Śrī Kṛṣṇa-saṁhitā – Chapter 6 – The Pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa

TEXT 1
karma-kāṇḍa-svarūpo ‘yaṁ māgadhaḥ kaṁsa-bāndhavaḥ
rurodha mathurāṁ ramyāṁ brahma-jñāna-svarūpiṇīm

There are two types of activities—self-centered and God-centered. God-centered activities are called karma-yoga, because such activities nourish one’s knowledge, and this knowledge along with those activities enhance one’s attachment to the Lord. This mixture of karma, jñāna, and bhakti is called karma-yoga by some people, jñāna–yoga by others, and bhakti-yoga by still others. The swan-like people call it a synthesis of yoga. Those activities that are self-centered are called fruitive activities. Fruitive activities generally create doubts, in the form of Asti and Prapti, in regard to the Lord. Fruitive activities then arrange their marriage with atheism [Kaṁsa]. This Jarāsandha, the personification of fruitive activities, obstructs Mathurā, the personification of spiritual knowledge.

TEXT 2-3
māyayā bāndhavān kṛṣṇo nītavān dvārakāṁ purīm
mlecchatā yavanaṁ hitvā sa rāmo gatavān hariḥ
mucukundaṁ mahārājaṁ mukti-mārgādhikāriṇam
padāhanad durācāras tasya tejo hatas tadā

By His sweet will, Śrī Kṛṣṇa took all His friends, the personifications of devotees, to Dvārakā, the personified abode of regulative devotional service. One who does not follow the rules and regulations of varṇāśrama is called a yavana. When a yavana performs illicit activities, he is degraded further into a mleccha. With the support of fruitive activities, this yavana was inimical to knowledge. King Mucukunda, the personification of the path of liberation, was kicked by this yavana, and the wicked yavana was killed by powerful glance of Mucukunda.

TEXT 4
aiśvarya-jñāna-mayāṁ vai dvārakāyāṁ gato hariḥ
uvāha rukmiṇīṁ devīṁ param-aiśvarya-rūpiṇīm

While residing in Dvārakā, which is filled with the knowledge of opulences, the Lord married Rukmiṇī, the personification of supreme opulence.

TEXT 5
pradyumnaḥ kāma-rūpo vai jātas tasyāḥ hṛtas tadā
māyā-rūpeṇa daityena śambareṇa durātmanā

As soon as Pradyumna, the personification of Cupid, was born from the womb of Rukmiṇī, he was immediately kidnapped by the cripple-minded Śambara, the personification of māyā.

TEXT 6
svapatnyā rati-devyā sa śikṣitaḥ paravīrahā
nihatyā śambaraṁ kāmo dvārakāṁ gatavāṁs tadā

In ancient times Cupid’s body was burned to ashes by the dry renunciate Mahādeva. At that time, Rati-devī, the personification of material enjoyment, took shelter of the demoniac nature. But when regulative devotional service arose, then Cupid was reborn in the form of Kṛṣṇa’s son. He then delivered his wife, Rati-devī, from the clutches of demoniac nature. The purport is that in yukta–vairāgya, regulated lust and attachment are acceptable. Taking help from the teachings of his wife, the most powerful Cupid killed Śambara, the personification of material enjoyment, and then returned to Dvārakā with his wife.

TEXT 7
māna-mayyāś ca rādhāyāṁ satyabhāmāṁ kalāṁ śubhām
upayeme hariḥ prītyā maṇy uddhāra chalena ca

 After recovering the jewel, the Lord married Satyabhāmā, who personifies a portion of Rādhārāṇī’s jealous pride.

TEXT 8
mādhurya-hlādinī-śakteḥ praticchāyā svarūpakāḥ
rukmiṇyādyā mahiṣo ‘ṣṭa kṛṣṇasyāntaḥ pure kila

Kṛṣṇa’s eight queens, headed by Rukmiṇī, were reflections of the opulences of the hlādinī aspect and were very dear to Kṛṣṇa.

TEXT 9
aiśvarye phalavān kṛṣṇaḥ santater vistṛtir yataḥ
sātvatāṁ vaṁśa-saṁvṛddhiḥ dvārakāyāṁ satāṁ hṛdi

The sentiments of the Lord in His sweet feature are unbroken, but the sentiments of the Lord in Dvārakā, the shelter of opulent regulative devotional service, are not like that, because many sons and grandsons expand His family of those sentiments.

TEXT 10
sthūlārtha-bodhake granthe na teṣām artha-nirṇayaḥ
pṛthag-rūpeṇa kartavyaḥ sudhiyaḥ prathayaṁ tu tat

In this book, which explains the gross meanings, it is very difficult to explain the meanings of those sons and grandsons. Some intelligent persons should elaborately describe their meaning in a separate book.

TEXT 11
advaita-rūpiṇaṁ daityaṁ hatvā kāśīṁ ramā-patiḥ
hara-dhāmādahat kṛṣṇas tad duṣṭa-mata-pīṭhakam

The demoniac philosophy, in the form of monism, took birth in Kāśī, the abode of Śiva, wherein a wretched person claimed to be Vāsudeva and preached that demoniac philosophy. The Lord, who is the husband of Ramā, killed him and burned Kāśī, the home of that demoniac philosophy.

TEXT 12
bhauma buddhimayaṁ bhaumaṁ hatvā sa garuḍāsanaḥ
uddhṛtya ramaṇī-vṛndam upayeme priyaḥ satyam

Narakāsura is also called Bhauma, because he considered the Absolute Truth to be mundane. The Lord, who sits on Garuḍa, killed Narakāsura, and after delivering the queens, He married them. The conception of the Deity as an idol is abominable, because it is foolish to consider the Absolute Truth to be mundane. There is a great difference between serving the Deity of the Lord and worshiping idols. Deity worship is an indicator of the Absolute Truth, because by this process one attains the Absolute Truth. Idol worship, however, means to accept a material form or formlessness as the Absolute Truth, in other words, to accept a material form as the Supreme Lord. The Lord ultimately delivered and accepted those people who were of this opinion.

TEXT 13
ghātayitvā jarāsandhaṁ bhīmena dharma-bhrātṛṇā
amocayad bhūmi-pālān karma-pāśasya bandhanāt

The Lord had Jarāsandha killed by Bhīma, the brother of Dharma. He then rescued many kings from the bondage of karma.

TEXT 14
yajñe ca dharma-putrasya labdhvā pūjām aśeṣataḥ
cakarta śiśupālasya śiraḥ saṁdveṣṭur ātmanaḥ

The Lord accepted unlimited worship in Yudhiṣṭhira’s sacrifice and severed the head of Śiśupāla, the personification of envy.

TEXT 15
kurukṣetra-raṇe kṛṣṇo dharābhāraṁ nivartya saḥ
samāja-rakṣaṇaṁ kāryam akarot karuṇāmaya

The Lord protected society by reestablishing the principles of religion, and He removed the burden of the world by arranging the Battle of Kurukṣetra.

TEXT 16
sarvāsāṁ mahiṣīṇāṁ ca pratisadma hari muniḥ
dṛṣṭvā ca nārado ‘gacchad vismayaṁ tattva-nirṇaye

Nārada Muni visited Dvārakā and was struck with the depth of the Absolute Truth when he saw that Kṛṣṇa was simultaneously present in each of the queens’ houses. It is very wonderful that the Supreme Lord is simultaneously and fully present everywhere—within the heart of all living entities and engaged in various pastimes. The quality of omnipresence is insignificant for the Almighty Lord.

TEXT 17
kadarya-bhāva-rūpaḥ sa dantavakro hatas tadā
subhadrāṁ dharma-bhrātre hi narāya dattavān prabhuḥ

Dantavakra, the personification of uncivilised man, was killed by the Lord. The Lord then arranged the marriage of His sister, Subhadrā, with Arjuna, the brother of Yudhisthira. In order to establish a relationship between the Lord and an enjoyed living entity who has not developed the nature of being the Lord’s consort, the hlādinī aspect of the mood of friendship selects an inconceivable devotee to take the role of Subhadrā, who becomes very near to the Lord as His sister. Subhadrā is to be enjoyed by a devotee like Arjuna. This relationship, however, is not as exalted as found in Vraja.

TEXT 18
śālva-māyāṁ nāśayitvā rarakṣa dvārakāṁ purīm
nṛgan tu kṛkalāsatvāt karma-pāśād amocayat

The Lord protected Dvārakā by killing Śālva, who possessed mystical powers. The scientific arts are most insignificant before the Lord. King Nṛga was suffering the results of his bad karma in the form of a lizard, but he was delivered by the mercy of the Lord.

TEXT 19
sudāmnā prīti-dattaṁ ca taṇḍulaṁ bhuktavān hariḥ
pāṣaṇḍānāṁ pradattena miṣṭena na tathā sukhī

If the most relishable item is offered by a non-devotee, the Lord does not accept it. But if an ordinary item is offered with love, the Lord accepts it. This was demonstrated when the Lord ate the rice that Sudama offered.

TEXT 20
balo ‘pi śuddha-jīvo ‘yaṁ kṛṣṇa-prema-vaśaṁ gataḥ
avadhīd dividaṁ mūḍhaṁ nirīśvara-pramodakam

The monkey Dvivida, the personification of godlessness, was killed by Baladeva, who possesses ecstatic love for Kṛṣṇa and who is the reservoir of all living entities.

TEXT 21
svasamvin nirmite dhāmni hṛd-gate rohiṇī-sutaḥ
gopībhir bhāva-rūpābhī reme bṛhad vanāntare

In the forests of Vraja, which are created by the samvit aspect of the marginal potency, Śrī Baladeva performed conjugal pastimes with the gopīs, the personifications of ecstatic love.

TEXT 22
bhaktānāṁ hṛdaye śaśvat kṛṣṇa-līlā pravartate
naṭo ‘pi svapuraṁ yāti bhaktānāṁ jīvanātāye

All these pastimes are situated in the hearts of the devotees, but when the devotees give up their material bodies, the pastimes disappear just as an actor leaves the stage.

TEXT 23
kṛṣṇecchā kāla-rūpā sā yādavān bhāva-rūpakān
nivartya raṅgataḥ sādhvī dvārakāṁ plāvayat tadā

 

The desire of Kṛṣṇa, in the form of time, separated the Yadavas, the personifications of affectionate love, from the pastimes of the Lord and flooded the abode of Dvārakā in the waves of the ocean of forgetfulness. The desire of Kṛṣṇa is always pure and devoid of all inauspiciousness. In order to transfer His devotees to Vaikuṇṭha, the Lord separates them from their material bodies.

TEXT 24
prabhāse bhagavaj jñāne jarākrāntān kalevarān
paraspara vivādena mocayām āsa nandinī

This desire of Kṛṣṇa, which bestows the topmost happiness, obliged the devotees to give up their old decrepit bodies in Prabhāsa-kṣetra, the personification of knowledge of the Absolute Truth. When the body becomes useless, then all the parts and limbs do not cooperate with each other—they quarrel. Especially at the time of death, all the parts and limbs become senseless; but in the hearts of devotees, remembrance is never lost.

 TEXT 25
kṛṣṇa-bhāva-svarūpo ‘pi jarākrāntāt kalevarāt
nirgato gokulaṁ prāpto mahimni sve mahīyate

At the time of giving up the body, the mood that is present in the heart of a devotee accompanies the pure soul to his glorious position, and the devotee then eternally resides in the portion of Vaikuṇṭha called Gokula.

Thus ends the Sixth Chapter of Śrī Kṛṣṇa-saṁhitā, entitled

“Pastimes of Kṛṣṇa.”

May Lord Kṛṣṇa be pleased.