Krsna Book Chapter 13 - The Stealing of the Boys and Calves by Brahma: Difference between revisions
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Pages in category "Krsna Book Chapter 13 - The Stealing of the Boys and Calves by Brahma"
The following 121 pages are in this category, out of 121 total.
A
- A few days before a year had passed, Krsna & Balarama were maintaining the calves in the forest when They saw some cows grazing on the top of Govardhana Hill. The cows could see down into the valley where the calves were being taken care of by the boys
- After embracing their children, the men took the cows back to the top of Govardhana Hill. Along the way they began to think of their children, and affectionate tears fell from their eyes
- After entering the village of Vrndavana, all the calves entered their respective cowsheds, and the boys went to their respective mothers and homes
- After one moment of Brahma's calculation, he came back to see the fun caused by his stealing the boys & calves. But he was also afraid that he was playing with fire. Krsna was his master, & he had played mischief for fun by taking away His calves & boys
- After repeating obeisances for a long time, Brahma stood up and smeared his hands over his eyes. Seeing the Lord before him, he, trembling, began to offer prayers with great respect, humility and attention
- After this manifestation of Lord Visnu, Brahma saw that many other Brahmas and Sivas and demigods and even insignificant living entities down to the ants and very small straws - movable & immovable living entities - were dancing, surrounding Lord Visnu
- All the boys dealt with their mothers as usual, and the mothers also, on the approach of evening, bathed their respective children, decorated them with tilaka and ornaments and gave them necessary food after the day's labor
- All the cows came immediately (down Govardhana Hill) and began to lick their bodies, and the calves also began to suck milk from the milk bags. There appeared to be a great bond of affection between the cows and calves
- All the mystic powers of Brahma, Siva, all the demigods and the twenty-four elements of cosmic manifestation were fully represented in the person of Visnu. By the influence of Lord Visnu, all subordinate mystic powers were engaged in His worship
- All the Visnu forms were of bluish color and dressed in yellow garments; all of Them had four hands decorated with club, disc, lotus flower and conchshell. On Their heads were glittering golden helmets inlaid with jewels
- Although each boy, being an individual soul, had entirely different tastes, activities and behavior, Krsna exactly expanded Himself into all the different positions of the individual boys. He also became the calves, who were also of different sizes
- Although he (Brahma) was informed that the little cowherd boy (Krsna) was the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he wanted to see more of the Lord's glorious pastimes, and thus he stole all the calves and cowherd boys and took them to a different place
- Although the cows and elder gopis of Vrndavana had greater affection for Krsna than for their own offspring, after this incident their affection for their offspring increased unlimitedly, exactly as it did for Krsna
- Although the men came down disappointed, baffled and angry, as soon as they saw their own children, their hearts melted with great affection. At once their anger, dissatisfaction and unhappiness disappeared
- Another significant feature of the Visnu forms was that all of Them were looking transcendentally beautiful. Their smiling resembled the moonshine, and Their glancing resembled the early rising of the sun
- As a puppet has no independent power to dance but dances according to the direction of the puppet master, so the demigods and living entities are all subordinate to the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- As far as transcendental subject matter is concerned, it is called nitya-nava-navayamana. This means that one can go on chanting and hearing about the Lord and never feel tired but remain fresh and eager to hear more and more
- As for the boys, they were simply enjoying transcendental bliss in the company of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. At that time, the calves that were pasturing nearby entered into the deep forest, allured by new grasses, & gradually went out of sight
- As it is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, Krsna's expansion is situated in everyone's heart as the Supersoul. Similarly, instead of expanding Himself as the Supersoul, He expanded Himself as a portion of calves and cowherd boys for one continuous year
- As it is stated in the Caitanya-caritamrta, the only master is Krsna, and all others are His servants. The whole world is under the waves of the material spell, and beings are floating like straws in water. So their struggle for existence is continuing
- As soon as one becomes conscious that he is the eternal servant of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, this maya, or illusory struggle for existence, is immediately stopped
- As the maintainer of everything in the cosmic manifestation, Visnu is also the creator and maintainer of Brahma and Lord Siva
- At night the snow has no silver glitter, nor does the glowworm have any illuminating power during the daytime
- At the request of Balarama, Krsna briefly explained the whole situation: how the calves and boys were stolen by Brahma and how He was concealing the incident by expanding Himself so people would not know that the original calves and boys were missing
B
- Balarama concluded that the extraordinary show of affection was something mystical, either performed by the demigods or by some powerful man. Otherwise, how could this wonderful change take place?
- Balarama inquired from Krsna about the actual situation, "My dear Krsna, in the beginning I thought that all these calves and boys were either great sages and saintly persons or demigods, but at present it appears that they are actually Your expansions"
- Balarama said, "Krsna Yourself are playing as the calves and boys. What is the mystery of this situation? Where have those other calves and boys gone? And why are You expanding Yourself as the calves and boys? Will You kindly tell Me what is the cause?"
- Balarama understood that all those boys and calves were only expansions of Krsna
- Brahma began to think, "All the boys and calves were taken away by me, and I know they are still sleeping. How is it that a similar batch of boys and calves is playing with Krsna? Is it that they are not influenced by my mystic power?"
- Brahma could appreciate the transcendental land of Vrndavana, where all the living entities are transcendental to ordinary nature. In the forest of Vrndavana, even ferocious animals like tigers live peacefully along with the deer and human beings
- Brahma could understand that because of the presence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vrndavana is transcendental to all other places and is free of lust and greed
- Brahma fell down before the Lord just like a stick to offer respect; & because the complexion of Brahma is golden, he appeared to be like a golden stick lying down before Krsna. All the four helmets on the heads of Brahma touched the lotus feet of Krsna
- Brahma found Krsna, the S. P. of Godhead, playing the part of a small cowherd boy; he saw that little child with a lump of food in His left hand, searching out His friends and calves, just as He had been doing one year before, after their disappearance
- Brahma is not an ordinary conditioned soul. He is far, far superior to all the other demigods, and yet he could not comprehend the display of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- Brahma realized that all the different forms of boys and calves transformed into Visnu forms were not transformed by a mysticism of the type that a yogi or a demigod can display by specific powers invested in him
- Brahma realized that all those Visnu forms were complete in mystic power, from the anima perfection of becoming small like an atom up to becoming infinite like the cosmic manifestation
- Brahma saw all around him the superexcellent view of Vrndavana - full with trees - which is the source of life for all living entities
- Brahma tried to understand who they (the cowherds boys and calves) were and how they were uninfluenced by his mystic power, but he could not ascertain it. In other words, he himself came under the spell of his own mystic power
- Brahma, being very joyful, began to shed tears, and he washed the lotus feet of Krsna with his tears. Repeatedly he fell and rose as he recalled the wonderful activities of the Lord
- By crying out the word "Krsna," the boys at once transcended the fearful situation. Out of His great affection, Krsna did not want His friends to give up their pleasing lunch engagement and go searching for the calves
E
- Especially the transcendental forms of the Lord are beyond the reach of the impersonalists, who can only understand, through studying the Upanisads, that the Absolute Truth is not matter, or is not materially restricted
- Even such a great personality as Brahma, when he wanted to show his mystic power before Krsna, became ludicrous
F
- For one who is rapt in hearing and chanting about Krsna, the subject matter never becomes hackneyed or old. That is the significance of transcendental subject matter in contrast to material subject matter
- For one year continuously, Krsna Himself expanded as the calves and cowherd boys and was present in the pasturing ground
- From Krsna's expansion into Visnu forms, Lord Brahma could understand by his limited potency that everything movable and immovable within the cosmic manifestation is existing due to the expansion of the energy of the Supreme Lord
H
- He (Balarama) was astonished to see all the residents of Vrndavana so affectionate to their own children, exactly as they had been to Krsna. Similarly, the cows had grown affectionate to the calves - as much as to Krsna
- He (Brahma) was really anxious, so he did not stay away very long; he came back after a moment (of his calculation). He saw that all the boys and calves were playing with Krsna in the same way as when he had come upon them
- He (Krsna) expanded Himself to become exactly like the boys, who were of all different features and facial and bodily construction, and who were different in their clothing and ornaments and in their behavior and personal activities
- He (Lord Visnu) is the combination of three transcendental features, namely eternity, knowledge and bliss, and He is the object of worship by the followers of the Upanisads
- He (Lord Visnu) was being worshiped by time, space, the cosmic manifestation, reformation, desire, activity and the three qualities of material nature. Lord Visnu, Brahma also realized, is the reservoir of all truth, knowledge and bliss
- He concluded that this mystical change must have been caused by Krsna, whom Balarama considered His worshipable Personality of Godhead. He thought, "It was arranged by Krsna, and even I could not check its mystic power"
I
- Immediately Brahma descended from his great swan carrier and fell down before the Lord just like a golden stick
- In His (Krsna's) left palm He was holding a lump of food prepared with yogurt, butter, rice and pieces of fruit salad, which could be seen through His petallike finger-joints
- In order to convince Brahma that all those calves and boys were not the original ones, the calves and boys who were playing with Krsna transformed into Visnu forms
- In order to satisfy the mothers of His friends, as well as to convince Brahma of the supremacy of the Personality of Godhead, He (Krsna) immediately expanded Himself as the cowherd boys and calves
- In the form of a cowherd boy, Lord Krsna was very little in comparison to Brahma, but because He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He could immediately understand that all the calves and boys had been stolen by Brahma
- In the mundane world, even a personality like Brahma is unable to understand the mystic power of the Supreme Lord. Not only did Brahma fail to understand, but he was perplexed even to see the display which was being manifested by Krsna before him
- In the Vedas it is said that the Supreme Personality of Godhead has already expanded Himself into so many living entities by His energy. Therefore it was not very difficult for Him to expand Himself again into so many boys and calves
- In the Visnu Purana it is said, Whatever we actually see in the cosmic manifestation - be it matter or the activities of the living entities - is simply an expansion of the energies of the Lord, as heat and light are the different expansions of fire
- It is said that it is the nature of a devotee to constantly apply his mind, energy, words, ears, etc., in hearing and chanting about Krsna. This is called Krsna consciousness
- It is the duty of the spiritual master to disclose all confidential subject matter to the inquisitive and sincere disciple. Thus Sukadeva Gosvami began to explain why the killing of Aghasura was not discussed until one year had passed
K
- Krsna said, "Let us have our lunch in this spot because it is already late and we are feeling hungry. Let the calves remain near us, and drink water from the Yamuna. While we engage in our lunch-taking, the calves may engage in eating the soft grasses"
- Krsna said, "My dear friends, just see how this spot is very nice for taking lunch and playing on the soft, sandy Yamuna bank. You can see how the lotus flowers in the water are beautifully blown and how they distribute their fragrance all around"
- Krsna said, "My dear friends, you need not interrupt your lunch. Go on enjoying. I am going personally to find the calves"
- Krsna said, "The chirping of the birds along with the cooing of the peacocks, surrounded by the whispering of the leaves in the trees, combine and present sound vibrations that echo one another. And this just enriches the beautiful scenery"
- Krsna thought, "Brahma has taken away all the boys and calves. How can I alone return to Vrndavana? The mothers will be aggrieved!"
- Krsna took compassion upon Brahma because of his inability to see how Krsna was displaying the forms of Visnu and transforming Himself into calves and cowherd boys
- Krsna willingly stopped manifesting any further potency. The conditioned soul not only becomes bewildered but is completely unable to understand. The curtain of yogamaya was drawn so that Brahma would not become more and more perplexed
L
- Lord Brahma, who has full control over the goddess of learning and who is considered to be the best authority in Vedic knowledge, was thus perplexed, being unable to understand the extraordinary power manifested by the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- Lord Krsna, in spite of searching for the calves, could not find them, and He even lost His boyfriends on the bank of the Yamuna, where they had been taking their lunch
O
- Older cows are taken care of by the men, and the calves are taken care of by the boys; and as far as possible, the calves are kept separate from the cows, so that the calves do not drink all the available milk
- On hearing this proposal from Krsna, all the boys became very glad and said, "Certainly, let us all sit down here to take our lunch." They then let loose the calves to eat the soft grass
S
- Sitting down on the ground and keeping Krsna in the center, they (the cowherd boys) began to open their lunch boxes brought from home. Lord Sri Krsna was seated in the center of the circle, and all the boys kept their faces toward Him
- Suddenly, on sighting the calves, the cows began to run toward them. They leaped downhill with joined front and rear legs
- Sukadeva Gosvami explained thus: "My dear King Pariksit, you are making the subject matter of the transcendental pastimes of Krsna fresher by your inquisitiveness"
- Sukadeva Gosvami told the King, "Now hear of this secret with attention. After saving His friends from the mouth of Aghasura and killing the demon, Lord Krsna brought His friends to the bank of the Yamuna and addressed them as follows"
- Sukadeva Gosvami was very much encouraged when Maharaja Pariksit asked him why the cowherd boys did not discuss the death of Aghasura until after one year had passed
T
- That which covers the reality is maha-maya, or the external energy, which does not allow a conditioned soul to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead beyond the cosmic manifestation
- The boys collected flowers, leaves of flowers and the bark of trees and placed their lunch on them, as well as in their boxes, and thus they began to eat their lunch, keeping company with Krsna
- The calves and boys transformed into visnu-murtis, or Visnu forms, were not displays of visnu-maya, or Visnu's energy, but were Visnu Himself
- The cowherd men who were taking care of the cows on the top of Govardhana Hill tried to stop them, but they failed. Baffled by their failure, they were feeling ashamed and angry
- The cows also, who had been away in the pasturing ground, returned in the evening and called their respective calves. The calves immediately came to their mothers, and the mothers began to lick the bodies of the calves
- The cows were so melted with affection for the calves that they did not care about the rough path from the top of Govardhana Hill down to the pasturing ground. They approached the calves with their milk bags full of milk, and raised their tails upwards
- The energy which partially manifests the Supreme Personality of Godhead and partially does not allow one to see is called yogamaya
- The forms which Krsna assumed were each and every one full Visnu. The specific word used in this connection is satya-jnananantananda: satya means truth; jnana, full knowledge; ananta, unlimited; and ananda, full bliss
- The glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead are so great that the impersonalistic followers of the Upanisads cannot reach the platform of knowledge to understand them
- The influence of his (Brahma's) mystic power appeared like snow in darkness or a glowworm in the daytime
- The manifestation of the Visnu forms of the boys and calves was not like the heat but was rather the fire - they were all actually Visnu. Factually, the qualification of Visnu is full truth, full knowledge and full bliss
- The mothers of the boys heard the vibration of their flutes before their entrance, and to receive them, they came out of their homes and embraced them. Out of maternal affection, milk was flowing from their breasts
- The original ones (calves & boys) were sleeping under the spell of Brahma's mystic power, but the present ones, seen by Brahma, were all immediate expansions of Krsna, or Visnu. Visnu is the expansion of Krsna, so the Visnu forms appeared before Brahma
- The respective qualifications of Visnu and visnu-maya are just like fire and heat. In the heat there is the qualification of fire, namely warmth; and yet heat is not fire
- The sun is reflected in many waterpots, but the reflections of the sun in the many pots are not actually the sun. There is no actual heat or light from the suns in the pots, although they appear like the sun
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead, who accepts the results of all great sacrifices, was laughing and joking, enjoying lunch with His friends in Vrndavana
- The word used among the Vaisnavas for offering respect is dandavat. This word means "falling down like a stick"; one should offer respect to the superior Vaisnava by falling down straight, with his body just like a stick
- Their (the gopis) offering was not exactly to their boys but to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who had expanded Himself into such boys. This was a chance for all the mothers of Vrndavana to feed the Supreme Personality of Godhead with their own milk
- Their dancing (of many other Brahmas and Sivas and demigods) was accompanied by various kinds of music, and all of Them were worshiping Lord Visnu
- Their legs were decorated with bells, Their waists with golden belts, & Their fingers with jeweled rings. Brahma also saw that upon the whole body of each Visnu, from the lotus feet up to the top of the head, fresh tulasi leaves and buds had been thrown
- These cows had their own calves, and the calves that were grazing beneath Govardhana Hill were larger; they were not expected to drink milk directly from the milk bag but were satisfied with the grass
- These relations of the cows & gopis with their calves & boys remained unchanged, although actually the original calves & boys were not there. Actually the cows' affection for their calves & the elder gopis' affection for the boys causelessly increased
- They (the cowherd boys) ate and constantly enjoyed seeing the Lord face to face. Krsna appeared to be the whorl of a lotus flower, and the boys surrounding Him appeared to be its different petals
- They (the cowherd men) began to show paternal love for the children, and with great affection they lifted them in their arms and embraced them. They began to smell their children’s heads and enjoy their company with great happiness
- They (the cowherd men) were very unhappy, but when they came down and saw their children taking care of the calves, they all of a sudden became very affectionate toward the children. It was very astonishing
- They (the Visnu forms) were bedecked with pearls and earrings and garlanded with beautiful flowers. On Their chests was the mark of Srivatsa, Their arms were decorated with armlets and other jewelry, and Their necks were just like conchshells
- Thus expanding Himself as the boys and calves in their individual capacities, and surrounded by such expansions of Himself, Krsna entered the village of Vrndavana. The residents had no knowledge of what had happened
- Thus Lord Krsna, still carrying the lump of yogurt-and-rice preparation in His left hand, immediately started to search out the calves in the caves and bushes. He searched in the mountain holes and in the forests, but nowhere could He find them
W
- We have information of Lord Brahma's duration of life from the BG: 1,000 times the duration of the four ages, or 1,000 x 4,320,000 years, constitute Brahma's 12 hours. Similarly, one moment of Brahma's time is equal to one year of our solar calculation
- When Aghasura was killed & the demigods were looking on the incident with great surprise, Brahma, who was born of the lotus flower growing out of the navel of Visnu, also came to see. He was surprised how a little boy like Krsna could act so wonderfully
- When Balarama saw this extraordinary exchange of affection between the cows & the calves and between the fathers and their children - when neither the calves nor children needed so much care - He began to wonder why this extraordinary thing had happened
- When Brahma was relieved from his perplexity, he appeared to awaken from an almost dead state, and he began to open his eyes with great difficulty. Thus he could see the external cosmic manifestation with common eyes
- When Brahma was thus standing baffled in his limited power and conscious of his limited activities within the eleven senses, he could realize that he was also a creation of the material energy, just like a puppet
- When the boys saw that the calves were not nearby, they became afraid for their safety, and they immediately cried out, "Krsna!" Krsna is the killer of fear personified. Everyone is afraid of fear personified, but fear personified is afraid of Krsna
- When the small mystic power exhibited by Brahma was before the mystic power of Krsna, it was just like snow at night or a glowworm during the day
- When they (the cows) were coming down the hill (of Govardhana), their milk bags were pouring milk on the ground out of intense maternal affection for the calves, although they were not their own calves
- While fully manifesting the Visnu expansions, He (Krsna) suddenly pulled His curtain of yogamaya over the scene. In the Bhagavad-gita it is said that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is not visible due to the curtain spread by yogamaya
- While Krsna and Balarama were talking, Brahma returned after a moment's interval (according to the duration of his life)
- While Lord Krsna was enjoying lunch with His friends, His flute was pushed within the belt of His cloth on His right side, and His bugle and cane were pushed in on the left-hand side of His cloth
- While taking lunch, each boy began to manifest different kinds of relations with Krsna, and they enjoyed each other's company with joking words