Govindam Adi Purusham - Part 1

Date: 2018-11-06 Author: Narahari Krishna das

Hare Krishna Prabhujis and Matajis, Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva.

In this month we have the most auspicious Govardhan puja celebrated all over the world. On Govardhan puja, Lord Krishna arranged for a grand worship of the Govardhan hill. Lord Indra became infuriated with this and inundated the complete Gokula with torrents of rains. Lord Krishna lifted the Govardhan hill for 7 days to protect the residents of Vrindavana and at the end of 7 days, Indra appeared and apologised to Lord Krishna. He also did a consecration of the Lord and gave Him the name Govinda as the cows of the heavenly planets accepted Lord Krishna as their Lord.

Now a question can be raised whether the name 'Govinda' did not exist before and not referred to the Supreme Lord? The scriptures tell us that all the names, forms, pastimes and paraphernalia of the Lord all are eternal and transcendental. When the Lord manifests in this world, they become associated with Him at different occasions as part of different lilas. In the same way, the 'Govinda' nama also eternally denotes the Lord and Lord Krishna accepted this name again through Indra during the Govardhan lila. The word 'Go' can denote cows, earth, heaven, Vedas and many other things. The word 'vinda' means to rescue or retrieve etc. So Govinda means one who protect cows, earth, saintly persons, Vedas and devatas. Prahlada Maharaj summarizes this point in the Vishnu purana (1.16.95) to the Lord as follows:

namo brahmaṇya-devāya go-brāhmaṇa-hitāya ca jagad-dhitāya kṛṣṇāya govindāya namo namaḥ

My obeisances to the Lord who is beloved deity of brahmanas, who is the well wisher of brahmanas and cows. My obeisances again and again to the Lord Krishna or Govinda who is the protector and well wisher of the earth.

When the Lord appears in various incarnations, the main purpose of all incarnations is to protect cows, saintly persons, Vedas and this is stated in the Bhagavata purana as follows:

SB 8.24.5 śrī-śuka uvāca go-vipra-sura-sādhūnāṁ chandasām api ceśvaraḥ rakṣām icchaṁs tanūr dhatte dharmasyārthasya caiva hi

Sri Sukadeva Goswami said: O King, for the sake of protecting the cows, brahmaṇas, demigods, devotees, the Vedic literature, religious principles, and principles to fulfill the purpose of life, the Supreme Personality of Godhead accepts the forms of incarnations. Srila Prabhupada explains in the commentary as, "The Supreme Personality of Godhead generally appears in various types of incarnations to give protection to the cows and brahmanas. The Lord is described as go-brāhmaṇa-hitāya ca ; In other words, He is always eager to benefit the cows and brahmanas. When Lord Krishna appeared, He purposefully became a cowherd boy and showed personally how to give protection to the cows and calves. Similarly, He showed respect to Sudama Vipra, a real brahmana. From the Lord's personal activities, human society should learn how to give protection specifically to the brahmanas and cows. Then the protection of religious principles, fulfilment of the aim of life and protection of Vedic knowledge can be achieved. Without protection of cows, brahminical culture cannot be maintained; and without brahminical culture, the aim of life cannot be fulfilled. The Lord, therefore, is described as ' go-brāhmaṇa-hitāya', because His incarnation is only for the protection of the cows and brahmanas."

In all the incarnations, the Lord protected the cows, brahmanas, earth, Vedas and hence the name Govinda is applicable to all of His incarnations. The great devotees and scholars have explained how this name can be applied to several of the Lord's incarnations. We will see them in the further offerings, Govinda willing.

Hare Krishna.

Thank you very much. Yours in service of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva, Narahari Krishna das Chennai. Govindam Adi Purusham - Part 2

Date: 2018-11-07 Author: Narahari Krishna das

Hare Krishna Prabhujis and Matajis, Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva.

This is in continuation of the previous offering titled, "Govindam Adi Purusham'. We will continue to meditate on how the name Govinda is applicable for all of the Lord's incarnations.

Matsya- Fish incarnation: At the end of Brahma's day, because Lord Brahma sleeps during the night, annihilation took place, and the three worlds were covered by the water of the ocean. At the end of Brahma's day, when Brahma felt sleepy and desired to lie down, the Vedas were emanating from his mouth, and the great demon named Hayagriva stole the Vedic knowledge. (Brahma was negligent for a moment and this was sufficient for the demon to steal all his vedic knowledge). The Lord took the form of a fish and killed the demon to restore the Vedas. This is confirmed in the Bhagavatam as follows:

SB 8.24.9 jñātvā tad dānavendrasya hayagrīvasya ceṣṭitam dadhāra śapharī-rūpaṁ bhagavān harir īśvaraḥ

Understanding the acts of the great demon Hayagriva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, who is full of all opulences, assumed the form of a fish and saved the Vedas by killing the demon.

Srila Prabhupada mentions in the purport, "Because everything was inundated by water, to save the Vedas it was necessary for the Lord to assume the form of a fish."

Hayagriva – Horse incarnation: Just like the Matsya incarnation, Lord Hayagriva also protects the Vedas and delivers it to Lord Brahma. At the end of each kalpa, when the demon Ajñāna steals the Vedic knowledge, Lord Hayagriva appears and preserves it. Then He delivers it to Lord Brahma. This is stated in the Bhagavatam as follows:

SB 5.18.6 vedān yugānte tamasā tiraskṛtān rasātalād yo nṛ-turaṅga-vigrahaḥ pratyādade vai kavaye ’bhiyācate tasmai namas te ’vitathehitāya iti

At the end of the millennium, ignorance personified assumed the form of a demon, stole all the Vedas and took them down to the planet of Rasatala. The Supreme Lord, however, in His form of Hayagriva retrieved the Vedas and returned them to Lord Brahma when he begged for them. I offer my respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Lord, whose determination never fails.

Srila Prabhupada explains in the commentary, "Although Vedic knowledge is imperishable, within this material world it is sometimes manifest and sometimes not. When the people of this material world become too absorbed in ignorance, the Vedic knowledge disappears. Lord Hayagriva or Lord Matsya, however, always protects the Vedic knowledge, and in due course of time it is again distributed through the medium of Lord Brahma. Brahma is the trustworthy representative of the Supreme Lord. Therefore when he again asked for the treasure of Vedic knowledge, the Lord fulfilled his desire."

One meaning of Govinda is gāvaḥ brahmāṇam vindayati iti govindaḥ. gāvaḥ refers to the Vedas that are recited sonorously and are in the form of sound (śabda). vindayati means to restore. In both the incarnations as Matsya and Hayagriva, the Supreme Lord protected the Vedas and restored them to Lord Brahma. So the name Govinda can be applied to Matsya and Hayagriva incarnations. In our practice of Krishna consciousness, many times ajñāna or ignorance and negligence covers our intelligence and prevents us from reading the Vedic literatures regularly and sharing the knowledge with others. By praying to Lord Govinda who appears as Matsya and Hayagriva, we can overcome the ignorance and negligence and attain the knowledge of scriptures which will hasten our surrender to the Supreme Lord.

Krishna willing, we will continue to meditate on the other incarnations of the Lord in the subsequent offerings.

Hare Krishna.

Thank you very much. Yours in service of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva, Narahari Krishna das Chennai. Govindam Adi Purusham - Part 3

Date: 2018-11-08 Author: Narahari Krishna das

Hare Krishna Prabhujis and Matajis, Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva.

We have been meditating on how the Govinda nama is applicable to all of the Lord’s incarnations. We will see how it is applicable to the Kurma and other incarnations of the Lord manifested during the churning of the milky ocean.

Kurma -Tortoise incarnation: Once devatas were soundly defeated in their fight with asuras. So they approached Lord Brahma who took them to Svetadipa, where Lord Vishnu was residing and offered bona-fide prayers from the Vedic literature. In response to the prayers, the Lord appeared in person and advised them to churn the ocean of milk. He also fully explained them how to do it like using the serpent Vasuki as rope and Mandara mountain as the pivot. The devatas and demons could not even lift the Mandara mountain and their body was crushed by the weight of mountain. The Lord glanced upon them and cured all their ailments. And He Himself lifted the mountain and placed it in the ocean. And when the Mandara mountain started sinking, the devatas and demons were again bewildered and the Lord assumed a beautiful form of a tortoise and supported the mountain from the bottom so that it does not sink. This is stated in the Bhagavatam (8.7.8) as follows:

vilokya vighneśa-vidhiṁ tadeśvaro duranta-vīryo ’vitathābhisandhiḥ kṛtvā vapuḥ kacchapam adbhutam mahat praviśya toyaṁ girim ujjahāra

Seeing the situation that had been created by the will of the Supreme, the unlimitedly powerful Lord, whose determination is infallible, took the wonderful shape of a tortoise, entered the water, and lifted the great Mandara Mountain.

Also the Lord appeared in a thousand handed form (sahasra bāhu) on the summit of the mountain and held the mountain with one hand so that the mountain does not topple. During churning the devatas and demons became fatigued by the fire and poison and fire from Vasuki. The Lord arranged for nice cool showers so that they’re comforted. Also the Lord entered in the bodies of devatas, demons and Vasuki as goodness passion and ignorance energized their senses so that they can churn the ocean. And when the nectar did not come out, The Lord appeared in His form as Ajita and started personally churning the ocean along with others till the nectar came out.

‘Go’ means mountain and since the Lord took the form of Kurma (Tortoise) and thousand handed form (sahasra bahu) and protected the mandara mountain from sinking in the ocean He is called Govinda (gāṁ parvatam vindati iti Govinda ).

'Go' means 'water' and gobhyaḥ means 'from the waters', ‘vind’ means to retrieve and since the Lord appeared as Ajita and churned the ocean to retrieve nectar from it, the name Govinda is applicable to Lord Ajita as well. (gobhyaḥ vindati iti Govinda).

‘Go’ means indriyas (senses) and since the Lord energized the senses of devatas and demons to churn the ocean and comforted their senses by cool showers, He is called Govinda (gāṁ indriyam vindati iti Govinda).

In this pastime, we can see that the Lord helped the devatas in many ways taking many forms since He was very pleased with the devatas. Why He was so pleased with them? It is because the devatas took shelter of Lord Brahma who is a bonafide spiritual master and they offered Him prayers which are approved by Vedic literature as directed by Lord Brahma. The Lord appeared before them and guided them and supported them in all the above forms, so that they will get the nectar. ‘Go’ means Vedic words and the Lord was pleased by prayers from Vedic scripture and rendered all help to the devatas who pray Him in this way. So He is Govinda (gobhih vindati iti Govinda – One who is attained by Vedic words). This is confirmed in the Bhagavata purana (8.5.25) as follows:

SB 8.5.25 tatrādṛṣṭa-svarūpāya śruta-pūrvāya vai prabhuḥ stutim abrūta daivībhir gīrbhis tv avahitendriyaḥ

There [at Svetadvipa], Lord Brahma offered prayers to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, even though he had never seen the Supreme Lord. Simply because Lord Brahma had heard about the Supreme Personality of Godhead from Vedic literature, with a fixed mind he offered the Lord prayers as written or approved by Vedic literature.

Srila Prabhupada explains in the purport, “These prayers were not ordinary concocted prayers. Prayers must be approved by Vedic literature, as indicated in this verse by the words daivībhir gīrbhiḥ. In our Krsna consciousness movement we do not allow any song that has not been approved or sung by bona fide devotees…We generally sing two songs. One is Śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu nityānanda, śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda. This is bona fide. It is always mentioned in the Caitanya-caritamrta, and it is accepted by the acharyas. The other, of course, is the maha-mantra — Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare... Seeing the Lord is not as important as appreciating Him from the authentic literature or the authentic statements of authorized persons.”

In our spiritual life also, if we take shelter of the bonafide spiritual master coming in the line of Lord Brahma and chant the two prayers namely the Pancha tattva mantra and Hare Krishna Maha mantra sincerely, Lord Govinda will personally churn our consciousness and remove all the poison and help us to achieve the ultimate nectar which is pure love of God (Krishna Prema).

We will continue to meditate on other incarnations of the Lord in further offerings, Krishna willing.

Thank you very much. Yours in service of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva, Narahari Krishna das Chennai. Govindam Adi Purusham - Part 4

Date: 2018-11-09 Author: Narahari Krishna das

Hare Krishna Prabhujis/Mathajis, Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva.

This is in continuation of the previous offering titled, "Govindam Adi Purusham'. We will see how the name Govinda is applicable the Lord’s incarnations Varaha and Vamana.

Varaha- Boar Incarnation: Once Hiranyaksha, who was all-powerful due to the powers he obtained from his penance, pushed Bhūmidevi into the depths of the ocean. At that time, Lord Hari took the form of a white Boar, vanquished Hiranyaksha, rescued mother Earth on His tusks and reinstated her to her former glory. ‘Go’ means earth and since Lord Varaha rescued (vind) the Mother Earth (gāṁ) and attain Her original position, He is called Govinda ( gāṁ vindatīti govindaḥ). This is confirmed in the Bhagavata purana by Mother Earth Herself as follows:

SB 5.18.39 pramathya daityaṁ prativāraṇaṁ mṛdhe yo māṁ rasāyā jagad-ādi-sūkaraḥ kṛtvāgra-daṁṣṭre niragād udanvataḥ krīḍann ivebhaḥ praṇatāsmi taṁ vibhum iti

My Lord, as the original boar within this universe, You fought and killed the great demon Hiranyaksha. Then You lifted me [the earth] from the Garbhodaka Ocean on the end of Your tusk, exactly as a sporting elephant plucks a lotus flower from the water. I bow down before You.

In Mahabharata (Santi - 330.5), we find a conversation between Lord Krishna and Arjuna where Arjuna asked the Lord to explain the meaning of His various transcendental names. While explaining the name Govinda, Lord Krishna states that the name Govinda is applied to Varaha incarnation as follows:

nashtaam vai dharanim / purvam avindam vai guhaagataam govinda iti tenaaham devair / vaagbir-abhishtutah

I first rescued the earth which was carried away and hidden in depths of the Ocean (by Hiranyaksha); hence I am praised by the appellation ‘Govinda’ by devatas and scriptures.

If we worship Lord Govinda who appeared as Varaha, just like He instated earth in her own position, the Lord will lift us from this material world and re-instate us as His servants (our original constitutional position) at His lotus feet.

Vamana-Dwarf Incarnation: Indra was once overpowered by Bali Maharaj who reigned supreme at one point of time. At the prayers of Aditi, the mother of devatas, the Lord appeared as Vamana, went to the sacrifice of Bali Maharaj and begged for three steps of land from him and Bali obliged. The Lord immediately grew in size as Trivikrama and covered the earth with first step and the entire heavenly planet with second step. Bali Maharaj offered His own self for the third step and the Lord sent Bali Maharaj to Pātāla loka. (lower planets) by placing His lotus feet on his head. And He restored the heavenly planets to Indra.

‘go’ can mean heaven and since the Lord restored the heavenly planets to Indra, Lord Trivikrama is called Govinda ( gāṁ bhūmim vindayati iti govinda).

Also as Vamana since the Lord obtained all the earth and heaven from Bali Maharaj as charity, Lord Vamana is called Govinda.

Since the Lord grew and measured and sanctified the entire earth and heavenly planets by the touch of His lotus feet, Trivikrama form is glorified as Govinda (gāṁ caranāravinda sambandham vindayati iti govindaḥ).

Let us pray to the Lord Vamana called as Govinda so that He will bless us with the touch of His lotus feet.

We will continue to meditate on other incarnations of the Lord in further offerings, Krishna willing.

Thank you very much. Yours in service of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva, Narahari Krishna das Chennai. Govindam Adi Purusham - Part 5

Date: 2018-11-10 Author: Narahari Krishna das

Hare Krishna Prabhujis and Matajis, Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva.

This is in continuation of the previous offering titled, "Govindam Adi Purusham'. We will see how the name Govinda is applicable the Lord's incarnation as Narasimha.

In Narasimha lila, we see that when Hiranyakasipu went for doing penance to get benedictions from Lord Brahma. He instructed all his demoniac associates as follows. "Go to earth planet and destroy all the people engaged in sacrifice, vedic study, regulative vows and charity. When the brahmanas are killed, kshatriyas won't perform yajnas, and thus devatas who depend on yajnas will automatically die. Set fire to the places where good protection for the cows and brahmanas and wherever the Vedas are studied and cut from the roots the trees there." The devatas were afraid of his atrocities and approached Lord Vishnu for shelter. The Lord answered, "When one is envious of the devatas, the Vedas, the cows, brahmanas, Vaishnavas and religious principles, and ultimately of Me, he and his civilization will be vanquished without delay." Thus the name Govinda is applicable to Lord Narasimha, because when He killed Hiranyakasipu, the cows, brahmanas, Vedas, the earth, heavenly planets and devatas were all protected at once( gāṁ vindati iti govinda).

Also Prahlada Maharaj while instructing his school mates concluded that ultimate aim of Life is to see Govinda everywhere.

SB 7.7.55 etāvān eva loke ’smin puṁsaḥ svārthaḥ paraḥ smṛtaḥ ekānta-bhaktir govinde yat sarvatra tad-īkṣaṇam

In this material world, to render service to the lotus feet of Govinda, the cause of all causes, and to see Him everywhere, is the only goal of life. This much alone is the ultimate goal of human life, as explained by all the revealed scriptures.

Srila Prabhupada explains in the commentary "In this verse the words sarvatra tad-īkṣaṇam describe the highest perfection of devotional service, in which one sees everything with reference to Govinda’s activities. The highly elevated devotee never sees anything unrelated to Govinda… The test of a perfect devotee is that he sees Govinda everywhere in this universe, even in every atomic particle (aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara- sthaṁ). This is the perfect vision of a devotee."

Prahlada Maharaj said that to see Govinda everywhere is the aim of life and Lord appeared as Narasimha from the pillar to prove the statement of Prahlada that He is everywhere. Prahlada Maharaj thus concluded that the name Govinda indicates Lord Narasimha. Also when the Lord appeared from the pillar, the anger of the Lord erupted as flames all over His pine form and He is known as Jwala Narasimha. Hiranyakasipu and his demoniac associates became insignificant in His effulgence as per the Bhagavata purana,

SB 7.8.24 alakṣito ’gnau patitaḥ pataṅgamo yathā nṛsiṁhaujasi so ’suras tadā Just as a small insect falls forcefully into a fire and the insignificant creature becomes invisible, when Hiraṇyakaśipu attacked the Lord, who was full of effulgence, Hiraṇyakaśipu became invisible.

Like fireflies falling into the fire of their own accord and dying, the huge army of the asura king was engulfed in the fiery flames of the anger of Jvala Nrisimha. Gośu vindayati iti Govinda. 'gosh' means flames and vindayati means to engulf. Jwala Narasimha is called Govinda because His flames of anger engulfed and consumed all evil forces of Hiranyakashipu's army.

Also the Shruti mantras state that one should meditate on the effulgent and fiery form of Lord Narasimha present in the orb of the sun. gāḥ jwālāḥ vindati iti Govinda. Gāḥ means Sun and since He is present in a fiery form within the Sun Narasimha is called by the name Govinda.

Let us meditate on Lord Narasimha who is Govinda so that He will destroy all the evil tendencies in our heart.

We will continue to meditate on other incarnations of the Lord in further offerings, Krishna willing.

Thank you very much. Yours in service of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva, Narahari Krishna das Chennai. Govindam Adi Purusham - Part 6

Date: 2018-11-11 Author: Narahari Krishna das

Hare Krishna Prabhujis and Matajis, Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva.

This is in continuation of the previous offering titled, "Govindam Adi Purusham'. We will see how the name Govinda is applicable the Lord's incarnations as the three Ramas (Parasurama, Dasarathi Rama and Balarama).

Parasurama - Warrior Incarnation: As Parasurama, the Lord took a vow to erase the Kshatriya race totally from the face of the earth for 21 generations. Gavi (in the earth) vindati (terrorizes) iti Govinda—As a one-man army, He was a terror on earth for the irreligious kshatriyas. And 'go' also means word/speech or promise and Govinda means 'one who protects' (vindati) His words (go)". Since the Lord protected His own words/promise and rid the earth of corrupt kshatriyas 21 times, Bhargava Rama is called Govinda.

Ramachandra - Ideal King: Lord Rama accepted Vasishta as His spiritual master and learnt many astras from Him. After this He accepted sage Vishvamitra as His Guru and received many divine arrows from him. And during the war with Ravana, He also received many astras from sage Agastya. He employed many of these astras in destroying Ravana and his army. 'Go' indicates divine weapons and since He attained many weapons from sages, Lord Rama is called Govinda. (gāṁ iṣum vindati iti govinda). iṣum means arrows. The Lord receiving weapons from sages is also to teach us only. Srila Prabhupada explains in the purport of verse S.B. 1.5.21 "Lord Sri Krishna, Lord Sri Rama and Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, all incarnations of Godhead, accepted formal spiritual masters, although by Their transcendental nature They were cognizant of all knowledge."

The Glory of Parasurama and Ramachandra protecting the earth from evil forces is stated in the Bhagavata purana as follows:

SB 11.4.21 niḥkṣatriyām akṛta gāṁ ca triḥ-sapta-kṛtvo rāmas tu haihaya-kulāpyaya-bhārgavāgniḥ so ’bdhiṁ babandha daśa-vaktram ahan sa-laṅkaṁ sītā-patir jayati loka-mala-ghna-kīṛtiḥ

Lord Parashurama appeared in the family of Bhrgu as a fire that burned to ashes the dynasty of Haihaya. Thus Lord Parashurama rid the earth of all kshatriyas twenty-one times. The same Lord appeared as Ramacandra, the husband of Sitadevi, and thus He killed the ten-headed Ravana, along with all the soldiers of Lanka. May that Sri Rama, whose glories destroy the contamination of the world, be always victorious.

Balarama: Once Lord Balarama came to Naimisharanya where great sages were listening to the discourses from Romaharshana. All sages greeted Balarama by standing up from their places, but Romaharshana did not greet the Lord and hence Lord Balarama killed him. The sages assembled there requested Him as follows to travel all over Bharata varsha (tīrtha yātrā) as an atonement for killing Romaharshana.

SB 10.78.40 tataś ca bhārataṁ varṣaṁ parītya su-samāhitaḥ caritvā dvādaśa-māsāṁs tīrtha-snāyī viśudhyasi

Thereafter, for twelve months, You should circumambulate the land of Bhaarata in a mood of serious meditation, executing austerities and bathing at various holy pilgrimage sites. In this way You will become purified .

Though the Lord is beyond all sins and needs no atonement, He did this tīrtha yātrā to set an example for others. 'Go' means waters (jalam) and since Lord Balarama reached out (vind) all holy places and took bath in the holy waters there, He is called Govinda. (gāṁ jalam vindati iti govinda)

And all the three Ramas protected the earth (gāṁ) by quelling various demons during their incarnation and hence can be called Govinda (protector of earth).

We will continue to meditate on other incarnations of the Lord in further offerings, Krishna willing.

Thank you very much. Yours in service of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva, Narahari Krishna das Chennai. Govindam Adi Purusham - Part 7

Date: 2018-11-12 Author: Narahari Krishna das

Hare Krishna Prabhujis and Matajis, Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva.

This is in continuation of the previous offering titled, "Govindam Adi Purusham'. We will see how the name Govinda is applicable the Lord’s incarnations as Vyasadeva and Kalki.

Vyasadeva: In Dvapara yuga, the Lord incarnated as Vyasadeva for the benefit of fallen souls in Kali yuga. He divided one Veda into four and taught it to four of His disciples who spread the Vedic knowledge through their disciples. He also compiled the puranas and taught it to Romaharshana. And He also compiled the Mahabharata (which contains the Bhagavad Gita) for the benefit of those who cannot read the Vedas.

All this favour He did because He could see through His transcendental vision, the deterioration of everything material in the age of Kali. The Bhagavata purana (1.4.18) glorifies Him as amogha dṛk - (One Who has perfect and infallible vision). Srila Prabhupada explains in the purport, "The great sage Vyasadeva could see this by his transcendental vision. As an astrologer can see the future fate of a man, or an astronomer can foretell the solar and lunar eclipses, those liberated souls who can see through the scriptures, can foretell the future of all mankind. They can see this due to their sharp vision of spiritual attainment." Narada also glorifies Vyasadeva as atho mahaa-bhāga bhavān amogha-dṛk (SB 1.5.13)

And He also wrote the brilliant Vedanta sutra in which He systemized the teachings of Upanishads. And at the top of all, at the request of Narada Muni, He wrote the glorious Bhagavata purana where the Lord's various incarnations and pastimes are explained and which is also an original commentary on the Vedanta sutras because He had perfect spiritual vision.

SB 1.5.21 tvam ātmanātmānam avehy amogha-dṛk parasya puṁsaḥ paramātmanaḥ kalām ajaṁ prajātaṁ jagataḥ śivāya tan mahānubhāvābhyudayo ’dhigaṇyatām

Your Goodness has perfect vision. You yourself can know the Supersoul Personality of Godhead because you are present as the plenary portion of the Lord. Although you are birthless, you have appeared on this earth for the well-being of all people. Please, therefore, describe the transcendental pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa more vividly.

Srila Prabhupada explains the perfect vision of Vyasadeva in the purport, "Such liberated persons as Vyaasadeva are perfect not only by the power of vision and wisdom, but also in aural reception, in thinking, feeling and all other sense activities. A liberated person possesses perfect senses, and with perfect senses only can one serve the sense proprietor, Hrishikesha, Sri Krishna the Personality of Godhead. Srimad-Bhagavatam, therefore, is the perfect description of the all-perfect Personality of Godhead by the all-perfect personality Srila Vyasadeva, the compiler of the Vedas."

One of the meaning of 'go' is drśā - vision or sight. gavā drśā vindati iti govinda - One who has prefect/infallible vision. Vyasa bhagavan is called Govinda because He has perfect/infallible vision and He could see past/present and future without mistakes. And 'go' can mean Vedas. Since He divided the Vedas and compiled the supplementary Vedic literature and spread them so that they're available to the people of Kali, He is called Govinda (gāṁ vedam vindati iti govinda) - One who protected the Vedas from getting lost in Kali yuga.

Kalki Avatara: At the end of Kali yuga, majority of the population will become atheistic and opposed to scriptures and stray away from the path of dharma. At that time, the Lord will incarnate as Kalki and destroy the impious and protect the few pious persons and in this way, save the earth. So Lord Kalki will also be called by the name Govinda (gāṁ - Earth) vindati (protect) iti govinda.

In this way, we can extend the name Govinda to all the unlimited incarnations of the Lord. And this name directly applies to Lord Krishna when He appeared on the earth and Krishna willing we will see it in detail in further offerings.

Thank you very much. Yours in service of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva, Narahari Krishna das Chennai. Govindam Adi Purusham - Part 8

Date: 2018-11-13 Author: Narahari Krishna das

Hare Krishna Prabhujis and Matajis, Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva.

This is in continuation of the previous offering titled, "Govindam Adi Purusham'. We will see how this name is applicable to Lord Krishna.

Protector of cows: Lord Krishna protected and took care of the cows in Vrindavana and He taught by example the importance of cow protection. 'Go' means 'cows' and vind mean 'one who protects.' In other incarnations the Lord gave cows in charity or spoke about cow protection. But as Krishna, He personally took care of the cows and ran behind them and played with them. He knew each of the cows in detail (gavām vedhanāth govinda) and the cows knew Him too and there was abundant love for each other. So the name Govinda directly refers to Lord Krishna. The Surabhi cows of the heavenly planets also recognized Him as their protector Govinda.

Upholder of the Govardhana hill: During the Govardhan lila, He lifted the mountain (Go) and protected (vindati) the residents of Gokula and hence called as Govinda.

Possessor of many eyes: Lord Krishna showed His universal form to Arjuna in the battle of Kurukshetra and He manifested unlimited eyes in His universal form. The Bhagavad Gita(11.10) states aneka-vaktra-nayanam anekādbhuta-darśanam aneka. He also showed the same form to a great sage called Uttanka. 'Go' means eyes and One who possesses many eyes is called Govinda. (gāḥ netrāni vindati iti Govinda).

Pleasure giver to the living entities: As Lord Krishna He performed a unique wonderful pastime in which He allowed Himself to be bound by Mother Yashoda to a grinding mortar by a rope. Because of this lila, He is glorified as Damodara and in this lila He liberated the two sons of Kuvera named Nalakuvara and Manigriva and He also granted them pure devotional service. By this lila He brought great pleasure to the two sons of Kuvera, all the residents of Vrindavana. And this pastime was specially glorified all by the devotees like Kunti Maharani, the Gopis and others. The Damodarashtakam prayers confirm that this lila immersed everyone in ocean of pleasure.

itīdṛk sva-līlābhir ānanda-kuṇḍe sva-ghoṣaṁ nimajjantam ākhyāpayantam

O my Lord, by Your own childhood pastimes, You continually immerse the residents of Gokula in pools of ecstasy.

When Akrura came to take Lord Krishna and Balarama to Mathura, the gopis expressed their dissent in Lord Krishna leaving them and recollected all His pastimes. Finally they cried chanting His names as follows:

SB 10.39.31 śrī-śuka uvāca evaṁ bruvāṇā virahāturā bhṛśaṁ vraja-striyaḥ kṛṣṇa-viṣakta-mānasāḥ visṛjya lajjāṁ ruruduḥ sma su-svaraṁ govinda dāmodara mādhaveti Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: After speaking these words, the ladies of Vraja, who were so attached to Kṛṣṇa, felt extremely agitated by their imminent separation from Him. They forgot all shame and loudly cried out, “O Govinda! O Dāmodara! O Mādhava!”

Thus we can see that the names Govinda and Damodara attracted the Gopis who are topmost devotees of Lord Krishna. By the mercy of Vyasadeva who documented this in the Srimad Bhagavatam, devotees are able to read and relish this pastime even today. And by the mercy of Srila Prabhupada, the celebration of Damodara lila is now spread all over the world and millions of ghee lamps are being offered to Lord Damodara and this lila is being relished by devotees. And of all the pastimes, this lila is very special and enchanting because this is the only pastime celebrated for an entire month. 'Go' can refer to living entities (jivātmās) and since the Lord gave and continues to give great pleasure to the living entities in the earth by this lila, Damodara is aptly called as Govinda (gavi jīvani vindati iti govinda).

We will continue to further meditate on how the Govinda name is applicable to Lord Krishna in the next offering.

Thank you very much. Yours in service of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva, Narahari Krishna das Chennai. Govindam Adi Purusham - Part 9

Date: 2018-11-14 Author: Narahari Krishna das

Hare Krishna Prabhujis and Matajis, Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva.

This is in continuation of the previous offering titled, "Govindam Adi Purusham'. We will see how this name is applicable to Lord Krishna.

Pleasure giver to the senses: 'Go' means senses and the Lord gives pleasure to the senses and hence called Govinda. gāṁ indriyam vindati iti govinda. The Lord gave pleasure to all the devotees by performing different pastimes. And one very special activity of the Lord is that He spoke the Bhagavad Gita, the universal scripture in the battle field of Kurukshetra. Arjuna was bewildered by fight against his own relatives and teacher and He addressed the Lord as Govinda.

BG 1.32 kiṁ no rājyena govinda kiṁ bhogair jīvitena vā yeṣām arthe kāṅkṣitaṁ no rājyaṁ bhogāḥ sukhāni ca

O Govinda, of what avail to us are a kingdom, happiness or even life itself when all those for whom we may desire them are now arrayed on this battlefield?

Srila Prabhupada explains in the commentary, "Arjuna has addressed Lord Krishna as Govinda because Krishna is the object of all pleasures for cows and the senses. By using this significant word, Arjuna indicates that Krishna should understand what will satisfy Arjuna's senses."

And Arjuna also said to the Lord that his senses are fully dried up due to lamentation (ucchoṣanam indriyāṇāṁ) and when he declined to fight he again addressed the Lord as Govinda - na yotsya iti govindam uktvā tūṣṇīṁ babhūva ha (Arjuna said, "O Govinda I shall not fight", and became silent). Arjuna attained lamentation because he did not take into account the interest of Lord Govinda. So the Lord instructed him the Bhagavad Gita and showed His universal form and these things completely enlivened the senses of Arjuna. He then fought with full force for the pleasure of the Lord and he also attained full satisfaction in the process.

Srila Prabhupada continues in the purport, "But Govinda is not meant for satisfying our senses. If we try to satisfy the senses of Govinda, however, then automatically our own senses are satisfied.. Materially, everyone wants to satisfy his senses, and he wants God to be the order supplier for such satisfaction. The Lord will satisfy the senses of the living entities as much as they deserve, but not to the extent that they may covet. But when one takes the opposite way – namely, when one tries to satisfy the senses of Govinda without desiring to satisfy one's own senses – then by the grace of Govinda, all desires of the living entity are satisfied."

So Arjuna's dried up senses became enlivened by Lord Govinda.. After Lord Krishna left to the spiritual world, Arjuna was defeated by a group of thieves while returning from Dwaraka to Hastinapura. This defeat was like rubbing of the salt on a wound for Arjuna who was already wounded by the Lord's separation. He was put into great distressful situation exactly like in the battle of Kurukshetra. But this situation was much worse because Lord was not personally present with him now. However inspired by the Lord from within, He took shelter of Lord Govinda via His instructions in the Bhagavad Gita he heard in Kurukshetra (SB 1.15.27). deśa-kālārtha-yuktāni hṛt-tāpopaśamāni ca haranti smarataś cittaṁ govindābhihitāni me

Now I am attracted to those instructions imparted to me by the Personality of Godhead [Govinda] because they are impregnated with instructions for relieving the burning heart in all circumstances of time and space.

It is important to note that Arjuna uses the word Govinda to refer to the Lord. In this sloka, Srila Prabhupada translates the word Govinda as, "the Supreme Personality of pleasure". Arjuna regained his composure and all his senses were enlivened by his association with Lord Govinda's teachings. Srila Prabhupada states in the purport, " The problem which arose in the heart of Arjuna on the Battlefield of Kurukshetra was solved by the teachings of the Bhagavad-Gita. Again, after the departure of the Lord from the vision of earthly people, when Arjuna was face to face with being vanquished in his acquired power and prominence, he wanted again to remember the great teachings of the Bhagavad-gita just to teach all concerned that the Bhagavad-gita can be consulted in all critical times, not only for solace from all kinds of mental agonies, but also for the way out of great entanglements which may embarrass one in some critical hour…The Bhagavad-gita is therefore meant for terminating all different types of miseries, and Arjuna took shelter of this great knowledge, which had been imparted to him during the Kurukshetra battle."

By the mercy of Srila Prabhupada, the "Bhagavad Gita As It Is", is distributed all over the world and spiritually enlivening the senses of the suffering living entities. Thus everyone is given a chance to associate with Lord Govinda and derive unlimited spiritual pleasure.

Krishna willing, we will meditate on further meaning of Govinda in the next concluding offering.

Thank you very much. Yours in service Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva, Narahari Krishna das Chennai. Govindam Adi Purusham - Part 10

Date: 2018-11-15 Author: Narahari Krishna das

Hare Krishna Prabhujis and Matajis, Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva.

This is in continuation of the previous offering titled, "Govindam Adi Purusham'. We will see how this name is applicable to Lord Krishna.

Bestower of the spiritual world: 'Go' can mean the spiritual world and one who bestows (vindati) the spiritual world is called Govinda (gāṁ mokṣam vindati iti govinda). Kunti Maharani addressed the Lord as 'Govinda' while concluding her prayers (SB. 1.8.43) (govinda go dvija surārti hara avatāra). Srila Prabhupada translates the word Govinda as 'proprietor of the transcendental abode'. In the purport he states, "The almighty Lord has His eternal transcendental abode where He is engaged in keeping surabhi cows. He is served by hundreds and thousands of Goddesses of fortune."

Lord Krishna demonstrated this point during His līlas in Vrindavana described in the 27th chapter of 10th canto of the Bhagavata purana.

Once Nanda Maharaj went to take bath in Yamuna during Dwadashi in the night. Considering the timing of bath as inauspicious, one of the servants of Varuna arrested Nanda Maharaja and took him to Varuna loka. The cowherd men cried and approached Lord Krishna who went to the court of Varuna. Varuna received the Lord with elaborate offerings and worship and sought forgiveness from Lord Krishna for what has happened. He finally sent Nanda Maharaja with Krishna. Nanda Maharaj was astonished to see how Varuna respected Lord Krishna and explained all that happened to the residents of Vrindavana. The cowherd men understood that Krishna is the Supreme Lord and thought, "Will He bestow upon us the transcendental abode?" The Lord understood their intention and revealed to them the spiritual world which is beyond darkness, unlimited and eternal. Nanda Maharaja and the other cowherd men felt the greatest happiness when they saw that transcendental abode. They were especially amazed to see Krishna Himself there, surrounded by the personified Vedas, who were offering Him prayers. This pastime shows that the Lord is the owner of the spiritual world and can reveal/bestow it to anyone by His mercy to those who develops loving attitude towards Him. The Brahma Samhita (5.55) confirms this as follows:

yaṁ krodha-kāma-sahaja-praṇayādi-bhīti- vātsalya-moha-guru-gaurava-sevya-bhāvaiḥ sañcintya tasya sadṛśīṁ tanum āpur ete govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

I worship Govinda, the Supreme Lord, who bestows forms similar to His own but which are at the same time appropriate to their sentiments, to those devotees who meditate upon Him, identifying themselves in a relationship of lover, parent, friend, servant or son, with mixtures of bewilderment, anger, fear and other secondary emotions. So far we saw that the word Govinda thus represents not only the Supreme Lord, but also all His incarnations. So by reciting 'Govinda', one gets the benefit of meditating on all the Lord's incarnations. This is the reason it is a favourite name for all the acharyas. Sripada Sankaracharya wrote the famous Bhaja Govindam where he instructs the foolish mind, "Bhaja Govindam, Bhaja Govindam, Govindam bhaja mooda mathe" - And in all the traditional discourses and kirtanas, the speaker/singer says, "sarvatra Govinda nāma sankīrtanam" and the listeners respond saying "Govinda, Govinda". In all Vedic rituals, the ritual is begun by saying the name 'Govinda' three times so that we meditate on all Lord’s incarnations including the Original person (Adi purusham) Govinda.

I pray at the lotus feet of our beloved Gurudeva, Srila Prabhupada and all devotees so that I will get attraction to chanting the Lord's names.

Thank you very much. Yours in service Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva, Narahari Krishna das Chennai.