S'rî
S'uka said: 'The best adviser to the Vrishnis was Krishna's
beloved friend Uddhava [see also 3.2],
a direct disciple of Brihaspati
of the finest intelligence.
S'ukadeva
Gosvâmî said: The supremely intelligent Uddhava
was the best counselor of the Vrishni dynasty, a beloved
friend of Lord S'rî Krishna and a direct disciple of
Brihaspati. (Vedabase)
Text
2
To
him, His dearmost, unique devotee spoke some day the Supreme
Lord Hari, who removes the distress of the surrendered, taking
his hand into His.
The
Supreme Lord Hari, who relieves the distress of all who
surrender to Him, once took the hand of His fully devoted,
dearmost friend Uddhava and addressed him as follows.
(Vedabase)
Text
3
'Please
Uddhava, o gentle one, go for the satisfaction of My parents to
Vraja and relieve, by carrying My messages, the
gopîs from the mental pain of being separated from
Me.
[Lord
Krishna said:] Dear gentle Uddhava, go to Vraja and give
pleasure to Our parents. And also relieve the
gopîs, suffering in separation from Me, by
giving them My message. (Vedabase)
Text
4
They
absorbed in Me, with their minds fixed on Me, made Me the
purpose of their lives abandoning everything physical [of
husband, home and children, see 10.29;
4].
Understanding those who for My sake left behind this world and
its moral obligations, I sustain them who have Me alone as
their beloved and dearmost Self.
The
minds of those gopîs are always absorbed in Me,
and their very lives are ever devoted to Me. For My sake
they have abandoned everything related to their bodies,
renouncing ordinary happiness in this life, as well as
religious duties necessary for such happiness in the next
life. I alone am their dearmost beloved and, indeed, their
very Self. Therefore I take it upon Myself to sustain them
in all circumstances. (Vedabase)
Text
5
The women of
Gokula remembering Me, their dearest object of love being far
away, My best, become stunned being overwhelmed by the anxiety
of separation [see also B.G. 2:
62-64].
My
dear Uddhava, for those women of Gokula I am the most
cherished object of love. Thus when they remember Me, who am
so far away, they are overwhelmed by the anxiety of
separation. (Vedabase)
Text
6
The
cowherd women fully dedicated to Me, with My promises to return
do with great difficulty hold on, somehow keeping their lives
going.'
Simply
because I have promised to return to them, My fully devoted
cowherd girlfriends struggle to maintain their lives somehow
or other. (Vedabase)
Text
7
S'rî
S'uka said: 'With Him thus having spoken o King, accepted
Uddhava respectfully the message of his Sustainer, mounted he
his chariot and set he off to the cowherd village of
Nanda.
S'ukadeva
Gosvâmî said: Thus addressed, O King, Uddhava
respectfully accepted his master's message, mounted his
chariot and set off for Nanda- gokula. (Vedabase)
Text
8
Just
as the sun was setting reached the fortunate one Nanda's
pastures, passing unnoticed because of the dust of the hooves
of the animals that were coming home.
The
fortunate Uddhava reached Nanda Mahârâja's
pastures just as the sun was setting, and since the
returning cows and other animals were raising dust with
their hooves, his chariot passed unnoticed.
(Vedabase)
Text
9-13:
With the sounds
of the bulls in rut fighting one another for the fertile ones,
with the cows with filled udders running after their own
calves, with the beauty of the white calves capering here and
there and with the milking and the loud reverberation of
flutes, were the finely ornamented gopîs and
gopas, auspiciously singing about the deeds of
Balarâma and Krishna, resplendent. It all was most
attractive with the homes of the gopas filled with
incense, lamps and flowergarlands for the worship of the fire,
the sun, the guests, the cows, the brahmins, the forefathers
and the gods [see also 10.24:
25 ]. The
forest on all sides flowering echoed of the swarms of bees,
singing birds and the kârandava ducks and the swans
crowding around the adorning bowers of lotuses.
Gokula
resounded on all sides with the sounds of bulls in rut
fighting with one another for fertile cows; with the mooing
of cows, burdened by their udders, chasing after their
calves; with the noise of milking and of the white calves
jumping here and there; with the loud reverberation of
flute-playing; and with the singing of the all-auspicious
deeds of Krishna and Balarâma by the cowherd men and
women, who made the village resplendent with their
wonderfully ornamented attire. The cowherds' homes in Gokula
appeared most charming with their abundant paraphernalia for
worship of the sacrificial fire, the sun, unexpected guests,
the cows, the brâhmanas, the forefathers and the
demigods. On all sides lay the flowering forest, echoing
with flocks of birds and swarms of bees and beautified by
its lakes crowded with swans, kârandava ducks and
bowers of lotuses. (Vedabase)
Text
14
With him having
arrived approached Nanda the dear follower of Krishna and
embraced he him happy to be of reverence with Lord
Vâsudeva in his mind.
As
soon as Uddhava arrived at Nanda Mahârâja's
home, Nanda came forward to meet him. The cowherd King
embraced him in great happiness and worshiped him as
nondifferent from Lord Vâsudeva. (Vedabase)
Text
15
Having him fed
with the finest food, comfortably seated on a nice sofa to be
relieved of the fatigue and with his feet massaged and so on,
inquired he:
After
Uddhava had eaten first-class food, been seated comfortably
on a bed and been relieved of his fatigue by a foot massage
and other means, Nanda inquired from him as follows.
(Vedabase)
Text
16
O dear and most
fortunate one, does our friend the son of S'ûra
[Vasudeva] who is so devoted to his well-wishers, fare
well now that he is released and has joined with his
children?
[Nanda
Mahârâja said:] My dear most fortunate one,
does the son of S'ûra fare well, now that he is free
and has rejoined his children and other relatives?
(Vedabase)
Text
17
What
a luck that the wicked Kamsa, who constantly hated the always
righteous and saintly Yadus, because of his sins together with
his followers has been killed!
Fortunately,
because of his own sins, the sinful Kamsa has been killed,
along with all his brothers. He always hated the saintly and
righteous Yadus. (Vedabase)
Text
18
Is Krishna
still thinking of us, His mother, His well-wishers and friends,
the gopas of Vraja of whom He is the master, the cows,
Vrindâvana forest and the mountain?
Does
Krishna remember us? Does He remember His mother and His
friends and well-wishers? Does He remember the cowherds and
their village of Vraja, of which He is the master? Does He
remember the cows, Vrindâvana forest and Govardhana
Hill? (Vedabase)
Text
19
Is
Govinda coming back to see once more His folk so that we may
glance upon His face, His beautiful nose, His nice smile and
eyes?
Will
Govinda return even once to see His family? If He ever does,
we may then glance upon His beautiful face, with its
beautiful eyes, nose and smile. (Vedabase)
Text
20
By
Krishna, that so very great Soul, were we protected against
insurmountable mortal dangers like a forest fire, the wind and
rain, as also against a bull and a serpent.
We
were saved from the forest fire, the wind and rain, the bull
and serpent demons - from all such insurmountable, deadly
dangers - by that very great soul, Krishna.
(Vedabase)
Text
21
The memory of
Krishna's valorous deeds, playful sidelong glances, smiles and
words, my dear, made us all forget our material
concerns.
As
we remember the wonderful deeds Krishna performed, His
playful sidelong glances, His smiles and His words, O
Uddhava, we forget all our material engagements.
(Vedabase)
.
Text
22
With those who
see the locations where He played, the rivers, the hills and
the different parts of the forest that were decorated by His
feet, finds the mind total absorption in Him.
When
we see the places where Mukunda enjoyed His sporting
pastimes - the rivers, hills and forests He decorated with
His feet - our minds become totally absorbed in Him.
(Vedabase)
Text
23
I think that
Krishna and Râma are, as confirmed by Garga [see
10.8:
12], of
the demigods the two most elevated on this planet, present here
for a great and holy, divine cause.
In
my opinion, Krishna and Balarâma must be two exalted
demigods who have come to this planet to fulfill some great
mission of the demigods. Such was foretold by Garga Rishi.
(Vedabase)
Text
24
After all, have
Kamsa, who had the strength of ten thousand elephants, the
wrestlers and the king of the elephants playfully been killed
by the both of Them, as easy as animals are by the lion
king.
After
all, Krishna and Balarâma killed Kamsa, who was as
strong as ten thousand elephants, as well as the wrestlers
Cânûra and Mushthika and the elephant
Kuvalayâpîda. They killed them all sportingly,
as easily as a lion disposes of small animals.
(Vedabase)
Text
25
A bow as solid
as fifty centimeters thick [three tâlas]
was by Him royal as an elephant broken like a stick and for
seven days held He with one hand up a mountain!
With
the ease of a royal elephant breaking a stick, Krishna broke
a powerful, giant bow three tâlas long. He also
held a mountain aloft for seven days with just one hand.
(Vedabase)
Text
26
Pralamba,
Dhenuka, Arishtha, Trinâvarta, Baka and other demons who
had conquered both Sura and Asura were by Them out here killed
with ease.'
Here
in Vrindâvana, Krishna and Balarâma easily
destroyed demons like Pralamba, Dhenuka, Arishtha,
Trinâvarta and Baka, who had themselves defeated both
demigods and other demons. (Vedabase)
Text
27
S'rî
S'uka said: 'Nanda thus remembering again and again, fully
immersed in Krishna became extremely anxious and fell silent
overcome by the force of his pure love.
S'ukadeva
Gosvâmî said: Thus intensely remembering Krishna
again and again, Nanda Mahârâja, his mind
completely attached to the Lord, felt extreme anxiety and
fell silent, overcome by the strength of his love.
(Vedabase)
Text
28
Mother
Yas'odâ overhearing the descriptions of her son's
activities gave way to her tears while her breasts got wet from
her love.
As
mother Yas'odâ heard the descriptions of her son's
activities, she poured out her tears, and milk flowed from
her breasts out of love. (Vedabase)
Text
29
Seeing the two
of them in this condition of their supreme attraction of love
for the Supreme Lord spoke Uddhava ecstatically.
Uddhava
then joyfully addressed Nanda Mahârâja, having
clearly seen the supreme loving attraction he and
Yas'odâ felt for Krishna, the Supreme Personality of
Godhead. (Vedabase)
Text
30
S'rî
Uddhava said: 'The two of you are for sure, in your having
developed a mentality like this for Nârâyana, the
spiritual master of all, the most praiseworthy of all embodied
beings in this world, o respectful one.
S'rî
Uddhava said: O respectful Nanda, certainly you and mother
Yas'odâ are the most praiseworthy persons in the
entire world, since you have developed such a loving
attitude toward Lord Nârâyana, the spiritual
master of all living beings. (Vedabase)
Text
31
These two of
Râma and Mukunda, indeed are the seed and the womb of the
universe; They are the primeval Male Principle and His Creative
Energy who accompany the living beings [confused] in
all their diversity with knowledge and control.
These
two Lords, Mukunda and Balarâma, are each the seed and
womb of the universe, the creator and His creative potency.
They enter the hearts of living beings and control their
conditioned awareness. They are the primeval Supreme.
(Vedabase)
Text
32-33
That person who
in his life divided within but for a moment immerses his mind
[in Him] will at that time immediately eradicate all
traces of karmic impurities and will head for the supreme
destination in a spiritual form with the color of the sun. With
your good selves giving Him, the Great Soul and Self that is
the reason of existence of all, giving Him,
Nârâyana, the Ultimate Cause in a mortal frame, by
all means the utmost purest love, what good deeds then would
there remain for you to perform?
Anyone,
even a person in an impure state, who absorbs his mind in
Him for just a moment at the time of death burns up all
traces of sinful reactions and immediately attains the
supreme transcendental destination in a pure, spiritual form
as effulgent as the sun. You two have rendered exceptional
loving service to Him, Lord Nârâyana, the
Supersoul of all and the cause of all existence, the great
soul who, although the original cause of everything, has a
humanlike form. What pious deeds could still be required of
you? (Vedabase)
Text
34
In not too long
a time will Acyuta, [as] the Lord Supreme, the Master
and Protector of the Devotees, to give satisfaction to His
parents, return to [the full vision within of the people
of] Vraja
Infallible
Krishna, the Lord of the devotees, will soon return to Vraja
to satisfy His parents. (Vedabase)
Text
35
Having killed
Kamsa, the enemy of all Yadus, in the arena, [and all other
evil in the world...] will Krishna be true to that what He
told you of His turning back.
Having
killed Kamsa, the enemy of all the Yadus, in the wrestling
arena, Krishna will now surely fulfill His promise to you by
coming back. (Vedabase)
Text
36
Please
do not falter o most fortunate ones, you will see Krishna in
the near future; He is present within the hearts of all living
beings like fire in firewood.
O
most fortunate ones, do not lament. You will see Krishna
again very soon. He is present in the hearts of all living
beings, just as fire lies dormant in wood. (Vedabase)
Text
37
In reality
there is no one especially dear or not dear to Him, nor does
He, free from false pride being of the same respect for all,
hold anyone superior or inferior [compare
S'ikshâshthaka
and B.G. 9:
29].
For
Him no one is especially dear or despicable, superior or
inferior, and yet He is not indifferent to anyone. He is
free from all desire for respect and yet gives respect to
all others. (Vedabase)
Text
38
For Him there
is no father and no mother, no wife, no children and so forth;
no one is related to Him, nor is anyone an outsider and there
is no [material] body or birth of Him either
[compare 10:
3].
He
has no mother, no father, no wife, children or other
relatives. No one is related to Him, and yet no one is a
stranger to Him. He has no material body and no birth.
(Vedabase)
Text
39
For Him there
is no karma in this world to appear in wombs pure or impure or
mixed and yet for the sake of pastimes He appears in order to
redeem His saintly devotees [see B.G. 3:
22;
4:
7;
13:
22].
He
has no work to do in this world that would oblige Him to
take birth in pure, impure or mixed species of life. Yet to
enjoy His pastimes and deliver His saintly devotees, He
manifests Himself. (Vedabase)
Text
40
Though
being beyond the modes called goodness, passion and ignorance
accepts He it, being transcendental, to play by the modes, thus
is He, as the Unborn One, of creation, maintenance and
destruction.
Although
beyond the three modes of material nature - goodness,
passion and ignorance - the transcendental Lord accepts
association with them as His play. Thus the unborn Supreme
Lord utilizes the material modes to create, maintain and
destroy. (Vedabase)
Text
41
Just
as in one's vision when one whirls around, the ground seems to
be whirling, so too seems, when one thinks of oneself as being
the body, the self to be the doer, while it is the mind that is
acting [compare
B.G.
3:
27].
Just
as a person who is whirling around perceives the ground to
be turning, one who is affected by false ego thinks himself
the doer, when actually only his mind is acting.
(Vedabase)
Text
42
He
is not the son of the two of you alone, He is the Supreme Lord
Hari who is the son, the very self, the father ànd the
mother; He is the Lord of Control.
The
Supreme Lord Hari is certainly not your son alone. Rather,
being the Lord, He is the son, Soul, father and mother of
everyone. (Vedabase)
Text
43
What
is seen or heard, what is in the past, the present or in the
future; what is stationary, mobile, large or small can in no
way said to be a thing apart from Acyuta; He alone, manifesting
as the Supersoul, is everything.
Nothing
can be said to exist independent of Lord Acyuta - nothing
heard or seen, nothing in the past, present or future,
nothing moving or unmoving, great or small. He indeed is
everything, for He is the Supreme Soul. (Vedabase)
Text
44
As
Nanda and Krishna's servant were thus speaking ran the night to
an end, o King, lighted the women rising from sleep lamps in
worship before their deities and began they to churn the
butter.
While
Krishna's messenger continued speaking with Nanda, the night
ended, O King. The women of the cowherd village rose from
bed and, lighting lamps, worshiped their household deities.
Then they began churning the yogurt into butter.
(Vedabase)
Text
45
In
the light of the lamps pulling the ropes, with the rows of
bangles on their arms, with their jewels and with their faces
red of the kunkum glowing of their earrings and necklaces,
shone the women while their hips and breasts were
moving.
As
they pulled on the churning ropes with their bangled arms,
the women of Vraja shone with the splendor of their jewels,
which reflected the lamps' light. Their hips, breasts and
necklaces moved about, and their faces, anointed with
reddish kunkuma, glowed radiantly with the luster of their
earrings reflecting from their cheeks. (Vedabase)
Text
46
As
the women of Vraja with their eyes like lotuses with the
reverberation of their loud singing that was mixed with the
sounds of churning for the butter were touching the sky, was
all inauspiciousness in every direction
dispelled.
As
the ladies of Vraja loudly sang the glories of lotus-eyed
Krishna, their songs blended with the sound of their
churning, ascended to the sky and dissipated all
inauspiciousness in every direction. (Vedabase)
Text
47
When
the supreme master of the sun rose saw the residents of Gokula
the golden chariot outside the house of Nanda and wondered they
'To whom does it belong?
When
the godly sun had risen, the people of Vraja noticed the
golden chariot in front of Nanda Mahârâja's
doorway. "Who does this belong to?" they asked.
(Vedabase)
Text
48
Maybe
Akrûra has come, that agent to the purpose of Kamsa by
whom Krishna with His lotus eyes was brought to
Mathurâ.
"Perhaps
Akrûra has returned - he who fulfilled Kamsa's desire
by taking lotus-eyed Krishna to Mathurâ.
(Vedabase)
Text
49
Would
he then, with his master satisfied, be here to celebrate the
death rituals with us?' And while the women were thus speaking
came there Uddhava who had finished his morning
duties.'
"Is
he going to use our flesh to offer funeral oblations for his
master, who was so satisfied with his service?" As the women
were speaking in this way, Uddhava appeared, having finished
his early-morning duties. (Vedabase)