Srimad Bhagavatam – day 660
Brahma glorifies the cowherds of Brindavan
Narayana Narayana
Brahma continued, “O Lord, unless devotion towards You is developed, liberation is impossible. Therefore, either in this birth or in any animal or other births that I take, I pray that I be blessed with the fortune of dedicatedly serving Your lotus feet that are like tender budding leaves!
O Lord, what to say of the fortune of the cows and the mothers of Brindavan! They are fortunate because they could give You that degree of supreme satisfaction which even Yagnas and other rituals fail to give. In the form of calves, O Lord, You sucked milk from the udders of the cows. In the form of tiny cowherd boys, with great satisfaction and delight, You sucked milk from the mother’s breasts. You have lovingly accepted the butter offered by them.
Aho bhāgyam aho bhāgyaḿ nanda-gopa-vrajaukasām
Yan-mitraḿ paramānandaḿ pūrṇaḿ brahma sanātanam
How fortunate are the residents of Nanda’s Gokula! Aha! The Supreme Lord, who is an embodiment of completeness, who has ultimate, limitless bliss as His form and who is beyond time is their friend! What to say of their luck!
O eternal Lord! May the fortune of these cowherds remain as is! This is because it is beyond description. Rudra, myself (Brahma), Moon-god, the Guardian-deities, Wind-god, Sun-god, Varuna (God of water), the Ashwini-devatas, the Fire-god Agni, Indra and Upendra are the presiding deities for the senses (indriyas). We eleven are the most-fortunate because, situated in the vessels called the senses of these cowherds of Brindavan, we are repeatedly drinking in the nectarous honey called Your lotus feet.
Be it a human or a subhuman birth of any species, if it is obtained in this sacred Earth, especially in the land called Gokula and more especially in the forests called Brindavan, I will consider myself fortunate because I will then be blessed with the opportunity to wear the dust of the feet of any cowherd on my head.”
It is said that every wise man, spiritually enlightened person, an ardent devotee, a self-realized saint or one who is desirous of closely associating with the Lord desires to take birth in the sacred land called Brindavan. Even a birth as a mosquito or a worm in Brindavan is treasured by him. All he seeks is that some cowherd of Brindavan should stamp him with his feet. He believes that the touch of any cowherd, the dust from the feet of any cowherd can uplift him. A bee that is born in Brindavan waits for the opportunity to touch any cowherd. A bird born there eagerly hopes that the fruit touched by it will be eaten by a cowherd from Brindavan. Every living entity desires to be born there. Even a speck of dust from the feet of any cowherd boy of Brindavan is considered sacred for them all. Such was the fortune of the cowherd boys!
“Even to this day, Vedas eternally search for the dust from Your lotus feet, O Lord. By constantly pondering over the possible results that You will shower upon these cowherd boys, my mind is getting clouded”.
What is the result that You will shower upon these cowherd boys? Is it even within our scope of imagination? By thinking about this constantly, my mind is getting confused.
“No matter how hard I think, irrespective of the time and place, ‘You’ are the only result that my mind can think of”.
We are unable to find any result greater than this incarnation of Yours, which you can give them. You alone are the most auspicious, most fortunate fruit. Apart from this, my mind can think of nothing.
“Merely by disguising as a virtuous person, Putana, along with her entire lineage, could merge into You. What to say of her fortune O Lord! You willingly drank the milk flowing from her breasts, notwithstanding the fact that it was poisonous. You then blessed her with merger.
The cowherd families of Brindavan consider their homes, their relatives, their wealth, cattle, most cherished objects, their bodies, sons, life-force as well as their mind as existing solely for You.
O Srikrishna! As long as living entities do not consider themselves as belonging to You, the dacoits called attachments and aversions constantly steal from them their ultimate spiritual goal. To such people, homes become prisons. Attachments become the shackles that bind their legs. It is evident that homes and attachments do not bind Your devotees.
Prapañcaḿ niṣprapañco ‘pi viḍambayasi bhū-tale
Prapanna-janatānanda- sandohaḿ prathituḿ prabho
O Supreme Lord! Although You exist beyond this universe, You are following the ways of the world with the intent of increasing the joy of the inhabitants of Earth who have sought refuge in You. O Lord, only those desirous of knowing You actually understand You. What then is to be gained by talking much? Your glory is beyond the reach of my mind, speech and body.
Srikrishna, kindly permit me to leave. You are the eternal witness. You are omniscient. You are the protector for all universes. I offer to You this world, which I always considered to be mine.
O Lord Srikrishna! You are the Sun who has caused the lotus called the vŗṣni- lineage to bloom. You are the Moon who has caused the ocean called Earth, the Devatas, learned Vedic scholars and animals to surge. You are the Sun who destroys the darkness called unrighteous conduct which appears righteous. You will destroy all the demonic forces on Earth”.
Narayana Narayana