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
Parîkshit said: O brâhmana, we would like
to learn how Arjuna married Lord Balarâma's and Lord
Krishna's sister, who was my grandmother. (Vedabase)
Text
2-3
S'rî
S'uka said: 'Arjuna, the great lord, gone on a pilgrimage to
Prabhâsa, heard as he wandered the earth 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 disguised as 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. (Vedabase)
Text
4
Determined
to fulfill his purpose, resided he there during the months of
the rainy season and was he [according the custom]
honored by the citizens and by Râma without them being
aware 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. (Vedabase)
Text
5
One
day invited as a guest was he brought to Balarâma's house
where He faithfully presented him a meal.
One
day Lord Balarâma brought him to His home as His
invited dinner guest, and Arjuna ate the food the Lord
respectfully offered him. (Vedabase)
Text
6
When
he there, with eyes blossoming of happiness, saw the wonderful
girl who enchanted heroes, put he, smitten, 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.
(Vedabase)
Text
7
She
also seeing him who stole each woman's heart, fixed her heart
and eyes upon him as she with desire gave him a bashful smile
and look.
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. (Vedabase)
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. (Vedabase)
Text
9
When
during an important religious festival she rode out of the
fortress in a chariot, seized the mighty warrior the girl who
had stolen his heart. That took place with the consent of her
parents [see 1o.1:
56]
and Krishna.
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.
(Vedabase)
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,
while her 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. (Vedabase)
Text
11
Hearing this
was Râma as disturbed as the ocean is during a badly
aspected moon [astrological conjunction or opposition].
Lord Krishna and His family had to grasp Him respectfully by
His feet in order to pacify Him.
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. (Vedabase)
Text
12
He thereupon
was pleased to 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. (Vedabase)
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. (Vedabase)
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. (Vedabase)
Text
15
Day
by day doing his duties as required was he happy with just that
- and nothing more - what he by providence acquired as his
share for his sober maintenance.
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.
(Vedabase)
Text
16
The
ruler of that kingdom from the line of King Mithilâ
[Janaka]
was known by the name of Bahulâs'va and was likewise
selfless minded, my dearest. They were both equally dear to
Acyuta.
Similarly
free from false ego was the ruler of that kingdom, my dear
Parîkshit, a descendant of the Mithilâ dynasty
named Bahulâs'va. Both these devotees were very dear
to Lord Acyuta. (Vedabase)
Text
17
Pleased
with the two of them mounted the Supreme Lord His chariot that
was brought 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. (Vedabase)
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. (Vedabase)
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. (Vedabase)
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 Kâs'î to the Himalayas], Arna
[east of Mithilâ] and in many other kingdoms,
drank the men and women with their eyes in the lotus face that
was so generous with His 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.
(Vedabase)
Text
21
The
Spiritual Master of the Three Worlds put an end to the
blindness of their eyes by bestowing upon them the fearlessness
of the spiritual vision. As He thus by and by reached Videha,
heard He how by the God-conscious and the commoners His glories
were sung, the glories that eradicate all misfortune and purify
every corner of the universe.
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.
(Vedabase)
Text
22
The moment the
villagers and citizens heard that Acyuta had arrived, o King,
came they joyfully forward to greet 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. (Vedabase)
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 only
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.
(Vedabase)
Text
24
Each
of the kings of Mithilâ and S'rutadeva prostrated at the
feet supposing that the Spiritual Master of the Universe had
arrived to be of mercy for especially 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.
(Vedabase)
Text
25
Bahulâs'va
and S'rutadeva simultaneously joining their palms, then invited
the Descendant of Das'ârha and the twice-born to be their
guests.
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. (Vedabase)
Text
26
The
Supreme Lord eager to please the two of them accepted their
offer by entering each his house without them knowing that of
each other [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.
(Vedabase)
Text
27-29
The
descendent of Janaka [Bahulas'va] who later that day
saw them, fatigued, coming from a distance to his house,
mindfully brought out fine seats for 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 entire world. Together
with his family taking it on his head, honored he the Lords
[and sages] with sandalwood 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. (Vedabase)
Text
30
When
they had eaten their fill, said he while happily massaging the
feet of Vishnu on his lap, in order to please them in a gentle
voice slowly the following.
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. (Vedabase)
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. (Vedabase)
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 appeared before 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. (Vedabase)
Text
33
What person
knowing this would abandon Your lotus feet when You give
Yourself to sages who are peaceful from not striving for
possessions?
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? (Vedabase)
Text
34
Descending in
the Yadu dynasty for the sake of those who are caught in
worldly love [samsâra]
have You, to put a stop to it, 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.
(Vedabase)
Text
35
All
glories to You Krishna, the Supreme Lord ever fresh in His
intelligence, to
Nara-Nârâyana,
the One 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. (Vedabase)
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. (Vedabase)
Text
37
S'rî
S'uka said: 'Thus invited by the king stayed the Supreme Lord
and Maintainer of the Entire World there and thus brought 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. (Vedabase)
Text
38
S'rutadeva,
just as Bahulas'va receiving Krishna in his house, bowed down
to the sages to the occasion of which he in delight 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. (Vedabase)
Text
39
He
made them sit on mats of darbha grass which were brought,
greeted them with words of welcome and washed next 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.
(Vedabase)
Text
40
With
the water sprinkled he, overjoyed of having all his desires
fulfilled, most piously 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. (Vedabase)
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. (Vedabase)
Text
42
He wondered:
'How could it happen that I who fell down in the blind well of
family life, may enjoy this association with Krishna and these
godly people in whom He resides; it is indeed the dust of their
feet that constitutes 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. (Vedabase)
Text
43
With them
comfortably seated and having proven the hospitality, spoke
S'rutadeva, as his wife, relatives and children were sitting
close, while he massaged 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. (Vedabase)
Text
44
S'rutadeva
said: 'It is not for the first time that we see the Supreme
Personality present before us; in fact is that happening ever
since He, creating this universe with His energies, entered it
in His own state of [transcendental] being [as an
avatâra].
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. (Vedabase)
Text
45
He enters this
world the way a sleeping person appears in his own dream: alone
with his mind creates he by his own imagination 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. (Vedabase)
Text
46
You appear
within the hearts of those people who with a pure mind again
and again hear about You, speak of You, glorify You, worship
You and converse about You.
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. (Vedabase)
Text
47
Even though
You're situated in the heart are You far removed from minds
agitated by material affairs, and even though one can't get
hold of You by one's own powers, are You near to those who
appreciate 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. (Vedabase)
Text
48
Let there be my
obeisances unto You, the Supersoul from whom we know the
Absolute of the Truth, the One who [as the Time] calls
for the death of the conditioned soul; the One who assumes
forms that have a cause [the universe] and do not have
a cause [the transcendental], and thus
[respectively] obstructs matters and [then again
descending for Your devotees] broadens the outlook 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. (Vedabase)
Text
49
You as that
Supersoul, please command us Your servants. What o God should
we do? Oh, having this good self of You visible before our eyes
is what puts an end to the troubles of
humanity!'
O
Lord, You are that Supreme Soul, and we are Your servants.
How shall we serve You? My Lord, simply seeing You puts an
end to all the troubles of human life. (Vedabase)
Text
50
S'rî
S'uka said: 'Having heard what he thus 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. (Vedabase)
Text
51
The
Supreme Lord said: 'O brahmin, you should know that these sages
came along 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. (Vedabase)
Text
52
The deities,
pilgrimage sites and sacred rivers being visited, being touched
and being worshiped purify gradually, but by the glance of the
one who is the most worshipable is that all attained 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.
(Vedabase)
Text
53
A brahmin is by
birth the best of all living beings, and what more wouldn't he
mean to Me when he by his austerity, his learning and his
contentment is 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.
(Vedabase)
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. (Vedabase)
Text
55
Those who
corrupted in their intelligence fail to understand it this way,
behave in neglect enviously towards the man of
[brahminical] learning, their guru, Me factually, their
very self, while they do regard 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. (Vedabase)
Text
56
The
moving and nonmoving of this universe as well as the
elementary
categories
basic to it are by man of learning of respect for 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. (Vedabase)
Text
57
Therefore o
brahmin just worship, with the same faith you have in Me, these
brahmin seers, and thus will you directly be of worship for Me,
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.
(Vedabase)
Text
58
S'rî
S'ûka said: 'He as also the king of Mithilâ who
were thus instructed by the Lord, attained by the single-minded
devotion for Krishna and His company of 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.
(Vedabase)
Text
59
The Supreme
Lord of Devotion for His Own 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. (Vedabase)
*
The tridanda is a staff carried by vaishnava
sannayâsîs 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 Krishna
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
Krishna,
the father of Time, even though Krishna
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
time quotes].
***
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."