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Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.8.49
SYNONYMS
jātayoh — after we two have taken birth; nau — both husband and wife, Drona and Dharā; mahādeve — in the Supreme Person, the Supreme Personality of Godhead; bhuvi — on the earth; viśva-īśvare — in the master of all the planetary systems; harau — in the Supreme Lord; bhaktih — devotional service; syāt — will be spread; paramā — the ultimate goal of life; loke — in the world; yayā — by which; añjah — very easily; durgatim — miserable life; taret — one can avoid and be delivered.
TRANSLATION
Drona and Dharā said: Please permit us to be born on the planet earth so that after our appearance, the Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead, the supreme controller and master of all planets, will also appear and spread devotional service, the ultimate goal of life, so that those born in this material world may very easily be delivered from the miserable condition of materialistic life by accepting this devotional service.
PURPORT
This statement by Drona clearly indicates that Drona and Dharā are the eternal father and mother of Krishna. Whenever there is a necessity of Krishna's appearance, Drona and Dharā appear first, and then Krishna appears. Krishna says in Bhagavad-gītā that His birth is not ordinary (janma karma ca me divyam [Bg. 4.9]).
ajo 'pi sann avyayātmā
"Although I am unborn and My transcendental body never deteriorates, and although I am the Lord of all sentient beings, I still appear in every millennium in My original transcendental form." (Bg. 4.6) Before Krishna's appearance, Drona and Dharā appear in order to become His father and mother. It is they who appear as Nanda Mahārāja and his wife, Yaśodā. In other words, it is not possible for a sādhana-siddha living being to become the father or mother of Krishna, for Krishna's father and mother are already designated. But by following the principles exhibited by Nanda Mahārāja and Yaśodā and their associates, the inhabitants of Vrindāvana, ordinary living beings may attain such affection as exhibited by Nanda and Yaśodā.
When Drona and Dharā were requested to beget children, they chose to come to this world to have the Supreme Personality of Godhead as their son, Krishna. Krishna's appearance means paritrānāya sādhūnām vināśāya ca dushkritām [Bg. 4.8] — the devotees are protected, and the miscreants are vanquished. Whenever Krishna comes, He distributes the highest goal of life, devotional service. He appears as Caitanya Mahāprabhu for the same purpose because unless one comes to devotional service, one cannot be delivered from the miseries of the material world (duhkhālayam aśāśvatam [Bg. 8.15]), where the living beings struggle for existence. The Lord says in Bhagavad-gītā (15.7):
manah shashthānīndriyāni
"The living entities in this conditioned world are My eternal, fragmental parts. Because of conditioned life, they are struggling very hard with the six senses, which include the mind." The living entities are struggling to become happy, but unless they take to the bhakti cult, their happiness is not possible. Krishna clearly says:
dharmasyāsya parantapa
"Those who are not faithful on the path of devotional service cannot attain Me, O conqueror of foes, but return to birth and death in this material world." (Bg. 9.3)
Foolish persons do not know how risky life is here if one does not follow the instructions of Krishna. The Krishna consciousness movement, therefore, has been started so that by practicing Krishna consciousness one can avoid the risky life of this material existence. There is no question of accepting or not accepting Krishna consciousness. It is not optional; it is compulsory. If we do not take to Krishna consciousness, our life is very risky. Everything is explained in Bhagavad-gītā. Therefore, to learn how to become free from the miserable condition of material existence, Bhagavad-gītā As It Is is the preliminary study. Then, if one understands Bhagavad-gītā, one can proceed to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and if one advances further, one may study Caitanya-caritāmrita. We are therefore presenting these invaluable books to the whole world so that people may study them and be happy, being delivered from miserable conditional life.
Copyright © r The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc.
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
His Holiness Hrdayananda dasa Goswami
Gopiparanadhana dasa Adhikari
Dravida dasa Brahmacari