Chapter One Sruti-rūpopākhyāna The Story of the Personified Vedas

Glorious as an atasi flower, garlanded with forest flowers, and enjoying pastimes with the youthful gopīs in a kadamba forest by the Yamunā's shore, may Lord Kṛṣṇa grant auspiciousness to us.

Dressed as a dancer, with a yellow sash, a peacock-feather crown, swinging earrings, a graceful neck, and a stick and flute in His hand, Lord Kṛṣṇa is the object of my worship.

Srī Bahulāśva said: O sage, how did Srī Kṛṣṇacandra fulfill the desires of the personified Vedas that were blessed to take birth as gopīs?

O wise one, you are the best of they who know everything. Please tell this sacred and wonderful pastime of Lord Gopāla Kṛṣṇa.

Srī Nārada said: O king of Videha, because of a benediction given by Lord Seṣaśayī Viṣṇu, some personified Vedas took birth as gopīs in the sainty gopa families of Vraja.

In Vṛndāvana forest seeing handsome Kṛṣṇa, and yearning to attain Him, they approached Vṛndā-devī, the ruler of Vṛndāvana.

Pleased with Vṛndā's benediction, Lord Kṛṣṇa, who is always kind to His devotees, every day entered the gopīs homes to enjoy the rāsa dance.

O king, once, when six hours of the night had already passsed, Lord Kṛṣṇa came, very late, to their homes.

The anxious gopīs worshiped Him and with sweet words asked a question.

The gopīs said: O savior from troubles, why did You not come sooner? As cakora birds yearn to see the moon, we gopīs always yearn to see You.

The Supreme Lord said: O My beloveds, a person who lives in someone's heart is never far away. Gazing at the sun in the sky, a lotus on the earth is inspired to blossom wide.

O My beloveds, today My spiritual master, Lord Durvāsā Muni, came to Bhāṇḍīravana forest, and I went to serve him.

The spiritual master is like Lord Brahmā. The spiritual master is like Lord Viṣṇu. The spiritual master is like Lord Siva. The spiritual master is like the Supreme Personality of Godhead. I offer my respectful obeisances to my glorious spiritual master.

I was born in the darkest ignorance, and My spiritual master opened my eyes with the torch of knowledge. I offer My respectful obeisances to him.*

One should know the spiritual master as Myself and never disrespect him in any way. One should not envy him, thinking him an ordinary man, for he is the representative of all the demigods.*

O My beloveds, I worshiped him and offered respects to his lotus feet. That is why I was late in coming to your homes.

Srī Nārada said: Filled with wonder to hear these words, with bowed heads and folded hands the gopīs spoke to Lord Kṛṣṇa.

The gopīs said: You are the perfect Supreme Personality of Godhead. Durvāsā Muni is Your spiritual master! O Lord, our hearts yearn to see him.

O Supreme Lord, how can we see him now that six hours of the night have passed?

The great Yamunā river is a great obstacle. O Lord, how can we cross it without a boat?

The Supreme Lord said: O My beloveds, you must go to see him. When you come to the Yamunā, speak these words:

O Yamunā, O best of rivers, if Kṛṣṇa is a perfect and faultess brahmacārī, then please give us a path to cross you.

When you speak these words, the Yamunā will give you a path. O girls of Vraja, then you may easily cross.

Hearing these words, the girls of Vraja filled fifty-six great pots with many different kinds of foods.

O king of Mithilā, they went to the Yamunā and with bowed heads repeated Kṛṣṇa's words. The Yamunā at once gave a path to the gopīs.

natvā tad-darśanaṁ cakruḥ puro dhṛtvāśanaṁ bahu me pūrvaṁ cāpi me pūrvaṁ annaṁ bhojyaṁ tvayā mune tena—by that; gopyaḥ—the gopīs; gatāḥ—went; sarvā—all; bhāṇḍīram—to Bhandiravana; ca—and; ati-vismitāḥ—filled with wonder; tataḥ—then; pradakṣiṇī-kṛtya—circumambulating; munim—the sage; durvāsasam—Durvasa; ca—and; tāḥ—they; natvā—bowing down; tad-darśanam—the sight of him; cakruḥ—did; puraḥ—before; dhṛtvā—placing; aśanam—food; bahu—abundant; me—mine; pūrvam—first; ca—and; api—and; me—mine; pūrvam—first; annam—food; bhojyam—should be eaten; tvayā—by you; mune—O sage. Filled with wonder, the gopīs went to Bhāṇḍīravana forest. where they saw Durvāsā Muni, bowed down before him, circumambulated him, and, each of them saying, "O sage, the food I have brought should be tasted first," placed many foods before him.

natvā tad-darśanaṁ cakruḥ puro dhṛtvāśanaṁ bahu me pūrvaṁ cāpi me pūrvaṁ annaṁ bhojyaṁ tvayā mune tena—by that; gopyaḥ—the gopīs; gatāḥ—went; sarvā—all; bhāṇḍīram—to Bhandiravana; ca—and; ati-vismitāḥ—filled with wonder; tataḥ—then; pradakṣiṇī-kṛtya—circumambulating; munim—the sage; durvāsasam—Durvasa; ca—and; tāḥ—they; natvā—bowing down; tad-darśanam—the sight of him; cakruḥ—did; puraḥ—before; dhṛtvā—placing; aśanam—food; bahu—abundant; me—mine; pūrvam—first; ca—and; api—and; me—mine; pūrvam—first; annam—food; bhojyam—should be eaten; tvayā—by you; mune—O sage. Filled with wonder, the gopīs went to Bhāṇḍīravana forest. where they saw Durvāsā Muni, bowed down before him, circumambulated him, and, each of them saying, "O sage, the food I have brought should be tasted first," placed many foods before him.

Understanding the pure devotion of the quarreling gopīs, Durvāsā, the tiger of sages, spoke sweetly to them.

The sage said: O gopīs, I am a paramahaṁsa. I have attained the highest goal in life. I never do any material action. For this reason each of you should with her own hand place in my mouth the food she has brought.

Srī Nārada said: The jubilant gopīs then placed in his wide-open mouth all the fifty-six kinds of food they had brought.

As the gopīs fed him and watched what he did, Durvāsā, the king of sages, ate thousands of bhāras of food as if he were tormented with hunger.

O best of kings, when all the pots were emptied the gopīs looked at each other with astonishment.

The astonished gopīs. their desires now fulfilled, bowed down before the peaceful sage, who was always kind to the devotees, and spoke.

The gopīs said: O sage, when we came here to see you, we were able to cross the river by repeating some words Kṛṣṇa told us.

How will we return? Now we are filled with doubt. We offer our respects to you. Please give us a way to cross the Yamunā.

The sage said: i will give you something to say that will give you easy passage across the Yamunā.

tarhi no dehi mārgaṁ vai kālindi saritāṁ vare ity ukte vacane kṛṣṇā mārgaṁ vo dāsyati svataḥ yadi—if; durvāsasam—durva grass juice; pītvā—drinking; durvāsāḥ—Durvasa; kevalam—only; kṣitau—on the earth; vratī—follows the vow; nirannaḥ—without eating food; nirvārī—without drinking water; vartate—is; pṛthivī-tale—on the earth; tarhi—then; naḥ—to us; dehi—give; mārgam—a path; vai—indeed; kālindī—O aymunā; saritām—of rivers; vare—the best; iti—thus; ukte—saying; vacane—in the words; kṛṣṇā—the Yamunā; mārgam—a path; vaḥ—to you; dāsyati—will give; svataḥ—personally. O Yamunā, O best of rivers, if Durvāsā Muni carefully follows his vow of living only by drinking dūrvā grass juice and never eats or drinks anything else, then please give us a path to cross you. When you speak these words, the Yamunā will give you a path to cross her.

tarhi no dehi mārgaṁ vai kālindi saritāṁ vare ity ukte vacane kṛṣṇā mārgaṁ vo dāsyati svataḥ yadi—if; durvāsasam—durva grass juice; pītvā—drinking; durvāsāḥ—Durvasa; kevalam—only; kṣitau—on the earth; vratī—follows the vow; nirannaḥ—without eating food; nirvārī—without drinking water; vartate—is; pṛthivī-tale—on the earth; tarhi—then; naḥ—to us; dehi—give; mārgam—a path; vai—indeed; kālindī—O aymunā; saritām—of rivers; vare—the best; iti—thus; ukte—saying; vacane—in the words; kṛṣṇā—the Yamunā; mārgam—a path; vaḥ—to you; dāsyati—will give; svataḥ—personally. O Yamunā, O best of rivers, if Durvāsā Muni carefully follows his vow of living only by drinking dūrvā grass juice and never eats or drinks anything else, then please give us a path to cross you. When you speak these words, the Yamunā will give you a path to cross her.

Srī Nārada said: O king, hearing these words, the gopīs bowed down before the great sage, went to the Yamunā, repeated the sage's words, and easily crossed the river.

Astonished, the saintly gopīs approached Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Then a doubt rose in the gopīs' hearts. During the rāsa dance, in a secluded place, when their desires were all fulfilled, the gopīs asked a question of Srī Kṛṣṇa.

The gopīs said: We saw Durvāsā Muni, but now a doubt about what You and he told us has risen in our hearts.

kathaṁ bāla-yatis tvaṁ vai vada tad-vṛjinārdana kathaṁ durvāsasaṁ pītvā durvāsā bahu-bhuṅ muniḥ no jāta eṣa sandehaḥ paśyantīnāṁ vrajeśvara yathā—as; guruḥ—the guru; tathā—so; śiṣyaḥ—the disciple; mṛṣā-vādī—speaking lies; na—not; saṁśayaḥ—doubt; jāraḥ—a rake; tvam—You; asi—are; gopīnām—of the gopīs; rasikaḥ—an enjoyer of nectar pastimes; bālyataḥ—since childhood; prabhaḥ—O Lord; katham—how; bāla-yatiḥ—a brahmacari; tvam—You; vai—indeed; vada—tell; tad-vṛjinārdana—O sdavior from troubles; katham—how?; durvāsasam—durvasa juice; pītvā—drinking; durvāsā—Durvasa; bahu-bhuk—eating a great feast; muniḥ—the sage; naḥ—of us; jāta—born; eṣa—this; sandehaḥ—doubt; paśyantīnām—looking on; vrajeśvara—O master of Vraja. As the spiritual master acts, so the disciple follows. If the spiritual master speaks lies, then the disciple will also speak lies. O Lord, You are a rake. You are the gopīs' lover. Since childhood you have enjoyed nectar pastimes with the gopīs. How are You a brahmacārī? O savior from troubles, please tell us. How is Durvāsā a sage that lives only by drinking dūrvā-grass juice? We personally saw him eat an enormous feast. O master of Vraja, this is our doubt.

kathaṁ bāla-yatis tvaṁ vai vada tad-vṛjinārdana kathaṁ durvāsasaṁ pītvā durvāsā bahu-bhuṅ muniḥ no jāta eṣa sandehaḥ paśyantīnāṁ vrajeśvara yathā—as; guruḥ—the guru; tathā—so; śiṣyaḥ—the disciple; mṛṣā-vādī—speaking lies; na—not; saṁśayaḥ—doubt; jāraḥ—a rake; tvam—You; asi—are; gopīnām—of the gopīs; rasikaḥ—an enjoyer of nectar pastimes; bālyataḥ—since childhood; prabhaḥ—O Lord; katham—how; bāla-yatiḥ—a brahmacari; tvam—You; vai—indeed; vada—tell; tad-vṛjinārdana—O sdavior from troubles; katham—how?; durvāsasam—durvasa juice; pītvā—drinking; durvāsā—Durvasa; bahu-bhuk—eating a great feast; muniḥ—the sage; naḥ—of us; jāta—born; eṣa—this; sandehaḥ—doubt; paśyantīnām—looking on; vrajeśvara—O master of Vraja. As the spiritual master acts, so the disciple follows. If the spiritual master speaks lies, then the disciple will also speak lies. O Lord, You are a rake. You are the gopīs' lover. Since childhood you have enjoyed nectar pastimes with the gopīs. How are You a brahmacārī? O savior from troubles, please tell us. How is Durvāsā a sage that lives only by drinking dūrvā-grass juice? We personally saw him eat an enormous feast. O master of Vraja, this is our doubt.

The Supreme Lord said: I am the Supreme Personality of Godhead. i am all-pervading, faultless, and equal to all. I am free of the material defects of possessiveness and false-ego. I am free of the modes of material nature.

As My devotees serve Me, I also serve them in reciprocation. As I reciprocate in this way, so a wise and faultless devotee also reciprocates.

Let not the wise disrupt the minds of the ignorant who are attached to fruitive action. They should not be encouraged to refrain from work, but to engage in work in the spirit of devotion.*

One is understood to be in full knowledge whose every act is devoid of desire for sense gratification. He is said by sages to be a worker whose fruitive action is burned up by the fire of perfect knowledge.*

Such a man of understanding acts with mind and intelligence perfectly controlled, gives up all sense of proprietorship over his possessions and acts only for the bare necessities of life. Thus working, he is not affected by sinful reactions.*

In this world, there is nothing so sublime and pure as transcendental knowledge. Such knowledge is the mature fruit of all mysticsm. And one who has achieved this enjoys the self within himself in due course of time.*

One who performs his duty without attachment, surrendering the results unto the Supreme God, is not affected by sinful action, as the lotus leaf is untouched by water.*

Durvāsā Muni ate that great feast for your sake. He did not desire to eat it. He lives by drinking a little dūrvā-grass juice.

Srī Nārada said: O king of Mithilā, when they heard these words, the gopīs that had been personified Vedas became filled with transcendental knowledge. Their doubt was broken. .pa