Srimad Bhagavatam – 10.62.22-26 | HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj | May 6, 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 22.
ŚB 10.62.22
सा च तं सुन्दरवरं विलोक्य मुदितानना ।
दुष्प्रेक्ष्ये स्वगृहे पुम्भी रेमे प्राद्युम्निना समम् ॥ २२ ॥
sā ca taṁ sundara-varaṁ
vilokya muditānanā
duṣprekṣye sva-gṛhe pumbhī
reme prādyumninā samam
Synonyms
sā — she; ca — and; tam — Him; sundara-varam — the most beautiful man; vilokya — beholding; mudita — joyful; ānanā — her face; duṣprekṣye — which was not to be seen; sva — in her own; gṛhe — quarters; pumbhiḥ — by men; reme — she enjoyed; pradyumninā samam — together with the son of Pradyumna.
Translation
When Ūṣā beheld Him, the most beautiful of men, her face lit up with joy. She took the son of Pradyumna to her private quarters, which men were forbidden even to see, and there enjoyed with Him.
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj:
So in his pastimes, of course, Aniruddha is the grandson of Krishna, but actually he is another form of the Supreme Lord. So just as Vishnu has Lakshmi or Krishna has the queens of Dwarka, so again we have Aniruddha with Usha. So here we see how Usha is attracted to Aniruddha.
So, it is natural that a devotee would be attracted to the Supreme Lord. Of course, in this case, it is special, it is Madhurya Rasa. But though it is Madhurya Rasa, it is filled with devotion, it is not material. But as with the queens of Dwarka or Gopis serving Krishna, it may look material. So sometimes, this relationship is also called kama. Of course, kama is also a synonym for prema. In any case, there is a similarity with the affairs of the material world. We often say that the material world is a reflection of the spiritual world. So there is some similarity.
With Krishna however, the similarity becomes more. It becomes so similar that many people think, oh, Krishna is an ordinary living entity. So they will criticize Krishna, Oh, he’s just like these people in the material world running off with people’s wives. So, though there is similarity between all the pastimes of the different avatars, nevertheless, Krishna’s pastimes are more human-like. And this causes confusion in many people.
Krishna is supposed to be Supreme Lord, but he certainly doesn’t act like the Supreme Lord. For instance, when Krishna killed Agasura, then he merged, Agasura’s atma merged into Krishna, the sages in the sky and the devatas were surprised and also began to glorify Krishna. And eventually, all that glorification was heard by Brahma, Brahma Loka. Brahma heard all this glorification. So he became curious, and so he came down to see Krishna. Of course, Brahma knows about Krishna, because he originally complained to the Supreme Lord that we have to have someone because Kamsa is disturbing everyone in this material world, and then the Lord said, yes, I will come, so then Krishna came. So he understood, yes, Krishna has come to destroy the demons and Kamsa, etc…
So when he came, then he saw Krishna sitting with all the cowherd boys. They were having their lunch. And they were exchanging food and joking. Of course, Krishna was just acting like a friend to all the cowherd boys. There was no formality. Krishna would eat therefore, Krishna would give his food to others. So when Brahma saw this, he was confused. This did not look like the Supreme Lord, why is He playing around and joking with friends and eating all their food? And in Brahma Loka, the Lord is there, is a huge form and people utter Vedic mantras and they’re offering food to this Vishnu form in a very formal way. But here Krishna is eating and giving out food to people, just like a normal human being. So he had one expectation of who Krishna should be, but then he saw something completely different. So because of that, he said, Oh, I wonder if He is Supreme Lord after all. Then he began to wonder, “I wonder if this Krishna actually is the Supreme Lord”. So then he decided he would test him by taking away all the cows and cowherd boys. So this is just an example to show how Krishna appears like an ordinary human being, and this will fool a lot of people, here He fooled Brahma. This is particularly true in the Vrindavan pastimes.
When Krishna is in Mathura and Dwarka, then He begins to show more powers. So he visibly destroys many demons, He shows the universal form, etc. Even then, people will think, Oh, He’s just an ordinary human being. Of course, those who are demoniac or materialistic, even if they see all the powers of the Lord, they still think He’s ordinary. But Krishna in any form, whether in Dwarka, Mathura or Vrindavan, is still very human-like compared to other forms of the world. But Krishna in Mathura and Dwarka is more like the Supreme Lord than in Vrindavan. So the different avatar forms are famous as being like Varaha, Matsya,or Kurma etc., different forms like that with animal forms, and sometimes human-like forms like Parasurama, etc., but Krishna is most famous as being like Manushya, very human-like. So, Krishna especially shows more intimate relationships with His devotees. And those more intimate relationships can manifest, because Krishna looks like an ordinary person, not like the Supreme Lord. So when Krishna is in Vrindavan, this is where he’s most human-like.
When he’s in Dwarka, he has a human-like aspect, but he does show his powers. So the intimacy is less in Dwarka. So thus we call the form in Dwarka as Purna, but we call the form in Vrindavan as Purna-tama, it’s most perfect. And the reason is that in Vrindavan, there is no aspect of the Lord to make him look like Supreme Lord. So he is more human-like. So therefore, the rasa is more intimate and intense. And consequently the bliss of the devotee is more intense.
So it’s described in Madhurya Rasa, the Gopis in Vrindavan get up to Mahabhava. Whereas in Dwarka, we have Madhurya Rasa with the Queens of Dwarka, including Rukmini and Satyabhama, etc., but they don’t experience Mahabhava, they get up to Anuraga. So Mahabhava is the most intense, and next to that we’ll have Anuraga, a little bit less intense. So in Dwarka, Krishna manifests some qualities of the Supreme Lord there, so therefore, the relationship is less intense and intimate.
So externally, people look at the pastimes of Krishna, then they may look quite material because Krishna is hiding His powers. So, of course, the nature of Krishna is hidden from people who are not devotees, so the non-devotees will think of Krishna, oh, he’s only materialist. However, the devotees, they are qualified to understand all about Krishna. So therefore, the real meaning of Bhagavatam is revealed to the devotees, but is hidden from the materialistic people. And, of course, the devotees will understand Bhagavatam through the commentaries of our Acharyas. So, in these commentaries, the Acharyas make it very clear that Krishna is not an ordinary person, He is Supreme Lord. And, even though He looks like a human being and performs activities like a human being, we should never criticize. Rather, hiding his powerful aspect of the Supreme Lord is a great quality because it increases Rasa.
So of course, in these chapters of the Bhagavatam, these are all Krishna’s Dwarka pastimes. So sometimes the Lord does show his powers as Supreme Lord. But still, he does show a lot of qualities which people can mistake for those of a regular human being. So, this applies not only to Krishna, but also His expansions. So, Krishna is like this, and we have Pradyumna and Aniruddha also and again, they have human-like aspects, and people can mistake it for material qualities.
However, the devotees develop great bliss from these aspects of these forms of the Lord. So here we have Usha appreciating Aniruddha. So she’s not thinking of Aniruddha as an expansion of the Lord. So, she’s hiding him in her quarters, and she’s worshipping him, doing all sorts of things. So, in any case, through these activities of Aniruddha and Usha, we should not think of them as material.
Okay. Hare Krishna.
Q & A
1) Aniruddha disappeared one night from Dwaraka, because he was taken by Chitralekha. So, then, what happened? What did the others do?
So, yeah, they were puzzled, and they waited and waited for him to come back. And finally, they got a message from Narada muni where he was, so then they attacked. So, then they all went and attacked Banasura city. And eventually married Usha. Yeah.
2) Like, in this case, Usha, she’s understanding Krishna and Supreme Lord, right?
Well, we don’t know about what she thinks of Krishna or not, but with Aniruddha, she’s not thinking of the Supreme Lord.
Devotee: Ah, I see. It means that Usha does not recognize Aniruddha as the Supreme Lord. That’s why it became very intense.
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj: Yeah.
Devotee: But, it means she’s exactly like Gopis, right? Same condition.
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj: Yeah.
Devotee: Recognize the Krishna Supreme Lord. Same way, Usha also doesn’t recognize the Supreme Lord. But still, not the Mahabhava?
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj: No. So, with all these relationships, the queens of Dwaraka or between Usha and Aniruddha, generally, it’s more intimate than other forms of the Lord. But still, there is some aspect of understanding Supreme Lord or Aishwarya, etc. So, it is less intense than Vrindavan.
3) What about Rukmini understanding Krishna as the Supreme Lord?
Yes, sometimes, sometimes not. Mixture.
Devotee: But Usha is never understanding.
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj: Well, we don’t know because we don’t have details later on. Maybe later on she understands also.
Devotee: Because Dwaraka has a more Aishwarya mood relation with Krishna, Krishna is the king, and Vrindavan is the queen [Not clear]. It’s like a social circumstance and social relationship.
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj: More formality in everything, because of that.
Devotee: Yes, all include the palace and the cities. Vrindavan, the forest, cow herd.. circumstance. Very clear, very influenced by the circumstance and social relationship. Very influenced, right?
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj: Yeah. We see that when the Nanda Maharaj, the Gopis, Yashoda, they went to Kurukshetra. Then, Krishna and others were invited. Why don’t you all come to Dwaraka? And then you won’t be separated from Krishna.
And they refused. Why? Because if they go to Dwaraka, it’s not going to be the same. It’s a different setting, different environment completely. So, we can’t have the same pastime. So, they refused. You have to come back to Vrindavan.
Devotee: Kurukshetra, right?
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj: Yeah.
4) Mystic power, does it come from Yogamaya? Because yesterday, it was explained that Chitralekha was personification of Yogamaya.
So, of course, when it explains the mystic powers in the 11th canto, it says ultimately all the mystic powers come from Krishna. And what manifests in yogis is like a dull reflection of that.
However, in the spiritual world, there’s no necessity for mystic powers. Because one of the aspects of the jiva is satya kama, which means that whatever he wishes manifests. So, even the jivas in the spiritual world are full of mystic powers.
However, yoga maya is a very special function, a special shakti of the Lord, internal shakti. So, this special character is that through yoga maya, the devotees in the spiritual world can sometimes see things and sometimes not see them. In other words, certain things get hidden from the devotees due to yoga maya.
So, it says in the material world we have maha maya, in the spiritual world we have yoga maya. So, by the power of that yoga maya, sometimes the devotees perceive things, sometimes it’s hidden from them. So, that’s like the most significant aspect of yoga maya.
Devotee: That’s all the purpose of the increase of the rasa, right?
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj: Yeah. So, that’s why though the rasa lila takes place every night, Nanda and Yasoda are never aware of it. Of course, the rasa lila has three billion gopis in it, so one would think, well, everyone would hear about it. There’s such a commotion of three billion people having a party in the middle of the night in the forest. Nobody knows anything.
5) [Maharaj repeating the question] She’s asking if their actions are more bold than the Gopis?
So, of course, in Vrindavan we have all sorts of Gopis. Some are bold, some are shy, some are in between like that. There’s all varieties. So we’ll find that even in Dwarka. So we have Rukmini is not bold at all. Satyabhama is bold.
6) [Maharaj repeating the question] So he’s asking when Krishna is in Dwarka, the Rasalila is going on every day?
Obviously, the spiritual world is still going on. So, from an external point of view, in the material world when Krishna has his pastimes, He left Vrindavan and went to Mathura, then to Dwarka for some years. So then we won’t see a Rasalila. And then all the people of Vrindavan are lamenting.
Vishwanatha Chakravarti Thakur says that Krishna made a promise He would return soon. So if He didn’t return soon and He stayed away for many years, He would have broken His promise. So therefore, Krishna should not break his promise. So then he explains that actually Krishna did return. But then how is it possible? Because the inhabitants had to go to Dwaraka, to Kurukshetra to see Him. Then they went back and Krishna stayed in Dwaraka. So it doesn’t look like he was there.
So he explains that yes, Krishna went back, but we don’t see that. So He went back, and then all the people there were very happy, and then they continue this Rasalila every night. But we don’t see it. So therefore he says that there’s two sets of pastimes taking place in Vrindavan when Krishna leaves. So we have a set of Gopis with Krishna and the Rasalila going on forever. But at the same time, externally we have another set of Gopis who are in separation from Krishna for many years. So we have two sets of Vrajabhasis and Krishna in one set, and no Krishna other than Krishna in Dwaraka. So we have two sets of Vrajabhasis with Krishna in separation and a new.
7) So we have two sets of Vrindavan’s Vrajabhasis and Krishna’s Gopis and Rasalila. One set is expansion of the other set?
In one sense, we can say they’re equal because simultaneously they’re also in the spiritual world. Simultaneously they’re appearing in other universes. So who’s the original? We don’t know.
8) [Maharaj repeating the question] She’s asking, so is it possible for us to be in maya and the material world but also be in the spiritual world simultaneously?
So these expansions that we see are expansions of Nitya-siddha devotees. And all this takes place through the Yogamaya potency of Krishna.
But the Jivas in the material world are not qualified. So therefore Krishna does not use the Yogamaya. Instead we have Mahamaya. So we are in the Mahamaya.
9) I have a question. Goloka and Gokula, the spiritual world and the material world, at the same time, that’s how it goes on. The material world, especially, the demon is here.
The spiritual world, no demon. Any other difference between the spiritual world and the material world?
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj: So you’re asking about the difference between past times in the spiritual world and the material world.
Yes, in the material world we have the demons who are real demons coming. In the spiritual world there’s a semblance of demons. They’re not actual demons but they get a little frightened and Krishna makes some demon come in who’s not a real demon. And they may get frightened that way.
Another difference is in the spiritual world; Krishna is eternally at Kaishora age. But in the material world, when Krishna has past times, He’s a small baby. Kaumara period, then He has Pauganda period, then He has Kaishora period.So He grows up.
10) In this case, in the spiritual world, no demon at past times.
Well, what happens in the spiritual world is that though Krishna is Kaishora age, those people who have Vatsalya rasa or Sakya rasa, they can see Krishna as a Kaishora or as a Pauganda Krishna within the Kaishora form.
So therefore they’ll treat Krishna in the same way as if he were a small child or five years old or whatever, even though He’s technically Kaishora age.
Devotee: For Yashoda, Krishna is a small baby.
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj: We’ll see even when Krishna came to Kurukshetra, they put Krishna and Balarama on their laps as if they’re small children, even though they were ruling in Dwaraka at that time, they put Him on their laps as if they’re small children.
Devotee: This is from the other audience, they see Yashoda lapping and Krishna on lap from the other audience at that time. [Not clear]
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj: Of course, it was private, but Devaki and Rohini saw that and they were kind of shocked. Nobody else saw it.
11) Hare Krishna Maharaj. Thank you for the wonderful class. I got a confusion so I want to clarify. In my understanding the gopis are already pure devotees of Lord in their pastimes and in Vrindavan they heard about Krishna they develop spontaneous love for Krishna and that becomes the highest rasa. My question is in Vrindavan I understand that the gopis has the mood of paramour but in spiritual world, all the devotees they are already pure devotees of the Lord so there should not be any paramour. So is this Madhurya rasa also exist in the spiritual world? Because everyone is a pure devotee there nobody is supposed to have husband over there so how come there is paramour relation in the spiritual world?
But we should not think that even in the material world, when we have the Parkiya pastimes, that there is any impurity. So, there is no impurity on the parts of the Gopis by saying, okay, they’re married, and then they go off with someone who’s not their husband. Because actually, that relationship appears to be a marriage, but it isn’t.
So therefore, it’s not a real marriage, you know, in the material sense of the term. Jiva Goswami explains that actually, we have the Gopis in their spiritual form, and then they have them at the same time there with their husbands [laughs]. So they never left their husbands, in one sense.
At the same time, we have the Gopi forms, so in other words, those Gopi forms with the husbands were not the real Gopis. So ultimately, there’s no impurity to express this Parakiya Rasa. Well, there’s a little controversy there.
Viswanatha says it’s eternal. Parakiya is eternal. And sometimes Jiva Goswami says it’s not eternal. The Parakiya is there in the material world, not in the spiritual world. He marries all the Gopis. Ultimately, in the spiritual world, there is no Parakiya.
Devotees: Grantharaj Srimad Bhagavatham ki jai!!! HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj Ki jai!!!