SB 10.7.1-2 The Killing of the Demon Tṛṇāvarta
Verse Text: https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/10/7/1-2/
Points:
Some keys words:
Bhagavān indicates the Lord endowed with all powers and qualities.
Hari indicates the Lord who takes away all suffering and faults.
Īśvara indicates the Lord who attracts the internal and external senses.
The words karṇa-ramyāṇi and manojṣānī indicate the sweetness of the Lord.
What is this 7th chapter is about? Krsna showing aisvarya bhava in the midst of his childhood lila.
Srila Visvanath Cakravarti Thakura says that the seventh chapter shows the aisvarya (display of power) aspect of Krsna’s childhood pastimes. He displayed the power of His lips and then He will reveal the power of feet and hands.
What is the connection with the previous chapter/verse?
Now Krishna’s childhood pastimes are unfolding by the mercy of Pariksit Maharaj and Sukadev Goswami.
The last verse SB 10.6.44 Sukadev goswami said Any person who hears with faith and devotion about how Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, killed Pūtanā, and who thus invests his hearing in such childhood pastimes of Kṛṣṇa, certainly attains attachment for Govinda, the supreme, original person.
What are the qualifications of Pariksit Maharaj?
Great hearer, and humble follower
Pariksit Maharaj is such a good hearer and also such a sincere disciple, and such an inquisitive devotee that he is even more eager to hear about Krishna’s childhood pastimes.
Srila Jiva Goswami has mentioned…
Pariksit Maharaj understands that compared to other incarnations pastimes, hearing specifically about Kṛṣṇa vanquishes both disinclination and material desires.
The heart (sattvam) becomes purified. When the heart becomes pure because of destruction of impure impressions, it becomes capable of comprehending rasa. This purification happens quickly by hearing all the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa, but more slowly in the case of hearing the pastimes of the avatāras.
Though I have little intelligence, this is what I think. This will become a conviction if you, who have the greatest intelligence, agree. This is the meaning of “If you think like this, then tell these stories.” This statement is made with great humility. Or the meaning can be “Now, do not hide these topics.” its statement of humility mixed with joking.
Pariksit’s humility tad eva hāraṁ vada manyase cet If you think it fit kindly speak of those pastimes, which should be heard and kept on the neck as a garland.
What is the significance of hearing? Especially about Krishna’s pastimes?
Last 4 sessions of Brhad Bhagavatam we heard how finally it was revealed that indeed devotees in Vrindavan are the topmost, especially Gopis why because they are always so eager and chant about Krishna’s pastimes.
A little child 6 or 7 years old. In India at the entrance and inside there are police staff with rifles and guns. Now this little child walks to one of them and asks, in hindi, without our inputs just by his own, asli hai kya? Meaning is this rifle real? We all laughed so much.
Think about the Supreme Person who is full of all wit and naughtiness when he is playing with mother Yasoda, Rohini, Gopis and friends…how much more fun and laughing it would have been.
So Pariksit Maharaj, at the verge of his death, he is interested in hearing about Krishna’s childhood pastimes.
We have another example of Ajamil. He also called out his child, in desperation, Narayan, come here and who came, Vishnudutas.
In Bhagavad Gita Krsna told Arjuna – Hear from Me at least ten times.
Bg. 2.39 Now listen as I explain it in terms of working without fruitive results.
Bg. 10.1 Listen again, O mighty-armed Arjuna. for your benefit I shall speak to you further, giving knowledge that is better than what I have already explained.
Bg. 13.4 Now please hear My brief description of this field of activity and how it is constituted, what its changes are, whence it is produced, who that knower of the field of activities is, and what his influences are.
Bg. 16.6 Now hear from Me of the demoniac nature/qualities.
Bg. 17.2 Now hear about three kinds of faith.
Bg. 17.7 Now hear of the distinctions between goodness, passion, ignorance driven food, sacrifices, austerities and charity.
Bg. 18.4 now hear My judgment about renunciation.
Bg. 18.29 now please listen as I tell you in detail of the different kinds of understanding and determination, according to the three modes of material nature.
Bg. 18.36 now please hear from Me about the three kinds of happiness by which the conditioned soul enjoys, and by which he sometimes comes to the end of all distress.
Bg. 18.64 Hear this My supreme instruction, the most confidential knowledge of all from Me, for it is for your benefit.
BG 4.9 – Janma Karma
Why specifically Krishna’s pastimes? Especially childhood pastimes?
SB 1.3.28
ete cāṁśa-kalāḥ puṁsaḥ
kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam
All of the above-mentioned incarnations are either plenary portions or portions of the plenary portions of the Lord, but Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the original Personality of Godhead.
Other Incarnations:
Madhurya Sakhya Seva Reciprocation Dealings – Some level of awe, reverence n limitation.
Krsna’s pastimes especially childhood and youth pastimes there is no awe and reverence
What are the effects of hearing Krishna’s incarnations pastimes and Krishna’s?
Krsna’s other incarnations…
i. possesses all powers & qualities,
ii. vanquishes all suffering & faults,
iii. attracts internal & external senses,
Krishna’s pastimes special effect
SP starts with…
śravaṇa-kīrtanam: śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ ( Bhāg. 1.2.17 )
Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead, who is the Paramātmā [Supersoul] in everyone’s heart and the benefactor of the truthful devotee, cleanses desire for material enjoyment from the heart of the devotee who has developed the urge to hear His messages, which are in themselves virtuous when properly heard and chanted.
Special effects of Krishna’s pastimes
SP writes: Thus the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa, one after another, kept mother Yaśodā and all the inhabitants of Vraja in great astonishment.
VCT – Though hearing any the topics of the Lord gradually rids one of indifference to hearing about the Lord and makes it possible to attain prema, hearing the pastimes of Krsna’s childhood quickly bring about this prema.
Jiva Goswami:
Hearing Krsna’s childhood pastimes will bring rati. Pariksit wants to continue and not deviate form achieving this rati. Why specially he is about to leave the body.
BG 8.6 yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, O son of Kuntī, that state he will attain without fail.
Now in the SB 10.7 verses 1-2:
karoti karṇa-ramyāṇi 1 Pleasing to the ears
mano-jñāni ca naḥ prabho 2 Very attractive to the mind
yac-chṛṇvato ‘paity aratir vitṛṣṇā
3 Destroys apathy (unattractiveness)
4 Vanquishes distaste (dirty things in mind that make us uninterested in Kṛṣṇa consciousness)
sattvaṁ ca śuddhyaty acireṇa puṁsaḥ
5 Heart (or mind) becomes purified quickly (with impure impressions destroyed, one becomes capable of comprehending rasa)
bhaktir harau 6 Causes devotional attachment and service to the Lord
tat-puruṣe ca sakhyaṁ 7 Attraction to the association of His devotees
Extra Points:
Prema-vivarta (6.2-13). Śrī Jagadānanda Paṇḍita – intimate associate of Lord Caitanya
The term prema-vivarta translates to “love reversed” or “transformation of divine love.”
Example – Parents chastising children out of love or affection. If another person sees us chastising our child, they will think we are very cruel and they will assume that we have no love for our child. But our chastisement is in fact an example of prema-vivarta.
According to the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Śrī Kṛṣṇa left Vraja and never again returned to meet the Vrajavāsīs. This is prema-vivarta, love reversed; it is beyond the understanding of the ordinary man.
SP Krsna Book Purport Points:
There are different processes for self-realization, but this process of devotional service—of which hearing is the most important function—when adopted by any conditioned soul, will automatically cleanse him of the material contamination and enable him to realize his real constitutional position.
Who will not take advantage of these pastimes?
avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam [Bg. 9.11]
Fools deride Me when I descend in the human form. They do not know My transcendental nature as the Supreme Lord of all that be.
Who will take advantage and from whom should we hear?
SP purport – The pastimes of Kṛṣṇa can be properly received from devotees.
If one has developed a little bit of Kṛṣṇa consciousness by hearing from Vaiṣṇavas about the activities of Kṛṣṇa, one becomes attached to Vaiṣṇavas who are interested only in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Meaning naturally he will remain in association of the devotees and then he will continue hearing about Krishna’s pastimes with His devotees and then again that relationship continues. This is friendship. We are coming to Madhyama level devotee.
Final Take away:
Whether we are health or diseased in Spiritual science, let us all continue hearing Krishna’s pastimes through the bona fide chain of disciplic succession and achieve Krsna prema in this life.
As described in NOI verse 7 In our Jaundice condition of Material existence, the only cure rasayan is Krsna Katha.
The holy name, character, pastimes and activities of Kṛṣṇa are all transcendentally sweet like sugar candy. Although the tongue of one afflicted by the jaundice of avidyā [ignorance] cannot taste anything sweet, it is wonderful that simply by carefully chanting these sweet names every day, a natural relish awakens within his tongue, and his disease is gradually destroyed at the root.