The
son of Vyâsa said: 'Having
fasted the eleventh day [of the lunar fortnight] and
worshiped the Maintainer of All [Janârdana],
entered Nanda the twelfth day the water of the Yamunâ for
a bath.
S'rî
Bâdarâyani said: Having worshiped Lord
Janârdana and fasted on the Ekâdas'î day,
Nanda Mahârâja entered the water of the
Kâlindî on the Dvâdas'î to take his
bath. (Vedabase)
Text
2
A
unenlightened servant of Varuna seized him and lead him away
who had neglected the rule that to enter the water during the
night was of a godless timing.
Because
Nanda Mahârâja entered the water in the dark of
night, disregarding that the time was inauspicious, a
demoniac servant of Varuna seized him and brought him to his
master. (Vedabase)
Text
3
O
King, not seeing him called the gopas out loudly 'o
Krishna, o Râma!' upon which the Supreme Lord finding out
that the father had been taken away of Him, the Almighty who
makes His people fearless, following went to where Varuna
was.
O
King, not seeing Nanda Mahârâja, the cowherd men
loudly cried out, "O Krishna! O Râma!" Lord Krishna
heard their cries and understood that His father had been
captured by Varuna. Therefore the almighty Lord, who makes
His devotees fearless, went to the court of Varunadeva.
(Vedabase)
Text
4
When
he saw that the Lord of the Senses had arrived did he, the
presiding godhead of that region [of the waters],
elaborately honor Him greatly being pleased to have Him
present.
Seeing
that the Lord, Hrishîkes'a, had arrived, the demigod
Varuna worshiped Him with elaborate offerings. Varuna was in
a state of great jubilation upon seeing the Lord, and he
spoke as follows. (Vedabase)
Text
5
S'rî
Varuna said: 'Today I may experience the true wealth of the
success of my physical presence, o Lord, since those who earned
the privilige to serve Your lotus feet have achieved the
transcendence of their material life.
S'rî
Varuna said: Now my body has fulfilled its function. Indeed,
now the goal of my life is achieved, O Lord. Those who
accept Your lotus feet, O Personality of Godhead, can
transcend the path of material existence. (Vedabase)
Text
6
My
obeisances unto You the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the
Absolute Truth and Soul Supreme who brought about the creation
of this world and upon whom mâyâ has no
influence.
My
obeisances unto You, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the
Absolute Truth, the Supreme Soul, within whom there is no
trace of the illusory energy, which orchestrates the
creation of this world. (Vedabase)
Text
7
That ignorant
servant of mine was a fool not knowing his duty
[*]
when he brought to me this one who is Your father, I beg Your
pardon, Your goodness.
Your
father, who is sitting here, was brought to me by a foolish,
ignorant servant of mine who did not understand his proper
duty. Therefore, please forgive us. (Vedabase)
Text
8
Even
to me o Krishna, o You who sees everything, please, be of
mercy, o Govinda; to You, so full of care for Your parents,
belongs definitely this one that is Your
father.'
O
Krishna, O seer of everything, please give Your mercy even
to me. O Govinda, You are most affectionate to Your father.
Please take him home. (Vedabase)
Text
9
S'rî
S'uka said: 'Thus satisfied took Krishna, the Supreme Lord and
Controller of all Controllers, His father with Him and went He
to His relatives whom He brought great pleasure.
S'ukadeva
Gosvâmî said: Thus satisfied by Lord Varuna,
S'rî Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord
of lords, took His father and returned home, where their
relatives were overjoyed to see them. (Vedabase)
Text
10
Nanda who had
never before met with the mighty opulence of the lord of the
realm [of the waters] or witnessed the obeisances they
[Varuna and his followers] offered Krishna, spoke
amazed to his friends and relatives.
Nanda
Mahârâja had been astonished to see for the
first time the great opulence of Varuna, the ruler of the
ocean planet, and also to see how Varuna and his servants
had offered such humble respect to Krishna. Nanda described
all this to his fellow cowherd men. (Vedabase)
Text
11
They,
the gopas, listening eagerly, o King, with Him as their
Controller thought: 'Maybe He's preparing us the grace of
taking us to His transcendental abode!'
[Hearing
about Krishna's pastimes with Varuna,] the cowherd men
considered that Krishna must be the Supreme Lord, and their
minds, O King, were filled with eagerness. They thought,
"Will the Supreme Lord bestow upon us His transcendental
abode?" (Vedabase)
Text
12
He,
the Supreme Lord from His side, as the Seer of All
understanding their dream of perfection, compassionately
thought this:
Because
He sees everything, Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, automatically understood what the cowherd men were
conjecturing. Wanting to show His compassion to them by
fulfilling their desires, the Lord thought as follows.
(Vedabase)
Text
13
'For certain
are the people in this world, who in oblivion with the desire
of their activities wander between higher and lower ends, not
aware of their proper destination.'
[Lord
Krishna thought:] Certainly people in this world are
wandering among higher and lower destinations, which they
achieve through activities performed according to their
desires and without full knowledge. Thus people do not know
their real destination. (Vedabase)
Text
14-15
With this
consideration showed the Supreme Lord Hari in great compassion
the gopas His own abode beyond the darkness of matter:
the true unlimited spiritual knowing that is the light
[see
brahma-jyoti]
of the eternal absolute which indeed is seen by the sages who
in trance are removed from the material
qualities.
Thus
deeply considering the situation, the all-merciful Supreme
Personality of Godhead Hari revealed to the cowherd men His
abode, which is beyond material darkness. Lord Krishna
revealed the indestructible spiritual effulgence, which is
unlimited, conscious and eternal. Sages see that spiritual
existence in trance, when their consciousness is free of the
modes of material nature. (Vedabase)
Text
16
They were by
Krishna brought to and submerged in the lake of the One Spirit
[brahma-hrada] and lifted out saw they the abode
of the Absolute Truth the way it before was seen by
Akrûra [3.1:
32,
10.38
& 10.40].
The
cowherd men were brought by Lord Krishna to the
Brahma-hrada, made to submerge in the water, and then lifted
up. From the same vantage point that Akrûra saw the
spiritual world, the cowherd men saw the planet of the
Absolute Truth. (Vedabase)
Text
17
Nanda and the
rest were upon that vision overwhelmed by supreme bliss and
were most suprised to see Krishna there being praised with
vedic hymns.'
Nanda
Mahârâja and the other cowherd men felt the
greatest happiness when they saw that transcendental abode.
They were especially amazed to see Krishna Himself there,
surrounded by the personified Vedas, who were offering Him
prayers. (Vedabase)
*
Prabhupâda's
pupils comment to the precise execution of
ekâdas'î fasting matters and auspicious
times of bathing: 'Of course, Varuna's servant should have been
aware of these technical details, which are meant for strict
followers of the Vedic rituals.'