Srimad Bhagavatam – 1.15.1~4 | HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj | ISKCON Chennai | May 28, 2025 |
Om Namo Bhagavate Vāsudevāya
Om Namo Bhagavate Vāsudevāya
Om Namo Bhagavate Vāsudevāya
nama om vishnu-padaya krishna-preshthaya bhu-tale
srimate bhaktivedanta-svamin iti namine
namas te sarasvate deve gaura-vani-pracharine
nirvishesha-shunyavadi-pashchatya-desha-tarine
jaya sri-krishna-chaitanya
prabhu nityananda
sri-adwaita gadadhara
shrivasadi-gaura-bhakta-vrinda
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
Reading from Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 1 Chapter 15 Verse 1.
Text 1
सूत उवाच
एवं कृष्णसख: कृष्णो भ्रात्रा राज्ञा विकल्पित: ।
नानाशङ्कास्पदं रूपं कृष्णविश्लेषकर्शित: ॥ १ ॥
sūta uvāca
evaṁ kṛṣṇa-sakhaḥ kṛṣṇo
bhrātrā rājñā vikalpitaḥ
nānā-śaṅkāspadaṁ rūpaṁ
kṛṣṇa-viśleṣa-karśitaḥ
Synonyms
sūtaḥ uvāca — Sūta Gosvāmī said; evam — thus; kṛṣṇa-sakhaḥ — the celebrated friend of Kṛṣṇa; kṛṣṇaḥ — Arjuna; bhrātrā — by his elder brother; rājñā — King Yudhiṣṭhira; vikalpitaḥ — speculated; nānā — various; śaṅka-āspadam — based on many doubts; rūpam — forms; kṛṣṇa — Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa; viśleṣa — feelings of separation; karśitaḥ — became greatly bereaved.
Translation
Sūta Gosvāmī said: Arjuna, the celebrated friend of Lord Kṛṣṇa, was griefstricken because of his strong feeling of separation from Kṛṣṇa, over and above all Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira’s speculative inquiries.
Purport
Being too much aggrieved, Arjuna practically became choked up, and therefore it was not possible for him to reply properly to the various speculative inquiries of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira.
Text 2
शोकेन शुष्यद्वदनहृत्सरोजो हतप्रभ: ।
विभुं तमेवानुस्मरन्नाशक्नोत्प्रतिभाषितुम् ॥ २ ॥
śokena śuṣyad-vadana-
hṛt-sarojo hata-prabhaḥ
vibhuṁ tam evānusmaran
nāśaknot pratibhāṣitum
Synonyms
śokena — due to bereavement; śuṣyat-vadana — drying up of the mouth; hṛt-sarojaḥ — lotuslike heart; hata — lost; prabhaḥ — bodily luster; vibhum — the Supreme; tam — unto Lord Kṛṣṇa; eva — certainly; anusmaran — thinking within; na — could not; aśaknot — be able; pratibhāṣitum — properly replying.
Translation
Due to grief, Arjuna’s mouth and lotuslike heart had dried up. Therefore his body lost all luster. Now, remembering the Supreme Lord, he could hardly utter a word in reply.
Text 3
कृच्छ्रेण संस्तभ्य शुच: पाणिनामृज्य नेत्रयो: ।
परोक्षेण समुन्नद्धप्रणयौत्कण्ठ्यकातर: ॥ ३ ॥
kṛcchreṇa saṁstabhya śucaḥ
pāṇināmṛjya netrayoḥ
parokṣeṇa samunnaddha-
praṇayautkaṇṭhya-kātaraḥ
Synonyms
kṛcchreṇa — with great difficulty; saṁstabhya — by checking the force; śucaḥ — of bereavement; pāṇinā — with his hands; āmṛjya — smearing; netrayoḥ — the eyes; parokṣeṇa — due to being out of sight; samunnaddha — increasingly; praṇaya-autkaṇṭhya — eagerly thinking of the affection; kātaraḥ — distressed.
Translation
With great difficulty he checked the tears of grief that smeared his eyes. He was very distressed because Lord Kṛṣṇa was out of his sight, and he increasingly felt affection for Him.
Text 4
सख्यं मैत्रीं सौहृदं च सारथ्यादिषु संस्मरन् ।
नृपमग्रजमित्याह बाष्पगद्गदया गिरा ॥ ४ ॥
sakhyaṁ maitrīṁ sauhṛdaṁ ca
sārathyādiṣu saṁsmaran
nṛpam agrajam ity āha
bāṣpa-gadgadayā girā
Synonyms
sakhyam — well-wishing; maitrīm — benediction; sauhṛdam — intimately related; ca — also; sārathya-ādiṣu — in becoming the chariot driver; saṁsmaran — remembering all these; nṛpam — unto the King; agrajam — the eldest brother; iti — thus; āha — said; bāṣpa — heavily breathing; gadgadayā — overwhelmingly; girā — by speeches.
Translation
Remembering Lord Kṛṣṇa and His well wishes, benefactions, intimate familial relations and His chariot driving, Arjuna, overwhelmed and breathing very heavily, began to speak.
Purport
The supreme living being is perfect in all relations with His pure devotee. Śrī Arjuna is one of the typical pure devotees of the Lord reciprocating in the fraternal relationship, and the Lord’s dealings with Arjuna are displays of friendship of the highest perfect order. He was not only a well-wisher of Arjuna but actually a benefactor, and to make it still more perfect the Lord tied him into a family relationship by arranging Subhadrā’s marriage with him. And above all, the Lord agreed to become a chariot driver of Arjuna in order to protect His friend from warfare risks, and the Lord became actually happy when He established the Pāṇḍavas to rule over the world. Arjuna remembered all these one after another, and thus he became overwhelmed with such thoughts.
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj:
So, here we see a description of Arjuna and Arjuna remembers Krishna. And how does he remember Him? So, it says,’sakhyaṁ maitrīṁ sauhṛdaṁ’. So, He was a well-wisher, He gave benediction, He had family relationship with Arjuna. So, Krishna expressed His affection by these different relationships. Of course, the prominent relationship is one of great friendship. There are different ways in which we establish relationships with Krishna. Of course, the general relationship is Prema, which means great love and affection. Some devotees may be satisfied with that very general type of Prema. However, others, according to their desire for service, establish more intense relationships. So, one of the more intense relationships is Sakhya.
So, this Sakhya means, there is a sense of equality. In other words, the affection is between equals. In Dasya, it is not equals. Krishna is superior and the devotee is a servant. In Vatsalya, the devotee is superior, Krishna is inferior. Of course, both of these relationships, which are unequal, have their own particular taste. So, Sakhya is distinguished by having equality. And that equality gives rise to a very intimate type of affection. Technically, this is called Pranaya. So, with that intimacy, there is lack of restriction and reservation. We see in Bhagavad Gita, after seeing the universal form then Arjuna says to Krishna that ‘Oh, actually I have committed offense, because I was talking to you, joking with you, eating with you, or acting as equals, so this looks like aparadha, because now I know your universal form. So, in Sakhya, the boundaries of formality become much less.
So, in the Dvaraka pastimes, the relationship between Arjuna and Krishna is a great example of that Sakhya. Of course, we can also say that the Sakhya in Vrindavan is even more intense. We see that when Arjuna sees the universal form, he feels guilty. The cowherd boys in Vrindavan, even though they see Krishna’s power, they don’t regard that as anything so wonderful. It does not act as an obstacle to their affection. So, even though they see Krishna kill demons, they never think of him as Supreme Lord. So, therefore, the Sakhya in Vrindavan is even stronger than in Dvaraka.
So, in spite of that, even the Dvaraka pastimes with Krishna and Arjuna are great examples of Sakhya. And though Krishna is the Supreme Lord and Arjuna also recognizes Krishna as Supreme Lord, still, Krishna acts not as the Supreme Lord, but as a friend. And thus, He serves Arjuna. Of course, He serves all the Pandavas. So, He acts as their messenger. He acts as their guard. And for Arjuna, He acted as the charioteer. So, actually, Krishna takes an inferior role. And all this is because of that great friendship.
So, Arjuna remembers all these different actions of Krishna. And then, as it says, he is overwhelmed, and he spoke with choked voice. It also describes here, he had tears in his eyes. So, these are the symptoms of his intense relationship and consequently separation. So, these are technically called Sattvika bhavas. So, due to intense internal emotion, we get these involuntary external symptoms. And these are one of the ingredients of rasa. So, we may wonder, well, rasa means taste, taste means, you know, some nice enjoyment with Krishna. But how can tears and getting a choked voice and trembling, etc., how is that enjoyable? Of course, we will see that tears can arise from joy, choked voice can also arise from joy. In this case, they do not arise from joy, but from lamentation. And the lamentation arises because of separation from Krishna. So, in other words, the separation arises because of great feelings of affection for Krishna, if we didn’t have affection, we would not feel separation. But because of great attachment to Krishna, that separation gives rise to great lamentation. And that internal grief gets manifested as these external symptoms. So, this all operates something like the emotions in the material world. But big difference is, it’s all related to Krishna.
Certainly, in the material world, many people lament. But it’s not because of Krishna. So, in that sense, very different. Of course, we can say, well, Krishna is just another person, like other people, so it looks like it is similar. However, we cannot establish a relationship of Prema with Krishna, unless one is fully qualified. In other words, in the material world, we are unqualified, so we have no relationship. So, of course, one qualification will be destruction of identity with the material body, destruction of Ahankara. Even if that is accomplished, still, Krishna doesn’t show himself. So, qualification for Krishna is something much more than that. So, the qualification is this complete, unobstructed, pure, uncontaminated surrender to Krishna. If that surrender is there, one is qualified.
However, to reach that stage, it requires practice. And in the process of practice, then we give up all material attachments, Ahankara, etc. If we don’t follow the practice, and we are not willing to give up all of our material identities, then we have no relationship with Krishna. So, the results look very similar to results in the material world with lamentation and tears etc. but actually very different. There is pure affection for the Supreme Lord and the Supreme Lord is the ideal object of that affection. So, therefore the appearance may be like a material person but it is quite different. So that relationship with Krishna arises and sometimes Krishna disappears. And then one may experience like the Arjuna is experiencing.
Of course, the prime example is, the people of Vrindavan, when Krishna leaves and goes to Mathura. Of course, in that case Krishna did not disappear in one sense, He was in Mathura then He was in Dvaraka, so He was still present on earth. The Pandavas also experienced separation from Krishna. Before they met Him, there was a feeling of separation. And then sometimes Krishna was with the Pandavas, sometimes He was in Dvaraka, so when He was in Dvaraka, He separated from the Pandavas. So in that case, the Pandavas also feel separation. However, this is even a bigger separation, because Krishna has disappeared completely. When He is still present then the consolation is, well, we will go and see Krishna, Krishna will come and see us again, but in this case Krishna has disappeared completely, so He is not going to come back. So therefore there is an appearance of great disaster.
However, this is the pastime in the material world. Krishna appears, Krishna disappears. And His devotees appear and disappear also. And so when they disappear, it’s not that they are gone forever, they are still eternally existing somewhere. So, when Krishna disappears, this is a sign to these great devotees that it’s time that we disappear also, then we are united with Krishna again. So once they have all disappeared, then they are in eternal pastimes with Krishna and they are united again. So though it may appear from one point of view, there is separation like material world people dying, no, neither of them die.
Krishna is eternally performing pastimes, the devotee also eternally performing pastimes. So, this is the consolation for that separation, ultimately, they unite with Krishna when they also disappear. So, this is very different from the material world. People will die. Those who are attached to them will also die. But then according to their karma, they get bodies somewhere else so they don’t unite, they don’t join together, they get bodies somewhere else even in animal form or whatever.
So it’s often described in Bhagavatam that people come together and then they depart. Like travellers where they come to a place where there is a well and they meet, they talk together, then they all disperse. Or branches are floating down the river and the two branches touch each other for some time and then they separate and go out, so the Jivas are like that in the material world. But the spiritual relationship is not like that at all. The Supreme Lord and the Jiva are eternally related. And these appearances and disappearances in the material world are just appearances, ultimately, they remain eternally together. They have no karma, they have no material bodies.
Hare Krsna!
Q&A
1) Thank you, Maharaj. Maharaj, is it that unconditional surrender assures Prema or is it unconditional? Unconditional surrenders assure Prema or is it causeless?
[Clarification of question by Maharaj & devotee]
So, we say that bhakti itself is causeless. But this does not mean that there’s no reason for it appearing. It means there’s no material cause. So, bhakti does not arise by karma, by tapasya, by punya, any material cause. So, in that sense, even sadhana bhakti, how it arises, is causeless [Laughs].
But we can say, okay, bhakti arises because you have faith. So faith becomes the cause. But that faith itself is an aspect of mercy of devotees, so that arises from bhakti itself. So, bhakti causes bhakti. So, in that sense, it’s causeless.
So, similarly, sadhana gives rise to bhava, bhava gives rise to prema. So, we’re just saying that one stage of bhakti gives rise to another stage of bhakti. And it’s not influenced by any other outside cause. But we also say that we don’t get bhakti without the mercy of the Lord. We don’t advance in bhakti without the mercy of the Lord. So, we could say that mercy of the Lord is the cause of prema [Laughs].
But, of course, even that mercy, it’s not haphazard. But we know from the Damodara pastime that Krishna shows mercy because of the effort of the devotee [Laughs].Effort of the devotee means he has great devotion. So, Krishna gives mercy, so you get prema because of the great devotion of the devotee. So, in one sense, yes, there is some sort of causal factor in bhakti, but it’s all related to bhakti itself. But we see that bhakti itself is composed of hladini and samvit shaktis. Lord’s kripa shakti is also part of that internal shakti.
2) Maharaj, you mentioned some of the ingredients of rasa. These ingredients are spontaneous or it is to be developed ?
[Clarification of question by Maharaj & devotee]
Well, we can say that they are necessary components. So, one component is vibhava. There must be subject, must be object, must be Krishna, must be devotee. If we don’t have both, you can’t have any relationship. There must be a sthayibhava, the devotee has to have some bhakti. Of course, one can say, well, that’s enough, you can stop there. Krishna, devotee, some relationship.
Well, that’s true, you could do that, but it would be rati, it would not be rasa, it would not be prema. It would not fully develop into rasa. But then naturally, because devotion is dynamic, we will see that other factors arise. One is, the devotee wants to serve the Lord, so he does activities. That’s his anubhavas, so it’s natural. And though we do have this sthayibhava, the relationship, we do get, within the pastimes, different other feelings that arise. These are called vibhachari bhavas.
So, sthayibhava is like sugar. But the sugar becomes tasty, when you mix a little ghee, you put in some cardamom, you put in some other spices, you put something, then it becomes more tasty. So, we have these other minor emotions which mix and give flavor to that sthayibhava. And when these vibhachari bhavas become intense, then they may show Sattvika bhavas, like crying, or fainting, or choking of the voice, etc., So that total combination produces rasa.
3) The rasa between Balarama and Krishna, in one sense, is it just sakhya, or is it a mixture of sakhya? Sometimes Balarama does protect, as a parent, like that. So, how do we understand the rasa between both Krishna and Balarama?
Within sakhya, then there are also varieties. So, we’ll get cowherd boys slightly older than Krishna, with Krishna. We’ll get cowherd boys slightly younger than Krishna, with Krishna. They want to have equal age. So, we get three varieties.
So, if the other devotee is older, then it gives a slight vatsalya in it, because he protects Krishna. They’re younger than Krishna, but they will serve Krishna. So, Balarama was older than Krishna, so therefore there’s a little bit of this vatsalya mixed. And Mother Yashoda expects Balarama and the elder cowherd boys to protect Krishna out in the forest.
4) How can the Grahasthas perform their family obligations without any attachment, just as a duty?
So, they can have no attachment completely if they’re very advanced. And if they’re less advanced, of course, they will have attachment. It’s expected, of course, as they get older and the children grow up, they will have less attachment. And therefore, it’s expected, over 50 years old, then they should renounce their children and go off to the forest and be vanaprasthas. So, some concession is made for attachment. At the same time, the goal is to become detached.
5) Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu introduced Nama Sankirtana to elevate fallen souls of this yuga. How do we understand that by simply chanting of the holy name, one can surrender to Krishna?
There are many processes of bhakti. These processes are pure, they’re spiritual, so they can lead us to Krishna. Ultimately, all these angas of bhakti, like hearing, chanting, remembering, serving the lotus feet, etc., are the internal energy of Krishna. They do not arise from material gunas. So, they’re all very powerful to take the Jiva out of the material world. Karma, jnana and yoga have limited power and they arise from gunas of material nature. All the angas of bhakti are spiritual and nirguna, etc.,
But of all of those, Nama Sankirtana is said to be the most powerful for the Jivas stuck in the material world. It does not require qualification. It does not even require faith. And it will deliver the highest aspect, that is, prema. Not just prema, but Krishna prema. How is it so? Because, as I said, it is the internal shakti of Krishna. It is a manifestation of Krishna’s mercy.
6) Generally, we should not be attached to the material body and family, but we are unable to give up this attachment artificially. How to one get gradually detached without enjoying?
The detachment will take place by a gradual increase of attachment to Krishna. The more we become attached to Krishna, the less we’re attached to material enjoyment. So, the more we become attached to Krishna, the less attached we are to maya.
7) We see through Bhagavad Gita and other scriptures that Lord Krishna and Arjuna appeared together and even as Nara-Narayana rishi. Being the case, with respect to gopis whether it was Lalitha shakhi or Vishaka shakhi or was it some other gopi? How are the gopis related to Arjuna?
Well, Lalitha and Vishaka are madhurya rasa. Arjuna is in sakya rasa. So, they’re different relationships.
Devotees: Grantharaj Srimad Bhagavatham Ki Jai!!! HH Bhanu Swami Mahraj Ki Jai!!!