Krsna Book Audio Dictation - Chapter 04
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Fourth Chapter: "Omen of Caṇḍikā."
After Vasudeva had adjusted things as they were before his carrying out Kṛṣṇa, all the doors and gates became closed as it was formerly, and the gatekeepers also became awakened, and they heard the newly born child's crying. Kaṁsa was awaiting to receive the news of the child's birth, and immediately the gatekeepers approached him and informed that the child is born. At that time, very dexterously Kaṁsa got up from his bed and exclaimed simultaneously, "Now the cruel death of my life is born!" Kaṁsa became so much perplexed that now his death was approaching, and all his bunch of hair become loosened, and immediately he proceeded towards the place where the child was born.
Devakī, just seeing his (her) brother approaching him (her), very poorly prayed of Kaṁsa: "My dear brother, please do not kill this female child. I promise that this child will be the wife of your son, and therefore you should not kill this poor female child, because you are not to be killed by any female child. That was the omen, and you are to be killed by a male child. Please do not kill her. My dear brother, you have killed my so many children just born, shining as the sun. That is not your fault. You have been advised by the demonic friends of yours to kill my children. But now I beg that you may excuse this girl, and at least you can stop killing this girl and let her live as my daughter."
Kaṁsa was so cruel that he did not care to hear the pitiful prayers of his sister Devakī, and he forcibly took away the girl, rebuking his sister. The cruel brother thereafter began to dash the newly born child on the stone, without taking any pity on his sister. It was the tangible example of a cruel man who could sacrifice his all relationship for the sake of personal gratification. Immediately the child slipped away from the hand of Kaṁsa and went up in the sky and appeared with eight hands as the younger sister of Viṣṇu. She was decorated with nice flower garlands and ornaments, dressed with nice dress. With eight hands she had a bow and lancet, arrows, a sword, conchshell, disc, club and shield.
By seeing the appearance of goddess Durgā in such form, all the demigods from different planets like Siddhaloka, Cāraṇaloka, Gandharvaloka, Apsaraloka, Kinnaraloka, Uragaloka presented the goddess with various articles and began to offer their respective prayers. The goddess from up addressed Kaṁsa: "You rascal, how you could kill me? The child who would kill you is already born before me somewhere within this world. Don't become so cruel and envious to your poor sister." After this appearance from Durgā, the goddess became known in various name in various parts of the world.
After hearing the words of the goddess, Kaṁsa also became very much overwhelmed with fear, and immediately, out of pity, released Vasudeva and Devakī from the bondage of shackles and very politely began to address them as follows. He addressed them and said, "My dear sister and brother-in-law, I have acted just like a demon to kill my own nephews. On this account, I have killed so many of your children and given up all consideration of our intimate relationship. I do not know what is the result of this enviousness on my part. Probably I shall be sent to such hell where the killers of the brāhmaṇas are deported. I am surprised, however, that the celestial foretelling also become untrue." Kaṁsa thought that the eighth child of Devakī would be...
49:40 (Tape) number six, Kṛṣṇa.
Kaṁsa continued to say that "Even celestial denizens also speak lie, not only lying propaganda is there in the human society. And because I believed on the words of the celestial denizens, I have committed so much sin by killing the children of my sister. My dear Vasudeva and Devakī, you are both very great souls. I have nothing to instruct you; still, I may request you that don't be sorry for the death of your children, because every one of us are under the control of superior power, and as such the superior power does not allow us to remain together. We are bound to be separated from our friends and relatives in due course of time, but we must know it certain that even after the disappearance of different material bodies, the soul remains intact eternally. Just like there are many earthen pots made of earthly clay, and they are prepared and they are also broken. But in spite of such manifestation of different earthen pots and breakage, the earth as it is remains perpetually. Similarly, the bodies of the soul under different condition, made and destroyed, that may go on. Still the soul, the spirit soul, remains eternally.
“So there is nothing to be lamented. Everyone should understand the distinction between the spirit soul and the material body, and so long one does not come to that understanding that this material body is different from the spirit soul, so long the spirit soul is sure to accept this process of transmigration from one body to another.
“My dear sister Devakī, you are so gentle; kindly excuse me—don't be aggrieved for the death of your children done by me. Actually, it is not done by me, but they are all predestined activities, and one has to act according to that predestined plan, even unwillingly. As long as one does not understand this distinction of the soul and the body, but misunderstands that with the end of the body one is ended or one can kill any other living entity, all these misconception oblige one to accept the conditions of material existence. In other words, so long one is not firmly convinced about the eternity of the soul, one is subjected to the tribulation of being killed and killer.
“My dear sister Devakī and brother-in-law Vasudeva, both of you are very kindhearted. Kindly excuse my atrocities done upon you. I am very much poor-hearted, and you are so great-hearted, so you take compassion upon me and excuse me." While speaking to his brother-in-law and sister, Kaṁsa accumulated tears in his eyes and fell down on the feet of both his sister and brother-in-law. Kaṁsa, however, believing on the version of Durgā-devī, whom he wanted to kill, immediately released his brother-in-law and sister. He personally unlocked their iron shackles and very sympathetically showed friendship as family members.
Next paragraph.
When Devakī saw her brother so repenting, she also became pacified and forgot all the atrocious activities of his brother…, of her brother on her children. And Vasudeva also, forgetting all past incidences, smilingly began to talk with his brother-in-law, Kaṁsa. Vasudeva also addressed his brother-in-law Kaṁsa and said, "My dear fortunate brother-in-law, whatever you are saying about the material body and the soul, they are all correct. Every living entity is born ignorant, understanding this material body as he himself. This conception of life is due to ignorance, and on the basis of this ignorance we create enmity or friendship. On the platform of bodily concept of life, lamentation, jubilation, fearfulness, envy, greediness, illusion and madness are different features of our material concept of life. And a person influenced like this will create enmities between ourself on the material body only, and being engaged in such activities, we forget our eternal relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead."
Vasudeva took the opportunity of Kaṁsa's delivering the sermons and informed him that his atheistic activities are also due to such misconception of life, namely accepting this material body as self. When Vasudeva talked with Kaṁsa in such illuminating attitude, he also became very much pleased, and his repentance for killing his nephews became subdued. Now, with the permission of his sister Devakī and brother-in-law Vasudeva, he returned to his home with engladdened mind. But when the night was over, the next day Kaṁsa called for all his counselors and narrated before them all the incidences that had happened last night.
Next paragraph.
All the counselors of Kaṁsa were demons, and they were eternally enemies of the demigods. So they were aggrieved by hearing their master Kaṁsa, and although they are not very much experienced and learned, still they began to give instruction to Kaṁsa as follows: "My dear sir, let us now make arrangement for killing all the children that are born within ten days in all towns, counties, villages and pasturing ground. Let us execute this plan indiscriminately. We think the demigods cannot do anything against us if we perform these atrocities, because the demigods are always afraid of fighting with us, and even they attempt to check our activities, still they will not dare to do so, because on account of your immeasurable strength they remain always afraid of your bow. As soon as you take up your bow and promise to kill them, immediately they become very much anxious for their lives.
“Besides that, we have experiences practically that whenever you stood to fight with them and began to shower your arrows on them, immediately they began to flee away, here and there, just to save their lives. Many of the demigods were unable to fight with you. Immediately they surrendered themselves unto you by opening their turban and flag on the head, and with folded hands they begged of you to save them. They surrendered unto you saying, 'My lord, we are all afraid of your strength. Please release us from this dangerous fight.'
“We have also seen many times that to such surrendered fighters you never…, never to kill them, because they are all fearful, broken up their chariots, forgetful of their military activities, engaged in other things except fighting, broken up their arrows and bows without being able to fight with you. Actually, we have nothing to be afraid of these demigods, because they can be very proud of their being great fighter in peacetime or out of war. Actually, in the war field they cannot show any talent of their military power.
“Besides that, although Lord Viṣṇu, Lord Śiva and Lord Brahmā are all demigods and they are always ready to help the demigods headed by Indra, we have no reason to be afraid of them, because so far Lord Viṣṇu is concerned, He has already hidden Himself within the heart of all living entities. He cannot come out. And so far Lord Śiva is concerned, he is renounced of all activities. He has already entered into the forest. And Brahmā, Lord Brahmā, is always engaged in different types of austerities and meditation, and what to speak of Indra—he is a straw in comparison with your strength. Therefore, we have nothing to be afraid of all these demigods. But still we must not neglect our enemies, because the demigods are our determined enemies. We must be careful and take protection of ourselves. As such, just to root out them from their very existence, we would just engage ourself in your service, and we are always ready for your command."
Next paragraph.
The demons continued to say: "If there is some disease on the body and if we neglect to cure such disease, it takes a very strong position, and at that time the disease becomes incurable. Similarly, when one is not careful about restraining the senses, and when they are let loose, it is very difficult to control them afterwards. Therefore, immediately we must be very careful of these demigods before they get too strong to be subdued. The foundation of strength of the demigods is Lord Viṣṇu, because the ultimate goal of all religious principle is to satisfy Lord Viṣṇu. And for the satisfaction of Lord Viṣṇu, the Vedic injunction, the brāhmaṇas, the cow, austerity and sacrifices, perform in charities and distribution of wealth.
“So immediately let us begin the killing propaganda of all the brāhmaṇas who are in charge of the Vedic knowledge and the great sages who are in charge of sacrificial ritualistic performances. Let us kill all the cows, who are the source of butter so much necessary for performing sacrifices, and we wish that you give us your permission to kill all these creatures." Actually, the limbs of the transcendental body of Lord Viṣṇu are the brāhmaṇas, the cows, the Vedic knowledge, austerity, truthfulness, controlling the senses, controlling the mind, faithfulness, charity, tolerance and performance of sacrifices. That Lord Viṣṇu is situated in everyone's heart and is the leader of all demigods, including Lord Śiva and Lord Brahmā. “We think to kill Lord Viṣṇu is to persecute the great sages and brāhmaṇas."
Next paragraph.
Thus being advised by the rascal minister, Kaṁsa, who is from the very beginning rascal number one, decided to persecute the brāhmaṇas and the Vaiṣṇavas, being entrapped by the shackles of all-devouring, eternal time. Thus he ordered all the demons to harass all kinds of saintly persons and thus enter his house. The adherents of Kaṁsa were all influenced by the modes of passion, as well as they were illusioned by the modes of ignorance, and their only business was to create enmity with saintly persons. Such activities, however, can only reduce the duration of life. The demons accelerated such process, just inviting their death as soon as possible.
The result of persecuting saintly person is not only untimely death, but they are so much offensive that the enactor gradually loses his duration of life, his beauty, his fame, his religious principles of life, and thus promotion to higher planets are checked. Thus being driven by various kinds of mental concoction, demons diminishes all kinds of auspiciosity. In other words, offense at the lotus feet of the devotees and brāhmaṇas is the cause of offense at the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And a civilization which commits such sinful activities loses generally all faith in the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and godless civilization becomes the source of all calamities in the human society.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of summary study of Kṛṣṇa in the matter of "Omen by Caṇḍikā."