Srimad Bhagavatam – day 95
Om Trivikramaya namah
Uddhava continued, “Just as fish swimming in the ocean do not recognize the presence of the Moon, those belonging to the Yadu clan were fooled because they could not recognize His divinity. By nature the Yadavas were quick to grasp the feelings and emotions of others. These Yadavas lived along with Srikrishna and spent all their time with Him but yet they failed to recognize that He was the Supreme Lord who is the sole shelter for all beings.
They considered Him to be the most supreme amongst them but they could not realize that He was none other than the Supreme Paramatma himself!
Due to illusion cast by the Supreme Lord, these Yadavas were deluded into believing that this illusory world was of real existence. As a result, they did not attach much weightage to the greatness of Srikrishna.
This being the case, what more can be said about fools like Shishupala and others, who for no apparent reason, developed animosity towards Krishna? They spoke about Him in very derogatory manner. Derogatory words fail to bewilder the true devotees. This happens because true devotees live with the intense faith that Srikrishna is none other than Sri Mahavishnu, the all pervading Self!
Even after performing severe austerities it is impossible to have the vision of that Supreme Lord. Such a Lord, purely out of His compassion graced these people with His presence, even without them having performed any austerities.
The beauty of the three worlds fades in front of His divine beauty! Not being satisfied with the darshan that they have had of this divine beautiful form, some who were fortunate enough to have seen Him, retained His form in their memory and continue to remember it eternally. When all devotees were thus admiring Him, this Lord withdrew His form from earth.
Having decided to show his transcendental power to the inhabitants of earth, the Supreme Lord took on a form that was suitable for human pastimes. Auspiciousness in entirety culminates in this divine form! The Supreme Lord was wonder-struck seeing His own wonderous, resplendent form! The illumination from His limbs outshines His jewellery!
During Yudhisthira’s Rājasuya Yagna inhabitants of all the three planes who had assembled there were deeply wonder-struck seeing the beauty and radiance in the bodily features of this Divine Lord, who causes happiness to one and all. They thought that the entire expertise of Lord Brahma, who creates all the Devatas and the humans, had culminated completely in the gross form of Krishna!
With His charming smile coupled with feelings of tender love, with His words that brought laughter and with His playful glances He entertained the Gopikas of Vrindavan. With this, not only their eyes but also their hearts were deeply fixed in Him. Leaving their household chores incomplete, they would go to Srikrishna and keep gazing at Him.
The Divine Lord has two forms peaceful (śānta) and ferocious (ghora). Peaceful and noble being are his peaceful forms while demons are his ferocious forms. The Lord found it unbearable that the ferocious forms were torturing his peaceful forms. Compassion towards noble souls surged in Him.
The truth is that He is birthless! He is the cause behind all the causes. Although this is the supreme truth, for the sake of the noble beings, He decided to incarnate on earth together with Balarama, who was an aspect of His. Like fire that emerges from firewood, He was born to Mother Devaki.
The Lord, who inherently is devoid of birth, took birth in the house of Vasudeva. This was a playful pastime He exhibited. Pretending as if He was terrified of His enemies in Mathura, He went to Nanda-gokula and resided there. Although His prowess is indescribable, he enacted as if He had run away from His enemies in fear. When I recollect these astonishing playful human pastimes of the Lord, my heart sinks in grief.
After killing Kamsa, Krishna while offering obeisance to the feet of his parents Devaki-Vasudeva said in all humility, “O Mother and father! Fearful of the terrible Kamsa I could not offer my services to you. Kindly pardon me for my mistake. Please bless me.”
Recollecting those words my mind is submerged in sorrow.
Ko vā amuṣyāṅghri-saroja-reṇuṁ vismartum īśīta pumān vijighran
Yo visphurad-bhrū-viṭapena bhūmer bhāraṁ kṛtāntena tiraścakāra
Which devotee, who has even once smelt the fragrance of the lotus feet of that Lord, who with the mere movement of his deathly eyebrows has caused death of all those who were a burden to Earth, can ever forget Him?
During the Rājasuya yagna, Shishupala despised Srikrishna as a result Krishna killed Him. While everyone was watching, in the form of an illumination, the Self within Shishupala merged into Krishna. Spiritual aspirants through the medium of knowledge seek to merge into that Lord. Yogis and spiritual practitioners cannot withstand the grief of separation from that Lord.
In the Kurukshetra war, many valiant soldiers, with their gaze steadily fixed on the lotus face of that Lord, continued to fight bravely. They succumbed to Arjuna’s powerful arrows and attained hero’s death. All of them attained the supreme abode of that Lord!
There is none who is equal to Srikrishna! There is none who is greater than Him! He is the Lord of the Nature (Prakriti) together with its three components (trigunas). He is the Lord of all the three planes of existence. He is Self-illuminating. He is eternally blissful. There is nothing left for Him to achieve. The Lords of the various universes offer Him tributes. They bow down before Him and with the crowns on their head touching those feet they offer Him obeisance.
O Vidura! It was purely due to Krishna’s grace that Ugrasena could be crowned the King. When Ugrasena was seated on the throne, Krishna in all humility would stand beside him and respectfully address him, “O my king”. Recollecting all those instances when he thus behaved like a humble servant, servants like me feel deeply distressed. Through every deed of His, Srikrishna would eternally preach the rules of righteousness (dharma) to the world. This is merely one such example.
Om Vāmanāya namah