Category:Krsna Book Chapter 23 - Delivering the Wives of the Brahmanas Who Performed Sacrifices
Pages in category "Krsna Book Chapter 23 - Delivering the Wives of the Brahmanas Who Performed Sacrifices"
The following 127 pages are in this category, out of 127 total.
A
- According to Vedic injunction, women are not allowed to undergo the purificatory process of initiation by the sacred thread, nor are they allowed to live as brahmacarinis in the asrama of the spiritual master
- After being instructed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, all the wives returned home to their respective husbands
- After hearing their statements, the Supreme Personality of Godhead smiled. He told them that they should not be sorry for being refused by the brahmanas, because that is the way of begging
- After offering them (the wives of the brahmanas) all respectful obeisances, the boys said, "Dear mothers, please accept our humble obeisances and hear our statement. May we inform you that Lord Krsna and Balarama are nearby"
- After the departure of the brahmanas' wives, Sri Govinda and His cowherd boyfriends enjoyed the food they had offered
- After the return of their wives from Krsna, the brahmanas engaged in the performance of sacrifices began to regret their sinful activities in refusing food to the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- All their (the brahmanas) activities are childish because they do not know the purpose of the Vedas, as it is explained in the Bhagavad-gita: to understand Krsna
- Although the boys were village boys and were not expected to be learned in all the Vedic principles of religious ritual, they hinted that because of their association with Krsna and Balarama, they knew all those principles
- Although the companions of Lord Krsna and Balarama were simple cowherd boys, they were in a position to dictate even to the high-class brahmanas engaged in the Vedic rituals of sacrifice
- Although they (the brahmanas) heard all the arguments on behalf of Krsna and Balarama, they did not care for them, and they refused to speak to the boys
- As it is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, one should perform yajna (sacrifices) only for the satisfaction of Visnu
- As the Supersoul living in everyone's heart, Lord Krsna could understand their (the wives of the brahmanas) minds; they had come to Him despite all the protests of their relatives, fathers, husbands & brothers, & despite the duties of household affairs
B
- Being advanced by thinking of Krsna constantly, they (the wives of the brahmanas) were performing the greatest form of mystic meditation. All the wives then became very busily engaged in filling up different pots with nice food
- Being completely absorbed in His thought, she gave up her material body conditioned by the laws of nature
- Being thus ordered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, all the boys went to the brahmanas and began to ask for some charity. They approached them with folded hands and fell down on the ground to offer respect
- But the brahmanas, although they had come to know the supremacy of the Lord and were repenting, were still afraid of King Kamsa because they were too much addicted to fruitive activities
- By addressing the brahmanas as "knowers of all religious principles," the boys expressed the point of view that when the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna and Balarama, were asking for food, the brahmanas should immediately deliver some
C
- Carrying out Krsna's order, the boys immediately went to the wives of the brahmanas. They found the wives sitting inside the brahmanas' house. They were very beautifully decorated with ornaments
- Charity is generally given to high-class brahmanas, but Krsna and Balarama did not appear in a brahmana family. Balarama was known as the son of Vasudeva, a ksatriya, and Krsna was known in Vrndavana as the son of Nanda Maharaja, who was a vaisya
D
- Despite being highly elevated in the knowledge of Vedic sacrificial rites, all such nondevotee brahmanas, although they think of themselves as very highly elevated, are ignorant, foolish persons
- Due to the performance of the sacrifice, the various foods were all very palatable. After collecting a feast, they (the wives of the brahmanas) prepared to go to Krsna, their most beloved object, exactly in the way rivers flow to the sea
H
- He (Krsna) convinced them (the cowherd boys) that one who is engaged in collecting or begging should not think that he will be successful everywhere. He may be unsuccessful in some places, but that should not be cause for disappointment
- He (Krsna) is present just like an ordinary human boy, but for persons who identify themselves with the body, it is very difficult to understand Him
- He (Krsna) is the central object of love because He gives us all bliss, expanding Himself in so many ways according to our different situations, namely bodily, mental or spiritual
- He (Krsna) therefore began to speak to them (the wives of the brahmanas), smiling very magnificently
- He (Krsna) was also painted with the minerals found in Vrndavana, and He looked exactly like a dancing actor on a theatrical stage. They (the wives of the brahmanas) saw Him resting one hand on the shoulder of His friend
I
- If someone denies the self-sufficiency of Krsna on hearing that He was tending the cows for His livelihood, or if someone doubts His not being in need of the food, thinking that He was actually hungry
- Immediately upon hearing this, the wives of the brahmanas became anxious for Krsna and Balarama. These reactions were spontaneous
- In His other hand He (Krsna) was holding a lotus flower. His ears were decorated with lilies, He wore marks of tilaka, and He was smiling charmingly
- In spite of their (the brahmanas) advancement in Vedic knowledge and rituals, they do not understand Krsna; therefore their knowledge of the Vedas is useless
- In the Nadia district the best place is Navadvipa because Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared there to inaugurate the performance of the sacrifice of chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra
- In this way the ever-joyful Personality of Godhead exhibited His transcendental pastimes in the guise of an ordinary human being in order to attract the common people to Krsna consciousness
- In Vedic literatures like the Brahma-samhita it is stated that Krsna is served in His abode with great respect by not only one goddess of fortune but many thousands
- It is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita that He is the actual enjoyer of all sacrifices because He is directly the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the Supreme Absolute Truth, beyond the conception or speculation of the material senses
- It is simply illusion for one to think that Krsna begged food from the brahmanas. It was actually a trick to show them mercy by teaching them that they should accept Him in pure devotional service instead of engaging in ritualistic ceremonies
- It is very difficult for one to surrender fully unto the Personality of Godhead without being purified by devotional service. The example of the learned brahmanas and their wives is vivid
- It should be noted in this connection that when Krsna entered into the wives' hearts & when they embraced Him & felt the transcendental bliss of being merged with Him, the Supreme Lord did not lose His identity, nor did the individual wives lose theirs
K
- Krsna is situated as the Supersoul in everyone's heart. So someone who becomes a pure devotee of Lord Krsna immediately becomes pleasing to everyone
- Krsna said, "My dear wives of the brahmanas, you can now return to your homes"
- Krsna said, "They (the brahmanas) are now engaged in performing Vedic sacrifices known as Angirasa, for they desire elevation to the heavenly planets. All of you please go to them"
- Krsna said, "Transcendental love for Me does not depend upon bodily connection, but anyone whose mind is always absorbed in Me will surely, very soon, come to Me for My eternal association"
- Krsna welcomed them with the following words: "My dear wives of the brahmanas, you are all very fortunate and are welcome here. Please let Me know what I can do for you"
- Krsna went on speaking, "After all, your husbands are householders, and without your help how can they execute their prescribed duties"
- Krsna went on speaking, "Because you are My pure devotees, not only your relatives but also people in general, as well as the demigods, will be satisfied with you"
- Krsna went on speaking, "But at least if you utter the name of Balarama, they may prefer to give in charity to a ksatriya rather than to Me, because I am only a vaisya"
- Krsna went on speaking, "But because they are not attracted by the names of Krsna and Balarama, you had better not ask them for anything in My name. Better ask for some charity in the name of Balarama"
- Krsna went on speaking, "Engage yourselves in sacrificial activities and in the service of your husbands and household affairs so that your husbands will be pleased with you and the sacrifice which they have begun will be properly executed"
- Krsna went on speaking, "One who does this actually knows his self-interest, because rendering transcendental loving service unto Me, without motive or restriction, is actually auspicious for the living entities"
- Krsna went on speaking, "Your coming here to see Me, neglecting all the restrictions and hindrances of relatives, fathers, brothers and husbands, is completely befitting"
L
- Lord Caitanya has taught us this feeling of oneness in His Siksastaka: Krsna may act freely, doing whatever He likes, but the devotee should always be in oneness or in agreement with His desires
- Lord Caitanya, therefore, gave His valuable opinion that although a person may not be born in a brahmana family, if he knows Krsna or the science of Krsna consciousness he is more than a brahmana, and he is quite fit to become a spiritual master
- Lord Krsna here confirms that the conditioned soul can reach the highest perfectional stage by surrendering to Him. One must give up all other responsibilities
- Lord Krsna said, "They are always absorbed in thinking of Us. Go there and ask for some food in My name and the name of Balarama, and I am sure that they will deliver you as much food as you desire"
- Lord Krsna then asked all the boys to go again, but this time to the wives of those brahmanas engaged in sacrifices. He also informed them that these wives were great devotees
N
- Neither belonged to the brahmana community. Therefore, Krsna considered that the brahmanas engaged in performing sacrifices might not be induced to give charity to a ksatriya and vaisya
- Nor are they (women) advised to undergo the strict disciplinary procedures, nor are they very expert in discussing the philosophy of self-realization
- Now they (the wives of the brahmanas) saw Him eye to eye and face to face, and Krsna entered within their hearts through their eyes
T
- That oneness was exhibited by the wives of the brahmanas in their love for Krsna
- The boys continued: "Lord Visnu as Krsna and Balarama is standing waiting, and you should immediately deliver whatever food you have in your stock"
- The boys said, "All of us are very hungry; therefore, we have come to you (the wives of the brahmanas) for some food. Please give us something to eat for Krsna, Balarama and ourselves"
- The boys said, "They (Krsna and Balarama) have come here with the cows, and you may know also that we have come here under Their instructions"
- The boys said, "We can take your food at the present stage of your ceremony, for now it will not be prohibited. So you can deliver us the food"
- The brahmanas continued, "Although we are considered to be masters in all purificatory processes, we did not actually know what their goal is because we are too much attached to the materialistic way of life"
- The brahmanas continued, "Even though we were reminded of Krsna and Balarama by the cowherd boys, we disregarded Them. We now think that the Supreme Personality of Godhead simply played a trick of mercy on us by sending His friends to beg food from us"
- The brahmanas continued, "He (Krsna) had no need to send them (His friends). He could have satisfied their hunger then and there just by willing to do so"
- The brahmanas continued, "They (our wives) have surpassed all of us in firm faith and devotion unto Krsna"
- The brahmanas repented their sinful activities. They wanted to go personally to offer their obeisances unto Him, but being afraid of Kamsa, they could not go to Krsna and surrender unto Him
- The brahmanas said, "Although we expert brahmanas are considered to be the teachers of all other sections of human society, we also have been illusioned by the external energy. Just see how fortunate these women are"
- The brahmanas said, "Because He has appeared as a child in the dynasty of the Yadus, we were so foolish that we could not understand that He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead"
- The brahmanas said, "Let us therefore offer our respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of Lord Krsna, under whose illusory energy, called maya, we are absorbed in fruitive activities"
- The brahmanas said, "They (the wives of the brahmanas) gave up their family connections, which are just like a dark well for the continuation of material miseries"
- The brahmanas said, "They (the wives of the brahmanas) have so devotedly dedicated their lives to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, that they could easily do what is ordinarily so difficult"
- The brahmanas said, "To hell with it all, for we have not developed transcendental loving service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is beyond the speculation of the mind, body and senses"
- The brahmanas said, "To hell with our family! To hell with our expert service in performing the rituals exactly according to the description of the scriptures"
- The brahmanas said, "We are very proud because we have such exalted wives who have developed pure transcendental service of the Lord without being shackled by our rigid opposition"
- The brahmanas said, "We therefore pray to the Lord to be kind enough to excuse us because we are simply captivated by His external energy. We transgressed His order without knowing His transcendental glories"
- The brahmanas were very much interested in the comforts of the material body and in elevation to the higher planetary residences called svarga-vasa. They were therefore completely unable to understand the position of Krsna
- The brahmanas' wives saw Krsna with a blackish complexion, wearing a garment that glittered like gold. He wore a nice garland of forest flowers and a peacock feather on His head
- The cowherd boys said, "O earthly gods, kindly hear us, who are ordered by Lord Krsna and Balarama. We hope you know Them both very well, and we wish you all good fortune. Krsna and Balarama are tending cows nearby, and we have accompanied Them"
- The cowherd boys said, "You (the brahmanas) are the most respectable brahmanas within the human society, and you are expected to know all the principles of religious procedure"
- The cowherd boys went on saying, "Please arrange for something that will mitigate our hunger" Requested in this way by Their friends, Lord Krsna and Balarama arranged to show compassion to certain wives of brahmanas who were performing sacrifices
- The demigods, the performer of the sacrifice and the religious principles are all meant for understanding Krsna, for Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is the Supreme Lord Visnu and the Lord of all mystic yogis
- The individuality of both the Lord and the wives remained, yet they felt oneness in existence. When a lover submits to his lover without any pinch of personal consideration, that is called oneness
- The learned brahmanas, expert in Vedic ritualistic performances, were properly regretful, because if one does not develop Krsna consciousness, all discharge of religious duties is simply a waste of time and energy
- The morning passed, and the cowherd boys were very hungry because they had not eaten breakfast
- The pure devotee of Lord Krsna is never inimical to anyone, nor can any sane person be an enemy of a pure devotee
- The smarta-brahmanas, who were simply sacrificial-minded, could not understand the dictation of the transcendental devotees of the Lord. They could not even appreciate the begging of the Supreme Lord, Krsna and Balarama
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead replied, "My dear wives of the brahmanas, rest assured that your husbands will not neglect you on your return, nor will your brothers, sons or fathers refuse to accept you"
- The Vedic ceremonial paraphernalia, the suitable place, the suitable time, the different grades of articles for performing the ritualistic ceremonies, the Vedic hymns, the process of sacrifice, the priest who is able to perform the sacrifice, the fire
- The wives of the brahmanas replied, "Dear Lord, this sort of instruction does not befit You. Your eternal promise is that You will always protect Your devotees, and now You must fulfill this promise"
- The wives of the brahmanas said, "And what shall we do if we return home? Our husbands, brothers, fathers, sons, mothers and friends will no longer accept us at home because we have already left them all"
- The wives of the brahmanas said, "Anyone who comes and surrenders unto You never goes back to the conditioned life of material existence. We expect that You will now fulfill Your promise"
- The wives of the brahmanas said, "Therefore we have no shelter to return to. Please, therefore, do not ask us to return home, but arrange for our stay under Your lotus feet so that we can eternally live under Your protection"
- The wives of the brahmanas said, "We have surrendered unto Your lotus feet, which are covered by tulasi leaves, so we have no desire to give up the shelter of Your lotus feet and return to the company of our so-called relatives, friends and society"
- The wives of the brahmanas, because they were inspired by pure devotional service, did not care for any kind of opposition. They immediately went to Krsna
- Then Lord Krsna warned His friends, "These brahmanas are not Vaisnavas. They cannot even chant Our names, 'Krsna' and 'Balarama.' They are very busy in chanting the Vedic hymns, although the purpose of Vedic knowledge is to find Me"
- There are various details to be observed in the performance of sacrifices. They are known as agni, fire; rtvik, learned performers of sacrifices; devata, the demigods; yajamana, the performer of the sacrifices
- There are various details to be observed in the performance of sacrifices. They are known as desa, place; kala, time; prthag-dravya, the different detailed paraphernalia; mantra, hymns; tantra, scriptural evidences
- There are various details to be observed in the performance of sacrifices. They are known kratu, the sacrifice itself; and dharma, the procedures. All these are for satisfying Krsna
- These wives were great devotees of the Lord, and Krsna took this opportunity to bless them. He said, "My dear friends, please go to the house of the brahmanas nearby"
- They (the brahmanas) began to condemn themselves after seeing the faith and devotion of their wives
- They (the brahmanas) began to talk among themselves: "To hell with our being born brahmanas! To hell with our learning all the Vedic literatures! To hell with our performing great sacrifices and observing all the rules and regulations"
- They (the brahmanas) continued to talk among themselves: The external energy of Krsna is so strong that it can create illusion to overcome even the greatest mystic yogi
- They (the brahmanas) could finally understand their mistake; engaged in the performance of Vedic rituals, they had neglected the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who had appeared just like an ordinary human being and asked for some food
- They (the brahmanas) regretted very much that, although their wives were elevated to the platform of pure devotional service, they themselves could not understand even a little bit of how to love & offer transcendental loving service to the Supreme Soul
- They (the cowherd boys) also explained to the brahmanas when food is to be accepted and when it is not to be accepted. Generally, the Vaisnavas, or pure devotees of the Lord, do not take part in ordinary sacrificial performances
- They (the cowherd boys) immediately approached Krsna and Balarama and said, "Dear Krsna and Balarama, You are both all-powerful; You can kill many, many demons, but today we are much afflicted with hunger, and this is disturbing us"
- They (the Vaisnavas) know very well the ceremonials called diksa, pasu-samstha and sautramani. One is permitted to take food after the procedure of diksa and before the animal sacrificial ceremony and the sautramani
- They (the wives of the brahmanas) came just to see Him, who was their life and soul. They were exactly following Krsna's instruction in the Bhagavad-gita: one should surrender to Him, giving up all varieties of occupational and religious duties
- They (the wives of the brahmanas) did not have to be convinced of the importance of Krsna and Balarama; immediately upon hearing Their names, they became very eager to see Them
- They (the wives of the brahmanas) were just like great sages who, by their advancement of knowledge, merge into the existence of the Supreme
- This complete surrender unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the most auspicious path for the conditioned soul because the Supreme Lord is the supreme objective of love
- This surrender is considered auspicious for the conditioned soul. Our life, property, home, wife, children, house, country, society and all paraphernalia which are very dear to us are expansions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
W
- We (the cowherd boys) have come to ask for some food from you. You are all brahmanas and knowers of religious principles, and if you think that you should give us charity, then give us some food, and we shall all eat along with Krsna and Balarama
- When a devotee is called by the attraction of Krsna, he does not care for bodily ties. The women entered the forest of Vrndavana on the bank of the Yamuna, which was verdant with vegetation and newly grown vines and flowers
- When the boys saw that the brahmanas would not reply to them even with a simple yes or no, they became very much disappointed. They then returned to Lord Krsna and Balarama and explained everything that had happened
- When the brahmanas' wives returned, the sacrifice was duly and nicely executed. One of the brahmanas' wives, however, who had been forcibly checked from going to see Krsna, began to remember Him as she heard of His bodily features
- With His words and beauty He attracted all the cows, cowherd boys and damsels in Vrndavana. All of them together enjoyed the pastimes of the Lord
- With their very eyes the wives of the brahmanas saw the Supreme Personality of Godhead, of whom they had heard so much, who was so dear to them, and in whom their minds were always absorbed
- Within that forest they (the wives of the brahmanas) saw Krsna and Balarama engaged in tending the cows along with Their very affectionate boyfriends
- Within themselves they (the wives of the brahmanas) began to embrace Krsna to their hearts' content, and the distress of separation was mitigated immediately
- Women in general, being very simple at heart, can very easily take to KC, and when they develop love of Krsna they can easily get liberation from the clutches of maya, which are very difficult for even so-called intelligent and learned men to surpass