Vishnu Sahasranāma | Verses 101-108

Text 101

Lord Kṛṣṇa is independent, and He does not need to follow the instructions of Brahma or anyone else (anādi).

He was merciful to Brahma and forgave his offenses (bhūḥ), and He was the transcendental ornament which decorated the land of Vrāja bhūmi (bhuvo-lakṣmīḥ).

He is a great hero, and fully competent to wrestle with Śrīdāma and the other cowherd boys as their equal (suvīra), and he also embraced His friends with His splendid transcendental arms (rucirāṅgada).

In the company of Lord Balarāma and the gopis, He performed the springtime rāsa-dance near the slope of Govardhana Hill (janana).

He is free from the material defects of birth, death, old-age and disease (ajana-janmādi).

He appeared very ferocious and terrifying to Śankhachūḍa who committed an offense to the gopis (bhīmā),

and leaving Lord Balarāma to protect the gopis powerful Kṛṣṇa chased Śankhachūḍa, caught him, killed him and took away the Syamantaka jewel he wore in his crown (bhīmā-parākrama).

Note:

Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa explains that

although Kṛṣṇa is never actually born as a condition soul is,
He appears within this world in His original transcendental form,
and appears to be born as an ordinary human being,
although He is always free from the cycle of repeated birth and death.

This is confirmed in the Vedas:

eko devo nitya-līlānurakto
bhakta-vyāpī bhakta-hṛdy antarātmā

"The one Śrīman Nārāyaṇa
is eternally engaged in many, many, transcendental forms
in relationships with His unalloyed devotees."

Lord Kṛṣṇa also explains in the Bhāgavad-gītā (4.9):

janma karma ca me divyam

"My birth and activities are all transcendental."

Text 102

Lord Kṛṣṇa is the shelter of the gopīs who are very beautiful, gentle, charming, expert in singing, dancing and speaking clever words, and full of all good qualities,

and Lord Kṛṣṇa by playing His flute, attracted these gopis to Vṛndāvana forest to perform the rāsa-dance on the full-moon night of the śara-season (ādhāranilaya).

Alone with the gopīs in the forest, Lord Kṛṣṇa caused them to drink the nectar of His charming clever words, His sweet, gentle smiles, and His sidelong glances (dhātā).

Joking with the gopīs, Lord Kṛṣṇa's smile appeared as charming as a flower (puṣpahāsa). Lord Kṛṣṇa stayed awake for an entire night of Brahmā, performing His pastime of dancing with the gopīs (prajāgara).

Performing the rāsa pastime with the beautiful and wonderfully qualified gopīs, Lord Kṛṣṇa was so splendidly handsome that He appeared to be chastising cupid as an incompetent buffoon (ūrdhvaga).

The gopīs love Him with pure hearts, completely free from any material motive (satpathācāra).

Lord Kṛṣṇa is the life of all living entities, and He tried to reward the gopīs (who had given up everything for His sake), by giving everything, even Himself, to them (prāṇada).

In this way He demonstrated that pure unalloyed love for Him is the most valuable and praiseworthy quality that anyone can attain (praṇava).

In this way, Kṛṣṇa, who knows the actual value of everything, gave the greatest value to the gopīs' pure love for Him (prāṇa).

Note:

Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa quotes the explanation of the name Puṣpahāsa found in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.29.43):

udāra-hāsa-dvija-kunda-dīdhatir
vyarocataiṇāṅka ivoḍubhir vṛtaḥ

"Lord Kṛṣṇa smiled and His teeth
appeared as beautiful as white kunda flowers.
In the midst of the gopīs, He appeared just like the full moon
surrounded by millions of shining stars."

The name prajāgara is also explained in the Śrīmad- Bhāgavatam (10.):

brahma-rātra upāvṛttaḥ

"During the rasa-dance,
the night turned into the night of Brahma,
lasting for millions of years."

The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.32.14) explains the name ūrdhvaga in the following way:

cakāsa gopī-pariṣad-gato’rcitas
trailokya-lakṣmy-eka-padaṁ vapur dadhat

"When Lord Kṛṣṇa finally reappeared and assembled with the gopis,
He looked very beautiful, just befitting a person with all kinds of opulences."

The names describing the gopis pure love of Kṛṣṇa are described in the Lord's own words to the gopis (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.32.22):

na pāraye’haṁ niravadya-saṁyujāṁ
sva-sādhu-kṛtyaṁ vibudhāyuṣāpi vaḥ
yā mābhajan durjara-geha-śṛṅkhalāḥ
saṁvṛścya tad vaḥ pratiyātu sādhunā

"O gopis, your relationship with Me is completely transcendental, and it is not possible for Me to offer anything in exchange for your love, even after many births.

You have been able to give up all attachment for material enjoyment, and you have searched after Me. Since I am unable to repay your love, you have to be pleased with your own activities."

Text 103

By speaking to the gopīs in this way, Lord Kṛṣṇa proved that pure unalloyed love for Him is the supreme goal of life (pramāṇaṁ).

Immersed in the nectar of pure love of Kṛṣṇa, the gopis appeared to merge into Him, although they kept their separate identities, just as a bird enters its nest, and appears to disappear within it, although the bird actually keeps its individuality all along (prāṇa-nilayā).

By giving the gopīs the nectar of blissful personal exchange with Him, Kṛṣṇa maintained their lives (prāṇa-bhṛt). The gopīs considered Kṛṣṇa dearer than life (prāṇa-jīvana).

Kṛṣṇa's dealings with the pastimes with the gopīs were not all material, but completely on the spiritual platform (tattva). He continually relishes such spiritual exchanges (tattva-vit),

and He is the only Śrīman Nārāyaṇa (ekātmā), completely beyond the birth, death, old-age, disease, hunger, thirst, and other defects of material existence (janma-mṛtyu-jarātiga).

Text 104

Lord Kṛṣṇa is like a great tree which shades the upper, middle, and lower planetary systems, and provides all necessities to all living entities, who are compared to the birds who have taken shelter of that tree (bhūr-bhuvaḥ-svas-taru).

That metaphorical tree of Kṛṣṇa appears as splendid and beautiful as a pearl (tāra), and its fame is spread everywhere (sa).

Lord Kṛṣṇa is the father (pitā) and maintainer (prapitāmaha) of the residents of the three planetary systems. He provides the ingredients which the devotees use for His worship (yajña), and He is the protector of the process of devotional service (yajñapati).

He forbids the living entities to follow the so-called spiritual paths proposed by so many cheaters and speculators, and advises them to take up His pure devotional service, to the exclusion of everything else (yajvā),

and He accepts as His devotees those who have faith in the principles of bhakti (yajña-vāhana).

Text 105

Lord Kṛṣṇa purifies any defects that may mar the devotee’s service to Him, and He makes their service successful (yajña-bhṛt).

To teach the conditioned souls the importance of bhakti, He personally engages in devotional service (yajña-kṛt), and He also teaches how to engage in devotional service (yajñī).

He is the enjoyer of the fruits of devotional service (yajña-bhuk), and by giving them transcendental knowledge, He is the benefactor of those who engage in His devotional service (yajña-sādhana).

He gives the transcendental result of engaging in devotional service (yajñānta-kṛt), and all Vedic sacrifices have Him as their ultimate object (yajña-guhyam).

In the spiritual world He may manifest Himself as the incense and other paraphernalia used in His worship (anna), and He also enjoys these different articles meant for His enjoyment (annāda).

Text 106

Lord Kṛṣṇa enjoys the company of His devotees (ātmayoni), and He is never forced to appear in this material world, but only comes here, full with all transcendental opulences, and accompanied by His expansions and associates, if He wishes, and not otherwise (svayaṁjāta).

He kills the demons (vaikhāna), and the hymns of the Sāma Veda chant His glories (sāma-gāyan). He appeared as the son of Devakī, and He also became the son of Yaśodā (Devakī-nandana).

He protected Devakī and Yaśodā from all dangers (sraṣṭā), and He destroyed the demoniac kings, who had become a great burden for the earth (kṣitīśa).

He removes the sins of those who take to hearing and chanting His pastimes and glories, and He also removes the sins of those demons who are fortunate enough to be killed by Him, and granted liberation (pāpa-nāśana).

Note:

Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa quotes the explanation of the names svayaṁjāta and vaikhāna, found in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (3.2.15):

sva-śānta-rūpeṣv itaraiḥ sva-rūpair
abhyardyamāneṣv anukampitātmā
parāvareśo mahad-aṁśa-yukto
hy ajo’pi jāto bhagavān yathāgniḥ

"The Personality of Godhead, the all-compassionate controller of both the spiritual and material creations, is unborn,

but when there is friction between the peaceful devotees and persons who are in the material modes of nature, He takes birth just like fire, accompanied by the mahat-tattva."

That Devakī-nandana can also mean "the son of Yaśodā" is described in the following quote from the Purāṇas:

dev nāmnī nanda-bharyāyām yaśodā devakī

"Nanda Mahārāja's wife is known by two names: Yaśodā and Devakī."

Lord Kṛṣṇa's appearance as the son of Devakī is described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.3.8):

niśīthe tama-udbhūte
jāyamāne janārdane
devakyāṁ deva-rūpiṇyāṁ
viṣṇuḥ sarva-guhā-śayaḥ
āvirāsīd yathā prācyāṁ
diśīndur iva puṣkalaḥ

"Then Śrīman Nārāyaṇa,
Viṣṇu, who is seated in the core of everyone's heart,
appeared from the heart of Devakī in the dense darkness of night,
like the full moon rising on the eastern horizon,
because Devakī was of the same category as Śrī Kṛṣṇa."

Yaśodā was unable to understand the Kṛṣṇa had been substituted for daughter, Yogamāyā. This is described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.3.53):

yaśodā nanda-patnī ca
jātaṁ param abudhyata
na tal-liṅgaṁ pariśrāntā
nidrayāpagata-smṛtiḥ

"Exhausted by the labour of childbirth,
Yaśodā was overwhelmed with sleep
and unable to understand what kind of child had been born to her."

Text 107

Lord Kṛṣṇa holds the pañcajanya conch-shell (śaṅkhabhṛt), and the nandakī sword, which is a manifestation of transcendental knowledge (nandakī, the Sudarśana-cakra (cakrī), the Śārṅga bow (śārṅgadhanvā, and the Kaumodakī club (gadā dhara).

In order to protect Bhīṣma’s promise, He took up the chariot-wheel as His weapon (rathāṅgapāṇi). He remains always unagitated, even if rendered weaponless in the fight (akṣobhya).

He is Śrīman Nārāyaṇa, the Super-soul in the hearts of all living entities, and from Him all weapons derive their effectiveness (sarva-praharaṇāyudha).

Note:

Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa quotes the Vedic explanation that Lord Kṛṣṇa resides in the hearts of all living entities:

sarvāntaryāmī

"Śrīman Nārāyaṇa resides in everyone's heart."

Text 108

(Chant this śloka 3 times)

Protect us Oh Lord Nārāyaṇa
Who wears the forest garland,
Who has the mace, conch, sword and the wheel.
And who is called Vishnu and the Vāsudeva.