Bhagavatam tenth canto study 83 – 10.14.31-36 – Brahma glorifies Vrajavasis and aspires for their dust

So, we will continue our discussion in a future session. yathrupta ye dhyāpina chālam adhvaraḥ aho ati dhanyā vraja go ramaṇyaḥ So, here Brahmaji is continuing to express the fondest aspiration of his heart about how he would like to see things move forward. He is recognizing that what he has, he has committed a great offense, but through that offense, he is fortunate because he has realized the glory of the Vrajavasis.
And on realizing this glory, he feels himself blessed, enriched, fortunate. And he is saying that let me become descendant, let me also become fortunate enough to have what the Vrajavasis have. And he doesn’t, he feels it’s presumptuous for him to ask, to become a Vrajavasi.
So, what he asks is, aho ati dhanyā Indeed, how fortunate are vraja go ramaṇya, are the cows and ladies of the gopis of Vrindavan. Because why are they fortunate? He said, sthanyāmṛtam pītaṁ sthanyāmṛtam That O Lord, you drank from them the nectar of milk. It’s interesting, Krishna drank not just from mother Yashoda, but from the gopis and also from the cows when he became the cows.
athīvate mudhā And you drank it with joy, not as a duty, but you drank it abundantly. yāsāṁ vibho vatsatar ātmaj ātmana When you became their calf and child for them. yat-truptaye adhyāpina-cālamadhvara yat-truptyāpī So, whatever Vedic sacrifices have been performed till now, they do not satisfy you as much, O Lord, as this act has satisfied you.
Such is the glory of this act. And thus I am stunned and gratified. And he says that such is the fortune of the vrajavasis.
This theme of how the vrajavasis are extraordinarily fortunate and how Krishna has an opportunity to be able to, that they have an opportunity to serve Krishna, this comes repeatedly in the 10th canto. And for it to come from somebody like Brahmā, who is considered to be the most pious and the most you could say in one way the most influential person within the universe, whom even the gods go for consultation. That is very high praise indeed.
Praise itself is always pleasing. Now, praise is pleasing not just because we have an ego, but also because we have a heart. And we want to feel that our existence counts.
But when the praise comes from a person who is highly influential, then that praise counts even more. And if the praise comes from somebody who is who is not just speaking it as a flattery, but speaking it with genuine sentiments of the heart. And he cannot be lying when he is speaking in front of God.
So he is genuinely appreciating the vrajavasis. So when it’s not flattery, but genuine appreciation, then it’s even more touching. And the most touching praise is when it is offered to a third person.
Sometimes when you are appreciating a person on their face, that may be wonderful. But it might also have some tint of to make the other person feel good. Not necessarily for the flattery, but just to make the other person feel good.
But when we are appreciating A while talking with C, when B appreciates, that means B really considers A to be valuable. That’s why they are appreciating. So such is the appreciation of Brahmaji for the gopis and cows as he is expressing it before Krishna.
Aho bhagyam, aho bhagyam, Nanda gopa vrajavkasam, Yan mitram paramanandam, Poornam brahma sanatanam. Continuing this theme of the extraordinary fortune of the vrajavasis, he says, aho bhagyam, aho bhagyam. Just consider how fortunate are the vrajavasis.
Nanda gopa vrajavkasam. So now in the previous verse he has talked about the fortune of the gopis and the cows. But it’s not only they who are fortunate.
Even the other residents of Vrindavan, the gopis are also fortunate. Yan mitram paramanandam. For them, the absolute truth acted as a friend.
Now he is talking about Nanda gopa is vrajavkasam. So Krishna was the friend for all of them. Here the word friend is used in a generic sense that they had a very intimate relationship.
Poornam brahma sanatanam, Poornam brahma. That he is the complete Brahman, he is the complete absolute truth. And there is no truth beyond him.
So that absolute truth who is meditated upon by the yogis with great exertion, that absolute truth has become a friend. So if somebody is a celebrity, if somebody else knows that celebrity, they want to click photos, and they want to have that pride of proximity with a celebrity. Not just the pride of proximity, but overall we could say that if somebody is close to celebrity, then it’s fortunate, irrespective of whether they are proud of it or not.
But it’s a matter of fortune, and that fortune is being applauded over here by Brahmaji. And he says, just see, just consider, what is the ahobhagyam ahobhagyam. Now repetition is often a way of expressing intensity of emotion.
Sometimes speaking once a point may be enough, simply for the purpose of communication. But repeating a point conveys emotion. When we are astounded, when we are surprised, delighted, or in any way we are overwhelmed by emotion, at that time we repeat points.
Because we are just so delighted, that we express that delight through the repetition of the point. That is what Brahmaji is doing over here. This is a verse which is often quoted by Acharyas.
G. Goswami quotes this in Gopal Champu. Other places also this is quoted. And it’s a simple verse which can be easily memorized.
But even more than memorization, it’s the realization that counts. So, text 33 now. एशाम्तु भाग्यमहिमाचुत तावधास्ताम् एकादशैवहिवयं बतभूरिभागः ईतद्धृषिकः चशकय्यसकृत्पिबाः शर्वादयो अंग्रियुदज् मद्वाम्रुत्सवंते Here, एशाम्तु भाग्यमहिमाचुत Such fortune of the Rajvasis, O infallible Lord of Achyuta, it is such that एकादशैवहिवयं that even those who are एकादशैवहिवयं there are 11 senses, those who are the presiding entities of the senses, even we cannot appreciate this fortune.
But we are also fortunate because the senses of the devotees they are saying that एतद्धृषिकः चशकय्यसकृत्पिबाः that when they behold Your beauty and they drink Your beauty through their senses because we are the presiding entities of the senses शर्वादयो शर्व शिवस्तानुर So Sharva is the name of Shiva and others, Angri Udhaja. So bead ring, when they relish your beauty, through them we relish your beauty also. That’s a very unique way of relishing something.
What he is saying is that O Lord, us are fortunate but their fortune is also our fortune because when they relish your beauty, the fact that we are the governing entities of the senses means that through their senses we can also relish your beauty. And this may raise a question that do the Vrajavasis come under the control of people like Brahmaji, are their bodies material? The bodies of Vrajavasis are not material but when they are in the material world, for the purpose of Leela, whatever is required happens. And just as when Bhishma shoots arrows at Krishna’s body, at Arjuna, some of the arrows hit Krishna and Krishna’s body apparently bleeds, that is simply to increase the rasa.
So if for the sake of rasa, if the perception is required that the Vrajavasis have a material body, then that perception may be created by Krishna’s will under his direction just to enhance the rasa. And here, a more specific point is that Brahmaji is not envious of the Vrajavasis and not going into self-pity, thinking oh they have something we don’t have, how unfortunate we are. It is, you have to see whether the feelings of misfortune, they enhance our devotion or they impede our devotion.
We have to see all emotions based on their effect on us. Is there an effect that they are taking us closer to Krishna or is there an effect that they are taking us away from Krishna? The effect here is undoubtedly that Brahmaji is becoming more and more absorbed in the consciousness of Vrindavan, in appreciation of the Vrajavasis. So, text 34 now.
So, the greatest fortune of my life, what will it be? If somehow I can get birth among these Vrajavasis and even if in the forest, that if any of the devotees of Vrindavan, if I can get the raja abhishekam, if I can get the dust of their lotus feet, I’ll consider that to be an immense fortune for me. ये जीवितं तुनिखिलं भगवान् मुकुन्दस् That in this way if I can spend my life being showered with the dust of their lotus feet, तो अध्यापियत्पद्रजशुतिभुग्यामेव So indeed, then I will get the dust of the lotus feet. So he is saying that, he is talking about two levels of the dust of the lotus feet here.
So the first level is, Brahmaji is saying, I want the dust of the lotus feet of the devotees and these bhajwasis are utterly devoted to the Lord whose dust is sought even by the Vedas, whose lotus feet is sought even by the Vedas. Now again, वेदेशुदुर्लभं अधुर्लभं आत्मभक्तों So, वेदेशुदुर्लभं, that Lord who is very difficult to attain, even through the Vedas, is attained through the practice of bhakti, आत्मभक्तों. So that Lord, it is not so easy to attain Him.
He is very very rare to know and to love. And if somebody has that love, then that which is hidden even from the Vedas, they have that. We have the śruti sthava in the later part of the 10th canto where the Upanishads, the śrutis are in a personified form glorifying Krishna and it is a beautiful, it is a profound appreciation which reveals in the bhakti, the understanding how Krishna is worshipable even for the Vedas.
The Vedas are considered immensely sacred and they are worshipped by wise people and Brahmaji is the person who is also a transmitter of Vedic knowledge and he is a very important person in the Vedic tradition. But he is recognizing that in comparison to the exalted devotion of the Vrajavasis, whatever devotion he has, whatever position he has is insignificant and thus he aspires for an insignificant position whereby he may get a fragment of the devotion of the Vrajavasis by getting the dust of their lotus feet. So here we see Brahmaji’s prayers from analytical are becoming devotional, very deeply devotional.
एशाम् गोष निवासिनाम् उत्भवान् किन्देवरातेतिनश् चीतो विश्वफलात् फलंत्वदपरंकुत्राप्यन्मुहियति सद्वेशादिवपूतनापिसकुलात्व एवदेवापिता यद्धामार्थ सुहरुत् क्रियतां तन्या प्राणाशयस्त्वत्कृते So he is now making many profound points in this verse. So he is thinking that such is the great devotion of the Vrajavasis and the Lord always reciprocates. So how will he reciprocate with this immense devotion? एशाम् घोष निवासिनाम् That those who are the residents of Vrindavan like this.
उत्भवान् किम्देवरातेतिनश् So how will you reciprocate? What will you give to them? Thinking this, I am bewildered. चीतो विश्वफलात् फलंत्वदपरंकुत्राप्यन्मुहियति So in the whole universe, you are the most desirable object. There is nothing to be desired beyond you.
And then he says, सद्वेशादिव पुतनापिसकुलात् तौम्न देवापिता But you have given yourself to Putana and her Kula. Like Bakasura and Aghasura. देवापिता So they were able to attain धामार्थ So they came even with the intention of killing you.
But somehow, because Putana offered her milk to you, even briefly, you gave yourself to her. That means you gave your eternal association to her by giving her the position of your nurse in the spiritual world. So if you have given that to her, now what is left for you to give to the Vrajavasis? But they have given something far more than what Putana has given.
They have given धाम अर्थ सुहृत् प्रियात्म तनै प्राणाशयस् They have given their homes, wealth, friends, their relatives, children, life and minds, everything to you, O Lord. So how can you reciprocate with them? What will you give in return to them? So here we see, Brahmaji’s ecstasy is overflowing and he is acknowledging the reciprocal nature of the Lord’s relationship with his devotees. But he is also acknowledging that this reciprocal relationship may break down in the case of the Vrajavasis, because what can he give? In fact, this prayer, we could say prefaces or is a precursor to what Krishna himself will say in the Raas Panchadhyaya when he says, O Gopi, the devotional service you have performed is such that I cannot repay you even in the entire lifetime of Brahma.
So we can see this beautiful correlation in the Bhagavatam between what is offered in prayer here by Brahmaji and what will be actualized later in Krishna’s statements to the Gopis. And thus, it’s an overflow of ecstasy in terms of the appreciation of the Vrajavasis that is going on in Brahmaji’s heart right now. Text 36 So till that point, all our attachments are like thieves.
Till that point, our house becomes like a prison. Till that point, family affection becomes like a foot shackle. Unless one becomes devoted to Krishna.
As long as one is not having Krishna at the center of our hearts, till that point, all our attachments to worldly things become sources of bondage. But once Krishna becomes the center, then it is no longer a source of bondage. Then the very same activity becomes a source of freedom and liberation for the devotee.
And that indeed is what has happened here. So, we could look at this verse’ significance contextually and trans-contextually. Contextually, this theme that family attachments that that the home becomes a prison as long as you are not attached to Krishna.
What this means is that because the Vrajavasis are attached to Krishna, so although they may not seem like being sages living in a renounced setting, they may not have any of the trappings of renunciation or great spiritual advancement, but still they are immensely spiritually advanced. And one should not be deluded by seeing them in a family setting and thinking that they are ordinary people. And the trans-contextual application is that, yes, all our attachments are bondages.
All our bondings will become bondages if we are not bonded with the Supreme Lord. So, we have vertical relationships. We have vertical relationship with Krishna and horizontal relationship with others.
And here the point being made is three things, a prison, a shackle and a thief. So, it’s interesting. So, if we are, normally if we are robbed, then the robber goes into the jail.
But if we are robbed while we are in jail, then we can’t even chase the robber. So, we just stay in the jail. Now, of course, we might say that somebody in the jail has very little possessions.
But suppose somebody in the jail has something valuable. And if they are in the bars and inside the bars also they are in shackles, their foot is shackled, then they can’t really do much, they are helpless to try to break free. And such is the predicament of those who are in materialistic life.
Basically, we all have the treasure of our consciousness. And this consciousness is our treasure because by offering the consciousness to Krishna, we can do great things. We can attain the impossible.
By offering our consciousness while we are in this temporary material world to Krishna, we can attain the eternal. So, in that sense, our consciousness is the greatest treasure because it can take us to the greatest treasure. But presently, because we are in material consciousness, so we can say our consciousness is shackled, imprisoned and then robbed from us.
So, we are shackled and imprisoned by our attachments. When we are attached to something, we think of only that thing and can’t think of anything else. And when we are robbed, that means the opportunity for spiritual consciousness is stolen away from us and we can’t even chase after it.
Because although our spiritual inclinations are ripped away from us, but we can’t do anything about it because of our imprisonment in material consciousness. And such is the sublime meditation that Brahmaji is having while concluding his profuse heartfelt appreciation of the Vrajavasis. Although they might appear to be in material bondage, they are not at all in material bondage because they are the devotees of Krishna.
They are Krishna Janaha. Krishna counts them as one of his own people and thus all their apparent material attachments are spiritualized. We’ll continue the discussion in our next class.
Thank you.