Devanagari
जयति जननिवासो देवकीजन्मवादो
यदुवरपरिषत्स्वैर्दोर्भिरस्यन्नधर्मम् ।
स्थिरचरवृजिनघ्न: सुस्मितश्रीमुखेन
व्रजपुरवनितानां वर्धयन् कामदेवम् ॥ ४८ ॥
Verse text
jayati jana-nivāso devakī-janma-vādo
yadu-vara-pariṣat svair dorbhir asyann adharmam
sthira-cara-vṛjina-ghnaḥ su-smita-śrī-mukhena
vraja-pura-vanitānāṁ vardhayan kāma-devam
Synonyms
jayati
—
eternally lives gloriously
;
jana
—
nivāsaḥ — He who lives among human beings like the members of the Yadu dynasty and is the ultimate resort of all living entities
;
devakī
—
janma — vādaḥ — known as the son of Devakī (No one can actually become the father or mother of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore devakī-janma-vada means that He is known as the son of Devakī. Similarly, He is also known as the son of mother Yaśodā, Vasudeva and Nanda Mahārāja.)
;
yadu
—
vara — pariṣat — served by the members of the Yadu dynasty or the cowherd men of Vṛndāvana (all of whom are constant associates of the Supreme Lord and are the Lord’s eternal servants)
;
svaiḥ dorbhiḥ
—
by His own arms, or by His devotees like Arjuna who are just like His own arms
;
asyan
—
killing
;
adharmam
—
demons or the impious
;
sthira
—
cara — vṛjina — ghnaḥ — the destroyer of all the ill fortune of all living entities, moving and not moving
;
su
—
smita — always smiling
;
śrī
—
mukhena — by His beautiful face
;
vraja
—
pura — vanitānām — of the damsels of Vṛndāvana
;
vardhayan
—
increasing
;
kāma
—
devam — the lusty desires .
Translation
Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is He who is known as jana-nivāsa, the ultimate resort of all living entities, and who is also known as Devakīnandana or Yaśodā-nandana, the son of Devakī and Yaśodā. He is the guide of the Yadu dynasty, and with His mighty arms He kills everything inauspicious, as well as every man who is impious. By His presence He destroys all things inauspicious for all living entities, moving and inert. His blissful smiling face always increases the lusty desires of the gopīs of Vṛndāvana. May He be all glorious and happy!
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is He who is known as jana-nivāsa, the ultimate resort of all living entities, and who is also known as Devakīnandana or Yaśodā-nandana, the son of Devakī and Yaśodā. He is the guide of the Yadu dynasty, and with His mighty arms He kills everything inauspicious, as well as every man who is impious. By His presence He destroys all things inauspicious for all living entities, moving and inert. His blissful smiling face always increases the lusty desires of the gopīs of Vṛndāvana. May He be all glorious and happy!
KB 10.90.48
Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī thus concludes his description of the superexalted position of Lord Kṛṣṇa by glorifying Him in the following way: “O Lord Kṛṣṇa, all glories unto You. You are present in everyone’s heart as Paramātmā. Therefore You are known as Jananivāsa, one who lives in everyone’s heart.” As confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā, īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe ’rjuna tiṣṭhati: [Bg. 18.61] “The Supreme Lord in His Paramātmā feature lives within everyone’s heart.” This does not mean, however, that Kṛṣṇa has no separate existence as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Māyāvādī philosophers accept the all-pervading feature of Para-brahman, but when Para-brahman, or the Supreme Lord, appears, they think that He appears under the control of material nature. Because Lord Kṛṣṇa appeared as the son of Devakī, the Māyāvādī philosophers accept Kṛṣṇa to be an ordinary living entity who takes birth within this material world. Therefore Śukadeva Gosvāmī warns them: devakī-janma-vāda, which means that although Kṛṣṇa is famous as the son of Devakī, actually He is the Supersoul, or the all-pervading Supreme Personality of Godhead. The devotees, however, take this word devakī-janma-vāda in a different way. The devotees understand that actually Kṛṣṇa was the son of Mother Yaśodā. Although Kṛṣṇa first appeared as the son of Devakī, He immediately transferred Himself to the lap of Mother Yaśodā, and His childhood pastimes were blissfully enjoyed by Mother Yaśodā and Nanda Mahārāja. This fact was admitted by Vasudeva himself when he met Nanda Mahārāja and Yaśodā at Kurukṣetra. He admitted that Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma were actually the sons of Mother Yaśodā and Nanda Mahārāja. Vasudeva and Devakī were only Their official father and mother. Their actual father and mother were Nanda and Yaśodā. Therefore Śukadeva Gosvāmī describes Lord Kṛṣṇa as devakī-janma-vāda.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī then glorifies the Lord as one who is honored by the yadu-vara-pariṣat, the assembly house of the Yadu dynasty, and as the killer of different kinds of demons. Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, could have killed all the demons by employing His different material energies, but He wanted to kill them personally, to give them salvation. There was no need of Kṛṣṇa’s coming to this material world to kill the demons; simply by His willing, many hundreds and thousands of demons could have been killed without His personal endeavor. But actually He descended for His pure devotees, to play as a child with Mother Yaśodā and Nanda Mahārāja and to give pleasure to the inhabitants of Dvārakā. By killing the demons and giving protection to the devotees, Lord Kṛṣṇa established the real religious principle, which is simply love of God. By following the factual religious principle of love of God, even the living entities known as sthira-cara were also delivered of all material contamination and transferred to the spiritual kingdom. Sthira means the trees and plants, which cannot move, and cara means the moving animals, especially the cows. When Kṛṣṇa was present, He delivered all the trees, monkeys and other plants and animals who happened to see Him and serve Him, both in Vṛndāvana and in Dvārakā.
Lord Kṛṣṇa is especially glorified for giving pleasure to the gopīs and the queens of Dvārakā. Śukadeva Gosvāmī glorifies Lord Kṛṣṇa for His enchanting smile, by which He enchanted not only the gopīs of Vṛndāvana but also the queens of Dvārakā. The exact words used in this connection are vardhayan kāma-devam. In Vṛndāvana, as the boyfriend of many gopīs, and in Dvārakā, as the husband of many queens, Kṛṣṇa increased their lusty desires to enjoy with Him. For God realization or self-realization, one generally has to undergo severe austerities and penances for many, many thousands of years, and then it may be possible to realize God. But the gopīs and the queens of Dvārakā, simply by enhancing their lusty desires to enjoy Kṛṣṇa as their boyfriend or husband, received the highest type of salvation.
This behavior of Lord Kṛṣṇa with the gopīs and queens is unique in the history of self-realization. Usually people understand that for self-realization one has to go to the forest or mountains and undergo severe austerities and penances. But the gopīs and the queens, simply by being attached to Kṛṣṇa in conjugal love and enjoying His company in a so-called sensuous life full of luxury and opulence, achieved the highest salvation, which is impossible to achieve even for great sages and saintly persons. Similarly, demons such as Kaṁsa, Dantavakra and Śiśupāla, who all treated Kṛṣṇa as an enemy, also got the highest benefit of being transferred to the spiritual world.
In the beginning of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Śrīla Vyāsadeva offered his respectful obeisances to the Supreme Truth, Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa. After that he taught his son, Śukadeva Gosvāmī, to preach Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. It is in this connection that Śukadeva Gosvāmī glorifies the Lord with the word jayati. Following in the footsteps of Śrīla Vyāsadeva, Śukadeva Gosvāmī and all the ācāryas in disciplic succession, the whole population of the world should glorify Lord Kṛṣṇa, and for their best interest they should take to this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. The process is easy and helpful. It is simply to chant the mahā-mantra, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare / Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. Lord Caitanya has therefore recommended that one be callous to the material ups and downs. Material life is temporary, and so the ups and downs of life may come and go. When they come, one should be as tolerant as a tree and as humble and meek as the straw in the street, but certainly he must engage himself in Kṛṣṇa consciousness by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare / Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.
Purport
The translation and word meanings for this verse are taken from Śrīla Prabhupāda’s English rendering of
Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta
(
Madhya
13.79). According to Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī, Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī has composed this beautiful verse to console those who lament the fact that Lord Kṛṣṇa did not continue to manifest His intimate pastimes down to the present time. Here Śrī Śukadeva reminds his listeners that the Lord is eternally present in this world — in His holy abode, His name and the recitation of His glories. This idea is expressed by the word
jayati
(“He is victorious”), which is in the present tense rather than the past.
Śrīla Prabhupāda explains this verse as follows in
Kṛṣṇa:
“Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī thus concludes his description of the superexalted position of Lord Kṛṣṇa by glorifying Him in the following way: ‘O Lord Kṛṣṇa, all glories unto You. You are present in everyone’s heart as Paramātmā. Therefore You are known as Jananivāsa, one who lives in everyone’s heart.’ As confirmed in the
Bhagavad-gītā,
īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe ’rjuna tiṣṭhati:
‘The Supreme Lord in His Paramātmā feature lives in everyone’s heart.’ This does not mean, however, that Kṛṣṇa has no separate existence as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Māyāvādī philosophers accept the all-pervading feature of Parabrahman, but when Parabrahman, or the Supreme Lord, appears, they think that He appears under the control of material nature. Because Lord Kṛṣṇa appeared as the son of Devakī, the Māyāvādī philosophers accept Kṛṣṇa to be an ordinary living entity who takes birth within this material world. Therefore Śukadeva Gosvāmī warns them:
devakī-janma-vādaḥ,
which means that although Kṛṣṇa is famous as the son of Devakī, actually He is the Supersoul, or the all-pervading Supreme Personality of Godhead.
“The devotees, however, take this word
devakī-janma-vāda
in a different way. The devotees understand that actually Kṛṣṇa was the son of mother Yaśodā. Although Kṛṣṇa first of all appeared as the son of Devakī, He immediately transferred Himself to the lap of mother Yaśodā, and His childhood pastimes were blissfully enjoyed by mother Yaśodā and Nanda Mahārāja. This fact was also admitted by Vasudeva himself when he met Nanda Mahārāja and Yaśodā at Kurukṣetra. He admitted that Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma were actually the sons of mother Yaśodā and Nanda Mahārāja. Vasudeva and Devakī were only Their official father and mother. Their actual father and mother were Nanda and Yaśodā. Therefore Śukadeva Gosvāmī describes Lord Kṛṣṇa as
devakī-janma-vāda.
“Śukadeva Gosvāmī then glorifies the Lord as one who is honored by the
yadu-vara-pariṣat,
the assembly house of the Yadu dynasty, and as the killer of different kinds of demons. Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, could have killed all the demons by employing His different material energies, but He wanted to kill them personally in order to give them salvation. There was no need of Kṛṣṇa’s coming to this material world to kill the demons. Simply by His willing, many hundreds and thousands of demons could have been killed without His personal endeavor. But actually He descended for His pure devotees, to play as a child with mother Yaśodā and Nanda Mahārāja and to give pleasure to the inhabitants of Dvārakā. By killing the demons and by giving protection to the devotees, Lord Kṛṣṇa established the real religious principle, which is simply love of God. By following the factual religious principles of love of God, even the living entities known as
sthira-cara
were also delivered from all material contamination and were transferred to the spiritual kingdom.
Sthira
means the trees and plants, which cannot move, and
cara
means the moving animals, especially the cows. When Kṛṣṇa was present, He delivered all the trees, monkeys and other plants and animals who happened to see Him and serve Him both in Vṛndāvana and Dvārakā.
“Lord Kṛṣṇa is especially glorified for giving pleasure to the
gopīs
and the queens of Dvārakā. Śukadeva Gosvāmī glorifies Lord Kṛṣṇa for His enchanting smile, by which He enchanted not only the
gopīs
of Vṛndāvana but also the queens at Dvārakā. The exact words used in this connection are
vardhayan kāmadevam.
In Vṛndāvana, as the boyfriend of many
gopīs,
and in Dvārakā, as the husband of many queens, Kṛṣṇa increased their lusty desires to enjoy with Him. For God realization or self-realization, one generally has to undergo severe austerities and penances for many, many thousands of years, and then it may be possible to realize God. But the
gopīs
and the queens of Dvārakā, simply by enhancing their lusty desires to enjoy Kṛṣṇa as their boyfriend or husband, received the highest type of salvation.”
In this way Śrīla Prabhupāda wonderfully illuminates the meaning of this verse by Śukadeva Gosvāmī, which summarizes Lord Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes.
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
"Oh what misfortune that such remarkable Krsna did not stay so long."
"Do not lament." Sukadeva recites this verse I consolation.
"Living among all men, especially among the cowherd men and yadavas (jana nivasah) he remains most glorious (jayati), for all time." (present tense is used.) One should not expect Sukadeva to use the imperative case, because being the devotee of the Lord, it was unsuitable for him to demand blessings. All his desires were already fulfilled because the Lord’s blessings are existing for all time.
"He is factually (devaki janma vada) born from the wives of both Nanda and Vasudeva. They were both called Devaki." The Adi Purana says, " Nanda’s wife had two names, Yasoda and Devaki." Sukadeva has said he was conclusively born from both Devakis.
The lord says, "I am the conclusion (vadah) of all arguments." Vada refers to the conclusion of all vadas such as arambha vada or parinama vada.
"His assembly (parisat) was the Yadu dynasty (yaduvara), some of whom were cowherdmen in Vraja and others who were ksatriyas in Mathura and Dvaraka. He destroys the demons (adharmam asyan), with his arms, or with person who act like his arms, such as Arjuna. He destroys the sufferings of material existence (vrijna ghna) of all the nonmoving and moving entities, and the suffering due to separation of the inhabitants of Vraja and Dvaraka"
He increases kamadeva, a spiritual personality arising from his own spiritual form (deva for divya meaning bright or spiritual), of the women of Vraja and of the women of Mathura and Dvaraka who had attained great attraction for him, with the sweet smile on his face. That Krsna remains always glorious."
Sukadeva has expressed the eternal nature of the pastimes which took place in Vraja, Mathura and Dvaraka and have been described the tenth canto. The eternal nature of the pastimes has also discussed fully along with proofs in the commentary on Ujjvala Nilamani. It will also be discussed in relation to the Lord’s disappearance in the eleventh canto.
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
Fearing that time had expired and that the listeners were tired, after having heard of Kṛṣṇa’s highest position and attaining happiness, Śukadeva consoles them with his own realization. All glories to Kṛṣṇa whose appearance imitating a birth, from Devakī, is the subject of truthful talks with a desire to know. It was not a fake appearance. Or he is said to have been born from Devakī, since he was also born of Yaśodā, as stated in nandas tvātma-ja utpannaḥ: Nanda gave birth to a son. (SB 10.5.1) That Kṛṣṇa is victorious (jayati) or shines with all excellence—with his form, qualities, pastimes, associates and abode, embodying all the Vedas. It is not in the imperative (jaya) since it is improper for those in knowledge to give blessings to Bhagavān, who eternally possesses the highest excellence. If blessings were given, that would express that one desired that he should attain such a position. It is like wishing a person who already has good qualities to have good qualities.
How does he remain glorious? He is then described, with various associates. Visible proof of his eternal, glorious presence is stated. He is directly the abode for his devotees (jana), the Yādavas and cowherd, whereas he appears as sphūrti to others. Other meanings are rejected. To show his eternal glory, his associates are further described. He has intimate associates in the form of an assembly (pariṣat) of the best of the Yadus, the kṣatriyas and cowherds. His external devotees are described. He removes atheism by means of his devotees (svaiḥ) who are like his arms and remains victorious. He destroys the suffering of separation for his intimate devotees (moving and immobile) and destroys saṁsāra for the non-devotees. Then his most intimate devotees are described. He alone always stimulates love (kāma) which shines (devam) intensely in his women of Vraja and Dvārakā by his beautiful face endowed naturally with a splendid smile, since he is the form of the highest prema. Mercy and playfulness are also included in it. His special places, pastimes, qualities and form are indicated by this. Thus, by using all these descriptive phrases, obedient to the word jayati (existing with excellence), Kṛṣṇa, with his associates, endowed with such pastimes, eternally shines with all excellence in Vraja, Mathurā and Dvārakā.
This is proper for Svayam Bhagavān, since any temporary elements would destroy his nature as Svayam Bhagavān. By not deliberating thoroughly, some words seen unfavorable for this proposition, but actually those words are favorable. In various places in the Tenth Canto these words have been explained.
yayāharad bhuvo bhāraṁ tāṁ tanuṁ vijahāv ajaḥ
kaṇṭakaṁ kaṇṭakeneva dvayaṁ cāpīśituḥ samam
Regarding both burdens equally, the Lord separated himself from that portion of the Yadus by which he removed the burden of the earth, like removing a thorn with another thorn. SB 1.15.34
yathā matsyādi-rūpāṇi dhatte jahyād yathā naṭaḥ |
bhū-bhāraḥ kṣapito yenajahau tac ca kalevaram ||
Just as the Lord maintains forms such as Matsya and gives them up, and just as a magician makes a show of giving up his body, the Lord made a show of giving up his body by which he relieved the burden of the earth. SB 1.15.35
Since he has a non-material or spiritual form words like tanu, rūpa and kalevara (body) used in the above two verses simply refer to condition (which is not given up). In the Third Canto, describing Brahmā’s creation, such a meaning must be accepted, otherwise there is contradiction. Why can the Lord not have a material body? That eternal body, in accepting to relieve the burden of the earth, would become a useless form by a relationship with the effects of māyā. Therefore he is compared to a thorn.
The example of the magician or actor refers to his having a real form and a disguised form which is perceived by his audience. He assumes and then gives up that disguised form (apparently dying). The words ākṛti (form) and deha (body) should also be explained in this way. Thus the rejecting and accepting of bodies merely means that he disappears from and appears in the material world. Madhvācārya has quoted from Tantra-bhāgavata in this regard.
aheyam anupādeyaṁ yad rūpaṁ nityam avyayam |
sa evāpekṣya-rūpāṇāṁ vyaktim eva janārdanaḥ ||
agṛhṇād vyasṛjac ceti rāma-kṛṣṇādikāṁ tanum |
paṭhyate bhagavān īśo mūḍha-buddhi-vyapekṣayā ||
The foolish person covered by ignorance says that the Lord whose forms like Rāma and Kṛṣṇa are eternal and unchanging, incomparable, and without any faults accepts and gives up bodies. On seeing the appearance of Kṛṣṇa or Rāma in the world he declares that they accept material human forms.
Śridhara Svāmī in his commentary on the following verse says the Lord simply appears and disappears since the Lord is all-pervading.
vidhūya tad ameyātmā bhagavān dharma-gub vibhuḥ
miṣato daśamāsasya tatraivāntardadhe hariḥ
The Lord, maintaining his reputation of being affectionate to his devotees, inconceivable in form, and also a thief, having destroyed the brahmāstra, disappeared at that spot from the sight of the child ten months in the womb. SB 1.12.11
pradarśyātapta-tapasām avitṛpta-dṛśāṁ nṛṇām
ādāyāntar adhād yas tu sva-bimbaṁ loka-locanam
Kṛṣṇa, who manifested his eternal form before the vision of all on the earth, performed his disappearance by removing his form from the sight of those who were unable to see him due to not executing required penance. SB 3.2.11
Having shown his form (sva-bimbam) to the eyes of the world, he disappeared. He did not give the body. Similarly he made a show only of giving up forms like Matsya. It is said mukundo bhagavān imāṁ mahīṁ jahau sva-tanvā: Kṛṣṇa left this earthly planet in his selfsame form, (SB 1.15.36) He went to his spiritual abode with that body. When he appears on earth, he attracts all his aṁśa forms and disappears with them. This is explained by Śrīdhara Svāmī in his commentary on SB 11.31.6.
Favorable or agreeing statements will now be listed. Nṛsiṁha Purāṇa says:
yuge yuge viṣṇur anādi-mūṛtm āsthāya śiśṭaṁ paripānti duṣta-hā
Yuga after yuga Viṣṇu in his eternal form kills the wicked and protects the righteous.
Therefore when scriptures advocate worship of the Lord, it is not false. Jaleṣu māṁ rakṣatu matsya-mūrtiḥ: may the Lord, who assumes the body of a great fish, protect me in the water. (SB 6.8.13)
Since the Lord is unlimited, there is a variety of śālagrāma-śilas like Narasiṁḥa. One hears of the different forms because of their presence close by. Thus it is described that the Lord is worshipped in the nine varṣas. In each of the nine varṣas Nārāyaṇa the Mahāpuruṣa is present personally as his expansions even today to show mercy to mankind. It is described that there Prayumna and other forms perform their pastimes. Pradyumna with Ramā eternally enjoys pastimes with graceful gait, flirting, attractive smiles and smiles. It is described that there Saṅkarṣaṇa is present as the object of meditation. The Brahma and Padma Purāṇas describe that Matsya and other forms have separate planets in Vaikuṇṭha. Śruti (quoted in Madhva-bhāsya) says:
vāsudevaḥ saṅkarṣaṇaḥ pradyumno’niruddho’haṁ matsyaḥ kūrmo varāho narasiṁho vāmano rāmo rāmo rāmaḥ kṛṣṇo buddhaḥ kalkir ahaṁ śatadhāhaṁ sahasradhāham amito’ham ananto’ham | naivaite jāyante, naivaite mriyante, naiṣām ajñāna-baddho na muktiḥ, sarva eva hy ete pūrṇā ajarā amṛtāḥ paramāḥ paramānandāḥ
I am unlimited, immeasureable by a hundred, by a thousand times, in the forms of Vāsudeva, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Pradyumna, Aniruddha, Mtsya, Kūrma, Varāha, Narasiṁha, Vāmana, Rāma, Paraśurāma, Balarāma, Kṛṣṇa, Buddha and Kalki. These forms are not born and do not die. They do not become bound by ignorance or become liberated. They are all perfect, ageless, deathless, full of supreme bliss.
Śridhāra Svāmī indicates the same in his commentary on SB 11.31.6. Kṛṣṇa’s form is the attractive object of meditation. Without that form there is not object of meditation. Even today worshippers directly meet the Lord. In describing the eight syllable mantra in Trai-lokya-sammohana-tantra it is said:
ahar niśaṁ japed yas tu mantrī niyata-mānasaḥ
sa paśyati na sandeho gopa-veṣa-dharaṁ harim
The person who with controlled mind chants the mantra continuously sees without doubt the Lord in cowherd clothing.
Vṛndāvane vased dhīmāṇ yāvat kṛṣṇasya darśanam
One should reside in Vṛndāvana until one sees Kṛṣṇa. Gautamīya-tantra
tasya hṛṣṭāśayaḥ stutyā viṣṇur gopāṅganāvṛtam
tāpiñchā-śyāmalaṁ rūpaṁ piñchottaṁsam adārśayat
Pleased at heart by these sincere prayers, Viṣṇu, revealed the form of Kṛṣṇa, whose dark form was the color of a tamāla tree, whose hair was decorated with a peacock feather, surrounded by the gopīs. Kṛṣṇa sahasra-nāma-stotra
mām avehī mahā-bhāga
kṛṣṇaṁ kṛtya-vidāṁvara
puras-kṛto 'smī tvad-bhaktyā
pūrṇaḥ santu manorathāḥ
Kṛṣṇa addressed that devotee in the following words: O fortunate one, O best of the wise, know that I am Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord and I have now appeared before you because of your great devotion. I grant you the benediction that all your spiritual desires will become perfectly fulfilled.
Kṛṣṇa sahasra-nāma-stotra
paśya tvaṁ dārśayiśyāmi svarūpaṁ veda-gopitam
tato 'paśyam ahaṁ bhūpa balaṁ kālāmbuda-prabham
gopa-kanyāvṛtaṁ gopaṁ hasantaṁ gopabālakaih.
kadamba-mūla āsīnaṁ pītavāsasam adbhutam
vanaṁ vṛndāvanaṁ nāma nava-pallava-maṇḍitam
O Brahmā, see my original form as Kṛṣṇa, which I now reveal to you. It cannot be known simply by studying the verses of the Vedas. The Lord then revealed his form to Brahmā, who described this revelation in the following words: O king, I then saw the form of Kṛṣṇa, who was a cowherd boy with a complexion like a dark rain-cloud. He was accompanied by many gopīs, and was laughing and joking with his cowherd friends. He was arrayed in yellow garments and was very handsome and wonderful to see. He was seated at the base of a kadamba tree in the forest of Vṛndāvana, which was decorated with many blossoming plants and trees. Padma Purāṇa
The eternal form of Kṛṣṇa is also described in the following statement of the Gopāla-tāpanī Upaniṣad (1.29):
tad u hovaca brāhmaṇah 'asāṭ anavaratam me dhyātaḥ stutaḥ parārdhante so 'budhyata. gopa-veśo me purastād avirbabhūva
I continually glorified the Lord and meditated upon him for millions of years, and at last I was able to understand the transcendental form of the Lord. He appeared before me in the dress of a cowherd boy.
That the form of Kṛṣṇa is eternal and is confirmed in the following verse from the introduction (maṅgalācaraṇam) of the Bṛhan-nārādīya Purāṇa:
vande vṛndāvanāsīnam indirānanda-mandiram
I offer my respectful obeisances to Kṛṣṇa, who is palace that delights the goddess of fortune, and who remains in Vṛndāvana.
In the following verse from the Dvāraka-māhātmya section of the Skānda Purāṇa, Prahlāda Mahārāja tells Balī Mahārāja:
dvārakāyāḥ samudbhūtaṁ sannidhyaṁ keśavasya ca
rukmiṇī-sahitaḥ kṛṣṇo nityaṁ nivasate gṛhe
Accompanied by Rukmiṇī, Kṛṣṇa eternally remains in the palaces of Dvārakā.
vratinaḥ kārttike māsi snātasya vidhivān mama
gṛhānarghyaṁ mayā dattaṁ rādhayā sahito hare
O Lord, who eternally stays with Rādhā, I have carefully followed the rules and regulations of Kārttika-vrata, and I have carefully taken my early bath. In this purified condition I am offering this gift of arghya. Please accept it. Padma Purāṇa, Kārtika-māhātmya
There are many mantras which indicate Kṛṣṇa’s eternal form.
govindaṁ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaṁ vṛndāvana-sura-bhūruha-talāsīnaṁ satataṁ samarud-gaṇo ’haṁ toṣayāmi
I along with the Maruts satisfy Govinda, the form of eternity, knowledge and bliss, who sits beneath a desire tree in Vṛndāvana. Gopāla-tāpanī Upaniṣad
Śukadeva also indicates his worshipable Lord. Prasīdatāṁ me bhagavān satāṁ patiḥ: may the Lord of the devotees be merciful to me. (SB 2.4.20) He shows that the Lord has a human form. Prīyān na indro gavām: may Govinda, the Lord of the cows be pleased with us. (SB 10.26.25)
māṁ keśavo gadayā prātar avyād
govinda āsaṅgavam ātta-veṇuḥ
May Keśava protect me with his club in the first portion of the day, and may Govinda, who is always engaged in playing his flute, protect me in the second portion of the day. SB 6.8.20
Śukadeva also refutes those who are mistaken about Kṛṣṇa’s human form.
yat-pāda-pāṁsur bahu-janma-kṛcchrato
dhṛtātmabhir yogibhir apy alabhyaḥ
sa eva yad-dṛg-viṣayaḥ svayaṁ sthitaḥ
kiṁ varṇyate diṣṭam ato vrajaukasām
Svayam Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa, whose foot dust cannot be seen by yogīs in samādhi who have controlled their mind by severe hardship for many births, is eternally situated here, directly visible to the eyes of the people of Vraja. Ah! How can the good fortune of the people of Vraja be described?
Purport (Sanatana Goswami)
(Having sung to Parikṣit the glories of all the people of Gokula, generally and in detail, with the desire to conclude, singing at the end the glories of the Lord as a verse of auspiciousness, Śukadeva summarizes everything. ) Śukadeva, desiring to drink the ocean of sweetness of Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes spoken in the Tenth Canto, taking that ocean as a small drop like Agastya, speaks at the end, summarizing all the pastimes related in the book in one verse.
The word Kṛṣṇa from the previous verse (krṣṇasya) is connected with this verse. Kṛṣṇa is described. Or by the context, Kṛṣṇa is understood to be the subject. Kṛṣṇa exists with all excellence (jayati). His excellence is described, using six terms successively more excellent, as with previous descriptions. He is the shelter or receptacle of all jīvas (jana-nivasaḥ). He resides (nivasaḥ) as the antaryāmī in all beings. He lives in the devotees (jana), manifesting externally as various avatāras and internally, as if directly. Thus he is indicated to be parabrahman, Paramātmā and the Lord of all, the seed of all avatāras (svayam bhagavān).
He is said to be born of Devakī, to manifest directly the highest level of his powers (devakī-janma-vadaḥ). He is described as being taken to Gokula because of his birth in the prison. This praise is directed to his mother and father. By relating the causes of his birth through prevous lives, his great mercy as the king giving blessings is indicated. And by teaching that he was brought to Gokula, his dedication to spreading a wealth of the highest prema (in Gokla) is indicated.
His position as the highest power is described. He had an assembly of servants (pariṣat), the best of the Yadus. He is thus indicated to be most merciful as king of the Yadus, killing their enemies such as Kaṁsa and Jarāsandha, and destroying suffering and giving happiness to his devotees.
Or he bestowed the Sudharma hall belonging to the devatās (pariṣat) to the king of the Yadus, Ugrasena (yadu-vara). This is representative of other items as well, such as the pārijata tree, which gave enjoyment to the devatās. In thus conquering all the devatās, his superior power is shown. His great mercy is shown by giving the Sudharma hall to Ugrasena, father of his enemy Kāṁsa.
By his four arms, beautiful with weapons like Sudarṣaṇa, and priceless armbands, endowed with auspicious marks, being broad and round, most extaordinary (svaiḥ dorbhiḥ), he destroyed adharma by killing the enemies, to give pleasure to the devotees, though he is capable of destroying them just by his will. Arms in the plural indicates his manfestation of four arms during battle, as described in Hari-vaṁśa, to give joy to his devotees as a pastime. Or he destroyed adharma by killing the wicked because of their sins, through assistance or arms of his devotees like the Pāṇḍavas, or through kṣatriyas who are the arms of the universal form. Though he can kill demons like Jarāsandha just by his will, out of affection for his devotees, he displays his fame (good qualities) to the devotees. This shows his affection for his devotees.
First he has described the patimes of Mathurā and Dvārakā which took place after the Gokula pastimes in order to show the excellence of what he will last describe, praising from lesser to greater. Thus now he shows the supreme excellence of the pastimes of Gokula which spread intense prema and bhakti.
The Lord’s great generosity in giving prema-bhakti everywhere is described. He destroyed the suffering of saṁsāra (vṛjina) of the shrubs and trees situated in Vṛndāvana and moving entities like insects, without considering qualification by giving them prema. Or the happiness of liberaetion, like the happiness of Svarga, is grief for the devoees, since it is an obstacle to prema.
He destroyed even that grief for the moving and non-moving beings of Vṛndāvana, who already had bhakti, by spreading prema, without effort. Though by spreading bhakti everywhere at this time, he destroyed the suffering of saṁsāra for the inhabitants of the three worlds as a secondary result, just as fire meant for cooking also destroys darkness and coldness, and also destroyed liberation which appeared along with various siddhis for his devotees, he particularly refers to the the pastimes of Gokula and the residents of Vṛndāvana.
Then he describes the supreme greatness by the Lord manifesting the most astonishing beauty, sweetness, and skills. By his smiling face endowed with the flute, .he increased love (kāma-devam) in his gopīs (vanitānām) of Vraja, which was like a town (vraja-pura) filled with various skillful pastimes. Kāma-devam means love which desires to defeat saṁsāra, or which shines beyond liberation (devam). He produced this love in the gopīs of Vraja by his smiling face.
The meaning is this. Kāma-deva who is famous for destroying everything, destroyed saṁsāra of the gopīs and by controlling the lotus feet of the Kṛṣṇa, produced liberation and bhakti as the result. He made them attain the highest level, newer and newer at every moment.
Or love for the Lord (kāma), among all types of love, is called deva, since it is supreme, by transforming into the highest prema. Or deva means play. Thus kaṁa-devam means pastimes of love. The lord, manifesting great beauty and sweetness with his smiling face, spread pastimes of love, with conjugal enjoyment.
Produced by Nanda-kiśora for his own special happiness, by attachment to the beauty of his lotus face, that enjoyment of the gopīs is the perfection of the highest level of the highest prema, the fruit of bhakti, which derides the four puruṣārthas. Thus his smiling face is noted as the cause of this love. It indicates the supreme position of his beauty, sweetness and skill, the ultimate display of the Lord’s highest powers.
The verbs like vardhayan are in the present tense, to indicate that the Lord’s pastimes always with accompany the manifestation of the Lord. The present tense is used with the same purpose in the following:
puṇyā bata vraja-bhuvo yad ayaṁ nṛ-liṅga
gūḍhaḥ purāṇa-puruṣo vana-citra-mālyaḥ
gāḥ pālayan saha-balaḥ kvaṇayaṁś ca veṇuṁ
vikrīdayāñcati giritra-ramārcitāṅghriḥ
How pious are the tracts of land in Vraja, for there the oldest person, disguising himself with human traits, wanders about, enacting his many pastimes! Adorned with wonderfully variegated forest garlands, he whose feet are worshiped by Śiva and Lakṣmī vibrates his flute as he tends the cows in the company of Balarāma. SB 10.44.13
rājadhānī tataḥ sābhūt sarva-yādava-bhūbhujām
mathurā bhagavān yatra nityaṁ sannihito hariḥ
Since that time, the city of Mathurā had been the capital of all the kings of the Yadu dynasty. The city and district of Mathurā are very intimately connected with Kṛṣṇa, for Kṛṣṇa lives there eternally. SB 10.1.28
The experience of the devotees is the proof of this.
If pura refers to Mathurā and Dvārakā, he produced conjugal love in the women of Vraja, Mathurā and Dvārakā. By going to Mathurā, the gopīs ended up with suffering of separation. That produced the highest level of prema in them. Thus even with that meaning, it concludes that the the pastimes of the gopīs in Gokula were the highest.
This has been said. He who resides in the hearts of all jīvas as Paramātmā is situated in the womb of Devakī as her son. But he is situated in the jīvas as the antaryāmī only. He talks (when he was born) and carries out various activities with Devakī (devakī-janma-vādaḥ). He had the best of the Yadus as his servants (yadu-vara-parṣat). They were capable of eliminating the demons born to create adharma. And also with his own arms he destroyed adharma. For that reason he killed the wicked kings. Moreover he destroyed the sins of all beings, moving and non-moving. He increased the special love of the pure gopīs, as their parmour. Thus he spread the greatest sin. But there was no offense in this since he was smiling. By contrary statements, because of the greatest affection for his devotees, as explained previously, it is indicated that the highest excellence was achieved.