Srimad Bhagavatam, Volume 3

Srimad Bhagawatam, First Canto, Volume Three
Asate kusalam kachchit ye cha satrujid adayah
Kacchit aste sukham ramah bhagawan satwatam prabhuh.
Kacchit—whether, Raja—the king, Ahuka—Another name of Ugrasena,
Jivati—still living, Asat—mischievous, Putra—son, Asya—his, Cha—also,
Anujah—younger brother, Hridikah—of the name, Sasuta—along with sons
such as, Akrura—of the name, Jayanta—of the name, Gada—of the name,
Saranah—of the name, Asate—are they all, Kusalam—in happiness,
Kacchit—whether, Ye—they, Cha—also, Satrajid—of the name, Adayah—
headed by, Kacchit—whether, Aste—are they, Sukham—alright, Ramah—
Valarama, Bhagwan—the Personality of Godhead, Satwatam—of the
devotees, Prabhu—Protector.
Whether Ugrasena whose mischievous son was Kansa is still living along
with his younger brother Devak. Whether Hridik along with sons
Kritavarma, Akrur, Jayanta, Gada, Saran and Satrajit all happy? How is
Valarama the Personality of Godhead and the Protector of the devotees.
Hastinapur the capital of the Pandavas was situated somwhere near present
New Delhi and the kingdom of Ugrasena was situated in Mathura. While
returning back from Dwarka, Arjuna must have had visited the city of
Mathura on his way back to Delhi and therefore the enquiry about the king
Mathura is valid. Amongst various names of the relatives the name of Rama
or Valarama eldest brother of Lord Krishna, is added with the word
Personality of Godhead because Lord Valarama is the immediate expansion of
Vishnutatwa as Prakash Vigraha of Lord Krishna. The Supreme Lord
although one without a second He expands Himself in many other living
beings. The Vishnutatwa Living Beings are expansion of the Supreme Lord
and all of them are qualitatively and quantitatively equal with the Lord. But
expansion of the Javashakti the category of the ordinary living beings are not
at all equal quantitatively save and except that the same living beings are only
qualitatively equal with the Supreme Lord. One who considers Jivashakti and
the Vishnutatta on the equal level are considered as the condemned soul of the
world. Sri Rama or Valarama is the Protector of the devotees of the Lord.
Valadeva acts as the Spiritual Master of all devotees and by His causeless
mercy only the fallen souls are delivered. Sri Valadeva appeared as Sri
Nityananda Prabhu during the advent of Lord Chaitanya and the Great Lord
Nityananda Prabhu exhibited His causeless mercy by delivering a pair of
extremely fallen souls namely the Jagai and Madhai. Therefore it is
particularly mentioned herein that Valarama is the Protector of the devotees of
the Lord. By His Divine Grace only one can approach the Supreme Lord Sri
Krishna and as such Sri Valarama is the Mercy Incarnation of the Lord
manifested as the Spiritual Master the savior of the pure devotees.
Pradyumna sarva vrishninam sukham aste maharathah
Gambhira raya aniruddha vardhate bhagavan uta.
Pradyumna—son of Lord Krishna, Sarva—all, Vrishninam—of the members
of Vrishni family, Sukham—happiness, Aste—are in, Maharathah—the great
general, Gambhira—deeply, Raya—dexterity, Aniruddha—the name of
another grand-son of Lord Krishna, Vardhate—flourishing, Bhagavan—the
Personality of Godhead, Uta—must.
How Pradyumna the great general of all the family members of Vrishni
family is in happiness and how He Aniruddha the plenary expansion of
the Personality of Godhead is faring well?
Pradyumna and Aniruddha are also expansion of the Personality of Godhead
and as such they are also Vishnutattwa. At Dwarka Lord Vasudeva is engaged
in His transcendental pastimes along with His plenary expansions namely
Sankarsan, Pradyumna and Aniruddha and as such each and every one of
them can be addressed as the Personality of Godhead as it is mentioned in
connection with the name of Aniruddha.
Susena Charudeshnas cha sambo jambovatisutah
Anye cha karshni pravarah saputra rishabhadayah.
All chieftain-like sons of Lord Krishna such as Susena ,Charudhesna,
Sambo the sons of Jambobati, Rishava and all others along with their
sons etc. are they all dolng well?
As already referred to herein before that Lord Krishna had married sixteen
thousands one hundred and eight wives so each of them had ten sons.
Therefore 16108X10=161080 sons. They were all grown up and therefore
each of them had as many sons as their father and the whole aggregate was
some thing near about one crores of family members of the Lord. It is just like
the Lord. The Lord is the Father of all living beings who are countless by
number and therefore if only a few of them is called for associating the Lord
in his transcendental pastime as the Lord of Dwarka on this earth there is
nothing to be astonished if the Lord maintained a visible family consisting of
one crore of members. It is better to refrain ourselves from calculating the
Lord's position as that of ours and it becomes a simple truth as soon as we
understand at least a partial calculation of the Lord's transcendental position.
King Yudhisthira while enquiring about the Lord's sons and grand sons at
Dwarka, he mentioned only the chieftains amongst them otherwise it was
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impossible for him also to remember all the names of the Lord's family
members.
Tatha eva anucharah soureh srutadeva uddhavadayah
Sunanda nanda sirsanya ye cha anye satwata rishavah
Api swasti asate sarve rama krishna bhujashryah
Api smaranti asmakam kushalam baddhasouhridah.
Tatha--similarly, Anucharah--constant companions, Soureh--of Lord Sri
Krishna such as, Srutadeva--of the name, Uddhavadayah--Uddhava and
others, Sunanda--of the name, Nanda--of the name, Sirsanya--other headmen,
Ye--all of them, Anye--others, Satwata--liberated souls, Rishavah--the best
men, Api--if, Swasti--well doing, Asate--are, Sarve--all of them, Rama--
Valarama, Krishna--Lord Krishna, Bhujashryah--under the protection of, Api-
-also if, Smaranti--do remember, Kushalam--welfare, Asmakam--about
ourselves, Baddhasouhridah--bound up by eternal friendship.
Similarly are they all such as Uddhava and others, Nanda, Sunanda and
other head men leaders of the liberated souls who are constant
companions of the Lord as also protected by Lord Valaram and Krishna
doing well in their respective functions? Do they all who are all eternally
bound up in friendship with us, do remember about our welfare?
The constant companions of Lord Krishna such as Uddhava etc all are
liberated souls and they had descended along with Lord Krishna on this
material world to fulfill the mission of the Lord. The Pandavas are also
similarly liberated souls who descended along with Lord Krishna to serve
Him in His transcendental pastimes on this earth. As stated in the Bhagwat
Geeta (Bg. 4.5) the Lord and His eternal associates who are also liberated
souls like the Lord come down on this earth at certain intervals. The Lord
remembers them all but His associates although liberated souls do forget
about them on account of their being Tatastha Sakti or marginal potency of
the Lord. That is the difference between the Vishnutatwa and Jivatatwas. The
Jivatatwas are infinitesemal potential particles of the Lord and therefore they
require the protection of the Lord at all times. And to the eternal servitors of
the Lord the Lord is pleased to give all protection at all tlmes. The liberated
souls never therefore think of themselves as free as the Lord or as powerful as
the Lord but they always seek the protection of the Lord at all circumstances
never mind either in the material world or in the spiritual world. This
dependence of the liberted soul is constitutional as much as the sparks of the
fire can exhibit the glow of fire along with the fire and not independantly.
Independantly the glow of the sparks become extinguished although the
quality of fire or glowing is there. As such those who give up the protection of
the Lord and become so called lord themselves out of spiritual igonrance do
come back again in this material world even after prolonged Tapasya of the
severest type. That is the verdict of all vedic literature.
Bhagwan api govinda brahmanya bhaktavatsalah
Kachchit pure sudharmayam sukham aste suhridbritah.
Bhagwan—the Personality of Godhead Krishna, Api—also, Govinda—One
who enlivens the cows and the senses, Brahmanya—devoted to the devotees
or the Brahmins, Bhaktavatsalah—affectionate for the devotees, Kachchit—
whether, Pure—in the Dwarkapuri, Sudharmayam—pious assembly,
Sukham—happiness, Aste—does enjoy, Suhridbritah—surrounded by friends.
Whether Lord Krishna the Supreme Personality of Godhead Who is
pleasure to the cows, senses and the Brahmins, Who is very much
affectionate for the devotees, does enjoy in the pious assembly at
Dwarkapuri surrounded by friends?
Here in this particular verse the Lord is described as Bhagawan, Govinda,
Brahmanya and Bhaktavatsal. He is Bhagwan Swayam or the original
Supreme Personality of Godhead full with all opulences, all power, all
knowledge, all beauty, all fame and all renunciatiens. No body is equal or
greater than Him. He is Govinda because he is the pleasure of the cows and
the senses. Those who have purified their senses in relation with devotional
service of the Lord, can render unto Him real service and thereby derive
transcendental pleasure out of such purified senses. On the impure codition
the living being cannot derive any pleasure from the senses but being
illusioned by false pleasure of the senses, becomes servant of the senses.
Therefore we need His protection for our own interest. The Lord is the
protector of the cow and the Brahminical culture. In a society which is devoid
of cow protection and Brahminical culture, is not under the direct protection
of the Lord as much as the prisoners in the jails are not under the protection of
the king but under the protection of the severe agent of the king.
Without cow protection and cultivation of the Brahminical qualities in the
human society, at least for a section of members of the society, no human
civilisation can prosper at any length. By Brahminical culture or developing
the dormant quality of goodness namely truthfulness, equanimity, sensecontrol,
forbearance, simplicity, knowledge general, knowledge
transcendental and firm faith in the vedic wisdom, one can become Brahmin
and thus one can see the Lord as He is. And after surpassing the Brahminical
perfection one has to become a devotee of the Lord so that His living affection