It is also said that Kṛṣṇa lived in Dvārakā as the husband of the goddess of fortune. Queen Rukmiṇī is the goddess of fortune, and all the other queens are her expansions. So Kṛṣṇa, the chief of the Vṛṣṇi dynasty, enjoyed with the goddess of fortune in full opulence. The queens of Kṛṣṇa are described as permanently youthful and beautiful. Although Kṛṣṇa had grandchildren and great-grandchildren, neither Kṛṣṇa nor His queens looked older than sixteen or twenty years of age. The young queens were so beautiful that when they moved they appeared like lightning moving in the sky. They were always dressed with excellent ornaments and garments and were always engaged in sportive activities like dancing, singing or playing ball on the roofs of the palaces. The dancing and tennis playing of girls in the material world are perverted reflections of the original pastimes of the original Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, and His wives.
Great-grandchildren
Srimad-Bhagavatam
SB Canto 4
As stated by Prahlāda Mahārāja: yan maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukhaṁ hi tuccham (SB 7.9.45). A gṛhamedhī is one who wants to remain within this material existence. This means that he wants to remain within this body or society and enjoy friendship, love and community. His only enjoyment is in increasing the number of sex enjoyers. He enjoys sex and produces children, who in their turn marry and produce grandchildren. The grandchildren also marry and in their turn produce great-grandchildren. In this way the entire earth becomes overpopulated, and then suddenly there are reactions provoked by material nature in the form of war, famine, pestilence and earthquakes, etc. Thus the entire population is again extinguished simply to be re-created.
SB Canto 7
My dear friends, O sons of the demons, it is certain that no one bereft of knowledge of the Supreme Personality of Godhead has been able to liberate himself from material bondage at any time or in any country. Rather, those bereft of knowledge of the Lord are bound by the material laws. They are factually addicted to sense gratification, and their target is woman. Indeed, they are actually playthings in the hands of attractive women. Victimized by such a conception of life, they become surrounded by children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and thus they are shackled to material bondage. Those who are very much addicted to this conception of life are called demons. Therefore, although you are sons of demons, keep aloof from such persons and take shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nārāyaṇa, the origin of all the demigods, because the ultimate goal for the devotees of Nārāyaṇa is liberation from the bondage of material existence.
Other Books by Srila Prabhupada
Krsna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead
Sri Isopanisad
My form has a beginning, but His form has no beginning. It is ananta. And His form—so many multiforms—has no end. My form is sitting here and not in my apartment. You are sitting there and not in your apartment. But Kṛṣṇa can be everywhere at one time. He can sit down in Goloka Vṛndāvana, and at the same time He is everywhere, all-pervading. He is original, the oldest, but whenever you look at a picture of Kṛṣṇa you'll find a young boy fifteen or twenty years old. You will never find an old man. You have seen pictures of Kṛṣṇa as a charioteer from the Bhagavad-gītā. At that time He was not less than one hundred years old. He had great-grandchildren, but He looked just like a boy. Kṛṣṇa, God, never becomes old. That is His supreme power. And if you want to search out Kṛṣṇa by studying the Vedic literature, then you will be baffled. It may be possible, but it is very difficult. But you can very easily learn about Him from His devotee. His devotee can deliver Him to you: "Here He is, take Him." That is the potency of Kṛṣṇa's devotees.
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
Any one of you have seen Kṛṣṇa? Kṛṣṇa, when He was present in the battle, Battlefield of Kurukṣetra, at that time He was about ninety years old. Ninety years old. He had His great-grandchildren. He married sixteen thousand wives, and each wife had ten children. And those ten children, they also got, each, ten, twelve children. And they had children also. Because He was at that time ninety years old, He got at that time great-grandchildren also. So His family was very great. Now, if you see the picture of Kṛṣṇa, you'll see Him just like a boy of twenty-two, twenty-five years old. He was so beautiful. He was so beautiful. Then... That is the sign of God.
Now, when Lord Kṛṣṇa was present on the battlefield of Kurukṣetra, He was very old man. He was very old man, although you see His picture just like a young man of twenty years old. But you have seen. Some of you must have seen the picture of Kṛṣṇa of battlefield. Arjuna is sitting on the chariot, and Kṛṣṇa is the chariot driver. Arjuna and Kṛṣṇa was of the same age, but Arjuna looks older; Kṛṣṇa looks younger. And Kṛṣṇa at that time had great-grandchildren. His grandchildren and His grandchildren's children were present at that time, and the whole family extended to about ten millions.
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
This is very important point. People are very much interested in welfare activities for the human society. So they think that by feeding poor men or giving cloth or opening hospitals, schools, colleges—"These things are required. What is the use of hearing about Kṛṣṇa?" That is their opinion. But these welfare activities are extended selfishness. This word we learned from our Guru Mahārāja: "extended selfishness." Just like I love myself for my sense gratification, and then I extend it to my son. I am gratifying my senses. I have got my wife. And to get my son another wife... The principle is the same. Then my grandchildren, then my great-grandchildren. Or, not only limited with the family, then society, then community, then nationally, then internationally. But they are all extended selfishness. Yes. Without knowing what is the real self-interest. Therefore we find so many faults in such welfare activities.
Kāmais tais tair hṛta-jñānāḥ (BG 7.20). Hṛta-jñāna means one who has lost intelligence. They are captivated by this kind of lusty things. Yan maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukhaṁ hi tuccham (SB 7.9.45). Prajā-kāmaḥ, those who want children, great-grandchildren... In Bengali there is a proverb, nāti nāti svarge vati(?). Nāti means grandson, and grandson's grandson. Therefore, "I am living, my son is living, my grandson is living, his son is living, his son is living," in this way, up to seventh generation, if one sees, then immediately he goes to heaven. These are the conception of the materialistic person, that "If I can see a grandson of a grandson, then my life is successful." (laughter) And he's working hard for that purpose. They are called prajā-kāmaḥ. Prajā means many sons in the family. That is considered very aristocrat.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures
When Kṛṣṇa was here He was for 125 years. And when He was in the battlefield, His age was about 100 years, almost 100 years. Because, just after finishing the battlefield, He went to Dvārakā, and, after some days, He disappeared. So I think it was more than hundred years when He was fighting as charioteer of Kṛṣṇa. Just imagine, a hundred-years-old man, how many children and grandchildren, great-grandchildren, might have. In those days, the boys were married... Still in India boys are married in early age. The boys and girls were married just after sixteen years, especially in the kṣatriya families. They are very developed because they can eat very nicely, they live very nicely. So their body development is very nice. They can beget children even at fifteen years old—in those days, especially. So Kṛṣṇa had, at that time, great-grandchildren when He was fighting in the Kurukṣetra. He was... He came just to help His friend Arjuna. He did not take part in the fighting; He was charioteer. Now you have seen the Kṛṣṇa's picture. He looks like a twenty-years boy.
Festival Lectures
When Kṛṣṇa was on the battlefield of Kurukṣetra, you have seen the picture, He's just like a boy of twenty years or, at most, twenty-four years old. But at that time, He had great-grandchildren. Therefore, Kṛṣṇa is always youth. Navayauvanam ca. These are the statements of Vedic literatures.
Arrival Addresses and Talks
Viṣṇujana: When Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura stated that he was leaving this planet with his work unfinished.
Prabhupāda: Then let us finish. We are descendant of Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura. So he kept unfinished so that we shall get the chance to finish it. That is his mercy. He could have finished immediately. He is Vaiṣṇava, he is all-powerful. But he gave us chance that "You foolish people, you all also work." That is his mercy. So we should pray to Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura that "We are your grandchildren, great-grandchildren, so we have got some right to beg some mercy from you. The grandchildren get some indulgence from the grandfather. So I pray like that." It is Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura's mercy.
General Lectures
When Kṛṣṇa was in the battlefield of Kurukṣetra... You have seen the picture. Kṛṣṇa is driving the chariot of Arjuna. At that time His age was not less than hundred years. He had great-grandchildren. But you have seen the picture. He was looking like a boy of sixteen to twenty years. Therefore Kṛṣṇa is described in the Vedic literatures as nava-yauvanaṁ ca. Kṛṣṇa's body... Therefore His body is spiritual body. The spiritual... When you get your spiritual body, you also get nava-yauvanam. Those who are associating with Kṛṣṇa in the Kṛṣṇa planet or those who are associating with Nārāyaṇa in the Vaikuṇṭha planets, they are also ever-young. Their bodily features are exactly like Nārāyaṇa. It is called sārūpya-mukti.
Conversations and Morning Walks
1971 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: I am now seventy-six.
Mohsin Hassan: Seventy-six. Do you have any children, family?
Prabhupāda: Oh, yes.
Mohsin Hassan: How many.
Prabhupāda: I have got great-grandchildren.
Mohsin Hassan: You have two sons?
Prabhupāda: I have two sons. I have three sons..., two sons, two daughters.
Mohsin Hassan: They were, I was told, associated with Gandhi. What's your relation with Mahatma Gandhi?
Prabhupāda: Gandhi, in my young age I was Nationalist, so I followed Gandhi. I was interested. Later on, when I met my spiritual master, I became disinterested with this temporary, ephemeral things.
1974 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: As far as possible, by reasoning. Reasoning is that we find one is better than the other. So go on finding; if you have got power, you will see that the best. (aside:) Give me that. This is reasoning. As the child has a father, the father has his father, the grandfather has his father, then there must be some ultimate father. How can you deny this? By experience you see. Suppose a great-grandchild does not see the great-grandfather, does it mean that he was not there? The reason is as everyone has got father, father's father, his father, his father, his, so go on, find out the ultimate father.
1975 Conversations and Morning Walks
Dr. Patel: Well, we were not there to refuse. We came afterwards. Our forefathers gave us...
Prabhupāda: No, you can... Just like they are reforming. Their forefathers were drunkards, woman-hunters, (laughter) and they are reformed, the great-grandchildren. And we old men, we cannot do that.
Dr. Patel: I talk of MacCauley...
Prabhupāda: MacCauley may mislead you. Why you should believe?
1977 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: So this is Vedic civilization, that at a certain stage one should forget that "I belong to this family, I belong to this society, I belong to this nation, and so on," there are. Sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu. Sva-dhīḥ: "My own men, my kinsmen." This is sva-dhīḥ. And beginning from kalatrādiṣu. Kalatra means wife. Wife is the beginning of expansion. From wife, child; from child to grandchild; grandchild to great-grandchild; and so on, so on. Stri means "which increases." Kalatrādiṣu.
Correspondence
1969 Correspondence
P.S. I have also received on letter from Krishna devi and your picture of Birbhadra. It is very nicely posed. __ great-grandchild of Srimad ___ Das Balaji. Thanks.
| Page Title: | Great-grandchildren |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti |
| Created: | 17 of Oct, 2010 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=2, CC=0, OB=2, Lec=8, Con=4, Let=1 |
| No. of Quotes: | 17 |