**Krishna Leela discussions** - Page 12

Chapter Nine: Shri Brahma-vaivarta Purana
Shri Nanda-putrotsava
The Festival of the Appearance of Shri Nanda's divine son

1 Shri Narada said: After Vasudeva placed Lord Krishna in Yasoda's home in Gokula, what did King Nanda do to celebrate the birth of a son?
2 What did Lord Krishna do there? How many years did the Lord stay there? O master, please describe the Lord's childhood pastimes there.
3 How in the forest there did Lord Krishna keep the promise He made to Radha in Goloka?
4 What was Vrndavana like? What was the rasa-dance circle like? Please tell. O master, please describe the Lord's rasa dance and the water pastimes.
5 What austerities did Nanda, Yasoda, and Rohini perform? Before the appearance of Lord Krishna, where did Lord Balarama rake birth?
6 This recounting of Lord Krishna's pastimes is nectar sweeter than any other. Especially in the mouth of a poet, it brings new and sweet poetry at every step.
7 Please describe the Lord's pastimes in the rasa-dance circle. A poet's words are more glorious when he himself has seen the events he describes.
8 You are a direct incarnation of Lord Krishna Himself. Because You are His incarnation, You are full of transcendental bliss. You are the guru of the guru of the kings of the yogis.
9 You have described how You entered the feet of Lord Krishna, the master of Goloka. Therefore You are a direct incarnation of Lord Krishna. You are Lord Krishna.
10 Shri Narayana Rsi said: Brahma, Siva, Sesa, Ganesa, Kurma, Yamaraja, Nara, Karttikeya, and I are nine incarnations of Lord Krishna.
11 Who can describe the glories of Lord Krishna, the master of Goloka? We incarnations of Krishna cannot understand Him. How can the great philosophers understand Him. How can the great philosophers understand Him?
12 O sage, Varaha, Vamana, Kalki, Buddha, Kapila, and Matsya are among His primary incarnations. How many are His secondary incarnations?
13 The primary forms of the Lord are Nrsimha, Rama, and the splendid master of Svetadvipa. The most perfect, full, most complete, original form of the Supreme Lord is Shri Krishna, who resides in Goloka, the highest realm in the spiritual sky.
14 In Vaikuntha He appears in many forms as four-armed Lord Narayana, the beloved of Laksmi. In Goloka and Gokula He appears in His original form as two-armed Lord Krishna, the beloved of Radha.
15 The yogi's meditate on His Brahman light, but the devotees meditate on His lotus feet. How can there be a light without a source?
16 O brahmana, listen and I will describe the austerities of Nanda, Yasoda and Rohini, austerities that enabled them to see Lord Krishna face to face.
17 In his previous birth Nanda was the ascetic Drona the best of the Vasus, and saintly Yasoda was his ascetic wife Dhara.
18 In her previous birth Rohini was Kadru, the first mother of the snakes. Listen and I will describe to you what they did in their previous birth.
19-20 O sage, in Bharata-varsa, on Mount Gandhamadana, near Gautama Muni's asrama, in a secluded place by the Suprabha river, Drona and Dhara performed austerities for ten thousand years so they might see Lord Krishna face to face.
21 When after this time they still could not see Lord Krishna, Drona and Dhara decided to enter a lake of fire.
22-23 Then a disembodied voice, its speaker seeing that they wished to die, said, "O best of the Vasus, in your next birth, on the earth, you will see Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whom the yogis cannot see, whom the philosophers cannot attain by their thinking, to whom Brahma and the demigods bow down. He will become your son.
24 Hearing this, Drona and Dhara happily returned to their home. Taking birth on the earth, they saw Lord Krishna face to face.
25 Thus I have described the activities of Nanda and Yasoda. Now please hear the activities of Rohini when she was a demigoddesses.
26 O sage, one time, on the day most suitable to conceive a child, saintly Aditi, the mother of the demigods sent a message of this to her husband, Kasyapa Muni.
27 The beautiful goddess, carefully bathed and wearing jewel ornaments, decorated and dressed herself very elaborately. In the mirror she carefully examined her face,...
28 ...which was decorated with dots of musk and sindura, beautiful with patra ornaments and jewel earrings,...
29 ...beautiful as an autumn moon, its autumn lotus eyes splendid with mascara, its beautiful nose decorated with an elephant pearl, its mouth gracefully curved in a smile,...
30 ...its teeth splendid like ripe pomegranate seeds, its beautiful always smiling lips splendid like ripe bimba fruits,...
31 ...and its features so beautiful they charmed the hearts of the regal sages.
32 After carefully examining her face in this way, the beautiful goddess, wounded by Kamadeva's arrows, stayed at home, waiting for her husband to come and looking for him on the path.
33 Then Aditi heard the news that Kasyapa was with Kadru, that he was sweetly playing with her and resting on her breast.
34 Tortured with amorous desires, and her hopes to satisfy them now destroyed, saintly Aditi became filled with anger when she heard this news. Out of love for him she would not curse her husband, but she did curse Kadru.
35 She said: That sinful woman has no right to live in the world of the demigods. She should leave Svargaloka and go far away to the womb of a human being.
36 Hearing of this curse from a messenger, Kadru cursed Aditi. Kadru said: Aditi should go to the womb of a human being, a womb in the world where there is old age and death.
37 Then Kasyapa said to Kadru: O girl with the beautiful smile, when you go to the human world, I will go with you.
38 Give up your fears. Be happy. You will see Lord Krishna face to face.
After speaking these words, Kasyapa went to Aditi's home.
39 Powerful Kasyapa fulfilled Aditi's desire, and as a result Indra, the leader of the demigods was born.
40 In this way Aditi became Devaki, Kadru became Rohini, and Kasyapa became Vasudeva, Lord Krishna's noble father.
41-43 O sage, what I have told you is very confidential. Now please hear the birth story of Lord Balarama, who is limitless, immeasurable, thousand-headed Lord Sesa. By Vasudeva's order, Rohini fled to Gokula to protect Balarama from the danger of Kamsa.
44 By Lord Krishna's order goddess Maya (Parvati) took Devaki's eighth pregnancy, placed it in Rohini's womb, placed the unborn child in Gokula, and then returned to Mount Kailasa.
45-46 After some days in Nanda's house, Rohini gave birth to a gently smiling son splendid as molten silver, a son who was the Personality of Godhead Himself.
47 When Lord Balarama was born the demigods in Svargaloka sounded conchshells, played dundubhis, anakas, murajas, and other musical instruments, and called out "Victory!"
48 Jubilant Nanda gave many kinds of charity to the brahmanas. The midwife cut the umbilical cord and bathed the infant boy.
49 The lavishly decorated gopis called out "All glories!" Then Nanda celebrated a great for the birth of his foster son.
50 Then Yasoda happily gave charity to the gopis and brahmanis. She gave them oil, sindura, and many other things.
51 O child, thus I have told the stories of Lord Balarama's birth, Nanda and Yasoda's austerities and Rohini's activities.
52 Now please hear the beautiful story of the celebration for Nanda's son, a story that brings happiness and liberation, a story that stops birth, death, and old age.
53 Lord Krishna's auspicious pastimes are the life of the devotees. They destroy all that is inauspicious and they bring devotional service to the Lord.
54 Vasudeva placed Lord Krishna in Nanda's home, and then happily took Nanda's daughter to his own home.
55 O sage, I have already described her activities. Now please hear of Lord Krishna's blissful and auspicious pastimes in Gokula.
56 After Vasudeva left for his own home, Nanda and Yasoda woke up in the auspicious and glorious maternity room.
57 They gazed at their very handsome son glorious like a new monsoon cloud, naked, resting on the ground and looking up at the ceiling,...
58 ...His face an autumn moon, His eyes dark lotus flowers, crying and laughing, His transcendental form resting in the dust,...
59 ...and His two hands leaving impressions of a club and lotus in the dust. Nanda and his wife gazed at Krishna, and Krishna gazed at them.
60 The midwife bathed the infant boy with cool water and cut the umbilical cord. The gopis happily called out, "All glories!"
61 All the gopis and brahmanis, young and old, with large hips and the breasts that moved as they ran, hurried to the maternity room.
62 All gave their blessings, happily gazed at the infant boy, placed Him on their laps, and praised Him. Some stayed there.
63 Nanda bathed, put on clean garments, and with a happy heart performed the rituals learned through the disciplic succession.
64 He fed the brahmanas, had them give their auspicious blessings, had the musicians play on their instruments, and gave charity to the poets.
65 Then Nanda happily gave charity to the brahmanas. He respectfully gave them diamonds, coral, and many precious jewels,...
66 ...seven mountains of grains, much gold and silver, a mountain of wealth, many garments, a thousand beautiful cows,...
67 ...yoghurt, milk, rock candy, butter, ghee, honey, many candies, a flood of laddus, many delicious modakas,...
68 ...land rich with many crops, horses fast as the wind, many betel nuts, and much oil. After giving this charity Nanda became happy in his heart.
69 To protect the maternity room he engaged many gopis peaceful at heart and many brahmanas expert at chanting Tantric mantras.
70 He had the brahmanas recite the Vedas, chant Lord Krishna's holy names, and worship the demigods.
71 Many beautiful smiling brahmanis, young and old, and bringing their children with them, came to Nanda's home. Nanda gave them jewels and many other valuable things in charity.
72 Many smiling elderly gopis decorated with jewel ornaments hurried to Nanda's home. He respectfully gave them fine garments, silver, and thousands of cows.
73 Books in hand, many eloquent astrologers learned in the jyotir Veda came to Nanda's home.
74 Nanda bowed to them and happily honoured them. All gazed at the transcendental infant boy and gave their blessings.
75 After all was done, Nanda, the king of Vraja, had the astrologers predict what good and evil lay in the future.
76 In Nanda's home the infant boys Krishna and Balarama sucked their mother's breasts and grew as the waxing moon grows.
77 O sage, pleased at the ceremony for the infant boy, Yasoda and Rohini happily gave in charity oil, sindura, and betel nuts to the women there.
78 After placing many blessings on the infant boy's head, the women returned to their homes. Yasoda, Rohini, and Nanda, filled with happiness, stayed in their home.

Fifth Shower

Description of the Festival of the Births of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and His Associates.

Text 1

Lotus-eyed Lord Krishna, the master of all transcendental opulence and glory, entered Maharaja Vasudeva and appeared before Maharaja Nanda. Learned and exalted, Vasudeva and Nanda gave Lord Krishna to their wives, who both held Him as their son.

Text 2

Because of Lord Krishna's entrance in their wombs, the two friends Devaki and Yasoda became very beautiful. Appearing as splendid lightning they delighted the pious devotees and pained the envious demons.

Text 3

When Lord Mukunda (Krishna) appeared in this world, musical instruments sounded of their own accord, trees and flowers blossomed, and the minds and hearts of the brahamanas and devotees also blossomed with happiness.

Text 4

On the eight night of the dark moon, at midnight, when the star Rohini was near the moon, the queen of Vraja easily gave birth to twins: Lord Hari and the goddess Durga; and at the same moment Devaki gave birth to a single child: Lord Hari. When Lord Hari appeared in this way the pure hearted devotees became filled with joy.

Text 5

Seeing his son and knowing Him to be the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vasudeva became filled with happiness and gave away millions of cows in charity within his mind. Because he was afraid of Kamsa, Vasudeva quickly carried his unlimitedly powerful son to the home of his brother, the king of Vraja.

Text 6

Vasudeva placed his own son in Nanda's home, took Yasoda's daughter, and gave her to King Kamsa. By Lord Krishna's inconceivable potency the two Krishnas born separately from Devaki and Yasoda became one tiny child.

Note: His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada mentions this pastime in the following words (Shrimad Bhagavatam 10.3.47 Purport): "Shrila Visvanath Cakravati discusses that Krishna appeared simultaneously as the son of Devaki and the son of Yasoda, along with the spiritual energy Yogamaya. As the son of Devaki, He first appeared as Vishnu, and because Vasudeva was not in the position of pure affection for Krishna, Vasudeva worshipped his son as Lord Vishnu. Yasoda, however, pleased her son Krishna without understanding His Godhood. This is the difference between Krishna as the son of Yasoda and as the son of Devaki. This is explained by Visvanath Cakravati on the authority of Hari-vamsa."

Shrila Rupa Goswami also discusses this pastime in these words (Laghu-Bhagavatamrta 1.5.454-456):

kecid bhagavath prahur

evam atra puratanah

vyuhah pradurbhaved adyo

grheso anakadundubheh

gosthe tu mayaya sradhanam

shri-lila-purusottamah

"In ancient times some devotees have said that the Lord appeared in His Vasudeva feature in the home Maharaja Vasudeva, and at the same time appeared in His original form of Krishna in the village of Vraja. In this way these devotees have said that Shri Krishna and Yogamaya were the twin children of Yasoda in Vrajabhumi."

gatva yadu-varo gostham

tatra suri-grham visan

kanyam eva param viksya

tam adayavrajat puram

pravisad vasudevas tu

shri-lila-purusottama

"When Maharaja Vasudeva arrived in Vrajabhumi he entered Yasoda-devi's maternity room, saw Yasoda's daughter, took her, and returned with her to Mathura. The Vasudeva expansion Maharaja Vasudeva carried with him entered the body of Shri Krishna, who had just taken birth as the son of Yasoda. In this way the two forms of Vasudeva and Krishna became one."

tac cati-rahasyatvan

noktam tatra katha-krame

kintu kvacit prasangena

sucyate shri-sukadibhih

"Because this pastime is very confidential it is not related in Shrimad-Bhagavtam. Nevertheless Sukadeva Goswami and other great devotees have indirectly described it in some of their writings."

Three personalities appeared on Janmastami. One in Mathura and two in Vrindavan. This has been beautifully described by Acharyas (Srila Viswanath Chakra varthy Thakur, Srila Jiva Goswami and many other Acharyas). Sri Krsna appeared as son of Sri Vasdev and Sri Devaki. Also during the same time in Vrindavan. Ma Yashoda gave birth to twins - one boy and one girl - Sri Krsna and Sri Yogmaya. If you would remember, we had discussed during Balaram Jayanti (and also briefly on Ekadashi before that) that Krsna ordered Yogmaya to move Sri Balaram from the womb of Devaki to the womb of Rohini...after that He asked Yogmaya to appear in the womb of Mother Yashoda to assist in His pastimes of Janmastami. So Acharyas write that Ma Yashoda gave birth to twins - Krsna and Yogmaya. In the prison house of Kamsa, Krsna appeared in front of Vasudev and Devaki in four handed Vishnu form...His parents offered prayers to Him...then He requested Sri Vasudev to take Him to Vraja at Nand Maharaj's house...after that instruction He became a small boy and appeared as Vasudev Krsna. But in Vrindavan, Sri Krsna appeared as Himself. So when Vasudev as requested took Krsna on his head and came to the house of Nand Maharaj. At that time Ma Yashoda had already given birth to twins.

So by the presence of Yogmaya...everyone fell asleep at that time and Vasudev was able to come inside the house to exchange the child. It is explained that since Vasudev was in hurry and by the arrangement of Yogmaya. he never saw the twin boy Krsna lying next to Yashoda...he only picked up Yogmaya in exchange of Krsna.

When Vasudev placed Krsna who appeared in Mathura on the bed of Yashoda, that Vasudev Krsna merged in the baby Krsna which appeared through Ma Yashoda (when Krsna left Vrindavan with Akrura on invitation of Kamsa, Acharyas write that the Vasudev Krsna again came out of Ma Yashoda Krsna and went with Akrura. But the Supreme Lord Himself, Sri Krsna never left Vrindavan...as a matter of fact Sri Krsna never leaves Vrindavan...Vrindavanam parityajya padam ekam na gacchati).

Also when Vasudev picked up Yogmaya, Yogmaya is the spritual energy of Krsna whose expansion is Mahamaya (which resides in this material world and we generally know it as Maya)...so when Vasudev picked up Yogmaya, she also expanded into Mahamaya and went with Vasudev but the original Yogmaya born of Yashoda stayed in Vrindavan to assist in the pastimes of Krsna.

So one question comes...why did Sukadev Goswami not cover the incident of birth of Krsna through Yashoda Mai in Srimad Bhagavatam as we know it? Acharyas has given nice explanation to that also but I will leave it out of this note (but we can discuss that over a nice pate of prasadam).