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Discussions on the nectarine qualities and pastimes of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Sri-Sri Radha-Krishna. Please don't copy and paste here without starting a discussion.

Yajnapatnis - Parallels to Rasa Lila



Jagat - Thu, 01 Sep 2005 16:14:22 +0530
There are numerous parallels between 10.23 and 10.29, far too numerous to be accidental. The author of BhP is deliberately contrasting the two situations. The commentaries, unfortunately, do not work this point through.

(1) 10.23.14. To begin with Krishna sends cowherd boys as intermediaries to request a gift of food. (That is the extent of his request.) He has not blown his flute as an explicit request for an encounter of the conjugal type. This may be the significant criterion.

(2) 10.23.18. The yajnapatnis nevertheless have a clear spirit of madhura bhava.

(3) They are stopped by their husbands, brothers, and sons. 10.23.20 (parallel 10.29.8)

(4) Seeing Krishna 10.23.21-23. Krishna is not alone, but with friends. Nevertheless, some similarities in language. 10.32.8-9 = 10.23.23. “Brought Krishna into their hearts with their eyes and embraced him there, ridding their hearts of all the pain of separation.”

(5) 10.23.24. Krishna smiles and greets them who are tyakta-sarvAzAH. (10.29.17)

(6) 10.23.25 Language almost exactly = 10.29.18 svAgataM vo mahAbhAgA. karavAma kiM. He does not have the forest situation to joke about, but simply says, “You have come out of a desire to see me, so that is well and good.”

(7) 10.23.26-27 Overtones of gopis’ speech.
10.23.26 (kurvanti kuzalAH svArtha-darzanAH… Atma-priye) = 10.29.33 (kurvanti hi tvayi ratiM kuzalA sva Atman nitya-priye). The use of ahaitukI and avyavahitA to describe their bhakti is reminiscent of earlier passages in the Bhagavatam 1.2.6, 1.7.10 and 3.29.12, which is a base definition of bhakti. If the yajnapatnis exemplify such devotion, why can he not accept them?

According to commentaries (Srinath, Brhat-krama) Krishna here is already saying I cannot reciprocate with you. You will have to be satisfied with your mental embraces. He does not give a reason.

(8) Verse 27. The argument we have already encountered several times—Because of my presence in them, your husbands, your possessions and even your very selves are dear to you. Therefore it is natural that you should hold me dear. This is the gopis argument to Krishna in 10.29.32.

(9) Verse 28. Krishna sends them back – tad yAta = 10.29.22. Here the duty he describes for the wives is that they need to help their husbands perform their sacrifices.

(10) Verse 29. The first line is exactly 10.29.31, the first line spoken by the gopis in response to Krishna. tava pAda-mUlam appears in both verses. Both verses include claims to have given up everything to come to Krishna. atilaGghya samasta-bandhUn = santyajya sarva-viSayAn.

(11) Verse 30. Here the yajnapatnis change their tone a little. They say, “Our husbands and families will not take us back. We have fallen down at your feet and have nowhere else to go. So please give us refuge.” The gopis were not worried about whether they would be taken back.

(12) Verse 31. Krishna assures the yajnapatnis that their husbands will not be angry. The same word is used (abhyasUyA) as in 10.33.39 at the end of the rasa lila, where it is said that the gopis husbands were bewildered by Krishna’s Maya and so did not envy Krishna.

(13) Verse 32. Krishna returns to a parallel with his initial speech to the gopis: = 10.29.27, though perhaps this statement is even more explicit.

(14) Verse 33. They return where, once again, it is stated that their husbands and families did not find fault with them.

(15) Verse 34. One wife who had been held back left her body. = 10.29.11. Most of the commentaries, interestingly, are unclear on where she went. VT = Goloka ("like Putana"!), Krama-sandarbha = aprakaTa-lIlA; Brihat-krama-sandarbha = gopi body (gopAGganAnAM madhye bhUtvAGga-saGginI babhUva.)

Then Krishna eats and some of the women's husbands lament. I still haven't gone through all the tikas, but so far I haven't found any explanation or explicit comparison with 10.29 anywhere. Only Gopala Champu gives an explanation--

[GC 1.22.34] "If I were to accept you for my service, you who are the wives of brahmins, that would not be approved of by anyone. We must therefore await the propitious moment."

I think there must be more to it than that.
Madanmohan das - Fri, 09 Sep 2005 21:17:57 +0530
The last point there seems most apt. The simple fact of caste distinction would have made physical union inappropriate in the lila. After all Krsna and his devotees have often pointed out that the gopis are the exclusive lovers of Vrajendra nanadan, and the yajna-patnis were obviously not cowherd damsels, not even Vrajabasis(?).
The paralells between the two chapters also shows an assending excelence of the bhava. Particularly the gopis responce in contrast to the yanja-patnis.
It is almost like a starter or appetizer for what follows, after the chapters which deal with the Govardhana dharan episode, which, incedently seems out of sequence, the narrative reaches a climax in the five chapters of the Rasa . In fact much of the sequence in the narrative of Vraja lila in the 10th Skandha appears to be somewhat out of sequence. Does anyone know about that?

Another noteworthy thing in the chapter is the dhyana sloka, zyAmaM hiraNyaparidhiM....etc., which, I heard somewhere, is the third of three such slokas, the first being naumiDya te....etc, 10/14/1. The second being the famous barhApIDaM...etc,. sloka 10/21/5. There is also an assending excellence, the last being counted the sweetest.
Jagat - Fri, 09 Sep 2005 22:41:38 +0530
Yes, I was definitely thinking that this was meant to be an appetizer.

There are several areas that I think might have been in the head of the author.That's off the top of my head
Jagat - Wed, 05 Oct 2005 20:21:58 +0530
I was going to just post the chapter from Gopala Champu, but I'd like to do it properly, since I have already started this thread. This means going through the Vaishnava Toshani and filling out the notes that I haven't put in. So give me a week or so.
Jagat - Sat, 08 Oct 2005 20:37:30 +0530
This is about as much as I can give to this for the time being. It's a very interesting chapter from several points of view, and there is more in the tikas worth following up on. I corrected many mistakes in the translation and the flow of the language--a correct translation may still not be right in the context. It shows how much revision is needed for all the Gopala Champu that I have done. If anyone wants to sponsor the completion of this project or knows a rich person just dying to see a worthy translation and commentary on this great work, please tell them that I am eager to dedicate myself completely to it.

I hope this will meet with the devotees' approval.

I am also adding the BhP Sanskrit for 10.23. This is about 75% complete. I will update it when it is finished completely.
Attachment: GCP_22.doc
Attachment: BhP_10.23.doc
Jagat - Sat, 08 Oct 2005 20:37:30 +0530
This is about as much as I can give to this for the time being. It's a very interesting chapter from several points of view, and there is more in the tikas worth following up on. I corrected many mistakes in the translation and the flow of the language--a correct translation may still not be right in the context. It shows how much revision is needed for all the Gopala Champu that I have done. If anyone wants to sponsor the completion of this project or knows a rich person just dying to see a worthy translation and commentary on this great work, please tell them that I am eager to dedicate myself completely to it.

I hope this will meet with the devotees' approval.

I am also adding the BhP Sanskrit for 10.23. This is about 75% complete. I will update it when it is finished completely.
Attachment: GCP_22.doc
Attachment: BhP_10.23.doc