Teresopolis, Brazil - Feb 13 2003
Tridandisvami Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja
[You may remember that in the recent lecture in Germany, called Hear This Great Secret, Srila Narayana Maharaja discussed the secret reason for Sri Sukadeva Gosvami's concealing the truth of Krsna's birth in Vrndavana. Because Srila Maharaja also discussed this subject in Brazil just one week before coming to Germany, we are presenting herein an excerpt of that Brazilian lecture. -ed.]
In the Srimad-Bhagavatam Srila Sukadeva Gosvami has hidden the fact that Krsna is the son of Yasoda and Nanda Baba. He never directly said that Krsna is Vrajendra-nandana; he only said it indirectly. What he said directly was that Krsna is Yadu-pati, Yadu-natha, and Yadu-nandana. He externally declared that Krsna took birth in Kamsa's jail, from the womb of Devaki, and was sent from there to Gokula.
Why did Srila Sukadeva Gosvami want to hide the fact that Krsna was the son of Yasoda and Nanda? He knew that Krsna is eternally their son, so why did he conceal it? The secret reason is that general people do not have enough intelligence to understand the deep and secret truths of Krsna's activities, and therefore he concealed something from us.
This is the most secret thing. If Krsna was really Nanda-nandana and Yasoda-nandana, then all the girls of Vraja, all the Vraja-ramani gopis, would be like mothers if they were the wives of His elder cousin-brothers, if they were wives of His younger cousin-brothers they would be like daughters, and they would be like sisters if they were the wives of His contemporary cousin-brothers. If Krsna was the son of Yasoda, then the girls of Vrndavana would be like sisters, cousins, and mothers. How, then, could they play in rasa-lila and other pastimes? In Vedic culture it is not allowed that relatives can dance, sing, and embrace like intimate beloveds. No lady in Vedic culture is allowed to have a paramour relation with her brother, father, grandfather, or any other relative.
This would be considered a heinous activity.
If Krsna is Nanda-nandana, He would be related to all the gopis, and He could not embrace them or dance alone with them, in the night, on the bank of the Yamuna. It would be absurd. So Srila Sukadeva Gosvami hid this fact from the general people - those who are not like Sri Narada Rsi and Sri Sukadeva Gosvami himself.
All the gopis are actually Krsna's own power. Srimati Radhika is His hladini-sakti, and so the gopis are Krsna Himself. Although they are His power, they are not less than Him. Krsna is naturally the beloved of all the gopis, and they are His own power; but for the enactment of His lila, for the performance of His sweet pastimes, He descends from Goloka Vrndavana with all the gopis and other Vrajavasis. He has done this for tasting lila. It is not against Vedic culture, because He can play with His power.
[Question:] You were saying that there is no fault in Krsna, because the gopis are His power and are no less than Him. Since Krsna can do anything, since He can create any pastimes, why did He create the pastimes of He and the gopis being related to each other as cousins, sisters and brothers? Why did He create His pastimes in a way that it would be seen as so much against Vedic culture?
[Srila Narayana Maharaja:] He has not done so. You could not understand my feelings. Yasoda and Nanda Baba are eternally Krsna's parents, His sakhas are eternally so, and this is especially true for the gopis. In Brahma Samhita it is stated:
ananda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhavitabhis
tabhir ya eva nija-rupataya kalabhih
goloka eva nivasaty akhilatma-bhuto
govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami
["I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord. He resides in His own realm, Goloka, with Radha, who resembles His own spiritual figure and who embodies the ecstatic potency [hladini]. Their companions are Her confidantes, who embody extensions of Her bodily form and who are imbued and permeated with ever-blissful spiritual rasa." (Sri Brahma-samhita 5.37)]
The gopis are manifestations of Srimati Radhika. They are eternally and naturally most beloved of Krsna, and Krsna is the most beloved of the gopis. Krsna can play with His shadow, and He was doing so. He has right to play with all His powers, the gopis.
Why should He not do so? He is all-mighty and all-powerful. He can do anything beyond your imagination. [It is only the perverted reflection of Krsna's activities, the activities of this world, which are subject to criticism and rules and regulations.] You cannot challenge, "Why did Krsna do this and that? Why did He descend to this world? Why could He not have arranged for us to go to the spiritual world and see His pastimes there? Why did He not die? There are so many things about Krsna that you cannot understand.
Editor: Syamarani dasi
Transcriber and typist: Vasanti dasi