Text 5

catur-asram tat-paritah
svetadvipakhyam adbhutam
oatur-asram catur-murtes
catur-dhama catus-krtam

caturbhih purusarthais ca
caturbhir hetubhir vrtam
sulair dasabhir anaddham
urdhvadho dig-vidiksv api

asabhir nidhibhir justam
astabhih siddhibhis tatha
manu-rupais ca dasabhir
dik-palaih parito vrtam

syamair gaurais ca raktais ca
suklais ca parsadarsabhaih
sobhitam saktibhis tabhir
adbhutabhih samantatah

Word for Word

catuh-asram--quadrangular place; tat--that (Gokula); paritah-- surrounding; sveta-dvipa--Svetadvipa (the white island); akhyam--named; adbhutam--mysterious; catuh-asram-- quadrangular; catuh-murteh--of the four primary expansions (Vasudeva, Sankarsana, Pradyumna and Aniruddha); catuh- dhama--consisting of four abodes; catuh-krtam--divided into four parts; caturbhih--by the four; purusa-arthaih--human requirements; ca--and; caturbhih--by the four; hetubhih-- causes, or bases of achievement; vrtam--enveloped; sulaih-- with tridents; dasabhih--ten; anaddham--fixed; urdhva-adhah--upwards and downwards (the zenith and nadir); dik--(in) the directions (north, south, east, and west); vidiksu-- and in the intermediate directions (northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest); api--also; astabhih--with the eight; nidhibhih--jewels; justam--endowed; astabhih--with the eight; siddhibhih--mystic perfections (anima, laghima, prapti, prakamya, mahima, isitva, vasitva, and kamavasayita); tatha--also; manu-rupaih--in the form of mantras; ca--and; dasabhih--by ten; dik-palaih--protectors of the directions; paritah--all around; vrtam--surrounded; syamaih--blue; gauraih--yellow; ca--and; raktaih--red; ca--and, suklaih-- white; ca--also; parsada-rsabhaih--with the topmost associates; sobhitam--shining; saktibhih--with potencies; tabhih--those; adbhutahhih--extraordinary; samantatah--on all sides.

Translation

[The surrounding external plane of Gokula is described in this verse.] There is a mysterious quadrangular place named Svetadvipa surrounding the outskirts of Gokula. Svetadvipa is divided into four parts on all sides. The abode of Vasudeva, Sankarsana, Pradyumna and Aniruddha are separately loalted in each of these four parts. These four divided abodes are enveloped by the fourfold human requirements such as piety, wealth, passion and liberation, as also by the four Vedas, viz. Rg, Sama, Yajur and Atharva, which deal with the mantra and which are the bases of achievements of the fourfold mundane requirements. Ten tridents are fixed in the ten directions, including the zenith and nadir. The eight directions are decorated with the eight jewels of Mahapadma, Padma, Sankha, Makara, Kacchapa, Mukunda, Kunda, and Nila. There are ten protectors [dik-palas] of the ten directions in the form of mantra. The associates of the hues of blue, yellow, red and white and the extraordinary potencies bearing the names of Vimala, etc., shine on all sides.

Purport (by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati)

Primarily Gokula is the seat of transcendental love and devotion. Hence Yamuna, Sri Govardhana, Sri Radha-kunda, etc., of the terrestrial Vraja-mandala lie within Gokula. Again, all the majesties of Vaikuntha are manifested there extending in all directions. The pastimes of the four propagating manifesta- tions are all there in their proper places. The paravyoma Vaikuntha has got its extension from the display of the four propagating manifestations. Salvation as of Vaikuntha, and piety wealth and passion pertaining to worldly people, are in the proper places in Gokula as their original seed, i.e., primary cause. The Vedas also are engaged in singing the song of the Lord of Gokula. There are ten tridents in ten directions to prevent and disappoint those who are aspirants for having an entrance into Goloka through meditations without the grace of Krishna. Self-conceived people who try to reach this region trough the paths of yoga (meditation) and jnana (empiric knowledge) are baffled in their attempts, being pierced by the ten tridents. Self-annihilation has its excellence in Brahma-dhama which represents the outside covering of Goloka in the shape of tridents. Sula means a trident: the mundane threefold attributes and the threefold divisions of time represent the trident. Astanga-yogis i.e. ascetics who practice the eightfold yoga, are the nondifferentiative liberationists who, trying to approach in the direction of Goloka, fall headlong into the pits of disappointment by being pierced and cut asunder by these tridents placed in ten directions. Those who proceed towards the direction of Goloka through the channel of devotion alloyed with majestic ideas, are fascinated with the charms of Vaikuntha which is the outer covering plane of Sri Goloka, at the sight of the eight perfections, viz., amina, etc., and majesties like mahapadma, etc. Those who are less forward in their intelligence relapse to the sevenfold world falling under the control of the ten protectors (of the ten directions) in the guise of mantras. In this wise, Goloka has become unknowable and inaccessible. It is only the divine selves of Godhead, the propounders of the divine dispensations for the different ages, who are al ways forward there to favor the approaching devotees who seek entry into the realm of Goloka through the channel of pure devotional love. These divine forms of Godhead are surrounded there with attendants of their respective natures. Svetadvipa in Goloka is their place of abode. Hence Srila Thakura Vrindavana the manifest Vyasa of caitanya-lila, has described the village of Navadvipa as bearing the name of Svetadvipa. In this Svetadvipa the concluding portions of the pastimes of Gokula exist eternally as the pastimes of Navadvipa. Hence the region of Navadvipa, Vraja and the realm of Goloka are one and the same indivisible entity; the difference only lies in the manifestations of the infinite variety of sentiments, corresponding to the diverse nature of their devotional love. There is in this a most hidden principle which only the greatest souls who are possessed of the highest transcendental love, are enabled to realize by the direct grace of Krishna. The truth is as follows: In this mundane world there are fourteen spheres disposed in the traded order of high and low. Persons living with wives and children hankering for the pleasure-giving effect of their fruitive actions, move up and down within the limits of the three worlds of Bhuh, Bhuvah and Svah. Brahmacaris of great austerities, ascetics and persons addicted to hypothetical truth, persons of a neutral disposition adopting nonfruitive works by an aptitude which seeks to be free from all mundane desires, move up and down within the limits of the worlds of Mahah, Janah, Tapah and Satya. Above these worlds lies the abode of four-headed Brahma, above which lies the unlimited realm of Vaikuntha of Vishnu, Kshirodakashayi, lying in the ocean of milk. Paramahamsa-sannyasis and the demons killed by Sri Hari, by crossing the Viraja, i.e., by passing beyond the fourteen worlds, enter into the luminous realm of Brahman and attain to nirvana in the form of temporary abeyance of the temporal ego. But the devotee actuated by knowledge (jnana-bhakta), the devotee actuated by the pure devotional aptitude (suddha-bhakta). the devotee imbued with loving devotion (prema-bhakta), the devotee actuated by pure love (premapara-bhakta), and the devotee impelled by overwhelming love (prematura-bhakta), who serve the majesty of godhead, have their locations in Vaikuntha, i.e., the transcendental realm of Sri Narayana.

The devotees who are imbued with all-love and who walk in the footsteps of the spiritual maids of Vraja, alone attain to the realm of Goloka. The different locations of the devotees in Goloka according to the respective differences in the nature of their rasa, i.e., mellow quality are settled by the inconceivable power of Krishna. The pure devotees following the devotees of Vraja and those following the pure devotees of Navadvipa are located in the realm of Krishna and Gaura respectively. The identical devotees of Vraja and Navadvipa simultaneously attain to the pleasures of service in the realm of Krishna and Gaura. Sri Jiva Goswami writes in his work Gopala-campu that "the supreme transcendental realm is called Goloka being the abode of go, transcendental cows, and gopa, transcendental cowherds. This is the seat of the rasa pastimes of the absolute Sri Krishna. Again the realm is called Svetadvipa owing to the realization of some of the Russ which are the inconceivable manifestation derived from the untouched purity of that supreme realm. The twofold entities of the supreme Goloka and the supreme Svetadvipa are indivisibly the realm of Goloka." The gist of the whole matter is this--(Goloka as Svetadvipa is eter- nally manifest because the pleasures of enjoyment of the rasa could not he had in its entirety in the pastimes of Krishna in Vraja. He accepts the emotion and effulgence of His predominated moiety, Sri Radhika, and makes an eternal pastime for the enjoyment of krsna-rasa there. Sri Krishnacandra coveting to taste the following pleasures, viz., to realize (1) the nature of the greatness of love of Sri Radha; (2) the nature of the wonderful sweetness of His love of which Sri Radhika has got the taste; (3) the nature of the exquisite joy that accrues to Sri Radha by Her realization of the sweetness of His love, took His birth, like the moon, in the ocean of the womb of Sri Saci-devi. The esoteric desire of Sri Jiva Goswami Prabhu is herein made manifest. In the Veda it is also said, "Let me tell you the mystery. In Navadvipa, the identical realm of Goloka, on the bank of the Ganges, Gauracandra who is Govinda, the entity of pure cognition, who has two hands, who is the soul of all souls, who has the supreme great personality as the great meditative sannyasin and who is beyond the threefold mundane attributes, makes the process of pure unalloyed devotion manifest in this mundane world. He is sole Godhead. He is the source of all forms, the Supreme Soul and is Godhead manifesting Himself in yellow, red, blue and white colors. He is the direct entity of pure cognition full of the spiritual (chit) potency. He is the figure of the devotee. He is the bestower of devotion and cognizable by devotion alone. The self same Gauracandra, who is no other than Krishna Himself, in order to taste the rasa of the pastimes of Radha-Krishna in Goloka, is manifest in the eternal realm of Navadvipa identical with Goloka." This is also clear from the Vedic declarations, viz., asan varnas trayah, krsna-varnam tvisakrsnam, yatha pasyah pasyati rukma-varnam, mahan pra- bhur vai and various other statements of the theistic scriptures. Just as Sri Krishna had His birth in the mundane Gokula through the agency of Yoga Maya who is the primal energy of the Supreme Lord, so with her help He manifests the lila of His birth in the womb of Saci-devi in Navadvipa on this mundane plane. These are the absolute truths of spiritual science and not the outcome of imaginary speculation under the thraldom of the deluding energy of Godhead.

Srila Jiva Goswami's Commentary

In the four verses that comprise text 5, the author describes the surrounding external plane of Gokula. The word "caturasram" here refers to the quadrangular place named Svetadvipa surrounding the outskirts of Gokula.  This Svetadvipa is ano ther name for Gokula. Although this Svetadvipa is within the boundary of Gokula, because it is a specific part of Gokula it is given a separate name. This quadrangular place should therefore be known to be the place named Vrndavana. Vrindavana is d escribed in the Svayambhuvagama-sastra, in the passage beginning "dhyayet tatra visuddhatma idam sarvam kramena vai", in these words:
 
"Vrndavana is filled with beautiful flowers, trees and birds. In this way one should meditate on Vrndavana."
 
Vrindavana is also described in the Vamana Purana, where the Personified Vedas offer the following prayers to the Supreme Personality of Godhead:
 
"In ancient times the great sages saw Your blissful transcendental form. O Lord, if You wish to grant us a benediction, then please reveal to us that same transcendental form.
 
"Hearing these words, the Supreme Personality of Godhead revealed to them the land of Gokula, which is beyond the touch of material energy. Within that Gokula-dhama he revealed the eternal, blissful, transcendental kalpavrksa-tree forest nam ed Vrndavana."
 
The words "caturasram catur-murteh" refer to the quadruple expansions of Vasudeva, Sankarsana, Pradyumna, and Aniruddha. "Catur- dhama catus-krtam" refers to the four abodes placed in four directions to accommodate the Lord's different pastim es. "Hetubhih" refers to the four purusarthas (piety, wealth, passion and liberation). "Manu- rupaih" refers to the mantras of the Sama, Rg, Yajur and Atharva Vedas chanted by Indra and his followers. "Saktibhih" refers to Vimala-devi and other pot encies of the Lord. The planet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is also described in these words of Srimad- Bhagavatam (10.28.10-17):
 
"Nanda Maharaja had been astonished to see for the first time the great opulence of Varuna, the ruler of the ocean planet, and also to see how Varuna and his servants had offered such humble respect to Krishna. nanda described all this to his fellow cowherd men.
 
"Hearing about Krishna's pastimes with Varuna, the cowherd men considered that Krishna must be the Supreme Lord, and their minds, O king, were filled with eagerness. They thought, 'Will the Supreme Lord bestow upon us His transcendental abode?'
 
"Because He sees everything, Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, automatically understood what the cowherd men were conjecturing. Wanting to show His compassion to them by fulfilling their desires, the Lord thought as follows. "Lord Krishna thought: Certainly people in this world are wandering among higher and lower destinations, which they achieve through activities performed according to their desires and without full knowledge. Thus people do no know their real destination.
 
"Thus deeply considering the situation, the all-merciful Supreme Personality of Godhead Hari revealed to the cowherd men His abode, which is beyond material darkness.
 
"Lord Krishna revealed the indestructible spiritual effulgence, which is unlimited, conscious, and eternal. Sages see that spiritual effulgence in trance, when their consciousness is free of the modes of material nature.
 
"The cowherd men were brought by Lord Krishna to the Brahma-hrada, made to submerge in the water, and then lifted up. From the same vantage point that Akrura saw the spiritual world, the cowherd men saw the planet of the Absolute Truth. "Nanda Maharaja and the other cowherd men felt the greatest happiness when they saw that transcendental abode. They were especially amazed to see Krishna Himself there, surrounded by the Personified Vedas, who were offering Him prayers.
 
In these verses the word "atindriyam" means "never seen before", "sva-gatim" means "own abode", "suksman" means "difficult to understand", and "upadhasyat" means "the people of Vraja desired that Lord Krishna would take them to His own spiritua l abode". Understanding their desire, the Lord then mercifully (krpaya) considered (acintayat) how their desire might be fulfilled (sankalpa-siddhaye). The word "janah" here means "O, My friends and relatives, the residents of Vraja". In Srimad-Bh agavatam (3.29.13) the Supreme Personality of Godhead declares:
 
"A pure devotee does not accept any kind of liberation, salokya, sarsti, samipya, sarupya, or ekatva, even though they are offered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead."
 
In either the spiritual or material worlds no devotees are said to be greater devotees than the people of Vraja. That the people of Vraja are the dear friends and relatives are described in these words of Lord Krishna:
 
"The people of Vraja are My friends. They have taken shelter of Me and they consider Me their Lord and master. I will now protect them with My mystic power. I vow that I will rescue them."
 
The word "etasmin loke" means "in this material world", and "uccavaca" means "engaged in ignorant materialistic activities, the conditioned souls rotate in various species of life, becoming sometimes a demigod and sometimes an animal", and "s vam gatim brahman" means "Overcome by ignorance, they do not understand the existence of the spiritual world". This means, "because they have no knowledge of My transcendental pastimes in this world, they remain in ignorance". Knowledge of Lord's Krishna's pastimes in this world frees one from the bonds of material ignorance. That is described in these words of Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.11.58):
 
"In this way all the cowherd men, headed by Nanda Maharaja, enjoyed topics about the pastimes of Krishna and Balarama with great transcendental pleasure, and they could not even perceive material tribulations."
 
From this statement of the Tenth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam we may understand that the Lord's pastimes in this world are completely unlike the ignorant materialistic activities of the conditioned souls. The words "svam loka" mean "the Goloka planet that the Lord revealed to the gopas. Because of the manifestation of the Lord's personal transcendental potency, the Goloka planet is "tamasah param" (above the darkness of the material world).
 
In the verse beginning with the word "satyam", the author explains that the Goloka planet is eternal and full of knowledge and bliss. Here someone may protest: "Why do you insist that these words describe Sri Vrndavana? They may describe ma ny other places in the spiritual world as well." To answer this question the author speaks the next verse, where he specifically describes the geography of Vrndavana. In that verse he says, "Lord Krishna took them to Brahma- hrada (also known as Akrur a-tirtha). They entered (magna) the water and then rose (uddhrta) again out of the water, and then they saw their own abode in the spiritual world (brahmano lokam). In other words, the spiritual planet they saw was Goloka. That the word "brahmalok a" may be used to mean "the spiritual world" is confirmed by these words of Srimad-Bhagavatam (2.5.39):
 
"Satyaloka, the topmost planetary system, is situated on the head of the form. The spiritual planets (brahmaloka), however, are eternal."
 
Someone may ask, "What is Brahma-hrada?" The author answers this question with the words "yatrakruro 'dhyagat pura" (where Akrura was later shown the spiritual world). The author mentions this point to establish the glory of this sacred pl ace.
 
The word "svam gatim" means "their abode", or in other words "the planet of the gopas", the intention being clearly possessive (sasthi-vibhakti). For this reason it should be understood that the planet described here is Goloka. The use of t he word "Krishna" in the last verse also affirms that the spiritual planet described here is Goloka and not any other planet in the Vaikuntha planetary system. The Goloka planet is also described in the Hari-vamsa, where the demigod Indra says:
 
"Above the moon and above Svargaloka is the spiritual world of Vaikuntha, which is served by the sages and brahmanas, and which is the abode of effulgent liberated souls.
 
"Above Vaikuntha is Goloka, the planet of surabhi cows. It is splendid and all-pervading. Lord Krishna stays there. The great liberated souls stay there.

"We do not know of any realm higher than this. We asked grandfather Brahma and he also did not know.
 
"They who control their senses and perform pious deeds go to Svargaloka. They who perform spiritual austerities go to the spiritual world of  Vaikuntha. 

"Goloka, the realm of surabhi cows, is very difficult to attain. O hero, you are always active in service to Lord Krishna, therefore you are qualified to enter Goloka."
 
In these verse the author explains that Goloka is above all other planets. The phrase "svargad urdhvam" means that Goloka is above the three material planetary systems. "Soma-gatih" means that Goloka is above the moon". "Jyotisam" means th at it is above Dhruvaloka. "Sadhyas tam palayanti" means that it is not the residence of the demigods in the upper material planets. It is above that residence. Goloka is the transcendental abode of surabhi cows.
 
Here someone may protest: "You say this planet is all-pervading (sa hi sarva-gatah). It is not possible for a planet of surabhi cows to be all-pervading".
 
To this objection I reply: The influence of the inconceivable internal potency of the Supreme Lord make it possible for Goloka to be all-pervading. This all-pervasiveness is not possible for other, for ordinary places. Because Goloka is abo ve all other planets, Indra became struck with wonder to see it. His wonder is expressed by the word "api" in the phrase "tatrapi tava gatih", and it is also expressed in the phrase "yam no vidmo vayam sarve". In this way it is proved that Goloka i s not a material planet that is a residence for ordinary cows. Goloka is also described in the Moksa-dharma, Narayaniyopakhyana, where the Supreme Personality of Godhead says:
 
"Appearing in many different forms, O son of Kunti, I wander on this earth, on Brahmaloka, and on the eternal planet of Goloka."
 
The word "svargaloka" used in these verses of Hari-vamsa is explained in these words of Srimad-Bhagavatam (2.5.42):
 
"Others may divide the whole planetary system into three divisions, namely the lower planetary systems on the legs (up to the earth), the middle planetary systems on the navel, and the upper planetary systems (svarloka) from the chest to the head of the Supreme Personality."
 
In this verse the word "svarloka" means "the five planets beginning with Svarloka and reaching up to Satyaloka". "Urdhvam" means "above that". "Brahmaloka" may mean the great (brahma) planet because it is eternal and full of knowledge and b liss, or it may mean "the planet of the Supreme Brahman, the Supreme Personality of Godhead". This interpretation of the word "brahmaloka" is confirmed by the following statement of Srimad-Bhagavatam (2.5.39):
 
"Satyaloka, the topmost planetary system, is situated on the head of the form. The spiritual planets (brahmaloka), however, are eternal."
 
Sridhara Svami comments on this verse in the following words:
 
"Brahmaloka here means Vaikunthaloka. "Sanatana" means "eternal", or "not within the realm of the created material world"."
 
This definition of "brahmaloka" is also confirmed by the following words of the Sruti-sastra:
 
"The spiritual world (brahmaloka) is the residence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead."
 
The phrase "brahmarsi-gana-sevitah" means that the Goloka planet is worshipped by the brahmanas, Personified Vedas, the sages headed by Narada, and the ganas headed by Garuda and Visvaksena. The eternal residents of that Brahmaloka are descr ibed in the words "tatra soma-gatih" (Lord Shiva resides there with His wife Uma)."
 
Lord Shiva himself describes the Goloka planet in these words of the Rudra-gita in Srimad-Bhagavatam (4.24.29):
 
"A person who executes his occupational duty properly for one hundred births becomes qualified to occupy the post of Brahma, and if he becomes more qualified, he can approach Lord Siva. A person who is directly surrendered to Lord Krishna, or Vishnu, in unalloyed devotional service is immediately promoted to the spiritual planets. Lord Shiva and other demigods attain these planets after the destruction of this material world."
 
The word "soma" is a sasthi-tatpurusa-samasa as described by Panini in the sutras beginning "supam su-luk". The word "jyotih" refers to the Brahman effulgence of the liberated impersonalists. Not all transcendentalists are impersonalists, h owever. The devotees, who reject the liberation attained by "mahatmanam". The devotees are described in these words of Srimad-Bhagavatam (6.14.5):
 
"O sage, among many millions who are liberated and perfect in knowledge of liberation, one may be a devotee of Lord Narayana, or Krishna. Such devotees, who are fully peaceful, are extremely rare."
 
In the Bhagavad-gita (6.47) Lord Krishna declares:
 
"And of all yogis, the one with great faith who always abides in Me, thinks of Me within Himself and renders transcendental loving service to Me, he is most intimately united with Me in yoga and is the highest of all. that is My opinion." In this way the greatness of the devotees is proved. The word "tasya" means "of Brahmaloka" and the words "upari gavam lokah" refer to Goloka. The word "sadhyah" refers to the class of material demigods who protect the various directions leading to Goloka. They are described in these words of the Sruti-sastra:
 
"The Sadhya demigods guard the approach to the spiritual sky."
 
In the Padma Purana, Uttara-khanda's description of Maha- Vaikuntha it is said:
 
"The splendid and eternal sadhyas and visvadevas guard the approach to the spiritual sky."
 
In order to attain perfection in devotional service the sadhyas carefully protect the gopas, gopis, and other residents of Goloka, who are all glorified in the following prayer of Brahma (Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.1.4.34):
 
"My dear Lord, I am most humbly praying at Your lotus feet for You to please give me any sort of birth within this Vrindavana forest so that I may be able to be favoured by the dust of the feet of some of the devotees of Vrndavana. Even if I am given the chance to grow just as the humble grass in this land, that will be a glorious birth for me. But if I am not so fortunate to take birth within the forest of Vrndavana, I beg to be allowed to take birth outside the immediate area of Vrnda vana so that when the devotees for out they will walk over me. Even that would be a great fortune for me. I am just aspiring for a birth in which I will be smeared by the dust of the devotees' feet. I can see that everyone here is simply full of K rsna consciousness. They do not know anything but Mukunda. All the Vedas are indeed searching after the lotus feet of Krishna."
 
The all-pervasiveness of Goloka is described in the phrase "sa hi sarva-gatah", where "hi" means "certainly" "sah" refers to Goloka, and "sarva-gatah" means "present everywhere in both material and spiritual worlds, in the same way that Lord Narayana is also present there". As the Second Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam describes Brahma's vision of Vaikunthaloka, so this passage describes the spiritual realm inhabited by the Vrajavasis.
 
The word "mahan" refers to the transcendental form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is described in the following words of the Sruti-sastra:
 
"The transcendental form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is great (mahan)".
 
The word "mahakasam" refers to the spiritual sky known as Paravyoma. This is described in the following words of the Nyaya- siddhi:
 
"The spiritual sky is manifested from the transcendental form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead."
 
The word "tad-gatah" means "manifesting a spiritual form and entering the spiritual world of Vaikuntha as Ajamila did." "Upary upari" means "above everything else", "tatra" means "in Sri Goloka", and "tava gatih" means "where the Supreme Per sonality of Godhead, in His form as Govinda enjoys transcendental pastimes". This is not an ordinary place, but is "tapomayi", or "full of transcendental opulence". This interpretation of the word "tapomayi" is confirmed by these words of the Sahas ra-nama-bhasya: 
 
"'Tapah' here means 'transcendental opulence'".
 
In the Sruti-sastra it is said:
 
"The spiritual sky is full of transcendental opulence'."
 
Because Goloka cannot be understood by the philosophical speculations of Brahma and other philosophers, the words "yam na vidmo vayam sarve" (we cannot understand Goloka) were spoken. Now we will explain the origin of the word "goloka". Thi s is given in the verse beginning with the word "gatih". In this passage the word "brahme" means "in the realm of Brahmaloka", "tapasi" means "fixing the mind on Sri Krishna", and "yuktanam" means "of the pure devotees". This explanation of the word "tapah" is confirmed by the following words of the Sruti-sastra:
 
"Tapah means awareness of the Supreme Personality of Godhead." "Brahmaloka" here means "Vaikunthaloka" and "para" means "beyond the influence of material energy". "Gavam" means "of the cows who reside in Vraja". These cows are described in the following words of the Tenth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam: "He protected the cows from the heat of the day."
 
The exalted status of these cows and the other residents of Goloka is only attained by persons who have pure love for Lord Krishna. It cannot be attained by performing severe austerities or by any method, and for this reason the word "duraroha " (Goloka is very difficult to attain) is spoken. Here the word "dhrtah" means "protected". By lifting Govardhana Hill and by performing many other pastimes, Lord Krishna protected Goloka. Goloka is also described in these words of the Rg Veda:
 
"O Krishna and Balarama, we aspire to attain that place where You enjoy transcendental pastimes, and where there are beautiful surabhi cows with large horns. The Vedas describe that place as the transcendental abode of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who fulfils all desires."
 
In this verse the word "tah" means "these", "vam" means "of You both", or in other words "of Krishna and Balarama", "vastuni" means "places of pastimes", "gomadhyai" means "to attain", and "usmasi" means "we desire". The question may be asked: "How may the pastime places be more elaborately described?" The answer is given in the phrase beginning with the word "yatra". "Yatra" means "in which places", and "bhuri-srngyah" means "cows with large horns". The word "bhuri" is explained in th e passage from the Upanishads :
 
"The word 'bhuri' here means 'great' not 'numerous'. The dictionary explains: The word bhuri means either numerous or great."
 
"Ayasah" here means "beautiful". This is confirmed by the Amara-kosa, which gives the following definition:
 
"The word 'ayah' here means beautiful'".
 
The word "ayasah" here uses the affix 'asah" as in the word "devasah". "Vrsnah" means "fulfilling all desires", "atra" means "in this place celebrated in the Vedas as Goloka', "urugayasya" means "of the Supreme Personality of Godhead", "bhur i' means "manifested in many ways", and "aha" means "the Vedas declares". An example of this Vedic description is found in the following words of the Madhyandina Yajur Veda:
 
"We aspire to go to the transcendental abode of Lord Vishnu, which is filled with many wonders."
 
In these words, and in many other passages of the Vedas, the realm of Goloka is described.

Text 6

evam jyotir-mayo devah
sad-anandah parat parah
atmaramasya tasyasti
prakrtya na samagamah

Word for Word

evam--thus; jyotih-mayah--transcendental; devah--the Lord; sat-anandah--the own Self of eternal ecstasies; parat parah--the superior of all superiors; atma-aramasya--engaged in the enjoyments of the transcendental realm; tasya--of Him; asti--there is; prakrtya--with the mundane potency; na--not; samagamah--association.

Translation

The Lord of Gokula is the transcendental Supreme Godhead, the own Self of eternal ecstasies. He is the superior of all superiors and is busily engaged in the enjoyments of the transcendental realm and has no association with His mundane potency.

Purport (by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati)

The sole potency of Krishna which is spiritual, functioning as Krishna's own proper power, has manifested His pastimes of Goloka or Gokula. By her grace individual souls who are constituents of the marginal potency can have admission into even those pastimes. The deluding energy who is of the nature of the perverted reflection of the spiritual (chit) potency, has got her location on the other side of the river Viraja, which surrounds the Brahma-dhama forming the boundary of Maha-Vaikuntha as the outer envelope of Goloka. The position of Goloka being absolutely unalloyed with the mundane, deluding energy, far from having any association with Krishna, feels ashamed to appear before His view.

Srila Jiva Goswami's Commentary

Now we will explain the words of this verse. Just as the non- difference of the virat-purusa (universal form) and the antaryami (the all-pervading Supersoul) was explained in the Purusa-sukta and other passages of the scriptures, in the same way the author of the Brahma-samhita speaks this verse to establish the identity of Goloka and its superintending Deity.

In this verse the word "devah" means Sri Govinda, the presiding Deity of Goloka". The word "sad-anandadah" (eternal and full of bliss) describes His transcendental form. This is described in the following words of Sruti-sastra:

"The form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is full of transcendental knowledge and bliss."

The word "atmaramasya" "of He who does not need anyone else to obtain happiness", "prakrtya" means "with the material potency maya", and "na samaagamah" means "has no association". This is described in the following words of Srimad-Bhagavata m (2.9.10):

"In that personal abode of the Lord, the material modes of passion and ignorance do not prevail, nor is there any of their influence in goodness. There is no predominance of time, so what to speak of the illusory external energy. It cannot enter that region."