Nature of a Vrajavasi

2013-03-01
Srimad Bhagavatam 10.16.13-16 - Nature of a Vrajavasi (download mp3)
by Radhika Vallabha Prabhu at ISKCON Chowpatty
www.iskcondesiretree.net





SB 10.16.13-15
tan alaksya bhayodvigna
 gopa nanda-purogamah
vina ramena gah krsnam
 jñatva carayitum gatam
tair durnimittair nidhanam
 matva praptam atad-vidah
tat-pranas tan-manaskas te
 duhkha-soka-bhayaturah
a-bala-vrddha-vanitah
 sarve ’nga pasu-vrttayah
nirjagmur gokulad dinah
 krsna-darsana-lalasah

Translation:
Seeing the inauspicious omens, Nanda Maharaja and the other cowherd men were fearful, for they knew that Krsna had gone to herd the cows that day without His elder brother, Balarama. Because they had dedicated their minds to Krsna, accepting Him as their very life, they were unaware of His great power and opulence. Thus they concluded that the inauspicious omens indicated He had met with death, and they were overwhelmed with grief, lamentation and fear. All the inhabitants of Vrndavana, including the children, women and elderly persons, thought of Krsna just as a cow thinks of her helpless young calf, and thus these poor, suffering people rushed out of the village, intent upon finding Him.



SB 10.16.16
tams tatha kataran viksya
 bhagavan madhavo balah
prahasya kiñcin novaca
 prabhava-jño ’nujasya sah

Translation:
The Supreme Lord Balarama, the master of all transcendental knowledge, smiled and said nothing when He saw the residents of Vrndavana in such distress, since He understood the extraordinary power of His younger brother.

Purport:
Sri Balarama is the plenary expansion of Lord Krsna and is thus nondifferent from Him. They are, in fact, the same Absolute Truth manifest in separate forms. According to Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, Lord Balarama was laughing because He thought, “Krsna never cares to play with Me in My form of Sesa Naga, but now He is playing with this ordinary, mundane snake named Kaliya.”

The question may arise as to why Krsna and Balarama allowed Their loving devotees to suffer such great anguish during Krsna’s temporary imprisonment within the coils of Kaliya. It must be remembered that because the inhabitants of Vrndavana were completely liberated souls, they did not experience material emotions. When they saw their beloved Krsna in apparent danger, their love for Him intensified to the highest degree, and thus they merged completely into the ecstasy of love for Him. The whole situation has to be seen from the spiritual point of view, or it will not be seen at all.