itīdṛk sva-līlābhir-ānanda-kuṇḍe sva-ghoṣaṁ nimajjantam-ākhyāpayantam tadīyeśita-jñeṣu bhaktair-jitat-tvaṁ punaḥ prema-tas-taṁ śatāvṛtti vande
TRANSLATION
By His childhood pastimes such as this dāma-bandhana-līlā, He perpetually drowns all the residents of Gokula – His gopas, gopīs, cows, calves and so forth, who are all manifested by His pastime potency – in pools of bliss. He thus informs those who have knowledge of His absolute divinity that only the pure and simple love of these devotees can conquer Him. Again, hundreds of times, I offer loving obeisance unto Śrī Dāmodara Kṛṣṇa.Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā Bhāvanuvāda
Śrī Satyavrata Muni begins this verse with itīdṛk sva-līlābhiḥ to establish his worshipful Lord’s unique glory. He accomplishes this by illustrating His wonderful character. In this verse, iti is used to mean “like this”. Thus he begins: “Like this, by His bhakta-vaśyatā...” In this way he reiterates that it is Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s nature to come under the control of His devotees. Alternatively, iti means “by this dāmodara-līlā” and, īdṛśībhiś ca, “by His supremely enchanting, extraordinary childhood pastimes like dāmodara-līlā, He is immersing all the residents of Gokula in great bliss”. The addition of sva in the phrase sva-līlābhiḥ conveys the greatness of His own pastimes, or it conveys the uncommon excellence of the playfulness of His pastimes. This has been described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.11.7) in statements such as the following:gopībhiḥ stobhito ’nṛtyad bhagavān bālavat kvacit udgāyati kvacin mugdhas tad-vaśo dāru-yantravat
The gopīs would encourage Kṛṣṇa to dance in various ways. They would clap their hands or say, “If You dance then we will give You a laḍḍū.” Although Kṛṣṇa is Bhagavān, the Supreme Omnipotent Godhead and the master of all opulences, baby Kṛṣṇa would dance for them like an innocent human child. Sometimes they would tell Him to sing, and like an ordinary, bewildered child, He would sing for them. Enchanted by them, He became like a wooden puppet in their hands.bibharti kvacid ājñaptaḥ pīṭhakonmāna-pādukam bāhu-kṣepaṁ ca kurute svānāṁ ca prītim samudvahan
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.11.8)
Sometimes the gopīs would order Śrī Kṛṣṇa to bring them someone’s shoes, wooden seats, measuring cups or the weights used for scales. At such times, He would act as if He was unable to lift these articles, and would simply stand there touching them, and then He would repeatedly strike His arms to show His mightiness. By such gestures He would fill His own kin with boundless joy. It was in sole reference to the above statements of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that Śrī Satyavrata Muni said Śrī Kṛṣṇa causes sva-ghoṣam, His own kin, the residents of Gokula, to be totally submerged (nimajjantam) in a nectarean and incredibly deep pool of extra-ordinary happiness – ānanda-kuṇḍa. That is the indication of this verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, ‘‘svānāṁ prītiṁ samudvahan – He thoroughly arouses deep love in His own dear kin.” Alternatively, the word ghoṣa means “to loudly proclaim the glory of something”. Directing the word ghoṣa either to Himself (svasya) or to His own (svānām) the meaning becomes either “by broadcasting His own glories” or “by broadcasting the glories of His gopas and gopīs”. Certainly, by becoming absorbed in the mood of spreading His extraordinary glories, as well as the glories of His own loved ones, even Śrī Kṛṣṇa sinks in ānanda-kuṇḍa, and as a result He feels the highest limit of happiness. In order to further describe the extraordinary qualities of Śrī Bhagavān, Śrī Satyavrata Munī then says, “By these pastimes, Śrī Kṛṣṇa is making it known (ākhyāpayantam) to all who are tadīya-iśīta-jñeṣu[1], who worship Him as the Supreme Controller and the master of all souls, that He is Himself controlled and defeated by the love of His pure devotees – bhaktair-jitatvam.” In other words, Kṛṣṇa is declaring, “I willingly become controlled by My bhaktas alone, who are intent on serving Me with pure devotion. I am never controlled by those who are inclined to worship Me while considering My supreme position and opulence.” Thus, the sage captures the meaning of the following statement from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.11.9):darśayaṁs tad-vidāṁ loka ātmano bhṛtya-vaśyatām
Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa showed the community of those who know about His supreme position, that He only remains under the full control of His loving servants.
[The commentator, Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī, personally explains the above statement of Bhāgavatam, as follows.] Here, the word tad (about that, or about Him) is connected to Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s position as Bhagavān, and when it is combined with vidām (knowledge of) it becomes “knowledge of His position as Bhagavān”. Thus the meaning is clear: He is showing (darśyaṁs) those who know about His supreme opulence, that He willingly comes under the control of His loving servants. [In other words, the original Supreme Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇacandra, is exhibiting that, in every respect, He is only controlled by His loving servants in Vraja, and among them, He is especially controlled by those in unnata-ujjvala-rasa, the supremely pure humour of mādhurya-rasa (transcendental amour). He is not controlled by devotees who worship Him on the path of aiśvarya-bhakti, which is characterized by the mood of reverence; nor is He controlled by jñānīs, who know Him to be the self-sufficient, supremely powerful Lord; nor by those whose bhakti is mixed with such jñāna.] But there is another meaning of tadīyeśita-jñeṣu bhaktair-jitatvam. Śrī Kṛṣṇa only reveals (ākhyāpayantam) that He is willingly controlled (jitatvam) by His loving devotees only to those who have proper knowledge of such beloved devotees’ exalted position. This is because bhakti, and especially its glories, are very confidential, so He does not reveal it to everyone. It is inappropriate to explain it to anyone who is not specifically acquainted with the exalted glories of the Vaiṣṇavas and who is only interested in impersonal knowledge. From this perspective, the previously cited verse should be interpreted by connecting vidām with bhṛtya-vaśyatā. Thus the general meaning of tad-vidām – those who know Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s supreme position – becomes bhṛtya-vaśyatā-vidām – those who know that Śrī Kṛṣṇa willingly comes under the control of His loving servants. Therefore Śrī Satyavrata Munī prays, “Overwhelmed with incomparable pure loving devotion for You (premataḥ), I offer You vandanā, my prayers of adoration, hundreds of times (śata-āvṛtti). To You (tam), the Supreme Lord, I offer vandanā again and again (punaḥ). Thus, in this verse the sage wishes to say, “Among the limbs of bhakti, which are required for all devotees, I only pray to perform one special limb of bhakti: vandanā – to constantly express my adoration for Śrī Bhagavān. I do not pray for knowledge of Śrī Bhagavān’s opulence or anything else.” ~ Thus ends the English Rendition of the Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā on the Third Verse ~Dig-darśinī-vṛtti
Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes are lakes of inexhaustible bliss in which He drowns the entire village of Gokula. The village of Gokula is known as ghoṣa-pallī, which refers to the place where all the animals, birds, cows, gopas and gopīs loudly sing the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa without cessation. It is constantly resounding with the calls of the gopas and gopīs: “Milk the cows! Untie the calves! Bring the milk-pail.” And all is entirely for the pleasure of Śrī Gopāla-kṛṣṇa. When Śrī Kṛṣṇa became a little bit bigger He discovered that He could go beyond the doorstep leading out of the house. One day, when He and His big brother Balarāma went outside, They saw that some bright red flowers had blossomed nearby. However, the flowers were surrounded by a fence of dry ber thorns. Somehow, They moved the thorny branches aside and went through to pick flowers. Meanwhile, the thorny branches fell back into place, blocking Their way out. “How will We get out of here?” They wondered, and burst into tears. Mother Yaśodā heard Their loud sobbing and came out of the house. Finding Them trapped, she managed to move the thorny branches to the side and take Them out. Sometimes Śrī Kṛṣṇa would hold on to the horns of huge bulls and swing on them. Other times, He would become astonished when He saw Himself reflected in the jewelled pillars of His home, and He would even try to speak with that reflection. One day His mother said, “Kṛṣṇa, go fetch a calf and we will worship him.” Kṛṣṇa found a calf and caught hold of him, but when He tried to bring him to His mother, the calf refused to move. Kṛṣṇa struggled to bring him along, tugging and pulling all the way. He finally reached the house, but when He noticed a pot of butter hanging from the ceiling, His mouth began to water. He climbed on to the calf’s back and, taking hold of the pot, He began to empty it of its contents. Seeing his chance to escape, the calf fled from the spot, leaving Kṛṣṇa dangling. “Maiyā, Maiyā!” He cried. Mother Yaśodā, finding Kṛṣṇa hanging in the air, took Him down and scolded Him. •••• Early each morning the gopīs used to crowd into Mother Yaśodā’s home just to see Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Sometimes, some gopīs would say, “Kṛṣṇa is so strong,” while others would argue, “No, Balarāma is much stronger.” “How shall we definitely find out who is stronger? Let the two boys wrestle and the winner will get a big lump of butter.” On these occasions, just by seeing the butter, the two boys’ mouths would water and They would start wrestling. The gopīs siding with Kṛṣṇa would clap their hands if He won, but if He lost, then the gopīs on Baladeva’s side would clap victoriously. Sometimes a gopī would tempt Kṛṣṇa with a laḍḍū, saying, “Kanhaiyā, if You dance for us I will give You this laḍḍū.” Putting His hand on His waist, He would dance to the rhythm, tā thaī, tā thaī, and even sing a sweet little song. In various ways, the vraja-gopīs would make Kṛṣṇa dance. He became just like their puppet, for He came under their full control. At other times, the gopīs who came to visit Mother Yaśodā would order Kṛṣṇa: “Kṛṣṇa, bring us that wooden seat.” Their darling little Kṛṣṇa would try to lift the small seat, but when they saw that He could not, they swelled with sweet affection for Him. The same Śrī Kṛṣṇa, in His Varāha incarnation, lifted the entire earth on His tusks. Also, when Śrī Kṛṣṇa was a little older, He easily lifted Govardhana Hill on His little finger as if it were no more than a toy ball. But in His childhood pastimes in the same Vraja-dhāma, He could not even lift a small wooden seat. This is the nature of His sweet, human-like pastimes. He controls and maintains everything in creation, yet He is controlled by the residents of Vraja. Although He is the master of unlimited potencies, including His ghaṭana-aghaṭana-śakti, which makes the impossible possible and the possible impossible, in Vraja He is unaware of His supreme, absolute position. There He is an innocent and simple child, nourished and cared for by His affectionate mother. As befitting an obedient son, He brings His father’s shoes, carrying them on His head, and considers, “Father will wear these shoes to attend the assembly of gopas.” What is the meaning of ītīdṛk sva-līlābhir-ānanda-kuṇḍe, sva-ghoṣaṁ nimajjantam? Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s sweet childhood pastimes are an ocean of rasa. That ocean is inexhaustible and it has no boundary, for it is absolutely unlimited. He drowns all of the gopas, gopīs, cows, calves and the entire settlement of Vraja in the vast ocean of these pastimes. Even He, in fact, drowns in the ocean of the sweetness of His own pastimes. Why does Śrī Kṛṣṇa perform these pastimes? Śrī Satyavrata Muni answers this question in relation to tadīyeśīta-jñeṣu, those who always retain knowledge of Bhagavān’s supreme position. A tattva-jñānī sees Vrajendra-nandana Śrī Śyāmasundara as the source of all incarnations and the essence and ultimate limit of Godhead. They know Him as the possessor of all six opulences in their fullness, and the Supreme Lord who has the power to make the impossible possible. Devotees such as Nārada and the four Kumāras have full knowledge of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s true position. Through these pastimes, Śrī Kṛṣṇa is explaining to them, “Although I possess the potency to make the impossible possible, I am nonetheless controlled by the residents of Vraja. I am simply playing here in the mood of an ignorant child.” •••• “Itīdṛk sva-līlābhiḥ – His uncommon childhood pastimes, like this dāmodara-līlā, are supremely charming.” One day, a fruit-seller from Mathurā came to Vraja to sell her fruit. She had heard of the pre-eminent sweetness of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes in Gokula and had become exceedingly eager to see Him directly. Although she came to Vraja often, she had never gotten the chance to see Kṛṣṇa. He was either asleep or in the lap of His mother. At other times He was surrounded by His friends or busy playing inside His home. She tried again and again, but she was always unable to see Him. Direct vision of Śrī Kṛṣṇa is easily available to the residents of Vraja, but it is quite rare for the people of Mathurā. Still, the heart of the fruit-seller became so full of anxiety that she resolved, “If I do not see Kṛṣṇa today, I will not return to Mathurā.” The sādhaka’s resolve should be exactly the same. He should think, “Day and night I will execute the limbs of devotion as instructed by Śrīman Mahāprabhu and Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī. With love, I will chant a fixed number of Śrī Hari’s names and serve śrī guru and the Vaiṣṇavas. Every day I will study Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and other devotional literatures. Every day I will recite Gopī-gīta, Veṇū-gīta, Bhramara-gīta and Yugala-gīta. If I come across a rasika Vaiṣṇava, I will give my life to serving him. I will visit the places where Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa performed Their confidential pastimes, in the groves and forests of Vraja. I will pray very piteously there and recite hymns and prayers that are full of longing. Then, Śrī Kṛṣṇa will surely give me His darśana; He is not far away.” Having made her vow, the fruit-seller came to Nanda Mahārāja’s cowherd settlement and wandered about near his house. She began crying out, “Come, take fruits! Phala lo, take fruits! Come, take mangoes, bananas and guavas! Phala lo, phala lo!” But within moments, she became so absorbed in thinking about Kṛṣṇa that instead of calling the names of the fruits, she cried out, “Come, take Gopāla, Govinda lo, Mādhava lo, Dāmodara lo!” At first she had been balancing the basket of fruit on her head with one hand, but eventually she forgot to hold the basket altogether. It kept from falling only due to her natural expertise. Finally, she sat down before the doorstep of Nanda’s house. When Śrī Kṛṣṇa heard the cries of the fruit-seller, He could not remain sitting quietly on His mother’s lap so He climbed down and went to a nearby mound of grain. After taking as much grain as He could hold in His joined palms, He started toward the fruit-seller, but His hands were so tiny that all the grain fell from them as He walked. When He reached the fruit-seller, all He had left were a few grains that were wedged between His palms and fingers. He poured them into her basket and demanded, “Oh, give Me some fruit!” The fruit-seller became completely enchanted by the beautiful form of little Kṛṣṇa and just sat there looking at Him for some time. The import of this pastime is that unless someone is intensely eager to see Śrī Kṛṣṇa and is absorbed in remembering Him, just as the fruit-seller was, He does not give them His darśana. Śrī Kṛṣṇa only gives His darśana to those sādhakas who desire nothing but to see Him and serve Him. In other words, He only appears before those who have become completely free from anarthas. When the fruit-seller returned to external consciousness she said, “Lālā, my darling baby boy, I will only give You fruit if You sit on my lap just once, and call me Mā.” Little Kṛṣṇa carefully looked in all directions, to make sure no one was watching. When He was sure no one could see, He jumped on to her lap: “Mā!” And then quickly jumped off again. “Give Me fruit!” All of the deepest desires within the heart of the fruit-seller had now been fulfilled. She wanted to give Kṛṣṇa all of her fruit, but she could only give Him as much as He could hold in His tiny arms and hands. When Kanhaiyā returned to where Mother Yaśodā was sitting in the courtyard, He placed the fruit in her veil. “Lālā, where did You get these fruits from?” she asked. Kṛṣṇa simply pointed toward the door. Mother Yaśodā became delighted to see such succulent and tasty fruits. She began to distribute them to all the gopīs present, but amazingly, even though there were only a few fruits, the quantity did not diminish. When Kṛṣṇa left the fruit-seller near the doorstep of His house, she completely lost external awareness. Śrī Kṛṣṇa had stolen her heart and she simply sat in the very same spot until a gopī passing by shook her and brought her back to external consciousness. She slowly picked up her basket of fruit, placed it upon her head, and then set off for Mathurā. As the fruit-seller walked along the bank of the Yamunā river, she realized that her basket had become much heavier than before. When she set it down and looked inside she was struck with wonder. Her basket was filled with a variety of valuable jewels. She picked up the basket, threw it into the Yamunā, and burst into tears. “Śrī Kṛṣṇa has cheated me,” she cried. “I have been completely deprived of His real mercy.” Overwhelmed by love for Śrī Kṛṣṇa, she lamented bitterly and never returned to her home. When Śrī Kṛṣṇa steals anyone’s heart, invariably, this becomes their condition.evaṁ-vrataḥ sva-priya-nāma-kīrtyā jātānurāgo druta-citta uccaiḥ hasaty atho roditi rauti gāyaty unmāda-van nṛtyati loka-bāhyaḥ
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.2.40)
Saintly people who have firmly devoted themselves to serving Bhagavān with deep love, constantly engage in kīrtana of their most beloved names of Kṛṣṇa. When deep attachment (anurāga) arises in them, their hearts thoroughly melt and they become mad in love of God. They laugh and cry loudly. Agitated by love, they sing about their Lord in sweet voices and just like madmen, without a trace of shyness, they dance and sing unaffected by the opinions of ordinary people. [Excerpted from the Gaudiya Vedanta Publications “Sri Damodarastakam“]