Krishna Srihari Narayana

Maharishi Śuka continued, “Will this Supreme Lord show to us his supreme abode, which is beyond the perception of the senses?- such eagerness arose in every mind.”

Now with the complete awareness of the original identity of Krishna i.e. upon realizing that He was none other than the Supreme Lord himself, the inhabitants of Brindavan were anxious to know whether He would show to them His supreme abode, which is beyond the perception of the senses. Will He use His transcendental powers to show us this ultimate abode which cannot be seen with these eyes. Will He show to us His original form?

“The Supreme Lord Srikrishna is the eternal witness. He understood this eagerness and anxiety that had entered into their minds. With feelings of compassion towards them, He resolved that their desire ought to be fulfilled. He thought, ‘Due to spiritual ignorance, desires and fruitive actions, the living entity experiences high as well as low births in this world and keeps rotating endlessly in repeated re-births. However he fails to understand his real form’.”

Sinful actions lead to birth in a lower species while good, pious deeds result in a better birth. The living entity endlessly rotates in this cycle of repeated re-births due to his desires, ignorance and actions. In this process, he fails to understand his own original form. Associating themselves totally with their senses, living beings keep on taking births and falling prey to death each time. Understanding one’s own Self is the same as having a vision of the Lord.

“Having thought thus, Srikrishna showed to the cowherds and to the Gopikas, His original abode which exists on the other side of the sphere of ignorance”.

Here it can be interpreted as Go-loka or as the original form of the Self. This abode is beyond the sphere of spiritual ignorance. It cannot be found in this plane of existence which is the outcome of illusion. This supreme abode has no beginning and no end. All the cowherds could see, within their minds, this supreme abode.

“This supreme abode is itself the infinite Supreme Lord (Ananta Parabrahma). It is beyond the scope of time and is the self-luminous Pure Consciousness. With single-focussed concentration, great Maharishis who have transcended the three attributes of Nature, realize this Supreme Lord to be the Self. The cowherds were fortunate to be blessed with the vision of such divine abode of the Lord”.

Mahatmas and great ascetics realize Him as their inner Self. Krishna granted this vision to all his kinsmen. Go-loka is that supreme plane which is beyond everything. Reaching this plane is very difficult. Neither can we see it nor can we even imagine it. The same Lord who resides there was here in human form. Therefore, He fulfilled their desire by showing them His original form and His original residence.

Srikrishna then took all his kinsmen to those waters, wherein He had revealed the same residence to Akrūra. The people dipped into the waters and obtained a vision of that supreme abode Vaikunṭha. Srikrishna then brought them out of the waters. Nanda and the other cowherds observed that even in Vaikunṭha, the Vedas were extolling Krishna. Deeply astonished at this, they were soaked in complete ecstasy”.

With this the twenty-eighth chapter of the tenth canto comes to an end.

Tenth Canto Chapter Twenty-nine

From this chapter, the sacred dance known as Rāsa kreeda begins. This should be heard attentively and understood properly. Do not misinterpret the situation.

In the previous chapter, we learnt that Krishna had showed his divine abode to all the cowherds, including his father Nanda. The word ‘Rasa’ also implies ‘Supreme Essence’. Rāsa also implies dance. When understood in the proper sense, this incident fills us with divine bliss. At the same time, this incident throws people into suspicions and fills them with doubts. Doubts become a disease that overtake every other thing. The five chapters, beginning from here, deal with the Rāsa kreeda. They are known as Rāsa pancadhyāyi.

Maharishi Śuka continued, “It was autumn (sharad). During nights, jasmines had bloomed plentifully. Seeing this, the Supreme Lord Srikrishna decided to invoke the illusionary energy (yogamaya) and wander freely”.

Only due to the presence of the illusionary energy we are able to perceive this world. It its absence nothing can exist. Krishna decided to enter into this illusion.

“The Full moon had just risen in the skies. Just as a wife, who upon seeing her dearest husband after a very long span of time, decorates her face with the red Kumkum, the moon with its cooling rays, painted the eastern direction with its red hue”.

Just as the bhajan Devi Viradroopa describes the entire Nature as worshipping Mother Goddess, here the Moon has been described in detail.

“With his cool rays, the Moon dispelled the agony of the people”.

Bathing in the waters of River Ganga alleviates all sins; seeing the Moon alleviates all sufferings. Seeking shelter under Sadguru grants liberation.

“The Full moon, that was glowingly radiantly akin to Mother Lakshmi’s round face, shone like the freshly made red Kumkum powder. His delicate rays added more beauty to the beautiful forests.

Srikrishna, who witnessed this, melodiously played on His flute”.

As Srikrishna had invoked the illusionary energy, the Moon appeared enticing to Him.

“The sound of His flute stole the hearts of the Gopikas. This divine music intensifies love towards the Supreme Lord. The minds of the women-folk of Gokula, who heard this music, overflowed with love towards the Supreme Lord Krishna. as such they left their homes and ran towards Him”.

Krishna Krishna Hare