Srimad Bhagavatam – 10.62.11 | HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj | ISKCON Japan | May 4, 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 Bhagavatham Canto 10 Chapter 62 Verse 11.
ŚB 10.62.11
सा तत्र तमपश्यन्ती क्वासि कान्तेति वादिनी ।
सखीनां मध्य उत्तस्थौ विह्वला व्रीडिता भृशम् ॥ ११ ॥.
sā tatra tam apaśyantī
kvāsi kānteti vādinī
sakhīnāṁ madhya uttasthau
vihvalā vrīḍitā bhṛśam
Synonyms
sā — she; tatra — there (in her dream); tam — Him; apaśyantī — not seeing; kva — where; asi — are You; kānta — my lover; iti — thus; vādinī — speaking; sakhīnām — of her girlfriends; madhye — in the midst; uttasthau — arose; vihvalā — disturbed; vrīḍitā — embarrassed; bhṛśam — greatly.
Translation
Losing sight of Him in her dream, Ūṣā suddenly sat up in the midst of her girlfriends, crying out “Where are You, my lover?” She was greatly disturbed and embarrassed.
Purport
Coming to her senses and remembering that she was surrounded by her girlfriends, Ūṣā was naturally very embarrassed to have cried out in that way. At the same time she was disturbed by attachment to the beloved man who had appeared in her dream.
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj:
So, in these verses, we see there’s a description of Aniruddha. He is dark blue in complexion, has lotus eyes and wears yellow garments, so he looks very similar to Krishna. So this is not surprising, because Pradyumna and Aniruddha are actually part of the Chatur-vyuha, they are actually the Supreme Lord. But in the Dwarka pastimes, they appear as Krishna’s son and grandson. So in Dwarka, we have Krishna, we have Balaram, who is Sankarshana; Krishna, who is Vasudeva, and we have Pradyumna and Aniruddha, so we have this Chatur-vyuha in Dwarka.
We have the same Chatur-vyuha in Vaikuntha. And in Vaikuntha, these forms start to expand into other forms. So each form expands into three, so we get 12, and the same forms expand into two, so we get 20 plus we get the four original, so we get 24 forms in Vaikuntha. And what is the difference between them all? The only difference is, how they hold the conch shell, and the lotus, and the club, except the different arms, the four arms are holding them differently. So it’s a whole description of which form has the conch, etc., in the Caitanya Caritamrta. We’ll also find the same description in the Hari Bhakti Vilas. And of course, the original description comes from Pancharatra scriptures.
So, in our philosophy, the original Chatur-vyuha is in Dwarka, the expansion is in Vaikuntha. So why do we need so many forms? So this is simply to show that the Lord has extraordinary power. There is one Supreme Lord, one Bhagavan. But he should not be limited by numbers. And therefore the Lord expands himself into many forms. And because they’re expansions, they are, in one sense, different. So it’s a slight difference in the details of the Sankha, Chakra, etc., but at the same time, it’s all one Supreme Lord, one Bhagavan. So, of course, the forms are slightly different, only the conch shell and the Chakra, etc. are in different places. But the Lord is not limited in that way. And therefore, he has forms which are extremely different. So He has Narsimhadeva form, with a lion top part of his body, we have a horse form, Hayagriva, we have a Varaha form of a boar, and a fish form of Matsya, and Kurma, a turtle. We also get extreme forms. They’re all one Supreme Lord.
So not only they show different forms, but they also manifest different amounts of qualities. For instance, we have a form like Kapila. Kapila is Supreme Lord, Avatar, but he is a sage. So what qualities he manifests? He gives knowledge. He doesn’t perform heroic battlefields, defeats and kill big demons, etc. He doesn’t do anything like that.
So some of these forms limit the amount of qualities and powers that they manifest. They show more powers. So based on that, our Acharyas like Rupa Goswami, they classify according to the amount of qualities and pastimes that they show and we have those at lower and higher. Of course, they’re all one Supreme Lord, and we can’t offend one form of the Lord and say, oh, you’re inferior to this form. Nevertheless, we make those classifications for a particular purpose. And the whole reason is that, Krishna shows 100% qualities, 100% pastimes. And that is the goal of Srimad Bhagavatam. So in the first canto, there’s a list of about 22 avatar forms, and then it says, ‘Krsnas tu Bhagavan Svayam’, Krishna is the ultimate form. So because He manifests the most qualities, pastimes, etc., He also manifests the most attractive rasas. And what is the importance of rasas? It is through rasas that we experience bliss. More rasas, more bliss. So by realizing Krishna, His pastimes, the Jiva can get the highest bliss. So therefore, Bhagavatam recommends worshiping Krishna if you want the most bliss.
So of course, in Nectar of Devotion, Rupa Goswami shows Krishna has 64 qualities, the Vishnu forms have 60 qualities. He also mentions that what is the difference between Vishnu and Krishna. And he says from the point of view of siddhanta or our philosophy, they are ‘abheda’, they’re the same. We can’t say that one is different than the other. But, as he says, the difference is that Krishna is superior in rasa. And thus, the pastimes of Krishna will show more remarkable rasa. And then he mentions the rasalila. Krishna has the rasalila, Vishnu does not have rasalila. Of course, there is also gradations of Krishna.
So, in the Nectar of Devotion, Rupa Gosvami says Krishna in Dwarka is called Purna. In Mathura, he’s called Purna-tara. That means more perfect. And in Vrindavan, Krishna is Purna-tama, most perfect. What this means is that, Krishna manifests the highest rasas in Vrindavan. We know that Rupa Goswami says Krishna has four extra qualities, what are these qualities? They are qualities of sweetness, madhurya. That is manifested in its most intense way in Vrindavan. So we have Madhurya-lila, the most sweet pastimes, are in Vrindavan, not in Dwarka.
So, of course, this does not mean that we criticize Krishna’s Dwarka pastimes. Half of the Tenth Canto is Dwarka pastimes. Nevertheless, the pastimes and the rasa that derives from them is not as intense as that in Vrindavan. Uddhava, a very intimate friend of Krishna in Mathura and Dwarka, was sent by Krishna to give a message to the Gopis and to Nanda and Yasoda. And he was astonished by the intensity of the prema in Vrindavan. So he returned to Mathura and reported everything to Krishna, and he also admitted that we do not have that same rasa that the people of Vrindavan have.
So Krishna, when he was twelve years old, He left Vrindavan, went to Mathura, then he went to Dwarka, but he didn’t change his form. So it’s the same form, but nevertheless, it was different. It was different, because the people of Mathura and Dwarka saw Krishna differently. What was the difference? They saw him as the Supreme Lord. So that interferes with the intensity of rasa. And for that reason, we classify Krishna in Vrindavan as highest, and then in Mathura and in Dwarka as less. So, though the Dwarka form is inferior to the Vrindavan form, still even that Dwarka form is still more attractive than all of the Vishnu forms in Vaikuntha.
So, the forms of Aniruddha and Pradyumna are very similar to Krishna. So, we should not mistake this for material beauty, material form. So, as I said, Aniruddha and Pradyumna are actually forms of the Supreme Lord. So, just like Krishna, Aniruddha and Pradyumna will manifest lots of qualities, they will have pastimes also. So, here we see Aniruddha’s pastime. So, this is the pastime of Madhurya Rasa. Similarly, we have Pradyumna, he also has pastimes. All their forms are spiritual, all their pastimes are spiritual.
So, just as in Krishna’s pastimes, experience Rasa and the devotees experience Rasa, the same with these forms also. So, this experience between Usha and Aniruddha is also Rasa. So, it’s described in his verses how Usha became shy, embarrassed and confused. So, we see, if we look in Nectar of Devotion, these are what we call Vyabhichari bhavas. And these will manifest temporarily in relation to Madhurya Rasa. So, we should never think of this as some material emotion, this is actually spiritual.
So, not only the expansions of the Lord have these beautiful forms, but even the devotees, they can get Sarupya, so, they also look like similar to the Lord. So, we have a description of Uddhava, when the people of Vrindavan saw Uddhava, they mistook him for Krishna. He had lotus eyes, dark blue skin, he was shown yellow cloths, he had a garland of Krishna on him. And that was Krishna coming back. So, again, even these forms, forms of devotees are also spiritual. So, therefore, in these pastimes, particularly these pastimes that we’re reading here, we understand that this is actually Rasa, between a form of the Lord and devotees of some sort.
Hare Krsna!
Q&A
1) Maharaj, how different compare Krishna Rasa in between Krishna and Krishna’s devotees? And Aniruddha and Aniruddha’s devotees, how different? Maybe similar, but different there.
So, we know that Krishna manifests the most Rasa, the highest Rasa, the most intense Rasa. And we find all the other forms there called expansions or amsa forms. So, therefore, the Rasa’s pathogenic settlement is slightly less.
Devotee: But the quality is the same, but intensity is less.
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj: Yes. We will find sometimes descriptions of battles. So, we find Pradyumna, Aniruddha also fighting battles like Krishna. So, they will manifest primary Rasa, secondary Rasa, etc. Of course, in Srimad Bhagavatam, we will not find too many details of the pastimes of Aniruddha or Pradyumna or other forms, that may be concentrating on Krishna.
2) Thank you for the wonderful class. I have a small question. Maharaj, you have mentioned about different Rasa. But for a devotee in Vaidya Bhakti, can we really experience any Rasa? Or do we need to go to the Raganuga sadhana? Or do we have only the Rasa abhasa in Vaidya Bhakti? So, would you like to comment on this, Maharaj?
A devotee worships a particular form of the Lord, through that, he can attain Prema, for that particular form of the Lord. So, therefore, Rasa will arise. If there is no Rasa, no bliss. So then, no Rasa in Vaikuntha, no bliss. Why go to Vaikuntha and no bliss? So, there is Rasa with all the different forms of the Lord.
So, if the devotee wants to experience the Rasa of the Vrindavan, then for that, he practices Raganuga Bhakti. And the reason is, it is sadhana to cultivate seeing Krishna, not the Supreme Lord. So, we try to see Krishna just as the people of Vrindavan see Krishna. And thus, this sadhana is called Raganuga, following after the people who have Ragatmika Bhakti, that is, the people of Vrindavan.
3) Sometimes devotees mention Shanta-rasa, which means the Vrindavan animals, trees, grass, like that. What is the real thought about Shanta-rasa in Vrindavan?
So, if we look in Nectar of Devotion, we have a description of Shanta-rasa. We have a whole section in the southern section, there’s a whole portion dealing with Shanta-rasa. In the southern, second part of the Nectar of Devotion. And that’s also detailed in the western section. So, like other rasas, there are five components of Shanta-rasa.
There will be Sthayi-bhava, Vibhava, Anubhava, Sattvika-bhava, Vyabhicharya-bhava. And there’s a description of the different people who will have these rasas. So, just as for Vatsalya-rasa, it will describe Nanda and Yasoda and others who have it, or for Sakya-rasa, it will describe the cowherd boys, etc.
So, for Shanta-rasa, it will describe different people who have Shanta-rasa. So, in describing it, it never mentions birds and animals, only people having this rasa. So, the further it goes, it says the small children and elder people may have Shanta-rasa because they can’t really express too much emotions.
And often people who have practiced Vairagya and Jnana, but became devotees may be influenced by that, so that they don’t develop higher rasas. They become yogis in the spiritual world or something.
In the Vaikuntha, in Vrindavan, in Mathura, there were some yogis and they saw Krishna in Shanta-rasa. Even in Vrindavan, yogis are there. Maybe, a few will wander in. So, they are yogis, but they are also devotees because they get realization of the Lord. So, they are not yogis who just concentrate on Brahman.
So, as I said, there are people who are mentioned here. So, there is a type of not real rasa that is called Uparasa. So, in this type of experience, the devotee will project a rasa on, let’s say, the birds or the cows. So, the gopis will think of the cows. Oh, they are greater than devotees than us because they get close to Krishna. Or the birds are better than us, because they can get to see Krishna close up and we can’t.
So, there is a projection of the gopis, of rasa, on the birds or the cows or the deer. So, the animals and plants have a limited type of relationship with the Supreme Lord, because they cannot speak. And a lot of rasa develops because of speaking. And the birds or the animals, they are very limited in what they can say. So, therefore, there is a projection of rasa by the gopis or others on the animals and plants, etc. So, they are much more limited than human beings.
Devotee: But Vaikuntha and, of course, Vrindavan, the spiritual world, why limit? Why limit?
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj: Oh, why is it all limited? Well, why do we have cowherd boys? Why don’t everybody be gopis? No more Vaikuntha. We don’t need Vaikuntha. Why limit people by having Aishwarya mode in Vaikuntha? So, there is a limitation on different forms. So, Narshima Deva is different from Ramachandra, etc., different from Vamana, etc. So, we can say they are all limited.
So, why the limitation? It is just to show there is variety within the spiritual world. So, the limitation in the spiritual world is to create diversity. Why do we have five rasas or twelve rasas? Why not just have one rasa, Madhurya rasa? Why do we need Dwaraka when there is Vrindavan? So, there are varieties of jivas, and different jivas prefer different things. Some prefer a more limited rasa.
4) Maharaj, we are worshipping Radha and Krishna in Lakshmi Narayan form or Madhurya rasa. We generally talk about Madhurya rasa, but at the same time, Caitanya Mahaprabhu told Dasa-anudasa. So how to understand that we are Dasa-anudasa, but we are talking about Madhurya rasa with Krishna?
When we talk about Dasa, we are not talking about Dasya Rasa. It simply means we are the servant. And everybody is a servant of the Supreme Lord [Laughs].
Then when we use the word Dasa, Anudasa, what we are expressing is ‘the great humility.’ But Radharani also feels she is the servant of the servant. She doesn’t feel high, She feels very low.
5) I think in the Bhakti Shastra, we study that Dasa, Anudasa means two interpretations.
One is Dasa means Krishna Dasa, Radharani. Then another Dasa means Ashta-shaki.
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj: I’ve never heard that one.
Devotee: The other Dasa means Acharya.
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj: Oh, maybe it’s the Manjaris.
Devotee: Yes, Manjaris. Radharani, Gopi, Manjari. This is one interpretation.
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj: Okay, possible.
Devotee: And the other interpretation is Krishna, Acharya and Prabhupada.
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj: Oh, I see. Okay.
Devotee: Okay. This is bona fide or not?
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj: I don’t know. It’s okay, but I’ve never heard it expressed by Acharyas.
6) About the Shanta-ras, still you say the five components are there. Even the child and the old man, they have the…
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj: Well, actually, they don’t get up in Rasa, but they got Shanta-rati.
Devotee: Rati means the weak, weak Rasa.
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj: It’s like a precursor of Rasa. So the things don’t manifest, the five elements don’t manifest nicely. Not proper function. Just like the Sthayi-bhava without the mixture of the other four elements.
Devotees: Thank you very much. HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj ki Jai!! Grantharaj Srimad Bhagavatham ki jai!!!