Bhagavatam tenth canto study 27 – 10.5.7-14 Krishna’s birth floods Vraja with joy

Hare Krishna. Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 10 Chapter 5 I have entitled The Meeting of Nanda Maharaj and Vasudev. Text 7 Here is described the celebration of the appearance of Krishna by the Vrajavasis and thereafter in this chapter will be described subsequent incidents involving Krishna departing from Nanda Maharaj departing to meet Vasudev.
Gavo vrusha vatsatara So the cows and the cows Haridra, Thayini, Rushita the cows, bulls, cows they were decorated with turmeric oil, Rushita their entire body was decorated like that. Gavo vrusha vatsatara Vichitra dhatu, Barhasra, Vichitra dhatu beautiful colourful minerals was used to anoint them. Vastra kanchenama linahan and they were adorned even with clothes, golden ornaments and garments.
The cows are an integral part of the community of the Vrajavasis and in general of broad Indian culture and just as whenever there is a occasion for celebration we do something more than the normal we deco-dress ourselves better we prepare better food than usual, we clean our houses more so everybody partakes in a celebration and one part of that celebration is also recognizing that the cows are also a part of the family and the cows also deserve to join the celebration and thus the Vrajavasis as they are jubilant about the appearance of Krishna their jubilation they are sharing with the cows and just as we humans decorate ourselves, the cows are also decorated in fact similarly with minerals Vichitra dhatu and then golden ornaments are there, dresses are there there are garlands, so these are things which we also wear when we want to celebrate so to see the cows as a part of our family is important for all human beings and especially for the Vaishyas for whom Go-Raksha is a prescribed duty as Krishna has described in the Bhagavad Gita Krishna Go-Raksha Vani-jam, Vaishya karma Swabhava-jam so when they take shelter of the cows and they protect the cows and they don’t just one aspect of protection is physical protection providing for their needs making sure that they are not slaughtered when they become old but also it means going much further than that and recognizing that actually we have to get them to join in our celebrations protection is not just protection from physical deprivation, protection is also protection of emotion we give protection by giving people a sense of belonging there is emotional protection also so when we include someone in our celebrations that means we are accepting them as one among us and we are giving them a place where they can belong so this indicates that the decoration of the cows along with the humans indicates the cows belonged, the cows participated in the celebration that the Vrajavasis were having text 8 Mahara-vastra-bharan Kanchu-koshnisha-bhushitaha Gopasamayayorajan Nanopayan-panayaha so Mahara-vastra-bharan earlier it was described how the cows were decorated now it is being described how the Vrajavasis, the men decorate themselves Mahara-vastra-bharan so expensive valuable Vastra-abharan Abharana is ornaments, Vastra is garments the two words are rhyming garment and ornament and these two Vrajavasis wore Kanchu-koshnisha-bhushitaha Kanchu-koshnisha so Prabhupada explains Kanchu is a particular kind of garment that is worn in Vrindavan and Kanchu-koshnisha-bhushitaha they were all decorated in that way put along with a turban Gopasamayorajan and the Gopas also came there Rajan, Rajan here refers to Shukadeva Swami speaking to Parikshit Maharaj this periodic intermittent forms of address that intersperse the narrative of the Bhagavatam keep us grounded in the broader discussion in which the specific narrative is situated so these grounding addresses these grounding words they are spoken also in the specific context as forms for drawing attention and retaining attention and this is not just an abstract narrative going on this is a conversation going on between two people and Shukadeva Swami reminds Parikshit Maharaj by addressing Parikshit Maharaj repeatedly as Rajan or some other variant he draws the attention of Parikshit Maharaj and retains their attention so nanopayana panayaha nanopayana now normally when we go to someone’s house at that time we give them some we take some something to offer to them this Rama was poverty stricken still when he went to Krishna’s abode in Dwaraka he gave Krishna some broken rice now normally if we go to meet someone and on top of that if we there is a celebration in their house then we should go and offer them something even more tangible so all the Gopas when they went to meet the Maharaj, congratulate him on having a child they all took various gifts as presentations to him to offer to him normally when someone is joyous we need to share in their joy not burden them with our sorrow or grief and that means that we should be able to focus on if they are happy we dress ourselves and conduct ourselves in a way that indicates our cheerfulness, our joy at their joy and their joy on seeing that we share their joy increases their joy and in this way joyousness increases symbiotically so whole of Vrindavan is erupting in celebration on the appearance of this captivating child Krishna text 9 now when the Gopis heard when it came into their hearing that Mudita they became very joyful on hearing what? that Yashoda has got a son there is a special joy in carrying life in one’s own body and then giving birth to a child and Yashoda of course had been longing for a child for a long time and somehow she had not got it and now she got a child, a wonderful son so all the Brajwasis were naturally delighted especially the women they became jubilant on hearing oh Yashoda has got a child that her pregnancy went off well her delivery went off well and now she is the proud mother of a beautiful child atmanam bhunshyam chakror so they themselves decorated and dressed very nicely so that they could go and congratulate Yashoda and see her beautiful child and vastra kalpana anjanadhibhi so vastra akalpa anjanam so now they took dresses, they took ornaments and they took ointments and lotions anjan refers to something which is mascara something which is worn in the eyes to enhance the beauty of the eyes so here we see essentially that the celebration is spreading universally among all the Brajwasis and they are all jubilant at the opportunity to celebrate with the Brajwasis with Krishna with Maharaja Yashoda text end navakum kum kinjal ka mukhapanka jabhutaiha balibhis tvaritam jagmuh pruthushronyas chalat kuchah navakum kum kinjal ka so now they decorated themselves by use there by saffron and newly grown kumkum mukhapanka jabhutaiha there lotus like face became even more beautiful by that balibhis tvaritam jagmuh balibhis tvaritam jagmuh they went quickly taking offerings for the Maharaja Yashoda pruthushronyas chalat kuchah so they were having they were themselves very beautiful with all the feminine attributes they were endowed with they look exceedingly beautiful as they rushed to congratulate Yashoda and join her celebration of her having a son text 11 gopya sumrushta manikundala nishka kantha chitrambara patishikha chitamalyavarsha nandalayam savalaya varjate vireju vyalola kundala payodhara harishobhaha vyalola kundala payodhara harishobhaha now this verse describes the beauty of the gopis who were going towards the house of Yashoda and So, Vyalol kundal payodhara hari shobhaha. They wore kundal payodhara, they were wearing earrings and the organs which held milk payodhara, the breast, they were wearing flower garlands and they looked very beautiful, hari shobhaha, shobhaha. So, these gopis, sumrushta manikundala nishka kanthyas, they looked dazzling with jewels, earrings, manikundala nishka and they had lockets and keys and other such ornaments around their neck, nishka kanthyas, chitra ambara, chitra ambara, ambara is dress, chitra ambara is attractive, colourful, krishna is said to dress in pitambara, sometimes those who are renunciates, they are said to be digambara, dressed in various, dressed by the directions, that means not wearing, I mean, wearing any clothes.
So here, there is chitra ambara, they had very, very many different dresses, patishikha chuta, malya varshaha, patishikha, so they, on the path you see the mys, shikha chuta, so now, they were wearing so many flowers on their hair, malya varshaha, shower of flower garlands which fell from their heads, nandalayam sabalaya, they went to the house of Nandamaharaj sabalaya, there were bangles on their hands, virejitir, virejitir, virejur, so as they were moving along like this, they looked extremely beautiful. So the Bhagavatam gives a very specific and vivid picture of the beauty and glory of Vrindavan. In writing it is said, don’t just, don’t tell it, show it.
So we could say that, oh, on the birth of, on the birth of Krishna, the Vrajvasis were very happy. Well, okay, there is this information, but what image is evoked in that? How much do we feel that Vrajvasis were happy? How much do we connect with the experience of the Vrajvasis that they are having? The Bhagavatam doesn’t just tell that the Vrajvasis were happy, the Bhagavatam describes how the Vrajvasis decorated themselves, how beautiful they uniquely were and how much more beautiful they became and how all this innate and decorated beauty became enhanced because of their immense happiness and all this was expressed because they were so happy. So this way the Bhagavatam tells us how the Vrajvasis were jubilant in their celebration of the birth of Krishna.
Text 12, ताशीशः प्रयुञ्जानाश। चिरंपाही तिबालके हरिद्राचूर्ण तैलादिभी सिंचन्त्यो जनम् उजगु। ताशीशः प्रयुञ्जानाश। So ताशीशः, all those women who were described in the previous verse, they were wives and daughters of the cowherd men, प्रयुञ्जानाश, ते आशीश, they offered various blessings to the boy, चिरंपाही तिबालके, चिरंपाही ती, for a long time may you, O child, become the king, पाही, may protect all his inhabitants, चिरंपाही ती. It’s amazing that the blessing that they are giving to Krishna is so farsighted and so appropriate. They are not just saying that, O, may you live for a long time.
If that is true, naturally it is a blessing that is to be given to a child, may he live for a long time, especially when we see that there are so many dangers in Krishna’s life very specifically and generically, there are dangers, especially a child is newborn, there are so many different diseases that may come up, so many different dangers that may come up. So, चिरंपाही ती, so they offered blessings, but the blessing they offered is not just that you live long for a long time, but that you rule and protect us for a long time, protect all the rituals for a long time. So, he is the son of the king of Vrindavan, Vrindavan Maharaj, and naturally when he grows up, he will become a protector of Vrindavan.
So, the blessing is given appropriate to the position of the child. So, may you protect us. So, although the child is not so tender, that child will require the protection of a mother, the child is simply a baby, but they are seeing the future and they are saying, may you protect us for a long time, which implies that may you live for a long time.
But it is much deeper and much sweeter benediction, much more appropriate. हरिद्राचून तैलादिभी So, while offering these blessings, they actually invoke auspiciousness by sprinkling water on him and sprinkling turmeric, तैलादिभी, turmeric sprinkled with oil. सिञ्चन्त्यो अजनम् उजगु हूं अजनम् सिञ्चन्त्यो They sprinkled water on the one who is unborn, but who had taken birth and who had given such joy to everyone.
They offered him, offered good wishes for him, blessings for him. सिञ्चन्त्यो अजनम् उजगु हूं So, their celebration is not just their celebration. They are also desiring that all good come upon Krishna.
And thus they are offering lavish benedictions for him and doing everything that they can to invoke auspiciousness for him. Text 13 अवाध्यन्तविचित्राणि वाधित्राणि महुचमे किष्णे विश्वेश्वरेनन्ते नन्धस्यवरजमागते आवाध्यन्तविचित्राणि So, आवाध्यन्त, they vibrated various musical instruments to celebrate the birth of Krishna. वाधित्राणि महुचमे Various, there is a beautiful poetic rhyme over here, विचित्राणि वाधित्राणि Various instruments, those which you sound, वाध्य, महुचमे, there is a big celebration, किष्णे विश्वेश्वरेनन्ते There are three names here of Krishna used in one line.
Krishna, who is the all-attractive supreme person, विश्वेश्वरे, one who is the lord of all the universes, अनन्ते, the one who is unlimited, नन्धस्यवरजमागते That all-attractive, unlimited, omnipotent lord had appeared in the house of Nanda Maharaj. And naturally, the Vrajavasis were delighted by this. They were celebrating how that lord has appeared to them.
Now, we will discuss later, we will revisit this theme periodically through the 10th canto. Whether the Vrajavasis know that Krishna is God or not? The Vrajavasis themselves are not necessarily aware that Krishna is God, nor are they aware that somebody else is trying to demand their royalties. But they are immensely disappointed when anything, they are immensely disappointed, even distressed and devastated, in danger of false Krishna.
At the same time, when anything gives pleasure to Krishna, that gives them immense pleasure. So, now, Nanda Maharaj, out of his etiquette, he allowed Vasudev, Nanda Maharaj actually, out of his deference, he welcomed all his guests and he was delighted to see how jubilant they were. But he also had a dilemma which he would need to resolve soon.
So, the Vrajavasis don’t necessarily know that Krishna is God, but they do know that Krishna is a very very special boy for them. gopah parasparam rishta adhikshira grhatambhubhi asinchanato vilimpanto vilimpanto navanni taishyak chikshipuhu chikshipuhu, chikshipuhu, what this means is that gopah parasparam rishta So, of course, Krishna met, the gopahs were celebrating with great jubilation and as they were celebrating, they used what? adhikshira grhatambhubhi So, they were using yogurt, they were using condensed milk, they were using ghee and asinchanato vilimpanto they started sprinkling on each other and smearing each other with it. navanni taishyak chikshipuhu navanni taishyak, they took butter and they smeared it on everyone, chikshipuhu.
Celebration is done in different ways, in different cultures, in different situations and Vrindavan is the place where the cows are considered the most important wealth and all of Vrindavan’s economy as well as ecology is centered on the cows and thus, in the appearance of Krishna coming, there was a lavish celebration, lavish preparation, adequate preparation for hosting a big celebration. So, that celebration would take over whatever Krishna was telling, whatever Krishna was guiding and the result of this would be that actually, when the Vijvasis had to surrender to Krishna and they surrendered wholeheartedly and thus they found that Krishna was waiting within their hearts, within your hearts for you. Thank you, Hare Krishna.