evaṠyogeśvaraḥ kṛṣṇo
bhagavÄn jagad-Ä«Å›varaḥ
Ä«yate paÅ›u-dṛṣṭīnÄá¹
nirjito jayatīti saḥ

 evam - in this fashion; yoga - of mystic yoga; Ä«Å›varaḥ - the Lord; kṛṣṇaḥ - Kṛṣṇa; bhagavÄn - the Personality of Godhead; jagat - of the universe; Ä«Å›varaḥ - the Lord; Ä«yate - seems; paÅ›u - like animals; dṛṣṭīnÄm - to those whose sight; nirjitaḥ - defeated; jayati - is victorious; iti - as if; saḥ - He.


Text

Thus Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the master all mystic power and Lord of the universe, is ever victorious. Only those of beastly vision think He sometimes suffers defeat.

Purport

ÅšrÄ«la ViÅ›vanÄtha CakravartÄ« gives the following elaborate commentary on this section of ÅšrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam:

Concerning the killing of Dantavakra, the Uttara-khaṇá¸a (279) of the Padma PurÄṇa contains further details in the following prose passage: atha Å›iÅ›upÄlaá¹ nihataá¹ Å›rutvÄ dantavakraḥ kṛṣṇena saha yoddhuá¹ mathurÄm ÄjagÄma. kṛṣṇas tu tac chrutvÄ ratham Äruhya mathurÄm Äyayau. “Then, hearing that ÅšiÅ›upÄla had been killed, Dantavakra went to MathurÄ to fight against Kṛṣṇa. When Kṛṣṇa, moreover, heard of this, He mounted His chariot and went to MathurÄ.â€

Tayor dantavakra-vÄsudevayor aho-rÄtraá¹ mathurÄ-dvÄri saá¹…grÄmaḥ samavartata; kṛṣṇas tu gadayÄ taá¹ jaghÄna; sa tu cÅ«rṇita-sarvÄá¹…go vajra-nirbhinno mahÄ«dhara iva gatÄsur avani-tale nipapÄta; so ’pi hareḥ sÄrÅ«pyeṇa yogi-gamyaá¹ nityÄnanda-sukha-daá¹ Å›ÄÅ›vataá¹ paramaá¹ padam avÄpa: “Between the two of them — Dantavakra and Lord VÄsudeva — there then began a battle at the gate of MathurÄ that lasted all day and night. Finally Kṛṣṇa struck Dantavakra with His club, at which point Dantavakra fell lifeless to the ground, all his limbs smashed like a mountain shattered by a lightning bolt. Dantavakra achieved the liberation of gaining a form equal to the Lord’s, and thus he also achieved the Lord’s eternal, supreme abode, attainable by perfect yogÄ«s, which bestows the happiness of everlasting spiritual bliss.â€

Itthaá¹ jaya-vijayau sanakÄdi-Å›Äpa-vyÄjena kevalaá¹ bhagavato lÄ«lÄrthaá¹ saá¹sá¹›tÄv avatÄ«rya janma-traye ’pi tenaiva nihatau janma-trayÄvasÄne muktim avÄptau: “So it was that Jaya and Vijaya — apparently because of being cursed by Sanaka and his brothers but actually to facilitate the Supreme Lord’s pastimes — descended to this material world and in three consecutive lifetimes were killed by the Lord Himself. Then, at the completion of these three lifetimes, they attained liberation.â€

In this passage of the Padma PurÄṇa the words kṛṣṇas tu tac chrutvÄ, “when Kṛṣṇa heard of this,†indicate that the Lord heard from NÄrada, who travels as swiftly as the mind, that Dantavakra had gone to MathurÄ. Therefore immediately after killing ÅšÄlva, without first entering DvÄrakÄ, the Lord reached the vicinity of MathurÄ in a single moment on His chariot, which also moves as swiftly as the mind, and there He saw Dantavakra. Thus it is that even today, by the gate of MathurÄ facing the direction of DvÄrakÄ, there is a village known in the vernacular as DatihÄ, a name derived from the Sanskrit dantavakra-ha, “killer of Dantavakra.†This village was founded by Kṛṣṇa’s great-grandson Vajra.

In the same section of the Padma PurÄṇa, these statements follow: kṛṣṇo ’pi taá¹ hatvÄ yamunÄm uttÄ«rya nanda-vrajaá¹ gatvÄ sotkaṇṭhau pitarÄv abhivÄdyÄÅ›vÄsya tÄbhyÄá¹ sÄÅ›ru-sekam Äliá¹…gitaḥ sakala-gopa-vá¹›ddhÄn praṇamya bahu-vastrÄbharaṇÄdibhis tatra-sthÄn santarpayÄm Äsa. “And after killing him [VidÅ«ratha], Kṛṣṇa crossed the YamunÄ and went to the cowherd village of Nanda, where He honored and consoled His aggrieved parents. They drenched Him with tears and embraced Him, and then the Lord offered obeisances to the elder cowherd men and gratified all the residents with abundant gifts of clothing, ornaments and so on.â€

kÄlindyÄḥ puline ramye
 puṇya-vá¹›ká¹£a-samÄcite
gopa-nÄrÄ«bhir aniÅ›aá¹
 krÄ«á¸ayÄm Äsa keÅ›avaḥ
ramya-keli-sukhenaiva
 gopa-veÅ›a-dharaḥ prabhuḥ
bahu-prema-rasenÄtra
 mÄsa-dvayam uvÄsa ha

“Lord KeÅ›ava sported continuously with the cowherd women on the KÄlindī’s charming bank, which was filled with pious trees. Thus the Supreme Lord, assuming the appearance of a cowherd, resided there for two months, enjoying the pleasure of intimate pastimes in various moods of loving reciprocation.â€

Atha tatra-sthÄ nanda-gopÄdayaḥ sarve janÄḥ putra-dÄrÄdi-sahitÄ vÄsudeva-prasÄdena divya-rÅ«pa-dharÄ vimÄnam ÄrÅ«á¸hÄḥ paramaá¹ vaikuṇṭha-lokam avÄpuḥ; kṛṣṇas tu nanda-gopa-vrajaukasÄá¹ sarveá¹£Äá¹ nirÄmayaá¹ sva-padaá¹ dattvÄ divi deva-gaṇaiḥ saá¹stÅ«yamÄno dvÄravatÄ«á¹ viveÅ›a: “Then, by Lord VÄsudeva’s grace, Nanda and all the other residents of that place, together with their children and wives, assumed their eternal, spiritual forms, boarded a celestial airplane and ascended to the supreme Vaikuṇṭha planet [Goloka Vá¹›ndÄvana]. Lord Kṛṣṇa, however, after bestowing on Nanda Gopa and all the other inhabitants of Vraja His own transcendental abode, which is free of all disease, traveled through the sky and returned to DvÄrakÄ as demigods chanted His praises.â€

ÅšrÄ«la RÅ«pa GosvÄmÄ« comments as follows on this passage in his Laghu-bhÄgavatÄmá¹›ta (1.488-89):

vrajeÅ›Äder aá¹Å›a-bhÅ«tÄ
 ye droṇÄdyÄ avÄtaran
kṛṣṇas tÄn eva vaikuṇṭhe
 prÄhiṇod iti sÄmpratam
preṣṭhebhyo ’pi priyatamair
 janair gokula-vÄsibhiḥ
vá¹›ndÄraṇye sadaivÄsau
 vihÄraá¹ kurute hariḥ

“Since Droṇa and other demigods had previously descended to earth to merge as partial expansions into the King of Vraja and other devotees of Vá¹›ndÄvana, at this time it was these demigod expansions whom Lord Kṛṣṇa sent off to Vaikuṇṭha. Lord Hari is perpetually enjoying pastimes in Vá¹›ndÄvana with His intimate devotees, the residents of Gokula, who are dearer to Him than even His most dear other devotees.â€

In the passage of the Padma PurÄṇa, the word putra in the phrase nanda-gopÄdayaḥ sarve janÄḥ putra-dÄrÄdi-sahitÄḥ (“Nanda Gopa and the others, together with their children and wivesâ€) refers to such sons as Kṛṣṇa, ÅšrÄ«dÄmÄ and Subala, while the word dÄra refers to such wives as ÅšrÄ« YaÅ›odÄ and KÄ«rtidÄ, the mother of RÄdhÄrÄṇī. The phrase sarve janÄḥ (“all the peopleâ€) refers to everyone living in the district of Vraja. Thus they all went to the topmost Vaikuṇṭha planet, Goloka. The phrase divya-rÅ«pa-dharÄḥ indicates that in Goloka they engage in pastimes appropriate to demigods, not those suited to humans, as in Gokula. Just as during Lord RÄmacandra’s incarnation the residents of AyodhyÄ were transported to Vaikuṇṭha in their selfsame bodies, so in this incarnation of Kṛṣṇa the residents of Vraja attained to Goloka in theirs.

Lord Kṛṣṇa’s journey from DvÄrakÄ to Vraja is confirmed by the following passage of ÅšrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam (1.11.9): yarhy ambujÄká¹£ÄpasasÄra bho bhavÄn kurÅ«n madhÅ«n vÄtha suhá¹›d-didá¹›ká¹£ayÄ/ tatrÄbda-koá¹­i-pratimaḥ ká¹£aṇo bhavet. “O lotus-eyed Lord, whenever You go away to MathurÄ, Vá¹›ndÄvana or HastinÄpura to meet Your friends and relatives, every moment of Your absence seems like a million years.†Lord Kṛṣṇa had been harboring a desire to go see His friends and relatives in Vraja ever since Lord Baladeva had gone there, but His mother, father and other elders in DvÄrakÄ had refused to give Him permission. Now, however, after the killing of ÅšÄlva, when Kṛṣṇa heard from NÄrada that Dantavakra had gone to MathurÄ, no one could object to the Lord’s going there immediately without first entering DvÄrakÄ. And after killing Dantavakra, He would have the opportunity to meet with His friends and relatives living in Vraja.

Thinking like this, and also remembering Uddhava’s allusion to the gopÄ«s in the words gÄyanti te viÅ›ada-karma (BhÄg. 10.71.9), He went to Vraja, dispelling the feelings of separation of the inhabitants. For two months Lord Kṛṣṇa enjoyed in Vá¹›ndÄvana just as before, previous to His leaving there to kill Kaá¹sa in MathurÄ. Then, at the end of two months, He withdrew His Vraja pastimes from mundane eyes by taking the demigod portions of His parents and other relatives and friends to Vaikuṇṭha. Thus, in one complete plenary manifestation He went to Goloka in the spiritual world, in another He remained perpetually enjoying in Vraja while invisible to material eyes, and in yet another He mounted His chariot and returned alone to DvÄrakÄ. The people of Åšaurasena province thought that after killing Dantavakra Kṛṣṇa had paid a visit to His parents and other dear ones and now was returning to DvÄrakÄ. The people of Vraja, on the other hand, could not understand where He had suddenly disappeared to, and so they were totally astonished.

Furthermore, Åšukadeva considered that ParÄ«ká¹£it MahÄrÄja might think, “How is it that the same Kṛṣṇa who caused the cowherds to attain Vaikuṇṭha in their selfsame bodies also caused the residents of DvÄrakÄ to attain such an inauspicious condition in the course of His mauá¹£ala-lÄ«lÄ?†Thus the King might consider the arrangement unfair because of his own affinity for the Yadus. That is why Åšukadeva GosvÄmÄ« did not allow him to hear this pastime, which, as mentioned above, is related in the Uttara-khaṇá¸a of ÅšrÄ« Padma PurÄṇa.

In ÅšrÄ« Vaiṣṇava-toá¹£aṇī, SanÄtana GosvÄmī’s commentary on the Tenth Canto, we find the following sequential list of pastimes: First was the journey on the occasion of the solar eclipse, then the RÄjasÅ«ya assembly, then the gambling match and attempted disrobing of DraupadÄ«, then the PÄṇá¸avas’ exile to the forest, then the killing of ÅšÄlva and Dantavakra, then Kṛṣṇa’s visit to Vá¹›ndÄvana, and finally the winding up of the Vá¹›ndÄvana pastimes.