Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.8.45

Pradyumna: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. [devotees repeat] [leads chanting of verse, etc.]

tāṁ bāḍham ity upāmantrya praviśya gajasāhvayam striyaś ca sva-puraṁ yāsyan premṅā rājñā nivāritaḥ [SB 1.8.45]

[break] [01:11]

"[Thus accepting the] ...prayers of Śrīmatī Kuntīdevī, the Lord subsequently informed other ladies of His departure by entering the palace of Hastināpura. But upon preparing to leave, He was stopped by King Yudhiṣṭhira, who implored Him lovingly."

Prabhupāda:

tāṁ bāḍham ity upāmantrya praviśya gajasāhvayam striyaś ca sva-puraṁ yāsyan premṅā rājñā nivāritaḥ [SB 1.8.45]

So this verse... All the ladies of the palace... It is natural for ladies, when there is separation, they cry. So they were shedding tears, but Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira asked them to stop, not to cry, because it may be inauspicious. Kṛṣṅa was going home, and everyone should give Him farewell, a smiling face. But they could not do so. It was not possible. They were feeling so much of Kṛṣṅa's separation that they were crying, and Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira asked them not to cry.

[reading:] "No one could make Lord Kṛṣṅa stay at Hastināpura when He decided to start for Dvārakā, but the simple request, Yudhiṣṭhira, that the Lord remain there for a few days more was immediately effective. This signifies that the power of the king of loving affection, which the Lord could not deny. The almighty God thus conquered only by loving service." Kṛṣṅa, although ready for going, still, Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja stopped. And because Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja is the elder cousin of Kṛṣṅa and very exalted, pious king, could not..., Kṛṣṅa could not refuse the order. [reading:] "The almighty God is thus conquered only by loving service, and nothing else." Prāyana..., prāyaśo ajito 'py jita 'py asi. Kṛṣṅa is Ajita. Nobody can conquer Kṛṣṅa. Nobody can order Kṛṣṅa. Nobody can supersede Kṛṣṅa. Nobody is greater than Kṛṣṅa. Nobody is equal to Kṛṣṅa. Nobody is powerful than Kṛṣṅa. Nobody is richer. Everything... Kṛṣṅa is the Supreme Being. Therefore His another name is Ajita. Ajita means... Jita means conquered; ajita means who is never conquered. Kṛṣṅa had so many fights with the demons. Even in His childhood, the demons could not conquer over Kṛṣṅa. Beginning from Pūtanā, when He was only three months old, and up to the killing of so many other demons, Kṛṣṅa was never defeated. That is the history. He was never defeated. Ajita. Therefore His name is Ajita. But Ajita becomes conquered. Ajito 'py jita 'py asi. Although Kṛṣṅa is never conquered, still, you can conquer Him. How? Simply by becoming His beloved devotee.

Just like Bhīṣmadeva. Bhīṣmadeva is one of the recognized stalwart devotee of Kṛṣṅa, mahājana, authority. Whatever Bhīṣma will speak on devotional service, that is authoritative. All the twelve mahājanas... Svayambhūr nāradaḥ śambhuḥ kapilaḥ kumāro manuḥ prahlādo janako bhīṣmaḥ [SB 6.3.20].

[Lord Brahmā, Bhagavān Nārada, Lord Śiva, the four Kumāras, Lord Kapila [the son of Devahūti], Svāyambhuva Manu, Prahlāda Mahārāja, Janaka Mahārāja, Grandfather Bhīṣma, Bali Mahārāja, Śukadeva Gosvāmī and I myself know the real religious principle. My dear servants, this transcendental religious principle, which is known as bhāgavata-dharma, or surrender unto the Supreme Lord and love for Him, is uncontaminated by the material modes of nature. It is very confidential and difficult for ordinary human beings to understand, but if by chance one fortunately understands it, he is immediately liberated, and thus he returns home, back to Godhead.]

So Bhīṣma wanted to conquer over Kṛṣṅa. He promised. How he conquered, that you know, the story, that when Duryodhana showed some reluctance, that "My dear grandfather, you are not fighting with the Pāṅḍavas wholeheartedly because you have got affection for them. So you are on my side. You should fight wholeheartedly." A little criticizing. So to..., in order to please Duryodhana, Bhīṣma promised that "Tomorrow I shall kill all the five brothers. Is that all right?" "Yes, sir. Do that." "So they cannot be saved unless Kṛṣṅa breaks His promise."

Kṛṣṅa said that... Both the parties were informed that "It is family fight. I cannot take part in the family. But I can divide Myself into two: My soldiers one side, and I am one side. But even if I am in one side, I'll not fight." So this was His promise, that He would not fight in the Battle of Kurukṣetra. But Bhīṣma obliged Him to fight, to break His promise in order to save Arjuna. Therefore Bhīṣma conquered over Kṛṣṅa, because He had to break His promise. Arjuna was in such a precarious condition that unless Kṛṣṅa would take up the weapon to stop Bhīṣma... Bhīṣma was determined: "All right, let, let me kill my grandson." So in battlefield, it was a great ocean of fighting, and Bhīṣma, Droṅa, Karṅa, they were compared with big, big sharks, crocodiles, in the ocean. That was described by Parīkṣit Mahārāja, that "Only for Kṛṣṅa, my grandfather Arjuna was saved. Otherwise, it was impossible for my grandfather to conquer over the fight, to come out victorious. It is simply due to Kṛṣṅa."

So Bhīṣma conquered over Kṛṣṅa. Instead of conquering over Arjuna, he conquered over Kṛṣṅa. So similarly, here also, Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, he conquered over Kṛṣṅa's decision. If we become devotee of Kṛṣṅa, then ajito 'py jita 'py asi. This is the statement of Lord Brahmā, that Kṛṣṅa can be conquered. Just like Yaśodā-mā conquered over Kṛṣṅa. That Dāmodara-stotra you are reading, how Kṛṣṅa was afraid of His mother. So any devotee can attain that stage, controlling Kṛṣṅa by love and affection. There is no question... A devotee never likes to control over... They want to serve Kṛṣṅa. This is also service. When a devotee conquers over Kṛṣṅa or controls over Kṛṣṅa, that is also service. That is not actually controlling, because Kṛṣṅa wants to be controlled. Just like a father sometimes says to his children, small children, to rise over the body, and they kick the father. And they... The father feels some relief; it is a kind of massaging. So similarly, everyone worships Kṛṣṅa as the Supreme Being, and therefore Kṛṣṅa wants sometimes to be, I mean to say, thought as insignificant subordinate. That is stated in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, that "Everyone worships Me, but without worshiping, if somebody, I mean, controls over Me, I am very much happy."

So to control over Kṛṣṅa is not a very easy job. Unless one is a great devotee, he cannot... Just like the cowherd boys: they used to rise on the shoulder of Kṛṣṅa. Kṛṣṅa was defeated in play. So the bet was that one who is defeated, he would take the other party on his shoulder. So Kṛṣṅa became defeated.

itthaṁ satāṁ brahma-sukhānubhūtyā dāsyaṁ gatānāṁ para-daivatena māyāśritānāṁ nara-dārakeṅa sākaṁ vijahruḥ kṛta-puṅya-puñjāḥ [SB 10.12.11]

[All the boys would be differently engaged. Some boys blew their flutes, and others blew bugles made of horn. Some imitated the buzzing of the bumblebees, and others imitated the voice of the cuckoo. Some boys imitated flying birds by running after the birds' shadows on the ground, some imitated the beautiful movements and attractive postures of the swans, some sat down with the ducks, sitting silently, and others imitated the dancing of the peacocks.

Some boys attracted young monkeys in the trees, some jumped into the trees, imitating the monkeys, some made faces as the monkeys were accustomed to do, and others jumped from one branch to another. Some boys went to the waterfalls and crossed over the river, jumping with the frogs, and when they saw their own reflections on the water they would laugh. They would also condemn the sounds of their own echoes.

In this way, all the cowherd boys used to play with Kṛṣṅa, who is the source of the Brahman effulgence for jñānīs desiring to merge into that effulgence, who is the Supreme Personality of Godhead for devotees who have accepted eternal servitorship, and who for ordinary persons is but another ordinary child. The cowherd boys, having accumulated the results of pious activities for many lives, were able to associate in this way with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. How can one explain their great fortune?]

When Kṛṣṅa was playing like that, taking His friend on the shoulder, so Śukadeva Gosvāmī made a statement, "Who is this person, taking His friend on His shoulder?" Now, itthaṁ satāṁ brahma-sukhānubhūtyā. The great, great sages, impersonalists, they merge into the brahma-sukha. So brahma-sukha... Brahman is the effulgence of body of Kṛṣṅa. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṅḍa-koṭi [Bs 5.40].

[I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, whose effulgence is the source of the nondifferentiated Brahman mentioned in the Upaniṣads, being differentiated from the infinity of glories of the mundane universe appears as the indivisible, infinite, limitless, truth.]

Brahman, impersonal Brahman, is the rays of the body of Kṛṣṅa. Therefore Śukadeva Gosvāmī's pointing out that "Here is the source of brahma-sukha. The impersonalists, they take pleasure to merge into brahma-sukha, but here the Personality, Kṛṣṅa, who is taking His friend on His shoulder, He is the source of brahma-sukha." In other words, the impersonalist enjoy brahma-sukha, and the devotee enjoys that Supreme Brahman by rising up on His shoulder. That is the position of the devotee. Itthaṁ satāṁ brahma-sukhānubhūtyā dāsyaṁ gatānāṁ para-daivatena: "And He's the Supreme Person for the devotees." Dāsyaṁ gatānām, those who have accepted to become the servant, eternal servant of Kṛṣṅa, so for them, here is the Supreme Person.

And māyāśritānāṁ nara-dārakeṅa: "Those who are under the influence of māyā, they are seeing Kṛṣṅa as ordinary human child, māyāśrita." And who are playing? Now, sākaṁ vijahruḥ kṛta-puṅya-puñjāḥ [SB 10.12.11]. They have come to this position so much so that they are rising on the shoulder of Kṛṣṅa. How? Kṛta-puṅya-puñjāḥ. Puṅya-puñjāḥ, heaps of pious activities, many, many lives. First of all, one has to understand Kṛṣṅa after becoming very, very perfect. Hmm?

manuṣyāṅāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye yatatām api siddhānāṁ kaścin vetti māṁ tattvataḥ [Bg 7.3]

[Out of many thousands among men, one may endeavor for perfection, and of those who have achieved perfection, hardly one knows Me in truth.]

Out of many millions of persons, somebody is interested in making this life perfect. Generally, the karmīs, they do not know what is the perfection of life. Therefore it is said, manuṣyāṅāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye. They are being carried away by the waves of material nature.

Therefore Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura is warning, "My dear friends, why you are being carried away by the waves of this material ocean?" Māyār bośe, jāccho bhese', khāccho hābuḍubu bhāi. This is Vaiṣṅava's desire. Vaiṣṅavaḥ para-duḥkha-duḥkhī. Para-duḥkha-duḥkhī. Kṛpāmbudhiḥ. So Vaiṣṅava vision is different. Vaiṣṅava vision is... He can see what is the position of these māyāśritānām, those who have taken shelter of this māyā, what is their position. Position is miserable. Duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam [Bg 8.15].

[After attaining Me, the great souls, who are yogīs in devotion, never return to this temporary world, which is full of miseries, because they have attained the highest perfection.]

And they are being carried away by the waves. Today, one kind of body; tomorrow, another body; tomorrow or next life... So in this way the karmīs are being carried away. So therefore, out of such millions of karmīs, one becomes jñānī. Jñānī.

Koṭi karmī madhye eka jñānī śreṣṭha. Caitanya Mahāprabhu has said that "Out of many, many karmīs, one who is jñānī..." Jñānī means one who knows that "I am not this body. I am spirit." But still, there is some mistake. They think that "I am the Supreme Spirit." So 'ham. Māyā is so strong. Even after so much austerities, coming practically on the verge of perfection, they are misled by māyā, this so 'ham. So 'ham means "I am the same." But "I am the same" does not mean "I am the same Supreme." "I am the same in quality." So 'ham does not mean that "I am as good as the Supreme Brahman." It does not mean. Part is never equal to the whole. We are part of the Supreme Brahman, mamaivāṁśaḥ. So in quality, just like a small particle of gold is also gold—quality is the same. A small drop of seawater is the same quality—salty. But that does not mean the drop of seawater becomes the sea. The māyā is so strong. Therefore Bhāgavata says, "The impersonalist, Māyāvādīs, although they think that they have become one with the Supreme, but their intelligence is not yet complete." Ye 'nye..., ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa vimukta-māninaḥ [SB 10.2.32].

[[Someone may say that aside from devotees, who always seek shelter at the Lord's lotus feet, there are those who are not devotees but who have accepted different processes for attaining salvation. What happens to them? In answer to this question, Lord Brahmā and the other demigods said:] O lotus-eyed Lord, although nondevotees who accept severe austerities and penances to achieve the highest position may think themselves liberated, their intelligence is impure. They fall down from their position of imagined superiority because they have no regard for Your lotus feet.]

They think like that: "Now we have become perfect, Nārāyaṅa." But Bhāgavata says, "Sir, you may think like that, that you have become liberated, but you are not liberated, because you are still in ignorance, because you are thinking one with the Supreme." Aviśuddha-buddhayaḥ: "Your intelligence is not yet perfect."

Therefore Kṛṣṅa says, yatatām api siddhānāṁ kaścin vetti māṁ tattvataḥ [Bg 7.3].

[Out of many thousands among men, one may endeavor for perfection, and of those who have achieved perfection, hardly one knows Me in truth.]

Siddha... Jñānīs are siddhas. Yogīs are siddhas. Although they are trying their best to become perfect, but still, they are missing Kṛṣṅa on account of aviśuddha-buddhi. And therefore āruhya kṛcchreṅa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ [SB 10.2.32]. Although by austerities they come to that platform of brahma-anubhāva, Brahman realization, still, they fall down, anādṛta-yuṣmad-aṅghrayaḥ, on account of neglecting to worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So they cannot understand Him. Kaścit. Kṛṣṅa says, kaścit vetti māṁ tattvataḥ. Not that everyone, jñānī, will understand. Even one is jñānī, then he'll take many births to understand Kṛṣṅa. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate [Bg 7.19].

[After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare.]

So to understand God, the Supreme Being, who is controlling the whole universe, it is very, very difficult to understand Him. But if we become devotee, then Kṛṣṅa reveals Himself. That is the... Then not only the devotee understands what is Kṛṣṅa, but he attains the position that he can order over Kṛṣṅa, he can control Kṛṣṅa. This is devotee's position. So why a devotee should aspire for merging into the effulgence of Kṛṣṅa's rays? They have got a different position. So we should try to become a devotee simply by service. You can become a perfect devotee simply by service. There is no other method. Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti [Bg 18.55].

[One can understand the Supreme Personality as He is only by devotional service. And when one is in full consciousness of the Supreme Lord by such devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God.]

Bhakti means service, simply. That is bhakti. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau [Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.234].

[No one can understand the transcendental nature of the name, form, quality and pastimes of Śrī Kṛṣṅa through his materially contaminated senses. Only when one becomes spiritually saturated by transcendental service to the Lord are the transcendental name, form, quality and pastimes of the Lord revealed to him.]

Simply the spirit, bhakti... Bhaktir uttamā. Ānukūlyena kṛṣṅānuśīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā [Cc Madhya 19.167].

[When first-class devotional service develops, one must be devoid of all material desires, knowledge obtained by monistic philosophy, and fruitive action. The devotee must constantly serve Kṛṣṅa favorably, as Kṛṣṅa desires.]

Ānukūlyena. Whatever Kṛṣṅa orders, if you discharge that, that is bhakti, simply favorable to Kṛṣṅa. Whatever Kṛṣṅa says...

So Kṛṣṅa says very simple thing, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṅaṁ vraja [Bg 18.66].

[Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear.]

If we become intelligent enough, then we fully surrender to Kṛṣṅa. And Kṛṣṅa says, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru [Bg 18.65].

[Always think of Me and become My devotee. Worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend.]

We take up the principle to think of Kṛṣṅa always, twenty-four hours. Satataṁ cintayanto..., kīrtayanto mām. If you chant Kṛṣṅa's name, then satatam, twenty-four hours... That is possible, just like Haridāsa Ṭhākura used to do. Then you think of Kṛṣṅa without fail, and other things automatically come. Man-manā bhava mad... Who can devote so much time for thinking of..., unless he has become a devotee? So man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī. And a devotee is always ready to worship Kṛṣṅa, offer Him obeisances, however big he may be. In this way, we can attain this position of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira or Yaśodāmāyi when Kṛṣṅa, the Ajita, could be controlled, even by the devotee.

Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṅa.

Devotees: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda. [end]