Chapter 62 · Class prep
A printable handout for teaching this chapter. For each verse with Personal Guidance, you'll see Prabhupāda's translation, the essence, two or three practical applications, and a discussion prompt. Press ⌘P / Ctrl P to print as a handout.
BG 62.1
King Parīkṣit said: The best of the Yadus married Bāṇāsura’s daughter, Ūṣā, and as a result a great, fearsome battle occurred between Lord Hari and Lord Śaṅkara. Please explain everything about this incident, O most powerful of mystics.
Essence. Parīkṣit asks about Aniruddha's marriage to Ūṣā and the great battle between Kṛṣṇa and Śiva it provoked. Even apparent conflicts between great divinities serve the Lord's larger pastime, and the sincere seeker is right to ask how.
BG 62.2
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Bāṇa was the oldest of the hundred sons fathered by the great saint Bali Mahārāja, who gave the whole earth in charity to Lord Hari when He appeared as Vāmanadeva. Bāṇāsura, born from Bali’s semen, became a great devotee of Lord Śiva. His behavior was always respectable, and he was generous, intelligent, truthful and firm in his vows. The beautiful city of Śoṇitapura was under his dominion. Because Lord Śiva had favored him, the very demigods waited on Bāṇāsura like menial servants. Once, when Śiva was dancing his tāṇḍava-nṛtya, Bāṇa especially satisfied the lord by playing a musical accompaniment with his one thousand arms.
Essence. Bāṇāsura, eldest son of generous Bali Mahārāja, was a great devotee of Śiva — respectable, truthful and firm in vows, with thousand arms that pleased Śiva during his tāṇḍava dance. Even demonic lineage can produce sincere devotion when directed toward a great master.
BG 62.3
The lord and master of all created beings, the compassionate refuge of his devotees, gladdened Bāṇāsura by offering him the benediction of his choice. Bāṇa chose to have him, Lord Śiva, as the guardian of his city.
Essence. Pleased with Bāṇa, Śiva offered any benediction, and Bāṇa chose to have Śiva himself as guardian of his city. The best boon we can ask is not things but the protection of a great soul.
BG 62.4
Bāṇāsura was intoxicated with his strength. One day, when Lord Śiva was standing beside him, Bāṇāsura touched the lord’s lotus feet with his helmet, which shone like the sun, and spoke to him as follows.
Essence. Intoxicated with strength, Bāṇa touched Śiva's feet with his sun-bright helmet and addressed him. Even reverence can be tainted by pride when we want to display our power before the very one who gave it.
BG 62.5
[Bāṇāsura said:] O Lord Mahādeva, I bow down to you, the spiritual master and controller of the worlds. You are like the heavenly tree that fulfills the desires of those whose desires are unfulfilled.
Essence. Bāṇa bowed to Śiva as the spiritual master and controller of worlds, a heavenly wish-tree for the unsatisfied. Proper words can preface a thoroughly improper request — language alone is no shield from foolishness.
BG 62.6
These one thousand arms you bestowed upon me have become merely a heavy burden. Besides you, I find no one in the three worlds worthy to fight.
Essence. Bāṇa complained that his thousand arms were a useless burden because no one in the three worlds was worthy to fight him — subtly even Śiva himself. Boredom with the gifts we have been given is the first signal that pride is consuming us.
BG 62.7
Eager to fight with the elephants who rule the directions, O primeval lord, I went forth, pulverizing mountains with my arms, which were itching for battle. But even those great elephants fled in fear.
Essence. Bāṇa boasted of pulverizing mountains and frightening the great elephants who rule the directions. When our victories are uncontested for too long, we mistake intimidation for invincibility.
BG 62.8
Hearing this, Lord Śiva became angry and replied, “Your flag will be broken, fool, when you have done battle with one who is my equal. That fight will vanquish your conceit.”
Essence. Śiva, angry, warned Bāṇa that one equal to him would break his flag and crush his conceit. The Lord and His servants do not always punish at once; they sometimes let foolish desires ripen into the lesson they themselves contain.
BG 62.9
Thus advised, unintelligent Bāṇāsura was delighted. The fool then went home, O King, to wait for that which Lord Giriśa had predicted: the destruction of his prowess.
Essence. Hearing Śiva's warning, the unintelligent Bāṇa was delighted and went home to await the destruction of his own prowess. Pride can turn a clear prophecy of ruin into welcome news.
BG 62.10
In a dream Bāṇa’s daughter, the maiden Ūṣā, had an amorous encounter with the son of Pradyumna, though she had never before seen or heard of her lover.
Essence. Bāṇa's daughter Ūṣā met Pradyumna's son Aniruddha in a dream, without ever having seen or heard of him. Desires planted by destiny can carry us straight to a person we have never met, setting in motion what scripture has long foretold.
BG 62.11
Losing sight of Him in her dream, Ūṣā suddenly sat up in the midst of her girlfriends, crying out “Where are You, my lover?” She was greatly disturbed and embarrassed.
Essence. Ūṣā woke crying for her dream lover and was embarrassed before her friends. Spiritual longing often arrives at moments inconvenient to our public image, and the embarrassment is itself a clue to its depth.
BG 62.12
Bāṇāsura had a minister named Kumbhāṇḍa, whose daughter was Citralekhā. A companion of Ūṣā’s, she was filled with curiosity, and thus she inquired from her friend.
Essence. Citralekhā, daughter of Kumbhāṇḍa and Ūṣā's companion, was curious and inquired into her friend's hidden state. Real friendship watches closely and asks the question others would politely skip.
BG 62.13
[Citralekhā said:] Who are you searching for, O fine-browed one? What is this hankering you’re feeling? Until now, O princess, I haven’t seen any man take your hand in marriage.
Essence. Citralekhā gently asked Ūṣā whom she searched for and what was the source of her hankering. Direct, kind questions can break open a hidden grief faster than years of guessing.
BG 62.14
[Ūṣā said:] In my dream I saw a certain man who had a darkblue complexion, lotus eyes, yellow garments and mighty arms. He was the kind who touches women’s hearts.
Essence. Ūṣā described her dream lover — dark-blue complexion, lotus eyes, yellow garments, mighty arms — the very form that touches women's hearts. The features of Kṛṣṇa's lineage are unmistakable, even in glimpses through the veil of dreams.
BG 62.15
It is that lover I search for. After making me drink the honey of His lips, He has gone elsewhere, and thus He has thrown me, hankering fervently for Him, into the ocean of distress.
Essence. Ūṣā lamented that her lover, after making her drink the honey of His lips, had vanished and left her in an ocean of distress. The taste of the divine, once given, makes ordinary life unbearable until it is given again.
BG 62.16
Citralekhā said: I will remove your distress. If He is to be found anywhere in the three worlds, I will bring this future husband of yours who has stolen your heart. Please show me who He is.
Essence. Citralekhā promised to bring Ūṣā's future husband from anywhere in the three worlds and asked her to show who He was. A skilled, willing friend can carry our longing across distances we ourselves cannot cross.
BG 62.17
Saying this, Citralekhā proceeded to draw accurate pictures of various demigods, Gandharvas, Siddhas, Cāraṇas, Pannagas, Daityas, Vidyādharas, Yakṣas and humans.
Essence. Citralekhā drew accurate pictures of demigods, Gandharvas, Siddhas, Cāraṇas, Daityas, Vidyādharas, Yakṣas and humans. Art in service of love can survey vast worlds for the single face that matters to a friend.
BG 62.18-19
O King, among the humans, Citralekhā drew pictures of the Vṛṣṇis, including Śūrasena, Ānakadundubhi, Balarāma and Kṛṣṇa. When Ūṣā saw the picture of Pradyumna she became bashful, and when she saw Aniruddha’s picture she bent her head down in embarrassment. Smiling, she exclaimed, “He’s the one! It’s Him!”
Essence. Among the Vṛṣṇis Ūṣā became bashful at Pradyumna and joyfully recognized Aniruddha. The Lord's family lineage is so beloved that the seeker honors even the father-in-law before claiming the beloved.
BG 62.20
Citralekhā, endowed with mystic powers, recognized Him as Kṛṣṇa’s grandson [Aniruddha]. My dear King, she then traveled by the mystic skyway to Dvārakā, the city under Lord Kṛṣṇa’s protection.
Essence. Citralekhā, endowed with mystic powers, recognized Aniruddha and traveled by the skyway to Dvārakā, the city under Kṛṣṇa's protection. Power that serves love is permitted to enter cities ordinary travelers cannot reach.
BG 62.21
There she found Pradyumna’s son Aniruddha sleeping upon a fine bed. With her yogic power she took Him away to Śoṇitapura, where she presented her girlfriend Ūṣā with her beloved.
Essence. Citralekhā found Aniruddha asleep and carried Him by yogic power to Ūṣā in Śoṇitapura. The Lord's pastimes use the willingness of skilled helpers to accomplish what looks impossible from outside.
BG 62.22
When Ūṣā beheld Him, the most beautiful of men, her face lit up with joy. She took the son of Pradyumna to her private quarters, which men were forbidden even to see, and there enjoyed with Him.
Essence. Ūṣā joyfully welcomed Aniruddha into her private quarters and there enjoyed His company. Some intimacies with the Lord and His associates are not for the public eye — they happen in the inner chamber of the heart.
BG 62.23-24
Ūṣā worshiped Aniruddha with faithful service, offering Him priceless garments, along with garlands, fragrances, incense, lamps, sitting places and so on. She also offered Him beverages, all types of food, and sweet words. As He thus remained hidden in the young ladies’ quarters, Aniruddha did not notice the passing of the days, for His senses were captivated by Ūṣā, whose affection for Him ever increased.
Essence. Ūṣā served Aniruddha with garments, garlands, fragrances, food and sweet words; captivated by her increasing affection, He lost track of the passing days. Loving service makes time disappear in a way no other engagement can.
BG 62.25-26
The female guards eventually noticed unmistakable symptoms of romantic involvement in Ūṣā, who, having broken her maiden vow, was being enjoyed by the Yadu hero and showing signs of conjugal happiness. The guards went to Bāṇāsura and told him, “O King, we have detected in your daughter the kind of improper behavior that spoils the reputation of a young girl’s family.
Essence. The guards noticed Ūṣā's transformed appearance and reported to Bāṇa that the family reputation was at risk. Inner change always becomes visible eventually, and others' interpretation may be hostile even when the truth is sacred.
BG 62.27
“We have been carefully watching over her, never leaving our posts, O master, so we cannot understand how this maiden, whom no man can even see, has been corrupted within the palace.”
Essence. The guards protested that despite constant vigilance they could not understand how the maiden, whom no man could even see, had been corrupted. When the Lord's plan moves, external precautions cannot finally contain it.
BG 62.28
Very agitated to hear of his daughter’s corruption, Bāṇāsura rushed at once to the maidens’ quarters. There he saw the pride of the Yadus, Aniruddha.
Essence. Agitated by the report, Bāṇa rushed to the maidens' quarters and saw the pride of the Yadus, Aniruddha. We often run to confront the source of our distress and find ourselves face to face with the Lord's own glory.
BG 62.29-30
Bāṇāsura saw before him Cupid’s own son, possessed of unrivaled beauty, with dark-blue complexion, yellow garments, lotus eyes and formidable arms. His face was adorned with effulgent earrings and hair, and also with smiling glances. As He sat opposite His most auspicious lover, playing with her at dice, there hung between His arms a garland of spring jasmines that had been smeared with kuṅkuma powder from her breasts when He had embraced her. Bāṇāsura was astonished to see all this.
Essence. Bāṇa saw Aniruddha — Cupid's son, dark-blue, lotus-eyed, mighty-armed, garlanded with jasmines smeared with kuṅkuma — calmly playing dice with Ūṣā. The Lord's family carries itself with composed grandeur even in seemingly compromising situations.
BG 62.31
Seeing Bāṇāsura enter with many armed guards, Aniruddha raised His iron club and stood resolute, ready to strike anyone who attacked Him. He resembled death personified holding his rod of punishment.
Essence. Seeing Bāṇa enter with armed guards, Aniruddha raised His iron club and stood ready, like death personified holding his rod. Devotional love does not mean disarmed passivity; when the moment requires, it stands and fights.
BG 62.32
As the guards converged on Him from all sides, trying to capture Him, Aniruddha struck them just as the leader of a pack of boars strikes back at dogs. Hit by His blows, the guards fled the palace, running for their lives with shattered heads, thighs and arms.
Essence. Aniruddha struck the converging guards like a great boar repelling dogs, sending them fleeing with broken bodies. One who is rooted in the Lord can hold ground alone against many — outnumbered is not the same as overmatched.
BG 62.33
But even as Aniruddha was striking down the army of Bāṇa, that powerful son of Bali angrily caught Him with the mystic nāga-pāśa ropes. When Ūṣā heard of Aniruddha’s capture, she was overwhelmed with grief and depression; her eyes filled with tears, and she wept.
Essence. Bāṇa angrily bound Aniruddha with the mystic nāga-pāśa, and Ūṣā wept at His capture — yet the ācāryas note that the Lord's pastime potency permitted this for the sake of the coming pastime. What looks like the Lord's defeat is often the setup of His larger story.