Delivering the Wives of the Brāhmaṇas who Performed Sacrifices

Twenty-three. Subject matter: "Delivering the Wives of the Brahmanas who Performed Sacrifices."

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The cowherds boys began to say, "My dear Krsna, my dear Balarama, You are both all-powerful and You can kill so many demons, but today we are very much afflicted with hunger, and it is disturbing us. Please therefore arrange for something by which we can mitigate our hunger."

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In this way, when Lord Krsna and Balarama were requested by Their cowherds boys friend, They immediately became compassionate on the wives of the brahmanas who were performing sacrifices. These wives of the brahmanas were great devotees of the Lord, and Krsna thus took this opportunity to bless the wives of the brahmanas.

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Lord Krsna said, "My dear cowherds boys, please go to the house of the brahmanas nearby who are now engaged in performing Vedic sacrifices known as ahgirasa with a desire for being elevated to the heavenly planets. All of you please go to them." Lord Krsna warned His friend that "These brahmanas are not Vaisnavas. They cannot even chant Our names, Krsna and Balarama. They are very busy in chanting the Vedic hymns, although the purpose of Vedic knowledge is to search out Me. But because they are not attracted so much by the name of Krsna and Balarama, better do not ask them anything on My name. Better you ask them for some charity in the name of Balarama."

Because charity is generally given to the high class brahmanas, but Krsna and Balarama externally did not appear in any brahmana family. Balarama was known as the son of Vasudeva, a ksatriya, and Krsna was known in Vrndavana as the son of Nanda Maharaja, who is a vaisya. None of them belonged to the brahmana community. Therefore, the brahmanas who were engaged in performing sacrifices might not be induced to give such charity to the ksatriyas and vaisyas. "But it may be that if you utter the name of Balarama, they would prefer to give charity to ksatriya than to Me, because I am vaisya."

In this way, being ordered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, all the cowherds boy went there and began to ask for some charity of foodstuff. First of all they approached there, and with folded hands they fell down on the ground to offer them respect and addressed them, "O earthly gods, kindly hear from us who are ordered by Lord Krsna and Balarama. We hope you know Them very well, and we wish you all auspicity. Krsna and Balarama are tending cows nearby, and we have all accompanied Them. We have come to ask from you for some foodstuff. You are all brahmanas and knower of religious principle. If you think that you should give us some charity, then give us some foodstuff. We shall all eat along with Krsna and Balarama. You are the most respectable brahmanas within the human society, and you are expected to know all the principles of religious procedures."

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The idea is that the cowherds boys, although they were village boys not expected to learn all the Vedic principles of religious rituals, still, they hinted that by nature, on account of their being always associated with Krsna and Balarama, they knew all the principles of religious rituals. Another point of view was expressed by them by addressing the brahmanas as "knower of all religious principle," means when the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna and Balarama, were asking for something foodstuff, they would immediately deliver some foodstuff without any hesitation because as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, "One should perform the yajnas or sacrifices only for the satisfaction of Visnu."

"Here Lord Visnu as Krsna and Balarama are standing, and you should immediately deliver whatever foodstuff you have got at your stock." They also explained to the brahmanas where foodstuff are to be accepted and where not to be accepted. Generally, the Vaisnavas, or pure devotees of the Lord, do not take part in ordinary sacrificial performances. But they knew it very well in the sacrifices there are certain ceremonials called by the name diksa, pasusamtha, sautramnya. They said that "After the procedure of diksa and before the animal sacrificial ceremony, as well as sautramnya, or the ceremony in which liquors are also offered, if somebody takes the foodstuff it is not prohibitory. Therefore at the present stage if we take your foodstuff, it will be not prohibitory. So you can deliver us the foodstuff."

The companions of Lord Krsna and Balarama, although they were simply cowherds boys, they could dictate even the high class brahmanas engaged in the Vedic rituals of performing sacrifices. But the smarta brahmanas, who were simply sacrificial-minded, they could not understand the dictation of the transcendental devotees of the Lord. They could not even appreciate the begging of the Supreme Lord, Krsna and Balarama. As such, although they heard all the arguments on order of Krsna and Balarama, they did not care for it.

This degraded position is always there for the nondevotees, in spite of their being very highly elevated in the knowledge of Vedic sacrificial rites. Actually, all such nondevotee brahmanas, although they think of themselves as very highly elevated, they are ignorant, foolish persons, and all their activities are like childish activities. They do not know what is the purpose of the Vedas, as it is explained in the Bhagavad-gita that the purpose of the Vedas is to understand Krsna. So in spite of their advancement in Vedic knowledge and rituals, they did not understand what is Krsna. Therefore their understanding of Vedas was simply waste of time, without any purpose.

Lord Caitanya, therefore, gave His valuable opinion definitely that a person, even though he may not be born in a brahmana family, but if he knows Krsna or the science of Krsna consciousness, he is more than a brahmana and quite fit for becoming the spiritual master.

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There are various detail arrangements in the matter of performing sacrifices, called by the name desa, place; kala means the time; prthak dravya, different detailed paraphernalia; mantra, hymns; tantra, scriptural evidences; agni, fire; rtvij, the learned performers of sacrifices; devatas, the demigods; yajamana, the performer of the sacrifices; kratu, the sacrifice itself; dharma, the procedures. All these things for satisfying Krsna. It is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita that He is the actual enjoyer of all sacrifices because He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead directly and the Supreme Absolute Truth, beyond the conception or speculation of material senses. He is present there just like ordinary human boy, but it was very difficult to understand Him for persons who identify themselves with this body. Therefore the brahmanas were very much interested with the comforts of this material body by elevating themselves to the higher planetary residence called svarga-vasa. They were completely unable to understand the position of Krsna.

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When the cowherds boy saw the brahmanas silent, without replying anything yes or no, at that time they became very much disappointed and came back to Lord Krsna and Balarama and explained all the circumstances happened there. After hearing their statement, the Supreme Personality of Godhead began to smile and convinced them that they should not be sorry for being refused by the brahmanas, because that is the way of begging. He convinced them that while one is engaged in the business of collecting or begging, he should not be confident that everywhere he would be successful. Somewhere he may be unsuccessful, but that should not be the cause of disappointment.

Thus he asked all the cowherds boy to walk again to the wives of those brahmanas engaged in sacrifices and ask them for some foodstuff. He also informed them that these wives of the brahmanas were great devotees. "They are always absorbed in Our thought, Krsna and Balarama. Therefore you go there and ask them for some foodstuff in the name of Me as well as Balaramaji, and I am sure that they would deliver you as much foodstuff as you desire to take."

The cowherds, therefore, carrying the order of Krsna, immediately went to the wives of the brahmanas inside the house where they were sitting, very beautifully decorated with ornaments, and after offering them all respectful obeisances, the cowherds boys began to say as follows: "My dear mother, the wives of the brahmanas, please accept our humble obeisances and hear our statement. We may inform you that Lord Krsna and Balarama are just nearby. They have come here for tending the cows, and you may know also that we have come here under His instructions. At this time, all of us are very hungry. Therefore we have come to you for getting some foodstuff. Please therefore give us some foodstuff for eating both for Krsna-Balarama and ourselves."

The wives of the brahmanas, because they were always very much anxious to see Krsna and Balarama, immediately after hearing the statement of the cowherds boy become very much anxious and respectful for Krsna and Balarama. These symptoms of the wives of the brahmanas are called spontaneous. They were not to be convinced about the importance of Krsna and Balarama; but immediately after hearing Their names and presence, they become very anxious to see Them on account of their previously being advanced by thinking of Krsna constantly, thereby performing the greatest form of mystic meditation. After this, all the wives of the brahmanas become very busily engaged in filling up different pots with nice foodstuff. On account of performance of the sacrifice, the foodstuff were all made very palatable as in varieties. Then after collecting the foodstuff they began to go towards Krsna, their most lovable objective, exactly in the manner the rivers flow down towards the sea.

Since a very, very long time they were anxious to see Krsna. But at this time, when they were going out of home to Krsna, all their husbands, fathers, sons and relatives asked them not to go in that way, but they did not care for them. A devotee, when he is called by the attraction of Krsna, does not care for anyone materially related with this body, then what to speak of the wives of the brahmanas, who were since a very, very long time attracted to Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is prayed by the Vedic hymns by learned devotees.

In this way, the women entered the forest of Vrndavana on the bank of Yamuna, where every place was decorated with green vegetation and newly grown twigs and flowers. And they saw within that forest Krsna and Balarama engaged in tending the cows, along with Their very affectionate friends, the cowherds boys.

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The brahmanas' wife, after entering the forest, they saw Krsna in blackish hue of complexion. He was putting on a garment which was glittering like gold, and He had nice garland of forest flowers, with a peacock feather on His head. He was also painted with the minerals available in Vrndavana, and exactly looking like a dancing actor on theatrical stage. They saw Him that He was keeping one hand on the shoulder of His friend, and in other hand He was holding a lotus flower. He was decorated on both the ears with lily flower, and on His forehead there were marks of tilaka, and on the face He was decorated with nice smiling. Thus the wives of the brahmanas saw the Supreme Personality of Godhead Krsna directly with their eyes, of whom they heard so much through their ears and who was so much dear to them, and in whom their mind was always absorbed. In other words, what they previously heard about Krsna and His beauty they saw Him eye to eye, face to face.

And as soon as they saw Krsna in that way, immediately Krsna entered within their heart through the eyes and they began to embrace Krsna to their hearts' content so that the distress of separation was mitigated immediately, exactly like great sages by their advancement of knowledge merge into the existence of the Supreme.

At that time Lord Krsna, who is the Supersoul living in everyone's heart, could understand their mind, that they had come to Him, neglecting all restriction of their relatives, fathers, husband, brothers, and all duties of household affairs, in order to see Him who was their life and soul. Lord Krsna could understand their feelings because it was exactly corroborating His instruction in the Bhagavad-gita. In the Bhagavad-gita He has instructed that one should surrender to Him, giving up all different varieties of occupational and religious duties. So the wives of the brahmanas had actually carried the instruction of Bhagavad-gita in toto, and therefore He began to speak to them, smiling very magnificently.

We should, however, note in this connection that the wives of the brahmanas who entered Krsna in their heart by seeing Him and began to embrace Him, and thus they felt the transcendental bliss of becoming merged into Him, does not mean that the Supreme Lord Krsna lost His existence or the individual wife of the brahmanas lost his [her] existence. The individuality of both the Lord and the wives of the brahmanas remained as it is. Still, they felt oneness in existence. When a lover submits to his lover without any pinch of personal consideration, that is called oneness. Lord Caitanya has taught us this feeling of oneness in His Siksastaka verse, that Krsna may act freely, whatever He likes, but the devotee should always be in oneness or in agreement with His desires. That oneness is exhibited by the wives of the brahmanas here in connection with their love for Krsna.

Krsna welcomed them in the following words: "My dear wives of the brahmanas, you are all very fortunate, and you are welcome here. Please let Me know what can I do for you? Your coming here, neglecting all the restrictions and hindrances of relatives, fathers, brothers, husband, in order to see Me here is completely befitting. One who does like this actually knows his self-interest, because to render transcendental loving service unto Me, without any motive and without any restriction, is actually auspiciosity for all living entities."

Lord Krsna confirmed herewith that the highest perfectional stage of conditioned soul is to surrender unto Him, giving up all other responsibilities. This complete surrender unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the most auspicious act of the conditioned soul because the Supreme Lord is the supreme objective of love. Everyone is loving his self according to the advancement of his knowledge. Ultimately, when one comes to the understanding that his self means his spirit soul, and the spirit soul is nothing but part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, therefore the Supreme Lord is the ultimate goal of love and thus surrenders unto Him. This act is considered as auspicious for the conditioned soul.

Our life, property, home, wife, children, house, country, society and all paraphernalia which are very, very dear to us are but expansion of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the central object of love because He gives us all bliss, expanding Himself in so many ways according to our different types of situation, namely bodily, mental or spiritual.

"So My dear the wives of the brahmanas, you can now return to your home and engage yourself in the sacrificial activities and be engaged in the service of your husbands and household affairs, so that your husbands will be pleased upon you and the sacrifice which they have begun will be properly executed. After all, your husbands are householders, and without your help how they can execute their prescribed duties?"

The wives of the brahmanas replied in this connection, addressing Krsna, "My dear Lord, this sort of instruction unto us does not befit You. Your eternal promise is that You shall always protect Your devotees, and You must fulfill this promise now. This means that anyone who comes and surrenders unto You never goes back to the conditioned life of material existence. We expect that You shall now fulfill Your promise. Now we have surrendered unto Your lotus feet, which is covered by the tulasi leaves, and we have no more any desire to go back in the company of our so-called relatives, friends and society, giving up Your shelter of the lotus feet.

"And what shall we do, returning home? Because our husbands, our brothers, our fathers, our sons, our mothers, our friends would no more accept us at home because we have already left them all. Therefore. we have no other shelter to go back again. Please, therefore, do not ask us to go back to home but arrange for our stay under Your lotus feet so that eternally we can live under Your protection."

On this the Supreme Personality of Godhead replied as follows: "My dear the wives of the brahmanas, be rest assured that your husbands will not neglect you on your return. Neither your brothers, sons or fathers will refuse to accept you. Because you are so pure devotees of Myself, not only your relatives but also people in general, as well as the demigods, everyone will be satisfied upon you." In other words, Krsna being situated as the Supersoul in everyone's heart, if somebody becomes pure devotee of Lord Krsna, he immediately becomes pleasing to everyone. The pure devotee of Lord Krsna is never inimical to anyone, neither a sane person can become enemy of a pure devotee. "Transcendental love upon Me does not depend on bodily connection, but anyone whose mind is always absorbed in Me, surely he will..., very soon he would come to Me for My eternal association."

Thus after being instructed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, all the wives of the brahmanas performing sacrifices again returned home, and their respective husbands also, being pleased to see their wives back home, executed the performance of sacrifices sitting together as it is enjoined in the sastras. According to Vedic principle, any religious rituals must be executed by the husband and wife together. So when the brahmanas' wife returned, the sacrifice which was arranged to be performed was duly and nicely executed. One of the brahmanas' wife, however, who was forcibly checked from going to Krsna at that time, the woman began to remember Krsna as she heard of His bodily feature and, being completely absorbed in thought, gave up this material body conditioned by the laws of nature.

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, after the departure of the wives of the brahmanas…

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Krsna, tape number twenty-five. Krsna, tape number twenty-five. August 14th, 1969.

Sri Govinda, along with cowherds boyfriends, enjoyed those four kinds of foodstuff offered by the wives of the brahmanas, and in this way the ever-joyful Personality of Godhead repeated His transcendental pastimes just like an ordinary human being in order to attract the common men to Krsna consciousness. And in this way, He enjoyed and attracted with words and beauty all the cows, cowherds boys and damsels in Vrndavana. All of them enjoyed together the pastimes of the Lord.

The brahmanas, however, engaged in the performance of sacrifices after the return of their wives from Krsna, began to regret very much for their sinful activities in the matter of refusing foodstuff to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They could understand their mistake that while the Supreme Personality of Godhead just like ordinary human being was asking some foodstuff from them, they neglected and were engaged in the performance of Vedic rituals. Thus they began to condemn themselves after seeing the faith and devotion of their respective wives. They regretted very much that while their wives were so much elevated to the platform of pure devotional service, they could not understand even a little bit of it how to love and offer transcendental loving service to the Supreme Soul.

They began to say amongst themselves that "Hell to our being born as a brahmana! Hell to our learning of all Vedic literatures! Hell to our performing great sacrifices, observing all the rules and regulation! Hell to our family! Hell to our expert service in the matter of performing the rituals exactly to the description of scriptures, because we have not developed transcendental loving service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is beyond the speculation of mind, body and the senses."

The learned brahmanas, expert in Vedic ritualistic performances, rightly regretted because without developing Krsna consciousness, all discharge of religious duties is simply a waste of time and energy. They began to speak amongst themselves that "The external energy of Krsna is so strong that it can create illusion even to the greatest mystic yogi. As such, although we expert brahmanas are considered to be the teachers of all other section of the human society, we have also been illusioned by such external energy. But just see how fortunate are these women who have so devotedly dedicated their life to the Supreme Personality of Godhead Krsna, so much so that they could easily give up the family connection, which is so difficult to do and which is just like dark well for continuation of material miseries."

In other words, the woman as a class, being very simple in their heart, can very easily take to Krsna consciousness; and when such Krsna consciousness develops into love of Krsna, they can very easily get liberation from the clutches of maya, which is very difficult to surpass even by the so-called intelligent and learned men. According to Vedic injunction, the woman is not allowed to undergo the purificatory process of being initiated by the sacred thread. Neither they are allowed to live as brahmacarini in the asrama of the spiritual master. Neither they are advised to undergo the strict disciplinary procedure. Nor they are very much expert in discussing philosophy of self-realization, and by nature they are not very pure. Nor they are very much attached to activities of auspiciosity.

"But how wonderful it is that still they have developed transcendental love for Krsna, the Lord of all mystic yogis, and they have surpassed in firm faith and devotion to the Lord all of us, although we are considered to be first in all purificatory processes. Being too much attached to materialistic way of life, we did not know actually what is the goal of our interests, and even though we were reminded by the cowherds boy, Lord Krsna and Balarama, we did not take care of Them. We therefore think that it was simply a trick of mercy upon us by the Supreme Personality of Godhead by sending His cowherds boys friends to ask foodstuff from us. Otherwise, He had no necessity of sending the cowherds boys to us. He could satisfy their hunger then and there by willing to do so."

If somebody denies Krsna's self-sufficiency because He was tending cows for livelihood, or somebody doubts about His not being in necessity of the foodstuff, He was actually hungry and therefore He sent His cowherds boyfriends to ask for the foodstuff, such person must understand that the goddess of fortune is always engaged in His service in order to eradicate faulty habit of restlessness.

In Vedic literatures like Brahma-samhita it is stated that Krsna is served in His abode not only by one goddess of fortune but many, many thousands of goddess of fortune with great respect. Therefore, it is simply illusion for the common philosophical men to understand that Krsna begged foodstuff from the brahmanas. It was actually a trick for showing them the mercy of accepting Him in pure devotional service instead of being engaged in ritualistic ceremonies of Vedic injunction. The Vedic ceremonial paraphernalia, like suitable place, suitable time, different grades of articles for performing such ritualistic ceremonies, the Vedic hymns, the process, the priest who is able to perform such sacrifices, and the fire and the demigods and the performer of such sacrifice, and the religiostic principles-all are meant for understanding Krsna, and Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead directly. He is the Supreme Lord Visnu and the Lord of all mystic yogis.

"Because He has appeared in the dynasty of the Yadus, we are so fool that we could not understand Him that He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. But on the other hand, we are very much proud because we have such exalted wives who developed such pure transcendental loving service for the Lord, without being shackled by our rigid opposition. Let us therefore offer our respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of Lord Krsna, under whose illusion only we are so much absorbed in the fruitive activities under the spell of maya. We therefore pray to the Lord to be kind enough to excuse us, because we are simply captivated by the external energy of the Lord and thus transgressed His orders without knowing His transcendental glories."

In this way, the brahmanas began to repent for their sinful activities on account of disobeying the orders of Krsna, and they wanted to go personally and offer their obeisances unto Him. But being afraid of Kamsa, they could not go to Krsna and surrender unto Him. In other words, it is very difficult for one to surrender fully unto the Personality of Godhead without being purified by devotional service. The examples of the learned brahmanas and their wives are vivid in this connection. The wives of the brahmanas, because they were enthused by pure devotional service, they did not care any kind of opposition and immediately went to Krsna. But the brahmanas, although they are repenting and although they have come to know the supremacy of the Lord, they were still afraid of King Kamsa because they were too much addicted to the Vedic ocean of fruitive activities.

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Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Twenty-third Chapter, Krsna, in the matter of "Delivering the Wives of the Brahmanas who Performed Yajnas."