A Study of the Bhagavata Purana or Esoteric Hinduism Part 59

Outwards still more, inside a golden temple, seated upon a golden seat, adorned with ornaments of gold, there are thousands of Gopa boys, headed by Stoka Krishna, Ansu Bhadra and others, all devoutly singing the glory of Sri Krishna.

The whole of this is surrounded by a shining gold wall.

On the west of that wall, within a temple, situated under a Parijata tree, is Vasudeva, with his eight wives, Rukmini, Satyabhama, Jambavati, Nagnajiti, Sulakshana, Mitravinda, Anuvinda and Sunanda.

On the north, under a Harichandana tree, is Sankarshana with Revati. On the south, under a Santana tree, is Pradyumna with Rati. On the east, under a Kalpataru, is Aniruddha.

Surrounding all this is a white stone wall, with four gates. White Vishnu preserves the western gate, Red Vishnu preserves the northern gate, yellow Vishnu preserves the eastern gate, Black Vishnu preserves the southern.

CHAP. 41. Rishi Ugra-tapas meditated on Sri Krishna for one hundred Kalpas. At the end of that period he became a Gopi, named Sunanda.

Rishi Satya-tapas meditated on Krishna for ten Kalpas, and he then became a Gopi named Bhadra.

Rishi Hari-dhama became a Gopi, named Raktaveni, at the end of three Kalpas.

Rishi Javali became Chitra-gandha after ten Kalpas.

Suchi-sravas and Suvarna became the daughters of the Gopa Suvira, at the end of one Kalpa.

Jatila, Janghaputa, Ghritasin, and Karbu became Gopis after three Kalpas.

Suka, son of Dirgha-tapas, Vyasa of the previous Kalpa, became daughter of Upananda.

One son of Svetaketu became the daughter of Balavani.

Chitra-dhvaja, son of Rajarshi Chandraprabha, became Chitrakala, daughter of Gopa Viragupta, at the end of one Kalpa.

Rishi Punya-sravas practised meditation for thirty thousand Kalpas and he was born as the daughter of Nanda's brother, by name Labanga.

These are some of the favorite Gopis of Krishna.

CHAP. 42. The form of Sri Krishna, as seen at Vrindavana, is constant.

Mathura, Vrindavana, Yamuna, the Gopa girls, the Gopa boys, Sri Krishna as an Avatara - are all constant.

The Gopis are the Srutis (forms invoked by Vedic Mantras), Deva girls and devoted Rishis, desirous of liberation.

The Gopa boys are Munis, full of the bliss of Vaikuntha.

The Kadamba tree is Kalpa Vriksha, (a divine tree that gives all that is desired).

The Siddhas, Sadhyas and Gandharvas are the Kokilas (cuckoos) of Vrindavana.

Govardhana is the eternal servant of Hari.

CHAP. 43. Arjuna wanted to know the mysteries of Vrindavana and of the Gopis.

Krishna said they were unknown to Brahma even. He then advised Arjuna to worship the G.o.ddess Tripura-sundari, as through her favor only he could know all he asked about. The G.o.ddess asked Arjuna to bathe in a tank called Kulakunda. She then gave directions which were duly performed by Arjuna. The G.o.ddess then took Arjuna to the real, constant Vrindavana, which is placed over Goloka. With the divine vision, given by the G.o.ddess, Arjuna saw the mysteries of Vrindavana, and became full of devotional love. He then asked the G.o.ddess what to do next. She then asked him to bathe in another tank, and, when Arjuna did so, he became a female. A divine voice said, "Go back to the former tank. Touch its water and you will attain your object. There you will find your companions."

The Gopis gathered round Arjuna out of curiosity. One of them Priyamuda asked: - "Who art thou? How hast thou come here?" Arjuna related his story.

To satisfy the curiosity of Arjuna, Priyamuda said: - "We are all the dear companions of Krishna. Here are the girls of Vraja. Those are Srutis and these are Munis. We are Gopa girls. Some appeared here from the body of Krishna. They are constant, keeping constant company with Krishna and moving all over the universe. Of them, this is Purna-rasa, this is Rasa Manthara (and so on). Then of the Srutis, this is Udgita, this is Sugita (and so on). Then of the Munis, this is Ugra-tapas, this is Priyavrata, this is Suvrata (and so on). Amongst us, the girls of Gopas, this is Chandravali, this is Chandrika, this is Chandra-rekha (and so on). You will have all these for your companions. Come bathe on the east side of the tank. I shall give thee the Mantra of Radhika".

Arjuna worshipped Radhika with that Mantra and she appeared before him.

She then gave him the Mantra of Krishna. With that Mantra, Arjuna succeeded in getting the favor of Krishna. He called Arjuna, in his female form, and gave him the privilege of his company. Arjuna was then made to bathe on the west side of the tank and he then regained his former form.

THE BRAHMA VAIVARTA PURANA follows the ideal of Padma Purana. This ideal was further worked out and further revelations were made by Chaitanya, who is believed to be an Avatara of Krishna Himself. A full discussion of these revelations will be made when we come to study the teachings of Chaitanya. No reference is therefore made in this book to the works which appeared and some of which preceded, but were connected with, the great movement of Chaitanya.

Such is the study of the Vrindavana Lila as authoritatively given in standard religious books. It gives us a clue to the mysteries, which should be worked out by each esoteric student for himself.

The mysteries are partly allegorical and partly historical. We shall first take the allegorical representation of the Lila, which has reference to the spiritual development of every individual Bhakta and is therefore of the most abiding interest to all Bhaktas.

The Puri of Mathura is in every man, the kingdom of his own mind, where the personal self is to be _put down_. Mathura is from _math_, to put down. Lavana (Salt), the demon of materialism (for salt is an emblem of materialism; cf. the salt ocean) had hold of this Puri during the time of Rama, and Satrughna killed the demon.

But materialism regained its lost ground and the forces of descent gathered strong round Kansa. Kansa was Kala-nemi, or the mark left by the wheel of time. Each one of us has inherited through countless ages a strong element of materiality, which tries to reign over each one of us.

This is the Kansa in each of us. There was also king Kansa of the period when Krishna appeared. He was brought down from his high platform and killed by Krishna, and the spiritual evolution of humanity became a.s.sured.

There are eight Prakritic principles in man, corresponding to eight senses. Earth or smell, water or taste, fire or form, air or touch, and akasa or sound, these enable Jivas to acquire experiences from the outside. Ahankara, or the sense of egoism, enables man to a.s.similate those experiences to his personal self, and to make a small world of his own self.

Then there is Mahat and the universal sense corresponding to it. This sense takes man out of the limits of personality; it raises him to the level of spiritual life. It develops unselfishness and universal life.

Last of all is the eighth principle, Mula Prakriti. It gives the sense of perceiving atma.

Krishna helps the evolution of the Jivas, by developing the outer senses first and then the inner senses.

When the first six senses are developed, the evolution of personality is complete. The powers that develop the senses do not come any more into requisition. Those powers were the first six brothers of Krishna, who lay slumbering in the ocean, and who were _ardhagarbha_, as Harivansa says. Their action was confined to the material stage of evolution and hence they are said to have descended from Hiranyakasipu. Kansa had no difficulty in slaying these half-dead powers.

The sixth brother was Balarama. He was robed in blue, a highly spiritual color, the color of Mahat. He roused the spiritual sense of man. Jivas had wandered away from their spiritual home, where they were all united, and each had made a separate ent.i.ty for himself. Balarama tried to draw them together once more on the plane of Mahat. Hence he was called Sankarshana, and his instrument was called the plough. He was the first born, as men cannot come face to face with ishvara, so long as they are not raised beyond the limits of personality. Jivas streamed forth from the plane of Mahat, presided over by Atlanta or Sankarshana, and they are drawn back to that plane so that they may set out on a higher spiritual journey.

Then came Sri Krishna and Yogamaya, both together. Sri Krishna was the highest of the high, beyond the Maya that enshrouded the Brahmanda. How could he come in contact with the Jivas of Brahmanda? The only plane of Prakriti with which He could come in direct contact was the plane of Mula Prakriti. But this plane was not developed in humanity as yet.

Therefore He asked Yoga Maya, the energy of Jivic evolution, who carries Jiva from the lowest to the highest point, to serve as a medium between Him and the Jivas. Sri Krishna performed His mission with the help of Yoga Maya. The Gopis met Sri Krishna because they worshipped Yoga Maya (Katyayani). Sri Krishna had personal contact with the Gopis at Rasa, because He invoked Yoga Maya at the time and got her help. Yoga Maya is the highest sense of which Jiva is capable, and, when Durga appeared in her third incarnation as Yoga Maya, she was not to undergo further incarnation in this Kalpa. To the developing sense of Yoga Maya, Siva gave truth after truth, till the highest truths were revealed to her, which form the Agamas and Nigamas. The revelations to the developing sense of humanity are the Tantras.

Sri Krishna was born that men might come up to His ideal. He is the first Purusha. The limitations or Maya of the solar system do not touch Him. He is the Lord of many solar systems. Even the materials that form the solar systems have their manifestation from him. Nothing that we know of, nothing that we are composed of, nothing that shapes our experiences, that causes our likes and dislikes, limits Krishna. Even Brahma, Vishnu and Siva, the triune aspect of the second Purusha, are limited by the universe they lord over. Siva is also called an aspect of the first Purusha in Saiva Puranas.

Sri Krishna is Nirguna, for the Gunas we know of do not touch Him. He is the Absolute, for the relativities we know of, or which we may even think of, have no place in Him. The other Avataras are said to be manifestations of the second Purusha. But Krishna is Bhagavan Himself, _i.e._, the first Purusha (I-3-28).

There are three aspects of the Absolute, the non-transformable, which uphold creation. It is through these aspects that all beings come into existence, prosper and dissolve. It is through them that they are brought nearer and nearer in every Kalpa to ishvara. In the perfected being, the aspects of sat (existence), chit (consciousness) and ananda (bliss) are not restricted by the conditions of the universe in which those aspects are developed. When beings are perfected in this way, they reach the plane of Krishna, which is beyond the seven-fold plane of the Cosmic Egg. The Gopis are such perfected beings.

It will be out of place to enter here into a detailed study of these aspects. But it will be necessary to make a brief reference to them in order to understand the aspect of Bliss, as a factor in spiritual Evolution.

It is the _existence_ aspect of the underlying ray of the Absolute Brahman, in every individual, that gives a continuity to individual existence, through thousands of births and experiences, and makes individual evolution a possibility.

The _consciousness_ aspect of the ray unfolds the blunt inanimate sense into the most highly developed mind. It gives the wisdom side of man's evolution, which leads to the path of Jnana.

Then there is the _Bliss_ aspect of the ray, which directly leads to the union of the human soul with the Over-soul, of Jiva with ishvara, and it leads to the path of Bhakti. It is the sensation of pleasure that makes the lowest organic form, the primordial cell, break through the inertia of Tamas. The cell moves about, either for cell union or for the a.s.similation of food, because these give rise to some sensation, call it pleasurable, if you like. It is not so easy to form an idea of the sensation of pleasure in the vegetable kingdom, but the excitement caused by the union of the sperm cell with the germ cell cannot but strike any one with the existence of some such feeling, though in a most rudimentary state.

Animals feel pleasure in the company of their female partners. They also love their offspring. This gives rise to family connections, to the formation of society and of social virtues. With the evolution of body and mind, pleasures become many-sided, and the acquirement of pleasure becomes in itself the princ.i.p.al factor in the development of man. Man seeks his pleasure outside himself, and he does so either for himself or for others. A point is reached when self is lost sight of and self sacrifice for the good of others becomes a duty of pleasure. Self is estranged from the narrow groove of personality. It tries to identify itself with all beings. There is philanthropy, there is universal kindness. Still the differences cause unrest and disquiet. Self finds no rest, till it seeks its reality, till it makes a homeward journey, for even its own personality and the outside world lose all charm for it.

Self finds bliss in self void of personality. This is spiritual bliss attained by those that are Antarmukh (facing inwards) and not by those that are Bahir Mukh (facing outwards). Self when seeking self becomes united to the universal self as its eternal friend and its real aspect.

The universal self in Vrindavana is Sri Krishna. And the bliss of the Gopis is self-attainment, attachment to self or atma and not to non-self or worldly connections.