SB 10.8.48
TEXT 48
- śrī-śuka uvāca
- droṇo vasūnāṁ pravaro
- dharayā bhāryayā saha
- kariṣyamāṇa ādeśān
- brahmaṇas tam uvāca ha
SYNONYMS
śrī-śukaḥ uvāca — Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said; droṇaḥ — by the name Droṇa; vasūnām — of the eight Vasus (a type of demigod); pravaraḥ — who was the best; dharayā — with Dharā; bhāryayā — His wife; saha — with; kariṣyamāṇaḥ — just to execute; ādeśān — the orders; brahmaṇaḥ — of Lord Brahmā; tam — unto him; uvāca — said; ha — in the past.
TRANSLATION
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: To follow the orders of Lord Brahmā, Droṇa, the best of the Vasus, along with his wife, Dharā, spoke to Lord Brahmā in this way.
PURPORT
As stated in the Brahma-saṁhitā (BS 5.38):
- ānanda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhāvitābhis
- tābhir ya eva nija-rūpatayā kalābhiḥ
- goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūto
- govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
When Kṛṣṇa descends anywhere, He is accompanied by His own associates. These associates are not ordinary living beings. Kṛṣṇa's pastimes are eternal, and when He descends, He comes with His associates. Therefore Nanda and mother Yaśodā are the eternal father and mother of Kṛṣṇa. This means that whenever Kṛṣṇa descends, Nanda and Yaśodā, as well as Vasudeva and Devakī, also descend as the Lord's father and mother. Their personalities are expansions of Kṛṣṇa's personal body; they are not ordinary living beings. Mahārāja Parīkṣit knew this, but he was curious to know from Śukadeva Gosvāmī whether it is possible for an ordinary human being to come to this stage by sādhana-siddhi. There are two kinds of perfection—nitya-siddhi and sādhana-siddhi. A nitya-siddha is one who is eternally Kṛṣṇa's associate, an expansion of Kṛṣṇa's personal body, whereas a sādhana-siddha is an ordinary human being who, by executing pious activities and following regulative principles of devotional service, also comes to that stage. Thus the purpose of Mahārāja Parīkṣit's inquiry was to determine whether an ordinary human being can attain the position of mother Yaśodā and Nanda Mahārāja. Śukadeva Gosvāmī answered this question as follows.