Chapter 26

10.26.1
Sridhara Swami

In chapter 26 Nanda Maharaja relates to the cowherd

men, who were amazed by the wonderful activities of
Krishna, the words of Garga Rsi, thus describing to
them His opulences.

Visvanatha Cakravati

In chapter 26, Nanda Maharaja, by the authoritative

evidence of the words of Garga Rsi, informed the
cowherd men, who were doubtful, because Krishna
seemed to be both opulent and ordinary.
On this occasion of the lifting of Sri Govardhana, the
cowherd men were completely submerged in
relishing the nectar of the sweetness of Sri Krishna,
and thus there arose no chance for logical analysis to
manifest in their minds. But afterwards, when they
had returned to their own homes, they all felt a
doubt within their hearts. “ Oh, by now having seen
directly the lifting of Govardhana Hill, we are
reminded about His activities, such as His killing
Putana and other demons, putting out the forest fire
and so forth. At all those different times we thought
that these different things occurred because of a
benediction of the brahmanas, because of Nanda
Maharaja’s great fortune or because of this boy,
having achieved the mercy of Lord Narayana, had
become empowered by Him. But all these
presumptions were false, because actually for such a
boy of seven years of age to hold up the King of
Mountains for seven whole days certainly negates
His being an ordinary human, and rather indicates
that he must be the Supreme Lord. Furthermore on
the other hand, He is enlivened by the coddling of us,
His fathers, paternal and maternal uncles, who are
simply worldly cowherd men, and when there is an
absence of such coddling, He is depressed. Similarly,
he becomes hungry and thirsty, and engages in
stealing yogurt and milk, cheating, lying, chattering
childishly and tending the calves. If He were the
Supreme Lord then how could these things be?
Rather they negate the possibility of Him being the
Supreme Lord and establish Him as an ordinary
human. So thus we are totally incapable of
establishing the truth about Him. Let us go and
inquire from the highly intelligent King of Vraja
(Nanda Maharaja), whereby we may be freed from
our doubts.” Thus making up their minds, they
entered Nanda Maharaja’s great assembly hall and
questioned him, as stated in the verse beginning
evam.

10.26.2
Sridhara Swami

What they said is stated in the verse beginning

balakasya. Because (yat=yasmat) there are these
amazing activities, therefore how is it proper for Him
to have taken birth in the worldly homes of cowherd
men? Atma-jugupsitam means not befitting Himself.

Visvanatha Cakravati
(His activities are) most amazing, but if it is
questioned that therefore this cannot be an ordinary
boy, but must be the Supreme Lord, they reply to
this by the words beginning katham.
The word asau expresses their indicating Him when
He is not visibly present, because, as we deducted by
implication, He at that time was away in the forest.
Indeed, by His absence the rasa becomes manifest
(?). The idea of the word atma-jugupsitam is that He
does not involve Himself in that which is
contemptible, inferior to His position, but rather He
remains the superexcellent Supreme Controller.

10.26.3
Sridhara Swami

They describe His amazing activities in the verse

beginning yah sapta-hayanah. How did He stand
holding it? Just as a mighty elephant (gaja-
rat=maha-gaja) holds a lotus (puskaram=padam).

Visvanatha Cakravati

And if He is not the Supreme Lord, then how are

these activities possible to have occurred? This idea
they express in the twelve verses beginning with
yah. “Holding” implies “He stood” as the completion
of the idea. Puskaram means lotus. We should
understand that the word katham is to be implied
analogously to the following verse as well, in
accordance with the inflections of the words.
10.26.4
Sridhara Swami

Mahaujasah means, of her, who was powerful. In the

same way as a body’s vayas, meaning its lifespan, or
else its youth, is drunk by time. The word katham
(from the preceding verse) is implied to continue into
this verse.

Visvanatha Cakravati

By which young boy (tokena=balena), whose eyes

were slightly closed: the example of acting
imperceivably is given, that “just as time drinks away
a body’s youth”.

10.26.5
Sridhara Swami

Of Him, who was lying underneath a cart. Masyasya

means, of the boy, who was three months old, (the
word month) indicating the extent of his age. Who
was moving about (hinvatah=calayatah) His two feet
upwards (udak=urdhvam). How did the cart fall
upside down when struck by the tip of the toe of Him,
who was moving about his two feet?

Visvanatha Cakravati

Repeats Sridhara Swami

10.26.6
Sridhara Swami

That Krishna, who was being taken away by the

dmon: how did He kill the Trnavarta demon?

Visvanatha Cakravarti

Repeats Sridhara Swami

10.26.7
Sridhara Swami

Engaged in stealing the butter (haiyangava-

stainye=navanita-caurye), moving by His two arms,
or in other words, crawling.

Jiva Goswami

He was moving with His two arms (crawling) for the

purpose of dragging the mortar
(to knock down the trees).

Visvanatha Cakravarti

Repeats Sridhara Swami

10.26.8
Sridhara Swami

That Baka whose desire was to kill (Them) by his

mouth, how did He bifurcate from the mouth with His
own hands that enemy?
Visvantha Cakravarti

Seizing him with His hands, how did He rip him apart
beginning from the mouth
(mukhatah=mukhamarabhya)?

10.26.12
Sridhara Swami

Asi-visa- tama means, whose poison was very cruel;

that king of snakes also.

Visvanatha Cakravarti

(Adds that) Krishna chastised him in such a way that

his false pride was eradicated.

10.26.13
Sridhara Swami

Autpattikah means natural. The word katham

expresses their apprehension, “perhaps He is the
soul of all”.

Jiva Goswami

Furthermore, the words beginning dustyajah.

Therefore, because of these contradictory natures.
Visvanatha Cakravarti

Thus, His lifting Govardhana and so forth are

characteristics, which are shown as evidence for His
being the Supreme Lord. And we should consider one
other symptom, relative to ourselves and all the
other residents of Vraja, as they speak by the words
beginning dustajah. “ Your son” implies that even
though we are aware of the fact that He is your son
and not ours. (And His affection) is not there only for
the cowherd men, who are in the mood of parental
affinity, but also for all, even the children, who are in
the mood of friendship, and for both women and
men, for even members of other social classes, the
forest dwellers, and even for the animals, birds and
so forth. Thus this loving attraction (anuraga) is at
every moment increasing as ever fresh. This
affection is designated by the word anuraga, which
indicates that being such (increasing at every
moment) is not mere ordinary affection.
Furthermore, it is impossible to give up, because of
its being innate; even though we are now seeing the
symptoms of the Supreme Lord, we still cannot give
it up. Thus it is understood that this repository of the
extreme extent of pure love, even greater than such
successively superior objects of love as one’s
children, wealth, body, life and soul, must be the
Supersoul Himself. If He were simply a human being,
this (extraordinary affection) would not be possible;
such is their implication. Then all right one may
answer, let us conclude that He is the Supersoul. But
in reply to such they state, how is it possible that He
also has the above-described affection for all of us,
the residents of Vraja and of the forest? If He were
the Supersoul, then He would be indifferent to
everything, and affection for such mundane persons
as us would not have the power to naturally arise.

10.26.14
Sridhara Swami

They dramatise with amazement what they have

already stated by the verse beginning kva sapta-
hayanah.

Jiva Goswami

Sanka here means doubt; a boy or, it is implied,

perhaps just the opposite, some demigod or other
being.

Visvanatha Cakravarti

Since the lifting of Govardhana Hill, which they are

describing, has already been discussed, it is simply
out of their astonishment that they are repeating
their statements, in the verse beginning kva.

10.26.15
Sridhara Swami

The words previously heard from Gargacarya

awakened Maharaja to the truth of Krisna, and thus,
by constantly remembering His activities, all
thoughts about their being impossible ceased in him.
Now he is instructing the cowherd men with these
same words, with the verse beginning sruyatam.

Visvanatha Cakravarti

“Ah yes, though the influence acquired by this child

of mine previously, my worshipable Deity Sri
Narayana, out of great mercy to me, with the
intention of destroying all the dangers which have
confronted me, is Himself appearing as empowered
within this boy.” When the cowherd men doubt these
words, he makes them aware of the facts by these
words received from Sri Garga, with which idea in
mind he speaks the verse beginning sruyatam.

10.26.16-21 Note

These verses have no commentaries, and they are

verbatim repetitions of texts 13-18 of Canto 10,
chapter 8. Rather than translating them again, I am
including a Xerox copy of Srila Prabhupada’s
translations and purports of these verses. I would
also suggest eliminating as being out of context the
mention of Kamsa and the internal enemies in text
18, and also perhaps the parenthetical remark in the
translation of text 13.
There is a slight difference in text 16, as compared to
10.8.13, reading in the first line varnas trayah
kilasyasan.

10.26.22
Sridhara Swami

Therefore there is no surprise that he engages in

these activities; these are the words of Nanda after
he is finished quoting what Garga Muni had said.

Jiva Goswami

“There is no surprise about these activities of His”;

this states the idea in Sri garga Muni’s mind.

Visvanatha Cakravarti

From the statement of Garga, “Oh Nanda, therefore I

am your son,” etc., this child is not only mine, but
also yours, and therefore, even after you see His
opulences, your affection for Him and your offering
hundreds of benedictions to Him every day is
unavoidable; with the idea of stating this Nanda
repeats the words of of Garga Rsi, tasman
nandatmajo ‘yam te. In the words beginning
narayana-samah, the idea is that (He is like this) only
as the empowered representative of Narayana, and
He is not Narayana Himself, just as the surya-kanta
stone is similarly said to be equal to the sun.
Therefore He is neither the Supreme Lord, nor a
sinful, insignificant jiva soul; rather His activities are
transcendental to this world, so consequently He is
someone, who has come to decorate our dynasty.
Therefore it is stated by Garga at the end of his
words, tat-karmasu na vismayah. In other words,
even upon seeing how extremely amazing are His
activities, which are supermundane, one should not
think, “He is the Supreme Lord.” It thus being
negated (that He might be God), you should have
compassion for Him and offer Him benedictions such
as “ may You live for a long time. You should not be
indifferent (which might occur if they thought He was
God). In this way the words of Garga, gopayasva
samahitah (you should protect Him carefully, Bhag.
10.8.19) are rendered fruitful. By removing the
amazement of the cowherd men he has also
eradicated their doubt.

10.26.23
Sridhara Swami

Garga Rsi thus having directly (addha=saksat)

advised me, and having gone back to his own home,
I then considered the matter in the same way (as he
had advised me), and even now I consider Krsna as a
partial expansion of Narayana. The reason for this is
stated by the word aklista-karinam.

Jiva Goswami

After this, the word iti follows in logical sequence;

because of being inappropriate in this context, the
words gopayasva samahitah are not cited here by
Nanda. Amsam means sakty-avesa expansion.
Visvanatha Cakravarti

I think (manye=vitarkayami) that He (Krsna) is a

partial expansion, a sakty-avesa expansion of Him
(Narayana). He whose nature is that He frees us from
distress.

10.26.24

Jiva Goswami

That which contained the song of Garga. Anarcuh

means by fragrances, garlands, clothing and so forth
brought from their different homes. This furthermore,
must have occurred at dusk, while, we deduce, the
conversation occurred, while Sri Krsna was still in the
forest.

Visvanatha Cakravarti

Anarcuh means they honoured Them with

presentations of clothing, jewels and gold coins.
Because Krsna was (during the time of the
conversation) away in the forest, later in the evening
they gratified Him, decorating Him with yellow
garments, necklaces, arm bracelets, earrings and
crowns, and shouting “All glories, all glories, to the
jewel of Vraja-bhumi. May You live long”

10.26.25
Sridhara Swami
Remembering the lifting of Govardhana Hill and all of
its accompanying features, Nanda prays for the
satisfaction of Sri Krsna, whose opulences are now
manifest, in the verse beginning deve. With that
anger caused by the disruption of the sacrifice, when
Indra caused rain; with lightning bolts, hailstones and
very fierce winds (the alternate reading parsanilaih),
that Gokul, which had Him as its shelter and in which
the cowherds, the animals and the women also were
all feeling distress; that cowherd community
(gostham) of whom He Himself was the only shelter,
seeing that, He being compassionate, and smiling
(utsmayan=hasan), thus exhibiting His self-
confidence, He uplifted the hill, just as a child
(abala=bala) lifts a mushroom to play with. Doing so
with a single hand, He held it and protected the
cowherd community (apat=palitavan). In this way He
is the destroyer of the false pride of Mahendra. The
expression “the Indra of the gods” reminds us of the
idea of the idea of the following chapter (?). May Sri
Krisna be satisfied with us.

Jiva Goswami

Again after remembering the pastime (of lifting

Govardhana Hill), and remembering Sri Krsna, who
on that occasion exhibited extreme mercy toward
Gokul, Nanda prays for His mercy as the final goal of
his own human endeavor, thus hinting that Krsna is
his own worshipable Deity, with the verse beginning
deve.

Visvanatha Cakravarti
My dear king, protecting the cowherd community,
who had taken shelter of Him, from the danger of
lightning, hail and so forth, which arose from the
anger of Indra, by lifting the Govardhana Hill, Sri
Krsna, who bestowed His scholarly expertise in
initiating the sacrifice of the Govardhana Hill, creates
satisfaction by acting as the destroyer of the pride of
the heavenly planets.
Just as He does so, similarly may Krsna be pleased to
act as the destroyer of the pride of the world of
earthly gods (brahmanas), who are involved in non-
devotional philosophies, by delivering (uddhrtya)
from the waters of the Vedas, having saved you from
the lightning-bolt-words generated by the anger of
the brahmana (Srngi), and thus showing His scholarly
expertise in initiating the sacrifice of the recitation of
this scripture. With this thought in mind, (Sukadeva
Goswami), considering King Pariksit as the center-
post of sacrifice, prays for the satisfaction of Lord
Krsna, in the verse beginning deve.
(The rest of this commentary repeats, except for the
comment that Krsna is the gavam indra, according to
the logic that only Indra can destroy the pride of
Indra. Furthermore, Visvanatha Cakravarti adds, “
May Krsna be satisfied with us-me, (Sukadeva, King
Pariksit, and all of these hearers.)