NBS#205

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Issue no:205

03rd Mar 2023

Sri Krishna's Characterstics Lord Balarama Slays The Demon Pralamba Srila Sukadeva Goswami

Sri Krishna’s Characteristics Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura

The Blindfolded Boy

Two Fold Pastimes Of Krishna

By the Disciples of His Divine Grace A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura

How Can Krishna Replay Pastimes He Has Already Performed?

Srila Sanatana Goswami

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Lord Balarama Slays The Demon Pralamba Srila Sukadeva Goswami

Sukadeva Gosvami said: Surrounded by His

nityaà bhägavata-sevayä

blissful companions, who constantly chanted His glories, Sri Krishna then entered the village of Vraja, which was decorated with herds of cows.

While Krishna and Balarama were thus enjoying life in Vrindavana in the guise of ordinary cow-

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nityaà bhägavata-sevayä herd boys, the summer season gradually appeared.

This season is not very pleasing to embodied souls.

Nevertheless, because the Supreme Personality of Godhead was personally staying in Vrindavana along with Balarama, summer manifested the qualities of spring. Such are the features of the land of Vrindavana. In Vrindavana, the loud sound of waterfalls covered the crickets’ noise, and clusters of trees constantly moistened by spray from those waterfalls beautified the entire area.

The wind wafting over the waves of the lakes and flowing rivers carried away the pollen of many varieties of lotuses and water lilies and then cooled the entire Vrindavana area. Thus the residents there did not suffer from the heat generated by the blazing summer sun and seasonal forest fires. Indeed, Vrindavana was abundant with fresh green grass.

With their flowing waves the deep rivers drenched their banks, making them damp and muddy. Thus the rays of the sun, which were as fierce as poison, could not evaporate the earth’s sap or parch its green grass. Flowers beautifully decorated the forest of Vrindavana, and many varieties of animals and birds filled it with sound. The peacocks and bees sang, and the cuckoos and cranes cooed. Intending to engage in pastimes, Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, accompanied

by Lord Balarama and surrounded by the cowherd boys and the cows, entered the forest of Vrindavana as He played His flute.

Decorating themselves with newly grown leaves, along with peacock feathers, garlands, clusters of flower buds, and colored minerals, Balarama, Krishna and Their cowherd friends danced, wrestled and sang. As Krishna danced, some of the boys accompanied Him by singing, and others by playing flutes, hand cymbals and buffalo horns, while still others praised His dancing. O King, demigods disguised themselves as members of the cowherd community and, just as dramatic dancers praise another dancer, worshiped Krishna and Balarama, who were also appearing as cowherd boys. Krishna and Balarama played with their cowherd boyfriends by whirling about, leaping, hurling, slapping and fighting. Sometimes Krishna and Balarama would pull the hair on the boys’ heads. While the other boys were dancing, O King, Krishna and Balarama would sometimes accompany them with song and instrumental music, and sometimes the two Lords would praise www.ibmedu.org

Issue no 205, Page—3 the boys, saying, “Very good! Very good!” Sometimes the cowherd boys would play with bilva or kumbha fruits, and sometimes with handfuls of amalaka fruits. At other times they would play the games of trying to touch one another or of trying to identify somebody while one is blind-folded, and sometimes they would imitate animals and birds. They would sometimes jump around like frogs, sometimes play various jokes, sometimes ride in swings and sometimes imitate monarchs.

In this way Krishna and Balarama played all sorts of well-known games as They wandered among the rivers, hills, valleys, bushes, trees and lakes of Vrindavana.

While Rama, Krishna and Their cowherd friends were thus tending the cows in that Vrindavana forest, the demon Pralamba entered their midst.

He had assumed the form of a cowherd boy with the intention of kidnapping Krishna and Balarama. Since the Supreme Lord Krishna, who had appeared in the Dasarha dynasty, sees everything, He understood who the demon was. Still, the Lord pretended to accept the demon as a friend, while at the same time seriously considering how to kill him. Krishna, who knows all sports and games, then called together the cowherd boys and spoke as follows: “Hey cowherd boys! Let’s play now!

We’ll divide ourselves into two even teams.” The cowherd boys chose Krishna and Balarama as the leaders of the two parties. Some of the boys were on Krishna’s side, and others joined Balarama. The boys played various games involving carriers and passengers. In these games the winners would climb up on the backs of the losers, who would have to carry them. Thus carrying and being carried by one another, and at the same time tending the cows, the boys followed Krishna to a banyan tree known as Bhandiraka.

My dear King Pariksit, when Sridama, Vrsabha and the other members of Lord Balarama’s party were victorious in these games, Krishna and His followers had to carry them. Defeated, the Supreme Lord Krishna carried Sridama. Bhadrasena carried Vrsabha, and Pralamba carried Balarama, the son of Rohini. Considering Lord Krishna invincible, that foremost demon [Pralamba] quickly carried Balarama far beyond the spot where he was supposed to put his passenger down. As the great demon carried Balarama, the Lord became as heavy Bhāgavata Mahāvidyālaya

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as massive Mount Sumeru, and Pralamba had to slow down. He then resumed his actual forman effulgent body that was covered with golden ornaments and that resembled a cloud flashing with lightning and carrying the moon. When Lord Balarama, who carries the plow weapon, saw the gigantic body of the demon as he moved swiftly in the skywith his blazing eyes, fiery hair, terrible teeth reaching toward his scowling brows, and an amazing effulgence generated by his armlets, crown and earrings the Lord seemed to become a little frightened. Remembering the actual situation, the fearless Balarama understood that the demon was trying to kidnap Him and take Him away from His companions. The Lord then be-came furious and struck the demon’s head with His hard fist, just as Indra, the king of the demigods, strikes a mountain with his thunderbolt weapon. Thus smashed by Balarama’s fist, Pralamba’s head immediately cracked open. The demon vomited blood from his mouth and lost all consciousness, and then with a great noise he fell lifeless on the ground, like a mountain devastated by Indra.

The cowherd boys were most astonished to see how the powerful Balarama had killed the demon Pralamba, and they exclaimed, “Excellent!

Excellent!” They offered Balarama profuse benedictions and then glorified Him, who deserves all glorification. Their minds overwhelmed with ecstatic love, they embraced Him as if He had come back from the dead.

The sinful Pralamba having been killed, the demigods felt extremely happy, and they showered flower garlands upon Lord Balarama and praised the excellence of His deed.

- Çrémad-Bhägavatam (Bhägavata Puräëa) » Canto 10 » Chapter eighteen » Verse: 01 - 32 » Translation by His Divine Grace A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

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The Blindfolded Boy

By the Disciples of His Divine Grace A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Another pastime would occur at noon, while Lord Krishna was taking rest. Nearby, the young cowherd girls would be passing by, singing, and Krishna's boyfriends would pretend to inquire from them about the price of milk. Then the boys

would steal yogurt and other items from them and run away. Krishna, Balarama and Their friends would also play games in which they would cross the river in boats.

Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura further explains that the boys would play with fruits by throwing a few in the air and then throwing others to try to hit them. The word netra-bandha indicates a game in which one boy would approach a blindfolded boy from behind and place his palms over the blindfolded boy's eyes. Then, simply by the feel of his palms, the blindfolded boy would have to guess who the other boy was. In all such games the boys put up stakes for the winner, such as flutes or walking sticks. Sometimes the

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boys would imitate the various fighting methods of the forest animals, and at other times they would chirp like birds.

- Çrémad-Bhägavatam (Bhägavata Puräëa) » - Çrémad-Bhägavatam (Bhägavata Puräëa) » Canto 10 » Chapter eighteen » Verse: 14 » Translation by His Divine Grace A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

Sri Krishna’s Characteristics Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura

Sri Krishna’s characteristics are the same as the other manifestations of Godhead—transcendental characteristics such as absolute supramundane spirituality, which is endowed with complete wholeness and controllership over mäyä. An additional superlative characteristic of Sri Krishna is that He manifests, on the mundane plane, His www.ibmedu.org

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transcendental pastimes, by the agency of His internal spiritual potency, for perception by the mundane senses. Although he descends to the earthly planet and simulates mundane behaviour, He and His activities are all perfect, omnipotent and transcendental. To His young friends, He was a bosom friend, to His parents and elders, He was a helpless and obedient child, to His devotees in conjugal love, He was the most beloved of lovers; yet, in all of these relationships and exchanges, Krishna always maintained the highest degree of Divinity. Even whilst performing His human pastimes in the midst of human beings, He acted with supreme authority so as to let the officiating demigods know that He was still their controller and Lord, thus amazing the scholars and philosophers.

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nityaà bhägavata-sevayä - Daça-müla-tattva of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura » Translated by Sarvabhavana dasa.

Two Fold Pastimes Of Krishna

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura

If, by His causeless mercy, Sri Krishna had not revealed His world enchanting pastimes as the young, beautiful cowherd boy, then, could anyone have known Him as the highest viñaya (object of love) in madhura-rasa? Lord Krishna’s pastimes are neither the fabrications of a fertile human imagination, nor the perverted and blind faith of deprived and dissatisfied men—only persons who understand the highest values and ultimate goal of life can comprehend them. In Krishna’s pastimes, His Vrajä-lélä, pastimes in Vrindavana, are the best because in regards to rasa, the jéva benefits the most from them. Intellects tempered by rhetoric and logic cannot grasp the magnitude of Sri Krishna’s pastimes. The devotee who has relished the rasa, the humour of Krishna’s pastimes, can alone know its sweetness. To comprehend and heartily appreciate the Vraja pastimes is a matter of great fortune.

The transcendental pastimes of Krishna are twofold, viz., manifested and nonmanifested. The pastimes in Vrindavana visible to mortal eyes are the manifestive lélä of Sri Krishna, and that which is not so visible, is nonmanifestive lélä of Krishna.

The nonmanifestive lélä is always visible in Goloka and the same is visible to human eyes in Gokula, if Krishna so desires. In his Krishna-sandarbha Sri Jiva Gosvami Prabhu says, "Nonmanifestive pastimes are expressed in manifestive Krishna-lélä, and goloka-lélä is the nonmanifestive pastimes of Krishna visualized from the mundane plane." This is also corroborated by Sri Rupa in his Bhägavatämåta.

The progressive transcendental manifestation of Gokula is Goloka. So Goloka is the selfsame majestic manifestation of Gokula. The eternal pastimes of Sri Krishna, although not visible in Gokula, are eternally manifested in Goloka. Goloka is the transcendental majestic manifestation of Gokula.

The manifestations of the nonmanifestive pastimes of Krishna with regard to the conditioned souls are twofold, viz., (1) worship through the channel of the mantras (inaudibly recited, liberating, self-dedicatory, transcendental sounds), (2) spontaneous outflow of heart's spiritual love for Krishna. Sri Jiva Gosvami has said that worship through the mantra is possible permanently in the proper place, when confined to one pastime. This meditative manifestation of Goloka is the pastime attended with the worship of Krishna through the mantra.

Again, the pastimes that are performed in different planes and in different moods, are autocratic in diverse ways; hence svä-rasiké, i.e., spontaneous, outflow of heart's spiritual love for Krishna. This çloka conveys a twofold meaning. One meaning is that in the pastime attended with worship through the mantra consisting of eighteen transcendental letters, transcendental words contained in the said mantra being differently placed make a manifestation of only one lélä of Sri Krishna. As for example kléà kåñëäya govindäya gopéjana-vallabhäya svähä—this is a hexagonal mantra consisting of six transcendental words, viz., (1) kåñëäya, (2) govindäya, (3) gopéjana, (4) vallabhäya, (5) svä, (6)

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nityaà bhägavata-sevayä hä. These six transcendental words, when placed juxtapositionally, indicate the mantra.

The hexagonal great transcendental machinery is in this wise. The principal seed, i.e. kléà, is situated in the instrument as the central pivot. Anybody with an impression of such an instrument in his mind and concentrating his thought on such spiritual entities, can attain, like Candradhvaja, to the knowledge of the cognitive principle. The word svä indicates kñetrajïa i.e., one who is conversant with one's inner self, and the word hä indicates the transcendental nature. This meaning of the mantra has also been corroborated by Çré Hari-bhakti-viläsa.

The general meaning is this that one who is desirous of entering into the esoteric pastimes of Krishna will have to practice His transcendental service along with the culture of the devotional knowledge relative to Him. (1) Krishna-svarüpa—the proper Self of Krishna; (2) Krishnasya cin-maya-vraja-léläviläsa-svarüpa—the true nature of Krishna's transcendental pastimes in Vraja; (3) tat-parikara-gopéjana-svarüpa—the true nature of His spiritual associates in Vraja, viz., the spiritual milkmen and the milkmaids; (4) tad-vallabha—the true nature of self-surrender to Krishna in the footsteps of the spiritual milkmaids of Vraja; (5) çuddha-jévasya cid-(jïäna)-svarüpa—the true nature of the spiritual knowledge of the unalloyed individual soul; (6) cit-prakåtir arthät Krishna-sevä-svabhäva—the true nature of transcendental service to Krishna is this that the esoteric relation is established on the awakening of one's pure cognition. The meaning is that rasa is only the transcendental service of the central refuge Sri Krishna, as predominating aspect of the Absolute, by one's ego as the spiritual maid of the predominated moiety of the absolute integer, attended with pure devotion in the shape of one's entire self-surrender. The pastime in Goloka or in Gokula during the stage of devotional progress, is the meditative worship through the mantra, and during the stage of perfection the pastimes manifest themselves as the unrestrained transcendental jubilations. This is the real aspect of Goloka or Gokula, which will be made more explicit in due course. The meaning of the words jyoté-rüpeëa manunä [Bs. 5.3] is that the transcendental meaning is expressed in the mantra by means of which, on transcendental desire of love for Krishna and the service of Krishna being added, one is estabwww.ibmedu.org

Issue no 205, Page—7 lished in the eternal love of Krishna. Such eternal pastimes are eternally manifested in Goloka.

- Çré Brahma-saàhitä 5.4 by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura.

How Can Krishna Replay Pastimes He Has Already Performed?

Srila Sanatana Goswami

Since all of Krishna’s pastimes, beginning with the killing of Putana, are eternal, Krishna enjoys them with His devotees in Goloka as often as they like. Yet each time a pastime is repeated, it seems completely new, as if never seen or heard of before. This description may confuse us. How can Krishna replay pastimes He has already performed, and how can demons like Putana repeatedly be killed? But Krishna’s pastimes are transcendental.

They are unlimitedly attractive to all His devotees, whether eternal companions or new converts to pure devotional service. Even newly elevated devotees feel extraordinary love for the Supreme Person whenever they hear and remember His pastimes. Those pastimes generate such a force of loving attraction as to fix the memories of them in the hearts of the devotees. Meditation on those pastimes then gives rise to a very special happiness.

In this way Krishna’s pastimes steal the hearts of even neophyte devotees, and Krishna’s eternal devotees taste a sweetness and wonder unknown to anyone else.

-Çré Båhad Bhägavatämåta (1.4.108) of Srila Sanatana Gosvami, Volume One. Translated by Gopiparanadhana Dasa.

!! Sri Sri Nitai Gaurchandra Jayati !!

ISKCON Bhägavata Mahävidyalaya is a branch of International Society for Krishna Consciousness Founder-Acarya: His Divine Grace A.C. BhaktiVedanta Swami Prabhupada Editor Brajsunder Das Copy Editor Isha Prakash Das Quotations from the books, letters, and lectures of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhakti Vedanta Swami Prabhupada ©Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. ©All the paintings are copyrights of their respective artists.

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