S'rî
S'uka said: 'When Prithâ, the daughter of the king of
Subala
[Gândhârî] and Draupadî,
Subhadrâ and the wives of the kings as well as His
gopîs, heard of the loving attachment [of
the wives] to
Krishna, Lord Hari, the Soul of All, were they all greatly
amazed, with tears filling their eyes.
S'ukadeva
Gosvâmî said: Prithâ,
Gândhârî, Draupadî, Subhadrâ,
the wives of other kings and the Lord's cowherd girlfriends
were all amazed to hear of the queens' deep love for Lord
Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead and Soul of all
beings, and their eyes filled with tears. (Vedabase)
Text
2-5
As
the women were thus conversing with the women and the men with
the men, arrived, eager to see Krishna and Râma at that
place, the sages Dvaipâyana, Nârada, Cyavana,
Devala and Asita; Vis'vâmitra, S'atânanda,
Bharadvâja and Gautama; Lord Paras'urâma and his
disciples, Vasishthha, Gâlava, Bhrigu, Pulastya and
Kas'yapa; Atri, Mârkandeya and Brihaspati; Dvita, Trita,
Ekata and the sons of Brahmâ [the four
Kumâras] as also Angirâ, Âgastya,
Yâjñavalkya and others headed by
Vâmadeva.
As
the women thus talked among themselves and the men among
themselves, a number of great sages arrived there, all of
them eager to see Lord Krishna and Lord Balarâma. They
included Dvaipâyana, Nârada, Cyavana, Devala and
Asita, Vis'vâmitra, S'atânanda, Bharadvâja
and Gautama, Lord Paras'urâma and his disciples,
Vasishthha, Gâlava, Bhrigu, Pulastya and Kas'yapa,
Atri, Mârkandeya and Brihaspati, Dvita, Trita, Ekata
and the four Kumâras, and Angirâ, Âgastya,
Yâjñavalkya and Vâmadeva.
(Vedabase)
Text
6
Seeing
them stood the Pândavas, Krishna, Râma, the kings
and others who sat down, immediately up to bow down to those
honored throughout the universe.
As
soon as they saw the sages approaching, the kings and other
gentlemen who had been seated immediately stood up,
including the Pândava brothers and Krishna and
Balarâma. They all then bowed down to the sages, who
are honored throughout the universe. (Vedabase)
Text
7
They
all, including Râma and Acyuta, properly worshiped them
with words of welcome, sitting places, water to wash their feet
and to drink, flower garlands, incense and sandalwood
paste.
Lord
Krishna, Lord Balarâma and the other kings and leaders
properly worshiped the sages by offering them words of
greeting, sitting places, water for washing their feet,
drinking water, flower garlands, incense and sandalwood
paste. (Vedabase)
Text
8
The
Supreme Lord who in His embodiment defends the dharma,
addressed in the with rapt attention listening assembly the
great souls who were comfortably seated there.
After
the sages were comfortably seated, the Supreme Lord Krishna,
whose transcendental body protects religious principles,
addressed them in the midst of that great assembly. Everyone
listened silently with rapt attention. (Vedabase)
Text
9
The
Supreme Lord said: 'We who gained this birth have now
altogether obtained its fruit: the audience of the masters of
yoga that is rarely won even by the demigods.
The
Supreme Lord said: Now our lives are indeed successful, for
we have obtained life's ultimate goal: the audience of great
yoga masters, which even demigods only rarely obtain.
(Vedabase)
Text
10
How
is it possible that human beings who not being very renounced
see God in the form of the temple deity, now may enjoy your
company and may touch you, ask you questions, bow down and be
of worship at your feet and such?
How
is it that people who are not very austere and who recognize
God only in His Deity form in the temple can now see you,
touch you, inquire from you, bow down to you, worship your
feet and serve you in other ways? (Vedabase)
Text
11
By just seeing
you, the saints, is one instantly purified, while that is not
so with the holy places consisting of water or the deities made
of clay that only gradually make that happen
[1.13:
10].
Mere
bodies of water are not the real sacred places of
pilgrimage, nor are mere images of earth and stone the true
worshipable deities. These purify one only after a long
time, but saintly sages purify one immediately upon being
seen. (Vedabase)
Text
12
Not the fire,
nor the sun, the moon nor the firmament, not the earth, the
water, the ether, the breath, the speech nor the mind take,
being worshiped, away the sins of the one caught in the
material opposites; but they are wiped out by only a few
moments of delivering service to the men of
[brahminical] learning.
Neither
the demigods controlling fire, the sun, the moon and the
stars nor those in charge of earth, water, ether, air,
speech and mind actually remove the sins of their
worshipers, who continue to see in terms of dualities. But
wise sages destroy one's sins when respectfully served for
even a few moments. (Vedabase)
Text
13
He with the
idea of himself as being the body that can be so smelly with
its three elements [of mucus, bile and air], with the
notion of a wife and that all as being his property, with the
view of clay as being something worshipable, with the thought
of water as being a place of pilgrimage, is, [going for
appearances but] never moved by the wisdom in men, indeed
not much better than a cow or an ass.'
One
who identifies his self as the inert body composed of mucus,
bile and air, who assumes his wife and family are
permanently his own, who thinks an earthen image or the land
of his birth is worshipable, or who sees a place of
pilgrimage as merely the water there, but who never
identifies himself with, feels kinship with, worships or
even visits those who are wise in spiritual truth - such a
person is no better than a cow or an ass. (Vedabase)
Text
14
S'rî
S'uka said: 'Hearing this being said by the Supreme Lord
Krishna Unlimited in His Wisdom, were the learned silent,
confounded by the words that were hard to
digest.
S'ukadeva
Gosvâmî said: Hearing such unfathomable words
from the unlimitedly wise Lord Krishna, the learned
brâhmanas remained silent, their minds bewildered.
(Vedabase)
Text
15
The
sages for some time pondered over the Supreme Controller and
the subordinate position [He had assumed]. They arrived
at the conclusion that it was meant to enlighten the people and
thus addressed they Him, the Spiritual Master of the Universe,
with a smile on their faces.
For
some time the sages pondered the Supreme Lord's behavior,
which resembled that of a subordinate living being. They
concluded that He was acting this way to instruct the people
in general. Thus they smiled and spoke to Him, the spiritual
master of the universe. (Vedabase)
Text
16
The
honorable sages said: 'Ah, we the best knowers of the truth and
chief creators of the universe, are bewildered by the power of
the material illusion created by the activities of the Supreme
Lord, who so amazingly covert in His operations pretends to be
the one controlled.
The
great sages said: Your power of illusion has totally
bewildered us, the most exalted knowers of the truth and
leaders among the universal creators. Ah, how amazing is the
behavior of the Supreme Lord! He covers Himself with His
humanlike activities and pretends to be subject to superior
control. (Vedabase)
Text
17
Effortlessly
He creates, all by Himself, the variety of this universe and
maintains He and destroys He without getting entangled Himself.
He is in His actions just like the earth element with the many
names and forms of its transformations; ah, what an actor the
Almighty is in His activities [see also
8.6:
10]!
Indeed,
the humanlike pastimes of the Almighty are simply a
pretense! Effortlessly, He alone sends forth from His Self
this variegated creation, maintains it and then swallows it
up again, all without becoming entangled, just as the
element earth takes on many names and forms in its various
transformations. (Vedabase)
Text
18
Nonetheless
does Your good Self, the Original Personality of the Soul, at
times, in order to protect Your people and to chastise the
wicked, assume the mode of goodness, the mode in which You by
means of Your pastimes maintain the eternal vedic path of the
varnâs'rama status oriëntations [see also
sanâtana
dharma].
Nonetheless,
at suitable times You assume the pure mode of goodness to
protect Your devotees and punish the wicked. Thus You, the
Soul of the varnâs'rama social order, the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, maintain the eternal path of the
Vedas by enjoying Your pleasure pastimes. (Vedabase)
Text
19
The spiritual
[the 'brahma']
is Your pure heart in which by austerities, study and turning
inward in concentrated meditation [samyama] the
eternal manifest and unmanifest is realized as also the
transcendental to that [see also B.G.
7: 5].
The
Vedas are Your spotless heart, and through them one can
perceive - by means of austerity, study and self-control -
the manifest, the unmanifest and the pure existence
transcendental to both. (Vedabase)
Text
20
For
that reason do You, o Absolute Truth, prove Your respect for
the community of the brahmins by the perfect of whom one may
realize the truth of the revealed scriptures, and thus are You
the leader of those who are of respect for the
brahminical.
Therefore,
O Supreme Brahman, You honor the members of the brahminical
community, for they are the perfect agents by which one can
realize You through the evidence of the Vedas. For that very
reason You are the foremost worshiper of the
brâhmanas. (Vedabase)
Text
21
Today
there is [indeed] the fruition of our birth, education,
austerities and vision, for it is the goal of the saintly to
have association with You, the Golden Mean, the Ultimate of all
Welfare.
Today
our birth, education, austerity and vision have all become
perfect because we have been able to associate with You, the
goal of all saintly persons. Indeed, You Yourself are the
ultimate, supreme blessing. (Vedabase)
Text
22
Our obeisances
to Him, the Supreme Lord whose wisdom is ever fresh,
[You] Krishna, the Supersoul who by His
yogamâyâ has covered His own
greatness.
Let
us offer obeisances unto that Supreme Personality of
Godhead, Lord Krishna, the infinitely intelligent Supersoul,
who has disguised His greatness through His mystic
Yogamâyâ. (Vedabase)
Text
23
None
of these kings enjoying with You, nor the Vrishnis know You,
cloaked by the curtain of mâyâ, as the
Supreme Soul, the Time and the Controller
[B.G.
6: 26].
Neither
these kings nor even the Vrishnis, who enjoy Your intimate
association, know You as the Soul of all existence, the
force of time and the supreme controller. For them You are
covered by the curtain of Mâyâ.
(Vedabase)
Text
24-25
The
way a sleeping person, who envisions an alternate reality with
names and forms, in what he manifests through his mind does not
know of a separate reality beyond it, does one with You
similarly having names and forms, have no clue because of the
discontinuity of one's memory that is created by the activity
of the senses which bewilder one's consciousness with Your
mâyâ [compare B.G.
4: 5 and
4.29:
1b,
10.1:
41 and
7.7:
25].
A
sleeping person imagines an alternative reality for himself
and, seeing himself as having various names and forms,
forgets his waking identity, which is distinct from the
dream. Similarly, the senses of one whose consciousness is
bewildered by illusion perceive only the names and forms of
material objects. Thus such a person loses his memory and
cannot know You. (Vedabase)
Text
26
Today
You granted us the vision of Your feet, the source of the
Ganges which washes away floods of sins; [with them]
well installed in the heart is by those whose yoga practice
matured and the devotional service fully developed, the
material mentality, the covering of their individual souls,
destroyed and the destination of You attained - so please, show
Your devotees Your mercy.'
Today
we have directly seen Your feet, the source of the holy
Ganges, which washes away volumes of sins. Perfected
yogîs can at best meditate upon Your feet within their
hearts. But only those who render You wholehearted
devotional service and in this way vanquish the soul's
covering - the material mind - attain You as their final
destination. Therefore kindly show mercy to us, Your
devotees. (Vedabase)
Text
27
S'uka
said: 'Having said this took the sages leave of Das'ârha
[Krishna], Dhritarâshthra and Yudhishthhira, o
sage among kings, and prepared they to return to their
hermitages.
S'ukadeva
Gosvâmî said: Having thus spoken, O wise king,
the sages then took leave of Lord Das'ârha,
Dhritarâshthra and Yudhishthhira and prepared to
depart for their âs'ramas. (Vedabase)
Text
28
Seeing
this approached the greatly renown Vasudeva them and took he
bowing down hold of their feet expressing the following careful
choice of words.
Seeing
that they were about to leave, the renowned Vasudeva
approached the sages. After bowing down to them and touching
their feet, he spoke to them with carefully chosen words.
(Vedabase)
Text
29
S'rî
Vasudeva said: 'My obeisances to you who represent all the gods
[*].
O seers, please listen, tell us this: how can we be freed from
our karma by doing work?'
S'rî
Vasudeva said: Obeisances to you, the residence of all the
demigods. Please hear me, O sages. Kindly tell us how the
reactions of one's work can be counteracted by further work.
(Vedabase)
Text
30
S'rî
Nârada said: 'O learned ones, this question Vasudeva
asked in his eagerness to learn about his ultimate benefit is
not that surprising considering the fact that he thinks of
Krishna as being a child [of his, his
son].
S'rî
Nârada Muni said: O brâhmanas, it is not so
amazing that in his eagerness to know, Vasudeva has asked us
about his ultimate benefit, for he considers Krishna a mere
boy. (Vedabase)
Text
31
When people are
close in this world is that easily a cause of disregard, just
as it is e.g. with someone living at the Ganges who leaves to
seek purification elsewhere.
In
this world familiarity breeds contempt. For example, one who
lives on the banks of the Ganges might travel to some other
body of water to be purified. (Vedabase)
Text
32-33
[The
Lord] His
awareness is for no reason, nor on its own nor due to some
other agency, in its qualities ever disrupted by the
destructive and creative that is caused by the time of this
[universe, see B.G.
4:
14 and
10:
30].
He, the One Controller without a Second, whose consciousness is
unaffected by hindrances, material activities and their
consequences and the modes and their flow of changes
[kles'a, karma and guna], is by
someone else [ignorantly] considered as being covered
by His own expansions of prâna and other elements,
just like the sun is being covered by clouds, snow or
eclipses.'
The
Supreme Lord's awareness is never disturbed by time, by the
creation and destruction of the universe, by changes in its
own qualities, or by anything else, whether self-caused or
external. But although the consciousness of the Personality
of Godhead, who is the supreme one without a second, is
never affected by material distress, by the reactions of
material work or by the constant flow of nature's modes,
ordinary persons nonetheless think that the Lord is covered
by His own creations of prâna and other material
elements, just as one may think that the sun is covered by
clouds, snow or an eclipse. (Vedabase)
Text
34
Then, o King,
said the sages, addressing Vasudeva with all the kings as also
Acyuta and Râma listening:
[S'ukadeva
Gosvâmî continued:] The sages then spoke
again, O King, addressing Vasudeva while all the kings,
along with Lord Acyuta and Lord Râma, listened.
(Vedabase)
Text
35
'As
correct has been ascertained that karma is counteracted by this
work: that one with faith with sacrifices [sprightly, as in
a kirtan] worships Vishnu, the Lord of all
Sacrifices.
[The
sages said:] It has been definitely concluded that work
is counteracted by further work when one executes Vedic
sacrifices as a means of worshiping Vishnu, the Lord of all
sacrifices, with sincere faith. (Vedabase)
Text
36
This
indeed is what the scholars through the eye of the
S'âstras demonstrated as the easiest way to pacify the
mind; it is the yoga-dharma which gives joy to the
heart.
Learned
authorities who see through the eye of scripture have
demonstrated that this is the easiest method of subduing the
agitated mind and attaining liberation, and that it is a
sacred duty which brings joy to the heart. (Vedabase)
Text
37
The
one twice-born performing sacrifices at home should pure and
selfless with the entrusted possessions be of worship for the
Personality of Godhead; this is the path that brings success
[**].
This
is the most auspicious path for a religious householder of
the twice-born orders - to selflessly worship the
Personality of Godhead with wealth honestly obtained.
(Vedabase)
Text
38
An
intelligent person should renounce the desire for wealth by
means of sacrifices and charity, the desire for a wife and kids
by engaging in household affairs and the desire to build a
world for himself [or another life], o Vasudeva, by
means of the Time [that constitutes the temporality of any
world, see also 9.5
and B.G. 3:
16].
All the ones who are sober renounced their desires for a
household life and went for penance into the forest [see
also B.G. 2:
13].
An
intelligent person should learn to renounce his desire for
wealth by performing sacrifices and acts of charity. He
should learn to renounce his desire for wife and children by
experiencing family life. And he should learn to renounce
his desire for promotion to a higher planet in his next
life, O saintly Vasudeva, by studying the effects of time.
Self-controlled sages who have thus renounced their
attachment to household life go to the forest to perform
austerities. (Vedabase)
Text
39
Prabhu,
someone twice-born is born with three debts: the debt to the
gods, the sages and the forefathers; not liquidating them by
[respectively] sacrifice [celibacy e.g.],
studying the scriptures and with byproducts [children,
pupils or books see ***]
will he, leaving the body, fall down [again into the
material world].
Dear
Prabhu, a member of the twice-born classes is born with
three kinds of debts - those owed to the demigods, to the
sages and to his forefathers. If he leaves his body without
first liquidating these debts by performing sacrifice,
studying the scriptures and begetting children, he will fall
down into a hellish condition. (Vedabase)
Text
40
But
you are in fact free from two of the debts, the debt to the
sages and the debt to the forefathers, o magnanimous one. Be
now free from debt by sacrificing to the gods and renouncing
your homestead.
But
you, O magnanimous soul, are already free from two of your
debts - those to the sages and the forefathers. Now absolve
yourself of your debt to the demigods by executing Vedic
sacrifices, and in this way free yourself completely of debt
and renounce all material shelter. (Vedabase)
Text
41
O
Vasudeva since He took the role of your son must your good
self [in a
previous life] indeed with devotion thoroughly have been of
worship for the Supreme Lord and Controller of All Worlds
[see also 1o.3:
32-45 and
11.5:
41].'
O
Vasudeva, without doubt you must have previously worshiped
Lord Hari, the master of all worlds. Both you and your wife
must have perfectly worshiped Him with supreme devotion,
since He has accepted the role of your son.
(Vedabase)
Text
42
S'rî
S'uka said: 'Having heard the words they spoke, chose Vasudeva
for the sages as his priests and propitiated he them by bowing
his head.
S'ukadeva
Gosvâmî said: After hearing these statements of
the sages, generous Vasudeva bowed his head to the ground
and, praising them, requested them to become his priests.
(Vedabase)
Text
43
The
rishis he chose for o King, helped him consequently with
strictly to the principles at the holy field [of
Kurukshetra] performing fire sacrifices with excellent
ritual arrangements.
Thus
requested by him, O King, the sages engaged the pious
Vasudeva in performing fire sacrifices at that holy place of
Kurukshetra according to strict religious principles and
with most excellent ritual arrangements. (Vedabase)
Text
44-45
When he was
about to be initiated, came joyfully the Vrishnis to the
sacrificial pavilion, bathed and well-dressed, wearing garlands
and being elaborately ornamented. They came together with their
queens clad in the finest clothes and smeared with sandalwood
paste o King, who carried the items of worship in their hands
and wore lockets around their necks.
When
Mahârâja Vasudeva was about to be initiated for
the sacrifice, O King, the Vrishnis came to the initiation
pavilion after bathing and putting on fine clothes and
garlands of lotuses. The other kings also came, elaborately
ornamented, as well as all their joyful queens, who wore
jeweled lockets around their necks and were also clad in
fine garments. The royal wives were anointed with sandalwood
paste and carried auspicious items for the worship.
(Vedabase)
Text
46
Clay tom-toms
and tabors, kettle drums and drums, conchshells and other
musical instruments sounded, male and female dancers danced and
bards and panegyrists sang sweet voiced along with the female
singers of heaven and their husbands.
Mridangas,
pathahas, conchshells, bherîs, ânakas
and other instruments resounded, male and female dancers
danced, and sûtas and mâgadhas
recited glorifications. Sweet-voiced Gandharvîs sang,
accompanied by their husbands. (Vedabase)
Text
47
According the
scriptures by the priests sprinkled with sacred water [for
his initiation], looked he with his eyes decorated with
collyrium and his body smeared with fresh butter, with his
eighteen wives [see 9.24:
21-23 &
45]
as if [he was the moon] surrounded by the
stars.
After
Vasudeva's eyes had been decorated with black cosmetic and
his body smeared with fresh butter, the priests initiated
him according to scriptural rules by sprinkling him and his
eighteen wives with sacred water. Encircled by his wives, he
resembled the regal moon encircled by stars.
(Vedabase)
Text
48
With them all
finely decorated wearing silk sârîs and
bangles, necklaces, ankle bells and earrings shone he,
initiated and clad in deerskin, brilliantly.
Vasudeva
received initiation along with his wives, who wore silk
sârîs and were adorned with bangles,
necklaces, ankle bells and earrings. With his body wrapped
in a deerskin, Vasudeva shone splendidly. (Vedabase)
Text
49
O great King,
his supervisors and priests radiated with their jewels and
garments of silk as if they were standing in the sacrificial
arena of the killer of Vritra [Indra, see
6.11].
My
dear Mahârâja Parîkshit, Vasudeva's
priests and the officiating members of the assembly, dressed
in silk dhotîs and jeweled ornaments, looked so
effulgent that they seemed to be standing in the sacrificial
arena of Indra, the killer of Vritra. (Vedabase)
Text
50
At that time
stepped also the two Lords Râma and Krishna forward,
shining just as splendid, with each of Them accompanied by His
own might of wives, sons and family members as expansions of
Themselves.
At
that time Balarâma and Krishna, the Lords of all
living entities, shone forth with great majesty in the
company of Their respective sons, wives and other family
members, who were expansions of Their opulences.
(Vedabase)
Text
51
Vasudeva
excercized respect according the rules with both kinds of
sacrifices that are characterized as primary [to the
s'ruti] and secondary [modified to other
sources, see *4].
Thus he offered oblations in the fire and such in worship of
the Lord of the Paraphernalia, the Mantras and the
Rituals.
Performing
various kinds of Vedic sacrifice according to the proper
regulations, Vasudeva worshiped the Lord of all sacrificial
paraphernalia, mantras and rituals. He executed both primary
and secondary sacrifices, offering oblations to the sacred
fire and carrying out other aspects of sacrificial worship.
(Vedabase)
Text
52
Next gave he,
at the designated time, to the priests who were already richly
decorated, gifts of gratitude that decorated them even more, as
also marriageable girls, cows and land of great
value.
Then,
at the appropriate time and according to scripture, Vasudeva
remunerated the priests by decorating them with precious
ornaments, though they were already richly adorned, and
offering them valuable gifts of cows, land and marriageable
girls. (Vedabase)
Text
53
Having executed
the ritual performed by the sponsor
[patni-samyâja] and the concluding ritual
[avabhrithya] bathed the great sages, placing
the learned and the sponsor of the yajña in
front, in the lake of Lord Paras'urâma
[9.16:
18-19].
After
supervising the patnî-samyâja and avabhrithya
rituals, the great brâhmana sages bathed in Lord
Paras'urâma's lake with the sponsor of the sacrifice,
Vasudeva, who led them. (Vedabase)
Text
54
Having bathed
gave he jewelry and clothing to the bards and the women and
honored he next in his finest apparel all the classes of people
and even the dogs with food.
His
sacred bath complete, Vasudeva joined with his wives in
giving the jewelry and clothes they had been wearing to the
professional reciters. Vasudeva then put on new garments,
after which he honored all classes of people by feeding
everyone, even the dogs. (Vedabase)
Text
55-56
With the wealth
of gifts did his relatives and their wives and children, the
leaders of the Vidarbhas, Kos'alas, Kurus, Kâs'îs,
Kekayas and Sriñjayas; the supervisors, the priests, the
different types of enlightened souls, the ordinary humans, the
paranormal ['the ghostly'], the forefathers and the
venerable ones, all take leave from the Abode of S'rî to
depart filled with praise for the sacrifice
performed.
With
opulent gifts he honored his relatives, including all their
wives and children; the royalty of the Vidarbha, Kos'ala,
Kuru, Kâs'î, Kekaya and Sriñjaya
kingdoms; the officiating members of the assembly; and also
the priests, witnessing demigods, humans, spirits,
forefathers and Câranas. Then, taking permission from
Lord Krishna, the shelter of the goddess of fortune, the
various guests departed as they all chanted the glories of
Vasudeva's sacrifice. (Vedabase)
Text
57-58
The
immediate family members Dhritarâshthra and his younger
brother [Vidura], Prithâ and her sons
[Arjuna, Bhîma and Yudhishthhira], Bhîshma,
Drona, the twins [Nakula and Sahadeva], Nârada,
and Bhagavân Vyâsadeva and other relatives
embracing their friends and relatives, the Yadus, then, with
hearts melting of affection on the separation, with difficulty
returned to their respective places as did also the rest of the
guests.
The
Yadus were all embraced by their friends, close family
members and other relatives, including Dhritarâshthra
and his younger brother, Vidura; Prithâ and her sons;
Bhîshma; Drona; the twins Nakula and Sahadeva;
Nârada; and Vedavyâsa, the Personality of
Godhead. Their hearts melting with affection, these and the
other guests left for their kingdoms, their progress slowed
by the pain of separation. (Vedabase)
Text
59
Nanda together
with the cowherds out of affection for his relatives stayed and
was by Krishna, Râma, Ugrasena and the rest in worship
honored most generously.
Nanda
Mahârâja showed his affection for his relatives,
the Yadus, by remaining with them a little longer, together
with his cowherds. During his stay, Krishna, Balarâma,
Ugrasena and the others honored him with especially opulent
worship. (Vedabase)
Text
60
Vasudeva with
ease having crossed over the ocean of his great ambition
[see also 10.3:
11-12],
felt most pleased and addressed, surrounded by his
well-wishers, Nanda, touching his hand as he
spoke.
Having
so easily crossed over the vast ocean of his ambition,
Vasudeva felt fully satisfied. In the company of his many
well-wishers, he took Nanda by the hand and addressed him as
follows. (Vedabase)
Text
61
S'rî
Vasudeva said: 'The by God forged bond of men which is named
affection is, I think, for warriors as difficult to relinquish
as for yogîs.
S'rî
Vasudeva said: My dear brother, God Himself has tied the
knot called affection, which tightly binds human beings
together. It seems to me that even great heroes and mystics
find it very difficult to free themselves from it.
(Vedabase)
Text
62
Even though the
friendship offered by you so very saintly is not reciprocated
by us who are so forgetful of what you did, does it never cease
for it is beyond compare.
Indeed,
the Supreme Lord must have created the bonds of affection,
for such exalted saints as you have never stopped showing
matchless friendship toward us ingrates, although it has
never been properly reciprocated. (Vedabase)
Text
63
Formerly
[sitting in Kamsa's prison] were we incapable to act on
your behalf and now well-to-do, o brother, do we with you right
in front of us fail to see you because our eyes are blind with
our being intoxicated by the opulence.
Previously,
dear brother, we did nothing to benefit you because we were
unable to, yet even now that you are present before us, our
eyes are so blinded by the intoxication of material good
fortune that we continue to ignore you. (Vedabase)
Text
64
Let there for a
person who is after the real benefit of life never be the rise
of the fortune of kings, o respectful one, for with his vision
thus clouded is he blind to even the needs of his own kinsmen
or friends [compare 10.10:
8].'
O
most respectful one, may a person who wants the highest
benefit in life never gain kingly opulence, for it leaves
him blind to the needs of his own family and friends.
(Vedabase)
Text
65
S'rî
S'uka said: 'Thus with tears filling his eyes remembering what
he all had done in friendship, had Ânakadundubhi, with
his heart softened by the intimacy, to weep.
S'rî
S'ukadeva Gosvâmî said: His heart softened by
feelings of intimate sympathy, Vasudeva wept. His eyes
brimmed with tears as he remembered the friendship Nanda had
shown him. (Vedabase)
Text
66
Nanda also
loved his most affectionate friend a lot and said: 'I'll go
later, I'll go tomorrow', but out of his love for Govinda and
Râma stayed he, being honored by the Yadus, for three
months.
And
on his part, Nanda was also full of affection for his friend
Vasudeva. Thus during the following days Nanda would
repeatedly announce, "I will be leaving later today" and "I
will be leaving tomorrow." But out of love for Krishna and
Balarâma he remained there for three more months,
honored by all the Yadus. (Vedabase)
Text
67-68
After having
been offered a host of desirable like the most valuable
ornaments, finest linen and various priceless pieces of
furniture, he next, seen off by the Yadus, departed together
with the people of Vraja and his family. The gifts that were
given by Vasudeva, Ugrasena, Krishna, Uddhava and others they
had accepted and taken along with them.
Then,
after Vasudeva, Ugrasena, Krishna, Uddhava, Balarâma
and others had fulfilled his desires and presented him with
precious ornaments, fine linen and varieties of priceless
household furnishings, Nanda Mahârâja accepted
all these gifts and took his leave. Seen off by all the
Yadus, he departed with his family members and the residents
of Vraja. (Vedabase)
Text
69
Nanda, the
gopas and the gopîs being unable to put
Govinda's lotus feet out of their minds, accordingly [many
a time] looking back, returned to
Mathurâ.
Unable
to withdraw their minds from Lord Govinda's lotus feet,
where they had surrendered them, Nanda and the cowherd men
and women returned to Mathurâ. (Vedabase)
Text
70
With their
relatives departed went the Vrishnis who had Krishna as their
Godhead back to Dvârakâ, seeing that the rainy
season was about to begin.
Their
relatives having thus departed, and seeing that the rainy
season was approaching, the Vrishnis, whose only Lord was
Krishna, went back to Dvârakâ. (Vedabase)
Text
71
To the people
[there] they gave an account of the great festivity and
of what in relation to the lord of the Yadus [Vasudeva]
and to all the well-wishers they had seen during the pilgrimage
had taken place [see 10.82].'
They
told the people of the city about the festive sacrifices
performed by Vasudeva, lord of the Yadus, and about
everything else that had happened during their pilgrimage,
especially how they had met with all their loved ones.
(Vedabase)
*
This statement, reminds us the paramparâ, is
confirmed in the authoritative s'ruti-mantras, which
declare 'yâvatîr vai devatâs tâh
sarvâ veda-vidi brâhmane vasanti': "Whatever
demigods exist, all reside in a brâhmana who knows
the Veda."
**
The paramparâ adds: 'Both S'rîdhara
Svâmî and S'rî Jîva Gosvâmî
here agree that the ritual karma of Vedic sacrifices is
particularly meant for attached householders. Those who are
already renounced in Krishna consciousness, like Vasudeva
himself, need only cultivate their faith in the Lord's
devotees, His Deity form, His name, the remnants of His food
and His teachings, as given in Bhagavad-Gîtâ and
S'rîmad-Bhâgavatam.'
***
The word putra used here usually refers to a child, but
also means doll or any other artificial thing to care for like
a home, or works of art, a book or another byproduct as
Prabhupâda and his pupils called it as e.g. in
3.28:
38
and 11.20:
27-28.
It literally means 'preserving from the hell called Put', the
place where the ones childless reside.
*4
The paramparâ explains: 'The Brâhmana
portion of the Vedic s'ruti specifies the complete
step-by-step procedure of only a few prototype sacrifices, such
as the Jyotishthoma and Dars'a-pûrnamâsa. These are
called the prâkrita, or original,
yajñas; the details of other yajñas
must be extrapolated from the patterns of these
prâkrita injunctions according to the strict rules
of the Mîmâmsâ-s'âstra. Since other
yajñas are thus known by derivation from the
prototype sacrifices, they are called vaikrita, or
"changed".'