In2-MeC

newly discovered entries of In2-DeepFreeze First Generation Animations

Stockholm, Sweden
13 October 2004

Chicago ISKCON temple, summer 1975. On Srila Prabhupada's right are HH Visnujana Swami, HH Satsvarupa dasa Goswami, HH Sudama Swami. To his Divine Grace's right are HH Brahmananda Swami and HH Tamal Krsna Goswami. I am standing at the far left.

Sri Skanda Purana's
Sri Vasudeva-mahatmya
Sri Narada's Visit to Goloka Vrndavana

Part One

Meditation on Sri Sri Radha-Krsna

From Sri Skanda Purana, Sri Vaisnava-khanda, Sri Vasudeva-mahatmya, Chapter 28

Text 1

One should meditate on Sri Radha's master, Lord Krsna, who is peaceful and handsome, and who is surrounded by a great spiritual effulgence.

One should meditate on Lord Krsna, His youthful, splendid, transcendental form is more handsome than many millions of Kamadevas. . .

. . . His limbs graceful, spiritual, and splendid like an autumn moon, His long arms graceful. . .

. . . His lotus feet with soft, reddish toes, His glistening toenails embarrassing the moon,. . .

. . . His graceful feet decorated with tinkling anklets, His legs and knees graceful,. . .

. . . His graceful waist bound with a yellow garment and a jewel belt and decorated with a deep navel and graceful lines of tri-bali,. . .

His broad chest decorated with Srivatsa, with the restlessly moving king of great pearl necklaces. . .

. . . with a garland of many fragrant flowers, and with a golden sacred thread, His blossoming red lotus hands decorated with bracelets,. . .

. . . His slender fingers glistening with jewel rings as He plays sweet flute music that charms everyone's heart,. . .

. . . His shoulders broad, His collar hidden, His great and splendid arms decorated with armlets, the sweet fragrance of His forest-flower garland attracting greedy, humming bees,. . .

. . . a splendid Kausthuba necklace on His conchshell neck, His chin handsome, His lips like splendid red bimba fruits. . .

. . . a gentle smile decorating His full-moon face, His nose graceful like a sesame flower,. . .

. . . His graceful ears decorated with glistening shark-shaped earrings and wonderful flower ornaments,. . .

. . . His cheeks splendid with the moonlight of His graceful teeth, His large eyes like red lotus petals,. . .

. . His forehead high and broad, His eyebrow's like Kamadeva's bow, the hair on His head fine, black, curly, splendid, and charming,. . .

. . . the crown on His head splendid with many jewels, and His glance filled with love for His devotees.

After meditating on Lord Krsna in this way, one should meditate on two-armed Sri-Radha at His left, Her limbs fair like gold, Her garments like red kausumbha flowers,. . .

. . . Her ears and nose graceful, Her garments and jewel ornaments splendid, Her form youthful, Her eye's like a fawn's, Her breasts full, high, and firm,. . .

. . . Her waist slender, Her hips broad, her belt splendid with jewels, Her many ornaments splendid, her face a blossoming lotus,. . .

. . . Her hands and arms splendid with jewel rings, bracelets, and armlets, Her lotus feet splendid with twinkling anklets,. . .

. . . Her broad forehead decorated with kunkuma decorations, her lips bimba fruits, her chest graceful, and her braids decorated with malati flowers,. . .

Lovingly gazing at Her master, She places a lotus flower in His hand. Please meditate on Sri Radha in this way and then worship Her and Her master.

Part Two

Description of Sri Goloka Vrndavana

Sri Skanda Purana, Sri Vaisnava-khanda, Sri Vasudeva-mahatmya, Chapter 16

Texts 1 & 2

Standing on the summit of Mount Meru, and with transcendental vision gazing on Svetadvipa, thousands of liberated souls there, and the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Vasudeva in their midst, the great yogi Narada suddenly flew there. He arrived there in a single moment.

Happy at heart, Sri Narada arrived in Svetadvipa. There he saw many devotees, each one splendid like the moon.

He worshipped them by bowing his head, and they also worshipped him in their minds. Austere Narada was very eager to see the Supreme Lord.

Happy at heart to know that he was a pure devotee of Lord Visnu, the devotees spoke to Narada as he was chanting the twelve syllable mantra.

The liberated residents of Svetadvipa said : O best of sages, you are a great devotee of Lord Krsna. You have come here and you are able to see us whom even the demigods cannot see. What do you desire, that you perform such severe austerities?

Sri Narada said : I am eager to see the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Krsna. O kings of the devotees, O you are very dear to the Lord, please show Him to me.

Sri Skanda then said : Then, inspired in his heart by Lord Krsna, one of the liberated residents of Svetadvipa said, "Come with me. I will show Lord Krsna to you," and began to walk ahead.

Travelling on the path of the sky, joyful Narada followed him. Narada saw the homes of the demigods, and then he flew above them.

Unattached, he saw first the seven planetary systems and then Dhruvaloka. Then he flew past Maharloka, Janaloka, and Tapaloka.

Then Narada saw Brahmaloka. Then, yearning to see Lord Krsna, Narada followed the liberated resident of Svetadvipa into the great darkness that is the eight-fold covering that envelops the universe.

One by one he passed through the layers of earth, water, fire, air, ether, false-ego, mahat-tattva, and prakrti, each layer ten times greater than the one before. Finally he came to the wonderful abode of Goloka.

As he approached that effulgent realm only pure devotees of Lord Krsna may enter, he saw the wide and fathomless Viraja river,. . .

. . . which was beautiful with white, red, and blue lotus flowers and fragrant with sandal paste from the gopis and gopas who bathed there.

Then he went to the river's beautiful shore, which was splendid with white, green, red and yellow jewels,. . .

. . . beautiful with many kalpa-vrksa trees and new coral sprouts, decorated with mines of syamantakas, sapphires, and other jewels,. . .

. . . beautiful with jewel stairways and the sweet cooing of swans, karandavas, and other birds,. . .

. . . and filled with splendid and pure waters drunk by hosts of surabhi cows, regal elephants, and horses. Then Narada continued on his journey.

Crossing that splendid transcendental river, by the Lord's will Narada came to a great moat and the hundred peaks of Mount Govardhana,. . .

. . . which was eighty million miles tall, eight hundred million miles broad, golden, very beautiful and charming,. . .

. . . beautiful with many thousands of kalpa-vrksa, parijata, and other trees and with mallika, yuthika, lavanga, aila, and other flowering vines,. . .

. . . with golden banana trees and other trees, with splendid deer, with elephant, and with sweetly cooing birds.

Then, on the beautiful peaks of that impassable mountain, Narada saw many great and beautiful pavilions for Lord Krsna's rasa dances,. . .

. . . pavilions filled with fragrant gardens, blossoming flowers, guarded by four entrances of four jewelled gates,. . .

. . . Splendid with many thousands of colourful archways, jewel pillars, bananas trees, pearl awnings,. . .

. . . beautiful with auspicious durva grass, moistened grains, and unbroken fruits, beautiful with courtyards sprinkled with sandal, agrur, musk, and kumkuma,. . .

. . . and filled with many kinds of beautiful instrumental music pleasing to the heart. There Narada saw many millions of groups of gopis,. . .

. . . gopis beautifully dressed in priceless garments and decorated with priceless ornaments with jewel bracelets, belts anklets, armlets, and rings,. . .

. . . gopis whose youthful beauty is beyond the power of words to describe, who are followers of Sri Radha, who are expert in amorous pastimes,. . .

. . . gopis who in these pavilions filled with many pleasing things sing songs glorifying Lord Krsna and enjoy many happy pastimes.

In the valley of that mountain Narada Muni saw the great forest named Vrndavana,. . .

. . . Which is famous pastime-place of Sri Sri Radha-Krsna, which is beautiful with many kalpa-vrksa trees, many lakes, many lotus flowers,. . .

many mango, amrataka, nipa, badari, pomegranate, kharjuri, betel, orange, coconut and sandalwood trees,. . .

. . . many jambu, jambira, pasana, aksoda, suradruma, banana, and campaka trees, and many vines of grapes and golden ketaki flowers,. . .

. . . which is splendid with many trees bending with a great burden of many fruits and flowers, which is splendid with many mallika, madhavi, kunda, lavanga, yuthika, and other flowering vines,. . .

. . which is served by gentle, fragrant, cooling breezes, which is everywhere the home for many clear streams swiftly flowing from the hundred peaks of Govardhana Mountain,. . .

. . . which is always opulent with the glory of springtime, which is filled with many groves lit with jewel lamps and filled with ornaments,. . .

. . . and which was everywhere filled, O sage, with the sounds of gopas and gopis chanting the glories of Lord Krsna, with the calls of cows and calves, and birds, with the tinkling of various ornaments, and with the sound of churning yoghurt.

Now gaze on this forest beautiful with many trees bending with many fruits and blossoming flowers, a place filled with thirty-two other forests.

Seeing this, joyful Narada entered the splendid town of Goloka, which was surrounded by a jewel fortress, beautiful with many royal roads,. . .

. . . splendid with many millions of airplanes and chariots made of regal jewels, beautiful with tinkling ornaments, and filled with devotees of Lord Krsna,. . .

. . . beautiful with many millions of wonderful regal-jewel palaces decorated with rows of jewel pillars,. . .

. . . beautiful with many charming pastime-pavilions made of the best jewels, illumined with jewel lamps, and graceful with jewel courtyards,. . .

. . . anointed with kesara, aguru, musk, and kumkuma, beautiful with many courtyards auspicious with yoghurt, durva grass, moistened grains, and betelnuts,. . .

. . . auspicious with many gates and golden pots filled with water, beautiful and royal roads paved with jewels, roads where many elephants and horses travel,. . .

. . . and crowded with many Brahma's, Sivas, and other demigods who have come, bearing gifts in their hands, to see Lord Krsna.

When he saw the great road filled with gopas and gopis eager to see Lord Krsna, Narada became filled with happiness.

Then Narada came to the all-wonderful and very beautiful palace of Lord Krsna, which was near the palace of Lord Krsna, which was near the palaces of Nanda, Vrsabhanu, and the other gopas,. . .

. . . and which was surrounded by sixteen moats and fortresses, each with four gates, and each gate guarded by ten million gopa gatekeepers.

Then Narada saw the gatekeepers standing before each of the jewel gates and jewel pillars.

51-53

Bowing down before Virabhanu, Candrabhanu, Suryabhanu, Vasubhanu, Devabhanu, Sakrabhanu, Ratnabhanu, Suparsva, Visala, Rsabha, Amsu, Bala, Subala, Devaprastha, Varuthapa, and Sridama, and receiving their permission one by one, Narada finally entered a great courtyard. There he saw a brilliant effulgence.

Seeing Lord Krsna

Sri Skanda Purana, Sri Vaisnava-khanda, Sri Vasudeva-mahatmya, Chapter 17

Sri Skanda said: O sage, there Narada saw a great effulgence brighter than millions of millions of suns shining together.

This effulgence was the impersonal Brahman. Shining in all directions, above, and below, it was eternal and full of knowledge and bliss.

This Brahman is the original cause of matter and the material identities of the conditioned souls. Perfect yogis who pass through the six cakras attain this Brahman.

By the mercy of Lord Krsna these yogis travel through the Brahma-randhra at the top of the head and then they see this impersonal Brahman. This impersonal Brahman illumines the entire world. The sun, moon, stars, and fire shine with its reflected light.

The devotees call it Brahma-pura, for it is the abode of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It shines everywhere like ten million suns.

Many gopas, gopis, Brahmas, and Sivas respectfully approach Lord Krsna in the centre of the Brahman. They fall to the ground to offer respects. They carry gifts in their hands.

One who has attained Lord Krsna's mercy can see Lord Krsna at the centre of the impersonal Brahman. Others, who have not attained His mercy, see only impersonal light. O sage, they cannot see Lord Krsna there.

In that great effulgence Narada saw a wonderful, splendid, transcendental palace beautiful with wonderful regal jewels, thousands of splendid jewel pillars, and many great assembly houses and pavilions,. . .

. . . and splendidly surrounded by many, many palaces of Lord Krsna's men and women devotees, palaces decorated with wonderful fine curtains and splendid jewels.

Happy at heart, Narada saw there a great throne splendid with the best of regal jewels, a throne that filled with wonder the heart of everyone who saw it.

Narada saw sitting on that throne Lord Krsna, who is the master of all opulences, the resting place of all living entities, beyond the touch of the modes of material nature, glorious with spiritual qualities, all-knowing, all-powerful, the Supreme Person whom the devotees call Vasudeva,. . .

. . . the Supreme Lord whom some say is the Supersoul, others say is the impersonal Brahman, greater than the greatest, and the devotees say is all-opulent, all-glorious Lord Visnu, the supreme master,. . .

. . . the Supreme Lord who is eternally youthful, filled with mercy, more handsome than many thousands of Kamadevas, supremely independent, not under the control of any liberated or conditioned soul,. . .

. . . the Supreme Lord who with a playful sidelong glance creates, maintains and destroys a multitude of material universes, who is the king of many millions of material universes, who is the only object of worship in all the universes, who is colourfully dressed like the best of dancing actors,. . .

. . . the Supreme Lord who is dressed in splendid and priceless yellow garments, who is opulent with many jewel ornaments, who is the colour of a new monsoon cloud, whose ears are splendid with shark shaped earrings,. . .

. . . the Supreme Lord whose limbs are splendid with a great effulgence, whose crown is splendid with many jewels, whose eyes are beautiful like autumn lotus flowers,. . .

. . . the Supreme Lord whose limbs are anointed with fragrant sandal paste, the door of whose chest is marked with Srivatsa, whose lotus arms place the flute to His mouth as he plays sweet music,. . .

. . . the Supreme Lord who is worshipped by Radha, Rama, Jaya, Susila, Lalita, Bhama, Kalindaja, Jambavati, and a host of others,. . .

the Supreme Lord who is served by religion, the Vedas, all opulences, transcendental knowledge and other virtues, and by the personified weapons, all standing with respectfully folded hands,. . .

. . . the Supreme Lord who is served by Nanda, Sunanada, and His other personal associates who are white or are the other colours of emeralds, rubies, or gold, and who all carry a cakra, club, lotus, and conchshell in their splendid hands,. . .

. . . the Supreme Lord who is worshipped by Sridama and a host of two-handed gopas, their heads bowed with devotion, and by Garuda standing before Him, and by the eight opulences, their heads bowed with respect,. . .

. . the Supreme Lord who is served by beauty, peace, mercy, protection, happiness, intelligence, faith, piety, noble-heartedness, friendship, tolerance, memory, and wisdom.

Gazing at the Supreme Lord's very wonderful and splendid transcendental form, Narada became filled with joy. All of his sense were captured by the Lord's handsomeness. The hairs of his body stood erect with transcendental love. His eyes were filled with tears of joy.

Offering respects, Narada fell to the ground like a stick. Then he stood up. Then he folded hands. Overcome with ecstatic love, he gazed at Lord Krsna's face.

With a glance Lord Hari respectfully welcomed His pure devotee Narada, who so earnestly desired to see Him.

Filled with bliss by gazing at the Lord and drinking the nectar of His words, Narada Muni devotedly praised the Lord with many prayers.

Sri Narada said : O Lord Sri Krsna, O Supreme Personality of Godhead, O resting place of all living entities, O master of the universes, O Vasudeva, O all-pervading Lord, O Lord dear to the pure devotees, all glories to you!

Your wonderful feet are always worshipped by Radha, Kamala, and their followers. You are the eternal goal for they who desire the highest good.

O Lord Krsna, You are the Supreme eternal soul among all other eternal souls. You are the supreme conscious being among all other conscious beings. You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, greater than all liberated and conditioned souls.

Perfection and purity are attained only by devotional service to You. They cannot be attained by performing austerities or in any other way.

They who yearn for liberation keep in their hearts the moonlight of Your feet. O master of the devotees, no one has the power to remove Your feet from their hearts.

All the Vedas worship, honour, and know You O Lord, they declare that You are the first cause of all causes.

The devotees keep the effulgence of Your lotus feet in their hearts. Your feet are peaceful and full of bliss. They are more glorious than many millions of moons.

You are the Supreme Person, beyond the touch of the modes of material nature. You stay eternally in this effulgent and eternal abode, which is filled with bliss and beyond the touch of the modes of material nature.

By worshipping You, the devotees become free from the fear of Your illusory potency Maya, and also from time, which makes one fear the material universes.

Now I take shelter of You and surrender to You, the all-powerful Supreme Person, the all-pervading Supersoul, the master of the universes.

O master of the demigods, if you would be merciful to me, then please grant that I may always have unwavering devotion for Your lotus feet.

Sri Skanda said : When Narada devotedly offered these prayers, the Supreme Personality of Godhead pleased him by speaking the following words, which are sweet like nectar.

Description of the Incarnations of Lord Krsna

Sri Skanda Purana, Sri Vaisnava-khanda, Sri Vasudeva-mahatmya, Chapter 18

The Supreme Personality of Godhead said : O great sage, because You are my pure devotee eternally, and because you are free of pride and hypocrisy, You are able, by My own wish, to see Me.

In you always stays non-violence, celibacy, duty, peacefulness, renunciation, surrender to the Lord,. . .

. . . association with devotees, astanga-yoga, sense control, eating little, austerity, freedom from all vices,. . .

. . . knowledge of My glories, and pure devotion to Me. O saintly one, it is because of all these that you are now able to see Me.

O brahmana, anyone who has qualities like these will see Me in this way, for I dearly love my pure devotees.

O brahmana, accompanied by Goddess Radha and the pure devotees who take shelter of Me, I stay always in this eternal abode.

I am Lord Vasudeva, who gives all results of karma. I am the Supersoul. I am not dependent on any living being.

Accompanied by Laksmi, Nanda, Garuda, and many other personal associated, in my four armed form I stay in the transcendental abode called Vaikuntha.

Every day in the five periods of time I allow the liberated residents of Svetadvipa to see Me.

Manifest in my forms as Aniruddha, Pradyumna, and Sankarsana, I create, maintain and destroy a host of material universes.

O Narada, in the beginning of creation Brahma was born from the lotus flower of My navel. He worshipped Me with austerities and with many yajnas.

Pleased with him, I granted all the boons he wished, I said to him : O Brahma, you have the power to create the material bodies of the living entities.

Because of the boon I now give, all living entities in the universe will be subject to your command. Also, the eternal Vedas will become manifested in your intelligence.

You will also attain knowledge of My transcendental form. No one will disobey you.

You will become the giver of boons to the demigods, demons, sages, and saintly persons.

When you are thwarted in performing your duty and become bewildered, simply think of Me. I will become manifest and do what needs to be done.

As you are creating the universe, the earth will fall into the great ocean. Appearing in the form of a boar, I will kill the demon Hiranyaksa, who is very proud of his own strength. Then I will return the earth to it's proper place.

At the end of one of your days I will become a fish. Until the end of your night I rescue in a boat Vaivasvata Manu, the sages, and the plants.

When the Kasyapa's son wish to churn nectar from the ocean but have no place for the churning rod, I will become a tortoise and I will place Mount Mandara on My back.

Manifesting a form half man and half lion, for the demigods' sake I will kill the demon Hiranyakasipu, who tried to stop all yajnas.

A powerful demon will take birth as Virocana's powerful son Bali. Bali will make Indra fall from his kingdom.

When Bali captures the three world from Indra, I will take birth as the twelfth son of Kasyapa and Aditi.

Then I will give the kingdom to Indra and return the demigods to their homes in Devaloka. I will make Bali live in Patalaloka.

I will become Kapila, the son of Kardama and Devahuti, and I will restore the Sankhya philosophy, which teaches renunciation, and which had become lost in the course of time.

I will become Dattatreya, son of Atri and Anasuya, and I will teach the science of logic to joyful Yadu.

I will become Rsabha, the son of Nabhi and Meru-devi, and I will teach the eternal duties of the paramahamsas.

In the Treta-yuga I will take birth in the Bhrugu dynasty as Parasurama and I will kill the ksatriyas.

During the junction of Treta and Dvarpara yugas I will take birth as Rama, the son of Dasaratha and Kausalya.

Goddess Laksmi will become Janaka's daughter Sita. I will marry her and I will also break Lord Siva's great bow.

In battle I will kill a great demon who hates the demigods and sages and who kidnapped Sita. I will kill him and his brother.

Valmiki Muni and other great sages will sing in many ways of my pastimes in this incarnation. They who hear these pastimes will be cleansed of their sins.

At the end of the junction of Dvarpara and Kali yugas, I will take birth in Mathura city as the son of Vasudeva and Devaki. My mission will be to kill the demons burdening the earth and to protect religion and the pious devotees.

I, Krsna, will be known as the son of Vasudeva. Balarama will be Sankarsana. Pradyumna and Aniruddha will take birth in the Yadu dynasty.

O Brahma, Radha will become the daughter of Vrsabhanu-gopa. I will enjoy pastimes with her in Vrndavana.

Laksmi will become Bhismaka's daughter Rukmini. After defeating many kings in battle, I will marry her.

Killing many demon kings and establishing the true religion, I will remove the earth's burden.

Whoever somehow or other thinks of Me, I take to the spiritual world.

I will establish religion and then I will destroy the Yadu dynasty. Then, as the demigods look on, I will leave the earth.

Krsna Dvaipayana Vyasa and others will sing many songs of my heroic activities, songs that remove sins in a single moment.

I will become Parasara Muni's son Krsna Dvaipayana Vyasa. I will divide the one Veda into many branches, like a tree.

Becoming Buddha, I bewilder the demons who, pretending to take shelter of the rules of Vedas, trouble the three worlds.

When many demons establish irreligion on the earth, I will come in My original form as a Krsna and, accompanied by Arjuna, I will kill them in battle.

In Kosala-desa on the earth I will be born as Narayana Rsi, the son of Dharma.

O Brahma, when cursed by a muni, some rsis take birth as human beings, I will protect them from the demons.

At the end of Kali-yuga I will become Kalki. Riding on a spiritual horse, I will kill the barbarian sinners.

Whenever the demons try to destroy the religion of the Vedas, I will come to protect it.

Therefore, please do not worry. Please do your duty of creating the living entities.

After speaking these words, I gave Brahma many boons as before, and then I disappeared.

O sage, whatever boons I promise, those boons I will certainly fulfill with my transcendental powers.

O brahmana, the opportunity to see Me, the supreme master of all living entities, is very rarely obtained. It is only obtained by pure devotion to Me.

O best of sages, please ask a boon from Me, whatever you wish. I am very pleased with you. The sight of Me never goes in vain.

Sri Skanda said : O sage, hearing the Lord's words, the great sage Narada reflected on his own good fortune, and then spoke the following words :

O master, by seeing You all my desires are fulfilled. I think it is very rare and difficult for anyone to see You.

My only desire is to see You, Your devotees, and Your eternal abode. I do not desire anything but that.

O infallible Lord, I ask only that You be pleased with me. Nothing else is rare or desirable in the whole material world.

Whatever material happiness is attained by following the Vedas, performing pious deeds, or worshipping the devas or pitas, is all temporary and subject to destruction.

O Lord, I do not desire any material pleasures. I ask only one boon from You, the best of all givers of boons.

May I always be eager to chant the glories of You and Your devotees. May I always be filled with love for You.

Sri Skanda said: Hearing this request, Lord Krsna said, "So be it. " Giving Narada a great vina, Lord Krsna spoke again.

The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: O saintly Narada, now please go to sacred Badarikasrama. There worship Me in My form of Sri Narayana Rsi, the son of Dharma Rsi.

You are a pure devotee. Neither pride nor hypocrisy stay in your heart. Therefore I think that you are better than even Brahma, your father.

O sage, pure devotees know everything about Me, My transcendental form, and My glories.

Pure devotees always think of Me in their hearts. They do not wish anything from Me, and I do not wish anything from them.

As devoted wives bring a good husband under their control, so pure devotees use their own transcendental virtues to bring Me under their control.

The goddess of fortune and I devotedly follow them. Wherever they go, there I am also.

They who desire liberation in the material world may attain it only by associating with My devotees. There is no other way. Please know that this is the truth.

They who take shelter of Me and surrender to Me escape the bondage of material bondage.

They who somehow or other take shelter of Me and surrender to Me attain whatever they wish. They do not return to the world of birth and death.

Sri Skanda said: After hearing these words spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and after thus attaining the Lord's mercy, Sri Narada bowed down before the Lord. Then, with tears of love in his eyes, Sri Narada returned to the material world.

<< Back