Bhagavatam tenth canto study 44 – 10.8.13.19 Garga conceals and reveals Krishna’s identity

Thank you very much. Hare Krishna. Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 10, Chapter 8, Krishna shows universal form within his mouth, text 13.
So, Gargamuni has given the name to Balaram, and now he is going to give the name to Krishna. Asan varnas trayo yasya, gurunato anyugam tanu, shuklo raktas tatha peeta, idanim krishna tam gathaha. Asan varnas.
So, often, parents would like to know about the previous life of a child. And Vaishnav Toshni explains that generally, if we know the previous life, then we can get some indication of what is going to come in this life. The previous auspicious or inauspicious points to the auspicious or inauspicious in this life.
So, he doesn’t go so much into the naming of Balaram. Balaram is the older, so naturally his naming is done first. But he is here being invited by Nanda Maharaj to do the sacrifice.
So, the focus, we will see that his focus is much more on Nanda Maharaj’s son. Of course, he is not Nanda Maharaj’s son. He is Vasudev’s son.
And he is the main hero, you could say, over here, the Bhagavatam. So, naturally the limelight, the focus is on him. So, he says, Idaanim.
This particular child, he says, he has been born before also. Asan. Varnastrayo.
Yasya. This child had assumed Varnastrayo, three different complexions. The word Varna has many different meanings.
Normally, we use it to refer to the Varna as the social or occupational division. There are Chatur Varna, Brahman, Brahma, Kshatriya, Vashishudra. But Varna can refer to many other things also.
Varna actually refers to colour, complexion. So, when the Varna is associated with the occupation, it is the idea that it is the different people’s minds are coloured in different ways. So, a Brahmin’s mind is coloured in such a way that they can see knowledge and learning everywhere.
A Kshatriya’s mind is coloured in such a way that they can see weapons and power and politics and protection. And leadership, that’s what they see. Social leadership, that’s what they see everywhere.
So, it is said that if our glasses are rose tinted, then we will see everything of a rose colour. If they are blue, we will see everything as blue. So, the Varna refers to both the, it can refer to the complexion of the body, but it can also refer to the complexion of the mind.
The way the mind is, what kind of impressions it has, which will determine which kind of occupation a person is best suited for. So, here when the Varna is talked about, आसन्वरनास्त्रयो यहस्य, this child, अस्य, he has assumed three different complexions in previous lives. गृणतो अन्युगम्तनु, गृणतो अन्युगम्तनु, अन्युगम्, अन्युगम्, it’s interesting, he is in different yugas.
In each yuga, he has come by a different complexion. अन्युगम्तनु, शुक्लो रक्तस्तथा पीत, So, he has come in a white complexion in the past, then he has come in the red complexion, and then he has come in the yellow complexion. शुक्लो रक्तस्तथा पीत, इदानि, and now, in this particular manifestation, appearance, he has कृष्णताम्गतः, he has assumed a dark complexion.
So, the word कृष्ण can refer to various, कृष्ण has different meanings, but कृष्ण also means dark. शुक्लकृष्णे गतियेते, चगताईशाष्वतेमते, In astrology, there is शुक्लपक्ष्य, and the कृष्णपक्ष्य. So, there is the bright phase of the moon, and the dark phase of the moon.
The waxing phase and the waning phase, rather. So, there the word कृष्ण is used. So, कृष्ण uses the word कृष्ण to refer to something other than himself, in the Bhagavad Gita.
Such is the multifacetedness of the meanings of words, and that’s why context is so important in understanding content. Although at this stage, it is Krishna who is being referred to, but here it is, the word Krishna is coming, and it is Krishna who is being referred to, but it is not referring to Krishna the child, it is referring to Krishna the complexion. He has now come in a dark complexion.
Now, this is a very significant verse. And our Acharyas have quoted extensively for multiple purposes. A primary purpose, the Gaudiya Acharyas have used it is to talk about how Lord Chaitanya is also indicated over here, because Peetha, the yellow complexion.
I had said that he has come also in the yellow complexion in the past. Anu Yuga. In each Yuga, he comes in each different complexion.
So, Prabhupada explains, that now it is well known that Lord Ram comes in a green, Lord Ram’s complexion is greenish, of a Shuka. His colour is of a Shuka, of a parrot. But Prabhupada explains that actually that refers to another Dwapar Yuga, not this Dwapar Yuga, that in a particular Dwapar Yuga, Ram comes in a particular complexion and Ram’s complexion varies.
So, Anu Yuga. Each Yuga after Yuga, he is coming and he reveals different forms. Krishnatangatha.
He has now come with the name of Krishna. So, in the past, he has come by different names. He has assumed different complexions.
So, now, Grunatha. Grunatha means that he chooses these bodies. It is not that material nature imposes a particular body on him, but rather he by his free will decides in which form he wants to descend.
So, he is not under material nature. Material nature is under him. He is not Mayadheen, he is Mayadheesh.
He comes by his own free will. So, he doesn’t directly say Now Gargamuni, we will see that he I said there is some suspense here which will be revealed in future verses. Suspense is that that Gargamuni he is not speaking everything straight because this is a very you could say very sensitive situation with life and death at stake.
Kamsa, if he comes to know, he might kill. And he might kill Krishna. And the Vrajavasis actually they always think of Krishna as their own child.
And he doesn’t want any any confidential information to be leaked out unnecessarily. So, there is not much point Vasudev So, if Vasudev had wanted to tell Nanda that, Nanda Maharaj that this is the child with you is my child. He could have told in their meeting itself.
That meeting is described in the earlier chapter. But Vasudev chooses not to do that. That is the 5th chapter of the 10th Canto.
Vasudev cautions him that there might be some danger. So, please go back and be on the alert. But he doesn’t tell.
Why? Because generally it is said the best way to keep a secret is to keep it to oneself. The more people we tell a secret to, the more likely it is to slip out. And in a sense he doesn’t want to decrease the joy of Nanda Maharaj.
After a long long time Nanda Maharaj has got a child and Vasudev is thinking that Vasudev took that child and then that child came to him and in a sense he has done a great injustice to Nanda Maharaj. Because he has taken Nanda Maharaj’s child and he has put his own child there. And when he has done that, he knew that the child which he was going to get back from Nanda Maharaj, that child will be killed by Kamsa.
So, he practically took Nanda Maharaj’s child to the jaws of death. Of course, that child escaped and that child became the Goddess. But still that child disappeared.
She became the Goddess, she disappeared. She is not there for Nanda Maharaj to shower his love on and to fulfil his parental need to nourish, to have the joy of caring for a child. So, how could Vasudev have done this, that taken an innocent girl and put her in a position where she is likely to die.
Sometimes life requires us to make tough decisions. Kamsa was a tyrant and he needed to be killed. And he had already killed so many people and he would kill many more people also.
So, unless he is brought down, there is going to be nightmarish atrocities being performed by him. And whatever price had to be paid, had to be paid. So, Vasudev himself had paid the price of losing six children, seeing six children being killed in front of his eyes.
Seventh child apparently being lost to a miscarriage. So, Vasudev was not asking from Nanda any price that he himself had not paid. In fact, he had paid, you could say, six times that price.
But sometimes when a big per enemy is to be killed, there are a lot of sacrifice, a lot of, a lot of cost has to be paid. And that is actually the responsibility of leaders, of kings. That they enjoy a lot of opulence, but sometimes they have to make a lot of sacrifice also to be able to do what it takes.
So, now fortunately that girl had not been killed. But that girl had gone away. So, Vasudev felt, let Nanda Maharaj have the joy of taking care of a child at least for some time.
And not just taking care of a child, but let him have the joy of thinking that this is my child. So, Vasudev had decided not to tell Nanda Maharaj about Krishna’s real identity. And he also, now, so that secret had to be maintained.
And now here, when Gargacharya is speaking, Gargacharya speaks, he, Vishnu Toshni says that he does not stress, he does not convey clearly that your child is Narayana. He says your child has come in the past in different forms. And that is, that is not much of a giveaway because every child has had a previous life.
Now, as a Brahmana, he doesn’t want to speak a total lie also. So, now, here, a question may come up that there is an elaborate description of Nanda Maharaj celebrating the birth of Krishna. But why the secrecy about the name giving? Actually, the secrecy was not about Krishna’s existence.
The secrecy was required about Krishna’s connection with Vasudev. So, any family has a child and especially if the king of a community has a child, they have a right to celebrate it in a festive way. That comes out, that does not want to raise any eyebrows in Krishna’s eyes.
Okay, he is one of my citizens. He is one of the leaders of my community citizens. He pays taxes to me and he has got a child.
Let him celebrate. But when Gargacharya comes and is going to perform the ceremony, then, oh, then the question comes that this child may not be the child of, may not be the child of Nanda. He might be the child of Vasudev.
So, it is Gargacharya’s presence that made secrecy essential. It is Krishna’s existence itself was not kept secret. It is Krishna’s connection with Vasudev that had to be kept secret.
So, now in keeping with the mood of Raja, Gargacharya does not reveal the divinity of Krishna. But now what does he speak? He does not want to speak a white lie. So, what does he speak in the text 14 is very interesting.
प्रागयं वसुदेवस्य कौचिज्यातस् तवात्मजः वासुदेव इति श्रीमान अभिग्यां संपचक्षते So, प्रागयं, previously this child was born to Vasudev. वसुदेवस्य कौचिज्यातस् तवात्मजः He says your son was previously born to Vasudev. Now, he uses a very ambiguous word which can be interpreted in different ways.
प्राग means in the past. Now, the past can refer to a previous life or past can refer to in this life previously. So, he is your son.
Because the word he uses is your son. Now, what does he mean is your son? Actually, you love him so much that the affection you are giving to him is just like you would give to your own son. So, in that sense, he is your son.
But in the past means actually before he came to you, he is actually Vasudev’s son. So, he doesn’t explicitly say that it was in a previous life. But that is what Nanda Maharaj and others infer.
प्रागयं वसुदेवस्य कौचिज्यातस् तवात्मजः That actually he is, he is born, he is previously born to him. Now, he is your child. And because he is born previously, so one of his names will be Vasudevati.
His name will be Vasudev. And he is Shri Maan. He is a beautiful child.
He is honoured by Shri. Maan means honour. Shri Maan means one who is honoured by Shri.
Now, how does Shri beauty or Shri honour him? Beauty honours him means he is very beautiful. That is a more cultured or elegant way of saying that. अभिज्यां संपचक्षते He is not saying I am giving him that name.
But अभिज्यां, those who are learned, they sometimes call him by the name Vasudev. Sorry, not Vasudev, Vaasudev. Vaasudev.
So, son of Vasudev is Vaasudev. So, here Gargacharya is very expertly telling and not telling. Now, he is not, as a Brahmana, he doesn’t want to tell a white lie.
But he doesn’t want to create complications for his patron, for Vasudev, by giving, by telling a truth which Vasudev had decided not to tell to others, including the Maharaj. So, therefore, how does he do? Here he diplomatically says that previously he was the son of Vasudev. And thus one of his names is Vaasudev.
And further he goes on, बहुणी संति नामानी रूपाणीच सुतस्यते गुण कर्माणु रूपाणी तान्यहं वेद नोजणः बहुणी संति नामानी That, actually this child, but now he is a little concerned that actually Vasudev and I are so closely related. And this child is a child, previously child of Vasudev. How does this happen? Sometimes it happens that a child is the child of a, sometimes it is said in the family, if a child is born after grandfather has passed away.
Some people may say the grandfather has come back as the son now. But it’s quite unusual that a child, that there are two friends and one of their child was a child previously of another friend. And how does this happen? So in case some suspicion might be raised, might rise in Indra Maharaj’s mind, he allays that suspicion by saying that actually your child has had many many births, many many names and actually even now he can have many many names.
बहुणी संति नामानी He can have so many names. रूपाणी जी सुतस्यते He has many names and he has many forms also. This child of yours is extraordinary.
गुण करमानु रूपाणी According to the qualities, according to the activities, accordingly he can have many different names and many different forms. तान्यहं वेदन ओजणः I know about these, but people in general do not know these. So Prabhupada quotes the Brahma Samhita well known, अद्ध्वैतमक्षुतमनादिम अनन्दरुपम् that he has unlimited names, unlimited forms rather and actually he has unlimited names associated with those forms.
So now he will give up one name Krishna, but he has had many many different names according to whichever form he is manifesting, whichever activity he is doing, whatever qualities he has, accordingly he has different names. So now he is going on and on and he is describing what is going to happen to this child. So he further says in the next verse that actually he technically says that इदानिं कृष्णदामगतः Now he has come with a Krishna complexion, with a dark complexion and by saying this he actually gives the name Krishna also over there.
There is no explicit verse where he says that I am giving him the name Krishna. But there, now he has come in a dark complexion, therefore his name is Krishna. So that is the first verse, 13th text is actually the indication that he has given him the name Krishna.
And the second name that he gives him is Vasudev also, Vasudev. And this is actually he can have many many more names also. Now the word Krishna has many different namings, सर्वाकर्षतितिकृष्ण, one who is all attractive is Krishna, one who can, Krishna, Krishna refers to the repetition of birth and death, one who stops the repetition of birth and death, that is also Krishna.
So like that Krishna can have many different names. But he moves forward, so his name is Krishna, his name is Vasudev and he can have many other names also. Now he will talk about the activities, so he will talk about the past of the child, he will talk about the future of the child.
So text 16, एशवः श्रेय आधास्याद, गोप गोकुल नन्दन, अनेन सर्व दुर्गाणि, यूयं अञ्जस्तरिष्यत, एशवः श्रेय आधास्याद, this child will actually bring auspiciousness in your life, श्रेय आधास्याद, he will increase, he will bring immediate auspiciousness in your life, in whose life? गोप गोकुल नन्दन, he is a child who is born like a Gopal in Gokul Nandana and he will bring joy to everyone and not only will he bring joy, he will bring auspiciousness but also he will remove inauspiciousness, अनेन सर्व दुर्गाणि, यूयं अञ्जस्तरिष्यत, अनेन सर्व दुर्गाणि, by him, serve all obstacles that might come, यूयं, for all of you, अञ्जस्तरिष्यत, easily he will remove them, he will overcome them. Now this word सर्व दुर्गाणि comes in the Bhagavad Gita also in 18.58, Krishna says, मच्चित्तः सर्व दुर्गाणि, मत्प्रसादातरिष्यसे, मच्चित्तः, if you become conscious of me, सर्व दुर्गाणि, all obstacles, मत्प्रसादातरिष्यसे, by my mercy you will overcome them. So here it is said that, now Krishna, the Vrajvasis are always conscious of Krishna, so what Krishna promises in the Bhagavad Gita, he demonstrates to his constant protection of the Vrajvasis, and that is foreseen here, that is prophesied here by Gargamuni, when he says that this child will bring bliss, will bring joy, will bring auspiciousness for you, and this child will easily remove inauspiciousness from your life, अनेन सर्वाणि, सर्व दुर्गाणि, all obstacles will be removed by this child, यूयं अञ्जस्तरिष्यत, by him it will be removed.
So, next verse, text 17, पुरानेन व्रजपते, साधवो दस्यु पीडितः, आराराजके रक्षमाण, जिग्यू दस्युन समेधितः, पुरानेन व्रजपते, now he goes on further, formerly, पुरानेन व्रजपते, ओ व्रजपती, ओ व्रण्महराज, साधवो दस्यु पीडितः, when the wise people were troubled by the rogues and thieves, दस्यु पीडितः, they were tormented by them, आराराजके, when there was no proper king, there was no proper government to take care of things, रक्षमाण, this child protected. Actually, रक्षमाण, protection was done, this child appeared to protect, जिग्यू दस्युन समेधितः, जिग्यून, he conquered all the thieves and समेधितः, he brought prosperity back to people. Now, it’s interesting, he is practically describing, he is giving the job description of God over here, especially when God descends to this world.
God descends to this world, it is said that परित्राणय साधुन विनाशाचितिस्कृताम्, धर्मसंस्थापनार्थाय संभवामि युगे युगे, he descends again and again. So, he is saying Krishna has come in the past and when there were plunderers, there were thieves who were actually tormenting the saintly people and अराजक means when there is no king. Now, this could refer generally to a general state of lawlessness, a general state of weak government or a king is overthrown by a coup, by upstarts or it can refer specifically to the cosmic administration wherein Indira is overthrown by the demons.
And thus there is chaos all over the universe because universal government is thrown into a disorderly condition. But in this sense, he is saying that your child protected him. So, it’s an amazing attribute to describe for a child, any child in fact, and what to speak of a child who is born to a Vaishya.
So, it’s a way of telling and not telling. So, for those who know, they understand what he is saying, Gargacharya, what he is saying. For those who don’t know, the meaning of the sentence can be very different.
So, he is practically telling this is Narayan, but he is not literally telling that he is Narayan. Thus, he is maintaining the suspense that is characteristic of Krishna Leela over here. Text 18.
So, now he goes forward and he says further that, actually this child of yours. ये एतस्मिन्महाभागः प्रीतिम्कूर्वन्तिमानवः नारयो अभिभवन्तेतान् विष्णुपक्षानिवाशुरः ये एतस्मिन्महाभागः So, he will bring great fortune to you, those who are attached to him. ये एतस्मिन्महाभागः प्रीतिम्कूर्वन्तिमानवः So, just as those who become attached to this child, those who are related to this child, they will be greatly fortunate and प्रीतिम्कूर्वन्तिमानवः नारयो अभिभवन्तेतान् अरय्य That enemies cannot cause any harm to them.
And he gives an example just as विष्णुपक्षानिवाशुरः ये एतस्मिन्महाभागः प्रीतिम्कूर्वन्तिमानवः नारयो अभिभवन्तिमानवः नारयो अभिभवन्तिमानवः ये एतस्मिन्महाभागः नारयो अभिभवन्तिमानवः नारयो अभिभवन्तिमानवः again is telling and not telling. Just as the demons cannot torment devtas if Vishnu is amongst them and if Vishnu is protecting them, similarly this child will protect those who are on his side, those who are attached to him. And thus those who are attached to him are immensely fortunate.
ये एतस्मिन्महाभागः are very very fortunate because प्रितिन्कुर्वन्तिमानवः, those who become attached to him, so he is indirectly assuring all of us as we try to become devotees that if we become attached to Krishna, Krishna will, we will become like Vishnupakshaan, we become like on the part of the supreme, we become associated with him and he will protect us. And then he concludes, तस्मानन्दात्मजोयंते नारायनसमोगुणेश्रियाकीर्त्यानुभावेन गोपायस्वसमाहितह Therefore, ओनंदमारायतस्मानन्दात्मजोयंते, this son of yours, नारायनसमोगुणे, he is equal to Narayan in qualities. Now one of the defining characteristics of Narayan is that he is असमूर्ध्व, there is no one equal to him and certainly there’s no one superior to him.
So if it is said that your child is equal to Narayan, that means he is Narayana. But he is not saying that he is Narayana. He is saying that he is equal to Narayana.
Narayana is Samoguna and he is in qualities Shri Kirtanubhavena, in opulence, in fame, in power and influence, Anubhava. He is equal to Narayana. In qualities, in opulence, in name, in fame, in influence, he is equal to Narayana.
And therefore, Gopayasva Samahitaha, take care of him with great attention and precaution. Samahitaha is attention and precaution. Prabhupada translates it as poetic here.
Pay attention that he is taken care of. Have precaution so that there is no danger for him. The same point is said in a dual sense over here.
Gopayasva, take care. You are a Gopa, you take care of the cows, now you take care of this child also. So it’s interesting.
He said that actually those with whom this child is, this child will protect them from all dangers. This child will protect them just as Vishnu protects the gods. But then he is saying he is now a child.
So right now it’s your duty to protect him. So the mood of devotion is such that a devotee does not demand from the lord, a devotee simply desires to serve the lord more and more. So at one level, he says this child is your protector.
But right now, because he is a child, you have to be the protector of the child. So all philosophy is to be done in such a way that it increases the sense of duty, that it increases our sense of responsibility and commitment. Not that it makes us justify our callousness or our responsibility.
No, things have to be done in a balanced and responsible way. And that is what is being stressed over here through the conclusion which Nanda Maharaj offers, which is offered to Nanda Maharaj by Gargacharya. So thus Gargacharya’s speech is completed.
He names Balram, he names Krishna, also as Vasudev and then he tells about his previous lives and he almost tells that he is God. He also almost tells that this is the son of Vasudev. But he doesn’t actually go out and tell that.
So this is the expert speech of Gargacharya. We’ll continue in our next session. Thank you.