Krsna Book Audio Dictation - Chapter 65
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
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Chapter Sixty-five. Subject matter: "Lord Balarāma Visiting Vṛndāvana."
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Lord Balarāma became very much anxious to see His father and mother at Vṛndāvana, and with great enthusiasm therefore He rode on a nice chariot and immediately started for Vṛndāvana to see Mahārāja Nanda and Yaśodā specifically. The inhabitants of Vṛndāvana since a very long time was anxious to see Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma. Therefore, when Lord Balarāma arrived in Vṛndāvana, all the cowherds boy and the gopīs who were by that time grown up, and still, on arrival of Balarāma, all of them embraced Him. Lord Balarāma also embraced them in reciprocation, and after that He came before King Nanda and Yaśodā, the father and mother, and offered His respectful obeisances unto them. In response, mother Yaśodā and Nanda Mahārāja also offered their blessings unto Him.
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This time, both mother Yaśodā and Nanda Mahārāja addressed Lord Balarāma as Jagadīśvara, or the Lord of the universe who maintains everyone. The purport was that both Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma were maintaining all living entities, and why Nanda and Yaśodā were put to such difficulties of life on account of Their absence? In this way, feelingly they embraced Balarāma and got Him seated down on their lap and, as it had become their perpetual business, began to cry, and with the tears of their eyes Balarāma became wet. After this, Lord Balarāma offered His respectful obeisances to the elderly cowherds men, and similarly He accepted obeisances from the younger cowherds men. According to different ages and relationship, Lord Balarāma exchanged feeling of friendship. Those who were equal contemporaries in age and friendship with them, Lord Balarāma shook hands, and with loud laughing embraced each one of them.
In this way Lord Balarāma, after responding the reception from the cowherds men, boys, gopīs, King Nanda and Yaśodā, when He satisfactorily sat down, at that time all of them surrounded Him. All of them began to inquire from Balarāma different questions, because they met Him after so long time. First of all, Lord Balarāma inquired from Them about their welfare. After that, all the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana, who had sacrificed everything for Kṛṣṇa simply by being captivated by the lotus eyes of the Lord and with a great desire to become a lover of Kṛṣṇa, they did not ever desire anything like elevation in the heavenly planets or merge into the effulgence of Brahma and become one with the Absolute Truth. They were not even interested to enjoy the life of opulence in this world also. They were satisfied in a simple life in the village as cowherds men, and were absorbed always in the thought of Kṛṣṇa without any personal benefit. But still, in the absence of Kṛṣṇa, they were so much in love with Him that in faltering voice they began to inquire from Balarāmajī as follows.
Nanda Mahārāja and Yaśodāmāyī first of all inquired, "My dear Balarāma, whether our friends like Vasudeva and others in the family are all doing well? And my dear Balarāma, both You and Kṛṣṇa are now grown-up married men with children and family. Now in the midst of Your happiness of family life, do You sometimes remember Your poor father and mother, Nanda Mahārāja and Yaśodādevī? It is very good news that Kaṁsa has been killed by You and our good friends like Vasudeva and others, who were being so much harassed by the sinful King Kaṁsa, is now relieved from such harassment. This is also good news that both You and Kṛṣṇa, after having defeated Jarāsandha or the Kālayavana, who is now killed, now You are living in a fortified fort in Dvārakā. This is also very good news." (close)
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When the gopīs arrived there, Lord Balarāma glanced over them with loving eyes, and being engladdened by that such glance, the gopīs, who were so long mortified on account of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma’s absence, now being enlivened by the presence of Balarāma began to ask about Their welfare. They specifically asked Balarāma whether Kṛṣṇa, now being surrounded by the enlightened women in Dvārakā Purī, is enjoying His life very nice. "Does He sometimes remember His father Nanda and mother Yaśodā and other friends with whom He so intimately behaved so long He was in Vṛndāvana? Has Kṛṣṇa any program to come here to see His mother, Yaśodā, or does He remember us, the gopīs, now pitiably bereft of His company? Kṛṣṇa might have forgotten us in the midst of cultured women of Dvārakā, but so far we are concerned, we are still remembering Him by collecting flowers and sewing into garland. But when we see He does not come, we simply pass our time simply by crying. If He will come again here and accept these garlands made by us?
"My dear Lord Balarāma, the descendant of Daśārha, You know that for Kṛṣṇa’s friendship we gave up everything. Even in great distress one cannot give up connection of family members like father, mother, brother, sister. So far we are concerned, even though it was impossible for others, we gave up our father, mother, sister, relatives, (for) Kṛṣṇa, without considering a pinch for our renunciation. All of a sudden He renounced us and went away. He could break our relationship without any serious consideration, and all of a sudden He cut off our so intimate a relationship and left for a foreign country. We could, however, stop Him going away from Vṛndāvana, but He is so clever and cunning that He can manufacture very nice words. He said, (within quote) ‘My dear gopīs, please do not worry. The service that you have rendered unto Me is impossible to be repaid by Me.’ After all, we are women, and how could we disbelieve Him? Now we can understand that His sweet words were simply for cheating us." (quotation close)
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Another gopī, protesting Kṛṣṇa’s absence from Vṛndāvana, began to say as follows: (within quotation) "My dear Balarāmajī, we are of course village girls—Kṛṣṇa could cheat us in that way—but what about the women in Dvārakā? Don’t think they are as foolish as we are!"
(rest of chapter missing, also up to Chapter Seventy-one is missing)