Queen Kunti’s Prayers – 1 (1.8.18-24)

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
Thank you. So for these classes, it would be best if you have the Srimad Bhagavatam in front of you, because that will help us when we recite the verses together.
And it will also help you to look at the verses and gain deeper understanding, because we will be looking at significant words in the verses. So today we’ll start with the prayers of Queen Kunti, which are the first major prayers in the Srimad Bhagavatam. And Srila Prabhupada considered these prayers to be so important that he gave a series of lectures on it and that became the book which is of Queen Kunti, which is one of the most beautiful and devotionally surcharging books among the medium books of Srila Prabhupada.
Now, when we take the prayers of Queen Kunti, I’ll be focussing primarily on the flow of the prayers. Srila Prabhupada in his teaching of Queen Kunti, he uses those prayers as a platform for giving us all-round instructions about how to practise and improve our spiritual life and how to imbibe the devotional mood that Kunti Maharani has. And that is a very essential and recommended reading for devotee sadhakas, the book teachings of Queen Kunti.
Srila Prabhupada gave several long lectures on it. And I am going to focus primarily on understanding the mood of Kunti Maharani as is explained by Srila Viswanath Chaturvedi Thakur in his commentary. And he especially also helps us understand the flow from verse to verse.
And I will drop in a few insights about how we can practically apply the mood and the message of these verses in our lives. So, let us start with the first verse. Shri Kunti Vacha, Namasya Purusham Tvadyam, Eshwaram Prakritya Param, Alaksham Sarvabhoothanam, Antarbahiravasthitam So, Kunti Maharani’s prayers are delivered at an occasion that is emotionally wrenching for her.
The word wrench means to pull with a great force. If something is stuck at a particular place, we have to pull it out. That is called wrenching.
So, this occasion is emotionally wrenching for Kunti Maharani because she is observing that the Lord of her heart, Krishna, who had actually been instrumental in her son’s attaining victory, is now about to depart. Just now, Ashwatthama had tried a final brutal assault first on the womb of Uttara, so as to kill the sole surviving descendant Pariksit, and then again on the Pandavas through Brahmastra. Five Brahmastras directed each of the five Pandavas.
So, she saw how the Pandavas, despite all their great virtues and strengths, were just stunned by the ferocity and the velocity of the attack, and therefore it was only Krishna who could save them. So, she feels in one sense very apprehensive and even devastated and thought at the prospect that Krishna is about to depart. So, at that time, she starts offering these prayers to Krishna.
So, these prayers are offered when Krishna is mounted in the chariot and he is almost about to depart. And it is described in the previous verse that Draupadi and others were also present over there and they were about to see off Krishna. And Kunti Maharani starts her prayers.
So, she is starting, Namaste. I offer obeisances to you. Purushantvadhyam.
You are the Supreme Person. Alaksham Eshwaram. Namaste.
Eshwaram prakriteparam. So, you are the Lord. What kind of Lord? He is beyond the prakriti.
Alaksham sarva-bhutanam. You are actually invisible to everyone. Antarbhairavastitam.
Although you are situated inside and outside of everyone. So, Srila Chakravartipada gives a very beautiful insight of the meaning and significance of each of these words. So, as soon as Kunti Maharani uses the word Namaste, I offer obeisances.
So, Vishwanath Chakravarti Thakur, in order to help us understand the mood of these prayers and the depth of these prayers, he envisions. Envisions doesn’t mean that he imagines. Envisions means what is actually happening in the hearts of the protagonists of Kunti Maharani and Krishna.
He is able to see it by his advanced devotional realisation. And he gives us a glimpse of that in his purports to us. So, as soon as Krishna hears the word Namaste, he speaks in his mental conversation with Kunti Maharani, Why are you calling me? Why are you offering obeisances to me? I am your nephew.
She says, Oh, you are Purusham. You are this. So, she is saying Purusham.
Yes, Krishna says, of course, I am a man. There is no doubt about that. She says, Oh, not the man.
I am talking about Purusha in terms of the supreme person. So, she says, Tvadhyam. So, describing the supremacy, she describes one of the attributes, that is, you are the original person.
Krishna says, Oh, actually, the Atma is also Adhyam. The Atma is also beginningless. And she says, Oh, you are Eshwaram.
You are the controller. He says, Okay. He says, Indra is also called as Eshwaram.
Many of the devatas are called as Eshwaram. He says, No, Eshwaram, Prakritay param. He says, They are not beyond Prakriti.
You are that original person who is the controller beyond material nature. She says, Oh, then are you referring to the Paramatma who controls all living beings? Alaksham sarva-bhutanam. Actually, the Paramatma can be perceived by intellectual introspection and analysis.
One can perceive, yes, especially when we get inspiration, we understand, Okay, this brilliant idea, I could not have got it myself. It has actually come from Krishna in the heart. So, there are ways in which the Paramatma’s presence can be perceived.
But, he says, Alaksham sarva-bhutanam. Your presence cannot be perceived, my dear Lord. Antarbahiravastitam.
And, sorry, if I am not the Paramatma, then are you saying that what is left beyond Prakriti? There is the Brahman which is beyond all Prakriti. And the Brahman cannot be perceived very easily. So, are you saying that I am the Brahman? He says, No, but the Brahman is only external to us.
You are both. Antarbahiravastitam. You are both inside and outside.
So, she starts her prayer by establishing Krishna’s position as Bhagawan. Namaste Purusham Tvadyam Eshwaram Prakritay Param. Alaksham sarva-bhutanam.
Antarbahiravastitam. Obeisances to you, O original person, O controller beyond material nature, O Lord who cannot be perceived by any means, O supreme one who is situated both internally and externally. If you look at the sum total of all these attributes, these attributes are present only in Bhagawan.
They are not there in the Atma, they are not in the Devata, they are not in the Paramatma, they are not in the Brahman also. So, this first verse reveals the depth of Kunti Maharani’s understanding of Krishna’s position and our ability to condense that understanding in one simple sounding verse. The total import of the verse applies only to Bhagawan.
It does not apply to anyone else except that supreme manifestation of the Absolute Truth. And one of the dramatic tensions that will be revealed in the course of Kunti Maharani’s prayers is how can that supreme person who is all-pervading, who is all-attractive, who is all-opulent, how can he live in this mortal world and move about among human beings? How does that happen? So, that’s what she talks about in the next verse. So, Krishna in one sense, the connection between this and the previous verse is that how can you say that I am a Laksham? You are saying that I am not perceivable, but I am right in front of you.
You can perceive me. She gives a beautiful example to illustrate how just seeing with the eyes does not involve seeing Krishna in truth. So, let us recite the verse.
māyājyavani kācchannam ajñānākṣajimāmayam nalakṣeṣe mukha-dhṛṁśhā nato nāṭ-dharo yathā māyājyavani kācchannam By māyā, by the curtain of illusion, you are covered. jyavani kācchannam channam means to cover. Krishna Chaitanya Mahāprabhu is known as Channavata.
So, hidden. And from whom are you hidden? ajñān, from the ignorant people. Why are you hidden? Because you are adhokṣa, jā.
So, akṣa is eyes, jā is born, adha is below. So, the knowledge that is born from the eyes, you push that knowledge down. That means you are so high up that the knowledge born from sense perception cannot reach you.
avyayam, you are not only beyond sense perception, you are beyond the reach of time also. You are imperishable. nalakṣya-se mūḍha-dhṛṁśhā So, the previous verse had the word alakṣya.
So, here the similar word is there, but in its opposite form. nalakṣya-se cannot be perceived. By whom? mūḍha-dhṛṁśhā The foolish observer.
Why? nato nāṭ-dharo yathā An example is given of a dramatic performer. So, now sometimes the same verse may have multiple interpretations. And as multiple interpretations different ācāryas may reveal different insights for us so that we can relish it more.
Like, we have Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu explaining the ātma-rāma-ścimanayo verse the 7th chapter of this 1st Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.7.8 He explains it in 61 different ways. That is described to Praṇātana Goswami, that chapter 24 in the Madhya-līlā of Caitanya-caritāmṛta. So, now, how can one verse have so many meanings? Does that mean that one meaning is right and the other is wrong? No! Because Kṛṣṇa is infinite, so He can compress and crunch and condense infinite meaning into one verse.
And, at different times, He can reveal different meanings to that verse. So, similarly, different ācāryas may be inspired by Kṛṣṇa to reveal one particular aspect, one particular meaning that Kṛṣṇa has compressed in that verse. And another ācārya, he may inspire, and through him he may reveal another meaning of that verse.
So, Śrīla Prabhupāda explains this verse to say that just as a person who plays the role of an actor, at that time, he is not able to recognise who is that actor. So, he just sees him as an actor, whereas he doesn’t understand who is it that is playing the role of the actor. So, this indicates inability to understand the original identity of the person.
And that is also true, because Kṛṣṇa is God, whereas people think of Him as a normal human being. So, Śrīla Prabhupāda, using his example, focusses on the inability to pursue the identity of the person. So, here, the person is Kṛṣṇa.
To be unable to pursue the identity of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord. Viṣṇācakravṛtākura gives another explanation, which focusses on inability to pursue the activity and the purport, or the import of that activity. So, he says that na to nātya dharo yathā.
So, he explains that this refers to an actor performing a dance like Bharata Nātya. Now, if you see the Bharata Nātya, and especially if, say, the dancers are depicting Kṛṣṇa’s butter-sealing pastimes, or some other pastimes, then actually to understand what the actors are depicting, what the dancers are depicting, requires previous knowledge of the pastime. So, in modern dance, basically modern dance is expression of gross sensuality, and the crass emotions that accompany that gross sensuality.
It is just gyrating the body to trigger people’s sensual desires. But traditional devotional dances like Bharata Nātya are much more than just gyrations of the body. There, the body is moved, and the expressions are changed, and the hands and the eyes are moved in a way by which a pastime that had happened earlier is depicted.
So, to somebody who doesn’t know anything about the pastime, that person may not find the pastime to be as dramatic or as meaningful as a person who actually knows the pastime and then sees that while the dance is graceful, while the dance is beautiful, but not only is it graceful and beautiful, it is also meaningful. So, to discern that meaning of the dance, one needs to previously have an understanding of the pastime that is being depicted. So, similarly, Vishwanatha Jagatapur is saying that although you are doing so many actions, but if one doesn’t understand your position, then one will not understand the glory and the beauty of your actions.
So, if one doesn’t understand that Krishna is God, then Krishna siding with the Pandavas against the Kauravas seems to be just like partiality. And Krishna s trying to get Karna on the side of the Pandavas just before the war starts seems to be just political opportunism. But when we understand that Krishna is God, at that time we see Krishna siding the Pandavas, not as partiality, but as his Bhaktavatsarya.
Krishna is both partial and impartial. He is, in one sense, impartially partial. He is impartially partial in the sense that he is surely partial to his devotees, but he offers everyone the opportunity to become his devotee.
And because the doors of devotion are open impartially to everyone, so Krishna cannot be said to be partial. He is impartially partial. He is partial to his devotees, but he impartially allows everyone to become his devotees.
So, similarly, when Krishna goes to approach Karna, that is not political opportunism, that is extraordinary compassion. Krishna knows that Karna has some virtues, and he has greater hope in the virtuous potential of Krishna than he has. In Duryodhana, Duryodhana flatly rejected Krishna s peace proposal, but he sees that Karna has some virtue.
And he sees that Karna, by his misdirected choices, by his especially misdirected loyalty, is going to consign himself to destruction. And Krishna doesn’t want a person who has virtues to dedicate himself to the service of vice, and destroy himself in that process. So, Krishna is ready to overlook all the vices that Karna was a part of.
And some of the vicious activities, Karna himself incited, like the disrobing of Draupadi, it was Karna who just did that. But Krishna is ready to overlook all that, because he sees there is some virtue in Karna, and then he tries to get him on the side of virtue. So, actually, when we see from the point of view of understanding Krishna s supremacy, then we see Krishna has the power to destroy Karna.
I mean, Arjuna has the power to destroy Karna. As Arjuna demonstrated single-handedly by defeating not just Karna, but all the Kaurava warriors in the Virat battle. But, here Krishna is seeing the potential for good in everyone, even the person like Karna, had seen the potential for good, he doesn’t want that good to be wasted by being held hostage by the bad.
So, he wants the good within Karna to come to the side of good. So, if we don’t understand the position and glory of God, then we will misunderstand Krishna’s actions. That’s why she is saying, So, Maya covers over people’s understanding of Krishna’s glory.
And when they see Krishna from the prism of seeing him as an ordinary person, then they misunderstand him. That’s why, if one has to actually fully relish Bharatanatyam, then one has to first hear the pastime, understand the pastime, and then see the dance in terms of that pastime. Otherwise, the dance will be just maybe artistic, artistically appealing.
One may appreciate the grace and the beauty, but one will not appreciate the meaning in it. Similarly, if we want to truly understand Krishna’s pastimes and relish them, we have to first study philosophically the position of Krishna, understand the glory and supremacy of Krishna, and then when we study the pastimes, then we can see the depth of meaning, the glory of Krishna’s Bhakta Vatsalya, not just Bhakta Vatsalya, but Dina Vatsalya. His Karuna towards all living beings is revealed in his pastimes in a heart-rendingly endearing way.
So, without that, Krishna’s pastimes will just seem some amusement, just like we had this little Krishna series. It is good that Krishna is being popularised, but there one doesn’t see the Bhakta Vatsalya of Krishna. One just sees the entertainment aspect of Krishna’s pastimes.
So, Bharatanatyam can act as entertainment, or it can act as spiritual upliftment, if one knows that actually Krishna’s pastimes have been depicted. Similarly, Krishna’s pastimes can be entertaining, or they can be devotionally and spiritually uplifting. So, Kutti Maharani is saying that because people are covered by maya, so you are alaksham for them.
Although you are here, they cannot see you in truth, my dear Lord. So, let’s recite this verse once again. maya jagni ka chandam agyadhaukshaj mauvayam nalakshase mora drusha nato nathidharo yatha So, Krishna asked Arjuna, so you are saying maya jagni ka chandam, am I covered by maya? He said, no, no, no, you are not covered by maya, we are covered by maya.
Just like, the cloud doesn’t cover the sun, the cloud covers human beings who are there on this earth. So, next verse, she expresses her humility further. tatha param hamsa naam muni naama malatma naam bhakti yoga vidhaanartham katham pashyam histriyaan She says, that my dear Lord, you are the object of understanding for the great param hamsas, for the amalatma munis, for the spotlessly pure hearted munis, those who are looking only for the essence.
Param hamsa is the, just like the hamsa looks only for the milk within water, within the mixture of milk and water, the param hamsas are those who only look for Krishna within this material world where there is so much material contamination and Krishna is also concealed, hidden. They look only for Krishna. So, Krishna’s pastimes are actually meant to be relished by those who are param hamsas, those who are amalatma munis.
This has already been talked about in the previous chapter, where atma, ramasya, unayam, dirgantha, apyurukrame. Krishna is described by Suta Goswami, how even liberated sages are attracted to the pastimes of Krishna. So, Kunti Maharaj is reiterating that theme and saying that, actually your pastimes are the object of meditation for great souls.
How can we understand them? How can I as a woman understand? So, she is placing herself in the position of somebody who doesn’t know the subtleties of Bharatanatyam. She is saying, this Bharatanatyam is meant to be understood by educated, refined people. How can I understand it? But she has actually already understood it.
Because in her prayer, she revealed that Krishna is Bhagawan and it’s natural for a devotee to express humility. So, after expressing her humility, she says, actually I cannot understand. How can I understand? But then she reveals her understanding.
So, this has to be understood that a devotee feels that Krishna is so great that how can I understand Krishna? And surely the devotee understands Krishna but the devotee doesn’t understand Krishna in full. And the devotee is conscious about the many aspects of Krishna that I don’t understand. That’s why the devotee feels humble.
Oh, there is so much more to know. But whatever little the devotee knows, the devotee tries to share that with others. So, Kunti Maharani will now share whatever she has understood about Krishna.
Let’s recite this verse once again. Vishwaprabhupada here says that you come to teach Bhakti Yoga to these Amalatma Munis. Vishwanath Chakrathakur translates it in a slightly different way where he says that you are actually the object of meditation for these Amalatma Munis.
So, when you are the object, when even these Amalatma Munis struggle to meditate on you, they also have to stretch themselves and rise to advanced levels of spiritual realisation to understand and meditate on you. How can I, a woman, meditate on you? So, in this way she is telling that my dear lord, even if I can’t glorify you properly or fully, still, please, because I am an unintelligent woman, please accept whatever little glorification that I can offer you. So, she describes, in Namaste Purusham Swadhyam, the 18th verse, she mentioned how actually you are Bhagawan.
Now she will focus more on different aspects of Bhagawan. So, yes, you are Krishna. You are that all-attractive Supreme Lord.
That all-attractive Supreme Lord. It is so wonderful that the Lord who lives far away in the spiritual world, He descended. And how did He descend? As a son of Vasudeva.
She first talks about Vasudevaya. Dad, how great! Because she is in Vatsalya rasa. She talks about other personalities in Vatsalya rasa.
Kunti Maharaja is significantly elder to Krishna. And her rasa is the Vatsalya bhava. She remembers Vasudeva.
Oh, you appeared as a son of Vasudeva. And then she thinks, yes, you appeared as a son of Vasudeva. But more than him, the fortune is of Devaki.
Because although Krishna was the son of Vasudeva, Krishna lived in the womb of Devaki. So how fortunate must Devaki be? That she held the Supreme Lord right inside her womb. Devaki nandana echa.
And then she starts thinking, yes, but when the Lord is in the womb, you can in one sense feel His presence, but we cannot relish His beauty. So, she thinks, who was it that was able to relish the beauty? Especially the beauty of the pastimes of Kumar and Kaishore? That was Nanda Maharaj. So, she starts thinking, Nanda Gopakumaraya.
Oh, is that Lord again the Gopakumar? She went to Vrindavan and he gave the nectar of his childhood, boyhood pastimes to Nanda Maharaj to relish. And then, Govinda Yuna Mohana Maha So, she is referring here to Krishna by the name Govinda. The name Govinda was given to Krishna just after the Govardhan Leela.
The Govardhan Leela is described in the 10th Canto of Srimad Bhagavatam chapters 24, 25, 26 and 27. And at the end of that, the Brajvasis tell Krishna, you know, we don’t want Indra. You are our Indra.
You are our, you love the Govas, so Govinda. That was the name that was given to Krishna. And this pastime of Krishna lifting Govardhan Hill happens at the transition between Krishna’s Kaumara Leela and Krishna’s Kaishora Leela.
So, soon after this, Krishna performs his Kaishora pastimes. So, the name Govinda is specially applicable to Krishna’s Kaishora pastimes, because just at the threshold of the performance of Kaishora pastimes, he got that name. And immediately after this, there is just one chapter about Nanda Maharaj being rescued from a python, that’s chapter 28, and then chapters 29 to 33, the 10th Canto, are the Ras Panchadhyay, which describe Krishna’s Madhurya pastimes.
So, Vishwanatha Chakrathapur says that Kunti Maharani feels that she knows that higher than her Vatsalya Ras is the Madhurya Ras. But she feels that that Madhurya is so exalted and the Gopis, who are the participants in Krishna’s Madhurya Ras pastimes with Krishna, are so exalted that she feels I cannot mention their names. So, instead of mentioning, here, earlier she has mentioned Vasudeva and Devaki and Nanda, but these pastimes she refers indirectly, not by referring to the devotees within the pastime, but by referring to the name of Krishna that indicates that pastime.
So, Govinda refers to Krishna performing pastimes with the Gopis. Govinda. Vinda means to enjoy.
Go means, it can mean the senses, it can mean the cows. So, Govinda at one level can mean the Lord who gives pleasure to the cows. But Go also means the senses.
The Lord who gave pleasure to the senses of the Gopis. Kulashekhar Maharaj, in his Mukunda Mala Sotra describes that Krishna, you are Gopi, Lochin, Chataka. The Chataka bird looks only from water from the skies and for it that water from the skies is like a jewel because that water is what is going to nourish his life and give him new life again.
So, for the Chataka bird that water drop is like a jewel. So, Gopi’s eyes are like that. Chataka bird.
And your beauty is like the jewel of water that is going to satisfy and sustain the lives of the Gopis. So, Krishna gives pleasure to the senses of the Gopis. And it is not only the Gopis.
The more we purify our senses, the more Krishna will give pleasure to our senses also. Of course, we don’t desire that Krishna gives pleasure to our senses. We desire to give pleasure to Krishna.
But automatically, when we desire to give pleasure to Krishna, Krishna gives pleasure to us. Krishnaaya Vasudevaya Devaki Nandanaya Char Nanda Gopakumaraya Govindaya Namo Namaha Let’s go to the next verse. Nama Pankajanabhaya Nama Pankajamarinen Nama Pankajanikraya Namaste Pankajangraye Namaste Pankajangraye So, while thinking about all the devotees who have received Krishna’s mercy, he starts thinking, what mercy of Krishna did I receive? He starts thinking, actually, just as a lotus has a very cooling effect, so like that, my dear lord, you are having a cooling effect on my heart.
So, I am apprehending separation from you, but as long as I am seeing you, the fire of separation from you is being extinguished by your lotus-like presence, which has a cooling effect on my heart, and the fire of separation that is about to burn over there, which compares Krishna’s different body limbs with the lotus. Nama Pankajanabhaya So, Krishna’s navel has a lotus shape, and it is also the origin from which the lotus on which the universe, around which the universe rests, on which Brahmaji sits, that lotus originates from Krishna, so this Pankajanabha can refer to both. Nama Pankajamarinen You are a beautiful lotus garland.
Nama Pankajanidraya Your eyes are so beautiful. In this material world also people have beautiful eyes, but generally, those beautiful eyes have an agitating effect on our senses, but the beauty of Krishna’s eyes has a pacifying effect. Whatever agitation is there in this world, caused by the sense object, caused by worldly anxieties, then Krishna’s glance falls on us, and all the agitation goes away.
All the fire of lust and greed and anger and anxiety and illusion that is burning in our heart, that is completely cooled and pacified. Nama Pankajanidraya Namaste Pankajangraye So normally a devotee should refer to the lotus feet first, but a devotee is also conscious that his service is pleasing to Krishna, not embarrassing to Krishna. So because Krishna is playing the role of nephew of Kunti, so although Kunti right now is conscious of Krishna as the Supreme Lord, she is also conscious that Krishna doesn’t want to explicitly be glorified as the Supreme Lord, because Krishna is playing the role of a human being.
Narayila Kaivalya in the Vedanta Sutra says that the absolute truth also plays the role of a human being. So Kunti Maharaj subordinates her desire to glorify the Supreme Lord as supreme by being conscious that she won’t embarrass him. That’s why she doesn’t start by referring to his lotus feet, but she can’t resist referring to his lotus feet.
So she goes from the navel upwards to the garland to the eyes and then returns to the lotus feet. Namaste Pankajangraye! Your lotus feet are the shelter of the devotees. Rukmini Devi tells Krishna that she holds Krishna on the lotus feet in her arms and in her hands and she tells Krishna the warmth, the softness, the sweetness, the great treasure that your lotus feet are.
Even you cannot understand it. Only your devotee can understand it. Chaitanya Mangala Flochinda describes this also as an impetus.
Krishna gets curious. I can’t understand something. I want to understand it.
And therefore, let me taste it. So he becomes Gauranga Mahaprabhu. Similarly, there is the pastime of Krishna as a small baby sucking his lotus feet to understand what is that taste.
With his lotus hand he is taking his lotus feet Mukha Rabindey he is bringing his lotus feet upwards to touch his mouth. Minivekshayantam he is gradually entering and he is sucking it. On a banyan leaf amidst the destruction of the whole world as Markandeya Rishi saw it.
Balam Mukundam Manasamsmarami So, the devotee is seeing how amidst the whole destruction that is pervading all around, Krishna is a vignette, a picture of tranquilly and ecstasy. Similarly, in the world, there may be so much disturbance all around us. But, if you remember how Krishna is even now performing his pastimes and Krishna is attracting our heart towards those pastimes, then even amidst an ocean of calamity we can experience an island of tranquilly.
Namaste Pankajangraye Namah Pankajanabhaya Namah Pankajamaline Namah Pankajanitraya Namah Pankajanabhaya Pankajangraye Let’s go to the next verse. So, now Kunti Maharaj starts thinking that it is not only now when you are giving me your darshan that you are saving me from misery. Actually, you have saved me from misery so many times.
And, while thinking about how you have saved me from misery, she contrasts her own situation with Devaki’s. So, here we will see in this contrast the simultaneous ambivalence of a devotee feeling fortunate and unfortunate. So, she starts thinking that this lord is not my exclusive property.
He is the lord of Devaki also and he has protected Devaki also. So, he is the protector of all living beings. And in her experience, she is thinking of the person who is in her rasa, Devaki.
यथारिशिकेशखलेव देवकी That wicked कमसेनिरुधाति चिरंशुचार्पिता So, you rescued him, rescued her from Kamsa. And just as you rescued her from Kamsa, प्रिमोचिताहम You rescued him from me also. चिसात्मजाविभो Along with my sons.
त्वयईवभायु नाथे नविहमूर्विपद्गणात For many times. So, let us see how she feels herself to be less fortunate and more fortunate. So, in one sense, she feels more fortunate.
She thinks that actually Devaki had only one danger. That was the danger from Kamsa. And actually she was not so much in danger because the भविष्चिवानी had come.
That Krishna is going to appear from her eighth womb. So, although her early children were killed, in fact, the killing of her children, early children, in one sense, heightened her eagerness and intensity and anticipation for her eighth child to appear. And because she was not so much thinking about the children that had been killed, but she was thinking about the child that was going to appear.
So, she was not so much in suffering. She was actually constantly anticipating that Krishna is going to appear. And that anticipation of Krishna’s appearance led to great happiness for her, which helped her transcend her misery.
And then once Krishna appeared, yes, Krishna went to Gokula for about 8-10 years, and she had to suffer a little bit. Once Krishna came back, all her anxieties were gone forever. But I had to go through a lifetime of anxieties.
And Krishna saved me not once, but many times. Not once. So, why did Krishna have some special mercy on me? Because I was an orphan.
She had her husband to protect her, but I had no husband to protect her. In fact, far from having a husband to protect her, normally women are to be protected. Women cannot give protection.
But I was so unfortunate that I had no protector, and I had small children whom I had to give protection. So, I was doubly helpless, because I myself did not have any protector, and a woman who is to be protected was put in the role of being a protector. So, naturally, my dear lord, you became my Nath, and not just my Nath, you became the Nath of my children also.
Tvayeva Nathel Mohur Vipat Ganaat Gana, Gana means a group. Many Vipadas came in our life, and you protected us from all of them. So, she will describe now, in the next verse, what were the Vipadas.
But, she is also thinking, in one sense, is this a matter of pride that my dear lord, that you protected me from greater dangers than you protected Devaki? No, it’s not a matter of pride. She has already said that Devaki was so fortunate that Krishna resided in her womb. I didn’t have so much prema.
I did not have so much prema that I could attract Krishna to my womb. But she thinks that Krishna is so kind that wherever there is So, although I was fallen, and although I had to face so many dangers because of my own past bad karma, but Krishna is so kind that seeing my fallen condition, seeing my suffering, although I did not have Bhakti, but just because I had Dainita, because I am in such a miserable condition, Krishna came to protect me. So, we see this simultaneous ambivalence of feeling fortunate and unfortunate.
She feels fortunate that Krishna protected me so many times. But she feels unfortunate that I did not have so much love, so much prema for Krishna as Devaki had. But still, she now thinks, a devotee is always satisfied and ecstatic with what Krishna has given him or her.
So, she starts thinking, what all are the situations in which Krishna protected me? And she lists that in the next verse. Let’s recite this verse once again and we’ll go to the next verse. Kamsena Rudhati Chiram Vishwachar Pitha Vimur Chitaham Chisatma Ja Vimur Poyai Vanaathen Amur Vipan Ganat Vishan Mahagane Purusha Darshanat Asatsabhaya Vanvasu Kruchrata Prudhe Prudhe Aneka Maharatha Ashritas Drona Ashritas Chasma Hare Virakshitah Hare Virakshitah So, Vishan Poison This refers to the Bhima being fed poisonous food by Duryodhana.
All of you know those past times. Mahagane, that is Varnavarta, the house of land that was burned. Purusha Darshanat.
This can refer to many demons who were man-eating cannibals. Vishnacharya Prabhupada specifically referred it to often they say it refers to Hidimbasura. Asatsabhaya This is referring to Draupadi’s disrobing.
In one sense, this was the most heart-wrenching for the Pandavas because if the attacks are on them they can tolerate it. They can fight it off. But if the attacks are on somebody who is weak and dependent and they are helpless to fight it off, that is most heart-wrenching.
Then, in the Vanvas, there was Durvasa Muni being manipulated by Duryodhana and sent over there to endanger them and so many other dangers. Draupadi was abducted by Jayadratha. And then, of course, there was the momentous battle of Kurukshetra where aneka maharathas were there.
So many terrible, terrible warriors were there. And just when we thought it was all over, yes, we had won, again the greatest danger came to first our son or grandson Parikshit. His name has not yet come, but they know he is the grandson over there the sole surviving descendant.
And then to us also as the Brahmastras from Ashwathama. And Hare Abhirakshitaha! Rakshit, you have protected us, O dear Lord! So now, here we will see that actually many of the past times there was no Krishna factor directly involved. When Bhima was poisoned, where was Krishna over there? When Varnavartha, they were burnt, where was Krishna over there? So although Krishna was not explicitly there, Krishna was still there.
Because Krishna doesn’t have to come personally every time to protect the devotees. Krishna has many ways to protect. So I have given a separate full class on the various ways in which Krishna can protect us, based on the acronym PROTECT.
P-R-O-T-E-C-T So, I will not go into the full class, but I will just give the general principles. So, often we think of Krishna’s protection in a very material sense. I am sick and some miracle happens and I get well.
Or some dacoits are going to come to rob me and suddenly some invisible hand just slaps them and knocks them far away unconscious and I go away scot-free. No, Krishna doesn’t necessarily have to intervene in superhuman, supernatural, miraculous ways. So what are the ways? So, P refers to personally.
So, Krishna was present personally by the side of Arjuna to guide him, to counsel him, to inspire him. So, that refers to the Aneka Maharatastra and also Dronayastratas. Krishna was there.
Then, R refers to representatives. So, Krishna protected the Pandavas through his representative Vidura, from the Varanavart Forest, Mahagane. So, we may not be advanced enough or fortunate enough to have Krishna’s personal presence, but we do have Krishna’s representatives.
Our counsellors, our senior devotees, our guides, our spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada. They are there to guide us and protect us. So, Krishna often protects through his representatives.
In fact, this is one of the most common ways in which Krishna protects a sadhaka through his representatives. Then, O is omnipotence. Krishna exhibits his own extraordinary prowess.
So, even Krishna is present when Krishna may not necessarily always exhibit his omnipotence. Just his personal presence can be inspiring as it was for Arjuna. But there are specific times when he exhibits his omnipotence.
So, Asatsabhaya, when Draupadi was being disrobed, Krishna exhibited his omnipotence by manifesting himself as the infinite saree of Draupadi. Sometimes we may see in some Mahabharata serial that Krishna is standing there with his hand raised in blessing, with a smile on his face, and the saree is extending from his hand and covering Draupadi’s body. But actually, when the event took place in the Kuru assembly, nobody could see Krishna over there.
All that they could see was that the saree was just endless. So, it was Krishna’s omnipotence that was manifest. Krishna’s personal presence was not seen by the people who were assembled in the Kuru assembly.
And Draupadi, of course, her eyes were closed, her hands upraised in total surrender. She was, of course, seeing Krishna’s presence in her heart. But she did not see Krishna’s presence over there.
So, there Krishna exhibited his omnipotence. Then P-R-O-T. T is teachings.
KUMATIMAHARADATMA VIDYAYAS CHARARATI PARAMASYATASYA MESTHU Bhishapta Mahayana’s prayers tells that when Arjuna was overcome by KUMATIM KUMATIM means bad intelligence. What was that bad intelligence? SWAJANAVADHAD MUKASYA DOSHYA BUDDHYA. When he was thinking, how can I kill my relatives? So, he said this is a bad intelligence.
KUMATIM AHARADATMA VIDYAYAS You protected Arjuna by destroying that KUMATIM, by destroying that bad intelligence. ATMAVIDYAYAS You gave the Atma Vidya, the spiritual knowledge to Arjuna. So, here Krishna protected Arjuna by the teachings.
This will also come in VRDDHE VRDDHE ANEKA MAHARATA ASHRATAS It was in the battlefield of Kurukshetra. And this is also a very common way in which Krishna protects us through his teachings. The teachings tell us what is right and what is wrong.
And most people in this world are confused about what is right and what is wrong. And that is why often they end up doing wrong things just because of peer pressure, because of cultural glamorisation. And they end up suffering so much because of that.
Sometimes we take this form of protection through teachings for granted. But it is so precious to actually know what is the way to go. Without Krishna’s teachings, the condition of the soul is like in an ocean where he doesn’t have any compass.
So all around he just sees water and doesn’t know where to go. When we have Krishna’s teachings, we may still be in the same ocean and we may still be rocked by the waves when they come and they knock us up and down. But still we at least know which is the way to go.
So Krishna’s teachings are like the compass in the ocean. And they guide us to a destination that will ultimately be free from all worries and problems. And even now, we know that there are certain directions in the ocean where the waves are going to become extremely stormy.
If we cultivate the modes of passion and ignorance, then our lives become so miserable, even in the material world. So Krishna’s teachings guide us towards goodness in this world and gradually transcend goodness. So they make our lives peaceful by bringing us to goodness and purposeful by showing us the way to go beyond goodness towards transcendence.
And Sri Prabhupada is especially responsible for giving us this form of protection because he has made his teachings available in such an accessible and practical way for us. And then E is Empowerment. So this refers to Purushad Darshanath, that when Bhima had to fight with Hidimba, it may seem to the material world that there was no Krishna over there.
But actually, Bhima was empowered. He had superhuman prowess. And that prowess, Krishna says, I am the strength of the strong.
So Krishna gave that empowerment. And we will see that if we try to serve Krishna sincerely, sometimes we may feel that this service is so difficult, how can I do it? But we know that Krishna will bless us and protect us through whatever dangers that come in that service by giving us empowerment. Then C is, we are looking at the acronym PROTECT, C is COMBINATION.
Sometimes Krishna may… We modern people have a tendency to analyse things all the time. This category or that category or that category. It’s not necessary that something has to fit in a particular category.
Krishna may protect us in a combination of these ways. Sometimes Krishna gives us that when we are about to tread on the wrong path, then Krishna gives us the teachings which tell us this is wrong. Then similarly Krishna may give us some warning to some devotee.
You are not going on the right track. And sometimes Krishna may do something miraculous. Krishna may see that some other person suffers terribly by going on the same track on which we are thinking of going and we understand, oh, I should not go on this track.
So Krishna may do many things. There may be a combination of it. And the combination may also involve circumstances.
So the last part is T is TIME. Sometimes Krishna may protect us from misery by letting time pass. Letting the misery stay with us for some time.
Because sometimes the misery is essential for us to realise that this world is a place of misery. So we should lose our faith in Krishna but we should see what is the lesson that needs to be learned. And when we are proud, pride demands and complains.
Humility begs and waits. So even if some problems are there, we should know that Krishna has a bigger plan. And He wants to protect us from something much bigger.
That’s why He is allowing this problem to go on. Sometimes lust or greed may trouble us a lot. And we may think, I am trying to give it up.
Why is Krishna not freeing me from this anartha? But it is impossible that we might become free from lust and think that I am so pure hearted and become proud. So we escape from one anartha but walk right into the jaws of another anartha. So Krishna doesn’t want us to just transfer us from one form of misery to another form of misery.
Krishna wants to free us from all misery. So that’s why Krishna allows the lust or greed or whatever to trouble us for some time so that we start realising, I cannot overcome this myself. It is only by Krishna’s mercy that I will be able to overcome it.
And when I overcome it by Krishna’s mercy, gradually after some passage of time, then I understand that actually it is Krishna who protected me. And then I don’t become proud by that. So therefore, time is also a form of protection.
So Kunti Maharani is thinking, Krishna you have protected us in so many ways. And on one side she is expressing her gratitude for the protection of Krishna. But then she is also expressing fear.
Oh! Now if Krishna goes away, might we lose that protection? And then she expresses the next verse. So let me recite this and then the next. शान्महागनेपुरुशात् धर्शनाद् असत्सभायावन्वासु कृच्छतः वृधेवृधेयनेक महारताश्रतस् द्रोञ्यस्तुतस् चास्महरेविरक्षिता हरेविरक्षिता So the next verse is actually the climax of these verses in the sense that it reveals the loftiness of Kunti Maharani’s devotion.
And it also reveals how the values of pure devotion are so dramatically different from mundane values. So that verse will require some elaboration. And we will discuss it in the next class.
So today we discussed verses 18 to 24, seven verses we discussed. And we started by discussing how Kunti Maharani is defining her understanding, revealing her understanding that Krishna is Bhagawan in the first verse. Then she is talking about how this Bhagawan is not understood by people in 19.
Talking about the Bharatanatyam-like dancer. We need education to understand what the dancer is doing. Then she says even the sages are meant to understand this and if I am able to understand, how can I understand? But I will reveal my understanding according to my capacity.
And then she reveals Krishna’s beautiful pastimes by referring to names that depict those pastimes. Then she talks about how Krishna has protected her by being present like a lotus to soothe her burning heart with his coolness. She talks about Krishna, how he protected Devaki and she contrasts him with how he has protected her.
So we will continue in our next class.