Srimad Bhagavatam – 10.9.4~5 | HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj | ISKCON Chennai | Oct 28, 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 4-5.
ŚB 10.9.4
तां स्तन्यकाम आसाद्य मथ्नन्तीं जननीं हरि: ।
गृहीत्वा दधिमन्थानं न्यषेधत् प्रीतिमावहन् ॥ ४ ॥
tāṁ stanya-kāma āsādya
mathnantīṁ jananīṁ hariḥ
gṛhītvā dadhi-manthānaṁ
nyaṣedhat prītim āvahan
Synonyms
tām — unto mother Yaśodā; stanya–kāmaḥ — Kṛṣṇa, who was desiring to drink her breast milk; āsādya — appearing before her; mathnantīm — while she was churning butter; jananīm — to the mother; hariḥ — Kṛṣṇa; gṛhītvā — catching; dadhi–manthānam — the churning rod; nyaṣedhat — forbade; prītim āvahan — creating a situation of love and affection.
Translation
While mother Yaśodā was churning butter, Lord Kṛṣṇa, desiring to drink the milk of her breast, appeared before her, and in order to increase her transcendental pleasure, He caught hold of the churning rod and began to prevent her from churning.
Purport
Kṛṣṇa was sleeping within the room, and as soon as He got up, He became hungry and went to His mother. Wanting to stop her from churning and drink the milk of her breasts, He stopped her from moving the churning rod.
Text 5
Translation
Mother Yaśodā then embraced Kṛṣṇa, allowed Him to sit down on her lap, and began to look upon the face of the Lord with great love and affection. Because of her intense affection, milk was flowing from her breast. But when she saw that the milk pan on the oven was boiling over, she immediately left her son to take care of the overflowing milk, although the child was not yet fully satisfied with drinking the milk of His mother’s breast.
Purport
Everything in the household affairs of mother Yaśodā was meant for Kṛṣṇa. Although Kṛṣṇa was drinking the breast milk of mother Yaśodā, when she saw that the milk pan in the kitchen was overflowing, she had to take care of it immediately, and thus she left her son, who then became very angry, not having been fully satisfied with drinking the milk of her breast. Sometimes one must take care of more than one item of important business for the same purpose. Therefore mother Yaśodā was not unjust when she left her son to take care of the overflowing milk. On the platform of love and affection, it is the duty of the devotee to do one thing first and other things later. The proper intuition by which to do this is given by Kṛṣṇa.
teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ
bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam
dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ taṁ
yena mām upayānti te
(Bg. 10.10)
In Kṛṣṇa consciousness, everything is dynamic. Kṛṣṇa guides the devotee in what to do first and what to do next on the platform of absolute truth.
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj:
So here we see that Mother Yasoda was churning the yogurt into butter in order to satisfy Krishna. We also see that Krishna wanted to be satisfied by drinking Mother Yasoda’s breast milk. And we also see that Mother Yasoda was boiling milk on the fire in order to prepare something for Krishna. So all of her actions are ultimately meant for pleasing Krishna. So of course we can say, churning the yogurt into butter and boiling the milk on the fire is indirect, its not directly Krishna is pleased by that but after that what she does with the product is what pleases Krishna. Nevertheless, both acts are ultimately to please Krishna. And Mother Yasoda has no selfish motive in doing these actions. A direct pleasure to Krishna is given by feeding Krishna her breast milk. Which is better, the direct one or the indirect service? So it is difficult to decide because they are all absolute. And in the case of Mother Yasoda, all the indirect actions will lead to direct service to Krishna also.
So this was a rather unique case where Mother Yasoda had to decide. Should I continue the direct service of feeding Krishna or I do the indirect service of boiling the milk on the fire? So she chose the indirect service, taking the milk off the fire. So was it wrong for her to do so? And ultimately we can say no. But Krishna became angry. He didn’t think it was proper.
So which is a stronger case, Krishna’s desire or Mother Yasoda’s desire? So of course Krishna thinks, I am right, Mother Yasoda is wrong. And Mother Yasoda was thinking, no, I am right to take the milk off the fire. So here we see some disagreement between Krishna and his devotee. So because this is on the spiritual level, then nobody is right and nobody is wrong. It is all right. But such situations give rise to sweetness in the pastimes.
So our general definition of bhakti may be, we do things that please Krishna. In this case, Mother Yasoda did something that didn’t please Krishna. So therefore, was she doing bhakti or not? Krishna became angry. So if we define bhakti as doing things that please Krishna, yeah, she was not doing bhakti. But Mother Yasoda is a nitya-siddha devotee and she is always doing bhakti. So there is a contradiction. So this contradiction is solved by redefining pure bhakti. So pure bhakti is not defined as just pleasing Krishna, but pure bhakti is defined as doing actions with the intention of pleasing Krishna. And thus, Mother Yasoda’s putting Krishna down and taking the milk off the fire is still pure bhakti. Though Krishna was not pleased [Laughs].
Of course, we can take another example. Narasimhadeva fought with Hiranyakasipu. Hiranyakasipu was not doing that as a service to Krishna [Laughs]. He hated the Supreme Lord. But Narasimhadeva was very pleased. He took great joy in fighting with Hiranyakasipu and killing him. So that’s an example of an act pleasing the Lord even though it’s not done with any good intentions [Laughs] and it’s not Bhakti.
So we cannot measure Bhakti by whether Krishna is pleased or displeased but rather with the intention of the devotee to please Krishna. Of course we can also ask the question, well if Mother Yasoda is an eternal devotee always pleasing Krishna, why would Krishna become displeased or angry? And thus the answer is no. He can never be displeased. So what is his anger then? So it’s obviously not material anger. So within the spiritual world of course everything is based upon devotion. However we will find that within that devotion there are counter waves. We see the big waves of the ocean. There are little waves that seem to go in the opposite direction.
So within the general emotions, positive emotions which may be Vatsalya in the case of Mother Yasoda or within Krishna receiving that affection we will see counter waves. So these are temporary emotions which give variety to the main positive emotion. So Krishna may become angry but it is temporary. Mother Yasoda may get angry at Krishna for breaking the yogurt pot, that’s also temporary. And ultimately both of these types of anger are there to also express their affection. So these are called vyabhichari bhavas, temporary emotions. And sometimes the acts of devotion will seem to incur opposite response. Krishna getting angry, Mother Yasoda getting angry. But all these temporary emotions are there to ultimately increase the bliss. So therefore this anger of Krishna is a temporary phenomenon.
In the material world anger is based upon lust. And lust is based upon one’s material identity. In the spiritual world there is no material identity, there is no lust, there is no anger. So therefore this display of anger etc. are there to facilitate the pastimes in the spiritual world. So in this case Mother Yasoda chose to take the milk off the fire. And then Krishna became angry. So this eventually produced this pastime of Mother Yasoda attempting to tie up Krishna. So here we have these temporary emotions acting within the broader arrangement of pastimes. So the arrangement for pastimes takes place through the Lord’s Lila Shakti. And the Lila Shakti acts in such a way that nobody is really aware of how, what she is doing.
So this whole pastime is not something that everybody knew would take place. It is something which was arranged by Lila Shakti and then it just happened [Laughs]. Of course we know that all the pastimes are eternal. So this pastime is without beginning and end. And thus it will take place in every day of Brahma. But then if it takes place every day, everybody is already going to know. Mother Yasoda is going to know what is going to happen, Krishna is going to know what happened. It is no longer a pastime [Laughs]. So therefore Yogamaya acts. Just as Mahamaya covers everybody so they lose awareness, so Yogamaya does the same thing. But Yogamaya is also part of the internal energy of Krishna, spiritual energy. So this Maya or hiding things, making people forget etc. is there for pastimes.
And thus the pastime of the Damodar Lila is ever fresh. So though it is eternal and it is constantly repeated, it is never the same. And this goes for all the other pastimes that are described in the Bhagavatam. They are all eternal but they are always ever fresh. And this takes place through the agency of Yogamaya.And the whole basis of this Yogamaya’s acting in this way is to facilitate the pastimes and thus increase spiritual bliss for the devotees.
In the material world of course we cannot always claim we are under Yoga-maya. Since we are doing Sadhana we may be influenced by Maha-maya. And thus we can make mistakes. Still because we are practicing Bhakti we also have the internal Shakti working. And in this verse that Srila Prabhupada quotes he says that the Lord gives intelligence to the devotee by which he can advance in his devotion. So though we are still influenced by Mahamaya since we are just coming out of the material world, at the same time because we are practicing Bhakti we can get spiritual intelligence from Krishna.
So in this verse Krishna says I give, dadami, I give the intelligence. So Krishna is personally involved in the advancement of the devotee. And thus though devotees may make mistakes, Krishna also says that even if you have done the most abominable activity, you are still my devotee. So this distinguishes the process of Bhakti from Jnana and Yoga and Karma Yoga which are material processes. Certainly they are related to Krishna but indirectly. But Bhakti Yoga does not arise from the Gunas. It arises from Krishna’s internal energy, swarupa Shakti. And Krishna is intimately connected with his internal energy, that is why it is called internal energy. And thus Krishna is intimately involved with all people who practice Bhakti. So Krishna is there to inspire us and protect us. And in this particular Bhagavad Gita verse Krishna says I also give you intelligence.
So in other words Krishna helps us make proper decisions when we have to choose. But he is not giving us intelligence to make material decisions so we can advance in the material world. He is doing it so we can advance in devotional service. And thus he says by that intelligence they will come to me, mam upayanti. In other words he is interested in their spiritual advancement. So in this way even for devotees who are not on the highest level, Krishna is involved in their advancement. But if one is on the highest level of Bhakti then of course we will expect the Supreme Lord to give everything to the devotee. And thus we see that Krishna is willing to get tied up by Mother Yasoda. So we cannot expect that devotees doing Sadhana Bhakti can tie up Krishna. But if they have great devotion like Mother Yasoda, yes anything is possible. So that is the power of Bhakti Yoga.
Hare Krishna !
Q&A:
1.) Hare Krishna Maharaj. Maharaj, this point that intention to please Krishna irrespective of whether Krishna is pleased or not. So this principle we can see clearly in the spiritual world applies. But in the material world, the intent may or may not be pure. So how this principle applies in this material world?
Because in the material world we are doing Sadhana Bhakti, we cannot expect perfection. But at least we can aim for perfection. And if we don’t know what that perfection is, then obviously we can’t aim for it [Laughs]. So therefore in the beginning of Bhakti we are given knowledge. And so then we have a definition of what is pure Bhakti. And that pure Bhakti is literally performed in Prema. And thus in Bhava or in Sadhana there is going to be some fault. Nevertheless, it is better to practice with a fault than practice with not knowing anything and with no goal at all [Laughs]. So by practicing with knowledge of what is the proper goal and the proper pure intention, at least eventually we can get to that goal. And if we don’t have knowledge of what is that pure goal of pure Bhakti, then we can’t even get it ever. So that is why in the performance of Bhakti then we need some preliminary knowledge.
So we have to have knowledge of the goal and we don’t immediately have the goal, we have to strive to attain that goal. But ultimately the goal and the means to get the goal are the same thing, Bhakti [Laughs]. So to distinguish them, we say one is Prema and one is Sadhana Bhakti [Laughs]. But the same general definition for both [Laughs].
2.) Maharaj, you were explaining how the pastimes are ever fresh because of the influence of Yogamaya. And so pastimes are similar but the awareness is not there and therefore they remain ever fresh. Maharaj, something similar in the material world, we have so many same experiences in previous lifetimes. But we don’t have memories of those experiences and even in this life we forget many of the experiences. And we want to experience it again and again. Srila Prabhupada explains it as chewing the chewed and there is no taste in it. So it seems to be very similar.
So the function of Mahamaya and Yogamaya is similar. So both act to cover the Jiva. However, of course, the goal is different [Laughs]. And ultimately the goal is based upon the desire of the Jiva. And so Jivas in the material world desire to enjoy separately from the Lord. So Mahamaya acts to keep covering them over so they can do that [Laughs]. But the Jivas in the spiritual world are motivated simply to please Krishna completely. So whenever Yogamaya acts to cover the Jivas, it is for that purpose.
3.) Maharaj you mentioned that pastimes are eternal, the Damodar lila, mother Yasodha tying Krishna, eternal means like now you are mentioning that once in a day of Brahma. But also we know that when we remember Krishna, like Krishna is present. So there is no difference between remembering and… So if I remembering the past time of the Damodar lila, is it that lila is happening now? Is it that eternal means what? Like is it only once in a day? How do we understand that?
So every past time is a series of actions. Each action has a beginning and an end. And then the past time consists of a whole series of those actions together. So the past time is eternal and each action in the past time is eternal, no beginning and no end. From our material point of view, the past time has a beginning and an end. And each part of the past time has a beginning and an end. So how is that possible? So that whole concept of beginning and end is part of our material conditioning. And everything in the spiritual world has no beginning and end because everything is eternal. So each past time, each sub-part of the past time and sub-sub-part of the past time is also eternal. Which looks very inconceivable to us [laughs]. It is also described that Krishna performs a past time Damodar lila and immediately he performs one action in the past time. It is also performed in another universe, another universe, another universe, another universe, another universe. So every sub-part is continually performed somewhere. So in that way, each past time is eternal because it is continually being performed. And of course, if there is no material world and the material world is destroyed, it is still continually performed in the spiritual world [Laughs]. However, by the influence of Yoga Maya and the lila Shakti, then they seem to have a beginning and end in the spiritual world.
4.) Maharaj you mentioned that in case of Mother Yashoda our intention is to please Krishna so whether it is direct or indirect they are of the same type. But in Bhagavat gita 12th chapter in bhakti yoga, Krishna describes that one who is constantly thinking of me is in the higher stage if you can’t do it give up the results in this way He keeps on going into multi-levels. So direct, like indirect service, how do we understand indirect service is similar to direct service or is it separate?
So in the spiritual world, everything is absolute and ultimately we don’t distinguish between indirect and direct service. But some actions lead to other actions, lead to other actions, which then directly please Krishna. So then we say that’s an indirect service [Laughs]. So Mother Yasoda cooks food. Then she feeds it to Krishna. Then there is a direct interaction with Krishna. Krishna is pleased. But cooking the food itself is also there and if she doesn’t cook the food, she can’t offer it to Krishna [Laughs]. So the cooking the food we say is indirect and feeding Krishna is direct. But in one sense, they are absolute.
5.) Maharaj. Hiranyakashyapu, you mentioned like his intentions were also not to please Krishna. So then is it part of devotional service?
No
6.) Maharaj, we know that the spiritual world is filled with varieties and Krishna is unlimited. Then why to perform the same pastime again and again, Maharaj?
Well, we may think it’s the same pastime, but for them it isn’t [Laughs]. It’s a new pastime [Laughs] . So in the spiritual world, things are quite different. So Krishna is always Krishna, but He looks completely new all the time you see Him. And Krishna has daily pastimes, going out in the field, herding the cows, milking the cows, but it’s always different.
7.) Maharaj, one devotee comes to temple and brings some offerings for the Lord, some raw materials and let’s say the pujari cooks it. And there is some problem in the cooking and then it goes waste. So it is not offered to Krishna. Similarly, suppose someone gives donation and there is some construction going on and a room is constructed. But later the team found out that there is some problem in this and then they altogether demolish the room. And the whole thing is probably again constructed. So in both the cases, someone brought it and he brought it in a good intention, he gave it in a good intention, but ultimately it didn’t reach to the Krishna or it didn’t reach to the devotees. So some people say, Maharaj, that anyway this money was impure or his mood was impure, so Krishna didn’t accept it. So how do we understand? Krishna didn’t accept it or this little bit acceptance, construction. I mean to say, how do we know that Krishna accepted it or it was not in the pure form, so Krishna didn’t accept it?
In Bhagavad Gita, Krishna says, you offer me a leaf or fruit or flower, but with devotion. And even if the flower is faulty, if it has devotion, Krishna accepts it. Of course, everything in the material world is faulty [Laughs]. Even the most perfect flower is faulty. It is material, it is not spiritual [Laughs]. So ultimately, even if you don’t offer anything, but you have the intention of offering and you may offer in your mind, Krishna accepts that. So, in the material world, of course, things are subject to fault. The offering is subject to fault and whatever so many problems are there. But the main thing is the intention of the person offering it. So, it is the bhakti that the Lord accepts. And we don’t give so much regard for the actual material item.
8.) Maharaj, in our process of devotion, we see anarthas are gradually eradicated. Anarthas are gradually eradicated. So, in my personal case, Maharaj, some anarthas are taking a long time. So, long time means I have been praying intensively also and whatever little service we are doing and chanting, but it is not going. So, we have to be patient or there is something more I have to do.
So, of course, with the progress of devotional service, anartha nivritti takes place. Our main goal is not to see destruction of anarthas, but to see the increase of the bhakti. So, by increasing the bhakti, automatically the anarthas will go. So, that should be our concentration, increasing the quality of our devotion.
9.) Hare Krishna Maharaj. You said that everything in the material world is faulty and it is actually the devotions which Lord accepts then why do we observe the contamination period and we are not supposed to offer things during the contaminated period if death has happened and something like that. That time also the bhakti would remain the same so, why offering is not happening?
So, of course, in Karma yoga, Jñāna yoga, Aṣṭāṅga yoga, the consideration of impurity in terms of material things is very prominent. And some of that continues into vaidhi bhakti and into the process of archana. And, of course, the reasoning is that impurity of body in place, etc., are obstacles for proper performance, purity of mind, etc. So we have, on the other hand, we have nama sankirtana, and nama is no rules [Laughs], pure, impure. So impure, physical impurity or pure, you can do impure mind or pure mind internally, also you can do. So, the less powerful the process, the more we have some external rules to guide us. And if we have the most powerful process, nama sankirtana, then there is much less regard for those rules.
10.) Thank you, Maharaj. Yesterday we heard that the sadhaka who is doing vaidhi sadhana bhakti may go to Mathura or Dwarka and not to Vrindavan. So, Maharaj, my question is that if a sadhaka’s desire is to go to Vrindavan, but because of the vaidhi sadhana bhakti he can reach only Mathura or Dwarka, so would that person be lamenting in Mathura or Dwarka if he reaches the perfectional stage?
So the goals are determined by our sadhana. So, you may have a desire to go to Vrindavan and serve Krishna there. But, if your sadhana is largely determined by rules and regulations, then you will go to a place where Krishna is full of rules and regulations. So, the amount of rules and regulations may be Mathura, Dwaraka or Aishwarya Goloka [Laughs].
11.) Is Yoga Maya an expansion of Hladini Shakti?
So, because Yoga Maya is dealing with knowledge and covering knowledge, it is more with the Samvit Shakti.
12.) Hare Krishna Maharaj. When the Lord says, if someone commits a serious fault, even then he is my devotee. Does it apply only to Uttama Adhikaris or does it apply to Kanistha and Madhyam Adhikaris also?
So, an Uttama Adhikari would not commit any faults [Laughs]. And the Kanistha is not really considered a devotee. He is Vaishnava praya. These are persons who worship the Lord by the conception of Krishna, maybe he is a Devata or whatever. We don’t know what his conception is. So, mainly it is applying to the Madhyama.
13.) Are those who have reached the level of Prema are not affected by Maha maya and will they always be under the influence of Yoga Maya Maharaj?
If they are in Prema then there is no influence of Mahamaya.
14.) Maharaj, does Shyamasundar Krishna, directly involves in the life of a sadhaka as supreme Lord or through His expansions. As we know, Shyamasundar Krishna is always with Gopis and only Vishnu involves in the material world activities through Balarama?
So, for devotees in the material world, of course, Krishna is not directly doing everything. But nevertheless, he is also not doing it through expansions. So, therefore, because we worship Krishna, we are establishing a personal relationship with Krishna, not with Paramatma or anything else. So, as this particular verse states in Bhagavad Gita, he acts by giving you intelligence. He may not show his form to you, but at least He inspires your intelligence.
Devotees: Grantharaj Srimad Bhagavatam ki jai!!! HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj ki jai!!! Srila Prabhupada ki jai!!! Nitai Gaura Premanande Hari Haribol!!!