S'rî
S'uka said: 'The cowherd boys described to the ladies [of
Gokula] the amazing actions of the two by whom they were
delivered from the forest fire and Pralamba had been
killed.
S'ukadeva
Gosvâmî said: To the ladies of Vrindâvana,
the cowherd boys then related in full detail Krishna's and
Balarâma's wonderful activities of delivering them
from the forest fire and killing the demon Pralamba.
(Vedabase)
Text
2
The
elder gopas and gopîs also surprised to
hear that considered both Krishna and Râma messengers of
God who had come to Vraja.
The
elder cowherd men and ladies were amazed to hear this
account, and they concluded that Krishna and Balarâma
must be exalted demigods who had appeared in
Vrindâvana. (Vedabase)
Text
3
Then
with flashes of lightening at the horizon and rumbling skies
commenced the rains that give life to all living
beings.
Then
the rainy season began, giving life and sustenance to all
living beings. The sky began to rumble with thunder, and
lightning flashed on the horizon. (Vedabase)
Text
4
The
sky covered by dense, dark clouds accompanied by lightening and
thunder was, with its diffuse light, like the spirit soul that
is manifest with its material qualities.
The
sky was then covered by dense blue clouds accompanied by
lightning and thunder. Thus the sky and its natural
illumination were covered in the same way that the spirit
soul is covered by the three modes of material nature.
(Vedabase)
Text
5
For
eight months had the sun with its rays drunk the wealth of the
earth in the form of water and now had the time arrived proper
for its release.
With
its rays, the sun had for eight months drunk up the earth's
wealth in the form of water. Now that the proper time had
arrived, the sun began releasing this accumulated wealth.
(Vedabase)
Text
6
Great
clouds full of lightening agitated by the fierce winds
released, just like the persons of mercy in this world, indeed
their gratification of all life.
Flashing
with lightning, great clouds were shaken and swept about by
fierce winds. Just like merciful persons, the clouds gave
their lives for the pleasure of this world.
(Vedabase)
Text
7
Dried of the
heat was the earth, sprinkled by the divine, fully replenished
just like the sensually motivated body of someone of penance is
after obtaining the fruits of that practice.
The
earth had been emaciated by the summer heat, but she became
fully nourished again when moistened by the god of rain.
Thus the earth was like a person whose body has been
emaciated by austerities undergone for a material purpose,
but who again becomes fully nourished when he achieves the
fruit of those austerities. (Vedabase)
Text
8
Of
the darkness could in the evening twilight the glowworm shine
but not the luminaries just like in Kali-yuga of the sins the
heresies are shining and certainly not the
Vedas.
In
the evening twilight during the rainy season, the darkness
allowed the glowworms but not the stars to shine forth, just
as in the age of Kali the predominance of sinful activities
allows atheistic doctrines to overshadow the true knowledge
of the Vedas. (Vedabase)
Text
9
Hearing
the resounding of the rain clouds emitted the frogs, who before
sat silent, their sounds just like the ones of Brahmâ
sound their voices after their morning routines [see
niyama].
The
frogs, who had all along been lying silent, suddenly began
croaking when they heard the rumbling of the rain clouds, in
the same way that brâhmana students, who perform their
morning duties in silence begin reciting their lessons when
called by their teacher. (Vedabase)
Text
10
The
rivers that had dried up next, from first being insignificant
streams, strayed from their courses just like it happens with
the body, the property and the means of a person who is
controlled by his senses.
With
the advent of the rainy season, the insignificant streams,
which had become dry, began to swell and then strayed from
their proper courses, like the body, property and money of a
man controlled by the urges of his senses. (Vedabase)
Text
11
Emerald
of the green of newly grown grass, reddish of indragopa insects
and affording the mushrooms shelter, manifested the earth
herself like a person who suddenly became rich.
The
newly grown grass made the earth emerald green, the
indragopa insects added a reddish hue, and white mushrooms
added further color and circles of shade. Thus the earth
appeared like a person who has suddenly become rich.
(Vedabase)
Text
12
The
fields rich with grains gave the farmers joy but made others
feel sorry [not to have things by grace, others] who
being falsely proud do not understand the will of
God.
With
their wealth of grains, the fields gave joy to the farmers.
But those fields created remorse in the hearts of those who
were too proud to engage in farming and who failed to
understand how everything is under the control of the
Supreme. (Vedabase)
Text
13
The creatures
of the water and the land, all new of the water in recourse,
took on attractive forms like people do when they render
service to the Lord.
As
all creatures of the land and water took advantage of the
newly fallen rainwater, their forms became attractive and
pleasing, just as a devotee becomes beautiful by engaging in
the service of the Supreme Lord. (Vedabase)
Text
14
The rivers with
turbulence meeting with the ocean created waves blown up by the
wind, just like the mind driven by desire gives reactions with
an immature yogi bound to the material
qualities.
Where
the rivers joined the ocean it became agitated, its waves
blown about by the wind, just as the mind of an immature
yogi becomes agitated because he is still tainted by lust
and attached to the objects of sense gratification.
(Vedabase)
Text
15
The mountains
besieged by clouds filled with rain stood undaunted under their
attack, just like the minds of the ones dedicated to the Lord
in the Beyond are undaunted when they meet with
trouble.
Just
as devotees whose minds are absorbed in the Personality of
Godhead remain peaceful even when attacked by all sorts of
dangers, the mountains in the rainy season were not at all
disturbed by the repeated striking of the rain-bearing
clouds. (Vedabase)
Text
16
The roads no
longer used faded away grown over by grass, just like written
texts do which, not studied by the brahmins, wither away under
the influence of time.
During
the rainy season the roads, not being cleansed, became
covered with grass and debris and were thus difficult to
make out. These roads were like religious scriptures that
brâhmanas no longer study and that thus become
corrupted and covered over with the passage of time.
(Vedabase)
Text
17
The
lightening in the clouds that are the friends of all the world
did, fickle in its friendship, not keep its position, just like
a lusty woman can't being fickle with virtuous
men.
Though
the clouds are the well-wishing friends of all living
beings, the lightning, fickle in its affinities, moved from
one group of clouds to another, like lusty women unfaithful
even to virtuous men. (Vedabase)
Text
18
When the
[rain-]bow of the great Indra unstringed but clearly
defined appeared in the sky
was it as if the Supreme Personality Free from the Modes had
appeared within the manifest of nature that is ruled by the
modes.
When
the curved bow of Indra [the rainbow] appeared in
the sky, which had the quality of thundering sound, it was
unlike ordinary bows because it did not rest upon a string.
Similarly, when the Supreme Lord appears in this world,
which is the interaction of the material qualities, He is
unlike ordinary persons because He remains free from all
material qualities and independent of all material
conditions. (Vedabase)
Text
19
The moon was
not shining because its light had been covered by clouds that
radiated [thereof], the same way a living being shines
from within while its lustre is being covered by false
ego.
During
the rainy season the moon was prevented from appearing
directly by the covering of the clouds, which were
themselves illumined by the moon's rays. Similarly, the
living being in material existence is prevented from
appearing directly by the covering of the false ego, which
is itself illumined by the consciousness of the pure soul.
(Vedabase)
Text
20
Because of the
arrival of the clouds cried the peacocks joyously in
celebration, the same way people in distress rejoice and within
their homes find happiness when the devotees of
Acyuta
arrive.
The
peacocks became festive and cried out a joyful greeting when
they saw the clouds arrive, just as people distressed in
household life feel pleasure when the pure devotees of the
infallible Supreme Lord visit them. (Vedabase)
Text
21
The trees
having drunk the water through their feet assumed various
bodily features [like blossoms, leaves and sprouts]
like it happens when, previously emaciated and fatigued of
austerities, one may [finally] delight in the object of
one's desire.
The
trees had grown thin and dry, but after they drank the newly
fallen rainwater through their feet, their various bodily
features blossomed. Similarly, one whose body has grown thin
and weak from austerity again exhibits his healthy bodily
features upon enjoying the material objects gained through
that austerity. (Vedabase)
Text
22
The cranes
stayed at the banks of the restless lakes, my best, much like
citizens feverishly keep themselves busy in their homes with a
mind perturbed.
The
cranes continued dwelling on the shores of the lakes,
although the shores were agitated during the rainy season,
just as materialistic persons with contaminated minds always
remain at home, despite the many disturbances there.
(Vedabase)
Text
23
When Indra
showers his rains break of the floodwater the irrigation dikes
just as the false theories of the heretics in Kali-yuga breach
with the path of the Vedas.
When
Indra sent forth his rains, the floodwaters broke through
the irrigation dikes in the agricultural fields, just as in
the Kali-yuga the atheists' false theories break down the
boundaries of Vedic injunctions. (Vedabase)
Text
24
The clouds
driven by the winds released their nectarean water over all
living beings like kings do from time to time, encouraged by
the brahmins, with their donations in charity.
The
clouds, impelled by the winds, released their nectarean
water for the benefit of all living beings, just as kings,
instructed by their brâhmana priests, dispense charity
to the citizens. (Vedabase)
Text
25
Thus was that
most resplendent forest with its ripe dates and jambu fruits,
around which the cows and boys were crowding, entered by the
Lord and Balarâma in order to play there.
When
the Vrindâvana forest had thus become resplendent,
filled with ripe dates and jambu fruits, Lord Krishna,
surrounded by His cows and cowherd boyfriends and
accompanied by S'rî Balarâma, entered that
forest to enjoy. (Vedabase)
Text
26
The cows
because of their so very heavy udders moving slowly came
quickly upon being called by the Lord, being wet at their
udders out of their love.
The
cows had to move slowly because of their weighty milk bags,
but they quickly ran to the Supreme Personality of Godhead
as soon as He called them, their affection for Him causing
their udders to become wet. (Vedabase)
Text
27
Sometimes when
it rained entered the Supreme Lord a hollow tree or a cave and
enjoyed He it to eat the roots and fruits.
When
it rained, the Lord would sometimes enter a cave or the
hollow of a tree to play and to eat roots and fruits.
(Vedabase)
Text
28
He observed the
joyful girls living in the forest with its trees dripping sweet
sap and the waterfalls of the mountain resounding from the
nearby caves.
The
Lord saw the joyful aborigine girls of the forest, the trees
dripping sweet sap, and the mountain waterfalls, whose
resounding indicated that there were caves nearby.
(Vedabase)
Text
29
The yogurt-rice
brought from home He in the company of Sankarshana
ate together with the boys sharing on a stone near the
water.
Lord
Krishna would take His meal of boiled rice and yogurt, sent
from home, in the company of Lord Sankarshana and the
cowherd boys who regularly ate with Him. They would all sit
down to eat on a large stone near the water.
(Vedabase)
Text
30-31
On a grass
patch sat the bulls, ruminating with their eyes closed, with
the calves and the cows tired because of the weight of their
milkbags. To see the riches of the rainy season, that had
expanded from His internal potency, always gave the Supreme
Lord pleasure and made Him offer His respects.
Lord
Krishna watched the contented bulls, calves and cows sitting
on the green grass and grazing with closed eyes, and He saw
that the cows were tired from the burden of their heavy milk
bags. Thus observing the beauty and opulence of
Vrindâvana's rainy season, a perennial source of great
happiness, the Lord offered all respect to that season,
which was expanded from His own internal potency.
(Vedabase)
Text
32
With the two of
Râma and Kes'ava dwelling this way in Vraja manifested
the season of fall itself in full with a cloudless sky, the
clearest water and a gentle wind.
While
Lord Râma and Lord Kes'ava were thus dwelling in
Vrindâvana, the fall season arrived, when the sky is
cloudless, the water clear and the wind gentle.
(Vedabase)
Text
33
In autumn the
lotuses regenerated and regained the bodies of water their
original state [of purity], the way the minds of the
fallen are restored by the practice of devotional
service.
The
autumn season, which regenerated the lotus flowers, also
restored the various bodies of water to their original
purity, just as the process of devotional service purifies
the minds of the fallen yogis when they return to it.
(Vedabase)
Text
34
Just like
devotion for Lord Krishna with all the status groups
[âs'ramas]
clears all inauspiciousness, cleared the autumn season the
turbid water, the muddy condition of the earth, the crowding of
the animals [in their pens] and the cloudy
sky.
Autumn
cleared the sky of clouds, let the animals get out of their
crowded living conditions, cleaned the earth of its covering
of mud, and purified the water of contamination, in the same
way that loving service rendered to Lord Krishna frees the
members of the four spiritual orders from their respective
troubles. (Vedabase)
Text
35
The clouds
having given all they had shone forth with an effulgence as
pure as of sages who, having given up on all desires, are
pacified being freed from all propensities.
The
clouds, having given up all they possessed, shone forth with
purified effulgence, just like peaceful sages who have given
up all material desires and are thus free of all sinful
propensities. (Vedabase)
Text
36
Then the
mountains released their pure water and then they did not so,
just as the nectar of spiritual knowledge only at times is
bestowed by the jñânis [the spiritual
philosophers].
During
this season the mountains sometimes released their pure
water and sometimes did not, just as experts in
transcendental science sometimes give the nectar of
transcendental knowledge and sometimes do not.
(Vedabase)
Text
37
Those moving in
the shallow water [the fish] were not appreciative of
the water getting less [after the rains] just like
foolish people in a family setting do not appreciate the day by
day diminishing of their life span.
The
fish swimming in the increasingly shallow water did not at
all understand that the water was diminishing, just as
foolish family men cannot see how the time they have left to
live is diminishing with every passing day.
(Vedabase)
Text
38
They, moving in
the shallow water, as a consequence of the autumn sun
experienced hardship just like a man destitute experiences
misery when he without the control over his senses is absorbed
in his family life.
Just
as a miserly, poverty-stricken person overly absorbed in
family life suffers because he cannot control his senses,
the fish swimming in the shallow water had to suffer the
heat of the autumn sun. (Vedabase)
Text
39
Gradually the
land had to give up its mud and had the plants to give up their
unripe condition, just like the sober ones have to give up on
the egotism and possessiveness of being focussed on the
non-spiritual of the material body and what belongs to
it.
Gradually
the different areas of land gave up their muddy condition
and the plants grew past their unripe stage, in the same way
that sober sages give up egotism and possessiveness. These
are based on things different from the real self - namely,
the material body and its by-products. (Vedabase)
Text
40
The waters
became motionless as did the ocean quiet with the arrival of
fall, just as when the self desisting, of a sage completely
forsaking, gives up the sacred work [see also
avadhûta
and 7.13].
With
the arrival of autumn, the ocean and the lakes became
silent, their water still, just like a sage who has desisted
from all material activities and given up his recitation of
Vedic mantras. (Vedabase)
Text
41
With sturdy
irrigation dikes contained the farmers the water of the rice
fields the same way yogis stop the stream of consciousness
which reaches outside through the senses.
In
the same way that the practitioners of yoga bring their
senses under strict control to check their consciousness
from flowing out through the agitated senses, the farmers
erected strong mud banks to keep the water within their rice
fields from draining out. (Vedabase)
Text
42
The suffering
of all creatures because of the rays of the autumn sun was
taken away by the moon like the suffering, based on the false
identification with the body or with [the missing of]
Mukunda - as the ladies of Vraja do -, is driven away by
wisdom.
The
autumn moon relieved all creatures of the suffering caused
by the sun's rays, just as wisdom relieves a person of the
misery caused by his identifying with his material body and
as Lord Mukunda relieves Vrindâvana's ladies of the
distress caused by their separation from Him.
(Vedabase)
Text
43
The cloudless
sky in the fall shone brilliantly clear and starry just like
the mind endowed with goodness does directly experiencing the
purport of the Vedas.
Free
of clouds and filled with clearly visible stars, the autumn
sky shone brilliantly, just like the spiritual consciousness
of one who has directly experienced the purport of the Vedic
scriptures. (Vedabase)
Text
44
The moon and
the stars shone forth in the sphere of the sky unbroken alike
the master of the Yadus, Krishna, did walking the earth
surrounded by the circle of the Vrishnis [see
family-tree].
The
full moon shone in the sky, surrounded by stars, just as
S'rî Krishna, the Lord of the Yadu dynasty, shone
brilliantly on the earth, surrounded by all the Vrishnis.
(Vedabase)
Text
45
Embracing the
wind not too cold and not too hot from the flower-filled forest
could the people forget the hardship, but not so the
gopîs whose hearts were stolen by
Krishna.
Except
for the gopîs, whose hearts had been stolen by
Krishna, the people could forget their suffering by
embracing the wind coming from the flower-filled forest.
This wind was neither hot nor cold. (Vedabase)
Text
46
The cows, the
doe, the she-birds and the women found their fertility in
autumn just like deeds in service of the Supreme Lord are
followed by their respective mates, the good
results.
By
the influence of the autumn season, all the cows, doe, women
and female birds became fertile and were followed by their
respective mates in search of sexual enjoyment, just as
activities performed for the service of the Supreme Lord are
automatically followed by all beneficial results.
(Vedabase)
Text
47
O King, the
lotuses bloomed abundantly with the rising of the sun except
for the night-blooming kumut lotus, the same way as the
populace, except for the thieves, blossoms without fear with a
[righteous] king.
O
King Parîkshit, when the autumn sun rose, all the
lotus flowers blossomed happily, except the night-blooming
kumut, just as in the presence of a strong ruler everyone
becomes fearless, except the thieves. (Vedabase)
Text
48
In the towns
and villages with harvest rituals and other mundane
celebrations and great festivals, shone the earth ripe with her
grains, as an expansion of Him being rich with the two [of
Krishna and Balarâma] who were so completely the Lord
Supreme.
In
all the towns and villages people held great festivals,
performing the Vedic fire sacrifice for honoring and tasting
the first grains of the new harvest, along with similar
celebrations that followed local custom and tradition. Thus
the earth, rich with newly grown grain and especially
beautified by the presence of Krishna and Balarâma,
shone beautifully as an expansion of the Supreme Lord.
(Vedabase)
Text
49
Like the ones
perfected finding their subsistence [or form aspired]
when the time is ripe, could the merchants, the renunciates,
the kings and the initiates, [who before were] checked
by the rains, [now] venture to achieve their
goals.
The
merchants, sages, kings and brahmacârî students,
kept in by the rain, were at last free to go out and attain
their desired objects, just as those who achieve perfection
in this life can, when the proper time comes, leave the
material body and attain their respective forms.
(Vedabase)