20211121 Estimating the Opulence of Lord Kṛṣṇa, Brahmā is Astonished and Struck with Wonder

The following is a Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Book Compilation By His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on 21st November 2021 in Śrīdhāma Māyāpur, India

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam
paramānandaṁ mādhavaṁ śrī caitanya iśvaram

Hariḥ oṁ tat sat!

Hare Kṛṣṇa! Dear Devotees! Today is the compilation of Caitanya līlā book, the chapter today is entitled:

Estimating the Opulence of Lord Kṛṣṇa, Brahmā is Astonished and Struck with Wonder
Under the section: The Opulence and Sweetness of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 21.1

granthakārera gaura-kṛṣṇera mādhuryaiśvarya-varṇane maṅgalācaraṇa :—

agaty-eka-gatiṁ natvā hīnārthādhika-sādhakam
śrī-caitanyaṁ likhāmy asya mādhuryaiśvarya-śīkaram

Translation: Offering my obeisances unto Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, let me describe a particle of His opulence and sweetness. He is most valuable for a fallen conditioned soul bereft of spiritual knowledge, and He is the only shelter for those who do not know the real goal of life.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Caitanya is giving this special mercy to conditioned soul, In Kali-yuga who are bereft of knowledge of the absolute truth

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 21.3

paravyome sakala viṣṇu-vigrahera ananta vaikuṇṭha-dhāma :—

sarva svarūpera dhāma—paravyoma-dhāme
pṛthak pṛthak vaikuṇṭha saba, nāhika gaṇane

Translation: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu continued, “All the transcendental forms of the Lord are situated in the spiritual sky. They preside over spiritual planets in that abode, but there is no counting those Vaikuṇṭha planets.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 21.4

śata, sahasra, ayuta, lakṣa, koṭī-yojana
eka eka vaikuṇṭhera vistāra varṇana

Translation: The breadth of each Vaikuṇṭha planet is described as eight miles multiplied by one hundred, by one thousand, by ten thousand, by one hundred thousand and by ten million. In other words, each Vaikuṇṭha planet is expanded beyond our ability to measure.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 21.5

paravyome ādhāra o ādheya, dhāma o vigraha–abhinna śuddha-sattva-cid-vilāsamaya bhagavad-vigraha: —

saba vaikuṇṭha—vyāpaka, ānanda-cinmaya
pāriṣada-ṣaḍaiśvarya-pūrṇa saba haya

Translation: Each Vaikuṇṭha planet is very large, and each is made of spiritual bliss. The inhabitants are all associates of the Supreme Lord, and they have full opulence like the Lord Himself. This is how the Vaikuṇṭha planets are all situated.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, the living entities who desire to serve the Lord and be with the Lord in that particular form will go to that particular Vaikuṇṭha planet where they would have a from similar to Nārāyaṇa. But the only difference would be seen by certain distinguishing remarks like the Śrīvatsa on the chest.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 21.6

ananta vaikuṇṭha eka eka deśe yāra
sei paravyoma-dhāmera ke karu vistāra

Translation: Since all the Vaikuṇṭha planets are located in a certain corner of the spiritual sky, who can measure the spiritual sky?

Jayapatākā Swami: The spiritual sky is so great that every Vaikuṇṭha planet is large and beyond our ability to estimate and all the Vaikuṇṭha planets are in one corner of the paravyoma, the spiritual sky. So, how can we measure the spiritual sky?

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 21.7

golokai sahasra-dala-padmatulya paravyomera ‘karṇikāra’—

ananta vaikuṇṭha-paravyoma yāra dala-śreṇī
sarvopari kṛṣṇaloka ‘karṇikāra’ gaṇi

Translation: The shape of the spiritual sky is compared to a lotus flower. The topmost region of that flower is called the whorl, and within that whorl is Kṛṣṇa’s abode. The petals of the spiritual lotus flower consist of many Vaikuṇṭha planets.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Kṛṣṇaloka, Goloka Vṛndāvana is in the center, and it is bigger than all the others and the different Vaikuṇṭhaloka are around it, and the whole thing look like a beautiful lotus

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 21.8

viṣṇu o viṣṇu-dhāma, ubhayei adhokṣaja baliyā brahmādirao anadhigamya : –

ei-mata ṣaḍ-aiśvarya, sthāna, avatāra
brahmā, śiva anta nā pāya—jīva kon chāra

Translation: Each Vaikuṇṭha planet is full of spiritual bliss, complete opulence and space, and each is inhabited by incarnations. If Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva cannot estimate the length and breadth of the spiritual sky and the Vaikuṇṭha planets, how can ordinary living entities begin to imagine them?

Jayapatākā Swami: Brahmā and Śiva are most elevated souls in each material universe but if they are not able to estimate the spiritual sky, what to speak of us!

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 21.9

ko vetti bhūman bhagavan parātman yogeśvarotīr bhavatas tri-lokyām
kva vā kathaṁ vā kati vā kadeti vistārayan krīḍasi yoga-māyām

Translation: ‘O supreme great one! O Supreme Personality of Godhead! O Supersoul, master of all mystic power! Your pastimes are taking place continuously in these worlds, but who can estimate where, how and when You are employing Your spiritual energy and performing Your pastimes? No one can understand the mystery of these activities.’

Purport: This verse is quoted from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.14.21).

Jayapatākā Swami: So, since Kṛṣṇa is the master of all mystic powers, He is able to perform many unlimited activities simultaneously and He has various energies and potencies to help Him in fulfilling His desires. So, this beyond our ability to understand, how He can do all these things and without the slightest effort.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 21.10

ei-mata kṛṣṇera divya sad-guṇa ananta
brahmā-śiva-sanakādi nā pāya yāṅra anta

Translation: The spiritual qualities of Kṛṣṇa are also unlimited. Great personalities like Lord Brahmā, Lord Śiva and the four Kumāras cannot estimate the spiritual qualities of the Lord.

Jayapatākā Swami: Since Kṛṣṇa is the cause of all causes, He is not dependent on anyone else, He can do unlimited activities beyond the estimation of even great souls like Śiva and Brahmā.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 21.11

guṇātmanas te ’pi guṇān vimātuṁ hitāvatīrṇasya ka īśire ’sya
kālena yair vā vimitāḥ su-kalpair bhū-pāṁśavaḥ khe mihikā dyu-bhāsaḥ

Translation: ‘In time, great scientists may be able to count all the atoms of the universe, all the stars and planets in the sky, and all the particles of snow, but who among them can count the unlimited transcendental qualities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead? He descends on the surface of the globe for the benefit of all living entities.’

Purport: This verse is also quoted from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.14.7).

Jayapatākā Swami: Since there is no limit to Kṛṣṇa's transcendental qualities, even if one is able to do these great feats like counting all the atoms which seems very impossible. Kṛṣṇa has so many capacities that He cannot be counted.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 21.12

svayaṁ śeṣao kṛṣṇa-guṇa kīrtana kariyā śeṣa pāna nā :—

brahmādi rahu—sahasra-vadane ‘ananta’
nirantara gāya mukhe, nā pāya guṇera anta

Translation: To say nothing of Lord Brahmā, even Lord Ananta, who has thousands of heads, cannot reach the end of the Lord’s transcendental qualities, even though He is continuously chanting their praises.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, this should give us an idea how Lord Kṛṣṇa's qualities are unlimited, as soon as one may think, they knew them all, He will do something more, something completely different.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 21.13

nāntaṁ vidāmy aham amī munayo ’grajās te
māyā-balasya puruṣasya kuto ’varā ye
gāyan guṇān daśa-śatānana ādi-devaḥ
śeṣo ’dhunāpi samavasyati nāsya pāram

Translation: ‘If I, Lord Brahmā, and your elder brothers, the great saints and sages, cannot understand the limits of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is full of various energies, who else can understand them? Although constantly chanting about His transcendental qualities, the thousand-hooded Lord Śeṣa has not yet reached the end of the Lord’s activities.’

Purport: This verse, spoken to Nārada Muni by Lord Brahmā, is also from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (2.7.41).

Jayapatākā Swami: This is just to illustrate how Kṛṣṇa has unlimited qualities and spiritual activities.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 21.14

sākṣāt kṛṣṇera nikaṭao kṛṣṇa-guṇa aparimeya :—

seho rahu—sarvajña-śiromaṇi śrī-kṛṣṇa
nija-guṇera anta nā pāñā hayena satṛṣṇa

Translation: To say nothing of Anantadeva, even Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself cannot find an end to His own transcendental qualities. Indeed, He Himself is always eager to know them.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 21.15

dyu-pataya eva te na yayur antam anantatayā
tvam api yad-antarāṇḍa-nicayā nanu sāvaraṇāḥ
kha iva rajāṁsi vānti vayasā saha yac chrutayas
tvayi hi phalanty atan-nirasanena bhavan-nidhanāḥ

Translation: My Lord, You are unlimited. Even the predominating deities of the higher planetary systems, including Lord Brahmā, cannot find Your limitations. Nor can You Yourself ascertain the limit of Your qualities. Like atoms in the sky, there are multi-universes with seven coverings, and these are rotating in due course of time. All the experts in Vedic understanding are searching for You by eliminating the material elements. In this way, searching and searching, they come to the conclusion that everything is complete in You. Thus You are the resort of everything. This is the conclusion of all Vedic experts.’

Purport: This verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.87.41), which was spoken by the personified Vedas, is confirmed by Lord Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad-gītā (7.19):

bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate
vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ

“After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare.”

Even after searching for the Absolute Truth throughout the universe, learned scholars and Vedic experts cannot reach the ultimate goal. In this way they come to Kṛṣṇa.

When there is a discussion about the Absolute Truth, there are always various pros and cons. The purpose of such arguments is to come to the right conclusion. Such an argument is generally known as neti neti (“not this, not that”). Until one comes to the right conclusion, the process of thinking “This is not the Absolute Truth, that is not the Absolute Truth” will continue. When we come to the right conclusion, we accept the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, as the ultimate truth.

So, when we come to Krsna then there is no more neti, neti doubts. Krsna is the Supreme Absolute Truth.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 21.16

vraje kṛṣṇera adbhuta gocāraṇa-līlā varṇana :—

seha rahu—vraje yabe kṛṣṇa avatāra
tāṅra caritra vicārite mana nā pāya pāra

Translation: Apart from all argument, logic and negative or positive processes, when Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa was present as the Supreme Personality of Godhead at Vṛndāvana, no one could find a limit to His potencies by studying His characteristics and activities.

Jayapatākā Swami: Krsna displayed all His transcendental potencies and all HIs qualities in Vrndavana. Therefore, it is understood that this is the highest form of the Absolute Truth.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 21.17

govatsa-haraṇa-hetu cid-vilāsa prakaṭa-pūrvaka brahmāra darpa-nāśa :—

prākṛtāprākṛta sṛṣṭi kailā eka-kṣaṇe
aśeṣa-vaikuṇṭhājāṇḍa sva-sva-nātha-sane

Translation: At Vṛndāvana, the Lord immediately created all material and spiritual planets in one moment. Indeed, all of them were created with their predominating deities.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, when Lord Brahma had stolen the cowherd boys and calves, then Krsna manifested Himself as each cowherd boy and each calf. With exactly their mannerisms and their form. When Brahma came back, in each of them He manifested unlimited universes and different presiding deities. So this was truly amazing to Lord Brahma and he used his energy to create one universe, but Krsna could create simultaneously many universes.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 21.18

sei līlāra parama-camatkāritā : —

e-mata anyatra nāhi śuniye adbhuta
yāhāra śravaṇe citta haya avadhūta

Translation: We do not hear of such wonderful things anywhere else. Simply by one’s hearing of those incidents, one’s consciousness is agitated and cleansed.

Purport: When Lord Kṛṣṇa was present in the earthly Vṛndāvana, Lord Brahmā, taking Him to be an ordinary cowherd boy, wanted to test His potency. Therefore Lord Brahmā stole all the calves and cowherd boys from Kṛṣṇa and hid them by his illusory energy. When Kṛṣṇa saw that Brahmā had stolen His calves and cowherd boys, He immediately created many material and spiritual planets in Lord Brahmā’s presence. Within a moment, cowherd boys, calves and unlimited Vaikuṇṭhas — all expansions of the Lord’s spiritual energy — were manifested. As stated in the Brahma-saṁhitā, ānanda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhāvitābhiḥ. Not only did Kṛṣṇa create all the paraphernalia of His spiritual energy, but He also created unlimited material universes with unlimited Brahmās. All these pastimes, which are described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, will cleanse one’s consciousness. In this way one can actually understand the Absolute Truth. The spiritual planets in the spiritual sky are called Vaikuṇṭhas, and each of them has a predominating Deity (Nārāyaṇa) with a specific name. Similarly, in the material sky there are innumerable universes, and each is dominated by a specific deity, a Brahmā. Kṛṣṇa simultaneously created all these Vaikuṇṭha planets and universes within a moment after Brahmā’s return.

The word avadhūta means “rambling, agitating, moving, absorbed, defeated.” In some readings of Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, it is said: yāhāra śravaṇe citta-mala haya dhūta. Meaning that the heart or consciousness is cleansed, are used. When the consciousness is cleansed, one can understand what and who Kṛṣṇa is.

This is confirmed by Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad-gītā (7.28):

yeṣāṁ tv anta-gataṁ pāpaṁ janānāṁ puṇya-karmaṇām
te dvandva-moha-nirmuktā bhajante māṁ dṛḍha-vratāḥ

“Persons who have acted piously in previous lives and in this life and whose sinful actions are completely eradicated are freed from the dualities of delusion, and they engage themselves in My service with determination.”

Unless one is freed from the reactions of sinful activities, one cannot understand Kṛṣṇa or engage in His transcendental loving service.

Jayapatākā Swami: So when Krsna manifested the spiritual Vaikuntha planets and the material universes with many Brahmās, some with more heads than the four-headed Brahma in this universe, 10 heads, 20 heads, many heads. According to how big the universe was, Brahmā has a certain number of heads. This universe is relatively small and that our Brahmā has four heads. He did not know there are other universes where there are other Brahmās, greater than him. Krsna showed His unlimited spiritual potency to Lord Brahmā and Brahmā was truly purfied to understand how Krsna is so great.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 21.19

kṛṣṇakarttṛka asaṁkhya go o govatsa-prakaṭana :–

“kṛṣṇa-vatsair asaṅkhyātaiḥ”—śukadeva-vāṇī
kṛṣṇa-saṅge kata gopa—saṅkhyā nāhi jāni

Translation: According to Śukadeva Gosvāmī, Kṛṣṇa had unlimited calves and cowherd boys with Him. No one could count their actual number.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 21.20

eka eka gopa kare ye vatsa cāraṇa
 koṭi, arbuda, śaṅkha, padma, tāhāra gaṇana

Translation: Each of the cowherd boys was tending calves to the extent of a koṭi, arbuda, śaṅkha and padma. That is the way of counting.

Purport: According to Vedic mathematical calculations, the following enumeration system is used: units, tens (daśa), hundreds (śata), thousands (sahasra), ten thousands (ayuta) and hundred thousands (lakṣa). Ten times lakṣa is niyuta. Ten times niyuta is koṭi. Ten times koṭi is arbuda. Ten times arbuda is vṛnda. Ten times vṛnda is kharva. Ten times kharva is nikharva. Ten times nikharva is śaṅkha. Ten times śaṅkha is padma, and ten times padma is sāgara. Ten times sāgara is antya, and ten times antya is madhya, and ten times madhya is parārdha. Each item is ten times greater than the previous one. Thus all the cowherd boys, who were companions of Kṛṣṇa, had many calves to take care of.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 21.21

vetra, veṇu, dala, śṛṅga, vastra, alaṅkāra
gopa-gaṇera yata, tāra nāhi lekhā-pāra

Translation: All the cowherd boys had unlimited calves. Similarly, their canes, flutes, lotus flowers, horns, garments and ornaments were all unlimited. They cannot be limited by writing about them.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 21.22

kṛṣṇa-prakaṭita asaṁkhya vaikuṇṭhanātha o brahmāṇḍapatira kṛṣṇa-stuti :—

sabe hailā caturbhuja vaikuṇṭhera pati
pṛthak pṛthak brahmāṇḍera brahmā kare stuti

Translation: The cowherd boys then became four-handed Nārāyaṇas, predominating Deities of Vaikuṇṭha planets. All the separate Brahmās from different universes began to offer their prayers unto the Lords.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 21.23

kṛṣṇa haite līlā-prakāśa, kṛṣṇei saṅgopana :—

eka kṛṣṇa-deha haite sabāra prakāśe/ kṣaṇeke sabāi sei śarīre praveśe

Translation: All these transcendental bodies emanated from the body of Kṛṣṇa, and within a second They all entered again into His body.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Kṛṣṇa simply by His desire He can create all these opulences and simply by His desire they all enter back into His body.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 21.24

brahmāra vismaya o mūrchā, mūrcchānte kṛṣṇa-kṛpāya kṛṣṇaiśvarya avagati : —

ihā dekhi’ brahmā hailā mohita, vismita/ stuti kari’ ei pāche karilā niścita

Translation: When the Lord Brahmā from this universe saw this pastime, he was astonished and struck with wonder. After offering his prayers, he gave the following conclusion.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 21.25

adhokṣaja kṛṣṇabaibhava-nirṇaye svīya akṣamatā-jñāpana :—

“ye kahe—‘kṛṣṇera vaibhava muñi saba jānoṅ’/ se jānuka,—kāya-mane muñi ei mānoṅ

Translation: Lord Brahmā said, ‘If someone says that he knows everything about Kṛṣṇa’s opulence, let him think that way. But as far as I am concerned, with my body and mind I consider it in this way.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 21.26

ei ye tomāra ananta vaibhavāmṛta-sindhu
mora vāṅ-mano-gamya nahe eka bindu

Translation: My Lord, Your opulence is like an unlimited ocean of nectar, and it is verbally and mentally impossible for me to realize even a drop of that ocean.

Jayapatākā Swami: Lord Brahmā is saying that he cannot even begin to describe or to understand the opulences of Kṛṣṇa. So, he is really impressed that Kṛṣṇa has unlimited opulences.

Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 21.27

jānanta eva jānantu kiṁ bahūktyā na me prabho
manaso vapuṣo vāco vaibhavaṁ tava gocaraḥ

Translation: There are people who say, “I know everything about Kṛṣṇa.” Let them think that way. As far as I am concerned, I do not wish to speak very much about this matter. O my Lord, let me say this much. As far as Your opulences are concerned, they are all beyond the reach of my mind, body and words.’

Purport: This is a quotation from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.14.38), spoken by Lord Brahmā after he had stolen Lord Kṛṣṇa’s calves and cowherd boys and Kṛṣṇa had exhibited His transcendental opulence by re-creating all the stolen calves and cowherd boys by His Viṣṇu-mūrti expansions. After he had seen this, Brahmā offered the above prayer.

Jayapatākā Swami: So, Lord Brahmā is the secondary creator of the planets in our universe, and He creates the progenitors of all living entities. Yet he cannot understand even a drop of Kṛṣṇa's opulences. But he had to do great austerities to get the process of creating manifested in his heart by Lord Kṛṣṇa. But Kṛṣṇa is able to do much more in even a moment, so with that Brahmā could understand that Kṛṣṇa's opulences are so great that he cannot understand them that at all.

Thus ends the chapter entitled, Estimating the Opulence of Lord Kṛṣṇa, Brahmā is Astonished and Struck with Wonder

Under the section: The Opulence and Sweetness of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa