Sri Priti-Sandarbha
BY: SUN STAFF
Srila Jiva Goswami
Jun 09, CANADA (SUN) —
Sri Priti-sandarbha
Volume One
by Srila Jiva Goswami
Anuccheda 7 (Part Three)
To increase the Lord's sweetness, the Lord's pastime potency (lila-shakti) manifests among friends and among enemies also. Even the reflection of that potency of the Lord attracts the senses of the dear devotees. That this reflected potency attracts the devotees is seen in this description of Putana (Shrimad-Bhagavatam 10.6.6):
valgu-smitapanga-visarga-vikshitair
mano harantim vanitam vrajaukasam
"She was glancing at everyone with very attractive looks and smiling face, and all the residents of Vrindavana were captivated."*
Here the word "mano-harantim" has a double meaning. It means both, "with a reflection of the Lord's potencies Putana attracted the hearts of the residents of Vrindavana" and "Putana was charming and beautiful'." In the same passage it is also said (Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.6.6):
The power of the Lord's potency is then described in these words of Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.16.3):
na yatra shravanadini
raksho-ghnani sva-karmasu
kurvanti satvatam bhartur
yatudhanyas ca tatra hi
"Wherever the chanting of the holy name of Krishna is done, even negligently, all bad elements-witches, ghosts, and dangerous calamities-immediately disappear."*
Of Putana it is also said in Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.6.6):
amamsatambhoja-karane rupinim
gopyah shriyam drashtum ivagatam patim
"The innocent cowherd women thought that she was a goddess of fortune appearing in Vrindavana with a lotus flower in her hand. It seemed to them that she had personally come to see Krishna, who is her husband."*
Here the word "shriyam" means "a girl who brings material prosperity and good fortune" and "patim" means "an appropriate pious man". There it is also said (Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.6.9):
tam tikshna-cittam. . .tat-prabhayavaradharshite janani atishthatam
"When Putana was taking baby Krishna on her lap, both Yashoda and Rohini were present, but they did not forbid her because she was so beautifully dressed and because she showed motherly affection towards Krishna. They could not understand that she was a sword within a decorated case."*
In this way the people of Vraja were defeated by the Lord's illusory (maya) potency. Even Lord Balarama and others were defeated by that illusory potency, as is seen in these words spoken by Lord Balarama Himself (Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.13.27):
prayo mayastu me bhartur
nanya me 'pi vimohini
"It was arranged by Krishna, and even I could not check His mystic power."*
The power of the Lord's illusory potency is also seen in the activities that led Jaya and Vijaya to take birth as demons. The Lord's illusory potency acted only very slightly on Lord Balarama. However, it acted very powerfully on Jaya and Vijaya. This is because Lord Balarama was full of love for Lord Krishna, but Jaya and Vijaya were not. Jaya and Vijaya did not become demons merely by the sages' curse, but rather by the will of the Supreme Lord Himself. The Lord confirms this in these words of Srimad-Bhagavatam (3.16.29):
matam tu me. . .
"The Lord then said to His attendants, Jaya and Vijaya: Depart this place, but fear not. All glories unto you. Through I am capable of nullifying the brahmanas' curse, I would not do so. On the contrary, it has My approval."*
Jaya and Vijaya's acceptance of the role of enemies of the Lord was not their own doing. Rather, it was personally arranged by the Lord. In Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.14.2) it is said:
svecchamayasya. . .
"O Lord, whatever You desire is at once fulfilled."
Still, the Lord was merciful to Jaya and Vijaya, who were His devotees. It is said in Srimad-Bhagavatam (6.11.23):
traivargikayasa-vighattam asmat-
patir vidhatte purushasya shakra
"Our Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, forbids His devotees to endeavor uselessly for religion, economic development, and sense gratification. O Indra, one can thus infer how kind the Lord is. Such mercy is obtainable only by unalloyed devotees, not by persons who aspire for material gain."*
That the Supreme Lord continued to protect Jaya and Vijaya is seen in these words of Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.2.33):
tatha na te madhava tavakah kvacid
bhrashyanti margat tvayi baddha-sauhridah
"O Madhava, Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord of the goddess of fortune, if devotees completely in love with You sometimes fall from the path of devotion, they do not fall like nondevotees, for You still protect them."*
Jaya and Vijaya did not choose to take birth as demons because then they could quickly be rid of the curse. Rather, they accepted that birth because a devotee will not accept residence on same planet where the Lord lives or any other auspicious condition of life if in that condition the devotee has no opportunity to serve the Lord. On the other hand, the devotee will accept life in hell if there he may serve the Lord. This is described in the following words of Srimad-Bhagavatam (3.15.48):
natyantikam viganayaty api. . .
"Persons who are very expert and most intelligent in understanding things as they are engage in hearing narrations of the auspicious activities and pastimes of the Lord, which are worth chanting and worth hearing. Such persons do not care even for the highest material benediction, namely liberation, to say nothing of less important benedictions like the material happiness of the heavenly kingdom."*
It is also said in Srimad-Bhagavatam (3.15.49):
kamam bhavah sva-vrijinair nirayeshu nah stat. . .
"O Lord, we pray that You let us be born in any hellish condition of life, just as long as our hearts and minds are always engaged in the service of Your lotus feet, our words are made beautiful (by speaking of Your activities) just as tulasi leaves are beautiful when offered unto Your lotus feet, and as long as our ears are always filled with the chanting of Your transcendental qualities."*
Jaya and Vijaya also offered the following prayer (Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.15.36):
ma vo 'nutapa-kalaya bhagavat-smriti-ghno
moho bhaved iha tu nau vrajator adho 'dhah
"But we pray that due to Your compassion at our repentance, the illusion of forgetting the Supreme Personality of Godhead will not come upon us as we go progressively downward."*
In they had been real enemies of the Lord, Jaya and Vijaya would not have brought happiness to the devotees. They brought happiness to devotees because they were friends with many devotees. Therefore their enmity to the Lord was only the reflection of enmity, an enmity assumed to enable the Lord and the other devotees to taste certain rasas. For this we may assume that the Lord wished to enjoy pastimes of fighting, and to please Him the devotees Jaya and Vijaya, employing their mystic powers, manifested certain spiritual forms and assumed the role of His enemies. Then, meditating on the Lord as their enemy, they eventually relinquished that role of being the Lord's enemy. Therefore their being the Lord's enemy was only an external show. This is confirmed by Lord Narayana Himself when he told them (0 3.16.29:
yatam ma bhaishtam astu sham
"Depart this place, but fear not. All glories unto you."*
In its description of the Lord's battle with Hiranyaksha, Srimad-Bhagavatam (3.18.9) explains that the Lord was not really angry with Jaya and Vijaya when they were playing the parts of demons:
paranushaktam. . .
"The demon, who had a wealth of ornaments, bangles, and beautiful golden armor on his body, chased the Lord from behind with a great mace. The Lord tolerated his piercing ill words, but in order to reply to them, He expressed His terrible anger."*
Srila Sridhara Svami comments: "
"The Lord's terrible anger is here only an external show, a show intended to relieve the fears of the demigods, who were frightened by the demon's insults. The Lord did not really become angry by hearing those insults."
Srimad-Bhagavatam (3.19.8-9) again explains:
karala. . . .
"The demon, who had fearful tusks, stared at the Personality of Godhead as though to burn Him. Springing into the air, he aimed his mace at the Lord, exclaiming at the same time, `You are slain!'*
"O saintly Vidura, while His enemy looked on, the Lord in His boar form, the enjoyer of all sacrificial offerings, playfully knocked down the mace with His left foot, even as it came upon Him with the force of a tempest."*
Srila Sridhara Svami comments: "All of this shows that the Lord was not really angry."
In the story of the Syamantaka Jewel, the story of Maha-kala-pura, the story of the mace, and other stories, it is seen that the Lord's anger towards Lord Balarama, Arjuna, Narada Muni, and others is only a pretense, a pale reflection of true anger. Here there are two groups. In one group are Lord Balarama, Arjuna, and others who did not understand Lord Krishna's intention at the time, and in the second group are Narada Muni and others who did understand Lord Krishna's intention at the time. This second group is described in Srimad-Bhagavatam (3.3.24), where Uddhava says:
kopita munayah shepur
bhagavan-mata-kovidah
"Once upon a time, great sages were made angry by the sporting activities of the princely descendents of the Yadu and Bhoja dynasties, and thus, as desired by the Lord, the sages cursed them.* The sages were aware that this was the Lord's desire."
Persons who in these situations understand the Lord's true intention, see the Lord directly. However, if their hearts are impure, even persons who understand the Lord's true intention do not see Him directly. They see only the reflection of Him. Even though the Lord may come before their eyes, they see only the reflection of His form. These persons with impure hearts are persons who have turned their faces away from the Lord. Even though they see Him, they do not see Him as He really is. Persons who hate the Lord are of two kinds. Some see the handsomeness, sweetness, and other virtues of the Lord, bust still they hate Him. Kalayavana and other demons fall into this category. Others see the Lord only as ferocious and terrible, and therefore they hate Him. Kamsa's wrestlers and other demons fall into that category. Thus there are four categories: the two kinds of people who have turned their faces away from Krishna and the two kinds of people who hate Krishna. These four kinds of people are like persons who, because of a disease of the tongue cannot perceive the true taste of various foods. Some persons, because of an imbalance of bile and air in the body, do not experience the taste of various foods as pleasurable. Some persons, although they cannot experience the true taste, do not hold the food at fault for that. Other persons, persons who are proud, hold the food at fault and criticize it. Still other persons can indeed taste the sweetness of delicious food. But because they prefer the taste of bitter and sour things, they hate food that is sweet. Still other persons perceive sweet food as being bitter, and for that reason they hate sweet food. Thus these four kinds of people, by their own fault, do not see the Supreme Lord directly. They see only His reflection. They do not know the Lord's true nature. Because they have neither knowledge, devotion, nor pure spiritual love, they have no power to understand the Lord's true [or pure?] nature and His glorious qualities, such as His eternity, omniscience, bliss, supreme power and opulence, and supreme sweetness. Still, as a person who has a disease of the tongue may eventually become cured, so these persons may eventually become delivered. This is described in the following words of Vishnu Purana (4.15.9):
tatas tam evakrosheshuc cavayan. . .apagata-dveshadi-dosho bhagavantam adrakshit
"Although at first he hated the Lord, eventually his hatred and other vices were all removed. Then he saw the Supreme Personality of Godhead directly."
Therefore, they who have pure hearts see the Supreme Personality of Godhead directly. That is called liberation. That seeing the Supreme Personality of Godhead directly is better than seeing the impersonal Brahman is described in the Bhagavat-sandarbha (anucchedas 78-80), in the description of the four Kumaras' seeing Vaikuntha, and in Sri Vyasa's and Sri Narada's conversation about the relative importance of impersonal Brahman and the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In Srimad-Bhagavatam (3.15.43) it is said of the Four Kumaras:
tasyaravinda-nayanasya. . .
"When the breeze carrying the aroma of tulasi leaves from the toes of the lotus feet of the Personality of Godhead entered the nostrils of those sages, they experienced a change both in body and mind, even though they were attached to the impersonal Brahman understanding."*
That the Supreme Personality of Godhead is superior to the impersonal Brahman is hinted in these words of Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.5.4):
jijnasitam adhitam ca. . .
"You have fully delineated the subject of impersonal Brahman as well as the knowledge derived therefrom. Why should you be despondent in spite of all this, thinking that you are undone, my dear prabhu?"*
The superiority of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is also confirmed by these words of Dhruva Maharaja (Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.9.10):
ya nirivrtis tanu-bhritam. . .
"My Lord, the transcendental bliss derived from meditating upon Your lotus feet or hearing about Your glories from pure devotees is so unlimited that it is far beyond the stage of brahmananda, where one thinks himself merged in the impersonal Brahman as one with the Supreme. Since brahmananda is also defeated by the transcendental bliss derived from devotional service, then what to speak of the temporary blissfulness of elevating oneself to the heavenly planets, which is ended by the separating sword of time? Although one may be elevated to the heavenly planets, he falls down in due course of time."*
About the author of Srimad-Bhagavatam it is said (Srimad-Bhagavatam 12.12.69):
svasukha-nibhrita-cetas tad-vyudastanya-bhavah. . .
"I offer my respectful obeisances unto Srila Shukadeva Gosvami, the son of Vyasadeva. He is the destroyer of all sinful reactions and is full in self-realization and bliss. Because of this, he has no other desire. Still, he was attracted by the transcendental pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and out of compassion for the people, he described the transcendental historical literature called Srimad-Bhagavatam. This is compared to the light of the Absolute Truth."*
In Bhagavad-gita (18.54) the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself declares:
brahma-bhutah prasannatma. . .
"One who is thus transcendentally situated at once realizes the Supreme Brahman. He never laments nor desires to have anything. He is equally disposed to every living entity. In that state he attains pure devotional service unto Me."*
Simply by seeing the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Prahlada became free from all sins. First he saw the impersonal Brahman, then he saw the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and then he became filled with transcendental bliss. In this way he attained the supreme goal of life. Of him it is said in Srimad-Bhagavatam (7.9.6):
sa tat-kara-sparsha-dhutakhilashubhah
sapady abhivyakta-paratma-darshanah
tat-pada-padmam hridi nirvrito dadhau
hrishyat-tanuh klinna-krid-ashru-locanah
"By the touch of Lord Nrisimhadeva's hand on Prahlada Maharaja's head, Prahlada was completely freed of all material contaminations and desires, as if he had been thoroughly cleansed. Therefore he at once became transcendentally situated, and all the symptoms of ecstasy became manifest in his body. His heart filled with love, and his eyes with tears, and thus he was able to completely capture the lotus feet of the Lord within the core of his heart."*
The meaning of this verse is clear. This verse was spoken by Srila Shukadeva Gosvami.
Return to Anuccheda 7 (Part Two)
