Çré Paçankuça Ekädaçé Issue no: 244 14th October 2024

Beyond Mundane Logic

The Killing of the Demon Naraka Svakéya-bhäva of Vaikuntha
Srila Sukadeva Goswami Srila Jiva Goswami

Beyond Mundane Logic Devotional Service to the Divine Couple

His Divine Grace Srila Vishvanatha Chakravarti Thakura
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
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with the hearts of its brave defenders, and with

The Killing of the Demon Naraka His heavy club He demolished the surrounding
Srila Sukadeva Goswami earthen ramparts.
The five-headed demon Mura, who slept at the
[King Parikshit said:] How was Bhaumasura, bottom of the city’s moat, awoke and rose up
who kidnapped so many women, killed by the out of the water when he heard the vibration of
Supreme Lord? Please narrate this adventure of Lord Krishna’s Pancajanya conchshell, a sound as
Lord Sharangadhanva’s.
Shukadeva Gosvami said: After Bhauma had terrifying as the thunder at the end of the cosmic
stolen the earrings belonging to Indra’s mother, age. Shining with the blinding, terrible effulgence
along with Varuna’s umbrella and the demigods’ of the sun’s fire at the end of a millennium, Mura
playground at the peak of Mandara mountain, seemed to be swallowing up the three worlds
Indra went to Lord Krishna and informed Him with his five mouths. He lifted up his trident and
of these misdeeds. The Lord, taking His wife fell upon Garuda, the son of Tarkshya, like an
Satyabhama with Him, then rode on Garuda attacking snake. Mura whirled his trident and
to Pragyotishapura, which was surrounded on then hurled it fiercely at Garuda, roaring from
all sides by fortifications consisting of hills, un- all five mouths. The sound filled the earth and
manned weapons, water, fire and wind, and by sky, all directions and the limits of outer space,
obstructions of murapasha wire. With His club until it reverberated against the very shell of the
the Lord broke through the rock fortifications; universe. Then with two arrows Lord Hari struck
with His arrows, the weapon fortifications; with the trident flying toward Garuda and broke it into
His disc, the fire, water and wind fortifications; three pieces. Next the Lord hit Mura’s faces with
and with His sword, the murapasha cables. With several arrows, and the demon angrily hurled his
the sound of His conchshell Lord Gadadhara then club at the Lord. As Mura’s club sped toward Him
shattered the magic seals of the fortress, along on the battlefield, Lord Gadagraja intercepted it

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 nityaà bhägavata-sevayä Issue no 244, Page—3
with His own and broke it into thousands of piec- frustrated in all his attempts, took up his trident to
es. Mura then raised his arms high and rushed at kill Lord Krishna. But even before he could release
the unconquerable Lord, who easily sliced off his it, the Lord cut off his head with His razor-sharp
heads with His disc weapon. Lifeless, Mura’s de- cakra as the demon sat atop his elephant. Fallen on
capitated body fell into the water like a mountain the ground, Bhaumasura’s head shone brilliantly,
whose peak has been severed by the power of Lord decorated as it was with earrings and an attractive
Indra’s thunderbolt. The demon’s seven sons, en- helmet. As cries of “Alas, alas!” and “Well done!”
raged by their father’s death, prepared to retaliate. arose, the sages and principal demigods worshiped
Ordered by Bhaumasura, Mura’s seven sons Lord Mukunda by showering Him with flower
Tamra, Antariksha, Shravana, Vibhavasu, Vasu, garlands.
Nabhasvan and Aruna followed their general, The goddess of the earth then approached Lord
Pitha, onto the battlefield bearing their weapons. Krishna and presented Him with Aditi’s earrings,
These fierce warriors furiously attacked invincible which were made of glowing gold in-laid with
Lord Krishna with arrows, swords, clubs, spears, shining jewels. She also gave Him a Vaijayanti
lances and tridents, but the Supreme Lord, with flower garland, Varuna’s umbrella and the peak of
unfailing prowess, cut this mountain of weapons Mandara Mountain. O King, after bowing down
into tiny pieces with His arrows. The Lord severed to Him and then standing with joined palms, the
the heads, thighs, arms, legs and armor of these op- goddess, her mind filled with devotion, began to
ponents led by Pitha and sent them all to the abode praise the Lord of the universe, whom the best of
of Yamaraja. Narakasura, the son of the earth, could demigods worship.
not contain his fury when he saw the fate of his mil- [Goddess Bhumi said:] Obeisances unto You,
itary leaders. Thus he went out of the citadel with O Lord of the chief demigods, O holder of the
elephants born from the Milk Ocean who were conchshell, disc and club. O Supreme Soul with-
exuding mada from their foreheads out of excite- in the heart, You assume Your various forms to
ment. Lord Krishna and His wife, mounted upon fulfill Your devotees’ desires. Obeisances unto
Garuda, looked like a cloud with lightning sitting You. My respectful obeisances are unto You, O
above the sun. Seeing the Lord, Bhauma released Lord, whose abdomen is marked with a depres-
his Shataghni weapon at Him, whereupon all of sion like a lotus flower, who are always decorated
Bhauma’s soldiers simultaneously attacked with with garlands of lotus flowers, whose glance is
their weapons. At that moment Lord Gadagraja as cool as the lotus and whose feet are engraved
shot His sharp arrows at Bhaumasura’s army. with lotuses. Obeisances unto You, the Supreme
These arrows, displaying variegated feathers, soon Lord Vasudeva, Vishnu, the primeval person, the
reduced that army to a mass of bodies with severed original seed. Obeisances unto You, the omniscient
arms, thighs and necks. The Lord similarly killed one. Obeisances unto You of unlimited energies,
the opposing horses and elephants. the unborn progenitor of this universe, the Abso-
Lord Hari then struck down all the missiles and lute. O Soul of the high and the low, O Soul of the
weapons the enemy soldiers threw at Him, O created elements, O all-pervading Supreme Soul,
hero of the Kurus, destroying each and every one obeisances unto You.
with three sharp arrows. Meanwhile Garuda, as Desiring to create, O unborn master, You in-
he carried the Lord, struck the enemy’s elephants crease and then assume the mode of passion. You
with his wings. Beaten by Garuda’s wings, beak do likewise with the mode of ignorance when You
and talons, the elephants fled back into the city, wish to annihilate the universe and with goodness
leaving Narakasura alone on the battlefield to when You wish to maintain it. Nonetheless, You
oppose Krishna. Seeing his army driven back and remain uncovered by these modes. You are time,
tormented by Garuda, Bhauma attacked him with the pradhana, and the purusha, O Lord of the
his spear, which had once defeated Lord Indra’s universe, yet still You are separate and distinct.
thunderbolt. But though struck by that mighty This is illusion: that earth, water, fire, air, ether,
weapon, Garuda was not shaken. Indeed, he was sense objects, demigods, mind, the senses, false
like an elephant hit with a flower garland. Bhauma, ego and the total material energy exist independent

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of You. In fact, they are all within You, my Lord, in her own palace. The Lord, performer of the
who are one without a second. Here is the son of inconceivable, constantly remained in each of
Bhaumasura. Frightened, he is approaching Your His queens’ palaces, which were unequaled and
lotus feet, since You remove the distress of all who unexcelled by any other residence. There, al-
seek refuge in You. Please protect him. Place Your though fully satisfied within Himself, He enjoyed
lotus hand, which dispels all sins, upon his head. with His pleasing wives, and like an ordinary
Shukadeva Gosvami said: Thus entreated by husband He carried out His household duties.
Goddess Bhumi in words of humble devotion, Thus those women obtained as their husband
the Supreme Lord bestowed fearlessness upon the husband of the goddess of fortune, although
her grandson and then entered Bhaumasura’s even great demigods like Brahma do not know
palace, which was filled with all manner of riches. how to approach Him. With ever-increasing
There Lord Krishna saw sixteen thousand royal pleasure they experienced loving attraction for
maidens, whom Bhauma had taken by force from Him, exchanged smiling glances with Him and
various kings. The women became enchanted reciprocated with Him in ever-fresh intimacy, re-
when they saw that most excellent of males enter. plete with joking and feminine shyness. Although
In their minds they each accepted Him, who had the Supreme Lord’s queens each had hundreds
been brought there by destiny, as their chosen of maidservants, they chose to personally serve
husband. With the thought “May providence the Lord by approaching Him humbly, offering
grant that this man become my husband,” each Him a seat, worshiping Him with excellent para-
and every princess absorbed her heart in contem- phernalia, bathing and massaging His feet, giving
plation of Krishna. The Lord had the princesses Him pan to chew, fanning Him, anointing Him
arrayed in clean, spotless garments and then with fragrant sandalwood paste, adorning Him
sent them in palanquins to Dvaraka, together with flower garlands, dressing His hair, arranging
with great treasures of chariots, horses and other His bed, bathing Him, and presenting Him with
valuables. Lord Krishna also dispatched sixty-four various gifts.
— Çrémad-Bhägavatam (Bhägavata Puräëa) » Canto 10: The Summum
swift white elephants, descendants of Airavata, Bonum » Chapter 59 » Verses 1-45 »The Supreme Personality of Godhead
who each sported four tusks. » By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Svami Prabhupada
The Lord then went to the abode of Indra, the
demigods’ king, and gave mother Aditi her ear- Beyond Mundane Logic
rings; there Indra and his wife worshiped Krishna His Divine Grace
and His beloved consort Satyabhama. Then, at A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Satyabhama’s behest the Lord uprooted the heav-
enly parijata tree and put it on the back of Garuda. gåheñu täsäm anapäyy atarka-kån
After defeating Indra and all the other demigods, nirasta-sämyätiçayeñv avasthitaù
Krishna brought the parijata to His capital. Once reme ramäbhir nija-käma-sampluto
planted, the parijata tree beautified the garden of yathetaro gärhaka-medhikäàç caran
Queen Satyabhama’s palace. Bees followed the
tree all the way from heaven, greedy for its fra- The Lord, performer of the inconceivable, con-
grance and sweet sap. Even after Indra had bowed stantly remained in each of His queens’ palaces,
down to Lord Acyuta, touched His feet with the which were unequaled and unexcelled by any
tips of his crown and begged the Lord to fulfill his other residence. There, although fully satisfied
desire, that exalted demigod, having achieved his within Himself, He enjoyed with His pleasing
purpose, chose to fight with the Supreme Lord. wives, and like an ordinary husband He carried
What ignorance there is among the gods! To hell out His household duties.
with their opulence! The word atarka-kåt is significant here. Tarka
Then the imperishable Supreme Personality, means "logic," and atarka means "that which
assuming a separate form for each bride, duly is beyond logic." The Lord can perform (kåt)
married all the princesses simultaneously, each

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 nityaà bhägavata-sevayä Issue no 244, Page—5
that which is beyond mundane logic and hence maturity." The acharya adds, "Therefore just as
inconceivable. Still, the Lord's activities can be ap- the Lord of Dvaraka is a plenary expansion of the
preciated and understood to a significant extent by supremely complete Lord of Sri Vrindavana, so
those who surrender unto Him. This is the secret His principal queens are full expansions of His su-
of bhakti, loving devotion to the Supreme Lord. premely complete pleasure potencies, the gopis."
Srila Shridhara Svami comments that the Lord — Çrémad-Bhägavatam (Bhägavata Puräëa) » Canto 10: The Summum
was always at home except for when He had to Bonum » Chapter 59 » Verse: 43 »The Supreme Personality of Godhead
go out to do ordinary household duties. And Srila » Puport the disciples of By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Svami Pra-
Vishvanatha Chakravarti points out that since bhupada
in the Vaikuntha planets Lord Narayana enjoys
with only one goddess of fortune and in Dvaraka Svakéya-bhäva of Vaikuntha
Krishna enjoys with thousands of queens, Dvaraka Srila Jiva Goswami
must be considered superior to Vaikuntha. In this
regard Srila Vishvanatha Chakravarti also quotes Vijaya, “In mädhurya-rati, do the differences of rasa
the following passage from the Skanda Puräëa: in the form of svakéya and pärakiya exist eternally?”
Gosvami, “Yes, svakéya and pärakiya are eternal
ñoòaçaiva sahasräëi rasas and the distinction between them is not a ma-
gopyas tawra samägatäù terial designation. If this were so, then all the rasas,
haàsa eva mataù kåñëaù including mädhurya-rasa, could be seen as based
paramätmä janärdanaù upon material distinctions and thus material in
nature. Therefore, one should understand that the
tasyaitäù çaktayo devi rasas are manifested eternally based upon the tran-
ñoòaçaiva prakéåtitäù scendent reality. Whatever eternal innate rasa the
candra-rüpé mataù kåñëaù soul possesses, becomes the soul’s eternal creedal
kalä-rüpäs tu täù småtäù rasa with its concomitant ruci, taste; bhajana, appli-
cation; and präpti, perfection. Svakéya-rasa is also
sampürëa-maëòalä täsäà present in Vraja. In that rasa, those who perceive
mäliné ñoòaçé kalä Krishna as their husband and thus identify them-
ñoòaçaiva kalä yäsu selves as His wives eternally possess ruci, bhajana,
gopé-rüpä varäìgane and präpti according to their individual status.
“You must comprehend that the svakéya-bhäva of
ekaikaças täù sambhinnäù Dvaraka-lila is a manifestation of Vaikuntha-tattva,
sahasreëa påthak påthak
!! Sri Sri Nitai Gaurchandra Jayati !!
"At that place sixteen thousand gopis were assem- ISKCON
bled with Krishna, who is considered the Supreme, Bhägavata Mahävidyalaya
the Supersoul, the shelter of all living beings. These is a branch of
gopis are His renowned sixteen potencies, O god- International Society for Krishna Consciousness
Founder-Acarya: His Divine Grace
dess. Krishna is like the moon, the gopis are like A.C. BhaktiVedanta Swami Prabhupada
its phases, and the full contingent of gopis is like
the full sequence of the moon's sixteen phases. Quotations from the books, letters, and lectures of
His Divine Grace
Each of these sixteen divisions of gopis, my dear A.C. Bhakti Vedanta Swami Prabhupada
Varangana, is subdivided into one thousand parts."
Srila Vishvanatha Chakravarti further quotes the ©Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International.
Kärttika-mähätmya section of the Padma Puräëa:
kaiçore gopa-kanyäs tä yauvane räja-kanyakäù. ©All the paintings are copyrights of their respective
artists.
"Those who were the daughters of cowherds in
their early youth became royal princesses in their

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 Issue no 244, Page — 6 nityaà bhägavata-sevayä

while the svakéya-bhäva of vraja-lélä is an expan- mixed with aiçvarya-jïäna. This is because the
sion of goloka-tattva—thus the svakéya-bhäva of particular devotional mood prompts him to per-
vraja-lélä is of a distinct and higher status. You ceive Radha on an equal level with Satyabhama.
may perceive this same truth in another way as In following the process of devotional service in
follows: The svakéya-bhäva of Vaikuntha is related raga-marg, however, the devotee is elevated to the
to the tattva of Sri Vasudeva, who is a catuù-vyüha highest spiritual abode of Vraja where he resides
expansion from Vrajanatha Sri Krishna, who is as an eternal associate of Srimati Radhika, serving
in His highest manifestation in Goloka-dhama.” Her in parakiya-bhava and pure mädhurya-jïäna.
— Jaiva-dharma »Translated by Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, Int. & Sarv- Srimati Radhika is Lord Krishna's hladini-çakti
abhavana Dasa (pleasure-giving potency), and She is Krishna's
personal lover. However, when worshipping
Radha and Krishna, They are not venerated in
Devotional Service to the Divine Couple that mood. Rather, the devotee adores the Deities
Srila Vishvanatha Chakravarti Thakura in a more formal attitude that does not intrude
on Their more intimate pastimes. There are
Devotional service to the Divine Couple, Radha no corroborative evidences anywhere, even in
and Krishna, done strictly according to scriptural the writings of self-realized sages and acharyas,
regulations (vaidhi-marg) results in attaining that Srimati Radharani and Lord Krishna were
Goloka in Vaikuntha. The devotee's devotion- a wedded couple. Therefore Sriamti Radhika, in
al mood is aiçvarya-jïäna, with the difference any form manifest or unmanifest, always holds
between svakiya-bhava and parakiyä-bhava the parakiya status and never the svakiya status.
remaining indistinguishable to him. When a We are able to offer here only the essence of this
vaidhi-maie develops an intense desire for mäd- vast subject.
hurya-bhava, he becomes an eternal associate of — Ragavartma-Candrika » Srila Vishvanatha Cakravarti Thakura » Trans-
Queen Satyabhama in Dvaraka serving her and lated by Sarvabhavana Dasa
Krishna in svakiya-bhava, with mädhurya jïäna

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