{Srimad Bhagwat Mahatmay (the greatness of Srimad Bhagwat)}
{First Chapter}
Sage Vyas ji says: We greet and bow ourselves in the lotus feet of the divine supreme Lord whose form is Sachitanandagna (the state of the ultimate supreme consciousness; universal consciousness; the eternal blissful reality), who attracts everyone’s mind and soul with his beauty and divine qualities; who showers his devotees with eternal happiness; by whose will and power the creation, maintenance and destruction of the entire cosmos takes place. We surrender ourselves to the Lord in order to taste the mellow derived from selfless devotional service (bhaktiras).
In the region of Naimisharanya, Sri Sut ji was sitting on his asana (seat) with a peaceful and calm state of mind, while the Shaunkadi Rishis (sages), who were very affectionate and keen listener of God’s various divine stories, respectfully greeted Sut ji and asked- Sut ji! When Dharmaraj Yuddhishtir performed the coronation of Aniruddha’s son Vajra in Sri Mathura mandal and his (Yuddhishtir’s) grandson Parikshit in Hastinapur before going to the Himalayas for tapasya (spiritual practices to attain God), what kind of activities did Vajra and Parikshit perform?
Sut ji said: After surrendering and bowing down to Lord Narayan, Narottam Nar, Goddess Saraswati and Maharishi Vyas, with a pure and stable mind, one should chant and recite ‘Jai’, the form of various ancient scriptures, which illuminates the Bhagavad Tatva (the true form or the meaning of Srimad Bhagvat puran).
Addressing Shaunkadi Brahmarshis (Brahmarshis is a title given to those sages who are said to have attained the highest form of spiritual realization, i.e. realization of Brahma-the creator of the entire universe), Sut ji further added-
When the Pandava brothers including Dharmaraj Yudhishthir went to the Himalayas for their ascent to Heaven, King Parikshit went to Mathura one day to visit and meet Vajranabha there. When Vajranabh heard the news of Parkshit coming to visit him, his heart was filled with love. He himself went ahead of his city to receive King Parikshit and welcomed him to his palace with great love and affection. Parikshit, being one of the most courageous and fearless king, was also one of the most loving and selfless devotee of Lord Sri Krishna. His mind was always absorbed in the dense bliss of Sri Krishna Chandra. He hugged Vajranabha, who was the grandson of Sri Krishna, with great love. He then visited the palace and paid his respects to all the wives of Lord Sri Krishna including Rohini ji. Even Rohini ji and all the wives of Sri Krishna, welcomed Parikshit with great honor and affection. After resting and sitting comfortably, Parikshit spoke to Vajranabha-
King Parikshit said: “O Vajranabha! Your father and forefathers have saved and supported my ancestors from great dangers. They have also protected me. I cannot repay their kindness even if I want to. Therefore, I request you to perform all your responsibilities peacefully, without worrying about your kingdom’s treasure, number of soldiers or even when it comes to defeating your enemies. Your foremost responsibility is to serve your mothers with love and gratitude. If, anytime, you get into trouble or any kind of danger, if you ever experience suffering or any discomfort in your heart, inform me without any botheration, I will try to help and support you in every possible way.” Hearing such compassionate words from King Parikshit, Vajranabha felt very happy and pleased, and said-
Vajranabha said: Maharaja! What you are saying to me is completely inapt for you. Your father also did me a great favor by teaching me the art of archery. Therefore, I am not worried about anything; because of his grace, I am endowed with the valor befitting a Kshatriya. I am only very worried about one thing, please give some thought to it. Although I have been crowned as the ruler of the Mathura region, I live here in a secluded forest. I have no idea where the people of this kingdom have gone. The welfare of a kingdom depends on its people.
When Vajranabha expressed himself to Parikshit, he (Parikshit) then called upon the sage Shandilya, the former priest of Nanda and other cowherds, to dispel Vajranabha’s doubts. Upon receiving Parikshit’s message, Shandilya ji left his hermitage and arrived there. Vajranabha welcomed him with great respect and seated him on a high seat. King Parkshit then narrated the entire concern of Vajranabha to him. Maharshi Shandilya ji, then consoled him and started saying-
Shandilya ji said: Dear Parikshit and Vajranabha, I will now reveal to you the secret of Vajra Bhumi (Vrindavan). Listen carefully with focused minds.
The word ‘Vajra’ means Vyapti (expansion; pervading). According to the old saying, this land has been named as Vajra because of its vastness, or expanding nature. The Supreme Being, beyond the three qualities of sattva, rajas and tamas, is all pervading, and that is why He is called ‘Vajra’. He is eternal, blissful and of the nature of pure consciousness. In this transcendental abode of Vajra, Lord Sri Krishna, the son of Nanda, resides. Each part of his body is Sachitananda Swaroop (the form of Truth, Consciousness and Bliss). He is Aatmarama (one who takes delight in the true self, and is thus satisfied in all circumstances) and Aptakama (one whose desires have been fulfilled; a self- satisfied soul). Only those who are enchanted in the divine, true love can experience Him. Radha is the soul of Lord Sri Krishna, therefore, people with high spiritual knowledge, who are aware of this very essence, the ultimate truth, address Him as ‘Aatmarama’. The word ‘Kaam’ means desire. In Vajra, the only desired objects of Sri Krishna are cows, his friends, Gopis and the various leelas with them. All of these are always present in Vajra. This is why Lord Sri Krishna is called ‘Aptakama’.
The leela (divine play) of Lord Sri Krishna is beyond nature. When he starts playing with nature, others also experience his leela. In the divine play that happens with nature, the creation, maintenance and destruction of the universe is manifested by Sattva, Rajas and Tamas, the three modes of nature. It is certain that the leela (divine play) of the Lord is of two types- Vastavi (real) and Vyavahariki (practical; empirical). The Vastavi leela is known and experienced by Lord Krishna and his ecstatic devotees themselves. The leela that happens or takes place in front of living beings is Vyavahariki leela. Without the Vastavi leela, Vyavahariki leela cannot happen; but Vyavahariki Leela cannot enter the sphere of Vastavi leela. The leela (divine play) of the Lord that you both are witnessing is the Vyavahariki leela. This earth and other realms like heaven are under the purview of his this leela, and this Mathura mandal is on this very Earth.
This is the sacred land of Vajra, where the divine secret Vastavi leela of the Lord incessantly takes place in abounding hidden ways. Sometimes, those, bestowed with God’s grace and blessings, immersed in the selfless love and devotion towards Sri Krishna can see and experience these divine plays. At times like the end of the 28th Dwapar Yuga, when the pure, selfless and devoted devotees of the Lord, who are blessed to experience and be a part of divine plays, gather here, as happened some time ago, the Lord incarnates with his precious beloved devotees. The purpose of His incarnation is to allow devotees to taste and drench themselves in the deific experience of Lord’s divine plays and experience bliss. In this way, when the Lord incarnates, at that time, the beloved deities and even sages and others also take birth to captivate the delight.
The avatar that the Lord had taken now (Sri Krishna) was for fulfilling the desires of all his dearest devotees, and the Lord has now returned to his abode. It is certain from this that there were three types of devotees present here without any doubt. The first categories of devotees include those who are the eternal ‘Anatarang Parshad’ – those who never get separated from the Lord. The second are those who only desire to attain the Lord- those who want to know and experience the leela (divine play). The third category includes the deities and others. Among these devotees, those who took birth from the parts of the deities and others, Lord Sri Krishna had already made them move from Vajra Bhumi (Vrindavan) to Dwarka and made them settle there. Then, using the mace born out of the curse of Brahmins, the Lord sent these deities (born as devotees) to heaven, who had ascended in the Yadu dynasty, and constituted them in their respective roles. Those who had the desire to attain only the Lord, Sri Krishna, by manifesting them in the form of love and bliss, made them a part of His eternal ‘Anatarang Parshad’. Although the eternal Parshads of the Lord are always secretly present here in the abiding divine plays of the Lord, those who are not entitled to see the blissful leelas of the Lord, cannot see them. Those who are surrounded by Vyavharik leela are not entitled to see these sacred sempiternal, perennial divine plays, and therefore, to them, everything here appears to be a deserted forest. Vajranabha! You should not agonize. You should establish many villages here, and by doing so, your desires will certainly be fulfilled.
According to the divine plays of Lord Sri Krishna, you should settle many villages and serve the land of Vrindavan (Vajrabhumi) with proper dedication and sincerity by naming each place after the different leelas of Lord Krishna. You should build barracks for yourselves in places like Govardhan, Dirghapur (Deeg), Mathura, Mahavan (Gokul), Nandigram (Nandigaon), Bruhatsan (Barsana). While staying in those places, you should continue to worship and experience the divinity of the Leela stahls (the places where Lord Krishna’s divine plays took place) such as rivers, mountains, valleys, lakes, ponds, groves, and forests. By doing this, your kingdom will become very prosperous and you will also experience calm and peace. This land of Vrindavan is filled with divine consciousness and bliss, so you should make a concerted effort to serve these lands. I bless you, and by my blessings and the great Lord’s grace, you will be able to recognize all the places associated with Lord Sri Krishna’s Leelas accurately.
Vajranabha! By continuing to serve this holy Vajrabhumi, one day you will meet Uddhav ji. Then, along with your mothers, you will also understand the secrets of this land and Lord Sri Krishna’s leelas from him.
The great sage Shandilya ji, after explaining and illustrating the greatness of Lord Krishna, immersed in the devotion of the great Lord, went back to his ashram. Hearing his words, both King Parikshit and Vajranabha, engulfed with elation, were very pleased.