After The Disappearance Of Yogamaya ’s Influence

After The Disappearance Of Yogamaya ’s Influence by Srila Vishvanatha Chakravarti Thakura

Seeing that Brahma could not realize the sweet glory He had shown him, and that Brahma was not qualified to view any more of His endless unprecedented glories, Krishna didn’t show any more of His opulence. Even though Brahma was highly learned and also the husband of the goddess of learning Sarasvati, he said, “Oh, what an amazing thing I have seen.” Then being mystified, he could no longer see those forms. Seeing this and knowing Brahma’s lack of qualification to understand His powers, Krishna immediately withdrew the curtain of yogamaya (ajā javanikām) to make them disappear. In other words, by the agency of yogamaya, Krishna covered the cowherd boys, the grazing calves and Himself looking for the calves. Then Krishna showed new forms of them produced from within Himself, each having four arms. Then He made that yogamaya disappear.

Yogamaya is the potency by which Krishna is sometimes manifest and sometimes not manifest. Mahamaya, on the other hand, is the potency which covers the actual reality and displays something unreal. Therefore, in this verse the word ajā refers to yogamaya. Krishna is beyond logic (atarkye), self-manifest and blissful (sva-pramitike). If Krishna does not personally reveal Himself, there is absolutely no means – not even by scriptural knowledge – to realize Him. Therefore Krishna is beyond logic or argument. He is also beyond the material energy (paratra ajātah).

tato ’nujñāpya bhagavān
sva-bhuvaṁ prāg avasthitān
vatsān pulinam āninye
yathā-pūrva-sakhaṁ svakam

“Krishna brought the calves (āninye), who were absorbed in eating grass (avasthitān), back to the same place (prāg) on the bank of the river (pulinam), where the cowherd boys were sitting in the exactly their same positions (svakam) taking lunch. In that place sat the original cowherd boys (yathā-pūrva-sakhaṁ), who were different from the expansion cowherd boys who performed pastimes for one year with Krishna.”

Editorial comments: When Lord removed the curtain of yogamaya, the viṣṇu-mūrtis disappeared from the vision of Brahma and he was able to see the original cowherd boys and calves. At the same time, the boys created by Mahamaya,who were under the spell of Brahma’s mystic power also disappeared. According to Srila Sanatana Goswami, the calves and boys remained in the forest and on the riverbank respectively, for one full year. But the boys did not realize it; for them it was only a moment. Lord Brahma now got down from his swan and after offering his respectful obeisance he glorified Lord Krishna by various prayers.

— Sārārtha-darśinī commentary on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam by Srila Vishvanatha Chakravarti Thakur » Canto 10: The Summum Bonum » Chapter.13: The Stealing of the Boys and Calves by Brahma » Verse:57 and Chapter 14. Brahma’s Prayers to Lord Kṛṣṇa » Verse 42 » Translation by Bhanu Swami. Edited by Mahanidhi Swami.