CHAPTER TWO
King Kaášsa not only occupied the kingdoms of the Yadu, Bhoja and Andhaka dynasties and the kingdom of ĹĹŤrasena, but he also made alliances with all the other demoniac kings, as follows: the demon Pralamba, demon Baka, demon CÄášĹŤra, demon TášášÄvarta, demon AghÄsura, demon Muᚣášika, demon Ariᚣáša, demon Dvivida, demon PĹŤtanÄ, demon KeĹÄŤ and demon Dhenuka. At that time, JarÄsandha was the king of Magadha Province (known at present as Bihar State). Thus by his diplomatic policy, Kaášsa consolidated the most powerful kingdom of his time, under the protection of JarÄsandha. He made further alliances with such kings as BÄášÄsura and BhaumÄsura, until he was the strongest. Then he began to behave most inimically toward the Yadu dynasty, into which KášášŁáša was to take His birth.
Being harassed by Kaášsa, the kings of the Yadu, Bhoja and Andhaka dynasties took shelter in different states, such as the state of the Kurus, the state of the PaĂącÄlas and the states known as Kekaya, ĹÄlva, Vidarbha, Niᚣadha, Videha and KoĹala. Kaášsa broke the solidarity of the Yadu kingdom, as well as the Bhoja and Andhaka. He made his position the most solid within the vast tract of land known at that time as BhÄrata-varᚣa.
When Kaášsa was killing the six babies of DevakÄŤ and Vasudeva one after another, many friends and relatives of Kaášsa approached him and requested him to discontinue these heinous activities. But all of them became worshipers of Kaášsa.
When DevakÄŤ became pregnant for the seventh time, a plenary expansion of KášášŁáša known as Ananta appeared within her womb. DevakÄŤ was overwhelmed with both jubilation and lamentation. She was joyful, for she could understand that Lord Viᚣášu had taken shelter within her womb, but at the same time she was sorry that as soon as her child would come out, Kaášsa would kill Him. At that time the Supreme Personality of Godhead, KášášŁáša, being compassionate upon the Yadus, who were fearful due to the atrocities committed by Kaášsa, ordered the appearance of YogamÄyÄ, His internal potency. KášášŁáša is the Lord of the universe, but He is especially the Lord of the Yadu dynasty.
YogamÄyÄ is the principal potency of the Personality of Godhead. In the Vedas it is stated that the Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, has multipotencies: parÄsya Ĺaktir vividhaiva ĹrĹŤyate [Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport]. All the different potencies are acting externally and internally, and YogamÄyÄ is the chief of all potencies. The Lord ordered the appearance of YogamÄyÄ in the land of VrajabhĹŤmi, in VášndÄvana, which is always decorated and full with beautiful cows. In VášndÄvana, RohiášÄŤ, one of the wives of Vasudeva, was residing at the house of King Nanda and Queen YaĹodÄ. Not only RohiášÄŤ but many others in the Yadu dynasty were scattered all over the country due to their fear of the atrocities of Kaášsa. Some of them were even living in the caves of the mountains.
The Lord thus informed YogamÄyÄ: âUnder the imprisonment of Kaášsa are DevakÄŤ and Vasudeva, and at the present moment My plenary expansion Ĺeᚣa is within the womb of DevakÄŤ. You can arrange the transfer of Ĺeᚣa from the womb of DevakÄŤ to the womb of RohiášÄŤ. After this arrangement, I am personally going to appear in the womb of DevakÄŤ with My full potencies. Then I shall appear as the son of DevakÄŤ and Vasudeva. And you shall appear as the daughter of Nanda and YaĹodÄ in VášndÄvana.
âSince you will appear as My contemporary sister, and since you will quickly satisfy desires for sense gratification, people within the world will worship you with all kinds of valuable presentations: incense, candles, flowers and offerings of sacrifice. People who are after materialistic perfection will worship you under the different forms of your expansions, which will be named DurgÄ, BhadrakÄlÄŤ, VijayÄ, VaiᚣášavÄŤ, KumudÄ, Caášá¸ikÄ, KášášŁášÄ, MÄdhavÄŤ, KanyakÄ, MÄyÄ, NÄrÄyaášÄŤ, ÄŞĹÄnÄŤ, ĹÄradÄ and AmbikÄ.â
KášášŁáša and YogamÄyÄ appeared as brother and sisterâthe Supreme Powerful and the supreme power. Although there is no clear distinction between the Powerful and the power, power is always subordinate to the Powerful. Those who are materialistic are worshipers of the power, but those who are transcendentalists are worshipers of the Powerful. KášášŁáša is the Supreme Powerful, and DurgÄ is the supreme power within the material world. Actually people in the Vedic culture worship both the Powerful and the power. There are many hundreds and thousands of temples of Viᚣášu and DevÄŤ, and sometimes they are worshiped simultaneously. The worshiper of the power, DurgÄ, or the external energy of KášášŁáša, may achieve all kinds of material success very easily, but anyone who wants to be elevated transcendentally must engage in worshiping the Powerful in KášášŁáša consciousness.
The Lord also declared to YogamÄyÄ, âMy plenary expansion Ananta Ĺeᚣa is within the womb of DevakÄŤ. On account of being forcibly attracted to the womb of RohiášÄŤ, He will be known as Saáš karᚣaáša and will be the source of all spiritual power, or bala, by which one can attain the highest bliss of life, which is called ramaáša. Therefore the plenary portion Ananta will be known after His appearance either as Saáš karᚣaáša or as BalarÄma.â
In the Upaniᚣads it is stated, nÄyam ÄtmÄ bala-hÄŤnena labhyaḼ. The purport is that one cannot attain the supreme platform of self-realization without being sufficiently favored by BalarÄma. Bala does not mean physical strength. No one can attain spiritual perfection by physical strength. One must have the spiritual strength which is infused by BalarÄma, or Saáš karᚣaáša. Ananta, or Ĺeᚣa, is the source of the power which sustains all the planets in their different positions. Materially this sustaining power is known as the law of gravitation, but actually it is a display of the potency of Saáš karᚣaáša. BalarÄma, or Saáš karᚣaáša, is the source of spiritual power, or the original spiritual master. Therefore Lord NityÄnanda Prabhu, who is also the incarnation of BalarÄma, is the original spiritual master. And the spiritual master is the representative of BalarÄma, the form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead who supplies spiritual strength. In the Caitanya-caritÄmášta it is confirmed that the spiritual master is the manifestation of the mercy of KášášŁáša.
Thus ordered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, YogamÄyÄ circumambulated the Lord and then appeared within this material world according to His order. When YogamÄyÄ, the supreme power of the supremely powerful Personality of Godhead, transferred Lord Ĺeᚣa from the womb of DevakÄŤ to the womb of RohiášÄŤ, both DevakÄŤ and RohiášÄŤ were under YogamÄyÄâs spell, which is called yoga-nidrÄ. When this was done, people thought that DevakÄŤâs seventh pregnancy had been a miscarriage. Thus although BalarÄma appeared as the son of DevakÄŤ, He was transferred to the womb of RohiášÄŤ to appear as her son. After this arrangement, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, KášášŁáša, who is always ready to protect His unalloyed devotees, entered within the mind of Vasudeva as the Lord of the whole creation, with full inconceivable potencies. It is understood in this connection that Lord KášášŁáša first of all situated Himself in the unalloyed heart of Vasudeva and was then transferred to the heart of DevakÄŤ. He was not put into the womb of DevakÄŤ by seminal discharge. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, by His inconceivable potency, can appear in any way. It is not necessary for Him to appear in the ordinary way, by seminal injection within the womb of a woman.
When Vasudeva was sustaining the form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead within his heart, he appeared just like the glowing sun, whose shining rays are always unbearable and scorching to the common man. The form of the Lord situated in the pure unalloyed heart of Vasudeva is not different from the original form of KášášŁáša. The appearance of the form of KášášŁáša anywhere, and specifically within the heart, is called dhÄma. DhÄma refers not only to KášášŁášaâs form but also to His name, His qualities and His paraphernalia. Everything becomes manifest simultaneously.
Thus the eternal form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead with full potencies was transferred from the mind of Vasudeva to the mind of DevakÄŤ, exactly as the setting sunâs rays are transferred to the full moon rising in the east.
KášášŁáša, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, thus entered the body of DevakÄŤ from the body of Vasudeva without being subject to any of the conditions of an ordinary living entity. Since KášášŁáša was there, it is to be understood that all His plenary expansions, such as NÄrÄyaáša, and incarnations like Lord Nášsiášha and VarÄha, were with Him, and They also were not subject to the conditions of material existence. In this way, DevakÄŤ became the residence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is one without a second and the cause of all creation. DevakÄŤ became the residence of the Absolute Truth, but because she was confined within the house of Kaášsa, she looked just like a suppressed fire, or like misused education. When fire is kept in a jug, the illuminating rays of the fire cannot be very much appreciated. Similarly, misused knowledge, which does not benefit the people in general, is not very much appreciated. So DevakÄŤ was kept within the prison walls of Kaášsaâs palace, and no one could see her transcendental beauty, which resulted from her conceiving the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Kaášsa, however, saw the transcendental beauty of his sister DevakÄŤ, and he at once concluded that the Supreme Personality of Godhead had taken shelter in her womb. She had never before looked so wonderfully beautiful. He could distinctly understand that there was something wonderful within the womb of DevakÄŤ. In this way, Kaášsa became perturbed because he was sure that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who would kill him in the future, had now come. Kaášsa began to think, âWhat is to be done with DevakÄŤ? Surely she has Viᚣášu or KášášŁáša within her womb, so it is certain that KášášŁáša has come to execute the mission of the demigods. And even if I immediately kill DevakÄŤ, His mission cannot be frustrated.â Kaášsa knew very well that no one can frustrate the purpose of Viᚣášu. Any intelligent man can understand that the laws of God cannot be violated. His purpose will be served in spite of all impediments offered by the demons. Kaášsa thought, âIf I kill DevakÄŤ at the present moment, Viᚣášu will enforce His supreme will more vehemently. To kill DevakÄŤ just now would be a most abominable act. No one desires to kill his reputation, even in an awkward situation; if I kill DevakÄŤ now, my reputation will be spoiled. DevakÄŤ is a woman, and she is under my shelter; she is pregnant, and if I kill her, immediately my reputation, the results of my pious activities and my duration of life will all be finished.â
He further deliberated, âA person who is too cruel is as good as dead, even in this lifetime. No one likes a cruel person during his lifetime, and after his death, people curse him. On account of his self-identification with the body, he must be degraded and pushed into the darkest region of hell.â Kaášsa thus meditated on all the pros and cons of killing DevakÄŤ at that time.
Kaášsa finally decided not to kill DevakÄŤ right away but to wait for the inevitable future. But his mind became absorbed in animosity against the Personality of Godhead. He patiently waited for the delivery of the child, expecting to kill Him, as he had done previously with the other babies of DevakÄŤ. Thus being merged in the ocean of animosity against the Personality of Godhead, he began to think of KášášŁáša or Viᚣášu while sitting, while sleeping, while walking, while eating, while workingâin all the situations of his life. His mind became so much absorbed with the thought of the Supreme Personality of Godhead that indirectly he could see only KášášŁáša or Viᚣášu around him. Unfortunately, although his mind was so absorbed in the thought of Viᚣášu, he is not recognized as a devotee because he was thinking of KášášŁáša as an enemy. The state of mind of a great devotee is also to be always absorbed in KášášŁáša, but a devotee thinks of Him favorably, not unfavorably. To think of KášášŁáša favorably is KášášŁáša consciousness, but to think of KášášŁáša unfavorably is not KášášŁáša consciousness.
At this time Lord BrahmÄ and Lord Ĺiva, accompanied by great sages like NÄrada and followed by many other demigods, invisibly appeared in the house of Kaášsa. They began to pray to the Supreme Personality of Godhead in select verses, which are very pleasing to the devotees and which award fulfillment of their desires. The first words they spoke acclaimed that the Lord is true to His vow. As stated in the Bhagavad-gÄŤtÄ, KášášŁáša descends to this material world just to protect the pious and destroy the impious. That is His vow. The demigods could understand that the Lord had taken His residence within the womb of DevakÄŤ to fulfill His vow, and they were very glad that the Lord was appearing in order to fulfill His mission.
Then the demigods addressed the Lord as satyaáš param, or the Supreme Absolute Truth. Everyone is searching after the truth. That is the philosophical way of life. The demigods give information that the Supreme Absolute Truth is KášášŁáša. One who becomes fully KášášŁáša conscious can attain the Absolute Truth. KášášŁáša is the Absolute Truth because, unlike relative truth, He is Truth in all the three phases of eternal time. Time is divided into past, present and future. KášášŁáša is Truth alwaysâpast, present and future. In the material world everything is being controlled by supreme time, in the course of past, present and future. But before the creation, KášášŁáša was existing, and when there is creation, everything is resting in KášášŁáša, and when this creation is finished, KášášŁáša will remain. Therefore, He is the Absolute Truth in all circumstances. If there is any truth within this material world, it emanates from the Supreme Truth, KášášŁáša. If there is any opulence within this material world, the cause of the opulence is KášášŁáša. If there is any reputation within this material world, the cause of the reputation is KášášŁáša. If there is any strength within this material world, the cause of such strength is KášášŁáša. If there is any wisdom and education within this material world, the cause of such wisdom and education is KášášŁáša. Therefore KášášŁáša is the source of all relative truths.
This material world is composed of five principal elementsâearth, water, fire, air and etherâand all such elements are emanations from KášášŁáša. The material scientists accept these five primary elements as the cause of the material manifestation, but the elements in their gross and subtle states are produced by KášášŁáša. The living entities who are working within this material world are products of His marginal potency. In the Seventh Chapter of the Bhagavad-gÄŤtÄ, it is clearly stated that the whole manifestation is a combination of two kinds of energies of KášášŁáša, the superior energy and the inferior energy. The living entities are the superior energy, and the dead material elements are His inferior energy. In its dormant stage, everything remains in KášášŁáša.
The demigods continued to offer their respectful prayers unto the supreme form of the Personality of Godhead, KášášŁáša, by analytical study of the material manifestation. What is this material manifestation? It is just like a tree. A tree stands on the ground. Similarly, the tree of the material manifestation is standing on the ground of material nature. This material manifestation is compared to a tree because a tree is ultimately cut off in due course of time. A tree is called váškᚣa. Váškᚣa means that thing which will be ultimately cut off. Therefore, this tree of the material manifestation cannot be accepted as the Ultimate Truth, because it is influenced by time. But KášášŁášaâs body is eternal: He existed before the material manifestation, He is existing while the material manifestation is continuing, and when it will be dissolved, He will continue to exist. Therefore only KášášŁáša can be accepted as the Absolute Truth.
The Kaášha Upaniᚣad also cites this example of the tree of the material manifestation standing on the ground of material nature. This tree has two kinds of fruits, distress and happiness. Those who are living in the tree of the body are just like two birds. One bird is the localized aspect of KášášŁáša known as the ParamÄtmÄ, and the other bird is the living entity. The living entity is eating the fruits of this material manifestation. Sometimes he eats the fruit of happiness, and sometimes he eats the fruit of distress. But the other bird is not interested in eating the fruit of distress or happiness because he is self-satisfied. The Kaášha Upaniᚣad states that one bird on the tree of the body is eating the fruits, and the other bird is simply witnessing. The roots of this tree extend in three directions. This means that the root of the tree is the three modes of material nature: goodness, passion and ignorance. Just as the treeâs root expands, so, by association of the modes of material nature (goodness, passion and ignorance), one expands his duration of material existence. The tastes of the fruits are of four kinds: religiosity, economic development, sense gratification and, ultimately, liberation. According to the different associations in the three modes of material nature, the living entities are tasting different kinds of religiosity, different kinds of economic development, different kinds of sense gratification and different kinds of liberation. Practically all material work is performed in ignorance, but because there are three qualities, sometimes the quality of ignorance is covered with goodness or passion. The taste of these material fruits is accepted through five senses. The five sense organs through which knowledge is acquired are subjected to six kinds of whips: lamentation, illusion, infirmity, death, hunger and thirst. This material body, or the material manifestation, is covered by seven layers: muscle, blood, marrow, bone, fat and semen. The branches of the tree are eight: earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and ego. There are nine gates in this body: the two eyes, two nostrils, two ears, one mouth, one genital, one rectum. And there are ten kinds of internal air passing within the body: prÄáša, apÄna, udÄna, vyÄna, samÄna, etc. The two birds seated in this tree, as explained above, are the living entity and the localized Supreme Personality of Godhead, ParamÄtmÄ.
The root cause of the material manifestation described here is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Supreme Personality of Godhead expands Himself to take charge of the three qualities of the material world. Viᚣášu takes charge of the mode of goodness, BrahmÄ takes charge of the mode of passion, and Lord Ĺiva takes charge of the mode of ignorance. BrahmÄ, by the mode of passion, creates this manifestation, Lord Viᚣášu maintains this manifestation by the mode of goodness, and Lord Ĺiva annihilates it by the mode of ignorance. The whole creation ultimately rests in the Supreme Lord. He is the cause of creation, maintenance and dissolution, and when the whole manifestation is dissolved, in its subtle form as His energy it rests within His body.
âAt present,â the demigods prayed, âthe Supreme Lord KášášŁáša is appearing just for the maintenance of this manifestation. Actually the Supreme Cause is one, but less intelligent persons, being deluded by the three modes of material nature, see that the material world is manifested through different causes. Those who are intelligent can see that the cause is one, KášášŁáša.â As it is stated in the Brahma-saášhitÄ, ÄŤĹvaraḼ paramaḼ krsnah . . . sarva-kÄraáša-kÄraášam [Bs. 5.1]. âKášášŁáša, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the cause of all causes.â BrahmÄ is the deputed agent for creation, Viᚣášu is the expansion of KášášŁáša for maintenance, and Lord Ĺiva is the expansion of KášášŁáša for dissolution.
âOur dear Lord,â the demigods prayed, âit is very difficult to understand Your eternal form or personality. People in general are unable to understand Your actual form; therefore You are personally descending to exhibit Your original eternal form. Somehow people can understand the different incarnations of Your Lordship, but they are puzzled to understand the eternal form of KášášŁáša with two hands, moving among human beings exactly like one of them. This eternal form of Your Lordship gives ever-increasing transcendental pleasure to the devotees, but for the nondevotees this form is very dangerous.â As stated in the Bhagavad-gÄŤtÄ, KášášŁáša is very pleasing to the sÄdhus (paritrÄášÄya sÄdhĹŤnÄm) [Bg. 4.8]. But this form is very dangerous for the demons because KášášŁáša also descends to kill the demons. He is, therefore, simultaneously pleasing to the devotees and dangerous to the demons.
âOur dear lotus-eyed Lord, You are the source of pure goodness. There are many great sages who simply by samÄdhi, or transcendentally meditating upon Your lotus feet and thus being absorbed in Your thought, have easily transformed the great ocean of nescience created by the material nature into no more than the water in a calfâs hoofprint.â The purpose of meditation is to focus the mind upon the Personality of Godhead, beginning from His lotus feet. Simply by meditation on the lotus feet of the Lord, great sages cross over this vast ocean of material existence without difficulty.
âO self-illuminated one, the great saintly persons who have crossed over the ocean of nescience by the help of the transcendental boat of Your lotus feet have not taken away that boat. It is still lying on this side.â If one takes a boat to cross over a river, the boat also goes with one to the other side of the river. And so when one reaches the destination, how can the same boat be available to those who are still on this side? To answer this difficulty, the demigods say in their prayer that the boat of the Lordâs lotus feet is not taken away. The devotees still remaining on this side are able to pass over the ocean of material nature because the pure devotees do not take the boat with them when they cross over. When one simply approaches the boat, the whole ocean of material nescience is reduced to the size of the water in a calfâs hoofprint. Therefore, the devotees do not need to take the boat to the other side: they simply cross the ocean immediately. Because the great saintly persons are compassionate toward all conditioned souls, the boat is still lying on this side. In other words, one can meditate upon the lotus feet of the Lord at any time, and by so doing one can cross over the great ocean of material existence.
Meditation means concentration upon the lotus feet of the Lord. Lotus feet indicate the Supreme Personality of Godhead. But those who are impersonalists do not recognize the lotus feet of the Lord, and therefore their object of meditation is something impersonal. The demigods express their mature verdict that persons who are interested in meditating on something void or impersonal cannot cross over the ocean of nescience. Such persons are simply imagining that they have become liberated. âO lotus-eyed Lord! Their intelligence is contaminated because they fail to meditate upon the lotus feet of Your Lordship. As a result of this neglectful activity, the impersonalists fall down again into the material way of conditioned life, although they may temporarily rise to the point of impersonal realization.â Impersonalists undergo severe austerities and penances to merge themselves into the Brahman effulgence, or impersonal Brahman existence. But their minds are not free from material contamination; they have simply tried to negate the material ways of thinking. That does not mean that they have become liberated. Thus they fall down.
In the Bhagavad-gÄŤtÄ it is stated that the impersonalist has to undergo great tribulation in realizing his ultimate goal. At the beginning of ĹrÄŤmad-BhÄgavatam it is also stated that without devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one cannot achieve liberation from the bondage of fruitive activities. The statement of Lord KášášŁáša is there in the Bhagavad-gÄŤtÄ, and in ĹrÄŤmad-BhÄgavatam the statement of the great sage NÄrada is there, and here also the demigods confirm it. âPersons who have not taken to devotional service are understood to have come short of the ultimate purpose of knowledge and are not favored by Your grace.â The impersonalists simply think that they are liberated, but actually they have no feeling for the Personality of Godhead. They think that when KášášŁáša comes into the material world He accepts a material body. They therefore overlook the transcendental body of KášášŁáša. This is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gÄŤtÄ: avajÄnanti mÄáš mĹŤá¸hÄḼ [Bg. 9.11]. In spite of conquering material lust and rising to the point of liberation, the impersonalists fall down. If they are engaged just in knowing things for the sake of knowledge and do not take to the devotional service of the Lord, they cannot achieve the desired result. Their achievement is the trouble they take, and that is all.
It is clearly stated in the Bhagavad-gÄŤtÄ that to realize Brahman identification is not all. Brahman identification may help one become joyful without material attachment or detachment and to achieve the platform of equanimity, but after this stage one has to take to devotional service. When one takes to devotional service after being elevated to the platform of Brahman realization, he is then admitted into the spiritual kingdom for permanent residence in association with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is the result of devotional service. Those who are devotees of the Supreme Personality of Godhead never fall down like the impersonalists. Even if the devotees fall down, they remain affectionately attached to their Lord. They can meet all kinds of obstacles on the path of devotional service, and freely, without any fear, they can surmount such obstacles. Because of their surrender, they are certain that KášášŁáša will always protect them. As it is promised by KášášŁáša in the Bhagavad-gÄŤtÄ, âMy devotees are never vanquished.â
âOur dear Lord,â the demigods continued, âYou have appeared in Your original unalloyed form, the eternal form of goodness, for the welfare of all living entities within this material world. Taking advantage of Your appearance, all of them can now very easily understand the nature and form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Persons who belong to the four divisions of the social order (the brahmacÄrÄŤs, gášhasthas, vÄnaprasthas and sannyÄsÄŤs) can all take advantage of Your appearance.
âDear Lord, husband of the goddess of fortune, devotees who are dovetailed in Your service do not fall down from their high position like the impersonalists. Being protected by You, the devotees are able to traverse over the heads of many of MÄyÄâs commanders in chief, who can always put stumbling blocks on the path of liberation. Dear Lord, You appear in Your eternal transcendental form for the benefit of the living entities so that they can see You face to face and offer their worshipful sacrifices by ritualistic performance of the Vedas, mystic meditation and devotional service as recommended in the scriptures. Dear Lord, if You did not appear in Your eternal transcendental form, full of bliss and knowledgeâa form which can eradicate all kinds of speculative ignorance about Your positionâthen all people would simply speculate about You according to their respective modes of material nature.â
The appearance of KášášŁáša is the answer to all imaginative iconography of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Everyone imagines the form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead according to his mode of material nature. In the Brahma-saášhitÄ it is said that the Lord is the oldest person. Therefore a section of religionists imagine that God must be very old, and therefore they depict a form of the Lord like a very old man. But in the same Brahma-saášhitÄ, that is contradicted: although He is the oldest of all living entities, He has His eternal form as a fresh youth. The exact words used in this connection in ĹrÄŤmad-BhÄgavatam are vijĂąÄnam ajĂąÄna-bhidÄpamÄrjanam. VijĂąÄnam means transcendental knowledge of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. VijĂąÄnam is also experienced knowledge. Transcendental knowledge has to be accepted by the descending process of disciplic succession, as BrahmÄ presents the knowledge of KášášŁáša in the Brahma-saášhitÄ. The Brahma-saášhitÄ is vijĂąÄnam as realized by BrahmÄâs transcendental experience, and in that way he presented the form and the pastimes of KášášŁáša in the transcendental abode. This knowledge is ajĂąÄna-bhidÄpamÄrjanam, that which can smash all kinds of speculation in ignorance. People are imagining the form of the Lord: sometimes He has no form and sometimes He has form, according to their different imaginations. But the presentation of KášášŁáša in the Brahma-saášhitÄ is vijĂąÄnamâscientific, experienced knowledge given by Lord BrahmÄ and accepted by Lord Caitanya. There is no doubt about it. KášášŁášaâs form, KášášŁášaâs flute, KášášŁášaâs colorâeverything is reality. Here it is said that this vijĂąÄnam is always defeating all kinds of speculative knowledge. âTherefore, without Your appearing as KášášŁáša, as You are, neither ajĂąÄna-bhidÄpamÄrjanam (destruction of the nescience of speculative knowledge) nor vijĂąÄnam would be realized. In other words, Your appearance will vanquish the ignorance of speculative knowledge and establish the real experienced knowledge of authorities like Lord BrahmÄ. Men influenced by the three modes of material nature imagine their own God according to the modes of material nature. In this way God is presented in various ways, but Your appearance will establish what the real form of God is.â
The highest blunder committed by the impersonalists is to think that when the incarnation of God comes He accepts the form of matter in the mode of goodness. Actually, the form of KášášŁáša or NÄrÄyaáša is transcendental to any material idea. Even the greatest impersonalist, Ĺaáš karÄcÄrya, has admitted, nÄrÄyaášaḼ paro âvyaktÄt: the material creation is caused by the avyakta (impersonal) manifestation of matter, or the nonphenomenal total reservoir of matter, but KášášŁáša is transcendental to that material conception. That is expressed in ĹrÄŤmad-BhÄgavatam as Ĺuddha-sattva, or transcendental goodness. He does not belong to the material mode of goodness, and He is above the position of material goodness. He belongs to the transcendental, eternal status of bliss and knowledge.
âDear Lord, when You appear in Your different incarnations, You take different names and forms according to different situations. Lord KášášŁáša is Your name because You are all-attractive; You are called ĹyÄmasundara because of Your transcendental beauty. ĹyÄma means âblackish,â yet it is said that You are more beautiful than thousands of Cupids (kandarpa-koáši-kamanÄŤya). Although You appear in a color which is compared to the blackish cloud, because You are the Transcendental Absolute, Your beauty is many, many times more attractive than the delicate body of Cupid. Sometimes You are called GiridhÄrÄŤ because You lifted the hill known as Govardhana. You are sometimes called Nandanandana or VÄsudeva or DevakÄŤnandana because You appear as the son of MahÄrÄja Nanda or Vasudeva or DevakÄŤ. Impersonalists think that Your many names or forms are given according to a particular type of work and quality because they accept You from the position of a material observer.
âOur dear Lord, the way of understanding is not to study Your absolute nature, form and activities by mental speculation. One must engage himself in devotional service; then one can understand Your absolute nature and Your transcendental form, name and qualities. Actually, only a person who has a little taste for the service of Your lotus feet can understand Your transcendental nature or form and qualities. Others may go on speculating for millions of years, but it is not possible for them to understand even a single part of Your actual position.â In other words, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, KášášŁáša, cannot be understood by the nondevotees because there is a curtain of YogamÄyÄ which covers KášášŁášaâs actual features. As confirmed in the Bhagavad-gÄŤtÄ, nÄhaáš prakÄĹaḼ sarvasya [Bg. 7.25]. The Lord says, âI am not exposed to anyone and everyone.â When KášášŁáša came, He was actually present on the Battlefield of Kurukᚣetra, and everyone saw Him. But not everyone could understand that He was the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Still, everyone who died in His presence attained complete liberation from material bondage and was transferred to the spiritual world.
âO Lord, the impersonalists or nondevotees cannot understand that Your name is identical with Your form.â Since the Lord is absolute, there is no difference between His name and His actual form. In the material world there is a difference between form and name. The mango fruit is different from the name of the mango. One cannot taste the mango fruit simply by chanting âmango, mango, mango.â But the devotee who knows that there is no difference between the name and the form of the Lord chants Hare KášášŁáša, Hare KášášŁáša, KášášŁáša KášášŁáša, Hare Hare / Hare RÄma, Hare RÄma, RÄma RÄma, Hare Hare and realizes that he is always in KášášŁášaâs company.
For persons who are not very advanced in absolute knowledge of the Supreme, Lord KášášŁáša exhibits His transcendental pastimes. Such persons can simply think of the pastimes of the Lord and get full benefit. Since there is no difference between the transcendental name and form of the Lord, there is no difference between the transcendental pastimes and the form of the Lord. For those who are less intelligent (like women, laborers or the mercantile class), the great sage VyÄsadeva wrote the MahÄbhÄrata. In the MahÄbhÄrata KášášŁáša is present in His different activities. The MahÄbhÄrata is history, and simply by studying, hearing and memorizing the transcendental activities of KášášŁáša, the less intelligent can also gradually rise to the standard of pure devotees.
The pure devotees, who are always absorbed in the thought of the transcendental lotus feet of KášášŁáša and who are always engaged in devotional service in full KášášŁáša consciousness, are never to be considered to be in the material world. ĹrÄŤla RĹŤpa GosvÄmÄŤ has explained that those who are always engaged in KášášŁáša consciousness with body, mind and activities are to be considered liberated even within this body. This is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gÄŤtÄ: those who are engaged in the devotional service of the Lord have already transcended the material position.
KášášŁáša appears in order to give a chance to both the devotees and the nondevotees for realization of the ultimate goal of life. The devotees get the direct chance to see Him and worship Him. Those who are not on that platform get the chance to become acquainted with His activities and thus become elevated to the same position.
âOur dear Lord, O supreme controller, when You appear on earth, all the demons like Kaášsa and JarÄsandha will be vanquished, and all good fortune will be ushered into the world. When You walk on the globe, Your lotus feet will impress on the ground the marks of Your soles, such as the flag, the trident and the thunderbolt. Thus You will grace both the earth and us on the heavenly planets who shall see those marks.
âO dear Lord,â the demigods continued, âYou are unborn; therefore we do not find any reason for Your appearance other than for Your pleasurable pastimes.â Although the reason for the appearance of the Lord is stated in the Bhagavad-gÄŤtÄ (He descends just to give protection to the devotees and vanquish the nondevotees), actually He descends for His pleasure-meeting with the devotees, not really to vanquish the nondevotees. The nondevotees can be vanquished simply by one kick of material nature. âThe actions and reactions of material nature (creation, maintenance and annihilation) are being carried out automatically. But simply by taking shelter of Your holy name, the devotees are fully protected, because Your holy name and Your personality are nondifferent.â The protection of the devotees and the annihilation of the nondevotees are actually not the business of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When He descends, it is just for His transcendental pleasure. There cannot be any other reason for His appearance.
âOur dear Lord, You are appearing as the best of the Yadu dynasty, and we are offering our respectful humble obeisances unto Your lotus feet. Before this appearance, You also appeared as the fish incarnation, as the horse incarnation, as the tortoise incarnation, as the half-man, half-lion incarnation, as the boar incarnation, as the swan incarnation, as King RÄmacandra, as ParaĹurÄma and as many other incarnations. You appeared just to protect the devotees, and we request You in Your present appearance as the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself to give us similar protection all over the three worlds and remove all obstacles for the peaceful execution of our lives.
âDear Mother DevakÄŤ, within your womb is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, appearing along with all His plenary extensions. He is the original Personality of Godhead, appearing for our welfare. Therefore you should not be afraid of your brother, the King of Bhoja. Your son Lord KášášŁáša, who is the original Personality of Godhead, will appear for the protection of the pious Yadu dynasty. The Lord is appearing not alone but accompanied by His immediate plenary portion, Baladeva.â
DevakÄŤ was very much afraid of her brother Kaášsa because he had already killed so many of her children. So she was very anxious about KášášŁáša. In the Viᚣášu PurÄáša it is stated that in order to pacify DevakÄŤ, all the demigods, along with their wives, used to visit her to encourage her not to be afraid that her son would be killed by Kaášsa. KášášŁáša, who was within her womb, was to appear not only to diminish the burden of the world but specifically to protect the interests of the Yadu dynasty, and certainly to protect DevakÄŤ and Vasudeva. It is understood that KášášŁáša had been transferred from the mind of Vasudeva to the mind of DevakÄŤ, and from there to her womb. Thus all the demigods worshiped DevakÄŤ, the mother of KášášŁáša.
After thus worshiping the transcendental form of the Lord, all the demigods, with Lord BrahmÄ and Lord Ĺiva placed in front, departed for their heavenly abodes.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Second Chapter of KášášŁáša, âPrayers by the Demigods for Lord KášášŁáša in the Womb.â