Mukunda-mala-stotra Verse 44

SYNONYMS

he gopālaka — O cowherd boy; he — O; kripā — of mercy; jala-nidhe — ocean; he — O; sindhu — of the ocean; kanyā — of the daughter (goddess Lakshmī, who took birth from the Milk Ocean); pate — husband; he kamsa-antaka — O killer of Kamsa; he — O; gaja-indra — to the king of the elephants; karunā — with mercy; pārīna — full; he mādhava — O Lord Mādhava; he rāma-anuja — O younger brother of Lord Balarāma; he — O; jagat-traya — of the three worlds; guro — spiritual master; he — O; pundarīka-aksha — lotus-eyed one; mām — me; he — O; gopī-jana — of the cowherd women of Vraja; nātha — master; pālaya — please protect; param — supreme; jānāmi na — I do not know; tvām vinā — other than You.

TRANSLATION

O young cowherd boy! O ocean of mercy! O husband of Lakshmī, the ocean's daughter! O killer of Kamsa! O merciful benefactor of Gajendra! O Mādhava! O younger brother of Rāma! O spiritual master of the three worlds! O lotus-eyed Lord of the gopīs! I know no one greater than You. Please protect me.

PURPORT

King Kulaśekhara's prayers are all addressed to the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His various expansions and incarnations. Sometimes he addresses Lord Nārāyana or Lord Rāma, but very frequently he specifies Lord Krishna as his object of special attraction. According to the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.3.28), Lord Krishna is in fact the source of all incarnations and expansions:

ete cāmśa-kalāh pumsah krishnas tu bhagavān svayam

indrāri-vyākulam lokam mridayanti yuge yuge

"All [these] incarnations are either plenary portions or portions of the plenary portions of the Lord, but Lord Śrī Krishna is the original Personality of Godhead Himself. In every age He protects the world through His different features when the world is disturbed by the enemies of Indra" (Bhāg. 1.3.28).

In his famous "Govinda Prayers" in the Brahma-samhitā, Lord Brahmā teaches this same conclusive truth, or siddhānta — namely, that all incarnations of Godhead and all demigods, as well as all the material and spiritual worlds and their constitutional elements, originate from Lord Krishna, or Govinda: govindam ādi-purusham tam aham bhajāmi **.

In Text 43 King Kulaśekhara directly used the name Krishna nine times, while in the present verse he calls on Krishna by names that refer to His pastimes. The names in this verse are all as good as the name Krishna, since they all arise from krishna-līlā, in which the Lord is known variously as Gopāla (a cowherd boy), as Kamsāntaka (the killer of Kamsa), as Rāmānuja (the younger brother of Balarāma), or as Gopījananātha (the Lord of the gopīs). Ultimately, all names of God refer to Krishna. For a Krishna devotee, whether God is addressed by the name Krishna or other names — even names of God from other religions — the devotee, following the conclusion of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and the Brahma-samhitā, always understands that these names ultimately designate the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna.

In this verse we also see a combination of personal devotion and objective appreciation of the Lord. One often finds this in the Vaishnava poetry of the Ālvārs of South India, of whom Kulaśekhara is one. Within a few lines the bhakta will praise the Lord for some of His inconceivable, awe-inspiring activities — and then exclaim how this same great Lord is his personal Lord in the heart.

King Kulaśekhara addresses Lord Krishna as the spiritual master of the three worlds, and he calls upon the Lord to protect him. One may question, "Since Lord Vishnu is already protecting all living beings, why should a devotee ask for personal protection?" But the bhakta is not seeking physical protection; he wants his personal loving relationship with the Lord to be nourished and maintained. In other words, he wants the Lord to protect him from the greatest calamity — forgetfulness of Him.

Śrīla Prabhupāda explains, "The Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is already in charge of the maintenance of this creation by virtue of His plenary expansion Kshīrodakśāyī Vishnu, but this maintenance is not direct. However, when the Lord says that He takes charge of His pure devotee, He actually takes direct charge" (Caitanya-caritāmrita, Preface). The pure devotee is one who surrenders to the Lord just as a child surrenders to his parents or an animal to its master. When a devotee submits himself in that way, Krishna gives him special attention and protection. King Kulaśekhara praises the Lord according to the śāstra and according to His līlā, and yet he also calls upon Him for personal protection, confident that the Lord will fulfill His promise to reciprocate with all His devotees according to how they approach Him.

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