Sri Krishna Kathamrita

Tav k QaaMa*Ta& TaáJaqvNaMa(

tava kathāmṛtaṁ tapta-jīvanam
Bindu
Fortnightly email mini-magazine from Gopal Jiu Publications

Issue No. 310 Śrī Indirā Ekādaśī 1 October 2013 Circulation 6,610

• Satisfying the Lord in this Age

Highlights

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

• Lessons in Love and Flute — Part 2
from Srila Jiva Goswami’s Gopāla-campū

Satisfying the Lord in this Age

His Divine Grace A. C.
Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Sri Madhvacharya has brought our attention to this
quotation from the Nārāyaṇa-saṁhitā:
dvāparīyair janair viṣṇuḥ pañcarātrais tu kevalaiḥ
kalau tu nāma-mātreṇa pūjyate bhagavān hariḥ

“In the Dvāpara-yuga one could satisfy Krishna or

Vishnu only by worshiping opulently according to
the pāñcarātrikī system, but in the Age of Kali one
can satisfy and worship the Supreme Personality of
Godhead Hari simply by chanting his holy names.”
— Purport to Caitanya-caritāmṛta antya 7.12.

Lessons in Love and Flute

Adapted from Srila Jiva Goswami’s His Divine Grace
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Gopāla-campū, pūrva, chapter 17
In the rainy season, bound in their homes, the bird and who were dear to all, absorbed themselves
gopīs sometimes thought, “We remember Krishna’s in the glory of the amorous remembrance of Lord
bhojana-līlā, pastimes of eating with his friends, such Krishna. In this way, the darkness (Krishna) of their
hearts, which was due to the absence of Krishna,
as his eating of dates and other fruits under a tree
caused them to completely absorb themselves in
that provides shelter from the rain, and his eating of thoughts of Krishna. (Text 25)
curd rice, etc., on the large rocks near the river bank
while calling out to the cows from a distance. These And when the friends of these gopīs tried to lighten
thoughts scrape our hearts with sharp nails.” their hearts by discussing things other than Krishna, at
that time the rainy season itself took on the role of the
ghanāgama-ghanāgame viramitājitonmīlane
samasta-jana-śarmadāḥ sapadi khañjarīṭekṣaṇāḥ enemy, for it was equipped with dark lightning-filled
amūḥ śuci-ruci-śriyā sva-hṛdi kṛṣṇa-bhāvaṁ gatā clouds that reminded the gopīs of Krishna.
hari-vraja-nava-priyās tamasi līnatām āgatāḥ In the previous months the gopīs had been
When the rains were excessive, the gopīs could not see thinking, “It is due to the hot summers that the heat
Lord Ajita at all. They, who had eyes like the wag-tail of separation within our minds has been agitated.
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Another time, Sri Radhika said, “Just see! The rainy season
brings a feast of feelings of harita (Lord Hari) for the eyes.”
Her friend asked, “You are desiring Krishna again,
aren’t you?”
Radhika replied, “No, my jealous friend! I was
describing the feast of feelings that the harita (greenery)
experience at the onset of the rainy season.”
Unknown artist

Meanwhile, Krishna is also remembering Srimati

Radharani at this time. In this remembrance, Krishna
does not notice the excessively beautiful groups
of peacocks that dance in the rainy season with
Radha and Krishna in the rain
beautiful sounds, and he even forgets the peacock
This heat will be tamed by the rains.” But, alas, the feather on his crown.
opposite happened! The rains added fire to the heat! After the rainy season showed such unfavorable
The croaking frogs, insects, and similar creatures, by behavior to the gopīs, the autumn season arrived. The
their shrill voices, seemed to be criticizing the rainy gopīs expected that the clarity of the skies during the
season, “Just see! In the sky of the gopīs hearts, the dark autumn would bring clarity to their hearts. But alas!
clouds of Krishna have appeared, and these clouds are The autumn season ended up doubling the muddiness
now showering rain in the form of the gopīs tears.” [within their hearts]. Sri Radhika, who was agitated
The tails of Vraja’s peacocks appeared to be like during the rains by seeing the lightning-filled clouds,
Cupid’s quiver of arrows, while the individual peacock now was agitated by not seeing them.
feathers looked like Cupid’s half-moon arrows. Sri Radhika and Sri Krishna wrote on new leaves
Whatever qualities the rainy season employed about the depths of their feelings of separation, and
to bring relief to the gopīs, the gopīs perceived as the winds of the autumn season brought Sri Radhika’s
inflammatory. They thought, “Alas! Our very friend leaf to Krishna and Sri Krishna’s leaf to Radha.
the rainy season has become our enemy. Indeed, the Sri Radhika had written:
ways of providence are strange.”
taḍitaḥ puṇya-śālinyaḥ sadā yā ghana-jīvanāḥ
Speaking fearfully, the gopīs said, “All these nīra-da
tena sārdham adṛśyanta, nādṛśyanta ca taṁ vinā
(water-giving clouds) are nī-rada (without teeth), yet they
“The lightning bolts, who have the clouds as their very
seem to have developed teeth in the form of lightning
life, are very pious, for they are never seen without
bolts, and these teeth are grinding the hearts of we who their dark clouds [but I am unfortunate because I am
are situated on earth. Thus, they roar with pride.” always seen without the dark cloud Krishna].” (33)
How interesting are the ways of love! Even though
the gopīs generally perceived the clouds as being
unfavorable to them, Srimati Radharani still found
some favorable nature. Looking at them, she said,
“O lightning! What and how many austerities have
you performed that you always seem to be dancing
around the chest of the dark (Krishna-like) clouds!”
Having said this out of fleeting madness, Sri
Radhika then realized that her friends were present,
so she immediately re-interpreted the same sentence
as, “O friends! Just see how the lightning dances
Unknown artist

around the dark clouds.”

The friends replied, “Are you remembering
amorous pastimes with Krishna?”
Radhika replied, “No! I’m just glorifying the Radharani writes a letter to Krishna
qualities of the season.”
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Sri Krishna had written: This is also described in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam at
āvṛtim ajahād indur vilasati haṁsaś ca nīla-kañjaṁ ca an appropriate place:
vṛndāvanam anu hā dhig daivaṁ tat tan na dṛśyate tasyāḥ veṇu-vādya urudhā nija-śikṣāḥ
“The moon has given up its cloudy shelter and the “In playing the flute, you gave us many lessons.”
swan and the blue lotus are beautifully decorating (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.35.14)
the lake, but thinking of Vrindavan my mind doesn’t
take pleasure in these things. Fie on providence!” (34)
But it was by providence that these leaves reached
Radha and Krishna. Crying upon reading Krishna’s
verse, Radharani embraced the leaf, made a pendant
out of it, and wore it around her neck.
Radharani’s friends also expressed distaste in
the autumn, “Alas! The same autumn which has

Unknown artist
provided clarity and beauty to the lake, the flowers,
the lotus, and the moon has also led to a total lack
of clarity of the beauty of each gopī’s mind [which
is compared to a lake], eyes [which are compared
Krishna plays his flute
to flowers], face [which is compared to a lotus] and
teeth [which are compared to the moon]. How can Sri Krishna, too, invested his mind in the gopīs, and
this be tolerable?” from then on he always paired himself with Balaram
This has also been described by Sri Shukadev Goswami: and started playing on his sweet flute. In the midst of
āśliṣya sama-śītoṣṇaṁ prasūna-vana-mārutam the forest (which had a different mood, sakhya, due
janās tāpaṁ jahur gopyo na kṛṣṇa-hṛta-cetasaḥ to him being with his friends), incomprehensible
Except for the gopīs, whose hearts had been stolen by Krishna displayed his expertise in playing the flute
Krishna, the people could forget their suffering by among his friends on a daily basis and started giving
embracing the wind coming from the flower-filled forest. them all lessons in the flute.
This wind was neither hot nor cold. (Bhāg. 10.20.45)
And the desire of the gopīs to have the personal
Krishna’s condition, too, was strange. During times association of Krishna was satisfied through hearing
of union, his beauty, form, grace and bluish hue these sounds of Krishna’s flute. Indeed, the very nature
appeared to be the greatest nectar. But in times of of Krishna consciousness is that its possessor can be
separation these same qualities appeared like great effectively captured by Krishna even from a distance.
[bluish] venom. Among the gopīs, those who had particularly
While everyone else recognized the fragrance from intense feelings of love for Krishna still remained
Krishna’s body to be their very life, the gopīs, who had distressed. However, they never considered their
become skinny due to separation, considered these unhappiness to be a serious concern.”
fragrant airs to be like sharp arrows. Although all Sri Radhika had her companions like Vishakha,
of the gopīs had attained the pinnacle of eagerness, Lalita, and the similar-sounding Anuradha.
they did not express their feelings to one another. Chandravali had her companions such as Shaibya,
Their mood was, “Even if it is irreligious, I will serve Padma, etc. Considering Lalita, Vishakha and others
Krishna.” And Krishna’s mood was similar. to be very dear, Radharani revealed her heart to
Both of them were unhappy, feeling separation, but them out of friendly affection. Seeing that Krishna
the gopīs were more unhappy due to their simplicity. was almost hidden in the company of Balaram, they
Seeing no other way to rid them of their suffering, glorified Krishna by camouflaging his name under
Krishna tried to use his stern glances as a chastising the name of Balaram through a song. This song did
rod to forcibly calm them down. When that also did not refer to Krishna directly by his name, but it
not succeed, he started playing his flute in a unique referred to Krishna in a covered way by referring to
way to tame them. his brother as follows:
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expert connoisseurs, together with friends they sing
a wonderful song. [Refrain]
sarasa-rasālaja-pallava-tallaja-pallavitāmala-śīrṣam
nava-yauvana-vana-bījāṅkuram iva dhārayad-atanu-cikīrṣam
Their foreheads are decorated with a spotless youthful
leaf from a nectar-laden mango tree. Indeed, they
seem to be carrying the forest seeds of youthful vitality
with them.

vāñchita-piñchāvali-parilāñchita-maṇi-nicayāñcita-keśam
dadhad iva hari-dhanur-anugata-tārā-vali-valitāmbuda-leśam
A most attractive peacock feather and strands of pearls
decorate their hair. The peacock feather appears to be
a rainbow around which the strands of pearls appear
like stars studded on the dark clouds of their hair.
Early Bengal School, c. 1880

valayita-nava-dalad-utpala-karṇika-karṇa-yugādbhuta-śobham
latikā kāsāv iti vismayakṛti madhukṛti vinihita-lobham
Their ears are like two beautiful whorls of freshly
blooming lotus flowers. Even the bumblebees get
confused as to which is the more beautiful ear. Thus,
the bumblebees are endowed with great greed.
Sri Sri Krishna Balaram hasta-kamalam abhi kamala-vighūrṇana-ramaṇa-kalā-ramaṇīyam
madhupa-gaṇaṁ prati madhu-kaṇa-varṣaṇam akṛta yataḥ kamanīyam
(jaya) rāmo rāmānuja iti yugalam
kṛta-naṭa-veṣatayā paṭu rājati gāyati sakhi-gaṇa-yugalam Both appear beautiful as they display their expertise in
swinging the lotus flowers in their hands. Bestowing
[dhruva]
nectar-drops on the bumblebees, they fulfill the
Glories to the brothers Rama (Balaram) and Ramanuja bumblebee’s desires.
(Rama’s younger brother)! Decorating themselves as
mālāmālā-parimala-bali-bali-vapur ali-valita-sadeśam
 ali-jhaṅkṛti-nuti-kolāhala-vaha-bahula-kutūhala-veśam
Their sturdy bodies are well decorated with a host of
Sri Krishna Kathamrita Bindu flower garlands. With great reverence, the bumblebees
A free bi-monthly service provided by: buzz around these garlands, offering various prayers.
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Gopal Jiu Publications is a branch of the International Soci- (to be continued)
ety for Krishna Consciousness, Founder-Acharya: His Divine — Translated by Hari Parshad Das from the Sanskrit at Gaudiya
Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Grantha Mandira (http://www.granthamandira.com)
Quotations from the books, letters, and lectures of His Divine Grace A.
C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada ©Bhaktivedanta Book Trust
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