As He (Shree Krishna) is entering the most beautiful (abode), the ‘beauty’ word is put to shame. The most Divinely magnificent beauty (entering) Vrindavan dham (the Divine abode of Vrindavan), (entering) the forest of Vrindavan Dham, His lotus footprints He’s placing onto the sands of Vrindavan Dham, are leaving the most Divine footprints, beautiful footprints. And the cowherd boys are following Him, glorifying Shree Krishna,
“Jai Ho!!!”
(They are) glorifying Shyam Sundar - His sweetness, His beauty; His glory being glorified by the cowherd boys.
It’s like the very huge group of monkeys during the time of Ram avatar (Divine descension). They (the gwalbals, the cowherd boys) are entering, and Shree Krishna is dancing. (He is) the most acrobatic, perfect dancer, the most skillful, perfect dancer as He’s entering the groves of Vrindavan.
This is what ‘barhāpīḍaṁ naṭavaravapuḥ’ (बर्हापीडं नटवरवपु:..) says. This is (in) the 10th canto, 21st chapter, 5th verse of Shreemad Bhagawat Mahapuran. And as Shukdev Paramhans hears this, he wants to get out of this samadhi (deep meditative absorption) to drink the Divine nectar of that Divine beauty for real, but something is stopping Him. And what is stopping Him? (He thinks),
“Where am I, and where is He, the Supreme Lord?”
Just imagine someone like you and I. But we still have got some form, some beauty, right? When we look at our forms in the mirror, we think, “Ah!”
But suppose, let’s not take ourselves, there is a very ugly-looking, hunched-back, crooked (lady) with no eyes or one eye, crooked ears, a cut nose, crooked lips, and broken teeth, (and) this lady is saying,
“I’m going to marry the king! I’m going to marry the king!”
Everybody will say, “Such a crazy woman, put her in the mental hospital!”
For her to even think of getting married to the king or the prince? Hey, where is the king? Where is the prince and their beauty, their power, their opulences? And where is this dukhiyari (sorrowful one), bhikmangani (beggar) asking for every piece of bread and butter, and she’s getting married to the king, the prince?
So Shukdev Paramhans is thinking of himself like that ugly beggar, and Shyamsundar is the ‘king of kings’, the Supreme ‘wealth of wealth’. Even sometimes we feel the same.
(We may think), “Where am I? (I am) pāpi (a sinner), fallen, always thinking only rotten things - lust, anger, greed (that) we are filled with, and where is God? Will He ever accept me?”
So our question is answered here. That is why Shukdev Paramhans finds this as an obstacle on the path of devotion. But a devotee should consider themselves to be fallen, because we are. (We need to) accept the truth. But God, His mercy, has no bounds.
So the second verse is talking about the mercy of the Lord, the costlessly merciful Lord - akāraṇ kripālu (अकारण कृपालु). (He has) no reason to grace, no cause; (He is) causelessly merciful.
अहो बकी यं स्तनकालकूटं जिघांसयापाययदप्यसाध्वी ।
लेभे गतिं धात्र्युचितां ततोऽन्यं कं वा दयालुं शरणं व्रजेम ॥Aho bakī yaṁ stana-kāla-kūṭaṁ jighāṁsayāpāyayad apyasādhvī.
Lebhe gatiṁ dhātryuchitāṁ tato ’nyaṁ kaṁ vā dayāluṁ sharaṇaṁ vrajem.- Bhagwatam 3.2.23
This verse is saying, “Oh Krishna, You are so causelessly merciful. You are the very ocean of mercy, an infinite ocean of mercy. Without any reason, without any cause, You just shower Your mercy, Your grace!”
