SRI BRAHMA-SAMHITA

Verse 2

sahasra-patra-kamalam gokulakhyam mahat-padam
tat-karnikara-tad-dhama tad-anantamsa-sambhavam [2]

Translation: (In this verse, the transcendental abode [dhama] of Gokula, the seat of the pastimes of divinely playful Sri Krishna is being described.) The superexcellent abode of Krishna is Gokula. It is eternally manifest through a portion of the infinite (Ananta). This abode takes the shape of a unique divine lotus flower possessing thousands of petals, the core of which is Krishna’s own home.

Purport: Gokula, which is identical with Goloka, is not created or mundane. Krishna’s infinite potency is ever-expanding, and Krishna’s divine alter ego, Baladev, is the reservoir of that potency. The infinite aspect of the transcendental entity of Baladev is twofold, encompassing both transcendence and mundanity. One quadrant of the Lord’s majesty is mundane infinity (ekapada-vibhuti), and that will be discussed in the appropriate place. The transcendent infinity is the Lord’s triquadrantal majesty (tripada-vibhuti), or the place of no lamentation, death or apprehension; and that domain is by nature effulgent in the sense that it is the transcendental kingdom. That kingdom is the manifest majesty of the Almighty, the great Vaikuntha, or the unlimited transcendental spiritual world, Paravyoma.

Beyond the purview of material nature, on the far shore of the River of Passivity, Viraja, that domain presides in all its glory, eternally surrounded by the spiritual effulgence of Brahman. The upper region of that infinite divine majesty is the abode of absolute sweetness and charm—Gokula, or Goloka, which is the ultimate portion of the splendour of the spiritual world eternally manifest in its beauty to the extreme. This is referred to by some authorities as the abode of Maha-Narayana (the great Narayana) or Mula-Narayana (the original Narayana). Thus Gokula, identical with Goloka, is the superexcellent abode. That one holy abode is resplendent as Goloka and Gokula according to their different locations, upper and lower, respectively.

Srimat Sanatana Goswami has stated in his Sri Brihad-Bhagavatamritam, which embodies the essence of all holy scriptures: yatha kridati tad bhumau goloke ‘pi tathaiva sah adha-urddhvataya bhedo ‘nayoh kalpate kevalam. The meaning is that in Gokula, which is manifest in this material world, Krishna sports in His divine pastimes in exactly the same way as He does in Goloka. There is no difference between Goloka and Gokula except that Goloka is situated at the topmost region of the spiritual plane, and that selfsame place of Krishna’s pastimes is manifest as Gokula in this world.

Sri Jiva Goswami has also elucidated in his Sat-sandarbha, goloka-nirupanam; vrndavanadinam nitya-krsna-dhama-tvam; goloka-vrndavanayor ekatvah cha: although Goloka and Gokula are identical, by dint of Krishna’s inconceivable potency Goloka is the topmost plane of the transcendental world while Gokula, situated in Mathura-mandala (Mathura province), is revealed within the insignificant quadrant of the Lord’s majesty that issues forth from His deluding Maya potency as the mundane world. It lies beyond the faculty of the jiva’s puny intellect to conceive how the divine abode, despite being the vast triquadrantal majesty of God, comes to be accommodated in the nether regions of the quadrant of the mundane majesty; and it is demonstrative of the greatness of Krishna’s inconceivable potency.

The entity of Gokula is the divine abode, immeasurable and unlimited in any way by material time, space or circumstances despite being manifest in the material world; Gokula remains self-effulgent, ever unrestricted as supreme unlimited reality (parama-vaikuntha-tattva). Yet the conditioned souls, due to their absorption in materialism, cannot resist dragging even Gokula to the level of their mundane senses and intellect. Through their individual defective senses and intelligence they see even the divine abode of Gokula in a mundane way, just as the shortsighted observer considers that the sun is covered by a cloud when in fact it is only his eyes that are covered.

Only one who by great fortune has had his relationship with mundanity completely dissipated can see Goloka in Gokula and Gokula in Goloka. The enlightenment (jnana) attained from the bliss-consciousness of the soul, through its own assiduous discernment of non-reality from reality, has never been known to catch a glimpse of the area of Vaikuntha. That realm is situated above the unconcentrated truth, consciousness and bliss of the elementary Brahman, or nondifferentiated Absolute; thus, there is no chance of having a divine vision of Goloka or Gokula by such jnana or ardent attempts at enlightenment. This is so because the cultivators of jnana, the liberationists, search for the reality while wholly depending upon their own finer perceptions, but they ignore the quest for the grace of Krishna, who is full of inconceivable potencies. Hence the liberationists’ attempt for monistic self-realization is futile in the matter of reaching Goloka Vrindavan.

As a limb of the exploitational, or karma, attempt, the meditational or yoga attempt is similarly impotent in drawing the Lord’s grace; therefore it cannot have any success in the quest for the plane of transcendental dynamism beyond the ‘oneness’ of Brahman. Only those who adopt pure devotion, or suddha-bhakti, can attain the grace of Krishna, the Lord of inconceivable potencies; and only by Krishna’s grace is one’s relativity with the mundane illusory nature dispelled and the fortune of seeing Gokula born.

In this regard there are two basic types of perfection in devotion, or bhakti-siddhis, namely, perfection of one’s intrinsic divine self during his sojourn in this world (svarupa-siddhi), and perfection upon departure from the mortal world (vastu-siddhi). In svarupa-siddhi, Goloka is seen in Gokula, and in vastu-siddhi, Gokula is seen in Goloka—this is a profound mystery.

With the attainment of prema, or Divine Love, svarupa-siddhi is attained; after that, vastu-siddhi occurs when both the gross and subtle illusory coverings of the conditioned soul are removed by Krishna’s sweet will. In any case, until one attains perfection in devotion (bhakti-siddhi), he will see Gokula as separate from his conception of Goloka.

With its myriads of petals, Gokula, the eternal divine abode of Krishna is, a unique transcendental seat of unending marvels.

• For Reader's Appreciation
• Feelings of Appreciation
• Prologue
• Translator's Note
• Illumination
• Verse 1
• Verse 2
• Verse 3
• Verse 4
• Verse 5
• Verse 6
• Verse 7
• Verse 8
• Verse 9

• Verse 11
• Verse 12
• Verse 13
• Verse 14
• Verse 15
• Verse 16
• Verse 17
• Verse 18
• Verse 19

• Verse 20
• Verse 21
• Verse 22
• Verse 23
• Verse 24
• Verse 25
• Verse 26
• Verse 27
• Verse 28
• Verse 29

• Verse 30
• Verse 31
• Verse 32
• Verse 33
• Verse 34
• Verse 35
• Verse 36
• Verse 37
• Verse 38
• Verse 39

• Verse 40
• Verse 41
• Verse 42
• Verse 43
• Verse 44
• Verse 45
• Verse 46
• Verse 47
• Verse 48
• Verse 49

• Verse 50
• Verse 51
• Verse 52
• Verse 53
• Verse 54
• Verse 55
• Verse 56
• Verse 57
• Verse 58
• Verse 59

• Verse 60
• Verse 61
• Verse 62

• Verse Contents

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