Deliverance of the Yamala-arjuna Trees
1. Mother Yasoda binds Lord Krsna to the wooden mortar with a rope because of His naughty activities. While mother Yasoda was very busy with household affairs, the Supreme Lord, Krsna, observed twin trees known as yamala-arjuna, which in a former millennium had been the demigod sons of Kuvera.
2. In their former birth, these two sons, known as Nalakuvara and Manigriva, were extremely opulent and fortunate. But because of pride and false prestige, they did not care about anyone.
3. They used to drink a kind of liquor called Varuni. Within the waters of the Mandakini Ganges, the two sons of Kuvera would enjoy young girls, just like two male elephants enjoying in the water with female elephants.
4. By some auspicious opportunity for the two boys, the great saint Devarsi Narada once appeared there by chance. Upon seeing Narada, the naked young girls of the demigods were very much ashamed. Afraid of being cursed, they covered their bodies with their garments. But the two sons of Kuvera did not do so; instead, not caring about Narada, they remained naked.
5. Seeing the two sons of the demigods naked and intoxicated by opulence and false prestige, Devarsi Narada said: Because you both are living like trees (for trees are naked but are not conscious), you should receive the bodies of trees. But by my mercy you will have remembrance of your past sinful activities. After the expiry of one hundred years by the measurement of the demigods, you will be able to see the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vasudeva, face to face, and thus revive your real position as devotees.
6. Having thus spoken, the great saint Devarsi Narada returned to his asrama, and Nalakuvara and Manigriva became twin arjuna trees.
7. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krsna, to fulfill the truthfulness of the words of the greatest devotee, Narada, slowly went to that spot where the twin arjuna trees were standing.
8. Krsna entered between the two arjuna trees, and thus the big mortar to which He was bound turned crosswise and stuck between them.
9. By dragging behind Him with great force the wooden mortar tied to His belly, the boy Krsna uprooted the two trees. By the great strength of the Supreme Person, the two trees, with their trunks, leaves and branches, trembled severely and fell to the ground with a great crash.
10. Thereafter, in that very place where the two arjuna trees had fallen, two great, perfect personalities, who appeared like fire personified, came out of the two trees. The effulgence of their beauty illuminating all directions, with bowed heads they offered obeisances to Krsna, and with hands folded they spoke the following words.
11. O Lord Krsna, Lord Krsna, Your opulent mysticism is inconceivable. You are the supreme, original person, the cause of all causes, immediate and remote, and You are beyond this material creation. Learned brahmanas know that You are everything and that this cosmic manifestation, in its gross and subtle aspects, is Your form.
12. You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the controller of everything. The body, life, ego and senses of every living entity are Your own self. You are the Supreme Person, Visnu, the imperishable controller. You are the time factor, the immediate cause, and You are material nature, consisting of the three modes passion, goodness and ignorance. You are the original cause of this material manifestation. You are the Supersoul, and therefore You know everything within the core of the heart of every living entity.
13. O Lord, whose glories are covered by Your own energy, You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead. You are Sankarsana, the origin of creation, and You are Vasudeva, the origin of the caturvyuha. Because You are everything and are therefore the Supreme Brahman, we simply offer our respectful obeisances unto You.
14. O supremely auspicious, we offer our respectful obeisances unto You, who are the supreme good. O most famous descendant and controller of the Yadu dynasty, O son of Vasudeva, O most peaceful, let us offer our obeisances unto Your lotus feet.
15. Henceforward, may all our words describe Your pastimes, may our ears engage in aural reception of Your glories, may our hands, legs and other senses engage in actions pleasing to You, and may our minds always think of Your lotus feet. May our heads offer our obeisances to everything within this world, because all things are also Your different forms, and may our eyes see the forms of Vaisnavas, who are nondifferent from You.
16. The two young demigods thus offered prayers to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Although Sri Krsna, the Supreme Godhead, is the master of all and was certainly Gokulesvara, the master of Gokula, He was bound to the wooden mortar by the ropes of the gopis, and therefore, smiling widely, He spoke to the sons of Kuvera the following words.
17. The great saint Narada Muni is very merciful. By his curse, he showed the greatest favor to both of you, who were mad after material opulence and who had thus become blind.
18. O Nalakuvara and Manigriva, now you may both return home. Since you desire to be always absorbed in My devotional service, your desire to develop love and affection for Me will be fulfilled, and now you will never fall from that platform.
19. The Supreme Personality of Godhead having spoken to the two demigods in this way, they circumambulated the Lord, who was bound to the wooden mortar, and offered obeisances to Him. After taking the permission of Lord Krsna, they returned to their respective homes.
20. When the yamala-arjuna trees fell, all the cowherd men in the neighborhood, hearing the fierce sound and fearing thunderbolts, went to the spot.
21. There they saw the fallen yamala-arjuna trees on the ground, but they were bewildered because even though they could directly perceive that the trees had fallen, they could not trace out the cause for their having done so.
22. Then all the cowherd boys said: It is Krsna who has done this. When He was in between the two trees, the mortar fell crosswise. Krsna dragged the mortar, and the two trees fell down. After that, two beautiful men came out of the trees. We have seen this with our own eyes.
23. Because of intense paternal affection, the cowherd men, headed by Nanda, could not believe that Krsna could have uprooted the trees in such a wonderful way. Therefore they could not put their faith in the words of the boys.
24. When Nanda Maharaja saw his own son bound with ropes to the wooden mortar and dragging it, he smiled and released Krsna from His bonds.
Comments
Excellent Narration Mathaji!
Hare Krishna!