Bhagavatam tenth canto study 74 – 10.13.28-38 Krishna’s illusion is so powerful that even Balarama requires special situation to see through that illusion

Thank you. So here, how Krishna has expanded as all the Gopas and the cows, and how his reciprocating love with the elderly, motherly Gopis as well as the cows was described. And now a specific incident, which will describe the unusual intensity of the love between the cows, where Krishna expanded and the Gopas will be described.
Ekadha charyan vatsan, while the cows had been taken out for grazing, saramo vanamavishad, Krishna and Balram had entered into the forest, pancha shashu triyamasu. So triyamasu, when five or six days before the end of an year, at that time, hayan apuranishu. So at that time, Krishna had gone there along with Balram.
So first, whenever an incident is to be described, some amount of contextualization and time is required for us to make sense of what is happening. Tato vidura charato, gaavo vatsanu pavrajam, govardhanadrishirasi, charantyo dadrushustranam, tato vidura charato. So, therefore, from a distance, vidura is distance, vidura is not from such a distance place, charato, while the grazing was going on.
So now, if you see that cows and cows, they grazed in different places, the cows were taken care of by the small children and the small cows correspondingly. And cows themselves were taken care of, they are bigger animals, if they need to be controlled, more strength is required. So the older cowherd men, well built cowherd, not elderly in the sense of very old, but those who are adults were taking care of those cows.
So, at that time they saw, gaavo vatsanu pavrajam, so the cows and the cows saw each other, govardhanadrishirasi, in fact the cows saw when they were grazing on top of Govardhan hill, adrishirasi, they looked down, charantyo dadrushustranam, they saw that the cows were grazing at the bottom of the hill. Now we all have certain expected meetings with our loved ones and certain unexpected meetings. That means, say, if we have a close friend, whom we are going to meet, maybe for a dinner in a restaurant, and then before that, maybe a couple of days, while we are in a shopping mall, we see them.
We would naturally be happy. It is unexpected joy. Now depending on how much joy we feel, to the extent our greeting would be more effusive.
Sometimes we might hug each other, maybe slap each other’s backs, do a high five or whatever. So, similarly for the cows and the cows, this was an unexpected meeting. They would normally see each other in the mornings and then both would go their way, would be led their own different ways for grazing.
And they would meet in the evenings. So at this unexpected meeting, let’s see what happened. Next, text 30.
दृष्ट्वात तत्स्नेहवशो अस्मतात्मा सगोऽवरजो अत्यात्मः धुर्गमार्गः दृपात् ककुद करीव उदास्य पुछो अगात् धुंकुरतेर आसु पयाजवेन दृष्ट्वात तत्स्नेहवशो That the cows saw their cows below. दृष्ट्वात तत्स्नेहवशो अस्मतात्मा धुर्गमार्गः धुर्गमार्ग धुर्गमार्ग धुर्गमार्ग धुर्गमार्ग धुर्गमार्ग धुर्गमार्ग धुर्गमार्ग धुर्गमार्ग धुर्गमार्ग धुर्गमार्ग धुर्गमार्ग धुर्गमार् धुर्गमार्ग धुर्गमार्ग धुर्गमार्ग धुर्गमार्ग धुर्गमार्ग धुर्गमार्ग धुर्गमार्ग धुर्गमार्ग धुर्गमार्ग धुर्गमार्ग धुर्गमार्ग धुर्गमार्ग धुर्गमार्ग धुर्गमार्ग धुर्गमार्ग धुर्गमार Now, all these cows, they were held by their cowherd men and there was some amount of restraint on them. But because of forgetting themselves, they were so excited that they just pulled against their fetters and ran.
विपाद क कुद्ग्रिव उदास्य पुच्छो So they ran so fast that their two legs, when they were running, they came together. That means they were leaping to the full magnitude of their strength. ककुद्ग्रिव And their humps were moving with their necks.
उदास्य पुच्छो Their tails were raised high and their head was also raised high. अगात् धुंक्रते They were moving around loudly. आश्रुपया जवेन And like water flowing out, milk started flowing from their milk bags through their nipples and thus जवेन.
They forcefully charged towards the cows. So here the intensity of the incident is brought out through various stimuli such as their sets of legs were touching each other. That milk was overflowing from their bags and that they were loudly moving.
Now cows are gentle animals but this is a sudden aggressive behavior which indicated the intensity of their emotion. Text 31 समेत्य गावो धोवत्सान वत्सवत्यो अपायन गिलंत्य इवचांगानि लिहंत्य स्वधशं स्वधशं पयः So that sign, as the cows raise down and reach the cows वत्सवत्यो पि अपायन वत्सवत्या Normally if a new child is born to a mother or a new calf is born to a cow and she has very special affection for that cow. Of course, there is affection always for its cows in a cow but a newborn is just because it’s new it’s so tender it needs and naturally receives extra affection.
Now these cows had newborn cows but those newborn cows were not the object of as intense and as explicit an affection as these cows which were not newborn were for the cows. So this is surprising but it is also revealing of the depth of attraction that Krishna can inspire in the hearts of those who are devoted to him. So गिलंत्य इवचांगानि, so when they came there दे लिहन्त्य स्वाऊध संपयः, as the cows were naturally delighted to see their mothers and they started drinking milk from their mother’s breasts and while they were drinking that milk what also happened was that they started licking the cows fervently and they were licking as if they would swallow the whole cows that was the eagerness with which they were licking and this licking as if they will swallow the cows indicates again how eager intense how desperate their love was.
There are normal expressions of love say we might after seeing a long after person for a long time we might hug them but sometimes the normal expressions of love are done with far greater intensity as in somebody hug someone extremely tightly so that might indicate a great joy. So normal expressions of affection done with abnormal or usual expressions of affection done with unusual intensity indicate that something unusual is going on and what was that unusual thing that Krishna was present as the cows. Now nobody knew this so naturally the others were bewildered.
गोपास् तद्रोधनायास, मौग्यः लज्योरुमन्युन, दुर्गाद्वकृच्रतोभ्येत्य, गोवत्सैदद्रुष्यसुतान, गोपास् तद्रोधनायास, the Gopas had tried to control, तद्रोधन, tried to control. विरोध्ध is a stage where the mind is completely controlled. रोधनायास, then similarly here the Gopas were trying to control the cows, मौग्यः लज्योरुमन्युन, so but they failed and because of that they felt embarrassed as well as angered.
Because normally if you are not able to control something that you are meant to control, it’s mortifying. Just like say, if you are driving a car and suddenly the car goes out of control, even if nobody is damaged still, to see a car veering out of control is, it’s not alarming, at least mortifying. Don’t you know how to drive? Why are you there on the streets? So like that this cowherd boy, cowherd man, they felt mortified at being unable to control the cows whom they were meant to control.
दुर्गाद्व कृच्रतो अभ्येत्य दुर्गाद्व, so now it is not that for the cows, it was an easy road because from the top of the hill to the bottom of the hill, there are normal proper pathways and the proper pathways are safe and anything improper that you use to go cross country can be dangerous and especially going cross country across this, down the slope of a hill can be especially dangerous. But the cows took that path, which was with कृच्रतो, although they had great difficulty in taking it, but they took it and अभ्येत्य गोवत्सै दद्रिष्यो, they reached there, they are so eager to reach, their children that they just couldn’t restrain themselves. But significantly, although the Gopas were upset and unable to control the cows, when they saw their own children, all their anger disappeared, because again they were seeing Krishna and they experienced the same emotion, intense emotion, which caused forgetfulness of everything else, that the cows had experienced.
So the cows did not want to be difficult for their cowherd men and the cowherd men did not want to be angry with their cows. Circumstantially, it had happened, but in both cases, as soon as they saw Krishna, they forgot it all. तानुरागागतमन्मन्यवोरभकान।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।।। आशय अशय आशय आशय आशय आशय आशय आशय आशय आशय आशय आशय आशय आशय आशय आशय आशय आशय आशय आशय आशय आशय आशय आशय आशय आशय आशय आशय आशय आशय आशय आशय आशय आशय आशय आशय आशय आशय आशय आशय आशय आशय आशय आशय उदुईय दोर भी पर रब भी मूर्धनी तो दे इन्थूजियस्ट चलीक पिकड़ अब दे चिल्डर्ण और रोज दें हाई इन दे स्काई इसलिग ना मेल्स वन दे रेज़ दे चैल्डर्ण वन वे दे है फन वे दे चैल्डर्ण दे रेज़ दे चैल्डर्ण अ वे दे चैल्डर्ण दे चैल्डर्ण दे चैल्डर्ण दे चैल्डर्ण दे चैल्डर्ण दे चैल्डर्ण दे चैल्डर्ण दे चैल्डर्ण दे चैल्डर्ण दे चैल्डर्ण दे चैल्डर्ण दे चैल्डर्ण दे चैल्डर्ण दे चैल्डर्ण दे चैल्डर्ण दे चै So this, the Gopas did, is also an indication of the intense affection they felt for their children.
And as they smelled the hair of their children, they felt the supreme pleasure started overcoming them, such was the great joy that they were experiencing. So this is the Gopasic text 34, तथ प्रवयसो गोपास् तोकाश्लेश सुनिर्वृतः कुछराच्छनेर पगतास् तध अनुस्मृत्य उदश्रवः तथ प्रवयसो गोपास् So, as the elderly Gopas became तोकाश्लेश सुनिर्वृतः, they became filled with immense, unlimited joy, unlimited joy on feeling their kids being embraced, on seeing their kids, children like that, they were so filled, so joyful, कुछराच्छनेर पगतास् They had, the joy was so much that they had to endeavor to bring themselves under control. They had a job to do, they were in a public place, so they had to control themselves, but the affection was so strong and overwhelming that it was difficult for them to control themselves.
तध अनुस्मृत्य उदश्रवः तध अनुस्मृत्य उदश्रवः तध अनुस्मृत्य उदश्रवः तध अनुस्मृत्य उदश्रवः तध अनुस्मृत्य उदश्रवः तध अनुस्मृत्य उदश्रवः तध अनुस्मृत्य उदश्रवः तध अनुस्मृत्य प्रेमर्धेर् विक्षय कन्थ्यम् अनुक्षणम् मुक्तस्तनेश्व अपत्येश्वपि अहेतुवित अचिंतयत् फ्रोजस्यरामः प्रेमर्धेर् So seeing this love increase, प्रेमर्धे, रद्धे is increase, when seeing this increased affection for the children among the fathers and the children, mothers and the children of fathers and the children, विक्षय कन्थ्यम् अनुक्षणम् Increase the attachment, अनुक्षणम्, constantly they see that it is increasing, मुक्तस्तनेश्व, Now these cows had grown up so that they would not normally drink milk from their cows, and even those who were मुक्तस्तनेश्व, no longer drinking milk, they also started drinking milk from their mothers, so this was extremely unusual, अहेत वेद, अचिन्तयत, seeing that there was no reason for this, then Balram started thinking about it, Normally when we observe something, and then we think of why is this happening, and we come up with some explanation with our intelligence, which is like a learned intelligence, But then, or we could say almost like a, there are some answers that we just know subconsciously, say if you are in a room, and suddenly you start feeling cold, Oh, that door is open, that window is open, let me close it, but then if you find that everything is closed, when no normal explanation works, that is the time when we think, I have to think deeply to find out whether something else is going on, is there a leakage in the wall somewhere, or is it that I have got some sickness because of which I need to take some medication, So here Balram had to look for some other explanation because the normal explanation just didn’t work, अहेत वेद अचिन्तयत, किम एतद अध्भुतमिव, वासुदेवे अखिलात्मनी, रजस्य सात्मनस्तो केश्व, अपूर्वं प्रेमवर्धते, किम एतद अध्भुतमिव, Isn’t it wonderful that this is happening, what is the cause of this wondrous occurrence, वासुदेवे अखिलात्मनी, रजस्य सात्मनस्तो केश्व, वजस्य, of all the वजस्य, आत्मनस्य, अपूर्वं प्रेमवर्धते, Why is this unusual love manifesting? Well, Rama is also an intelligent observer of things, and thus he sees that the love they are feeling for their children is as intense as the love they feel for Krishna. So, if we put two observations together, even if those observations don’t seem connected, then we might be able to arrive at an explanation. So, one observation was that these cowherd men seem to have extraordinary affection for the children, as do the cows for their cows, and that other observation, that affection is as strong as their affection for Krishna.
So, when you put two and two together, then you get 22. You get an insight which is not simply an addition of the two points, but a substantial further insight. So, that insight, Balram will get and he will express that now.
In the next verse, he is asking this question and he is thinking about it. केयं वा कुतायाता, दैवीवा नार्य उतासुरू, प्रायो मायात्सुमे भर्तुर् नान्यामे पिविवोहिनी, केयं वा? So, what is this mystic power that has made this happen? कुतायाता. Where has this power come from? दैवीवा नार्य उतासुरू.
Is it a divine, is this some demigoddess coming from the heavens or is it a demoness? उतासुरू. Otherwise, it is demonic. प्रायो मायात्सुमे भर्तुर् नान्यामे पिविवोहिनी, केयं वा? He is also God, but in Leela he doesn’t always act like God.
But still, sometimes by the power of the Lord’s Leela, he might also be put in illusion briefly. So, he says that till now even I was not aware of what was happening, but now I am becoming aware. So, that means till now if I was put in illusion, the only energy that could have put me in illusion is the Maya of Krishna, the Maya of my Lord, Maam Bhartur.
So, although Krishna is the older brother, although Krishna is younger to Balaram within the Leela, in Tattva, Balaram considers himself to be a servant and thus he is referring to Krishna also as Maam Bhartur. Text 38, इति संचित्य दाशारो वत्सान्स वयसानपी सर्वान आचष्ट वही कुण्धम् चक्षुषाव वयुनेनस ह। So, इति संचित्य, thinking in this way, दाशार, the son Baldev, who was a descendant of the Dashaar dynasty, वत्सान्स वयसानपी, then he looked with new eyes at the cows, cows as well as the gopas, सवयसान, सर्वान आचष्ट वही कुण्धम्, and he saw all of them with the eyes of divine knowledge, चक्षुषाव वयुनेनस ह। He saw that they were all वयुनेनस ह। He saw that they were all वयुनेनस ह। He saw that they were all वयुनेनस ह। He saw that they were all वयुनेनस ह। He saw that they were all वयुनेनस ह। He saw that they were all वयुनेनस ह। He saw that they were all वयुनेनस ह। He saw that they were all वयुनेनस ह। He saw that they were all वयुनेनस ह। He saw that they were all वयुनेनस ह। He saw that as this liya progresses, nobody comes to know except Balram. Even Balram comes to know only through a special occasion and special contemplation stimulated by that occasion.
How Balram thinks and what happens thereafter, we’ll discuss in our next session. Thank you.