Srimad Bhagavatam – day 774
Krishna showers boons upon Sudama, the florist
Florist Sudāma continued,
“bhavantau kila viśvasya jagataḥ kāraṇaḿ param
avatīrṇāv ihāḿśena kṣemāya ca bhavāya ca”
This verse brings out the wisdom of the florist who recognized the two brothers.
“O Lords, you both are the cause behind the existence of the entire creation. For the well-being of the living entities, you both have incarnated in this universe with your complete aspect. Even though You love the person who reveres You, the sense of discrimination does not exist in You, who are the Self for this entire creation. You, who are the well-wishers of all living entities, always maintain feelings of equal-mindedness towards all beings’.”
The Lord is filled with feelings of equal-mindedness. ‘This should happen, that should not happen, this is want I want, this is what I do not want’- such feelings do not exist in Him. Although at times He enacts as if He favours one more than the other, in reality He is filled with equal-mindedness towards all beings and situations.
“O Lord who exist as the Self within all living entities, please command me, your servant, as to what I should do for you. What is the duty expected of me? The person commanded by You is blessed with Your grace’- Having understood the wishes of the Lord, Sudāma was filled with delight. He then presented them with flower garlands made from the highest quality sweet-smelling flowers”.
This florist Sudāma was different from Krishna’s friend Sudāma.
“Krishna, Balarama and all cowherd boys wore the flower garlands presented to them and were very pleased”.
Krishna admired himself in the mirror. In addition to the garland around His neck, strings of flowers also adorned His wrist, His arms, waist and feet. He delighted in them. Each garland had a unique fragrance and was composed of different flower combinations. They were so delighted with these presents that they decked themselves from top to down in flower garlands. Until the past day in Brindavan, they had decked themselves eternally in flowers. But then, during the travel, the flowers had all faded away. Now, seeing the room filled with exquisite flower garlands of different colours and fragrances, the boys could no longer control their delight. ‘Aha, I have never seen a flower garland as beautiful as this’- saying so, the Lord picked one garland and wore it around His neck. Could it be possible for the Lord to never have seen a more beautiful flower garland? He was thus expressing His delight. He was admiring His image in the mirror and also showing off the garland to his brother and friends. ‘Balarama, don’t I look handsome with this garland?’ -asked Krishna. ‘Of course Krishna, it suits you perfectly’- replied Balarama. In this way, they delighted profusely.
“The brothers, who were bestowers of boons, showered plentiful boons upon Sudāma who had prostrated before them seeking refuge. They were willing to shower any boon he sought. Sudāma begged for unflinching faith in the lotus feet of Srikrishna, the Self who resides within one and all, love towards all the devotees of the Lord and supreme compassion towards all forms of life.
Iti tasmai varaḿ dattvā śriyaḿ cānvaya-vardhinīm
Balam āyur yaśaḥ kāntiḿ nirjagāma sahāgrajaḥ
In addition to the boon sought by Sudāma, Srikrishna showered him with fortune that would grow in the hands of his descendants, strength, longevity, renown and radiance. Then together with brother Balarama, He left Sudāma’s home.
With this, the fourty-first chapter of the tenth canto comes to an end.
Tenth Canto Chapter Forty-two
In this chapter, the Lord showering blessings upon the hunchback Trivakra and breaking the bow are covered.
Maharishi Śuka continued, “Having blessed Sudāma, the Supreme Lord Krishna proceeded on the royal path. He is the Lord who loves everyone and who distributes that love upon one and all. He then spotted a young maiden carrying a vessel filled with sandal paste used for smearing the body. Despite possessing a beautiful face, the lady was hunch-backed and had a disfigured body.
Srikrishna laughingly addressed her saying, “O beautiful one! Who are you? For whom are you carrying this fragrant sandal paste in this golden vessel? Please reveal the truth and please supply to us the best quality sandal paste for smearing upon our bodies. By doing so, you will shortly be bestowed with goodness”.
The lady, who was a servant of Kamsa, then replied, “O handsome one, my name Trivakra is aptly suited to me, who am deformed in three places”.
Trivikra, Trivikri, Trivakrama and Trivakra are names of different people. Here Trivakra means disfigured at three places. She had deformities in the head portion, the torso and the lower part of the body. All the people whose names I have mentioned now are servants of the Lord whose story appears in different books.
“Kamsa has appointed me, the hunchback lady, for preparing sandal-paste for decorating his body due to my expertise in the art of making sandal-paste. The sandal-paste prepared by me is very dear to Kamsa, the king of Bhojas’. This maid-servant Trivakra was bewitched by Krishna’s handsome appearance, His charming smile, His delicate form and His jovial talk and His good-heartedness. Her mind was enraptured by Him and hence she gave to the brothers, the thick sandal-paste for decorating their bodies.
The brothers accepted from her the sandal-paste which was in a strikingly different colour than their complexions and applied it upon their upper bodies starting from the waist. The sandal-paste was supremely fragrant and cooling”.
Narayana Krishna