Krsna Book Audio Dictation - Chapter 34
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Chapter Thirty-four, Kṛṣṇa, continued.
The snake Vidyādhara continued to answer to Śrī Kṛṣṇa that "Because I was very much puffed up for my exquisite beauty of bodily features, I derided at the ugly feature of the great sage Āṅgirāsa, and he cursed me on this account for my sinful thinking and I became a snake. Now I consider that this curse by the sage was not at all a curse; it was a great benediction for me. Because unless he would not have cursed me, and unless I would not have assumed the body of a snake, there was no chance of being kicked by Your lotus feet and thus become freed from all material contamination."
In our material existence, four things are very valuable: to have birth in a decent family and to become very rich, to become very much learned, and to become very much beautiful. These are considered to be material assets. Unfortunately, without Kṛṣṇa consciousness, these material assets sometimes become the source of sinful life and degradation like this Vidyādhara who, in spite of his becoming a demigod and having a very beautiful body, he, due to this wrong behavior and falsely being puffed up, he was degraded to the body of a snake.
Another instruction from this incidence we can get, that those who are too much proud of material assets or envious of others, such living entity is degraded to the body of a snake. A snake is considered to be the most cruel and envious amongst the animals, and those who are human beings, at the same time envious of others, they are worse than the snake. The snake can be subdued or controlled by charming mantras and herbs, but a person who is envious, he cannot be brought into control by any means.
The Vidyādhara snake continued to say, "My dear Lord, now as I think I have become freed from all kinds of sinful activities, I am asking Your permission if I can go back to my abode, the heavenly planets." This means that persons who are very much attached to fruitive activities for being promoted to the comforts of higher planetary system cannot achieve their ultimate goal of life without being permitted by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is also stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, that less intelligent persons, they are mad after achieving material benefits, and therefore they worship different kinds of demigods. But they actually achieve the benediction from the demigod being permitted by Lord Viṣṇu, or Kṛṣṇa. Demigods have no power to benedict any person with any material profit. It is with the permission of the Supreme Personality of Godhead they can benedict their followers.
Therefore, even if one is attached to material benediction, he can worship Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and ask from Him material benediction. Kṛṣṇa is completely able to give even material benediction. But the distinction of asking material benediction from the demigods and from Kṛṣṇa is that just like Dhruva Mahārāja, he also went to worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead for some material benediction. But the result was that when he actually achieved the favor of the Supreme Lord and saw Him, he was so satisfied that he refused to accept any material benediction. Therefore the intelligent person, without asking or worshiping the demigods, should directly become Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and if he has any desire for material benefit he can ask from Kṛṣṇa instead of asking any other demigods.
So this Vidyādhara was awaiting the permission of Kṛṣṇa for going back to the heavenly planet. He began to say that "Now, because I am touched by Your lotus feet, I am relieved from all kinds of material pangs. And You are the most powerful of all mystics. You are the original Supreme Personality of Godhead. You are the master of all devotees. You are the proprietor of all planetary system. Therefore I am asking Your permission, and You may accept me as fully surrendered unto You. And I know it very well that persons who are constantly engaged in chanting Your holy name become relieved from all sinful reaction, and so what to speak of persons who are so much fortunate as being personally touched by Your lotus feet. Therefore I am sure that I am now relieved from the brāhmadanda, the curse by the brāhmaṇa, simply by Your touching lotus feet and by Your audience."
In this way, the serpent Vidyādhara got permission of Lord Kṛṣṇa to go back to his home in the higher planetary system, and after receiving the order, he began to circambulate (sic) the Lord. And after offering his respectful obeisances unto Him, he returned to the heavenly planet, and thus Nanda Mahārāja also became relieved from the imminent danger of being devoured by the snake.
After this incidence, the cowherds men who came to execute their ritualistic function in the Ambikā (indistinct) to worship Lord Śiva, they finished their business and prepared to return to Vṛndāvana. And while returning, they began to remember the wonderful activities of Kṛṣṇa and talk about the incident of delivering the Vidyādhara, and they become more and more attached to Kṛṣṇa. Now, they came to worship Lord Śiva and Ambikā, but the result was that they became more and more attached to Kṛṣṇa. Similarly, the gopīs also worshiped goddess Kātyāyanī to become more and more attached to Kṛṣṇa.
So persons who worship demigods like Lord Brahmā, Śiva, Indra, Candra for some personal benefit, they are condemned, as it is said in the Bhagavad-gītā that persons who are attached to worship demigods are less intelligent, and they have lost of their real purpose of life. But here the cowherds men, the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana, they are not ordinary men. Whatever they do, they do it for Kṛṣṇa. Similarly, if somebody worships any demigod like Lord Śiva, Lord Brahmā for getting more attachment for Kṛṣṇa, then that is not against devotional service. But if anyone goes to the demigods for some personal benefit, that is condemned.
After this incidence, sometimes in a very pleasant night, both Kṛṣṇa and His elder brother Balarāma, who were inconceivably powerful, went into the forest of Vṛndāvana accompanied by the damsels of Vrajabhūmi and began to enjoy each other's company. When all the young damsels of Vraja were very nicely dressed and anointed with pulp of sandalwood, decorated with flowers, and in this way in the company of the girls both of Them began to sing very sweetly.
At that time, the moon was on the sky surrounded by the glittering stars and the breeze was blowing, carrying the flavor of mallikā flower, and the bumblebees were mad after the flavor in search of honey. Taking this advantage of pleasing atmosphere, both Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma began to sing very melodiously, and the damsels become so absorbed in that rhythmical song that they almost forgot themselves, so much so that their bunch of hair become loosened, and dress also become slackened, and their garlands from the neck began to fall down on the ground.
When Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma were enjoying the company of the damsels of Vraja so much absorbed, almost in madness, at that time in their midst one yaksa, associate of the Kuvera (treasurer in the heavenly planet), appeared on the scene. This demon was named as Śaṅkhāsura, because on his head there was a valuable jewel resembling the conchshell. As we learned from previous incidences that two sons of Kuvera, being puffed up of their wealth and opulence, did not care even for Nārada Muni passing that way, similarly, this Śaṅkhāsura, also being puffed up of material opulence, thought that Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma were two cowherds boys and They were enjoying the company of so many beautiful girls.
In the material world, generally a person with great riches thinks that all beautiful women should be enjoyed by him. Similarly, this Śaṅkhāsura also thought that he belongs to the rich community of Kuvera and his companions, so why Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma should enjoy the company of so many beautiful girls? He should come and take charge of them. In this way, he appeared before Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma and the damsels of Vraja and began to lead away the girls toward the northern direction, commanding them as if he was their proprietor and husband in spite of in the presence of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma.
When the damsels of Vraja was thus being taken away by force by the Śaṅkhāsura yaksa, they began to cry, taking the name of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma for protection, and the two brothers immediately began to follow them. Both Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma took in Their hands a big log of śala wood and began to enthuse the gopīs by saying, "Don't be afraid. Don't be afraid. We are immediately coming to chastise this demon." In this way, both of Them very quickly reached near the Śaṅkhāsura, and the Śaṅkhāsura, thinking Them too powerful, was afraid of his life and left. He left the company of the gopīs and began to flee away in order to save his life.
But Kṛṣṇa would not let him go away in this way. He entrusted the gopīs under the care of Balarāma, and He began to follow the Śaṅkhāsura wherever he began to flee. Kṛṣṇa wanted to take away the valuable jewel resembling a conchshell from the head of the demon Śaṅkhāsura. In this way, after following a very little distance only, Kṛṣṇa immediately struck the head of the Śaṅkhāsura with His fist and immediately killed him and took away the valuable jewel resembling the conchshell. After killing the Śaṅkhāsura in this way, He came back, and in the presence of all the damsels of Vraja He presented the valuable jewel to His elder brother, Balarāma, with great pleasure.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Thirty-fourth Chapter in Kṛṣṇa in the matter of "Killing the Demon Śaṅkhāsura."