SB 1.14.34 (1965)
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
TEXT No. 34
Bhagwan api govinda brahmanya bhaktavatsalah Kachchit pure sudharmayam sukham aste suhridbritah.
ENGLISH SYNONYMS
Bhagwan—the Personality of Godhead Krishna, Api—also, Govinda—One who enlivens the cows and the senses, Brahmanya—devoted to the devotees or the Brahmins, Bhaktavatsalah—affectionate for the devotees, Kachchit—whether, Pure—in the Dwarkapuri, Sudharmayam—pious assembly, Sukham—happiness, Aste—does enjoy, Suhridbritah—surrounded by friends.
TRANSLATION
Whether Lord Krishna the Supreme Personality of Godhead Who is pleasure to the cows, senses and the Brahmins, Who is very much affectionate for the devotees, does enjoy in the pious assembly at Dwarkapuri surrounded by friends?
PURPORT
Here in this particular verse the Lord is described as Bhagawan, Govinda, Brahmanya and Bhaktavatsal. He is Bhagwan Swayam or the original Supreme Personality of Godhead full with all opulences, all power, all knowledge, all beauty, all fame and all renunciation. Nobody is equal or greater than Him. He is Govinda because he is the pleasure of the cows and the senses. Those who have purified their senses in relation with devotional service of the Lord, can render unto Him real service and thereby derive transcendental pleasure out of such purified senses. On the impure condition the living being cannot derive any pleasure from the senses but being illusioned by false pleasure of the senses, becomes servant of the senses. Therefore we need His protection for our own interest. The Lord is the protector of the cow and the Brahminical culture. In a society which is devoid of cow protection and Brahminical culture, is not under the direct protection of the Lord as much as the prisoners in the jails are not under the protection of the king but under the protection of the severe agent of the king.
Without cow protection and cultivation of the Brahminical qualities in the human society, at least for a section of members of the society, no human civilisation can prosper at any length. By Brahminical culture or developing the dormant quality of goodness namely truthfulness, equanimity, sense-control, forbearance, simplicity, knowledge general, knowledge transcendental and firm faith in the Vedic wisdom, one can become Brahmin and thus one can see the Lord as He is. And after surpassing the Brahminical perfection one has to become a devotee of the Lord so that His living affection in the form of the Proprietor, Master, Friend, Son and Lover can be transcendentally achieved. The stage of a devotee, which attracts the transcendental affection of the Lord, does not develop unless one has not developed the qualities of a Brahmin as above mentioned. The Lord is inclined to a Brahmin of quality and not of false prestige. Those, who are less than a Brahmin by qualification cannot establish any relation with the Lord as much as fire cannot be kindled in the raw earth except the wood although there is link of relation with wood and the earth. The Lord being thus all perfect in Himself there could not be any question of His welfare and Maharaj Yudhisthir refrained from asking this question. He simply enquired about His residential place Dwaraka Puri where pious men assemble. The Lord stays there only where pious men assemble and take pleasure in the matter of glorifying the Supreme Truth. Maharaj Yudhisthir was anxious to know about the pious men and their pious acts in the city of Dwarka.