English
9 August 2020
Beginning of Vinasya ca duskrtam
Hare Krsna! Chanting is taking place from 800 locations. We welcome you all from everywhere. Today is Sunday. Even devotees from Australia are chanting with us and possibly other working devotees are also chanting.
Sri Krsna Janmastami Mahotsav ki jay! Janmastami is approaching. Are you all preparing for that? Are you preparing for the birthday party? Today is also someone’s birthday. Happy Birthday to you! But Krsna's birthday is approaching. We are Śūdras. punarapi jananam punarapi maranam keeps on happening. We have a priceless human life, so that birthday can be celebrated. This birth is temporary. It is uncertain. It is said in Srimad Bhagavatam that adhruvam arthadam. Dhruvam means fixed. Adhruvam means temporary and arthadam means full of meaning. Though human birth is temporary, it is meaningful. If we utilize this birth fruitfully then we can celebrate birthdays or else forget it. There is no point in celebrating such birthdays. But Krsna's birthday is important for us. I keep on saying that Krsna appears to deliver us from this cycle of birth and death. mrityu-mrityum namamyaham - He becomes the death of death. He helps us from the cycle of birth and death by appearing. But everyone doesn't take the help. You all are taking the help since you have turned your faces towards Him. You are chanting the name of the Lord daily…
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare
… and also hearing Hari katha. You are also preparing for Sri Krsna Janmastami. You are utilizing the human form of life and also making the best use of the bad bargain. You are fortunate as you are engaging in devotional services.
We have some time in the morning to discuss the pastimes of the Lord. We have discussed the appearance of the Lord. Lord is being taken to Gokul. His pastimes in Gokul are brief. Yesterday we were discussing the following sloka:
ekadā gṛha-dāsīṣu
yaśodā nanda-gehinī
karmāntara-niyuktāsu
nirmamantha svayaṁ dadhi
Translation:
Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: One day when mother Yaśodā saw that all the maidservants were engaged in other household affairs, she personally began to churn the yogurt.
On the day of Diwali when Krsna was 3-4 years old, Gokul Vasis decided to leave Gokul. Then we also discussed the shifting of the Gokul Vasis to Vrindavan on bullock carts. They were moving towards nature. Srila Prabhupada also instructed me to do so. I was born in a village and our bullock cart was in our courtyard. When I travelled, we had German buses. However, when we faced some issues Srila Prabhupada asked me to shift to bullock carts.
All Gokul Vasis came to Vrindavan. Vrinda means Tulasi Maharani. The forest of Tulasi Devi is called Vrindavan.
jāhā saba līlā koilo śrī-nanda-nandan.
Krsna performed His pastime in 12 forests. We take darsana of these forests during the Vraja-mandala Parikrama beginning with Madhuvan, then Talavana, Kumudavana , Bahulavana, and then we reach Vrindavan. Then comes Kamyavana and Khadiravana.
There are 7 forests on one bank of Yamuna. Then we cross over Yamuna to go to the 5 forests on the other side. Bhadravana, Bhandirvana, Belvana, Lohavana, and at last we reach Mahavana. All these 12 forests together are known as Vrindavan and one of these forests is also named Vrindavan. The Brajavasis came to this Vrindavan, which includes Govardhan, Barsana and Nandagram. They came to a place called Shaktavart (present-day Chhatikara gram ) which is between Yamuna and Govardhan. Here they lived for 3 years and 8 months. Then they shifted to Nandagram. We shall discuss that later.
Now Krsna is about 4 years old. The parental bliss that is being experienced is unparalleled. Krsna is bliss personified, He gives bliss and also stays in bliss. Nanda ke ghar anand bhayo. Krsna has also another named Anand. Anand has taken birth. His incarnation life started with parental love, then little friendship love. Some friendship love was experienced in Gokul, but now friendship love will be increased. Krsna will spend more time with his cowherd friends. Krsna spends less time with His parents in Vrindavan. He experiences more Sakhya rasa. Krsna believes that He is now old enough to herd the cows, “Send me for protection of the cows while they are grazing.” Nanda Maharaja's business was cow protection. Krsna is demanding the same. Krsna is proposing and requesting, “Please let me do it.” Nanda Maharaja was quite ready, but Yasoda Maiya was reluctant.
She said, “What is the hurry? Going to the forests at this age? No!No!” This is motherly love. But somehow Yasoda agreed and Krsna was given permission. Since He is just a child, He will go only with the calves. They collected some calves from their Goshala and Nanda Maharaja is teaching Krsna how to take care. He is sharing their names with Krsna, how to control them, how to call them. Other parents are also sending their small children. In this way, Krsna became Vatsapal. He has not become Gopala yet. Vatsapal means one who is a calf herd. Gopala means cowherd. Now He is Kumar and then he becomes pauganda. He will become Gopala after the age of 6. He is getting various instructions, “Don’t go far. Come back soon. Be with Balarama.” In this way, His pastimes started here.
One day Kamsa had sent a demon who took the form of a calf and mixed with the other calves. That time Krsna was in Bhadravan. When Krsna saw him He recognized that it's not a calf of His herd. His name was Vatsasur, Krsna went towards him, held his tail, and swirled him in the air and threw him far away. Many trees fell with his fall. Many demigods were afraid of such demons, but Krsna was killing them easily. Many demons are being delivered, some in Gokul and now Vatsasur here in Vrindavan.
Demigods were wondering when the Lord will do vinasaya ca duskrtam. Demigods were dancing, singing, and showering flowers, singing the glories of Krsna out of extreme happiness as the demons were being killed.
Putana had a brother called Bakasur, so she was also called baki. To take revenge for his sister he came in the form of a crane. He came and directly gulped Krsna. All Krsna’s friends saw this and were frightened. There is no chance of Krsna being killed. Krsna is intelligent and clever. There is no question of being killed. Then suddenly Krsna jumped out. Bak also means to mumble or keep speaking. Many of us are continuing this lineage of Bakasur. Krsna held the upper and lower beak in his two hands and tore Bakasur apart, just as Bhima had torn Jarasandha apart. All His friends shouted and danced in joy.
Now Putana and Bakasur had a third brother called Aghasur. Agha means sin, Aghasur means one who is a great sinner. Out of desire to take revenge, Aghasur came to Vrindavan in the form of a huge python. He was huge like a mountain. All the friends thought that his open mouth was a huge cave. Out of curiosity and excitement all of them entered. Krsna also entered after His friends. Suddenly Aghasur shut his mouth intending to kill all of them. The place on the banks of Yamuna where this pastime took place is called Sarpoli Grama, sarp means a serpent. But Krsna killed Aghasur and then all the friends along with Krsna came out of his mouth.
Prabhupada said that many times they would forget about their lunchtime as they were always busy playing with Krsna. When such asuras came then after killing them they would realize their hunger. They would sit down to eat and open their lunch packets, and now also an important event is going to take place.
Brahma-vimohan Lila will start now. Time is up. We will remember this Lila tomorrow which is explained in Canto 10, Chapter 12 and 13.
