Srimad Bhagavatam 10.9.3 | HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj | ISKCON Chennai | 27 October 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 3.
ŚB 10.9.3
क्षौमं वास: पृथुकटितटे बिभ्रती सूत्रनद्धं
पुत्रस्नेहस्नुतकुचयुगं जातकम्पं च सुभ्रू: ।
रज्ज्वाकर्षश्रमभुजचलत्कङ्कणौ कुण्डले च
स्विन्नं वक्त्रं कबरविगलन्मालती निर्ममन्थ ॥ ३ ॥
kṣaumaṁ vāsaḥ pṛthu-kaṭi-taṭe bibhratī sūtra-naddhaṁ
putra-sneha-snuta-kuca-yugaṁ jāta-kampaṁ ca subhrūḥ
rajjv-ākarṣa-śrama-bhuja-calat-kaṅkaṇau kuṇḍale ca
svinnaṁ vaktraṁ kabara-vigalan-mālatī nirmamantha
Synonyms
kṣaumam — saffron and yellow mixed; vāsaḥ — mother Yaśodā was wearing such a sari; pṛthu-kaṭi-taṭe — surrounding her large hips; bibhratī — shaking; sūtra-naddham — bound with a belt; putra-sneha-snuta — because of intense love for her child, became wet with milk; kuca-yugam — the nipples of her breasts; jāta-kampam ca — as they were very nicely moving and quivering; su-bhrūḥ — who had very beautiful eyebrows; rajju-ākarṣa — by pulling on the rope of the churning rod; śrama — because of the labor; bhuja — on whose hands; calat-kaṅkaṇau — the two bangles were moving; kuṇḍale — the two earrings; ca — also; svinnam — her hair was black like a cloud, so perspiration was dropping like rain; vaktram — throughout her face; kabara-vigalat-mālatī — and mālatī flowers were dropping from her hair; nirmamantha — thus mother Yaśodā was churning the butter.
Translation
Dressed in a saffron-yellow sari, with a belt tied about her full hips, mother Yaśodā pulled on the churning rope, laboring considerably, her bangles and earrings moving and vibrating and her whole body shaking. Because of her intense love for her child, her breasts were wet with milk. Her face, with its very beautiful eyebrows, was wet with perspiration, and mālatī flowers were falling from her hair.
Purport
Anyone who desires to be Kṛṣṇa conscious in motherly affection or parental affection should contemplate the bodily features of mother Yaśodā. It is not that one should desire to become like Yaśodā, for this is Māyāvāda. Either in parental affection or conjugal love, friendship or servitorship — in any way — we must follow in the footsteps of the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana, not try to become like them. Therefore this description is provided here. Advanced devotees must cherish this description, always thinking of mother Yaśodā’s features — how she was dressed, how she was working and perspiring, how beautifully the flowers were arranged in her hair, and so on. One should take advantage of the full description provided here by thinking of mother Yaśodā in maternal affection for Kṛṣṇa.
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj:
So here we a description of Yasoda, a great devotee of Krishna. Normally of course, we see descriptions of the Supreme Lord. And in our meditation, we meditate upon the form of the Lord. And of course, the very definition of bhakti is Krishna anusilanam, cultivate relation with Krishna. Of course, when we say cultivate a relationship with Krishna, that also means any form of the Lord. However our Acharyas also say, this also means not just Krishna and other avataras etc but devotees. So we can sing about Krishna. We can sing about His devotees. We can meditate on Krishna. We can meditate on His devotees. So that is very natural because we can never separate the Lord from His devotees. And in bhakti we are aspiring to become the eternal servant of the Lord. So we can meditate on the master Krishna but we can also meditate on the devotees who are serving Him. And for this reason in the scriptures we have ample descriptions and praises of the devotees of the Lord.
In Nectar of Devotion, it describes rasa. We have five primary rasas. And the first item of rasa of five items is called vibhava. And this refers to the personalities involved in the rasa. And this vibhava has two parts to it. Obviously one is Krishna. The other is the devotee. And by the interaction between the devotee and Krishna, the devotee experiences rasa. So therefore we have descriptions of the Lord but we also have descriptions of the devotee. And this is more particular in the definition of Raganuga Bhakti. So Raganuga means, anuga means to follow after. So we follow after the mood of the inhabitants of Vrindavan. So in other words we meditate upon the devotees in spiritual Vrindavan and we aspire to have a similar mood.
In the purport that is mentioned here that we are not trying to become Yasoda but we follow after them. By following after them we manifest similar qualities. Of course, we can never separate Yasoda from Krishna. So if we are aspiring for serving Krishna in Vatsalya rasa then we follow after Yasoda and Nanda. And that means that we will contemplate and meditate and hear about the activities of Nanda and Yasoda. And their activities are service to Krishna.
In this case we see Yasoda is serving Krishna by churning the yogurt into butter. So we can meditate on how these particular devotees like Yasoda is doing service to Krishna. However not only the activity is important, the very form of the devotee is important. So if you want to develop Sakhya rasa, you cannot meditate on Yasoda. You have to meditate on a cowherd boy of similar age as Krishna, serving Krishna. And in many descriptions of the rasas then of course, we will see descriptions of Krishna but we also have descriptions of the devotee in Sakhya rasa or Vatsalya rasa or Madhurya rasa.
So meditating on that particular service of that particular devotee whether it is Gopi or cowherd boy or elder like Yasoda then eventually we assume forms like that and we serve in Vatsalya rasa, Sakhya rasa or Madhurya rasa. So the activity and the mood and the form are all important. And thus here we have a description of the form of Mother Yasoda. And in other places of course we will also see descriptions of her form. Of course, we will also see descriptions of Krishna in His childhood form. And in later chapters when Krishna goes into Pauganda period we will see descriptions of Krishna at that age and we will see descriptions of the cowherd boys at that age and we will see descriptions of the cowherd boy activities. And as we go further into the 10th canto from chapter 25 onwards then we will see descriptions of Krishna in Kaishora age and descriptions of the Gopis and their activities and mood. So all of this information is provided in the Bhagavatam so that we can begin to follow after these particular inhabitants of Vrindavan.
So I mentioned about the activities. So the activities are also a component of rasa. Obviously if we have a loving relationship with Krishna that is expressed through activities of service. Of course all the devotees in Vrindavan are serving Krishna and there are some common activities. So in the previous verse we saw that what was Yasoda doing? She was singing. So similarly the cowherd boys are singing about Krishna and glorifying His pastimes of killing demons and the Gopis are also singing about Krishna. But we also have unique activities for each rasa.
So here we find some unique activity of mother Yasoda. So she is churning the yogurt. Of course even the Gopis churn yogurt [Laughs]. But we don’t see the cowherd boys churn yogurt [Laughs]. So that is a little special [Laughs]. However we also see that there is milk flowing from her breast. So this is a particular sattvika bhava which is special for Vatsalya rasa. So in various rasas we find involuntary symptoms of ecstasy like crying and fainting etc. But Vatsalya rasa is very particular, that is milk flowing from the breast and that sattvika bhava does not occur in any other rasa. Of course, this is a by-product of her affection for Krishna as a mother.
So mother Yasoda has particular activities, particular sattvika bhavas etc and also a particular appearance. So that is described here. She has on her cloth and her belt, her earrings etc. And because of her efforts in churning the yogurt into butter, the jasmine flowers are falling from her hair. In other instances we will see Yasoda doing other activities or anubhavas which are special for Vatsalya. So she bathes Krishna in the morning and she dresses Him. And she cooks and serves Krishna food. So these are we can say natural activities of a mother. So in this way mother Yasoda is described doing the activities which are typical of Vatsalya rasa.
So all of these descriptions give a good idea to an aspiring devotee who is inclined to Vatsalya rasa. So of course we are following, we are not imitating. We are not trying to become mother Yasoda, we are following after her as a servant of mother Yasoda [Laughs]. So this obviously we can do in our mind. And thus smaranam or dhyana is an important element in Raganuga bhakti. At the same time we do have our external body. So should we imitate in our external body also? And the answer is no. We don’t imitate using our physical body. So our Acharyas indicate another activity. That is we follow after the inhabitants of Vrindavan such as Rupa Goswami [Laughs].
So in other words the Goswamis in their so called physical bodies were acting like devotees, not like mother Yasoda or Gopis [Laughs]. So like normal devotees they are doing sravanam, kirtanam, archanam, things like that. But those external activities are in cooperation with their internal meditation. So in this way there is no contradiction. So the sadhaka rupa, that’s the external form, and the internal form, the siddha rupa, are going along together in the same direction. So in this way the devotee is practicing anuga, following after, in both bodies. And this is the way in which one can actually assume that spiritual body in the spiritual world. And to assist that, then the Bhagavatam gives us descriptions that we can use the forms of the devotees and the activities of the devotees.
So in this description we see that mother Yasoda was perspiring and her flowers or jasmine were falling from her hair. So she was putting forth great effort. Consequently she was also perspiring. Now technically, how can you get tired in the spiritual world? But we can also say, how do you get hungry? Like Krishna gets hungry. So all of these are not material tiredness and material hunger, etc. They are all expressions of devotion.
So mother Yasoda’s efforts are there and they express her devotion. And she is willing to exert herself in order to make the butter. And in fact, srama or fatigue is one of the vyabhichari bhavas. Vyabhichari bhava is another aspect of rasa. So we have all these descriptions to show the great devotion of mother Yasoda. And through all of this, of course, all of this effort is there because she sees Krishna as her child.
I mentioned yesterday that Vasudeva and Devaki also have Vatsalya rasa. So they see Krishna as their child but simultaneously they see Him as Supreme Lord. And thus we don’t see descriptions of Devaki churning [Laughs] yogurt into butter and perspiring, etc [Laughs]. So the Vatsalya in Vrindavan is most intense. And it is most intense because it is unimpeded by this perception of Krishna as Supreme Lord.
So this particular description shows that she is very eager to make the butter to feed Krishna. And the more one is affected by seeing Krishna as Supreme Lord, the more that eagerness disappears. So when we see Krishna as Supreme Lord, then He is the controller of everything. He is beyond all material characteristics like fatigue or hunger, etc. So then the devotee who has such conception of the Lord will ask, why does He have to eat at all? Because He owns everything and He is without hunger, fear, etc [Laughs]. So therefore the mood of Vatsalya, if it is there but it’s mixed with aishwarya becomes much weaker.
Hare Krishna!
Q&A:
1) Hare Krishna Maharaj. Maharaj, when we speak about Raganuga Bhakti, devotees generally suggest that Raganuga stage will automatically come. But we see it is also a practice and it is not a promotional stage after Vaidhi Sadhana Bhakti. I mean if you do Vaidhi Sadhana Bhakti good, you can promote to Raganuga. It is not like that. It is also a sadhana stage. So in that way on which stage should a devotee should practice Raganuga? Is it after Nistha or in early stage also?
So Vaidhi Bhakti and Raganuga Bhakti are two types of sadhana bhakti. And they both lead to bhava and prema. But they are different so therefore the result is also different in prema. If you start in Vaidhi Bhakti you can continue in Vaidhi Bhakti and you can realize Krishna through Vaidhi Bhakti also. So it doesn’t necessarily mean that Vaidhi Bhakti suddenly turns into Raganuga Bhakti. However, the practice of Raganuga depends on the qualification. And the qualification is intense greed to follow after the inhabitants of Vrindavan. And if one doesn’t have that greed the only other alternative is Vaidhi Bhakti. So therefore if one has no greed one does Vaidhi Bhakti until one develops that greed whenever that is. That may develop in Anartha-nivritti, Nistha, Ruchi or Asakthi and it could do anywhere. So in other words it’s not that automatically it just happens. The greed will have to be, somehow take place.
What is the cause? So one cause of course is Sravanam. If we hear about the pastimes of Krishna in Vrindavan then we have more inclination [Laughs]. And if we choose to hear about the pastimes of Krishna in Dwaraka instead then likely we are not going to ever develop that greed. And the other cause of course is the mercy of devotees that have that greed.
2) Hare Krishna Maharaj. Maharaj, we can understand that Raganuga Bhakti is, we aspiring for a specific mood of Vrajavasi and we are trying to do Bhakti and attain or assume that kind of a form. But then we also say that we must be ready to serve the Lord if the Lord wants me to serve in hell. So it looks like there are two different things. One is my desire which is to attain some kind of spiritual form of Vrajavasi and then there is Lord’s desire. So it kind of doesn’t sit well together. So how do we understand this?
So we have a sadhana which is pure bhakti without other desires. It has to have a goal. So if we say I will do pure bhakti but I don’t want any goal, [Laughs] that’s what we get [Laughs]. So therefore we define pure bhakti but we have sadhana which will progress to bhava and to prema. So we can say well we have a desire for prema so therefore there are other desires and our bhakti is not pure anymore [Laughs]. But no, that desire is simply for the purest form of bhakti, that’s all. So there is no contradiction. So therefore we cannot separate a particular goal from our sadhana and the more particular the goal is, the more likely we are to achieve it. And the more general it is, the more general the result is. But in that desire to get the goal, we are not aspiring for independently same body, same planet, etc. etc. Salokya, Sarshti etc., And thus the devotee expresses himself, I can serve you in heaven or hell, it doesn’t really matter. So as long as he can remember the lord and advance in his bhakti, fine.
3) Hare Krishna Maharaj. Maharaj, you said that once we know that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then the intensity of the bhava, like Yasoda has high intensity of Vatsalya compared to Devaki because Devaki knows that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When we come to ISKCON, we are introduced to Krishna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead first and foremost. So how do we practice in such a way that we get that intense bhava because first we are getting the Aishwarya Jnana. How to understand that?
So at the very beginning of bhakti, we need some basic knowledge which we call Sambanda jnan. We have to distinguish a Supreme Lord from a Jiva from matter, etc. If we don’t, we don’t go anywhere. So our definition of bhakti is Krishna Anusilanam. We are aspiring to cultivate a relationship with Krishna which is purely spiritual. And if we don’t think Krishna is a spiritual being, then our whole sadhana is useless. And if we don’t accept and have faith in the fact that He is Supreme, then there is no question of establishing a relationship with Him at all.
Why should we do any sadhana? So our faith and our performance of bhakti is based upon some knowledge. However, at the same time, then we do have a choice. And if we choose to associate with Krishna in the spiritual world and Vraja in the spiritual world, then we have to begin to concentrate not on the power of Krishna which is still there, but on His sweetness. If we are attracted to Krishna more because of His powerful nature, then of course we don’t go to Vrindavan at all [Laughs]. So based on our initial knowledge of Krishna as God and we are Jivas, etc., then if we get inspired to follow the devotees of Krishna in Vrindavan, then we don’t think about that. We think more about cultivating the sweetness of the relationship.
4) Hare Krishna Maharaj. So Maharaj, we heard that sadhana can be of two types, Vaidhi and Raganuga, and then after that is Bhava and Prema. So going by the description, it feels Maharaj that Vaidhi Bhava and Prema, the result would be inferior than Raganuga Bhava and Prema?
Yeah. So of course Vaidhi bhakti means dependence on rules and regulations. And we cultivate the idea that Krishna is Supreme Lord. So we can continue that way and we can have Bhava and Prema. We can realize Krishna. But because of the dependence on rules and regulations, our relationship will not be so spontaneous. And it will be mixed with Krishna as a powerful Supreme Lord. And therefore you go to Mathura or Dwaraka instead.
Devotee: But Maharaj, we want to go to Vrindavan.
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj: Then you have to do Raganuga. This is the conclusion of Chaitanya Caritamrita [Laughs]. You see, that’s what Lord Chaitanya says [Laughs].
5) But so Maharaj, the whole process which we learn in ISKCON is Vaidhi. So how will we do Raganuga?
So as I said, you cannot practice Raganuga unless you have that greed. So in the beginning, most devotees won’t have that greed. So therefore they have no option but to do Vaidhi bhakti. But one of the factors in developing that greed is to hear the pastimes of Krishna and Vrindavan from Bhagavatam. So if you begin to develop more attraction for these pastimes and develop a greed to follow after the devotees, then you become qualified.
Devotee: So that means a person switches from Vaidhi to Raganuga if he develops that greed.
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj: Yeah. One could start with Raganuga as we see in the case of Vallabha Sampradaya. The whole thing is Raganuga. It’s called the Pushti Marga, Raganuga. So they start with Raganuga there.
6) Maharaj, so if we observe another devotee practicing, how do we know that it is intense greed or that person is a sahajiya? Like I met one person in Uchhagau, Lalita Sakhi’s village and she was a doctor from Mumbai but she had moved there to Uchhagau and she was doing this Jadu Seva in the Dham because she was told that that is her Siddha–swaroop. So how do I understand that that is intense greed or sahajiya?
So we may not know because the essential part of Raganuga is internal not external. And of course one cannot have that internal greed but externally show some superficial signs of doing Raganuga Bhakti so it’s not real Raganuga Bhakti then [Laughs].
7) Maharaj, you mentioned about Rupa Goswami and you said that he had both sadhana rupa and Siddha rupa so which means that can we say that exalted devotees even within ISKCON, they may have both sadhana rupa and a siddha rupa, where internally they are practicing Raganuga and externally they are showing themself as sadhaka.
That can be possible. Yeah.
8) Hare Krishna Maharaj. While doing sadhana bhakti, we know Krishna is the Supreme personality of God by following the rules but while hearing the pastimes of Krishna in Vrindavan from pure devotees immediately we are forgetting that Krishna is not supreme like that, then like relationship that feeling is there. So it is a bit of Raganuga or what?
So in that we get more attracted to the pastimes of Vrindavan and of course it’s a tendency towards that Raganuga. But when we say Raganuga that means the actual practice. Jiva Goswami also mentions that you could do a mixture of the two.
9) Maharaj, you advised that even neophytes must chant with feelings for Krishna for a beginner servitor ship seems most proper and natural. My question is whether this mood will transform into a higher bhava automatically or what the devotee should do to attain higher bhavas?
So that general bhakti may continue until Prema or it can transform into a more particular rasa etc. So how does it transform? One of course is by exposure to scriptures like Bhagavatam. And the other is by association with devotees who have a particular inclination.
10) Maharaj, yesterday you said Dasya will have bhava and prema. Sakya will go upto pranaya. Vatsalya goes upto raga and Madhurya goes upto mahabhava does it mean that all the rasas will begin with prema and gradually the intensity increases Bringing the devotee to different gradation of various rasas? Example, can Madhurya be in Prema stage as well as Mahabhava?
So because Mahabhava is the highest then it contains all the characteristics, positive characteristics of all the other things lower than it [Laughs]. But as far as sadhana is concerned a sadhaka can attain Prema. But Vishwanath Chakravarti Thakur mentions that it is very difficult for that devotee even if he has higher rasas whatever it is difficult within the material body to express that so he has to get out of the material body and get his full spiritual body then he experiences the higher elements like sneha, pranaya, raga, anuraga etc.
11) Maharaj the moment we say lower planets how does bhakti prevail in those lower planets? It is usually prevailing in the Bhuloka and the higher planets. How to understand the above Maharaj?
Of course in the lower planets Tamo-guna is more prominent. But we have on Sutala Loka we have Bali Maharaj and Prahlad there. We have Shiva down there etc. So there are devotees in these areas also [Laughs]. And Yamaraj is a devotee also [Laughs].
12) Did the Gopis have intense desire for Krishna to eat the preparations made by them which Krishna stole from their houses. Is it so?
So ultimately of course all of the activities of the devotees in the spiritual world are ultimately to please Krishna [Laughs]. So in that sense, all of the food preparations, butter are all to please Krishna. But as a matter of past time obviously those families are cooking for their own families [Laughs]. And then if Krishna comes and takes it they get upset. But we know that the Gopis complain to Mother Yasoda but ultimately they are also pleased that he is taking it. Because ultimately [Not clear] anyway.
13) Hare Krishna Maharaj. Once you told that even the devotee in Sakhya rasa can experience Mahabhava. But yesterday’s class you have mentioned Sakhya bhava can only experience until Pranaya. So how do we understand?
So these are general descriptions. These are exceptional devotees like Sridama etc., who associate with Krishna, the gopis etc., They may experience Mahabhava but not all of them. So this is an exceptional case.
14) Emphasis of following roles is prominent in deity worship and Diksha duties including chanting Gayathri. Are these part of Vaidhi Sadhana?
Since we follow Pancharatra for Archana, Pancharatra is largely Vaidhi. So we have Archana Marga which is largely Vaidhi Bhakti and related to that is Diksha. The other line besides Archana Marga and Pancharatra is Bhagavata Marga. Which obviously means we don’t follow Pancharatra, we are following Bhagavatam. And the ultimate process in Bhagavatam is Nama Sankirtana. And Nama Sankirtana does not depend on Diksha. And it is Nama Sankirtana which is the main power to get us to Prema. So this is the prominent path of the devotees.
Devotees: Grantharaj Srimad Bhagavatam ki jai!!! HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj ki jai!!! Srila Prabhupada ki jai!!! Nitai Gaura Premanande Hari Haribol!!!