Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Srimad Bhagavatam 10.26.13

dustyajas canurago 'smin

sarvesam no vrajaukasam

nanda te tanaye 'smasu

tasyapy autpattikah katham

SYNONYMS

dustyajah -- impossible to give up; ca -- and; anuragah -- loving affection; asmin -- for Him; sarvesam -- on the part of all; nah -- us; vraja-okasam -- the residents of Vraja; nanda -- dear Nanda Maharaja; te -- your; tanaye -- for the son; asmasu -- toward us; tasya -- on His part; api -- also; autpattikah -- natural; katham -- how.

TRANSLATION

Dear Nanda, how is it that we and all the other residents of Vraja cannot give up our constant affection for your son? And how is it that He is so spontaneously attracted to us?

PURPORT

The very word krsna means "the all-attractive one." The residents of Vrndavana could not give up their constant love (anuraga) for Lord Krsna. Their attitude toward Him was not particularly theistic, because they were unsure whether He was God or not. But He attracted all their love precisely because as God He is the all-attractive person, the supreme object of our love.

The cowherd men also asked, "How is it that young Krsna feels such constant love for us?" In fact the Supreme Lord loves all living beings, who are eternally His children. At the end of the Bhagavad-gita, Lord Krsna dramatically declares His affection for Arjuna and urges Arjuna to reciprocate that love by surrendering to Him. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, in His prayers to Lord Krsna, states, etadrsi tava krpa bhagavan mamapi durdaivam idrsam ihajani nanuragah: "My Lord, You are so merciful toward Me, but I am so unfortunate that love for You has not awakened within Me." (Siksastaka 2) In this statement Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu also uses the word anuraga. Our misfortune is that we cannot reciprocate the anuraga, or loving affection, that the Lord feels for us. Although we are infinitesimal and insignificant and the Lord is infinitely attractive, somehow we do not give Him our love. We must accept responsibility for this foolish decision, since to surrender to God or not is the essential expression of our free will.

The Krsna consciousness movement provides an efficient, systematic program to help conditioned souls revive their original, blissful consciousness, which is love of God, Krsna consciousness. The intricacies of Krsna consciousness are so wonderful that even Krsna's eternal associates, the residents of Vrndavana, are astonished by them, as shown by these verses.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
His Holiness Hrdayananda dasa Goswami
Gopiparanadhana dasa Adhikari
Dravida dasa Brahmacari