Çré Ramä Ekädaçé Issue no: 245 28th October 2024

The Ultimate Source

Lord Krishna Teases Queen Rukmini
Srila Sukadeva Goswami

The Ultimate Source of All Energies

His Divine Grace
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Is the Supreme Lord Controlled by Devotees?

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura
 Issue no 245, Page — 2 nityaà bhägavata-sevayä
physical strength. Since your brother and father
Lord Krishna Teases Queen Rukmini offered you to them, why did you reject the King
Srila Sukadeva Goswami of Cedi and all those other suitors, who stood
before you, maddened by Cupid? Why, instead,
Sri Badarayani said: Once, in the company of did you choose Us, who are not at all your equal?
her maidservants, Queen Rukmini was personally Terrified of these kings, O lovely-browed one,
serving her husband, the spiritual master of the We took shelter in the ocean. We have become
universe, by fanning Him as He relaxed on her enemies of powerful men, and We practically
bed. The unborn Personality of Godhead, the abandoned Our royal throne. O fine-browed lady,
supreme controller, who creates, maintains and women are usually destined to suffer when they
then devours this universe simply as His play, stay with men whose behavior is uncertain and
took birth among the Yadus to preserve His own who pursue a path not approved by society. We
laws. Queen Rukmini’s quarters were extremely have no material possessions, and We are dear
beautiful, boasting a canopy hung with brilliant to those who similarly have nothing. Therefore,
strings of pearls, as well as effulgent jewels serving O slender one, the wealthy hardly ever worship
as lamps. Garlands of jasmine and other flowers Me. Marriage and friendship are proper between
hung here and there, attracting swarms of hum- two people who are equal in terms of their wealth,
ming bees, and the spotless rays of the moon birth, influence, physical appearance and capacity
shone through the holes of the lattice windows. for good progeny, but never between a superior
As aguru incense drifted out of the window holes, and an inferior. O Vaidarbhi, not being farsighted,
my dear King, the breeze wafting the scent of the you didn’t realize this, and therefore you chose
parijata grove carried the moodof a garden into Us as your husband, even though We have no
the room. There the Queen served her husband, good qualities and are glorified only by deluded
the Supreme Lord of all the worlds, as He reclined beggars. Now you should definitely accept a more
upon an opulent pillow on her bed, which was suitable husband, a first-class man of the royal
as soft and white as the foam of milk. From her
maidservant’s hand Goddess Rukmini took a yak- order who can help you achieve everything you
hair fan with a jeweled handle, and then she began want, both in this life and the next.
to worship her master by fanning Him. Kings like Shishupala, Shalva, Jarasandha and
Her hand adorned with rings, bangles and the Dantavakra all hate Me, O beautiful-thighed one,
camara fan, Queen Rukmini looked resplen- and so does your elder brother Rukmi. It was to
dent standing near Lord Krishna. Her jeweled dispel the arrogance of these kings that I carried
ankle-bells tinkled, and her necklace glittered, you away, My good woman, for they were blinded
reddened by the kuìkuma from her breasts, which by the intoxication of power. My purpose was to
werecovered by the end of her sari. On her hips curb the strength of the wicked. We care nothing
she wore a priceless belt. As He contemplated her, for wives, children and wealth. Always satisfied
the goddess of fortune herself, who desires only within Ourselves, We do not work for body and
Him, Lord Krishna smiled. The Lord assumes home, but like a light, We merely witness.
various forms to enact His pastimes, and He was Shukadeva Gosvami said: Rukmini had
pleased that the form the goddess of fortune had thought herself especially beloved by the Lord
assumed was just suitable for her to serve as His because He never left her company. By saying
consort. Her charming face was adorned with these things to her He vanquished her pride, and
curling hair, earrings, a locket on her neck, and then He stopped speaking. Goddess Rukmini
the nectar of her bright, happy smile. The Lord had never before heard such unpleasantries from
then spoke to her as follows. her beloved, the Lord of universal rulers, and
My dear princess, you were sought after by she became frightened. A tremor arose in her
many kings as powerful as the rulers of planets. heart, and in terrible anxiety she began to cry.
They were all abundantly endowed with polit- With her tender foot, effulgent with the reddish
ical influence, wealth, beauty, generosity and glow of her nails, she scratched the ground, and

In Service of Srimad Bhagavatam™

 nityaà bhägavata-sevayä Issue no 245, Page—3
tears darkened by her eye makeup sprinkled fools? Yes, my Lord Urukrama, You lay down
her kuìkuma-reddenedbreasts. There she stood, within the ocean as if afraid of the material modes,
face downward, hervoice choked up by extreme and thus in pure consciousness You appear within
sorrow. Rukmini’s mind was overwhelmed with the heart as the Supersoul. You are always battling
unhappiness, fear and grief. Her bangles slipped against the foolish material senses, and indeed even
from her hand, and her fan fell to the ground. In Your servants reject the privilege of royal domin-
her bewilderment she suddenly fainted, her hair ion, which leads to the blindness of ignorance.
scattering all about as her body fell to the ground Your movements, inscrutable even for sages who
like a plantain tree blown over by the wind. Seeing relish the honey of Your lotus feet, are certainly
that His beloved was so bound to Him in love that incomprehensible for human beings who behave
she could not understand the full meaning of His like animals. And just as Your activities are tran-
teasing, merciful Lord Krishna felt compassion scendental, O all-powerful Lord, so too are those
for her. The Lord quickly got down from the of Your followers. You possess nothing because
bed. Manifesting four arms, He picked her up, there is nothing beyond You. Even the great en-
gathered her hair and caressed her face with His joyers of tribute Brahma and other demigodspay
lotus hand. Wiping her tear-filled eyes and her tribute to You.
breasts, which were stained by tears of grief, the Those who are blinded by their wealth and ab-
Supreme Lord, the goal of His devotees, embraced sorbed in gratifying their senses do not recognize
His chaste wife, who desired nothing but Him, O You in the form of death. But to the gods, the
King. Expert in the art of pacification, Sri Krishna enjoyers of tribute, You are the most dear, as they
tenderly consoled pitiable Rukmini, whose mind are to You. You are the embodiment of all human
was bewildered by His clever joking and who did goals and are Yourself the final aim of life. Desir-
not deserve to suffer so. ing to attain You, O all-powerful Lord, intelligent
[The Supreme Lord said:] O Vaidarbhi, do not persons abandon everything else. It is they who are
be displeased with Me. I know that you are fully worthy of Your association, not men and women
devoted to Me. I only spoke in jest, dear lady,
because I wanted to hear what you would say. I absorbed in the pleasure and grief resulting from
also wanted to see your face with lips trembling their mutual lust. Knowing that great sages who
in loving anger, the reddish corners of your eyes have renounced the sannyasi’s danda proclaim
throwing sidelong glances and the line of your Your glories, that You are the Supreme Soul of
beautiful eyebrows knit in a frown. The greatest all the worlds, and that You are so gracious that
pleasure worldly householders can enjoy at home You give away even Your own self, I chose You as
is to spend time joking with their beloved wives, my husband, rejecting Lord Brahma, Lord Shiva
My dear timid and temperamental one. and the rulers of heaven, whose aspirations are
Shukadeva Gosvami said: O King, Queen all frustrated by the force of time, which is born
Vaidarbhi was fully pacified by the Supreme from Your eyebrows. What interest, then, could
Personality of Godhead and understood that His I have in any other suitors? My Lord, as a lion
words had been spoken in jest. Thus she gave up drives away lesser animals to claim his proper
her fear that her beloved would reject her. Smiling tribute, You drove off the assembled kings with
bashfully as she cast charming, affectionate glances the resounding twang of Your Sharanga bow and
upon the face of the Lord, the best of males, Ruk- then claimed me, Your fair share. Thus it is sheer
mini spoke the following, O descendant of Bharata. foolishness, my dear Gadagraja, for You to say
[Sri Rukmini said:] Actually, what You have said You took shelter in the ocean out of fear of those
is true, O lotus-eyed one. I am indeed unsuitable kings. Wanting Your association, the best of kings
for thealmighty Personality of Godhead. What Anga, Vainya, Jayanta, Nahusha, Gaya and others
comparison is there between that Supreme Lord, abandoned their absolute sovereignty and entered
who is master of the three primal deities and who the forest to seek You out. How could those kings
delights in His own glory, and myself, a woman suffer frustration in this world, O lotus-eyed one?
of mundane qualities whose feet are grasped by The aroma of Your lotus feet, which is glorified by

In Service of Srimad Bhagavatam™

 Issue no 245, Page — 4 nityaà bhägavata-sevayä
Top left 4
great saints, awards people liberation and is the devotee. O sinless one, I have now seen firsthand
abode of Goddess Lakshmi. the pure love and chaste attachment you have for
What woman would take shelter of any other your husband. Even though shaken by My words,
man after savoring that aroma? Since You are the your mind could not be pulled away from Me.
abode of transcendental qualities, what mortal Although I have the power to award spiritual lib-
woman with the insight to distinguish her own eration, lusty persons worship Me with penance
true interest would disregard that fragrance and and vows in order to get My blessings for their
depend instead on someone who is always subject mundane family life. Such persons are bewildered
to terrible fear? Because You are suitable for me, I by My illusory energy. O supreme reservoir of
have chosen You, the master and Supreme Soul love, unfortunate are they who even after obtain-
of all the worlds, who fulfill our desires in this life ing Me, the Lord of both liberation and material
and the next. May Your feet, which give freedom riches, hanker only for material treasures. These
from illusion by approaching their worshiper, give worldly gains can be found even in hell. Since
shelter to me, who have been wandering from one such persons are obsessed with sense gratification,
material situation to another. O infallible Krishna, hell is a fitting place for them. Fortunately, O
let each of the kings You named become the hus- mistress of the house, you have always rendered
band of a woman whose ears have never heard Me faithful devotional service, which liberates
Your glories, which are sung in the assemblies of one from material existence. This service is very
Shiva and Brahma. difficult for the envious to perform, especially
After all, in the households of such women these for a woman whose intentions are wicked, who
kings live like asses, oxen, dogs, cats and slaves. lives only to gratify her bodily demands, and who
A woman who fails to relish the fragrance of the indulges in duplicity.
honey of Your lotus feet becomes totally befooled, In all My palaces I can find no other wife as
and thus she accepts as her husband or lover a loving as you, O most respectful one. When you
living corpse covered with skin, whiskers, nails, were to be married, you disregarded all the kings
who had assembled to seek your hand, and sim-
head-hair and body hair and filled with flesh, ply because you had heard authentic accounts
bones, blood, parasites, feces, mucus, bile and air. concerning Me, you sent a brähmaëa to Me with
O lotus-eyed one, though You are satisfied with- your confidential message. When your brother,
in Yourself and thus rarely turn Your attention who had been defeated in battle and then disfig-
toward me, please bless me with steady love for ured, was later killed during a gambling match
Your feet. It is when You assume a predominance on Aniruddha’s wedding day, you felt unbearable
of passion in order to manifest the universe that grief, yet out of fear of losing Me you spoke not
You glance upon me, showing me what is indeed a word. By this silence you have conquered Me.
Your greatest mercy. Actually, I don’t consider When you sent the messenger with your most
Your words false, Madhusudana. Quite often an confidential plan and yet I delayed going to you,
unmarried girl is attracted to a man, as in the case you began to see the whole world as void and
of Amba. The mind of a promiscuous woman wanted to quit your body, which could never
always hankers for new lovers, even if she is mar- have been given to anyone but Me. May this
ried. An intelligent man should not keep such an greatness of yours remain with you always; I can
unchaste wife, for if he does he will lose his good do nothing to reciprocate except joyfully thank
fortune both in this life and the next. you for your devotion.
[The Supreme Lord said:] O saintly lady, O Shukadeva Gosvami said: And so the self-sat-
princess, We deceived you only because We want- isfied Supreme Lord of the universe enjoyed with
ed to hear you speak like this. Indeed, everything the goddess of fortune, engaging her in lovers’
you said in reply to My words is most certainly talks and thus imitating the ways of human soci-
true. Whatever benedictions you hope for in order ety. The almighty Lord Hari, preceptor of all the
to become free of material desires are ever yours, worlds, similarly behaved like a conventional
O fair and noble lady, for you are My unalloyed

In Service of Srimad Bhagavatam™

 nityaà bhägavata-sevayä Issue no 245, Page—5
householder in the palaces of His other queens, rather some specific property. A standard Ameri-
performing the religious duties of a family man. can dictionary defines the word some as "a certain
— Çrémad-Bhägavatam (Bhägavata Puräëa) » Canto 10: The Summum indefinite or unspecified number, quantity, etc., as
Bonum » Chapter 59 » Verses 1-45 »The Supreme Personality of Godhead distinguished from the rest." The Sanskrit word
» By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Svami Prabhupada kiïcana conveys this sense of a partial amount of
the total. Thus Lord Krishna is called niñkiïcana to
The Ultimate Source of All Energies refute the idea that He possesses merely a certain
His Divine Grace amount of beauty, fame, wealth, intelligence and
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada other opulences. Rather, He possesses infinite
beauty, infinite intelligence, infinite wealth and so
Srimati Rukmini-devi replies to Lord Krishna's on. This is so because He is the Absolute Truth.
statement: Srila Prabhupada begins his introduction to the
First Canto, Volume One, of the Çrémad-Bhägav-
niñkiïcanä vayaà çaçvan atam with the following statement, which is quite
niñkiïcana-jana-priyäù relevant to our present discussion: "The concep-
tasmät präyeëa na hy äòhyä tion of God and the conception of the Absolute
mäà bhajanti su-madhyame Truth are not on the same level. The Çrémad-Bhäga-
vatam hits on the target of the Absolute Truth.
"We have no material possessions, and We are dear The conception of God indicates the controller,
to those who similarly have nothing. Therefore, O whereas the conception of the Absolute Truth
slender one, the wealthy hardly ever worship Me." indicates the summum bonum, or the ultimate
Queen Rukmini begins her statement by saying source of all energies." Here Srila Prabhupada
niñkiïcano nanu, "You are indeed niñkiïcana." touches upon a fundamental philosophical point.
The word kiïcana means "something," and the God is commonly defined as "the supreme being,"
prefix nir—or, as it appears here, niñ—indicates and the dictionary defines supreme as (1) highest
negation. Thus in the ordinary sense niñkiïcana in rank, power, authority, etc; (2) highest in qual-
means "one who does not have something," ity, achievement, performance, etc; (3) highest
or, in other words, "one who has nothing." in degree; and (4) final, ultimate. None of these
But in the present verse Queen Rukmini states that definitions adequately indicates absolute existence.
Lord Krishna "possesses nothing" not because He For example, we may say that a particular Amer-
is a pauper but because He Himself is everything. In ican is supremely wealthy in the sense that he is
other words, since Krishna is the Absolute Truth, wealthier than any other American, or we may
all that exists is within Him. There is no second
thing, something outside the Lord's existence, for !! Sri Sri Nitai Gaurchandra Jayati !!
Him to possess. For example, a man may possess
a house or a car or a child or money, but these Nityaà Bhägavata-sevayä E-magazine
things do not become the man: they exist outside is a part of
of him. We say he possesses them merely in the
sense that he has control over them. But the Lord In Service of Srimad Bhagavatam™
does not merely control His creation: His creation
actually exists within Him. Thus there is nothing Quotations from the books, letters, and lectures of
outside of Him that He can possess in the way that His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
we possess external objects.
The acharyas explain niñkiïcana in the following ©Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International.
way: To state that a person possesses something im-
plies that he does not possess everything. In other ©All the paintings are copyrights of their respective
words, if we say that a man owns some property, artists.
we imply that he does not own all property but

In Service of Srimad Bhagavatam™

 Issue no 245, Page — 6 nityaà bhägavata-sevayä
speak of the Supreme Court as the highest court those who worship the Lord possess nothing.
in the land, although it certainly does not have In more conventional terms, people who are
absolute authority in all political and social mat- proud of their great wealth do not bow down to
ters, since it shares authority in these fields with God. Queen Rukmini also mentions these fools.
the legislature and the president. In other words, Satisfied with their temporary bodies, they do
the word supreme indicates the best in a hierar- not understand the divine power of death, which
chy, and thus the supreme being may merely be stalks them. The demigods, however, who are
understood as the best or greatest of all beings by far the wealthiest living beings, regularly offer
but not as the very source of all other beings and, sacrifice to the Supreme Lord, and thus the Lord
indeed, of everything that exists. Thus Srila Pra- is most dear to them, as stated here.
bhupada specifically points out that the concept — Çrémad-Bhägavatam (Bhägavata Puräëa) » Canto 10: The Summum
of the Absolute Truth, Krishna, is higher than Bonum » Chapter 60 » Verse: 37 »The Supreme Personality of Godhead
the concept of a supreme being, and this point » Puport the disciples of By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Svami Pra-
is essential to a clear understanding of Vaiñëava bhupada
philosophy.
Lord Krishna is not merely a supreme being:
He is the absolute being, and that is exactly the Is the Supreme Lord Controlled by Devotees?
point His wife is making. Thus the word niñkiï- Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura
cana indicates not that Krishna possesses no op-
ulence but rather all opulence. In that sense she Lord Govinda is controlled by His devotees. Al-
accepts His definition of Himself as niñkiïcana. though the devotees are energies of the Lord and
In Text 14, Lord Krishna also stated, niñkiï- are therefore normally thought of as subordinate,
cana-jana-priyäù: "I am dear to those who have according to the service consideration the Lord’s
nothing." Here, however, Queen Rukmini points energies are superior to Him. If they were not supe-
out that the demigods, the wealthiest souls in the rior, how could they serve the Lord? Even though
universe, regularly make offerings to the Supreme the Lord is supremely independent, He becomes
Lord. We may assume that the demigods, being dependent on the service of His devotees. He
the Lord's appointed representatives, know that states in the Ninth Canto of Çrémad-Bhägavatam:
everything belongs to Him in the sense that
everything is part of Him, as explained above. ahaà bhakta-parädhéno, hy asvatantra iva dvija
Therefore, the statement niñkiïcana-jana-priyäù sädhubhir grasta-hådayo, bhaktair bhakta-ja-
is correct in the sense that since nothing exists na-priya
except the Lord and His potencies, no matter
how wealthy the Lord's worshipers appear to be The Supreme Personality of Godhead said to the
they are in fact offering Him nothing but His own brähmaëa: I am completely under the control of
energy as a loving act. My devotees. Indeed, I am not at all independent.
The same idea is exemplified when one wor- Because My devotees are completely devoid of
ships the Ganges River by offering Ganges water, material desires, I sit only within the cores of their
or when a child gets money from his father on hearts. What to speak of My devotee, even those
the father's birthday and buys him a gift. The who are devotees of My devotee are very dear to Me.
father is paying for his own present, but what he Actually, one cannot properly serve the object of
is really interested in is his child's love. Similarly, service unless he knows that object’s value and
the Supreme Lord manifests the cosmos, and glories. A perfect servant sometimes waits for his
then the conditioned souls collect various items master’s order and sometimes serves his worshi-
of the Lord's creation. Pious souls offer some of pable master according to his master’s internal
the best items from their collection back to the mood. As the Lord resides in the devotee’s heart,
Lord as a sacrifice and thus purify themselves. so the devotee resides in the Lord’s heart. The
Since the whole cosmos and everything in it devotee is the supersoul of the Supersoul.
is simply the Lord's energy, we may say that

In Service of Srimad Bhagavatam™

 nityaà bhägavata-sevayä Issue no 245, Page—7
Who is the ultimate object of worship? Lord place between the material world and the abode
Krishna is the only object of service and the of Brahman is an ocean of spiritual water called
master of all. He is the only friend of the jivas, the Causal Ocean. Lord Vishnu lies in this Causal
the only son of all parents, and the only lover of Ocean. The glance He cast on Maya, who is situat-
all women. A person who has accepted Krishna ed outside the Causal Ocean, agitates her to create.
as the object of his service does not serve any- Maya herself cannot touch the Causal Ocean.
one else. Lord Krishna is the cause of all causes, Whom does the Supreme Lord attract?
and He is the cause of Brahman, Paramatma, Krishna, the son of Nanda Maharaja, is the Su-
and all the Viçëu-tattva forms. preme Personality of Godhead. This Krishna at-
Is material nature, Maya, the original cause of tracts the three worlds. The spiritual master, who
material creation? The three modes of material is dear to Krishna, represents Krishna’s power of
nature Maya represents are not the primary attraction. The Absolute Truth is all-attractive.
cause of the material world. When Maya is em- Whom does He attract? As a magnet attracts
powered by the Lord’s glance, on the strength iron and not wood, so the worshipable Lord at-
of the Lord’s energy she becomes the secondary tracts those inclined to serve Him. Through His
cause of material creation, just as when iron is inconceivable potency the Lord attracts both His
placed in a fire it acquires the power to burn. own servants and those inclined to become His
But even for the indirect or secondary cause servants by His affection, mercy, and sweetness.
Lord Krishna remains the ultimate cause. But if those who are attracted become absorbed in
Narayana is the direct cause. some irrelevant object on the way to their Lord,
In the making of a pot, there is the direct they fall down from their original attraction. The
cause, the potter, and the indirect cause, the living entities therefore face two types of attraction,
wheel and a stick. Maya is the wheel and the the bondage or artificial attraction of material ex-
stick. As no pots can be made without a potter, istence, and attraction to Krishna.
so creation cannot take place without Krishna. Sense objects that have form, taste, sound, and
Karanadaksayi Vishnu’s glance towards Maya touch are always nearby. Because we are weak, we
works in two ways. First, it injects her with are attracted to them. Therefore we should absorb
unlimited living entities, each a spiritual spark, ourselves in hearing hari-kathä from living sources,
and second, it creates unlimited universes by powerful devotees. If we continue to hear such
the reflection of His touch. That His touch is a kathä from guru and sädhu, we will be protected
reflection means there is no direct bodily con- from the enemies that drag our senses away. Until
tact between Vishnu and Maya. Therefore, it we are fully attracted to Krishna, Maya will always
should not be thought that the Supreme Lord attract us.
appeared by Maya’s help in each universe. — Amåta Väëé: Nectar of Instructions of Immoratality » By His Divine Grace
Krishna alone entered each universe as His Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada » Compiled by Sripada Bhakti
Purusha incarnation. Mayukha Bhagavat Maharaja » Adapted and Published by Ishvara dasa » Trans-
Again, Krishna is the original cause of material lated from Bengali by Bhumipati dasa.
creation. Caitanya-caritämåta Ädi 5.60 states:

kåñëa-çaktye prakåti haya gauëa käraëa

agni-çaktye lauha yaiche karaye järaëa

Thus prakåti, by the energy of Lord Krish-

na, becomes the secondary cause, just as
iron becomes red-hot by the energy of fire.
Outside the spiritual sky is the effulgent abode
of Brahman, and outside the abode of Brahman
is the Causal Ocean. The spiritual abode is de-
void of cause, but Maya is illusion, and in the

In Service of Srimad Bhagavatam™