Devanagari
विक्रीडितं व्रजवधूभिरिदं च विष्णो:
श्रद्धान्वितोऽनुशृणुयादथ वर्णयेद् य: ।
भक्तिं परां भगवति प्रतिलभ्य कामं
हृद्रोगमाश्वपहिनोत्यचिरेण धीर: ॥ ३९ ॥
Verse text
vikrīḍitaṁ vraja-vadhūbhir idaṁ ca viṣṇoḥ
śraddhānvito ’nuśṛṇuyād atha varṇayed yaḥ
bhaktiṁ parāṁ bhagavati pratilabhya kāmaṁ
hṛd-rogam āśv apahinoty acireṇa dhīraḥ
Synonyms
vikrīḍitam
—
the sporting
;
vraja
—
vadhūbhiḥ — with the young women of Vṛndāvana
;
idam
—
this
;
ca
—
and
;
viṣṇoḥ
—
by Lord Viṣṇu
;
śraddhā
—
anvitaḥ — faithfully
;
anuśṛṇuyāt
—
hears
;
atha
—
or
;
varṇayet
—
describes
;
yaḥ
—
who
;
bhaktim
—
devotional service
;
parām
—
transcendental
;
bhagavati
—
unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead
;
pratilabhya
—
obtaining
;
kāmam
—
material lust
;
hṛt
—
in the heart
;
rogam
—
the disease
;
āśu
—
quickly
;
apahinoti
—
he drives away
;
acireṇa
—
without delay
;
dhīraḥ
—
sober .
Translation
Anyone who faithfully hears or describes the Lord’s playful affairs with the young gopīs of Vṛndāvana will attain the Lord’s pure devotional service. Thus he will quickly become sober and conquer lust, the disease of the heart.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Anyone who faithfully hears or describes the Lord's playful affairs with the young gopīs of Vṛndāvana will attain the Lord's pure devotional service. Thus he will quickly become sober and conquer lust, the disease of the heart.
KB 10.33.39
Śukadeva Gosvāmī concludes this episode of the rāsa-līlā by pointing out that if a person hears from the right source about the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa, who is Viṣṇu Himself, and the gopīs, who are expansions of His energy, then he will be relieved of the most dangerous type of disease, namely lust. In other words, one who actually hears the rāsa-līlā will become completely freed from the lusty desire of sex life and elevated to the highest level of spiritual understanding. Generally, because they hear the rāsa-līlā from Māyāvādīs and they themselves are Māyāvādīs, people become more and more implicated in sex life. The conditioned soul should hear the rāsa-līlā dance from an authorized spiritual master and be trained by him so that he can understand the whole situation. Thus one can be elevated to the highest standard of spiritual life; otherwise one will be implicated. Material lust is a kind of heart disease, and to cure the material heart disease of the conditioned soul, it is recommended that one should hear, but not from the impersonalist rascals. If one hears from the right sources with right understanding, then his situation will be different.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī has used the word śraddhānvita for one who is trained in spiritual life. Śraddhā, or faith, is the beginning. One who has developed his faith in Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Supreme Spirit Soul, can both describe and hear the rāsa-līlā. Śukadeva also uses the word anuśṛṇuyāt. One must hear from the disciplic succession. Anu means “following,” and anu also means “always.” So one must always follow the disciplic succession and not hear from any stray professional reciter, whether a Māyāvādī or an ordinary man. Anuśṛṇuyāt means that one must hear from an authorized person who is in the disciplic succession and is always engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. When a person hears the rāsa-līlā in this way, the effect will be sure: he will be elevated to the highest position of spiritual life.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī uses two specific words, bhaktim and parām. Bhaktiṁ parām means execution of devotional service above the neophyte stage. Those who are simply attracted to temple worship but do not know the philosophy of bhakti are in the neophyte stage. That sort of bhakti is not the perfectional stage. The perfectional stage of bhakti, or devotional service, is completely free from material contamination. The most dangerous aspect of contamination is lust, or sex life. Bhaktiṁ parām devotional service is so potent that the more one advances in this line, the more he loses his attraction for material life. One who is actually deriving benefit from hearing the rāsa-līlā dance surely achieves the transcendental position. He surely loses all traces of lust in his heart.
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura points out that according to the Bhagavad-gītā, Brahmā’s day and Brahmā’s night are periods of solar years expanding to 4,300,000 multiplied by 1,000. According to Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, the rāsa dance was performed during the long period of Brahmā’s night, but the gopīs could not understand that. In order to fulfill their desire, Kṛṣṇa extended the night to cover such a great period of time. One may ask how this was possible, and Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura reminds us that Kṛṣṇa, although bound by a small rope, could show His mother the whole universe within His mouth. How was this possible? The answer is that He can do anything for the pleasure of His devotees. Similarly, because the gopīs wanted to enjoy Kṛṣṇa, they were given the opportunity to associate with Him for a long period. This was done according to His promise. When Kṛṣṇa stole the garments of the gopīs while they were taking a bath at Cīraghāṭa on the Yamunā, He promised to fulfill their desire in some future night. In one night, therefore, they enjoyed the company of Kṛṣṇa as their beloved husband, but that night was not an ordinary night. It was a night of Brahmā, lasting millions and millions of years. Everything is possible for Kṛṣṇa, for He is the supreme controller.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Thirty-third Chapter of Kṛṣṇa, “Description of the Rāsa Dance.”
Purport
The extraordinary power of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s conjugal pastimes is clearly revealed here. Qualitatively, the Lord’s spiritual, loving pastimes are the diametric opposite of material, lusty affairs, so much so that simply by hearing about the Lord’s pastimes a devotee conquers sex desire. By reading pornographic literature or hearing about material romance, we certainly do not conquer sex desire but rather increase our lust. But hearing or reading about the Lord’s conjugal affairs has exactly the opposite effect because they are of the opposite nature, being purely spiritual. Therefore it is by the causeless mercy of Lord Kṛṣṇa that He exhibits His
rāsa-līlā
within this world. If we become attached to this narration, we will experience the bliss of spiritual love and thus reject the perverted reflection of that love, which is called lust. As nicely put by Lord Kṛṣṇa in the
Bhagavad-gītā
(2.59)
,
paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate:
“Once having directly experienced the Supreme, one will not return to material pleasures.”
Thus end the purports of the humble servants of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda to the Tenth Canto, Thirty-third Chapter, of the
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam,
entitled “The Rāsa Dance.”
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
The result of hearing and chanting the glories of the rasa, which is the crown jewel of all pastimes, is also the crown jewel of all results. One who hears continuously (anusrnuyat) and glorifies or writes in poetry (varnayet) this autumn rasa lila (idam) and other similar pastimes, and other pastimes described elsewhere by other poets (ca) of Krsna, who spread himself out among all the gopis (Visnu, one who pervades), attains the first appearance of prema even within his condition of having material desire. By the influence of prema however quickly the material desire is destroyed. Thus it is understood here that this prema is not weak or dependent, like jnana yoga. It is independent.
Here hrt roga refers to material desire. When the word is used in relation to the Lord, however, such meaning is excluded. The kama in relation to Krsna is prema, and has opposite effect to the material kama. The person who hears and glorifies the rasa is described as learned (dhira). If material kama is present, how can prema appear? In that person who is devoid of foolishness, who accepts scripture (dhira), who is full of faith, prema can appear. Prema does not accept those who have no faith in the Lord or who are offenders to the Holy Name.
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
It has been shown through kaimutya that the result of these pastimes is prema, because prema, which is the opposite of material love results from hearing about Kṛṣṇa’s rāsa pastimes. Taking this conclusion, Śukadeva, at the end of the description of the rāsa-līlā, absorbed in prema, describes the natural results of the pastimes, while giving blessings to the future hearers and narrators of the pastimes. Kṛṣṇa had pastimes with the gopīs having fresh youth (vadhubhiḥ) as if newly married. Or he had special pastimes (vi—krīḍitām) with the gopīs who became his wives during the rāsa pastimes. The word ca indicates other gopīs also. Kṛṣṇa is called Viṣṇu (all pervasive) because he spread himself everywhere by being with each gopī. (SB 10.33.3) One should hear or recite these pastimes with faith. This is mentioned to exclude the opposite—offensive mentality. This will enable one to hearing continuously and also attain the special result. One who hears continuously (anu—śṛnuyāt) and then narrates the pastimes, and (though not mentioned, understood) remembers the pastimes, attains at every moment (pratilabhya), in a new way, prema (bhaktim) of the highest type (parām), following after that of the gopīs. He quickly gives up lust, the disease in the heart (hṛd-rogam). This does not refer to kāma directed to the Lord, since spiritual kāma is the opposite of material kāma, being the form of the highest prema. Kāma in the verse represents other contaminations in the heart as well.
It is said:
brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati
samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām ||
Having attained the state of Brahman, being a pure soul, he does not lament at the loss of what he has attained nor does he desire what he has not attained, and looks upon all beings as equal. He then manifests pure bhakti and even prema-bhakti. BG 18.54
The Gītā verse explains that, before the destruction of material contamination, one cannot normally attain the highest bhakti. Thus, this sādhana of hearing the pastimes is said to be most powerful. The person also achieves steadiness (dhīraḥ). Or, kāmam can mean “according to one’s desire.” The meaning is then “Having attained at every moment bhakti according to one’s desires, one quickly destroys the pain (hrḍ-rogam) caused by not attaining Kṛṣṇa.” This mean one attains Kṛṣṇa after attaining the highest bhakti.
May this be for the pleasure of the Lord, who is the form of consciousness, who has made this fool dance internally and externally by his pastimes.
Purport (Sanatana Goswami)
Kṛṣṇa had pastimes with the gopīs having fresh youth (vadhubhiḥ) as if newly married. Or he had special pastimes—the rāsa dance (vi—krīḍitām) with the gopīs who became like his wives during the rāsa pastimes. The word ca indicates other pastimes also. Or ca means but (tu) to distinguish it from other pastimes. Kṛṣṇa is called Viṣṇu (all pervasive) because he spread himself everywhere by being with each gopī. (SB 10.33.3) One should hear with faith because otherwise one cannot achieve the highest bhakti, since rasa will not arise. With faith one will then hear continually (anu-śṛṇuyāt).
Or nu means certainly (nu śṛṇuyāt). After getting faith one will certainly hear. Or nu indicates to indicate choice. One may hear or (nu) recite (varṇayet) the pastimes.
Or anu means “everything mentioned.” One should hear, chant and remember (though not mentioned) since all produce the highest bhakti. Of the three activities, rememberance is superior. Chanting is next, and then hearing.
The word yaḥ (who) indicates that it does not depend on qualification. Anyone who hears, chants or rememebers will attain at every moment, ever new (prati-labhya) prema (parām bhaktim). He will destroy desire which is the disease of the heart. This excludes desire directed to the Lord since kāma directed to the Lord gives the opposite result, the highest sweetness. He attains the knower of the truth about all matters (dhīraḥ) or his heart again becomes disturbed by desire (spiritual).
These are accompanying results of attaining prema. That is the main result. These results also occur by hearing and chanting. What can be said about his pastimes which appear to have material lust, criticized by all? These extra results are thus mentioned. The lust between Kṛṣṇa and the gopīs is a special form of mature prema and not material lust. This is explained in Bhāgavatāmṛta.
Or the intelligent person considering the matter (dhīraḥ), attaining bhakti with kāma, quickly destroys the pain in the heart due to not attaining Kṛṣṇa. This means that he attains the Lord.
May this be for the pleasure of the Lord, who is the form of consciousness, who has made this fool dance internally and externally by his pastimes.
Thus end the purports of the humble servants of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda to the Tenth Canto, Thirty-third Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled "The Rāsa Dance."
10.34: Nanda Mahārāja Saved and Śaṅkhacūḍa Slain
verses: Summary, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12-13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32
Chapter Summary
This chapter describes how Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa saved His father Nanda from the clutches of a serpent and delivered a Vidyādhara named Sudarśana from the curse of the Āṅgirasa sages.
One day Nanda Mahārāja and the other cowherd men placed their family members on their bullock carts and went to the Ambikāvana forest to worship Lord Śiva. After bathing in the Sarasvatī River and worshiping Lord Sadāśiva, a form of Lord Viṣṇu, they decided to spend the night in the forest. As they slept, a hungry serpent came and began to swallow Nanda Mahārāja. Terrified, Nanda cried out in distress, "O Kṛṣṇa! O my son, please save this surrendered soul!" The cowherd men immediately awoke and began beating the serpent with wooden torches, but the serpent would not release Nanda. Then Lord Kṛṣṇa came and touched the serpent with His lotus foot. The serpent was immediately freed from his reptilian body and appeared in his original form as a demigod. He told them about his previous identity and described how he had been cursed by a group of sages. Then he offered his homage at the lotus feet of Śrī Kṛṣṇa and, on the Lord's order, returned to his own abode.
Later, during the Dola-pūrṇimā festival, Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Baladeva enjoyed pastimes in the forest with the young women of Vraja. The girlfriends of Baladeva and those of Kṛṣṇa joined together and sang about Their transcendental qualities. When the two Lords became absorbed in singing to the point of apparent intoxication, a servant of Kuvera's named Śaṅkhacūḍa boldly came forward and began abducting the gopīs. The young girls called out, "Kṛṣṇa, please save us!" and He and Rāma began to chase after Śaṅkhacūḍa. "Don't be afraid!" Kṛṣṇa called out to the gopīs. In fear of the Lords, Śaṅkhacūḍa left the gopīs aside and ran for his life. Kṛṣṇa chased after him, swiftly approached him and with a blow of His fist removed Śaṅkhacūḍa's jewel, together with his head. Then Kṛṣṇa brought the jewel back and presented it to Lord Baladeva.