BY: SUN STAFF
Jul 05, CANADA (SUN) —
Sri Krsna-sandarbha
by Srila Jiva Goswami
Anuccheda 106 (Part 3)
21 All this evidence clearly proves that Sri Krsna is the Original Supreme Personality of Godhead and His form is eternal. His eternal handsomeness, gentleness, determination and strength are shown in the following statement of the Earth Personified (Srimad Bhagavatam 1.16.27):
"In Lord Krsna reside (1) truthfulness, (2) cleanliness, (3) intolerance of another’s unhappiness, (4) the power to control anger, (5) self-satisfaction, (6) straightforwardness, (7) steadiness of mind, (8) control of the sense organs, (9) responsibility, (10) equality, (11) tolerance, (12) equanimity, (13) faithfulness, (14) knowledge, (15) absence of sense enjoyment, (16) leadership, (17) chivalry, (18) influence, (19) the power to make everything possible, (20) the discharge of proper duty, (21) complete independence, (22) dexterity, (23) fullness of all beauty, (24) serenity, (25) kind-heartedness, (26) ingenuity, (27) gentility, (28) magnanimity, (29) determination, (30) perfection in all knowledge, (31) proper execution, (32) possession of all objects of enjoyment, (33) joyfulness, (34) immovability, (35) fidelity, (36) fame, (37) worship, (38) pridelessness, (39) being (as the Personality of Godhead), (40) eternity, and many other transcendental qualities which are eternally present and never to be separated from Him, the Personality of Godhead, the reservoir of all goodness and beauty, Lord Sri Krsna.”*
22 That the original aspect of the Personality of Godhead is the humanlike form of Sri Krsna is confirmed in the following verse from the Sri Krsnastottara-sata-nama-stotra in the Brahmanda Purana:
“The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the delight of Nanda Maharaja and the residents of Vrajabhumi. The Supreme Person’s form is eternal, full of knowledge and bliss. He is the tiny child whose limbs are smeared with butter, and who jubilantly dances to earn some butter as a reward.”
23 This is also described in the Gopala-tapani Upanisad (1.21):
“The brahmanas who worship, as He stands on His altar, the one who is greatest among the eternals and greatest among conscious persons, and who fulfils the desires of the many, they, and not others, attain eternal perfection.”
24 Sri Krsna is also described in the following verse (Gopala-tapani Upanisad 1.38):
“The Supreme Personality of Godhead is Govinda. His form is eternal and full of knowledge and bliss.”
25 In this way it is proved that Sri Krsna’s two-armed and four-armed forms are both eternal.
26 Someone may ask about the nature of the places where Sri Krsna performed His pastimes. We answer by saying that the places on this earth where Lord Krsna enjoyed pastimes are replicas of the same places in the spiritual world. This is confirmed in the following verse from the Skanda Purana:
“The towns and cities on this earth which were dear to Lord Krsna, and where He stayed and enjoyed pastimes, eternally exist in the spiritual world. In those places in the spiritual world, Lord Krsna eternally enjoys pastimes.”
27 The planet of Sri Krsna (Krsnaloka) is situated in the highest part of the spiritual world. This is described in the Uttara-khanda of the Padma Purana, where Lord Krsna is described as the ninth of the ten incarnations of Godhead. In this description the incarnations, the planet of Sri Krsna is described as situated in a separate place, beyond the view of the rest of the spiritual world. From this we may understand that Krsnaloka is in the highest part of the spiritual world. This description of the smrti-sastra is confirmed by similar descriptions in the Agama-sastras.
28 We may note that the Uttara-khanda of the Padma Purana states that Krsnaloka as situated in a separate place beyond the vision of the rest of the spiritual world, but nor specifically in the highest part of the spiritual world. Actually, this description in the Padma Purana presents the view of those who consider Lord Narayana the ultimate aspect of the Godhead, and His abode, Vaikunthaloka, to be the topmost place in the spiritual world.
The Padma Purana is not the most conclusive source of evidence. The ultimate scripture, Srimad Bhagavatam, on the other hand, presents the conclusion that Sri Krsna is the Original Personality of Godhead, the origin of Lord Narayana. From this description in Srimad Bhagavatam (which presents the most authoritative conclusions, in comparison to the Padma Purana, whose conclusions are less authoritative) we may understand that because Sri Krsna is the Original Personality of Godhead, His abode in the spiritual world must be situated in the highest part of the spiritual world. This is confirmed in the following verses of the Pancasititama-patala in the Svayambhuva-agama, where Lord Siva says to Gauri (in the course of describing meditation on the fourteen syllable Krsna-mantra):
29 “A pure soul should meditate on the unlimitedly expanded spiritual world known as Vaikuntha, which is full of transcendental vines that fulfil all the desires of the devotees.
30 “Below this spiritual world is the original feature of material energy, which is the origin of everything material, and where the three modes of nature remain equipoised and suspended. Below this original matter are the three modes of nature (goodness, passion and ignorance), which become the causes of variety in the material sphere.
31 Below this original feature of the three modes of nature is the planet of Lord Brahma, which is full of all symptoms of spiritual awareness. O fair-complexioned Parvati, an intelligent person should meditate on this planet, and also on the unlimited Viraja river, which forms the boundary of the spiritual and material worlds.
32 “One should meditate on goddess Viraja, the controlling deity of the Viraja river, which is produced from the perspiration of the Personified Vedas.
33 Lord Siva continued: “Beyond this is the liberation attained by the great sages who strictly follow the rules of celibacy and beyond that is the spiritual world, where all the residents are eternal. An intelligent person should meditate on all these different stages of existence.”
34 “Within the spiritual world is situated the planet of Lord Aniruddha, and above that is the planet of Lord Pradyumna. Above Lord Pradyumna’s planet is the planet of Lord Sankarsana, and above that is the planet of Lord Vasudeva. One should meditate on the spiritual world in this way.”
35 After the passage beginning ‘lokadhipan smaret’, a description of the highest part of the spiritual world is spoken by Lord Siva in the following words:
36 “A wise man should meditate on the Kalindi river, which is filled with nectar vines, served by many virtues, blissful in every season, splendid, delightful to everyone...
37 ...dark with blue lotus petals, filled with gentle breezes, fragrant with the pollen of Vrndavana’s flowers, dear to Lord Krsna,...
38 ...surrounded by groves of vines and pavilions where gopis enjoy pastimes, and filled with golden lotus vines.
39 A wise devotee should meditate on Vrndavana forest, which is delightful with eternally new flowers and filled with sounds of bliss,...
40 ...which is filled with the singing of many wonderful and colourful birds and decorated with the buzzing of many maddened bumblebees splendid among the jewel vines,...
41 ...which is filled with cintamani jewels, splendid with nets of moonlight, rich with flowers blossoming in all seasons, and beautiful with new buds,...
42 ...which again and again trembles in the breezes blowing over the Kalindi’s waters, and is filled with flowers, trees and birds.
Go to Anuccheda One Hundred-six (Part 4)
Return to Anuccheda One Hundred-six (Part 2)
