SB 10.59.43

This verse elaborates on the previous verse. He (bhavagān from the previous verse) stayed completely (ava) in their houses, with his body, mind and words and enjoyed with his svarūpa-śakti, in its various expansions as his wives. Thus these actions did in no way diminish his status as ātmārāma (satisfied in himself, not requiring material enjoyment) and pūrṇa-kāma (complete in all fulfilling all his desires by himself). “If that is so, what is the question of rasa (which requires more than one person)?” He was completely filled with special prema (kāma) for his devotees, and this prema was his own (nija), not material. For pastimes he manifested special astonishing prema for these women who were composed of special prema operating as the various forms of his hlādini-śakti arising from his svarūpa, who by appearing separately represented the śakti’s chief aspects in order to enact pastimes, and who were non-different and different from him, being his śaktis. “But by appearing in the material world, the ingredients of the house would also be material.” The ingredients had no equal: they were superior to those of Vaikuṇṭha (nirasta-sāmyātiśayeṣu). Thus he enjoyed with many (ramābhiḥ) rather than with just one Lakṣmī, which is the case in Vaikuṇṭha. “How could he be simultaneously and constantly be present with each one of them?” He is filled with his inconceivable energy (atarkya-kṛt). Being constantly present (anapāyi) means that he was present at suitable times (for pastimes he was sometimes absent) since it is also said that he acted like a regular householder and it is said in the First Canto that the queens experienced separation at times. An example is given to show how he was filled with prema for his devotees (nija-kāma-sampluṭaḥ): he acted like an ordinary husband. purā kṛṣṇo mahātejā yadā prabhāsam āgataḥ sahito yādavaiḥ sarvaiḥ ḍaṭ-prañcāśat prakoṭibhiḥ ṣoḍaśaiva sahasrāṇi gopyas tatra samāgatāḥ lakṣam ekaṁ tathā ṣaṣṭir ete kṛṣṇa-sutāḥ priye tato gopyo mahādevi vidyāyāḥ ṣoḍaśa smṛtāḥ tāsām nāmāni te vakṣye tāni hy ekamanā śṛṇu lambinī candrikā kāntā krurā śāntā mahodayā bhīṣaṇī nandinī śokā supūrvavimalākṣayā Śubhaḍa śobhanā pūṇyā haṁsasītā kalāḥ kramāt haṁsa eva mataḥ kṛṣṇaḥ paramātmā janārdanaḥ tasyaitāḥ śaktayo devi ṣoḍaśaiva prakīṛtitāḥ candra-rūpī mataḥ kṛṣṇaḥ kalā-rūpās tu tāḥ smṛtāḥ sampūrṇa-maṇḍalā tāsāṁ mālinī ṣoḍaśī kalā pratipat-tithim ārambhya sañcaraty āsu candramāḥ ṣoḍaśaiva kalā yāsu gopī-rūpā varāṅgane ekaikaśas tāḥ sambhinnāḥ sahasreṇa pṛthak pṛthak evaṁ te kathitaṁ devi rahasyaṁ jñanāsambhavam ya evam veda puruṣaḥ sa jñeyo vaiṣṇavao budhaiḥ Previously when Kṛṣṇa went to Prabhāsa with over fifty-six million Yādavas, sixteen thousand gopīs (queens) also came there as well as one hundred sixty thousand of Kṛṣṇa’s sons. O great goddess, the gopīs are known as the sixteen types of knowledge. I will recite their names. Please listen with attention. They are Lambinī, Candrikā, Kāntā, Krurā, Śāntā, Mahodayā, Bhīṣaṇī, Nandinī, Śokā, Vimalā, Akṣayā, Śubhaḍā, Śobhanā, Pūṇyā, and Hamsa-sītā. Kṛṣṇa is considered Haṁsa, the Paramātmā. These are known as his sixteen śaktis. He is like the moon and they are like the phases of the moon. The sixteenth phase is Malinī and this makes the complete cycle. Starting with the first lunar day (pratipat), the moon moves quickly through the different phases. Each of these sixteen phases, in the form of the gopīs, my dear Varāṅganā, is subdivided into one thousand parts. O goddess! I have thus told you this secret which produces knowledge. He who knows this is known as a Vaiṣṇava by the wise. In this quotation gopīs means the queens since gopa also means king according Nānārtha-varga. Gopa means “one who protects everyone.” Or gopī means the śakti of the king. The same usage is found in the explanation of the ten syllable Kṛṣṇa mantra found in Gautamīya Tantra. Lambanī is the śakti causing avatāras (appearances). Supūrvavimalā means Suvimalā. The word haṁsa in hamsa-sītā is explained later as referring to Kṛṣṇa who is called Haṁsa. Candra-rūpī means that Kṛṣṇa is compared to the moon. The queens are compared to the phases of the moon (kalā). This means they are his śaktis. Just as the moon showers nectar through its phases, Kṛṣṇa displays nectar through his śaktis. The final kalā or great śakti is not mentioned in the first list. It is described as sampūrṇā. In order to explain the example, the gradual phases of the moon are described starting with pratipat. Just as the moon moves through the various phases starting from the pratipat, Kṛṣṇa, taking particular opportunities for pastimes, reveals his various śaktis. Since these sixteen śaktis are forms of knowledge (vidyā), since one gains secret knowledge from this teaching, and since this knowledge produces a symptom of a Vaiṣṇava, forms like Krurā (cruelty), Bhīṣaṇī (terror) and Śokā (lamentation) arise from the Lord’s svarūpa alone. Kaṁsa saw Kṛṣṇa as death since he was terrifying to the wicked, and the wrestlers saw him as a thunderbolt since they perceived Kṛṣṇa as cruel. He was a punisher by the sinful kings since they saw him as the cause of their lamentation. The apparent unfavorable śaktis may be explained to function in this way. The light of the sun is a cause of illumination but for the owls it is like darkness. Thus Kṛṣṇa is like the moon and his queens are like the phases of the moon. This example indicates clearly that his queens arise from his svarūpa. Other explanations of the queens will be tinged with falsity.