Uddhava's lamentation:
After the disappearance of Lord Krishna from this universe a great sadness and darkness settled in. The great devotees who were still here on the planet became overwhelmed with separation. Uddhava a cousin of Krishna who lived in Dvarka is unique. He was the only resident of Dvarka to visit Vrndavan.
Here in this verse Uddhava is sharing his mood of lamentation with Vidura a resident of Hastinapura and also a great devotee of Lord Krishna who has left Hastinapura in search of pure devotion.
After the disappearance of Lord Krishna from this universe a great sadness and darkness settled in. The great devotees who were still here on the planet became overwhelmed with separation. Uddhava a cousin of Krishna who lived in Dvarka is unique. He was the only resident of Dvarka to visit Vrndavan.
Here in this verse Uddhava is sharing his mood of lamentation with Vidura a resident of Hastinapura and also a great devotee of Lord Krishna who has left Hastinapura in search of pure devotion.
"The Yadus were all experienced devotees, learned and expert in psychic
study. Over and above this, they were always with the Lord in all kinds
of relaxations, and still they were only able to know Him as the one
Supreme who dwells everywhere." SB 3.2.9
His lamentation here is in relation to the Yadu dynasty who were all personal descendants of Lord Krishna who had acted as the head of the entire family which consisted of millions of people. There were sixteen thousand queens and each had ten sons who also had ten sons and so on. So do the math. And Lord Krishna had personal contact with each one of them...for some as husband, for some as father... for others as grandfather, etc.
So why is Uddhava lamenting for them? Who can even imagine such good fortune?
Srila Prabhupada explains in the purport:
"The Yādavas were all exceptionally learned and experienced, but in spite of their knowing the Lord as the one who lives in everyone’s heart, they could not understand that He is the original Personality of Godhead......The Yadus, therefore, accepted Lord Kṛṣṇa as the Supersoul incarnated in their family, and not more than that."
They did not get the taste of anything higher. That was their misfortune.
Krishna sent Uddhava to Vrndavan to relieve the distress of the residents there, especially the gopis, to reassure them that He would never leave them although He had left. Lord Krishna is absolute. His leaving and His arriving are the same. Remembering Lord Krishna and being in the presence of Lord Krishna are the same. That consciousness is not easily achieved. And rarely achieved up to the level of the residents of Vrndavan. But Uddhava achieved it.
Uddhava's service to the gopis allowed him access to the mood of Vrndavan. By the mercy of the gopis specifically he received the taste of pure devotion to the highest degree.
We have heard the familiar phrase, "By the mercy of Lord Krishna one gets a spiritual master and by the mercy of the spiritual master one gets Lord Krishna" By the mercy of Lord Krishna (Paramatma in Dvarka) Uddhava was sent to the gopis, and by the mercy of the gopis Uddhava received pure loving devotion to Lord Krishna (Bhagavan in Vrndavan)
His lamentation here is in relation to the Yadu dynasty who were all personal descendants of Lord Krishna who had acted as the head of the entire family which consisted of millions of people. There were sixteen thousand queens and each had ten sons who also had ten sons and so on. So do the math. And Lord Krishna had personal contact with each one of them...for some as husband, for some as father... for others as grandfather, etc.
So why is Uddhava lamenting for them? Who can even imagine such good fortune?
Srila Prabhupada explains in the purport:
"The Yādavas were all exceptionally learned and experienced, but in spite of their knowing the Lord as the one who lives in everyone’s heart, they could not understand that He is the original Personality of Godhead......The Yadus, therefore, accepted Lord Kṛṣṇa as the Supersoul incarnated in their family, and not more than that."
They did not get the taste of anything higher. That was their misfortune.
Krishna sent Uddhava to Vrndavan to relieve the distress of the residents there, especially the gopis, to reassure them that He would never leave them although He had left. Lord Krishna is absolute. His leaving and His arriving are the same. Remembering Lord Krishna and being in the presence of Lord Krishna are the same. That consciousness is not easily achieved. And rarely achieved up to the level of the residents of Vrndavan. But Uddhava achieved it.
Uddhava's service to the gopis allowed him access to the mood of Vrndavan. By the mercy of the gopis specifically he received the taste of pure devotion to the highest degree.
We have heard the familiar phrase, "By the mercy of Lord Krishna one gets a spiritual master and by the mercy of the spiritual master one gets Lord Krishna" By the mercy of Lord Krishna (Paramatma in Dvarka) Uddhava was sent to the gopis, and by the mercy of the gopis Uddhava received pure loving devotion to Lord Krishna (Bhagavan in Vrndavan)
No comments:
Post a Comment