What is the satisfaction of devotee

2013-04-02
Srimad Bhagavatam 10.16.65-67 - What is the satisfaction of devotee (download mp3)
by Gopinath Chandra Prabhu at ISKCON Chowpatty
www.iskcondesiretree.net




SB 10.16.65-67
divyambara-sran-manibhih
 parardhyair api bhusanaih
divya-gandhanulepais ca
 mahatyotpala-malaya
pujayitva jagan-natham
 prasadya garuda-dhvajam
tatah prito ’bhyanujñatah
 parikramyabhivandya tam
sa-kalatra-suhrt-putro
 dvipam abdher jagama ha
tadaiva samrta-jala
 yamuna nirvisabhavat
anugrahad bhagavatah
 krida-manusa-rupinah

Translation:
Kaliya worshiped the Lord of the universe by offering Him fine garments, along with necklaces, jewels and other valuable ornaments, wonderful scents and ointments, and a large garland of lotus flowers. Having thus pleased the Lord, whose flag is marked with the emblem of Garuda, Kaliya felt satisfied. Receiving the Lord’s permission to leave, Kaliya circumambulated Him and offered Him obeisances. Then, taking his wives, friends and children, he went to his island in the sea. The very moment Kaliya left, the Yamuna was immediately restored to her original condition, free from poison and full of nectarean water. This happened by the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who was manifesting a humanlike form to enjoy His pastimes.

Purport:
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura has commented extensively on this verse. To explain the word manibhih — “(Kaliya worshiped the Lord) with jewels” — the acarya has quoted from the Sri Radha-krsna-ganoddesa-dipika, by Rupa Gosvami, as follows:

kaustubhakhyo manir yena
 pravisya hradam auragam
kaliya-preyasi-vrnda-
 hastair atmopaharitah

“The Lord had made His Kaustubha gem enter the serpent’s lake, and then He arranged for it to be presented to Himself by the hands of Kaliya’s wives.” In other words, because Lord Krsna wanted to act just like an ordinary human being, He made the transcendental Kaustubha gem invisible and caused it to enter within Kaliya’s treasury. Then when the appropriate moment came for Kaliya to worship the Lord with many different jewels and ornaments, the serpent’s wives, unaware of the Lord’s transcendental trick, presented Him with the Kaustubha gem, thinking it was simply one of the jewels in their possession.

The acarya has further commented that the reason Lord Krsna is described in this verse as garuda-dhvaja, “He whose flag is marked by the symbol of His carrier, Garuda,” is that Kaliya also desired to become Lord Krsna’s carrier. Garuda and the serpents are originally related as brothers, and therefore Kaliya wanted to indicate to Lord Krsna, “If You ever have to go to a distant place, You should also think of me as Your personal carrier. I am the servant of Your servant, and in the wink of an eye I can travel hundreds of millions of yojanas.” Thus the Puranas narrate that in the course of Lord Krsna’s eternal cycle of pastimes, when Kamsa orders the Lord to come to Mathura, He sometimes goes there mounted upon Kaliya.

Thus end the purports of the humble servants of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada to the Tenth Canto, Sixteenth Chapter, of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, entitled “Krsna Chastises the Serpent Kaliya.”