Priti Sandarbha 7.7 : Lila Shakti Creates the Appearance of Material Absorption in His Associates

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kvacic ca līlā-śaktir eva svayaṁ tal-līlā-mādhurya-poṣāya pratikūleṣv anukūleṣu cātmopakaraṇeṣu tādṛśa-śaktiṁ vinyasya tādṛśa-tat-priya-janānām api viṣayāveśādy-ābhāsaṁ sampādayati | yathā pūtanā-varṇane—"valgu-smitāpāṅga-visarga-vīkṣitair mano harantīṁ vanitāṁ vrajaukasām" [bhā.pu. 10.6.6] iti |

Sometimes, however, the līlā-śakti herself, for the nourishment of the sweetness of Bhagavān’s pastime, places energy in both favorable and unfavorable objects accomplishes a semblance of absorption in the sense objects even of people who are dear to Kṛṣṇa, as in the description of Putana, "captivating the mind of the inhabitants of Vraja by her side-long glances accompanied with sweet smiles." (SB 10.6.6)

tad-ābhāsatva-vivakṣayā ca mano harantīṁ mano-harevācarantīm iti śiṣṭam uktam | 

With the intention of saying that this captivation of the mind of Vraja inhabitants was a mere semblance, the word mano harantīm has been used in the above verse. It also could mean, "acting as if captivating."

tad-datta-śaktitvaṁ ca tasyās tatraiva sūcitam—

na yatra śravaṇādīni rakṣo-ghnāni sva-karmasu |
kurvanti sātvatāṁ bhartur yātudhānyaś ca tatra hi || [bhā.pu. 10.6.3] ity anena |

Just in the same section, her being empowered by the līlā-śakti has been indicated in the verse below:

Fiends can influence only those places where people, while performing their duties, do not engage in hearing etc. of the names and pastimes of Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa which are capable of destroying the fiends. (SB 10.6.3)

[Since no evil could enter the Braja, Pūtanā's presence there must have been approved by the līlā-śakti.]

tathaivedaṁ ghaṭate—

amaṁsatāmbhoja-kareṇa rūpiṇīṁ
gopyaḥ śriyaṁ draṣṭum ivāgatāṁ patim || [bhā.pu. 10.6.6] iti |

Only because of (the līlā-śakti) the following is possible:

valgu-smitāpāṅga-visarga-vīkṣitair
mano harantīṁ vanitāṁ vrajaukasām |
amaṁsatāmbhoja-kareṇa rūpiṇīṁ
gopyaḥ śriyaṁ draṣṭum ivāgatāṁ patim ||

Because she was holding a lotus flower in her hand and was exquisitely beautiful, the gopīs mistook her for Lakṣmī, who had come to see her husband. (SB 10.6.6)

śriyaṁ prākṛta-sampad-adhiṣṭhātrīṁ patiṁ yaṁ kañcit tad-ucita-prācīna-puṇya-bhājam ity arthaḥ | "pūrvavad eva tāṁ tīkṣṇa-cittām" [bhā.pu. 10.6.9] ity-ādau, "tat-prabhayā ca dharṣite nirīkṣamāṇe jananī hy atiṣṭhatām" [bhā.pu. 10.6.9] ity uktam |

Śriyam means the presiding deity of the material wealth, patim (lit. husband) implies someone who possesses an appropriate piety from the past. As before, it is said:

tāṁ tīkṣṇa-cittām ativāma-ceṣṭitāṁ
vīkṣyāntarā koṣa-paricchadāsivat |
vara-striyaṁ tat-prabhayā ca dharṣite
nirīkṣamāṇe jananī hy atiṣṭhatām ||


Seeing that beautiful woman inside the house and overwhelmed by her brilliance, the two mothers stood awe-struck. Her behavior was most suave though she had a cruel heart like a sword encased in an appealing sheath. (SB 10.6.9)

Commentary by SNDB

Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī cites a statement that clearly states that the Pāṇḍavas were very much attached to their family and kingdom (1.13.17, cited in this Anuccheda). He resolves this contradiction by revealing that this statement applies to people like Dhṛtarāṣṭra. For this he advises to use jahal-lakṣaṇā or secondary meaning by dropping some part of the word. The verse is spoken about all the family members alive at that time. This includes Pāṇḍavas, and Dhrtarastra and his wife. But it should exclude the Pāṇḍavas, and be appled only to Dhrtarastra and his wife.. This is supported by the fact that Vidura gave instructions to Dhṛtarāṣṭra to give up his attachment to royal comfort and go to forest (1.13.18). Vidura did not instruct Pāṇḍavas to renounce their kingdom, knowing well that they ruled over it for the sake of Kṛṣṇa. That is why when Yudhisthira got the news that Kṛṣṇa has left the planet he renounced the kingdom and went to the Himalayas along with his brothers and Draupadi. He did not linger around, as Dhṛtarāṣṭra did although all of his sons were killed by Bhīma.

Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī gives an instance where devotees do get absorbed in actions or objects other than Kṛṣṇa. He says if this is seen then it is conjectured that it is the līlā-śakti of Kṛṣṇa who is influencing the devotees in this manner because they cannot be influenced by māyā. He gives the example of the gopīs like Yaśodā becoming influenced by the beauty of Putana. He says that wherever the name of Kṛṣṇa is chanted the fiends and hobgoblins cannot enter. Yet Putana entered where Kṛṣṇa was personally present. This is not possible unless the līlā-śakti of Kṛṣṇa arranged for it so that Kṛṣṇa could perform the divine play of liberating Putana. Lila-śakti of Bhagavān can influence even people like Balarāma as it happened in the lial of Brahma-mohana. When Brahma stole Kṛṣṇa’s boy friends and their calves Kṛṣṇa expanded Himself into exact replica of cowherd boys and calves. This continued for one year without the knowledge of Balarāma because he was influenced by līlā-śakti.