CHAPTER NINETEEN
The Perfection of the Mellow of Pure Love, The Glories of Rasa (siddha prema-rasa/rasa-mahima)
10.11.47 Shukadeva Gosvami to Maharaja Parikshit
te tatra dadrsur balamaha-sattvam avasthitam
tatrasur vajra-nirbhinnam gireh srngam iva cyutam
te--they; tatra--there; dadrsuh--observed; balah--all the boys; maha-sattvam--a gigantic body; avasthitam--situated; tatrasuh—became afraid; vajra-nirbhinnam--broken by a thunderbolt; gireh srngam—the peak of a mountain; iva--like; cyutam--fallen there.
Right by the reservoir, the boys saw a giantic body resembling a mountain peak broken and struck down by a thunderbolt. They were afraid even to see such a huge living being.
10.11.48 Shukadeva Gosvami to Maharaja Parikshit
sa vai bako nama mahan asuro baka-rupa-dhrk
agatya sahasa krishnamtiksna-tundo 'grasad bali
sah--that creature; vai--indeed; bakah nama--by the name Bakasura; mahan asurah--a great, gigantic demon; baka-rupa-dhrk--assumed the bodily shape of a big duck; agatya--coming there; sahasa--all of a sudden; krishnam--Krishna; tiksna-tundah--sharp beak; agrasat--swallowed; bali--very powerful.
That great-bodied demon was named Bakasura. He had assumed the body of a duck with a very sharp beak. Having come there, he immediately swallowed Krishna.
10.11.50-51 Shukadeva Gosvami to Maharaja Parikshit
tam talu-mulam pradahantam agnivad
gopala-sunum pitaram jagad-guroh
caccharda sadyo 'tirusaksatam bakas
tundena hantum punar abhyapadyata
tam--Krishna; talu-mulam--the root of the throat; pradahantam--burning; agni-vat--like fire; gopala-sunum--Krishna, the son of a cowherd man; pitaram--the father; jagat-guroh--of Lord Brahma; caccharda--got out of his mouth; sadyah--immediately; ati-rusa--with great anger; aksatam--without being hurt; bakah--Bakasura; tundena--with his sharp beak; hantum--to kill; punah--again; abhyapadyata--endeavored.
Krishna, who was the father of Lord Brahma but who was acting as the son of a cowherd man, became like fire, burning the root of the demon's throat, and the demon Bakasura immediately disgorged Him. When the demon saw that Krishna, although having been swallowed, was unharmed, he immediately attacked Krishna again with his sharp beak. (50)
tam apatantam sa nigrhya tundayor
dorbhyam bakam kamsa-sakham satam patih
pasyatsu balesu dadara lilaya
mudavaho viranavad divaukasam
tam--unto Bakasura; apatantam--again endeavoring to attack Him; sah--Lord Krishna; nigrhya--capturing; tundayoh--by the beak; dorbhyam--with His arms; bakam--Bakasura; kamsa-sakham--who was the friend and associate of Kamsa; satam patih--Lord Krishna, the master of the Vaishnavas; pasyatsu--while observing; balesu--all the cowherd boys; dadara--bifurcated; lilaya--very easily; muda-avahah--this action was very much pleasing; virana-vat--like the grass called virana (as it is bifurcated); divaukasam--to all the denizens of heaven.
When Krishna, the leader of the Vaishnavas, saw that the demon Bakasura, the friend of Kamsa, was endeavoring to attack Him, with His arms He captured the demon by the two halves of the beak, and in the presence of all the cowherd boys Krishna very easily bifurcated Him, as a child splits a blade of virana grass. By thus killing the demon, Krishna very much pleased the denizens of heaven. (51)
10.12.01 Shukadeva Gosvami to Maharaja Parikshit
shri-suka uvaca
kvacid vanasaya mano dadhad vrajat
pratah samutthaya vayasya-vatsapan
prabodhayan chrnga-ravena caruna
vinirgato vatsa-purahsaro harih
shri-sukah uvaca--Shri Sukadeva Gosvami said; kvacit--one day; vana-asaya--just to enjoy a picnic in the forest; manah--mind; dadhat--gave attention; vrajat--and went out of Vrajabhumi; pratah--early in the morning; samutthaya--waking up; vayasya-vatsa-pan--the cowherd boys and the calves; prabodhayan--to get everyone to rise, waking up and informing them; srnga-ravena—by sounding the bugle made of horn; caruna--very beautiful; vinirgatah--came out of Vrajabhumi; vatsa-purahsarah--keeping the respective groups of calves in front; harih--the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Shukadeva Gosvami continued: O King, one day Krishna decided to take His breakfast as a picnic in the forest. Having risen early in the morning, He blew His bugle made of horn and woke all the cowherd boys and calves with its beautiful sound. Then Krishna and the boys, keeping their respective groups of calves before them, proceeded from Vrajabhumi to the forest.
10.12.03 Shukadeva Gosvami to Maharaja Parikshit
krishna-vatsair asankhyatair
yuthi-krtya sva-vatsakan
carayanto 'rbha-lilabhir
vijahrus tatra tatra ha
krishna--of Lord Krishna; vatsaih--along with the calves; asankhya--taih--unlimited; yuthi-krtya--assembled them; sva-vatsakan--personal calves; carayantah--executing; arbha-lilabhih--by boyhood pastimes; vijahruh--enjoyed; tatra tatra--here and there; ha--indeed.
Along with the cowherd boys and their own groups of calves, Krishna came out with an unlimited number of calves assembled. Then all the boys began to sport in the forest in a great playful spirit.
10.12.06 Shukadeva Gosvami to Maharaja Parikshit
yadi duram gatah krsno vana-sobheksanaya tam
aham purvam aham purvamiti samsprsya remire
yadi--if; duram--to a distant place; gatah--went; krishnah--the Supreme Personality of Godhead; vana-sobha--the beauty of the forest; iksanaya--for visiting and enjoying; tam--unto Krishna; aham--I; purvam--first; aham--I; purvam--first; iti--in this way; samsprsya—by touching Him; remire--they enjoyed life.
Sometimes Krishna would go to a somewhat distant place to see the beauty of the forest. Then all the other boys would run to accompany Him each one saying, "I shall be the first to run and touch Krishna! I shall touch Krishna first!" In this way they enjoyed life by repeatedly touching Krishna.
10.12.08 Shukadeva Gosvami to Maharaja Parikshit
vicchayabhih pradhavanto gacchantah sadhu-hamsakaih
bakair upavisantas canrtyantas ca kalapibhih
vicchayabhih--with running shadows; pradha--vantah--someone running on the ground after the birds; gacchantah--going along; sadhu--beautiful; hamsakaih--with the swans; bakaih--with the ducks sitting in one place; upavisantah ca--sitting silently like them; nrtyantah ca--and dancing with; kalapibhih--with the peacocks;
Some boys imitated flying birds by running after the bird's shadows on the ground, some imitated the beautiful movements and attractive postures of the swans, some sat down with the ducks, sitting silently, and others imitated the dancing of the peacocks.
10.12.10 Shukadeva Gosvami to Maharaja Parikshit
sakam bhekair vilanghantah saritah srava-samplutah
vihasantah praticchayahsapantas ca pratisvanan
sakam--along with; bhekaih--with the frogs; vilanghantah--jumping like them; saritah--the water; srava-samplutah--became wet in the water of the river; vihasantah--laughing; praticchayah--at the shadows; sapantah ca--condemned; pratisvanan--the sound of their echoes;
Some boys went to the waterfalls and crossed over the river, jumping with the frogs, and when they saw their own reflections on the water, they would laugh. They would also condemn the sounds of their own echoes.
10.12.12 Shukadeva Gosvami to Maharaja Parikshit
yat-pada-pamsur bahu janma-krcchrato
dhrtatmabhir yogibhir apy alabhyah
sa eva yad-drg-visayah svayam sthitah
kim varnyate distam ato vrajaukasam
yat--whose; pada-pamsuh--dust of the lotus feet; bahu janma--in many births; krcchratah--from undergoing severe austerities and penances as a way of practicing yoga, meditation, etc.; dhrta-atmabhih--by persons able to control the mind; yogibhih--by such yogis (jna-na-yogis, raja-yogis, dhyana-yogis, etc.); api--indeed; alabhyah--cannot be achieved; sah--the Supreme Personality of Godhead; eva--indeed; yat-drk-visayah--has become the object of direct vision, face to face; svayam--personally; sthitah--present in front of them; kim--what; varnyate--can be described; distam--about the fortune; atah--therefore; vraja-okasam--of the inhabitants of Vrajabhumi, Vrndavana.
Yogis may undergo severe austerities and penances for many births by practicing yama, niyama, asana and pranayama, none of which are easily performed. Yet in due source of time, when these yogis attain the perfection of controlling the mind, they will still be unable to taste even a particle of dust from the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. What then can we describe about the great fortune of the inhabitants of Vrajabhumi, Vrndavana, with whom the Supreme Personality of Godhead personally lived and who saw the Lord face to face?
