SB 1.10.26

Now they speak about the recipients and place of the Lord’s appearance. Though the excellence of both the recipients and place is accomplished by saying that both are praiseworthy (ślāghyatamam), a separate statement is made about the purity of the area around Mathurā in the second line, since the place is well known for its purifying powers. The extreme nature of this purity is expressed by alam (can this be so?) which expresses disbelief. Furthermore the word aho expresses the greatest astonishment. By his birth, by his walking about the place, and by other various astonishing activities (ca), Kṛṣṇa respected the area of Mathurā. By the use of the present tense without saying alam (no disbelief), they indicate that the birth and activities of Kṛṣṇa are eternal. Their intention can be understood by comparing their first statement describing the pastime of creation in the past tense ya eka āsīt (SB 1.10.21) and the vision of the sages in the present tense (SB 1.10.23). “How can the birth and activities be eternal? Those are actions, and any action or its part has a beginning and an end. Without beginning and end there will be a deficiency in the very nature of action.” No, this is not a fault. Since the Lord has unlimited forms at all times, he has unlimited manifestations. Because of that he has unlimited pastimes of birth and activities. And thus he has unlimited manifestations of places and associates in this world and the spiritual world for those pastimes. Thus though there are beginning and endings of his birth and activities for each of these manifested forms in each of these places, the moment a portion of the birth or activities ends or even before it ends, the birth and activities begin in other places. Because there is no lack of continuity in the Lord, his birth and activities are eternal. Sometimes the birth and activities take place in a slightly different manner and sometimes in exactly the same manner, because of difference or oneness of different conditions. And as well one form becomes many for performing different actions at once. This will be explained in relation to Kṛṣṇa’s expansions in Dvārakā. (SB 10.69.3) At that time it should be understood that Kṛṣṇa has different identities in each of these different active forms because they perform different actions. And there is a particular appearance of rasa caused by the particular pastime in the particular place. “Why did you speak of the birth and activities as one item? Because they begin separately, they should be considered separately.” No, there is oneness of similar forms of actions even though they appear at different times. Śaṅkara-śārīrika says: dvirgo-śabdo ’yam uccarito na tu dvau go-śabdāv iti pratīti-nirṇītaṁ śabdaikatvam tathaiva dviḥ pākaḥ kṛto’nena na tu dvau pākāv When one says the word dvirgo one does not perceive two different words but one. Similarly we do conceive of dviḥ pākaḥ as one, not two words. Therefore it is correct to say that the birth and pastimes together are eternal. Thus in various scriptures it is recommended to perform meditation on the pastimes which took place previously (since they are eternal). This is also stated in Madhva’s commentary relating to Paramātmā. Thus, because they are eternal, forms such as Trivikrama can disappear with no contradiction. Śruti agrees with this. Yad bhūtaṁ bhavac ca bhaviṣyac ca: the Lord was present in the past, is present now and will be present in the future. (Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad 3.8.3) This means that though the Lord disappears, he is still recommended as the best object of worship. It should be understood that the Lord’s birth is different from our material birth. The Lord makes an appearance in the likeness of a material birth or somewhat similar. This is explained in Bhagavat-sandarbha. Some say that the pastimes as well as the devotees and dhāmas are called eternal simply because there are many manifestations of his birth and activities in infinite, eternal dhāmas in the material world.