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In the Caitanya-carit\u0101m\u1e5bta<\/i> (\u0100di 16.20-21) it is stated: “Because the Lord was engaged in various ways in preaching work in East Bengal, His wife, Lak\u1e63m\u012bdev\u012b, was very unhappy at home in separation from her husband. The snake of separation bit Lak\u1e63m\u012bdev\u012b, and its poison caused her death. Thus she passed to the next world. She went back home, back to Godhead.”<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The replica body and disappearance of Lak\u1e63m\u012bdev\u012b are explained as follows: \u015ar\u012b Lak\u1e63m\u012bpriy\u0101-dev\u012b is the internal spiritual potency of Gaura-N\u0101r\u0101ya\u1e47a, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Mah\u0101-Lak\u1e63m\u012b is described in the Gaura-ga\u1e47odde\u015ba-d\u012bpik\u0101<\/i>(45) as follows: “She who previously appeared as \u015ar\u012b J\u0101nak\u012b, Rukmi\u1e47\u012b, and Lak\u1e63m\u012b has now appeared as Lak\u1e63m\u012b in the pastimes of Caitanya Mah\u0101prabhu.” In the Sanskrit book Caitanya-carit\u0101m\u1e5bta-mah\u0101k\u0101vya<\/i> (3.7 and 13) it is stated: “This Lak\u1e63m\u012b [of Navadv\u012bpa] is the incarnation of that Lak\u1e63m\u012b [of Vaiku\u1e47\u1e6dha],” and “Lak\u1e63m\u012b has personally incarnated in this world.” While describing Mah\u0101-Lak\u1e63m\u012b, K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a’s queens, and the gop\u012bs of Vraja, \u015ar\u012b J\u012bva Prabhup\u0101da has stated in his \u015ar\u012b K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a-sandarbha<\/i>: “In the second (Bh\u0101gavata) sandarbha <\/i>it has been established that the Lord is the Supreme Absolute Truth and that He has two energies. Of the two, the first is related to the Lord as His internal potency and is as worshipable to the Vai\u1e63\u1e47avas as the Lord Himself. The Supreme Lord’s supreme position is due to this svar\u016bpa-\u015bakti<\/i>. The second, M\u0101y\u0101, is fit, like the material world, to be neglected by the Vai\u1e63\u1e47avas; she is the transformation of the Lord’s energy. The manifestation of the world is due to this bahira\u1e45g\u0101-m\u0101y\u0101-\u015bakti<\/i>, or the illusory external energy. Of these two potencies, the word lak\u1e63m\u012b is used to indicate the former, the svar\u016bpa-\u015bakti<\/i>, just as the word bh\u0101gavata <\/i>is used to indicate the person who possesses these two energies. This is also clearly shown in the Bh\u0101gavata-sandarbha<\/i>. In the two cities (Mathur\u0101 and Dv\u0101rak\u0101) this svar\u016bpa-\u015bakti<\/i> is known as \u015br\u012b-mahi\u1e63\u012b, <\/i>the queens of K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a. Since it is clearly stated in the Gop\u0101la-t\u0101pan\u012b Upani\u1e63ad <\/i>that in the Lord’s unmanifest pastimes \u015ar\u012b Rukmi\u1e47\u012b eternally resides in Mathur\u0101, all other queens must also reside there. It is also stated therein that the queens of K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a are also related to Him as belonging to the category of His svar\u016bpa-\u015bakti<\/i>; therefore in their position as svar\u016bpa-\u015bakti<\/i> they are necessarily of the same position as Lak\u1e63m\u012b. In this way the queens of K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a are naturally confirmed as belonging to the Lord’s svar\u016bpa-\u015bakti<\/i>. In the \u015ar\u012bmad Bh\u0101gavatam <\/i>(10.60.9) it is stated: ‘The Lord assumes various forms to enact His pastimes, and He was pleased that the form that the goddess of fortune Rukmi\u1e47\u012b had assumed was just suitable for her to serve as His consort.’ The meaning of this verse is very clear. Therefore, since Rukmi\u1e47\u012b assumed a form suitable to serve the Lord, she is certainly on the level of Lak\u1e63m\u012b. And since Lak\u1e63m\u012b, who is famous as the goddess of Vaiku\u1e47\u1e6dha, is merged within Rukmi\u1e47\u012b, Mah\u0101-Lak\u1e63m\u012b Rukmi\u1e47\u012b has the internal mood of Lak\u1e63m\u012b and is complete in every respect. Because the spiritual energy, or svar\u016bpa-\u015bakti<\/i>, and the energetic, or \u015baktim\u0101n, are completely free of differences (or nondifferent), there cannot be any relationship between them as found between a subject and object of comparison. Therefore between them there is an absence of similarity (as in the difference between an actual object and its shadow or reflection), in other words, they are nondifferent or one. In the \u015ar\u012bmad Bh\u0101gavatam <\/i>(10.60.44) Rukmi\u1e47\u012b personally speaks the following words: ‘O lotus-eyed one, though You are satisfied within Yourself and thus rarely turn Your attention toward me, please bless me with steady love for Your feet.’ (In this statement Rukmi\u1e47\u012b is removing K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a’s doubt or objection.) ‘If You say, “I am personally self-satisfied, so how can I have attachment for you?” In reply, I say that Your vision is indifferent, in other words, though You are omnipotent, You look at me, Your svar\u016bpa-\u015bakti<\/i>, and Yourself as inseparable. The purport is that since the svar\u016bpa-\u015bakti<\/i> and the \u015baktim\u0101n <\/i>are inseparable (or nondifferent), or they are constitutionally nondifferent because their only distinction is their constitutional relationship as vi\u1e63aya<\/i> and \u0101\u015braya<\/i>, the enjoyer and the enjoyed, therefore even though You are \u0101tm\u0101r\u0101ma<\/i>, Your attachment for Me is proper.'”<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n In the Vi\u1e63\u1e47u Pur\u0101\u1e47a <\/i>(1.8.15) it is stated: <\/span><\/p>\n nityaiva s\u0101 jagan-m\u0101t\u0101 vi\u1e63\u1e47o\u1e25 \u015br\u012br anap\u0101yin\u012bo\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n yath\u0101 sarva-gato vi\u1e63\u1e47us tathaiveya\u1e41 dvijottam\u0101\u1e25<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n “O best of br\u0101hma\u1e47as, Lord Vi\u1e63\u1e47u’s svar\u016bpa-\u015bakti<\/i> is the eternal mother of the universe; she is never separated from Vi\u1e63\u1e47u. Just as Lord Vi\u1e63\u1e47u is present everywhere, His svar\u016bpa-\u015bakti<\/i>, Mah\u0101-Lak\u1e63m\u012b is also present everywhere.”<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Also in the Vi\u1e63\u1e47u Pur\u0101\u1e47a<\/i> (1.9.143) it is said: BR><\/span><\/p>\n devatve deva-deheya\u1e41 manu\u1e63yatve ca m\u0101nu\u1e63\u012bvi\u1e63\u1e47or\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n deh\u0101nur\u016bp\u0101\u1e41 vai karoty e\u1e63\u0101tmanas tanum<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n “When the Lord appears as a demigod, she [the goddess of fortune] takes the form of a demigoddess, and when He appears as a human being, she takes a humanlike form. Thus she assumes a body corresponding to that accepted by Lord Vi\u1e63\u1e47u in order to assist in His pastimes.”<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n In his commentary on Brahma-s\u016btra (2.3.10) \u015ar\u012b Madhv\u0101c\u0101rya quotes the following verse from the Bh\u0101gavata-tantra<\/i>: BR><\/span><\/p>\n \u015bakti-\u015baktimato\u015b c\u0101pi na vibheda\u1e25 katha\u00f1canaavibhinn\u0101pi svecch\u0101di- bhedair api vibh\u0101vyate<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n “There is no actual difference between the energy and the energetic, but sometimes out of His own sweet will they appear different.”<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Vi\u1e63\u1e47u-sa\u1e41hit\u0101 <\/i>says: \u015bakti-\u015baktimato\u015b c\u0101pi na bheda\u1e25 ka\u015bcid i\u1e63yate<\/i>\u2014”There is certainly no difference between the energy and the energetic.” From such scriptural statements we can understand that the energetic Vi\u1e63\u1e47u and His related svar\u016bpa-\u015bakti<\/i>are nondifferent.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The external illusory energy, or material nature, is the subordinate shadow of this svar\u016bpa-\u015bakti<\/i> Lak\u1e63m\u012b. In the \u015ar\u012bmad Bh\u0101gavatam <\/i>(1.7.23) Arjuna speaks to K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a as follows: “You have cast away the effects of the material energy by dint of Your spiritual potency [or svar\u016bpa-\u015bakti<\/i>]. You are always situated in eternal bliss and transcendental knowledge.” Therefore creation, maintenance, and annihilation, which are transformations of the three modes of material nature\u2014passion, goodness, and ignorance\u2014can never attack Lord Vi\u1e63\u1e47u, His related svar\u016bpa-\u015bakti<\/i>, or His opulences such as His abode and associates, because there is no difference between their bodies and souls like there is in the living entities who are controlled by m\u0101y\u0101 and forced to enjoy the fruits of their karma. They are all transcendental, beyond the jurisdiction of m\u0101y\u0101, untouched by the modes of material nature, eternally pure, and spiritual.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u015ar\u012b K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a-sandarbha<\/i> (93) quotes \u015ar\u012b Madhv\u0101c\u0101ryap\u0101da’s Bh\u0101gavata-t\u0101tparya<\/i>commentary on \u015ar\u012bmad Bh\u0101gavatam <\/i>(1.3.1) as follows: “The Tantra-bh\u0101gavata <\/i>states: BR><\/span><\/p>\n ag\u1e5bhn\u0101d vyas\u1e5bjac ceti k\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a r\u0101m\u0101dik\u0101\u1e41 tanumpa\u1e6dhyate<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n bhagav\u0101n \u012b\u015bo m\u016b\u1e0dha buddhi vyapek\u1e63ay\u0101<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n ‘The scriptural statements that the Supreme Lord has accepted and given up bodies in His incarnations such as K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a and R\u0101ma are mentioned simply to satisfy the mentality of foolish people.’<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n In the Var\u0101ha Pur\u0101\u1e47a <\/i>it is stated: BR><\/span><\/p>\n na tasya pr\u0101k\u1e5bt\u0101 m\u016brtir m\u0101\u1e41sa-medo ‘sthi-sambhav\u0101na\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n yogitv\u0101d \u012b\u015bvaratv\u0101t satya-r\u016bpo ‘cyuto vibhu\u1e25<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n ‘The Supreme Lord and His svar\u016bpa-\u015bakti<\/i> do not possess material forms made of flesh, bones, and marrow. His transcendental form, however, is not the result of mystic perfections, for since He is directly the Personality of Godhead, His form is eternal, infallible, and supreme.’<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n In the Mah\u0101-Var\u0101ha Pur\u0101\u1e47a <\/i>it is stated: ‘Everything related to the Supreme Lord Vi\u1e63\u1e47u, beginning with His body, is everlasting and eternal, devoid of both material purity and impurity, and never born of matter; in other words, they are not material. They are objects of fully uninterrupted bliss and completely spiritual, they are all full of transcendental qualities and nondifferent from one another. Due to possessing all qualities, they are fully devoid of superiority and inferiority in relationship with each other. There is never a difference between the body and soul of the Supreme Lord Vi\u1e63\u1e47u, but when we hear statements that Lord Vi\u1e63\u1e47u accepted a body it is like an actor taking on another hand to protect his body in a drama. Although Lord Vi\u1e63\u1e47u, who is beyond material perception, appears and disappears, statements like ‘His form of K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a,’ ‘His form of R\u0101ma,’ are applicable to Him alone, because He possesses unadulterated spiritual opulences.’ In the K\u016brma Pur\u0101\u1e47a<\/i> it is stated: ‘Although the Supreme Lord is neither gigantic nor infinitesimal, He is completely gigantic and infinitesimal. Although the Lord appears contradictory due to possessing spiritual opulences, it is improper to attribute any type of mundane faults on the Supreme Lord. Yet even though apparent contradictory qualities are seen through material perception, one will have to understand that they are inconceivably reconciled in Him.’ In the Vi\u1e63\u1e47u-dharmottara <\/i>it is stated: ‘Because the Supreme Lord Puru\u1e63ottama possesses all opulences, all transcendental qualities are found in Him. But faults cannot in any way be applied on Him, because He is the supreme object. Some foolish persons conclude that both qualities and faults are received from or attributed by m\u0101y\u0101. In answer to this, it is stated that since there is no m\u0101y\u0101 or connection with m\u0101y\u0101 in the Absolute Truth, how then can qualities related with m\u0101y\u0101 be present? Therefore the transcendental qualities of the Lord are not received from or attributed by m\u0101y\u0101; they are born of His opulences. Because He is the faultless (nirasta kuhaka apr\u0101k\u1e5bta<\/i>\u2014”transcendental dissipater of illusion”) controller, learned scholars know Him as the supreme object.'”<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The doubt raised by foolish materialists who are bewildered by m\u0101y\u0101 that Mah\u0101-Lak\u1e63m\u012b \u015ar\u012b Lak\u1e63m\u012bdev\u012b, who is the svar\u016bpa-\u015bakti<\/i> of Gaura-N\u0101r\u0101ya\u1e47a, left her body due to being bitten by a snake like a conditioned soul is properly cleared by \u015ar\u012bmad Bh\u0101gavatam <\/i>, the crest jewel of scriptures, and the \u0101c\u0101ryas, who follow \u015ar\u012bmad Bh\u0101gavatam <\/i>, in their descriptions of K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a’s disappearance.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n In the \u015ar\u012bmad Bh\u0101gavatam <\/i>(1.14.8) Yudhi\u1e63\u1e6dhira speaks to Bh\u012bmasena as follows: yad\u0101tmano ‘\u1e45gam \u0101kr\u012b\u1e0da\u1e41 bhagav\u0101n utsis\u1e5bk\u1e63ati<\/i>\u2014”Has the time come for the Supreme Personality of Godhead to quit His earthly pastimes?”<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n “The word a\u1e45ga\u1e41 <\/i>in this verse means ‘earth.’ In the Brahma-tarka <\/i>it is stated: BR><\/span><\/p>\n yad\u0101 ty\u0101g\u0101dir ucyeta p\u1e5bthivy\u0101dy-a\u1e45ga-kalpan\u0101tad\u0101 j\u00f1ey\u0101 na hi sv\u0101\u1e45ga\u1e41 kad\u0101cid vi\u1e63\u1e47ur uts\u1e5bjet<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n ‘When the scriptures use words like “give up” in connection with the disappearance of the Lord it refers to the earth, because Lord Vi\u1e63\u1e47u never gives up His own limb.'” (\u015ar\u012b Madhv\u0101c\u0101rya’s Bh\u0101gavata-t\u0101tparya<\/i>)<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n “The word \u0101kr\u012b\u1e0da <\/i>refers to the place of pastimes, or in other words, this material world. The word a\u1e45ga means ‘His own land,’ because ‘the earth is His body’ and other scriptural statements are evidence of this fact.” (\u015ar\u012b Vijayadhvaja)<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Otherwise: “When will the Supreme Lord desire to give up His own pastimes, or in other words, give up the a\u1e45ga that assists in His pastimes, or in other words, give up the drama of a human (imitating the activities of a human being in the material world)\u2014has that time arrived?” (\u015ar\u012bdhara Sv\u0101mip\u0101da)<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n “The word a\u1e45ga refers to the mundane universal form rejected while returning to His own abode.” (Krama-sandarbha<\/i>)<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n In the \u015ar\u012bmad Bh\u0101gavatam <\/i>(1.15.34-36) \u015ar\u012b S\u016bta Gosv\u0101m\u012b speaks to the sages headed by \u015aaunaka as follows: BR><\/span><\/p>\n yay\u0101harad bhuvo bh\u0101ra\u1e41 t\u0101\u1e41 tanu\u1e41 vijah\u0101v aja\u1e25ka\u1e47\u1e6daka\u1e41 ka\u1e47\u1e6dakeneva dvaya\u1e41 c\u0101p\u012b\u015bitu\u1e25 samamyath\u0101 matsy\u0101di-r\u016bp\u0101\u1e47i dhatte jahy\u0101d yath\u0101 na\u1e6da\u1e25bh\u016b-bh\u0101ra\u1e25 k\u1e63apito yena jahau tac ca kalevaramyad\u0101 mukundo bhagav\u0101n im\u0101\u1e41 mah\u012b\u1e41jahau sva-tanv\u0101 \u015brava\u1e47\u012bya-sat-katha\u1e25tad\u0101har ev\u0101pratibuddha-cetas\u0101mabhadra-hetu\u1e25 kalir anvavartata<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n “The supreme unborn, Lord \u015ar\u012b K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a, caused the members of the Yadu dynasty to relinquish their bodies, and thus He relieved the burden of the world. This action was like picking out a thorn with a thorn, though both are the same to the controller. The Supreme Lord relinquished the body which He manifested to diminish the burden of the earth. Just like a magician, He relinquishes one body to accept different ones, like the fish incarnation and others. When the Personality of Godhead, Lord K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a, left this earthly planet in His selfsame form.”<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n “Not understanding the distinction between the Supreme Lord and the Y\u0101davas (those who were not eternal associates of the Lord but ordinary mortal beings) foolish materialistic persons consider them equal. \u015ar\u012b S\u016bta Gosv\u0101m\u012b is clearly establishing a distinction between them in these two verses [the first two quoted above]. The word yay\u0101 indicates that the Lord diminished the burden of the earth (just as a thorn is taken out with another thorn) through the bodies of the Y\u0101davas (equal to ordinary mortal beings who are bewildered by m\u0101y\u0101). Since both the bodies of the Y\u0101davas and the bodies of those who were burdening the earth were eligible for being destroyed by the Lord, both are equal, in other words, both are material.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n “How the Lord accepts and gives up forms (bodies) such as Matsya is being described with the following example: Just as an actor, while remaining in his original form, accepts and gives up another form, similarly the Supreme Lord also gave up that form (visible to mundane eyes) and manifested His original transcendental form.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n “Since the Lord returned to Vaiku\u1e47\u1e6dha with His selfsame body, it is understood that He left this world with that same body.” (\u015ar\u012bdhara Sv\u0101mip\u0101da)<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n “In this place [in the three \u015ar\u012bmad Bh\u0101gavatam <\/i>verses quoted above] the three words tanu, r\u016bpa, and kalevara refer to the Lord’s two sentiments\u2014His desire to diminish the burden of the earth and His desire to maintain the demigods (they do not refer to His body). Similarly, in other verses of \u015ar\u012bmad Bh\u0101gavatam <\/i>(3.20.28, 39, 41, 46, and 47) these words indicate Brahm\u0101’s sentiments (not body). If one accepts this explanation regarding Lord Brahm\u0101, then it is also proper to accept this in regard to the Supreme Lord. Since these sentiments of the Lord are (not His own or actual, but) \u0101bh\u0101sa-r\u016bpa<\/i>, or indications of His form, therefore the example of a thorn is appropriate (in other words, for a person who wishes to remove a thorn, both the imbedded thorn and the extricating thorn are the same; similarly, the bodies of those who were burdening the earth, or the gigantic universal form, and the bodies of the Y\u0101davas, whose bodies were similar to those of ordinary mortal beings, were the same for the Supreme Lord). An elaborate description in this regard is found in the third Param\u0101tm\u0101 sandarbha<\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n “In incarnations such as Matsya, the words matsy\u0101di-r\u016bpa<\/i> refer to the sentiment of desiring to kill the demons. Just as actors, while remaining in their original dress, accept and give up sentiments as either hero or heroine, similarly, one should know that the same also applies to the Supreme Lord. Otherwise Bhagavad-g\u012bt\u0101<\/i> (7.25) states: ‘I am covered by Yogam\u0101y\u0101 and not exposed to anyone and everyone;’ Padma Pur\u0101\u1e47a, Uttara-kha\u1e47\u1e0da<\/i> states: ‘The yogis see Lord Jan\u0101rdana on the strength of their devotional service, He never appears before those on the nondevotional path. No one who is angry or envious can see Him;’ and \u015ar\u012bmad Bh\u0101gavatam <\/i>states: ‘To the wrestlers, K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a appeared as a thunderbolt.’ These conclusive statements confirm that the form manifested by Supreme Lord before the demons is not His original form, but an illusory form. If one sees the original form of the Lord, his envious nature is destroyed. Therefore, in order to diminish the burden of the earth, the Supreme Lord gave up only that form by which He annihilated the demons. He did not appear again in that form. The form of the Lord that is seen through the medium of devotion is nitya-siddha, eternally perfect. That is why the word aja is used. Therefore as an actor or magician, dressed as a fish to kill a crane that eats fish, takes the form of a fish in order to create an impression in the minds of people that he is a fish, and as soon as the crane is killed, he immediately gives up the temporary form of fish; similarly although Lord K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47acandra is aja (devoid of birth like ordinary living entities), He killed the demons to diminish the burden of the earth with His illusory form manifested before the mundane vision of the materialists. After killing these demons, He (the unborn Lord) also gave up His mundane illusory form. But the previously mentioned statement of Bhagavad-g\u012bt\u0101 <\/i>(7.25), yogam\u0101y\u0101-sam\u0101v\u1e5bta\u1e25, <\/i>actually means ‘His body is covered by a reflection of the illusory energy just as a snake is covered by its skin.’<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n “In this place, the Lord’s pastime of leaving (earth) was performed by His own form (in other words, the word svatanva\u2014”His body” has been used in the third, or instrumental, case), He did not leave earth with His own form (in other words, the third case of the word svatanva does not mean saha, or “with”). This is the proper explanation; for since the word saha is not found in the original verse, if one unnecessarily supplies ellipsis (which would destroy the consistent meaning), then a prominence will be given to the elliptical word. In particular, cases such as nominative, objective, and instrumental are more specific than when secondary words like saha are used to produce a compound word. This grammatical logic is also evidence in this regard.” (Krama-sandarbha<\/i> 106)<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n “In order to solace the sages headed by \u015aaunaka, who were morose after hearing about the pathetic demise of the Y\u0101davas and other k\u1e63atriyas, \u015ar\u012b S\u016bta Gosv\u0101m\u012b recited the confidential conclusions in these two verses. Just as a thorn is taken out with another thorn, in the same way the Lord gave up only the Y\u0101dava form by which He diminished the burden of the earth, which is part of His one-quarter opulences. Just as Devadatta gives up his own dress, the Lord separated His Y\u0101dava form from His own association. But the Lord did not give up the form with which He eternally enjoys pastimes. Therefore the demigods who had entered among the eternally liberated Y\u0101davas when the Lord appeared in this world were separated from the Y\u0101davas by the Lord and sent to Prabh\u0101sa. Later on, by the strength of His illusory energy, the Lord orchestrated their deaths before the eyes of people and thereafter transformed them into demigods by giving them honey to drink and sent them to heaven. This explanation is found in the last part of the Eleventh Canto of \u015ar\u012bmad Bh\u0101gavatam <\/i>. The Y\u0101davas who are eternal associates in K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a’s pastimes remained hidden from materialistic people and continued sporting with K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a in Dv\u0101rak\u0101 as in their previous unmanifest pastimes. This conclusion should be known from \u015ar\u012b B\u1e5bhad-bh\u0101gavat\u0101m\u1e5bta. ‘The bodies of those who were burdening the earth’ and ‘the bodies of the Y\u0101davas’ mean the bodies of the demons who were burdening the earth and the bodies of those demigods who appeared as Y\u0101davas and others\u2014both of whom were equal to the Supreme Lord. But though in the present example of thorns, both are equal, the extricating thorn (by which the imbedded thorn is taken out) is k\u0101ra\u1e47a-bh\u016bta, or instrumental, and therefore is beneficial and known as ‘antara\u1e45ga, or intimate (and comparatively more relishable), while the karma-bh\u016bta, or active thorn (since it is imbedded, it is to be extricated) is unbeneficial and known as bahira\u1e45ga, or inimical (and comparatively abominable).<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n “How Lord K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a, like a magician, created some conception by making a show of giving up His fake body is described in this verse. The purport is that the Supreme Lord accepts (manifests) a form and gives up (unmanifests) that form (in other words, He simply makes a show of giving up His body). But after accepting a form, He does not give it up\u2014from this it should be understood that when the Lord gives up (unmanifests) His form, the same form remains present in the transcendental realm. If one asks, ‘How can this be understood?’ The answer is stated herein. Just as a magician creates an impression for people that he has given up his own body either by cutting it to pieces, burning it, or falling unconscious, though he actually remains in his body and does not die, similarly, the Supreme Lord accepts bodies like Matsya and also gives them up, in other words, He accepts them and simply makes a show of giving them up. Therefore, just as a magician possessing his own body is a reality, his giving up that body is illusory. Similarly, that the Lord accepts bodies like Matsya is actually true, and that He gives up such bodies is actually illusory. This is the purport. Just as the Lord gives up His other own incidental bodies like Matsya, He simply gave up the mundane form by which He diminished the burden of the earth. Therefore since the entire incident of Lord K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a’s giving up forms is illusory and false, being the Supreme Brahman in the form of a human being, He simply imitates giving up bodies like ordinary human beings. Yet actually He does not do so, for since His form is transcendental (beyond the material elements) there is no possibility of His body being destroyed. As stated in the Mah\u0101bh\u0101rata<\/i>: ‘The five gross material elements are not present in the body of K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a, the Supersoul.’ The B\u1e5bhat-Vi\u1e63\u1e47u Pur\u0101\u1e47a <\/i>also says: ‘According to the injunctions of the Vedas and sm\u1e5btis, one who considers that K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a’s body is made of material elements should be rejected. If one sees such a person, he should take bath with his clothes on.’ In the Vi\u1e63\u1e47u-sahasra-n\u0101ma<\/i> spoken by sage Vai\u015bamp\u0101yana, it is said: ‘Am\u1e5bta, or immortality, is only a part of Him, for He is the personification of immortality.’ \u015aa\u1e45kar\u0101c\u0101rya’s commentary on this\u2014’He whose body is am\u1e5bta<\/i> (deathless)’\u2014indicating a difference between the Lord’s body and soul, is not popular. The implication of this verse [Bh\u0101g. 1.15.34] is that the verb ha of the word jahy\u0101t <\/i>is used to indicate ‘giving up,’ and the act of giving up is used for the purpose of awarding. In order to nourish the devotees from Vaiku\u1e47\u1e6dha, Lord K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a awarded them His form of N\u0101r\u0101ya\u1e47a, who was already merged within Him. This will be elaborately described at the end of the Eleventh Canto of \u015ar\u012bmad Bh\u0101gavatam <\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n “This verse is quoted in order to describe the unreality of K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a’s giving up His body, in other words, to clearly explain its falsity. In this regard one should discuss the commentary of \u015ar\u012bdhara Sv\u0101m\u012b and the sandarbha <\/i>commentary of \u015ar\u012b J\u012bvap\u0101da.” (\u015ar\u012b Vi\u015bvan\u0101tha)<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The commentaries on \u015ar\u012b Uddhava’s words to Vidura in \u015ar\u012bmad Bh\u0101gavatam <\/i>(3.2.11): \u0101d\u0101y\u0101ntar adh\u0101d yas tu sva-bimba\u1e41 loka-locanam<\/i>\u2014”He performed His disappearance by removing His form from the sight of public vision,” are as follows.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n “After exhibiting His own form till this point, the Lord disappeared by covering the eyes of the public, because there was no other worthy object of vision.” (\u015ar\u012bdhara Sv\u0101m\u012b)<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n “According to the Vedic statement, ‘He is the vision of the eyes,’ the Lord left the vision of people with His sva-bimbam\u2014His own form. It is also described in the Mah\u0101bh\u0101rata<\/i>, Mau\u1e63ala-parva: BR><\/span><\/p>\n k\u1e5btv\u0101 bh\u0101r\u0101vatara\u1e47a\u1e41 p\u1e5bthivy\u0101\u1e25 p\u1e5bthu-locana\u1e25mocayitv\u0101<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n tanu\u1e41 k\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a\u1e25 pr\u0101pta\u1e25 svasth\u0101nam uttamam<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n ‘To the eyes of people, after diminishing the burden of the earth, K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a gave up His form and returned to His supreme abode.’ In this verse the word mocayitv\u0101, or ‘having given up,’ indicate that He disassociated His form from the activities of diminishing the burden of the earth, in other words, He allowed His form a respite from such engagement. This word is not used to indicate complete freedom from the activities of diminishing the burden of the earth.” (Krama-sandarbha<\/i>)<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n “The word sva-bimbam<\/i> refers to the sac-cid-\u0101nanda<\/i> form of the Lord and His replica. The word tu<\/i> corroborates the Vedic statement dve b\u0101ba brahma\u1e47o r\u016bpe<\/i>\u2014’The Supreme Brahman has two forms.'” (\u015ar\u012b Vijayadhvaja)<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n “This verse says that the Lord manifested His own form before the eyes of people and again disappeared with that same form. By this statement, persons who advocate that the Supreme Lord gives up His body with adverse objections like ‘Lord K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a left His own body and disappeared’ are defeated. Since the adjectives used in the next few verses describe the body of the Lord after He left His human form and went to Yudhi\u1e63\u1e6dhira’s R\u0101jas\u016bya sacrifice in a divine godly form, those who are opposed to the fact that K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a possesses a human form are also defeated. Moreover, from the statement ‘He manifests His own form and disappears with the same form,’ it is understood that His pastimes of appearance and disappearance are the result of His supreme will. Therefore those who advocate that the Supreme Lord is under the control of karma (those who consider that the Supreme Lord is under the control of birth and activities such as dying like ordinary living entities) are also defeated.” (\u015ar\u012b Vi\u015bvan\u0101tha)<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n In his Bh\u0101gavata-t\u0101tparya<\/i> commentary on \u015ar\u012bmad Bh\u0101gavatam <\/i>(3.2.13), \u015ar\u012b Madhv\u0101c\u0101rya quotes the following verse from Skanda Pur\u0101\u1e47a<\/i>: “Alas, how illusioned by the bewilderment of m\u0101y\u0101 are those persons who see the sac-cid-\u0101nanda form of Vi\u1e63\u1e47u as material!”<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n In the \u015ar\u012bmad Bh\u0101gavatam <\/i>(3.4.28-29) \u015ar\u012b \u015aukadeva Gosv\u0101m\u012b speaks to Mah\u0101r\u0101ja Par\u012bk\u1e63it as follows: harir api tatyaja \u0101k\u1e5bti\u1e41 tryadh\u012b\u015ba\u1e25<\/i>\u2014”\u015ar\u012b K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a, the Lord of the three worlds, completed His pastimes on earth,” and tyak\u1e63yan deham acintayat<\/i>\u2014”He thought to Himself about disappearing from the face of the earth.” These verses are explained as follows.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n “The word \u0101k\u1e5bti <\/i>means ‘the earth,’ because according to the dictionaries the words \u015bar\u012bra, \u0101k\u1e5bti, deha, ku, p\u1e5bthv\u012b, <\/i>and mah\u012b <\/i>all have similar meanings. The Skanda Pur\u0101\u1e47a<\/i>says that the phrase ‘Lord Hari gave up His body’ means ‘He left the earth.’ Since He is the personification of eternal bliss, there cannot be any other meaning. Although the Supreme Lord Vi\u1e63\u1e47u is the personification of knowledge, like an actor He exhibits a dead form or dead body resembling Himself in order to bewilder the materialists.” (\u015ar\u012b Madhv\u0101c\u0101rya’s Bh\u0101gavata-t\u0101tparya<\/i>)<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n “The word \u0101k\u1e5bti <\/i>means ‘the earth,’ and the word deha<\/i> also means ‘the earth.’ Because the Vedic statement yasya p\u1e5bthiv\u012b \u015bar\u012bram<\/i>\u2014’whose body is the earth’ is the evidence.” (\u015ar\u012b Vijayadhvaja)<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n “The word \u0101k\u1e5bti <\/i>means ‘like a human form.'” (\u015ar\u012bdhara Sv\u0101mip\u0101da)<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n “The word nidhana<\/i> refers to K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a’s eternal abode, which is the greatest wealth. According to the two statements: martya-loka\u1e41 jih\u0101sat\u0101<\/i>\u2014’By the Lord, who desired to quit the mortal world,’ in the previous verse 26, and asm\u0101l lok\u0101d uparate<\/i>\u2014’When the Lord leaves the vision of this mundane world,’ of verse 30, the word \u0101k\u1e5bti <\/i>refers to the universal form of the Lord. If one is particularly inquisitive regarding this subject, he should study \u015ar\u012b K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a-sandarbha<\/i>, verse 93.” (Krama-sandarbha<\/i>)<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n “The purport of this verse is that Lord Hari gave up, \u0101 (completely)+k\u1e5bti (activities or pastimes in the material world); in other words, ‘He finished.’ The word tyak\u1e63yan <\/i>(since the verb tyaj <\/i>is used to mean ‘give’) indicates that Lord K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a desired to give sustenance to the devotees headed by Brahm\u0101 by sending His plenary portion, N\u0101r\u0101ya\u1e47a, to Vaiku\u1e47\u1e6dha. In his Sandarbhas<\/i>, \u015ar\u012b J\u012bvap\u0101da says that the word deha<\/i>refers to the earth, which is the Lord’s universal form.” (\u015ar\u012b Vi\u015bvan\u0101tha)<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n In the \u015ar\u012bmad Bh\u0101gavatam <\/i>(11.30.2) \u015ar\u012b Par\u012bk\u1e63it speaks to \u015ar\u012b \u015aukadeva as follows: tanu\u1e41 sa katham atyajat<\/i>\u2014”How could He give up His body?” In \u015ar\u012b Madhv\u0101c\u0101rya’s explanation on this portion of the verse, he says that the Lord made His form completely disappear, because the verb aj in this verse is used to mean “take away.” In other words, the Lord took away His form or made it disappear from the earth to heaven (Goloka-dh\u0101ma<\/i>).<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n In the \u015ar\u012bmad Bh\u0101gavatam <\/i>(11.30.40) \u015ar\u012b \u015aukadeva speaks to \u015ar\u012b Par\u012bk\u1e63it as follows: ity \u0101di\u1e63\u1e6do bhagavat\u0101 k\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47enecch\u0101-\u015bar\u012bri\u1e47\u0101<\/i>\u2014”[The hunter was] thus instructed by the Supreme Lord K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a, who assumes His transcendental body by His own will.” Commentaries on this portion of the verse are as follows.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n “The Lord made His own form, which is the personification of pure goodness, disappear and simply imitated mortal beings by leaving behind a replica of His form. The act of imitation by the Lord will be clearly seen later on in \u015ar\u012bmad Bh\u0101gavatam <\/i>(11.31.8), wherein \u015aukadeva Gosv\u0101m\u012b speaks to Par\u012bk\u1e63it Mah\u0101r\u0101ja as follows: ‘Most of the demigods and other higher beings led by Brahm\u0101 could not see Lord K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a as He was entering His own abode, since He did not reveal His movements. But some of them did catch sight of Him, and they were extremely amazed.'” (\u015ar\u012bdhara Sv\u0101mip\u0101da)<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n “The phrase icch\u0101-\u015bar\u012bri\u1e47\u0101 <\/i>means ‘by He whose body is manifested simply by His own will,’ in other words, His appearance (and disappearance) are manifested by His inconceivable supreme will. There is no need to think of any other reason in this regard.” (Krama-sandarbha<\/i>)<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n “The phrase icch\u0101-\u015bar\u012bri\u1e47\u0101 <\/i>means ‘by He who out of His own will accepts a transcendental body, which is glorified by everyone.'” (\u015ar\u012b Vi\u015bvan\u0101tha)<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n In the \u015ar\u012bmad Bh\u0101gavatam <\/i>(11.30.49) the Supreme Lord speaks to His chariot driver, D\u0101ruka, as follows: man-m\u0101y\u0101-racit\u0101m et\u0101\u1e41 vij\u00f1ayopa\u015bama\u1e41 vraja<\/i>\u2014”Understanding these pastimes to be a display of My illusory potency, you should remain peaceful.” This verse is explained as follows.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n “In order to solace D\u0101ruka, the Lord explains in this verse that His pastime of giving up His body is like a magic act created by the power of His illusory energy. ‘Know that My recent activities like the annihilation of the Yadu dynasty and the giving up of My body, which were manifest before the eyes of ordinary people, are like a magic show created by My illusory energy; thus you should remain indifferent.’ The word tu<\/i> [in the first half of the above verse] means ‘let ordinary people who are averse to Me be bewildered, but it is not reasonable for you to be bewildered.'” (Krama-sandarbha<\/i>)<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u015ar\u012b \u015aukadeva Gosv\u0101m\u012b speaks to Par\u012bk\u1e63it Mah\u0101r\u0101ja in \u015ar\u012bmad Bh\u0101gavatam <\/i>(11.31.6) as follows: BR><\/span><\/p>\n lok\u0101bhir\u0101m\u0101\u1e41 sva-tanu\u1e41 dh\u0101ra\u1e47\u0101-dhy\u0101na-ma\u1e45galamyoga<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n -dh\u0101ra\u1e47ay\u0101gneyy\u0101- dagdhv\u0101 dh\u0101m\u0101vi\u015bat svakam<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n “Without employing the mystic \u0101gney\u012b <\/i>meditation to burn up His transcendental body, which is the all-attractive resting place of all the worlds and the object of all contemplation and meditation, Lord K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a entered into His own abode.” Commentaries on this verse are as follows.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n “The Lord entered His own abode without burning His own body with fire. In the Tantra-bh\u0101gavata <\/i>it is stated: ‘All other demigods reach their supreme destination by burning their own bodies through \u0101gney\u012b <\/i>meditation, but the Supreme Lord Hari, who has various forms headed by K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a and N\u1e5bsi\u1e41ha, is eternally blissful, therefore He enters His abode without burning His body. He destroys the demigods’ subtle bodies, and dances in the midst of them at the time of annihilation.'” (\u015ar\u012b Madhv\u0101c\u0101rya’s Bh\u0101gavata-t\u0101tparya<\/i>)<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n “The yogis who (possess the quality to) ‘die at will’ burn their own body with the fire of \u0101gney\u012b <\/i>yoga meditation and enter other planets, but this is not the case with the Supreme Lord K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a. He entered His own abode, Vaiku\u1e47\u1e6dha, with the same form, without burning it. The reason is that all planets are fully present in His limbs, so if His body, which is the shelter worlds, is burned, the worlds will also be burned. Till now it has been seen that meeting and achieving the fruits of meeting the Lord by the worshipers of the Lord is simply attained through the process of meditation. Had the Supreme Lord burned His form, then adjectives for His form like lok\u0101bhir\u0101m\u0101\u1e41<\/i>\u2014’attractive to all the worlds’ would become meaningless, therefore He disappeared without burning His form. This is the appropriate meaning.” (\u015ar\u012bdhara Sv\u0101m\u012b)<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n “If a word from a statement has another meaning, then according to the logic from the Brahma-s\u016btra (1.1.22), \u0101k\u0101\u015bas tal-li\u1e45g\u0101t<\/i>\u2014’the Supreme Brahman 11 is the collective ingredient of all living entities and the five gross material elements,” only the principle instructive meaning of the statement is accepted. Therefore the meaning that is derived from the word dagdhv\u0101<\/i>, or “burning,” is subdued by words like lok\u0101bhir\u0101m\u0101\u1e41<\/i>, which reveal the meaning adagdhv\u0101<\/i>, or “not burning. 22” The word lok\u0101bhir\u0101m\u0101\u1e41<\/i>indicates that the Lord’s form is the shelter of the entire world. From the word loka, the eternal associates and devotees from Mah\u0101-Vaiku\u1e47\u1e6dha and all animate living entities beginning from those of the \u0101tm\u0101r\u0101ma-j\u00f1\u0101n\u012bs<\/i>, self-satisfied transcendentalists, are indicated. Moreover, the words dh\u0101ra\u1e47\u0101-dhy\u0101na-ma\u1e45galam<\/i> indicate that the form of the Lord is the shelter of those engaged in spiritual practices. How can that which is auspicious for persons engaged in meditation be otherwise (abominable due to being destroyed through burning)? By the word sva-tanu\u1e41<\/i>, which is a karma-dh\u0101raya-sam\u0101sa<\/i>, an appositional compound, conformity with the constitutional qualities in the form of the Lord (the blueness of the blue lotus) has been firmly established.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n “Thereafter, to refute the yogis’ misconceptions, it has been said that though it is true that the Lord engaged in \u0101gney\u012b <\/i>meditation, He nevertheless entered His own abode without burning His form by \u0101gney\u012b <\/i>meditation. So in order to teach yogis how to give up one’s body, the Lord first engaged in \u0101gney\u012b <\/i>meditation and then made His own form disappear. This is the purport of this verse; no other meaning is suitable. Therefore the statement ‘without burning His own form’ yields the meaning ‘He burned a form that was created by His independent illusory energy.’ That is why in the previously cited verse from \u015ar\u012bmad Bh\u0101gavatam <\/i>(11.30.40) it has been stated that the Supreme Lord manifests His form out of His supreme will. An object that independently manifests must also independently disappear. Therefore His engaging in \u0101gney\u012b <\/i>meditation is also illusory. In K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a-sandarbha<\/i>, the phrase icch\u0101-\u015bar\u012br\u012b<\/i>, ‘who takes a body according to His desire,’ has been explained as svecch\u0101-prak\u0101\u015ba<\/i>, ‘manifested by His own will,’ or ‘the body of one’s desire,’ by which He acts as He likes. This explanation is also possible. In that case it is to be understood that simply by His supreme will He was the instigator of that illusion. This explanation is also proper.” (Krama-sandarbha<\/i>)<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n “The Lord, unlike the yogis who are capable of controlling their death, entered His own abode, Vaiku\u1e47\u1e6dha, without burning His own form through \u0101gney\u012b <\/i>meditation. And the word adagdhv\u0101<\/i>, ‘without burning,’ indicates that His form is very pleasing to the eyes of people, in other words, it is the object of meditation. Both explanations have been described in this verse.” (\u015ar\u012bdhara Sv\u0101mip\u0101da)<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n “Some scholars interpret the phrase dh\u0101ra\u1e47\u0101-dhy\u0101na-ma\u1e45gala<\/i> to mean ‘the Lord burned His own form and emerged from that fire with a more effulgent form like that of the pure Jamb\u016b River and then entered His own abode.’ The purport is that the Lord showed those who are doubtful and opposed to the concept that His form is spiritual that His form is unburnable by the fire of His own form.” (\u015ar\u012b Vi\u015bvan\u0101tha)<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Commentaries on \u015ar\u012b \u015aukadeva’s statement to \u015ar\u012b Par\u012bk\u1e63it in \u015ar\u012bmad Bh\u0101gavatam <\/i>(11.31.11-13) are as follows:<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n “You should understand that the appearance and disappearance manifested among mortal beings by the Supreme Lord, \u015ar\u012b K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a, the cause of all causes, are shows enacted by His illusory energy, just like the performance of an actor. After He creates this universe, He enters into it as the Supersoul, and after detaching Himself from the pastimes of this material world, He winds it up. By the influence of His own transcendental glory, the Lord remains situated in His eternal unmanifested kingdom. Apart from this, one need not accept another meaning, because various opulences have been exhibited in His present incarnation. If one asks, ‘If the Lord was able to protect Himself then why didn’t He remain within His own form for even for a moment longer?’ In answer to this, it is said: Though the Lord is unlimitedly powerful and the only cause of creation, maintenance, and destruction of innumerable universes, thinking that His mundane mortal body would not be effective any more and exhibiting the supreme destination of the self-realized souls, He did not wish to keep His form after the killing of the mortal Y\u0101davas, rather He took it to His own abode. Otherwise, the above-mentioned self-realized souls would disregard achieving the supreme destination and endeavor to remain in this material world by achieving yogic perfections\u2014so that this calamity may not happen, in other words, to check this, the Lord enacts His disappearance pastimes.” (\u015ar\u012bdhara Sv\u0101mip\u0101da)<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n “The phrase tanu-bh\u1e5bj-janan\u0101pyayeh\u0101<\/i> [in Bh\u0101g. 11.31.11] means ‘resembling the birth and death of embodied living beings.’ The Vedas state: ‘Vi\u1e63\u1e47u, the Lord of all living entities, wanders within the universe. Though He does not take birth like conditioned souls, He appears in various forms.’ In the Brahma Pur\u0101\u1e47a<\/i> it is said: ‘In order to bewilder foolish people by His illusory energy, Lord Vi\u1e63\u1e47u manifests Himself as a born living entity though unborn and as a dead living entity though deathless.’ Elsewhere it is stated: ‘Lord Puru\u1e63ottama exhibits His humanlike endeavors in order to bewilder the people of this world. Moreover, though the Supreme Lord Vi\u1e63\u1e47u does not personally accept a material body, in order to bewilder sinful people He manifests Himself like a mortal being and through His illusory energy He creates a dead body for display. Actually the Supersoul, Lord Hari, is immortal, so how can there be a dead body?’ It is stated in the Brahm\u0101\u1e47\u1e0da Pur\u0101\u1e47a<\/i>: ‘Various Vedic statements that apparently describe the nondifference of the living entities from the Supreme Lord, Lord Vi\u1e63\u1e47u’s accepting and giving up bodies like an ordinary living entity, His miseries, the cutting and piercing of His body by the arrows of His enemies, His defeat, and His dependence, in other words, His remaining under the control of others, have all been stated to bewilder the sinful demons. First Rukmi\u1e47\u012b, the daughter of Bh\u012b\u1e63maka, and then Satyabh\u0101m\u0101 disappeared in the forest. Both of them possess pure spiritual bodies, so they did not give up their bodies like ordinary living entities.'” (\u015ar\u012b Madhv\u0101c\u0101rya Bh\u0101gavata-t\u0101tparya<\/i>)<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n “The Y\u0101davas were not products of this material world, so what to speak of R\u0101ma and K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a.\u2014In order to establish this conclusion, it is being said that the activities of appearance and disappearance by the Y\u0101davas, who are eternal associates of the Lord and possess pure forms equal to that of the Lord, are also illusory like those of K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a. Such activities are exactly like those of a magician who can kill or burn his or others’ bodies and then display them alive again. The inconceivable omnipotent Lord is the cause of universal creation\u2014for Him such an exhibition of prowess is not very wonderful. In this way: BR><\/span><\/p>\n s\u012btay\u0101r\u0101dhito vahni\u015b ch\u0101y\u0101-s\u012bt\u0101m aj\u012bjanatt\u0101\u1e41 jah\u0101ra da\u015ba-gr\u012bva\u1e25 s\u012bt\u0101 vahni-pura\u1e41 gat\u0101par\u012bk\u1e63\u0101-samaye vahni\u1e41 ch\u0101y\u0101-s\u012bt\u0101 vive\u015ba s\u0101vahni\u1e25 s\u012bt\u0101\u1e41 sam\u0101n\u012bya tat-purast\u0101d an\u012bnaya\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n ‘When he was petitioned by mother S\u012bt\u0101, the fire-god, Agni, brought forth an illusory form of S\u012bt\u0101, and R\u0101va\u1e47a, who had ten heads, kidnapped the false S\u012bt\u0101. The original S\u012bt\u0101 then went to the abode of the fire-god. When Lord R\u0101macandra tested the body of S\u012bt\u0101, it was the false, illusory S\u012bt\u0101 that entered the fire. At that time the fire-god brought the original S\u012bt\u0101 from his abode and delivered her to Lord R\u0101macandra.’ According to this statement from the B\u1e5bhad-agni Pur\u0101\u1e47a, materialists have misinterpreted the example of the illusory or false pastimes of R\u0101va\u1e47a kidnapping S\u012bt\u0101, the transcendental goddess of fortune, and the foolish persons’ misconceptions about personalities like \u015ar\u012b Sa\u1e45kar\u1e63a\u1e47a.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n “What to speak of the Y\u0101davas who possess transcendental spiritual bodies, various other persons who are maintained by K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a are also not subjected to death. Was K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a unable to protect His own associates, the Y\u0101davas? Therefore the Y\u0101davas’ activities (such as giving up their bodies) are not real pastimes, rather it is most reasonable to accept that they returned to Goloka in their same bodies.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n “If one argues that the Y\u0101davas went back to Godhead in their own bodies, but since the Lord was present, they had no distress of separation from Him; but if the Lord was able to protect His own men, why didn’t He have other associates advent like the Y\u0101davas and remain for some time with them in this world for the benefit of the living entities? The conclusive answer stated in this verse is that both the Lord and the Y\u0101davas have uninterrupted affection for each other. Although the Lord is unlimitedly powerful, after causing the disappearance of the Y\u0101davas, He thought, ‘What is the necessity for Me to remain in this world without the Y\u0101davas?’ With this in mind, the Lord disclosed that His destination was the same as that attained by the Y\u0101davas, who had returned to the Lord’s abode, and thus He no longer wished to keep His form in this world for even a moment, so He took it to His own abode.” (Krama-sandarbha<\/i>)<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n “\u015ar\u012b \u015aukadeva solaces Par\u012bk\u1e63it Mah\u0101r\u0101ja, who was distressed on hearing about the disappearance of the Lord and His associates from the eyes of the world, by describing the conclusive truths regarding the Lord’s pastimes. One should know that the Lord’s activities of birth and death like ordinary embodied souls are simply acts of illusion. They are neither factual nor real. Both the birth and death of living entities who possess bodies made of semen and blood are full of happiness and distress, but both the appearance and disappearance of the Supreme Lord, who possesses a spiritual body, are completely full of spiritual happiness. In the Brahm\u0101\u1e47\u1e0da Pur\u0101\u1e47a<\/i> it is stated: ‘The form of Lord Hari is devoid of mundane abomination and delight, but words like “acceptance” and “rejection,” which are found in His activities, are to be understood as His appearance and disappearance.’ They are just like the exhibition of a magician, who (while remaining in his living state) manifests his and others’ false birth and death. Due to the curse of the sages, the Lord first personally created the great disturbance, the interfamily quarrel, and the interfamily fighting with weapons, and He thereafter joined the mortal Y\u0101davas, took up a cane stalk weapon, and, after sporting with them for some time, killed them, all the while remaining aloof on the strength of His illusory energy.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n “Although the Lord is supremely opulent and unlimitedly powerful, after sending the demigods who had merged among the Y\u0101davas back to heaven, He did not personally desire to keep His body or His associate Y\u0101davas’ bodies in this world; rather, He desired to make them disappear, because there was no need for them to remain in this world. In other words, the Lord had no need of the material world, but He had need of His own abode, Goloka. Since the Lord appeared in this world due to the prayers of Brahm\u0101 and the other demigods of heaven, again, simply by their prayers, the Lord exhibited to Brahm\u0101 and the other demigods of heaven His return to Vaiku\u1e47\u1e6dha. This is clearly being explained in this verse. If one gives a contrary explanation to this, then it would contradict Uddhava’s statement in the \u015ar\u012bmad Bh\u0101gavatam <\/i>(3.2.11), and it will be unacceptable to the pure devotees. That such an explanation is demoniac and unacceptable to the devotees was personally declared by Uddhava in the previous verse of \u015ar\u012bmad Bh\u0101gavatam <\/i>(3.2.10) as follows: ‘Being bewildered by the illusory energy of the Lord, those who were mortal Y\u0101davas and those who were averse and inimical to the Lord, like \u015ai\u015bup\u0101la, criticized the Lord. My heart is surrendered to K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a, so let my intelligence never be bewildered by such criticism. In other words, those whose intelligence is bewildered by such criticism are certainly fooled by m\u0101y\u0101.'” (\u015ar\u012b Vi\u015bvan\u0101tha)<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n In his commentary on Mah\u0101bh\u0101rata<\/i> (2.79-83) \u015ar\u012b Madhv\u0101c\u0101rya has stated: “Nowhere is it mentioned that Lord Vi\u1e63\u1e47u takes birth like an ordinary living entity, so where is the question of His death? He is not to be killed or bewildered by anyone. Where is the question of misery for the independent Supreme Lord, who is full of eternal bliss? Although the Supreme Lord Hari has mastery over the entire universe, He nevertheless exhibits Himself as weak as an ordinary farmer in the course of His eternal pastimes. But even though in the course of His pastimes He sometimes forgets His own identity, He sometimes searches for S\u012bt\u0101 while suffering the distress of separation like a hen-pecked husband, and sometimes He is bound by the ropes of Indrajit, it should be known that these pastimes are simply meant for bewildering the demons. His pastimes like being bewildered by the arrows of the demons, wiping the blood from His open wound, inquiring from others like an ignorant person, and giving up His body and going to heaven are performed like the drama of an actor simply to bewilder the demons. The devotees, however, know these pastimes as illusory, in other words, they know that these pastimes are simply false deceit. The appearance and disappearance pastimes of Lord \u015ar\u012b Hari are not like those of ordinary embodied living entities, rather they are all completely faultless. Apart from this, whatever reverses we see bewilder even simple, ignorant, pious persons and what to speak of the miscreants. It is to be understood that these pastimes of the Supersoul, Lord Hari, are to award fruits to the living entities according to their respective mentalities.”<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n From the same commentary on Mah\u0101bh\u0101rata<\/i> (32.33-34) it is stated: “Although the Supreme Lord and master of all living entities, Acyuta, is sac-cid-\u0101nanda-vigraha<\/i>, in His disappearance pastimes of incarnations in which He does not exhibit illusion or m\u0101y\u0101 during His appearance, He imitates an ordinary living entity giving up his body in order to bewilder the demons and send them to the darkest regions of hell by creating a material body that resembles a rejected dead body and, after leaving it lying on the ground, He personally goes to Vaiku\u1e47\u1e6dha.”<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n One should refer to verses 18-36 of the \u015audhi-saurabha <\/i>section of the Yukti-mallik\u0101<\/i>, which was written by the lionlike logician, \u015ar\u012b V\u0101dar\u0101ja Sv\u0101m\u012b, who is celebrated as the second Madhv\u0101c\u0101rya in the \u015ar\u012b M\u0101dhva-samprad\u0101ya. In verses 37-39 it is said: “If one sees sandalwood with his eyes, then knowledge about the fragrance of that sandalwood is obtained. In this process the eyes take the help of the nose, otherwise if one had not previously smelled the fragrance of sandalwood he could not obtain knowledge of its fragrance by seeing it with his eyes. Similarly, other evidence takes help from the Vedas to establish the meaning of knowledge acquired by hearing. Because the evidence of the Vedas is prominent in realization of transcendental subject matters, other evidence like pratyak\u1e63a <\/i>(direct perception) and anum\u0101na<\/i>(hypothesis), which are dependent on the Vedas, are unable to serve the purpose of understanding transcendental subject matters due to their conflicting nature. Therefore in considering the Absolute Truth, the faulty vision of ignorant people cannot be considered evidence.”<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Apart from all this, one should carefully discuss Bhagavad-g\u012bt\u0101, Chapter 4, verses 6, 9, and 14, Chapter 7, verses 6-7 and 24-25, Chapter 9, verses 8-9 and 11-13, Chapter 10, verses 3 and 8, and Chapter 16, verses 19 and 20.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The word ati-alak\u1e63ite <\/i>is explained in the \u015ar\u012bmad Bh\u0101gavatam <\/i>(11.31.8-9), wherein \u015ar\u012b \u015aukadeva speaks to \u015ar\u012b Par\u012bk\u1e63it as follows: “Most of the demigods and other higher beings led by Brahm\u0101 could not see Lord K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a as He was entering His own abode, since He did not reveal His movements. But some of them did catch sight of Him, and they were extremely amazed. Just as ordinary men cannot ascertain the path of a lightning bolt as it leaves a cloud, the demigods could not trace out the movements of Lord K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a as He returned to His abode. [Only His associates could see.]”<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Mystery Behind Lord Krishna’s Disappearance<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n BY: ISVARA DASA <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Jul 26, 2016 \u2014 VRINDAVAN DHAM (SUN) \u2014 An essay adapted from a commentary by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura on the disappearance of Laksmipriya Devi, the wife of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. <\/b><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In the Caitanya-carit\u0101m\u1e5bta (\u0100di 16.20-21) it is stated: “Because the Lord was engaged in various ways in preaching work in East Bengal, His wife, Lak\u1e63m\u012bdev\u012b, was very unhappy at home in separation from … Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":22830,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22828","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-english"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-26 23:06:52","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22828","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/40"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22828"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22828\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22830"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22828"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22828"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22828"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}