Category:Krsna Book Chapter 05 - The Meeting of Nanda and Vasudeva
Pages in category "Krsna Book Chapter 05 - The Meeting of Nanda and Vasudeva"
The following 77 pages are in this category, out of 77 total.
A
- According to one's fruitive activities, one has to act differently and thereby be separated. For example, many plants and creepers are floating on the waves of the ocean. Sometimes they come together, and sometimes they separate forever
- According to the Vedic system, a woman whose husband is not at home does not dress herself very nicely. But although Rohini's husband was away, she still dressed herself very nicely on this occasion
- According to Vedic injunction one should purify such wealth by giving cows and gold in charity to the brahmanas. A newborn child is also purified by gifts of grain in charity to the brahmanas
- After dressing themselves in this gorgeous way, they (the cowherd men) took various kinds of presentations and thus approached the house of Nanda Maharaja
- After the birth ceremony, Nanda Maharaja decided to go to Mathura to pay the annual tax to the government of Kamsa. Before leaving, he called for the able cowherd men of the village and asked them to take care of Vrndavana in his absence
- After the birth of a child, the astrologers calculate the moment of the birth and make a horoscope of the child's future life
- After the friendly conversation between Nanda Maharaja and Vasudeva, Vasudeva returned to his home. Nanda Maharaja and the other cowherd men, who had come to Mathura to pay their taxes, also returned home
- All the cows, bulls and calves were smeared with a mixture of oil and turmeric and painted with minerals like red oxide, yellow clay and manganese. They wore garlands of peacock feathers and were covered with nice colored cloths and gold necklaces
- All the demigods are also worshiped on this occasion (of the birth ceremony), as well as the forefathers of the family
- Along with this chanting of mantras and songs, bugles and kettledrums are sounded outside the house. On this occasion (the ceremony for Krsna's birth), the joyous vibrations could be heard in all the pasturing grounds and all the houses
- Although Krsna was the real son of Vasudeva and Devaki, because of Kamsa's atrocious activities Vasudeva could not enjoy the birth ceremony of his son. But Nanda Maharaja, the foster father, celebrated the birth ceremony of Krsna very joyfully
- Another ceremony takes place after the birth of the child: the family members take baths, cleanse themselves & decorate themselves with ornaments and nice garments; then they come before the child & the astrologer to hear of the future life of the child
- Anxious about his two sons, who had been put under the protection of Nanda without Nanda’s knowledge, Vasudeva inquired about Them with great anxiety. Both Balarama and Krsna were the sons of Vasudeva
- As soon as they heard that mother Yasoda had given birth to a child, all the cowherd women became overwhelmed with joy, and they also dressed themselves with various kinds of costly garments and ornaments and smeared scented cosmetics on their bodies
- As the dust on the lotus flower exhibits the exquisite beauty of the flower, all the gopis applied the dust of kunkuma on their lotuslike faces. These beautiful gopis took their different presentations and very soon reached the house of Maharaja Nanda
- As the gopis were very hastily passing over the stone road, the flower garlands which were decorating their bodies fell to the ground, and it appeared that a shower of flowers was falling from the sky
B
- Balarama was transferred to the womb of Rohini, Vasudeva's own wife, but Rohini was kept under the protection of Nanda Maharaja. Krsna was personally delivered to Yasoda and exchanged with her daughter
- Because Lord Krsna took birth in the house of King Nanda and mother Yasoda, the goddess of fortune was obliged to manifest her opulences in Vrndavana. It appeared that Vrndavana had already become a site for the pastimes of the goddess of fortune
- Because Vasudeva was so anxious about Krsna, he inquired about the safety of His residence. He also inquired about Balarama and His mother, Rohini, who were entrusted to the care of Nanda Maharaja
- By austerities, by worship of the Lord, and by distribution of charity we can purify the possession of wealth. We can purify our self by studying the Vedas in order to understand the Absolute Truth and achieve self-realization
- By their dress and ornaments, and by their behavior, it appears that although they (the inhabitants of Vrndavana) were in a small village, they still were rich in material possessions
E
- Every living entity appears on this earth under different pressures of fruitive activities; although they assemble together, there is no certainty of their remaining together for a long time
- Everyone is subjected to his past deeds, and one who is conversant with the philosophy of karma and its reactions is a man in knowledge. Such a person will not be aggrieved at any incident, happy or miserable
F
- From the movement of the different kinds of ornaments on their bodies (the gopis), they were looking still more beautiful. In this way, they all reached the house of Nanda-Yasoda and blessed the child: "Dear child, You live long just to protect us"
- From the opulence of the birth ceremony of Krsna, it is very clear that at that time Vrndavana was rich in every respect
I
- In that ceremony (for Krsna's birth), all the assembled brahmanas began to chant different kinds of Vedic mantras to invoke all good fortune for the child. There are different kinds of chanting, known as suta, magadha, vandija and virudavali
- In the material world we possess riches and wealth in many ways, but sometimes not in very honest and pious ways, because that is the nature of accumulating wealth
- In this material world it is to be understood that we are always living in a contaminated state. We therefore have to purify the duration of our lives, our possession of wealth and our self
- It is also significant that Vasudeva inquired about the welfare of Nanda Maharaja's animals. The animals, and especially the cows, were protected exactly in the manner of one's children
- It is everyone's duty to see that his fellow citizens and the cows are not put into difficulty. One should see to the peace and comfort of his fellow man and the animals
- It is stated in the Vedic literature that by birth everyone is born a sudra, that by accepting the purificatory process one becomes twice-born, that by studying the Vedas one becomes a vipra, which is the preliminary qualification for becoming a brahmana
- It is very important to note in this connection how wealthy the inhabitants of Vrndavana were simply by raising cows. All the cowherd men belonged to the vaisya community, and their business was to protect the cows and cultivate crops
N
- Nanda Maharaja & other members of the family dressed & sat down in front of the birthplace. The brahmanas who were assembled there on this occasion chanted auspicious mantras, according to the rituals, while the astrologers performed the birth ceremony
- Nanda Maharaja distributed to the brahmanas 200,000 cows, which were well decorated with cloth and ornaments. He gave the brahmanas not only cows in charity but also hills of grain decorated with ornaments and golden-bordered cloth
- Nanda Maharaja had no knowledge that this child (Krsna) was the origin of Visnu; he was praying to Lord Visnu to protect Him
- Nanda Maharaja knew that Balarama was the son of Vasudeva, but he did not know that Krsna was also Vasudeva's son. Vasudeva, of course, was aware of this fact and inquired very eagerly about both Krsna and Balarama
- Nanda Maharaja replied: My dear Vasudeva, I know that you are very much aggrieved because the cruel king Kamsa has killed all your sons born of Devaki. Although the last child was a daughter, Kamsa could not kill her
- Nanda Maharaja was also very happy to see the pastimes of the cowherd men and women, and he became very liberal in giving charity to the different singers who were assembled there
- Nanda Maharaja, the foster father of Lord Krsna, began to satisfy the desires of all the men assembled there. He respectfully received them and gave them in charity whatever they desired
- Nanda, overwhelmed with joy, immediately stood up and embraced Vasudeva. Vasudeva was received very warmly and offered a nice place to sit
- Not only did they (the inhabitants of Vrndavana) possess all these things, but they could give them (milk products, various kinds of jewelry, ornaments and costly garments) away in charity lavishly, as did Nanda Maharaja
O
- On that auspicious occasion (of the birth ceremony of Krsna), there were different bands of expert musicians playing
- Overburdened with their heavy hips and swollen breasts, the gopis could not proceed very quickly toward the house of Nanda Maharaja, but out of ecstatic love for Krsna they proceeded as quickly as possible
T
- The development of religious principles, economic development and sense gratification can then be achieved without difficulty
- The learned brahmanas, who had no other source of income, were completely dependent on the vaisya community for their maintenance, and they received gifts on such festive occasions as birthdays and marriages
- The next day, it was declared that a male child (Krsna) had been born to Yasoda. According to Vedic custom, Nanda Maharaja called for learned astrologers and brahmanas to perform the birth ceremony
- The purport of this expression by Vasudeva is this: although he had eight sons born in the womb of Devaki, unfortunately they were all gone. He could not even keep his one son Krsna with him
- Their (the cowherd women's) ears were decorated with pearl rings, their necks were decorated with jeweled lockets, their lips and eyes were decorated with different kinds of lipstick and ointment, and their hands were decorated with nice golden bangles
- Their wealth was in milk, yogurt, clarified butter and many other milk products, and by trading their agricultural products, they (the inhabitants of Vrndavana) were rich in various kinds of jewelry, ornaments and costly garments
- There were also many learned brahmanas present (at the birth ceremony of Krsna), and Nanda Maharaja, being very satisfied on this occasion, gave them different kinds of garments, ornaments and cows in charity
- They (the cowherd men) dressed themselves with very costly garments and ornamented their bodies with different kinds of earrings and necklaces and wore great turbans on their heads
- They (the inhabitants of Vrndavana) possessed such an abundance of various kinds of milk products that they were throwing butter lavishly on each other's bodies without restriction
V
- Vasudeva addressed Nanda, "My dear brother, you were old and very anxious to beget a son, and yet you had none. Now by the grace of the Lord you are fortunate to have a very nice son. I think that this incident is very auspicious for you"
- Vasudeva also reminded Nanda Maharaja that Balarama did not know His real father. "He knows you as His father. And now you have another child, Krsna, and I think you are taking very nice care of both of Them"
- Vasudeva continued to Nanda Maharaja: Our family assembly may be very nice while we are living together, but after some time, in the course of the waves of time, we are separated
- Vasudeva continued to say that the maintenance of religious principles, economic development and the satisfactory execution of meeting the demands of the senses depend on cooperation among relatives, nations and all humanity
- Vasudeva continued: My dear friend (Nanda), it is very difficult for us to live together. Although we have our family and relatives, sons and daughters, by nature’s way we are generally separated from one another
- Vasudeva expressed his sorrow due to not being able to give protection to his own sons born of Devaki. He was thinking that religious principles, economic development and the satisfaction of his senses were therefore all lost
- Vasudeva said, "Dear friend, I was imprisoned by Kamsa, and now I am released; therefore this is another birth for me. I had no hope of seeing you again, but by God's grace I can see you"
- Vasudeva said: Please tell me about the welfare of Vrndavana. You have many animals - are they happy? Are they getting sufficient grass and water? Please also let me know whether the place where you are now living is undisturbed and peaceful
- Vasudeva then replied, "My dear Nanda, if you have already paid the government taxes, then return soon to your place, because I think that there may be some disturbances in Gokula"
- Vasudeva was a ksatriya, and Nanda Maharaja was a vaisya. It is the duty of the ksatriyas to give protection to the citizens, and it is the duty of the vaisyas to give protection to the cows. The cows are as important as the citizens
- Vasudeva was very anxious about Krsna's safety. He knew that Kamsa and his followers were trying to kill Krsna by sending various kinds of demons. They had already resolved that all children born within ten days of the birthday of Krsna should be killed
W
- We can purify our duration of life by taking daily bath and cleansing the body inside and outside and accepting the ten kinds of purificatory processes
- Wearing a garland, a necklace and other bodily ornaments, she (Rohini) appeared on the scene and moved hither and thither
- When all the ecstatic cowherd men heard that Nanda Maharaja, the father of Krsna, was celebrating the birth ceremony of his son, they became spontaneously joyful
- When Nanda Maharaja arrived in Mathura, Vasudeva got the news and was very eager to congratulate his friend. He immediately went to the place where Nanda Maharaja was staying. When Nanda saw Vasudeva, he felt that he had regained his life
- When one perfectly understands the Absolute Truth he is called a brahmana. And when the brahmana reaches further perfection, he becomes a Vaisnava, or a devotee
- When the cowherd men saw the pastimes of the cowherd women, they became very joyful, and in response they also began to throw yogurt, milk, clarified butter and water upon the bodies of the gopis. Then both parties began to throw butter on each other
- While Nanda Maharaja was worshiping Lord Visnu on this occasion (of Krsna's birth ceremony) and was trying to satisfy all the people there, his only desire was that the newborn child Krsna would be happy
- While they (the cowherd women) were blessing child Krsna in this way, they offered a mixture of turmeric powder, oil, yogurt, milk and water. They sprinkled this mixture not only on the body of child Krsna but on all other persons who were present there
- Within & outside of the houses there were varieties of artistic paintings, done with rice pulp, & scented water was sprinkled everywhere, even on the roads & streets. Ceilings & roofs were decorated with different kinds of flags, festoons & green leaves