Source
Texts:
Arjuna
Kidnaps Subhadrâ, and Krishna Blesses His
Devotees
Text
1
The honorable
king (Parîkchit) said: 'O brahmin, we'd like to know how
she who is my grandmother, the sister of Krishna and Râma
[Subhadrâ,
see 9.24:
53-55],
got married to Arjuna.
King
Parîkchit said: O brâhmana, we would like to
learn how Arjuna married Lord Balarâma's and Lord
Krishna's sister, who was my grandmother.
Text
2-3:
S'rî
S'uka said: 'Arjuna, the great lord, gone on a pilgrimage to
Prabhâsa wandering the earth, heard that Râma
intended to give his maternal cousin away to Duryodhana and to
no one else, and so went he, desirous of her, to
Dvârakâ changed into a renunciate with a tridanda
[*].
S'ukadeva
Gosvâmî said: While traveling far and wide
visiting various holy places of pilgrimage, Arjuna came to
Prabhâsa. There he heard that Lord Balarâma
intended to give his maternal cousin Subhadrâ to
Duryodhana in marriage, and that no one else approved of
this plan. Arjuna wanted to marry her himself, so he
disguised himself as a renunciant, complete with triple
staff, and went to Dvârakâ.
Text
4
There
did he, sure to fulfill his purpose, reside during the months
of the rainy season and was he for the time honored by the
citizens and by Râma unaware of who he
was.
He
stayed there during the monsoon months to fulfill his
purpose. Lord Balarâma and the other residents of the
city, not recognizing him, offered him all honor and
hospitality.
Text
5
One
day invited as a guest was he brought to Balarâma's house
where He presented him with faith food for him to
eat.
One
day Lord Balarâma brought him to His home as His
invited dinner guest, and Arjuna ate the food the Lord
respectfully offered him.
Text
6
There,
with eyes blossoming of happiness seeing the wonderful girl
enchanting the heroes, did he, smitten, put his mind on
her.
There
he saw the wonderful maiden Subhadrâ, who was
enchanting to heroes. His eyes opened wide with delight, and
his mind became agitated and absorbed in thoughts of
her.
Text
7
She
also seeing him who stole each woman's heart, with desire
giving him a bashful smile and look, fixed her heart and eyes
upon him.
Arjuna
was very attractive to women, and as soon as Subhadrâ
saw him, she wanted to have him as her husband. Smiling
bashfully with sidelong glances, she fixed her heart and
eyes upon him.
Text
8
Thinking
of nothing but her awaiting the right opportunity could Arjuna,
with his heart trembling of the strongest desire, find no
peace.
Meditating
only on her and waiting for the opportunity to take her
away, Arjuna had no peace. His heart trembled with
passionate desire.
Text
9
When
during an important religious festival she rode out from the
fortress in a chariot, did the mighty warrior, with her parents
[see 1o.1:
56]
and Krishna consenting, seize her who had stolen his
heart.
Once,
on the occasion of a great temple festival in honor of the
Supreme Lord, Subhadrâ rode out of the fortresslike
palace on a chariot, and at that time the mighty chariot
warrior Arjuna took the opportunity to kidnap her.
Subhadrâ's parents and Krishna had sanctioned
this.
Text
10
Standing
on the chariot raising his bow drove he, like the king of the
animals claiming his share, back the heroes and guards who,
as his relatives
were shouting in anger,
tried to stop him.
Standing
on his chariot, Arjuna took up his bow and drove off the
valiant fighters and palace guards who tried to block his
way. As her relatives shouted in anger, he took
Subhadrâ away just as a lion takes his prey from the
midst of lesser animals.
Text
11
Hearing this
was Râma, being as disturbed as the ocean during a moon
in conflict [astrological conjunction or opposition],
by Lord Krishna and His family grasped by the feet and
carefully pacified.
When
He heard of Subhadrâ's kidnapping, Lord Balarâma
became as disturbed as the ocean during the full moon, but
Lord Krishna respectfully took hold of His feet and,
together with other family members, pacified Him by
explaining the matter.
Text
12
So He with
pleasure sent presents of great value, elephants and horses and
male and female [servants] as a wedding gift for the
groom and bride.'
Lord
Balarâma then happily sent the bride and groom very
valuable wedding gifts consisting of elephants, chariots,
horses and male and female servants.
Text
13
S'rî
S'uka continued: 'Of Lord Krishna there was S'rutadeva, one of
the best among the twice born, known for his fullness of
realization - his serenity, learning and freedom from sense
gratification - in exclusive devotion to
Krishna.
S'ukadeva
Gosvâmî continued: There was a devotee of
Krishna's known as S'rutadeva, who was a first-class
brâhmana. Perfectly satisfied by rendering unalloyed
devotional service to Lord Krishna, he was peaceful, learned
and free from sense gratification.
Text
14
He,
as a householder dwelling in Mithilâ in the kingdom of
Videha, carried out his obligations unconcerned about what came
to him for his sustenance.
Living
as a religious householder in the city of Mithilâ,
within the kingdom of Videha, he managed to fulfill his
obligations while maintaining himself with whatever
sustenance easily came his way.
Text
15
Day
by day doing his duties as required was he happy with just that
- and nothing more - what to his sober maintenance by
providence fell to his share.
By
the will of Providence he obtained each day just what he
needed for his maintenance, and no more. Satisfied with this
much, he properly executed his religious duties.
Text
16
The
ruler of that kingdom from the line of King Mithilâ
[Janaka]
known as Bahulâs'va was likewise selfless-minded, my
dearest; both indeed were dear to Acyuta.
Similarly
free from false ego was the ruler of that kingdom, my dear
Parîkchit, a descendant of the Mithilâ dynasty
named Bahulâs'va. Both these devotees were very dear
to Lord Acyuta.
Text
17
Pleased
with the two of them mounted the Supreme Lord His chariot
brought forth by Dâruka, and mounting together with a
group of sages went the Master to Videha.
Pleased
with both of them, the Supreme Personality of Godhead
mounted His chariot, which Dâruka had brought, and
traveled to Videha with a group of sages.
Text
18
Along
came Nârada, Vâmadeva, Atri,
Krishna-dvaipâyana Vyâsa, Paras'urâma, Asita,
Aruni, I [S'uka], Brihaspati, Kanva, Maitreya and
Cyavana and others.
Among
these sages were Nârada, Vâmadeva, Atri,
Krishna-dvaipâyana Vyâsa, Paras'urâma,
Asita, Aruni, myself, Brihaspati, Kanva, Maitreya and
Cyavana.
Text
19
Everywhere
He came approached the citizens and villagers carrying arghya
[offerings of water] to greet Him who was as the risen
sun surrounded by the planets.
In
every city and town the Lord passed along the way, O King,
the people came forward to worship Him with offerings of
arghya water in their hands, as if to worship the risen sun
surrounded by planets.
Text
20
In
Ânarta [where Dvârakâ is], Dhanva
[the desert region], Kuru-jângala [Thaneswar
and Kurukshetra], Kanka, Matsya [Jaipur and
Aloyar], Pañcâla [the Ganges region],
Kunti, Madhu, Kekaya [northeast Punjab], Kos'ala
[from Kas'i to the Himalayas], Arna [east of
Mithilâ] and in many other kingdoms, drank the men
and women with their eyes in the lotus face generous with
smiles and affectionate glances, o King.
The
men and women of Ânarta, Dhanva, Kuru-jângala,
Kanka, Matsya, Pañcâla, Kunti, Madhu, Kekaya,
Kos'ala, Arna and many other kingdoms drank with their eyes
the nectarean beauty of Lord Krishna's lotuslike face, which
was graced with generous smiles and affectionate
glances.
Text
21
As
the Spiritual Master of the Three Worlds, destroying the
blindness of their eyes, bestowed on them the fearlessness of
the spiritual vision, heard He, by and by reaching Videha, His
glories that eradicate all misfortune and purify every corner
of the universe, being sung by the godly and the
commoners.
Simply
by glancing at those who came to see Him, Lord Krishna, the
spiritual master of the three worlds, delivered them from
the blindness of materialism. As He thus endowed them with
fearlessness and divine vision, He heard demigods and men
singing His glories, which purify the entire universe and
destroy all misfortune. Gradually, He reached Videha.
Text
22
As soon as the
villagers and citizens heard that Acyuta had arrived, o King,
came they joyfully out to Him with offerings in their
hands.
Hearing
that Lord Acyuta had arrived, O King, the residents of the
cities and villages of Videha joyfully came forth to receive
Him with offerings in their hands.
Text
23
Seeing
Him Who is Praised in the Verses, bowed they with their faces
and hearts blossoming of love down with their joined palms held
to their heads, as they also did before the sages they knew
from hearsay.
As
soon as the people saw Lord Uttamahs'loka, their faces and
hearts blossomed with affection. Joining their palms above
their heads, they bowed down to the Lord and to the sages
accompanying Him, whom they had previously only heard
about.
Text
24
The
king of Mithilâ and S'rutadeva each fell at the feet
thinking that the Spiritual Master of the Universe had arrived
to be of mercy to him.
Both
the King of Mithilâ and S'rutadeva fell at the Lord's
feet, each thinking that the spiritual master of the
universe had come there just to show him mercy.
Text
25
Bahulâs'va
and S'rutadeva simultaneously joining their palms, invited the
Descendant of Das'ârha along with the twiceborn to be
their guest.
At
exactly the same time, King Maithila and S'rutadeva each
went forward with joined palms and invited the Lord of the
Das'ârhas to be his guest, along with the
brâhmana sages.
Text
26
The
Supreme Lord eager to please the two of them entered, accepting
them both, each his house without them seeing that [He did
so at the same time in vaibhava-prakâs'a].
Wanting
to please them both, the Lord accepted both their
invitations. Thus He simultaneously went to both homes, and
neither could see Him entering the other's house.
Text
27-29
The
descendent of Janaka [Bahulas'va] then seeing them,
fatigued, from a distance coming to his home, mindfully brought
out fine seats to them so that they could comfortably sit.
Overjoyed at heart with intense devotion and eyes clouded with
tears bowed he down to wash those feet of which the water is
able to purify the whole world. Together with his family taking
it on their heads, worshiped he the Lords [and sages]
with paste, garlands, clothing, jewelry, incense, lamps,
arghya, cows and bulls.
When
King Bahulâs'va, a descendant of Janaka, saw Lord
Krishna approaching his house from a distance with the
sages, who were somewhat fatigued from the journey, he
immediately arranged to have seats of honor brought out for
them. After they were all comfortably seated, the wise King,
his heart overflowing with joy and his eyes clouded by
tears, bowed down to them and washed their feet with intense
devotion. Taking the wash water, which could purify the
entire world, he sprinkled it on his head and the heads of
his family members. Then he worshiped all those great lords
by offering them fragrant sandalwood paste, flower garlands,
fine clothing and ornaments, incense, lamps, arghya and cows
and bulls.
Text
30
To
them gratified with the food said he slowly, happily massaging
the feet of Vishnu on his lap, the following, trying to please
in a gentle voice.
When
they had eaten to their full satisfaction, for their further
pleasure the King began to speak slowly and in a gentle
voice as he held Lord Vishnu's feet in his lap and happily
massaged them.
Text
31
S'rî
Bahulâs'va said: 'You indeed the Self-illumined Witness
and Soul of All Created Beings, o Almighty One, have now become
visible to us who are remembering Your lotus
feet.
S'rî
Bahulâs'va said: O almighty Lord, You are the Soul of
all created beings, their self-illumined witness, and now
You are giving Your audience to us, who constantly meditate
on Your lotus feet.
Text
32
To be true to
the statement You made that 'No one, not even Ananta,
S'rî or the Unborn Brahmâ is as dear to Me as the
unalloyed devotee', have you made Yourself accessible to our
eyes [see also 7.7:
51-52,
10.9.20-21,
10.
47: 58-63].
You
have said, "Neither Ananta, Goddess S'rî nor unborn
Brahmâ is dearer to Me than My unalloyed devotee." To
prove Your own words true, You have now revealed Yourself to
our eyes.
Text
33
Who ever, what
person being in knowledge like this, would abandon Your lotus
feet with You giving Yourself to sages who are peaceful with no
possessions of their own?
What
person who knows this truth would ever abandon Your lotus
feet, when You are ready to give Your very self to peaceful
sages who call nothing their own?
Text
34
Descending in
the Yadu-dynasty for the people caught in worldly love
[samsâra]
have You, to call it to a stop, disseminated Your fame which
removes the sins of the three worlds.
Appearing
in the Yadu dynasty, You have spread Your glories, which can
remove all the sins of the three worlds, just to deliver
those entrapped in the cycle of birth and death.
Text
35
All
glories to You Krishna, the Supreme Lord ever fresh in His
intelligence, to Nara-Nârâyana,
perfect of peace in undergoing the austerities.
Obeisances
to You, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Krishna,
whose intelligence is ever unrestricted. Obeisances to the
sage Nara-Nârâyana, who always undergoes
austerities in perfect peace.
Text
36
Please
o Omnipresent One, dwell, joined by the twice born, for a few
days in our home and sanctify with the dust of Your feet this
dynasty of Nimi.
Please
stay a few days in our house, along with these
brâhmanas, O all- pervading one, and with the dust of
Your feet sanctify this dynasty of Nimi.
Text
37
S'rî
S'uka said: 'Thus invited by the king stayed the Supreme Lord
and Maintainer of the Entire World, bringing good fortune to
the men and women of Mithilâ.
[S'ukadeva
Gosvâmî continued:] Thus invited by the
King, the Supreme Lord, sustainer of the world, consented to
stay for some time to bestow good fortune on the men and
women of Mithilâ.
Text
38
S'rutadeva,
just as Bahulas'va receiving Krishna in his house, bowed down
to the sages to the occasion of which he delighted danced with
waving clothes.
S'rutadeva
received Lord Acyuta into his home with as much enthusiasm
as that shown by King Bahulâs'va. After bowing down to
the Lord and the sages, S'rutadeva began to dance with great
joy, waving his shawl.
Text
39
Making
them sit on mats of darbha
grass which were brought, greeted he them with words of welcome
and washed he pleased together with his wife their
feet.
After
bringing mats of grass and darbha straw and seating his
guests upon them, he greeted them with words of welcome.
Then he and his wife washed their feet with great
pleasure.
Text
40
With
the water he, overjoyed of having all desires fulfilled, most
piously showered himself, his house and his
family.
With
the wash water, the virtuous S'rutadeva copiously sprinkled
himself, his house and his family. Overjoyed, he felt that
all his desires had now been fulfilled.
Text
41
With
offerings of fruits, aromatic root [us'îra], pure
nectarean sweet water, fragrant clay, tulsî leaves,
kus'a-grass
and lotus flowers honored he them with all items of worship
available and with food conducive to the mood of goodness
[see B.G.
17: 8].
He
worshiped them with offerings of auspicious items easily
available to him, such as fruits, us'îra root, pure,
nectarean water, fragrant clay, tulasî leaves, kus'a
grass and lotus flowers. Then he offered them food that
increases the mode of goodness.
Text
42
He tried to
understand: 'For what reason could befall me, fallen in the
blind well of a family life, this association with Krishna and
these godly people in whom He resides; it is indeed the dust of
their feet that is the dignity of all holy
places.
He
wondered: How is it that I, fallen into the blind well of
family life, have been able to meet Lord Krishna? And how
have I also been allowed to meet these great
brâhmanas, who always carry the Lord within their
hearts? Indeed, the dust of their feet is the shelter of all
holy places.
Text
43
With them
comfortably seated and proven the hospitality, spoke
S'rutadeva, with his wife, relatives and children sitting near,
while massaging His feet.
When
his guests were seated comfortably, having each received a
proper welcome, S'rutadeva approached them and sat down
nearby with his wife, children and other dependents. Then,
while massaging the Lord's feet, he addressed Krishna and
the sages.
Text
44
S'rutadeva
said: 'It is not just today that we have obtained the vision of
the Supreme Personality; in fact is that so ever since He,
creating this universe with His energies, entered it in His own
state of [transcendental] existence [as
avatâras].
S'rutadeva
said: It is not that we have attained the audience of the
Supreme Person only today, for we have in fact been
associating with Him ever since He created this universe
with His energies and then entered it in His transcendental
form.
Text
45
He appears like
a sleeping person enters a dream, alone with his mind by his
own imagination creating a separate world.
The
Lord is like a sleeping person who creates a separate world
in his imagination and then enters his own dream and sees
himself within it.
Text
46
For those
people who with minds pure again and again hear about You,
speak about You and, offering praise, worship You and converse
about You, do You appear within the heart.
You
reveal Yourself within the hearts of those persons of pure
consciousness who constantly hear about You, chant about
You, worship You, glorify You and converse with one another
about You.
Text
47
Though situated
in the heart are You very far away to minds agitated by
material activities; though one by one's own powers cannot take
hold of You, are You near to those hearts who realized Your
qualities [see also B.G. 7:
25].
But
although You reside within the heart, You are very far away
from those whose minds are disturbed by their entanglement
in material work. Indeed, no one can grasp You by his
material powers, for You reveal Yourself only in the hearts
of those who have learned to appreciate Your transcendental
qualities.
Text
48
Let there be my
obeisances unto You, the Supreme Spirit to those who know the
Supersoul, the One [as Time] bringing Death to the
conditioned soul; the One assuming forms having a cause
[the universe] and not having a cause [the
transcendental], [respectively] obstructing and
[then again descending for Your devotees] uncovering
the vision by Your own deluding potency.
Let
me offer my obeisances unto You. You are realized as the
Supreme Soul by those who know the Absolute Truth, whereas
in Your form of time You impose death upon the forgetful
souls. You appear both in Your causeless spiritual form and
in the created form of this universe, thus simultaneously
uncovering the eyes of Your devotees and obstructing the
vision of the nondevotees.
Text
49
You as Him,
please command us Your servants. What o God should we do? Oh,
having this of You, Your good self, visible to the eyes, is
what puts an end to the troubles of humanity!'
S'rî
S'ukadeva Gosvâmî said: After hearing S'rutadeva
speak these words, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who
relieves His surrendered devotees' distress, took
S'rutadeva's hand in His own and, smiling, spoke to him as
follows.
Text
50
S'rî
S'uka said: 'Hearing what he thus had said to Him, spoke the
Supreme Lord, the Destroyer of the Distress of the Surrendered,
to him with a broad smile taking his hand into
His.
S'rî
S'ukadeva Gosvâmî said: After hearing S'rutadeva
speak these words, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who
relieves His surrendered devotees' distress, took
S'rutadeva's hand in His own and, smiling, spoke to him as
follows.
Text
51
The
Supreme Lord said: 'O brahmin, you should know that these sages
came for the purpose of blessing you; wandering with Me, they
purify all the worlds with the dust of their
feet.
The
Supreme Lord said: My dear brâhmana, you should know
that these great sages have come here just to bless you.
They travel throughout the worlds with Me, purifying them
with the dust of their feet.
Text
52
The deities,
pilgrimage sites and sacred rivers being seen, being touched
and being worshiped purify gradually, but by the glance of the
most worshipable is that attained all at the same time [see
also 4.30:
37,
7.9:
44,
10.9:21,
10.84:
11].
One
can gradually become purified by seeing, touching and
worshiping temple deities, places of pilgrimage and holy
rivers. But one can attain the same result immediately
simply by receiving the glance of exalted sages.
Text
53
A brahmin is by
birth the best of all living beings, and what more would he be
unto Me, by his austerity, his learning and his contentment
being endowed with a
grip on the time
[of this age of Kali, see also kâla]!
By
his very birth, a brâhmana is the best of all living
beings in this world, and he becomes even more exalted when
he is endowed with austerity, learning and
self-satisfaction, what to speak of devotion to Me.
Text
54
This four-armed
form is not as dear to Me as a brahmin is; a man of
[brahminical] learning comprises all the Vedas indeed
the way I comprise all the gods [see also
10.84:
12].
Even
My own four-armed form is no dearer to Me than a
brâhmana. Within himself a learned brâhmana
comprises all the Vedas, just as within Myself I comprise
all the demigods.
Text
55
Those corrupted
in their intelligence failing to understand it this way, in
neglect behave enviously towards the man of
[brahminical] learning, their guru, Me, their very
self; while regarding the visible form of an idol worthy of
worship.
Ignorant
of this truth, foolish people neglect and enviously offend a
learned brâhmana, who, being nondifferent from Me, is
their spiritual master and very self. They consider
worshipable only such obvious manifestations of divinity as
My Deity form.
Text
56
The
moving and nonmoving of this universe as well as the
elementary
categories
basic to it are by a learned one in regard of Me kept in mind
as being My forms [see also B.G.
5: 18].
Because
he has realized Me, a brâhmana is firmly fixed in the
knowledge that everything moving and nonmoving in the
universe, and also the primary elements of its creation, are
all manifest forms expanded from Me.
Text
57
Therefore o
brahmin just worship, in faith with Me, these brahmin seers,
and thus doing so will directly I be worshiped; not by any
other way as [e.g. offering] vast riches [and
such].'
Therefore
you should worship these brâhmana sages, O
brâhmana, with the same faith you have in Me. If you
do so, you will worship Me directly, which you cannot do
otherwise, even with offerings of vast riches.
Text
58
S'rî
S'ûka said: 'He as also the king of Mithilâ this
manner being instructed by the Lord, attained by worshiping
with single-minded devotion Krishna and His company of the most
exalted twice born ones, the transcendental
destination.
S'rî
S'uka said: So instructed by his Lord, with single-minded
devotion S'rutadeva worshiped S'rî Krishna and the
topmost brâhmanas accompanying Him, and King
Bahulâs'va did the same. Thus both S'rutadeva and the
King attained the ultimate transcendental
destination.
Text
59
The Supreme
Lord of Devotion to the Devotees, thus staying and teaching the
two devotees the path of the truthful [***],
o King, then returned to Dvârakâ.
O
King, thus the Personality of Godhead, who is devoted to His
own devotees, stayed for some time with His two great
devotees S'rutadeva and Bahulâs'va, teaching them the
behavior of perfect saints. Then the Lord returned to
Dvârakâ.
*
The tridanda is a staff carried by vaishnava sannayâsis
symbolizing the threefold austerity of thought, speech and
action. In all these three the renunciate is vowed to serve
Vishnu. The staff consists of three sticks wrapped in saffron
cloth with a small extra piece wrapped in at the
top.
** Time
is the Lord His impersonal feature. The paramparâ says:
'It is understood from the Vedic science of epistemology, the
'Nyâya-s'âstra', that knowledge of an object
(prameya) depends on a valid means of knowing
(pramâna)' (pp 10.86:
54).
So would to know K
r i s h n a
in the form of Time as-He-is (I am the Time, the light of the
sun and the moon, as He says in the Gîtâ to be the
objective of the universe) - by means of clocks managed validly
to His nature, the Sun as with a sundial, and calendars managed
validly to His order, the moon, like with its phases -
constitute the proper brahminical conduct. With weeks to the
moon and clocks to the sun, would standardtime with its mean
time deadness, zone time arbitrary false oneness and summertime
instability, constitute the time of ignorance in denial of
K
r i s h n a,
the father of Time, even though K
r i s h n a
affirms the worship of Time with the pragmatical and thus
karmic dictate of standardtime, to which He still calls that
demigod (...) worship less attractive and wrong [see also
cakra,
kâla
en 1'2:
26 B.G.
9.23,
10:
21,
30
&33,
7:
8 and
the Bhâgavatam
timequotes].
***
Prabhupâda adds here: "The instruction we receive from
this incident is that King Bahulâs'va and S'rutadeva the
brâhmana were accepted by the Lord on the same level
because both were pure devotees. This is the real qualification
for being recognized by the Supreme Personality of
Godhead."
