Chapter Twenty Durvāsaso māyā-darśanaṁ śrī-nanda-nandana-stotra-varṇana Description of Durvāsā Muni's Vision of the Māyā Potency and Offering of Prayers to Nanda's Son

One day Durvāsā, the tiger of sages, came to the circle of Vraja to see Lord Kṛṣṇacandra, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Near Mahāvana, in a beautiful place on the Yamunā's sandy shore, he saw Lord Kṛṣṇa.

dhūli-dhūsara-sarvāṅgaṁ vakra-keśaṁ dig-ambaram dhāvantaṁ bālakaiḥ sārdhaṁ hariṁ vīkṣya sa vismitaḥ śrīman-madana-gopālam —Lord Kṛṣṇa, the cowherd boy more handsome than Kāmadeva; luṭhantam —rolling about on the ground; bālakaiḥ —boys; saha —with; parasparam —each other; prayuddhyantam —fighting; bāla —boy's; kelim —game; manoharam —charming; dhūli —with dust; dhūsara —darkened; sarva —all; aṅgam —limbs; vakra —curly; keśam —hair; dik —with the directions; ambaram —clothed; dhāvantam —running; bālakaiḥ —the boys; sārdham —with; harim —Lord Hari; vīkṣya —seeing; saḥ —he; vismitaḥ —astonished. Seeing Lord Hari a cowherd boy more handsome than Kāmadeva, now rolling on the ground as He played at fighting with the other boys and now running with them, clothed only by the directions and all His limbs dark with dust, the sage became filled with wonder.

dhūli-dhūsara-sarvāṅgaṁ vakra-keśaṁ dig-ambaram dhāvantaṁ bālakaiḥ sārdhaṁ hariṁ vīkṣya sa vismitaḥ śrīman-madana-gopālam —Lord Kṛṣṇa, the cowherd boy more handsome than Kāmadeva; luṭhantam —rolling about on the ground; bālakaiḥ —boys; saha —with; parasparam —each other; prayuddhyantam —fighting; bāla —boy's; kelim —game; manoharam —charming; dhūli —with dust; dhūsara —darkened; sarva —all; aṅgam —limbs; vakra —curly; keśam —hair; dik —with the directions; ambaram —clothed; dhāvantam —running; bālakaiḥ —the boys; sārdham —with; harim —Lord Hari; vīkṣya —seeing; saḥ —he; vismitaḥ —astonished. Seeing Lord Hari a cowherd boy more handsome than Kāmadeva, now rolling on the ground as He played at fighting with the other boys and now running with them, clothed only by the directions and all His limbs dark with dust, the sage became filled with wonder.

The sage said: Why would the supremely opulent Personality of Godhead, who controls everything, roll on the ground with some children? This must be a boy who is the son of someone named Nanda. He is not the Śrī Kṛṣṇa who is greater than the greatest.

Śrī Nārada said: As the great sage Durvāsā was bewildered in this way, playing Kṛṣṇa approached and of His own accord sat on the sage's lap.

Then He left the lap and then, gently laughing, speaking some words, and His glance like that of a lion cub, Kṛṣṇa again approached.

As Kṛṣṇa laughed the sage entered Lord Kṛṣṇa's mouth as He breathed. There the sage saw a great realm where there were no people.

Wandering in many forests, he said, "Where am I?" It was as if the great sage was swallowed by a serpent.

There he saw the entire universe, with its many planets and with outer space. Wandering the continents, he stood on a great white mountaintop.

āgacchantaḥ samudras te plāvayanto dharā-talam vahaṁs teṣu ca durvāsā na prāpāntaṁ jalasya ca tapaḥ —austerities; tatāpa —performed; varṣāṇām —years; sata-kotiḥ —a billion; prabhum —the Supreme Personality of Godhead; bhajan —worshiping; naimittika —regular; ākhye —named; pralaye —t —cosmic devastation; prāpte —attained; viśva —the universe; bhayaṅkare —fearful; āgacchantaḥ —coming; samudrāḥ —the oceans; te —they; plāvayantaḥ —flooding; dharā-talam —the surface of the earth; vahan —carrying; teṣu —in them; ca —also; durvāsā —Durvāsā; na —not; prāpa —attained; antam —end; jalasya —of the water; ca —and. Worshiping the Supreme Lord, he performed austerities for a billion years. When the scheduled time of cosmic devastation arrived, the universe became a fearful place. Rushing oceans flooded the earth's surface, and Durvāsā could not find an end to all the water.

A thousand yugas passed. Submerged in the water, he had forgotten everything. As he wandered through the waters, he saw another universe.

He entered that universe and went to the heavenly planets within it. There, at the highest part of the universe, he passed a liftetime as long as Brahmā's.

He saw an opening and entered it. Meditating on Lord Hari, he went outside the universe. There he saw a great ocean.

In that ocean he saw many millions of universes. Gazing at the ocean, the sage saw the Virajā river.

dṛṣṭvā prasannaḥ sa munir nikuñjaṁ prāviśat tadā gopa-gopī-gaṇa-vṛtaṁ gavāṁ koṭibhir anvitam tat-param —beyond that; prāgataḥ —went; sakṣat —directly; golokam —to Goloka; prāviśat —entered; muniḥ —the sage; vṛndāvanam —Vṛndāvana; govardhanam —Govardhana; yamunā-pulinam —the shore of the Yamunā; śubham —beautiful; dṛṣṭvā —seeing; prasannaḥ —happy; saḥ —the; muniḥ —sage; nikuñjam —a forest grove; prāviśat —entered; tadā —then; gopa-gopī-gaṇa-vṛtam —filled with gopas and gopīs; gavām —of cows; koṭibhiḥ —with millions; anvitam —endowed. Crossing it, the sage entered the realm of Goloka. Gazing at Vṛndāvana forest, Govardhana Hill, and the Yamunā's shore, the sage became happy. Then he entered a forest grove that was filled with gopas, gopīs, and millions of surabhi cows.

paripūrṇatamaṁ sākṣāc chrī-kṛṣṇaṁ puruṣottamam asaṅkhya-brahmāṇda-patiṁ golokeśaṁ dadarśa ha asaṅkhya —countless; koṭi —millions; martaṇḍa —of suns; jyotiṣām —effulgence; maṇḍale —in the circle; tataḥ —there; divye —splendid; lakṣa —with a hundred thousand; dale —petals; padme —on a lotus flower; sthitam —standing; rādhā-patim —the husband of Rādhā; harim —Lord Hari; paripūrṇatamam —the original Supreme Personality of Godhead; sākṣāt —directly; śrī-kṛṣṇam —Śrī Kṛṣṇa; puruṣottamam —the supreme person; asaṅkhya —countless; brahmāṇda —of universes; patim —the master; goloka —of Goloka; īśam —the master; dadarśa —saw; ha —indeed. There, in a circle of light splendid as countless millions of suns, on a splendid divine lotus of a hundred thousand petals, he saw Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the original Supreme Personality of Godhead, the master of Rādhā, the king of Goloka and of countless universes.

paripūrṇatamaṁ sākṣāc chrī-kṛṣṇaṁ puruṣottamam asaṅkhya-brahmāṇda-patiṁ golokeśaṁ dadarśa ha asaṅkhya —countless; koṭi —millions; martaṇḍa —of suns; jyotiṣām —effulgence; maṇḍale —in the circle; tataḥ —there; divye —splendid; lakṣa —with a hundred thousand; dale —petals; padme —on a lotus flower; sthitam —standing; rādhā-patim —the husband of Rādhā; harim —Lord Hari; paripūrṇatamam —the original Supreme Personality of Godhead; sākṣāt —directly; śrī-kṛṣṇam —Śrī Kṛṣṇa; puruṣottamam —the supreme person; asaṅkhya —countless; brahmāṇda —of universes; patim —the master; goloka —of Goloka; īśam —the master; dadarśa —saw; ha —indeed. There, in a circle of light splendid as countless millions of suns, on a splendid divine lotus of a hundred thousand petals, he saw Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the original Supreme Personality of Godhead, the master of Rādhā, the king of Goloka and of countless universes.

As Śrī Kṛṣṇa was laughing, the sage within His mouth was expelled. The sage gazed at the boy who was Nanda's son.

tadā muniś ca durvāsā jṣātvā kṛṣṇaṁ parāt param śrī-nanda-nandanaṁ natvā natvā prāha kṛtāñjaliḥ kālindī-nikaṭe —near the Yamunā; puṇye —sacred; saikate —on the sandy bank; ramaṇa-sthale —in a beautiful place; bālakaiḥ —boys; sahitam —with; kṛṣṇam —Kṛṣṇa; vicarantam —wandering; mahā-vane —in Mahāvana; tadā —then; muniḥ —the sage; ca —also; durvāsā —Durvāsā; j 24ātvā —understanding; kṛṣṇam —Kṛṣṇa; parāt param —greater than the greatest; śrī-nanda-nandanam —the son of Nanda; natvā natvā —bowing down again and again; prāha —said; kṛtāñjaliḥ —with folded hands. Now understanding that Nanda's son, Kṛṣṇa, who with some boys was wandering in a beautiful place on the Yamunā's sandy shore near Mahāvana, is the original Supreme Personality of Godhead, greater than the greatest, Durvāsā Muni bowed down to Him again and again and with folded hands spoke to Him some words.

The sage said: With all my heart I bow down before Nanda's gently-smiling, sweetly graceful, handsome son, whose large eyes are hundred-petal lotuses, whose lips are bimba fruits, and whose complexion is splendid as a monsoon cloud.

I offer my respectful obeisances to He who, decorated with jingling anklets and ornaments, a belt of nine jewels, a beautiful necklace, and a string of lion's nails, glorious with dots of black musk, and His glance removing all sufferings, plays as a child on the Yamunā's shore.

Obeisances, obeisances to You, who are Balarāma's companion and Nanda's son, whose bowed head is a lotus flower, and above whose full-moon face curly locks of hair glisten like new dark monsoon clouds.

Nanda's son happily comes within the vision of a person who rises early and recites these prayers glorifying Him.

Śrī Nārada said: Durvāsā, the best of sages, bowed down before Lord Kṛṣṇa and, meditating on Him and chanting His glories, went north to Badarī-āśrama.

In this way the great soul Nārada, who was the best of the demigod-sages, narrated Lord Kṛṣṇa's transcenbdental pastimes to intelligent King Bahulāśva.

O brāhmaṇa, now I have described to you Lord Kṛṣṇa's splendid transcendental glories, which wash the sins of Kali-yuga and fulfill the four goals of life. What more do you wish to hear?

Śrī Śaunaka said: What did Mithilā's king Bahulāśva then ask the great sage Nārada, the peaceful teacher of transcendental knowledge? O sage whose wealth is austerity, please tell me that.

Śrī Garga Muni said: The respectful king of Mithilā then bowed down before his teacher Nārada and again asked about Lord Kṛṣṇa's auspicious transcendental pastimes.

Śrī Bahulāśva said: What wonderful activities did Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the original Supreme Personality of Godhead then do? O master, please tell me that.

The activities of the Lord's previous incarnations are all-auspicious. Still, Lord Kṛṣṇa's activities are the most pure.

Śrī Nārada said: Good! Good! You have asked about Lord Hari's auspicious pastimes. I will tell you of the glory He showed in Vṛndāvana.

Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself spoke this very wonderful and confidential Goloka-khaṇḍa in Goloka's rāsa-dance circle.

In a forest grove Lord Kṛṣṇa gave to Śrī Rādhā this Goloka-khaṇḍa, which fulfills all desires. Rādhā gave it to me, and now I am have given it to you.

vaiśyo nidhi-patir bhūyāc chūdro mucyeta bandhanāt niṣkāmo yo 'pi jagati jīvan muktaḥ sa jāyate idam —this; paṭhitvā —having read; vipraḥ —a brāhmaṇa; tu —indeed; sarva-śāstrārtha-gaḥ —learned in all the scriptures; bhavet —becomes; śrutvā —hearing; idam —this; cakravartī —the ruler of the world; syāt —becomes; kṣatriyaś —a kṣatriya; caṇḍa-vikramaḥ —powerful; vaiśyaḥ —a vaiśya; nidhi —of wealth; patiḥ —the master; bhūyāt —becomes; śūdraḥ —a śūdra; mucyeta —becomes released; bandhanāt —from the bonds of servitude; niṣkāmaḥ —who has no desires; yaḥ —one who; api —also; jagati —in the material world; jīvan —living; muktaḥ —liberated; saḥ —he; jāyate —is born. By reading it a brāhmaṇa becomes learned in all the scriptures, a powerful kṣatriya becomes king of the world, a vaiśya becomes a master of great wealth, a śūdra becomes released from the bonds of service, and a person who has no desires becomes free from material bondage even while living in this world.

vaiśyo nidhi-patir bhūyāc chūdro mucyeta bandhanāt niṣkāmo yo 'pi jagati jīvan muktaḥ sa jāyate idam —this; paṭhitvā —having read; vipraḥ —a brāhmaṇa; tu —indeed; sarva-śāstrārtha-gaḥ —learned in all the scriptures; bhavet —becomes; śrutvā —hearing; idam —this; cakravartī —the ruler of the world; syāt —becomes; kṣatriyaś —a kṣatriya; caṇḍa-vikramaḥ —powerful; vaiśyaḥ —a vaiśya; nidhi —of wealth; patiḥ —the master; bhūyāt —becomes; śūdraḥ —a śūdra; mucyeta —becomes released; bandhanāt —from the bonds of servitude; niṣkāmaḥ —who has no desires; yaḥ —one who; api —also; jagati —in the material world; jīvan —living; muktaḥ —liberated; saḥ —he; jāyate —is born. By reading it a brāhmaṇa becomes learned in all the scriptures, a powerful kṣatriya becomes king of the world, a vaiśya becomes a master of great wealth, a śūdra becomes released from the bonds of service, and a person who has no desires becomes free from material bondage even while living in this world.

A person who reads it regularly, properly, and with devotion, goes to Lord Kṛṣṇacandra's abode of Goloka beyond the material world.