nanda-vraja-janānandī sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ

nanda-vraja-janā nandī sac-cid-ā nanda-vigrahaḥ

Kṛ ṣ ṇ a’s form is eternity, knowledge and bliss, and gives bliss to the inhabitants of Vṛ ndā vana. Brahmā ṇ ḍ a Purā ṇ a

nityo nityā nā ṁ cetanā s cetanā nā m

eko bahū nā ṁ yo vidadhā ti kā mā n

taṁ pī ṭ hagaṁ ye 'nuyajanti viprā s

teṣ ā ṁ siddhiḥ ś ā ś vatī netareṣ ā m

The brā hmaṇ as who worship the Lord on his altar, who is the greatest among the eternals and greatest among conscious persons, and who fulfills the desires of the many, they, and not others, attain eternal perfection.

gopyas tapaḥ kim acaran yad amuṣ ya rū paṁ

lā vaṇ ya-sā ram asamordhvam ananya-siddham

dṛ gbhiḥ pibanty anusavā bhinavaṁ durā pam

ekā nta-dhā ma yaś asaḥ ś rī ya aiś varasya

What worship must the gopī s have performed! With their eyes they always drink the nectar of Kṛ ṣ ṇ a’s form, which is the essence of loveliness and is not to be equaled or surpassed. That loveliness is the only abode of beauty, fame and opulence. It is self-perfect, ever fresh and extremely rare. SB 10. 44. 14

tato mā m ā ha bhagavā n vṛ ndā vana-caraḥ svayam

yad idaṁ me tvayā dṛ ṣ ṭ aṁ rū paṁ divyaṁ sanā tanam

niṣ kalaṁ niṣ kriyaṁ ś ā ntaṁ sac-cid-ā nanda-vigraham

pū rṇ aṁ padma-palā ś ā kṣ aṁ nā taḥ parataraṁ mama

idam eva vadany ete vedā ḥ kā raṇ a-kā raṇ am

satyaṁ vyā pi parā nandaṁ cid-ghanaṁ ś ā ś vataṁ ś ivam

My form with lotus eyes which you have seen is spiritual, eternal, imperishable, not subject to material transformation, tranquil, and full of eternity, knowledge and bliss. It is most complete. There is nothing superior to this form of mine. The Vedas say that this form is the cause of all causes, independent, all-pervading, all blissful, all knowledgeable, eternal and all auspicious. Padma Purā ṇ a 4. 73. 23-25

Thus Kṛ ṣ ṇ a’s mind, forms and qualities are intrinsic to him and unchanging. In the First Canto the earth says:

ete cā nye ca bhagavan nityā yatra mahā -guṇ ā ḥ

prā rthyā mahattvam icchadbhir na viyanti sma karhicit

In you reside the following eternal, great qualities, which do not disappear at any time, for those who want greatness. SB 1. 16. 30

Statements which seem to contradict the eternal nature of Kṛ ṣ ṇ a’s associates should be similarly explained. That devatā s appeared as the Yā davas means that some of them participated in the pastimes along with the eternal associates. The disappearance of the Yadus by force of the curse of the brā hmaṇ as is illusory. The Lord says the Dā ruka:

tvaṁ tu mad-dharmam ā sthā yajñ ā na-niṣ ṭ ha upekṣ akaḥ

man-mā yā -racitā m etā ṁ vijñ ayopaś amaṁ vraja

You, Dā ruka, should be firmly situated in devotion to me, fixed in spiritual knowledge and unattached to material considerations. Understanding these pastimes to be a display of my illusory potency, you should remain peaceful. SB 11. 30. 49

The meaning of the verse is this. You, Dā ruka, know the truth about my pastimes (jñ ā na-niṣ ṭ haḥ ). You believe that I will protect my devotees and associate with devotees who are similar in quality to me (mad-dharmam ā sthā ya). Understand that my disappearance pastimes which I now reveal are made by my mā yā like magic and disregard the sorrow arising from the external appearance. Go with undisturbed heart. Since Dā ruka descended from the Lord’s planet as an eternal associate, explaining the verse otherwise would be superficial.

At the end of the Eleventh Canto there are three verses explaining this. The first is this:

rā jan parasya tanu-bhṛ j-jananā pyayehā

mā yā -viḍ ambanam avehi yathā naṭ asya

sṛ ṣ ṭ vā tmanedam anuviś ya vihṛ tya cā nte

saṁ hṛ tya cā tma-mahinoparataḥ sa ā ste

O King! You should understand that the Supreme Lord’s appearance and disappearance, which resemble those of embodied conditioned souls, are actually a show enacted by his illusory energy, just like the performance of an actor. After creating this world he entered into it, plays within it for some time, and at last destroys it, withdrawing from it by his own power. Thus he remains. SB 11. 31. 11

The meaning is this. Please understand that the activities involved in the appearance and disappearance of Kṛ ṣ ṇ a’s associates (tanu-bhṛ t), the Yā davas, is a false picture produced by my mā yā . It is like a magician who makes a person die and then produces his body again. It is like the inconceivable ś akti he uses in producing the material world. It is not surprising. Thus it is suitable to say that even today people realize him.

The Lord goes with his associates. This is the proper way to treat them. Thus the reasons given for the disappearance of Balarā ma and others are a show for foolish people and thus false. Lakṣ maṇ a also did not have a material disappearance. In Ayodhyā -mā hā tmya of the Skanda Purā ṇ a, Lakṣ maṇ a’s disappearance is described:

tataḥ ś eṣ ā tmatā ṁ yā taṁ lakṣ maṇ aṁ satya-saṅ garam
uvā ca madhuraṁ ś akraḥ sarvasya ca sa paś yataḥ

indra uvā ca –

lakṣ maṇ ottiṣ ṭ ha ś ī ghraṁ tvam ā rohasva padaṁ svakam

deva-kā ryaṁ kṛ taṁ vī ra tvayā ripu-nisū dana

vaiṣ ṇ avaṁ paramaṁ sthā naṁ prā pnuhi svaṁ sanā tanam

bhavan-mū rtiḥ samā yā tā ś eṣ o’pi vilasat-phaṇ aḥ

ity uktvā sura-rā jendro lakṣ maṇ aṁ sura-saṅ gataḥ

ś eṣ aṁ prasthā pya pā tā le bhū -bhā ra-dharaṇ a-kṣ amam

lakṣ maṇ aṁ yā nam ā ropya pratasthe divam ā darā t

Then while everyone was looking, Indra spoke in a sweet voice to Lakṣ maṇ a, who is always true to his promise, and within whom Ś eṣ a had merged. Indra said: Lakṣ maṇ a! Please rise up and ascend to your own place quickly. O brave one, killer of enemies! You have performed godly tasks. Attain the highest, eternal abode of Viṣ ṇ u which belongs to you. Your aṁ ś a Ś eṣ a with shining hoods has also returned. Having said this, Indra, the king of the devatā s, surrounded by the devatā s, established Ś eṣ a, who was capable of holding up the weight of the earth, in Pā tā la. He then reverently had Lakṣ maṇ a mount a vehicle. Indra then returned to Svarga.

Jarā sandha said:

tava rā ma yadi ś raddhā yudhyasva dhairyam udvaha

hitvā vā mac-charaiś chinnaṁ dehaṁ svar yā hi mā ṁ jahi

You, Rā ma, should gather your courage and fight with me, if you think you can do it. You may either give up your body when it is cut to pieces by my arrows, and thus attain to heaven, or else kill me. SB 10. 50. 18

Ś rī dhara Svā mī explains that Jarā sandha also spoke the truth by offering the alternative that Balarā ma would kill him since he thought that perhaps Balarā ma’s body could not be cut.

The second verse is as follows. Even if they did not have spiritual bodies, was it not possible for Kṛ ṣ ṇ a to protect them?

martyena yo guru-sutaṁ yama-loka-nī taṁ

tvā ṁ cā nayac charaṇ a-daḥ paramā stra-dagdham

jigye ’ntakā ntakam apī ś am asā v anī ś aḥ

kiṁ svā vane svar anayan mṛ gayuṁ sa-deham

Kṛ ṣ ṇ a brought the son of his guru back from the planet of the lord of death in the boy’s selfsame body, and as the ultimate giver of protection he saved you also when you were burned by the brahmā stra of Aś vatthā mā. He conquered in battle even Ś iva, who deals death to the agents of death, and he sent the hunter Jarā directly to Vaikuṇ ṭ ha in his human body. How could such a personality be unable to protect his personal associates? SB 11. 31. 12

The meaning is this. Kṛ ṣ ṇ a brought back the son of his guru who had gone to Yama’s abode in the body that he had died in, when swallowed by Pañ cajana. The power of the brahmā stra was nothing for him. He protected you, Parī kṣ it when you were being burned by the brahmā stra. What more can be said? He defeated Ś iva, who is death for death personified in the war with arrows. He had Jara the hunter attain a special Vaikuṇ ṭ ha with a spiritual body. How is it possible that he could not protect the Yā davas, his own people? Thus seeing the associates in any other manner is contrary to the pastimes. They went to the Lord’s planet with spiritual bodies.

The third verse is as follows. In going to the Lord’s abode in their spiritual bodies where the Lord resides, they would not suffer separation. If the Lord is capable of doing that, why is he not capable of making different spiritual bodies for himself and them for some time to give mercy to the people of the material world? This conclusion shows the mutually unshakeable friendship between the Lord and his devotees. This is expressed in the following:

tathā py aś eṣ a-sthiti-sambhavā pyayeṣ v

ananya-hetur yad aś eṣ a-ś akti-dhṛ k

naicchat praṇ etuṁ vapur atra ś eṣ itaṁ

martyena kiṁ sva-stha-gatiṁ pradarś ayan

Although Kṛ ṣ ṇ a, being the possessor of infinite powers, is the only cause of the creation, maintenance and destruction of innumerable planets, he did not desire to remain after the disappearance of his associates. What is the use of being in this mortal world without them? By this he made known the greatness of those who went to his abode. SB 11. 31. 12

The meaning is this. Although Kṛ ṣ ṇ a is the only cause of creation, maintenance and destruction,

and though he has unlimitedly more powers than us, after making the Yā davas disappear, he did not desire to keep his own body here for much longer. Rather he took it to his own planet. The reason is this. “Without them, what is my purpose in this world? ” He showed the great position of those who went to his planet since he had such attraction for them. Like the Lord, their disappearance was nothing other than this. In the Third Canto, Uddhava indicates this intention of the Lord:

mitho yadaiṣ ā ṁ bhavitā vivā do

madhv-ā madā tā mra-vilocanā nā m

naiṣ ā ṁ vadhopā ya iyā n ato ’nyo

mayy udyate ’ntardadhate svayaṁ sma

When they will quarrel among themselves, with eyes red because of complete intoxication from liquor, they actually will not die, though they will appear to die like others. Only when I decide that they disappear, they will disappear spontaneously. SB 3. 3. 15

The meaning is this. When Yā davas quarrel among themselves, that is not a means of killing them so that they can leave the earth. What to speak of quarreling with others. When I decide that they should leave, there will be a method. Other than killing there is another method (iyā n anyaḥ ). What is that? By my will (mayi udyate), they will simply disappear. That is certain (sma).

In the Kū rma Purā ṇ a it is explained that the Sī tā stolen by Rā vaṇ a was a false form. The stealing of the women of Dvā rakā after the destruction of the city was also false, since when they were married it was proved that they were the Lord’s svarū pa-ś akti. It is also descriebd that the Yadus were injured, fainted and desired to know the truth. This was part of their human pastimes. Sometimes in the prakaṭ a pastimes there is a mixture of material affairs, such as the killing of Ś atadhanvā. However the intimate associates were all like the Lord, since it was shown that they were eternal associates. Favorable statements in this regard are found in the Padma Purā ṇ a, Kā rtika-mā hatmya when the Lord speaks to Satyabhā mā: