regulations of Karttika-vrata, and I have carefully taken my early bath. In this purified condition I am offering this gift of arghya. Please accept it.”
15 In this mantra, the eighteen-syllable Krsna-mantra, and other mantras, the supreme worshipableness of Lord Krsna is described. These mantras present the actual conclusion of the Vedas, and not whatever verses may be found to encourage the worship of the limited demigods who control the lighting and heating of the material universe. What need is there to speak more elaborately on this point? Lord Govinda is glorified in all the Vedas. Even the scriptures prescribing various atonements for various sins describe the supremacy of Lord Krsna. For example in the Bodhayana-sastra it is said:
“The home-sacrifices should be performed for the satisfaction of Lord Govinda.”
We also find this quote in the Bodhayana-sastra:
“O Lord Govinda, o beloved of the gopis, O Supreme Controller, O killer of Kamsa, O Lord worshipped by the demigods, O merciful Lord pleased by the cows and calves of Gokula, O Supreme Lord who kills the demons, please cure me of arsa (piles).”
16 Lord Krsna is also described in the following verse of the Bodhayana-sastra:
“O Lord Govinda, O beloved of the gopis, O Supreme Controller, O killer of Kamsa, O supreme object of worship for the demigods, O Lord who expertly lifted the great Govardhana Hill with one hand and protected all the cows, calves and cowherds of Vraja, O best of the gopas, please cure the blindness in my eyes.”
17 That Sri Krsna is the eternal Supreme Personality of Godhead is also clearly described in the Gopala-tapani Upanisad (1.38):
“With eloquent prayers I and the Maruts please Lord Govinda, whose form is eternal and full of knowledge and bliss, who stays in Vrndavana and who is the five-word mantra.”
18 That Lord Krsna is pleased by devotional activities, and that He appears before the devotees to reciprocate the devotees’ love is described in the Visnu-dharma Purana (already quoted in text 6):
“O fortunate one, I have now appeared before you because of your great devotion.”
Sarva-samvadini Comment
1 After reading this quotation from the Trailokya-sammohana Tanta (text 9), and the other quotations which follow it, some garrulous critics may protest that Sri Krsna is not the Original Personality of Godhead, but some other, lesser deity is the Original Supreme Lord. This conclusion is not held by the Sruti-sastra or the other Vedic literatures, where the supremacy of Sri Krsna is strenuously asserted.
For example, the assembled demigods affirm the supremacy of Lord Krsna in the following words (Srimad Bhagavatam 10.2.31):
2 “O Lord, who resemble the shining sun, You are always ready to fulfil the desire of Your devotee, and therefore, You are known as a desire tree (vancha-kalpataru). When acaryas completely take shelter under Your lotus feet in order to cross the fierce ocean of nescience, they leave behind on earth the method by which they cross, and because You are very merciful to Your other devotees, You accept this method to help them.”
3 Understanding the definitive conclusion of the unbroken disciplic succession of bona-fide spiritual masters, that Sri Krsna is the unlimited, eternal Personality of Godhead, some fortunate persons make the service of Lord Krsna’s lotus feet the only goal of their lives. Sri Krsna appears in this world in many different forms for the benefit of these pure devotees (Bhagavad-gita 4.11). This action of the Lord is described in this verse (Srimad Bhagavatam 10.2.31 quoted above).
(Here the Sarva-samvadini Commentary ends and the main text of the Sandarbha continues).
19 What need is there to present more evidence to prove that Sri Krsna is the eternal Supreme Personality of Godhead? That the eternal Supreme Lord, accompanied by His associates and paraphernalia (who are all manifested from His cit-sakti, spiritual potency) is eternally manifested and that He simply appears and disappears from the sight of the conditioned souls in the material world, has already been clearly proven in the second (Bhagavat-sandarbha). The Lord’s associates are all eternal, and certainly the Original Personality of Godhead, Sri Krsna, is eternal.
Go to Anuccheda Ninety-three (Part Three)
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