This morning's verse described the lamentation of Draupadi for her five dead sons. Prabhupada began by making a social observation. "Draupadi's five sons were killed-five sons by five husbands. You know the history of Draupadi. She had five husbands, which is forbidden nowadays; although in some hilly districts still this system is current, that one woman has five or six husbands. This practice was there even in high circle; that is now forbidden."
He told us how Draupadi came to have five husbands. "So when Draupadi was gained by Arjuna, the five Pandavas were in the forest incognito. So when they came to their mother in jubilation, they exclaimed, 'Mother, we have got a very nice jewel.' So mother said, 'All right, my dear sons, enjoy it, all of you, five.' So on the order of mother they accepted Draupadi as a common wife. But that does not mean she had many sons-only five sons. By the five husbands, one son. That is also another system. Not competition that each husband will produce dozens of children, no."
Prabhupada said it was natural for Draupadi to lament. Even though she and her husbands were directly connected to Krsna, they still had to undergo suffering. "Not that because one is Krsna conscious there will be no material suffering; actually, those who are Krsna conscious, they have no material suffering. Although it appears that they are suffering, they are not suffering. They can accept any so-called suffering and accept it as mercy of Krsna. Tat te 'nukampam su-samiksamano bhunjana evatma-krtam vipakam. And he rather thanks Krsna, that 'I had to suffer many more times, but You have minimized it, giving me little suffering. So it is Your mercy.' And if anyone lives on that attitude -- everything taken as Krsna's mercy -- then he is guaranteed to go back home, back to Godhead. Mukti-pade sa daya-bhak. Daya-bhak means his going back to home, back to Godhead, is exactly like the inheritance of property by the son. We should learn from the Pandavas that Krsna was always present with them, still they had to suffer so much material tribulations. They were never unhappy, neither they requested Krsna that 'My dear friend Krsna, You were always with us, still we had to suffer.' Never expressed that. That is pure devotion. Never try to take benefit from Krsna, simply try to give benefit to Krsna. This is pure devotion."
To further illustrate his point he said, "Perhaps you know that once upon a time Rupa Gosvami desired that 'If I would get some nice foodstuff, I would have invited Sanatana Gosvami and cook some nice food.' He desired like that. They were living in Vrndavana, here and there, under the shade of a tree. They had no stock, nothing. So one very beautiful girl came and offered rice, dal, ghee. She said, 'Baba, we have got some festival.' In this country they address saintly person as Baba. So she offered so many things, and he immediately invited Sanatana Gosvami -- they were living separately. And Rupa Gosvami was very good cook also, so he prepared very nice preparation and offered to Sanatana Gosvami prasadam. So Sanatana Gosvami astonishingly inquired that 'Where you got all these nice things in this forest?' So he told the whole story, that 'In the morning I desired, and in just a few hours time, little time, one very beautiful girl came and offered this ingredients.' So after hearing the description of the beautiful girl, Sanatana Gosvami could understand that she was Radharani. So immediately he chastised Rupa Gosvami, that 'You have taken service from Radharani. This is not good. We are trying to give service to Radharani, and you have taken service from Radharani.'
"So this is Vaisnava consideration. They are firmly determined not to bother Krsna with anything. Simply to serve Him. Anukulyena krsnanusilanam. Similarly, Krsna also finds opportunity when to serve His devotee. This is the reciprocation. The devotee wants to serve Krsna without any return, and Krsna also wants to serve devotee whenever there is opportunity. This is the transaction of love: not to take anything return."
Yet although the Pandavas were such brilliant examples of surrender to Krsna, Prabhupada went on to tell us that here in Vrndavana there were devotees whose devotion went even beyond theirs. "The topmost surrendered devotees are the gopis. There is no more higher exalted devotees than the gopis. Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu recommended that the gopis, ramya kacid upasana vraja-vadhu-vargena ya kalpita. There is no better type of worshiping Krsna than the method by which gopis worship Krsna. Their love was so intense that they did not care for any family, any honor, or any prestige -- nothing. That is the highest, topmost loving stage of Krsna. And Krsna also loved the gopis, so much so that Krsna asked them that 'You cannot expect any return from Me for your ecstatic love. I cannot give you. It is beyond My power.' So they purchased Krsna. And the topmost gopi is Radharani. So we should not consider these gopis' dealings with Krsna as ordinary material dealings."
- From "A Transcendental Diary Vol 4" by HG Hari Sauri Prabhu
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