Early History of the Vaishnava Faith and Movement in Bengal, from Sanskrit and Bengali Sources c9.s3.40

c9.s3.40

That the Kṛṣṇa līlā is real and eternal is laid down in the Śrīmad-bhāgavata and other Vaiṣṇava scriptures. The Līlā, which is a display of the divine Śakti or Energy, is of two kinds, namely, Prakaṭa or manifest, and Aprakaṭa or unmanifest; the one is cognisable in the external world (prapañca-gocara), the other is not. In the Prakaṭa-līlā Kṛṣṇa seems to go to and fro from Vṛndāvana, Mathurā and Dvārakā, but in the Aprakaṭa-līlā he stays eternally in Vṛndāvana which he never forsakes as his eternal habitation. Here he sports with one Gopī (gopayikayā, p. 334) and appears as Dvibhuja, although elsewhere he is sometimes Caturbhuja. At Vṛndāvana he is Kṛṣṇa, but at Mathurā he becomes Vāsudeva, while at Dvārakā he manifests his Pradyumna and Aniruddha forms,—which theory is a curious mystical attempt to reconcile the old Vyūha theory with the new Kṛṣṇa legend. His birth as the son of Devakī appears in his Prakaṭa-līlā, but in his Aprakaṭa-līlā he is the eternal son of Yaśodā. In the Prakaṭa-līlā there is an apparent separation from Vṛndāvana but during all this time he is really in union with his beloved ones. This union is of two kinds, namely, Āvirbhāva and A-gati. The Āvirbhāva occurs when he appears to his dear ones who long for him during separation : e.g. at the time of Uddhava's message, Kṛṣṇa appeared in Vṛndāvana, although he lived apparently in Dvārakā. When to prove the genuineness of his promise and to show his love to his dear ones he comes in his chariot to Vṛndāvana, it is called A-gati, e.g. the advent as described in Śrīmad-bhāgavata, x. 39. 33 f. Thus by means of his manifest and unmanifest Līlā he remains at the same time in the three places, Vṛndāvana, Mathurā and Dvārakā. His habitation is in reality twofold, namely, Vṛndāvana and Dvārakā, the former again being twofold, namely, Vṛndāvana and Mathurā. The Goloka or the highest paradise of the deity is really a Vaibhava, or display of Śakti, of Vṛndāvana itself. In all these places his Līlā is Nitya, but Vṛndāvana is the best because here he lives eternally in all his glory and sweetness. This sweetness or Mādhurya consists of his power (Aiśvarya), his sport (Krīḍā), his flute (Veṇu) and his personal appearance (Mūrti), all of which exist in fullness in Vṛndāvana.