Sports of Lord Krishna

SRIMAD BHAGAVATAM Volume I: Translated and edited by Tridandi Sri Bhakti Prajyan Yati. Rs. 125.

SRI SHIKSHASTAKAM AND SRI UPADESHAMRITAM (Sanskrit- English): Edited with commentary by Tridandi Sri Bhakti Saurab Narayana; Rs. 20. Both published by Sree Gaudiya Math, Gaudiya Math Road, Chennai-600014.

APART FROM the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, Srimad Bhagavata is the most widely known of the sacred books of India. For the Vaishnavism of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, it is not just one of the Puranas but considered Vyasa's own commentary of the Vedanta Sutras.

If the Vedas are wish-yielding trees and the Brahmasutras their flowers, Srimad Bhagavata is the fruit with nectar-like essence. Sage Vyasa who is a Sakthyaveshavatara (Sakthi-avesha-avatara or ``Power-Incarnate'') of Lord Narayana devoted it entirely to extol the countless virtuous qualities and eternal playful sports of Sri Krishna. This he did on the advice of Sage Narada to find peace and fulfilment which eluded him earlier despite his incomparable achievements.

The first book under notice is an English translation of Srimad Bhagavata, being the first of a series of six volumes. It has ``purport'' following the commentary of Sri Viswanatha Chakravarthy with ``annotation'' by Sri Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur, the founder of Sri Chaitanya and Sri Gaudiya Maths.

Understandably, however, this edition is not for those who want to have a smooth and easy flow of the story only, as the accent is on the exhaustive exposition of Sri Chaitanya's philosophy. Many stanzas are followed by elaborate commentary and annotation. The proper understanding of the philosophy and ontology may be possible only under the guidance of revered acharyas. What follows is an attempt to identify some distinguishing features of this Vaishnavism, imperfect though it may be.

According to this system, Sri Krishna is the only Godhead without a second. Sri Radha is ``His other whole-moiety''. working for their ``divine amorous union'' is the real bliss for the individual souls on the example of the Gopis of Vraja. Krishnaprema is not only the means but an end in itself. Desire for any other purusharta (objective), including moksha is anathema to his philosophy. Goloka-Vrindhabana is the Eternal Transcendental Abode of Sri Krishna. His playful dalliances in the earthly Vraja were only a transitory reflection at the mundane level.

He has the Chit or Absolute potency, the tatastha or intermediate potency and the achit or marginal potency, the individual souls corresponding to the tatastha and the inanimate objects to the achit potencies respectively.

The Absolute Truth is defined as ``Divya achintya bheda-abheda'' (inconceivable simultaneous distinction and non-distinction).

The book has a fairly long introduction, wherein the author has taken on some earlier commentators and repudiated their ``ambiguous tampering'' with the original thought in their translations. The present translation, when brought out in its entirety, will be an object of reverential study and scholastic scrutiny.

The second is a small booklet containing two bhajans like Sanskrit works. ``Sri Shikshastakam'' penned by Sri Chaitanya himself explains the glory of ``Namasankeertana, Name being considered to be ``means and name itself is end''. Each shloka is followed by the english meaning and commentary.

The slokas describe the state of the fallen souls and plead for their liberation, while the commentary expands on them to give a bird's-eye view of the entire philosophy. ``Sri Upadeshamritam'' of Sri Rupa Goswami is of 11 slokas, also given with English commentary.

R. G. GIRI

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