Chapter Fifteen Barhiṣmatī-pur-aṅghry-apsaraḥ-sutala-vāsinī-nāgendra-kanyopākhyāna The Story of the Women of Barhiṣmatī-pura, the Apsarās, and the Women of Sutala and Nāgendra

Śrī Nārada said: O king of Mithilā, in Vraja lived a righteous and wealthy gopa named Nanda, who had been the king of Śoṇapura. He had five thousand wives.

He had many daughters. Some had previously been born from the milk-ocean and had been the goddess of fortune's friends, and now were born as gopīs by Lord Matsya's benediction, and others had been the plants the sprouted when the earth was milked.

Some had been the women of Barhiṣmatī-pura. They remembered their previous birth. Others had been apsarās and became gopī by the blessings of Nārāyaṇa Ṛṣi

Some had been the women of Sutalaloka and became gopīs by the blessings of Lord Vāmana. Others had been the daughters of the king of the Nāgas and they became gopīs by the spiritual blessings of Lord Śeṣa.

Durvāsā Muni gave them the wonderful kṛṣṇā-paṣcāṅga method of worship. Following it, they worshiped the Yamunā and attained Lord Kṛṣṇa as their husband.

madhupa-dhvani-samyukte kūjat-kokila-sārase madhu-māse manda-vāyau vasanta-latikāvṛte dolotsavaṁ samārebhe harir madana-mohanaḥ kadamba-vrkṣe rahasi kalpa-vrkṣe manohare ekadā—once; śrī-hariḥ—Śrī Kṛṣṇa; tābhiḥ—with them; vṛndāraṇye—in Vṛndāvana forest; manohare—beautiful; yamunā-nikaṭe—by the Yamunā shore; divye—splendid; puṁs-kokila-taru-vraje—among trees filled with cuckoos; madhupa-dhvani-samyukte—filled with the humming of bees; kūjat—warbling; kokila—cuckoos; sārase—and cranes; madhu-māse—in the month of Madhu; manda-vāyau—with a gentle breeze; vasanta-latikāvṛte—filled with madhavi vines; dola—swing; utsavaṁfestival; samārebhe—did; hariḥ—Kṛṣṇa; madana-mohanaḥ—more charming than Kāmadeva; kadamba-vrkṣe—in a kadamba tree; rahasi—in a secluded place; kalpa-vrkṣe—in a desire tree; manohare—beautiful. Once, during the month of Caitra (March-April), Lord Kṛṣṇa, who is more charming than Kāmadeva, enjoyed a swing festival with these gopīs in a kadamba kalpa-vṛkṣa tree in a beautiful and secluded place in beautiful Vṛndāvana forest, a place filled with trees and mādhavī vines, buzzing bees, cooing cuckoos and cranes, and a gentle breeze from the nearby Yamunā.

madhupa-dhvani-samyukte kūjat-kokila-sārase madhu-māse manda-vāyau vasanta-latikāvṛte dolotsavaṁ samārebhe harir madana-mohanaḥ kadamba-vrkṣe rahasi kalpa-vrkṣe manohare ekadā—once; śrī-hariḥ—Śrī Kṛṣṇa; tābhiḥ—with them; vṛndāraṇye—in Vṛndāvana forest; manohare—beautiful; yamunā-nikaṭe—by the Yamunā shore; divye—splendid; puṁs-kokila-taru-vraje—among trees filled with cuckoos; madhupa-dhvani-samyukte—filled with the humming of bees; kūjat—warbling; kokila—cuckoos; sārase—and cranes; madhu-māse—in the month of Madhu; manda-vāyau—with a gentle breeze; vasanta-latikāvṛte—filled with madhavi vines; dola—swing; utsavaṁfestival; samārebhe—did; hariḥ—Kṛṣṇa; madana-mohanaḥ—more charming than Kāmadeva; kadamba-vrkṣe—in a kadamba tree; rahasi—in a secluded place; kalpa-vrkṣe—in a desire tree; manohare—beautiful. Once, during the month of Caitra (March-April), Lord Kṛṣṇa, who is more charming than Kāmadeva, enjoyed a swing festival with these gopīs in a kadamba kalpa-vṛkṣa tree in a beautiful and secluded place in beautiful Vṛndāvana forest, a place filled with trees and mādhavī vines, buzzing bees, cooing cuckoos and cranes, and a gentle breeze from the nearby Yamunā.

madhupa-dhvani-samyukte kūjat-kokila-sārase madhu-māse manda-vāyau vasanta-latikāvṛte dolotsavaṁ samārebhe harir madana-mohanaḥ kadamba-vrkṣe rahasi kalpa-vrkṣe manohare ekadā—once; śrī-hariḥ—Śrī Kṛṣṇa; tābhiḥ—with them; vṛndāraṇye—in Vṛndāvana forest; manohare—beautiful; yamunā-nikaṭe—by the Yamunā shore; divye—splendid; puṁs-kokila-taru-vraje—among trees filled with cuckoos; madhupa-dhvani-samyukte—filled with the humming of bees; kūjat—warbling; kokila—cuckoos; sārase—and cranes; madhu-māse—in the month of Madhu; manda-vāyau—with a gentle breeze; vasanta-latikāvṛte—filled with madhavi vines; dola—swing; utsavaṁfestival; samārebhe—did; hariḥ—Kṛṣṇa; madana-mohanaḥ—more charming than Kāmadeva; kadamba-vrkṣe—in a kadamba tree; rahasi—in a secluded place; kalpa-vrkṣe—in a desire tree; manohare—beautiful. Once, during the month of Caitra (March-April), Lord Kṛṣṇa, who is more charming than Kāmadeva, enjoyed a swing festival with these gopīs in a kadamba kalpa-vṛkṣa tree in a beautiful and secluded place in beautiful Vṛndāvana forest, a place filled with trees and mādhavī vines, buzzing bees, cooing cuckoos and cranes, and a gentle breeze from the nearby Yamunā.

As the Yamunā was filled with waves, these gopīs, deeply in love with Kṛṣṇa, enjoyed pastimes on a swing.

As Kāmadeva shines with Rati by His side, so in Vṛndāvana forest Lord Kṛṣṇa shone with Kīrti's daughter Rādhā, who was more beautiful and glorious than millions of moons, by His side.

All these gopīs attained Nanda's son, Lord Kṛṣṇa, the perfect Supreme Personality of Godhead, as their lover. Who can describe the austerities they must have performed?

During the beautiful month of Caitra (March-April), by the Yamunā's shore, the beautiful gopīs that had been the daughters of the Nāga-king attained the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Balarāma, as their lover.

Now I have told you the beautiful and sacred story of the gopīs, a story that removes all sins. What more do you wish to hear?

Śrī Bahulāśva said: O sage, please describe to me the paṣcāṅga method of worshiping the Yamunā that Durvāsā gave to the gopīs and that they followed to attain Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Śrī Nārada said: Simply by hearing this ancient story one becomes free of all sins.

vṛndāvane sthitaṁ sākṣāt kṛṣṇā-tīre manohare natvā jāmātaraṁ rājā saubhariṁ prāha mānadaḥ ayodhyā—of Ayodhyā; adhipatiḥ—trhe king; śrīmān—glorious; mandhātā—Mandhātā; rāja-sattamaḥ—the best of kings; mṛgayam—in hunting; vicaran—going; prāptaḥ—attained; saubhareḥ—of Saubhari Muni; āśramam—the asrama; śubham—auspicious; vṛndāvane—in Vṛndāvana; sthitam—situated; sākṣāt—directlky; kṛṣṇā-tīre—by ther Yamunā's shore; manohare—beautiful; natvā—bowing down; jāmātaram—to his son-in-law; rājā—the king; saubharim—to saubhari; prāha—said; mānadaḥ—respectful. As glorious Mandhātā, the king of Ayodhyā, was hunting, he wandered into Saubhari Muni's auspicious āśrama, which was in beautiful Vṛndāvana forest by the Yamunā's shore. Bowing down before his son-in-law, the respectful king spoke to Saurabhi.

vṛndāvane sthitaṁ sākṣāt kṛṣṇā-tīre manohare natvā jāmātaraṁ rājā saubhariṁ prāha mānadaḥ ayodhyā—of Ayodhyā; adhipatiḥ—trhe king; śrīmān—glorious; mandhātā—Mandhātā; rāja-sattamaḥ—the best of kings; mṛgayam—in hunting; vicaran—going; prāptaḥ—attained; saubhareḥ—of Saubhari Muni; āśramam—the asrama; śubham—auspicious; vṛndāvane—in Vṛndāvana; sthitam—situated; sākṣāt—directlky; kṛṣṇā-tīre—by ther Yamunā's shore; manohare—beautiful; natvā—bowing down; jāmātaram—to his son-in-law; rājā—the king; saubharim—to saubhari; prāha—said; mānadaḥ—respectful. As glorious Mandhātā, the king of Ayodhyā, was hunting, he wandered into Saubhari Muni's auspicious āśrama, which was in beautiful Vṛndāvana forest by the Yamunā's shore. Bowing down before his son-in-law, the respectful king spoke to Saurabhi.

Śrī Mandhātā said: O Lord, O best of the all-knowing, You are like a second sun that lights up the darkness of the worlds.

Please tell me how in this life I may attain a great kingdom and in the next life a spiritual form like that of Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Śrī Saubhari said: I will describe to you the paṣcāṅga method of worshiping the Yamunā. This worship brings all perfection. It gives one a spiritual form like that of Lord Kṛṣṇa.

This worship brings one a kingdom that lasts for as long as the sun rises and shines in the sky. This worship makes Lord Kṛṣṇa into one's submissive servant.

The wise know that the five parts of paṣcāṅga worship are: 1. kavaca, 2. stava, 3. sahasra-nāma, 4. paṭala, and 5. paddhati.