by Bibek Debroy
Chapter 10(47)
Shri-Shuka said, ‘Krishna’s companion possessed long arms and his eyes were like freshly bloomed lotuses. He was attired in yellow garments and adorned with a garland of lotuses. As a result of sparkling earrings, his lotus face was radiant. On seeing him, the women of Vraja were exceedingly surprised. “Who is this, so handsome to behold? Where has he come from? Why are his garments and ornaments like those of Achyuta?” Saying this, all of them, who had sought refuge at Uttamashloka’s feet, surrounded him. They humbly bowed down to him and honoured him well, with bashful and smiling glances and delightful words. They understood that he was carrying a message from Rama’s lord. Therefore, once he was seated, they asked him in private. “We know that you are an attendant of the Lord of Yadu. You have come here because you have been so instructed by your master, who wishes to bring pleasure to his parents. Otherwise, there is nothing in this Vraja of cattle that is worth remembering. Even for a sage, the bonds of affection towards a relative are extremely difficult to cast aside. The friendship towards others is mockery, because it is driven by a specific purpose and lasts until the objective has been accomplished. It is like the conduct of men towards women, or that of bees towards flowers. Courtesans abandon a person who possesses nothing and subjects an incompetent king. Once they have obtained the knowledge and paid the dakshina, officiating priests abandon their preceptor. When the fruit has been eaten, birds abandon a tree. Once he has eaten, a guest abandons a household. Animals abandon a forest that has been burnt down. After enjoyment, a lover abandons a devoted woman.” The words, bodies and minds of the gopis were immersed in Govinda. When Uddhava, Krishna’s messenger, arrived, they forgot about worldly norms and met him. They sang about their beloved one’s deeds. Forgetting all shame, they wept. They repeatedly remembered his infancy and childhood.
‘A gopi thought about her union with Krishna. She saw a bee and thought that it was a messenger sent by her beloved. She addressed it in the following words. The gopis 335 said, “O bee! You are the friend of someone who is deceitful. Do not touch our feet with your beard. 336 It is stained with kunkuma from his garland, when it pressed against the breasts of our rival. 337 Let the lord of Madhu show his favours to those proud women. Why has he sent a messenger like you? In an assembly of the Yadus, this will be looked upon as deceit. He confounded us by making us drink the nectar of his lips only once. After that, he immediately abandoned us, like you abandon a flower. How does Padma 338 serve his lotus feet? Indeed, she must also have lost her mind because of Uttamashloka’s conversation. O one with six legs! We are without homes. Why are you singing so much about the lord of the Yadus in front of us? This is old stuff for us. Sing about these topics before the female friends of Vijaya’s friend. 339 He is relieving the wounds in their breasts now. They will give you whatever you wish for. No woman in heaven, earth or rasatala 340 is unavailable to him. He is deceitful, with a beautiful smile. His eyebrows are arched. The goddess of prosperity worships the dust of his feet. Who are we? However, wretched people like us have the words about Uttamashloka on their side. Remove your head from my feet. I know you as Mukunda’s messenger. Therefore, you are learned in entreating and flattery. We gave up our husbands, children and everything else in this world. However, his mind is ungrateful and he has himself given us up. What reconciliation is possible with him? Like a hunter, he followed the dharma of a hunter and pierced the Indra among the apes. 341 He was vanquished by a woman and disfigured a woman who desired him. 342 Like a crow, he ate Bali’s offerings and thereafter, bound him up. Therefore, even though we can’t give up hearing about him, enough of friendship with that dark one. Hearing about his pastimes and deeds only once is like nectar to the ears. It cleanses and destroys the proclivities of the opposite pair of sentiments. The listeners immediately give up their homes and miserable families. Behaving like many wretched birds, they follow the practice of begging for a living. We trusted him and took his deceitful words to be true. We are like does, the wives of a black antelope, ignorant about the songs sung by a hunter. On many occasions, we have seen and felt the fierce pain of desire, caused by his nails. O messenger! Please speak about something else. O friend of my beloved! Why have you returned? Has he sent you again? O dear one! O respected one! Please ask what you wish for. O amiable one! Union with him is extremely difficult to give up. But how will you take us to his side? Shri, his consort, is always with him, right on his chest. Unfortunately, the son of the noble one 343 is now in Madhu’s city. O amiable one! Does he remember his father’s house and his friends, the gopas? Does he ever talk about us, his female servants? When will he rest his hands, fragrant with the scent of aloe, on our heads?” The gopis were anxious to see Krishna. Hearing them, Uddhava comforted them and told them about the message sent by their beloved.
‘Uddhava said, “It is certain that you have accomplished your objectives and are worshipped by the worlds. You have dedicated your minds to the illustrious Vasudeva. Devotion towards Krishna is brought about through donations, vows, austerities, oblations, chanting, studying, self-control and many other kinds of superior modes. However, your devotion towards Uttamashloka is supreme. It is through good fortune that you have obtained this devotion, which is extremely difficult for even sages to get. It is through good fortune that you gave up your sons, husbands, bodies, own relatives and houses and sought out the supreme Purusha who is known as Krishna. O immensely fortunate ones! With all your souls, you have obtained this devotion to Adhokshaja as a right, even at a time of separation. You have shown me a favour by displaying it to me. Now listen to the message sent by your beloved. It will bring you pleasure. O fortunate ones! I have come here with my master’s private message. The illustrious one said, ‘Since I am in all atmans, you can never be separated from me. Just as the elements, space, air, fire, water and the earth exist in all beings, I am present in the mind, the breath of life, the senses and the store of gunas in all beings. Through the maya of my own powers, the elements, the senses and the gunas, I use my own self to create, preserve and destroy within my own self. The atman is full of pure jnana and is distinct from the aggregation of the gunas. It can be perceived in the states of wakefulness, dreaming and deep sleep, 344 created by maya. The objects of the senses are like what one sees in a dream. Even when one is not asleep, one thinks about them and runs after them in vain. Therefore, one should restrain the senses. The learned say that this is the objective of the traditional texts, yoga, samkhya, renunciation, austerities, self-control and truth—like rivers heading towards the ocean. I, your beloved, am now far distant from your sight. This is with the objective of attracting your minds towards me, while you desire me and meditate on me. The minds of women are such that when a beloved person is nearby, in front of their eyes, they are not as attracted to him as they are when he is far away. Since your minds are completely immersed in me and you have freed yourself from all other pursuits, since you always remember me, within a short while, you will obtain me. O fortunate ones! There were some who had to remain in Vraja. Consequently, they could not enjoy the rasa pastimes with me in the forest in the night. Nevertheless, because they thought about my valour, they will obtain me.’”’
Shri-Shuka continued, ‘Thus, the women of Vraja heard the instructions of their beloved. The message revived their memories. Rejoicing, they addressed Uddhava in these words.
‘The gopis said, “It is good fortune that Kamsa, who caused injury to the Yadus, has been killed, along with his followers. It is good fortune that Achyuta has accomplished all his objectives and is now happily residing with his relatives. O amiable one! He brought us pleasure and we worshipped him with gentle and bashful smiles. Is Gada’s elder brother doing that to the women of the city now and are they casting their generous glances on him? He is accomplished in bringing pleasure and he is loved by the women of the city. Worshipped by their words and bewildering behaviour, how can he not be bound down by them? O virtuous one! In the course of conversations, does Govinda reme
mber us? In the midst of an assembly of urban women, is he free to mention those from the village? Does he remember the nights with his beloved ones in Vrindavana, enchanting with night lotuses, jasmine and the moon? In the midst of the rasa assembly, anklets jingling on the feet, he enjoyed himself with us. There was a time when we glorified his charming accounts. Will Dasharha ever come here? Because of what he has himself done, we are tormented and grieving. Will his limbs bring us back to life, just as Indra’s showers do to the forest? But why will Krishna come here? He has won the kingdom and killed those who caused him injury. He has married the daughters of the kings. Surrounded by all his well-wishers, he is happy. The great-souled one is Shri’s lord. He is complete in himself and has accomplished all his desires. What purpose of his can be accomplished by us, who reside in the forest, or by the others? There is supreme bliss when there is no desire left. The svairini Pingala said that. 345 Though we know this, it is impossible to give up the hope of seeing Krishna. Who will be interested in giving up conversations with Uttamashloka? Though he does not desire her, rarely does Shri move away from his body. O lord! With Samkarshana, Krishna roamed around here, in these rivers, the mountain, the forest regions, amidst the cows and the sounds of the flute. Indeed, they repeatedly remind us about Nanda gopa’s son. The place is marked with his footprints, Shri’s refuge. We are incapable of forgetting him. His gait, his charming and generous smiles, his pastimes, his glances and his sweet words have stolen our hearts. How can we forget him? O lord! O Rama’s lord! O lord of Vraja! O destroyer of suffering! O Govinda! Gokula is submerged in an ocean of grief. Please raise us up.”’
Shri-Shuka continued, ‘They were suffering from fever because of the separation, and Krishna’s message relieved them. They realized that Uddhava was no different from Adhokshaja and honoured him. 346 He resided there for some months, dispelling the grief of the gopis. Singing about accounts of Krishna’s pastimes, he delighted Gokula. For the residents of Vraja, the days that Uddhava lived in Vraja, speaking about Krishna, seemed to pass like an instant. 347 Hari’s servant found pleasure in looking at the rivers, forest, mountain, valleys and flowering trees and reminded the residents of Vraja about Krishna. He saw that the gopis were disturbed because of their complete absorption in Krishna. Uddhava was greatly delighted. He bowed down to them and said, “Among all those who possess bodies on earth, the gopa women are supreme. They have perfected their sentiments towards Govinda, who is in all atmans. This is a state desired by sages, and us, who are scared of samsara. If one does not savour the account of the infinite one, what is the point of being born as a brahmana? 348 These women roam around in the forest and are contaminated by their improper conduct. 349 But they have perfected their sentiments towards Krishna, the paramatman. The lord himself certainly confers benefit on those who worship him, even if they are ignorant, just as the king of medicines does, 350 even when it is unwillingly imbibed. In the festival of rasa, the necks of the women of Vraja were embraced by his arms and they obtained this great benediction. Though Shri is on his chest and is constantly associated with him, she does not obtain this favour. Nor do celestial women, whose fragrance and beauty are like those of lotuses. What need be said about others? I desire to be the shrubs, creepers and herbs of Vrindavana, since they have been touched by the dust of their feet. 351 They gave up the noble path and their own relatives, which are so very difficult to cast aside. They worshipped Mukunda’s footprints, which the sacred texts seek to search out. The illustrious Krishna’s lotus feet are worshipped by Shri, Aja 352 and the lords of yoga, who have accomplished all their desires. In the assembly of rasa, he placed them on their breasts. They embraced these and all their torments were dispelled. I repeatedly bow down to the dust on the feet of the women of Nanda’s Vraja. When they sing about Hari’s account, they purify the three worlds.” After this, Dasharha 353 took his leave of the gopis, Yashoda, Nanda and the gopas. Ready to leave, he mounted his chariot. As he emerged, Nanda and the others affectionately approached him, with many kinds of gifts in their hands. With tears in their eyes, they said, “May our minds and our deeds seek refuge at Krishna’s lotus feet. May our words utter his names. May our bodies be engaged in bowing down to him. Wherever we are whirled around in our karma, through the wishes of the lord, through our auspicious conduct and gifts, may we be attached to the lord, Krishna.” O lord of men! Uddhava was thus honoured by the gopas, who were driven by their devotion towards Krishna. He again returned to Mathura, protected by Krishna. He bowed down before Krishna and told him about the great devotion of the residents of Vraja. He gave Vasudeva, Rama and the king the gifts.’ 354
Chapter 10(48)
Shri-Shuka said, ‘The illustrious one could see everything and was in all atmans. He knew that the sairindhri 355 was tormented by desire. Desiring to bring her pleasure, he went to her house. It was filled with extremely expensive furnishings. Everything that could be used to satisfy desire was there. There were strings of pearls, flags, canopies, beds and seats. It was decorated with fragrant incense, lamps, garlands and perfumes. Seeing that he was arriving, she was filled with respect and immediately stood up from her seat. With her friends, she came forward to meet Achyuta and respectfully offered him an excellent seat and other objects. As a virtuous person, Uddhava was also honoured. But having touched the seat offered, he sat down on the ground. Krishna followed the conduct observed by people and quickly entered the chamber with an extremely expensive bed. She bathed and anointed herself, attiring herself in garments and ornaments. She prepared garlands, perfumes, betel leaves and fragrant asava and approached Madhava. She glanced at him, with bashful and playful smiles. He summoned the beautiful one, who was bashful and scared because this was a new encounter. He held her by her ornamented hands and made her sit on the bed. Her only good act had been that of offering him unguents. However, he enjoyed himself with the beautiful one. Ananga had led to her breasts, chest and eyes being inflamed. But as soon as she inhaled Ananta’s feet, those wounds were healed. With both arms, she embraced her beloved one against her breasts. He was the embodiment of bliss and she gave away the torment she had suffered from for a long time. Having offered him unguents, she had obtained the lord of kaivalya, the lord who is so difficult to obtain. The unfortunate one entreated him in these words. “O beloved one! Please spend a few days with me. O lotus-eyed one! Enjoy yourself with me. I cannot bear to give up your companionship.” The one who shows honours honoured her and granted her the boon of satisfying desire. With Uddhava, the lord of everything then returned to his own prosperous residence. Vishnu, the lord of all the lords, is extremely difficult to please. Having worshipped him, only an ignorant person will ask for a boon that will please the mind, but is unreal. 356
‘With Uddhava and Rama, the lord Krishna then went to Akrura’s house. He desired to bring pleasure to Akrura and also wished to get a task accomplished. From a distance, he saw those best among men, his relatives, approaching. Delighted, he stood up and embraced and honoured them. He bowed down to Krishna and Rama and was honoured by them. Following the recommended rites, when they had seated themselves, he worshipped them. O king! He bathed their feet and sprinkled that water on his head. He gave them expensive garments, divine fragrances, garlands and excellent ornaments. He lowered his head down and worshipped them, taking their feet on his lap and massaging them. Bent down in humility, Akrura spoke to Krishna and Rama. “It is good fortune that you have killed the wicked Kamsa and his followers. You have saved the lineage from endless suffering and have ensured prosperity. The two of you are Pradhana and Purusha. You are the cause behind the universe and you pervade the universe. Without you, neither cause, nor effect, exists. Using your own powers, you have created this universe and have entered it. O brahman! Through hearing 357 and direct sight, you are perceived in many kinds of ways. The elements, earth and the others, manifest themselves as different species, mobile and immobile objects. In that way, you alone are the source of everything. You are the atman who controls
himself and is manifest in diverse forms. Through your own powers and the gunas of sattva, rajas and tamas, you create, preserve and destroy the universe. But you are not bound down by gunas and karma. Your atman consists of jnana. What can cause you bondage? The body and other such restrictions are not noticed for you. The atman has no birth or differentiation. Therefore, there is no bondage or liberation for you. Perhaps we see you in that way because of our lack of discrimination, or because you desire that it should be like that. For the sake of the welfare of the universe, you expounded the ancient path of the Vedas. Whenever that path is restricted by evil heretics, you manifest yourself in your attribute of sattva. You are that lord and you have now descended in Vasudeva’s house in your portion, so as to remove the burden of the earth. You have hence slaughtered one hundred akshouhinis of kings who were the portions of others, and not of the gods. You have done this to extend the fame of the lineage. Today, our homes have indeed been filled with fortune. You are the embodied form of all the gods, ancestors, creatures and kings. The water that washes your feet purifies the three worlds. O Adhokshaja! You are the preceptor of the universe and you have entered our home today. You are affectionate towards your devotees and your words are always true. You are a well-wisher. You are grateful. Which learned person will go to anyone else for refuge? As a well-wisher, you give those who worship you everything that they want, even your own self, which never diminishes, or increases. O Janardana! It is good fortune that you are now manifest before us. This is an objective that the lords of yoga and lords among the gods find very difficult to obtain. Quickly sever the cords of affection towards sons, wives, wealth, homes, bodies and everything else. All this is the result of your maya.” The illustrious Hari was thus worshipped and praised by his devotee. He smiled and enchanted Akrura with his words. The illustrious one said, “You are our preceptor, paternal uncle and a relative who is always praised. We are like your sons, whom you protect and nurture with compassion. Immensely fortunate ones like you are supreme among those who should be worshipped and served. The gods always hanker after what brings them benefit, but virtuous ones are not driven by selfish motives. Unlike the sight of virtuous ones, tirthas with water and gods made out of earth purify after a long period of time. 358 You are our well-wisher. For our benefit and desiring to do benefit to the Pandavas, go to Gajasahvya 359 and ask how they are. When their father passed away, along with their mother, those children were extremely miserable. We have heard that the king 360 brought them to his own city and made them live there. The king, Ambika’s son, is inferior in intelligence and is blind. He is under the control of his wicked son and it is certain that he does not treat his brother’s sons impartially. Go and ascertain his present conduct, whether it is virtuous or wicked. When we have found out, we will act so as to bring welfare to our well-wishers.” The illustrious lord Hari told Akrura this. With Samkarshana and Uddhava, he then left for his own residence.’