Chapter 22 - Cowherd-maids Pray to Kātyāyanī

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

[Full title: Cowherd-maids Pray to Kātyāyanī—Kṛṣṇa’s carrying away their garments]

[Note: It is significant that this episode is not given in the HVP and Viṣṇu Purāṇa. The object of this chapter is to demonstrate that devotion alone ‘generates’ (brings about) the Lord’s grace.—bhaktir eva bhagavat-prasāda-jananīti darśayitum—Padaratnāvalī]

Śrī Śuka said:

1. In the first month (Mārgaśīrṣa), in the season of Hemanta,^[1] maids in the Vraja (cowherd-settlement of Nanda), observed the vow of adoring goddess Kātyāyanī, eating only pure food fit for being offered to sacrificial fire.

2-3. Having taken bath in the waters of the Yamunā at day-break, they made an image in sand of the goddess, just near the river water, on the bank, and worshipped her with sandal-paste, fragrant flowers, offering her propitiatory oblations, burning frank-incense, waving lights before her, and presenting other miscellaneous gifts of varying costs, along with tender shoots, fruits and unbroken grains of rice.

4. Those virgins performed the worship of the goddess, each repeating the prayer (as a mantra or incantation): “Oh goddess Kātyāyanī! Oh great deluding potency of the Lord! Oh great yoginī (of great Super-human powers)! Oh absolute ruler of the universe! Be pleased to grant the son of cowherd Nanda (i.e. Kṛṣṇa) as my husband!^[2]

5. The maidens who have set their heart on Kṛṣṇa, observed the vow for the period of a month, worshipping goddess Bhadrakālī with the prayer, “May Nanda’s son be our husband”.

6. Getting up early in the morning, and calling others by their names (to wake them up), they sang in loud chorus the glory of Lord Kṛṣṇa, as they went to bathe in the Yamunā clasping each other’s hand.

7. On one occasion (on the last day of that vow which was a full-moon day), they, as usual, left their garments on the bank, and singing the glory of Kṛṣṇa, they sported in the water merrily (as that was the concluding day of their vow). Thus they concentrated on him in mind, word and deed).^[3]

8. Understanding their intention, the glorious Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Master of all other experts in yoga,^[4] surrounded by his companions,^[5] went there to grant them the fruit of their vow.^[6]

9. It is traditionally reported that he collected all their garments and quickly climbed a Kadamba tree (nearby). Laughing loudly, he spoke to them in fun, while (other) boys also kept a-laughing.

10. “Oh delicate girls! As you are exhausted by observing a religious vow, I am not joking. Earnestly I tell you. Let each of you come here at will, and receive her respective garments.

11. As these (cowherd) boys know it, I have never spoken a lie up till now. Oh girls with beautiful waist (Oh girls of pure hearts)! You may come here one by one or all together, and take your own clothes.^[7]

12. Perceiving (the implications of) his joke, the cowherd girls were overcome with love. Bashfully they looked at each other and smiled, but none came out of the water.

13. When Kṛṣṇa was speaking to them jocularly, the girls got confused in their mind. Keeping themselves immersed in the cold water upto the neck, they requested him, while shivering with cold.

14. “Oh dear Kṛṣṇa! Pray, do not be unjust to us. Darling! We know that you, the son of Nanda, are our beloved, whom the whole of Vraja praises. Pray, do return our clothes to us, as we are shivering (with biting cold).

15. Oh beautiful Kṛṣṇa of charmingly bluish complexion! We are your servants. We all shall carry out your behests. You are a knower of dharma^[8] (righteous conduct). Fray return our clothes, else we shall (be constrained to) report the matter to the king (Nanda)” (threatened the elderly gopī’s).

The glorious Lord said:

16. “If you are my servants (as you say), and undertake to abide by my biddings, come here and take back each your (respective) clothes, have a countenance beaming with a smile.

16(A). Padaratnāvalī and VT. record a half-verse

Otherwise, I will not return the garments. What will the angry chief do to me?”.

17. At this, all the girls shivering with cold and covering their private parts with the palms of their hands, came out of the water, frozen (lit. shrunk) with cold.

18. Perceiving their virginity,^[9] the glorious Lord who was propitiated with the purity of their hearts, placed their clothes on the branch of the tree and smilingly addressed them, with great pleasure.

19. “It is a positive offence against gods, that you entered water in a nude state,^[10] after undertaking the observance of a religious vow. For the expiation of this sin, you bow raising up your folded palms to your heads, and lay prostrate (on the ground) after which you accept your (respective) clothings.”

[Additional verses in the Texts of Bhāgavata Candrikā and Padaratnāvalī.]

20(A). Hearing this command full of religious significance, from the great Soul (Lord Kṛṣṇa), the damsels paid obeisance to him with one hand, covering their private part with the other.

21(B). Seeing them (violate the proper way of bowing to the Lord), the glorious Lord uttered this observation full of righteousness (and concerning religious formality), “Those who are experts in Vedas know it (and have laid it down) that he who bows to god Acyuta (Kṛṣṇa or Viṣṇu) with one hand only, should be punished by cutting off the other hand (not used in bowing).

22(C). Hence, a person should pay respects to his Lord by both of his hands. You, therefore, comply that way, and that will please me the better”.

20. Considering what was explained to them by Lord Kṛṣṇa (Acyuta), the maids of Vraja realized that taking a plunge (bath) in a nude state is a transgression in the observation of their vow. Being desirous of completely fulfilling the vow, with all the related rites and formalities, they bowed to Lord Kṛṣṇa, the very embodiment of the fruit and religious rites, directly present before them. And it was he who washes off all sins, flaws and transgressions.

21. Seeing them bowing down humbly before him, the merciful Lord Kṛṣṇa, the son of Devakī, was pleased with them, and returned to them all their clothes.

22. Though they were badly deceived by the criticism of their nudity (in verse 19), were compelled to give up bashfulness, were ridiculed (by saying that he was not joking (verse 10), were treated like puppets and robbed of their- clothings, they were so much satisfied with the company of their beloved that they bore no displeasure towards him.

23. They put on their clothes. So charmed were they with the company of the Lord, and their hearts were so much attracted, that they did not stir away from that place but continued to cast their bashful glances at him.

24. Understanding that their motive of undertaking the observance (of Kātyāyanī) vow was the longing to touch his feet, the glorious Lord Dāmodara (Kṛṣṇa) addressed the maidens:

25. “Oh chaste ladies! Your object (in observing the Kātyāyanī vow) viz. to worship me, is already known to me. It is approved of by me, and it shall be realized.

26. Your desire for my company is not censurable, for your longing to have enjoyment with me will not again lead to a birth in Saṃsāra. A seed once fried or boiled does not sprout.

27. Return to Vraja, Oh girls, as your object is accomplished. You will spend the autumnal nights in enjoyment with me—the object for which you, good ladies, have observed the vow of the worship of Kātyāyanī.”

Śrī Śuka said:

28. Thus commanded by the Lord, the maidens whose object was accomplished, continued to contemplate in their minds the lotus-feet of the Lord, and returned to Vraja most grudgingly (lit. with great difficulty).

29. The glorious Lorḍ, the son of Devakī, accompanied by Balarāma and surrounded by cowherds, went to a great distance from Vṛndāvana, grazing the cattle.

30. Perceiving that the trees served as umbrellas by spreading their shade in the scorching heat of the summer sun, Kṛṣṇa addressed to his cowherd friends, the residents of Vraja:

31. “Oh little Kṛṣṇa, Oh Aṃśu, Oh Śrīdāman, Subala, Arjuna, Viśāla, Ṛṣabha, Tejasvin, Devaprastha and Varūthapa!

32. Have a look at these great blessed souls who live only for the welfare of others, and themselves undergo (for others) the severity of stormy winds, heavy showers, summer heat and snow, and save them off from us.

33. The birth of the trees is verily the most blessed in the world, as it contributes to the well-being of all creatures. Just as no needy person returns disappointed from benevolent persons, so is the case with a person who approaches these for shelter.

34. They fulfil the desires (needs) of others by means of their leaves, flowers, fruits, shade, roots, bark, wood, fragrance, gums or exudations, ashes, coals and tender leaves.

35. That a person should sacrifice his life, wealth, intellect and speech for doing what is beneficial to others, is the farthest limit of the usefulness of embodied beings for their fellow creatures.”

36. Praising them (the trees) thus, the Lord proceeded to the Yamunā passing through the avenue of trees whose branches were bent low with clusters of young leaves, foliage, bunches of fruits and flowers and other leaves.

37. Having made their cattle drink that very sweet, cool and healthy water of the Yamunā (to their fill), the cowherds themselves drank that sweet water to their heart’s content, Oh king.

38. The cowherd pastured their cattle in the groves on the bank of the Yamunā. Being oppressed with hunger they approached Balarāma and Kṛṣṇa and addressed as follows:

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

This season consists of the following months of the Hindu calendar—Mārgaśīrṣa and Pauṣa.

[2]:

This Sanskrit verse is regarded as a mantra and it is to be repeated 1,600 times a day, during the period of Kātyāyanī-vrata—KD.22.62.

VT and Sārārthadarśinī quote Nārada-pañcarātra to show that every mantra about Kṛṣṇa has goddess Durgā as the presiding deity. Hence the justification of this vrata and japa for getting Kṛṣṇa as a husband.

[3]:

evaṃ mānasa-vācika-kāyikaikatānatvaṃ darśitam—VT.

The poet-annotator KD. says that the maidens imagined the bluish water of Yamunā as the person of Kṛṣṇa and embraced Him (in the form of water) and kissed it etc.—KD. 22.84-87.

[4]:

The epithets bhagavān yogeśvareśvaraḥ shows that it is the ‘eternal metaphysical Lord—the third aspect of the Reality’ which is implied here and not the human Vāsudeva Kṛṣṇa (viḍe Intro. XLVIII-XLIX Bhāgavata Purāṇa v.l. I). KD. underscores the same, “He became many to satisfy them.”—KD. 22.99.

[5]:

VT. quotes Gautamī Tantra and shows that these companions are ‘Intellect, ego, mind, heart’.

[6]:

Subodhinī thinks that the maidens have committed the following faults: nude bath, breaking of silence and playing while observing a vow. To purge them of these, Lord Kṛṣṇa came there and by his look did it.

[7]:

It is the erotically tinged devotion of Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas which makes VT. state that Kṛṣṇa was desirous of seeing the central part of their bodies,—

yuṣmākam madhyabhāgādisaundaryam eva draṣṭum iṣyate,
na ca vastrair etair matprayojanam iti nigūḍho bhāvaḥ /

It is on the background of Tantricism that this Vaiṣṇavism was developed. Hence the commentator’s words should not be superficially understood at their face value in view of note on page 1396. Subodhinī says Kṛṣṇa wanted to see their hearts, interpreting madhya as ‘heart’. Other annotators have just passed it over. As Kṛṣṇa’s physical age was only six years and four months at this time, the girls wishing to marry him must have been presumably less than six years of age and as such this episode appears allegorical.

[8]:

Subodhinī quotes a smṛti text which prohibits the seeing of the secret parts of a girl, sexual act of beasts, a naked woman or one whose breasts are exposed to view:

kanyā-yoniṃ paśu-krīḍām nagna-strīṃ prakaṭa-stanīṃ nāvalokayet /

Hence as a knower of dharma, Kṛṣṇa should return the clothes.

[9]:

On seeing them arrived—VT.

[10]:

Cf. na nagnaḥ karhicit snāyāt /—Mahābhārata Anu. 104.51