Pearl 21

the saintly Yādavas bathed in the lake of Paras'urâma during the solar eclipse

The pearl unveils a solar eclipse and enlightens us on how to deal with such a catastrophe, simply guiding us on the path to behold Lord Krishna. Later on a revealing account warmly describes the bonding of Lord Krishna and Lord Balrama with their foster parents after a long time span. The Gopis attain Gaulok where Lord Krishna resides and His 16008 queens rave about the Lord’s divine traits, opting for Him as the ultimate Saviour.

Chaptern 82, verses 9 and 10: There is a great solar eclipse just as if the end of Lord Brahma’s day had come. Lord Krishna and Balramji perform rituals like donations to Brahmins, fasts and so on to educate us how to face such a calamity. “At Samanta-pañcaka, the saintly Yādavas bathed and then observed a fast with careful attention. Afterward they presented brāhmaṇas with cows bedecked with garments, flower garlands and gold necklaces. In accordance with scriptural injunctions, the descendants of Vrisni then bathed once more in Lord Parusarama’s lakes and fed first-class brāhmaṇas with sumptuous food. All the while they prayed, "May we be granted devotion to Lord Krishna"

Verse 30: The Vedas elaborate upon four divine traits of the Lord which purify the Universe. We can behold Lord Krishna in the following ways since he is rarely visible even to great Yogis.

A) The touch of Lord Krishna’s lotus-like feet which has brought back earth's splendour and in turn she pours down
on us the fulfilment of all our desires.

B) Singing of His Glories and fame as broadcast by the Vedas.

C) Ganges water that has washed His Feet.

D) The words He speaks, enshrined in the revered scriptures, ‘Bhagwad Gita’ , ‘Shrimad Bhagavatam’ and other texts.

To sum up following the above relationship one can, “See and touch Him directly, walk beside Him, converse with Him, and together with Him lie down to rest, sit at ease and take your meals.”

Verses 34-35: Maiya Yashoda and Nandbaba meet Lord Krishna and Balramj after a long time span. Parents and children overwhelmed by divine love embrace each other warmly. “O hero of the Kurus, Krishna and Balarama embraced Their foster parents and bowed down to them, but Their throats were so choked up with tears of love that the two Lords could say nothing. Raising their two sons onto their laps and holding Them in their arms, Nanda and saintly mother Yasoda forgot their sorrow.’

Verse 48: Gopis achieve the divine form after getting spiritual instructions from Lord Krishna and thus reach Gaulok (where Lord Krishna resides) leaving this mortal world. “The gopīs spoke thus: Dear Lord, whose navel is just like a lotus flower, Your lotus feet are the only shelter for those who have fallen into the deep well of material existence. Your feet are worshipped and meditated upon by great mystic yogīs and highly learned philosophers. We wish that these lotus feet may also be awakened within our hearts, although we are only ordinary persons engaged in household affairs.”

Chapter 83, verse 39: All the 16008 queens of Lord Krishna describe their opting for Lord Krishna as the ultimate saviour and elucidate His qualities as God. Rukmaniji, Satyabhama, Jambwati, Kalindi, Mitravinda, Satya, Bhadra and Laxmanaji, eight chief queens rave about the Lord’s virtues which are sung throughout the three worlds and can attract anybody to Him. “Thus, by renouncing all material association and practicing austere penances, we queens have all become personal maidservants of the self-satisfied Supreme Lord.”

The incidence throws light on Lord Krishna being the Bhagwan Swayam or God Himself. In the mundane world, if a person has more than one wife, often it can be disastrous. But in the Lord’s case there are 16008 wives with abundant love and warmth for each other, unanimously hailing Lord Krishna. Because in the ultimate analysis, each soul is a spouse of the one and only Purushottam who is Lord Krishna!