Bhagavatam study 74 1.14.34-44 Questions about causes of distress reveal conceptions of distress

Canto 1, chapter 14, entitled The Disappearance of Lord Krishna, text 34.
So the background to this section is that Arjuna has just delivered Arjuna is has returned from Dwaraka and he is about to deliver the news of Krishna’s departure to Yudhishthira. And in the backdrop of that, while preparing for that, Yudhishthira is asking various questions about Krishna. So he asks over here, Canto 1, chapter 14, verse 34 While asking about the well-being of all the residents of Dwaraka, he now asks about Krishna.
That Lord Govinda, who is Bhagawan, who is the supreme being, who is the enlivener of the senses in the mind, of the senses of the cows of the land, who is the lover of the brahmanas, the lover of the devotees. And he has got this transcendental Sudharma assembly wherein he resides. So is he residing there happily? So surrounded by his loved ones, is he residing happily? That is the question.
Krishna, he is the source of the supreme auspiciousness for everyone. And here he is glorified in different ways. And how no inauspiciousness can touch him is talked about.
First of all, yes, he is surrounded by his well-wishers, those who love him, those who are devoted to him, those who are ready to do anything for him. And he has got an assembly, Sudharmayam, whose opulence is greater than that of even the devatas. So he has got such a magnificent assembly.
And he himself is the lover, the lord of the brahmanas, the lover of the devotees, the pleasure giver of the senses, the all-attractive supreme being. So in this way, Yudhishthira’s devotion comes out spontaneously even in the inquiry about the lord. He, while describing the lord, describes so many of his glorious virtues by which his devotion comes out.
When we speak about people, what we mean by people and how we speak about them as well as how we speak about them reveals what we think about them. If we love someone, then just talking about them brings the softness and sweetness to our tone. If we are angry with someone, then there is a flatness or a harshness that comes in our tone.
Harshness if that anger is still apparent and about to explode. Flatness if that anger has led to disappointment and we just in order to function in that relationship, we have decided to deaden ourselves to emotions in that relationship. what we speak of and how we speak when we speak about others reveals our heart’s disposition towards them.
Here when Yudhishthira, while inquiring about Krishna, is glorifying Krishna so profusely that reflects how intensely his heart is devoted to Krishna. And then further he will say that he will continue inquiring about Krishna’s well-being. Now, it’s interesting that devotees are always in the mood of the service of the lord and devotees, especially in Krishna Vila, have a personal relationship with the lord.
So naturally they inquire about the lord’s well-being. Ultimately nobody can hurt the lord. Nobody can do anything to the lord.
But the nature of the relationship of the devotee with the lord is that the devotee wants to serve the lord, to make everything comfortable for the lord, to make the lord happy. And thus, it is in that mood of service that the devotee inquires how the lord is. It is not out of ignorance about the lord’s supreme position, not thinking that that the devotee doesn’t know about the greatness of the lord, but rather it is the awareness of the greatness of the lord coupled with a desire to serve the lord that leads to inquiry about the lord’s well-being.
So, text 35 and 36. So, that lord brings auspiciousness to everyone. Krishna says that I protect and I provide to my devotees.
So, similarly here. So, Krishna has descended to this world and is residing in Dwaraka for bringing auspiciousness, for providing protection and for facilitating elevation of people. He is residing in the ocean of the Yadukula.
Not just one or two or hundred, thousands of members are there in the Yadukula. Ādhyānanta-sakhā-pumān And that original primeval person is residing in the company of Ananta. Ananta-śeśa is the sustainer of the universe and that Ananta-śeśa’s original source from whom he manifests is Balramji.
That Balramji is with Krishna. So, Ādhyānanta-sakhā-pumān Sakhā-pumān Pumān is he is the supreme person, the supreme enjoyer. And by the strength of his arms Guptāyām means to be protected by.
Normally, we may live in fear if say we are living in a terrorist prone area or if we are living in a high crime area but if we are living right next to the police station and we know that the police are very competent and responsive and they are vigilantly protecting the city and they are protecting us, then we feel safe. We feel secure and thus we don’t let ourselves live in fear. So, similarly the Yadus, because they know that Krishna is all attractive, that Krishna is all powerful and Krishna is personally there with us, so he won’t let anything inauspicious happen to us.
And thus by the protection of his arms So, he is living there and the Yadus, that is their own kingdom and the lord is living in their kingdom. So, they are, that lord is the supreme worshipable lord Kridanti Paramanandam So, living under his protection, they are sporting with supreme joy. Now, Kridanti is sports.
Now, we all may play some different sports to get some joy but the sporting pastimes of Krishna and having the privilege to participate in the sporting pastimes of Krishna that gives not just ananda but paramanandam. So, Kridanti Paramanandam they are experiencing the supreme joy as does the great beings, the residents of the spiritual sky So, just as the residents of the spiritual world enjoy in the spiritual world the association of the lord, similarly the Yadus are enjoying in the association of the lord here in Dwaraka itself. So, the point which he is making is that Dwaraka has the same opulence as does the opulence of not just Swarga but of Vaikuntha and in such a magnificent setting, the Yadus are living and delighting with the lord.
So, Yadpada Shushrur Shana Mukhya Karmana So, by serving his lotus feet, Pada Shushrun Mukhya Karmana, that is their most important activity. In Dwaraka, the queens don’t have to be housewives in the sense that they have to take care of the house. There are many maidservants, maids who can do that for them.
So, they simply try to please the lord in whatever way they do. So, there are Satyabhama and others. Though Ashta is twice of 8 is 16, Yoshitaha is 1000.
So, there are 16000 queens Krishna had and it is interesting that it is headed by Satyabhama is used over here. Normally, we would think that we would talk about the queens being headed by Rukmini. Why Satyabhama? Because here there is a context.
The context is that Nirjitya Sankhe, in war, in the battle, they arranged, they inspired, they impelled the lord to defeat Thridashana, those who are the residents of heaven, that which is enjoyed by them, Tadashisho, what is their aspired desire? Haranti Vajrayudha Vallabho Chitaha. Haranti, what was taken away from whom? Vajrayudha. Indra uses his most cherished and celebrated weapon is the Vajra.
So, Haranti Vajrayudha Vallabho Chitaha. So, his Vallabhas are the queens of Indra, the wives of Indra, the Parvata flowers which they were enjoying, that the queens of Dwaraka are enjoying. So, it is Krishna who fought against Indra to fulfill the desire of Satyabhama, that she wanted a, not just a Parvata flower, but a Parvata tree.
Krishna wanted to offer it to her. So, in that, because it is this particular pastime that is being referred to, to bring out the glory of the Dwarkavasis. So, Kridanti Mahapaurushika Ima.
That was said in the previous verse, that they are sporting and delighting Kridanti Paramanandam, they are getting supreme happiness, Mahapaurushika Ima, like the residents of not heaven, but Vaikuntha. And that, how are they sporting and delighting, that is illustrated over here. And the queens simply in a playfully way, they served the Lord and they, in a playful way, requested the Lord, please, get us a flower.
And primary among such demandingly loving queens is Satyabhama. That’s why her name is mentioned first. And it is said that she, because of her desire, she was, the Lord fulfilled that desire by fighting and defeating Indra.
And thus the Lord was, they were able to enjoy that which is not enjoyed, that which is actually meant to be enjoyed by the heavenly residents or the heavenly queens. So, thus, the critical thing over here is that the Vaikuntha Vasi is not only the Lord delighting, but even the Lord is so great, He brings such auspiciousness that even His associates delight. Satyabhama is mentioned here in the Bhagavatam as the chief of the queens.
He is also significant because that correlates with what Jiyu Goswami says in Gopal Champu that it is Radharani who expands the Satyabhama and Rukmini is an expansion of Chandravali. Chandravali is a little mild. She serves Krishna, whereas Radharani demands from Krishna.
Both of them are transcendental loving. So, Satyabhama also has a mood of demanding from Krishna. That is, Rukmini has a more submissive mood.
So, Rukmini’s mood correlates with Chandravali’s, while Satyabhama’s correlates with Radharani’s. So, Satyabhama’s mood correlates with Radharani’s. So, by the power of whose arms? Anuji, we know that they live.
Yadu Praveera, they are themselves heroes, but they understand that they have a greater protector than themselves. No matter how powerful they are, Krishna is much much bigger than them and thus, great commanders, there may be great commanders, but if they have the greatest commander with them, then that gives them a security that they don’t get otherwise. They are completely fearless.
Constantly, in every respect, they are fearless. They march on, march forcefully in the Sudharma assembly. So, normally if you are fearful, we walk gently, we don’t want to make any noise, we don’t want to disturb people, we don’t want to be detected.
So, if we are in a very wealthy place, in a very palatial kind of place, and we feel that we don’t belong here, then we will be very cautious that we don’t even scratch a wall, that we don’t make any noise that will displease the owners of that place. But if somebody is fully confident about their position and they understand this is my home, this is my arena, then they can march in that place and they don’t have to conceal their footsteps. So, when some people, their authoritativeness is seen in their very footsteps.
The way they walk is such that they actually are seen to be very powerfully situated in their own secure situation. They are not at all worried. So, actually the Sudharma was meant to be enjoyed by the best of the Suras.
Surasaptama. Saptama is the best. Sura is the Suras, the Devatas.
And Surasaptama means those who are the best of the Suras. So, they are meant to be enjoying that. But Subhamsudharma.
So, in this way, the Yadus are marching and confidently in that Sabhavi is meant to be enjoyed by the Devas. So, basically, again, the point is Yudhishthir is glorifying Krishna not just by glorifying, by saying how wonderful he is, but he’s also glorifying Krishna by saying how wonderful he makes those who are associated with him. And thus, his glorification of Krishna is continuing in a very sweet and captivating way.
Text 39. कच्चित्ते अनामयं तातः भ्रष्टते जाविभासिमे अलब्धमानो अवज्ञातः किम्बातात्चिरोषितः So, now, when he’s thinking that Krishna is so sweet, Krishna is so glorious, Krishna is so auspicious, and Arjuna has just gone and met Krishna, so while returning from Krishna, why would Arjuna be so distressed? So, कच्चित्ते अनामयं तातः, is it because of your health being not good that you are so pale? भ्रष्टते जाविभासिमे, I can see that your effulgence has just gone, it is dimmed, it has disappeared. अलब्धमानो अवज्ञातः, is it that you are not respected properly or neglected? किम्बातात्चिरोषितः, is it that you stayed in Dwarka for a long time, and that’s why these days you are neglected? Normally, guests are welcome and guests are honoured and cherished, initially, but if they start staying for a long time, then people may just go away.
So, किम्बातात्चिरोषितः, चिरोषितः, because you stayed for a long time, is it that they disrespect you and that’s why you have become pale? We are very much relational creatures. Now, how people behave with us actually shapes our disposition and that comes out in our gestures also, in our appearance also. So, if we feel loud, we feel that we belong to some place, then that comes as our being cheerful.
But if we feel neglected, if we feel ostracized, if we feel disrespected, then that also comes out in our appearance. Next, text 40, कच्चिन नाभिहतो अभावै, शब्दादिबिर मंगलै, नदत्तं उप्तं अर्थिभ्या, आशयायत् पतिश्वतम् So, it’s wondering what has caused Arjuna’s distress. So, कच्चिन नाभिहतो अभावै, so is it that somebody addressed you in an unfriendly, cruel, harsh way? शब्दादिबिर मंगलै, so if somebody curses us, now if they have the power to curse, then it’s scary, but even if they don’t have the power to curse us, still the very fact that they have such antipathetic emotions towards us, is itself alarming, is distressing to some extent, even if not alarming.
So, is that somebody’s harsh words the cause of your loss of effulgence? नदत्तं उप्तं अर्थिभ्या, is it that someone in distress asked you for some charity, but you couldn’t give it to them? Or is it that आशयायत् पतिष्टुतं, is it that you had made a promise to someone, but you could not keep that promise, and that’s why you are distressed? So, normally, based on the cultural situation that a person is in, the causes of distress can range over a particular spectrum. So, what are the things that in brahminical culture, that is described in the Bhagavatam, what are the things that are considered sources of distress, those we can understand from this context, from the various questions the yudhishthira is asking. Today, the context may be somewhat different.
So, if you see somebody very distressed, you may ask them, have you lost your job? Have you got some relationship issues? Have you been diagnosed with some terrible disease? So, broadly, the principles remain same. It’s आध्यात्मिक, आधिभोतिक, आधिविक, क्लेश, but the forms in which those kleshas may come may vary from person to person, situation to situation, culture to culture, age to age. So, text 41, कच्चित्तम् ब्राह्मनं बालं गाम्रुद्धं रोगि नाम्स्त्रियं शर्णो पश्चत्रैं सत्वं नात्याक्षी शरण् प्रदः। So, now he talks about various categories of people whom as a member of the royal family, as a Kshatriya, Arjuna was meant to protect.
So, was it that he couldn’t protect someone and that’s why he got, he is now distressed? कच्चित्तम् ब्राह्मनं बालं ब्राह्मनं The Brahmanas are meant to be protected, children are meant to be protected, cows, गाम्रुद्धं, वृद्ध is the elderly are meant to be protected, रोगि नाम्, the deceased, the women, they are all meant to be protected and that is the duty. And have you failed in this duty? Is that the cause of your distress? So normally, we talk of five categories of people who are meant to be protected. These include women, children, Brahmanas, cows and the elderly.
It’s interesting that this verse is also including the sick in that. So basically, the idea is that this world is a place of distress. But just because the world is a place of distress doesn’t mean that distress is to be normalized or perpetuated.
Distress has to be mitigated. And if somebody fails to mitigate distress, then that means that that is a failure in the Dharma of those who are meant to administer the Dharma. So have you failed in this way? And is that the cause of your distress, Arjuna? Text 42.
kacchittam nāgamo gamyāṁ gamyāṁ vāsat kṛtaṁ sthīyam parājito vāthabhavān nauttamair nāsamaipati So now he is asking kacchittam nāgamo gamyāṁ. Is it that you have contacted a woman who was impeachable character, as Prabhupāda says. Unimpeachable means you cannot find a flaw in them.
Impeachable means their character is not good. So that kind of contact is inauspicious. Have you done that? kacchittam nāgamo gamyāṁ vāsat kṛtaṁ sthīyam Or is it that a respectable woman, you are not able to treat her properly? Or is it that you are defeated by a person who is inferior or equal to you? If you are defeated by our superiors, that is not a problem, we accept that.
But if it is our juniors who defeat us, that is extremely difficult to accept. And if our equals defeat us, that is also very difficult to accept. So are any of these the cause of your distress? api svit parya bhūṅthāṁ sthoṁ sambhojyāṁ hṛddha-bāla-kāṇḍ yugup-sitam karma-kiñcid hṛd-dhavān nayad-akśamam api svit parya bhūṅthā sthoṁ So have you not taken care of sambhogam hṛddha-bāla-kāṇḍ? If you were taking your food and there were some elderly or some children with them, did you not share your food with them? Did you take it all alone? yugup-sitam karma-kiñcid hṛd-dhavān nayad-akśamam Have you committed some terrible crime which is unforgivable? And is that the cause of your distress? It’s interesting that among the grievous activities that one may do, eating food alone without sharing with others is also counted.
You may say that’s just a small activity, but no. The point being made over here is that that is also a serious activity. Kṣatriya is meant to provide for the well-being of citizens.
And if somebody is starving, especially the elderly or the children are starving, then it is the responsibility of the Kṣatriya king to provide for them. And has the failure to provide this the cause of your distress? And then finally, he comes to the conclusion. kacchit preṣṭhata me nātha hṛdayena ātma-bandhūnā śūnyo smirahito nityaṁ manya-sete anyathā na rūk kacchit preṣṭhata me nātha Is it that Lord who is the most dear to you? preṣṭhata me nātha, that, O Arjuna, my brother, hṛdayena ātma-bandhūnā, who is within your heart as your closest friend? śūnyo smirahito nityaṁ Is it that your heart has become empty, null and void? Because that Lord has forever gone away? manya-sete anyathā na rūk And apart from this, I can’t think of any other reason why you may be so distressed.
So, we discussed earlier how if a particular diagnosis points to a particular terrible fatal disease, and the doctor knows the patient who is a cherished, loved friend of the doctor, the doctor may not want to acknowledge the disease. The doctor may try to check whether any other disease might have caused the symptoms, and when none of the other diseases seem to be explaining this symptom, then the doctor may say, oh, this indicates that you got this disease. So, similarly, here it is stated that, finally, Yudhiṣṭhira says, Is it that that Lord, hṛdayena ātma-bandhūnā, who is so dear to you, who is the closest for you, has that Lord departed? Is this the cause of your distress? This will be answered by Krishna, by Arjuna, to Yudhiṣṭhira in the next chapter, which we will discuss in our future sessions.