Chapter Thirteen

Favoring the Wives of the Brahmanas

 

While performing the pastime of stealing the gopis' clothes, Krishna  tem­porarily forgot about tending the cows. As He returned to His friends,  Krishna savored bliss within His heart produced by eating the deliriously  sweet fruit borne on the creeper of conjugal love. Balarama, the wielder  of the plow, and the cowherd boys enthusiastically welcomed Krishna with  feelings of joy. They entered the forest to continue their merry making  and tending the cows.

Krishna glorified Balarama and His intimate friends, "Hey cultured friends!  O Stoka-Krishna! I am so happy to see you. O Amsuman! Even while fight­ing  your body looks beautiful and effulgent. O Shridama! You are adorned with  the opulent garland of all good fortune. Hey Subala! Your strength is the  wealth of your intense love. O Arjuna! Your white color is due to the pure  fame of your deep love. O Visala! The greatness of Your love is always  joyfully displayed. O Ojasvi! You are elegant due your brilliant strength.  O Devaprastha! Your form is the crest jewel on the mountain peak of  fraternal affection. O Varuthapa! Because you have controlled the chariot  of your mind, your commands are always obeyed."Look My friends! Just see  the splendorous beauty of the forest grove. The trees look very attractive  with their coral-reddish buds enveloped by tender reddish-green leaves.  They look just like pairs of embracing lov­ers. The densely foliated  branches of the trees completely cover the sky in all directions. Although  many varieties of birds sit on the small branches, they are not bound  there. They are independent and beyond the control of Cupid. What to speak  of the radiant beauty of Vrndavana's trees, which is beyond the  omprehension of the mind and words. Even if one takes birth in the  effulgent and worshipable land of Vrndavana as an insignifi­cant plant, he  should still be accepted as a saint."Hunters attain the supreme happiness  by using their bows and arrows to spoil the enjoyment of their enemies.  Saints find delight within their purified minds and softened hearts.  Karmis reap the fruits of their piety to taste the joy of heaven.  Ksatriyas take pleasure in killing tigers and taking their skins as  spoils. But just from the bark, leaves, or fruit of a tree in Vrndavana  one can derive inconceivable happiness. Taking birth as a tree in  Vrndavana, therefore, is itself a perfection fulfilling all the needs of  the soul."By speaking such matchless, enchanting words, Krishna fulfilled  the de­sires of His friends. Continuing His delightful childhood pastimes,  Krishna meandered along behind the cows. Since the cows had eaten a lot of  grass, they felt thirsty and walked slowly. Out of affection, Krishna  brought them to the Yamuna to drink some water. The tall trees on either  side of the sandy path provided soothing shade. Accompanied by Balarama,  His gopa friends and cows, Krishna happily approached the River Yamuna. If  Krishna and His friends had not appeared on earth, no one would have  under­stood their sweet moods of love.While the cows sipped the crystal  clear water, Krishna rested on the root of a tree beside the path. Shining  radiantly, Krishna made a plan within His mind to test the loving affection  of the chaste wives of iheyajnic brahmanas. Playing and roaming through  the forest all day with the cows made the boys feel tired and hungry. The  drops of perspiration on their weary faces looked like dew drops on wilted  lotus flowers. Due to hunger, they looked weak and lusterless. In this  distressed condition, the cowherd boys fear­lessly appealed to Krishna and  Balarama, who were busy relishing the sweet smell of musk that pervaded  the air.The boys said, "You are the supreme personalities. O Balarama! You  are very strong, handsome and radiant. O Krishna! Your color resembles a  fresh monsoon cloud and You have powerful arms. We are being harassed by  hunger and You should do something about it. We feel like the virulent  venom of a snake is burning us. Our raging appetites have turned our  bellies into pots of burning fire. We cannot find any relief. O beloved  friends! You two brothers must think how to take away our agony."His heart  softened with love, Krishna smiled slightly to reveal His beauti­ful teeth  that are as white as kunda flowers. Then He advised His friends, "O  sakhas, listen! I will help you by telling you how to get relief from your  misery. Not far from here are some very powerful and blissful brahmanas  who are respected by the best of sages. They are performing the Angirasa  sacrifice to gain promotion to heaven. They have attained brilliant fame  because of their broad minds and liberal distribution of food. Besides  their expertise in Vedic rituals, these grhasta brahmanas can easily  dispel anyone's ignorance with their vast knowledge. Now quickly go offer  obei­sances to them, address them respectfully, and lovingly beg some  food­stuffs in our names."Being ordered by Krishna, the pious, softhearted  cowherd boys expertly and joyfully made their way to the yajna sola  (sacrificial arena). Even though they were tired, the boys eagerly went to  beg from the brahmanas. Upon entering the yajna sala, they enjoyed seeing  the sacrificial fire and the dense clouds of smoke. The smell of burning  ghee gratified their noses, and the warm air soothed their sense of touch.  Hearing the brahmanas' melodious singing of the Santa Veda delighted their  ears. The thought that they would soon receive some tasty foodstuffs to  offer to Krishna made their tongues salivate in anticipation. Thus the  cowherd boys gratified their senses at the gorgeously decorated yajna  sala.As Ramacandra, the Lord of the Raghu dynasty, is called the  "Treta-yuga avataram" because He appeared in Treta-yuga, similarly, this  yajna sala is also treta-yuga avataram because it has three types of fires  (ahavanya, daksina-agni, and gharapatya). As the city of Ayodhya is  visarayuparam, or beside the flowing waters of the famous River Sarayu,  similarly, this sac­rificial fire is visarayuparam, always receiving a  constant supply of wood. As King Bhagiratha is samunnita pragvamshan, the  deliverer of His an­cestors, similarly, this yajna is samunnita  pragvamshan or situated on the eastern side of the house. Its presence  beautifies the homes of the brahmanas' patrons.A brahmana boy who has not  completed his brahmacari life is samekhala kundalamsam, or handsome with  his waist-belt and ropes made from munja grass draped over his shoulder.  Similarly, this yajnic sala is samekhala kundalamsam, embellished with  different raised seats placed around the fire pits. As the heart of one  relishing rasas becomes sampumam pravista, full by entering the ocean  oibhakti-rasa, similarly, the yajna sala is pravista rasa sampumam,  complete by its abundance of kusa grass.As a house has a kitchen full of  cooking pots (prajyathalikam) to serve its guests, similarly, this yajna  sala is full of pots {prajyathalikam) of pure ghee and water. As a  separated lover's eyes always glisten with tears, simi­larly, this yajna  sala always shines with flames. During the rainy season rivulets swell  with water, vishal purna patram, and make the middle of the river very  deep. Similarly, in the middle the yajna sala there are vishal puma  patram, deep pots full of foodstuffs.Clubs (musalam or ulukhala) are used  to chastise a gentle saintly per­son in the royal assembly of an evil  king. Similarly, this yajna sala has a mortar and pestle (musalam and  ulukhala) for grinding the spices and ingredients used in the sacrifice.  Ksatriyas are expert in using their hands for fighting (samit kushalam).  Similarly, this yajna sala also has kusa grass and wood called samit  kushalam.

 

As Mahesa is sahom, always associated with his consort Uma, similarly,  this yajna sala is sahom, always full of many oblations. Inside the yajna  sala the cowherd boys saw many yajnic brahmanas chanting hymns from the  Sama Veda. Similarly, of the four ways to control somebody one is called  sama (appeasement or making friends). As one enjoys embracing his lover to  his chest, similarly, hearing the precise enunciation of the hymns pleased  everyone's heart. Just as sages have beautiful locks of matted hair (sujatakam), similarly,  the hymns chanted by the brahmanas contained many sweet tunes (sujatakam).  The breasts of young ladies appear firm and beautiful (susamhitam).  Similarly, the brahmanas' singing sounded like a tightly composed display  (susamhitam) of beautiful poetry.What kind of yajnic brahmanas were they?  As a worshiper is well versed in acting according to the proper time  (samay samayajnaih), similarly, these brahmanas performed the yajnas  exactly at the auspicious time (samay samayajnaih) of morning and evening.  Ksatriyas attain the wealth of victory in battle by repeatedly using their  bows. Similarly, the brahmanas have become wealthy by constantly doing  yajnas.

 

After examining the yajna sala the cowherd boys walked slowly forward.  Although they smelled the sweet aroma of the sacrificial fire, their  stom­achs remained empty and dissatisfied. Their bangles and ankle-bells  jingled sweetly as they bowed respectfully on the ground before the  brahmanas. Even the king of heaven esteemed these austere and renowned  brahmanas, who always received the seat of honor at any festival. As  personifications of Vedic knowledge, they exhibited extreme gravity, yet  they had deep personal feelings.In deep rumbling voices the cowherd boys  addressed the brahmanas, "O worshipable and cultured ones! Please listen  to us. We are friends of Balarama and Damodara coming here as your guests.  Balarama, the em­bodiment of all wonderful transcendental qualities, is  just nearby talking with His younger brother. They sent us to you because  you are well-wish­ers of everyone. You may ask why Krishna did not come with  us. The an­swer is that Krishna is fixed in His position just like the  immovable Mount Sumeru."As oceans of compassion, you brahmanas benefit all  living entities. You always perform pious activities like digging wells,  establishing parks and gardens, and making attractive walkways. Being dear  to everyone, you satisfy all living entities by giving them the thing they  cherish, namely food. You have become effulgent due to your fame."You are  charitable and fixed in Brahman. Since we left home early this morning we  have not eaten anything or taken any rest. We are very tired and hungry  from roaming all over with the cows. Balarama and Damodara also feel  distressed. Although They tolerated it for a short time, now They are  anxious to eat something. Therefore, They sent us to you to beg some food  because you are the maintainers of grhasta dharma. So please make  arrangements to affectionately provide us with plenty of food."

Although hearing the boys, those sober brahmanas remained silent just like  deaf men. Understanding that the brahmanas felt no obligation to give them  charity, the boys became morose. They thought that the brahmanas were  treating them like hard-hearted, invalid old men. Though wise and learned  in yajnas, why did the brahmanas ignore the humble request of the cowherd  boys? Perhaps, it was not their habit to entertain the requests of young  children. Maybe they disregarded the boys' due to their attachment to  sacrificing animals, or due to enmity, foolishness, or insufficient piety,  or because they had not received any mercy from the Lord.The boys' faces  turned pale from disappointment. Lamenting over their failure, they  unhappily returned to Krishna. Upon noticing their condition, Krishna remained  equipoised and displayed a mild smile on His peaceful lotus face. The  faces of the boys, however, conveyed frustration in their begging  attempt.At that time, Krishna thought, "Those yajnic brahmanas are not  actually charitable towards others. They simply make a big show with their  elabo­rate fire sacrifices. It seems that their charity does not extend  beyond the limits of their own bellies."

Although mentally disturbed, the cowherd boys tried to explain the  situ­ation to Balarama. They said, "O Rama! We have never seen such  harsh­ness as we saw today in the eyes of those brahmanas. They are yajnic  brahmanas in name only. Actually they are first-class fools because they  do not know the real purport of the Vedas."Mentioning Your names we begged  foodstuffs which are pleasing to the soul. What to speak of giving  charity, they did not even answer us, which is the minimum response  enjoined in the Vedas. But in their homes we saw and heard them saying so  many things such as...'Cook this, fry that, let us drink, eat, come, go  outside, take this away...' We saw those brahmanas, the crest-jewels among  the jnanis, busily engaged inside their houses eating palatable  foods."Outside their houses many thousands of people milled about. Being  angry, we did not bother to go there. Seeing the quality of generosity  being so dishonored in the hands of the brahmanas, we did not want to stay  there for a moment. By going to them we received nothing more than utter  humiliation, whereas they enhanced their family prestige by per­forming a  huge yajna."O Krishna, our dear friend! We brought back nothing but the  smoke that we momentarily inhaled at the fire sacrifice. Like the Vedic  injunctions, all of Your instructions are held as crest-jewels on our  heads. Just as nec­tar never turns salty, how is it that Your infallible  words put us into such embarrassment?"Krishna smiled mildly and spoke some  sweet pleasing words mixed with cleverness, "O you boys! Why are you  affected by false anger? You should not have such a defiant antagonistic  mood like a newly married woman. It is natural that your minds are  disturbed because selfish people like those brahmanas always cause  suffering to others. Finding the faults in others is the habit of common  people, but you should not see like this. Being preoccupied with the  yajna, the brahmanas obviously could not attend to you. Listen carefully!  You should follow My perfect advice and achieve the desired result."The  wives of the brahmanas are also present in the yajna sala. But they are  embodiments of kindness, compassion, and purity. They possess the wealth  of having completely surrendered their minds to Me. Although they are  women, they do not take pride in turning beggars away from their doors.  These women do not see anything unfavorable for My ser­vice. They  immediately feel ecstatic upon hearing My name and viewing My  transcendental form. They will happily give you plenty of food to re­move  your hunger. Besides being adorned in golden ornaments, the wives of the  brahmanas regularly receive and willingly distribute gold in charity.  Although they are brahmanas' wives, instead of sitting on the ground like  ordinary women, they sit on golden thrones like queens with their bodies  radiating a splendid luster."Feeling gladness within your hearts, go to  their private quarters. In My name ask for abundant foodstuffs which will  bring you all satisfaction. The wives of the brahmanas, who are just like  desire trees, will definitely gratify your cherished desires. O My  friends! Taking My words as a Vedic injunction, which is dear to you and  to them, go there again and beg for food."

 

Being inspired by Krishna's powerful presentation, the gopas left the  gar­den full of fresh creepers. Riding the waves of pleasure, they quickly  re­turned to the yajna sala. In a submissive mood, they approached the  pri­vate chambers of the wives of the hard-hearted brahmanas.Just as  lightning spreads throughout the sky and earth, similarly, the boys saw  the brahmanas' wives fully ornamented with the effulgent wealth of  prestige. As the lightning and rain in sravana month become separated from  the clouds, similarly, the brahmanas' wives had given up sense en­joyment  due to separation from Krishna. Although lightning flashes out of a cloud in  a harsh way, the brahmanas' wives appeared softhearted. Light­ning flashes  brilliantly for a moment, and is then detached from the body of the cloud.  But the bodies of the brahmanas' wives always emitted an attractive  radiance.As lotuses grow in the water on straight stems, similarly, the  wives of the brahmanas spoke in a straightforward way. The wives of the  brahmanas resembled golden creepers of flowing beauty moving here and  there. But in separation from Krishna they could not find any pleasure. Even  without the night, they exhibited effulgences rivaling the glowing full  moon. In the absence of Krishna, however, they always felt unhappy.

 

The yajna patnis (wives of the brahmanas) existed like the personified  flames of a fire. Their saintly qualities derided the fame of Arundhati  (the chaste wife of Brahmarsi Vasisthadeva). Somehow they maintained a  joyful state by the strength of their affection for Krishna, which acted  like a celestial herbal medicine to sustain them, and burned like the  steady flame of an oil lamp. During any ceremony these beautiful brahmana  la­dies always behaved perfectly according to time and place. They  displayed the limit of worldly conduct by welcoming their guests with  sweet words and serving them first-class food. Due to their love for the  Lord they knew how to act properly in all circumstances. As vines of parental affection, they could not ignore the pleas of hungry  children. Tolerating the shouts of their angry husbands, they appeared as  the embodiments of forgiveness on the earth. Each one of them exhibited  many attractive qualities such as purity of purpose and absolute  dedica­tion to the Lord. Their wealth surpassed even that of the heavenly  king Indra who protects others with his thunderbolt.

 

Upon seeing the yajna patnis, the boys immediately said, "O magnani­mous  wives of the greatest brahmanasl We offer our obeisances to your pinkish  lotus feet that are the source of generosity and happiness. We are close  friends of Krishna, the personification of all knowledge. Please listen to  our humble appeal."

That one utterance of Krishna's name resonated within the ears of the  brahmanas' wives millions of times over. Startled and astounded, they  forgot everything and exclaimed, "What kind of enchanting mantra is this?"  Just as a she deer becomes helplessly attracted by the sweet flute  melo­dies of a hunter, similarly, the yajna patnis swooned in ecstasy upon  hear­ing the sound of Krishna's name. The pure-hearted wives of the brahmanas, who appeared on the earth like  the predominating deities of the Upanisads, stopped cooking and looked  respectfully at the cowherd boys while fixing their minds in medi­tation.  Inspired by Krishna's reassuring words, the boys smiled pleasantly and  completed their request to the ladies.

 

"O wives of the brahmanasl We are very hungry! We did not take any  breakfast and have been playing all day. The prince of Vrndavana, who is  the reigning Cupid of this world and the object of your worship, sent us  to beg food. Krishna is waiting nearby with His elder brother Balarama, who  always showers Krishna with joy and shines with the power of King Indra.  "Our dear friend Krishna is known throughout the world. Surely, you must  have heard about Him from the lips of the great devotees. Even as a baby  He made the cruel witch Putana famous by giving her the post of His nurse.  As a small boy He pushed the terrible Trnavarta demon into the earth, and  turned Bakasura into an ugly corpse. He vanquished the ven­omous serpent  Aghasura and banished Kaliya from the Yamuna. What more can we say about  His fantastic exploits? The glories of all the demons and devotees in the  entire material manifestation cannot com­pare with a drop in the ocean of  Krishna's unlimited nectarean glories."Upon hearing these words, the hearts  of the ladies immediately melted in ecstatic love. They felt that the  great treasure of Krishna's form, which is a constant flow of beautiful  nectar appearing as inconceivable eternal existence, had suddenly  manifested before them. The thought of directly meeting Krishna stole the  chariots of their minds. Somehow or other the eternal perfection that they  desired for so long was now appearing before them.Drowning in an ocean of  bliss, their eyes flooded with tears and their tender creeper-like bodies  erupted in blissful bumps. Their senses went numb and stopped working. The  transformation infused them with new life. This newly acquired good  fortune enhanced their beauty. Their bod­ies displayed a splendid elegance  as the intensity of their desire to meet their beloved increased more and  more. Nourished by such hankering, the eyes of the yajna patnis filled  with the form of Krishna.Seeing their increasingly ecstatic condition, the  cowherd boys felt per­plexed. While looking at each other with  astonishment they said, "Upon hearing our appeal these respectable ladies  went mad with the desire to see Krishna. Their actions are very strange.  They are not moving, speaking, or looking at anything. Alas! Has some evil  planet mesmerized them?"It is not surprising that the brahmanas treated us  rudely and totally ignored us. They did not even acknowledge our arrival  or give us any­thing. But we are amazed that their lotus-eyed wives failed  to give us anything, even after attentively hearing our request and  showing us so much loving affection and intention to serve."Who can  understand the mentality of the yajna patnis? How did their behavior  change so radically? Something created a sweet mellow within their minds  and made them ecstatic. That transformation could neither remove the cause  nor remove the effect."While the humble cowherd boys talked in this way,  the wives of the brahmanas, although failing to respond verbally, went  directly into their huge kitchens, which were thoroughly stocked by their  maidservants. On a large plate they expertly piled up rice, vegetables,  and other delicious food which represented their loving desire to please  Krishna. The delec­table items included creamy cakes, sweet breads,  chapatis, yogurt, and a complete array of delicacies to lick, chew, drink,  and suck.

 

They lovingly prepared foods of all the six tastes. Just as the caves  (kandar) and gentle wind blowing on Govardhana Hill serve the Lord,  similarly, they collected many kinds of root vegetables (kanda) to please  the Lord. Before offering them, they artistically arranged all the  fragrant, juicy, delicious, and colorful preparations. Just as a woman  beautifies herself by wearing golden ornaments, similarly, the varieties  of attractive vegetables like sak and sukta embellished the offering.As  the minds of the yajna patnis enriched with spontaneous bliss, simi­larly,  the opulence of the offering increased by adding first class dab and  soups. As a divine weapon released in a battle is invincible, similarly,  the different varieties of cooked spinach acquired undefeatable tastes and  qualities. The ladies scented the offering with their pure desire to  pre­pare everything with love and devotion. Just as the Ganges looks  beauti­ful flowing past Kasi, similarly, the wonderful varieties of food  looked very attractive.According to their hearts' desires, the yajna  patnis put these foods in golden pots with crystal lids. The pots  glittered attractively from the dif­ferent objects reflected on their  crystal lids. The ladies covered the pots with fine white cloth. Ignoring  the many people milling about the sacrifi­cial arena, they held the pots  on their upraised lotus palms and walked out. Those best of ladies  appeared like many-branched desire trees mov­ing on the earth to satisfy  the needy. While walking along they communi­cated with each other through  eye movements, and occasionally turned their lotus faces towards Krishna's  friends. The submissive cowherd boys ran ahead showing the way to Krishna.  Feeling ecstatic, the cowherd boys spoke in soft joyful voices to indicate  the proper direction.The ladies looked like beautiful lotus flowers  wandering over the earth. By carrying pots of food in their lotus palms  they became as fortunate as the gopis who always associate with Krishna.  Refulgent as golden lotuses, the yajna patnis held the pots and walked  with the grandeur of a band of she-elephants. The weight of their  excessive love for Krishna appeared like a heavy jeweled necklace in their  hearts. Anxiety filled their minds. Due to the heavy weight of their pots,  full breasts and hips, the ladies pro­ceeded slowly and steadily toward  the Lord of their hearts. Though walk­ing was painful, because they were  surrendered souls they felt no incon­venience while going to Krishna.

Due to conflicting moods of transcendental ecstasy, they sometimes ran  toward their beloved or stumbled and progressed very slowly. The soft  jingling of their waist-bells and the "runu jhunu! runu jhunu!" sound of  their ankle-bells vibrated sweetly as they moved. After going a short  dis­tance they saw the plants and creepers of Vraja bending down in a  humble, blissful way. From this they assumed that Krishna, the ocean of all  tran­scendental qualities, must be near by. They went mad due to their  intense love for the Lord.

 

Suddenly they saw an effulgence more beautiful than a dense rain cloud, a  mound of kajala, and a bouquet of blue lotus flowers combined. Aho! Upon  meeting their faces, Krishna's effulgence turned into kajala to surround  their eyes and reflect on their hair parts. Touching their necks, His  effulgence embraced them as a garland of blue lotus flowers. Krishna's  effulgence turned into tamala flowers to wrap around their ears. When  Krishna's effulgence touched their breasts, it rested there as a necklace of  blue sapphires. Illuminating their bodies, Krishna covered them with the  blue dress of His effulgence.

With unblinking eyes the wives of the brahmanas beheld their beloved Syama  before them. Resting His left arm on Subala's shoulder, Krishna looked like  a wave in an unlimited ocean of beauty. He playfully twirled a lotus  flower in His right hand, while simultaneously spinning the minds of the  ladies with loving agitation. He wore a peacock feather on His turban,  golden yellow cloth around His body, and a garland of forest flowers and  leaves hung from His neck. Sandalwood paste and colored minerals adorned  His transcendental body.Krishna released a shower of nectar with His  attractive bright smile that was more splendorous than the moonshine. Like  someone greeting a de­sirable guest, the ladies opened the doors of their  eyes in ecstasy and welcomed Syamasundara into their hearts. Although  Krishna appeared like a prankish paramour lover, His frivolous behavior  charmed their hearts.The ladies considered, "Is He a dramatic dancer about  to enact a won­derful pastime? Is He Cupid personified, or is He the  embodiment of conjugal love? Is He the personified bliss of love? Is He  the very form of pleasurable pastimes?" All these questions raced through  the excited minds of the yajna patnis.Due to absorption in thoughts of  Krishna, they acted boldly, free from doubts and hesitation. Conquered by  love, they lost control of their minds while tasting the mellow of their  relationship with the Lord. Having taken complete control of their senses,  Krishna entered their hearts, came out­side, and again reentered their  hearts.

During this experience the yajna patnis thought, "How amazing! Our beloved  Syamasundara is standing before us and simultaneously standing in our  hearts!" In such a bewildered state the ladies saw Krishna inside their  hearts when they closed their eyes, and upon opening their eyes, they saw  their beloved before them. Although satisfied to see Krishna within their  hearts, they moved closer to Him upon opening their eyes.The wives looked  very beautiful holding the offerings of food in their attractive, lotus  bud-like hands. Just as a desire tree fulfills the heart's desires,  similarly, Krishna felt satisfied seeing the beautiful bodies of the ladies  which appeared like glittering vines growing in a celestial pleasure  garden.Krishna joyfully addressed those doe-eyed ladies, "Aho My dear ones!  Did you suffer any inconvenience in coming here? O fortunate ladies!Please  sit down and make yourselves comfortable. I can see you have great love  for Me because you have personally brought Me foodstuffs. There is no way  I can repay you for your wonderful service. May you find complete  satisfaction in your love for Me and thus relieve Me of My debt to  you."Krishna's sweet, deep voice sounded like rumbling clouds. He soothed  the ears of the yajna patnis with His love-soaked, distinctly pronounced  words, which were sweeter than the drops of nectar falling from the  au­tumn moon. The wives of the brahmanas thought they had attained the  pinnacle of fortune just by hearing Him.Taking Krishna through the aperture  of their lotus eyes, they embraced Him within their hearts. Melting in  rapturous joy, they relinquished all fears and anxieties. With their  creeper-like hands those fortunate ladies offered the fragrant flowers of  their affection to worship their beloved. Krishna enchanted the minds of the  brahmanas' wives by saturating them with spiritual bliss. And He  completely removed the painful fire of sepa­ration.Krishna continued  speaking, "You should return to your husbands and finish the sacrifice. I  am pleased by persons who worship Me in My form as the enjoyer of  sacrifices."Although Krishna's splendid face glowed like the full moon,  instead of pouring out heavenly nectar, He delivered bitter poison in the  form of unpalatable words. The frustration of the brahmanas' wives  long-awaited desires drained all the color from their bodies. Their minds  had become fully attached to Krishna by repeatedly hearing about Him from  the lips of the Vrajavasis. Upon their arrival and initial meeting with  Krishna, He en­couraged their blossoming desires by saying, "Come and sit  down." Then a few minutes later He destroyed the flourishing creeper of  their desires and made them miserable.Their faces turned pale and  cheerless. Due to being completely ignored, an unbearable pain supplanted  the joy they previously felt. Their hearts severely hurt, tears gushed out  of their closed eyes. Just as a demigoddess does not cast a shadow,  similarly, these grief-stricken ladies no longer flashed their brilliant  effulgences. Just as the light in an oil lamp dimin­ishes with the  exhaustion of fuel, similarly, the natural glow of the brahmana ladies  eventually decreased to nil. Giving up their shyness, the wives appealed  to Krishna with choked voices.

 

"O almighty one, You are the dearest one to all living entities. Please do  not speak such cruel words that pierce the core of our hearts like a  thun­derbolt. Please listen attentively, and do not deprive us the  pleasure of seeing You. For if You do, we will surely die. "How could such a thing happen? Alas! Does a river rushing out of a  mountain peak turn back and take shelter inside the mountain? Of course  not, rather, it flows naturally to the ocean, which remains neutral and  unaffected. You are everything for those who have nothing in this world. O  Murari! We have no one else in this world but You. Therefore, we can no  longer find any pleasure in returning home. In dense darkness one may make  a mistake and go in the wrong direction. But by the power of his piety he  may come to the right path. Similarly, if without any en­deavor a blind  man attains divine vision, he will not reject that fortune."Alas! No doubt  You are learned in ethics and morality. But these words of Yours are  devoid of love and affection. Until now we have maintained our lives  solely by hearing Your name and fame. You emanate the beauty, splendor,  and sweetness of a thousand Cupids, but where is Your sweet­ness now? O  Damodara! Although You are proud, please listen to us for a few moments.  You have promised to never reject anyone who serves You and once says, 'O  Lord! From today on I am Yours.' Now please keep Your promise. We have  given up the dark cave of household life, which is nothing but a bitter  path full of the thorns of hard work. Now please accept us as Your  maidservants."Our husbands, fathers, sons, brothers, relatives, and  friends will no longer take us back. They will reject us and laugh at us.  Even the sinful people will criticize us. But despite all of this, we  offer our bodies in the service of Your lotus feet. Therefore, O Lord! We  humbly beg You to please show us Your compassion! Please take control of  the chariots of our minds and quickly grant our cherished desire. O  compassionate one! We are fully surrendered souls, so please accept us.  Intoxicate us with the shower of Your nectarean association. On our heads  and breasts we re­spectfully hold the fragrant flowers which You  neglectfully kick away with Your lotus feet."

 

Until now the yajna patnis had carefully concealed their love for Krishna  within their hearts. Now their bodies, covered with bumps of ecstatic  de­light, clearly revealed their intense attachment to the Lord. The face  of Damodara gleamed attractively like the soothing rays of the full moon,  His leaf-like lips bathed in a sweet smile, and His white teeth shone with  a slightly reddish hue resembling pomegranate seeds. After hearing the pleasing prayers of the yajna patnis, Krishna said,  "Lis­ten attentively as I fill your ears with the truth. Such stubborn  behavior does not befit you. You should understand that a self-controlled  person who surrenders to the scriptures and hears about Me, chants My name  and glories, and meditates on My form can very easily bring Me under his  control. Such perfection is not achieved by physical proximity to Me. O  upholders of truth! Please, therefore, return to your homes and meditate  on Me. By this practice you will get free from material bondage and attain  Me, the friend and Lord of all creation.

"Actually in this birth as the wives of brahmanas it will not be  beneficial for you to physically associate with Me, a member of the vaisya  commu­nity. It will be better for you to think of Me within Your minds. I  will also think of you and firmly embrace you there. Please go home and do  not be in anxiety about your relatives. Do not worry! Your husbands will  not be inimical toward you. Indeed, your husbands, children, and relatives  are dear to you because I am residing within them in My expanded form as  the Paramatma. Only one who has been rejected by Me will be envious of a  person who has offered his heart to Me, the form of the Absolute Truth."

 

The ladies drank the nectar of Krishna's words with the cups of their ears.  In this way, Krishna showed His expertise in presenting arguments from  different points of view. The yajnapatnis appreciated His reasonable words  and felt great joy within their hearts. Seeing this as Krishna's mercy, they  fixed their minds on Him and eagerly took His handsome form into their  hearts. Driven by Cupid, they disregarded Krishna's contradictory behav­ior  and relished the splendid beauty of His wonderful transcendental form.  Though perspiring and shedding tears of joy, the doe-eyed ladies some­how  managed to return home.

One of the wives of the brahmanas, though forcefully kept home by her  angry husband, entered a state of ecstasy upon hearing descriptions of  Krishna's beauty from the cowherd boys. Not caring for the poisonous words  of her crazy husband, she absorbed herself in a loving meditation on  Krishna. Then she lost external consciousness and saw Krishna manifest before  her saying, "Give up everything and come live with Me in Vrndavana." After  receiving this order she prepared herself to meet Krishna. Just as one  planning to visit a foreign country waits for an auspicious time,  similarly, she took this as the ideal time to satisfy her desire to enjoy  with Krishna in the groves of Vrndavana. On account of her complete  at­tachment to Krishna and because of having seen Him once in meditation,  she adopted the principle of rejecting a lower thing for a higher thing.  Therefore, she abandoned her mood of identifying as the wife of a  brahmana. It is not very surprising then that she gave up her material  body.  Within a moment she obtained a spiritual body and enjoyed blissful  pastimes with Krishna. Attaining the direct association of Krishna naturally  fills one with inconceivable delight. Her intense love for the Lord forced  her to reject the control of her husband and submit herself to Krishna. No  obstacle could diminish her ever-increasing love for Krishna. Although one  may use his fingernails to break off a small piece from a tender creeper,  that piece wili^ontinue to live and later sprout again. Similarly, it  ap­peared that the brahmana's wife perished with the demise of her  material body, but actually she continued to exist in her spiritual  body.She continued living at home in a spiritual body just suitable for  pleas­ing the Lord. After sometime she got the association of Krishna's  intimate Vraja gopis who taught her exactly how to act to satisfy Krishna.  Thus she qualified to obtain His blissful association in the coming days.  By repeat­edly studying Krishna's transcendental qualities she overcame all  impedi­ments. As the ocean waves continually break on the beach, the  desire to see Krishna constantly moved in her heart. By the strength of her  bhajana she cut her bondage to maya and developed intense yearning to  attain Krishna. At this stage of Krishna consciousness, She considered her  husband and family to be no more important than straw in the street. A  moment later she left her body.This amazing act eclipsed the fame of even  the greatest yogi who by deep concentration leaves his body at his own  will. Taking note of her pure devotion for Krishna, the yajnic brahmanas,  who were acaryas of Vedic wisdom, felt sorrowful and condemned themselves.  They said, "Alas! To hell with our lives since we have no love for Krishna;  to hell with our exper­tise in the rituals of sacrifice, our charitable  acts, and our extensive learn­ing; to hell with our abilities,  intelligence, self-realization, and aristocratic background; to hell with  our asanas, meditation and concentration; and to hell with our knowledge  of tantra and mantra."Aho! Although our wives have never done japa,  studied the Vedas, un­dergone the purificatory rites, followed the  formalities of cleanliness or engaged in pious rituals, just see the pure  love they have for Krishna. They never studied nor meditated on the nature  of the self. They merely heard the transcendental glories of Lord Hari  from the lips of pure devotees. But just see the intensity of their love  for Krishna that inspired them to act so wonderfully."We have never seen all  these incredible feelings before. Giving up all shame, our wives ignored  their kinsmen and acted frivolously. Over­whelmed by the order of Krishna,  they considered the requests of their husbands and relatives no more than  straw."Commenting on the lady who left her body in anxiety to meet Krishna,  the brahmanas said, "What can we say about this? Only after many  life­times of severe austerities can a perfect yogi leave his body at will  by controlling his life airs and raising the atma through the six cakras.  Yet in order to see her beloved Lord, this lady surmounted all obstacles  and attained a position rarely achieved by the greatest yogisl Who can  under­stand the nature of Krishna premal

 

"What can we say about our cruel treatment of our wives? Although we have  heard so many things, we paid no attention to their devotion to Krishna, or  to their requests for articles to offer Him. Even though we are supposed  to be intelligent, it seems the same Lord covered us with illu­sion in  order to shower mercy upon our wives."Though ornamented with Vedic  knowledge, the brahmanas lamented deeply and fell speechless. Renouncing  their pride they sat down on the ground. When their wives returned the  brahmanas could understand that Krishna's association had transformed them.  Their wives displayed all aus­picious qualities now that their hearts were  saturated with divine love. The ladies were filled up to the necks with  the unlimited beauty of Krishna and they cried tears of joy. Enchanted by  Krishna's delightful character, their hearts surged with continuous bliss.  They existed in a transcenden­tal realm far beyond any amount of piety and  knowledge.Seeing that their wives had become liberated souls, those  effulgent, broad-minded brahmanas smiled happily. They showed more respect  to their wives than ever before. Now the brahmanas honored their wives  more than they did the sastras, gurus, and other exalted brahmanas. It is  not surprising that they stood up and greeted their wives with great  affec­tion. Indeed, anyone who sees someone who is deeply in love with  Krishna will also develop affection for Krishna.The yajna patnis who had seen  Krishna praised their friend who gave up her body because she could not go  out. One lady said, "No one in the world surpasses her fortune. Not only  in this birth, but in all her previous auspicious births she must have  enjoyed intimate pastimes with Krishna." After saying this, the wives of the  brahmanas showed indifference toward their husbands.It is Krishna's nature to reciprocate with His devotees according to their  moods of love. Krishna, who is expert and softhearted, fulfilled the desire  of the lady who gave up her body by submerging her in an unlimited river  of love. He gave her the association of His dearest gopis who always enjoy  ecstatic pastimes with Him. The gopis embraced her, asked about her  welfare, and taught her the art of pleasing Krishna. Radiant with pure love,  she quickly attained the qualification to associate intimately with Krishna.  Krishna was very happy to see this.

 

Meanwhile, Krishna, Balarama, and Their cowherd boyfriends sat down to  relish the feast offered by the brahmanas' wives. Krishna always enjoys  eating food that is nicely prepared and artistically displayed. The  deli­cious foodstuffs were prepared purely by the yajna patnis, and  flavored with the nectar of their deep love for Krishna.After finishing His  meal Krishna joked with His friends and drove the cows home. Krishna played  His charming murali in order to extinguish the fire of separation within  the hearts of the Vraja gopis who were waiting all day for His return.  Hearing that melodious flute, the trees, plants, creepers, and all the  directions became enlivened and beautiful. Tasting the sweet nectar of  Krishna's enchanting murali entrapped the birds, she-deer, and animals.  Keeping His brother Balarama in front, Krishna, the embodiment of blissful  prema, walked into Vrndavana surrounded by His friends.The lotus face of  Krishna looked extremely beautiful framed by His dark blue locks of hair,  and covered by a thick layer of dust from the feet of the cows. The  slightly tilted turban on His head looked gorgeous with its ar­tistic  ornament of hanging red asoka flowers. The restless movements of Krishna's  splendid makara earrings and the blue lotus flower resting on His ear  further increased His elegance. The pollen falling from that flower mixed  with the drops of Krishna's perspiration to enhance the gentle radi­ance of  His cheeks. As Krishna moved slowly along the path, His beautiful  ankle-bells jingled sweet melodies. The sweet, drawn-out tunes of His  murali filled the ears and minds of everyone with delight.As the evening  approached, the gopis spoke incessantly about Krishna. Upon hearing the  bellowing of the returning cows, the talks of the gopis reached a climax  of excitement. Seeing their excessive craving to meet Krishna, the flute  sound came as a thief to steal the jewel-like hearts of the doe-eyed ones.  The faces of the gopis looked like a cluster of fresh white lotuses  opening under the cool rays of the full moon. Watching the last dim rays  of the setting sun, the gopis merged in a state of wondrous joy. They cast  away their shyness, knowing that they would soon satisfy their desire to  meet the moon of Gokula. In their anxiety to see Krishna they felt a moment  to be a millenium. The pure love of the fortunate gopis sur­passed all  mental speculation.During the time of sunset while the stars were still  hidden behind the curtain of dusk, the gopis ascended the palace rooftops  to drink the nec­tar from Krishna's lotus face as He came back with the  cows. Standing on the rooftops, the glittering bodies of the gopis  appeared like a row of stars rising over the horizon. Their exquisite  beauty shone like a flag of the wealth of good fortune. The dancing of  their creeper-like eyebrows spread a dark hue over the palaces.

 

The Yamuna River held garlands to offer to Krishna in the form of her waves.  The restless glances of the gopis filled the sky with alternating col­ors  of blue and pink. Their open eyes splashed blue in all directions. And the  constant blinking of their eyes covered the evening sky with a pinkish  hue. It appeared as if the sky was painted with alternating clusters of  blue and pink lotus flowers. The brilliance of their teeth beautified  their faces when they yawned. Aglow with perfect health, the gopis looked  like lakes full of blossoming lotuses. Krishna's face seemed to be a sleep-less moon. Seeing the fickle move­ments  of the gopis' eyebrows, Krishna understood they were waging a war in their  minds with that clever enchanter named Cupid. Due to her con­stant loving  ecstasy, one gopi felt confident of being favored by a festival that  night. Overwhelmed with her cherished desire, she suddenly saw Krishna  gazing directly at her. Electrified with the thought that Krishna might come  to her house, that gopi joyfully glanced toward the faces of her friends. Holding an expensive pearl necklace in her joined palms, one anxious and  distressed gopi said, "O Kundalata! I am dying! But just nearby Krishna is  walking with the grace of a regal elephant. Please give Him this pearl  necklace before He runs off to enjoy pastimes in another gopi's house. I  will be forever indebted to you if you do this."

Another gopi said, "Hey sakhil What can the harsh words of our superi­ors  do to us? Why should we allow modesty to restrict us? Forgetting our fears  and anxieties, let us drown in the ocean of bliss by embracing that  handsome youth. With the tender creepers of our arms we will wrap  our­selves tightly around that charming blue desire tree. O sakhi\ Indeed,  this is an auspicious moment. So let us go to the house of the king of  Vrndavana."

Thus the gopis talked about Krishna's all-attractive transcendental body.  Just like great mystic yogis, the gopis withdrew their senses and  completely absorbed themselves in Krishna's delightful form. Anxious to  drink the nectar from their golden lotus faces, Krishna looked lovingly at  the gopis. As if directly enjoying, they embraced each other within their  minds through the touch of their eyes. The gopis offered their glances,  laden with the concentrated nectar of their affection, as gifts for  Syamasundara's plea­sure. Krishna gladly accepted these gifts as He  proceeded into Vrndavana. Feeling momentarily pacified by this, the gopis  responded with joyful smiles.Krishna strolled down the road surrounded by  His dearest boyfriends. With great anticipation He repeatedly said, "When  will I see My beloved smiling at Me and casting sidelong glances?" By  stating this Krishna re­vealed His cherished desire upon entering His home.  Since conjugal love for Krishna eternally resided within their hearts, the  gopis had already real­ized the perfection of knowledge. Simply by  beholding the sweetness of Krishna, their minds thrilled in jubilation and  their bodies displayed bumps of delight.Like two clouds of nectar,  Damodara and Balarama poured liquid bliss into the eyes of their parents.  The magnificent beauty of these two boys, which is the very essence of  sweetness, gave Their parents limitless happi­ness. Using warm water and a  soft cloth, Yasoda and Rohini joyfully washed the dust from the bodies of  their sons. Krishna and Balarama appeared like a pair of elephant cubs being  bathed in a river by their affectionate moth­ers. After bathing They  looked clean and elegant. Then Their servants dressed Them in auspicious  garments, applied aromatic oils, and adorned Their bodies with attractive  ornaments. After eating some delicious foods, Damodara and Balarama took  rest on two opulent beds. These two broth­ers appeared like two beautiful  moons moving on the earth.

Thus ends the thirteenth chapter of Ananda Vrndavana Campu, which  describes Krishna's favoring the wives of the brahmanas during His pas­times  of youth.