Srimad Bhagavatam – 10.9.1~2 | HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj | ISKCON Chennai | Oct 26, 2026
jaya rādhā-mādhava kuñja-vihārī
gopījana-vallabha giri-vara-dhārī
yaśodā-nandana vraja-jana-rañjana
yamunā-tīra-vana-cārī
Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare
Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare
Jaya Prabhupāda Jaya Prabhupāda
Prabhupāda Jaya Prabhupāda
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 10 Chapter 9 Verse 1-2.
ŚB 10.9.1-2
श्रीशुक उवाच
एकदा गृहदासीषु यशोदा नन्दगेहिनी ।
कर्मान्तरनियुक्तासु निर्ममन्थ स्वयं दधि ॥ १ ॥
यानि यानीह गीतानि तद्बालचरितानि च ।
दधिनिर्मन्थने काले स्मरन्ती तान्यगायत ॥ २ ॥
śrī-śuka uvāca
ekadā gṛha-dāsīṣu
yaśodā nanda-gehinī
karmāntara-niyuktāsu
nirmamantha svayaṁ dadhi
yāni yānīha gītāni
tad-bāla-caritāni ca
dadhi-nirmanthane kāle
smarantī tāny agāyata
Synonyms
śrī-śukaḥ uvāca — Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said; ekadā — one day; gṛha-dāsīṣu — when all the maidservants of the household were otherwise engaged; yaśodā — mother Yaśodā; nanda-gehinī — the queen of Nanda Mahārāja; karma-antara — in other household affairs; niyuktāsu — being engaged; nirmamantha — churned; svayam — personally; dadhi — the yogurt; yāni — all such; yāni — such; iha — in this connection; gītāni — songs; tat-bāla-caritāni — in which the activities of her own child were enacted; ca — and; dadhi-nirmanthane — while churning the yogurt; kāle — at that time; smarantī — remembering; tāni — all of them (in the form of songs); agāyata — chanted.
Translation
Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: One day when mother Yaśodā saw that all the maidservants were engaged in other household affairs, she personally began to churn the yogurt. While churning, she remembered the childish activities of Kṛṣṇa, and in her own way she composed songs and enjoyed singing to herself about all those activities.
Purport
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, quoting from the Vaiṣṇava-toṣaṇī of Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī, says that the incident of Kṛṣṇa’s breaking the pot of yogurt and being bound by mother Yaśodā took place on the Dīpāvalī Day, or Dīpa-mālikā. Even today in India, this festival is generally celebrated very gorgeously in the month of Kārtika by fireworks and lights, especially in Bombay. It is to be understood that among all the cows of Nanda Mahārāja, several of mother Yaśodā’s cows ate only grasses so flavorful that the grasses would automatically flavor the milk. Mother Yaśodā wanted to collect the milk from these cows, make it into yogurt and churn it into butter personally, since she thought that this child Kṛṣṇa was going to the houses of neighborhood gopas and gopīs to steal butter because He did not like the milk and yogurt ordinarily prepared.
While churning the butter, mother Yaśodā was singing about the childhood activities of Kṛṣṇa. It was formerly a custom that if one wanted to remember something constantly, he would transform it into poetry or have this done by a professional poet. It appears that mother Yaśodā did not want to forget Kṛṣṇa’s activities at any time. Therefore she poeticized all of Kṛṣṇa’s childhood activities, such as the killing of Pūtanā, Aghāsura, Śakaṭāsura and Tṛṇāvarta, and while churning the butter, she sang about these activities in poetical form. This should be the practice of persons eager to remain Kṛṣṇa conscious twenty-four hours a day. This incident shows how Kṛṣṇa conscious mother Yaśodā was. To stay in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we should follow such persons.
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj:
So this is the chapter concerning Damodara Lila because this starts the Damodara month. There are of course 12 months in the year and they are given regular names but they are also given names of Vishnu. So we have Narayana month, Madhava month, etc. and this particular month is called Damodara month. Of course we can.. We see the same months are used for Tilaka marks. And this all derives from Vaikuntha where we have 12 forms of Vishnu. So, in one sense, yes, the word Damodara also refers to a form of Vishnu but it also refers to Krishna.
So, the devotees of Krishna and particularly our Sampradaya take this as the month to honour Damodara. And this is quite suitable since we see that this Lila occurred in this month. So of course most people celebrate this month for other reasons and Deepavali is for Ramachandra, etc. and we celebrate it for Krishna [Laughs].
So Krishna appears in this material world and He appears as a small child and then He begins to grow. He grows in size and weight. And just like normal children in this world grow, so Krishna also grew but quicker. And when Krishna grows and matures, then He performs different types of pastimes according to His growth. So His age is divided. He has His Kaumara period from 1 to 5 years old. He has a Pauganda period from 5 to 8. And He has Kaishora period from 8 to 12. So in each of these periods, there are pastimes which will be typical of that period. And for the first period, the pastimes are very attractive for Vatsalya rasa. In the second period, Pauganda, those activities are very suitable for Sakhya rasa. And in the last period, Kaishora, that age is very suitable for Madhurya rasa.
And thus we will find that the first chapters of the 10th canto describe Krishna as He is growing up until He is 5 years old, so we will find descriptions of Nanda and Yasoda’s relationship with Krishna. So this is a very suitable age for expressing Vatsalya rasa. And the reason is that Krishna is very small and He has to be protected. So naturally the elders, particularly His parents, protect Him. Later on, we see that Krishna grows and He becomes more independent. So in this period, He is playing around the yard and does not wander too far. When He gets to Pauganda period, then He goes off into the forest. And for long hours, He doesn’t see His parents. Whereas in this young age, He is constantly with His parents.
And of course, one of the outstanding features of Vatsalya rasa is that the parents and elders are in a superior position of controlling Krishna. Normally we think of a relationship with the Lord and we are simply servants. And Krishna is the controller and we are the controlled. But in Vatsalya rasa, the roles are reversed and the devotee is the controller and Krishna is the controlled. So this is a particular type of relationship which gives rise to very intimate affection.
So, in these first chapters of the 10th canto, we will find that because Krishna is small and growing up, then there is a prominence of Vatsalya rasa and Krishna’s relationship with Nanda and Yasoda. And Sukadeva Goswami glorifies Yasoda as the greatest devotee. And that is because of the intensity of her love. Of course, the love of parents does not ascend to the same intensity as Madhurya rasa where we get Mahabhava. But nevertheless, mother Yasoda’s love ascends to a very, very intense level just below that.
So this story of Damodara Lila, this particularly emphasizes the relationship of mother Yasoda with Krishna. This relationship is not unique because we will see that Vasudeva and Devaki also have Vatsalya for Krishna because they are His parents. However, we will see that the Vatsalya of mother Yasoda and Nanda is very different from that of Vasudeva and Devaki. Of course, Vasudeva and Devaki did not experience Krishna for his first years up until 12 years [Laughs]. Of course, they saw Him when He was born, but then that was it [Laughs]. So, these intimate pastimes that are described here in the Tenth Canto of Bhagavatam were experienced by Nanda and Yasoda, not by Vasudeva and Devaki. And the reason is, they are not qualified. They have a relationship with Krishna, but it is largely influenced by seeing Krishna as the Supreme Lord, so it is filled with aishwarya. And when that aishwarya mood is present, this contracts the Vatsalya. It will also contract Sakhya and Madhurya Rasa and Dasya Rasa. So, though all these Rasas exist in Vrindavan and Mathura and Dwarka, in Mathura and Dwarka, they are less intense because of this aishwarya. So, therefore, the main glorification of Vatsalya Rasa takes place with Nanda and Yasoda. And contrary to seeing Krishna as having great power, Yasoda and Nanda see Krishna simply as their son.
And in these particular verses, it is described that Mother Yasoda was very eager to churn the yogurt. She had many servants, but she chose to personally churn the yogurt. And in the purport, it is described that this yogurt was very special. The yogurt came from milk and the milk came from special cows. And the special cows ate special grass. And thus the milk from those cows was the best of all. So, the milk and the yogurt were therefore the highest class. And then Mother Yashoda personally labored by churning the yogurt into butter. And that butter would be first class butter.
Of course, one other factor is there. Ultimately, this butter was the highest butter because it was churned with the highest devotion. As Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita, you can offer me anything but it should have devotion. So, Krishna is more interested in the devotion than in the substance itself that is offered. Krishna is eager to eat food. Why? Because it is prepared by Mother Yasoda. So, Mother Yasoda therefore is described in this verse as very eagerly with great devotion churning the yogurt into butter.
And another reason is also described. Neighbours were complaining that Krishna was stealing our butter. So Mother Yasoda thought, Oh, our butter is not so good, that is more tasty, so I will make the butter with the most tasty milk [Laughs]. And in this way, this would be most tasty because Mother Yasoda’s bhakti was the highest. Of course, we should not think that the neighbours were not devotional. Definitely, they also had great devotion. And Krishna was eager to accept their devotion and therefore He ate their butter also.
So while Mother Yasoda was churning the yogurt into butter, then she was singing. And she was singing songs that described the activities of Krishna. And by doing so, she began to remember all the attractive pastimes of Krishna. So in other words, Mother Yasoda was doing kirtan. This of course was Lila kirtan. And through that, she was remembering all about Krishna with great affection.
In the spiritual world, we will see that the greatest devotees are doing kirtan. We will see in the Rasa Lila, the Gopis did kirtan. Of course, when they were having the Rasa Lila, then they were singing. But when Krishna had disappeared before the Rasa Lila and the Gopis couldn’t find him, they went to the bank of the Yamuna and did kirtan. And by doing that kirtan, Krishna appeared. Thus, we see that the process of kirtan, which is in sadhana, is also there eternally as part of the pastimes in the spiritual world. It’s an eternal activity. It’s a spiritual activity, everything spiritual is eternal. So these activities in the Spiritual World, which are to serve Krishna, are also in the material world as sadhana bhakti.
Usually, we do sadhana and then we get a goal. And then we give up the sadhana. So, you have a sadhana in college and you have to study all your courses, then you get your degree. Once you get your degree, no more study. So, it is different because bhakti is spiritual. We do the activities of bhakti in sadhana but when we get Prema, we don’t give up the activities. Those activities continue in their most perfect form. So, the devotees of Krishna are doing kirtan in the Spiritual World, we do kirtan here. What is the difference? Because it is spiritual, it’s the same. However, because we are imperfect, then it is not the same [Laughs]. So, the goal of sadhana is to do it repeatedly until it becomes perfect, like the activities in Prema. So, this quality distinguishes bhakti from other sadhanas.
We have sadhanas in karma yoga and sadhanas in Jnana yoga. So, the sadhana in karma yoga is to do punyas. When we get Svarga Loka, the result, we give up the punyas, no more doing punyas [Laughs]. The sadhana of Jnana yoga is to study Vedanta. When you get liberation, no more study of Vedanta. Why? Because those sadhanas are material. So, the sadhana and the goal attained are different. And bhakti is fully spiritual, it just has two stages: Sadhana and Prema. So, the goal is already present in the sadhana, but it is not perfect. And this is because bhakti is a fully spiritual process, not a material process.
So, we will see in the activities of Mother Yasoda, including her singing, and in the activities of the other devotees, like the cowherd boys or the Gopis, etc., they are serving Krishna. So those same activities we do in sadhana in the material world. And by doing those activities repeatedly with proper devotion, then we develop the same feelings as the residents of Vrindavan. And this allows us to enter into those pastimes. So, therefore, the activities of the inhabitants of Vrindavan are an ideal of how we should practice and the goal of our sadhana.
Hare Krsna!
Q&A:
1.) Hare Krishna Maharaj. Maharaj, there is a mention about these five primary rasas. What should be the understanding of rasas of personalities like Pradyumna and Sambha, who are the sons of Krishna?
So, this is described in the later part of the Nectar of Devotion. It cannot be Vatsalya, because Vatsalya is a devotee acting as a parent, not as a son [Laughs]. So, of course, Krishna is acting as a parent. But the position of the devotee is inferior. So, of course, the inferior position is one of Dasya. The position of equal is Sakhya. And when the devotee is superior, then it is Vatsalya. So, it is classed as a type of Dasya.
2.) Hare Krishna Maharaj. In Bhagavan aspect, that includes Brahman and Paramatma. Like that, in Madhurya rasa, are all the rasas included? How can we understand maharaj?
So, we say that some rasas are enemies. They don’t exist together, like Vatsalya and Madhurya. So, we should not think that within Madhurya rasa, the gopis can do all these different rasas, experience all the rasas, because some are contrary to the Madhurya rasa. So, the different rasas have certain intensities of Prema. So, we get Bhava. Stronger than that is Prema. And stronger than that is Sneha. And stronger than that is Pranaya. And then we have Maan, Raga, Anuraga and Mahabhava. And the different rasas will come up to different levels of intensity. So, Dasya will have Bhava and Prema. And Sakhya will go up to Pranaya. And Vatsalya goes to Raga. And then Madhurya goes up to Mahabhava. So, the Madhurya rasa will include all of these stages of intensity.
3.) Hare Krishna Maharaj. Please accept my humble obeisance. Maharaj, you explained that bhakti sadhana differs from other karma-kandiya materialistic sadhanas in the sense it is never given up. It is continued with the right mood once one gets perfection. But Maharaj, you said it has to be practiced with the right bhava. Even our sadhana stage, we should have the right mood in performing these activities. But typically it happens that it degenerates into a kind of material, mechanical activity. So, that is why typically we think once I reach perfection, like other sadhanas this can be also given up. Why should I chant after I reach perfection? So, that means there is some material, mechanical element in our sadhana. So, how can it lead us to the perfection that we are aspiring for?
So, bhakti, even performed unknowingly, has some effect. And chanting the holy name, inattentively or accidentally, whatever, as in the case of Ajamila, has great effect. So, it can destroy all your karmas. But if you aspire for prema, you have to do more than that. So, therefore we don’t chant and practice accidentally. We do it repetitively with intention but if there is imperfection, it becomes namabhas. And that namabhas also will not give prema. So, some of the abhasas we can remove. We can remove the ignorance by knowledge. And the other anarthas, including inattention or whatever, they were removed by sadhana itself. We have anartha nivrtti. But, if we do not follow to the best of our ability the practice, then those anarthas also will very, very slowly be destroyed.
So, the definition of sadhana bhakti is to engage the senses, to use the senses and the mind to attain bhava. But, if we do the activities with no goal of bhava, then what happens [Laughs]? So, we get something, but we don’t get bhava [Laughs]. And of course, the basic, the bigger definition, along with the sadhana, is uttama bhakti itself, which means Krishna anusilanam. So, if we are not attempting to establish and cultivate a relationship with Krishna favorably and we are just doing the activities, the effect is much less.
4.) Hare Krishna Maharaj. Maharaj, when we, in the initial stages when we came into the movement, somehow or other, because of our own deficiencies, we did not quite understand that we have to do our sadhana with a certain mood. So, it started with the mechanical way of doing it. And it has become habituated over a period of time, that even though we do read, we do get the knowledge, but still the habit doesn’t allow the sadhana to reach a level with a certain amount of mood. It continues to be mechanical. So, what could be a possible solution? Because it is a habit cultivated over a long period of time, how to get rid of this?
Well as Krishna advices in Bhagavad Gita, second chapter mind is uncontrolled this and that what is the solution “abhyasa” [Laughs]… But of course you say, I’m doing the abhyasa, I’m chanting every day. But then we see correct abhyasa. So then you have to do a different type of practice, and that will destroy the whole [Not clear]. There is a material example. And you have a village, and across many miles away we have another village. And between the villages there is forest. And over ages people have gone from one village to another, and they make a path through the forest. So everybody follows the path. Actually the path is not a very good path. And it’s going winding this way and that way and whatever, and it takes you a long time. And if we just diagram the two villages and draw a straight line, you can get there in twice the less time [Laughs]. Instead of three hours, you take one hour to walk from one village to another. But there is no path. So to make the new path is going to take a lot of work. So most people can’t be bothered. They just take the old path and keep them on the old path [Laughs]. But if someone is really inspired to save time, etc., then he’ll sacrifice time and effort and start going out a different path, and cut down the weeds and cut down the trees, etc., and try to make a new path. And eventually he makes a new path.
Once the new path is established, then very easily you walk very quickly. So the lesson we learn is that it takes effort to break out of habits. So the process is to break the old habit by establishing a new habit. But establishing a new habit takes some work. And if we’re too lazy, we don’t want to do the work. Just go on the old path [Laughs].
5.) Hare Krishna Maharaj. Do all the rasas exist in the same planet of Goloka Vrindavan? And do devotees of different rasas see Krishna in different age and different forms? Example, does Mother Yasoda always see Krishna in His baby form?
So it is impossible for us to understand the spiritual world from our material point of view. So all the pastimes are eternal. All the rasas are eternal. All the characters involved in the rasa are eternal. So that gives rise to a material contradiction. How can Krishna’s childhood pastimes be eternally going on in the spiritual world when He is also Pauganda age and Kaishora age [Laughs]? So the nature of Krishna, He does what nobody else can do. And thus, all the devotees in the spiritual world are completely satisfied with pastimes suitable for their rasa, and they’re all eternal.
Devotees: Grantharaj Srimad Bhagavatam ki jai!!! HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj ki jai!!! Srila Prabhupada ki jai!!! Nitai Gaura Premanande Hari Haribol!!!